Dare to Love (21 page)

I ask if I can see her tomorrow but she don’t seem interested. On the drive back to her place I push through all her excuses till she agree to meet me at two o’clock.

All the way to pick up Mel I think about how close I was to making it with Josi. She want it now. She say she change her mind. I just need to find the right time and place before she change her mind, because if there’s one thing I realise about her, is that she can flip from one side to the other without any warning. I want to catch her while she still hot for me, before something else get in the way.

I can’t do anything tonight, especially as I tell Darron to come home early so I can help him with his maths project. I feel trapped and Mel’s irritable, complaining because I’m ten minutes late.

‘You calling five minutes late, when sometimes I have to wait half hour for you?’

‘I’m late because of work. It’s not like you have work to do. I would like to know what you do all day that you can’t get here on time.’

I was about to tell her to mind her own fucking business, to tell her she taking advantage because I’m not working and remind her that is she run me down when I wasn’t even interested, when the idea pop into my head.

‘Mel,’ I say trying to control my excitement. It’s a risk but it might just work. ‘Mel, I meet that lady again today, you know the one I meet on Sunday. I find out she’s a business consultant. She might be able to help me with my business. It’s her job. She definitely looking to build a house in St Patrick. In fact, she might build more than one and she looking for quotes. But she was giving me some ideas for marketing my business. That’s what I was doing. I had to break off the discussion to come and pick you up. I arrange to meet her tomorrow.’

‘The lady from England?’

‘Yes.’

‘Did you get the chicken for dinner?’

‘Oh shoot! I forget.’ I was so wrapped up with Josi, all house things went clean out my head.

‘I’ll stop and get some.’ I feel bad because I know she hungry and is my turn to cook. Then I have another idea.

‘Mel?’

‘So no dinner don’t cook yet?’

‘Why don’t we invite her for dinner?’

She look at me puzzled.

‘Invite who?’

‘The lady I just telling you about. She really nice. You would like her.’

‘Why you’d want to invite her to your house?’

‘I have a good feeling about her. I think she could give me the job if nobody else get in there first. I think I was nearly convincing her when I had to pick you up.’

‘But you seeing her tomorrow.’

‘Yes, but not till the afternoon. She talking to other people Mel, I don’t want somebody else to get in there before me.’

‘How you going to get her to come. You just going to phone her and say, ‘Hi Lady, come to my house and eat with my girlfriend and my son. You don’t think she might have other things to do?’

‘Mel, try and work with me on this,’ I plead.

I really don’t want Josi to go off the heat. If I can see her tonight it will keep me fresh in her mind. It will also show her that there’s no big thing between me and Mel. I don’t know how it going to work, don’t know if she have anything plan for tonight but I have to get Mel to agree first. If Josi say no then that’s that, but I can’t give up without a try.

‘I’m trying to work with you Grant, but you say you want to talk to Darron tonight. How’s that going to work?’

‘We can talk first and ask her to come later.’

‘What if Darron in a bad mood.’

Now she give me another idea. I almost kiss her.

‘Mel you’re a genius.’ Now I have the perfect reason to invite her.

‘Mel, she’s a psychologist. When I was telling her what happen with me and Darron she say she would be happy to talk to him for me.’

‘What! Does Darron know about this?’

‘No, but I’m sure I can get him to agree.’

‘The same way you think you can get me to agree to bring some person to the house at such short notice.’

‘Come on Mel, don’t you see Darron could get some help, and me too. I don’t want another scene like last night, and we could get it for free. And I might get a contract into the bargain. Don’t you think it’s worth a few hours inconvenience?’

She don’t answer.

‘Mel?’ I plead.

‘All right.’

I’m thinking fast. That was only the first part of the plan. I still have to get Darron and Josi to agree. I’m not too worried about Darron but Josi is another matter. While Mel go in the supermarket to get the chicken I text Josi.

Are u busy lata. Can I see u?

I pray she text back straight away.

To do what?

It’s a surprise.

What time?

About 7

Text me then.

Is that a yes.

It’s a maybe.

Ok. C U Lata.

It’s better than a ‘no’. Enough to plan the night around. If she don’t come I have to make up a reason to tell Darron and Mel.

Darron get home on time. Lucky he don’t have a lot of work to do on his project. That’s a good sign. I tell Mel to leave it till after we do the work to tell Darron, because I don’t want to distract him from the work. I force myself to concentrate, block her out for the hour it take to help Darron. It feel good sitting with him after last night. I don’t want another night like that.

When we finish I tell him I have a friend coming to visit tonight. That she’s a psychologist and would like to talk to him and me so we don’t have another night like last night. He look at me worried.

‘Is she a shrink?’

‘No, she’s a psychologist. I don’t really know the details but she definitely not a shrink. She help people with their problems, even with business advice. I want the business advice but I think she agreed to come quicker because she really like to help people.’

‘What you want me to say to her?’

‘Anything that’s bothering you.’

‘You going to talk to her?’

‘Yes.’

‘And Mel?’

‘Mel not having any problems with us. Anyway, she coming for dinner so Mel will get to talk to her too. Will you do it?’

He look at me a bit doubtful but nod his head. At seven o’clock I phone Josi.

Josi

‘You sure attract some strange people on that beach.’ Celia laughs at me as we enter
the apartment after her post work dip. ‘How do you do it?’

‘Don’t know. I must have a sign on my forehead that says ALL WEIRDOS WELCOME.

‘I think you should set up a board with your fees. You should be charging for all that counselling you giving away for free.’

‘You think I should start a business down there?’ I laugh.

‘You’d probably get some peace when they see your fees.’

My phone rings. It’s Grant.

‘Are you busy?’

‘Why?’

‘I want to ask you a big favour.’

‘What?’

‘Will you talk to my son. I just been talking to him and I would love for you to give me some advice.’

‘When?’

‘I can come right now. I can be there in ten minutes.’

I go into the kitchen where Celia’s washing mangoes. Holding my hand over the phone I ask her if we doing anything tonight.

‘Haven’t got anything special planned. Why?’

‘Being invited out,’ I whisper.

‘Who?’ she whispers back.

‘Grant.’

She waves the back of her hand at me as if to say ‘Go’.

‘OK. But give me twenty minutes,’ I tell him.

‘You have a date then,’ Celia smiles.

‘Not exactly,’ I draw out the exactly.

‘What do you mean “not exactly”?’

‘He wants me to talk to his son.’

Celia laughs out loud. ‘I hope you’re going to send him the bill.’

He’s right on time. I go out to meet him as he pulls up.

‘Good luck,’ Celia says, ‘and don’t forget the bill.’

He takes in everything in one glance. I hope he approves, though technically I shouldn’t care. It’s not as if it’s a date. I’m doing him a favour, but I still hope he approves of the simple green, pink and beige print dress I’ve chosen. Not too tight or provocative – belted snugly under my breasts with a wide gold belt and a pair of Celia’s gold sandals. I wear my hair out, draped over my shoulders like a shawl.

‘Hi,’ he drawls and leans across to kiss me as soon as I shut the car door. I’m a little taken aback for a moment. My mind’s in work mode. I’m going to see a client. This feels wrong.

‘Whaz up?’ he asks, sensing my reluctance. ‘You still mad at me?’

‘What’s the matter with your son?’ I ignore his question.

He starts the engine. ‘I’ll tell you on the way. I have to get some gas and some drink.’

‘What’s the matter?’ I ask again.

He explains that things have become very strained between him and his son since he caught him lying about his school assignments six months ago. He’d been skipping school and lying about that too. He (Grant) had been very angry, very disappointed with him and had come down on him hard.

‘What do you mean by hard?’

‘You know, stop playing sport with him, ground him, stop buying him computer games, make him do his homework at weekend before he do anything else. That kind of thing.’

‘How long did you do that for?’

‘What you mean how long?’

‘When did you let him have these things back?’

‘He don’t get them back yet.’

‘Why?’

‘Because he don’t do well in his exams yet.’

‘Let me get this straight. You mean you’ve been punishing him for six months?’

‘He still not sticking to the grounding rules. He did for a while when I went to the States, but since I come back he slide right back. Like last night, he don’t come home till half past nine when he should be in the house by four thirty.’

‘What did you do?’

He pulls up at the garage. ‘Just need to get some gas.’

He pays for the fuel and asks me what I want to drink, Hennessey or rum. I tell him rum but I have no intention of drinking before talking to his son. He comes back with a flask of Mount Gay and a bottle of coke.

‘You eat already?’ he asks me.

‘No, didn’t have time.’

‘Good. You can eat with us. Mel and Darron cooking dinner.’

‘Mel will be there?’

‘Yes. I think it will be good for you to meet her. See what your competition is, see that you have nothing to worry about.’

‘Wait a minute Grant! You didn’t say anything about Mel being there. I agreed to come over to talk to your son, not to play gooseberry to you and your girlfriend. Does she know I’m coming?’

‘Of course. That’s why they cooking,’ he says casually.

I don’t know what to say. I’m baffled as to why he’d want us to meet. What’s he playing at? Is he on some kind of big ego trip? Is he trying to make Mel jealous? Or maybe its me he’s trying to make jealous. One half of me thinks this is ludicrous, possibly dangerous; but the other half can’t help being curious about his girlfriend. Then I realise I’ve dressed to meet his teenage son, not the competition.

‘What did you tell your son about me?’

‘That I have a friend who can help him.’

‘Help him to do what?’

‘Help him do better at school. Help him and me get on better.’

‘And what did you tell your girlfriend?’

‘That you looking to build a house in St Patrick and want to talk it over with me, so I invite you to eat with us.’

I am dumbstruck.

‘So your son’s expecting a friend and your girlfriend a business deal.’

‘I had to tell Darron you’re a friend because when I tell him about you he ask if you’re a shrink.’

I try to let this sink in. This man can certainly spin a web. What am I stepping into? Am I his fly? There’s one voice inside my head saying, ‘Tell him to take you back home,’ but the one saying, ‘This is very intriguing’ wins.

He puts his hand on my knee as we speed past houses. ‘You OK babes?’

‘Yes. Fine.’

‘You gone all quiet on me.’

‘It’s not every day I have dinner with the girlfriend.’

‘It will be fine. Melissa’s OK about it. Anyway, we here now.’

He pulls up outside a modest looking white house with closed gates. It’s got a neatly trimmed croton hedge, small lawn, garage and four steps leading up to a small veranda.

‘I’m gonna put it on the drive,’ he says, squeezing my knee with one hand. He pulls the car on the drive and beckons to me to get out of the car while he closes the gates. Despite my calm exterior, my heart’s beating wildly. I feel like a teenager going home to meet the family; even though I tell myself I may never see these people again, I’m still nervous. I don’t have a protocol for this kind of meeting, don’t know the etiquette.