Chapter 72.7: We Find Common Ground
Lula’s POV— Wednesday Night
OK, I didn’t expect to come back to Trenton and find I’d been replaced by the new flavor of the month.
“Hi! I’m Candy.” She’s all bright and happy smiles. Steph and I are meeting at my apartment to help me pack up and Hal just dropped them off. Connie and ML are coming soon. I look at Steph. Is this chick serious? Steph smiles.
“Lula, this is Candy. She’s our new head of HR. Candy, this is Lula, Tank’s fiancée and my bounty hunter partner.”
Candy’s eyes widen. “Oh, nice to meet you! Are you a RangeWoman too?”
Do I look like a fucking RangeWoman? Shit, Steph’s clearly dropped about 15 pounds. She’s skinny as hell and toned. She looks like a fucking swimsuit ad. This chick I’m looking at looks like a Victoria’s Secret model, all tits and leg.
I feel fat. I want a doughnut. Being out in Texas, in that hot ass heat, I did drop 15 pounds. I felt sexy until I looked at these two.
“Hi.” I can’t figure out anything else to say to her. Look at her. Tank’ll love her. She’s his type. Tits and ass galore.
She’s still smiling and Steph looks confused. “No, Lula’s not in the company. She was my partner when I was solo.” Steph turns to me and smiles. “They’re doing my clearance this week.”
“I know. Tank told me.” I smile. Finally! Steph can get free of that damn building. “So, we’re back on the hunt?”
She laughs. “We’ll have to hunt yours. Mine require more firepower. The guys would never let me do those without them.”
“I thought you ran the company. Can’t you pick an easy one?”
Steph frowns. “They use the easy ones for training exercises. We’re hiring new men here. They’ll use those to break them in.”
So in other words, no bounty hunting for us. Sigh. “Vinnie don’t give me files. Joyce has to do extra nasty things to get one now. David had a bitch fit, according to Connie. Told Vinnie that if he gave his files to another bounty hunter ever again, he’d find himself minus an asshole.”
Steph laughs. I grin and settle on the floor, reaching for a box. Steph and Candy sink to the floor too. Steph grabs a box and Candy reaches for the labels and markers.
“David met with Harry.” Steph’s eyes widen. Candy looks confused. “Presented his credentials, pointed out that he has a damn near perfect capture rate, second only to yours. Said that if Vinnie kept giving away his files, he’d quit. We went in the next day and Vinnie glared at him but told Connie not to give me or Joyce shit. If Joyce wants a file now, she damn near has to embarrass herself to get it.”
“Wow …” She turns to Candy. “Vinnie is my slime ball cousin. Gave me my first job as a bounty hunter.” Candy nods. “David is the guy who replaced me, and Harry is Vinnie’s father-in-law and his backer. Mob, with no love for my perverted cousin.” She turns to me. “Sounds like no bounty hunting for us. I guess we limit our surveillance to Macy’s shoe section.”
I grin. That ain’t bad.
My doorbell rings and it’s Connie. She, too, stops dead at the sight of Candy. Steph makes the introductions and Connie nods. We make small talk for a few minutes and get started packing.
It’s not as much fun as I expected it to be. The presence of Candy makes it awkward. ML shows up an hour later and looks at the progress we’ve made.
“Not bad. I ordered pizzas from Pino’s”–she grins at Steph–”and a salad for you.” Steph groans. “Wanna go with me to pick it up?”
“I’ll go!” Candy says, getting up. “I need to start learning the area. You mind?”
ML smiles. “Not at all. Come on.”
The moment she leaves, Steph looks at me and Connie and sighs. “Guys, be nice to her.” Connie and I look at each other. “She just moved here from Atlantic City and she’s new. She’s Hal’s girlfriend.”
OK, that would have been helpful to know from the beginning.
“She has a degree in HR and she needs a chance. She’s smart, and funny, and she wants to get to know people.”
Connie sighs. “I get all that, Steph. It’s just . . . “
Steph grins. “Looking at her, you feel inadequate? Tits too small”–she glances at Connie–”or too big, ass too small”–she glances at me–”or too big, legs too short, the works?” We laugh. “Yeah. I know. I’ve watched men drool in her presence. Candy in a bikini literally stopped traffic at Point Pleasant. Hal’s losing his mind. She wants to see me work a distraction. Can you imagine her slutted up?”
I picture it and start laughing.
“I spent a week with her and she’s an ego popper, believe me. The strategists were drooling over me in a bikini. Candy shows up the Sunday of XO week, fully dressed, and every man in the room starts drooling. Hell, I drooled! I have to be in a bikini or dressed up to get that kind of reaction from men.”
Connie and I laugh.
“That’s why she really wants this chance.” Steph sighs and sits on the floor. “I won’t tell you all her backstory. That’s her business and maybe she’ll tell you someday. I will tell you the part that’s common knowledge.” We sit and wait. “She was a dancer, a stripper, in Atlantic City.” Our mouths drop. Steph nods. “Now do you see why she wants a chance? How many companies would hire a former stripper to do anything higher than waitress?”
Damn. This really is her chance. I feel for her now.
Steph smiles. “She’s in love with Hal and he’s in love with her. I swear, it’s almost nauseating how much they love each other. So don’t start thinking she’s looking for a man or she welcomes the attention. Hal’s hers and she’s his. She’s not interested in anyone else.”
Connie smiles. “So . . . she’s not competition for me?”
“Not at all.”
Connie swoons and wipes her brow dramatically. Steph and I fall out laughing. We start gossiping and packing the apartment again and Candy and ML return with the pizzas. I find napkins and soda and we take a break.
“So, Candy, tells us about yourself. Where are you from?”
The chick has no problem eating. She’s got three slices on her plate and is working through them. “Well, I’m originally from Miami. Went to school there, at Florida International, and graduated with a degree in HR. I have one full sister, younger, two half-brothers and three half-sisters, and four step siblings.” She stops and takes a drink. “I moved to Atlantic City after college and worked as a stripper until three weeks ago.”
I blink. I didn’t expect her to cop to that so quickly. She looks at all of us and laughs. We’re all stunned, except Steph.
“What? Didn’t expect me to admit it? I’m sure Steph told you. I’m not ashamed of it and besides, if I didn’t admit it, it would be hard to explain what I’ve been doing the last few years.”
We nod. I got new respect for her. She smiles.
“Because I know you want to know, but won’t ask, I’ll tell you. I stripped because my sister was diagnosed with cancer my senior year of college. I needed money fast. I paid for her treatment and hospital stays while working a bunch of part-time jobs to take care of myself. This is the first time I’ve had a chance to use my degree since I graduated.” “Wow . . . ” ML says, leaning back. “Is your sister better?”
She snorts. “Well enough to run scams in my name, completely ruining background checks on me. If Steph had not hired me, I would still be walking around Trenton now trying to find a job.”
Damn . . . wish I’d known that. This girl has integrity. I like that and I’m kinda mad I was ever . . . jealous? Yeah, I guess I was just a little jealous of her.
“What made you move here without a job?” Connie asks, leaning forward.
“Hal.” She grins. “Well, he didn’t make me move, but knowing he loves me gave me the courage to. Once I found out the kind of damage my sister and her husband did to my name, I decided to move where they would have to work to find me. I started clearing up my background and trying to find a job. Hal has been the turning point for so many great things in my life.”
We smile. “Aww …” Connie says. “That’s so sweet.”
She grins. “He’s sweet. Just never tell him I said so.”
We laugh.
Saturday Night
Ok, I thought I might like her, but now I’m rethinking it. This Candy chick has been everywhere I’ve gone lately and, worse, she looks at Tank like she adores him. I’m not comfortable with that. Tank just proposed. I don’t need Ms. Centerfold over there turning his head. And she’s everywhere Steph is. That’s my friend. We been together for four years. You’re new.
I feel like I’m being replaced already.
I twist the ring around my finger and frown.
“Lula?” Tank whispers. No Lula Bear. Just Lula. I shake my head. I’m dressed up hot too. I got on a tight black leather skirt with the knee high stiletto leather boots and a tight black tank top with a hot pink ruffled blouse on top. I even got the expensive weave put in again since Tank said he loved it. He hasn’t said a word about any of it.
Where does she live? Tank’s been staying in the building, saying Steph’s assessments start at 6a.m. If she’s a RangeWoman, where does she live? Does she live in the building? Is she parading around my man when I can’t watch him? Or her? Who hired her? Oh, right. Steph did. I figured if any woman was gonna get hired into RangeMan after Steph, it woulda been me.
Steph comes down to the first floor and every man starts drooling. I pinch Tank and I’m grateful to see I’m not the only woman who decided her man needed a quick reminder. One of the men actually jumps, the one from NYC I think. Yeah, I spent time Thursday night talking to Monica and I like her. She works for a college in NYC and she’s funny. Haven’t spent a lot of time with the Atlanta woman, but we’ve been smiling at each other. She’s nice. We’re planning a trip to NYC this week while they clear Steph. We hate she can’t come with us. Cindy said that Steph arranged for us to meet with her girlfriends (which I assume means me, ML and Connie) and hit the city.
Candy steps over to Steph and they start talking about running distractions. She bends over to look at Steph’s shoes and Hal immediately tugs her dress down. Good move; half the men had started leaning back to see if they could get a peek up.
Dogs. I feel Tank chuckle silently.
I decide to get this show on the road and direct everyone out to the cars. Just my luck: Hal and Ms. Centerfold follow us. Steph does her usual bit at the club and everyone cheers then we all hit the dance floor. I’m able to tug Tank out for one dance, a slow one. He grins at me.
“Is the Sergeant welcome at home tonight?”
I smile. “He’s always welcome at home. He’s been missed. I got extra duty for him to do.”
I feel Tank’s chuckle. We leave soon after for RangeMan and Tank picks up another RangeMan vehicle to drive us home. We walk into my apartment, which is messy and disorganized because I’m packing, and I see Tank look around. I’m stripping and he’s clearing and stacking boxes.
“Baby, you can do that la—” I trip over a box and Tank moves quickly to catch me. I look to the side and catch my breath. He got me just before I hit the ground.
“Be careful. I’m stacking these boxes so we can move without tripping.”
Point made. I stop stripping long enough to help him clear some room. After that, I’m naked, he’s naked and my bed is getting hot and sweaty. Three hours later, I roll off him and pant.
“Mine.”
He grins. “Feel the need to make it clear?”
“Don’t want you to forget.”
He starts playing with my nipple. “I never would.”
I snort. “Really? You got Ms. Tits and Teeth in the building. I’m easily forgettable.”
Tank’s smile disappears. He turns on the bedside lamp and takes my face in his hands, but he doesn’t say anything. After a moment, he gets up and goes to the kitchen, returning with a full pitcher of ice cold water and some glasses.
“Ms. Tits and Teeth is named Candace Taylor. She’s the new head of HR for RangeMan.”
“Yeah, I know that.”
Tank stares at me. “She’s also Hal’s girlfriend. She’s living in his apartment off-site.” My shoulders droop. “She and Hal are so in love they can’t see past each other for anyone else.” Oh boy. “I called the girl his ‘Wifey’ and not only did he blush, he didn’t dispute it.”
I bite my lip and nod. Tank climbs into the bed and pours me a glass of water. I drink it slowly, hoping this is over.
It’s not.
“Is that what you think of me, Lula? That I’d propose to you, in front of my Momma, then turn around and start running after another woman?”
I clench my jaw. Did you get a look at her? I mean, come on!
“When I put that ring on your finger, I meant it. I’m in this forever. Candace is not my type.” I look at him. He looks angry. “I wanted a strong black woman, fierce, no nonsense, ready and willing to take on the world. Not willing to allow anyone to beat her down. That’s you. I don’t know anything about Candy, but she ain’t you. I’ve never been attracted to blue-eyed blondes. Candy could be standing in front of me butt-ass naked and Sgt. Mandingo wouldn’t budge. You strip and I can’t wait. I want you on whatever surface I can get you. Hell, I don’t need a surface if I can get your legs apart.”
I laugh quietly. He smiles and refills my glass.
“So if you’ve been treating her cold because you think I’m interested, stop. You and she got more in common than you know. Ask her about herself. Her history will surprise you.”
“I already know. She told us about being a stripper. It’s just . . . I don’t understand why she’s looking at you . . .” I can’t finish that sentence. Tank sighs.
“If you’re asking why she looks at me like she adores me, it’s because I set her salary. After Steph told me everything she would be doing, I set her salary pretty fucking high because it’s clear she’ll need staff at some point. I gave her a manager’s salary and she knows I was the one who set it. She’s happy to be employed and grateful I’m paying her what the job is worth. She’ll have to earn it but she’s ready to. Understand?”
I nod. Tank pulls me closer and slips his fingers between my legs. I sigh and smile.
“Is the Sgt. still welcome at home?”
I nod and we don’t talk anymore all night.
Sunday night
Steph arranges for everyone to get together and see a movie. Well, not everyone. You had to have a RangeMan link.
“The wives and girlfriends club,” she says, smiling.
Monica laughes. “Nice. You know, this is the first time I’ve met any other women in the company. I mean, any other women connected to the company .”
“Me too,” Cindy says. She looks at me. “I’ve wanted to meet you for ages. Steph told me about you. You’re her bounty hunting partner, right?”
I nod. “Yup.” I look at Steph and grin. “I miss her. You can’t get her out of the RangeMan doors.”
Steph laughs. “You’re moving to Texas. I’m going to miss you.”
I smile. Yeah, I’m leaving New Jersey behind, moving to Texas with my man, but you already replaced me and here she comes. Candy joins us and we head to the movies. I’m still trying to find something to talk to her about. I wonder what we could have in common. I can’t see nothing I have in common with this girl, besides taking our clothes off for money, but we ain’t the same. She just showed her goods off. My goods got used.
We have fun all night. We ssit through a romantic comedy (I hate these. Give me an action-thriller any day) and go to Houlihan’s for dinner. I hate this place.
“Not enough food.” I look over. Candy said that. She looks embarrassed then grins. No one else heard her except me. “I hate tapas-style places. You’re paying for expensive appetizers. ‘In general, 2-4 plates per person would comprise a traditional full meal.’” She snorts. “Says who? This body does not maintain itself on white bean hummus.”
I laugh. I literally crack up laughing and everyone else at the table looks over at me. I can’t stop laughing. Finally, I wipe my eyes and look at her.
“You and me? We may get along after all.”
I had fun Sunday night and I see why Steph got us all together. Who else except women married to RangeMen would understand the shit we go through? We sit and eat expensive food (Shit! $3 for McDonald’s French fries? $6 for three anemic mushrooms? Candy got this place right. Next time, we go to Shorty’s) and get to know each other. We start a list of hated RangeMan habits (#1: They don’t talk! Ever! About anything! A raised eyebrow counts as a complete conversation!) and talk about what it’s like to be with them. Well, Cindy and Monica talk about that, since they’ve been married and boo’d up the longest. Steph, Candy and I listen, fascinated.
“I mean, I told Danny that if he stays in that apartment more than three nights a week, I would start dropping the boys off there after they’d had sugar.” We laugh and Cindy grins. She looks at me and Candy. “Set limits now. Otherwise, they’ll live there.”
I nod. “Tank had a house here in Trenton and he only went to change out his clothes.” I look at Candy.
“I pretty much have the apartment to myself. When I moved in, I found a few outfits, two pairs of shoes and a full gun collection.”
Monica and Cindy groan. “Oh god yes,” Monica says, “the damn guns. Every-fucking-where. And knives and blades.” She shakes her head. “People underestimate Javi, but he grew up in the meanest part of the Bronx. He always has a letter opener or straight edge on him somewhere. He’s not the best fighter but he can stab to kill.” Our mouths drop and Monica nods. “Javi will always try to get out of a fight peaceably but if he can’t, he doesn’t hesitate. He’s had charges dropped protecting me.”
Steph looks stunned. Cindy nods. “Danny made it clear when he joined the company that I had to get comfortable with a gun.” Monica rolls her eyes. “RangeMan is an exceptional company to work for but we all understand the company’s true purpose.” She lowers her head meaningfully. “I don’t know if it’s proper or correct, but every time Danny tells me that a RangeMan in Atlanta has gotten married, I always pop in on them to offer my support and to encourage the new wife to get the training.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” Candy says. “I know I haven’t been in the company long, at all”–we snicker– “but Steph and I have talked and Hal made it clear when I moved to Trenton that I would have to get the training. Honestly, I sorta thought of tonight as the inaugural ‘WAGs’ meeting.” She looks at Steph. “I’d like to make it a company-wide thing, if I can. After all, around this table are a bunch of women who know that they can’t talk about their husband’s job or their lives with anyone else. We’re isolated. I started thinking of myself kinda like a new cop’s wife. The men make such a huge deal about ‘RangeMan brotherhood’, just like cops and soldiers, but where’s the support group for their wives and families?”
We nod. Good point.
“Not only are we connected to the company and we know what happens, but when they leave, who arranges to help us? Do you have to cobble that together yourselves? I know that a lot of the men are single, but what about their girlfriends? Relatives? Children? Who helps them understand what’s going on?”
Steph smiles. “Keep it up and you’ll be drowning in work.”
“No she won’t,” I reply, looking at Candy. “I’ll help you with that one.” She grins and for the first time, I think I might truly like her. I can see us becoming friends.
Friday night
RINNGGG
“Hello?”
“Yo! Damn. Hi, Lula!”
I crack up. “You been around the men too long when you call with ‘Yo!'”
“I know,” Steph moans. “I caught myself giving out my schedule in military time today. They’ve converted me.”
I giggle and set the box down. “What’s up?”
“The mood around here. Oh my God, the guys are acting insane. They’ve been partying like they cleared the standards!”
I laugh. “Tank was grinning like a fool here. He and Bobby were calling Lester like they did something big.”
“Oh jeez. That’s it. I’m done. I don’t want to talk about these demented men anymore. What’s up? What are you doing?”
“Packing.”
The phone gets quiet. “I gotta say, I love that you and Tank are getting married and moving but I hate that you’re moving.”
I sit back on the couch. “I know. I still can’t believe I agreed.” I swallow hard. “I’m not sure if I’m ready.”
The phone is quiet for a while. “You’re ready. You love him. You’re ready to be with him. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring the mood down.”
“Nah, it’s OK.” I grin. “So, I’m thinking pink and purple for the wedding.” I know she hates pink. Imma enjoy messin’ with her.
“You hate me that much?”
“Come on! You look good in pink. Connie looks good in pink.”
“We both look terrible in pink! Connie’s too Italian to pull it off and pink makes me look blotchy. You better not put me in shiny satin either.”
I grin. “Damn! Who told you?”
We laugh. I miss this with Steph, just kicking back and talking. We debate wedding colors
(“Tank will kill you if you make him wear pink.”
“He loves me.”
“OK, Ranger will kill you if you make him wear pink.”
I think about it. “How does he feel about purple?”
“Lula!”
I laugh. “Calm down, White Girl. We chose baby blue and black.”
“Oh thank god. Colors I look good in.”
“Now, about the shiny satin . . .”
“Lula!”),
food,
(“No open bars.”
“Girl, I’ve met Tank’s relatives. Tank already vetoed the open bar.” Steph laughs. “Mrs. Carol Jean wants to go with traditional southern Louisiana food.”
“What’s that like?”
“The scale starts with ‘Spicy’.”
“Whoa …”),
music,
(“The Cupid Shuffle was created in Lafayette, so everyone knows it. So, I can promise the Cupid Shuffle, the ChaCha slide and the Hustle. Everything else will be stuff you won’t recognize.”
“Really?”
“Yup. You understand any Eminem lyrics yet?”
Silence. “You were going to make me a rap cheat sheet and believe me, I need it.”
I laugh. “Exactly. I’m trying to keep it G-rated, but ain’t a lot of music at black folks reception gonna be G-rated. If we invite people from RangeMan, Tank’s definitely gonna make ’em keep it G-rated.”
“In other words, I don’t need to dust off my funky chicken?”
I stare at my phone. “Don’t bring that nowhere near Louisiana.”)
and we end with what I’m gon’ do once I get there.
“Tank said if I want to bounty hunt, I gotta go through the training. What was it like?”
“Intense. Say goodbye to doughnuts and fried chicken for a while.”
I stare at my Cluck in a Bucket. “You know, I’m thinking that maybe I need a change. Get me a new job. After all, I don’t need to compete with my man.”
“Hanging up your handcuffs?”
“I think so. After all, you won’t be there so it won’t be no fun anyway .”.
“What’re you going to do?”
I stare at my plate. “Hell if I know. I guess I can concentrate on school. Tank said he’ll pay.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. He put his sisters through school. Told them they had a free ride as long as they didn’t have any babies.”
“And?”
“100% success. His youngest sister is set to graduate in the spring.”
“Wow. That just made me love Tank more.”
I smile. I got a good man. “Me too. I just don’t know what to do.”
Silence, then, “Why not talk to Candy about it? You said you wanted to help her with her thing for wives and girlfriends. Lula, you’d be good at that kind of stuff. HR stuff. Not the boring, filling out forms stuff, but the part where you get to help people. You’re a people person.”
I grin. “Yeah, I am. I like telling people how to help themselves.” I sigh. “Me and Chenae, his youngest sister, don’t get along, but when she described the kinda stuff she does, I liked it. She’s working on a degree in social work and I’m thinking about it. Maybe work with women like me, that need help and don’t know how and where to get it.”
“That sounds great, Lula! Sounds like you.”
I grin. “Plus, I mean, I never asked Tank what he makes, but he made it clear that we’ll never hurt for money. So, I like the idea of doing that kind of job, the kind of thing that’s needed, cuz he said it won’t pay shit. I been blessed with good friends and a good man. I want to help someone else.”
I can feel Steph smile through the phone. “Perfect.”
“What about you, Steph? You gon’ stick with RangeMan?”
Heavy sigh. “Lula, please don’t say anything to Tank, but right now, I don’t know.”
I set down my drumstick and wipe my fingers. “Why?”
“There’s a bunch of stuff going on that I can’t talk about that has nothing to do with me, but I feel like the cleanup woman.”
“You tell Tank?”
“No. That’s why I don’t want you to say anything either. This mess is on both Tank and Ranger. I don’t want to talk about it right now and dump it all on Tank. Ranger needs to own his part of it too, so I’m waiting for him to come home before I talk about it.”
I’m nodding. “OK, I won’t say a word. I understand. No fair Tank getting hit with all of it if Ranger’s responsible too.”
“Exactly.”
I’m quiet. “What made you hire Candy?”
Another heavy sigh. “She helped me solve a massive problem. She’s creative and we need an HR person in this company.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I mean, Hal said that somewhere between 25-40% of his day is spent doing admin, HR-type stuff. If he works a ten hour day, that’s three to four hours devoted to just doing that. Not maintaining profitability or making sure we’re getting the contracts we need to grow the branch and company. Just basic filling out forms and doing stuff for the men.”
“Wow. So if the company had had a Candy-type when Tank was in charge of Trenton …”
“Exactly.”
I’m nodding. “So she’s like a combo secretary and HR person.”
“Yes and no. My idea is that at some point, we hire a secretary type person for each XO and branch. The branches are growing fast and they need staff. When the company was smaller and they didn’t have as many contracts, the position wasn’t needed. Now it is and the branches can afford to have that kind of person on payroll. Candy would continue to do HR stuff. Renegotiate our health and auto insurances. Look into maximizing the 401(k) plans. Ensure we’re compliant with all regulations. She’s going to be busy. Right now, her biggest task is employee admin.”
“Huh?”
“Each XO does his own hiring and each one asks for different things when he hires. For example, Miami wants language skills. You have to know Spanish there and another language is good too, but that’s not a RangeMan requirement. Miami just added that for themselves because the city is bilingual. A Miami RangeMan who doesn’t know Spanish is considered useless. Trenton expects you to already have superior physical attributes and an excellent range score. NYC asked for passports. Some of this stuff needs to be standard within the company. Other stuff not so much. Candy has to standardize all of it.”
I whistle. “Big job ahead.”
“Yup.”
“And she’s training to be a RangeWoman?”
“Yeah.”
“I always thought I’d join after you.”
The line is quiet. “You can, if you want, but I don’t see you in this company, Lula. You hate taking orders.” I laugh. “I hate taking orders. This is working for me only because I give the orders.”
“Still, it’s another thing . . .” I can’t finish that sentence, but Steph is a good friend. I don’t have to.
“I’m jealous of you.” I stare at my phone in shock. “Yeah. You and Tank, you guys figured it out. You got together. He proposed. You two are getting married.”
“You got Batman.”
She snorts. “I don’t have Batman. I—”
“Shut up.” The phone is silent. “He loves you. I know he does. Have you ever heard of Ranger with any other woman?”
“Doesn’t mean there isn’t one.”
“Well, if there is, she’s well hidden. You make a decision yet?”
The line is quiet for a long time, then, “I chose him,” she whispers.
“You tell him?”
“Yeah. Before he left. He said we’d talk about it when this op is over.”
“You mean he didn’t say ‘No way, Jose’?”
“Nope.”
“Then you have him. Now ya’ll just need to talk terms. That’s what Tank did to me. Ram was right. I was barely off the plane when he proposed. The rest of the trip was coming to some agreements.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
I can hear Steph thinking about it. I hope she comes up with some before Ranger comes back. I mean, I had to think of some quick when me and Tank talked. I don’t want her to be in the same position.
“Ella gave me some things to think about.”
“Yeah? Like what?”
I hear paper rustling. “OK, so here’s her list. 1. What do I want from the man I love? 2. What am I willing to do for him? 3. What compromises am I willing to make? 4. What do I need to be happy? 5. What’s non-negotiable in our relationship?”
I hop up and search for a piece of paper. “Call those to me again, slow. I wanna write ’em down.” She repeats them and I look. I’m gonna think about this. That Ella is a smart lady.
“I’ve been working on this list. She said to pull it out once a month, no more, and think on it. I’ve been filling it out slowly.”
“I think Imma do the same. Maybe I’ll get Tank to do it.” I fold the sheet of paper and put it in my purse. Imma get started on it tomorrow.
“So, you spent two months out in Texas, you met Tank’s family, you painted his apartment gray”–I laugh–”you meet anyone you could become friends with?”
I frown. “No. It’s hard to meet people. Tank’s busy with the company and his family lives in Louisiana, six hours away. I like his momma, but I’m not driving six hours every day to spend time with her. Part of my plan while I was here was to make sure my credits get sent to a school down there.” I sit up, energized. “I think Imma go for that degree in social work. I wanna help people and that’ll be something for me to do. I’ll go to school full-time. That’ll keep me busy.”
“Great!”
“Still, I wish you was there White Girl. I’m leaving and I feel like you already replaced me.” I can’t believe I just said that. Damn! I’ve been trying not to say that all night.
It’s quiet on the line. “Lula, I like Candy. I really do. But she’ll never replace you. I don’t care that you’re all the way in Texas, you’re my best friend. She and I don’t have four years of history together like you and I do. Just like you never replaced Mary Lou but you and Mary Lou became friends, I’m hoping that you and she can become friends.” True. “Like I said, you two have a lot in common. You both like people, you both love food, and you both love Spandex.”
I burst into laughter. I can hear Steph laugh. “Seriously! I don’t know anyone else who can get away with wearing the combos that you two do. She told me that just about all her clothes have some stretch in them. I know most of yours do. Anyway, I’ve been moping ever since you called to tell me you were engaged. You didn’t call me back for weeks after. I felt like because you got engaged, I didn’t matter anymore.”
I reach for a Kleenex to wipe my eyes. “Nah, Steph. I was caught up in being happy and looking at wedding dresses and trying to convince his momma not to have us hold it in a church.” Giggles on the other end. “By the time I came out of the wedding fever, it was time to come home. And I thought Mary Lou was your best friend.”
“She is. So you are and so is Connie. There’s no law against me having more than one best friend.”
I smile. True. Steph and Connie are my best friends. I’ll always be there for them.
“So, what have you done to celebrate passing standards?”
“Sleep.”
I laugh. “OK, so I say we get ice cream, Tastykakes, and have us a movie night. You in?”
“I’m in. See you tomorrow.” Click.
I haven’t been replaced and I could never replace her. Thank god for my friends.
