When All Hell Breaks Loose (23 page)

“Hey B.J.,” I reply, pulling myself from his grasp.

He pulls the woman next to him, by his side, and introduces her. “This is my woman, Phyllis. Phyllis, this is my soon-to-be-married cousin, Greg.”

She extends her hand to me and smiles. “Hi Greg, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Same here.”

Bennie Junior leans in and whispers in my ear, “Fine, ain’t she?”

I look at him and smile. Phyllis looks like she could be here with Unc. She’s not bad-looking, just old. Her eyes are big and her glasses are kind of thick, but she’s attractive to say the least.

“Would you two like something to drink?”

“Yeah cuz.” B.J. laughs. “Let me have some of that Alizé and give
my woman a Sprite. She’s driving tonight!” He pulls Phyllis up against him tighter and lands a fat kiss right on her neck. She giggles for him to stop, but it only leads B.J. into more kisses.

I head for the kitchen to get their drinks. On my way, I see Tim checking out the CD collection. Across the room in the hallway, Adrian and Carla are looking at the family pictures on the wall. I call Adrian over and she walks to the kitchen with me. I get a Sprite from the pantry and she puts ice in the cups for me. “Why don’t you introduce Carla to Tim?” I ask. “I think they might hit it off.”

Adrian looks at me and laughs. “I think Carla is doing fine being single. Besides, didn’t you say that Tim was a player?”

“You misunderstood me, baby. I said Tim was a player because he hasn’t found the right woman,” I say, trying to clean up my initial statement.

“Hm-mm, I bet.”

“Adrian, you don’t think they’d hit it off? It would be good. Me, you, Tim, and Carla.”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because Carla told me she’s here to enjoy herself and she isn’t looking for a relationship right now.”

“Oh, and I guess you believed her?” I say defensively. “That’s just a shield. You did the same thing with me when I met you, and look at us now, on the verge of being married.”

“Yes, I do believe her. I know Carla and she’s not like me, Greg. If she says she’s not looking, then she’s not looking.”

“Whatever.
I’ll
hook them up by myself, then,” I say. “And when they get married and are thanking me for hooking them up, don’t you say a word.” I grab the drinks and kiss Adrian as I walk out of the kitchen.

She hits me on my butt and follows me out. I take B.J. and Phyllis their drinks.

Tim is still checking out the CDs and Carla is in the hall by herself. Adrian has disappeared in the crowd.

I jump on the opportunity to introduce them. “Hey Tim, come here man, there’s somebody I want you to meet.”

“She ain’t no mud duck, is she?” he jokes. I walk him over to Carla. She smiles as she sees us approach her. “Hey Greg,” she says. “I was just admiring all these wonderful pictures your parents have. I didn’t know they knew so many famous jazz musicians.”

“Yeah. I have to show you the photo albums someday,” I say, trying not to seem so rushed to have her meet my homie. “Carla, I want you to meet my best friend, coworker, and best man, Tim Johnson.” Tim extends his hand and Carla takes it.

“Tight grip.” Tim smiles. “Nice. I take it that you’re a businesswoman?”

“That I am,” Carla says. “A very good businesswoman.”

“Carla just came here from D.C., to open and run a gallery here,” I say.

“Art?”

“Furniture.”

“Did you go to a special school to learn that?” Tim asks. Before Carla can answer, I excuse myself and leave the rest up to fate and destiny. I still don’t see Adrian, but I figure she’s somewhere being a hostess, because several of her beauty shop friends are here.

Jamal grabs me and gives me dap. “Greg, your parents know how to throw a party.”

“Thanks man,” I say as we both look at the room full of people.

“When are you going to take me to see the new house?”

I feel bad now. Two weeks ago I told Jamal I’d take him to see the house, and I still haven’t gotten around to it. “Soon, man. As a matter of fact, Adrian is having the furniture delivered the second week of January, so how about after then? At least you’ll have somewhere to sit and the place will look decent.”

“Bet. I’m going to hold you to that.” He smiles.

“Hey. I’ve been meaning to tell you that Freedom is a nice-looking sister. You two complement each other well.”

“Thanks, brother. She and I have been kicking it strong. She’s a good woman.”

“Does that mean I may be hearing wedding bells soon?” I ask.

“Man, I don’t know about that.” Jamal laughs. “But it seems to be definitely heading in a positive direction.”

I look at him questioningly. “Does she brush her teeth with baking soda?”

“Yeah.” He grins. “And she uses a natural deodorant, the whole nine yards.”

“J man, I’m happy for you.”

He nudges me. “I saw you introduce Adrian’s homegirl to Tim. You trying to hook them up?”

“Yeah. Her name is Carla Perrone. She just moved here from Chocolate City. I think Tim’ll like her.”

“It’s about time that brother slowed his roll.”

“For real.”

I see Adrian come out of the bathroom. She waves at me and goes to mingle with some of her friends.

Louise comes out of the kitchen, tapping a small spoon against a glass with wine in it. “Can I have everyone’s attention, please?” She repeats herself several times before everyone is finally quiet.

Adrian comes and stands near me. I pull her in front of me so I can hold her. Pops and his friends come in from the garage. Pops’s eyes are red. I look at him and shake my head. I know what they’ve been doing. He giggles with Unc.

“Excuse me, gentlemen,” Mom says as she gives Pops and Uncle Bennie a hard stare.

They stop laughing, like two embarrassed kids.

“I would like to take this time to celebrate two people in this room tonight,” she says. My heart begins to beat fast. I look down at Adrian and her face turns beet-red.

“The first person is my son, Gregory Louis Alston.”

“Go Greg!” Phil yells from the couch. Several guests laugh and clap.

“My son is about to get married to a wonderful young lady, Adrian Jenkins.” She pauses as Adrian’s girlfriends cheer for her. “I would like to recognize them. They will be wed on the twenty-second of March and I hope to see each and every one of you there.” Everyone in the room claps and whistles as my mom raises her glass and sips. She smiles and continues talking.

“Secondly, I would like to ask Adolphus Alston to come forward.”
She turns and looks at Pops. He’s high and giggling. He straightens up and stands next to Louise. He puts his arm around her waist. I wish Shreese were here to see this. Pops hugs Mom closer to him.

She ignores the gesture and continues smiling. “Someone revealed to me some time ago that Adolphus had started slacking on his piano playing. I don’t know why, but I do know that God has given this man a gift that he should not let go down the drain.” Mom grabs Pops’s hand. “It took a lot of thought and planning. With the help of Adrian, I was able to contact some friends in New York and present Adolphus with his Christmas present.”

“Baby, Christmas was a week ago,” Pops says. Several guests laugh.

“I know, and you’ve been pouting ever since I gave you the other gift.”

“Shit, I didn’t need no luggage set. I don’t go nowhere.” Pops manages to get a roomful of laughter this time.

My parents look like they’re doing a variety-show skit. Sonny and Cher. Captain and Tennille. Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr.

“Now, Adolphus, don’t you start with me.” Mom laughs. It’s good to see her and Pops getting along. “Anyway, as I was saying, I wanted to give you your real Christmas gift now. It’s a little late, but the timing is still perfect.” She reaches into her blazer pocket and pulls out a case with Pops’s eyeglasses in it. She hands it to him.

“Woman, these were already mine!”

“But this wasn’t,” Mom says as she leads Pops to the backyard. We all follow and look out the patio door. Sitting in the middle of our patio is a Boston grand piano. Several guests gasp. I even hear Tim behind me say, “Damn!” Mom opens the patio door and the cool breeze runs into our faces and through our clothes.

Pops walks up to the piano and runs his hands across the polished Macassar ebony. It looks like it has full sostenuto, too. Mom went out. She went all the way out. The air is cool and still, and when Pops sits down and runs his fingers across the ivories, I hold my breath. He puts his glasses on over tear-filled eyes. Mom sits next to him by the piano and lays her head on his shoulder.

Pops lays his fingers on the keys again and this time, he plays. The
notes warm my insides. It’s been a long time since I heard him play, but once he starts, I feel five years old again.

I don’t recognize the tune he’s playing, but Mom giggles and Pops leans over and kisses her on the cheek. They’re sharing a secret moment and everyone on the patio allows the sacredness to stand unaltered and unbothered. Several of the beauticians are crying, too. I see Jamal holding Freedom and they both have their eyes closed as if they are the only two in the room.

Mom sits up and begins singing. It must be an original piece, because I’ve never heard it before. Mom sounds like Sarah Vaughan tonight. The tune is bluesy.

As she lets the notes and words flow from her vocal cords, everyone in the room is mesmerized. I feel heat rise in my stomach and then to my throat. My eyes burn as I blink to keep the tears back.

Mom’s voice fills the night around us, but Pops’s playing is like gold. He doesn’t even look like he’s concentrating as the chords flow from the Boston grand. I had forgotten what it was like to hear him. Some of the chords he strikes remind me of when I was little; the visions are blurry and unclear, yet I feel excited and nostalgic.

The doorbell rings and I leave Adrian’s side to go answer it. When I open the door, two large brothers and a muscular white guy are standing there.

“We’re here to move the piano inside,” one of the brothers says.

“Come in. It’ll be a minute.” I let them in and we walk to the living room where everyone is still being serenaded by Mom’s singing.

“Don’t think I’m crazy for loving you, baby, / But I can’t help seeing you’re good. / And if I could give you my love on a menu, / I’d let you order what you would.…”

Tim pulls Carla out on the patio, and they begin to dance. He holds her close by the waist. They look good together. I smile as I see Carla close her eyes and lay her head on Tim’s shoulder. Adrian leaves the patio and goes into the house. Several other couples head out onto the patio and dance. I’m diggin’ the scene.

When Mom and Pops finish, everyone applauds and yells.

I go get the movers, who are eating in the kitchen. Afterwards
I go look for Adrian. I find her in the guest bedroom, lying down. The light is on and she’s lying on her back with an arm across her forehead.

I sit beside her on the bed. “Baby, are you okay?”

“Yeah.” She sniffs. “I just have a slight headache. I think the excitement and the cold air just weren’t good combinations, that’s all.”

I can tell she’s been crying. I smile a little, because I know the scene between my parents probably touched her and she’s ashamed to admit it. I remove her shoes and begin massaging her feet. She moans, but it still doesn’t look like it’s enough to soothe her headache.

“You ready to go home?” I ask.

“No, I just need a minute. I’ll be back out in a little while. Go ahead and enjoy your parents. They need you here.”

I lean over and kiss Adrian on the forehead. I think she’s been stressing out lately about the wedding, her family, the house, and the shop.

She rolls over on her side away from me and closes her eyes. I flip off the light and leave the room, allowing her to get some well-deserved rest.

The movers have gotten the piano moved into the living room. The loveseat had to be moved up against a wall. Pops is playing again, and one of his friends is standing next to him playing a saxophone. Mom is doing riffs, scales, and scats and the sax player is repeating them behind her. They’re jamming and the living room floor is full of dancing black folk.

I see Tim and Carla sitting at the table talking. Carla has her head resting on one of her hands and she’s smiling as Tim talks to her about something. I’m pleased with the scene and don’t bother them.

I bob to the good time the family is having. I see Bennie Junior standing by the food table. I don’t see his date anywhere, so I venture over to talk to him.

“B.J., what’s up man?” I give him some dap.

“Aw man! This is great! Aunt Louise and your dad have it going on like a muhfucka!” B.J. is smiling big. I can tell he’s up to something.
“Say man,” he says as he moves a little closer to me and wraps his arm around my shoulder, “what you think of my woman Phyllis?”

“She’s okay,” I say. “A little old for my taste, though.”

B.J. lets his crazy laugh fly. “Oooh cuz, you too much, man!”

“What happened to the other chick who was your age and had her own place?”

“Man, Stephanie found out about her before I could break things off. One night, not too long after she came home from having the baby, she followed me over to Tawanna’s and smashed all her car windows in. Tawanna called the police and filed charges on Steph and left me high and dry. She won’t even talk to me.”

“Damn. See B.J., you need to slow your roll, man. Slow your roll with chickenheads like Steph.”

“Aw cuz, I am. I put Stephanie’s crazy ass out. Ain’t seen her in almost five weeks.”

“How’s the baby?”

“She had a girl. Ugliest baby I’ve ever witnessed! Looked like the ass of a monkey. Man, I’m glad I followed your advice and didn’t adopt that one. Ain’t no way people would’ve believed that was my kid. I’m an Alston and Alstons don’t produce no ugly kids, you know what I’m sayin’ cuz?”

“So, you and Phyllis getting along?”

“Yeah. She’s sweet. We’re living together off of Polk Street. My job is going good and Dad finally has a room he can convert into whatever he wants.”

“So this is serious between you and Phyllis?”

“I don’t know about all that, but it works for both of us. Living together with no formal plans ain’t for everybody. I mean, I like her, but we haven’t gotten to any critical points in our relationship yet. It’s just what works for both of us right now. She ain’t complaining, see?”