Family Thang by Henderson James

Author:Henderson, James [Henderson, James]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2012-01-30T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 23

“Remember what I told you?” Eric asked his son, playing in the front yard with his friend. This was Eric’s third time sticking his head outside and asking the boy.

“Yeah, Daddy,” Paul said. “I heard you the first time. When I see Momma, come tell you.”

“The second you see her,” Eric emphasized. “Not a minute later. You got that?”

Paul nodded. Eric looked down the dirt road that led to the highway. Shirley would have to walk down that road, unless someone gave her a ride. No matter how she returned home he needed to see her before she saw him.

Inside he checked the back door to ensure it was unlocked. It was. If drama commenced he couldn’t afford precious seconds fumbling with the deadbolt.

He then went into the bedroom and lay on the bed. Just the second he’d relaxed, a car horn blew out front. He jumped up and peeked out the bedroom window. Mr. Joyner across the street stepped out and got into a mini-bus.

Again Eric leaned his head out the front door and looked down the dirt road. He waited for the dust stirred up by the mini-bus to settle. The road was empty. “Don’t forget!” he yelled at Paul and closed the door.

Maybe I should move my ass now while the getting ghost is good.

If Sheriff Bledsoe hadn’t told Shirley about Ruth Ann and him, he could always come back later.

“Yeah,” he said. “Hell yeah!”

If Sheriff Bledsoe had told Shirley, he’d already be down the road, well out of harm’s way.

Since last night, after Shirley told him she was going in bright and early to take the polygraph test, he hadn’t had a moment’s rest.

He’d had a vision--he thought it was a vision because he was wide awake--of Shirley choking him unconscious and setting him afire with gasoline.

Immediately after, he got down on his knees and proposed to her. “Marry me, baby!” He then took her into the bedroom and gave her the premium package, which required two bottles of Karo syrup and three rolls of Saran Wrap, and had resulted in a very stiff neck and a numb jaw.

With any other woman the premium package would have been more than enough to forgive him any transgression. With Shirley, however…the premium package might not mean shit!

He sat down on the couch and stared at the television. A daytime talk show: a diminutive white woman, though physically restrained by two muscular bodyguards, was beating the hell out of a large, pot-bellied white man.

“Damn this,” getting to his feet. “I’m getting the hell outta here!”

As he was starting for the bedroom, to get his overnight bag, Paul stepped inside.

“What?” Eric said.

Paul shrugged and plopped down on the couch.

“Boy, I really need you to stay outside, keep an eye out for your momma.”

“My bad, Daddy, I forgot. Momma’s coming.”

Eric’s bowels liquefied. He rushed to the door and looked out. Sure enough, about four blocks away, Shirley was walking down the road.

“Oh, shit! Paul, get on your bike, ride down to your momma, tell her I said I love her, then ride back and tell me what she said.

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