Going Down (19 page)

It was Friday night and me, Chris and Tavarus got together to play a little poker. Nothing like the last time with a bunch of guys and strippers. Just the three of us, like it used to be.

“Those were good days, Tavarus. The pre-Angelique days. After you met Angelique, I couldn’t get your ass to do shit. But before that you was a bad boy, Zack.”

“We used to be at ’em back then,” I said, nodding in agreement. “Hey, Tee, you remember the first girl we fucked together?”

“Barbara Harris.”

“Who is that?” Chris asked.

“How’d we meet her, anyway, Tee?”

“We stopped at the liquor store on the way back to my condo and she was there. I offered her a ride.”

“That’s right, and she was locked out,” I said.

“So you invited her to my condo.”

“I thought that was only fair since you offered her a ride in my car.”

“Fuck all that! What happened?” Chris demanded.

“She told us she worked security at some hotel. I don’t remember which, anyway,” Tavarus continued. “I asked for a job. She said that I couldn’t work security because there was a lotta gay men workin’ there, and they might rape me. Then, she would have to investigate, and then I’d get raped twice because she would rape me, too. Me and Zack looked at each other like we know it’s on.”

“What y’all do then?” Chris asked.

“I asked her if she smoked weed and poured her another drink,” Tavarus said, and everybody laughed. “I don’t know how we got on the subject, but me and her was talkin’ about eatin’ pussy, and I said, Zack say he don’t eat no pussy.”

Zack started laughing. “I said that’s ’cause I don’t know how. Tee said he’d show me if he could demonstrate on Barbara.”

“Next thing I know, this bitch done stood up and starts taking off all her clothes.”

“You ate her pussy, Tee?” Chris asked.

“Hell no, but she was naked by then, so me and Zack fucked the shit out her.”

“You two were rough,” Chris said.

“I don’t know what you talkin’ about. You done your share of settin’ out,” Tavarus said.

“I never set anybody out,” I said quickly.

“What about
Tanesha
?” Chris asked, and everybody got quiet. “What?”

“Let that shit go, Chris,” Tavarus said and nudged him.

“What? I say something wrong?” Chris asked.

“I didn’t set her out,” I said and looked at Chris. “You just fucked her,” I said and held out my hand. Chris grabbed it. There was silence for what seemed like a long time, but it wasn’t.

“She came in my room, got in bed with me, and started playin’ with my dick,” Chris said, shaking my hand. “What was I supposed to do? Tell her to stop and tell her to get out?”

“No,” I said. The shit pissed me off at the time, but I quickly came to realize he did exactly what I would have done. “You did exactly what you were supposed to do. ’Cause if it was me in that same situation, I woulda done the same thing. And besides,
Tanesha
was nobody I gave a fuck about anyway.”

“See, that’s what I’m talkin’ about,” Tavarus said. “Can’t no women come between real friends.”

“What if Tee fucked Angelique, Zack?” Chris asked.

“Under those same circumstances”—I looked at Tee for a while—“I think we would get through that. Because if Angelique was like that . . .”

“Which she’s not, and I wouldn’t do that,” Tavarus said quickly.

“I’d want to know that she wasn’t what I thought she was. And I’d rather hear it from Tee.”

“That’s bullshit, Zack. If Tee fucked Angelique you’d wanna kick his ass,” Chris said.

“At first, yeah, that shit would hurt for a long time, but I’d eventually come to the same conclusion. ’Cause if it was me in that same situation and I fucked Carmen, I know Tee would want me to tell him.”

“Zack said you and Carmen are having problems.”

“We’re just taking a break from each other until I decide what I want.”

“What the fuck does that mean?” Chris asked.

“That we agreed to see other people for a while,” Tavarus said.

“How’s that going?” I asked.

“I met a little something, might turn out to be something,” Tavarus answered, and we both laughed.

“That’s what you always think and they never last,” Chris said.

“This one will come and go just like the rest of them.”

“Maybe,” Tavarus said, and dealt the next hand. “But one good thing has already come from it.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“She convinced me to pick up my horn.”

“Say it ain’t so,” Chris said and picked up his cards. “You haven’t touched that horn in years.”

“I’m a little rusty, but in time it will come back to me.”

“She a musician?” I asked, while I looked over my cards.

“No. Just somebody I met at the bar when I went to hear that band Chris was talking about last week.”

“What you think of them?” Chris asked.

“They were pretty tight,” Tavarus said.

“Yeah, well, no matter how your playing the trumpet again turns out, you might as well face the facts,” I told Tavarus.

“What’s that?”

“You and Carmen were made for one another. Just like me and Angelique.”

“And Chris and CJ,” Tavarus added.

“Hey, hey, CJ is a married woman.”

“A married woman that you just happen to be in love with,” I said.

“That’s got nothing to do with anything.” Chris always gets defensive when we fuck with him about CJ. “She’s married to Manny, and that’s all there is to it. Me and CJ are just friends and soon to be business partners.”

“CJ going in business with you?” Tavarus asked and looked at me.

“Yes. She’ll come onboard as soon as the business is making enough money to sustain her.”

“Then it’s just a matter of time before y’all start fuckin’,” Tavarus said.

“Unlike some people I know, I can maintain a strictly-business relationship with a woman I work with.”

“Anyway,” Tavarus said, wanting to change the subject before we got into his relationship with Linda, “how are things working out with your new client?”

“It’s been tough trying to get them stabilized, but I was at a networking event earlier this week and I met a woman who may be able to help me with that.”

“A woman?” I said. “How does your new partner feel about you bringing another woman in?”

“Two things,” Chris began. “One: as long as she can help with our business, she doesn’t have a problem with it. And two; and I’m gonna say this one more time: CJ is a married woman.”

“When was the last time you saw CJ, Chris?” Tavarus asked.

Chris got that look on his face and then he dropped his head. “We had lunch yesterday.”

“The prosecution rests,” Tavarus said.

“You’re an accountant, Tee.”

“Whatever, Zack, the point is still the same.”

“We all can’t be as lucky as you, Zack, to have a woman like Angelique.”

I sat there for a minute and looked at my two closest friends. I never told them about the sexual issues that Angelique and I have, and I probably never would. Not that I don’t think that they’d understand or would make jokes about it; they just didn’t need to know her business. As far as they were concerned, they could go on believing that Angelique was the perfect woman. And she was in every way but sexually. I thought about Tyhedra and my mind began to wander. Thinking about having freaky sex, and her doing all the things that I know Angelique never would do.

“Zack! What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing’s wrong. I was just thinking about how lucky I am, that’s all. To be married to Angelique, I’m just lucky. To have good friends like y’all,” I said.

“You ain’t about to get all misty on us, are you, Zack?” Tavarus asked.

“I hope not,” Chris said and lit the blunt. “’Cause if you are, I’m leaving. I hate seeing men cry.”

“Nobody’s gonna be doing any damn crying. Just pass the blunt and pour me another drink. Damn, all I was saying is it’s not easy to find real friends, that’s all. There’s too many fake-ass muthafuckas out there, that all I’m sayin’. But you muthafuckas think I’m about to get weak and shit.”

“I know what you’re saying, Zack; I feel the same way. And quiet as it’s kept, Chris does too. I love you, niggas. Y’all are like brothers to me and I will fuck up the first one who calls me weak,” Tavarus said.

“Lighten up, Tee,” Chris said. “You’re too intense. It’s all that junk food you eat. You need to eat more fresh fruit and vegetables.”

“Look, the only veggie I need more of is that blunt, so pass it over,” Tavarus said, taking the blunt from Chris and taking a long drag. “See, I’m more relaxed already.”

“Hey, Tee, who were the girls that showed up last time?” I asked.

“Just some freaks that live in the complex.”

“Which one you fuckin’, Tee?” Chris asked.

“If I told you I’ve fucked all of them, would that make you happy?” Tavarus smiled.

“No. I’d be mad ’cause you didn’t set them out,” Chris came back quickly.

“Who said I didn’t?” Tavarus came back just as quick, and looked over at me. I smiled and gave Tee some dap.

“You and Zack freaked all them
hos
?”

“No, just Kathy,” Tavarus said.

“Which one is Kathy?”

“The flat-chested one with the fat ass,” Tavarus said.

“But Tee is probably fuckin’ all of them,” I added. “Don’t worry, Chris, we didn’t fuck the one you left with.”

“You fuck her yet?”

Chris got that look on his face and then he dropped his head. “Same night.”

“When was the last time you fucked her?”

“Before I came over here,” Chris said without looking up.

“You payin’?”

“Hell no. She ain’t like that.”

“No, she just dances naked.”

“She said that was her first and last time,” Chris said and got defensive, like he does when we talk about him and CJ.

“Until the next time,” Tavarus added.

“We used to set out some pussy back in the day, Tee,” I said, choosing not to comment on that one.

“Damn sure did,” Tee laughed.

“I remember I came here late one night. Tee was on his way out the door. He said, ‘I left a little something in my room for you.’ I’m thinkin’ Tee left me a joint or a drink or something. I walk in and Michelle is layin’ up in bed with that fine ass totted up in the air. You remember that night, Tee?”

Tee hit the blunt and nodded his head.