young boys until she found God and fought her way back from the gates of hell. “Skinny thing, ain’t she?”
“I think she’s cute,” said Clarence. “We’ll have to get her out on Da Beast. ”
Tyrone nodded in agreement. “You like boats, Trooper Mitry? I took Moms out one time but she won’t go again.”
“ Never again,” Chantal said emphatically. “You bounced me up and down so hard I swear I lacerated a kidney.”
“Well, I ain’t going out either if Rondell’s behind the wheel again.” Clarence mimicked a bug-eyed Rondell gripping a steering wheel tightly in the ten until two position, swiveling sharply left, right, left, whipping his hands back and forth spasmodically. “He almost flipped us, I swear.”
“I was merely familiarizing myself with the boat’s handling capabilities,” little Rondell said defensively.
“You was merely freaking out!” Clarence laughed.
Des heard footsteps on the stairs that were next to the kitchen door. A barefoot girl in her late teens or early twenties came tromping down. She was a heavy, homely girl. Moon-faced, pimply and dull-eyed.
“This here’s Monique,” Chantal informed Des. “Daughter of a dear friend of mine who passed last year. I look out for her now. Monique’s not well suited to being on her own.” She tapped her own forehead to indicate that Monique was intellectually challenged. “But she’s a good girl. Helps me around the house. Keeps me company. It works out well for both of us.” Chantal smiled at her. “Monique, what were you doing up in your room?”
“Nuthin’ much, Chantal.”
“We need to finish stocking that pantry, hon.”
“Yes, Chantal.”
Clarence stepped in front of the girl and began to tickle her playfully. “ Hey , Monique.”
She giggled. “ Hey , Cee.”
“Leave her alone, Cee,” Chantal ordered him.
“I’m just funning with her.” Clarence tickled the girl some more. “She don’t mind, do you, Monique?”
Des heard a strange noise next to her. Turned to discover it was the sound of Tyrone Grantham breathing in and out very hard and very fast. A vein was throbbing in his forehead. “Don’t you disrespect my mother!” he roared at Clarence, his eyes bulging with fury. “Don’t ever do that!”
In all of her years of law enforcement Des had never seen a man flare so hot so fast.
Clarence backed down at once, cowed by fear. “I-I didn’t mean nothing, cuz. Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize to me ! Apologize to Moms !”
“Sure, sure…” Clarence moistened his lips with his tongue. “Sorry, Moms.”
“It’s okay, Clarence,” she assured him.
And with that Tyrone relaxed instantly. Seemingly, the man was an emotional roller coaster. His gaze fell on Des now. He seemed to be measuring her. “You have family?”
“I’m an only child. My mom lives in Georgia. My dad’s with me right now. He just had some surgery.”
He processed her answer carefully, nodding his shaved head. “You’re taking care of him?”
“Just until he gets back on his feet.”
“That says a lot about you. Your folks must be real proud of you.”
“I’m proud of both of my sons,” Chantal pointed out. “They’ve come so far. You got yourself a man, Trooper Mitry?”
“Of course she does, Moms. She goes with that movie critic’s on the TV all of the time. Jewish guy with those funny eyebrows.”
“Wait, she who ?” Clarence was aghast. “Why you want to be doing that for when there’s a fine available brother right here?”
Tyrone let out a laugh. “Give it up, Cee. She’s too smart for you.”
The patio door opened now and a middle-aged black man stood there gaping at Des in horror. Or, more specifically, at her uniform. He was quick to recover, grinning as he strolled on in. But he was too late. Des already smelled yard on him.
“Trooper Mitry, this here’s my father-in-law, Calvin Jameson,” Tyrone said. “He came up from Houston as soon as Jamella got pregnant. Lived with us
“I think she’s cute,” said Clarence. “We’ll have to get her out on Da Beast. ”
Tyrone nodded in agreement. “You like boats, Trooper Mitry? I took Moms out one time but she won’t go again.”
“ Never again,” Chantal said emphatically. “You bounced me up and down so hard I swear I lacerated a kidney.”
“Well, I ain’t going out either if Rondell’s behind the wheel again.” Clarence mimicked a bug-eyed Rondell gripping a steering wheel tightly in the ten until two position, swiveling sharply left, right, left, whipping his hands back and forth spasmodically. “He almost flipped us, I swear.”
“I was merely familiarizing myself with the boat’s handling capabilities,” little Rondell said defensively.
“You was merely freaking out!” Clarence laughed.
Des heard footsteps on the stairs that were next to the kitchen door. A barefoot girl in her late teens or early twenties came tromping down. She was a heavy, homely girl. Moon-faced, pimply and dull-eyed.
“This here’s Monique,” Chantal informed Des. “Daughter of a dear friend of mine who passed last year. I look out for her now. Monique’s not well suited to being on her own.” She tapped her own forehead to indicate that Monique was intellectually challenged. “But she’s a good girl. Helps me around the house. Keeps me company. It works out well for both of us.” Chantal smiled at her. “Monique, what were you doing up in your room?”
“Nuthin’ much, Chantal.”
“We need to finish stocking that pantry, hon.”
“Yes, Chantal.”
Clarence stepped in front of the girl and began to tickle her playfully. “ Hey , Monique.”
She giggled. “ Hey , Cee.”
“Leave her alone, Cee,” Chantal ordered him.
“I’m just funning with her.” Clarence tickled the girl some more. “She don’t mind, do you, Monique?”
Des heard a strange noise next to her. Turned to discover it was the sound of Tyrone Grantham breathing in and out very hard and very fast. A vein was throbbing in his forehead. “Don’t you disrespect my mother!” he roared at Clarence, his eyes bulging with fury. “Don’t ever do that!”
In all of her years of law enforcement Des had never seen a man flare so hot so fast.
Clarence backed down at once, cowed by fear. “I-I didn’t mean nothing, cuz. Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize to me ! Apologize to Moms !”
“Sure, sure…” Clarence moistened his lips with his tongue. “Sorry, Moms.”
“It’s okay, Clarence,” she assured him.
And with that Tyrone relaxed instantly. Seemingly, the man was an emotional roller coaster. His gaze fell on Des now. He seemed to be measuring her. “You have family?”
“I’m an only child. My mom lives in Georgia. My dad’s with me right now. He just had some surgery.”
He processed her answer carefully, nodding his shaved head. “You’re taking care of him?”
“Just until he gets back on his feet.”
“That says a lot about you. Your folks must be real proud of you.”
“I’m proud of both of my sons,” Chantal pointed out. “They’ve come so far. You got yourself a man, Trooper Mitry?”
“Of course she does, Moms. She goes with that movie critic’s on the TV all of the time. Jewish guy with those funny eyebrows.”
“Wait, she who ?” Clarence was aghast. “Why you want to be doing that for when there’s a fine available brother right here?”
Tyrone let out a laugh. “Give it up, Cee. She’s too smart for you.”
The patio door opened now and a middle-aged black man stood there gaping at Des in horror. Or, more specifically, at her uniform. He was quick to recover, grinning as he strolled on in. But he was too late. Des already smelled yard on him.
“Trooper Mitry, this here’s my father-in-law, Calvin Jameson,” Tyrone said. “He came up from Houston as soon as Jamella got pregnant. Lived with us
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