There wasn’t much light in the living room as I strutted past Daddy, curled up in a fetal position on the edge of the sofa. Before I left, I walked back across the floor and leaned over my daddy and kissed the top of his head. If my parents could show me some affection only when they thought I was asleep, I decided that I could do the same for them. I turned and looked toward the room where Mama slept, and I started to walk in that direction. But I stopped when I heard her cough and mumble under her breath. When her bedroom light came on, I made a U-turn and was out the door within seconds, galloping down the street like a pony.
It was late, and I should have taken a cab the four blocks to Wade’s house. But after buying the beer for Miss Odessa, I didn’t want to spend any more of my money, in case I needed a few dollars to lend to Miss Louise. I knew that if I wanted to resume my relationship with Wade, one of the things I had to do was keep his mama happy.
I had to dodge a few nasty men on the street. They thought that because I was dressed like I was looking for a good time that I wanted to have it with them.
It must have been that I wasn’t meant to attend a party at Wade’s house. At least not that particular night. The music was so loud, it did me no good to knock on the front door for five whole minutes. And, right after I stumbled off the porch to go back home, the cops showed up, almost knocking me to the ground as they ran up the steps leading to the front door.
From the sidewalk, I stood and watched as Miss Louise came outside and talked to the cops. I couldn’t hear what she was saying, but whatever it was, it must have been what the cops wanted to hear, because they left right away and Miss Louise rushed back inside.
Just as I was about to go knock again, two girls, one black and one white, spilled out onto the porch. I took a few steps back and stood under a streetlight, in the shadow of a tree with a trunk wide enough to hide my whole body. Then about five other girls stumbled out the door, and all hell broke loose. One girl slapped another girl, and all of a sudden every single one of them was screaming and throwing punches. I had never witnessed a smackdown like this one. I let out my breath and trotted back down the street and went home.
I would have slept until noon if somebody had not come banging on the door like they were coming through it. My parents rarely had guests, and none of my friends were crazy enough to be knocking on our door before noon on a Sunday. I snatched open the door, all prepared to cuss out a bunch of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
To my surprise, the visitor was about as far away from a Jehovah’s Witness as you could get. It was Wade.
“Hey, girl,” he said, leaning in the doorway.
He was taller and more handsome than ever. “Uh, hi,” I muttered, clutching the front of my thin nightgown. “What in the world are you doing here?” I asked, a grin brewing on my lips.
“My mama sent me over here to pay your mama back the ten dollars she borrowed last week,” he explained, reaching into his pocket. His jeans were so tight, it was a struggle for him to get his hand all the way in his pocket. And, I could see the outline of everything he had to offer between his legs. “One of your girls told me you was coming to my party last night. I didn’t see you,” he said, waving a crumpled ten-dollar bill in my face like it was a carrot.
“Oh, me. Uh, I had to do some stuff around the house,” I lied, gently removing the money from his hand. “I hope I can make it to the next party you throw,” I offered. His eyes were dangerous, and I realized that when I tried to stare him down. I even got dizzy.
“I hope you can make it the next time, too. But you know something, baby? We don’t have to wait on no party to hook up.” He paused and looked me up and down. “You sure have grown up since that … uh … day you came to my mama’s house on your birthday that time. I think about that day all the time ….”
“Yeah.” I glanced behind him to make sure Miss Odessa wasn’t lurking about. “Well, do you want to come in or what? I would like to hear all about Hollywood and all the show business you’ve been in.”
He scratched his head and started talking, with his eyes looking at the floor. “I’m just getting started. I haven’t made my mark down there yet.”
“You can still come in if you want to,” I said, opening the door wider. He looked behind him and over my shoulder. “My mama and daddy are at church. They won’t be back home for at least a couple of hours.”
“Do I want to come in and be up in here with you by myself?” he teased.
“That’s up to you.”
Wade brushed past me and strolled in like he owned the place. “You sure your folks won’t be home for a couple of hours?” he asked, smoothing his hair back with one hand.
I nodded. “And, I won’t forget to give my mama the money Miss Louise sent back,” I insisted, folding my hand with the money in it into a fist. Wade looked at my face, then over my shoulder again.
“Uh, I ain’t got nothing else to do today,” he said, shuffling his feet.
“So?” I shrugged and turned my head to the side.
“Well, you already seen my bedroom. Now can I see yours?” he asked.