The Pecan Man by Selleck Cassie Dandridge

Author:Selleck, Cassie Dandridge [Selleck, Cassie Dandridge]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2012-01-03T05:00:00+00:00

Fourteen

Just after lunch, I made an excuse to call another taxi to pick me up. If Blanche was suspicious, she didn’t let on. I gave instructions to the driver to take me to an address on Canal Street and he silently drove me there. I asked him to wait and he did as I walked up the clean-swept, but cracked and broken sidewalk to the front porch. I’d seen Blanche’s house before, but I had never been inside. I was raising my hand to knock on the door when it was opened by a young man I guessed to be around twenty years old. I couldn’t say which of us were more surprised, but I found my voice first.

“Is Patrice home?” I asked.

“Uh, yes ma’am, she’s, um, in the bathroom right now,” he stammered.

“And you would be…?” I fished for a name.

“Um, late, actually.”

“Well, that’s not what I meant, but I’ll bite. Late for what?”

“For work,” he replied as he tried to angle his muscular body around my slight one.

“Hold on there a minute,” I told him as I blocked his path with my left hand. “Who are you and what are you doing here?” I didn’t add “alone with Patrice”, but you can bet I was thinking it.

“I’m a friend of Patrice’s. I was just visiting with her before work and I’m really late right now, Ma’am.” He kept his tone polite, but I could tell it was all he could manage.

I heard Patrice’s voice before she appeared in the doorway. “Who’re you talkin’ to, Cedric?” She stopped short when she saw me through the space between his arm and the door jam. “Mrs. Beckworth! What are you…? Why…? Is something…? Is everything okay?” She finally managed to ask.

“Everything is fine at my house, but perhaps I should be asking you that question.”

“Oh,” Patrice paused. “Oh, yes, everything’s fine. Cedric was just helping me study for a Latin test.”

“Quota hora est?” I asked, looking straight at the young man.

“Say what?” Cedric sputtered.

I could see Patrice’s shoulders fall as he failed my impromptu exam.

“Studying Latin are you?” I intoned drily.

“Go on to work, Cedric,” Patrice sighed.

“And don’t come back,” I added.

“No problem,” he said as he abruptly dropped his respectful tone. “Later, Patrice,” he threw over his shoulder as he slid around me.

“About two years later or she’s jailbait,” I threw right back.

He grunted and broke into a jog as he stepped off the porch and headed down the sidewalk.

I turned my attention back to Patrice.

“Would you like to come in?” Patrice asked softly.

“Actually, I was hoping I could get you to come shopping with me. The taxi is waiting.”

“Does Mama know you’re here?” I knew what she was asking.

“No, it was supposed to be a surprise. Turns out it is quite a surprise.”

“It’s not what you think, Mrs. Beckworth,” she protested.

“Oh?” was all I said.

“I’ll get my coat,” she said and opened the door wider to usher me inside.

I stepped into the living room of Blanche’s small frame house and was struck by the darkness of it.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.