Tastes Like Chicken Read online

  “He told me if I fucked you over, he was gonna beat me down like a two-dollar crackhead. So I guess I had to do right by you.”

  “He said that?”

  “Yup.”

  She lifted the armrest and leaned back against him.

  “We should call him and tell him. I need to see if everything’s okay with the dogs anyway.”

  “Raise up so I can get my wallet,” he said.

  She leaned forward. He took it from his back pocket, then pulled her back against his chest. He took a credit card from his wallet, then reached for the phone. He swiped the credit card through it.

  “Here, baby,” he said. “Dial the number, then hand it to me.”

  Reesy punched buttons and waited a while. She thought it was going to roll over to voice mail.

  “Who dis?” Sleazy said after the third ring.

  She handed Dandre the phone.

  “What’s up, man. It’s Dandre.”

  “Hey, hey, what’s crackalatin’, nukka? I see you hooked up with your girl. I was surprised when you answered her phone.”

  “Yeah,” Dandre said. “How the pups doing?”

  “They’re good, man. Those rats scared the shit outta me. I almost had an aneurysm when I thought I’d lost ’em.”

  “So did Reesy.”

  “I’m sure. Shit, I already got three kids. I don’t need three more.”

  “You’ve got three kids?” Dandre said with a laugh.

  “Yeah, man. But that’s another story. Come check out my act and you’ll hear all about it.”

  Reesy waited for Dandre to drop the bomb.

  “So check this out,” he said. “Speaking of acts, you think you could watch the dogs for a couple extra days?”

  “Sure, man. Things must be working out for you two.”

  “Kinda.” Dandre paused. “We’re on our way to Vegas.”

  Sleazy was silent.

  “Hello?” Dandre said. “Hello, hello?”

  Reesy took the phone from him.

  “Sleazy? Sleazy, are you there?”

  “Are y’all doing what I think you are?” he asked in a whisper.

  “Depends on what you think we’re doing,” Reesy said.

  “Y’all are about to do the damn thang.”

  “And just what would the damn thang be, Sleaze? Be specific.”

  She glanced up at Dandre. He was smiling.

  “You marrying this nigga?”

  Dandre took the phone.

  “Quit harassing my about-to-be wife.”

  “Damn,” Sleazy said. “Kudos, man, kudos. Y’all are better than me. Congrats.”

  “Thank you. We’ll give you a call once we’ve done the deed.”

  He put the phone back in its slot. Reesy stared at him with a twinkle in her eye. He wrapped his arms around her and held on tight.

  “So what do you think our parents are doing?” she asked.

  “Let’s not think about them right now,” he said. “They’ve had a lifetime of choices and actions and shit. This is our time. For one whole day, let’s just think about us.”

  “We’ll think about them tomorrow?”

  “Yeah, tomorrow. Tomorrow’s another day.”

  Reesy laughed.

  He glanced out the window at the city in the desert.

  “Vegas, baby,” he said.

  She leaned over and looked out.

  “Yeah. Vegas, baby. Vegas.”

  When morning broke through the window of their spacious room at the Bellagio, Dandre was making love to his wife.

  She looked up into her husband’s face.

  Tomorrow had finally come.

  Lord of the Ring

  “So you sure you’re ready to do this?” he asked.

  They were back on Southwest, high in the sky, headed to their side of the world.

  “I’m sure,” she said. “But I’m scared. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared.”

  “Why don’t we call your boy Sleazy,” Dandre said.

  Reesy looked at him with surprise.

  “So you know we’re friends.”

  “Yeah. He’s a good guy. He was really looking out for you.”

  Reesy laughed.

  “So now I get it. He’s the one who told you about me going to Lauderdale.” She shook her head. “That dirty dog. He never said a word.”

  “He told me if I fucked you over, he was gonna beat me down like a two-dollar crackhead. So I guess I had to do right by you.”

  “He said that?”

  “Yup.”

  She lifted the armrest and leaned back against him.

  “We should call him and tell him. I need to see if everything’s okay with the dogs anyway.”

  “Raise up so I can get my wallet,” he said.

  She leaned forward. He took it from his back pocket, then pulled her back against his chest. He took a credit card from his wallet, then reached for the phone. He swiped the credit card through it.

  “Here, baby,” he said. “Dial the number, then hand it to me.”

  Reesy punched buttons and waited a while. She thought it was going to roll over to voice mail.

  “Who dis?” Sleazy said after the third ring.

  She handed Dandre the phone.

  “What’s up, man. It’s Dandre.”

  “Hey, hey, what’s crackalatin’, nukka? I see you hooked up with your girl. I was surprised when you answered her phone.”

  “Yeah,” Dandre said. “How the pups doing?”

  “They’re good, man. Those rats scared the shit outta me. I almost had an aneurysm when I thought I’d lost ’em.”

  “So did Reesy.”

  “I’m sure. Shit, I already got three kids. I don’t need three more.”

  “You’ve got three kids?” Dandre said with a laugh.

  “Yeah, man. But that’s another story. Come check out my act and you’ll hear all about it.”

  Reesy waited for Dandre to drop the bomb.

  “So check this out,” he said. “Speaking of acts, you think you could watch the dogs for a couple extra days?”

  “Sure, man. Things must be working out for you two.”

  “Kinda.” Dandre paused. “We’re on our way to Vegas.”

  Sleazy was silent.

  “Hello?” Dandre said. “Hello, hello?”

  Reesy took the phone from him.

  “Sleazy? Sleazy, are you there?”

  “Are y’all doing what I think you are?” he asked in a whisper.

  “Depends on what you think we’re doing,” Reesy said.

  “Y’all are about to do the damn thang.”

  “And just what would the damn thang be, Sleaze? Be specific.”

  She glanced up at Dandre. He was smiling.

  “You marrying this nigga?”

  Dandre took the phone.

  “Quit harassing my about-to-be wife.”

  “Damn,” Sleazy said. “Kudos, man, kudos. Y’all are better than me. Congrats.”

  “Thank you. We’ll give you a call once we’ve done the deed.”

  He put the phone back in its slot. Reesy stared at him with a twinkle in her eye. He wrapped his arms around her and held on tight.

  “So what do you think our parents are doing?” she asked.

  “Let’s not think about them right now,” he said. “They’ve had a lifetime of choices and actions and shit. This is our time. For one whole day, let’s just think about us.”

  “We’ll think about them tomorrow?”

  “Yeah, tomorrow. Tomorrow’s another day.”

  Reesy laughed.

  He glanced out the window at the city in the desert.

  “Vegas, baby,” he said.

  She leaned over and looked out.

  “Yeah. Vegas, baby. Vegas.”

  When morning broke through the window of their spacious room at the Bellagio, Dandre was making love to his wife.

  She looked up into her husband’s face.

  Tomorrow had finally come.
>
  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  LOLITA FILES is the bestselling author of five novels: Scenes from a Sistah, Getting to the Good Part, Blind Ambitions, Child of God, and Tastes Like Chicken. She lives in Los Angeles, where she is currently developing projects for film and television.

  SIMON & SCHUSTER

  Rockefeller Center 1230 Avenue of the Americas

  New York, NY 10020

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2004 by Lolita Files

  All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

  SIMON& SCHUSTER and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  For information regarding special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-800-456-6798 or [email protected]

  Manufactured in the United States of America

  10 987654321

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Files, Lolita.

  Tastes like chicken : a novel / Lolita Files. p. cm.

  1. African American women—Fiction. 2. Los Angeles (Calif.)—

  Fiction. 3. Female friendship—Fiction. I. Title.

  PS3556.I4257T37 2003 813'.54—dc22 2003058986

  ISBN 0-7432-4525-3