'They got no problem whatsoever… once I promised to detail it afterward. Plus, we're on an errand of mercy.'
'Where are we heading?' Esther noticed them going the opposite way on Rural from the Outreach Inc. house.
'Breton Court.'
'Breton? I hear that area's pretty rough.'
'It can be, but mostly things get exaggerated.' Wayne made sure to keep his eyes on the road and not meet hers.
'You have any clients over there?'
'Hmm. I think I got nearly a dozen fellas fresh out of juvenile wandering around over there.'
'So it might not be so exaggerated.' Esther let a thin smile cross her lips. She didn't need him trying to manage her fears.
'You got a point.' Wayne noticed that he sat a little taller in his seat around her. None of his slouch-behind- the-wheel-in-a-gangsta-lean stuff. The way he spoke, formalized wasn't quite the right word. Nor would he say 'whitened.' But being around her made him very aware of how he spoke and behaved.
'And Kay is joining us?'
'I'm dropping him off.'
'Dog sitter?'
'Sort of. King was talking to me about the latest kid Big Momma done took in.' There, he made a point of sounding more like him. He spared a glance to see if she noticed. Or took offense. Then he silently cursed at himself for not being able to relax around her. 'Anyway, little boy they call Mad Had.'
'What a horrible nickname.'
'Out here isn't exactly built as a self-esteem booster.'
'I see.'
'Mad Had was a crack baby. Doesn't speak a lot. King got to thinking that maybe a dog might open him up some.'
'Animal therapy. I've read about that.
Of course you have, Wayne thought.
They rode for a while in silence as Wayne hopped on I-65 N to take him to the west side. He fumbled at the radio tuning it into the Tom Joyner Morning Show before thinking that maybe Esther was more of a Bob and Tom Show girl. He flipped the stations, getting a curious glance from her.
'It's OK, you can listen to what you want.'
'Passenger's prerogative. 'What thing is it which women most desire?''
'That from a poem?'
'I don't know. I think I read it somewhere.'
'Their will,' Esther said with a calm resolve. Her eyes were bright and large and had a way of unsettling him whenever they fixed themselves fully on him.
'What?'
'Their will. Women want what they want.'
Wayne didn't expect any answer, much less this one. He took a tentative step out on a limb to feel out her thoughts more. 'Makes women sound kinda… vain.' He tried to sound sensitive. Who the hell was he turning into?
'A lot are.'
'So you didn't roll out the feminist side of the bed this morning.'
'I certainly slept under those covers. I'm just saying when it gets down to it, women want their way. Sounds very feminist to me. Don't act like men are so deep. As long as she's young, pretty, and high-class, you'll chase her to the ends of the earth and let her have her way.'
'Ah, see there, you wrong. With age comes discretion and wisdom. 'With those whose beauty is inside comes security and character.''
'And those of… 'low degree'?' Esther wondered where those words came from. She became all too aware of their easy banter, as if reciting lines from a familiar script.
'Humility and gentility.'
'You one of those 'beauty is on the inside' guys?'
'I guess I just know beauty when I see it. Even when many miss it when it's obvious.'
'I see.' Esther Baron smiled more fully, then self-conscious of it, turned away when it didn't leave her face.
The west side saddened Wayne as they exited on 38th Street and passed the Lafayette Square Mall and a series of increasingly vacant strip malls. More businesses had 'For Lease' signs on them than not. A Texas Steakhouse had closed; a sign promising that a new Mexican restaurant was 'Coming Soon' draped like a sash across it. The Krispy Kreme was boarded up. As was the O'Charley's. Red Lobster was still packing them in though.
Esther couldn't remember the last time she was on the west side. Maybe to go to the Indianapolis 500. Or picnic at Eagle Creek Park. She mentioned that to Wayne, but he grew uncomfortable at the mention of the park and changed the topic back to Breton Court.
'Not so bad,' Esther said as they slowed over the speed bumps.
'Like every other apartment complex. Townhouses, technically. There's Mad Had now.'
Mad Had curled up on the step outside of Big Momma's condo. Ensconced in a lawn chair, she took in the business of the neighborhood. She grinned at Wayne's approach, him with that cute little white girl at his side. The girl was short, not overweight, but thick. Had an awkward walk about her that brought to mind the image of a shuffling mushroom. But Wayne had his chest all puffed out, that dog of his on a leash like they were a couple out for a late morning stroll.
'How you doing, Big Momma?'
'I'm doing fine, baby.' She pronounced 'baby' as if she was talking to her grandson. 'And how are you this morning, miss lady?'
'I'm doing OK.' Esther stifled the need to curtsey.
Mad Had sucked his thumb in silence, his dead eyes tracking their movements.
'What brings you out this way? King's not around. Some hush-hush foolishness he's up to.'
'I'm not here to see King. Got someone who wanted to say 'hi' to Had.' Wayne tugged at the leash to draw Kay's attention to the boy. The dog trotted up to him gave him a sniff, then licked him like he was the last bit of gravy on a plate. Mad Had raised up, grasping the rott around his neck as if holding a life preserver.
And laughed.
'Lord, look at them,' Big Momma said. 'Ain't they a sight.'
Mad Had stretched his legs along the ground. Kay rested his head on the boy's thigh as he was petted.
'I thought it might be a good idea to let Kay stay here for a while. Between Outreach and King, I don't get to spend as much time at home as I'd like.'
'I don't have time to take care of no dog,' Big Momma said.
'He's a good dog,' Esther answered. 'Knows how to treat a lady.'
'Maybe me and Had can take care of him. Would you like that, Had?' Wayne asked. 'I can check in on them. Visit my boys.'
'It's your responsibility.' Big Momma tried to sound firm, but her heart wasn't in it. It was the first time she'd seen Had light up with any spark of real life.
Tenth and Rural was the place hookers went when they were too old, too strung out, had the bug, or otherwise were unable to compete with the ladies working downtown. With no structure or support, they forged a life for themselves among the discarded and forgotten. The place had a way of weighing down on a body. It seeped into your bones and gnawed at your soul. Plenty of homeless folk milled around, especially after the government shut down Central State in the 1980s. Flowers, stuffed animals, and candles formed an altar of remembrance, circling a tree in front of the house of Conant Walker, six year-old murder victim.
In a white tank top which went over one shoulder and stretched over a blue halter top over a cut-off blue jean skirt, Rhianna stood on the corner smoking a square as if waiting on the bus.
