Dear Summer (5 page)

“Tommy, I want to thank you for coming out today.” “I’m glad I came.”
Angie raised her eyebrow. “Anytime you need him, he’ll come.

Dream stood and walked to a table that was behind her desk. Tommy looked at her ass again, thinking
Damn this bitch is beautiful
.
It’s too bad she has HIV.

When she kneeled to get her briefcase, he saw her stockings and he got an erection.
She popped open the briefcase and handed Tommy a brochure. The brochure had a picture of a red-headed white man. The caption read, “This man made over 1 million dollars last year for speaking.”
Tommy looked at it and looked back at Dream. “What’s this?”
“Tommy, I want to help you get paid for speaking; for sharing your experience. I made over $100,000 last year with public speaking engagements.”
“But who wants to hear my story?”
“That’s what I thought, Tommy.”
Tommy wanted to say, “
But you have HIV
.”
Angie grabbed his hands. “Tommy, I think you will be great at this.”
Dream smiled brightly. “I think you should give it a shot.”
“Baby, it’s legal money,” Angie said.
Tommy took a deep breath and wondered to himself. Could he really live off a hundred grand a year?

Tommy and Ditty followed the waitress to a booth in the back of the Outback Steakhouse. When they were seated, they both ordered lemonade. When the waitress returned with the drinks, Ditty said, “How is life treating ya, lover boy?” Ditty grinned, revealing yellowish green teeth. Tommy looked at his friend’s mouth. He had wanted to tell him several times that a visit to the dentist wouldn’t be deadly. But he could never muster up the nerve to tell his friend that his breath stunk.

Tommy met his eyes. Ditty had a smirk on his face. He was being sarcastic.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“I mean just what I said. Are you still in love with two women?”
Tommy took a deep breath and said, “Yeah.”
Ditty leaned forward and whispered. “You’re going to need to cut one of those bitches off if you want to be successful. Out here you got to be focused if you want money.”
“Nigga, I’m your boss. What the fuck are you talking about? Did you forget I got your dope-dealing ass off the street and introduced you to a new hustle?”
Ditty sipped his lemonade and almost choked. “Yeah I remember, but all I’m saying is with bitches comes responsibility, and when you have responsibility you spend money.” Ditty took another sip from the straw. There was no more lemonade in the cup, only ice. He shook the ice before pouring it into his mouth.
The waitress appeared. They both ordered the 12oz.

Strip steak with baked potato.
Ditty looked at Tommy seriously. “Tommy, I don’t think that
Summer bitch is good for you.”
“Nigga, you don’t know her.”
“I just don’t like her vibe.”
“You never like anybody.”
“It’s not that. I just realize the motherfucker’s intentions.” “How can you say that about her? You’ve never met her.” “The bitch is beautiful…I mean drop dead gorgeous. She’s a
gold digger.”
“Nigga, I’ve always had beautiful bitches.”
“You’ve always had gold diggers, too.”
Tommy thought about what Ditty had said. He didn’t particularly like what he was saying, but it wasn’t the first time he’d heard
that, and he knew if he didn’t have money and cars that he probably wouldn’t be with Summer.
“Angie ain’t no gold digger,” Tommy said.
“Yeah, and that’s why you should be with her.”
The waitress came and sat their plates down, then refilled
Ditty’s lemonade.
Tommy cut into his steak and added some A1. “Summer’s a
good person.”
“I don’t doubt it, but I just get a vibe about her.”
Tommy knew that Ditty was loyal to him and wasn’t just being
malicious, but he couldn’t let Summer go.
“Tommy, we got a good thing going. I’m just saying that you
don’t need distractions.”
“You think she’s a distraction?” He cut the steak into small
pieces then bit into one.
“Yes. She’s a distraction.”
“She loves me.”
“Did she tell you this?”
“Yeah.”
“But you love Angie, right?”
“Yeah,” he said, avoiding Ditty’s eyes.
“But you like this bitch, too.” Ditty said.
A frown appeared on Tommy’s face.
Ditty drank the rest of his refill and said, “I’m sorry, Tommy.”

ommy was on the way home, driving fast. Angie had just called him to say dinner was ready. She had cooked his favorite—baked chicken and rice. He would stop at the convenience store around the corner from the house to buy himself a Coke. He knew he would have to hurry and drink it before he got home because Angie always chastised him about sugar products. It had been easy for him to give up soft drinks and candy in prison, but in the real world the pressures made him want to do
something.
Since he wasn’t going to ever do drugs…his addiction was sugar. He figured it could be worse. At least he wasn’t smoking crack. He stopped at the store, went to the case and got a can of Coke. Just as he was about to walk up to the counter, he noticed a special on the Mr. Goodbars—two for one. He would eat one now and the other tomorrow. Just as he was about to peel the wrapper off, his phone rang. The caller ID read that it was Q. “What up, Q?”

“What? You’re lying,” Tommy said. He climbed into his car and put the candy and the drink on the passenger seat.
“Yeah, he got caught with nine ounces.”
“Soft or hard?” Tommy asked. He knew that in the drug business nine ounces of crack is a death sentence, but if it was coke, he would have another chance.
“I don’t know. I haven’t spoken to him yet.”
“Damn. That’s too bad.”
“Yeah it really is.”
“Hey, man, I will call you tomorrow. I have to go home to my lady.”
“Tommy, that ain’t all.”
“What you talking about?”
“He got bagged in the car you sold him. The police is saying the car was stolen.”
“What the fuck you mean they said the car was stolen? I’ve been stopped plenty of times and ain’t nobody ever said shit to me.”
“Tommy, they said the car was stolen. That’s what Squirt’s girl said.”
“Nigga, all our cars are stolen, but the paperwork is legit.”
“Hey, Tommy, I hope for your sake, nigga, the paperwork is legit.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean, Q? Are you threatening me? Cuz I ain’t nobody’s punk, nigga.”
“Fuck you, nigga.” Q hung up the phone.

Ditty cracked open a vanilla dutch and poured the greenery into it. This would be his second blunt for tonight. He and Tommy sat at his kitchen table. “Nigga, get you another beer from the fridge,” Ditty said.

Tommy walked over to the refrigerator and grabbed a Bud Light. He rarely smoked weed. Never had he bought it, but maybe once or twice a year he’d take a hit. He generally didn’t like the way it made him feel, but he would drink beer, especially when he was depressed. He opened his beer and sat back at the table with Ditty.

“Yeah, that nigga Q said Squirt got bagged.”
“With what?”
“Said he got caught with nine ounces of coke.”
Ditty put the blunt up to his already burnt lips and inhaled. His

“I know, but Q is trying to blame the shit on me, saying the paperwork wasn’t right.”
Ditty offered Tommy the blunt, but he refused for the third

time and Ditty puffed again before asking, “So, how you want to handle it?”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you want to go to war or what?”
“No, man. I want to find out what’s going on.”
Ditty disappeared to the back room and returned with a black golf bag.
Tommy laughed out loud. “Just cuz that weed done made you look part Asian don’t make you Tiger Woods.”
“Right. Where Tiger carry clubs in his bag, I carry tools.” He opened the bag and pulled out an AK-47 and a Tech-9 and laid the bag on the floor. “I will blow Q’s fuckin’ block off. I never liked that nigga.”
“I don’t think it’s gonna come down to that.”
Ditty held his blunt in one hand and the Tech-9 in the other. He puffed his blunt one final time. “He better hope not, because I will blow the nigga’s back out.”

Matt was wearing an extra small Abercrombie & Fitch T-shirt and ripped jeans. He held some kind of techie magazine in his hand. He and Tommy took a seat in a booth at Starbucks. Tommy started by saying, “The paperwork was fucked up on the car.”

“Impossible.”
“What do you mean, impossible?”
Matt looked Tommy straight in his eyes. He didn’t flinch and

neither did Tommy. “You know, I’ve been doing this for two years, and it’s just like I said—impossible.”
“My friend got busted with drugs in the car.”
“Not my problem,” Matt said nonchalantly and opened his magazine.
“He’s saying the car was the reason he got pulled.”
“Did he get charged with possession of a stolen vehicle?”
Tommy thought about it. Q never said Squirt had been charged with possession of a stolen vehicle. “I don’t know.”
“Find out.”
Tommy called Q from his cell. He answered on the third ring, “What?”
“Did Squirt get charged with possession of a stolen vehicle?”
“I don’t know.”
“What’s his last name? I will call downtown to see what’s going on.”
“Not giving you his last name.” Q hung up the phone.
Tommy said, “I will find out if he got charged with possession of a stolen car.”
Matt stood, folded the magazine and placed it in his pocket. “Tommy, somebody is shitting you, friend. The car wasn’t the reason your friend got busted.”
Tommy looked confused.
Matt put both hands in his pocket. “Tommy, we’ve never had this happen.”
Tommy narrowed his eyes. “So, Matt, tell me…how does the operation work?”
Matt shifted his feet back and forth, and then his eyes met Tommy’s. “Now, you know I can’t tell you that.”
“Why not?”
“Because I can’t, man. Besides, the scheme is too sophisticated.”
“Motherfucker, I spend at least $200,000 with you per month.”
Matt shrugged his shoulders. “Sorry, Tommy, but I can’t.” He extended his hand.
Tommy frowned and left Matt’s hand dangling. “Whatever, motherfucker.”

I woke up this morning thinking about you. I haven’t spoken with you in a couple of days and I called and left you a message. I was wondering if you and your girl would like to hang out with me and my boy Ditty. Some time today, let’s go get some Japanese food or something. Call me when you get the message.
From Tommy
Sent via Sprint PCS Blackberry

After Summer read the message she immediately called Tommy. He picked up on the second ring. “Hey, baby. Didn’t think you would be up.”

“Yeah, I know, but I guess that’s what I thought you’d be doing.”
“I can’t seem to get myself going today.”
“So you want to go to lunch?”
“Yeah. I’d like that. I will have to call Tonya though, to see if she wants to hang out.”
“Tell me about her.”
“Why you want to know about her?”
“My boy Ditty need a woman in his life.”
“Is he like you?”
“What do you mean?”
“You got two women in your life,” Summer said. She knew this would start an argument, but what the hell.
“I don’t have two women in my life.”
“Nigga, you know you got two women. Have you forgotten you living with a woman?”
“No. It’s not going to always be like this. So do ya’ll want to go to the restaurant or not?”
“What restaurant?”
“Kabuto’s.”
“I guess. I’ll call Tonya,” Summer said. She went into the bedroom. She pulled off her jeans and stood with her panties on. “Tommy, I want phone sex.”
“I’m driving.”
“Pull over. I got on that G-string that you like. You know, the one with the beads on it.” She lied. The truth was she had on boy shorts but she wanted phone sex and she knew this would be the only way that he would participate.
“The pink ones?”
“Yes,” she moaned.
“Baby, I can’t pull over. I have somewhere to go.”
Summer pulled her panties to the side and stroked her clitoris. “I’m stroking my clit.”
“And I’m pulling over to the side of the road.”
“I’m imagining your head between my legs,” Summer continued. She could feel the moisture arising between her legs.
“You tasting my clit. You’re licking up and down and the top of it. Did you pull over yet?”
“I’m in the Wal-Mart parking lot.”
Summer moaned. “Tommy, your fingers are going in and out my pussy while you’re tonguing my clit.”
Tommy said, “I got my hand on my dick, stroking it.”
“I turn over on my stomach and you start eating my pussy from the back.”
“I want to put it in.”
“Put it in, Daddy, put it in,” she said. She kept stroking her clit until she brought herself to an orgasm. “Thank you, Daddy.”
“What the hell…I know you didn’t cum.”
“Came hard, too. I’ll get you on the next one.”
“One o’clock at Kabuto’s.”
*****

At an eloquent little restaurant downtown, Tommy and Ditty waited on Summer and Tonya. The girls arrived fifteen minutes later. Ditty was smiling hard as hell when he met Tonya. Her jeans were gripping her ass nicely and her skin was flawless. He wanted to fuck her. She extended her hand but he asked for a hug. She smiled and complied. He held her for a long time before she pushed him and said, “Would you ease up?” She frowned.

“Bitch, you ain’t all that,” Ditty said.
“Why I gotta be a bitch?” Tonya said.
Ditty turned to Tommy. “I’m leaving, man.”
“No. Don’t leave.”
“Tommy, let the motherfucker leave. The nigga ain’t my type

anyway.”
Summer grabbed Tonya by the arm. “Come on. Chill out.” Tonya frowned. “I don’t like niggas like that. I mean, all because

I wouldn’t let him have his way with me, I’m a bitch.” A waitress appeared and led the four of them to a booth. Tonya sat on the inside of Ditty. He extended his hand. “Hey,

I’m sorry.”
Tonya smiled. “I apologize, myself.”
“Now that’s what I’m talking about,” Summer said. She was

happy that the tension was gone, but she knew Tonya, and she could tell there was no chance that Ditty was going to get any pussy.

The waitress arrived with sweet teas for everybody. Tommy and Summer played under the table. Summer had his dick out in her hand, stroking it. Tommy couldn’t believe that shit, but hey, they’d had sex in the men’s restroom before. With Summer, anything could happen at anytime. It had been only two hours since they’d had phone sex. He couldn’t believe she was still horny. He could feel himself getting aroused. He moved her hand and zipped his pants back up.