Meaner Than A Rattle Snake

Rell had been home for three days with our newest edition...Charlene Christine Parker...Our daughter.  Our son ,Charlie Jr. was now two....I had  what they call a "Banker's Family" now...One of both...Me..Charles "Chess" Parker..

Hardly no one ever calls me by my government name...Charles Parker....My daddy named me after the jazz musician....but the name I came to be known by is by the game he taught me , that I mastered...Chess...

"Chess, why don't you go out...See what the guys are up to." said my wife Rell....as I put the tiny baby back into the crib...Our son was up in his room playing with his toy trains...

I was surprised , because I had been home more than usual, the past two months...Helping her through the last weeks of her pregnancy...She wasn't used to me being around this much and I suspect that I might have been getting in the way a bit.

"You sure?" I asked.

She kissed me softly...

''Sure...go find Chris and Donald.." she said.

Yeah...She was tired of me being around the house...She would have never said something like that before...

Chris Thompson and I had been friends since childhood......Donald Smooth too...When I went off to college, those two got involved in the street life...When they chose to leave it ,later on in life...We all came together again...Chris set me up in business and later on became my partner....Donald joined us too...Yet we've still had some close calls out in these streets.

I stopped in Josies...I figured they'd be in there and I wasn't wrong...Gus ,the bartender and the owner pointed me to them as I walked in... I sat down across from Chris and next to Donald Smooth in the booth...
Chris ordered drinks and he and Donald both passed me envelopes filled with money...

''Congratulations Chess on you and Rell's new baby girl" said Donald Smooth...

''Yeah man...I meant to stop by, but I been handlin business." said Chris with a laugh.

''Speaking of business... did you uh meet with that lady, uh Rita Davis...The one that was selling that building across the street from us?" I asked.

''Sure did." said Chris...

"Yeah...I should have went with you...She 's fine and all, but she's meaner than a rattle snake.....Hope she didn't give you to hard a time." I said.

"Actually, she wasn't mean at all...In fact...she was quite accomodating." laughed Chris.

Donald Smooth smiled a sly grin...

"Am I missing something here? She gave me the third degree...In fact, I thought she was downright snooty at first...Then we finally came to an agreement...." I said.

"Yeah? " said Chris with a sly grin....I was somehow missing something here.

"Yeah...Conrad Nelson and I met her in a coffee shop and we rehashed the details over for close to three hours....He expressed concern to me about you going to talk to her without us." I said.

''Why? You guys don't think I can handle a negotiation?" said Chris...

"No...Noooo it aint that...it's just that she was kind of difficult...like she had a chip on her shoulder." I said.

"Well she aint got one on her shoulder now...I closed the deal, gave her the check and got her signature in writing...The building is ours...Grady and the construction guys said that they can start as soon as you give the word Chess." said Chris.

"Really?? I'm impressed....and she was satisfied with everything?" I asked.

"Oh yeeahhhhhh..buddy she was satisfied.." laughed Chris.  Now, Donald Smooth was howling with laughter and slapping his knee...

"You hit that?   You? A rusty dusty street negro like you got in the panties of that uptown snob??? I don't believe it." I said.

"Damn Chess...you just a generation out of the projects ya damn self and you callin me rusty dusty." laughed Chris...

"But you hit that?" I asked again...

"More than once Chess...I took her out...a few hoity toity joints and then I brought her here and I didn't take any of her crap and before I knew it...we were between the sheets and each other...." laughed Chris...

I'd seen him scare the piss out of many a playa and finese the underwear off of many a lady...but they were all people like us...from the hood..This babe was seemingly out of our league....but I guess not...I looked at Chris Thompson with new amazement....

His Android went off all of a sudden...He showed me the name....It was "Rita"

''Chris...I need you....I'm not wearing any panties..." came the voice that was obviously her...Chris looked at Donald and me and just shrugged his shoulders..Donald Smooth just held his head down and laughed..

''Keep your shirt on toots...I'm on my way." he said.

"My blouse and my bra is off....I'm sorry." she said.

''Well alrighttttt...I'm leavin now." said Chris with a toothy grin.  He got up ,peeled off a few bills and dropped them on the table.

"Drinks are on me tonight gentlemen.." He said , then he looked at me-

"Still think she's meaner than a rattlesnake Chess?" he laughed.

"Obviously not now." I said and I laughed too...

"Be easy greasy." I said.

"Always" laughed Chris as he headed out the door and into the night.