It was the first Thursday of the new year. Basil carefully placed his black leather jacket on the coat rack, then rubbed his two hands together and blew his warm breath on them before taking his seat.
“It’s cold out there, Doc,” Basil said as he looked around the office. Today the small space didn’t appear drab and depressing as it had on previous visits. Basil noticed the winter sun beaming through the windows, flooding the office with a natural light.
“How were your holidays?” the doctor asked.
“They were cool. I spent Christmas Day with Campbell and Cade. It was great. My little sister can cook. I mean, she cooked all this food, and I helped Cade play with a lot of the toys I bought him. It was a good day,” Basil said, smiling a slow half-smile.
“So you decided not to go and see your father?”
A thoughtful frown crossed Basil’s face as he said, “He kinda made the decision for me. He went to the Bahamas with one of his lady friends. But he’s not off the hook.”
“You still haven’t told him what you think?”
“Not what I think! What I know. And I’ll tell him when the time is right. Now I’ve got my entire future ahead of me and I’m only going to deal with the past when it’s absolutely necessary. I can’t let what my father and uncle did go without mention, but I’m finally getting a grip on my life. I’m not going to let them or the past ruin it,” Basil said firmly. “Now I’m going to make choices that come from my own strength and not from what other mofos, including my family, might think or feel.”
“Are you and your nephew still getting along great?” the doctor asked. He had decided to change the subject to something more pleasant.
“Yeah. Kids are so amazing. And he’s already enriched my life more than all the mofos I’ve ever met put together. I guess children having a way of doing that,” Basil said.
“You could say that,” the doctor responded.
Basil plopped his left leg over the arm of the chair, then folded his arms over his chest and posed a question to the doctor. “So, Doc, are you gonna miss me while I’m gone?” He had a mischievous little boy’s glint in his eyes.
“Where are you going?”
“Aw, I forgot to tell you. I’m going to take some time off,” Basil said.
“Are you leaving town?”
“Yeah. I forgot to tell you … my little nephew is helping my love life. You should see the way honeys react to me when they see me with Cade. I mean, not that I needed any additional help, but this is a whole new pool of women,” Basil smiled.
“So you’ve met someone?”
“Yeah, I did,” Basil said.
The doctor looked at his watch, then said, “Do you want to tell me about the person? We still have a little time.”
“Sure. This sister is slamming. I mean, she’s beautiful and smart and even though we haven’t hit the skins yet, I know it’s going to be tight. She smells so good. And the way she carries herself. I mean, she’s not like anybody I’ve ever met. This one might be my soul mate,” Basil said confidently. “I was drawn to her like she was a candle and I was the flame,” he added.
“Where and when did you meet her?”
“It hasn’t been that long. We met Christmas morning. I was at Rockefeller Center with Cade, practicing our skating, while Campbell was cooking. You know, Cade and I are getting pretty good at this skating thing,” Basil laughed. “Anyway, she was up by the Christmas tree, but I saw her checking me out. I smiled at her and she smiled back and waved like she knew me.”
“She wasn’t on the rink?”
“Not immediately. I guess she was visiting the Christmas tree. My first reaction was to pick Cade up from the skating rink and run up and find out her name. But I guess that’s one of the changes in me. I mean, I wasn’t only thinking about myself. Cade was having a great time and so was I.”
“How did you meet her?”
“She came down to the rink. I kept looking up toward the tree, hoping she was going to come back. Every now and then I would look up when Cade had skated off by himself. Now one of my eyes was on him at all times, but maybe every other minute or so, I’d look up to see if this beautiful lady had returned.”
“So did she?”
“Well, I got to speed this story up, ’cause I’m getting ready to meet her after I leave here. Cade and I kept skating. He would fall sometimes and so would I. Cade had fallen again, and I was bending over, holding his hands, kinda guiding him along, when this lady skated up next to us and asked if she can join us. Right as she skated up to us, she fell and I picked her up. When I touched her hand, I felt a wonderful energy. Her smile was so beautiful and she had on this beautiful but politically incorrect mink coat and a pair of diamond studs in her ears that just paled next to her smile. When I said sure, she slipped her arm in mine and we just skated for over an hour. She kept falling, but I just think she liked the touch of my hands. Neither one of us were wearing gloves. Cade liked her, especially when she suggested we get some hot chocolate.”
“Well, Basil, I’m happy for you. Is that why you’re leaving town?” The doctor noticed how Basil’s face lit up when he mentioned his nephew.
“Yeah, she’s an actress. A Broadway actress. And even though I said I wasn’t going to date someone in show business, well, never say never. But she’s in this musical that’s going to London and she asked me to come over and see her. So I’m thinking maybe I need to get away for a little while, and then go deal with my father. I’m determined to make this year better. And why shouldn’t it be? I got my sister and nephew and I got a new lady in my life,” Basil said in a totally satisfied tone. “Who could ask for anything more?”
“So Campbell, Cade, Basil, and …” The doctor paused, allowing Basil to complete the sentence.
“Yancey,” Basil smiled. “My new lady’s name is Yancey Braxton.”