DUBIOUS (21 page)

“
Wow, what can I say? I’m overwhelmed. You are doing a remarkable job. Are you still getting requests from other breeders to mate the dogs?”

“
Am I? I can barely keep up with the demand. There is only one dog that I can’t get to breed. I’ve tried him with several dogs. He is just not interested, even though the bitches are in heat.”

“
Which dog?”

“
Justus.”

I was not surprised by this one bit. “He was my husband’s favorite dog. He rarely stayed in a pen and spent a lot of time with him. Do you think we should sell him?”

“
No, he’s an excellent dog. I think he would be better off as a pet, not a stud.”

I debated whether to give the dog to Sam or keep him for myself. During the first few weeks of my separation, Justus was good company after he had gotten over the fact Randy was gone. He wasn’t much trouble, and I could use the company. “Tell you what: start looking for a replacement for him. I’m going to take Justus home with me and see how it goes.”

“
I think that’s a wise choice.” He closed the accounting book.

“
If you can help me load these boxes, I will be out of your hair.” I looked at the boxes stacked neatly in the corner.

“
You’re not bothering me, I need a human to speak to every now and then.”

* * *

After we had loaded up my car, I headed to my hairdresser for a quick curl job. If I didn’t have time to stop by the mall, I had the perfect little black dress at home that would fit the occasion nicely.

“
What in the hell are you doing back in here today? I just saw your ass Monday,” Kenya said as I walked in the shop with Justus at my side.

I plopped down in her chair. “If you must know, I have a date. I want you to tighten my curls.”

“
Ooh a date, I’m scared of you.”

“
Save all that nonsense until after the date. Just fix the curls on the side and top so I can go home and get dressed.”

“
I see you ain’t lost your stank attitude.” She looked at Justus.

“
I don’t have an attitude. I don’t have to give you all the details of my love life.”

“
So you’re in love now?”

Justus laid at my feet.

“
See, now you're going to blow shit out of proportion. It’s just a date, that’s all.”

“
Alright. I ain’t going to say another thing about it. I’ll have you out of here in no time.” She stared at Justus.

“
Fine.”

“
So, what’s up with the dog?”

“
It was too hot to leave him in the car, so I didn’t see him as being a problem.”

Kenya put her hands on her hips. “Well, if the board of health came in, they might have a problem with it.”

“
Just tell them I’m blind and he’s my Seeing Eye dog.”

We both laughed. Justus looked at us with a bored expression and rested his head again on his huge paws. There was no doubt about it, the dog was truly spoiled.

“
Ain’t that the dog that Randy always had with him?” Kenya said as she started styling my hair.

“
Yeah. He was so unhappy in the kennel I just couldn’t leave him there. Plus, I could use the company around the house. I’m still not used to living in that big-ass house all by myself.”

“
Sell it.” She stared at me through the mirror.

“
And move where? That shit is almost paid for. The houses in my area are going up in value. I’d be a fool to sell now.”

“
To each his own.” She rolled her eyes. “What do you do about cutting the grass and shit?”

“
I hired two buff brothers who like to cut the grass without their shirts. The ladies in the neighborhood like it, and it makes me happy, too. I make sure I’m home every Saturday morning for the show.”

“
I hope this nigga you’re getting all jazzy for knocks your back out so you can come back in here next week singing.”

“
Fool, stop trippin’. It isn’t that type of date.” I did need some.

“
Whatever, hoe, just do you.”

“
What’s going on in your life?” I figured this was the best way to change the subject.

“
Same old same old. Just trying to keep the bills paid and keep a roof over my head. I miss hanging out with you. Ever since you broke up with Randy, you don’t call and we don’t talk anymore.”

To be honest, I missed her too. “I’ll see what I can do about that. You are a very dear friend of mine, and I would hate to lose you, too.”

“
You would have to fuck my man to make me give up on your ass.”

I said, “You don’t have a man.”

“
Ah … see that’s how long you’ve been away. I just met this man named Jamie, and I’m really feeling him.”

“
Oh yeah? Where did you met him?”

“
He comes in from time to time to have his hair twisted.”

“
Go ahead, girl. I hope it works for you. I can see the glow in your eyes when you speak of him.”

“
We haven’t started speaking on that level yet, but I feel it coming. He’s kind of shy.”

“
I know you, you will wear him down.”

“
And you know this.”

* * *

I walked Justus through the house reminding him of the rules and telling him which rooms were off limits to him. I believed he understood. I made a makeshift bed for him in the laundry room and he settled down onto it. Luckily for me, I hadn’t gotten rid of any of the food that Randy had at the house, so I had plenty of food and treats for him.

From there, I laid out my clothes on the bed and took a quick shower. I was putting the finishing touches on my makeup when my doorbell rang. Nerves that I didn’t think I even had started to rattle. My hands were shaking as I grabbed my clutch off the bed.

Justus was at the door sniffing under it and wagging his tail as if the visitor was for him. I had to tell him to go back to his room. Like an obedient child, he did was he was told to do.

I snatched the door open without checking the peephole. Surprise surprise … it wasn’t Sherman at the door, it was Randy.

“
Uhm-uhm-uhm, you look nice,” he said, practically undressing me with his eyes.

I looked down at my outfit as if I had forgotten all about all the effort I put into being beautiful. “Thanks. What are you doing here?”

“
I was in the neighborhood.”

“
This isn’t your neighborhood anymore.”

“
Can I come in or are you going to make me stand on the porch?”

I was undecided on what to do. I knew Sherman would be here any minute and the last thing I wanted was a confrontation. Despite our divorce, Randy had never brought another woman up in my face. I wasn’t sure how he was going to handle seeing me with another man, and I wasn’t in the mood to find out.

“
Well … I was about to go out.”

“
I can see that. You and Kenya hanging out?” He came in anyway and shut the door behind him.

“
Not tonight.” I wasn’t volunteering any information I just wanted him gone. I don’t know why he’d asked about Kenya. He couldn’t stand her, because he thought she was a tramp. “So what really brings you over here?”

“
I just wanted to spend some time with my best friend. Is there any harm in that?”

“
Randy, I just don’t understand you. How can I be your best friend and we wound up divorced. You are sending me mixed signals.”

“
I know. I wish I had a better answer for you. There are times when I feel like I just have to see you.” He sat down on the sofa and plopped his feet on the coffee table like he used to.

“
Well, now is not a good time.” I was trying to be polite for a change.

The doorbell rang.

My heart slipped down into my pumps. Shit was either going to get ugly or uncomfortable. I didn’t make a move for the door, because my feet were rooted to the floor.

“
Do you want me to get that?” He started toward door.

“
Uh … no, I’ll get it.” I brushed pass Randy and opened the door. Sherman stood there looking like someone who had just stepped off the fashion pages of GQ.

“
Hey beautiful.” He was smiling at me until he noticed Randy standing off to the side. His face was puzzled.

I had told him of my divorce so I could only imagine what was going on in his head. The uncomfortable part kicked in.

“
Hey Sherman. Sherman, this is my ex-husband. He found himself in the neighborhood and stopped by.”

“
Hey man, what’s up?” Sherman held his hand up for dap but Randy ignored him.

Randy kept looking from Sherman to me with a look of disbelief on his face. Pushing up his shoulders and pumping up his chest, he tried to save face. “My bad. Sometimes I forget that this is no longer my home and she is no longer my wife. You two have a good time.” He walked through the door without closing it.

I finally breathed once I was sure he was not about to spin around and come back into the room. I shut the door.

“
Did I interrupt something?” Sherman said, giving me the once-over.

“
No, not at all. I don’t know what that was all about. I opened the door, thinking it was you, and he was standing there. This is the first time since he left that he has ever just dropped by, but I bet he won’t try that again.”

He rubbed my arm. “Shall we go?”

“
Sure. Let me grab my shawl and bag, and I’ll be ready.” I was still a little disturbed by Randy’s visit, but I was determined not to let it ruin my night. I was, however, watchful as we made our way to Sherman’s Mercedes. I didn’t want Randy to start having second thoughts and try to run us off the road.

Sherman opened the car door for me. “Would I be too nosey or forward if I asked you what happened between you two?”

I waited until he climbed into the driver’s seat before I answered. “Under different circumstances, I would probably say yes because I dislike discussing my personal life with strangers, but I feel like I owe you some form of explanation.”

“
Hey, I ain’t trying to depress you or get you in a bad mood or anything, I just need to know what’s up.”

“
We were married for thirteen years; and, in my mind, things were going good. He was trying to find some direction in his life, and I allowed him that space. Never once did I ever consider that he may have been cheating on me or anything like that. He just didn’t know what he wanted to do with his life.”

“
So you pressured him to get a job?” He put the car in
Reverse
and backed out the driveway.

“
No, I didn’t. I was making a comfortable salary. Money wasn’t an issue between us. I figured what was mine was his. One day, out of the blue, he decides he wants to open up a kennel. This really surprised me since he never expressed any interest in animals. We didn’t even own a pet.”

“
Okay.”

“
I went with him while he scouted out locations. I put the money down for him to buy the building he liked. He started traveling all over the world choosing the dogs that he wanted to breed. I didn’t mind because he was happy.”

“
So … what happened?”

“
He stopped coming home. He spent all his time at the kennel. The only time I was able to see him was when I went by there. Even that didn’t bother me because I knew that he loved me. This went on for two years.”

“
You were very patient.”

“
Tell me about it. The kicker came one day when he actually came home—by my design—and asked me to mortgage our home so he could expand the kennel.”

“
Really?”

“
Yeah. I told him he had lost his frigging mind. He said if I didn’t do it he would leave me. So I said get to stepping.”

Sherman laughed. “Just like that?”

“
Just like that. I mean damn, I was supportive. I bought him a business, paid him a salary. What more could he ask of me? I wasn’t about to mortgage a house that I had paid for so he could have a doggy day care center. Especially since I hardly ever saw him as it was.”

“
What’s with the kennel?”

“
I still own it. It’s making a good profit, so I’ll hold on to it for a while. I found someone to run it for me. Who knows, if the price is right I might sell it.”

“
Ain’t much left to say after that.” He studied me from the corner of his eye.

“
Yeah, but it still doesn’t explain why he chose to drop in tonight like it was still his house. I suspect I’ll hear about that shit later.”

We were silent for a while as we listened to the soft jazz playing on his stereo.

“
So where are we going?” I turned up the radio. Miles Davis was on.

“
It’s a surprise. I hope you like surprises.”

“
Yes, I sure do.”

Instead of taking me to some fancy restaurant, he took me to his house. To say it was beautiful would be an understatement. I’ve always been partial to brick homes. His had a wraparound deck that surrounded both the first and second floor.

“
I thought you were going to feed a sista.”

“
I am. I’m going to cook for you.”