217

Aligned Design

Ch 40

"Hello . . .?"

Oh, she was sleeping; Bobby grimaced and said, "Hi, Honey, did I wake you?"

Gleason sighed softly and said, "It's ok, I have to get up anyway." She looked at the clock and groaned inwardly, two-thirty; she had slept the whole day. "Are you coming home soon?"

"Yes, Eames dropped me at your car so I'll bring it home. I'll bring up your things and you'll have something to wear. How do you feel?"

"I'm ok. I have to stop sleeping so much; my back hurts from lying down."

"Did you eat today?"

She hadn't, she had gone back to bed after Estella left, "I haven't been hungry."

"Well, do you want to go out or do you want me to bring you something?"

"It's up to you, Love. You decide."

"Ok. I'll get us something. Anything in particular?"

"Bread, lots of bread."

He smiled, "Ok, lots of bread. I'll be home in less than an hour. I love you."

"I love you, Love," she said.

Bobby headed to Magnolia's, a little place that sold whole dinners to go. He'd get them a nice dinner, with lots of bread. And no tomato sauce.

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Damn, Jenese would have to call Canvettelli. Thank goodness, Tilley had prepaid the room. They had showered, changed, checked out and now they stood in the lobby with their bags.

"Shit, he's not answering his cell," Jenese said to Tilley.

"What are we going to do? We are penniless, homeless. What are we going to do?" Tilley was at near panic.

"Will you calm down? I'll reach Canvettelli and he'll wire us some money. Don't worry. We will be ok. Now calm down."

Jenese dialed the gallery and Pat, the clerk of uncertain gender, answered elegantly, "Gal Larry Gallery, how may I help you?"

"Let me talk to Canvettelli," Jenese had always gotten the creeps from that Pat person.

"Whom shall I say is calling?"

"Just let me talk to him, will you?"

"I'll see if he is available. One moment please." Jenese heard soft, faggy music and cursed, his battery was running low and his charger was in the car.

"Who is this calling?" Canvettelli asked with attitude.

"It's me. Don't hang up. I need your help."

"Who is this?" Canvettelli knew exactly who it was. He was pissed at Jenese for ditching him and not answering his calls. So, now he needs me, thought Canvettelli, we'll see about that.

"Canvettelli, sweetheart, why didn't you answer my calls? I tried calling you and you wouldn't pick up. I'm in Baltimore and may have a buyer for the paintings. I need your help to make this happen."

"I'm listening."

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"Julie, Dad wants to do something with us tonight. Any ideas?" Angie was trying the positive approach.

Julie, dressed completely in black and wearing what looked like ten pounds of chain, thought about it. She could be a brat and snipe at her mom. Or, she could really freak her out and be sweet. "Ok, can we go to Parson's for dinner?" Parson's was a hip-hop place with loud, throbbing music, bright, throbbing lights, and over-priced, greasy, bopper fare.

Angie knew exactly what her youngest daughter was pulling. She smiled and said, "Can you just see your dad in Parson's, he'd have a stroke. How about something less, less . . ."

"Less stroke-inducing?" Julie smiled back.

"Yes, less stroke inducing. What about that place on Chambray near Lex, it has all kinds of food?"

Julie contemplated this. I need to make this work for me, she thought. "Well, if we go to that place, can we go to a movie after? And I get to pick?"

She is exhausting, thought Angie. "Ok, but remember, your dad is old and stroke prone. Let's not kill him off just yet, please? Go look at what's playing where and when, pick three and we all get to vote. Top vote wins? Fair?"

Julie was ready to whine, but reconsidered. She did get to pick the three choices. "When's Dad coming home?"

"He said by six. So, pick movies that start near eight, ok?"

Julie nodded and went upstairs to check movies online.

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Bobby was lucky and got a spot down the block from Magnolia's. He would get them some dinner and then head home. He was getting hungry.

"I need two dinners to go, please," Bobby said to the hostess/clerk. He looked at the day's options and decided on, "Lemon chicken breast with wild rice and steamed vegetables. You know what; give us two chicken breasts in each, Ok?"

"Certainly; would you like the full dinner with soup, salad and dessert?"

"Uh, yeah . . . minestrone and . . . Cesar salad with both, and . . . uh, a piece of carrot cake and . . . the giant brownie."

"This will be just a few minutes."

Bobby nodded. "Oh, what kind of bread comes with that?"

"Assorted rolls."

"Can I buy a dozen?"

"What ever you want, sir," she said with a smile.

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"Hey, it's me. Want to do something tonight?" Sledge wanted to see Alex.

"Edward. Sure, like what?"

"I don't know. Dinner, a movie, whatever you want. You decide. It doesn't matter to me. I just want to see you."

Alex considered this. Edward sounded different, calmer, serious. Alex heard a depth she hadn't noticed before. It was nice.

"Ok," she responded. "What time do you think you'll be done there?"

"I don't know. Bishop is still running Pangborn through the system. Nothing so far, but she's not done yet. I need to make some calls about the two guys seen on the dock tapes, that stolen sailboat. Deakins is in a rush all of a sudden. I want to be out of here by five, six o'clock. I'll come straight to your place. Think about what you want to do. I want to see you, Alex." This last part was quiet, full of feeling.

"Ok. I'll see you when you get here. Be careful, ok?" Alex said this slowly, she was thinking the whole time. She had never told him to be careful.

"Sure, later. Bye." Sledge hung up and thought a moment. I need to tell her how I feel.

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Alphonse headed to New York. He had friends there. The wallets had some cash, not much. The credit cards were hardly useful if he wanted to stay low. He used one to fill the tank and load up with mini mart groceries. He could be in Manhattan in several hours. He would call Davey and they would open up those cases in the back. Wonder what is in them, he thought. Something flat, pictures? Paintings? Whoa, if they were art, maybe they could unload them to some dealer. Davey would know about that.

Alphonse thought back to Jenese and Tilley. He thought about what those two had in each other. His whole life, Alphonse had looked for that kind of relationship. He'd tried the woman route, but he had learned early that you cannot be what you are not. How do you find that kind of, what, love? He had never found it. He wanted it. Maybe he could have it with Davey? No, Davey was just a whore. Davey would sleep with anyone. Crap, that's how Alphonse had met Davey, picked him up in a bar. Maybe he just was not supposed to find love. Sure would like to, though.

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Gleason ran the shower and set out clothes from those Estella had washed. The shower felt so good, Bobby's shower was better than the one at her flat – crap! – she was going to call today and give notice of vacating. She would do it when she got out of the shower. She washed her hair and stood under the shower for a long time. It felt good on her back.

Bobby parked up the block and slid his drugstore purchase in his jacket inside pocket. He took up the two bags of dinner first and set the bags on the table in the kitchen. He heard the heard the shower; hmmm, he thought with a smile and headed down the hall.

He opened the bathroom door quietly and stripped, piling his clothes in the sink. He pulled back the curtain a little and saw Gleason standing under the water, hugging herself, her eyes shut tight. "Honey, are you ok?"

"Bobby!" she startled. She looked at his bare chest, "Are you naked?"

Bobby grinned sheepishly, "Can I come in?"

Gleason smiled broadly and reached for him, "You can come anytime you are ready."

He stepped into the shower and embraced her. The water was just beginning to run cool when they finished with each other. "Now let's go do it for real in bed," Gleason said.

Bobby reached around her and shut off the water. "We need to eat. Did you eat at all today?" He stepped from the shower, grabbed a bath sheet from the narrow closet and wrapped it around her. "Did you?"

"I slept all day; I will not be able to sleep tonight." Bobby held her hand as she stepped from the shower. She used the ends of her sheet to wipe his chest. "Don't you want to go lay down naked with me and let me make you feel good?" She leaned into him. Bobby bent down, kissed her lightly, and said, "Yes, but not right now; later, when you can't sleep. Ok?"

"All right," Gleason pouted playfully. "But I'm holding you to it, buster. You better rest up; I've got plans for you." She smiled at him.

Bobby smiled back thinking, this is a side I never knew she had; and I like it. He wrapped his towel around his waist, picked up his clothes and stepped around into the bedroom. He tossed the clothes into the clothesbasket and dressed in fresh. He spotted the clothes Gleason had set out on the bed.

"Was Estella here today?" he asked Gleason as she came around the corner.

"Aye, she did the clothes. I had them all ready to do, but she got to them first. She didn't stay long as you had cleaned." Gleason didn't look at Bobby as she said this. She busied herself with getting dressed.

Bobby caught the change in her tone. "Is everything all right with Estella?"

Gleason finished dressing and unwrapped the towel from her head. "Aye, she's fine. We talked a bit and then she left. I've got to comb out this nest." She slipped past Bobby with a pat on his chest.

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"Well look at this," Bishop said, walking back from the printer. "Our Mr. Pangborn is wanted on an outstanding from Virginia. They will be glad to clear this one. I'll make the call."

Sledge sat and thought about Eames. He wanted to tell her how he felt. He wanted to know how she felt. It was good to be apart for a day or so. It had given him a chance to think about things.

Edward had talked with Linda about Alex. She had told him to be careful of work place romances. It would complicate things, she said. He told her he knew all of that, that didn't matter. Linda told Edward to be happy, be careful, don't sign anything and use protection. He laughed at that and remembered why he would always love Linda. He had even said that to her, that he would always love her. Linda said she knew that and that she would always love him, that's why she had never remarried. Sledge said 'me too.'

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"So, why is this the first time you are calling me? You are only calling because you need me. Right? Right? What happened, did some whore roll you? Take your wallet? I don't think I have time to talk with you now. Good bye"

"Wait! Wait! Sweetie, wait. I tried to call you. You are a very busy boy. I know that. That's why I didn't get angry when you never picked up. I have been thinking of you. How much I miss you. You'll help me with this deal, right? I mean you have a chuck of change coming when this is finished," Jenese was worried about his battery. This sonofabitch better pony up before this thing dies – or he will.

"I am busy. So, what do you want me to do?"

That's my boy. Jenese swore he would repay Canvettelli, with interest, out of his portion of the resale money. All Canvettelli had to do was wire him twenty-five hundred dollars.