Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 73556 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73556 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
Roman glanced down at his watch. “Okay, yeah… I can do that. I’ll grab my dry cleaning and some packages for the post office.”
“Alright, yeah! Come on down to the coffee shop and let’s chop it up, man. I can’t wait to see you.”
“Bet. See ya in a bit.”
Roman made quick work of trimming up his sideburns, getting showered, then dressing to the sounds of Chris Stapleton’s, ‘What Are You Listening To’. When he was done, he brushed his dark tresses away from his face. Wearing a long sleeved navy-blue button-down shirt paired with dark navy jeans and a pair of Lucchese crocodile cowboy boots, he was ready to see Tony, then find himself a dental ER spot that had fairly decent patient ratings. He left his home, tossed his bag of dry cleaning in the back of his truck, one of many of his vehicles, then sparked the ol’ white F-150 up and headed out. CeeLo Green’s, ‘Fool For You’ played loud, prompting him to slap his steering wheel as he maneuvered down the street, then headed to I-10. The twenty-minute ride landed him parked across the street from his friend’s brew shop.
Roman waited for a clearing, then jogged across the street to the quaint white structure with a neon picture of a cup of coffee, with muscles and a scowl for a face. The ‘Mean Bean’ sign glowed in bright orange letters. Roman walked in the door and all eyes were on him. In a flash, Tony appeared, dark shades on the man’s short, faded hair, and a clipboard and pen in his hand.
“Roman!” They slapped hands and hugged one another as the delicious, strong aroma of various coffees seduced him, and the chatter of patrons made the place feel homey. They talked for a bit, then Tony asked him to make himself comfortable. He made his way into a chair in a far corner by a window, and waited as Tony grabbed him a complimentary espresso and a cinnamon Danish. His friend set the items down on the table, then sat across from him.
Tony was a tall, broad-shouldered man with rich ebony skin. The whites of his eyes always popped, pure like snow.
“It’s good to see you,” he said, his smile wide and sincere. “You should come by the house sometime. I just realized, man, you ain’t seen my girls, and son, since we bought the house.”
Roman took a sip of the drink and nodded. One, because Tony was right, and secondly, because that bean juice was oh, so good.
“You’re right. I’ve been derelict in my duties.” Roman picked up the soft, oversized cinnamon roll, the icing dripping off the sides, and fell in love. He opened his mouth, took a bite, then groaned.
“What’s wrong? Is it stale? They better not be stale. I just got those from—”
“No!” Roman spit the piece of sweet dough into a napkin as discreetly as he could, then pushed it aside. “It wasn’t stale.” He managed to finish his sentence after the pain subsided. “Man, it’s a long story, but I got thrown into the county jail the other night.”
“You still throwin’ dice in alleys, and robbin’ mothafuckas blind?! I thought you turned a new leaf?”
“I DID!” People jerked their heads at them. “I told you about my grandfather years ago… He’s behind this.”
Tony’s face grew ashen. “Yeah. Mr. Wilde Senior. So what happened?”
“This guy in the cell with me decided to try somethin’. I’m sure he was paid to do it. ’Caused me some trouble and aggravation. He slugged me right in my face, and I had to fuck his ass up, simple as that.” He shrugged. “He’d already got one good shot in, ’cause I was asleep and not on my P’s and Q’s. My tooth is all fucked up now.”
“Why in the hell are you sitting here? Go to the damn dentist!” Tony snatched what was left of the dessert and put a fresh napkin over it.
“I tried. My dentist is outta town, man. You know I don’t trust just anyone with my grill. Ouch!” A sharp pain radiated in his mouth.
“Go to my sister, then. She ain’t far from here.”
“Your sister?”
“Yes, Genesis. She’s a dental hygienist. You never met her I don’t think, but I’ve talked about her over the years.”
“Yeah, I remember that name. She used to answer the phone when I called you years ago on your parent’s landline, every now and again. She’s a hygienist?”
“Yes. Good place. I go there all the time. Albertson Dental Center. Her boss is Dr. David Albertson. He and his staff take care of my whole family.” Before he could respond, Tony snatched his phone out of his jacket pocket and dialed someone.
“Hey, it’s me, Genesis. Sorry to bother you, but are y’all busy today? Schedule-wise? … Not for me, I have a friend that needs…Yeah, I know, but see, my friend needs to see a dentist today, like right now… Mmm hmmm… his dentist is out of town though, and he doesn’t trust people with his teeth… Okay.” He looked up at Roman. “She’s going to the front of the office to ask Heidi about the schedule today.”