loabe faces sekou
sekou heard a noise that startled him .
it was a familiar sound , a noise that he had often heard before .
it was unmistakable .
he heard the sound , knew what it was , and immediately turned around .
the clicking sound of the hammer of a browning automatic pistol being drawn back , and readied to fire , was instantly recognized by sekou .
it all directly registered into the deeper pathways of his brain .
"where is she , old man ?" from grey shadows , loabe's calm voice quietly demanded .
"whutta you want ?" sekou , surprised , but not yet unnerved , replied .
"solita , where is she ?" loabe answered .
"hell if i know ", sekou returned , "who are you ? she never said anything about a husband . "
"i ain't no fukin' husband , old man . i want solita . where is she ?"
"why you askin' me ? i ain't seen , or heard from her in over three weeks . " sekou offered . "why the pistol , she in trouble ?"
"your name was in her address book--your number . you fuckin' her ? loabe couldn't stop himself from asking.
"every chance i get ." affirmed sekou .
"who are you -- a boy-friend ?" the word "boy" dripped with scorn as the older man said it .
"never mind who i am , old man . i need to know where she is . "
" look , i told you , i don't know " sekou warily repeated . "why not put the gun down and we can talk this out . she never mentioned any husband or boyfriends--if i had known... "
"you'da fucked her anyway , old bastard " , interrupted loabe , as his anger began to surface .
"yeah , i'da fucked her --who wouldn'tna ? you? she got you running around pullin' guns tryin'na find out who's doin' her ." responded sekou, his voice becoming testy .
"shut tha fuck up!" loabe sneered . "old man gets a mercy fuck from some young pussy and think he tha fuckin' shit."
"she came to me ", sekou retorted . "i didn't have to go chase after her --wit a pistol."
"shut up , old man . you a old man . stay in a old man's place ." loabe's anger and embarrassment over his jealousy , surged forward .
"you see i didn't need a gun in my hand to face you ", sekou coldly reminded .
"i was raised to respect my elders , old man . but you are gonna make me forget all that ."
"forget all that and do what ?"challenged sekou .
"look old man , all i want is solita . is she here ? " an angry loabe , increasingly feeling ashamed , tried to compose himself .
"she ain't here now " , replied sekou , his hand lightly brushing against the front of his gray sweat pants , "but she was here a few weeks ago ...said she liked being here ...a lot ...enjoyed it ", added old sekou , quietly taunting the younger man's obvious weakness .
"how do i know you ain't lying , old man ? " loabe's grip on the 9 millimeter pistol instinctively tightened .
"you can trust me , believe me , i got no reason to lie to you , " sekou said .
an emotionally drained loabe , not having slept in days , almost seemed ready to give up the exhaustive quest for his elusive prize . sekou calmly watched the younger man's gun hand slowly drifting downwards , gradually away from sekou and the battered-looking pontiac and towards the concrete driveway as bitter anger seemed to finally subside .
"look , i apologize , mr." , a remorseful loabe weakly remarked . "i believe you . and i need for you to understand that this is not how i normally operate . it's definitely not how i treat my elders . but i have to find her . it's extremely important --to a lot of people--so i'm going to have to ask you to let me take a look inside the house ."
"she ain't in there , i already told you . that crazy woman ain't been here in weeks , but if it takes a look-around to once-an- for-all convince some "doubting tom" that i'm for real --then go ahead --take a peek ." the older man confidently answered .
then firmly glaring into the younger man's eyes with an intensity unmistakable despite the half-light , he added , " but you take what i say to heart--once you do an finally see for yourself that i'm as for real as real can really get --you go along to where ever this business leads you --and let me go about my business with no interference ."
"unlock the door so i can look around ." again , requested a determined loabe .
the old man nodded , turned towards the darkened house and began walking as loabe closely followed .
as he stood in the doorway , looking straight ahead , while finding the key for the lock , sekou reminded over his shoulder , "when you look around and see she's not here , you 'll follow through with your promise ... go ahead and go along with this crazy business to wherever else it leads you , right ?
strangely saying nothing , a quiet loabe nodded .
the silence that followed was eventually broken by the metallic click of the key in the lock and the brief splashing lights and hum of a passing automobile as first sekou and then loabe carefully crossed the portal .
it was a familiar sound , a noise that he had often heard before .
it was unmistakable .
he heard the sound , knew what it was , and immediately turned around .
the clicking sound of the hammer of a browning automatic pistol being drawn back , and readied to fire , was instantly recognized by sekou .
it all directly registered into the deeper pathways of his brain .
"where is she , old man ?" from grey shadows , loabe's calm voice quietly demanded .
"whutta you want ?" sekou , surprised , but not yet unnerved , replied .
"solita , where is she ?" loabe answered .
"hell if i know ", sekou returned , "who are you ? she never said anything about a husband . "
"i ain't no fukin' husband , old man . i want solita . where is she ?"
"why you askin' me ? i ain't seen , or heard from her in over three weeks . " sekou offered . "why the pistol , she in trouble ?"
"your name was in her address book--your number . you fuckin' her ? loabe couldn't stop himself from asking.
"every chance i get ." affirmed sekou .
"who are you -- a boy-friend ?" the word "boy" dripped with scorn as the older man said it .
"never mind who i am , old man . i need to know where she is . "
" look , i told you , i don't know " sekou warily repeated . "why not put the gun down and we can talk this out . she never mentioned any husband or boyfriends--if i had known... "
"you'da fucked her anyway , old bastard " , interrupted loabe , as his anger began to surface .
"yeah , i'da fucked her --who wouldn'tna ? you? she got you running around pullin' guns tryin'na find out who's doin' her ." responded sekou, his voice becoming testy .
"shut tha fuck up!" loabe sneered . "old man gets a mercy fuck from some young pussy and think he tha fuckin' shit."
"she came to me ", sekou retorted . "i didn't have to go chase after her --wit a pistol."
"shut up , old man . you a old man . stay in a old man's place ." loabe's anger and embarrassment over his jealousy , surged forward .
"you see i didn't need a gun in my hand to face you ", sekou coldly reminded .
"i was raised to respect my elders , old man . but you are gonna make me forget all that ."
"forget all that and do what ?"challenged sekou .
"look old man , all i want is solita . is she here ? " an angry loabe , increasingly feeling ashamed , tried to compose himself .
"she ain't here now " , replied sekou , his hand lightly brushing against the front of his gray sweat pants , "but she was here a few weeks ago ...said she liked being here ...a lot ...enjoyed it ", added old sekou , quietly taunting the younger man's obvious weakness .
"how do i know you ain't lying , old man ? " loabe's grip on the 9 millimeter pistol instinctively tightened .
"you can trust me , believe me , i got no reason to lie to you , " sekou said .
an emotionally drained loabe , not having slept in days , almost seemed ready to give up the exhaustive quest for his elusive prize . sekou calmly watched the younger man's gun hand slowly drifting downwards , gradually away from sekou and the battered-looking pontiac and towards the concrete driveway as bitter anger seemed to finally subside .
"look , i apologize , mr." , a remorseful loabe weakly remarked . "i believe you . and i need for you to understand that this is not how i normally operate . it's definitely not how i treat my elders . but i have to find her . it's extremely important --to a lot of people--so i'm going to have to ask you to let me take a look inside the house ."
"she ain't in there , i already told you . that crazy woman ain't been here in weeks , but if it takes a look-around to once-an- for-all convince some "doubting tom" that i'm for real --then go ahead --take a peek ." the older man confidently answered .
then firmly glaring into the younger man's eyes with an intensity unmistakable despite the half-light , he added , " but you take what i say to heart--once you do an finally see for yourself that i'm as for real as real can really get --you go along to where ever this business leads you --and let me go about my business with no interference ."
"unlock the door so i can look around ." again , requested a determined loabe .
the old man nodded , turned towards the darkened house and began walking as loabe closely followed .
as he stood in the doorway , looking straight ahead , while finding the key for the lock , sekou reminded over his shoulder , "when you look around and see she's not here , you 'll follow through with your promise ... go ahead and go along with this crazy business to wherever else it leads you , right ?
strangely saying nothing , a quiet loabe nodded .
the silence that followed was eventually broken by the metallic click of the key in the lock and the brief splashing lights and hum of a passing automobile as first sekou and then loabe carefully crossed the portal .