emotional 180 in the course of a few minutes. “By the way, didn't I see you up here the other day?” Spade asked.
“You may have.”
There was no
may have
about it; he wouldn't have forgotten someone as beautiful as the woman standing before him if he'd been beaten across the head with a bat and given amnesia.
“Well, my name is Spade.” He smiled and offered his hand. “I'm Casino's son. What's ya name?”
“Fabiola.”
“Fabiola? That's a beautiful name. Did your mother name you that or did you pick it yourself?”
“My mother gave it to me. She said that God told her to give me that name because I was going to be the fabulous one, and her name is Viola, so she combined her name with Fabulous.”
“Indeed you are ‘fabulous.’” Spade looked her over and licked his lips.
“So, how long you been fucking Casino, or do you just suck his dick?” Roxy never was one for a whole lot of small talk when she wanted to know something.
“Excuse me?” Fabiola turned to the lady that she remembered thinking was Casino's wife the first day she saw her at the hospital.
“I said,” Roxy repeated, moving her neck a little bit, “how long you been fucking Casino?”
“I'm not sure what your relationship is to Casino, but I am sure that
my
sex life is none of your business.” Fabiola didn'tback down one inch. Spade was impressed by the way Fabiola handled herself. He knew firsthand that Roxy could be intimidating sometimes.
“Everything about you is my business when it comes to Casino, little Fab-be-ola.” She let her name roll off her tongue.
“Then you are talking to the wrong person; it sounds to me like you need to be addressing your concerns to Casino—not me.”
“Put your fangs away, Aunt Roxy, and be nice to our guest,” Spade finally intervened. Turning his attention to Fabiola, he said, “Ms. Fabiola, please excuse my Aunt Roxy. We are all going through a real trying time right now, so tempers may tend to flare a little more than usual, although Roxy can be a bitch at any time.”
“Watch who you call a bitch, young man,” Roxy cut in. Fabiola took it all in, and although she was a bit intimidated, she smiled on the outside, as if Roxy hadn't offended her one bit.
“Now,” Spade continued his conversation with Fabiola, “what did you say your relationship to Pops was?”
“You all can come back in now,” the nurse said, wearing a haggard smile. The patient had pulled through and it was on to the next crisis. That was the way MCV operated. A lot of years during the late eighties and early nineties Richmond was labeled the “murder capital,” and if it wasn't for MCV's top-notch trauma unit the murder rate would have probably been at least double what it was.
“I didn't,” Fabiola answered Spade's last question as she headed into the room to see Casino.
“Well, if it ain't Whitney Houston.” Casino smiled when Fabiola walked through the door.
“My voice ain't quite as good as Whitney's in her prime, but I'm not on crack either, so maybe one day it will be.”
“Well, too bad for Whitney, and good for you. Crack is whack.”
Spade wasn't sure about Fabiola and Casino's relationship, but after hearing the quick banter, and seeing the smile on Casino's face he knew she would be good for his spirits. And he had no intentions of letting Roxy sit there and run interference. “Come on, Aunt Roxy. Let's go down to the cafeteria.” Spade read her eyes. Roxy didn't want to leave the young threat alone with Casino. “Come on”—Spade grabbed her hand—“she's out of Dad's age bracket anyway. She's more my taste.” Spade winked at Fabiola as he and Roxy left the room holding hands.
Casino already looked better than he did the day before. He was wearing a pair of new plaid Polo pajamas and his hair had been freshly cut. His side of the room was filled with flowers, cards, and fruit baskets. He and Fabiola were alone for the first time, and Casino tried to break the
“You may have.”
There was no
may have
about it; he wouldn't have forgotten someone as beautiful as the woman standing before him if he'd been beaten across the head with a bat and given amnesia.
“Well, my name is Spade.” He smiled and offered his hand. “I'm Casino's son. What's ya name?”
“Fabiola.”
“Fabiola? That's a beautiful name. Did your mother name you that or did you pick it yourself?”
“My mother gave it to me. She said that God told her to give me that name because I was going to be the fabulous one, and her name is Viola, so she combined her name with Fabulous.”
“Indeed you are ‘fabulous.’” Spade looked her over and licked his lips.
“So, how long you been fucking Casino, or do you just suck his dick?” Roxy never was one for a whole lot of small talk when she wanted to know something.
“Excuse me?” Fabiola turned to the lady that she remembered thinking was Casino's wife the first day she saw her at the hospital.
“I said,” Roxy repeated, moving her neck a little bit, “how long you been fucking Casino?”
“I'm not sure what your relationship is to Casino, but I am sure that
my
sex life is none of your business.” Fabiola didn'tback down one inch. Spade was impressed by the way Fabiola handled herself. He knew firsthand that Roxy could be intimidating sometimes.
“Everything about you is my business when it comes to Casino, little Fab-be-ola.” She let her name roll off her tongue.
“Then you are talking to the wrong person; it sounds to me like you need to be addressing your concerns to Casino—not me.”
“Put your fangs away, Aunt Roxy, and be nice to our guest,” Spade finally intervened. Turning his attention to Fabiola, he said, “Ms. Fabiola, please excuse my Aunt Roxy. We are all going through a real trying time right now, so tempers may tend to flare a little more than usual, although Roxy can be a bitch at any time.”
“Watch who you call a bitch, young man,” Roxy cut in. Fabiola took it all in, and although she was a bit intimidated, she smiled on the outside, as if Roxy hadn't offended her one bit.
“Now,” Spade continued his conversation with Fabiola, “what did you say your relationship to Pops was?”
“You all can come back in now,” the nurse said, wearing a haggard smile. The patient had pulled through and it was on to the next crisis. That was the way MCV operated. A lot of years during the late eighties and early nineties Richmond was labeled the “murder capital,” and if it wasn't for MCV's top-notch trauma unit the murder rate would have probably been at least double what it was.
“I didn't,” Fabiola answered Spade's last question as she headed into the room to see Casino.
“Well, if it ain't Whitney Houston.” Casino smiled when Fabiola walked through the door.
“My voice ain't quite as good as Whitney's in her prime, but I'm not on crack either, so maybe one day it will be.”
“Well, too bad for Whitney, and good for you. Crack is whack.”
Spade wasn't sure about Fabiola and Casino's relationship, but after hearing the quick banter, and seeing the smile on Casino's face he knew she would be good for his spirits. And he had no intentions of letting Roxy sit there and run interference. “Come on, Aunt Roxy. Let's go down to the cafeteria.” Spade read her eyes. Roxy didn't want to leave the young threat alone with Casino. “Come on”—Spade grabbed her hand—“she's out of Dad's age bracket anyway. She's more my taste.” Spade winked at Fabiola as he and Roxy left the room holding hands.
Casino already looked better than he did the day before. He was wearing a pair of new plaid Polo pajamas and his hair had been freshly cut. His side of the room was filled with flowers, cards, and fruit baskets. He and Fabiola were alone for the first time, and Casino tried to break the
Similar Books
