A Good Man (25 page)

A snake in front, and a dragon down below, Sonya thought. Yep. That fits my daughter perfectly.

Kim sighed. “Then there was this sailor …”

Terrific. While I was worrying about her, she was having a hookup. “Did he have a name?”

“No,” Kim said dreamily. “No names. That’s what he said.”

Lord, when will she wise up?

“We met at the tattoo parlor.”

And I’m sure it was love at first injection.

“We compared tattoos all night.” She rolled off the bed. “I got the coolest bikini, too.” She went to her suitcase, opened it, and took out a lime green bikini. “Isn’t it nice?”

Where’s the fabric? It’s practically see-through! The Crew will easily see where the dragon ends! “You can’t wear that down at the pool.”

Kim modeled the bikini top in front of the mirror. “Why not? Someone around here has to show a little skin. It’ll be good for the ratings.”

And her ego. “And they’ll have to fuzz out your … your stuff.”

“Maybe they won’t.”

My daughter, the exhibitionist. “They’ll have to, Kim.”

“Shani, Jazz,” Kim said. “I am Shani, and I’m beautiful, aren’t I?”

“Yes, you’re gorgeous, but there’s something called good taste.”

Kim giggled. “There is?”

Is this child still a little drunk? “You been drinking?”

Kim nodded. “I’m almost sober. I could use some sleep. Mind if I use your bed?”

“No.”

Kim slipped under the covers.

“You sleep with the wig on?”

Kim nodded.

“Isn’t it uncomfortable?”

Kim shook her head. “I like the way it feels on my skin.”

She’s almost asleep already! “Do you want to hear about my date with Aaron before you doze off?”

“I can tell already that it sucked.” Kim turned away from Sonya. “If it was great, you would have told me about it already.”

“It was as if I weren’t even there, Kim.” Hmm. Like now with Kim. “Aaron flexed in front of the camera. He smiled for the camera. He talked to the camera. He kissed up to the camera. If he could have, he would have made out with the camera.”

“That wouldn’t have been in good taste.”

“Right.”

“Yeah, a camera probably tastes all metallic.” Kim giggled.

I’m talking to myself. “Aaron only interacted with me if they were doing a close-up on him. I wish I could dump him tonight.”

Kim turned and blinked at Sonya. “Oh, yeah. You have to get rid of someone tonight. That could be fun.”

“Dumping someone is not a fun thing to do.”

Kim rolled over onto her back. “It can be. I mean, once you get used to doing it, it’s not so bad. Kind of liberating, actually. Frees you for the hunt.”

She loves ’em and she leaves ’em. “I’m supposed to dump either Justin or John.”

“Who’s John?” Kim asked.

Oh, yeah. Oops. “That’s Arthur’s real name.”

“How do you know his real name?”

“He told me his real name.”

“Why’d he tell you his real name, Sonya?”

Is there an echo in here? “John is an honest man.”

“He just … busted out and told you his real name.”

“Yep.”

Kim seemed to ponder that for a few moments. “You’re the most honest person I know, so …” Her mouth dropped open. “What’d you tell him?”

Is she sobering up? I can’t tell. “Not much. He already figured out who I really am.”

“What?”

She’s getting louder. Yep, she’s sobering up.

“You didn’t tell him everything, did you?” Kim asked.

“He knows I’m older and that I played ball. He remembered seeing me in the Olympics.”

Kim sat up straight against the headboard. “You have to get rid of him, then.”

“Why?”

“He’ll blab it to the others, and they’ll want to get off the show.”

John wouldn’t do that. “How do you know they’ll want to leave?”

“When they find out that you’re old enough to be their mama, they’re gone, Sonya.”

“Thanks for reminding me that I’m old.”

“You are.” Kim sighed. “And Arthur or John—if that’s even his real name. He might be scamming you, Sonya. He’s bound to tell your business sooner or later.”

“He’s not that kind of man.”

“Oh, you’ve known so many men that you can trust the first white man who comes along.”

Hmm. My snake-and dragon-tattooed daughter is spitting venom and fire today. “You have a problem with his color?”

Kim looked away. “I’ve gone out with white guys, Sonya. Geez. I don’t have a problem with his color. But they all seemed to have ulterior motives. I mean, he’s the only white guy on the show. I’m sure he has some weird reason to be here.”

Yeah, he came to find a wife; an honorable motive, but I can’t tell her that yet. “Well, if he wanted to bust me out he would have done it already, right?”

“Come on, Sonya. Use your head. He might be saving the information for another time. I’ll bet he’s just waiting for the right moment to bust out with your business. You need to dump him tonight.”

Not a chance. “I am not dumping him tonight.”

“You’ll regret it.”

“I like him, so he’s staying.”

Kim scowled. “You like any man who talks to you.”

True. “I also like any man who listens to me.”

Kim shook her head. “Whatever.” She slid down the headboard and pounded a pillow. “Like you ever have anything to say anyway.” She buried her head in the pillow.

And now I’m losing her. “You never told me who you thought was gay.”

Kim rolled her eyes. “Timbo and Boogie are gay.”

Who are they? Those can’t be their real names. “How do you know?”

Kim rolled over to stare at Sonya. “It’s a look they have, okay? It’s a way they move, the way they look at the other guys, a way they look at each other, a way they didn’t look at me a few minutes ago.”

Oh, that had to hurt your self-esteem, Miss Hoochie. “They might be, what’s the term? Metrosexual.”

“They’re gay, Sonya. They’re only on this show to brag later about how they crashed a hetero show. They’ll get gigs on Logo for sure.”

“You might be wrong.”

“As if you’d know.”

Well … she is right about that. “I hardly know some of these guys because they don’t talk to me at all. That leaves me to base my decision on the ones I can talk to.”

“Talking.”

“Yes, talking. Conversing, back-and-forth communication. Talking. With our clothes on.”

Kim rolled her eyes. “Whoopee.”

“So far I know I can talk to John, and Tony, Gary, and Justin.”

“Figures,” Kim grumbled. “You can talk to Wider Wesley, the Tiger, and Jumbo.”

“Huh?”

“I nicknamed all of them to help me remember who they are,” Kim said. “Gary is a wider version of Wesley Snipes so he’s Wider Wesley.”

Gary kind of, um, is, only without the little gap in his teeth. “Who’s the Tiger?”

“Tony. He’s Creole or a Cajun from Louisiana. You know, the LSU Tigers?” Kim smiled. “He seems like a tiger, too, like he’s constantly on the prowl.”

Tony on the prowl? He has manners! “And Justin is Jumbo, huh? I don’t need an explanation there. Do you have a nickname for John?”

“No, he’s just the white guy. I could call him OWG. Old white guy. How old is he really?”

Should I tell her? Can’t hurt. “He’s my age.”

Kim laughed. “Yeah, he’s scamming you. He can’t be more than twenty-eight. I’ll bet he puts gray in his hair every morning.”

Now that is ridiculous. Sonya sighed. “It’s real gray hair. You can’t fake gray hair.”

“You’d be surprised what some men will do to get with you.” Kim rolled onto her stomach. “So, who are you going to dump tonight?”

Sonya sighed. “I’m supposed to dump either John or Justin because they came in last in the challenge, but they’re both very sweet men, and I don’t want either one of them to go.”

“Boot them both, then,” Kim said.

“But I can talk to them, Kim. They’re good people.”

“So?”

“The world needs more good people. I need good people around me.”

“And you asked me to come here sooner?”

Funny. “You’re good people, too, Kim. You just need to let more of that goodness out.”

“My name is Shani,” Kim said. “Please use it.”

“Yes, Kim.” She hasn’t earned that magical name yet.

Kim turned on her side. “Well, what are the rules of this game anyway?”

“I’m supposed to send a punk packing every week.”

“Your text told me you might dump seven.”

“I can’t do that.” Can I? “The producers won’t let me, and that would shorten the show by almost two months.”

“Won’t the elimination be live?” Kim asked.

“Yes.”

“So who’ll be able to stop you from doing that on a live broadcast?”

No one. Hmm. “But I’m supposed to weed from the bottom up. That’s what’s expected on these shows.”

“So do the unexpected,” Kim said. “Simplify your life. Isn’t that what you preach at me sometimes?”

Not enough, evidently. “Have you simplified your life?”

“I did a few days ago. I skipped Tijuana to stay in San Diego another day.”

“Because of a navy man.”

Kim shrugged. “So I like a tattooed man in uniform. I like him better out of uniform. And just about everything he had to offer me was tattooed, even his—”

“Spare me the details, Kim,” Sonya interrupted. “What should I do about this elimination? If you were me, what would you do?”

“If I were you,” Kim said, “I’d put that wig back on.”

“Hush.”

“Okay, I’d get down to the ones I can actually stand and go from there. Five is manageable, I guess.” Kim rubbed her eyes. “And I’ll come out there to help you do the weeding.”

“No, that’s not a good idea.” Not tonight when you’re going to be hung over and cranky.

“But I’m already here, Sonya, and I want to help.”

She wants to help, but do I want the world to see my daughter just yet? Not really. “I have to do the first elimination on my own, Kim.”

“Suit yourself.” She slid out of bed and opened the curtain slightly. “Will I be able to see the elimination from here?”

“Yes. We’ll be out in the driveway.”

“A driveway. Wow. How glamorous and romantic. I know, I’ll stand here in the window and give you a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down.”

“You don’t even know these guys.”

“I know the type, right?” Kim said. “They’re my age. But make it easy on yourself. I say dump seven.”

“That can’t happen.”

“You were always setting records in college and in the WNBA. You had sixteen assists in a game a couple times and eleven steals in another.”

She knows about my records? And they still stand?

“Set another record tonight,” Kim said. “Give people something to talk about tomorrow morning.”

I didn’t think she cared about my career. “You know I don’t make snap decisions like that.”

“C’mon.” Kim returned to the bed and disappeared under the covers. “It’ll be fun.”

Right. Fun.

And the idea is very tempting.

And it does sound like fun.

While John packed up in nine minutes and Justin worked on loading his third suitcase with his toiletries, Aaron sauntered into their suite.

“Y’all see that nice, fine piece of hot ass out there?” Aaron asked. “That tattoo was hot! And her hair! Daa-em. Who was that?”

John had seen Sonya’s sister briefly and thought she was Sonya’s twin. “Jazz’s sister.”

“How do you know?” Aaron asked.

“They look alike,” John said. “Same eyes, same facial features, same height.” Same legs. The tattoos, though. Yowzers. “They could be twins.”

“Yeah, they could be,” Aaron said. “The sister has more tats than me. How old you think she is?”

Twins fifteen years apart? I have no clue on ages. “Mid-twenties, I guess.”

Aaron smiled. “If Jazz won’t have me, I’ll take the sister, know what I’m sayin’?”

John set his suitcase by the door. “No, Aaron, I don’t know what you’re sayin’.”

Justin hoisted a suitcase onto his bed. “She isn’t supposed to be here now, is she?”

“All I know is that Jazz has been missing her,” John said, “and today she’s here.”

“And Jazz gets what Jazz wants,” Justin said.

“Well, fellas, been nice knowin’ one of you,” Aaron said. “Gonna go down to the pool, see what I can see. Hope she goes swimming so I can see where that dragon’s tail ends, though I think I already know.”

After Aaron left, Justin shook his head. “He’s off to be seen.”

“Pride goeth before a fall,” John said.

“Yeah,” Justin said. “Maybe he’ll fall into the pool and dissolve.”

“I hope not. I like that pool.”

“Good for giving lessons, huh?”

“Yes.” And the memory of that lesson isn’t fading. I keep replaying it in my mind. Why is that? Water, the sun rising, Sonya standing on my feet …

Justin came over and shook John’s hand. “Nice knowing you, Arthur.”

“What makes you think you’re leaving? Or do you mean me? I may be gone instead of you.”

“Dog, you rubbed her feet, taught her to swim, jogged with her, cooked with her, helped her clean up the kitchen, and sat next to her in church.” Justin smiled. “I saw y’all’s knees rubbin’ together. You’re the mack daddy around here, not me.”

The daddy what? “I seriously doubt that. Justin, you make Jazz laugh. You make her smile. No woman would get rid of a man who makes her day brighter. Don’t sell yourself short.”

“But I’m tall.”

John laughed. “Yes, you are.”

“Nah, man,” Justin said. “Honeys like Jazz don’t go out with big and tall fat guys. Nah, man. I’m out.”

“Oh ye of little faith.”

“And that’s another thing, Arthur,” Justin said. “You’re righteous.”

“So are you. You didn’t have a second thought about going to church yesterday, did you?”

“No. I always go. Been goin’ since I was small.”

“You were small once?”

“I wasn’t born big.” Justin laughed. “Actually, I was. Ten pounds, nine ounces.”

Whoa. And ouch. “And you know every song.”

“I am built for gospel, all right? If I hear a song once, I can sing it. I’ll be singing back in Philly soon.”

“C’mon. Jazz also talks to you. She doesn’t even speak to the others unless she has to. She likes conversation, and you’re easy to talk to.”

“Yeah. I’ve always been good at that,” Justin said. “But she talked all day Saturday to Aaron—”