hard she cried. I laughed, too, but I still harbored a grudge at the angels for not considering me worthy of their kisses.
“Mr. Hamilton scares the shit out of most of the guys around here already,” she said. “If I arrive at the party in his car, I'll never get any play.”
Before I could ask her what exactly they were afraid of, a stereo blasted into life down the street just ahead of us. Even from half a block away, we could hear the thumping bass pouring out of the car's open windows. It was a brand-new Lexus with so much gold detailing that it looked ridiculous. A tall young man who looked to be about twenty, in fashionably baggy clothes and a baseball cap, was leaning casually against the passenger door talking to two young girls, one of whom I recognized as Lu. Aretha saw her, too.
“What's he doing out here?” Aretha said, picking up her pace a little, like every second Lu spent in the presence of this guy was one second too many.
Lu and her friend were too busy giggling at something the man had said to see us coming, but he noticed our approach like the gold-toothed predator he appeared to be. His eyes swept over Aretha after dismissing me as somebody's mama, and he grinned a little wider to fully expose his mouth's full set of hardware.
“Well, now,” he said. “We've got company.”
Lu turned just as we reached them. “Hey, Aretha!”
“Hey, sweetie!” Aretha draped one long arm around Lu's shoulder, but her eyes locked on the man like she was memorizing his face for a police lineup. “Who're your friends?”
“You know ShaRonda,” Lu said. “She's in my algebra class.”
Aretha focused on the girl for the first time. Shorter than Lu by about six inches and skinny as a reed, this child's hormones hadn't moved her from girl to woman yet. Seemingly anxious to speed up the process, she was wearing a lot of makeup and an elaborate hair construction that seemed more suited to a nightclub than an algebra class.
“ShaRonda?”
The girl grinned sheepishly. “It's me.”
Aretha laughed and reached out to hug her. “Girl, I didn't recognize you in all that makeup!”
“She look good, don't she?” said the gruff voice of the man leaning on the Lexus. The bass was still thumping, but I didn't recognize the female singer who was directing her lover on what to kiss and for how long.
Aretha turned to him with a look that would cut glass, and ShaRonda spoke up quickly. “This is my uncle DooDoo. He just came to pick me up.”
Uncle DooDoo grinned at Aretha. “The pleasure is all mine.”
Aretha looked at him for a second the way you do a cockroach before you squash it. “Don't you work with King James Johnson?”
DooDoo looked surprised, then cunning. “Who's askin'?”
“I work for Blue Hamilton,” she said quietly. “You're not supposed to be over here.”
His increasing surprise and obvious confusion morphed into defiance. “I came to pick up my lil' niece.” He reached out a muscular arm, and ShaRonda moved into the circle of it, her hair and makeup giving her show of familial support a strangely erotic flavor that I am sure was not lost on Aretha. “There's no law against that, is there?”
Aretha looked at him coldly, and then down at ShaRonda, who obviously wanted this moment to end before it got any worse. Aretha took a deep breath. “Nope. No law against that.” She turned to Lu. “You ready?”
Lu nodded, turning to wave to her friend. “Bye, ShaRonda. See you tomorrow!”
“Okay,” the girl said, hopping into the front seat beside her uncle, who cranked up the car and roared away before we even reached the crosswalk. There might not be a law against his presence around here, but he obviously got Aretha's point and wasn't prepared to push her.
Aretha turned a warm smile on Lu. “So how was your day, lil' bit?”
“Good,” Lu said. “Are we still going to Greenbriar?”
“Yep.”
They were catching the bus to the neighborhood's other mall. Medu Bookstore
“Mr. Hamilton scares the shit out of most of the guys around here already,” she said. “If I arrive at the party in his car, I'll never get any play.”
Before I could ask her what exactly they were afraid of, a stereo blasted into life down the street just ahead of us. Even from half a block away, we could hear the thumping bass pouring out of the car's open windows. It was a brand-new Lexus with so much gold detailing that it looked ridiculous. A tall young man who looked to be about twenty, in fashionably baggy clothes and a baseball cap, was leaning casually against the passenger door talking to two young girls, one of whom I recognized as Lu. Aretha saw her, too.
“What's he doing out here?” Aretha said, picking up her pace a little, like every second Lu spent in the presence of this guy was one second too many.
Lu and her friend were too busy giggling at something the man had said to see us coming, but he noticed our approach like the gold-toothed predator he appeared to be. His eyes swept over Aretha after dismissing me as somebody's mama, and he grinned a little wider to fully expose his mouth's full set of hardware.
“Well, now,” he said. “We've got company.”
Lu turned just as we reached them. “Hey, Aretha!”
“Hey, sweetie!” Aretha draped one long arm around Lu's shoulder, but her eyes locked on the man like she was memorizing his face for a police lineup. “Who're your friends?”
“You know ShaRonda,” Lu said. “She's in my algebra class.”
Aretha focused on the girl for the first time. Shorter than Lu by about six inches and skinny as a reed, this child's hormones hadn't moved her from girl to woman yet. Seemingly anxious to speed up the process, she was wearing a lot of makeup and an elaborate hair construction that seemed more suited to a nightclub than an algebra class.
“ShaRonda?”
The girl grinned sheepishly. “It's me.”
Aretha laughed and reached out to hug her. “Girl, I didn't recognize you in all that makeup!”
“She look good, don't she?” said the gruff voice of the man leaning on the Lexus. The bass was still thumping, but I didn't recognize the female singer who was directing her lover on what to kiss and for how long.
Aretha turned to him with a look that would cut glass, and ShaRonda spoke up quickly. “This is my uncle DooDoo. He just came to pick me up.”
Uncle DooDoo grinned at Aretha. “The pleasure is all mine.”
Aretha looked at him for a second the way you do a cockroach before you squash it. “Don't you work with King James Johnson?”
DooDoo looked surprised, then cunning. “Who's askin'?”
“I work for Blue Hamilton,” she said quietly. “You're not supposed to be over here.”
His increasing surprise and obvious confusion morphed into defiance. “I came to pick up my lil' niece.” He reached out a muscular arm, and ShaRonda moved into the circle of it, her hair and makeup giving her show of familial support a strangely erotic flavor that I am sure was not lost on Aretha. “There's no law against that, is there?”
Aretha looked at him coldly, and then down at ShaRonda, who obviously wanted this moment to end before it got any worse. Aretha took a deep breath. “Nope. No law against that.” She turned to Lu. “You ready?”
Lu nodded, turning to wave to her friend. “Bye, ShaRonda. See you tomorrow!”
“Okay,” the girl said, hopping into the front seat beside her uncle, who cranked up the car and roared away before we even reached the crosswalk. There might not be a law against his presence around here, but he obviously got Aretha's point and wasn't prepared to push her.
Aretha turned a warm smile on Lu. “So how was your day, lil' bit?”
“Good,” Lu said. “Are we still going to Greenbriar?”
“Yep.”
They were catching the bus to the neighborhood's other mall. Medu Bookstore
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