Never Again Once More Read Online Free Page B

silence the musical tone. Then he leaned over to see if Jada was headed in his direction. “Man, Melanie won’t stop calling me.”
    “You know the best way to stop a woman from calling you?” Robert burped. “Don’t excuse me. More room out than in.”
    Shaking his head, Wellington asked, “Naw, what’s that? I sure could use your insight, man.”
    Ever since his last visit to the hospital, Melanie was relentlessly blowing up his cell and home phones. And when he did answer, she acted as if the triplets she miscarried after her car fell from the cliff had never existed. If he hadn’t read the doctor’s report Christopher delivered to him personally, Melanie wouldn’t have told him he had been framed. He wasn’t the father. The ultrasound proved Melanie had been into her second trimester—fourteen weeks—when her body involuntarily aborted the kids. Less than eight weeks had passed between their first encounter and her automobile accident. Jada would have slapped fool all over his forehead if Wellington had told her. So he didn’t.
    “Sometimes you can’t treat a woman like a lady. That’s why Christopher left Cynthia. I don’t know how he stayed with her as long as he did. Cynthia is half beast, half bitch. Says he’s filing for his divorce, too.” Robert reclined, elevating his feet. His black slip-on corduroy house shoes with Raiders patches sewn on the top fell to the floor. “Tell the bitch to quit calling you. Then block her numbers. She’ll stop directly. Now, if you haven’t asked her to stop, that means you still want her around. Eventually, she’ll getcha at the right time when you’re horny and bored. Then you’ll get caught up in the moment. Next thing you know, you’re rolling around in the hay with her again.” Robert shuffled through the Sunday morning Oakland Tribune , retrieving the sports section. “The sports section isn’t as exciting when my Raiders aren’t playing. Let me see what these Warriors are doing.”
    Robert had a little OG, original gangster, in him. Wellington had never heard him cuss. “I guess you’re right. I’ll wait until she calls back. Then I’ll tell her.” And he would. He just wouldn’t curse her out. What would using profanity prove? When he returned from L.A., Wellington would call his sister and confidant, Jazzmyne, for a second opinion. He already knew and was happy Christopher had walked out on Cynthia. The grapevine gossip had the facts twisted, claiming Cynthia kicked his stepfather out of the house.
    “I know I’m right.” Robert continued reading, shaking his head. “The Warriors are giving an appreciation party. What for? I should have brought back some of them brown paper bags the Saints fans wear to give them.”
    Robert stopped talking because Jada was heading his way.
    “What are you two talking about?” Jada asked, lowering Robert’s newspaper. Hugging his neck, she said, “Don’t get up. We can see ourselves out.”
    “Be careful on the highway and call us as soon as you tweetie birds get in.” Robert whistled like a bird.
    “Bye, baby.” Mama’s eyes swelled with tears. “I sure wish you weren’t moving so far away.”
    “Bye, Mama. I love you.” Blowing her mother a kiss, Jada paused in the doorway.
    Mrs. Tanner was a fox. Her silver precision cut was striking. Considerably shorter than Jada, she was five feet, four inches; almost average height for a woman. Maybe she’d shrunk an inch with age. The emerald green casual pantsuit accented her slender figure.
    “Bye, Mrs. Tanner. Mr. Hamilton. Thanks for the advice, man.” With the eighties, nineties, and new millennium, more and more women were maintaining their last names. Wellington was proud Jada had once wanted to carry his last name. No hyphen. No Jada Tanner-Jones. She was going to be Jada Diamond Jones.
    “It’s cool. But the next round will cost ya. Ya know what I mean?” Robert pointed his finger at Wellington’s privates and said,