Part 9 (2/2)
”And your name is?”
”It's for Zane and Lucky Beaumont.” I spoke without thinking and I looked up to see Lucky staring at me in amus.e.m.e.nt. ”We'll see you in a few days.” I hung up and pulled Lucky towards me. ”We'll know in a few days.”
”Yes, Mr. Beaumont.” She winked at me and I realized what I had said. I had called Lucky my wife-well, had given her my last name.
”Sorry about that.” Don't get any ideas, I thought to myself hurriedly. I wasn't sure how panicked I would feel if Lucky started pus.h.i.+ng for marriage.
”No worries.” She smiled and gazed up at me. ”Try not to look like you just struck a deer though.” She laughed and I kissed her hard.
”All I want to do is make love to you.” I reached into the s.h.i.+rt and started to undo the b.u.t.tons.
”Uh uh.” She shook her head. ”Let's go and see the Johnsons today.”
”Can't we go after a quickie?” I winked at her.
”No.” She laughed and jumped off of the bed.
”You're so mean to me.” I laughed and watched her walk towards the door. ”I hate to see you leave, but I love to watch you walk away, baby,” I called out in an Italian accent.
”You're so cheesy, Zane.” She paused at the door and grinned at me. ”Now hurry.”
I looked at the text messages and missed calls on my phone and quickly put it in my pocket before Lucky saw the screen. I thought back to our earlier conversation and how Lucky wanted me to share everything with her, but I knew that there were certain things I couldn't share with her. Not if I wanted to keep her in my life. I wasn't sure she would understand just how complicated everything was. How complicated I was. I knocked on the door and smiled when Mr. Johnson opened the door.
”Good to see you again, Mr. Johnson.” I shook Sidney Johnson's hand and accepted his wife's hug gratefully. ”Thanks for having us back so soon. Lucky just had some questions for you before we shot the video.”
”I hope you don't mind,” Lucky interrupted me. ”I had a new idea I wanted to pursue that I think will make the doc.u.mentary even better.”
”You can come over anytime you like, my dear.” Sidney smiled. ”Betty and I are happy for the company. Our children are still in the Midwest, you see.”
”I've never been to the Midwest, though I'd love to go one day.” Lucky smiled and we followed the couple back to their living room.
”Maybe your young man will take you.” Sidney smiled at me and we all took a seat while Mrs. Johnson got the tea ready in the kitchen. ”So what's this new idea of yours?”
”Well, it's mine and Zane's.” She nodded at me and looked a bit guilty. ”We both decided.”
”My dear, I'm sure Mr. Beaumont won't mind you taking the credit for your own idea.” Sidney laughed. ”I mean, the first time he contacted me, he had no clue what was going on.”
”Oh.” Lucky looked at him in surprise and I stifled a groan. Here we go again, I thought. I debated speaking up now or waiting to see exactly what Sidney was going to say.
”When I asked Zane why he was interested in residential segregation, the phone went silent.”
”I think he took on the project because it was his brother's.” Lucky's voice was soft and she smiled at me sweetly.
”I see.” Sidney looked at me and I knew that he knew there was more to the story. There was an awkward silence and I cleared my throat.
”So, Lucky, I uh, I kind of heard you talking about history and civil rights in the diner one day.” I smiled at her, hoping she wasn't going to freak out. ”So I decided to create this project with the hope that I could convince you to work on it.”
”What?” Lucky's eyes popped open and Sidney laughed.
”I say that's the sign that a man really wants you.” He grinned at me. ”Good man, Zane. I always knew you were a man who went for what you wanted.”
”Thanks.” I smiled at him and looked at Lucky to make sure she wasn't too overwhelmed. Maybe I should have told her about the doc.u.mentary when she found out about the party. I just didn't want her to think I was going to be a total creeper. Or the lengths I had gone to get to know her better. Or-if I was honest with myself-the lengths I had gone to get her into my bed. I'd never tell her that part, though. Women didn't understand that men thought with their small head first.
”I didn't know how to tell you, Lucky.” I watched her face closely to try and figure out how she was feeling.
”We can talk about this later, Zane.” She frowned at me and turned back to Mr. Johnson. ”I'm sorry about this. I didn't realize that ...”
”Lucky, I'll let you know that I'm happy you came into Zane's life. When Noah first contacted us, well, we were overjoyed. Betty and I couldn't believe that someone wanted to tell our story. That people actually cared what happened to the kids that grew up in the 50s and went through the transition. I knew right away that there was a reason for Zane calling me.”
”I didn't realize.” Lucky's voice expressed the same surprise I felt.
”Noah used to talk about Zane all the time.” Sidney looked at me. ”He was real proud of you, son.”
”Thank you.” I smiled as best as I could, even though I felt emotional. I wanted to ask him what else he talked about with my brother.
”I was happy when I got to meet you. Even if you were only picking up the doc.u.mentary because of a girl.”
”I, uh ...” I stammered, embarra.s.sed at the situation.
”I wish you would have told me, Zane.” Lucky shook her head at me. ”It's sweet that you thought of me, but I just wish you would have told me that you lied.”
”Lucky, I want to tell you a story,” Sidney Johnson cut her off.
”Sure.” She turned to face him.
”It's about me and my wife.” He chuckled and winked at me. ”It's about what I did for love.”
”Oh, you don't have to tell me.” Lucky looked embarra.s.sed.
”I want to tell you so you're not too hard on your young man.”
”Oh.” She looked down and I saw a small smile on her face.
”So, when I first saw Betty walking them streets, I thought to myself, this is a young lady that has a purpose and she don't want no boy like me. She wants herself a fine, respectable man.” He nodded to himself as he remembered the past. ”So the first time I got to talk to her, I told her that I was getting a scholars.h.i.+p to study.”
”Wow, that was great,” Lucky interrupted him with a huge grin. ”What was the scholars.h.i.+p for?”
”There was no scholars.h.i.+p and there was no school.” He laughed.
”What?”
”I lied.” He smiled. ”I knew she would never talk to me if she knew I was hanging out with my friends on the streets.”
”And she didn't know?”
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