Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 70429 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70429 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Her hair was mostly white with streaks of brown along the sides and nape. Age had crept up on her, sucking away her zest for life. She looked as if she’d given up and yet, she mustered a slight smile as she waved at him, showing the sparkly red polish on her nails.
He waved back and winked.
“I like your earrings. Very pretty!” He pointed at her. Her smile grew even bigger but then, so did another lady’s who was in the vicinity. It didn’t matter which one thought he was casting a compliment. If they both received it and accepted his words, all the better. He glanced at his watch, wondering what was taking so long, then leaned against the counter. Suddenly, an old man with sparse red and white curly hair came bustling through the front doors with a cocker spaniel on a tattered black leash. He could barely control the animal as it galloped about, tongue lolling out the side of its mouth.
“Sally! Sally!” The man yelled as the dog damn near walked him instead. The old man yanked the leash and a little brown ball fell from the dog as if it were a vending machine, and the right button had been pushed. Was it mud? Or was it shit? As Caspian stood there wondering, the old man noticed it, too. Instead of using a tissue to round it up, he picked it up with his bare hand, then glared at it for a long while, after which he brought it up to his nose for a good sniff. Caspian couldn’t believe what he was seeing, and yet, he couldn’t turn away. He had so many questions.
“GOT DAMN IT! HUUUH! UHHH!!! It went up my nose! It’s shit!!!” the man yelled and began jumping about, letting go of the dog. He raced past him and grabbed a tissue from a table nearby, the dog hot on his heels.
Caspian stood there holding his stomach, shaking violently. The urge to laugh bubbled in his gut like a pot on the stove.
“Caspian Emory?”
He turned around, coming face to face with a tall, rail thin Black man with long gray hairs sticking straight out of his nostrils. He was bald and had a slight curve to his back. He looked far older than his years. The whites of his eyes showed jaundice, and his lips were so thin, the same dark complexion as his skin.
“Hello, Mr. Florence.” He extended his hand, and they shook on it. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, too.”
The old man’s lips curled in an all-knowing grin. The kind that said, ‘I know your secrets.’ His husky, time-worn voice was smooth and endearing. “Come on and sit down ova here. This is where we can talk.”
He followed the man to an open area with bright orange round tables and yellow chairs. It reminded Caspian of an old school cafeteria, with its motivational posters on the walls, big gymnasium style doors and such. It even smelled faintly of food. A short-haired, blonde young lady in scrubs approached them. She looked like the girl next door.
“Mr. Florence,” she said in a sing-song voice. “Here’s some water for you ’nd your guest.” She was full of fake cheer, the kind Caspian found particularly unnerving. It was clearly acting, and he didn’t understand why this was happening. She set a cold bottle of water before each of them.
“Thank you, May.”
“You’re welcome, Mr. Florence. Anything else you need?”
The man slowly removed his glasses and glared at her.
“…For you to get on somewhere. You only ova here being cordial ’cause you see this nice-lookin’ man right here.”
“Mr. Florence! That’s silly! Have you taken your medicine today?” She put her hand on her hip, her cheeks becoming darker by the second.
“I took my medicine, I ain’t silly, and I know what ya up to… sniffin’ ’round here. I gotta beg you to help me get my Black ass off tha floor most days. Casey and dem tol’ everybody a good-lookin’ boy was in here askin’ to speak to me. I heard all y’all chickens squawkin’ when she came and got me. Talkin’ ’bout his eyes! His voice! How tall he is! Bunch of y’all hussies ran to the bathroom, gettin’ all dolled up like you was Cinderella for some ball! I got a bad heart. I ain’t deaf, and I ain’t blind! You kept lookin’ at him and started drippin’ like a faucet.”
“Mr. Florence! That is inappropriate!”
“Got all hot ’nd bothered. I know my days of turnin’ heads are over, but I ain’t no fool. You go on now! Git!” He slapped the table, making it rattle.
Caspian shook his head as the woman turned a hot, burning red.
Off she went, practically running, without another word, like some Disney Princess who’d found out her prince was really a frog. Caspian opened his water and took a big gulp.