“It’s going to be a cool day with the possibility of rain, Chicago. So take those sweaters and umbrellas,” said V-103 Radiojock Bonnie DeShong. “And if you’re not quite awake yet, then maybe this will do the trick, something new from a fifteen-year-old I think we will be hearing a lot from, Brandy, with ‘I Wanna Be Down.’ ” Zurich rubbed his eyes, turned down the radio, and meditated and prayed for about ten minutes. Zurich prayed that whatever the day brought him, he would handle it with strength and grace. This was his big day in court. The evening before he had met with Tamela and she had told him to be prepared to be arrested if charges were filed against him. Again, she asked him if there was anything he wanted to tell her that might prove that he didn’t rape and attack Mia. He started to ask her if it would make a difference if he was beginning to believe he might be gay, but he didn’t. She might not accept that he was having dreams and constant thoughts of Basil, a man he had only met once.
Tamela and Zurich had decided that if he was charged, they would immediately post bail, and agree to submit to a semen sample that would prove that he was not the man who raped Mia. Gina DeMarco had sat in on a portion of the meeting and had prepared a press release stating Zurich’s innocence and his willingness to submit to the semen sample and a polygraph test. Zurich was trying very hard to be confident around MamaCee, but deep down he was nervous. The night before MamaCee had commented that her legs were feeling so much better that she felt as if she could run a race. To MamaCee, this meant that everything with her grandson would be fine.
Before heading to the shower, Zurich laid out a smart navy blue suit, a white shirt, a red tie, socks, and white boxer underwear. After a warm, brief shower, he shaved his head and face and then held a washcloth under the hot water and wrapped his face in the cloth for a minute before wiping away the remaining foam. While he was brushing his teeth, he could hear pots and pans banging in his kitchen, and he knew MamaCee was up, preparing his breakfast.
After dressing, he walked into his living room and was greeted by the smell of fried chicken and the sound of MamaCee humming some gospel song. As he was walking toward the kitchen, he noticed MamaCee’s suitcases sitting in front of the closet, packed. Was she getting ready to leave, he thought, or was she planning to take her suitcases to the courthouse?
“Good morning, MamaCee,” Zurich said as he walked over and kissed her on the forehead.
“Morning, baby. My, don’t you look nice,” MamaCee said as she turned over the golden brown chicken.
“Chicken for breakfast, MamaCee, or are you cooking that for someone else?” Zurich asked. He suddenly realized that chicken for breakfast was not that unusual for MamaCee, who cooked fried chicken and waffles all the time when he came to visit.
“Naw, baby, I’m cooking this for you. Mama thought she should cook up a lot of your favorite foods before I leave. That way you don’t have to be eating that takeout mess,” she said.
“You’re leaving?”
“Yeah, it’s time for Mama to go back to Mississippi. You will be fine. The good Lord and my legs have told me so,” she said.
“Have you made reservations to fly back?”
“Naw, one airplane ride is enough for this old lady. I called the Greyhound station and they have three different buses heading toward Jackson every day,” MamaCee said.
“MamaCee, I kinda hate to see you leave,” Zurich said, though he would welcome back his privacy.
“If you need me, Mama will be right back. But I been thinking ’bout some of my friends at the hospice and I feel like some of them need me.”
“What about staying to Sunday and coming to the game? I think Dad is going to come,” he said.
“I don’t think so. I talked to your father late last night and he said you told him you wasn’t certain you’d be playing.”
“True. I did tell him I wasn’t starting and tried to talk him out of coming, but he said something ’bout needing to get away and seeing you,” Zurich said.
“Yeah, he talked ’bout driving up here and driving me back home, but I told him don’t go through no trouble. Besides I don’t like riding in that van of his. I’ll be just fine on the Greyhound.”
“What else you cooking?”
“Oh, baby, I made some deviled eggs, and I’m going to make you some greens and a sweet potato casserole and I’m gonna bake you a ham.”
“MamaCee, you don’t have to go to all that trouble. You know I have to meet Tamela in about an hour,” Zurich said.
“Yeah, baby, I know and I plan to go with you. I can finish cooking some of this stuff later on. I like for my hams to cook slow anyhow. I’d like to put it in this little oven of yours before we leave.”
“Now, MamaCee, you don’t have to go with me. Just in case they arrest me, I would never want you to see me in handcuffs,” Zurich said.
“Baby, you gonna be just fine. Ain’t nobody gonna put no handcuffs on my baby,” MamaCee said as she reached for a towel and wiped her greasy and flour-covered hands. Then she ran them smoothly down Zurich’s shirt and tie as if she were using her hands as an iron to knock out the wrinkles. Zurich was looking at his grandmother and thinking about how much he loved her and how lucky he was to have someone like her in his life. They were both quiet, deep in thought, when the phone rang and startled them both. Zurich kissed his grandmother’s forehead once again and went into the living room and picked up the phone.
“Hello,” Zurich said.
“Zurich, I’m glad I caught you,” Tamela said.
“Tamela, whatsup? We said ten, right? I’m supposed to meet you at ten.”
“Yes, that’s right. But are you sitting down?” she asked excitedly.
“No, but should I?” Zurich said as he walked over to the window. He opened the drapes slightly and stared out into the gray glare of an overcast day.
“You’re not going to believe what happened,” she said.
“What?” Zurich asked as he let the curtain fall back into place and took a seat on his sofa.
MamaCee had walked out of the kitchen with a pot full of sweet potatoes she was peeling, looking at her grandson.
“I got to the office early this morning, and was going over some of my notes from the hearing when I got a call from the DA,” Tamela said.
“What did she want?” Zurich asked.
“That’s the news. It’s good news, no, make that great news. They are dropping their investigation of you. There will be no charges, and there will be no preliminary hearing,” Tamela said.
“What?” Zurich said as he leaped from the sofa.
“You heard me. It’s all over Mr. Robinson. You can go out and enjoy your day.”
“But what happened? Yesterday you were telling me to prepare myself for a few hours in jail and a lot of bad press,” Zurich said.
“I don’t have all the details, but during our brief conversation I got the distinct impression that Ms. Miller recanted her story. She or maybe it was her attorney, called the DA late last night and told them you didn’t rape her and that she was willing to sign a statement to that effect. This is good news on a couple of fronts, because when she signs that statement that clears you from other possible civil lawsuits we were concerned about,” Tamela said.
“Oh, I can’t believe this. This is great news,” Zurich said.
“Well, I’m going to let you enjoy this for a while. I will give you a call later this afternoon after I speak with the DA in more detail. I just wanted to get this news to you,” Tamela said.
“Thank you, Tamela. Thanks for all your help. I’ll talk with you later this afternoon,” Zurich said. When he hung up the phone, he let out a high-pitch shout of yes. When he told MamaCee about his conversation with Tamela, she began to peel her potatoes and said quietly, “See, Mama told you everything would be just fine. Now Mama know she can go home.”
After Tamela called Zurich with the good news, she wanted to celebrate. But what was she going to celebrate? Once her initial excitement faded, Tamela seemed almost sad at the news from the district attorney, as if she were sorry to see the battle end so quickly. Perhaps she was disappointed that she wouldn’t get the opportunity to show her stuff in the courtroom. As she sat at her desk, staring at a yellow legal pad with notes she had planned to use, Tamela could not stop thinking about Mia and the young lady from college. Sure, Zurich had not committed the crime, and she was happy he had been cleared. But someone had raped this lady and now it appeared that no one would be charged with the horrible crime.
Suddenly, Tamela picked up her phone and dialed the direct number of Karen Hedge, the deputy district attorney, who was handling the Mia Miller case.
“Karen Hedge speaking.”
“Karen, this is Tamela Coleman. We spoke earlier this morning,” Tamela said.
“Yes, Tamela, what can I do for you?”
“Well, I was wondering if I could talk to you about the Miller case.”
“The Miller case. I thought I made it clear that Ms. Miller had cleared your client. Like I told you, she doesn’t know who committed the assault, but she is certain that it wasn’t your client,” Karen said.
“Yes, I understand that, and both my client and I are very happy about that. And my questions don’t really concern my client,” Tamela said.
“Oh. Then why are you still interested?”
“Well, it’s kinda hard to explain, but I saw those pictures and I was just wondering if you had any leads on who did do this?”
“I think we’re back to ground zero. Just between you and me, the police are pissed that Miss Miller came forth at the last minute and said that your client didn’t do it. It was the only real lead they had. I think it’s going to be real hard to get them to follow up any leads that come in, because I don’t think they will be so quick to believe anything Ms. Miller says,” Karen said.
“Do you think she’s lying?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean do you think she knows who did it, but she’s just covering up for them?”
“That’s hard to say. It was impossible to get her to talk with us, after the initial investigation. But I must say when I met with her early this morning and she told me that she was certain Mr. Robinson didn’t do it, I believed her. I mentioned to you when we spoke earlier, she was real sorry about the pain and embarrassment she may have caused Mr. Robinson. I mean she was crying and saying how she wished she could tell us who had raped her. But you still haven’t told me why you’re interested. You guys over there at that big fancy law firm aren’t planning to sue Ms. Miller, are you?”
“You know, Karen, I couldn’t speak to you about that. But like I said, I’m calling on my own behalf. This has nothing to do with Mr. Robinson. Could we get together for lunch sometime soon, and maybe I could explain it better in person?”
“My schedule is pretty full. And I’ve got to explain to my superiors why we spent almost a month investigating a man for a crime he didn’t commit,” Karen said.
“I understand. What if I give you a call sometime next week and see how your schedule looks? It doesn’t have to be lunch. We can do drinks or breakfast,” Tamela said.
“Sure, give me a call and I’ll see what I can do,” Karen said.
“Thanks, Karen, I’ll do that.”
Sean was floating in sleep, drifting through one of those sweet dreams of Zurich when the phone rang. Sean leaned over and picked up his phone and whispered, “Hello.”
“Wake up, buddy,” Zurich said. When he heard Zurich’s voice, Sean immediately sat up in his bed and rubbed his face.
“Zurich, whatsup? What time is it?”
“Which question do you want me to answer first?”
Sean looked at the digital clock on the hotel nightstand and saw that it was a little bit before ten. He had overslept and missed calling Zurich to wish him good luck with his hearing.
“Aren’t you supposed to be in court?”
“Not anymore,” Zurich said.
“Have you already been? How did it go?”
“There you go with the twenty questions. Why don’t you just shut up and let me talk? Stop being a reporter,” Zurich joked.
“It’s on you,” Sean said.
“We have to celebrate; there won’t be any charges pressed. From what I know, Mia had a change of heart and told the truth. I mean I was on my way to court, prepared for anything, and I got a call from Tamela. Isn’t that great?” Zurich said.
“Congratulations, Zuri. You said this would all be cleared up. I guess you were right about that faith stuff.”
“Like MamaCee always says, God is good all the time. I was able to get this mess cleared up without placing my body fluids in a jar,” Zurich joked, even though he had dreaded the thought of having to provide semen to prove his innocence.
“So what are you going to do to celebrate?” Sean asked.
“Well, I have some calls to make. My father, Gina, and a couple other people. Plus, I want to take MamaCee out for a nice lunch and maybe buy her a new dress. She’s talking about going back home,” Zurich said.
“Oh no, when?”
“She said today, but I’m going to try and talk her into staying at least until this weekend. I’ve kinda got used to having her here,” Zurich said.
“So I’m one of the first persons you called with the good news?” Sean asked as he smiled to himself. He hoped he would get the answer he dreamed of.
“Yeah, you’re the first one I called. Had to share my great news with my buddy,” Zurich said. Sean was silent, feeling warm on the inside at the sound of Zurich’s voice and what he had just said. He started to ask him if he had called Basil Henderson, but knew that would be childish and he wanted to enjoy this moment of feeling special.
“Sean are you still there?”
“Yeah, Zurich, I’m here. Thanks for calling me with the good news. This will be a great ending for the story. Will I see you today?”
“You’re coming to practice, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, but I was thinking maybe later we could talk,” Sean said.
“Talk?”
“Yeah, you know about the article,” Sean said.
“Sure, but I think you already know too much about me, Sean,” Zurich said.
“Yeah, but I want to know more. Can we talk at our special place?”
“Our special place?”
“You know, the stadium,” Sean said.
“Yeah, sure. But look I’ve got to run. I got those calls to make and I’m going to enjoy this day.”
“You do that. Tell MamaCee I said hello and I want to make sure I see her before she leaves.”
“I will. Get your lazy butt up and get to work, Mr. Writer.”
“Consider it done,” Sean said.
Late Thursday evening, Mia was lonely. She wanted a drink, but instead she called LaDonna to tell her what had happened with her case. Mia didn’t know how her friend would respond. She feared LaDonna might be upset because she hadn’t come clean sooner. When LaDonna answered the phone, and after a quick hello, Mia told her she had a confession she wanted to make and would understand if LaDonna didn’t want to be her friend afterwards. Mia began to tell her what she had done and ended by asking, “So are you still my friend?”
“What kind of question is that, Mia?” LaDonna asked.
“Are you upset with me for not telling you sooner?” Mia repeated.
“Look, baby. I’m your friend. I was trying to help. I was there in Chicago: I know something terrible happened to you. So it wasn’t this Zurich guy. It was somebody and we just need to find out who,” LaDonna assured her friend. “What did the DA say when you told her?”
“She was pretty understanding and said they would continue to investigate, but they needed my help.”
“You’re going to do that, right?”
“Yes, I’m going to tell them what I remember.”
“That’s good, Mia. That’s what you have to do,” LaDonna advised.
“Do you think I should call Zurich and apologize?”
“I don’t think so,” LaDonna said.
“Derrick said the same thing.”
“Now, how did Derrick convince you Zurich didn’t do it? That’s the part I don’t understand.”
“It was his hair. When Derrick’s hair brushed up against my body, I remembered the person pushing his head into my body and how abrasive it was. I don’t know if I told you but Zurich shaves his head and his face is smooth,” Mia said.
“Oh, yeah,” LaDonna said as she remembered seeing him interviewed on television after the Chicago game.
“So it couldn’t have been him.” Mia didn’t tell LaDonna she remembered how Zurich had rejected her advances and how she had left his apartment in a rage.
“And you don’t have any ideas on who did this?”
“No,” Mia said.
“Were you that fucked up?”
Mia didn’t answer. A weighty silence lingered over the phone lines.
“Mia. Are you still there? Did you hear me?”
“Yes, I’m still here.”
“How much did you drink that night?”
“I don’t remember,” Mia said softly. “Look, LaDonna, I’ve got to run.”
“Mia, wait a minute,” LaDonna said sternly.
“Uh-huh,” Mia said.
“Look, Mia, sweetheart. I think you need to take a break from the drinking. You and me both like a cocktail every now and then, but it sounds like you’ve been blacking out.”
“Don’t worry, I have it under control,” Mia said.
“I hope so,” LaDonna said. She realized Mia wasn’t ready to deal with her drinking.
“Look, I’m getting ready for bed, I love you and thanks for being so understanding,” Mia said.
“I love you too. Take care of yourself.”
“I will.”
Zurich ended his day of good news by making a call. He dialed the number Basil Henderson had given him and discovered that it was a beeper number. While he punched in his home number, he wondered why he had given him a beeper instead of a regular phone, especially since his messages gave Zurich the impression he was anxious to talk with him. A few minutes after he beeped Basil, his phone rang. When he picked up his phone he heard Basil say, “Man, I didn’t think you were ever gonna call me.”
“I’m sorry, but you know how it is when the season is going on,” Zurich said.
“Yeah, I do, Gee. I’m just glad to hear from you. How’s it going?”
Zurich told Basil he was doing just fine now, as he gave him an update on his legal problems and the good news he had received earlier in the day.
“I’m glad you got that shit cleared up, Gee. You know bitches ain’t shit. Always riding a brother’s jock and then the moment they can’t get the dick, they holler rape. Look at what happened to our boys Mike and Tupac,” Basil said.
“I just think this young lady was confused. I don’t think she was really trying to hurt me,” Zurich said. He realized Mia might have a problem with drinking and self-esteem, and he was relieved she had told the truth when it mattered.
“Man, you better than me. I’d be talking to my lawyer right now, getting ready to file a lawsuit for defamation of character,” Basil said.
“I’m just glad it’s over,” Zurich said.
After about an hour of exchanging general information about each other, and talking football, Basil said something that surprised Zurich.
“You know I’ve been thinking about you a lot. Even had a few dreams ’bout you,” Basil said. Zurich couldn’t believe that Basil was being so open with him. He had noticed a certain sparkle in his eyes during their brief conversation, but he thought maybe he was reading too much into the intense way Basil looked at him and the way he had looked back. He started to tell Basil that he had dreamed of him, but didn’t.
“That’s interesting, Gee. I’ve been thinking about you, too, and I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to get back with you. But my grandmother has been here and with everything … you know.”
“Sure, man, like I said, I knew we’d have the chance to hook up sooner or later. Now when are we going to do it face to face?”
“Whenever we both have time. I’m game,” Zurich said.
“So, we’re both adults, we can decide when that happens,” Basil said.
“Yeah, you’re right! Let’s look at the schedules.”
“Hey, Gee, it ain’t nothing but a thang. We can do this. You tell me and I’ll be on a plane. You know for dinner and whatever,” Basil said in a tone dripping with sexual overtones. The thought of his dream about Basil coming true made Zurich smile. When his sex began to expand, he no longer felt ashamed of his fantasies.
“Sounds like a winner to me. I’m game,” Zurich said.
“Yeah, you’re game. But can you handle it?”
“Handle what?”
“Now come on now. You know what time it is? If and when we kick it, can you handle it?”
Zurich didn’t quite know what Basil was asking him, but he didn’t care, so he said, “I can handle anything you throw my way.”
“All right now, it’s a lot. Be careful what you pray for. And if you keep talking like that, me and my jimmie will be in Chicago before daybreak.” Zurich didn’t know exactly what a jimmie was but he had an idea. He had become so sexually aroused that he felt a thin film oozing from his sex.
“I hear ya. Basil, I’ll talk to you and thanks for the picture. I’ll send you one real soon.”
“Make sure it lets me know what you got. So I’ll know if you can really pass the test.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Zurich said.
“And you know it. Be cool, Gee,” Basil said as he hung up the phone.
Zurich lay back in his bed with a smile on his face and his full sex in his hands. There was something in him aching to be released. With the image of the nude Basil in his dreams and with a few quick and smooth movements of his large hand, Zurich shuddered as his body produced a glue he knew would hold him till he could see Basil.