Chapter 9

(Angel)

Gossip and innuendos

"Girl, did you hear about Maxine Kinwood?" Kurt asked as he passed the appointment book where Angel was busy leaving a note about his next day off.

Mona hummed and pointed a brush his way. "Which part, ‘cause honey I have heard some things."

"You're not the only one," Angel said as he finished and turned the page pack to today's appointments. "Tanisha was in here a little while ago and she said she was coming out of Drexell's Grocery when she saw Maxine in the parking lot dancing on top of a blue Acura in silver stilettos with a crowbar in her hand. Said every window in that car had been busted out and there was glass all over the place, including Maxine's weave. I just hope she doesn't come in here expecting me to get it out ‘cause I don't see how I'd be able to salvage it this time."

"I need to turn that whole situation into skit," Bella said as Angel stepped back into his booth. She was busy paging through a magazine while Angel prepared to start taking the curlers out of the wig she planned to wear tonight.

"The weave or the car?" Angel asked.

"Both."

"Fair."

"Whose car was she supposedly beating on, anyway?" Mona asked from her booth next door.

Angel just tisked and shook his head. "Alonso's."

"Patty Mae's Alonso?"

"No, she ain't that crazy now," Angel replied. "I'm takin' about Jojo's Alonso. That boy's got some dimples on him that can charm the socks of anything that moves."

Mona's cackle proceeded her retort. "Only it ain't the socks that are coming off when he's around."

"Ohh, you can say that again," Bella chimed in.

"I have an old dachshund that gets around like that," Shirly said from her seat in Kurt's chair across the aisle. "Every time I turn around one of the neighbors is knocking on my door complaining about how he's the father of their dog's puppies. I might be able to deny it if I wasn't out there constantly filling in the holes from where he's dug under the fence."

"You could get him fixed and save yourself a bunch of trouble," Kurt suggested.

"Could say the same for my neighbors," Shirly said. "I'm not the one knocking on their doors demanding they send over dog food."

Kurt's deadpanned voice followed. "Only it doesn't sound like it's their dog clawing its way under fences."

"My Benny loves the ladies," Shirley said. "Well and a Saint Bernard named Moe, you should see him when they get together just hu…."

"Hey Shirley, I haven't seen Earl in a long time now, how's he been?" Mona cut in, drawing laughter from several of the others in the salon.

"About as good as my Benny, old and horny and humping away at everything."

Angel laughed so hard he dropped a curler, then accidentally kicked it across the floor when he bent to pick it up. Mona barely managed to step over instead of on it, while Erica shoved the broom in its path, bringing the potential for chaos to an end.

"Now Ms. Shirley you know you shouldn't be talking about things like that in here," Mona cautioned.

"Why not? I don't see no young people about, except Angel and Kurt and I've seen Kurt walk past my place in the clothes he wears to them clubs. He's getting up to more than my old Benny is, you mark my words."

"Now Ms. Shirley," Kurt said, his tone sounding indignant, but the smirk he shot Angel gave away exactly how much she'd hit the nail on the head with that little comment.

She might have been in her eighties, but that Ms. Shirley was still a force to be reckoned with. In her heyday, Angel doubted any of them could keep up with her or her snark. Whenever her name appeared in the appointment book every stylist in the shop knew their day would get a little bit brighter the moment she walked in. Outrageous and unfiltered, she never shied away from saying what she believed and if something mattered to her, she made sure everyone knew about it.

Angel just hoped that when she heard about the splash pad, she'd be willing to spread the word in a positive light, and maybe offer a bit of gentle brow beating to those resistant to the idea. There were a few holdouts, mostly without children of their own or with kids too told for them to remember how restless children can be in summer.

"Since when has Maxine been messing around with Alonso, that's what I want to know?" Another voice chimed in.

Angel was almost positive that it was Mr. Kincade, local checkers legend and as notorious a gossip as any who'd ever stepped foot in the building.

"I thought that husband of hers was back sleeping at the house again?" Mr. Kincade added, peeking his head out of Mona's booth and confirming that it was indeed him.

"He comes and goes, but Pauline told me she ain't seen him in a while, so maybe he's gone for good this time." Ms. Shirley said.

"Who knows with that woman, but I tell you one thing, the next time she runs up on my man in the grocery store, bats those fakeass eyelashes at him and asks him to get something down I know good and damn well she can reach, they're going to need an ambulance and not a squad car to get her out of that parking lot," Bernie Miller declared from where she'd sat waiting for her appointment to start.

"Won't be no saving that weave after that," Bella whispered just as Angel stepped back inside his booth for the second time.

Angel about lost it again, only he managed not to lose control of the curler, no matter how hard Bella made him laugh.

"Now what are you two over there cackling about?" Ms. Bennett called from Tangy's booth.

"The maximum speed and velocity that can be achieved by swinging someone around by their braids before the weave starts falling out," Bella replied, while Angel snorted and smacked a hand over his eyes, the image that popped into his head one that he hopped Shanny would draw once he went home and shared the conversation.

Judging from the way Ms. Shirley started laughing, she was thinking about it now too.

"I tell you what you two should be thinking about," Mr. Kincade said as Angel finally got himself under control enough to finish taking the curlers out of Bella's wig. "And that's a checkerboard on that splash pad of yours. Now, I looked into it, and they make big, chunky checkers the kids could play with while a sprinkler keeps ‘em cool. Might not teach them the rules but it can't hurt to introduce them to the game."

There was no denying the idea had merit, especially when they already had a local artist designing an aquatic version of hopscotch, and the brilliant suggestion of water jets that simulated a Double Dutch game. The amount of nostalgia blended with modern flares that had already been suggested was inspiring and had the potential to unite several generations.

"Can you text me the link?" Angel asked. "Mona can give you my number."

"I'll text you a couple, and a table with a board built in," Mr. Kincade said. "Couldn't hurt to give grown folks something to do while they're out their with the kids, encourage a bit of interaction between neighbors the way things used to be."

"I'll look into it," Angel replied as he lightly ran his fingers through Bella's hair. "We've still got a week to finalize the plans and get them to the builder."

"So, you've hired someone then?" Mr. Kincade asked.

"The Lawrence Sisters at Soul City Construction and Mr. Reed and his kids over at Reed's Plumbing have volunteered to do it at cost," Angel explained, still thrilled about the way that had played out.

When Dion had suggested that they approach local contractors first to see if there was any way that they could commit time or materials to help them cut costs on the project a little, the last thing he'd expected was anyone to volunteer that much. That two second generation owners pledged to do so much was further proof of the support they'd received throughout the community. As it was, they'd received enough donation pledges to allow things to progress to the breaking ground phase. Two days after their Slip ‘n Slide Extravaganza, the first hole was set to be dug.

"Good for them, and good for you, keeping things local," Mr. Kincade said. "It's high time we did for our own and stopped waiting for others to do for us."

"Hallelujah," Ms. Shirly praised like it was Sunday morning and she was standing with the choir, shaking her tambourine the way Angel's Nana had when he was small and got to go with her to services. He'd loved the hymns the most, all of those voices rising up together, the foot stomping, hand clapping, march around the interior of the church had been filled with bobbing hats and the reflection of stained-glass colors bouncing off the edge of those mini-cymbals. As a kid, that's what he'd thought of his nana's tambourine as. A circle of mini-cymbals, the sound what he used to imagine sleigh bells would be like.

"Are you coming over tonight?" Bella asked once the conversation in the place turned to other topics.

Angel guided two of the curls to falls apart instead of one on top of the other as he carefully considered her question. The easy answer should be no, since he'd barely been in his own home long enough to throw clothes in a backpack and see that there was a note from Ajay about being in the recording studio late for the next few nights, and Shanny about a Pets n' Pals slumber party he and Tiny would be attending. With no note from Billy, but no sign of the man having been around either, Angel decided that one more night in the guest room, curled in Dion's arms, was the very least he deserved after being single as long as he had.

"As long as you're not sick of me."

"Please. You know you're welcome anytime, even if it is to come bounce on my brother."

That Bella said it the moment he tipped his bottle up to get a sip had to be deliberate, no one's timing was that good. Sputtering, Angel swiped the back of his wrist over his lips and chin, then bent over the sink to clean his hands, muttering about the dangers of getting a drink these days."

"Only ‘cause someone doesn't think before he asks questions he should already know the answer to."

"Just so you know, it isn't only Dion I'm coming over there to spend time with," he said, locking eyes with her across the room.

"I know," Bella said. "And I appreciate that, and how easy you made my job. I didn't even have to work to get you two together."

"Yeah, you did, or are you forgetting all the questions I badgered you with?"

"True, in that case I will accept thanks in the form of crabcakes and fried scallops from Grady's, heavy on the garlic aioli tartar sauce," Bella declared.

"Ohhh, okay, I can go for that and an order of hushpuppies," Angel said, already picturing the seafood feast they'd be diving into at the end of the day.

"Might as well get corn on the cob and some slaw to go with it," Bella suggested.

"Should I get the same for Dion or do you think he'd prefer something different?"

"You put a Grady's bag on the table and the only thing he's going to do is bend you over it before and after he devours whatever it is you bring for him."

"Hmmm," Angel hummed as he finished fluffing the wigs curls and began styling the bangs for her. "Maybe we should make it a true feast and add a double order of clam strips and crunchy shrimp to share. I love that hot honey sauce he drizzles over them while they're still sizzling."

"Okay, if we're going that all out, I'm going to stop off at the bakery and pick up some Heaven on Earth cake with extra whipped cream and cherries, ohh and some cherry cream soda too."

"Oh my god, what time do we have to be at Molly's Place tonight, ‘cause we might not make it if we eat all of that?"

"We'll eat supper, go to Molly's, watch the show, maybe even stick around for the open mic afterwards, then get back to your place with plenty of time to devour some Heaven on Earth cake before crawling into our beds.

"And right into the sugar coma we'll have earned after all that yumminess," Bella said, her tone giving away just how pleased she was at the prospect.

"Did Molly ever tell you who she cast as Fang?" Angel asked as he pinned the last curl in place.

"All she'd say was that they were magnificent and brought the character to life in a way she never imagined when she wrote the script."

"Color me intrigued."

"She also said she'd write a very special show for the Slip n' Slide Extravaganza," Bella said, feigning a nonchalance he knew she didn't feel, not with the hint of squee he detected in her voice. That's okay, he squealed for her until she joined in, their excitement drawing giggles and outright laughter from others in the shop.

"I don't know what's going on over there, but it sounds like fun," Ms. Shirly said.

"We're just celebrating another piece of our project slipping into place," Angel admitted.

"In that case, carry on, it's a good thing to celebrate."

"She's right," Bella said. "Tonight's feast will be the celebration of phase one."

"And at the end of the next one we'll have to celebrate again."

"And again after the third."

"Of course."

"We will have to do one of them on family day and get everyone involved, since they've all been helping to get the word out too."

"I still can't believe Walker agreed to create all the advertisements and called in a few favors to get them on the television and radio," Angel admitted.

"And with word already getting around about Ajay singing, we're sure to bring folks in from all over the city," Bella said. "This is really happening. I'm so proud of us."

"Same, but I'm even prouder of the community," Angel admitted. "They didn't have to embrace our idea, but they have, and the kids are gonna be the ones to benefit. I wish my Nana was here to see this. To see that I never forgot the things she tried to teach me about community, even when it felt like my own forgot about me."

"She'd have been proud," Bella said, crossing the room to give him a hug.

This time of year he thought about his Nana more than any other, and the way her death had led to him living on the streets, scrabbling out an existence until he'd collided with Ajay and Tiny. The pair had been lucky to have one another when the rest of their lives had fallen apart. He shuddered to think about what he might have been forced to resort to if they hadn't invited him to share the one room space they'd been struggling to pay the rent on. Working together, the three of them had not only managed to keep a roof over their heads and their lights on, but they'd finished growing up together, suffering all the struggles and failures that came with early-adulthood. As he caught sight of himself in the mirror, Bella's cheek pressed to the side of his head, he realized just how much he had to be proud of and how far he'd come from picking through trash cans and occasionally pickpocketing drunks.

Take as little as necessary, leave a lasting mark.

It had been one of his Nana's favorite sayings only it didn't fully click until now. That splash pad would leave a mark, true, but the more lasting one would be the way they'd come together as a community. He hoped that those who drove past the splash pad long after it was in place would remember how it felt to see what the power of cooperation would do, and feel a lasting measure of pride at being a part of it.