a move, but you were such a big chicken I knew I had to do something or end up an old maid. I kissed you first, you big liar!” she said and gave him a punch in the chest.
“Okay, okay you kissed me! What else?”
“What else and second is this: What kind of lame ass proposal was that? You didn’t even ask me to marry you. You just said we’re getting married in August. How do you know I’ll even say yes?”
“What? You just told me that you wanted to… You’re driving me cra…” He stopped in mid-sentence and composed himself. He picked her up and gently sat her on the edge of the bed. Getting down on one knee he asked her.
“Maria, will you marry me?”
“Yes! Yes! Yes!” she screamed, then quickly kissed him and ran to call her mother.
Feeling dizzy from the morning’s events, he leaned back against the bed and shook his head. He smiled while he listened to Maria squealing on the phone and realized that for the first time in his life, or at least as far back as he could remember, John Michael Bishop was truly a happy man.
Chapter 10
Always a Green Beret
Maria was going dress shopping with her mother and the newly-engaged couple planned to meet for dinner around seven. John called Felix and met him at his apartment on East 9th Street. When John told him about the wedding plans Felix immediately grabbed him in a tight head lock.
“It’s about fuckin’ time, man. That woman is a saint and she’s finer than Beyonce, J Lo, and Halle Berry all rolled into one. You know, she hasn’t gone on a single date in the three years you’ve been gone. I don’t know why, but Maria’s always loved you, man.”
John slipped out of the hold, pulled Felix’s arm up behind his back and flipped him lightly onto the rug.
“You’re getting soft, Cat. You been sparring against little kids?”
“I don’t wanna send you back to Maria all broken and bruised. Plus, I figure I owe you for last night.”
“Owe me for what?”
“Man, you had all those chicas at your party primed and ready. When you left with Maria there was nothing left but drunk, jealous, horny women. You used to be my cousin, my brother. Now I’m just gonna call you my fluffer!”
“So I guess you did your duty and took care of ‘em all.”
“To the best of my ability, son,” Felix said, giving a mock salute. “Calixto has a big house and I left wet spots all over it. I’m drained, bro. I got to Angie last and she wore my ass out.”
“She’s a big girl.”
“Yeah she is, but big girls need love too, and whenever I drink I tend to go heavy. I’ll tell you one thing, whoever ends up with that heifer is gonna need steroids and Viagra mixed in with their cornflakes just to keep up. That woman is no joke.”
“Sounds like marriage material.”
“I could do worse. Hey, you remember that big sister who ran the laundry on Avenue D?”
“You’re talking about Willemina? Now that woman was huge. Looked like she had bowling balls in her bra, and that ass. Yikes.”
“Well, I used to jerk off to that hefalo every night before I went to sleep.”
“Yeah, I remember you making love to your tube socks all the time. Didn’t know it was big Willemina making you rub yourself raw.”
“Yeah it was, asshole. Anyway, Angie reminds me of her.”
“Whatever makes you happy, primo.”
They laughed and talked some more and decided to have a fancy brunch to celebrate. They headed to Blue Water Grill at Union Square Park and passed through the basketball courts in Tompkins Square on the way.
“Remember how I used to light your ass up out here when we were kids?” asked Felix.
“You know you never came close to beating me, and I used to let you score just to keep it interesting.”
They borrowed a ball and John put on a dribbling exhibition in front of Felix, who kept lunging for steals. John had been a real magician when it came to hoops, but hadn’t played in years.
Putting the ball effortlessly through his legs and behind his
“Okay, okay you kissed me! What else?”
“What else and second is this: What kind of lame ass proposal was that? You didn’t even ask me to marry you. You just said we’re getting married in August. How do you know I’ll even say yes?”
“What? You just told me that you wanted to… You’re driving me cra…” He stopped in mid-sentence and composed himself. He picked her up and gently sat her on the edge of the bed. Getting down on one knee he asked her.
“Maria, will you marry me?”
“Yes! Yes! Yes!” she screamed, then quickly kissed him and ran to call her mother.
Feeling dizzy from the morning’s events, he leaned back against the bed and shook his head. He smiled while he listened to Maria squealing on the phone and realized that for the first time in his life, or at least as far back as he could remember, John Michael Bishop was truly a happy man.
Chapter 10
Always a Green Beret
Maria was going dress shopping with her mother and the newly-engaged couple planned to meet for dinner around seven. John called Felix and met him at his apartment on East 9th Street. When John told him about the wedding plans Felix immediately grabbed him in a tight head lock.
“It’s about fuckin’ time, man. That woman is a saint and she’s finer than Beyonce, J Lo, and Halle Berry all rolled into one. You know, she hasn’t gone on a single date in the three years you’ve been gone. I don’t know why, but Maria’s always loved you, man.”
John slipped out of the hold, pulled Felix’s arm up behind his back and flipped him lightly onto the rug.
“You’re getting soft, Cat. You been sparring against little kids?”
“I don’t wanna send you back to Maria all broken and bruised. Plus, I figure I owe you for last night.”
“Owe me for what?”
“Man, you had all those chicas at your party primed and ready. When you left with Maria there was nothing left but drunk, jealous, horny women. You used to be my cousin, my brother. Now I’m just gonna call you my fluffer!”
“So I guess you did your duty and took care of ‘em all.”
“To the best of my ability, son,” Felix said, giving a mock salute. “Calixto has a big house and I left wet spots all over it. I’m drained, bro. I got to Angie last and she wore my ass out.”
“She’s a big girl.”
“Yeah she is, but big girls need love too, and whenever I drink I tend to go heavy. I’ll tell you one thing, whoever ends up with that heifer is gonna need steroids and Viagra mixed in with their cornflakes just to keep up. That woman is no joke.”
“Sounds like marriage material.”
“I could do worse. Hey, you remember that big sister who ran the laundry on Avenue D?”
“You’re talking about Willemina? Now that woman was huge. Looked like she had bowling balls in her bra, and that ass. Yikes.”
“Well, I used to jerk off to that hefalo every night before I went to sleep.”
“Yeah, I remember you making love to your tube socks all the time. Didn’t know it was big Willemina making you rub yourself raw.”
“Yeah it was, asshole. Anyway, Angie reminds me of her.”
“Whatever makes you happy, primo.”
They laughed and talked some more and decided to have a fancy brunch to celebrate. They headed to Blue Water Grill at Union Square Park and passed through the basketball courts in Tompkins Square on the way.
“Remember how I used to light your ass up out here when we were kids?” asked Felix.
“You know you never came close to beating me, and I used to let you score just to keep it interesting.”
They borrowed a ball and John put on a dribbling exhibition in front of Felix, who kept lunging for steals. John had been a real magician when it came to hoops, but hadn’t played in years.
Putting the ball effortlessly through his legs and behind his
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