Kiss of Noir (4 page)

“And
you
get the first pick of everything, right?”

Sayan grinned slyly in response.

“All right, all right, I can dig it.” I nodded and looked around with a fresh eye. “Old Ellis cleaning out the plantations. Good deal.”

“Let me show you your room.” Sayan led the way past ornate clocks, paintings of horses and dogs, and glass cases of goblets, flutes, and figurines. “Don’t bump anything. Don’t put your hands on the wall and don’t pick that up!” She stopped dead and tapped her foot until I placed the figure of a woman back on to the shelf. “That’s an art deco piece.” Sayan adjusted it minutely and brushed her finger down the figure.

“She’s beautiful,” I said, staring hungrily at the voluptuous statue.

“Keep your mind clean,” Sayan snapped, shoving me down the hall. We walked and walked until we reached the farthest room in the house. “Here’s where you’ll stay.” She opened a door. The room was less formal than the others and had a recliner and a television. It also had a private bath.

“Mmm, very nice.” I was pleased and relieved.

“Notice how it looks,” Sayan said. “That’s how I want it to stay.”

“You think I’ll ruin your house, puddin’?” I joked, pinching Sayan’s chin.

Sayan’s jaw tightened. “I am not your puddin’. And you better not do anything foolish. My mama raised me right and I know how to take out the garbage.”

I sighed. “We’ve already settled this. Let’s not get into it again.” I knew how to distract a woman on the warpath. “Does the baby have a room?”

Sayan lit up. “Come on, I’ll show you.”

We walked by the master suite. Sayan opened the door next to her and Ellis’s room. It was under construction with ladders and paint buckets set on swaths of plastic sheeting. The room had a wall of windows well shaded by oaks and magnolias. There was a deep window seat in the middle. The light that filtered in was muted and comforting, creating an atmosphere of enchantment.

“The crib will be there…the rocker there…I’m going to have a chaise put there in case I can steal a nap. Over there will be bookshelves and toy boxes…the changing table is there. When the baby’s older, I’ll put in a desk and table with Legos and art supplies…what?” Sayan asked, her eyes shining.

I was smiling at her, paying no attention to Sayan’s pointing plans. “Nothing,” I said.

“Well, let’s go find Ellis,” Sayan said, closing the door gently as if not to wake the baby.

We returned to the kitchen and off that room was the one I had dreamed of. A big-screen television was showing a baseball game.

“Hey!” Ellis waved from a monster recliner. “Make yourselves to home!”

I ran in, jumped, and dropped like a felled tree, laughing and kicking my feet. “Now you’re talking, Ham!”

“I’ve got work to do, so I’ll leave you two alone. Crab Mornay all right for dinner tonight, baby?” Sayan leaned over Ellis. They kissed slowly and sweetly. Ellis’s arm went around her back and his other hand cradled her abdomen. She relaxed in his embrace and draped her arms down his back. I concentrated on the game.

“That is just great, sugar. You know whatever you do is all right with me.”

“With some fresh corn on the cob, tomato salad, and strawberry shortcake for dessert.”

“Mmm, that sounds so fine,” Ellis said.

“That okay with you, Nora?” Sayan asked.

I looked up, surprised at being consulted. “Sounds good to me.”

“We need to put some meat on your bones,” Sayan said. “Don’t we, Ellis?”

“Sho ’nuff.” Ellis grinned.

Sayan kissed his head and closed the door.

Ellis kept grinning but put a finger to his lips. He tossed me a bag of pork rinds and he opened a mini-fridge within arm’s reach of his chair and threw me a beer.

“Oh, yeah, Ham, oh, yeah!” I stretched out, balancing my drink and the rinds on my stomach. I hadn’t indulged in pork rinds since childhood.

“This is the life.” Ellis flipped his chair all the way back.

“You got it.” I sighed, closing my eyes in delight.

“That is it, Nora Delaney. That is my place.” Ellis and I sat in his Mercedes at the drive-in barbeque and dairy bar Tassie Pie’s, across the street from Delaney Pawn. We were finishing soft-serve vanilla ice cream cones. We had just eaten barbeque bologna lunches and the little cardboard boats were full of trash and sauce at my feet.

“Huh,” I snorted, “don’t look like nothin’.” I licked my cone long.

Ellis glanced at me, his eyes wide. Then he relaxed. “T-Bone, I’ll kick your ass.”

“How about tonight, you and me, on the driveway?”

Ellis tipped his cone at me. “You got it.”

“So that’s where it all started,” I said, my tone reverent.

“That’s where
I
started.” Ellis spoke as if in a trance as we both gazed at the shop. It took up half the block. The shop had plate glass windows with goods displayed in them and protected with bars. There were cloth awnings over each window and whiskey barrels full of bright zinnias and marigolds at the curb. Under the awnings, against the building, in the shade, were wooden benches worn smooth paired with buckets of sand for ashtrays and a garden hose curled under one bench like a snoozing snake. There were hanging pots of petunias and more whiskey barrels of flowers between benches. And over it all, near the roofline, was a neon sign: D
ELANEY
P
AWN
—B
EST
T
ERMS
A
NYWHERE
Above the front door awning were suspended three gold balls.

“What’s that mean?” I asked.

“Oh, that’s the old symbol for an ethical and trustworthy pawnbroker. Dates back to the Medicis in Italy and St. Nicholas—”

“Santa Claus?”

“No, well, sort of, but St. Nick, who is the patron saint of not only children, but also murderers, the poor, bankers, pawners, poets, and prostitutes, et cetera. It is the symbol of luck and good fortune.”

“How you know all that shit?”

“I watch
Jeopardy
.”

“Hmm.” I crunched my cone. “So it has really worked out well.”

Ellis nodded after taking a big bite of ice cream. “Nora, I’m so glad you’re here. I’ve been wanting you to see this for the longest.” Ellis bumped me. “Why didn’t you come down before now, huh?”

“Foolish. Foolish and thinking I was too busy. I’m sorry.”

Ellis smiled. “It’s all right. You’re here now. And I get to show off a little. That’s where
I
began,” he repeated. “This neighborhood, starting my business, meeting Sayan and her family, finding a church, working hard, and here I am. All due to you.”

“Stop it, Ellis. We agreed.”

Ellis nodded. We finished our cones. I brushed my hands over my slacks. “So what do you want me to do?”

“First, come on in and meet the fellas.” Ellis retrieved his fedora from the backseat and set it neatly on his head. “You need a hat to protect you from the sun. You got one?”

“Not yet.” I smiled, feeling utterly content. I let my eyes drink in the sight of my handsome Ellis, a grown man, silhouetted against his successful business.

“Hurricane’s coming,” Ellis breathed.

I stiffened. “What?” I said sharply.

But Ellis didn’t answer; he just walked toward the store.

I followed, glancing anxiously at the blue sky.

Inside, bells tinkled overhead and I was relieved to be out of the sun and heat. It was dim and cool in the shop. I let my eyes adjust and take in all the merchandise. Musical instruments, tools, jewelry, electronics, appliances, sporting goods, everything I could imagine.

“Just like a department store,” I marveled.

Ellis grinned. We walked to the center where there was a big circle of space. Near the back of the open area was a battered old counter with an ancient cash register. Next to that was a large stained card table. Two old men sat at the table playing dominoes. When Ellis approached, they stood.

One old man smiled merrily. He was the color of molasses with a small red afro shot with white. “Ellis,” he said in a graceful Haitian accent, “who you got with you, your twin?”

The other man transferred his hand-rolled cigarette to his mouth so he could extend his hand. “I’m Cleo,” he said.

I shook his hand. It was a nice shake, firm but gentle. I was careful not to squeeze too hard. Cleo’s knuckles were enlarged. His palm was warm and dry and felt safe. Cleo was the color of polished cherrywood. He had several freckles on each cheek and his hair looked like steel wool.

“Nora Delaney,” I said, “and you could be Ellis’s twin too. You his daddy?” I joked.

“I guess you just hang out with this sucker long enough, you get to look like him.” Cleo smiled warmly. His eyes crinkled at their edges. I just wanted to climb into his lap.

“Yeah, I think I’m getting Ellis’s bone structure,” the other man said, stretching his skin over his cheeks with his fingertips.

“And this is Drew Ekalibato,” Ellis said.

“Drew,” I said, shaking his hand.

“My man, Ellis!” Drew cried. “What’s up?”

“Let’s sit,” Cleo said. We all sat at the table and I studied the elaborate knot of dominoes that crept over the table. Cleo disrupted my reverie by stirring the dominoes into a messy circle and replacing them in the box with soft clicks.

“I’m loaning y’all Nora here to help out for a while,” Ellis said.

“Ha, ha, you don’t say!” Drew cried. “What you do, gal? What kinda trouble you in?”

“Uh…” I stammered. “I’m just on sabbatical for a while from my coaching job in LA.”

Cleo froze and stared at me. Drew stood suddenly, knocking down his chair. “Jump back!” he cried. “
You
the one?”

“You’re Ellis’s cousin! You were on television!” Cleo said.

“Hoo, hoo,” Drew sang. “You clocked that uppity bitch!” He dangled his gnarled fingers for me to touch with my own, which I did, beaming. Drew strutted around his chair, righted it and sat again.

“Ellis has it on tape,” Cleo said. “We watched that a million times. You look different on TV. We didn’t recognize you.”

I glared at Ellis, who grinned and shrugged.

“Bam!”
Drew yelled. “Lights out! Game over!”

“On sabbatical, huh?” Cleo eyed me with suspicion. “Fired is more like it.”

I put my hand to my brow, wanting all this to go away. Cleo went to the counter, rummaging in its dark depths. The bells tinkled over the door. A group of men approached, fanned out, and began browsing.

“Doughboy, Rentie, Little C, JJ, Superman, Claude.” Ellis recited their names with a smile, nodding at each. They smiled and mumbled back, retreating into the goods.

Cleo returned with a half-full bottle of whiskey. “Let’s drink a toast to Nora, new to these parts but never too late!” He swigged and passed the bottle to Drew, who drank and passed to Ellis, who also drank and gave the bottle to me.

“I already had a beer last night and I wasn’t supposed to. I promised Sayan…” I protested feebly. The men all looked at each other.

“She trained fast, no?” Drew said. “Sayana is all bark without the bite.”

“She doesn’t seem that way to me.” I shrugged and took a long swallow.

Cleo stared into my eyes. “She ain’t,” he declared.

“Oh, you in trouble now!” Drew laughed, slapping the table. I winked at him and had another big drink.

“Then no point in moderation,” I added.

“Ho, now,” Cleo said. “Just a taste. It ain’t after five yet.”

I looked at Ellis. “What the hell have you gotten me into?”

Ellis shrugged again and stood. “For your own good, cuz.” He slid his chair under the table. “Now make her work and you fellas report everything to me.” He squeezed my shoulder. “See you at closing.”

“My man!” Drew said, waving.

“Later, El.” Cleo’s eyes lingered on Ellis’s back and as if sensing it, Ellis turned and held his gaze for a moment.

“And, Cleo, if that hurricane comes, you know what to do.” He winked. Cleo nodded with a smile.

“Huh?” Drew glanced outside. “Ain’t no storm—” Cleo’s elbow in his ribs silenced him. Drew looked at me. “Oh.” He smiled. “I get you. Sure, we’ll take care of everything.”

When Ellis had gone, Cleo relit his cigarette and dumped out the dominoes. “First you learn to
play
.”

Six hours later, I had learned how to operate the old cash register, which consisted of hard smacks on its metal sides; I had lost all the money I had to Cleo and his devilish dominoes; from Tassie Pie’s across the street, I had enjoyed a shrimp po’ boy so fat with big shrimp that they dropped out of each end of the sandwich into my lap as I tried to eat it. The shrimp were so clean and fresh I worried they were still alive. I had learned how to write tickets for customers once Cleo determined the amount of the pawn, which I was not to do yet, and now Cleo had me dusting, armed with a can of polish, a rag, and a feather duster. I was offended at first, but it was only a reflex. Once I began, I thought about it. I was really enjoying myself. I was relaxed and could feel the long-buried but familiar stirrings of happiness and contentment. Ellis was my safe haven right now and I would help in every way possible. I breathed deeply, smelling lemony wax. Leaving me were the worries about managing student athletes; going was the anxiety about keeping motivation high; going was the thirst for the drinking binges before, during, and after every game; going was the killer drive that had been exhausting me; draining away was the stress about winning and staying on top; fading was the ambition for possible promotion to a larger, more prestigious college; gone was the ass-kissing I did to the faculty so I could be left alone to run my team as I saw best. Gone! I released my shoulders and smiled.