Free Agent (7 page)

Although Uncle hadn’t really said much, what he said agitated Jack. Kari was staring at Uncle. She was friggin’ nervous as hell. It was friggin’ funny seeing a black woman turn white. 

Jack looked nervous and goofy
. “Me and Kari are solid. I love her enough to prove it.” Now this clown was taking jabs at my Uncle.

“Really?”
Uncle Mason grinned.

“Really, I had the balls to leave my wife for the woman I love. Some of us are all talk and no a
ction.” This asshole is on some Chicago Bennie the bullshit. My Uncle could knock him out with one punch.

I started silently counting to myself. Counting off how long it would take for Uncle Mason to put the smackdown on surf and turf. 

There was no punch, no violence at all. There was just this weird old man stare-down. I don’t know what Uncle was thinking but I was thinking that he was getting more and more heated by the minute. I knew that look in his eyes. I said some vulgar words in the presence Grandma Rizza once at Thanksgiving dinner. It was when I was fourteen. Uncle Mason grabbed me by my neck, took me in the backyard and gut punched me. I flew down to my knees and it took me friggin’ ten minutes to get back on my feet. 

“Uncle Mace, it’s time we jet.”
I just saved this Jack character from a little Italy smackdown. Uncle would have definitely rearranged his pretty face if he had said another word. All three of them were in some zombie trance until I spoke.

Uncle Mason smirked. He was back to normal
. He looked over at terrified Kari. “Nice to see you again Kari.” Uncle purposely turned to Jack. “And Jack it’s always a pleasure.”

Uncle Mason strolled away like a true pimp.
He didn’t even have to slap any hoes. I followed him out to his Range Rover. He was real quiet and I knew to keep my trap shut. Kari had rattled my uncle’s swag. He was still swagtastic for an old dude but she was holding on to a good thirty percent of it.

Uncle dropped me off at home after writing me a check. He didn’t have any more speeches left in him. He just handed over the check and waited for me to get out. I kind of felt bad but I didn’t know what to say.

The next morning I woke up elated. I had the funds to get rid of Selena, aka clingy, hashtag goofy, at rat groupie dotcom. Why are girls trying to have my baby? I’m a handsome guy but geez. I’m a pimp. I’m not boyfriend material. Nobody can lock me down. Well Deja could but she’s running in the opposite direction.

I had two goals for today, make this termination of pregnancy appointment and cash the check Uncle Mason gave me. I wished I cared more but girls with low self-esteem were a complete turn off. I’m not Dr. Phil. Whatever daddy issues these girls have are not my business.

Uncle Mason didn’t say anything about me having to pay him back. If I would have asked Uncle Mike he would have blabbed it to everybody in the family. His wife Melissa holds the purse strings. I can barely get five dollars out of him for a number one on the McDonald’s lunch menu. I got to the office at ten. Mike was already there. He opened up the place most times. Uncle Mike was sitting behind the desk probably working. I grabbed a chair and took a spot next to him.

He wasn’t working. He was playing internet poker on the iPad. I joined in the fun. Ten minutes later Uncle Mason walked in. Shit I’m glad I got to work before he did. I looked up at Uncle and I could see he was in a mood.

“I hope you guys are n
ot playing poker on my time.” He barked. Dude obviously woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

“No way DeNiro. We
’re looking at porn.” I joked. But Uncle Mace didn’t think it was funny. He paused and just glared at me.

“Uncle, I’m just kidding. Marcus uploaded the pictures of the house on Cottonwood. Uncle Mike just sent them to your email.”
Uncle Mike had changed the iPad screen to work stuff.

“What is taking so long? I thought you only had to put
the roof up.” Uncle Mason yapped.

“It’s happening as we speak. Marcus said it would be finished by today or tomorrow the latest.”
I offered.

Uncle nodded and took a few steps toward the back room.

“Uncle Mason, are you okay?” I don’t know why I asked I knew he wasn’t.

“What?’ He barked
. Mike didn’t bother to join the conversation or even look at his brother.

“You seem a little
on edge.”

“Mind your own fucking business. Get your ass over to Cottonwood.”

“Uncle, why you gotta be such a friggin’
stronzo
to me. I’m your favorite nephew.”

“Fuck you. Do your job.” Uncle Mason dashed off
to the backroom. Mike and I went back to our internet poker game.

It wasn’t quiet for long. While we were engrossed in the game we heard shouting coming from the back room. Clearly Uncle Mason hadn’t shut the door.

All we could make out was Uncle yelling. “Come here! Now!” … “Kari Lynn, fucking Fenderson, I swear to fucking Christ you better get your ass over here right now!”

He’s pissed.

“What the fuck was that all about?” Mike said out loud but wasn’t really asking me although I knew what was up.

“Uncle and I went to Bar Louie last night and we ran into Kari and this other guy. They were all warm a cozy.”

“Jack.” Uncle knew the dude.

“I couldn’t believe my friggin’ eyes when we rolled up on
her and her boyfriend.” Mike was listening intently. “I’m thinking we’re gonna cruise on by but her friggin’ boyfriend stops us and starts yapping. I thought Uncle was gonna clock him but he played it real cool. He was like friggin’ DeNiro. He was cold stone chilling when that motherfucker was talkin’ shit.”

“That’s great RJ. I’m glad you got a kick out of Mason’s soap opera life. I for one am tired of it.”

“You think Kari is going to come here after Uncle yelled at her?” I was curious. Maybe Uncle Mike knew all about their affair and this other guy named Jack.

“A normal woman wouldn’t but Kari and Mason are not normal. She calls, he comes. He calls, she comes.”

“I heard her come.” I couldn’t hold in my laugh. “She’s a screamer.”

“Stay away from Kari. I don’t want you to end up in Lake Michigan swimming with the fishes.”
Uncle Mike joked.

I stopped laughing and noticed Uncle Mason leering at us
. “Uncle Mason, you okay? You were kind of loud in there.” I asked trying to hold in my snicker. This old people drama is funny as shit.

Damn, Uncle is really pissed. He didn’t say anything to me he just sauntered off and into the backroom. This time he closed the door behind him.

It only took a few minutes for Hurricane Kari to come storming into the office. She blew pass us without a glance. She was ghost and I couldn’t help but to have my mouth wide open.

Of course we could hear
a few muffled sounds coming for the backroom but we couldn’t make out any real words. Everything got quiet after a while and there were no gunshots or crashing noises so I figured they made up.

The work day went fairly fast and Kari never came out the backroom. I left the office before she did. Those two were a strange duo. The weird thing is I think Uncle Mason may really, truly, deeply love Kari. I have had feelings for girls but love… never.

CHAPTER 5

I had another date with Deja. The more we went out the more she became comfortable with me. I hoped she didn’t bring up her virginity. It was nice being with her without that invisible pressure. I wanted her. I really wanted to slide my cock into home plate. But her company was nice. Being with her made me think that maybe relationships could be more than the power struggles I was accustomed to. 

After going home and getting cleaned up, I picked Deja up from her house. She came out dressed in a long yellow body hugging dress. Not the nerdy gear I had grown used to.

She hopped in my ride and shut the door.

“Hey.” Damn her dimple is so cute.

“Hey, you look nice.”

“Thanks.” 

“Where do you want to go?”

“I don’t know.”

I pulled off the curb with no particular destination.  “You hungry?”

“No, not really.”

“I know a place we can go. It’s a surprise.”

“You have a surprise for me?”

“Yep.” I looked over at Deja and smiled.

“This surprise doesn’t have a scrotum connected to it?”

What the fuck? “No, please stop obsessing about my penis parts.”

Deja raised an eyebrow. “You’re so funny.”

“I know. The surprise is PG. I know you’ll love it. How was school?”

“It was school. I’m just doing my time.”

“Did you go to college?”

“No only on Tuesdays and Thursdays.”

I knew this already. I remembered everything she ever told me but I loved to hear her talk and I wanted her to know I was interested in everything about her. This wasn’t a game to me. I was really into her. Deja already had enough credits to graduate high school. She even had college credits. Deja was special. She was going to be a good wife to some doctor or lawyer.

We talked about the horrific murders of children and teens that were plaguing the streets of Chicago. Deja talked about the War in Iraq. She was knowledgeable on some many topics that she made you smarter. You had to retain a bit of her knowledge. She talked with confidence. She talked like a woman, not a girl, definitely not a virgin. She talked and I chimed in from time to time.

Soon I reached my destination. We pulled into the parking lot of the Barnes and Noble Bookstore at the Bolingcreek mall. I turned the car off.

“We’re going on a date at a bookstore?”

“Yes babe, I know how you love books. I’m trying to impress you. I’m may be dumb but I actually know where the bookstore is located.” We both unbuckled our seatbelts.

“I’m impressed. RJ you’re not dumb. Don’t ever say that to me again.” She was smiling at first and then her face was absolutely serious. “RJ, did you hear me?”

“Yes I hear you.”

“Different people have different smarts. Some things you can’t learn in books. Some things you have to experience for yourself. I know you have experienced a lot… Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know. Like, I don’t know.”

“Do I look funny?” I asked.

“No, you look--”

“Sexy?” I cut into her words.

“Ah no.”

“Handsome?”

“Ah no.”

“Horny?”

“No.”

“Well you’re terrible at reading people. I’m sexy, handsome and horny all day every day. Good thing you’re going to be a cardiologist and not a psychologist.”

“RJ, I have a question for you.” Deja turned her entire body toward me. I might be in trouble.

“What’s up?” I turned to face her in the minimal space of my Mustang.

“Why haven’t you tried to kiss me?”

Shit. I don’t have an answer to that question. Why haven’t I made a move? “Ah, I didn’t think about it.”

“You didn’t think about kissing me?”

“No, I thought about it but I didn’t want to scare you off.”

“How the hell can you scare me off with a kiss?”

“I don’t know. Do you want me to kiss you?”

“I don’t know. Seems like if you wanted to, you would have by now.”

“I have always wanted to.” I want to kiss your entire body. “I thought maybe we should be going together first before I made a move. You never said you would be my girlfriend.”

“We see each other every day. It’s like we’re a couple.”

“Seems like we are a couple.” I shrugged.

“Yeah, it seems that way.” Her eyes darted away and then back to me.

“So then I guess we are going out. You’re my woman.”

“You’re my boyfriend.”

“Man.”

Deja laughed. “Yeah you are a man. I forget.”

“I understand.” If I fucked you, you would remember I’m a man. There would be no question about my manhood. I smiled on the inside and it trickled out to my outsides.

“Why are you smiling?”

“You’re my girlfriend. That makes me smile.”

“What do you want to do, hold hands, skip and do somersaults and cartwheels?” That was sassy-mouthed sarcasm Deja style. 

“I want to--” I cut into my own words and pressed my mouth into Deja’s. I grabbed the back of her head and pulled her in before she could protest. I pushed my way past her lips and into her mouth. Her tongue tastes like strawberry bubblegum.

The kiss took Deja by surprise and it took her a few seconds to kiss me back. But man when she kissed me back my cock jumped to attention. Fucking A, B and C. Deja kissed me to an erection. This can’t happen on a regular basis.

I raked my hand up the nape of her neck and buried my hands in her hair. We were making out like we had invented the lip lock. We stopped when we needed to breathe through our mouths. Deja was a good kisser. She was better at it than me. How is that possible?