Table Manners

''Do you like it?" asked my wife  Sepia, who was sporting a new dress and a new hairstyle......I sat back, mouth agape...

"What? The new hairstyle or the new dress?" I asked..

"Actually...I was talking about the dress...but you win cool points for noticing my new do." she said with a smile..

We were getting ready to go out to dinner....No place special...Just ''Bottom of The C' , Dollar Bill's joint..but I had to admit...She looked so good, I was in the mood to just order in ,if you know what I mean and I know you do...

At "Bottom Of the C" We ordered our meal and sat and talked... I noticed that the crowd was light tonight....
Sepia's dress was attracting the attention of a lot of guys...More than one did a double take or almost dropped their plate or got smacked by their lady friend checking her out...I felt light amusement at all of this. I'm a pretty secure guy and I don't mind if they look...Hell, I would have looked! As long as they didn't say anything...

So why did this one guy have to violate my one rule?  He was tall, light brown skinned with a nice suit on and curly wavy hair....The type that just knows he's fine and all of the ladies are meant to melt at his gaze...He walks over to our table...While I'm sitting there mind you! Leans down and ogles Sepia and then says...

"My My My Jo-Anne.....you haven't changed a bit in all of these years and Thank the lord for that!"

He called her Jo-Anne...which meant that he knew her... Sepia looked up at him, not the least impressed and dryly remarked..

''Still layin it on thick Byron eh?"

He laughed.... "Still playin hard to get huh...Seems like I should've played rougher with you back in East Orange he said as he grabbed her arm!!  She pulled her arm back and then I pushed his hand away...

"Somebody should have taught you some manners ace!" I snapped.

He looked at me as though I was lower than dirt and remarked...

''Who is this, your date for the night?"

''This is my husband!" she replied before I could say anything.

"Husband? Ohhhhhh, so somebody did get Miz Jo-Anne Sepia Cokely huh? Okayyyyy.." he remarked.

"Kevin...This is Byron Woods...A guy I used to know back in East Orange....Byron, this is my husband, Kevin Morris." she said.

He didn't look impressed at all and didn't even nod...He smiled and continued to try to talk to Sepia as if I wasn't there..

"Soooooo....You got married huh and found your way to Philly huh?   I live in New York...In a condo.." he said.

"Nobody asked and nobody cares pal...So why don't you go to whatever table you are eating at and allow us to finish our meal." I said.

He looked at me with disdain, smiled lightly and remarked.

"I'm not eating here...My company is thinking about buying this establishment......So one day ,maybe YOU won't be able to eat here, but your lovely wife who was almost my woman at one time would always be welcome." he said.

"I was never almost your nothing Byron...I didn't want you then, don't want you now.." said Sepia.

"That's what you say now..but you know and I know the truth." he said.

I'd had enough...I stood up...He turned around and looked at me ...

"You'd better sit down....You don't want this here." he said,..

''Come on Kevin..Let's just go somewhere else to eat..It smells in here." said Sepia.

I smiled , then I cracked Byron in his jaw, sending him flying over a nearby table and spilling to the floor....

People gasped!  Byron leaped up with fire in his eyes and charged me..  I stepped aside and landed six or seven lefts and rights to his midsection and an uppercut that sent him spinning around like a top...He attempted to swing at me ,but I caught him right square on his jaw with a left hook and he was done for the night!

Dollar Bill came running out....He had a half smile on his face....

"Kev...Kev....You don't know who this is...." he said.

"I know...You're selling your business to him." I said.

"Sellin?  I aint sellin..He and his brother are juice men....I owe 200K in a crap game Kev....I can't pay..They practically takin the joint from me.." said Dollar Bill...

"How did you let that happen Bill?" I asked.

" I got involved in a high stakes crap game when I was in New York...Kev...My high falutin cousins tried to make me look like I was cheap..." said Dollar Bill.

"And I guess you showed them huh?" I said.

"Yeah Kev...I guess so...I lost my shirt....I aint even told Ralph , his daughter and Jacques yet." he said.

"I'm sorry to hear that Bill." I said.

A couple of waiters helped Byron up off of the floor..His lip was bleeding and swollen....His eye was black..He had lost his swagger....he coughed and held a wet towel to his lip...He took one last look at Sepia, then stared at me , then turned and walked out of the restaurant and got in his car...

Sepia smiled... "He had that coming for a couple of years.." she said.

 "Yeah, well he got it tonight." I said.

"You don't know how incredibly turned on I am right now." she whispered to me.

"CHECK PLEASE!" we both said.

II-

A few days later, I was sitting with Robert Foxworth, the attorney and his partner,Chance Howard in their offices...

"Kev...I called you here because I've got a problem...A problem that requires your expertise." he said.

"Okay counselor..shoot." I said.

"Our client...a Mr. Alan Drinkwater III..." started Chance..

"You mean of Drinkwater,Drinkwater and Drinkwater Insurance?" I asked.

''Oh so you've heard of him?" asked Robert Foxworth.

"He goes to my church and I've seen his commercials on Television." I said.

"Yes...Alan is the grandson of the founder of that prestigious firm....He is getting a divorce...He believes his wife is having an affair." said Robert Foxworth.

''You want me to do a little snooping and find out if that in fact is true?" I asked.

''Nahhh, we know that it is in fact true." said Robert.

"Me and Sean Jackson, your associate..followed her and we snapped these rather revealing photos with Sean's infra-red telephoto lense..." said Chance Howard..

There were photos of a sexy young woman and a man who I was recently familiar with naked, standing in the middle of the living room floor... In one photo ,she was performing oral sex on him , in another photo they were kissing and in still other photos they were having sex on the floor, on the couch on the kitchen table and in the window.....

I looked at the photos and smiled wryly....

"Sean took some good photos...and I know this guy." I said.

"YOU DO??" asked both Robert and Chance...

"Yeah..A few nights ago in Dollar Bill's joint...He tried to put the moves on my wife...So I uh , taught him some table manners." I said.

Chance Howard and Cole both laughed. Robert smiled..He knew me ...He knew exactly what I meant.

"Kev...He's a loan shark...a gangster from New York....He's got a younger brother named Edward." said Robert Foxworth...

"So what do you want me to look into?" I asked.

''Our client...Mr. Drinkwater ...He was afraid that his wife and this guy....Byron Wood was planning something untoward against him...You see...he was meeting with us to change his will and change their pre-nup....He was divorcing her and he wasn't planning to leave her a dime." said Robert Foxworth.

"So you want me to what? Babysit this guy?" I asked.

"That's the thing Kev...He's vanished...We haven't heard from him in a week...I need you to find him ....He missed a court date today..I've called his house and his cell phone several times and he hasn't returned my calls." said Robert Foxworth.

"I will of course be rewarded handsomely for this right?" I said with a smile.

"But of course." said Robert Foxworth...

"Chance..Let's go for a ride..We got a millionaire to find." I said as Robert's assistant Attorney followed me out the door.

(To Be Continued...)