Uptown by Virginia DeBerry & Donna Grant

Author:Virginia DeBerry & Donna Grant
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Touchstone
Published: 2010-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

TEN

blow over. Or blow up

Dwight didn’t know what to call the house down the block anymore. Aunt Tina’s house? Avery’s house? Whatever it was, he was floating like Snoopy in the Thanksgiving Day Parade when he left the place. He’d been awake the night before, worried about what Avery would say to his offer. At that point, it was all that mattered. He’d given up on any reconciliation long ago. She could have kicked him down the stairs and called him any name she could think of. He’d heard it before. He was prepared. He could take it. What he could offer in the way of apology was a decent payday, vaya con Dios, have a nice life. Was it enough? Dwight didn’t even know what that meant, but it would have to do.

Since he was uptown, he stopped by home. Hadn’t been there on a regular weekday afternoon since when? A long time. Vacations were spent away. Holidays had an agenda—hang the lights, open the presents, baste the turkey. But he was feeling good, better than good. Maybe he could give Renee a little of what she’d been asking for. He was in the mood. She’d be happy and off his case for a while. “Hey, Renee.” The house smelled sweet and buttery. In the kitchen he found her surrounded by trays and plates of snickerdoodles for the music-school bake sale.

“And?” Renee walked across the kitchen, fed him a cookie.

He deadpanned for a moment, finished chewing. “It’s on.”

She threw her arms around him. “I knew it would be fine.”

“Glad you were sure.” He reached for another cookie. They were warm and laced with cinnamon. Dwight’s mother never baked. She practiced her dirges and sonatas, and Dwight wasn’t to interrupt her. And she yelled at his father. That pretty much covered it.

“Want some milk?” Renee dunked one of the broken bits in a mug of cold coffee.

He did. But he couldn’t say it. “No. I just stopped in. I’m heading back to the office.” He did come closer for a hug, nuzzled her neck. She smelled like vanilla, familiar, comforting.

She fed him another cookie.

He unbuttoned her blouse.

She returned the favor, undid his tie, swept the jacket and shirt over his shoulders in one movement like a woman who knew what she wanted and where she could get it. Pulled the V-neck T down to kiss his chest. Stopped. “What happened here?” Her fingers rested beside the two red abrasions.

“This …” Dwight straightened, looked down like he was surprised. Because he was. “The gym. Opened the locker door and bam.” He was always so careful.

“Ow. That must have hurt.”

How did I forget? His separate lives were supposed to be vacuum sealed, away from each other, never the twain shall meet. Why did I forget?

“We need to put something on it.” Renee looked up at him.

So pretty, and plain, and loving. “No. It’s all right.” Dwight picked his shirt off the floor.

“Let me kiss it better.”

Please stop. But he’d never be able to explain.

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.