CHAPTER

Fifty-two

Errol listened as Tony rambled on and on about this new woman he'd met. He couldn't remember a time when Tony had sounded this excited about a woman.

“And her real name is Karma?”

“Yeah, I know. It's an odd name, but it fits her, it really does.”

“How so?”

“I don't know how to explain it. I mean, she's gorgeous and she's got this great spirit . . . she's just perfect.”

Errol pulled the phone away from his face and stared at it. He could swear, just from the sound of Tony's voice, that he was swooning on the other end.

“Damn, all of this after just one date? Sounds to me like you're whipped, and she ain't even give you none yet!”

Tony laughed and waved his hand in the air. “C'mon, man. It ain't nothing like that.”

“Sounds like everything like that.”

“Whatever, dude. So when you coming down?”

“My secretary is making the arrangements, so I'll let you know when I know.”

“Cool.”

“So how's your moms doing?”

Tony didn't really know. He hadn't spoken to her in weeks.

“She's all right,” he lied.

Errol shook his head.

“You know,” Errol carefully ventured, “there's a saying—”

“Oh, here we go!”

“Now, just humor me for a minute . . . There's an old saying that goes, ‘See how a man treats his mother, and know how you too will be treated,’ and I'm paraphrasing here.”

Tony jumped to the defensive. “What are you trying to say, Errol?”

“I think you know.”

“Yeah, whatever. I gotta go.”

“Ciao.”

Tony wasn't going to let Errol kill his good mood with all his righteous bullshit. He would call his mother as soon as he had time.