I sat in Josies Bar. It was around 4:00 in the afternoon...Paris ,Blake and Sean had just left....They had dates....Kevin and his wife Sepia came in, conversed with Gus and newlywed's Chess and Rell and they left. My boss, Robert Foxworth was busy drinking and laughing with that lady funeral director he met awhile back... He said something about he was leaving to get some "Greif Counseling" or something or other. Me, I had a pocket full of money , a tank full of gas and nowhere to go, nothing to do and no one to do anything with.
My name is Chance Howard....I just recently earned by J.D. , will be taking the state board soon and will be an Attorney in my own right. I thought about calling Sheena, but then thought better of it..We were better off apart. I pondered calling Cindy Waters....but changed my mind...after that last debacle , she probably would never speak to me again....
"I can't beleive you don't have a date tonight." came the voice from behind me. I turned and looked and it was Anita Jenkins. Anita worked at "Mabel's Soul Spot" - the hot new restaraunt that everybody was going to... Fine ass Mabel and Corabeth were her older sisters...The apple didn't fall too far from the tree...She was just as fine as they were. The Deacon's hot wife,Victoria
Weatherfood was her oldest sister...I could see where Anita got her good looks from.
"Yeah Anita, mark it on your calender." I said, laughing. Anita waited on me when I came in her
sister's spot to eat. We were about the same age and I we often joked and bantered with each other. She was attending community college during the day and working at night. She had caught me staring at her a few times..but I had never taken it further than that. I knew she had a man...A six foot seven Basketball player named Carlton...Only..I hadn't seen him around in months.
" You off tonight?" I asked.
"Yeah....and tomorrow..." she said.
"Where's your date?" I sneered good naturedly. We always teased each other.
"Who knows?" she said...not joking at all..."He used to rush back here after his contract with one of those Basketball teams was up..Now, I see less and less of Carlton...I haven't sen him since June." She said.
She and I both knew that he wasn't playing Basketball during the summer, anywhere..Pro or semi-pro.
"So where was he last?" I asked.
"Los Angelas." she said.
"Oh" I said. We both knew that L.A. was too tempting for a brother like Carlton to resist. Neither one of us wanted to think about what hey may or may not be doing out there in La La Land. I had a good idea...I'm sure Anita did too.
"Hey Anita...look...I don't have anything to do..and you don't have anything to do...How bout..we
go to AC tonight? " I said.
"Huh? You and me?" she said.
"Nah, you, me, my mama and some of my cousins....Of course you and me..I'm askin aint I?" I said.
"Nahhh, maybe some other time.." she said. I was about to give up, but I desperately didn't want to spend this gorgeous Friday Night in Mid Winter bored and alone..so I softly grabbed her arm and said..
"There is no other time ,better than this."
She smiled softly, hung her head down as if in deep thought, then just said-
"Okay, what the hell, it's not like I really had anything to do." she said.
We got in my car , which was right outside and drove off...I noticed Gus looking at me and giving me the side eye as we left...He almost looked like he was halfway smiling.
I tossed in Jay-z's Blueprint III CD as we hit the Walt Whitman Bridge and headed into New Jersey. Anita's head rocked to the beat as the second track -"Thank You" blared.
"Wow, you have an excellent car stereo....This sounds great" she said as we drove along..
I told her about my entire episode with Cindy Waters and my boss and how she was using me to get to my boss because they had a thing awhile ago. She told me about meeting Carlton on a bus trip this time last year. He was actually on the trip with Honey Brown, but he was flirting with her every chance he got...Finnally Honey Brown had had enough and clocked him but good. She had felt sorry for him and had given him an ice pack for his swollen face.. That and a kiss, which was how they got started....How different things were now..she said.
I told her about Sheena and her affair with the married man and later with some rough neck and how we kept breaking up and getting back together and breaking up...We agreed that relationships were crazy and off the chain now of days.
Two hours went by fast. Seemed like in no time...we were pulling up into Atlantic City......
"Chance are you hungry? I am." she said.
"Yeah...where would you like to eat?" I said.
" Anywhere that doesn't serve soul food....I'm around that stuff all week...I want something different." she said.
"There's a Seafood place...Wanna stop there?" I said.
"Sure....that's different." she said.
We stopped in...I ordered some cooked Crab legs and a hot steamy plate of rice to go along with
it , some corn on the cobb and a couple of Cokes... We devoured the food, laughing and talking the whole time. I was liking Anita..She was light and breezy...down to Earth, no drama....so different from the others. I think she was liking me too...At least she seemed comfortable.
After we ate,of course we went on the boardwalk..It was barely full...It was after all, December,
Not July. Most of the people were going in the Casinos...
"Hey Anita...I don't feel like gambling, but I do want to go on the beach." I said, knowing I sounded crazy.
"God....I was going to say the same thing, but I thought you would feel as though I was crazy".
she said. We both laughed....went into a store, purchased a couple of Coronas and a blanket and
went and sat on the beach...
Yes, of course it was cold...but we sat and drank and talked and watched the water all afternoon
long...It was peaceful and the most relaxed I had felt in a long time. By seven o'clock it was getting cold. We walked to the car, which was in a lot a few blocks from the boardwalk in a lot and put our blankets and what was left of the beers in the trunk. As we made our way back to the boardwalk we discovered a flyer...
"Tonight in concert at the Borgata- Jazmine Sullivan, Joe and Jon B." it read.
"Wow, I would love to see Jazmine in concert...but it's probably too late to do that.." said Anita.
"You never know...let's go over there." I said. We got in the car and drove over to the Borgata which was a few blocks away. It must've been my lucky night...I was able to score two tickets from a scalper for the show. I probably spent way more than they were worth..but it was cool and it was more than worth it.
We got in in time to hear the last part of Jon B's set. Then Joe came on and did his thing. Jazmine was next...We rocked to "Bust your windows", "Need You Bad" and "Lions and Tigers and Bears" all of her hits. She closed the show with -'I'm in love with another man" Which made both me and Anita kind of sad. I knew why I was sad, but hadn't a clue as to why she was sad.
The night held a lot of surprises.....Of this I was sure.....
(To Be Continued....)
My name is Chance Howard....I just recently earned by J.D. , will be taking the state board soon and will be an Attorney in my own right. I thought about calling Sheena, but then thought better of it..We were better off apart. I pondered calling Cindy Waters....but changed my mind...after that last debacle , she probably would never speak to me again....
"I can't beleive you don't have a date tonight." came the voice from behind me. I turned and looked and it was Anita Jenkins. Anita worked at "Mabel's Soul Spot" - the hot new restaraunt that everybody was going to... Fine ass Mabel and Corabeth were her older sisters...The apple didn't fall too far from the tree...She was just as fine as they were. The Deacon's hot wife,Victoria
Weatherfood was her oldest sister...I could see where Anita got her good looks from.
"Yeah Anita, mark it on your calender." I said, laughing. Anita waited on me when I came in her
sister's spot to eat. We were about the same age and I we often joked and bantered with each other. She was attending community college during the day and working at night. She had caught me staring at her a few times..but I had never taken it further than that. I knew she had a man...A six foot seven Basketball player named Carlton...Only..I hadn't seen him around in months.
" You off tonight?" I asked.
"Yeah....and tomorrow..." she said.
"Where's your date?" I sneered good naturedly. We always teased each other.
"Who knows?" she said...not joking at all..."He used to rush back here after his contract with one of those Basketball teams was up..Now, I see less and less of Carlton...I haven't sen him since June." She said.
She and I both knew that he wasn't playing Basketball during the summer, anywhere..Pro or semi-pro.
"So where was he last?" I asked.
"Los Angelas." she said.
"Oh" I said. We both knew that L.A. was too tempting for a brother like Carlton to resist. Neither one of us wanted to think about what hey may or may not be doing out there in La La Land. I had a good idea...I'm sure Anita did too.
"Hey Anita...look...I don't have anything to do..and you don't have anything to do...How bout..we
go to AC tonight? " I said.
"Huh? You and me?" she said.
"Nah, you, me, my mama and some of my cousins....Of course you and me..I'm askin aint I?" I said.
"Nahhh, maybe some other time.." she said. I was about to give up, but I desperately didn't want to spend this gorgeous Friday Night in Mid Winter bored and alone..so I softly grabbed her arm and said..
"There is no other time ,better than this."
She smiled softly, hung her head down as if in deep thought, then just said-
"Okay, what the hell, it's not like I really had anything to do." she said.
We got in my car , which was right outside and drove off...I noticed Gus looking at me and giving me the side eye as we left...He almost looked like he was halfway smiling.
I tossed in Jay-z's Blueprint III CD as we hit the Walt Whitman Bridge and headed into New Jersey. Anita's head rocked to the beat as the second track -"Thank You" blared.
"Wow, you have an excellent car stereo....This sounds great" she said as we drove along..
I told her about my entire episode with Cindy Waters and my boss and how she was using me to get to my boss because they had a thing awhile ago. She told me about meeting Carlton on a bus trip this time last year. He was actually on the trip with Honey Brown, but he was flirting with her every chance he got...Finnally Honey Brown had had enough and clocked him but good. She had felt sorry for him and had given him an ice pack for his swollen face.. That and a kiss, which was how they got started....How different things were now..she said.
I told her about Sheena and her affair with the married man and later with some rough neck and how we kept breaking up and getting back together and breaking up...We agreed that relationships were crazy and off the chain now of days.
Two hours went by fast. Seemed like in no time...we were pulling up into Atlantic City......
"Chance are you hungry? I am." she said.
"Yeah...where would you like to eat?" I said.
" Anywhere that doesn't serve soul food....I'm around that stuff all week...I want something different." she said.
"There's a Seafood place...Wanna stop there?" I said.
"Sure....that's different." she said.
We stopped in...I ordered some cooked Crab legs and a hot steamy plate of rice to go along with
it , some corn on the cobb and a couple of Cokes... We devoured the food, laughing and talking the whole time. I was liking Anita..She was light and breezy...down to Earth, no drama....so different from the others. I think she was liking me too...At least she seemed comfortable.
After we ate,of course we went on the boardwalk..It was barely full...It was after all, December,
Not July. Most of the people were going in the Casinos...
"Hey Anita...I don't feel like gambling, but I do want to go on the beach." I said, knowing I sounded crazy.
"God....I was going to say the same thing, but I thought you would feel as though I was crazy".
she said. We both laughed....went into a store, purchased a couple of Coronas and a blanket and
went and sat on the beach...
Yes, of course it was cold...but we sat and drank and talked and watched the water all afternoon
long...It was peaceful and the most relaxed I had felt in a long time. By seven o'clock it was getting cold. We walked to the car, which was in a lot a few blocks from the boardwalk in a lot and put our blankets and what was left of the beers in the trunk. As we made our way back to the boardwalk we discovered a flyer...
"Tonight in concert at the Borgata- Jazmine Sullivan, Joe and Jon B." it read.
"Wow, I would love to see Jazmine in concert...but it's probably too late to do that.." said Anita.
"You never know...let's go over there." I said. We got in the car and drove over to the Borgata which was a few blocks away. It must've been my lucky night...I was able to score two tickets from a scalper for the show. I probably spent way more than they were worth..but it was cool and it was more than worth it.
We got in in time to hear the last part of Jon B's set. Then Joe came on and did his thing. Jazmine was next...We rocked to "Bust your windows", "Need You Bad" and "Lions and Tigers and Bears" all of her hits. She closed the show with -'I'm in love with another man" Which made both me and Anita kind of sad. I knew why I was sad, but hadn't a clue as to why she was sad.
The night held a lot of surprises.....Of this I was sure.....
(To Be Continued....)
No comments:
Post a Comment