It's Always About The Girl

My wife, Sepia and I were sitting in Josies on this particular Saturday Night enjoying our drinks and waiting for the main event. A new singer was about to perform. I was a little nervous...Everybody was nervous because Symphony Sam was playing and the last girl singer he had was so bad that over half the crowd left in disgust that night. We were surprised that Gus had even booked him again.

"Ladies and Gentlemen.... We got a real treat for you tonight...a dynamic new singer.....Her name is
Ingrid Rhodes....Not only does she look good...She sounds good too...So sit back, buckle up, hold on tight and show ya love for Ms. Ingrid Rhodes!!" he said.... The audience clapped graciously.....I looked at Gus...He wasn't smiling...He was waiting.....If this girl singer was a bust, I believe he was capable of shooting Symphony Sam.

She walked out on the stage...She had on a tight black dress that must have been painted on....It caressed every curve of her body...She had a slit down the side of her dress that traveled up her thigh...and showed off some of the best legs I'd seen in a while.....Practically every man in Josie's
eyes were glued on Ms. Ingrid Rhodes.

Symphony Sam's band kicked off the music and then Ingrid sang......Her voice sounded like an angel...an angel from heaven....The women liked the sound of her voice and the men....well, they just liked her, period....

"Kevin, she's good" said Sepia...

"Yes....uh..she certainly is.." I added..Trying not to sound too enthusiastic. I looked at Gus...The frown on his face quickly turned to a smile...It looked like for once, Symphony Sam had brought home the goods.

A man about my age was sitting up front....He had the posture of someone who had been in the military....His pants had a perfect crease...His shirt was perfectly starched...His shoes shined so bright, you could see yourself in them and his hair was cut perfectly.....I didn't know him....he just exuded supreme confidence...or arrogance.

Gus eyed him cautiously and gave him the side eye...... Another man walked in with a woman...A woman I hadn't seen in years...A woman I would rather have not seen tonight.....Her, I knew...The man she was with....I had heard of, but didn't know personally. He was Nato Jackson,
a stone cold killer...a relatively new playa on the scene who was making some waves and who was taking over the real estate vacated by Frank "Big Daddy " White and crew , who were safely behind bars thanks to me and his heir apparents, Wallace "Wally Gator" Benson and Bobby Valentine, thanks to my friends, Chess and Chris and Donald Smooth. Nato was what Gus would call "A Nasty piece of business" I wondered why he was here.

The woman with him had broken my heart into pieces many years ago.....Her name was Kim, Kim Beverly....She had been my first love...we were engaged to be married.....and on the eve of our wedding , she had given me the ring back....told me that she had a change of heart and had left me stranded at the alter.......She wouldn't take my calls or answer my e-mails...It had taken me a long time to forget......

After the set...Sepia and I were talking quietly when Kim came over to our table....

"Well Hello Kevin, It's been a long time." she said.

Not long enough! I thought to myself ,but did not say......

"Hello Kim....How are you?" I said.

"I'm well.....Is that a wedding band I see? You're married?" she said as if my wife wasn't sitting there.

"Yes we are...We've been married for close to two years now." said Sepia.

"Oh hi...excuse my manners.....I'm Kimberly Beverly..an old acquaintence of your husbands." she said.

"I'm JoAnne "Sepia" Morris..Kevin's wife." said Sepia.

"Pleased to meet you." she said.

''Kevin..your wife is beautiful..See, I told you , you'd be alright..." she said as she walked away.

"Who is she Kevin?" asked Sepia.

''She's nobody...Nothin to me." I responded , A little more bitterly than I should have.....

While that little mini-drama was going on... another larger drama was taking place across the room. Ingrid Rhodes's set had finished and the well dressed confident looking man approached her.

"Ingrid....Ingrid....you know why I'm here.....I was hoping you would come to your senses...I have twice proposed marriage to you and twice you have turned me down......I don't understand it...I AM JACK STANLEY WHITE , THE MOST ELIGABLE BACHELOR IN PHILADELPHIA....
I HAVE AN MBA FROM PENN, A PHD FROM COLUMBIA AND A J.D. FROM HARVARD....
I'M GOOD LOOKING AND WELL DRESSED...BLACK WOMEN ALL OVER THE EAST COAST WOULD FIGHT FOR MY ATTENTION.'' He proclaimed to all of Josies.

"Well.......They wouldn't have to fight me." said Ingrid... Gus and everyone within earshot burst into gales of laughter...I didn't....

"Jack, Jack...I told you that I don't feel that way about you...can't you get that through your head, I'm not interested in you like that....I've sent back all of your gifts and the jewelry...Find yourself someone who feels the same way about you...I'm just not that one." she said.

"You heard her Jack , now beat it....I'm the one she wants." came the voice of Nato Jackson.

What? If he was interested in her...then what was he doing with Kim??? Now I was interested.

"Nato....Nato....I never told you that....I've enjoyed the times we had and all of the wonderful places you've taken me...but I just haven't made my mind up yet." said Ingrid....

"Now you cheap hood...you heard her, you beat it...Ingrid is too classy to be seen with the likes of you, you uncultured thug." said Jack Stanley White....

"Why you punk...I'll chop you up and serve you for dinner." said Nato Jackson...

"You just try it...just try it...I'll surprise you...like you've never been surprised before..." said a now enraged Jack Stanley White.

"Keep talkin rich boy....your days are numbered." said Nato..

"Okay, enough...enough...One more word and both of you guys are gettin tossed out of here." said Gus.

"Okay Gus....I respect your joint....I'm out....but you pretty boy...I'm gon see you around...believe that." said Nato Jackson as he pointed to Kim Beverly and the two of them left Josies.

"I'm not afraid of your type." said Jack Stanley White.

"Wow" said Sepia.

"Yeah, that was something....." I said.

''What I don't understand is what is your ex doin with a gangster like Nato Jackson , when he's clearly after Ingrid?" said Sepia.

"I never said she was my ex anything." I said.

"I'm a woman Kevin...If she wasn't your ex girlfriend she wouldn't have been checking me out the way she did or posturing like she was.....So tell me about her?" she said.

" We were engaged to be married once...long before I met you...It didn't work out.....but that's okay...you're much better looking than her." I said.

"Normally, I would be flattered." she said dryly.

As Sepia and I were walking out, I saw two known thugs.....They looked as if they were waiting for somebody....It didn't take a genius to know what this was about... I motioned for Sepia to go to the car...I stood in the shadows and waited....

Sure as anything...Jack Stanley White walked out and walked into a punch in the stomach...It knocked the wind out of him and then the other guy kicked him in the face and knocked him down....

"Two against one isn't fair fellas." I said.

"Mind ya business." said the other one.

"I think you sent your message , now leave him be." I said....It was at times like this...it would have been nice if Clerow, Sean Jackson ,Cock Robbins or even Robert Foxworth were here, but none of them were out tonight...

The one thug came towards me..I went to swing on him, but he caught my hand in mid air and lifted me up off my feet...he was squeezing my neck so hard, I thought that death was imminent.
The other guy was laughing....

I took my foot and kicked him in the groin as hard as I could......He moaned and then I took my elbow and slammed it into his temple...he went down like a sack of potatoes and I put his arm behind his back....The other thug headed towards me , but was cold cocked and knocked off of his
feet by Jack Stanley White... He got up and Jack Stanley White hit him in his stomach and then clocked him in his jaw...H e was out for the night.... I lifted the other one up and smacked his head into the wind sheild of a parked car....He went down too....Out for the night!

"Thank you sir....for your help....." said Jack Stanley White.

"You're pretty good with your hands." I said.


"I used to box." he said.

"You?" I exclaimed.

"I was a Golden Gloves finalist a few years back....Gus will tell you." he said.

" That's good to know..." I said.

" I'm Jack Stanley White." he said.

"I'm Kevin Morris." I said and we shook hands....He headed to his car and I headed to mine...

As we were driving home , Sepia looked at me and laughed...

"What's so funny?" I asked.

"Men....All these guys fighting each other , willing to kill each other over the girl....It's always about the girl." laughed Sepia.

"Yeah, how about that? Those guys? They were Nato Jackson's guys......This isn't over...."

"Oh I know...and I know you're going to be all up in it somehow.....because you want to know what Kim is doing mixed up in this...I want to know too.." said Sepia with a laugh...

"Are you serious?" I asked.

"Sure" she said.

It was about the girl...It was always.....about the girl!

(To Be Continued..)