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“Sit your dumb ass down!” Debra roared.
Mel sat. He wondered if everyone in the world had gone crazy.
“Listen, Mel. I’m tired o’ yo shit.”
“What shit are you talkin’ ’bout?” Mel asked.
“What you go and fuck wit Lillian for? And then you leave her bed and go straight back to Adrienne?”
Mel dropped his head in his hands. Damn, no wonder Big Boy was so mad. “Lillian knew I was married,” he said weakly.
“Separated. She knew you were living here with me and t
hat you and yore wife was separated. Don’t give me any bullshit, Mel, cuz I ain’t in the mood.”
“Aw, damn. Lillian is a grown woman. She knows better than to hit the sack the first time a man takes her out.”
“‘Aw, damn,’ my ass. Lillian came by here one night lookin’ for your worthless ass, and I tole her you had moved out that same mornin’. Had been planning the move for a week. Poor woman broke down cryin’ right here in my kitchen.”
Mel couldn’t think of anything to say.
“What did you go back with your wife for if you wanna fool around wit’ other women?”
Mel flapped his hands helplessly. “It was my last night of freedom, Debra.”
“That’s a dumb-assed reason. What the hell was you thinkin?”
“I guess I wasn’t thinking, Debra.” All of a sudden he felt tired. “Got anything to drink?”
Debra glared at him.
“Please. Debra I’m goin’ through a lot right now.” He breathed a sigh of relief when his sister went to get the rum.
They poured two healthy drinks and Mel turned on the radio to an oldies station. The disc jockey was playing “I’ll Be Around,” by The Spinners.
“Damn. This song brings back some good memories,” Mel said as he sat back down. “House parties, red light bulbs . . .”
Debra interrupted his reverie. “Grow the fuck up, Mel. That’s your problem right now. Always lookin’ back or feelin’ sorry for yourself.”
“Look, Debra, I’ll go talk to Lillian and make things right. Okay?”
She snorted. “There ain’t no way to make it right, but you could be man enough to say you’re sorry.”
Mel said nothing. He had no intention of calling Lillian and they both knew it.
Debra wouldn’t let the subject go. She fixed him with a penetrating stare. “What I wanna know is how you figured you could get away with it?” She paused. “And now that Big Boy is pissed, where am I supposed to get this month’s rent from?”
“Don’t worry, Sis, I’ll give you the rent when I get paid.” Mel said gently.
Debra’s body relaxed, and the worried frown left her face. She poured another drink for each of them. “Thanks. Now, tell me what you doin’ up here so early in the day.”
“I want you to go with me to buy a TV set.”
Debra shook her head. “Ann is comin’ over for me to braid her hair. I can’t leave the house. You and Adrienne supposed to be doin’ stuff like this together anyway. What’s the matter?”
“I don’t really know what our problem is.” Mel confessed. He didn’t tell his sister that he had not yet been able to get it up for his wife. No man would admit to that. It was humiliating beyond words.
They both fell silent as Mel wrestled for words. Debra went to the refrigerator and pulled out a loaf of bread and some baloney and cheese. Without saying a word, she made four sandwiches, thick with mayonnaise.
