God's Gift to Women (16 page)

“Hey, Julian!”

I was so upset, I ignored her.

“Man, where have you been all night?”

“Getting my groove on with Janet! We did the electric slide, the bump, and danced down the Soul Train line—twice. This party is off the chain!” Then he noticed Mitch sitting across from me. “Whassup, Mitch? I saw you out there on the dance floor a minute ago trying to do the Cabbage Patch. You move pretty good for an old guy.”

“So that’s why you were all sweaty and out of breath! You were out there getting your groove on!” I yelled at Mitch.

“I’m sorry, Julian. I
was
on my way to find Eddie, but this tender young thang pulled me onto the dance floor. What was I supposed to do?”

“Both of you guys can go to hell! I’m goin’ home. Are you comin’, Eddie?”

“I’m stayin’, partner. The night is still young. Janet can
drop me off at the airport in the morning,” he said while looking at his watch.

“That’s fine with me.” I stood up and pulled out my wallet. “Now, where is that waitress so I can pay my tab?”

Eddie turned to go back out onto the dance floor, then he suddenly turned and came back over to where I was standing.

“By the way, I ran into a friend of yours at the bar,” he whispered, then he handed me a business card. “She says hello. Have a good night,” he laughed, then he rushed off to get back to the party.

The light was too dim for me to make out the print on the card, so I grabbed a candle off a nearby table. It read
OLIVIA R. BROWN—COMPOSER/SONGWRITER
. Before I could react, the security guard called out my name.

“Excuse me, Mr. Payne; is she cool, too?”

I lifted my head up and there she was, looking as fine as ever. She had on a red satin tube dress and matching high heels. Her large, round breasts nearly protruded out of the strapless top. Her long hair was full of body; even in the heat and humidity of the club, it was laid. Then there were those mesmerizing hazel eyes. They glared out at me through the smoke-filled air. I tried my best to appear unimpressed.

“Yeah, she’s cool,” I told the bouncer, “let her through.”

Mitch immediately sprang up from his chair to greet her. I was uncomfortable about seeing her here, but there was no reason not to be cordial.

“Mitchell Davis, this is Ms. Olivia Brown.”

“The pleasure is all mine, Ms. Brown.” He kissed her on the hand.

“Please, call me Olivia.”

“Well, Olivia, if you don’t mind me saying, you look absolutely stunning this evening. Will you be joining us for drinks?”

“I would love to, but I have a gentleman waiting for me at the bar and I don’t want to be rude. But thank you for the offer.”

When Mitch noticed I wasn’t saying much, he got the hint.

“I guess I’ll leave you two alone to talk. It was a pleasure meeting you again, Olivia.” He kissed her hand, and gave her one of his business cards. “I hope I’ll be seeing more of you. Maybe Julian will invite you by the studio.” He saw my expression of annoyance. “Well, good night.”

Once he was gone, Olivia sat down and crossed her legs. It was too late and I was too drunk for small talk, so I got straight to the point.

“Don’t tell me, you just happened to be in Houston on business again.”

“You’re being awfully cynical, don’t you think?”

“I’m just trying to cut through the bullshit. Why are you here, Olivia?”

“For your information, I came down to help my girfriend move.” She put her hand on her hip. “Now, I’ll admit, I heard the announcement on the radio station that you would be here, but this is where my friend wanted to go, so I came along. I wasn’t even going to approach you until I ran into Eddie.” She sounded convincing. “Besides, I have a date.”

The fact that she was with someone made me feel less threatened.
Maybe she will start stalking
him
and leave me the hell alone,
I was thinking. Just then the waitress came back. I paid for my drinks and grabbed my car keys off the table.

“Well, it’s time for me to go. It was nice seeing you again, Olivia.” I stood up and extended my hand. “Take care.”

“You do the same, Julian.”

I didn’t bother asking for an escort to my car. I thought that the crowd would be too busy partying to pay me any attention. I thought wrong. The second I walked out of the VIP section I was mobbed. Women were grabbing at my clothes and kissing me on the face and arms. One woman even palmed my butt and yelled, “Gotcha!” The bouncers immediately stepped in and made a path.

It took me five minutes to get from the VIP section to the ballroom entrance. While we were passing through the lobby, I saw my baby-sitter, Juanita, holding hands with her “friend.” They were heading out the side exit. The crowd was too thick for me to reach her. I wanted to thank her for having her sister watch Samantha.

By the time we made it outside, it was pouring down rain. One of the bouncers politely removed his jacket and used it as an umbrella. When the automatic doors opened, we made a mad dash across the lot. Once I was inside my car, I tipped him a twenty to show my appreciation.

“What a night,” I said as I turned on the ignition. While I waited for my windows to defog, I turned on my Olu CD to chill out. Suddenly I heard
tap, tap, tap!
Someone was knocking on my passenger-side window. It was still fogged up, so I couldn’t see who it was. I let the window down slightly just in case it was some whacked-out fan.

“Julian, it’s me, Olivia. Can I get in, please?”

“Olivia? What are you doing out here in the rain? Go home!”

“I can’t!” she said sounding distressed. “My girlfriend left me here without a ride.”

Reluctantly, I unlocked the door and let her in. She was drenched.

“I’m sorry to inconvenience you, but I didn’t know anyone else I could trust.”

“What happened to your date?”

“Oh, him? He wasn’t really my date, he was just some guy my girlfriend tried to hook me up with. Once he started talking about oral sex, I had to excuse myself.”

“Why didn’t you call a taxi?”

“Dressed like this? I don’t think so.”

I understood her point. She was dressed too provocatively to ride alone in the middle of the night with some perverted foreigner.
Even though she was a pain in the ass, I never would have forgiven myself if something happened to her.

“Okay, Olivia, I’ll give you a lift. But I’m telling you right now, we’re not having sex,” I told her. “Now give me the directions so I can drop you off and take my drunk ass home.”

THE DRIVE TO Olivia’s friend’s house took forty-five minutes. It should have only taken a half hour, but Olivia couldn’t remember which exit to get off, or at least that’s what she claimed. She tried to bring up what happened between us in Chicago, but I ignored her and focused on where I was going. I was so intoxicated that the lines on the road began to blur. It didn’t help that my bladder was about to explode from all the alcohol I drank.

When we pulled into the circular driveway, I quickly unlocked the doors to let her out.

“Have a good night, Olivia. Bye!”

“Thanks for the ride.” She leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. “You’re a lifesaver.”

“You’re welcome. Now good night.”

“You sure you don’t want to come in for a nightcap, you know, for old times’ sake?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I said while squeezing my legs together to keep from peeing on myself.

“Are you all right? You seem a little tense.”

“I’m fine, I just want to get going. I’ve got a long drive home.”

“Julian, stop acting silly and come inside and use the bathroom. I’m not going to bite you.” She got out of the car and ran toward the front door. “Come on!”

I knew it was a bad idea, but I had to go. There were no gas stations in sight and I didn’t want to get shot while peeing in somebody’s bushes, so I turned off the ignition and rushed out into the rain behind her.

The one-story ranch house was very quaint. The lawn, which was about a quarter acre, was well manicured with rose beds lining both sides of the walkway. The entrance had double glass doors and expensive marble tile, which appeared to be brand-new. There were moving boxes everywhere. I stumbled over one as I walked into the foyer.

“So where’s the bathroom?”

“Down that hall.” She pointed. “First door to your right.”

I walked as fast as I could without running. When I finally made it to the toilet, I let it rip. Usually when a man hasn’t been inside a woman’s house before he’ll try to pee on the side of the toilet to avoid making a loud splashing sound, but I didn’t care if it sounded like Niagara Falls. My bladder was so full I peed for two minutes straight.
“Ah,”
I moaned. “That’s better than sex.”

When I came out of the bathroom, Olivia was in the kitchen drying her hair with a towel. There was a pot of water boiling on the stove and two cups and saucers sitting on the counter.

“I thought you might like a cup of tea to help you sober up.”

“No thanks, Olivia, I’ve gotta go.” I was walking toward the door. “I appreciate the use of the bathroom. Take care.” Then I rushed out.

The rain was coming down even harder by the time I got back to the car. I was worried about the power going out at home, so I pulled out my cell phone to call Samantha.

“All circuits are busy; please try your call again later,” the recording said.

I tried to call a second and third time but got the same message. As I was about to drive off, I noticed that the car was leaning on the front driver’s side. I figured it was the alcohol playing tricks on me, but as I drove faster the car pulled sharply to the left.

“What the—” I stopped at the end of the driveway and stepped out to see what was wrong. When I kneeled down to inspect the front driver’s side tire, I saw it was flat.

“That’s just what I need, a flat tire at three o’clock in the morning in the middle of a fuckin’ hurricane! Why me, Lord?” I shouted into the sky.

I popped the trunk and pulled out the jack and spare tire. The lug wrench was small and hard to hold onto. When I tried to loosen the bolts on the tire, my hand slipped off and smashed against the ground.

“Goddamnit!”

I tried again, then again, but each time it slipped off. I conceded defeat and got back in the car to call Hertz’s roadside assistance. This time my cell phone read: LOOKING FOR SERVICE.

I dreaded the thought of going back inside the house to deal with Olivia, but I had no choice. I locked the car doors and rushed up the driveway soaking wet. Olivia must have been watching from the window, because the door swung open before I could ring the bell.

“What’s the matter?”

“I’ve got a flat. I need to use your phone.”

“It’s right there on the end table.”

I dialed the number, hoping someone would pick up. When they finally did, I felt relieved.

“Hello, Hertz? I have a flat tire and I need assistance.”

“What’s your contract number?”

After I gave her my number she put me on hold while she checked to see if there were any tow trucks available.

“Sorry, sir, we’re swamped with calls tonight due to the bad weather. We can get a truck out to you first thing in the morning.”

“I really need to get home tonight, miss. I’m willing to tip generously.”

“We don’t work like that, sir. But as I said, if you give me the directions to where your vehicle is located, we’ll come by first thing in the morning and take care of it.”

“Olivia, what’s the address here?”

“Two forty-four Jefferson Parkway.”

I repeated the address to the operator along with the other details they needed to get my service set up for the morning. After I hung up the phone, I leaned back on the sofa and put my hands over my face. I was so tired and drunk that the room felt like it was spinning. Olivia came over with a towel and a cup of hot tea.

“Here, drink this. It’ll make you feel better.” While I sipped the tea, she took off my blazer and began drying me with the towel. When I closed my eyes and started to relax, she lifted my feet and tried to take off my shoes.

“Hold on, slick!” I grabbed her hand. “I’m not
that
drunk!”

“I’m just trying to make you comfortable. You
are
staying the night, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I want to get naked. All I need is a blanket and pillow, and I’ll be fine.”

“You’re too tall to sleep on this small sofa.”

“I’ll sleep on the floor, then.”

“Don’t be silly; you can sleep in the guest room.”

“And where are you going to sleep?”

“In my girlfriend’s bed. She’ll probably spend the night at her boyfriend’s house.”

“All right, lead the way. I’m too damned tired to argue.”

All I remembered from that point on was the softness of the mattress underneath me and the lights going out.

“Sleep well, my sweet Julian,” I heard Olivia whisper. Then she kissed me on the cheek. “I’ve got a big surprise for you in the morning.”

EARLY THE NEXT morning I was awakened by a loud horn. When my vision cleared I glanced around the room, not knowing where I was. Then it hit me. “Olivia,” I said with disgust. I staggered over to the window and saw a muddied tow truck parked in the driveway. The driver was an elderly white man wearing a cowboy hat. He was already at work changing the tire. “Better late than never!”

I didn’t want to be in Olivia’s presence any longer than I had to. I hurried into the bathroom and began washing underneath my arms. That’s when I realized my shirt was gone, along with my pants, shoes, blazer, car keys, and cell phone. Then I noticed a bruise on the right side of my neck. I thought it was some kind of rash, but when I turned on the lights I realized it was a hickey.

“I don’t believe this shit,” I said while rubbing it. “Now I know she’s crazy!”

I tiptoed down the long narrow hallway in my boxers, hoping to find my clothes and get out before Olivia woke up. The floor was covered with moving boxes and wrapping paper, and I saw a piano covered with a drop cloth. I figured Olivia’s girl-friend
must have moved in recently, because hardly anything was unpacked.