Any Way the Wind Blows - E. Lynn Harris [69]
“Great minds think alike,” he said.
“So what’s the word?”
“Looks like you lucked out again,” he said.
“Did Bitch Boy Bart take my offer?”
“Apparently not.”
“Then how did I luck out?”
“His lawyer called me today and said she was dropping the suit,” Raymond said.
“No shit,” I said as I sat back on my bed. This definitely was good news.
“We’re not out of the woods yet. It seems Bart and his lawyer have had a parting of the ways. I gathered from our conversations that she thought the suit was groundless and when he didn’t take our offer, she dropped the case. He could get another lawyer, but I can’t imagine any lawyers taking the case.”
“Raymond, dude, I owe you big time,” I said.
“Yeah, you do. I wish I could believe you’ve learned your lesson, but I won’t even try to convince myself of that. Why don’t you just find someone and settle down? Find a woman or a man, and save yourself and the people who love you some aggravation,” Raymond said.
“It’s gonna have to be a woman,” I said.
“Basil, why are you so afraid of men?”
“I’m not afraid of men, I just don’t trust them.”
“Why?”
“Bart is a prime example. Besides, you know me, I like the thrill of the hunt. And I know the male animal all too well, ’cause I’m one of them. Whoever has the most blood in his balls wins,” I said.
“I think one day you’re going to have a life-changing moment, and then you’ll surprise yourself and you’ll be ready to settle down,” Raymond said, his voice confident as usual.
“If that happens, you’ll be among the first to know,” I said.
“Okay. If you hear from Bart or somebody representing him, give me a call quickly and I’ll try and work my magic again. Thanks for calling me to help out.”
“Why are you thanking me?” I asked.
“For reminding me for a couple of days why I chose the law,” Raymond said. “This was fun. I mean, when I told Bart’s lawyer that I didn’t believe her client’s claim for one minute, but that my client—that would be you—was too busy to defend himself against a frivolous lawsuit, man, I was feelin’ it.”
“So you’re going back to practicing law full time?”
“I doubt it. I like the slow pace of academia. It was just nice working on your case. Sort of like visiting an old friend.”
This was the opening I was looking for with Raymond, so I said, “Now that you mention old friends, when are we going to get together for a visit?”
“Who knows? Life is full of surprises,” Raymond said before saying good night.
• • •
Tuesday was more like fall than winter, with the bright sun streaming in through the car’s slightly open windows. Daschle and I were in the backseat of a limo on our way to Jersey to pick up his new BMW X-5. I was happy about the news I’d gotten last night, and I was glad to have Bart off my back. Daschle and I were two dudes rolling toward the future.
“Are you sure the car’s going to be ready?” Daschle asked.
“I had Kendra double-check. They’ve got the tags on it. The sound system has been installed. In about thirty minutes, you’ll be rolling big-time, D,” I said as we slapped each other with open palms.
“What about the phone?”
“They told me it was installed, but you’ve got to fill out an application to get the service turned on,” I said.
“Didn’t Kendra fill out all the applications?” Daschle asked.
“Yeah, but she couldn’t do this one. It won’t take but a few minutes to fill it out,” I said.
“Maybe I’ll just get the phone turned on when I get back home,” Daschle said.
I began wondering what the big deal was about filling out a simple application. Daschle pulled out one of the magazines in the back pocket of the car and began flipping the pages. I pulled out a copy of Ebony with Janet Jackson on the cover. I thumbed through the magazine and came to the article on Janet. I read a few sentences and then started laughing to myself. I playfully punched Daschle on the shoulder and said, “Hey, D, read this and tell me what you think.”
“Read what?”
“Read this,” I said as I pointed to the article.
“Is