Read Holy Death for Free Online Page B
Authors: Anthony Neil Smith
better witness. Lo-Wider started for the gas station. He was going to need a ride and a new phone. Finding new friends would be a lot harder. Lo-Wider sniffed and tried not to look back.
He mumbled, “BGM for life, motherfucker.”
CHAPTER FIVE
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T he thing was, DeVaughn didn’t even know somebody was calling. Didn’t know his phone had shut down. Too busy with Melissa in the shower, which turned into exactly what he thought it would. Then after, her putting her stank-ass diner clothes back on, and DeVaughn shaking his head, saying, “No, girl, this won’t do.”
After cutting the call from Lo-Wider when Melissa stepped into the bathroom, he had held the button down too long, shut the whole thing off. Then they spent so long in the shower that by the time they got out, they were in a hurry to get moving. He picked up the phone, glanced at it. No light for a missed call or an email, so he shoved it into the front pocket of his gray chalk-striped slacks and escorted Melissa down to the front and waited for the valet to get his Caddy.
“So first we get you dressed fine, like you deserve. Then I’ll take you out for some real good food. You like seafood? You’re from here, you ought to.”
Melissa liked it a lot. Fried catfish. Hush puppies. Boiled shrimp. She slapped her rump. “I like it so much, I’m surprised this right here ain’t turned into scales yet.”
They laughed. They were laughing all morning, laughing at nothing, touching each other constantly. It wasn’t anyone else’s business. So they hit the mall and first had to get her some pretty panties, pretty bras. DeVaughn was surprised to see how much sexy could fit into a size twenty-eight, but it was a good surprise. He sat in the chair outside the waiting room while she tried them on. And finally she said, “I can’t come out there in this.”
“Then how am I going to see?”
“You come in here.”
He looked over at the salesgirl nearby, not bad herself, who grinned with her heavy red lips and fifties glasses and didn’t say a word. DeVaughn went into the changing stall, a tight fit with Melissa’s girth and his long legs, and he watched her try on a whole bunch of different panties and bras and they were all nice—the thongs were best, but the boyshorts, they cupped her just right. And she had cleaned up real nice, too. Even though she’d used the same soap and same shampoo as he had and no perfume fog, girl smelled clean . When he was getting so hard it hurt he finally said, “Shit, buy them all” and tried to hide his erection as he followed her out to the counter. He paid in cash from his roll. It was a fun way to pay, made people wonder.
Outside the store, he pulled his phone from his pocket again. Still no lights, no missed calls. He was about to give Lo a wake-up call, lazy-ass teenagers, when Melissa told him JC Penney’s had great dresses for fat girls, and she grabbed his hand, walking fast ahead of him, an excited kid heading for the toy store.
This was nice. This wasn’t his usual day, but it was nice. Lots of his mornings were either just getting to bed after all night games, or getting up late, or Xbox, or a run along Beach Boulevard to keep himself in as good a shape as possible, considering his recent lifestyle adjustments. Those young bangers, they didn’t have to do a goddamned thing to stay toned. Now that DeVaughn was creeping ever closer to forty, he felt it. Shit, not even his daddy lived to be thirty-four. Complications from diabetes, they told him. Not going to happen to DeVaughn, uhn uh. No way.
Another thing was, walking around the mall holding hands with a white girl in Mississippi? Not so big a deal anymore. Bunch of middle-school girls were doing it all around him. Lots of the high-school girls in shorts showing off their business, draped over black guys like they wanted you to know it. Maybe their daddies didn’t know about it, but you could bet your ass their mommas did.
Of
He mumbled, “BGM for life, motherfucker.”
CHAPTER FIVE
––––––––
T he thing was, DeVaughn didn’t even know somebody was calling. Didn’t know his phone had shut down. Too busy with Melissa in the shower, which turned into exactly what he thought it would. Then after, her putting her stank-ass diner clothes back on, and DeVaughn shaking his head, saying, “No, girl, this won’t do.”
After cutting the call from Lo-Wider when Melissa stepped into the bathroom, he had held the button down too long, shut the whole thing off. Then they spent so long in the shower that by the time they got out, they were in a hurry to get moving. He picked up the phone, glanced at it. No light for a missed call or an email, so he shoved it into the front pocket of his gray chalk-striped slacks and escorted Melissa down to the front and waited for the valet to get his Caddy.
“So first we get you dressed fine, like you deserve. Then I’ll take you out for some real good food. You like seafood? You’re from here, you ought to.”
Melissa liked it a lot. Fried catfish. Hush puppies. Boiled shrimp. She slapped her rump. “I like it so much, I’m surprised this right here ain’t turned into scales yet.”
They laughed. They were laughing all morning, laughing at nothing, touching each other constantly. It wasn’t anyone else’s business. So they hit the mall and first had to get her some pretty panties, pretty bras. DeVaughn was surprised to see how much sexy could fit into a size twenty-eight, but it was a good surprise. He sat in the chair outside the waiting room while she tried them on. And finally she said, “I can’t come out there in this.”
“Then how am I going to see?”
“You come in here.”
He looked over at the salesgirl nearby, not bad herself, who grinned with her heavy red lips and fifties glasses and didn’t say a word. DeVaughn went into the changing stall, a tight fit with Melissa’s girth and his long legs, and he watched her try on a whole bunch of different panties and bras and they were all nice—the thongs were best, but the boyshorts, they cupped her just right. And she had cleaned up real nice, too. Even though she’d used the same soap and same shampoo as he had and no perfume fog, girl smelled clean . When he was getting so hard it hurt he finally said, “Shit, buy them all” and tried to hide his erection as he followed her out to the counter. He paid in cash from his roll. It was a fun way to pay, made people wonder.
Outside the store, he pulled his phone from his pocket again. Still no lights, no missed calls. He was about to give Lo a wake-up call, lazy-ass teenagers, when Melissa told him JC Penney’s had great dresses for fat girls, and she grabbed his hand, walking fast ahead of him, an excited kid heading for the toy store.
This was nice. This wasn’t his usual day, but it was nice. Lots of his mornings were either just getting to bed after all night games, or getting up late, or Xbox, or a run along Beach Boulevard to keep himself in as good a shape as possible, considering his recent lifestyle adjustments. Those young bangers, they didn’t have to do a goddamned thing to stay toned. Now that DeVaughn was creeping ever closer to forty, he felt it. Shit, not even his daddy lived to be thirty-four. Complications from diabetes, they told him. Not going to happen to DeVaughn, uhn uh. No way.
Another thing was, walking around the mall holding hands with a white girl in Mississippi? Not so big a deal anymore. Bunch of middle-school girls were doing it all around him. Lots of the high-school girls in shorts showing off their business, draped over black guys like they wanted you to know it. Maybe their daddies didn’t know about it, but you could bet your ass their mommas did.
Of