Heavy Hitter

Clerow stood outside of the beauty parlor fumbling around with his IPAD...I brought him a tumbler of hot coffee from the Dunkin Donuts down the street...

''Heyy man , thanks." he said...

"What'cha got there...a new toy?" I asked.

"Yeah man...Anita bought Corrie and I this IPad....You can do so many things with it." he laughed.

"Yeah , that's what I hear....Sepia already has one...You know how her and Bonita are such gadget people , you know?" I laughed.

"I saw Kool Kat yesterday in Josies...He told me about that dirty business you all got into up in Newark...You shoulda brought me in on that Kev." said Clerow..

"Nah...You needed to be here with your wife....How is she doin anyway?" I asked.

"She's showin now....and havin mornin sickness everyday....Kev man, sometimes it's unbearable bein around the house....If you get a big case...bring me in on it...I just need an escape from my domestic bliss." he said as he sipped his coffee...

I sipped mine and I laughed out loud......

"So Corrie is in the beauty parlor?" I asked.

"Yeah...so is your wife..but uh, I guess that's why you're here....You waitin for her too." he said.

"Clerow...you must have been at the head of your class in school." I said with a sly laugh...

Just then, another friend of mine came rambling down the street...Mr. Harry Charles....A guy I had known since grade school....

"My man Kevin....how the hell are you ?" he laughed and patted me on the back.

"Oh my God...when they let you out of the nut house?" I laughed as we embraced and shook hands..

"Man, I wasn't never in...." he laughed with that toothy grin of his that could rival Clerows.

"Harry...This is my friend, Clerow...Clerow..this is my main man, Harry Charles." I said.

Harry Charles and I had gone to high school and then had done a stint in the Marine Core together...After we got out, we both went to Junior College......Then he met Bernadette...An astonishingly beautiful woman, who also owned the very beauty parlor that Clerow and I were standing outside of , awaiting our transformed wives.. It was never clear just what Harry did for a living...but I know he was a big time gambler, who had won close to a million dollars once and had set him and his wife up in a nice house in the suburbs and had bought and paid for the very establishment she was working in....This beauty parlor had five chairs..five regular beauticians and flat screen tv's positioned in every direction that were tuned to the latest movies or music videos.... Bernadette had a good head for business and on her own...She had made the beauty shop very profitable...They both were living pretty.......or so I had heard~!

"Say Kev...you seen Bernie?" he asked.

"Yeah, she's doing my wife's hair." I said.

"Oh cool..excuse me a minute....Nice meeting you Clerow." he said as he went inside.

Within twenty minutes...Both Sepia and Cora Beth emerged with great new hairdos and looking as sexy as ever... Clerow and I were impressed....Bernadette came to the door...Like I said..She was an astonishingly attractive woman....Only today...the side of her face was swollen and slightly discolored....I could see where she was trying to hide it with a little too much make up...

"Heyy Kevin...you too good to come in my shop and say hello?" she said with a cheerful laugh.

"Nah....All you women in there and me by myself....Yall might be watching a Tyler Perry movie or somethin and try to lynch me or somethin." I joked.

"Thas a good one Kevin.." she said.

"What happened to the side of your face?" I asked.

"Oh...this...oh...nothing....nothing....uh, er...You know me....clumsy as can be...I fell this morning before work." she laughed uneasily.

"You fell?" I said....

Just then , Harry walked out of the shop with a knot of cash in his hands...He didn't even look at his wife...He looked at me and said-

"You never been to Chess and Chris's card game have you?"

"Nah man..I don't gamble...Not with money , my hard earned money.." I laughed...

"Oh well, you know me...They havin a big game tonight....I'm all in....Sepia, Kevin..Nice seein you guys again...I'll be in touch." he said as he walked down the street. It was eerily quiet and you could cut the tension with a butter knife...I smiled at Bernadette.

"Hey girl...when you gonna invite me and Sepia out to that big house so I can swim in that pool?"
I said.

"Oh...Kev...We don't live in the burbs anymore....Haven't in three years...We back in Philly now."she said.

"Really? Oh...Well maybe Sepia and I will have you over for dinner at our house one day." I said.

"That would be nice.....Uh..it was nice seeing you again....Gotta get back to work." she said as she dashed back into the beauty parlor.

I shrugged my shoulders...She sure seemed antsy.....Sepia opened the door and got in my car and Clerow opened the door for Cora Beth and let her in his car...We both drove off and went home....But something wasn't right....I just had a funny feeling in the pit of my stomach.

I had been home from Newark for two weeks and had been going to work, hanging around my house , having mind blowing and amazing sex with my wife and eating good cooking...I wasn't anxious to get into something, but I sure felt curious.

"Kevin?" said Sepia as we drove home.

''Yeah babe."I answered.

"You don't believe that crap about her falling down do you? Because I don't." she said.

"No ,I don't either..." I said.

"I know Harry Charles is your boy...I know you were the best man at their wedding...but I've been going to Bernadette's since I've been here in Philly with you and she's my friend...I know she was distressed when they lost their home." she said.

"They lost their home?" I asked.

"Yes...Harry was in debt to some very heavy hitters I heard , so in debt that he had to give up their home to pay these guys off.." she said.

"So that's why they're back in Philly....Where is he working?" I asked.

'He doesn't work.....After he won that money...He bought that house...A car for both of them and
did all of this construction work on her business...Then he never worked again...He spends his days gambling and losing big." she said...

"Wow, you really knew more about this than I did." I said.

After I drove her home....I decided to do a little digging....I drove to the place where Chess and Chris Thompson were having their crap game...Donald Smooth let me in...I saw my friends, Chess and Chris standing in a corner watching everything...

''What's up Kev?" said Chess..

"Never thought of you as the gamblin type." said Chris Thompson.

"I'm not ...I'm lookin for someone." I said.

"I thought as much...who?" asked Chris.

"Oh I see him..that guy over there?" I said pointing to Harry Charles.

"Oh God him? " said Chess.

"What he do?" I asked.

"He's drunk and obnoxious...and he's losing big and we about to throw him out of here.." replied Chess.

"That's what I figured....let me take him off of your hands." I said.

"Thanks Kev..." said Chris.

I walked over to Harry Charles and tapped him on the shoulder..

"Harry...Harry...Come on man...Let's go home." I said.

"Oh hi Kevin....yeah man...I'm tapped out.....Damn...I thought I had somethin goin...I'll get it next time....I lost 10 G's tonight...dang!" he said.

"Come On...I'll take you home in my car....I'll bring you back tomorrow to get your car." I said.

He meekly obeyed and got in my car....He told me where he was living and I was surprised....He was now living in our old neighborhood in West Philly....What a drop down for him... I drove him to the house and watched as he went inside...I sat there in my car for a minute..then drove off.

The next morning, I was driving by the beauty parlor....I saw Bernadette walking down the street...She had a bandage on her left wrist and was wearing sunglasses....I called out to her..

''Hey Lady, want a ride?" I said.

She smiled and then said- 'No..I'm cool Kev..I need the exercise...I'll be alright." and scurried off.
I had a bad ,bad feeling!

(To Be Continued....)