CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

DIXIE

 

You know I really tried to start all over with Charlie, and make things right, but now I get the impression that she thinks she’s better than me. I got something for that ass though, and she won’t see this move coming.

I’m in the bathroom at home throwing bundles of toilet paper in the toilet to stop it up. Then when I get to the brown carton roll in the center, I wet it with water and watch it expand. Then I throw it in the toilet along with some yellow lemonade. The brownness of the carton, and the yellow water, makes it look like I pissed and shit. After my scene was set up, I disconnected the latch in the toilet so that it won’t flush.

After I’m done I walk into the hallway and then into Charlie’s room. He’s on the phone, probably talking to Luke again. “Charlie, the toilet is not flushing so I’ll need you to wait on the plumber. I called him already so he should be on his way.”

She looks back at me, sits the phone down and says, “Do you know what time they getting here? Because I have an appointment in two hours with a client.”

“No, but either way I can’t stay. As you know I have an appointment tonight with this girl who wants me to help run her beauty salon. I won’t be out too long, so I’ll hurry back.”

“I guess I don’t have a choice.”

“You don’t if you want to live here,” I say rolling my eyes.

With Charlie out of the way, I waltz out of his room and the house. Feeling confident I jump into my truck and make it to my destination in thirty minutes. Surprisingly the tattoo parlor is empty when I get there. And Luke is standing at a drawing table with his back faced my direction.

I thought about something last night. Luke fights with me on a daily basis. It reminds me of when I was a kid, and how I use to pick on the girls or boys I thought was cute. I was only mean to the ones I liked. And maybe, just maybe, Luke was mean to me, and asked Charlie to meet his parents to get me to come to him. Think about it, we haven’t fought in awhile, and now he says something to Charlie that I’m certain he knew would set me off.

When the doorbell rings, indicating that someone had walked in Luke says, "I'll be right with you.” He doesn’t bother to look up at me.

"Take your time," I say in a low voice.

Maybe it’s the melody in my voice, because this time he turns around and looks at me. He throws down the pencil and angrily stomps in my direction. "What the fuck are you doing here, Dixon?" He's so close, and breathing so hard, that his warm breath brushes against my cheek.

"I didn’t come here to argue with you, Luke." I walk around him and look at a few tattoos on his wall. “So relax, because I do come in peace.”

"If you didn’t come to argue, then what did you come here for? Because it ain't nothing about you I like." He walks up behind me, and his manliness turns me on.

"I came here to let you know that Charlie is not being forthcoming with you.” I turn around and look into his eyes. “And I know we have our problems, you and I that is, but I don't want to see you get your feelings hurt."

"My feelings hurt?” he places his hands over his chest. “You trying to say Charlie wants what we have to be over?"

The disappointment I hear in his voice causes my stomach to swirl. Ms. Charlie really did well this time because she got this nigga roped.

"I'm saying she's lying to you about who she is. Charlie has a history of this type of behavior, and it’s high time that you know."

"And what type of behavior do you exhibit? Because if Charlie told you something in confidence and you are here to tell me, in my opinion it’s kind of foul. Real friends don’t do that type shit."

"You always think you know everything about me don't you, Luke?"

"Until I see a change, it will always be how I feel when it comes to you."

I walk up to the drawing table by the window. When I glance out of the window, I see my truck next to his black Infiniti. I look down at his work. It's a picture of a woman holding a child.

“You did this really well. Did Charlie tell you she can't have kids?"

He laughs. "Look, I got some work to do and it's obvious you here to play games. With that said, I'm not entertaining you no more. So I need you to turn out the same door you just came in."

"Luke, what can I do to help our relationship grow?"

"You can leave me and my girl alone and let us do us."

I'm just about to bounce on him when I see something that changes everything through the window. Slowly I unlatch the buckle to my pants, and then I unzipped my tight jeans. Within the time you can bat an eye, I push them down to my ankles and bend over.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Luke yells. “Pull you fucking pants up, nigga!”

"Relax, Luke, I’m just giving you some of this good boy band pussy because I know you want it so badly. Don't fake on me, Luke. The world is yours right now. Take it."

He runs up behind me and grabs me roughly. "I want you out of here! Now!" he yelled while grabbing me around my waste, and wrestling with me, in an attempt to get me away from his table.

"Come on, Luke.” I wiggle my ass. “Don't fake. Come get these goodies."

"Nigga, I will kill you. I don't fuck with raunchy ass faggies like you."

"Try it once, big boy. I know you'll like it."

When I glance at the window, and see the reflection of the person I was waiting on come through the door I yell, "Rape! Rape! Get off of me, Luke!"

"Fuck is you talking ‘bout, ain’t nobody raping you!"

From the window’s position I know exactly what it looks like. My jeans are on the floor and Luke is behind me, playing rough. I could not have asked for a better situation if I tried. Instead of telling him that Charlie's a man, and making Charlie angry with me, I decide to get rid of Luke all together. It's for the best anyway. He would have only broken Charlie's heart, or got his feelings hurt once he discovered that his sweetheart has a dick.

"What's going on in here?" Charlie says in a shivering voice.

"Baby, uh, what are you doing here?" Luke asks. "I thought you said you had to wait on the plumber? I was on my way to your house after I finished my last drawing."

"I fixed the toilet myself," she says looking at me as I pull up my clothes. "Can somebody tell me what's going on please?"

I step up to her. "Charlie, Luke called me over here on the way to the salon. He said he wanted to talk to me about—”

"Bitch, why you lying," Luke roared. "I never told you I wanted to meet you. I was doing my work and you showed up on that dumb shit. Now tell her the truth before I—”

"Before you do what, nigga?" I ask stepping to his face.

Luke got me fucked up. I might be dressed in woman's clothing, but I'm nowhere near a punk. I know how to handle mine and if he tries me just like everybody else, he'll find out. As fucked up as this may be, I'm really doing it for Charlie. She needs me to do this so that I can get him out of her life before she gets hurt. Just like she needed me to call her boss Frieda and tell her that she was stealing from the register. I got tired of Charlie coming home every night complaining about how tired she was. I wanted to take care of her, because I love her. I know she doesn’t want to be with me, but soon she'll find out that I'm the only one she needs.

Luke goes around me and walks up to Charlie. He places a hand on each side of her face. "Baby, I love you, do not let this faggy come between us. We onto something real now, Charlie. You got me wanting to change my life for you. Please, I'm begging you, move out and move in with me. I can make you so happy if you let me."

I walk towards the door. "Charlie, are you coming with me or not?"

"Don't go with him, baby," Luke says crying. "Don't leave me, because he’s lying and all he wants to do is hurt you."

"Charlie," I yell clapping my hands. She immediately looks at me and I hold her attention. "It’s time to go. Now I know you love him, but this nigga is foul! So the question is, are you coming with me or not? Because after this, you won’t get another chance."