Soulful Strut (23 page)

“Thanks.” Monette blinked as if she was
dazed. His velvet-glove manner disarmed her. She’d gone from
growling like a tigress to purring like a pussycat.

“My pleasure. Now I’ll take you home.” Jayson
smiled at her as he locked the door to his garage.

Monette had resisted temptation more than
once. Now this man had come along with his courtly manners and
punched her buttons in a big way. Monette had met so few genuinely
good guys. The cynic inside her said he wasn’t for real, and if
Jayson was real, then he wasn’t for her. He kept talking, and
Monette made history by being practically speechless. They were
back at the halfway house in less than five minutes, and she hadn’t
figured it out.

“So next Saturday is fine?”

“Yeah,” she muttered, her thoughts all
twisted up like the vines that covered the fence that surrounded
New Beginnings.

“Great. Next Saturday it is, then.”

Monette blinked rapidly and tried to remember
accepting his offer. “Saturday.”

“See you later. Can’t wait.” Jayson grinned
at her.

“Right. See you.” Monette could have stopped
him. She should have told Jayson she’d made a mistake. Instead she
smiled and waved good-bye.

Chapter 11

Monday morning Monette plunged into her day
at the radio station. She worked in her office for an hour before
the show. The director of Second Chances was to be her guest. Nikki
had helped Monette do an Internet search on issues related to
teenagers. From that Monette had drawn up a list of provocative
questions she hoped would trigger a lot of calls from listeners. By
the time Danica arrived at the station, Monette was pumped and
ready to go. She met the director in the lobby.

“Hey, girl. Come on back. We’ll get you a cup
of coffee.” Monette gave Danica a quick hug.

“Decaf, please. I don’t need anything that
will make me even more jumpy than I am now.” Danica gave a nervous
laugh as she followed Monette.

“Please. I’ve seen you in action. Once you
start talking about the program, all you’ve accomplished and your
goals, you’ll forget to be scared. You talk to civic groups and do
fund-raising speeches all the time. This is the same thing, just
multiplied by a few thousand,” Monette teased. “Now relax.”

“Oh, great. That really eased my mind.”
Danica looked around with what seemed like a mixture of anxiety and
interest.

“You’ll be fine. Here. Have some of our
wonderfully fresh brewed coffee. We even have flavored non-dairy
creamers.” Monette poured coffee into a shiny mug with the station
logo on it.

“No sugar, but I’ll take some of the
vanilla-flavored stuff.” As Danica poured in the creamer, she
stirred, sipped and nodded with satisfaction. “So, I know how this
works. Just give me a warning when you’re about to pull something
controversial out of your hat.”

“Why, whatever makes you think that I would
generate controversy on purpose?” Monette gave her an impish grin.
When Danica snorted, Monette laughed. “Okay, okay. Listen, when you
started Second Chances there was drama.”

“Just a little. Before we had our own
building I had the girls meet at my house. A couple of the girls
helped themselves to my neighbor’s car. Lord, that was a mess.”
Danica gave a shudder at the memory.

“There were other problems, too. Look, just
be open and talk about how you survived those first few bumps in
the road. The folks who call are nice and like hearing about an
underdog who beat the odds.” Monette lifted her mug as if giving a
toast, then took a sip.

“Right. Like the way you fought back and
won,” Danica replied.

“Yeah, well I’m still on the battlefield,”
Monette said, thinking of Winn Barron and her pardon hearing.
“Anyway, the clock on the wall says it’s time for us to hit the
airwaves.”

“Oh, Lord,” Danica said and let out a slow
breath.

“Take it easy, sugar, ’cause I got your
back.” Monette hooked her arm through Danica’s as they walked.

Moments later they were set up in the studio.
Irvin did his part to put Danica at ease. Then he darted back to
his seat just as a commercial advertising a local deli ended. He
played a hip-hop beat that led into Monette’s show.

“Morning everyone. This is Hot Topic, and I’m
your host, Monette Victor. We talk straight and sometimes we get
upset, but it’s all good. Today my guest is a dynamic young woman
who had a dream and made it into a reality.”

Monette went on to give a short description
of Second Chances. Then she asked questions that got Danica talking
about the program and how she’d created it from the ground up. Just
as Monette predicted, Danica’s anxiety dissolved as she spoke about
the needs of young girls at risk. The first ten minutes of the show
went by quickly.

“Listen, we have to pause and hear from our
wonderful sponsors. When we come back, Danica is going to talk to
us about the juvenile court system and its problems,” Monette said,
then sat back as a snappy donut shop jingle played.

“Say what?” Danica blurted out.

‘This is your chance. I heard you talk about
how we need a juvenile drug court and more services.” Monette
nodded. “My boss tells me my show is reaching a lot of ears in city
and state government offices.”

“Maybe this is my chance to put my big foot
in my mouth. I still have to work with those people, you know.”
Danica shook her head. “No way I’m going to tug on Superman’s
cape.”

“C’mon. That’s how you shake things up.”
Monette lifted a shoulder.

“Humph,” was Danica’s reply. She was about to
say more, but they were back on.

“Okay, here we go. Welcome back to Hot
Topic." Monette winked at Danica and introduced her again.

Monette spent another five minutes leading
Danica into talking about changes needed in the juvenile justice
system. Danica prefaced her views on what should change with a list
of what was already working well.

“Okay, I hear what you’re saying. But what
about the recent reports of abuse and chaos in Louisiana’s juvenile
detention centers? That includes right here in Baton Rouge.”
Monette grinned and lifted a shoulder when Danica squinted at
her.

‘There are definitely some problems there.
But steps have been taken to correct them. I served on a new
citizens’ advisory council that made recommendations. The judges
and district attorney were very cooperative with us, very open to
what we had to say,” Danica countered without a hitch.

“Sure, sure. While the spotlight was on them.
But nothing has really changed. Just last week a lady complained
about the way her son was treated while in detention.” Monette had
no intention of letting Danica gloss over real issues.

“Which is why programs like mine are needed.
We must intervene to help kids before they get into serious
trouble.” Danica gave Monette a “take that” smirk.

Monette dipped her head to acknowledge
Danica’s skillful feint. “Well put. Let’s take some phone calls.
Hello, and tell us your first name.”

“My name is Addison. And I’ve got a question
for both of y’all. How come the public has to put up with patting
criminals on the head and babying them? I mean, just cause the
person holding a gun on ya is a kid don’t mean we gotta let ’em get
off easy.” The male voice made it plain he wanted to make a point,
not ask a question.

“I’m not saying we shouldn’t hold them
responsible. But I don’t think punishment is where our response
should end, sir,” Danica said in a respectful tone. “If we really
believe that children are our future, and I think most of us do,
then we must invest wisely in our future.”

“Yeah, well let me tell ya that the average
person living in poor neighborhoods is getting fed up. We’re
gettin’ robbed, beaten and havin’ to put up with these darn kids
runnin’ wild. And what about their parents? That’s what I wanna
know.”

“I hear your frustration, Addison. But do we
really want to write off a fifteen-year-old kid? I mean, there is
always hope of helping him or her make a change. I did it,” Monette
put in.

“Yeah? You’re still runnin’ a game, if you
ask me. I heard about you and all the stuff you did. That dude
still sittin’ in prison. What’s his name? Jerry Hines. It was in
the paper this morning how you helped cover up a lot of stuff. No
wonder you all for lettin’ more little thugs outta jail.” The man
gave a coarse laugh, which was cut short. Irvin gave Monette the
signal that he had ended the call.

“There you have it, folks. A comment on the
other side. Bring it on. Anybody else wanna give us their best
shot? We’re not here to just get calls that agree with us. By the
way, I’m out of prison because Jerry Hines finally told the truth.
And if you want to read all the details of my mistakes, buy my
book. Let’s take another break.” Monette slapped the off button of
her microphone hard enough to make Danica jump.

“You okay?” Danica wore a concerned
frown.

“Sure. Fine. I expected to have people taking
shots at me.” Monette hoped her smile looked more self-assured than
she felt.

“I’ll get a paper,” Irvin said. He left
quickly when the first of several commercials began. He strode back
seconds later. “Here it is. Metro section, page six.”

“Damn. I should be front-page news,” Monette
joked and affected a disappointed scowl.

“Ignore the haters. Chump got nothing better
to do and no brains. He’s way outnumbered by your fans.” Irvin gave
Monette a thumbs-up, and then went back to his control room.

The commercial break ended, and the rest of
the show went on. As if they’d heard Irvin’s pep talk, at least six
people called in to offer Monette support. A few had to have their
colorful language bleeped out when they described Addison, the
critic. Then two more called to shout a big “Amen” to what Addison
had said. They were only a little less scorching in their opinions
about Monette. One woman pretty much called Monette a hoochie
willing to sell herself for fame. Monette gave as good as she got.
Despite her wisecracks and confident pose, however, the attacks
shook Monette. Irvin and Danica seemed to see past her act. Both of
them took great lengths to praise her handling of the show and all
she had accomplished.

“The guy is an idiot. Forget him,” Irvin
said, summing up his opinion in typical, to-the-point male fashion.
He shook hands with Danica and went back to work.

“Sure you didn’t let that call get you down?”
Danica put a hand on Monette’s arm as they walked down the
hallway.

“Nah. I’m fine. I’ve been through worse than
that.” Monette lifted a shoulder as they entered her office. She
sat on the edge of her desk and changed the subject to shake the
bad taste from the judgmental calls. “You were fabulous. You’re
invited back.”

“Agreed. Talking about real issues on the
radio is kind of exciting.” Danica’s brown eyes glittered.

“Got a taste of showbiz and now you’re
hooked, huh?” Monette grinned at her.

“Morning. Nice to meet you, Ms. Zachary.
Things got heated on the show today.” Nikki spoke in a rush. She
brought them two mugs of coffee and napkins. “Thought you might
need these to unwind.”

‘This is Nikki Lands. She does a show with
lots of music and entertainment news,” Monette said.

“She means celebrity gossip,” Nikki said with
a wide smile.

“Hello.” Danica accepted the mug from her.
“And thank you.”

“Yeah. I could definitely use this.” Monette
took the mug and drank deeply.

“Now don’t let that jerk what’s-his-name or
that article rattle you. We’re on your side. Gotta go. Hugs, babe.
Let’s have lunch. Okay?” Nikki spoke in a rapid-fire stream as she
hurried off.

“Sounds good,” Monette called after the
vanishing young disc jockey. She laughed. “I’ve gotta get some of
whatever she runs on. Listen, you’re welcome to join us.”

Danica took a healthy swig of coffee, and
then patted her lips with a napkin. “Another time. I’ve got
meetings and some fund-raising to do. Keep your head to the sky.
I’ll see you later.”

“Bye.” When Danica was gone, Monette sat down
at her desk.

“You’re Danica Zachary. I recognize you from
the Second Chances website. Thank you for being a guest on our
show,” she heard Chaz’s voice boom from the hallway. Danica gave a
quiet response, and then went on her way.

“Here we go.” Monette was even more grateful
to Nikki as she drank more strong coffee to fortify herself.

Chaz beamed at her the moment he entered
through the open door. “There’s my lightning rod for white-hot
discussions. And I thought that show with Jayson Odum popped. Did
you arrange for that guy to call in? Just to mix things up, I
mean.”

“Hell, no. I don’t have to search for people
willing to insult me. You must be kidding.” Monette looked at her
boss as though he’d lost his mind.

“Of course I’m kidding. Woo-wee, but didn’t
he get some folks mad.” Chaz wore a pleased expression. “Keep up
the good work, Monette. Listen, my secretary has a list of folks
who would love to come on your show. She’s going to e-mail you. The
owners are loving this. Anything you need, just ask.”

“Maybe a flak jacket and a stun gun, just in
case,” Monette deadpanned.

Chaz threw back his head and let out a hearty
laugh. “You’re a tough lady, Monette. I know you can handle ’em.
After all, you’ve been on the street and survived. Right?”

Monette forced her mouth into a smile. “Yeah,
right.”“Got a packed schedule, but I had to make time for my
talk-show star. Listen, Gaynelle and I will have you over for
dinner with a few friends soon. I’ll let you know. See you later.”
Chaz strode off as though his invitation had been accepted.

“Sure. I’d love to be the token ghetto rat
turned celeb on display,” Monette muttered.