Fixin’ Tyrone (13 page)

“No,” Mia said with a smile.

“Can’t fault a guy for asking.”

“No, I guess there’s no harm in asking.”

* * *

Mia was as chipper as the kids when they left the museum.

But when she got home, she was a little irked her sister’s car was not in the driveway. Mia was pressed for time, but managed to prepare a wholesome tuna casserole dinner in only forty minutes. She was getting dressed for her date with Eric when Crystal rushed into her room, catching Mia in only her bra and panties.

“What is it, girl? I’m in a hurry.”

“Hey, you said you wanted to meet Sydney today, right?”

“Oh yeah. I forgot. Well, I’m going to have to meet him another time. I’m on my way out the door. I fixed dinner. Can you serve the kids for me?”

“Okay. But you can still meet Sydney today.”

“I said I don’t have time.”

“He’s already here,” Crystal said. She stood in the doorway grinning, with her hands behind her back. She wore a pair of denim Capris that would only fit over her ass if she tugged on them while lying down. Her little pink T-shirt was just as tight. She was busting out in so many places, you didn’t know whether to ogle her breasts, hips, or those shapely thighs. Mia didn’t even bother chastising her because this was typical attire for Crystal whenever a boy was around.

“He’s
here
? Where?”

“In the living room.”

Mia sighed. “Okay. I’ll go say, ‘Hi,’ when I get dressed.”

“Okay,” Crystal said. “I’ll keep him company ’til then.”

“I bet you will.”

“You said he can stay while you’re gone, right?”

“Not all night.”

“I know. Just till ten, or eleven . . . twelve . . .”

“
Ten
,” Mia said. “And that’s
only
if I like him.”

“You’ll like him,” Crystal promised.

“All right. Get out of here so I can get dressed.”

“Your booty’s getting a little bigger,” Crystal noted before she walked out. Mia didn’t think that was the case, but she checked in her bathroom mirror anyway.

It wasn’t.

* * *

For her evening with Eric, Mia wore a dark blue dress that was both sexy and comfortable. She felt like she was walking through a field of silk. The gown was sheer chiffon, with an empire waist of smooth satin. The pleats were soft and flowing like a moonlit beach.

She stepped into her favorite Manolo sandals and clasped a diamond-studded tennis bracelet around her wrist. The bracelet matched her earrings, and her earrings matched her pendant. She spritzed Burberry on her neck and chest, and the transformation was complete.

Mia stood before her full-length mirror, put a hand on her hip, and cocked her head to the side.
Damn
, she looked good. Eric would be putty in her hands. Tyrone would say she looked like a princess, but Mia didn’t know why that thought crossed her mind.

She passed through the dining room on the way out. The kids were seated and eating and arguing as usual. She broke them up and gave them each a kiss good bye. Everything was going perfectly until Mia got to the living room where Crystal and her new boyfriend waited. Before Sydney even had a chance to open his mouth, Mia decided she didn’t care for the boy.

Not at all.

First off, Sydney slouched on Mia’s $2,300 sofa like he was at home. He had one hand in his lap—
palm down—
and the other one—
oh, no he didn’t
—on Crystal’s thigh. And he had
gold
and
platinum
and
diamonds
everywhere. All of that bling would cost $50,000 or more if it was real, but from halfway across the room Mia could see most of it, if not all, was cheap and tawdry.

So right away she knew he was a liar. And he was boorish, horny, and disrespectful.

“Dang, Crystal. This yo sister? Y’all
both
look good!”

We’ll add stupid to that list.

Before she spoke, Mia took a moment to remind herself that she was not Crystal’s mother. Crystal was twenty-one, old enough to make her own choices about whom she chose to be with. Mia reminded herself that she too had an unhealthy obsession with thug-types when she was Crystal’s age. Mia considered these things in just half a second. She walked into the room without missing a beat, and there was a nice, big smile on her face. No one could tell she felt like vomiting.

“Hi. I’m Mia.” She stuck out her hand, figuring he’d at least straighten up in the seat to shake it.

“What’s up, girl. I’m Sydney. They call me
Detroit
.”

He shook her hand without standing up, a major faux pas as far as Mia was concerned, but she didn’t feel like giving him an etiquette lesson. She didn’t want to talk to him at all and really didn’t even want him in the house, but Crystal sat next to him smiling ear to ear.

Sydney, a.k.a. “Detroit,” was dark-skinned with low eyes and short hair. He had big diamonds in his ears, bracelet, and necklace, but, surprisingly, none in his mouth.

“I hear you’re a rapper,” Mia said, her smile still painted on.

“Yeah,” Sydney said. “I got a demo out to some people right now, but I’m already in the studio working on my second album. Gotta stay on the grind, you know? I got my demo in the car. You wanna hear it?” He leaned forward, about to get up for the first time.

“No,” Mia said. “I really don’t listen to a lot of rap. You can leave it with Crystal. I’ll check it out when I get back.”

“Cool,” Sydney said. “
Righteous
.”

Righteous? Where did this clown think he was? New York, 1965?

“Right,” Mia said. “Righteous. Well, I have to go. It was nice meeting you.”

“Yeah. You, too. You got a pretty house. It’s
nice
.”

The way he said
nice
made Mia think that in addition to rap, Sydney might do a few cat-burglaries on the side.

“Crystal, can you walk me outside?”

Crystal did as she was told.

* * *

Mia took a few steps towards her beautifully landscaped lawn, then turned and stared at her sister.

“Okay. What’s wrong with him?” Crystal asked.

“I didn’t say anything was wrong with him.”

“I see that look. You don’t like him. You don’t like
nobody
I go with.”

Mia sighed. “Tell me what
you
like about him.”

Crystal shrugged. “He’s cool. He can rap. He wrote a poem for me. It was
romantic
.” Crystal beamed, but Mia was still waiting to hear the good part.

“He’s
fine
. He got a nice car,” Crystal went on.

Mia looked over at the Cutlass sitting on the street. It didn’t even have a paint job. Someone had sanded it down and left a gray primer, but Lord knows how long ago that was. The bucket was sitting on chrome, twenty-inch rims, however, and Mia guessed that was what caught her sister’s eye.

“He’s gonna get it painted,” Crystal said. “It looks good on the inside.”

“He didn’t stand up when he shook my hand,” Mia said.

“Everybody ain’t all proper like you.”

“When I walked in, he had one hand on his
dick
and the other on your thigh.”

“He wasn’t rubbin’ on me or nothin’. We was just sitting there. What’s wrong with that?”

“He’s got on more fake jewelry than TC had when he dressed up like a pirate last Halloween.”

“How you know it’s not real?”

Mia shook her head in exasperation.

Crystal’s face fell. She crossed her arms and poked out her lip.

“So he can’t stay for a while? You want him to leave?”

“Yes, I want him to leave,” Mia said. “I want him away from my house and away from my children and as far away from you as possible. But I’m not gonna run your life. I don’t like him. That’s my opinion. You feel differently, so you’re going to have to figure him out on your own. I bumped my head with Tyrone
and
Mica’s daddy. I can tell you right now you’re bumping your head with that fool, but that’s something you’re going to have to see for yourself. If I tell you to stop seeing him, you’ll just want him more.”

Crystal’s smile was back. “So he can stay?”

“Yes, but tell him to keep his hands to himself. Don’t let him walk around my house. I don’t want him hanging around my kids. If they come in the living room with y’all, send them to their room.

“Seriously
. I’m going to ask the kids when I get home. And if anything comes up missing, I’ll hire some big, ugly niggas to beat him with metal pipes.”

“
Dang
,” Crystal said. “You’re going a little overboard, aren’t you?”

“For
his
sake, I hope I am,” Mia said. “But I’m serious.”

“All right. You look nice tonight, by the way. Where’s Eric taking you?”

Thinking about Eric distracted Mia from the hate she was developing for Crystal’s boyfriend. She smiled. “I don’t know. He said it was a surprise.”

* * *

Mia’s magical evening began when Eric answered his door. He wore a dark blue three-piece suit with a vest. The pants and coat were pinstriped, his collar shirt was solid black, and his tie was blue with black stripes. There was a black handkerchief neatly folded in his breast pocket, and he wore a black fedora with a small, blue feather in the band.

As awed as Mia was, Eric was equally taken aback.

“Miss Clemmons, you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

“You look very handsome yourself,” Mia said. “I know
that
didn’t come from the Men’s Wearhouse.”

Eric chuckled. “No. It didn’t. But you shouldn’t be so critical. I shop at the Wearhouse all the time, and they have a lot of nice—”

“Shut up and kiss me,” Mia said.

“I’d be much obliged.” Eric removed his hat and pulled her close.

Crystal’s boyfriend could learn a lot from this guy
, Mia thought, but then their lips mingled and she forgot what she was thinking about.

“Where are you taking me?” she asked.

“It’s a surprise.”

“You’re going to have to tell me sooner or later. I don’t do blindfolds.”

“That’s okay. By the time we get there, you’ll be surprised anyway.”

And he was right.

When Eric got on the interstate, Mia thought he was headed towards one of the fancy restaurants downtown, but he kept going. He passed through Crowley, Forest Hill, and a few more suburbs. When he left the city limits, Mia shot him a few glances, but Eric just smiled.

They were headed towards the fair city of Arlington. Mia didn’t think there was anything there that would warrant all this secrecy, and she was right. Eric stayed on the freeway and soon that city was in the rearview mirror as well.

By the time they got to Dallas, Mia had stopped trying to guess. She thought they might shoot past this metropolis also, but Eric merged to the right lane and took an exit. Ten minutes later they pulled up to a lavish building known as the Ritz Carlton, and Mia had to put a hand over her mouth to stop from squealing.

Eric looked over at her and grinned. “Surprise.”

“This place is amazing,” she said.

“You’ve been here?”

“No, but I had a girlfriend who was going to have her wedding here. We researched it on the Internet. I still remember a lot of the pictures.”

“Well, let’s go make some
real
memories,” Eric said. He got out, gave the valet his keys, and then he went to open Mia’s door for her. He helped her out of the car, kissed her again, and they walked in arm-in-arm.

The hotel’s foyer was as exquisite as Mia remembered from the Internet, but Eric was right; everything was more beautiful in person. There were marble floors, chandeliers, and expensive vases with floral arrangements so exotic they looked otherworldly. There were gold and brass motifs and a bar made of honey-colored onyx. Everything glowed. Mia felt like Cinderella as she traipsed down the hallway.

Eric lead her into the dining area, where a handsome maître d’ seated them in a booth next to a huge window that overlooked the Dallas skyline. Everything on the menu looked superb. Mia had honey, soy-glazed wild salmon, tempura herbs, and miso clam broth. Eric had prime-cut rib eye with cauliflower, twice-baked potatoes, and crispy asparagus.

They drank wine and enjoyed themselves for more than an hour after their waiter took their plates away. Mia thought things couldn’t get better, but Eric had one more surprise for her. When they left the dining room, he took her to the elevators instead of the exit. They went up eighteen floors and stepped out into an elegant hallway.