“Well, I don’t think we living like ‘kings’ yet,” I tossed in, forcing myself to chuckle. “We can’t afford to spend money the way some folks do. We keep ourselves on a strict budget.” I didn’t like the way Milton was staring at me with his eyes narrowed. It was the same way he had looked at me last week when he’d asked me to lend him five dollars. Even though he was brazen enough to already be begging for loans, I still wanted to get to know him and Yvonne. I liked the fact that I didn’t have to go too far now when I wanted to socialize and have a few drinks. But one of the main reasons I wanted to have a good relationship with them was because they’d be a good distraction for Joyce. They’d keep her busy so I could spend even more time with Betty Jean and the boys.
“Joyce, you need some help in the kitchen?” Yvonne asked, already rising.
“I need to set the table and if you don’t mind, you can come in and fix up the Kool-Aid.”
Yvonne and Joyce hadn’t been gone two seconds before Milton stood up. He shuffled over to me and got so close up to my face, I could smell the cheap lye soap he bathed with. “Um, listen.” He stopped talking and peered toward the kitchen. “I was wondering if you could lend me another dollar?”
“Again?” The only reason I had mentioned the fact that Joyce and I were on a budget a few moments ago was to encourage him not to get used to asking me for loans. Now here this clown was asking me for more money anyway!
“This’ll be the last time for a while,” he told me, giving me a serious look.
“I sure hope so, Milton.” I took a deep breath and pulled out my wallet.
I was glad when we all sat down at the table. And I was pleased to see that Yvonne and Milton had good table manners. I was also pleased that they liked to eat and run. As soon as Yvonne scarfed down the last of the pigtails, she was ready to leave. “We’d stay a little longer, but I think Willie Frank is coming by the house tonight,” she explained, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, which was tacky since Joyce had put a cloth napkin right next to her plate.
“Y’all welcome to come over anytime you want,” Joyce said, and I was sure she meant it. Me, I was having some serious second thoughts about our new neighbors. We walked them to the door and as soon as I locked it, I peeped out the window to make sure they had left. Then I turned to Joyce with my hands on my hips. “Baby, would you believe Milton had the nerve to ask me for another loan already?”
“How much this time?”
“Just a dollar,” I said in a tired tone. I rubbed the back of my neck and shook my head. “Now I’m a dollar short. . . .”
“Pffft!” Joyce waved her hand and gave me a dry look. “I wish you would stop making such a big deal out of Milton asking you for money. I’m sure he wouldn’t have asked for it if he didn’t really need it.” Joyce paused and gave me a thoughtful look. “But if he’s asked to borrow money twice in less than two weeks, and they both have jobs and a bootlegging business, maybe they are not doing as well as they want us to think. Or, maybe they are just downright greedy and like to use people. Next thing you know, they’ll be asking us to ride them here and there.”
It was a busy week for Yvonne and Milton. Each day there was so many cars and trucks parked bumper to bumper on our street, you would have thought a funeral procession had arrived. Thursday evening Joyce ran to the window and peeped out every time she heard a vehicle pull up. “They must really be jamming next door. That’s the sixth car to drive up in the last fifteen minutes,” she gushed. I walked up behind her and peeped out the window myself. “I wouldn’t mind having a drink or two this evening. And, some of their guests are so entertaining.”
“I’m sure Milton and Yvonne would be glad to see us again. You want to go over there?”
Joyce closed the curtain and put her arm around my waist. We moved over to the couch and plopped down. “Yeah, I’d like to go but one drink will be my limit tonight.”
“One drink?” I said with my eyebrow raised. “What’s the matter?”
“I don’t want to get too carried away. Last Monday when we went over there, I had a hard time staying awake at work the next morning,” Joyce sighed, and then her eyes lit up real quick. “Aw, shuck it! Let’s go anyway. I don’t want Milton and Yvonne to think we’re trying to avoid them.”
We spent only a hour next door and we had a good time. I was overjoyed that Milton was too busy talking to his other guests to bother me much. I figured he’d be up in my face again soon enough.
And I was right.
Friday afternoon around three thirty p.m., him and Yvonne showed up at the store. I didn’t like people coming into my office, so when I heard them outside asking Buddy and Sadie where I was, I jumped up and went out to see what they wanted.
“Speak of the devil,” Yvonne smirked as I approached them.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“We need a favor!” Milton sputtered. My chest tightened and I groaned. Even if the favor involved only a dollar, I decided I’d tell him I was flat broke.
I motioned for them to follow me to the back of
