He frowned. “What does that mean?”
“What I said.”
“So that would mean you’re like every other dancer?”
“If that’s what you want to believe, that’s cool. You already called me a hoe and whatever else. Doesn’t bother me,” Remedy huffed, stuffing her first load in the washer. She dropped the detergent and softener in before hopping up on the folding table and taking the corded headphones out of her pocket. Stuffingthem in her ears, she hit her favorite playlist and watched Ernie people watch in peace.
4
“Where you at?” Tone asked through the phone pressed to Erys’ ear.
“Laundromat off a Piedmont. The one my pops used to run hoes out of,” Erys grumbled, his attention balanced between his father talking to an old drunk and Remedy folding his first load of laundry. The headphones still in her ears.
“Fuck you doing over there?” Tone asked.
“Apparently it’s laundry day. Ay, Ms. May, you ever remember her having a granddaughter?” Erys quizzed, trying to jog his memory.
“Uh, not that I can remember. You know her son runs the hospital. Married some bougie bitch from Cashmere Lakes. So if she had a granddaughter, they never had her uppity ass in the hood with niggas like us,” Tone shared.
“Well, her granddaughter has been looking after pops. And she’s definitely been around niggas like us. She got a mouth like a serpent.”
“Shorty in the red? He ain’t making no money off her?” Tone mused. “Damn, he losing his touch.”
“Not a dime. From the look of it, they’re friends. Furthermore, I don’t even know if the nigga remembers where his shit is. He’s in and out of it. He went off on me four times since last night. And she waltzes her ass in and he immediately calms down.”
“You tellin’ me her fine ass is fuckin’ yo daddy, nigga?” Tone posed. “Sound like pimpin’ to me. He got her dancing to pay the bills and she’s sliding her pussy over his face.”
The thought repulsed and pissed him off in the same token. Why it pissed him off, he had no clue. Up until last night, a woman’s disdain with him didn’t mean shit. He almost found himself apologizing to her for his behavior. That was a type of chaos he had never embarked on and was sure, at thirty-five, he didn’t have space for it.
Although coming back to Waynesville came without a plan, it was evident it was needed. Tone’s ignorant rapper nephew needed managing, his mother left him shells of businesses that needed to be handled. And then there was the matter of the house. Apparently, at some point when his father was in his right mind, he transferred the deed to his mother’s name. Now, there was a mess of court paperwork he needed to sift through. Piles of mail Ernie hadn’t opened and a very feisty woman blocking him from anything that would deter his father.
“First of all, shut the fuck up with that shit. She ain’t fuckin’ that nigga. They really are friends. Which is wild that someone like her is friends with someone like him,” Erys stated, observing how she roamed out of the laundromat in her oversized Waynesville Nursing College sweatshirt and biker shorts. She sat on the bench next to Ernie and handed him a pack of trail mix and a bottle of water. While she spoke to him, she gently held on to his wrist.
Summer hadn’t fully settled into Waynesville yet which allowed Ernie not to overheat in that ridiculous suit he wore.
“You sound possessive, nigga. And what you mean someone like her? She a stripper. You know how they get down behind old men. Watch her, the bitch might be your stepmom for real,” Tone joked.
Erys swayed his head. “Nah, I don’t think that’s her motive. I’ll figure it out though. Anyway, I saw your dumbass nephew’s text after them boys dropped my truck off. What the fuck does IBAS@9 mean? Does he know English or am I going to be left guessing all damn day?”
“I’ll be at the studio at nine. Didn’t you military niggas abbreviate everything?” Tone shot back.
“Yeah and the shit made sense. This don’t make sense. Tell him I’ll be there. I should be done riding around Thelma and Joe by then,” Erys huffed, as if the decision to drive them around wasone they forced upon him. When really, it was Erys trying to sort through all of these things happening within him.
He was searching for something and had no guide to uncovering what it was. He had unexplained heaviness resting on him. And then, when he looked at Remedy, there was a tinge of something that made his body quake. He damn near levitated the night before when her hand came into contact with his face. All of these feelings he didn’t invite in were overwhelming at best. Being angry and staying angry was easier than sorting out whatever this was
Pulling himself out of the sun, he walked over to the pair, stopping a safe distance so he wouldn’t spark another cuss out from either. Remedy didn’t look at him, only muttered, “I’m going to switch out loads. Don’t get excited,” before standing and walking back inside.
“Well, you gon’ stand there and block my view with your big ass or are you going to sit down and talk?” Ernie asked, shaking a few nuts in his hand like dice.
“You gon start the hollering shit?” Erys posed, one foot on the curb.
Ernie cut his son a look and threw the nuts into his mouth. “You keep your hands off of my shit and we won’t have no issues.”
Erys conceded and sat down.
“Who told you it was okay to steal? I know it wasn’t your momma. Her ass too timid for that.”
The fact Ernie was still talking about Cherie in the present tense proved he wasn’t playing being crazy. His mind was leaving him and dare Erys say, it hurt to witness. Especially when Ernie was one of the sharpest men he knew. It was a characteristic he shared that made him as lethal as he was.
