Good to Me Read Online Free Page B

white cotton gown with pink embroidered flowers on the bodice
     and wide shoulder straps. She draped it over her shoulder and went to the bathroom to draw her bathwater. As the water filled
     the tub, she lit a jasmine-scented candle on an adjacent black wrought-iron stand. The only thing missing was a cup of hot
     tea. She left the tub running and went to the kitchen to boil a small pot of water.
    When she noticed the blinking red light on the wall phone, she picked up her cordless and dialed the number to check her messages.
    Welcome to the message center. Two new messages are in your mailbox. First message, today, three thirty-one p.m.
“Hellllloooo, this Emmitt. Just calling to let you know I picked Lil’ Man up from school. Hold on, he wants to say something.
     Tell your momma hey.”
    “Hey, Mommy.”
    “She not there, we leaving a message. Tell her you love her.”
    “I love you, Mommy.”
    “All right, tell her bye.”
    “Bye, bye.”
    “Like I said, we was just calling. Call us when you get in. Bye.”
    To save this message, press two, to erase—
    She pressed “two.” She knew it wouldn’t be long before she’d start missing her son and would want to hear his voice again.
     It made no sense for her to call him, because it would make him want to come home. And the last thing she wanted was to hear
     him cry. Especially while he was with his father. That would make things harder for them both.
    Charity walked back to the bathroom to check on her bathwater.
    Message saved. Second message, today six p.m.
    “Cherry. It’s Mom. Y’all must still be at work. I ain’t heard from Esha yet either, she supposed to bring the kids by. I was
     calling to find out how she did on her first day at work. Hope you ain’t had to fire her already. Take it easy on her, you
     know she ain’t never worked a day in her life. I don’t know where she get that from ’cause I ain’t raise her to be like that.
     What you do with Zavey if y’all still at work? Lord, this his weekend with his daddy, ain’t it? They better not mistreat my
     baby down there or I’ll go down there myself and… Hello? Hello? See, God don’t like ugly, your answering machine trying
     to cut me off. What Esha say? ‘They better recognize, they better ask somebody.’ Let me get off this phone, I cracks myself
     up. Call me later, Cherry. Love ya, bye.”
    To save this message—
    “Definitely erase this one,” she chuckled, and pressed “three.” She ran her hand through the bathwater to make sure it was
     hot. “Just right.” She dried her hand on a nearby towel and dialed Emmitt’s phone number.
    Lord, set a guard over my mouth and keep watch over the door of my lips
.
    “Joe’s Pool Room,” Emmitt answered.
    There used to be a time when Charity thought his dry sense of humor was cute. But after they married it irritated her that
     he would answer like that. It didn’t matter to him that she was a professional woman, that important people from her job or
     church called the house. There was no telling how many opportunities they missed from people who hung up thinking they’d really
     dialed Pizza Hut, The House of Blues, or Psychic Friends Network.
    “It’s a good thing I’m not Ed McMahon calling to tell you you’ve won the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes,” she said,
     forcing laughter into her voice.
    “Well, are you?”
    “Emmitt, it’s Charity. How are you?” She hoped she didn’t sound too agitated.
    “I’m hanging in there. How ’bout you?”
    “Really tired, but I wanted to return your call and see how Zavey is.”
    “He’s out like a light. I knew he was sleepy around seven ’cause he started whining.”
    “Umph,” was the only thing she could think of to say. She knew he was getting ready to go into his spiel about boys crying
     like little punks.
    “He must’ve forgotten where he was ’cause he know I don’t play that whining mess. It might work when he’s with you ’cause
     you let him