Page 86 of Creole Kingpin
“I hear you. But you’d best brace yourself. Bernie is ... well, she’s not a cheerful woman, and I don’t think she’s ever been accused of being remotely friendly. I, however, get great delight from pissing her off. So ... yeah. Do what you will with that.”
He smiles and squeezes my hand. “It’ll be fine. I can handle a little old lady.”
I laugh, knowing better. “Just so you know. She’s gonna hate your fucking guts.”
The laughter that fills the car is borderline deafening. Moses shoots me a grin. “Challenge accepted.”
Fifty-Five
Moses
The well-kept white row house with black shutters where Magnolia’s great-aunt lives is in a decent neighborhood. Thanks to Trey’s skills, I’m aware Magnolia pays for it and any of her great-aunt’s upkeep that isn’t covered by the woman’s Social Security check.
That says something about Magnolia, that she takes care of the old woman, even when her great-aunt didn’t take care of her.
I’m already predisposed to dislike the woman for throwing Magnolia out when she was still a kid, but I’ll keep that to myself and do everything I can to charm her. Not only because I’m sure Magnolia will get a kick out of it, but because my grand-mère was a big fan of killing people with kindness. While I’m better at just plain killing people, I’m willing to go the extra mile for my woman.
I park, and she climbs out of the car and opens the wrought-iron gate in the fence blocking off the tiny patch of yard from the sidewalk. We walk up hand in hand, and I give her a squeeze before she leads me up the stairs to the front door.
“Brace yourself,” she warns me as she knocks on the door instead of going right in. That tells me a lot. She doesn’t feel at home here, but she keeps coming back all the same.
Yeah, this whole situation says a hell of a lot about Magnolia’s character, even if she doesn’t realize it.
An old black woman with a worried expression on her face answers the door. “Thank you for coming so quickly. I think she needs to go to the hospital. I just told her so and she fired me.” The lady’s eyes widen as they study me.
Magnolia rolls her eyes. “Bernie can’t fire you because she doesn’t pay you. I do. You’re not fired.”
The woman, who I presume is Norma, nods. “That’s what I told her, but she didn’t listen.” Her gaze cuts to me again. “Who is ...allthis?”
Magnolia huffs out a short laugh. “Allthis,” she waves a hand along the length of my torso, “is Moses. He’s my ... friend. A very good friend.”
“Nice to meet you, Moses. I hope you know what the hell you’re doing bringing him here, Mags. Because she’s on a tear today.”
A voice calls from inside, “I don’t care what you two say! I’m not going to the hospital. You can’t make me.”
“I’d best get in there and talk some sense into her,” Magnolia says.
Norma steps out of the way, and Magnolia drops my hand before we head inside.
I pause in front of Norma. “It’s nice to meet you too, ma’am. I’ll stay out of the way, unless I can help.”
She takes me in with a sweeping glance, starting from my head and going to my toes. “Well, worse comes to worst, you can just pick Bernie up and put her in the car. My old bones can’t do that anymore. We have to take the van, and with the fit she’s been pitching today, she’d roll her wheelchair right off the platform and kill herself just to be spiteful.”
“Like I said, whatever I can do to help. I’m at your disposal, ma’am.”
“What the hell did you call her for?” Magnolia’s great-aunt Bernadette yells from the next room. “I told you not to tell her anything!”
I smile at Norma. “I’d best go in after her and give Bernie someone else to yell at.”
“God bless you, boy. If only it were that easy.”
Fifty-Six
Magnolia
Bernadette is spitting mad when I walk into the room, but I don’t care.
I don’t pull any punches and start right in. “What the hell is your problem, old woman? If there’s something wrong with you, you’ve gotta go to the hospital.”
