The latest were those with large heels and he removed a pair that he had only worn once before. The shoes were brown and white, with a four-inch heel. He sprinkled powder inside the shoes before slipping his feet into them. Then he stood up and examined himself in the large bedroom mirror. He could find nothing wrong with his appearance.
He started for the door, then stopped and came back. Picking the stacks of money up from the top of the dresser, he opened his bottom drawer and casually dropped the money into it. After firmly closing it, he departed from the bedroom.
Shirley glanced up, smiling, when he entered the kitchen. The food was already on the table.
"I didn't know if you wanted to eat in here or in the dining room," she stated, as she wondered what kind of mood her man was in this morning.
"It don't make any difference," Larry stated as he pulled out a chair and sat down. He began to eat the ham sandwich, and once he'd done so he realized he was hungry. She watched him eating, then hurried and prepared him another one before he finished with the first. The cold tea had already been poured out of the can and was now in a glass with ice cubes. He drank the tea slowly, enjoying the light meal.
When Shirley bent down and set the food in front of him, Daddy Cool stared down at the well-developed tits that pushed her blouse out so far in the front. He let out a sigh. His woman was still as attractive as ever. She had gained weight, but it looked good on her because it was all in the right places.
Shirley had the same golden brown complexion that their daughter had, and also the beautiful and evenly spaced white teethsomething Daddy Cool knew he lacked. His teeth were disfigured and gaps could be seen whenever he opened his mouth.
"I'm glad to see you're in a better mood than you were this morning," Shirley began, slowly feeling her way. She knew that she had something to tell him, and she realized that once she told him, his anger would shoot up to the boiling point.
"Well, let's just say that's left to be seen," he answered slowly, eyeing his wife closely for the first time that day. Something was on the woman's mind. He believed that he could read her like a book.
Before she could begin, he beat her to the point. "Ain't no sense bullshittin', Shirley. Whatever you got to say, spit it out." He stared at her coldly, knowing that whenever he looked at her in this fashion it upset her. Nevertheless, he didn't make it any easier for her.
Shirley rolled her tongue out and wet her lips, wildly trying to figure out which would be the best way to give her husband the news. Under his sharp stare she became confused and just blurted it out. "Your daughter had a cab pick her up this morning!"
Daddy Cool took a sip from his drink before replying. "So what? It ain't no big thing for her to catch a cab, is it?"
"No, no, not at all," Shirley began, still afraid to add the final words. But then it all came out in a rush. "But this is the first time she took all her clothes with her."
For a minute there was a deadly silence in the kitchen. Shirley could feel herself backing away from the table. The expressions that flashed across her quiet husband's face frightened her. It was rare indeed when she saw him like this.
Once many years ago, when they had first gotten married, a man had accosted them in a bar and ignored Daddy Cool while trying to hold a conversation with her. She had seen that look then, before her husband had cut the man with his straight razor.
Daddy Cool had to repeat himself twice before his wife could understand what he was saying. She was so frightened that it was almost impossible to reach her.
"I said, bitch," he growled, "why the fuck didn't you wake me up and tell me what she was trying to pull off?"
Shirley shook her head in fear. "I didn't know myself, Larry. Jimmy told me about it when I got up. He said she left with three suitcases."
"Jimmy, huh!" Daddy Cool said the name with emphasis. "Just where the hell is Jimmy at now?"
"He went to basketball practice with his brother," she managed to reply.
There was a coldness in the room now and Shirley knew that she didn't have any influence on what her angry husband might do. No matter what she thought, he wouldn't pay the slightest heed to her demands.
Daddy Cool stared coldly at his wife. "I guess you don't really care one way or the other about this shit, do you, Shirley?"
"Of course I care," she answered quickly, "but there's not too much we can do. She'll be seventeen in another month, so we really don't have much control over her movements now. It's just too late, Larry. We should have taken this interest in her activities way before now."
For a brief second Larry felt like slapping his wife's face but realized that it wasn't completely her fault. It was their joint mismanagement of the young girl's affairs that had led to this. Neither one had been firm enough, and now it was damn near too late. But Daddy Cool wouldn't allow himself to even think that it was actually too late.
He believed he could still do something to straighten the matter out. If he could only find her and sit down and have a good talk with her, then she would understand that everything he was doing was for her own good.
With his brain whirling beneath the stunning revelation, Daddy Cool sat rigid, unable to think properly. He couldn't bring his thoughts together; he couldn't make the proper moves.
"It's not just Jimmy's fault," Shirley stated, then added, "Buddy was up and he saw her packing her stuff so he could have awakened you as well as Jimmy."
Without really realizing what he was saying, Daddy Cool replied, "Since Buddy and Jimmy ain't nothing but her half brothers, they both were more than likely glad to see her go. That way," he continued, "they probably hope that they'll be able to get more spending money from me."
Shirley caught her breath. She had known for years that her husband only tolerated her two boys from another man, but this was the first time he had ever said something openly about it. It wasn't what he said, but the way that he said it.
"I guess, then," Shirley began, "it wouldn't make any damn difference to you if Buddy or Jimmy were leaving."
Daddy Cool laughed harshly. "I should say not. Why in the fuck should I be concerned? I've raised them and given them any goddamn thing they ever wanted, so now that both of them are grown, do you think I'd shed tears if they decided to leave?"
He gazed up at her with wide, unseeing eyes. He could only see his young daughter in his mind.
Gradually Shirley fought back the tears that were slowly building. "I don't know why you want to say they're grown. Jimmy is only eighteen, while Buddy is just a year older than that."
The thought raced through Daddy Cool's mind. He pushed his chair back from the table. "If you want to baby them boys, that's up to you. But don't think for a goddamn minute I'm going to baby them also. When I was sixteen I was out on my own, and I think it made a better man out of me for it. Your boys are both spoiled little bastards who are used to havin' their own fuckin' way because I made it easy for them!"
Before she could interrupt, he waved her silent. "Now that my daughter has decided to leave home, there are sure going to be some changes made in this household, you can bet on it."
He stared coldly at his wife, then added, "Before it's over, them two niggers are going to wish like hell they had awakened me this morning. I don't give a fuck what you say, Shirley, I know where I'm coming from. They knew what they were doing when they watched her load her bags into that cab, and you can bet on it. Both of them knew damn well I wouldn't have allowed it, and if they were any kind of brothers they wouldn't have allowed it either!"
When he finished with his outburst, Shirley could only gaze at him, dumbfounded. She knew he was in one of his rare moods and prayed silently that it would pass. Daddy Cool was such a strange man that it was hard to tell what he might do next. If he felt like it, he would put both of his stepchildren out and turn his back on them completely.
As she watched his departing back, she wondered why her two sons had done what they had done. They both knew that their stepfather would be
angry over Janet's departure, and that was the main reason they fled from the house. They didn't want to hear his angry voice when he found out. She remembered how Jimmy had laughed while telling her about Janet's leaving. It had been a joke to him, but now it looked as if the joke might turn bitter.
She didn't believe her boys could make it without her or her husband's help. Neither boy had ever held any kind of job, nor had really taken up anything in school that would help them out. Daddy Cool had bought a car for Buddy on his eighteenth birthday and promised one to Jimmy whenever he graduated from school. But Jimmy had quit in his last year so that he could run the streets with his brother.
After leaving the house, Daddy Cool walked to his car and opened the door. He sat behind the steering wheel for a minute before starting up the motor. He didn't want to go to his poolroom but decided that would be the best place to get a line on where his daughter had gone.
If only he could catch up with either one of his stepsons, he was sure they would know where she was.
Daddy Cool backed the car out of the driveway. His mind was so occupied with his thoughts that he almost backed into an oncoming car. The sound of the driver's horn warned him just in time.
It took only five minutes before he was pulling into the rear parking lot of his poolroom. The front of the building advertised the place as "the billiard hall for men and women." A place of leisure. It was not only a poolroom, but catered to other tastes as well. As he let himself in the back door, which was always kept locked, the first thing Daddy Cool did was glance over toward the restaurant section of the hall.
The long counter was empty except for two young girls who were sipping on Cokes as they watched the men in the rear of the place play pool. The restaurant had a long counter plus four heavily padded red booths for people who wanted to eat their food in semiprivacy. The two girls who worked the day shift watched him as he entered. Each one smiled brightly in his direction.
Daddy Cool ignored the waitresses, while his eyes sought out every spot in the place for Janet. The front table that was reserved just for women was empty. Sometimes Janet would spend half a day shooting pool on the women's table.
There were eight tables in the poolroom, but only three of them were in use now. From a high chair that resembled the ones lifeguards used out at the public beaches, the massive Earl sat overlooking his domain. He ran the poolroom the way a captain ran a ship. He didn't allow any foul language on the premises, nor drinking.
Many of the neighborhood wineheads had tried slipping wine bottles inside the place, but after the first time they were caught, they never attempted it again. Earl would not accept any apology when he caught people breaking the rules inside the poolroom. One warning was all they got. The next time there was no telling what might happen.
Since Daddy Cool didn't oppose anything Earl did, Earl looked on the poolroom as if it was his own. He was the one who cleaned it out at night after the front doors were closed, going behind the kitchen help and checking on how clean the kitchen was left. Again, he only warned the women who worked once. If they repeated an offense, they had to find another job.
Now, at the sight of his boss's face, Earl knew at once that something was worrying the man. Earl began to frown. His massive watermelon head hung down like a hound dog's. Knowing his boss so well, Earl didn't disturb him with endless questions. He had known that Daddy Cool had left to take care of a contract and wondered if something had gone wrong with the hit. Too much abstract thinking gave him a headache, so he tried to put the worry out of his mind.
If Larry wanted him to know, he would be told in good time. As he raised his huge head and saw Daddy Cool coming toward him, he began to break out into a big smile. He looked like a huge mutt wagging his tail because his master had decided to pat him on the head.
Earl couldn't help himself. He was not a quick-thinking man, and deep inside he was very shy. He knew that many people looked at him as if he was a freak. But ever since Daddy Cool had taken him under his wing and given him a place to stay and work, Earl's world had changed. He didn't have to leave the building for anything. The food his huge body required was right at his fingertips, so he seldom ventured outside to be stared at by the passing people.
Daddy Cool stopped beside the huge man's chair. He rested his arm on his friend's leg, staying in that position for several minutes without speaking. Then Larry raised his eyes and Earl recoiled from all the hurt he saw inside of them. No man should feel like that, Earl reflected, and especially not his only friend. He still remained silent, waiting for Daddy Cool to break the silence.
"She's gone, Earl. Janet done packed her bags and left home," Daddy Cool stated, his voice shaking.
Earl began to fidget. Then, as comprehension dawned on him, his heavily corded neck muscles bulged while he tried to find the proper reply. Before he could say anything, Daddy Cool continued. "Have you heard anything about her whereabouts from any of the boys who come in here?"
Earl shook his head. "Not yet, Larry. But I'm goin' make it a point to find out. When I do, you want me to go on over and collect her up and bring her back home?"
For the first time since getting out of the kitchen, Larry felt relief. With Earl working with him, it wouldn't take them long to run her down. He couldn't understand why he had been so mixed up at first. It was just a matter of waiting for the news to break. As soon as it hit the corner, somebody would come running with it.
"Naw, Earl, that won't be necessary. All you need to do is get in touch with me. After that, I might take you with me, but I don't want you going without me," Daddy Cool stated.
Earl nodded his head in agreement, then got down from his high perch.
"You want to go back to the office and get a hooker?" he inquired, referring to the rear office that he also used as his bedroom.
For a brief second, Daddy Cool hesitated, then agreed. Maybe a strong drink would help settle his nerves while he waited.
JANET LET OUT A SIGH of relief when the cab pulled away from her home. She had been frightened for one of the few times in her life. Upon leaving, she had feared that someone would awaken her father. Jimmy had threatened to do just that if she didn't make it worth his while. So she had dug down into her tiny savings and given him ten dollars. For him to be her half brother was more like a curse.
Over the years she had come to realize that she hated the overbearing brown-skinned boy who was by chance her half brother. Buddy was different. At times she could get along with him, but with Jimmy it was impossible.
She settled back in the cab and gave the driver her destination. At the last minute, she had decided to go and check into a motel until she could reach Ronald. After having tried four different numbers most of the night, she still hadn't been able to reach him.
As the fleeting thought flashed through her mind that he was probably laying up with one of the various whores he bragged about having, she gritted her teeth. Well, in time, she reasoned, she'd see to it that he didn't have any of those kind of women. Her father's remark about Ronald one day having her out on the corner made her blush. For her daddy to even imagine such a thing about her was shocking. She had known that her father had no lost love for Ronald, but she had never believed his dislike was as strong as it was. She was shocked by what had happened in the early morning hours.
To take her mind off the subject, she removed the small wad of bills she had saved in her piggy bank. Slowly Janet counted the money over and over again. She had all of eighty dollars left so, the way she figured it, that should hold her for a few weeks if Ronald didn't do the right thing about her.
But as she thought about it, her doubts left. Ronald loved her, so it shouldn't be such a hard job of convincing him to marry her. Once they got married, all she would have to do would be to lead him down the right road and make him get one of the good jobs in a factory. She sat back and smiled as she pictured herself taking care of their house while Ronald was away working.
How she would surprise him when
he came home, having spent most of the day preparing the kind of meal that she knew he would love. Maybe one day, she dreamed as she blushed, they would have a small baby. Then her daddy would forgive her and everything would be all right.
If only her father and Ronald didn't dislike each other so much. She was aware that she was only one of the few people who knew that Ronald really disliked her father. She had never been able to find out just why, but he had a burning dislike for the man everybody called "Daddy Cool."
Ronald laughed whenever he heard this nickname and called her father "Daddy Fool." But in time, she reflected, she might even be able to bring them closer together. Once Ronald really met her father and saw the kindness underneath the cold front that he put out to strangers, they couldn't help but to like each other.
"Well, miss," the driver said, driving into the driveway of the motel she had asked to be taken to, "here you are."
For the first time since her adventure began, Janet hesitated. She had never been inside a motel before in her life. She only knew about this one on Woodward because she passed it every day when she went to school. She was supposed to have gone to school this morning, but that was a problem she would resolve later. She had brought all of her school books along, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem going back once she got this mess straightened out. She thought about her girlfriends and how envious they would be once they learned that she was living on her own.
"Miss?" the driver called.
Again she hesitated. She really didn't know what to do. "Driver," she began, "could I give you the money and pay you to go in and check me into a room. I'll gladly pay you something for your trouble."
The middle-aged black driver glanced back at the young girl. He knew she was young and, from the bags she had, he believed she was leaving home for the first time. He wondered what kind of chance he would have of coming back later on, after he was finished work, and spending a little time with her. She was damn sure pretty.