Steven rose from their booth to pay for the tab. The smile on his friend's face was wider than a 4 lane California highway.
"You two really look beautiful together Steven. I hope you treat this one right." Dawn said.
"I really hope so too. I like her a lot. What's the charge?"
"Now you know, normally I would say your money's no good around here. But I'm not trying to make you look bad. So just give me $20 and we'll call it even."
"You are a doll Dawn. Thank you so much." Turning to his date, Steven asked; "Ready to go?"
"Sure." Azia replied. "It was so good meeting you Dawn. I hope to see you again soon."
"Bye darling. You take good care of my side boyfriend there. He's a good one."
The cousins exited the building into the clear night of evening. The usual pall of chemical fog that covers many California towns was not to be seen this evening. The sky was clear and for the first time in decades, the air was crisp and clean. Taking a couple steps forward past the door, Azia swayed on the way to the car, leaning against her cousin's large body for support.
"Whoa." She giggled.
"You ok Azia?"
"I'm fine...just haven't had that much to drink in a few years. My therapist thought it best I didn't drink while I was taking my psyche meds. So, you could say I have been on the wagon for a while."
"Yeah...my mom put me on the wagon too. Apparently, I become a horrible person when I'm drunk. I took to drinking a lot when I was going through my divorce."
Climbing in the car, Steven started the vehicle,
"That's one of the ways I found this place. I brought Dannielle out here when we got the account. Dawn told me then I had made a mistake. During the divorce, I would come here and just drink the nights away. Too many times Dawn and Reggie had to drag me into a cab or get the cops to leave me alone when I got stupid."
Steven turned back onto the highway and headed West.
"The worst time I ever had, Dawn called my mother. When she came down, she brought a gaggle of her church cronies. All of them had Bibles in hand, trying to lay hands on me; get the "demon of alcohol" off me. Needless to say, I lashed out. I actually slapped my mother in the face and told her to get her Bible toting ass away from me. This time, the cops came and did arrest me. She let me out after I sobered up. I knew then I had to stop and get help. Real help. So...I had a therapist for a couple years myself."
Azia was stunned. For so long, she had felt that the only one who had gone through this was her. Yet, here was her cousin, her old nemesis, had gone through so much. Looking down, she noticed Steven drove with one hand on the wheel, the other on the shifter. Reaching down, she placed her hand on his. She could feel the strength in it. The feeling was powerful. Almost an electrical connection that flowed from the touch.
Steven pulled into the West Coast Inn & Suites. A common looking, turn of the Century abode that could have housed any number of families. Yet, it was run by an aging old black widow, whose husband bought the property after his stint in Vietnam and was now running it with her great grandchildren.
Parking in the back lot, Steven led Azia around to the front of the house. Once inside, Azia was again taken aback by the elegant interior as opposed to the crumbling façade of the outside. Sitting idly behind a counter in the foyer, a young woman was busy reading the latest edition of Black Locks magazine. A monthly dedicated to the care and upkeep of the hair of women of color. Without looking up from her pages, the young woman's greeting was cold and matter of fact.
"Hi, welcome to West Coast Inn, rooms are $75 a night for a room, $150 a night for room and amenities. What you need?"
Steven leaned on the counter and cleared his throat in order to get the young lady's attention. To wit, she still didn't look up from her mag.
"Fancy...you know your Grandmother would kick your ass for treating a customer like that."
The mention of her name and more importantly that of her Grandmother gained ALL the young woman named Fancy's attention.
"Oh shit! My bad...Steven how are you doing?!"
Running around the counter, Fancy leaned up and hugged Steven's neck, like a long lost relative. Azia looked on, as for the 2nd time that night; another female was ignoring her and totally into Steven. Wait...Steven was her COUSIN. She had no REAL TIES to his heart. They weren't REALLY DATING. He had just helped her escape a situation and treated her to one of the best "dates" in her life. Why was she so jealous all of a sudden?
...Because she was still a woman.
Releasing the hold Steven turned and introduced the women:
"Azia, this is Francine Kilcrease, otherwise known as "Fancy." Fancy, this is..."
"His GIRLFRIEND Azia." His cousin interrupted.
"Oh my God I'm so sorry...I didn't know "Uncle" Steven was dating again! I meant no disrespect."
"Yeah." Steven added. "I helped Fancy's Grandmother find some suitable investments for the meager money left, from her husband's life insurance policy that helped her keep this place, renovate it, and turn it into this B&B. I've known Fancy since she was barely out of those braces."
"Don't you start with that "Uncle" Steven." Fancy ribbed. "You know I hated them things."
"I know...but they were so cute on you."
"Whatever...what do you need tonight?"
"I need a quiet room. Preferably one that isn't too close to any other patrons."
