speaking, and I could feel both Brent’s and Sonny’s attention turn to me. “Then why are you calling?”
“I need you to babysit your son.”
From the tone of her voice, this was not a request, it was a demand. I turned my back and spoke low so Brent and Sonny could barely hear me. “Michelle, I can’t babysit tomorrow. Brent’s getting married.”
“Who said anything about tomorrow? I need a babysitter now.”
“Now?” I snapped, glancing at my friends.
“That’s right. Now,” she snapped back. “I gotta be at work by nine o’clock and the lady that usually watches him is sick. I can’t afford to miss work.”
“What about your mother? Why can’t she watch him?”
“My mother’s down South, James. She’s been down there taking care of my grandmother for the last three months. I don’t know when she’s coming back.” It almost sounded like she was pleading.
“Michelle, I’m sorry, but I can’t do it tonight. I’m already in Manhattan. In order for me to get there by nine, I’d have to leave now.”
There was silence on the line until she spoke in an ominous, threatening tone. “Look, James, I don’t have time to argue with you. Now, I need you to babysit, so you might as well get your ass up and come on back to Queens!”
“I heard you the first time, Michelle, so you don’t have to yell. But like I told you the first time, I can’t do it tonight. I’m busy.”
“Oh, is that right?…Well, is your wife at home? ’Cause if you can’t watch him, I’m damn sure gonna ask her.”
All of a sudden my head began to hurt. Michelle had a way of pushing my buttons like no one else. “Don’t go there, Michelle,” I said angrily.
“No, James! Don’t you go there. I told you before, I’m not playing with you. This ain’t no game to me. I will call your wife. So, what’s your home number again? Oh, yeah.” She repeated the digits. I’d never heard anyone sound so serious, and it scared the hell out of me, especially when she continued. “Now, she don’t go to bed early, does she? ’Cause it’d be a shame to wake the sister up when all you gotta do is come over here and babysit.”
“Aw’ight. Look, let me call you back in five minutes. I’ll see if I can arrange something. But I’m gonna call you, so don’t do nothin’ stupid until then.” I hung up the phone and turned to my friends. “Guys, I got a problem.”
7
Sonny
I’d been on the phone with my wife during most of the game, making arrangements for my return to Seattle and our move to New York. We’d decided to rent a house with an option to buy somewhere in Long Island. It would have to be near the Queens border, so I could see my friends. I was thinking someplace like Valley Stream or Elmont, where they still had some black folks and the schools were good.
I loved New York, especially Queens, but I was not about to subject my kids to the New York City public school system. I knew I wouldn’t be able to afford to send my kids to private school. James sent both his boys to private school and it was costing him damn near as much as his mortgage payment. I’m sure he wouldn’t be able to afford it if Cathy didn’t work. I wasn’t about to ask Jessica to get a job. She’d been a stay-at-home mom so long, just the thought of going to work would probably give her hives. So, my goal was to get my kids in some decent schools and still be able to afford to own my own home in New York someday.
While my wife and I were working out the details, I heard James shouting into his own phone, “I got your money!” He had this strange look on his face, like whoever he was talking to had him terrified.
“Hun, let me call you back,” I told my wife.
I hung up the phone and turned toward James, who was now trying to hide his conversation. What the hell was going on, I wondered, and who the hell did he owe money to? James wasn’t the type to gamble, and if he needed to borrow some money, I’m sure he would have gone to Brent. That’s what I would have done.
I made eye contact with Brent, who seemed just as puzzled by James’s strange behavior as I was.
When James finished his conversation, he turned to us, looking defeated. “Guys, I got a problem.”
“What’s up?” Brent asked, his voice filled with concern.
James lowered his head and whispered, “I can’t hang out tonight. I’ve gotta go take care of something.”
“Excuse me,” I said in disbelief. “You can’t leave. You’re the one who insisted we all go out tonight. Did you forget the man’s getting married tomorrow?”
James turned to Brent. “No, I didn’t forget, and I’m sorry, Brent, but something’s come up. It’s important. I’ve gotta go back to Queens.”
“Back to Queens for what?” I stared at my friend. This wasn’t like him. James didn’t keep secrets from us. If anyone, I was the one who kept the secrets.
It took a while for him to speak, but when he did, I was even more confused. “I gotta go babysit.”
“Babysit? Babysit who? What’s going on, James?” If you think I was annoyed, you should have heard the irritation in Brent’s voice.
“It’s a long story.”
“Well, then, give us the short version,” I demanded. I continued to stare at him in amazement. The brother couldn’t even look at us.
“I really ain’t got the time. I gotta get back to Queens before nine, so I don’t piss her off.” He tried to stand up, but I placed my hand on his shoulder and pushed him down. He glanced at Brent, then at me. I think he finally realized he wasn’t going anywhere without giving us an explanation. A full explanation.
“Okay, okay, but you’ve gotta promise not to tell anyone. Not even your wives. If this gets back to Cathy, my marriage is over.” He glared at us both, tight-lipped, waiting for our reply.
“Don’t worry, James. We’re not gonna say anything. Are we, Sonny?” Brent’s eyes moved to me.
“Nah, bro, you ain’t got to worry. Shit, we got your back. You know that.” This whole thing was starting to get interesting. The only time I’d ever seen James act all secretive like this was when he was fooling around with this girl named Michelle a few years back, but to my knowledge, that was over and done with. Besides, if he was messing with her or anyone else, he would have told me. Or so I thought.
“Y’all remember that girl, Michelle, that I used to see a few years back, don’t you?”
Oh, my God, he is fucking her again.
“Who could forget her? For a skinny girl, she had one of the phattest asses I’ve ever seen.” Brent didn’t seem to know what we were talking about, so I used my hands to emphasize my statement. “Come on, Brent, you know her, the redbone with the big ol’ ba-dunk-a-dunk. Damn, how could you forget her? It ain’t like James had a thousand affairs.”
Brent finally nodded as if a lightbulb had just gone off in his head. “Ohhh, yeah, I remember her. The girl from your UPS route, the one you almost left Cathy for, right?”
“Mm-hmmm, that’s her. But I wasn’t going to leave Cathy for her or anyone else.”
“No, but you’re about to leave your best friend’s bachelor party to babysit her kid, aren’t you?” I asked in disgust. “You just couldn’t resist that big ol’ booty, could you?”
“Why are you always classifying women by their asses?” Damn, ol’ boy had it pretty bad. He was even defending her honor.
“Some people remember faces, James. I remember asses. Now stop trying to change the subject. You messin’