There's Something About Ann!

I sat downstairs reading a novel on my new kindle and waiting for Sepia to get dressed..We had to pick up an old friend of ours from the airport.  Her name was Ann Williams...Sepia and I had met her and her husband Roy two years before on one of our vacations... Actually...I was doing a story on someone in San-Francisco and I had taken Sepia with me...Sean Jackson, my ace boon coon and photographer had taken his wife..Sheila with him and the four of us ran into Ann and her husband Roy at a bistro we were eating at.

Roy was very quiet, reserved...almost stand offish...Ann was vivacious, talkative , a whirlwind of energy!...They came and picked the four of us up every day we were out there and took us to all of the fun spots to eat and hear some good music....They were all around, good people...

After our assignment was over , we exchanged numbers and agreed to keep in touch....But you know how that goes...We didn't...

Now, suddenly, out of the blue...She calls Sepia and tells her that she's on her way to Philly and wanted to know if we could find her a place to crash...Sepia asked her where was Roy and she explained that they had broken up and that she just needed to get out of town.

"You almost ready up there ?" I yelled...

''In a few minutes." she yelled.

Yeah right! I thought to myself...  I put my kindle down and picked up my tablet...I needed to check the news...

The Breaking news said that an elderly lady had been found shot to death in the restroom at the airport!!!!
I was stunned...This was where we were going ...

II-

Sepia finally got ready and we drove to the airport....There was a crowd of people as usual hurrying to catch flights and coming off of flights...There was a throng of police also...I saw them bringing a covered body out on a stretcher putting it in a medical examiner's car...I looked for Sissy Van Buren, but there was no sign of her....I did see detectives and uniformed policemen running around in different directions....Today...that was not my problem..

"Kevin...there she is!" shouted Sepia...

And there was Ann!!

Looking stunning!!  And talking a mile a minute.....

"Gurlllllllll, how you doin? It's been sooo long..." she said as she grabbed Sepia, hugged her and spun her around...

"Heyyyyyyyyyyyyyy Kevinnnn.." she laughed....

"What's up now?" I said as she hugged me....

''Girl where is your luggage?" asked Sepia.

"Right there" she said pointing to three suitcases and a gym bag....

"Travelin light eh?" I laughed sarcastically, imagining the weight of the bags...

"Light as I need to be" she laughed.

''Come on Kevin...Get her bags..I know she's starvin.." said Sepia.

"Gurlllllllll you aint never lied." she said.


Her two suitcases and her gym bag all matched...She was holding another suitcase that didn't match at all...It was brown and had MM engraved on it...Nothing strange about that, except that this girl dressed to the nines and usually had everything matching...I couldn't see her with such a cheap ratty piece of luggage.  ...I   I went to take it from her and she pulled away..


"That's cool ...I'll hold on to this bag.. just get my other bags..." she said kind of defensively and then smiled...

I didn't think anything of it. I just put two suitcases and the gym bag on one of those rollers and rolled it out to my car...I loaded them into the trunk.... The gym bag felt funny...like a pistol was inside...but nahhh, why would one have been inside her gym bag I mused...

"Dayummmm Kevin....you rollin phat baby." She says as we piled into my wife's Lexus...

''This is Sepia's car...I have a 2011 Lexus..It's at home in the garage." I said.

"Uh Ohhhhh...Look at yall...Both of yall got Lexuses....What is it you guys do for a livin again?" she asked.

I smiled and said nothing.

Sepia said- "Kevin's got an important benefactor who rewards him for his service from time to time."

"I aint gonna touch that...apparently he rewards you too, you got the 2012!" she laughed....Sepia laughed too.. I just smiled wryly...

"I know you hungry girl...What you got a taste for" I asked.

"I want some soul food daddy." She said.

"I know just the place." I said.

We headed for Mabel's soul food joint....Which wasn't far from where we live...

We had Fried Chicken, Fried Talapia, Greens, Candied Yams, Macaroni and Cheese and a half rack of Louisiana Ribs..

"Oh my god, we sure need a spot like this in San-Fran...Lawddddd jesus this is some good food..." said Ann.

Besides eating... Ann had entertained Mabel, Anita, Corabeth and Baby Phat with her tall tales and Jokes the entire night...I realized that she was a lot of fun...Wonder what had happened between her and Roy?

"Oh girl...I almost hate to give Kevin the bill...You have entertained us sooo much...Oh my god..Sepia, where you find her?" laughed Mabel....Corrie, Anita and Baby Phat were still laughing... My sides were splitting too.

"Met her two years ago out in Cali." laughed my wife.

The Bill for the three of us came to close to $60.00 dollars.. I was getting ready to get my credit card, when Ann put her hand up...She pulled out a one hundred dollar bill (out of the suitcase she wouldn't let me carry!) and gave it to Mabel.. She didn't seem to part with this ratty suitcase...I found it a bit odd that she brought it in Mabel's joint with her.

"Can't let you good folks pay for a thing..Here honey...keep the change." said Ann...Both Sepia and I looked at each other.

"I just need to crash with yall a few days and then I'm gon find a spot." she said.

"So this isn't just a social visit?" I asked.

"Fraid Not Kevin...I'm here for good." said Ann.

(To Be Continued...)