Soulful Strut (12 page)

“Told you I’d be ready fast,” Monette said
when Karl came out to meet her in the hallway.

“Let’s meet up with the rest of the family
then.” Karl hooked his arm through hers.

“Sounds good. Real good.” Monette felt
light-headed with joy as she walked arm in arm with her son toward
his tan Ford Explorer.

***

Monday morning dawned rainy and gray. Monette
didn’t care. She’d had a wonderful weekend with Karl, LaTrice, and
the kids. They’d begged her until she’d relented and attended
church with them Sunday. After such a glorious two days, no amount
of thunder or rain could dampen her spirits. She hummed as she
dressed, taking time to glance over her notes for her show.

“Good luck with the gig. Didn’t get a chance
to tell you over the weekend ’cause you were both so busy,” Candi
said on her way out to catch the bus to work.

Monette felt a tinge of guilt at neglecting
her friend. She stopped combing her hair to give Candi a hug.
“Thanks, but I’m not sure how long it’s going to last”

“You’ll be a star at the place soon. Not
strugglin’ just to get through a week and collect minimum wages.”
Candi looked down at the dingy white uniform she wore.

“Girl, please. The money they’re paying me at
KTQL is pitiful. Trust me; I won’t be getting rich by being on the
radio. You probably make more than I do,” Monette joked.

Candi shook her head. “You’re not like
me.”

“Hey, Candi. They not gonna hold the bus for
you and Her Majesty. Get down here,” Yarva called from below.

“Yeah, yeah,” Monette shot back. She was
about to say more, and then took a deep breath. “That bee-itch is
working on my nerves.”

“The new you is havin’ a tough time with the
old you,” Candi teased. Mischief tugged her mouth into a smirk. She
ducked when Monette took a playful swing at her.

When Candi scurried down the steps, Monette
followed her, as if in hot pursuit. “You better hustle your behind
out of my reach.”

Sherrial appeared at the bottom of the
stairs. “Good morning, ladies. Monette, I’m going to give you a
ride to the station.”

“I can take the bus. You don’t have to go out
of your way for me,” Monette replied, conscious that Yarva and
several other women glanced back. She did not want them all to
resent her.

“I need to go in that direction to buy office
supplies and attend a meeting.” Sherrial dismissed her objection.
“Besides, I’d like to see the station and meet Mr. Franklin.”

“Well, since it’s on your way. I’m ready,”
Monette replied.

“No hurry. We don’t have to leave for at
least another half hour. Have a second cup of coffee while I make a
few phone calls.” Sherrial went back to her office.

“Yeah, just relax and put your feet up,”
Yarva muttered. She jerked her head, and then headed out the door
with the other women behind her.

“See, you’re not like us.” Candi winked at
Monette. Still, sadness tinged the teasing tone of her voice. She
waved good-bye and left.

Monette went to the window. She watched them
walk down the cracked sidewalk trading banter. Their laughter came
back on the slight warm breeze. Soon they turned the comer and
Monette couldn’t see them. When Trudy bustled in carrying a
briefcase, Monette still stood watching them.

“Good morning. You look like your best friend
said good-bye forever.” Trudy gazed at Monette with a kindly
expression. “Come on. Monday is just another day of the week.”

“Yeah,” Monette said, and then faced her with
a smile. “How are you doing today?”

“I’m going to drink more coffee, not let the
rain get me down, and charge ahead.” Trudy gave a crisp nod, as
though her determination would make it so.

“Loan me some of those good vibes,” Monette
quipped. “I could use them.”

“Sure. Just so you pay me back with interest
one of these days when I’m feeling the blues.” Trudy gave Monette a
pat on the arm for encouragement “I’m sure your show today will be
great.”

Sherrial strode down the hall from her office
as though on cue. “Hi, Trudy. I’m taking Monette to the radio
station. I’ll pick up those office supplies on my way back from the
meeting. Let’s go.”

Monette waved good-bye to Trudy and followed
Sherrial through the door. They got in the van parked in the
driveway next to the house. After a few grumbles of protest, the
van’s engine started up. Sherrial noted the mileage on a clipboard
then drove to the street.

“Gotta give Jayson credit He keeps these old
clunkers going,” Sherrial said and patted the dashboard as if she
were petting a beloved cat. “Don’t worry. Bessie and I will get you
to the station on time.”

“Sure.”

Monette prayed the van didn’t break down in
the middle of rush-hour traffic. Despite Sherrial’s faith in
Jayson’s skills, Monette didn’t think he was a miracle worker. The
van rattled and pinged a few times when Sherrial increased speed.
Monette held on as Sherrial changed lanes and the speedometer
inched up steadily. When the third driver gave them a middle
finger, Sherrial stuck her tongue out at him.

“Park and hug your teddy bear if you’re too
scared to drive,” she muttered.

“Uh, I’d rather be late than dead. Take it
easy.” Monette raised both eyebrows at Sherrial. The mild-mannered
social worker was gone. In her place was a speed-crazy race-car
driver.

“Never had an accident or a ticket. But
you’re right. I’m trying to change my ways and be a good role model
for my kid.” Sherrial slowed down by a mere five miles. “How’s
that?”

“Thank you.” Monette still kept a tight hold
on the door handle. As a distraction, Monette decided to make
conversation. “Jayson seems like a really nice guy. He’s going to
be on my show.”

“Oh, really?” Sherrial glanced at Monette for
a second, and then went back to watching the road. “That’s
interesting. I always thought he was the manly quiet type, a man of
few words.”

“Well, I can be sorta persuasive. Talked my
way out of prison,” Monette said with a grin. “You know much about
him?”

“No more than the basics. Jayson comes from a
close- knit family, from what I gather. Other than that I don’t
know much. He’s a gentleman whenever he comes to New Beginnings.
None of that, ‘Hey, baby’ kind of talk around the ladies.” Sherrial
hissed. “Not like this plumber we had last summer. Talk about a lot
of drama. Some men act like New Beginnings is the human equivalent
of an all-you- can-eat buffet.”

“I’ll bet the ladies don’t complain.” Monette
laughed. Sherrial’s assessment confirmed her impression of Jayson.
He didn’t seem like a man who would chase after just anyone. For
reasons Monette decided not to examine, that pleased her. A car
horn blast jerked her back from remembering Jayson’s handsome
smile.

Sherrial scowled as she passed a slow-moving
car. “Little old ladies don’t belong out here during rush
hour.”“Please relax. No need for both of us to be tied in knots,”
Monette mumbled.

“Don’t worry. I’ve got this.” Sherrial
maneuvered the van around more vehicles that didn’t move fast
enough for her. “Uh, you know we don’t discourage dating, but—”

“I haven’t been out long, no need to hurry,
and my focus should be on other things.” Monette rattled off the
reasons she knew Sherrial would give while counting them on her
fingers. “Right?”

“I’m not saying you should try to shut off
your feelings. Jayson is a nice guy.” Sherrial seemed to be framing
her words with care.

‘Too nice for me in other words.” Monette
raised an eyebrow at the social worker.

“That isn’t what I meant, Monette. He’s a
conservative, hardworking man. I’m sure he represents the kind of
stability that would appeal to you. After all you’ve been through,
that is. Even before you went to prison.” Sherrial took an exit
ramp off Interstate 110 and came to a stop at a red light.

“Yes, Sherrial. I know you’ve read my book.
He’s not exactly what I used to think of as Mr. Right. Oh, sure,
he’s got the looks.” Monette let out an involuntary sigh of
appreciation.

“He sure has,” Sherrial agreed with gusto,
and then shrugged when Monette eyed her. The light turned green and
she gunned the engine. “I’m happily married, but I’m not blind. The
man looks good. I’ve had to rescue him from one of the ladies more
than a few times.”

“Well, I promise you that he’s safe with me.
I will handle him like a package stamped fragile. Feel better?”

“Listen, you’ve got a lot to juggle. Not the
least of which is that pardon hearing. Just go slow. Okay?”
Sherrial nodded at her.

“Okay. I won’t run off for a weekend in
Jamaica with Jayson until after the hearing. Just kidding.” Monette
laughed when Sherrial’s rust-brown eyes popped.

“Not funny.” Sherrial laughed with her in
spite of trying to be serious.

After another ten minutes in traffic they
pulled into the radio station parking lot. The van lurched to a
stop, and then shuddered for several seconds as the engine
idled.

“Damn piece of junk. Oh, Lord, I take that
back,” Sherrial added quickly.

Monette clapped her on the shoulder. “Honey,
I’m sure he understands. See you later.”

“Okay. You got a way back? I could pick you
up.” Sherrial craned her neck as she looked around.

“I’ll do just fine on the bus. I’ve been
worse places.” Monette got out of the car, grateful they’d made it
without crashing.

“Don’t come whining to me about sitting next
to some guy with bad breath.” Sherrial grinned.

“Come on in. I’ll introduce you to Chaz and
the gang,” Monette said.

“Cool.”

Sherrial scrambled down from the van. She
paused to fuss with her skirt and blouse before following Monette
inside. Monette acted like a station veteran as she gave an
impressed Sherrial a tour. Chaz gave Sherrial an enthusiastic,
though rushed, welcome. He was off to meet with the station owners.
Sherrial bubbled with delight when a popular male disc jockey
stopped to greet her. The social worker glowed from his charming
attention. Once he was gone, they ended the tour at the small room
where Monette hosted Hot Topic. Nikki was still on the air. She
waved at them through the glass wall.

“That’s about it. Irvin is my producer.”
Monette smiled at him, and Irvin grinned back as he kept both hands
on the controls.

“Nice,” Sherrial said, then she noticed the
clock on the wall. “I need to get a move on. Sure you don’t want me
to swing back by? You might have to wait for me. That meeting could
last until lunchtime.”

“Go on so you won’t have to speed to be on
time. You should follow the advice you gave me. Slow down." Monette
shook a forefinger at her.

“Right. Have a great day. I’ll be listening
for your show while I’m driving.” Sherrial waved good-bye, then
left.

Monette smiled at her and waved back. Twenty
minutes later she was at the microphone interviewing Dr. Bette
Harrison about relationships. As Chaz had predicted, the phone
lines were jammed with men and women weighing in on the subject
Monette had a great time matching her experiences with Dr.
Harrison’s research. In the end they agreed that both sexes had to
take responsibility for their poor choices. For the rest of the day
Monette pondered the subject mostly because of her talk with
Sherrial that morning. She mentally scrolled through the rogue’s
gallery that comprised her ex-boyfriends. Sherrial had one thing
right Monette would do well to keep her thoughts pure and her focus
on other matters. Besides, even though the social worker hadn’t
said as much, Jayson probably was too “nice” for Monette. Why
should she complicate her life? Or his, for that matter.

By the time she finished at the station, it
was eleven- thirty. Monette decided to treat herself to a nice
lunch. She didn’t need to hurry back to New Beginnings. After all,
Sherrial had advised her to get into life at cruising speed. The
receptionist gave Monette a succinct review of nearby restaurants.
At her urging, Monette decided on a deli a block away. The stroll
down to Bailey’s Cafe was a pleasant one. She didn’t mind the warm
spring day. After ordering a hamburger and diet soda, Monette
enjoyed an hour of watching people through the wall of glass that
took up the front of the cafe.

The bus ride back to New Beginnings felt like
a tour trip to Monette. She gazed out at buildings, taking note of
everything. By the time she made it back to the halfway house, she
was in a good mood. Work on her book went well. After dinner,
Sherrial was to conduct group counseling. As the good vibrations
from her day held on, Monette even managed to view that in stride.
She went into the smaller living room, which doubled as the group
session room. Candi and Yarva had already arrived. Four other women
came in eventually. They sat talking for a few minutes before
Sherrial appeared.

“Hello, everyone. Let’s get started.”
Sherrial and the women arranged chairs from the dining room in a
circle. “Now let’s talk about dealing with your past. Around here
we don’t engage in a lot of psychoanalytical treatment.”

“Thank you. A little of that mess goes a long
way,” Yarva retorted, and several of the women nodded.

“But we do look at what hasn’t worked for you
in the past, why and what you can do about it. Before you can
change your behavior, you have to change your thinking.” Sherrial
tapped her temple to make the point. “And to do that, you need to
understand the thought process that leads you to make choices.”

“Mind over matter,” one of the residents said
with a grin.

“Yes, something like that. What was the last
mistake you made?” Sherrial glanced around the circle of women. No
one spoke. A few fidgeted, as though restless.

Candi lifted a shoulder after a few more
minutes. “Let’s see the last mistake. Gee, so many to choose from
and so little time.” She grinned when the others laughed.