Any Way the Wind Blows - E. Lynn Harris [84]
“Toukie, here. Can I help you?”
“Ms. Toukie? This is Yancey. How is Windsor?” I asked.
“Call me Aunt Toukie, baby. We just like family seeing how I done slept in your house. You want to talk with Windsor?”
“Yes, can I?”
“Naw … she’s asleep. Not feeling well today. But she’s trying to keep that baby in her stomach for a few more weeks at least, and then her doctor says we might be okay. I’m kinda worried how it’s gonna look. But all we can do is pray. She and Wardell found a good doctor down here. How is New York? You made any more of those minimovies?”
“I’m in Florida, finishing up a video, and it’s going fine,” I said as I looked over at Bart, whose face was so contorted he looked like he was in pain. He had lowered his voice, but I could tell he was in a conversation that was not making him happy. Just as I was getting ready to tell Ms. Toukie goodbye, I heard Bart shouting and his voice trembling with anger: “What do you mean the bitch stopped payment on my check?”
• • •
Ten minutes later, Bart and I were walking back to the hotel, and he seemed to be in a stunned silence. Every few minutes he would pop open his cell phone and dial a number and then mutter, “Damn.”
“Is everything all right, Bart?” I knew it was a dumb question, but I wanted to know what had happened to change his personality in a matter of minutes.
“Somebody’s trying to run a game on me, and I ain’t having it. This bitch don’t know who she’s fucking with,” Bart said as he looked straight ahead, like he was traveling in his own private bubble.
“Do you want to tell me what happened? Is there anything I can do to help?”
“I’m thinking. First, I got to contact this bitch, but she’s not answering her phone,” Bart said.
“Who is she?”
“Some wanna-be diva who I did some work for,” Bart said. I was wondering what kind of work could net $100,000. I needed to meet her. I wondered if it had anything to do with drugs or sex, but I decided to let Bart spill the details when he was ready.
When we reached the hotel, I suggested we go and sit by the pool so he could calm down.
“I’ll meet you in ten minutes. I got to make sure my credit cards are still working. I’m leaving the country when we’re done here. At least I think I am,” Bart said. Now he looked sad instead of angry.
• • •
About thirty minutes later, Bart came down to the pool area, and I could tell from the look on his face that he was still in some type of trouble.
“Any luck?” I asked.
“No, she’s still not answering the phone. I thought if I came back to the hotel and called from here, she might not know it was me and pick up. The only numbers I had were a hotel number and a cell phone and she already checked out of the hotel,” Bart said as he sat down next to me in front of a hypnotic pool with pure turquoise water. The pool was surrounded by overly tan white people, mostly women, and mostly topless. I figured they were European and didn’t hesitate to remove their tops on the beach or near a pool.
“You want to use my cell phone? She wouldn’t know my number,” I said.
“I might do that later. Right now, I just got to figure out how I’m gonna deal with my bank. This check I deposited and got some funds against was returned with a ‘stop payment.’ Now the bank’s threatening to bring in some investigators,” Bart said.
“Bart, do you mind me asking what you did for this lady?” I asked.
He was silent for a moment, and the only thing I heard was foreign chatter and faint sounds of water splashing until Bart began talking. “I don’t want you to think badly of me. I like you, Yancey, and I’m not proud of some of the things I’ve done lately.”
“Trust me, I understand. I like you too, and I’m trying to figure out how I might help.”
Bart told me how he had helped some rich lady get back at some man they had both dated. The man sounded horrible, sleeping with them both at the same time. The man was a powerful businessman, and Bart said the lady had cracked the guy’s computer system and