June 7, 2008 Part I
It’s Saturday night. We again say goodbye to his parents and are outside getting ready to go. I can tell he has something on his mind. I keep asking him what’s up. He tells me that he really needs to bring the truck and trailer back home, but doesn’t want to leave the SUV at his parents again.
I say "Why can’t I just drive the SUV home?” He looks sort of uncomfortable. I’m thinking to myself, “What? Does he think Texas driver’s license aren't good in South Carolina?” He finally tells me that would mean we would have to be in separate cars. “Okay” I say, “It’s only 20 minutes. We can talk on the cell phones"
Why am I shocked when he says “You would do that for me?” Ladies what kind of women has this man been dealing with? I know men that would have suggested I drive the SUV home and then walk back and get the tractor and trailer. Well…I use to know some people who use to know someone like that.
So he spends the next 10-15 minutes showing me where the brakes are and how to turn on the lights and how the door locks work, and how to adjust the seat, and here’s how you adjust the mirrors, and then this and then that. I finally stop him and say, “Baby…stop. Its okay, I got it, it’s a Montero not a space ship.” He gives me that look, like you gone get it when you get home.
Could I ever tell this man I have driven at speeds up to a 110 miles per hour in a chase because the suspect had possession of contraband used during a controlled delivery? Somehow I just don’t think he would ever understand that part of me. I can only imagine telling this to his mom and dad. Ooooweeee!! Oh the questions that would be a coming.
So off we go, winding through dark hills of South Carolina roadway. This is a really pretty area in the day time. But dang why is it so dark at night? It’s like it was getting extra darker and extra blacker. I sound like the Boondocks. Hehehe. I mean at one point the only thing I could see were his tail lights. If he had made a sharp turn and switched off his lights, I would have been lost like a mug. Why do I even think like that?
He’s 8 feet in front of me on the cell phone talking about “Do you still see me?” and “I’m getting ready to slow down” and “It’s a stop sign right here” and “Baby do you still see me?” and “Make sure you’re behind me.” There was no way for me to get lost. I don’t know why he didn’t just hitch the Montero to the trailer. Then I could have chilled and looked out the window at the….dark.
So we finally get home…well back to his house. He parks the truck and trailer. I stay in the SUV. We’ve decided to drive around some more. Look at some more darkness. Okay it wasn’t that bad. We wind up at an IHOP. I like IHOP because they give you your own carafe of coffee to keep at the table. I hate waiting for the waiter when my coffee cup is empty.
When the waitress comes over we are ready to order. He’s having an omelet, hash browns, grits and bacon with an ice water. I order the Tilapia, with corn and broccoli and an ice tea. He tells the waitress, to be sure to bring lots of lemons.
I laugh to myself thinking about how once upon a time my play sister and I would go out to eat. Now she had a bunch of kids. A bunch of kids, like her own kindergarten. So every time we went to a restaurant she would order everyone glasses of water and tell the waitress to bring extra lemon. She would carefully squeeze the lemons into each glass of water and after adding the restaurants sugar; she would reach into her purse and pull out packets of Kool-Aid. Then she would look over the tops of her glasses like a school marm and ask her kids which flavor would they like, cherry or grape. This would crack me up.
I smile as I remember my friend. He looks at me curiously and says “what are you over there smiling about?” “Just an old friend” I answer. “We were like sisters and she passed away”. “Tell me about her” he says. But before I can get started, the waitress returns with our drinks.
She pours me a cup of coffee and passes it to me. Hmmmm…it’s nice and hot. I put both my palms around the coffee cup to warm me up. He squeezes the lemons into his water. He begins to talk about his company and then without missing a beat he says “pass me the sugar.” I gulp on the coffee…what? He thinks I didn’t hear him so a little louder he repeats with a face so straight “The sugar, I said PASS me the SUGAR"
I don’t want him to ask any louder so I quickly slide the sugar container in his direction while looking the other way. Is he really going to make bootleg lemonade? Oh God please no. Not only does he make it, he…he…asks… me… if …I want him to make me some too. I’m almost chewing my lip off to keep from rolling on the floor. “No thanks”...I stammer… “I.. got…coffee”. Should I have just asked for a cup of boiling hot water and brought my own coffee beans?
I‘m about to bust a stitch. He is looking so serious like there is an exact amount of sugar and a special way to stir it to get it just right. I am dying. I cannot hold it… I am not going to be able to keep from busting out laughing in his face. “My bad” he says suddenly, “let me go wash my hands” Thank you Jesus. I am laughing my *** off. People are looking at me and I cannot help it.
Just as I manage get control of myself, I see him walking back. As I look around I realize he ain’t the only one drinking this "homemade cloudy water sugar packet lemonade". On at least 4 tables, they are drinking what looked like the same stuff with 99 and 50 open sugar packets next to their glasses. Where am I? In the C-O-U-N-T-R-Y
The waitress brings our dinner and leaves. He reaches for my hands and we bow our heads. He says grace. He’s still holding my hands and hasn’t said Amen. I know I can’t eat before the Amen part. And I didn’t eat any of that dang popcorn, so a sistah is hungry as a hostage right about now.
So I crack my eyes open a bit. He’s over there with his eyes still closed speaking oh so softly. I sort of look to the left and right. Finally he gives my hands a hearty squeeze and says “So I thank you father, I do. Amen” I couldn’t resist. “So…what was that all about?” He begins putting salt and pepper on his food and ignores me. I take a bite of my Tilapia, and with the fork still poised in the air I say to him “What? You telling God on me, cause remember, you did it too?” I’m so serious.
He sort of smiles and laughs. “Nah, that ain't none of your business, now. That’s between me and the Man, you just be at the church on time”. He begins to eat. I glance down and then back up at him chewing on that damn omlete getting ready to drink that bootleg lemonade. I guess I just got told to “hush my mouth” like grown folks used to sush little kids. I have nothing else to say. I just look at my plate. I watch him slowly chew. He got some sexy *** lips. He may have a little bit a game to go with them sexy lips though.