expression on it.
âWhatâs yours say?â she asks.
I show her: You will be a great success in business. Just what I wanted to hear.
âWhat about yours?â I ask her.
But she shakes her head primly. Then she folds up her fortune and puts it in her purse.
âYouâre not gonna tell me?â I say. âIs it that bad?â
âNo, not bad,â she says, smiling. âJust⦠personal.â
âAre you ever gonna show me?â
âMaybe someday,â she says. âBut not today.â
Finally, the waiters clear the last crumb off the table, and the owners start clearing their throats. I look at my watch. Itâs ten oâclock. I canât believe it. Weâve been sitting here for almost three hours.
âI better get you home,â I say.
I call for the bill. I donât want to look at it, but I have to. I try not to wince. Eighty-nine dollars. Oh, well. Iâd gladly pay ten times that for a date with this African-Chinese princess.
We bow our way out the door, thanking the owners for everything. Then we head back to her house. Itâs a beautiful night. We leave the car windows open, so we can feel the breeze.
Soon we pull up outside her house. I leave the car running and the lights on. I donât want her dad to think Iâm getting any ideas.
âWell, thanks for a great time,â Yolanda says.
âMe too,â I say. âI really mean it. I had a blast.â
We look at each other for a long moment. Then the porch light comes on. Mr. Jefferson appears in the doorway.
âOh, are you home already?â he calls.
âI was just doing a security check.â
âDaddy and his security checks,â
Yolanda says.
âI guess this kills any chance of a goodnight kiss,â I say.
Iâm just joking around, but Yolanda looks at me, half smiling and half serious.
âThereâs always next time,â she says.
And I can tell she means it.
I walk her to the door and say good night. I make a point of looking her dad in the eye and shaking his hand again. Then I get back in my car and take off.
I keep driving until Iâm at the city limits, near a quiet park. Here I pull over. I get my blanket and pillow out of the trunk. Then I crawl into the backseat. Itâs been one of the best nights of my life. I feel like a king.
The last thing I do before I fall asleep is touch the wad of cash in my pocket. It helps remind me that everything really is going to be all rightâ¦someday.
CHAPTER FIVE
I wake up later than I meant to. All the excitement from last night wore me out, I guess.
Right away, I can tell something is wrong. But Iâm so sleepy I canât tell what it is.
Then it hits me. The world has gone sideways. And my car is moving.
I sit up in the backseat. The front of the car is tilted up. And in front of it is a tow truck.
Iâm so sleepy, it takes me a minute to figure out whatâs going on.
Iâm getting towed.
I climb into the front seat and start leaning on the horn. After a minute, the truck slows down. Before it even stops, Iâm out the door. I trip and fall on the road. Great. Now my pants have stains on the knees. I get to my feet as the driver gets out of the truck.
âMan, what are you doing?â I say. Iâm trying not to yell, but Iâm as mad as they come.
âWhat are you doing?â he says. Heâs a big greasy guy with a beard. His T-shirt doesnât even cover his belly. I guess some people get dressed without looking in a mirror.
âYouâre not supposed to tow cars with people in them,â I say.
âYeah, well, youâre not supposed to park in tow zones,â he says.
âI didnât know it was a tow zone. Didnât you see me back there?â
âAll I saw was a blanket. How was I supposed to know there was a person under there?â
âWell, you know now. So how about you cut me loose?â
He crosses his
Victor Milan, Clayton Emery
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