Fixin’ Tyrone (15 page)

“Tea’s fine with me, too,” Mia said. She gave her coworker a queer look, and when the waiter walked away she asked, “You want to get
drunk
at our business lunch?”

He laughed. “Mia, you are truly an American woman. All work. But that is good. That is what attracts me to you.”

For the first time Mia started to get an inkling of what was going on.

“I’m afraid I haven’t been entirely honest with you,” he said. “Mia, you are a very beautiful woman. I’ve watched your progress in the company, and I must say I am very proud of the work you have done. I brought you here today to tell you I’ve become enamored with you. I would like to see you more often, outside of work.”

Mia listened, growing more shocked with every word. She knew she was attractive, but never had so many potential suitors accosted her in such a short period of time. And if she were the gold-digging type, this one would be considered the
jackpot
. Mr. Manitou made six figures every year—not counting the investments his
old
money brought in. Eric’s sixty thousand paled in comparison.

“Well,” she said finally. “Don’t think I’m not flattered. Actually, I’m
floored
. I never thought you had these feelings for me. But to be honest, I have a boyfriend.”

“I see,” the analyst said. “Are you engaged to be married?”

“No,” Mia said. “We’ve only been dating for two months.”

“Well, surely your ties to him are not so rigid . . .”

“Not really, but I am faithful to him.” She smiled, hoping to be as inoffensive as possible.

“Well,” he said, “I’m glad I asked you this away from the office. I would hate to be sued for sexual harassment.”

Mia giggled. “I’m not that type of girl,” she said. “We’re both grown. If you tell me you like me—here or at the office—I’m not going to use it against you. You’re an important man to our company. I look up to you. In truth, I’m honored. You could have any woman you want, and you chose me. That makes me feel special.”

“You are wrong,” he said with a smile. “If I cannot have
you
, then I cannot have
any
woman I choose.”

“Touché.”

The waiter brought their appetizer and disappeared again.

“I suppose I’ll have to eat all three courses by myself,” Mr. Manitou said.

“Are you crazy? This has been the nicest part of my day,” Mia said. “And these things look good. I’m not going anywhere.”

Her date smiled, and they dove into the stuffed mushrooms.

They were delicious, as was the rest of their meal.

* * *

Mia got off a little after six. She was five minutes from home when Tyrone called her cell phone.

“Hello?”

“Hey, this Tyrone.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Why you have to assume something’s
wrong
?”

“Okay. What’s going on?”

“It’s somethin’ wrong,” he said.

“What’s wrong?”

“My car broke down.”

“TC’s still with you?”

“Yeah. He cool.”

“Where are you?”

“I’m right over here by yo house. I was finna drop him off when the muffler fell off. We over here off McCart and Woodway.”

“Oh. You are close.”

“Yeah. It’s only like a half mile. We could walk to yo house from here.”

Mia didn’t know if he was serious, but
her
baby wasn’t walking half a mile. “No, I’ll come get you. Did you call Crystal?”

“Naw. I called you first. You home already?”

“I’m on my way. I just exited McCart. I’ll be there in about three minutes.”

“Cool,” Tyrone said. “Hey, TC wanna holler at you.”

“Put him on.” She waited only a few seconds.

“Hi, Mama!”

“Hey, lil’ man. What’s going on?”

“Daddy’s car broke down.”

“I heard. You doing okay?”

“Yeah. We had fun.”

“Really? What’d y’all do?”

“He took me to see Grandma. Did you know I had a grandma?”

“Mmm, yeah. I did. Was she nice?”

“Yeah. She gave me
five dollars!
”

“Wow. That
was
nice. You gonna put it in your piggy bank?”

“Nope. I already spent it. Daddy says kids my age shouldn’t save money. He said—”

There was a momentary rustling.

“Hu—hey! Mia?”

“Tyrone?”

“Hey, girl. Don’t listen to him. He don’t know what he talking ’bout.”

“I was just thinking that sounds like something you’d say.”

“All right. He was in the store talking bout, ‘Mama say I have to save my money.’ I made him spend it, though. You mad, huh?”

“No, Tyrone. I’m not mad. I see your car.”

“Cool,” he said, but she had already disconnected.

* * *

Tyrone was right about the damage. Mia pulled up behind his mother’s Bonneville, and she could see the muffler hanging down to the street. She honked her horn, and TC bounced out as happy as ever. Tyrone got out, too, and he was as handsome as ever. He wore blue Dickey pants and a blue T-shirt; nothing fancy, but it didn’t take much to make him look good. He was clean-cut, neat, and breathtakingly muscular.

Eric was fine, too, but he was a bigger guy. He had more of a sturdy, lumberjack type of body. Tyrone was leaner and more cut. Mia didn’t have to see him topless to know he had more definition in his chest than Eric, and Tyrone probably had a six-pack too.

He opened the back door and helped TC in, then took the front seat next to Mia. He shook his head. “I’m sorry about that. I knew that muffler was gon’ fall out sooner or later. Shoulda got it fixed before I put my lil’ soldier in there.”

Mia nodded. She was thinking the exact same thing.

“Dang, Mia. You look good.”

“Thanks,” she said without looking at him.

“I mean, I know you prolly dress like this every day, but I don’t never see no women dressed like you.”

Today Mia wore a blue pantsuit with a baby blue blouse. Tyrone was the first person to compliment her outfit that day, but she didn’t show how good it made her feel.

“Mama!” TC called from the back, “Daddy wants to take me to
Six Flags
Sunday!”

“Really,” Mia said and turned onto her street.

“You’re dropping him off first?” Tyrone asked.

“Yeah. We’re right here,” Mia said. “Plus, your neighborhood gets a little rowdy this late.”

“No, it doesn’t.”

“What, did it get better over the last ten years?”

Tyrone chuckled. “Naw. You right. It got a little worse.”

Mia pulled to a stop in front of her house and sent TC on his way. When Crystal opened the door for him, Mia rolled down her window.

“Tyrone’s car broke down! I’m going to take him home!”

Crystal smiled an evil little smile and waved but didn’t say anything. Mia looked over at her passenger, and Tyrone had the same wicked smile.

“What?” she said.

“I didn’t say nothin’.”

“Yeah, but you got that look on your face. I don’t know what you’re thinking, but forget it.” She put the car into gear and headed towards the south side of town.

“You make that face all you want,” Tyrone said. “But I know it ain’t you.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You, lookin’ all mean. You ain’t gotta wear that face for me. I
know
you. Don’t forget.”

“Yeah. You know me. I know you, too, that’s why I got this face on.”

“What that mean?”

“It means if I smile at you, you’ll think I’m giving in, and the next thing I know you’ll be grabbing my ass again.”

Tyrone laughed. “I’m not gon’ grab yo ass just ’cause you smile at me.”

“Why’d you do it the last time?”

“I told you. I was fresh out. I ain’t seen no female I wanted more than you, and you was looking good. That was just somethin I
had
to do. I was thinkin’ about touching you for six years.”

“So you cool now?” Mia was skeptical.

“I still want you. You know that. But I ain’t doin’ that bad now. I’m not gon’ touch you if you don’t want me to.”

“You musta got you some then,” Mia said, but she really didn’t want to hear his response.

Tyrone smiled. “No. I haven’t. I know most niggas come out the pen wanna jump on whatever they can, but I want
you
, Mia. I can wait.”

“You can wait? Tyrone, that’s silly. What are you waiting for?”

“I told you, I give that boyfriend you got a month. It’s been three weeks. Y’all broke up yet?”

“Nope.”

“Well, I still got another week.”

“You got high hopes.”

“Mia, can you honestly say you don’t want to be with me at all?”

“I have a boyfriend.”

“You didn’t say you don’t want me.”

“Okay. I don’t want you.”

“You lying now.”

“How you figure?”

“I know how much you loved me. You can’t make that go away just ’cause you want it to.”

“Oh, you raise a baby by
yourself
for nine years and see if your feelings about things don’t change.”

“I said I was sorry about that. I’ma make it up to you.”

Mia frowned.

“Say, let me ask you something,” Tyrone said. “Why you call my son TC?”

The question caught her off guard. “Why do you ask? What’s wrong with TC?”

“Nothing,” he said. “Except his name is
Tyrone
. Like mine. Why you don’t call him Tyrone?”

“You know why.”

“How am I supposed to know?”

Mia sighed. “You were in jail. I had this brand new baby, but he had your name. I wasn’t finna keep calling out your name. I didn’t want to think about you, so I called him TC.”

“That’s what I figured.”

“You got a problem with it?”

“No, ma’am. Don’t get mad.”

“I’m not mad.”

“So, what about Six Flags?” he asked. “You gon’ let me take him?”

“Tyrone, that’s a big place. You’re not going to want to follow him around all day. And you won’t be able to ride anything ’cause he’s too small to get on all the cool stuff. He’s too small to sit on some bench waiting on you, too.”

“I wouldn’t sit my son on no bench.”

“Maybe not, but still . . .”

“Why don’t you come with me, then? You and Mica.”

“I don’t know, Tyrone.”

“C’mon, girl. He been asking me since I got out. He wanna go bad.”

“Why Sunday? That’s not enough notice.”

“Just say yes. I’ll pay for it. Yo ticket, too.”

“You’re gonna buy
four
tickets to Six Flags,
plus
the food
and
games?”

Tyrone nodded. “I know you’re just asking, ’cause you think I’ma say I can’t afford it. But, yeah. I’ll pay for all that stuff.”

“
This
Sunday?”

“Yeah. We can go tomorrow if you want.”

“No. Sunday’s better,” Mia said, thinking of Eric.

“So we gon’ go.”

She considered it for a minute and couldn’t think of a reason not to. “I guess so.”

“Damn, can you ever smile?”

“You think you’ve given me something to smile about?”

“I love you,” Tyrone said.

Mia didn’t smile. “No, you don’t.”

“Don’t tell me what I feel. I
know
I love you.”

She looked away.

“I know I love you, ’cause I been out the pen for a month,” Tyrone said. “And all them hood-rat bitches keep tellin’ me how good I look. They want me bad, but I don’t wanna hit none of them. I only want you. And I’m horny as hell. Tell me that ain’t love.”

She did smile then.

“You got such a pretty smile. I want you to smile at me more.”

“We’ll see,” she said.

They drove in silence for a while and soon arrived at his mother’s house. There were hoodlums about, but not the level of degradation Mia expected. But then again, it was only seven o’clock.

“What are you going to do about your car?” she asked.

“Me and my uncle gonna get it tonight, hook some chains on it and bring it over here. It just needs a new muffler. I’ll have that bad boy fixed by tomorrow afternoon.”

“Good,” Mia said.