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“Nah, that was foul, Saundra; he didn’t have to say all that. Fuck him,” he said with his voice reaching a high pitch.
“I know you’re upset but let’s try to have a good time and put this behind us,” I reasoned, placing a reassuring hand on his rigid shoulder.
“I’ll try for you because you’re cool but if he says anything else I don’t like, we’re going to have to settle this like gentlemen,” he said, pointing towards the parking lot. I laughed at the irony of his statement and shook my head.
“I’m going in to see what Jo’s doing,” I said, pushing the door open.
“Jo?” I called.
I heard sniveling in the second stall and I sighed in annoyance. “Jo, please come out of the stall. Yero’s sorry for what he said. He just doesn’t want you guys to end up struggling.”
As soon as I finished my sentence, I heard a howl. Oh, no; I was only making things worse.
“Jo, please come out; everything will be fine; I promise.”
I heard the latch on the door snap back and she emerged with a puffy red face and her hair flying everywhere.
“Oh, Jo,” I said, rushing to hold her. She collapsed into my arms and bawled into my sweater. I tried to put her hair back in place but the moisture from her sweat and tears made it cling to her cheeks and neck like glue.
“Wash your face and let’s get out of here all right?”
“Yero hates me and my baby. Oh, God!” she wailed.
“Get a grip; he does not hate you or the baby. He loves you guys and he wants the best for you. He got upset and he said some stupid things.”
She went over to the sink and started splashing water on her face. With every handful it looked a little better but her eyes were still swollen. After she brushed her hair and straightened her clothes, we left the bathroom.
“You, OK?” I asked.
“Yeah.”
Khari was still waiting outside. We all went back to the table. Yero was sitting there with a pitiful look on his face.
“I’m sorry for that, ya’ll. I love you two, you know that, don’t you?”
Khari shook his head unimpressed, but Jo managed a weak forgiving smile. A waiter came over and took everyone’s order. Things got better once the food and drinks arrived and with Yero’s and Khari’s sense of humor it’s hard to stay angry long. Yero and I had a vegetable plate, Jo had the lobster and Khari had the blue crab. The smell began to make me nauseous but I fought it by taking a gulp of water every time I felt a lump in my throat. I felt woozy with the snap of every leg in front of me and all I could do was smile when something funny was said. Khari picked up the crab and ripped off the upper part of the shell.
The crab looked odd but I couldn’t figure out why.
Joanne squinted at it suspiciously. “That’s horrible!”
“Ugh!” Khari said, wiping his hands on his napkin.
Yero simply stared in disbelief and looked at me hunched over. As I choked and gagged over the table, the people in the area stared with disgust.
“What happened?” our waiter asked, running up to us in a frenzy.
“You served us a pregnant crab!” Khari exclaimed.
The waiter stared at the plate and his mouth dropped open.
“I’m so sorry; would you like me to get you another, sir?” he said, looking sympathetically at me but directing his question to Khari.
“Hell, no, that’s quite all right.”
“I’m so sorry. You don’t have to pay for this. I’ll speak to the manager right away,” he said, rushing off.
We watched the busboys scurry around, clearing the table and decided not to eat at all. I was standing up to leave when my cell phone rang. It was Asha, chattering about the latest events in her ridiculous, soap opera life. The only way to get her off the phone was to promise her a visit.
