Remove This Doubt

I attended the slain police officer, Robert "Clarkie" Clark's funeral.....Like I said....I knew who he was because he patroled the neighborhood....We spoke only enough to acknowledge each other's presence..We weren't friends....Even though I did call him "Bobby" and not Robert.

Most of the neighborhood people who did engage in conversation with him called him "Clarkie".  As far as I knew...He was a good cop.  I utilized Attorney Robert Foxworth's contact in records and got the so called "Book" on "Clarkie."

He had been on the force for 15 years...Had had several accomodations for bravery, had taken some courses for advancement and ironically enough...at the time of his death...was about to be promoted to Detective... He was a guy on the move... He had been married twice....both marriages ending in divorce..Had a twenty two year old daughter...Who lived in Phoenix ,Arizona with his first wife and her new husband.. His second wife died  in an automobile accident several years before...

Outside of the few personal glitches in his life, there was nothing else out of the ordinary...I had did all of my research on him, including talking to a few cops who knew and worked with him and talking to some of the neighborhood people who knew him....Nobody...Not even the players had anything bad to say about Clarkie..

At the funeral and at the internment...I noticed ...Everybody noticed...an attractive woman who was crying and wailing the loudest.....I thought that maybe this was a girlfriend....I asked a couple of people in the crowd who it was that was so upset.....

"Is that ..Was that Clarkie's girlfriend?" I asked a cop who was in attendance.

"That's his partner's wife." said the cop with no attempt to hide his disgust....

I said no more....I saw his partner...Dave Gillespie walk over to her and grab her arm....

''Pamela...Pamela...Get a hold of  yourself...Knock it the hell off...you're making a fool out of yourself.." he snapped...

She snatched her arm away from him...

"Leave me alone...all I know is that the wrong person is in that casket." she snapped..

I could see the white hot rage in his face as he stormed away.....

Her crying and wailing continued. I made note of what I heard.......I walked away to my car...Sean Jackson was there with his camera...

"Did you get the photos?" I asked.

''Oh yeah..I got some good ones." he said.

"How about of that little brou-ha ha?" I asked with a wink...

"Yeah..I got it...Wish we had gotten the audio."laughed Sean Jackson.

"That's okay...I heard enough." I said.

''Yo Kev...Just what are you gettin at? I mean ,like why are we out here?  The guy that killed the cop is dead himself. I knew Clarkie...He was a pretty straight up dude....I mean he might not of been perfect, but who is.?" asked Sean.

''I just think there was more to his murder...and between me and you...I don't think the person they say killed him killed him...." I said.

"What? Kev they found the gun on him...He had on the hoodie and the sunglasses....His prints and no one elses is on the murder weapon..they had a match!" said Sean.

''Yeah...how neat and clean is that?" I said.   "I might be wrong...I'm just lookin at a hunch ,is all." I said.

"I don't think there is anything there." said Sean Jackson.

"Maybe you're right....I hope you are." I said.  "Let's go get some lunch."

II-

Sean Jackson and I sat in Jake's Hot Dog Joint and enjoyed two of his delicious "Long Dawgs"...Two Foot long Hot dogs with all of the fixins....Mustard,Ketchup, Relish, Sauerkraut ...and washed it down with some cold Papaya Juice.

Kool Kat and Owen Todd walked in..ordered Hot Dogs and sat down with us....

''What's goin on Owen? Big Man ...How 's it hanging?" I said.

"I'm glad I ran into you Kev....An old friend of ours wants to see you." said Kool Kat.

''Really? Who? Big Chicken ? He goin crazy in stir again? " I asked with a laugh...

"Nah..it's Shark Dollars.....and it concerns that cop that got iced a few days ago." said Kool Kat.

I looked at Sean Jackson.....I knew that there was more to this than what met the eye.....

"Eric "Shark Dollars" Redding, Atlantic City Kingpin...What business has he got in Philadelphia?" I asked.

"I suppose he wants to tell you that." said Kool Kat.

''So we gotta go to Atlantic City?" I asked.

"Nah...he's here in Philly...He's at the Marriot." said Kool Kat.

"Only the best for Shark Dollars." I mused.

"He requested just you and you only....but me, Clerow and Owen will be around to back you up." said Kool Kat.

"Nah.....Eric is alright...I'll talk to him alone...When does he want to meet?" I asked.

"ASAP..was the word I got." said Kool Kat.

"Hmmm, must be serious." I said.

III-

Within a few hours..I was in a  plush hotel room with Eric "Shark Dollars" Redding....a loan shark and big time playa from Atlantic City by way of Philadelphia PA.

"Nothing like home eh Eric?" I said as I sat and drank a complimentary Corona..

"Tomorrow....I bury my nephew Kevin." said Shark Dollars.

"Oh...I'm sorry for your loss man." I said.

"That's why I call you up here...His death is kind of mysterious....Kind of bogus if I may be plain spoken and your kind of expertise in this matter comes to mind..." he said.

''Oh really?" I said.

''A cop was shot to death a few blocks from you the other day I heard and they say that the dead guy ,who they found a few blocks away was more than likely the shooter.....only...I know that that aint so....The dead guy is my nephew!!!!!!! His name is Alan Artis and he aint ice no cop!!!" said Shark Dollars.

Now my suspicions were wide open!!!!!  Eric Shark Dollars had just added a whole new dimension to my Case!

"WHAT???" I said.

"Kevin...He was set up....I don't know how....but the boy wasn't no killer..I know this...He had no reason and not enough heart to ace no cop..Somebody set him up as a patsy, a fall guy...My sister is just sick to death...I don't want him goin out like this...branded as a killer....I'll pay you whatever you need to clear his name if you can." he said.

And there it was...the beginning of my next case....A case I had already begun....!

(Definitely To Be Continued....)

Daze Of Wine and Murder!

A quiet Friday Night...Sepia and I started to go to Josies and hang out...but somehow , we didn't make it... I had two bottles of wine in the refrigerator on tap just in case....As in just in case we didn't feel like going out like tonight... I opened a bottle of wine....POP!  was the sound of the cork coming off and wine bubbled up and ran down the side of the bottle.

''Ouuu Kevin!" laughed Sepia...

'It's on baby!" I laughed as I poured two flutes of wine for us both!

We lay in front of the fireplace , Sepia in my arms...both of drinking red wine.... Sepia had on an orange sheer slip and I was in my bathrobe...We kissed a little and sipped a little more...It seemed like the more we sipped, the more we kissed and fooled around... the less likely we were to get dressed...

"Mmmmmm..why so frisky tonight lover?" asked Sepia as I kissed down her neck and then up the side of her neck...

"You complaining?" I asked with a sly grin...

'Not at all....but it's already 11:00 pm...I don't think we are going to make it to Josie's tonight." she giggled as she began kissing me passionately.... I rolled over on top of her....

"No ,I don't think we are going to make it there either....That's okay...there is always tomorrow night." I smiled as I parted her legs and opened up my bathrobe and began to slowly enter her.....

''Ouuuuuuu..mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...this feels good." she moaned...

"Yes lawddd." I exclaimed...

"Ohh shut up..." she giggled as I began moving in and out at a slow deliberate pace..I wanted to savor every moment!

''Ouuuuuuuuu Kevin, you feel so goooooooooood." she cooed.

It had been a good six weeks since my last cases....In which I was after a serial killer and helped Chinese Bob find out who was setting him up....It had been nice going to work, coming home...hanging out and eating with friends and not dodging bullets or trading blows with some enforcer or some playa...Peace was nice, but peace was also boring...A part of me longed for the call of the streets.....but probably not right now...Yeah,I'm conflicted!

Sepia and I had been married for close to four years and we still fooled around and made love all over our house as though we were teenagers.....We made love on the floor of our living room until close to three in the morning...Oblivious to anything goin on out in the street~!

Sometime after three..right when we had collected ourselves and was quietly heading for the bedroom...TO SLEEP!  We both heard three sounds that sounded like loud firecrackers...! a pop- pop-pop! sound! There was a commotion and the screeching of tires and then from a distance...we heard another loud pop!  It sounded like an M-80! Then....nothing! Just quiet! Eerie Quiet!

''What the hell was that?" I exclaimed to no one in particular...

"It sounded like firecrackers!" said Sepia..

"It's December...Not the fourth of July." I replied...

"That's the late respone you felt when I was giving you all that good lovin of mine." laughed Sepia jokingly...

I slapped her on her behind and laughed..

"Yeah baby."

We both laughed and quietly drifted off to sleep.

II-

I woke up a few hours later at six o'clock...Sepia was already up and looking out the window....

''Kevin...look outside...Cops everywhere....People all over the corner..." she said.

''Something must have happened last night." I said.

"Yeah.." she agreed.

Before I could do anything else...the doorbell rang....I threw on my trousers and a shirt and some slippers and went to the door...There was a Homicide Detective and three uniformed policemen at the door..

''You live here?" Asked the Detective.

"Yeah...What's going on?" I asked.

"I'll ask the questions sport." he said.

''Where were you this morning around 3:00 am.?" he asked.

"I was here...." I answered...

"Anybody vouch for you?" he asked.

"Yeah...My wife.." I said...

By now Sepia had come to the door....

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

''We are going from door to door asking everybody where they were at 3:00 am....A police officer has been murdered...he was shot to death around three this morning and we found a second person , also shot to death just a few blocks away." he said.

Indeed, the neighborhood was crawling with cops going from door to door, questioning everybody...

"We were here the entire night officer...We were going to go out last night, but we decided to stay in." said Sepia...

"Did you hear anything peculiar or see anything?" he asked...

'We heard like three "pop" sounds...like a firecracker in sucession around three..and then a few minutes...we heard an even louder sound..." she said.

"But you didn't see anything?" he asked.

"No..we were uh asleep." she continued...

Just then another Detective walked over to our Detective....

''Hey Mikey....This other guy we found a few blocks away?  Well...we gotta run a ballistics check...but the gun on him matches the gun Officer Clark was shot with...Looks like he shot Clarkie and then killed himself  a few blocks later." he said.

"What?" said the Detective.

''Let's get to the M.E.'s office." he said.

"Okay...Thanks for your co-operation." He said and they left,.....

''Wow...The guy killed a cop and then killed himself.....Must of been a nut!" exclaimed Sepia.

''Yeah, must have been." I mused. I knew the officer who had been killed... Bobby Clark..We called him "Clarkie..." He patrolled the general area...Most of the local people knew him...I wondered who had killed him and why....A lone crazy gunmen who killed him and then killed himself seemed too neat...

III-

Saturday Night, We all were in Josies, Sepia and I, Sean Jackson and Sheila, Robert Foxworth and Bonita, Clerow and Corrie , Chess and Rell, Chris Thompson and his new lady friend, Donald  Smooth, Owen Todd,  Chance Howard, Anita Jenkins, Blake, Cherish, Paris and his ladyfriend and more...

Reed Nelson and 88 and the band was playing, So His girl Debbie was there, Delores and Downtown Rob Brown, Mabel Jenkins and even Ralph Scallion and Minay Jordan had joined us....Everybody was talking about the cop that had been killed..

"We didn't come out last night." said my wife,Sepia..."Just think if we had...We would've walked right into it." she continued.

''Well man..We did walk into it."Said  Harry Charles , who was just joining us with his wife, Bernadette the hair dresser.

"What?" I asked.

"It was a traffic stop... Bernadette and I were two cars behind the car that Clarkie stopped...I was a little agitated because it was holding up traffic and we really wanted to get home." he said.

'Yeah...and seemingly out of nowhere...This guy in a bright yellow hoodie and aviator shades came out of the alley, ran up behind Clarkie and shot him three times...Then he ran off!...." said Harry Charles..

''So you seen him?" I asked.

"Didn't get a good look at the face...It was covered by the hoodie and he was wearing a scarf to cover his lower mouth and the shades....He was about average height....slim build..had on jeans and white Nikes...and he ran....Hell, a lot of people seen him...but he was a blur." said Harry Charles...

"Anyway they got him ..thank goodness..He won't kill nobody else." said Clerow.

"What are you talkin about Clerow?" I asked.

'You aint read the papers today Kev?  They found the body of a man about two blocks away with what looks like a self inflicted gunshot wound to the head..He had on a yellow hoodie, black aviator shades, jeans and white Nikes...just like Harry said...They got a match..his gun was the murder weapon and only his prints was on it...He apparently went nuts and killed Clarkie and then turned the gun on himself." said Clerow.

"Wow! " said Bonita.....I looked at Robert Foxworth...He looked kind of funny...but he didn't say anything...I didn't say anything either...I just shook my head.


IV-

That night as we all headed to the parking lot to get in our cars...Robert Foxworth turned and said to me-

'Kevin...I been an attorney a long time." he said.

''Yeah?" I asked...I knew there was more to this.

''And I've learned that very rarely is anything neat..Life by nature is messy...so is death." he said.

"What you mean to say counselor is that this whole thing smells to high heaven...This thing with this cop?" I said.

"You don't think so?" he asked me.

"Way ahead of you counselor...It smells like a murder and like a set up." I said.

"Yup...just what I was thinkin." he said.

(TO BE CONTINUED...)

Viagra Blue

"Ouuuuuuuuu Ralph....My gooodness...that was off the chain as the young folks say." laughed Skye as I rolled off of her and lie flat on my back....It was only hours after both of our children had graduated from the Culinary Institute of Pennsylvania....Her son and my daughter....They were out celebrating as most graduates do, while Skye and I were "celebrating" of sorts back in her hotel room..

It had been the most mind blowing sex I'd had in a longggg time...I was spent...Since I had come up here this weekend..I'd had sex with a waitress in her apartment, sex with Skye the next night in her hotel room and more sex with Skye in her hotel room the day after that...To say I was spent was an understatement...

"Wow...and to think..I missed out on all this good lovin in college." I mused out loud..

Skye rolled over..facing me and smiled sweetly....

"Yes...looks like I missed out too Ralph...Wow....." she said....

"Damn...talk about missed opportunities." I said.

Skye faced the ceiling and frowned a bit...

"That was a lifetime ago...I got married , then divorced and now....Well now...I'm kind of seeing somebody in New York....It's not too serious yet..but it has potential..and you Ralph..You got a girl back in Philly.eh?" she asked.

"Yeah, I do...It just began...It's not serious yet either, but like you said...it has potential." I said.

"So what next?" I asked.

"Let's remember this as a great time....and leave it like that....You'll always be my friend Ralph." said Skye..

"With Benefits?" I joked..

"You are so nasty...." she laughed and playfully punched my arm...

"I know what you mean....You'll always be my friend too." I said and smiled...

"Be well Ralph " she said.

We kissed for what seemed like hours and we wound up making sweet love one last time.

II-

I drove Raquel back to Philly later on that day...She was every bit her daddy's girl..She packed light...Two suitcases and one back pack.  (Actually she had most of her stuff shipped back a few weeks earlier to her apartment, which I had maintained for her while she was in school.  Her mother, Rowena and I paid the rent and the utilities on it in her abscence...)

"Nice Car dad...how did you get this?" she asked.

"Oh..I did a favor for one of my clients and this is how he paid me." I said.

"I'm not going to even ask what you did." she said with a laugh...In the two years we had been acquainted, my daughter had come to know me very well...

We pulled up in front of her place and I helped her take her stuff up to her apartment...

"Dad..thank you for everything..I don't know how I can repay you." she said with a tear in her eyes..

"Hey...hey..hey now...No tears...You have already made me proud a thousand times over baby....Just be successful, but mostly..be happy...That's all I can ask from you baby." I said...

We embraced...I thought of her mother and how much she looked like her mother when she was that age....

On My way home...I saw a light on in Rowena's house...I rang the doorbell... Rowena came to the door in her nightgown....It was sheer, I could see all of the dimensions of her still very curvaceous figure...

"Hey Ro.." I said with a smile.

"Hey Ralph...So you're back huh?" she said.

"Yeah...It was a great ceremony...I took a lot of photos...I'll email them to you." I said.

"Oh that's great....Is Raquel up? I should call her." she said...

"Nah..We been drivin all mornin...She's probably going to get in bed...Which is where I'm headed..." I said.

"You want some coffee?" she asked.

"Well...Yeah..I can have a cup...." I said and I came in....I couldn't help but stare at her body in that nightgown....

We sat at the table and drank two tumblers of coffee..Her breasts seemed to just be exploding out of that flimsy nightgown..

"You gotta work today?" I asked.

"No..I took today off." she said.

"Yeah...I did too and tomorrow." I said.

"Good for you." she said.

"Well...I'd better be going ." I said.

As we walked to the door...Rowena said to me-

"Ralph..Thank you for being a great father...Getting Raquel a job and putting her through school and helping us both out....You're a gem." she said.

"It was the least I could do Ro." I said.

She pulled me to her and gave me the kiss of life.....I fondled those  large breast of hers
...and began kissing her neck...She unzippered my trousers.....

"OH GOD RALPH!" she gasped....

I lifted her nightgown up and slipped her panties down....

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.." I moaned as I lifted her up and walked her to her bedroom...

Two hours later, I awoke in Rowena's bed...She was fondling my penis gently.....

"Wow Ralph...I'd forgotten how good this was....We should have gotten together." she said.

"Come on Ro...Let's not go there....This was fun....This was great...but you and I both know we are beyond each other now." I said.

"Yeah I know...but I want some more..." she said kissing me again....to my surprise..I got hard again....and before I knew it..we were making love again...

III-

Hours later, I had gone home and showered and put on a change of clothes....I stopped by Bottom of The C and talked to Dollar Bill...

"Yeah nigga..You talkin bout you just goin to a graduation...I knew you was lyin....I know you Ralph...You more of a horn dog than I am...I knew you couldn't keep it in yo pants...A waitress, some chick you knew in college and yo baby mama...lawd Jesus..I need a score card to keep up with you Ralph." laughed Dollar Bill...

"Man..I swear Dollar Bill, I aint never been that lucky in one weekend before...Three different women in four days...That aint never gonna happen again.." I said.

"Yeah..well you better add four women to that equation playa." he said.

"Four women? What you talkin bout...Man..I'm spent..I couldn't get it up as tired as I am now if I wanted to.." I said.

"Yeah? Well you better find a way...Your babe came home early." he said.

"What? Minay?? No ,she aint due back for a week." I said.

"Kevin and Sepia picked her up from the Airport yesterday.."said Dollar Bill....

He passed me a Blue Pill...It was Viagra and a glass of cold water..

"Here take this...It works for me." he said.

"Dollar Bill...thanks man, but I don't need that." I protested..

"Trust me...you need it..take it and go see your babe....You been cattin around all weekend..You get over there and you too tired what do you think she'll think?  I'm an old man..I been around a long time...You'll thank me for this son." He said.

I took the Viagra pill and drank the tumbler of water...I laughed to myself...Dollar Bill was a trip!

EPILOUGE-

I went to see Minay.....I showed her photos from the graduation.....We talked about her trip to the U.K. and I told her all about how I got the new car....An hour or so had gone by and finally Minay put her index finger to my mouth...

"That's all fine and well love....but we can talk much later...I've been gone two weeks and frankly I'm as horny as hell...and I would think you'd be as well.." said Minay as she unzippered my trousers....

"MY LORD...LOOK AT YOU!!!! YOU'RE AS HARD AS A TREE TRUNK!!!  " she exclaimed...So why aren't you jumping my bones?" she asked...

She needed to say no more...In seconds we both had our clothes off and were in her bad making sweet love....The headboard of the bed was slamming against the wall ,pillows were flying on the floor and Minay was screaming to the top of her lungs...

"OH MY Good ness...you really missed me...ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....my goodnesss, you really must have been having a hard time not having any loving...mama will never leave you like that againnnn....ouuuuuuuuuuuuu." she cooed....

I laughed to myself......Problem with this viagra...You stayed hard an extra long time...an extra long time....It was hard to climax....but finally, I did..and Minay did too, very loudly!

Wow! I thought... This was some weekend...This was some day...I knew now that I had better watch myself...My lifestyle could come back to haunt me...I lay there in bed with a sleeping and satisfied Minay thinking that for once...I didn't want to SEE another woman...for at least a few days.......and silently thanking Dollar Bill.

Cat On The Hot Tin Roof!

SPRING 1991- The Culinary Institute of Pennsylvania-

I was just a few months from graduating from the Culinary Institute of Pennsylvania...I had come here thinking that there was nothing they could teach me...I had been cooking and preparing food since I could walk..My Father and Mother had a catering business in West Philly afterall...But a chance to get a formal education and a generous scholarship had changed my mind..I had learned a wealth of knowledge from this institute...

I was walking on campus, One early morning..The first time I laid eyes on Skye...

Hard to believe that she became that woman that I had just had mind blowing once in a lifetime sex with the night before...She wasn't quite that built, but she was nice enough to see that she would become such..one day...

She had on a discman..She dropped her book..I picked it up..Our eyes met...She had a sweet smile and a disarming manner that made you feel like you had waited your entire lifetime for a woman like her..

"Heyy." I found myself saying..

''Hey yourself" she said.

"You..uhh dropped your book." I said.

"Really?" she said half sarcastically..Of course she knew that she had...

"What'cha listenin to?" I asked...

"Heavy D.& The Boyz" she said.

"Cool...I digs them...That big guy sure can move." I laughed.

"Yeah..he's light on his feet." She said.

"My name is Ralph..Ralph Scallion...I'm from Philly.." I said.

"I'm Skye..Skye Caldwell...I'm from Philly too....." she said.

"Wow...small world ." I said, which was really dumb.....about a third of the students were from Philly...with the other two thirds from Pittsburg and Harrisburg....

I walked her to her room...We bought hot dogs and lemonade from a stand along the way and we talked...Of course I asked her for her pager and phone numbers...It was in the days before cell phones and smartphones were in vogue...Anybody who was anybody had a pager!

"I'd love to give them to you Ralph, but my man wouldn't like that." she said with a weak smile.

"Wow..I figured a fine babe like you had a man...Why wouldn't you?" I said.

"Thank You Ralph." she said blushing..."You don't have a girl?" she continued..

"Oh I mess around a bit, but nothin serious..I've really been into my cooking.." I said.

"Would I have been someone for you to uh mess around with?" she asked...

"Who? You?? Ohhhh nooo...You'd I'd be serious about...I'm graduating soon..You I'd be lookin to settle down with...That is uh..if you was available." I said.

She laughed...I loved her laugh...It put me so at ease...

"You're funny Ralph Scallion....I was just kidding you..but thank you for the compliments though..you made me blush..I wish my man would talk to me like that..Sometimes he acts like I'm not around." she said.

"He must be certifiablely crazy or blind one of the two..or both...Sheeeet..if you was my woman, I wouldn't let you outta my sight." I said.

"Stopp....you're making me blush..stop Ralph Scallion.." she said.

"Well Ms. Skye..Can I at least talk to you again..It has been a pleasure.."I said.

"I enjoyed talking to you too...I'm sure we'll see each other again." she said.

Then she walked up to her room...I was feelin something I had never felt before....All I could think about was Skye...I talked about her to everybody I knew...Even People I didn't like...I told them all how mellow she was and how pretty and laid back she was!!
I was enthralled....

Then one of the other cooking students told me...

"Man, you need to stop talking about her..Do you know who her man is?? It's Cat, Cat Haskins." he said.

''Cat Haskins!!! man..She coulda done so much better than that bum." I said.

Broderick "Cat" Haskins was a snooty hoity toity student teacher who everybody hated. He wasn't above taking somebody else's recipe idea and palming it off as his own. 

He had the ear of the Top Chefs and instructors there and he had a lot of power..Power he didn't deserve...  He manipulated people into turning against each other and sat back and laughed...

It was a very competitive atmosphere at the school.   He hated me with a passion..He considered me a smart alec, which I was..but I was a damn good cook too and the expected valedictorian of this class..Which was the only reason that he kind of had to handle me with kid gloves...

I would love nothing better than to take his woman from him...You know me!

II-

"Friday Night...I will be entertaining a large gathering of Alumni at our town's rooftop bar and restaraunt "Hot Tin Roof" said Head Chef and Instructor, Gussippee Gepetti..

"I would like two of my top chefs, Ralph Scallion and Tony Dowell to prepare the meal." he said.

"Uh Chef Gepetti...That is a very important event....I feel as though it would call for someone a little more seasoned.." said Cat Haskins.

"Someone like yourself Broderick?" asked the exasperated Gussippee Gepeti.

"Why uh yes Chef!" he said.

"Hmmm..I see..Well why don't the three of you work together..Just prepare us something sensational." he said.

Both Tony and I cringed at the thought of working with Cat Haskins...

He smirked and he pulled me to the side...

"Heard you was tryin to make time with my woman Scallion..." he said.

"Oh yeah?" I asked.

"I don't want to hear about you talkin to her again...You haven't graduated yet." he smirked.. "Would hate for something to happen, like a transcript gettin lost or suddenly a bad grade...feel me..I got pull in high places....Did I make myself clear?" he said.

"Look man, all I did was have a simple conversation with-" I said.

"DID I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR SCALLION?" he said.

"Yeah man, loud and clear." I said.

"Now...I want both of you to turn over your recipes to me by tomorrow afternoon for my inspection." he said and then walked out.

I really hated this guy......and of course you know that this meant war!

III-

It never pays to have too many enemies.....Someone is always willing to help someone who doesn't like you!
My friend Tony Dowell was just one such person...and he had asked around about Cat Haskins..Truth be told..So had I , trying to find anything...some dirt of some kind to use against him...It wasn't hard and it didn't take too long...

We found a young girl who lived in the town who dropped a bomb shell on us! She had given birth to Cat Haskin's child just a year ago...His family had paid and was paying her a healthy sum of money to keep quiet about it.. So why was she talking to us?? Because frankly..she had grown to hate his guts as had just about everyone except Skye who had come across him...

If we just happened to come across birth records from the county....It wasn't her fault..after all...she didn't know us....If we happened to have snapped a photo of her with said baby...It wasn't her fault..she didn't attend the school and we didn't know her???  I had already mailed this information to Skye..She'd be getting it right around the time, Tony and I would be preparing that meal at Tin Roof...

That was nothing compared to what someone else had to tell us....Cat apparently was "cattin around" on Skye with another woman.....a student named Felicia Ross from Harrisburg...We knew her...She was fine...but nowhere near Skye's league.... The person who volunteered the information was another young lady who had spurned Cat's advances and had paid a hefty price...A grade here and there was changed..and her average was dropped....He had "friends"...followers who would do anything he so desired....Probably the same ones who had ratted me out...

Well....We had it on good word that Cat was up in one of the dorm rooms with Felicia as I speak ,gettin a little noon time action.....We had one of Tony's female classmates give Skye an anonymous call....With all of the details and the location...

Tony and I sat in the room next to where Cat was ...With another of his "fans" and waited for the fireworks..
What we heard already was astounding...

" Ohhhh baby...ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh babbby...ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh it's so goood....ouuuuuu, give it tooo meeeeeee....aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..."


''OH CATTTTTTTTTT...CATTTTTTTTTTT...ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu...you is hittin my spot..ohhhhh."


"MEOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW baby...grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...I'm gone wear youuuuuuu outttttttttttttttt....owwwwwwwwwwwwwwww..." 

Tony and I and the girl held our mouths to keep from bursting out laughing....

"Is this guy for real?" laughed Tony...

"Shhhh..you gone get us caught...Why you think they call him Cat? Cause he meows when he's making love." said the girl..

"And how do you know that?" I asked..

"That's what I heard." said the girl sheepishly as Tony and I smiled and gave her the side eye.

"OH MY GOD!!! CAT!... IS THAT YOU...OHHHHHH I DON'T BELIEVE YOU...YOU DiRTY DOG!"
came a female voice...It was Skye!!!

"What are you doing here?? How did you find us? WHo, Who, Who, Who..Whoooo tole you?" said Cat..

"It doesn't matter...Oh my God..just go away from me...You lousy bastard...Oh I don't believe it..You said you loved me...Oh my God...Just get away from me.." said Skye..

''Baby wait...this was just sex..She means nothing to me...It's you I love." said Cat.

"WHAT?  You lying dog you...Comin over here all times of night and day, beggin me for it...Liar..you said you loved ME!!!!" said the other girl....

"You can have him!" said Skye as she stormed out!

"I don't want him...Get your crap and get outta here." said the other girl..

We laughed our heads off and high fived it in the other room.

We may have gotten back at old Cat Haskins...but the downside was that Skye was devestated...See,unknown to me ..They were engaged!!!  They had even set a date for their wedding...and now...it was off!! Because of my guilt..I didn't have the heart to approach Skye and she probably didn't want to hear anything a man had to say at this point...

Cat begged and pleaded...but Skye never forgave him....He didn't show up at Tin Roof that night either...Tony and I cooked a delicious meal that got raves...It made the papers !!!!

Chef Gepetti was pleased....We graduated with honors.....Tony got a job as a chef in New York City where he worked for many years...Today he has a cable television show where he travels around the world and samples the cuisine...My man Tony..Skye left and worked out on the West Coast for a time..She married, had a son, who like my daughter is graduating from here today and she got divorced...She presently lives on Long Island..

As for Cat Haskins....He got a job at a big time Restaurant and Bistro in New York City.....He was in the bakery one night in 1998, and he either fell or was pushed into one of the giant mixing bowls while it was on!!!....They found his mangled body mixed up in the dough the next morning....What a way to go...but it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy!

(CONCLUSION NEXT)

Skye Was the Limit

I was in the kitchen of my daughter's dorm room...Not like the dorm rooms I stayed in when I attended here....Here was The Culinary Institute of Pennsylvania where I had studied and graduated from.

My daughter, Raquel, who I just got acquainted with about two years ago...had graduated from Temple University in  Philadelphia with a Bachelors degree in Accounting and Finance , but had not been fulfilled...She found out that she had a talent for cooking and food preperation like her old man...I guess it's in the genes....I paid for her to attend my alma mata and she had done me proud...

She was graduating with honors....Just like her old man....She still had a job with me at Bottom of The C. when she came home...but if I knew right..It wouldn't be long before she struck out on her own.....I was proud of Raquel.

I arrived at her apartment early , the morning before...Took a hot shower and changed clothes....She was entertaining some friends....An Asian guy, two Black girlfriends of hers, A black guy and a Hispanic woman....A white guy arrived a little later...a pretty diverse bunch....

I prepared Chicken Parm and Penne pasta...I used a liberal amount of onions, peppers,diced tomatoes ,garlic and other italian seasonings....I prepared enough to serve eight people and a I introduced them to a vintage wine that I brought from Philly and some Italian bread I got from a nearby bakery....

"Mister Scallion..this food is off the chain." said one of the Black girls....

''Yes indeed....Can Raquel cook this good?" joked a male guest..

"Oh shut up...of course I can." said my daughter..

"You wish." I said jokingly as we all sat down and ate and drank wine and talked...

The doorbell rang while we were eating...

''You expecting anyone else?" I asked.

"No..." said my daughter...

"I'll get that then ..you kids finish eating." I said as I walked to the door.

I opened the door and was astounded....

"Skye!!! What are you doing here?" I asked...astonished...

"I thought I saw you in town at the market this morning, but I wasn't sure...I followed you here to make sure I wasn't losing my mind." she said.

"No..It's me...My daughter is graduating tomorrow." I said...

"So is my son." she said.

"You have a son now huh? Wow!" I said.

"You have a daughter, double wow." she said.

"Yeah..How about that? I said.

"So who made the notorious Ralph Scallion...an honest man?" she asked.

"No one yet...She was the result of a one night stand that caught up with me..We just got acquainted about two years ago....She's a peach..Wish I had watched her grow up..." I said.

"Oh..I got married....I'm divorced now....but my son is the best thing that came out of that marriage." she said.

"Cat Haskins?" I asked.

"Oh nooo, nooo.I didn't marry him, I married someone else...Cat Haskins is dead." she said.

"Really?" I asked.

"Been dead....Long story....I'll tell you about him one day." she said.

"Hey..Where are you stayin...I love long stories." I said.

"I'm staying in town at a hotel.....My son has too many people in his place.....Ouuuuu Ralph Scallion, are you trying to flirt with me?" she asked.

I laughed....

"I'm not married...You're not married...What's wrong with two old college friends meeting and talking about old times?" I laughed...

"You are such a devil." she laughed.....and wrote her cell number and her address on a peice of paper...

"This is definitely old school...people do this with their phones now of days." I laughed..

"Some things old school are still good." she said with a sly grin."

"Ummmmm mmmph, yes lawddd." I said and we both laughed.

"Who was that Dad?" asked Raquel as I sat down and continued eating and drinking wine.

''A friend of mine...She used to go here when I did..Said she saw me in town and followed me here to see if it was me." I said.

The females all gave me the side eye....The fellows laughed sheepishly...

''What ?" I said innocently.

"I won't wait up for ya dad" said Raquel... Her girlfriends all laughed....

"Pop hangin out tonight." laughed one of the black girls...

We all laughed.

II-

I rang Skye's doorbell...It was quiet ,then I heard her say-

"Come in Ralph...The door is open."

When I opened the door, I nearly collapsed....Sky had her hair hanging down and had on a black teddy and red high heels and was lying on the kitchen counter....

"OH MY GOD!" I said and dropped the bag I had holding the wine...Luckily the bottle didn't break...

Skye just laughed.....

"Well Ralph, you didn't come over here to talk about Cat Haskins did you? You didn't like him anyway." she said.

"No I didn't...but I sure liked you..."I said.

"You've been wantin this for a long time...Come and get it." she laughed as I walked over to her and pulled this lovely luscious woman into my arms and began kissing her for all I was worth...

Skye wasted no time unbuckling my trousers and easing them down...My erection was massive and popped right out...So did her eyes...

"OH MY GOODNESS RALPH..I always thought you had a nice package, but I never imagined just how nice and how large..." she exclaimed as we quickly got in bed...

Our kisses were long and passionate....We lay there in her bed for what seemed like an hour just kissing like two teenagers...

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhh Ralph.." she exclaimed...

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Skyeeee..." I exclaimed...

She fondled my penis and rubbed it up and down..then she squeezed it....

"Ouuu, Ralph, you're as hard as a rock..." she said..

She got on her knees in the bed....I was lying flat on my back.....and she lowered herself down on me.....

"Just relax.....we don't have to rush....a lot of guys explode when I do this." she said softly as she began to move up and down with soft strokes...

"You aint gotta worry about me...." I said...

"Shhhhh, just relax and enjoyyyyyyyy." she said as she moved slowly , up and down, up and down and kissed me softly and lightly....

She had the softest wetest insides since Minay....I was in heaven...After about an hour, I rolled her over and took up the famed missionary position... I was enjoying pumping and thrusting inside Skye like nobody's business...

She smelled great..I was enraptured with her.....I kept thrusting....We both lost all sense of time and space....

When I came it was furiously...I wasn't wearing a condom so I had to pull out....

Skye screamed -"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu Ralph....it's like a geyser....." she laughed...

We both lie in bed staring at the ceiling for awhile.....Then we got up....We both took a nice hot shower together, kissing and fondling each other like crazy....She gave me the best blow job I'd ever had while in the shower and we wound up back in her bed, making love again....She came furiously and hard and long before I did the second time!

III-

We woke up the next morning and dressed and sat on the bed just looking at each other and smiling..

''Wow Skye..I forgot how much I used to like you..." I said.

"I didn't...I'm sorry about Cat Haskins.." she said.

"Forget about him...He's dead....in more ways than one right?" I said.

"Oh he's dead..really dead." she said.

"Well...I don't want to talk about him...Not right now....I've got a graduation to go to..and don't you?" I asked.

''Yes...You better get out of here..I have to get dressed...I'm meeting my son for breakfast." she said.

I kissed her one last time and walked outside...Again..it was early morning and not a soul was on the street...


(To Be Continued.....)

58 Thunderbird

Dollar Bill and I stood outside of my apartment that morning talking and drinking two hot steaming tumblers of coffee...

''So Ralph, our girl is graduating this weekend eh?" he asked.

''Yessirr...I'm driving up to see it." I said.

"You takin , uh Rowena?" he asked...

''Nah...Nah...I don't know if she's coming up at all.." I said.

"What about your English chippy, Minay?" he asked...

''She's in the U.K. visiting her folks...so I guess I'll hook up with her in a few weeks." I said.

'' So wait a minute..Let me get this straight... You, Ralph Scallion...Horniest toad ever is without a woman, going on a road trip to your daughter's graduation alone right?   You must have some chippy up there at the school?" laughed Dollar Bill.

"Uh No...Nah Bill...I'm just drivin up to see Raquel graduate from my alma -mata..The Culinary Institute of Pennsylvania...This aint about me and no other woman.." I said.

''Uhhh Huh and I gotta bridge in San-Francisco I'd like to sell ya." he laughed....

"Where is Kevin with my car?" I asked...changing the subject...

Just then Kevin Morris and his friend, Clerow drove up in the car I had ordered...a 1958 Thunderbird in Mint condition... Kevin's wife Sepia drove up behind them in her Lexus

"Heyyy Kev...What's goin on Clerow?  Heyyyy Foxy lady.." I said to my friends and smiled...

Kevin parked the car and he and Clerow got out...Kevin tossed me the keys.....

"Here you go Ralph...Just what you ordered." he said.

"Sure is nice of Mr. Rollerson to let me have this car.I've always loved classics." I smiled.

"Sure is....Now level with me....Just what favor do you owe him?" asked Kevin slyly...pulling me to the side .

"Kev....I catered his last event...He said the food was off the rails...I had a crew of 13 cooks under me.." I said.

Kevin gave me the side eye.......

''Okay...damn Kev..Always the detective. Mr. Rollerson's fiance found a pair of panties and a bra in the coatroom and I uh...I uh....ruh...confessed that I had a girl up there during the dinner." I said.

''But you didn't did you?" asked Kevin.

"No..not this time....After we finished the meal and cleaned up...Me and one of the waiters was drinkin some wine out back.....We heard the headboard slammin up against the wall and some moanin...and we laughed about it....Next day, Mr. Rollerson called me and asked me to do him a solid..To tell his fiance that I had a girl up there...Well, she knows of my past reputation, so it wasn't too hard for her to believe." I said.

"Man, Do you know how many of the same type jams I have gotten Rollie Rollerson out of ? " said Kevin...

"Well, judging the fact that you and your wife are both driving new Lexus's...I'd say several..am I right?" I asked.

"Guilty as charged brother!" said Kevin and we both laughed out loud and slapped palms...

"Next to cooking food , driving is my other passion..I love to just drive for the hell of it...Mr. Rollerson has several vintage cars that he just restores and never drives...I asked for the 58 Thunderbird....Classic car and plus, my daddy drove one." I said.

"You know ,I love driving too...Wow, we got something in common Ralph." said Kevin.

Kevin and I walked over to the car, Clerow ,Sepia and Dollar Bill were admiring it..

"Nice ride man." said Clerow.

"Thanks man." I said.

''Whoooo  weee...and you sure you aint got no woman goin with ya?" asked Dollar Bill.

"He better not be steppin out on my girl Minay....You gotta good woman Ralph...don't blow it." chided Sepia.

"I told you all..I'm going to see my daughter graduate.." I said.

"Hmmmmph." laughed Dollar Bill...

''Well anyway..Thanks Kev ,Clerow for bringing the car..I gotta get packed." I said.

"When you comin back?" asked Sepia.

"In a few days." I said.

"Well have a safe trip and be good." said Sepia with a playful nudge...

''Kev, come get your wife." I laughed jokingly...

Kevin and Clerow got in Sepia's Lexus and pulled off and Dollar Bill got in his car and pulled off... I packed a few things and hopped in my '58 Thunderbird and hit the road..

II-

I hit the highway and was driving for a little over an hour and a half when it began to rain.....I stopped in a little
town along the way and entered the diner... It was a typical little diner like you'd see on television...Small town...Mostly truck drivers and workmen frequented this place.   There were two black cooks in the kitchen out of a total of about seven cooks and two black waitresses...One was an elderly woman and the other one was a real cutie pie...She looked maybe only a few years older than my daughter...

It was my luck that the cute young Black waitress waited on me....

''What are you having?" she asked.

"You mean what would I like to have or what am I havin?" I said.....I can't help it...I'm a helpless flirt!  She looked at me and laughed...

"Ouuuuu, you so naughty." she said and laughed again.

"Just kiddin." I said..

"So what do you want?" she asked.

''Ummmph..another leading question...."I said...."No seriously, a Cheeseburger, Onion Rings and a Vanilla Milk Shake..." I continued..

She brought me my food promptly and periodically while I ate , she would come by , see if I wanted anything else or was alright and chit chat in between waiting on other customers... I told her about my daughter's graduation from the Institute of Culinary Arts and how I had gone there myself and how I was so proud of her
and all..

''Wow..so you're a cook huh?" she asked.

"A chef...I work at a seafood restaraunt in Philly." I said.

''Yeah?  I got cousins in Philly..I'm down there a lot." she said.

"Oh yeah...well next time you're there..check out "Bottom of the C"..That's where I work." I said.

"Does Mrs. Scallion work near there?" she asked kind of coyly...

"There is no Mrs. Scallion." I said.

"No?  Well how bout your girlfriend?" she asked.

"She doesn't live too far from there...She's out of the country now." I said.

"Oh?" she asked...

"Visiting her folks in London." I said.

"A white gal huh?" she asked.

"No, she's Black..a Black Britisher.." I said.

"So...you're all alone for the weekend huh?" she asked..

''Well you know how that goes? " I laughed.....

"Yeah..I know.." she laughed.

''Hey..could I have a slice of Apple Pie to go?" I asked..

"You can have anything you want?" she said and gave me a side eye and a sly grin.

III-



In less than no time...I was parking my car behind her car...a dark Blue, 2009 Ford Focus and following her up to her apartment....in the small town about ten miles from the diner....We were kissing passionately like we had known each other for years before we even got inside the door and then finally we were feverishly pulling each other's clothes off.....

I had her up against the wall trying to drill a hole into her practically....kissing,licking, fondling her breasts and finally lifting her up and entering her.....

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH..Mister Ralph..Mister Ralph..please...ouuuuuuu it feels so good...but put on a condom...,pullout, put on a condom first." she said between more kisses, more tonguing each other down , more fondling and squeezing...I ran to my pants and fished one out of my wallet and slipped it on...

''WOW...you think that one is big enough to contain all of that?" she marveled.... I smiled and we resumed making love standing up....

"OHHHHHHHHHHH MY GODDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD...IT is so bigggg...OUUUUUUUUUUUUUU....." she screamed as I lifted her up and began walking toward her bed with still passionately stroking her...

''OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.." she screamed as I layed her down on her unmade bed and began to pump furiously...

"OHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.." she moaned loudly...Glad she didn't have a neighbor like mine that banged on the wall all the time when I was getting my groove on...

We continued to make love on her bed for close to three hours....I couldn't get enough...She was so soft and so wet and it had been a couple of weeks since I'd had some good loving.....

Finally, she began to shake and shiver and moan even louder......

''Ohhhhh Good LOARD..I'm cummming......OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH."she howled....


I came too...shortly afterwords....and collapsed on top of her....I rolled over...exhausted....That was the last thing I remembered.

IV-

The next morning , I woke up...The covers were over me and this girl was beside me sleeping as sound as a baby...The condom was still on me...I slipped it off, walked into her bathroom and deposited it in the toilet and flushed it.

I slipped on my clothes and stared out the window....This wasn't Philly...It was quiet..Not a car on the street or a person walking .......It had stopped raining....The girl was snoring now...rather loudly...I didn't want to wake her.   I let myself out and closed the door.

I hated to just leave like that...but I had to get back on the road....

As I drove off and hit the highway , I thought to myself....I didn't even get that girl's name!

(To Be Continued...)