Riding the Corporate Ladder (Indigo) (17 page)

Uncle Pete cracked up big time; slapping his knee with his eyes watering.

“What’d you…what’d you say he was doing in there?”

“I say it looked like the boy was raising possums!” Robert bellowed, and his delivery got another round of laughter.

Sheila’s new man was dark-skinned with a big moustache and big cheeks. His hair was short and fluffy. Deena didn’t know if he was working on an afro, or if he preferred the baby ’fro.

Robert was over six feet tall and just a little overweight, with most of the fat residing in his potbelly. He was dressed well with a short-sleeved Hilfiger shirt and khaki Dockers. He could drive a different car home from the dealership every day, and he lived in one of the pricier downtown apartment buildings.

What he wanted with Sheila and her three kids was beyond Deena, and her discomfort was not lost on her big sister. Every time Deena looked up, Sheila was looking back at her with the smuggest look on her face. She didn’t even have to talk; Deena could read that look well: I got a man now. What about you? You got a good job, Deena, but where’s your man? Those guys you’re messing with don’t care about you after they get their nut. Where’s your companion, Deena? Who calls to make sure you made it home all right? Who remembers your birthday? Who can you show off to Mama? Who, Deena, who?

“Deena, did you tell your mom about the Blood Money contract?” Yesenia asked.

Deena looked over at her friend with a warm smile. She knew bringing Yesenia with her would pay off.

“What’s Blood Money?” Aunt Cheryl asked.

“It’s a record label,” Deena said. “I met with the CEO last week. His name is Russell Foster.”

“Russell Foster?” That was Rodney’s older sister, Nicole. “You met with Russell Foster?”

Deena felt her pride swelling. “I sure did,” she said. A sneaky smile curled her lips as she thought about the other things they did that night.

“Who’s Russell Foster?” Mama Bernice asked.

“He’s, like, the coolest guy in the music biz,” Nicole replied. “He was on Cribs and everything. He had a reality show last year where he got some guys together for a new rap group he was starting. He’s fine, I can’t believe you met him.”

“I not only met him,” Deena told her cousin, “I got him to sign a multi-million-dollar contract to work for our firm. I’m his lawyer now.”

That got a lot of oohs and ahhhs, even though most of them didn’t know anything about the man.

“What about Rilla?” Nicole asked. “Isn’t he going to prison?”

“Uh…”

“Who Rilla?” Uncle Pete wanted to know.

“He’s a Blood Money rapper,” Nicole informed him. “He killed this guy last month.”

Two dozen shocked and appalled eyes settled on Deena.

“He’s not guilty until proven so in court,” she said, but that was like something from an old Perry Mason rerun.

“Girl, you working for murderers?” Aunt Cheryl asked.

“That’s not good,” her mom said, shaking her head. “If that boy killed somebody, he needs to be in jail. They need to put him under the jail. I’m so tired of black boys killing each other off…”

“Mama, you don’t know anything about the case.”

“Well, did he do it, Dee?” Uncle Pete asked. “If he’s innocent, I hope you do get him off.”

Deena shook her head. “You know I can’t discuss that with y’all.”

“We ain’t gon’ tell nobody,” Uncle Pete promised. “We family.”

Deena shook her head again. “Sorry.”

“Awww!”

The table was filled with disapproval for the next five minutes, but Deena wouldn’t give in. She looked up at her sister, who had been rather quiet during all of this, and Sheila was staring right at her. Sheila smiled when they made eye contact. She reached over and grabbed her date’s hand so she could hold it while she smiled, and Deena knew she lost this round.

But there was always next week.

* * *

After dinner Yesenia was in a rush to get to her date with Darren, and that was perfect because Deena was ready to leave herself. They quickly bid their adieus and made it outside before the dining table was even cleared. They jumped in the Denali, but Deena’s brother ran out before she could start the car.

Spencer went to the driver’s side, and Deena lowered the window for him with undisguised agitation. “What do you want, man?”

“Damn, sis, why you running off so fast?” He leaned on the door, smiling like a jack-o-lantern; Deena reminded herself to take him to the dentist one day.

“You didn’t even introduce me to your cute friend there,” Spencer said and chuckled like Hugh Hefner. “Eh-heh-heh.”

“Eh-hee-hee my ass,” Deena said. “You already met Yesenia. A few times, actually. You’d remember if you—never mind, boy. What do you want?”

“What’d you think of Sheila’s boyfriend?” he asked.

“He’s fat and ugly,” Deena said. “A broke-ass car salesman. He prolly doesn’t even own one of those cars he’s bragging about.”

Spencer laughed. “You know she only brought him here to get at you. And you let her do it, too. You always let her get you.”

Deena sighed. “You still haven’t said what you want.”

“I just wanted to tell you that,” he said. “And I’m real proud of that contract you got. You always gonna be my hero, Dee. Forget them other suckers.”

Deena frowned. “Yeah, right. You weren’t saying any of that at the table.”

“My mouth was full,” he said. “I was gonna say something after I swallowed, I promise.”

Yesenia thought that was funny.

“All right,” Deena said. “We gotta go.”

But her brother wouldn’t unhand the car. He looked around like a cat burglar.

“Um, you got forty dollars I can borrow?”

“Borrow, Spence? How are you borrowing?” Deena reached for her purse as she spoke. “You still owe me money from middle school if you were just borrowing.”

“Well, can I have it?” he asked.

She handed over two twenties. “Be careful, boy.”

“I will,” he promised. “Thanks, sis. I love you. And bye, cutie pie,” he told Yesenia.

“I told you black men like a big booty,” Deena said when he was gone.

“Ewww! He’s a crackhead!”

* * *

They hit the road laughing, and Yesenia didn’t ask her friend the most obvious question until they got to I-35.

“Why are you so eager to go over there every week?”

“That’s my family,” Deena said.

“Yeah, but you get into an argument with your sister every time. You’re always mad when you leave.”

“I’m not always mad,” Deena corrected her. “You should see me when I win.”

“But why do you argue with her?” Yesenia pressed. “Why don’t you just let it go?”

“She’s the one who needs to let it go.”

“Either one of you can let it go,” Yesenia said. “All you have to do is go in there, have fun with the rest of your family, and don’t say anything to her.”

“Yeah, right,” Deena said with a smirk. “And let her throw it up in my face every weekend?”

“Throw what in your face?”

“The fact that I’m not arguing anymore, so she wins.”

“So what?” Yesenia asked in exasperation. “At least it’ll be over.”

“Do you have a sister?” Deena asked knowingly.

“No, Deena, I don’t.”

“Then you’re going to have to take my word for it. This is how it has to be.”

Yesenia sighed, and then she got a call on her cellular. Her voice and mood immediately brightened when answered it, and Deena knew who it was by the time she hung up.

“Darren?”

“Yeah,” Yesenia said. Her whole face was aglow. “He wants to leave a little early. Do you mind dropping me off at his house?”

Deena’s eyes widened.

“I’m not going in,” Yesenia said. “I just don’t have time to go get my car.”

“Mmm-hmm.”

“For real.”

“Are you trying to convince me or yourself?” Deena teased.

* * *

Darren lived on the west side of town in a nice two story house he inherited from his grandmother. True to Yesenia’s word, he was waiting on the porch when Deena pulled into the driveway. He rose from a wooden chair, and for a moment Deena couldn’t take her eyes off him.

Darren wore a red form-fitting shirt with blue jeans and Polo boots this afternoon. Deena didn’t remember his chest being so solid at the Coco Lounge, and she didn’t remember his butt looking that nice, either.

Darren approached his car, waving at the women with a big smile. He made eye contact with Deena through her windshield, and Deena returned his gaze. She didn’t mean to gawk, didn’t think she had, in fact, but when she looked away, Yesenia was observing her oddly. Deena’s face felt suddenly very warm. Yesenia gathered her purse without losing eye contact with her friend. Yesenia’s eyes were cold and narrowed. Deena’s were wide, almost fearful.

“Thanks for the ride,” Yesenia said.

“It’s okay.”

Yesenia got out without another word. She looked back at Deena one more time before she got into Darren’s car, and she wasn’t smiling.

She wasn’t smiling at all.

Deena thought she would hear from her friend that evening, but by nine o’clock Yesenia still hadn’t called. Her date had to be over by then. Deena’s thoughts kept returning to the look her friend fixed on her earlier that day. It was quite possible Yesenia hadn’t called because she was upset, and if that was the case, Deena figured she shouldn’t call, either.

She took a long, soothing bath instead. Afterwards she curled on the sofa with a few reports she had to turn in tomorrow. Deena got lost in her work, but soon her eyelids became heavy. She looked up at the clock and was a little startled to see that it was already after eleven. Even if Yesenia was upset, she should at least call to say she was all right; Darren could be an axe murderer for all they knew.

Deena reached for the phone, but it started to ring as soon as she picked it up. The caller ID showed Yesenia’s number, and a warm smile spread across Deena’s face. She let out a sigh of relief.

“I know you’re not just getting in…”

“No,” Yesenia said with a giggle. “We got back at eight, but Darren just left.”

Deena’s smile became notoriously wicked. “Well, I’ll say…”

“It’s not even what you’re thinking,” Yesenia said. You could actually hear her giddiness.

“You don’t know what I’m thinking,” Deena said.

“I know what would have happened at your house,” Yesenia said. She didn’t mean it as a low blow, but Deena initially mistook it for one. She let it go just as easily.

“So what’d y’all do? Where’d y’all go? Tell me!”

“We went to the movies,” Yesenia said. “We saw that new Batman.”

“I’ve been meaning to check that out. I hear it’s good.”

“It was awesome,” Yesenia said. “A little violent, though.”

“Did y’all hold hands?”

“No.”

“Did he put his arm around you?”

“No,” Yesenia said. “But we had a good time. It was nice.”

It didn’t sound so nice to Deena. “Where’d y’all go afterwards?”

“He wanted to take me to Vadalia’s, down by the courthouse, so we walked over there.”

“Walked? From where?”

“We were at the theatre on Third Street.”

Overbrook Meadows had a lively downtown district, but Deena didn’t think she’d ever seen the sights on foot. “So how was the walk?”

“It was cool,” Yesenia said. “We talked a lot and really got to know more about each other. There was this man selling roses, and Darren bought me one. There was this other guy sitting right on the curb, making abstract paintings. All he had was the paint, two brushes, and different size cans to make circles with. He made me this weird, galactic scene—right there while we watched. It only took about five minutes.”

That did sound like fun. “How much was it?”

“He said he’d take anything we wanted to give. Darren gave him forty dollars.”

“Big spender.”

“Darren used to draw and paint when he was in school,” Yesenia informed her. “He always wanted to be an artist until he found out he wouldn’t make any money. He said he supports starving artists whenever he can.”

“That’s nice,” Deena said. “Looks like you’re getting to know him pretty well.”

“Yeah, he’s great. He doesn’t smoke or drink. He loves dogs.”

“He met your dogs?”

“Yeah. That’s why he was over here so late. After we got through eating, we walked back to his car, and I told him about Bobby and Whitney.” Yesenia named her bulldogs after the famed couple years before Whitney gave her infamous Crack is Whack interview.

“Darren wanted to meet them,” Yesenia went on, “but I was worried because…you know how they’re always jumping up on people. He asked if I wanted to break them of that habit, and I said sure—as long as you don’t hurt them.”