told him. “And I’m talking about hard-core, rob-your-own-mama kind of guys. If the Black Muslims can change brothers like that, they must be doing something right.”
“We’re not Black Muslims.” Clayton’s face hardened. “The white media gave us that title. We’re Muslims.”
“Hey, uh, okay, man. Uh, my bad.” Jefferson turned awkwardly to me. “Clayton’s been kicking me down with the four-one-one on the Community of Islam. I had no idea this brother was so deep.”
“Hey, I’m just learning myself. If you really want to get some knowledge, you should come down to the mosque to hear a lecture. You too, Vernetta.”
My normally talkative husband was suddenly tongue-tied. “Uh, yeah. We’ll have to do that.”
“How about this Sunday?” Special suggested.
Jefferson blasted me with a look that told me it was my job to come up with an appropriate excuse for turning down my friend’s invitation.
“I promised to go to church with my mother this Sunday,” I said.
“Me too,” Jefferson chimed in.
“Puh-leeze,” Special said to Jefferson. “You’ve never even seen the inside of her mama’s church. You can go there anytime. Y’all are both coming down to the mosque with us. I’ll make reservations for brunch afterward. It’ll be fun.”
Jefferson and I walked them to the door.
“I ain’t going,” Jefferson said, the second the door closed. “’Cuz if we do, they’re gonna be bugging us about going to a bunch of meetings all the time. I’m down with what the Community’s trying to do for black folks, but it ain’t for me.”
“You were the one acting like you were all interested.
If the Muslims can change brothers like that, they must be doing something right,
” I said, mimicking him.
“I was just trying to be nice.”
“Well, too bad. You know how Special is. If we don’t go, I’ll never hear the end of it.”
“I don’t care,” Jefferson said. “She’s
your
best friend, so that’s
your
problem. I ain’t going.”
CHAPTER 20
B enjamin stood in the far corner of my office, walking in tight circles, muttering under his breath. “This is a good sign,” he said. “This is a very good sign.”
He was reacting to a call I received earlier in the day from Girlie Cortez. To our surprise, she wanted to drop by to discuss early resolution of the Big Buy case.
I, however, was not nearly as excited as Benjamin. Girlie’s offer of an olive branch this early on was reason for suspicion, not celebration.
“Can you please sit down?”
Benjamin flashed me a grin and stilled himself. But only for a nano-second.
He still appeared bruised and beat up. Red marks were visible on his face and neck and I could see a line of stitches on the left side of his head where hair used to be. We’d agreed not to tell Olivia and Ida about the attack until we had more information about exactly what was going on. I just hoped they weren’t next on the assailant’s list.
My iPhone rang. I saw that it was Lamarr, so I ignored it. He’d taken my advice and gone to visit his grandmother in Cleveland, but was still calling me every other day to find out if I had any new information about his case. Nothing I said got through to him.
A minute later the receptionist announced Girlie’s arrival.
“I’m going out to the lobby,” I told Benjamin. “When I come back, make sure you have your game face on.”
“Got it.” Benjamin puffed out his chest and balled up his fists. “This is war.”
When I reached the lobby, Girlie was standing near the window talking on her cell phone. I stood a few feet away, waiting for her to finish her call. Girlie smiled at me and held up her index finger, instructing me to wait. I didn’t have time for her games. I waited two more seconds, then headed back to my office.
Halfway down the hallway, Girlie caught up with me.
“I’m sooooo sorry,” she gushed, stuffing her phone into her purse. “That was an important call I had to
“We’re not Black Muslims.” Clayton’s face hardened. “The white media gave us that title. We’re Muslims.”
“Hey, uh, okay, man. Uh, my bad.” Jefferson turned awkwardly to me. “Clayton’s been kicking me down with the four-one-one on the Community of Islam. I had no idea this brother was so deep.”
“Hey, I’m just learning myself. If you really want to get some knowledge, you should come down to the mosque to hear a lecture. You too, Vernetta.”
My normally talkative husband was suddenly tongue-tied. “Uh, yeah. We’ll have to do that.”
“How about this Sunday?” Special suggested.
Jefferson blasted me with a look that told me it was my job to come up with an appropriate excuse for turning down my friend’s invitation.
“I promised to go to church with my mother this Sunday,” I said.
“Me too,” Jefferson chimed in.
“Puh-leeze,” Special said to Jefferson. “You’ve never even seen the inside of her mama’s church. You can go there anytime. Y’all are both coming down to the mosque with us. I’ll make reservations for brunch afterward. It’ll be fun.”
Jefferson and I walked them to the door.
“I ain’t going,” Jefferson said, the second the door closed. “’Cuz if we do, they’re gonna be bugging us about going to a bunch of meetings all the time. I’m down with what the Community’s trying to do for black folks, but it ain’t for me.”
“You were the one acting like you were all interested.
If the Muslims can change brothers like that, they must be doing something right,
” I said, mimicking him.
“I was just trying to be nice.”
“Well, too bad. You know how Special is. If we don’t go, I’ll never hear the end of it.”
“I don’t care,” Jefferson said. “She’s
your
best friend, so that’s
your
problem. I ain’t going.”
CHAPTER 20
B enjamin stood in the far corner of my office, walking in tight circles, muttering under his breath. “This is a good sign,” he said. “This is a very good sign.”
He was reacting to a call I received earlier in the day from Girlie Cortez. To our surprise, she wanted to drop by to discuss early resolution of the Big Buy case.
I, however, was not nearly as excited as Benjamin. Girlie’s offer of an olive branch this early on was reason for suspicion, not celebration.
“Can you please sit down?”
Benjamin flashed me a grin and stilled himself. But only for a nano-second.
He still appeared bruised and beat up. Red marks were visible on his face and neck and I could see a line of stitches on the left side of his head where hair used to be. We’d agreed not to tell Olivia and Ida about the attack until we had more information about exactly what was going on. I just hoped they weren’t next on the assailant’s list.
My iPhone rang. I saw that it was Lamarr, so I ignored it. He’d taken my advice and gone to visit his grandmother in Cleveland, but was still calling me every other day to find out if I had any new information about his case. Nothing I said got through to him.
A minute later the receptionist announced Girlie’s arrival.
“I’m going out to the lobby,” I told Benjamin. “When I come back, make sure you have your game face on.”
“Got it.” Benjamin puffed out his chest and balled up his fists. “This is war.”
When I reached the lobby, Girlie was standing near the window talking on her cell phone. I stood a few feet away, waiting for her to finish her call. Girlie smiled at me and held up her index finger, instructing me to wait. I didn’t have time for her games. I waited two more seconds, then headed back to my office.
Halfway down the hallway, Girlie caught up with me.
“I’m sooooo sorry,” she gushed, stuffing her phone into her purse. “That was an important call I had to
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