Banana Splits and Coffee

The next morning, I awoke to the smell of sausages cooking...My wife Olivia was fixing us scrambled eggs along with it...I looked at her and smiled...

"Hey" she said.

''Hey yourself..." I said back to her...

''No court date today...I'm going to look at a few briefs and go into town...How about you? You and Beverly got anything cooking?" she asked.

''No...She settled her case the other day...So I'm like you...Pretty free for the day..."I said.

There was a knock on the door..

I opened the door slowly and saw Beverly...

"D.R. go put on some pants or somethin and let me in." said Beverly....

''How do you know I don't have any pants on?"I said smiling through the crack in the door.."

''I don't know....I'm just saying just in case." she said...

I opened the door...I had on pajama bottoms....Olivia was in a pink, frilly night shirt......

"Pajamas!!! Wow, Auntay, you've really domesticated him." said Beverly, laughing as she came in.

Olivia laughed....

"You hungry honey?" she asked.

"If you got another egg, I'll join you." said Bev...

"But of course." I said...

Beverly playfully hit me in my mid-section... I playfully put her in a choke hold...

''Auntay...tell D.R. to get off of me..."she laughed...playfully swatting at me...

"Yall two stop it before somebody gets hurt."said Olivia..

Beverly and I both looked at each other and busted out laughing....

Olivia's smartphone vibrated.....She picked it up...She looked at Beverly...

''A text! It's your daddy...He wants to talk to me later on today." she said looking at Beverly and smiling..

"You think he wants a divorce already?" joked Beverly...

They both busted out laughing.....

II-

 Hours later, Olivia and I sat in a downtown establishment....A bowl of Ice Cream....Three seperate scoops,bananas, cherries, whipped cream and sprinkles sat before me...My mouth was wide open...

''Wow! This is incredible...What do you call this thing again Livy?" I said.

"Oh My God Donnie Ray...You've never heard of a Banana Split?" she asked,incredulous that I had never had one...

"No..but I sure wish I had." I said..

"Oh My god...I hate to bring him up...but Elwood, my first husband brought me here when we first met and we had Banana Splits and that was when he first told me that he loved me.." she said.

''Wow that must have been romantic." I said..."Didn't know he had it in him." I mused...

''Oh he didn't!...He was a real actor he was....Hmmm..Funny, one day we were eating Banana Splits and then one day we were splitting assets...Funny how life is." mused Olivia...

"Me and You Livy...The only thing we gonna split is these Banana Splits and profits....I'm here for the long haul baby!" I said rubbing her arms to reassure her.

She smiled and rubbed my arms...

"I know that Donnie Ray...I'm yours for the long haul too!"she said..

I kissed her...

''Wipe your mouth, you got ice cream on my lips." she laughed ,licking her lips..

Just then, a man walked in...A brown skinned man about my height and general build...He was wearing a suit and at first glance looked like an Attorney...but something about him, the way he comported himself ,smelled of a man who had done time in prison and had just been released..

"Olivia?? Olivia Bennett ?? Is that you?" he said.

Olivia smiled and looked up..

''Soloman?? Soloman Foster??  Oh MY GOD...You're out!" she said...She looked at me...

"He's one of my clients....Well was....He was an Assistant District Attorney at one time....He got in a little bit of trouble...Gave sensitive information to a Drug Kingpin and got caught...He did two years in the state pen..I got his law license re-etablished and helped him with his parole." she explained..

From what she had just told me I already didn't like this guy....As a former Homicide cop I knew that an ADA could be your best friend or the worst pain in the ass and a corrupt one was even worse...A good cop's nightmare...

He hugged Olivia just a little too long and then kissed her on the cheek....She broke out of his embrace...

"Soloman...This is my husband...Donnie Ray Alexander...He's my firm's investigator...He used to be a Homicide Detective in New Orleans." she said.

He shook my hand gingerly, but I could tell that he was more interested in my wife than me...

''Well, congratulations are in order..Funny ,you never mentioned him the few times we talked."he said.

"That's because my private life and my work life are seperate Mr.Foster." she said. " So how are you doing?" she asked..

"Oh I'm fine...I'm back in my old loft....Lucky for me it was still available and I'm working at a small law firm for now...Just getting used to being amongst the free again." he said.

"That's good, that's good to know...How long have you been home?" she asked..

"About three weeks..I called..but I was told that you were in Punta Cana....My you get around young lady." he said.

A waitress walked over to him...

"Can I have your order?"she said.

"Coffee and what are you doing after work sugar?" he said slyly...he looked like the playa type.

She giggled and went to get his coffee...

"I'm introducing my husband to the banana split....He says he's never had one before." said Olivia..

He looked at me...

''Are you serious? I know they make Banana Splits in New Orleans...You have never had one before??Wow, you don't know what you're missin champ!" he said.

Then he looked at Olivia....

"I sure know what I missed out on....Damnnnn....Mr. Donnie Ray...You are one fortunate man...You got a great gal here..." he said.

"Oh I know..." I said smiling broadly....Olivia just blushed...She took a spoon and helped herself to some of my banana split...I put my spoon in and helped myself out to the other side...

Soloman Foster's tumbler of coffee arrived and he took it and headed towards a table...

''Nice Meeting you Mr. Alexander...Liv..Thanks again for everything.."he said.

"Just be well Soloman and stay out of trouble." said Olivia...

"How can I do that?" he said laughing and winking as he headed to his table.

"I take it Mr. Soloman had a little crush on his attorney." I said, smiling wryly...

''Yeah ,he did...a little one...but I didn't feed into it. When I worked in the Public Defenders office he tried to romance every female detective in the city...and a few attorneys too...I knew his rep and his game before I actually met him personally...."she said.

I rubbed her shoulders and just smiled at her...

III-

James West, Olivia's older brother was waiting for us when we came home....

"Liv...I'm so glad you're here, you too Donnie Ray." he said.

"You got problems Big Brother?" asked Olivia...

"Yeah...kinda sorta...See sis...There is a reason I come here to Philly, when I did..." he said.

Olivia looked at me...I smiled..

"Look...You're my sister, you're a lawyer..and from what I hear, you're a fixer too." he said.

''What do you need fixed Jimmy?"

''My life...if you two can't help me...I need you to keep this in the strictest of confidence..I don't want my wife to know or my daughter..." he said.

''What's going on Jimmy?"she asked..

"I'm being blackmailed...!!" he said.

''Yes...Yes... Look... My wife was off filming the new Quentin Tarrintino movie...And I had an east coast photo shoot, So I was here a few months ago." he said.

''Why didn't you tell me? ,Why didn't you call your own daughter?"asked Olivia..

"I wasn't going to be here that long...just a couple of nights.." he said.

"Jimmy is this about some woman?" asked Olivia...

''Yesssss..I might have met her in a bar and I might have got to talkin about who I was married to and we might have uh had too much to drink and uh ruh have gone back to her place...Anyway...She's claiming to be pregnant with my baby...and she wants one million dollars from me to keep quiet about it or she goes to the tabloids...It won't hurt me, but it will ruin Malinda's budding career...and plus...." he said.

"Plus what?" asked Olivia ,disgusted that her brother had cheated on his wife.

''I love Malinda...I really do....I would hate to lose her..."he said.

''You should have thought of her before you pulled down your zipper." said Olivia...

"I know sis, I know...It was just one night.." he said.

"That's all it takes Jimmy."said Olivia...

"Give me the girl's name...I'll get on this right away."I said.

''Thanks man." he said.

A car drove up.....Jimmy looked out the window.....He saw Beverly getting out of the car....Nelson came around on the passenger side and pulled her to him, kissing her passionately...

"Who's that dude kissin on my daughter?" he asked outraged...

"That's Nelson." said Olivia..

''Who the hell is NELSON??"he snapped..

"That would be her boyfriend...He's an Attorney also...They used to work together at the public defenders office." I said.

''Well I need to have a talk with him just the same." said Jimmy.

"Really Jimmy? Really?  You need to concentrate on the problem at hand and hope to god I can fix this." said Olivia..

(TO BE CONTINUED)