Friends and Lovers (14 page)

“We’ll talk, young buck.”

“Stay blessed.”

“You too. Tell Mye I send my love.”

“I could give you her number. Tell her yourself.”

Daddy said, “If she wanted me to have her number, she’d’ve called long before now.”

“Call her and talk to your grandchildren.”

“Let me know if she needs anything.”

“Tell the new Mrs. Williams I said hi.”

“Good night, young buck.”

He put the receiver back in its cradle. I did the same at the pay phone I was on. Disconnected each other once again.

Shelby’s hand massaged my shoulders through my sweat suit. She had strong fingers. Her fondness took the bite out of my fury. She made easy circles and ironed out tension. Then we headed toward the car. Shelby had put on the sweats she had bought. Other things were in the plastic bag I carried. My Nike cap was backward on her head. Her cap was in her hand.

After we left the borrowed room, we sat around the lobby, sipped orange juice, tried to get our energy back, and marveled at what we had done. And we talked. It was like the reverse-engineering of the relationship—we got the sex out of the way and waited to see where it took us from there. Right now I didn’t know. Lisa was gone with the wind, but I knew she’d call. Especially since she’d seen me with a better brand of woman than she’d ever be. Shelby had talked me into calling my father.

Shelby said, “It didn’t go too well, huh?”

“About the same as usual.”

“It’s late. Maybe next time your pops’ll call you.”

“No big deal. If he does, he does; if he don’t, whatever.”

“Don’t say that. Family is always a big deal.”

I held her hand tighter. Felt like little Tyrel for a few moments, then straightened my back, adjusted my sweat suit, took a breath, made myself feel like the man I was supposed to be.

We cruised down to Madonna Road and got on the 101 south.

She said, “You okay?”

“Yeah.” I smiled, leaned over and kissed her lips.

“I’ve got to be on a plane at seven in the morning or I’ll be homeless and out of a j-o-b.”

“Okay. Let the seat back and sleep to L.A.”

“Okay.” She sighed, then patted my hand. “Tyrel?”

“What’s up?”

“Today is just today.”

“All right.”

“We shouldn’t make any more out of this than it is. Or was.”

“What’re you saying?”

“It’s not gonna happen again.”

“Okay.”

She sighed again. Sad and regretful energy filled the car. I don’t know if she went to sleep, but she didn’t talk. All of that high spirit was put to rest. With every mile we got closer to reality. Shelby rubbed her nose and took her hand back. It didn’t matter. I was ready to let it go anyway.

* * *

We made it back to L.A. about one thirty in the a.m. Debra was surprised to see us creep into the dimly lit living room. Shelby was still solemn and had a look in her light-brown eyes that said she had hoped Debra would be asleep. The way she had hopped out of my car before I cut the engine off, I don’t think she really wanted me to walk her to the door.

Like I said, Debra was wide awake. But not alone. Leonard was on the floor. Debra’s coffee table had two half empty glasses of Spumante and a game of Jenga set up. Shelby had this subtle attitude come over her body, like she thought she was interfering. With Kenny G’s
The Moment
playing nothing-but-love tunes on Debra’s CD player, and both of them with their shoes off and shirts loosened, I wondered what their game would’ve been an hour from now.

Debra glowed when she spoke to me, then gave a short grin to Shelby. A blush that spoke of bad timing. Shelby tsked. Her expression didn’t change. She gave a shallow wave. No words.

I said, “What’s up, boss man?”

Leonard concentrated on the game and said, “Right now everything’s calm. We’re tied at two games apiece.”

Debra glanced at the clock on the wall then said, “I thought you might’ve been gone on a trip.”

“Sort of,” Shelby said. “We went for a ride up the coast.”

“Must’ve been some ride.”

They shared one of those girlfriend looks. Shelby made her eyes open and close real fast, flutter like butterfly wings. Debra did the same and didn’t ask questions. She went back to focusing on the game. She was deep in the same world Leonard was in. Both looked intense and competitive. It looked more like a bonding-of-the-minds ritual than a board game.

On his next pull, everything toppled.

Debra cheered and kicked her feet. “Yes!”

While they boxed the game up, Shelby was quiet. She kicked her hiking boots off. Tossed her hat on the dining room table.

Debra sang, “Shelby.”

“Sorry.” Shelby grabbed her cap then picked her shoes up. When she bent over, her butt created the shape of a nice unreachable heart. I moved my eyes away. When Shelby turned, her eyes were dull, empty. Shelby’s words were plastic and distant, “Well, Tyrel, thanks for the ride up the coast. Don’t forget about the CD place in the valley. Take care.”

I said, “Sure. Thanks. You want to go if I go up there?”

“Nah. I’ve got enough CDs and nowhere to put ‘em. Debra, did anybody call me about my furniture?”

Debra shook her head.

Me and Shelby shook hands good-bye without eye contact. Not even a good handshake. She touched me quick and shallow, like I had the plague. She gave up a fake yawn then went down the hallway to the bedroom without looking back. Closed the door.

A minute later, me and Leonard left. We stood around visitors parking and talked for a while.

He was keyed up. “What do you think about Debra?”

I shrugged. “Question is, what do you think?”

“I think I really don’t need a relationship—not right now.”

“Scared you might lose focus?”

“Yeah. Sisters are a black hole for attention.”

“Think Miss Café au Lait is a drive-thru?”

He shook his head. “Far from it. What was up with you and Miss Pundit?”

I looked back at the window of the woman who had dissed me like it wasn’t about shit. I said, “Drive-thru all the way.”

Leonard told me what Jackson did at the audition.

My hands heated up. I said, “What you wanna do about it?”

He kicked a rock on the ground. “Can’t do nothing.”

“Why?”

“Debra made me promise. She told me I’m bonded to my word.”

I laughed. “That’s bull. As much as women change their minds over shit. Women invented unilateral decisions.”

He was pissed.

I shook my head. Remembered how we would kick ass or get our asses kicked back in high school. Now we were mental gladiators.

He grunted. “If I can’t do nothing, you can’t do nothing.”

“I hear you.”

He talked about how great Debra was. How she had tackled responsibility and handled the situation like a champ. I didn’t hear a word. He wasn’t focused enough to pick up my true mood. Either that or he didn’t care. Leonard stared back at Debra’s apartment like he was Romeo in search of Juliet.

We got in our cars. Went our separate ways.

On the way home, everything seemed like a farce. Hanging out with Shelby didn’t bring anything real. All I did was burn a tank of gas and wear out the rubber on my tires. Tonight wouldn’t even add up to a page in my memoirs. She had done just like Lisa. Same shit. I called to check my messages, the ones on my cellular service.

Lisa had called ten times. I figured she would be ringing my phone after she saw me with Shelby. That was why I had turned my c-phone off all day. I dialed her number. Her husband answered. I was in a don’t-care mood.

I said, “Is Lisa around?”

“May I ask who’s calling?”

“This her husband?”

“Yeah. Who is this?”

“Must be your turn to spank that booty tonight.”

“What?”

“Damn. Thought you was outta town.”

I heard her voice in the background; imagined her panicking. I hung up. Laughed to myself. Got some pleasure from that.

* * *

At home, I stared at the pictures of my family when we were a family. Then I stood on my patio like a man in isolation. Waiting for another silent morning. I stared at the darkness in the sky. Gazed at the stars, the crescent moon. Glared at the same sky that covered me, my mother, my father, my sister, my nephews. The whole thing seemed so full, yet so empty. Every piece of beauty in the heavens looked like a distraction from the truth.

There was a feeling I was trying to shake. One I didn’t want to sleep with. Something I’d never felt before. It had nothing to do with Lisa or Shelby or anybody else who had abandoned me. It had to do with Leonard. My best friend. My brother.

Tonight when he was talking to Debra with a wide smile and easy words, something about it reminded me that my daddy had asked about him. My daddy didn’t ask about anybody in my family. Not my sister. Not his unseen and never-heard grandchildren. He only asked how Leonard was doing. I think that was why I didn’t tell Leonard I had called my old man. So I guess my resentment came from hurt. A deep damage. Hurt that came when you expected something from somebody else and they didn’t deliver it to your expectations. I wondered if I’d ever talk to my daddy again.

I went to bed. Slept in my sweatsuit. Tossed and turned.

My phone rang with the rising of the sun.

“Can I speak to Tyrel Anthony Williams?”

“Speaking. Who is this?”

“How are you doing?”

“I was trying to sleep. Who is this?”

“Guess.”

“Shelby?”

“Yep.”

I paused, then finally asked, “What’s up?”

She was silent for a few moments.

I was irritated. “Did you leave something in my car?”

She cleared her throat. There was plenty of bustle in the background. Footsteps. Car horns. People were being paged. I heard the announcement that the white zone was for immediate loading and unloading of passengers only.

Again, I said, “What’s up?”

“Can I call you this evening from New York?”

“Why do you have to ask if you can call? You just called.”

“You’re so damn difficult.”

“And you’re not.”

“Don’t act like a booty.” She paused. “Tyrel?”

“Yeah?”

She blew air. Her voice was snappy, angry when she said, “I’ve
never
done anything like that shit we did yesterday. I want you to know that—that—that I don’t do one-night shit.”

“Yeah, I’ll go out with you.”

“What makes you think I want to see you?”

“I said what you were thinking.”

“That’s not funny.”

“You hear me laugh?”

A moment later she said, “Wish me a safe trip.”

“Safe trip.”

Sounded like she blew me a kiss. Then hung up.

“Shelby’s moving in with me.”

“Debra told me.”

“Is there anything she doesn’t tell you?”

“How would I know?” Leonard checked the time on his watch against the time on the dash.

Shelby had moved into her own place for three months, but she was gone most of the time, and when she was around she spent most of the time at my crib. My kitchen was better, and her place only had a shower, no tub. I told Leonard all of that, then told him how Shelby likes to soak in the tub, play Erykah Badu and Eric Benét, burn candles, sip wine, stuff like that.

The last six months have flown by. Flown. She’s living in my place. In my space. In my life.

I paused for dramatic effect. “I gave Shelby three keys.”

Leonard sat up. “Three keys?”

I’d been doing goofy stuff I hadn’t done since high school. I’d caught myself phasing out in the middle of presentations, scribbling acronyms with Shelby’s name. Like
S
is for Sexy,
H
is for Headstrong, and so on, then mailing it with a card and a few corny poems I’d made up. I’d been sending her little gifts, little collectible African dolls.

Maybe Leonard already knew, because women don’t keep things like that a secret. If Debra knew, Leonard knew.

“You dropped down the three keys?” He said that like I’d be in waist chains and leg irons by sunrise. “You serious?”

I smiled so hard that if the sun was out, my gums would’ve gotten a suntan. I chuckled, thought about Lisa Nichols for half a second, remembered how that romantic
flight of forever didn’t get off the ground. All for the best. I told Leonard that Shelby was picking up the slack on things like groceries, whatever.

I said, “We’re trying to build a team. Teamwork toward a common vision.”

“Ty?”

“What?”

“Don’t get anal.”

We laughed.

He said, “You got enough room for her stuff at the condo?”

Shelby had arranged her stuff in the second bedroom. Along with my computer. She had me move my computer and the television out of the master bedroom. There were things I had to get used to, things other than her being a grumpy sister in the a.m. Last night, she reorganized the living room because she bought a room full of new plants from Target. By the time I made it in from work, she was walking around in ragged panties scratching her butt, hair pinned up, face scrubbed dry. There were three or four pair of pumps scattered on the floor. Clothes in the corner in a pile. Shelby would step over her mess for days before she picked it up, but she’d wash a glass or a plate as soon as she used it. Our kitchen was cleaner than most folks’ faces.