It was nice being back from San Francisco....Nice being home... Olivia's cousin Kayla allowed us to use the third floor of their house across the street from us...We had decided to have a big Thanksgiving dinner and invite our close friends and associates..
We sat a big table up....
"The Boys did a really good job cleaning and setting up this morning."said Beverly...
"They did...wowww..I didn't think we'd ever finish in the kitchen." I said..
"I know...Thanks for letting me and Rockland stay over last night..." said Alfreda..
We fixed the table with the turkey, cranberry sauce, dressing, candied yams and sweet potato pie..
Nelson, Paris and Ray had set the tables up earlier and were bringing in the other food...
Chinese foodMexican Food
and Italian Food..
Beers
and sodas..
Rockland smiled... He had spent a few Thanksgivings alone or at Sam Mother's early before closing.He felt so good, actually having friends...Actually being accepted into this large ever growing group of people.
"It Really does..."said Jade..
"Ohhhhh Wow...I can't wait to use our third floor for a house warming party."said Bee Bee..
"Me Neither." gushed Sofia..
Keith Jones just looked around and smiled..The thought of having Bee Bee totally alone in a house intrigued him....No apartment, no running down the hall half dressed from one apartment to another..Just the safety and autonomy of their own home..
Kahlil felt the same way about him and Sofia..
"Hola" said our new friend, Attorney Jessica Sanchez-Burrows and her husband, Attorney Charles "Chip" Burrows... We had all crossed paths in court and become friends...When they got married they too bought one of these new houses in this new development across the street from us...
Jessica had no family here in Philadelphia and was honored to be celebrating the holiday with us...They lived a few doors down..
"Heyyyy guys!" said Jazzy as she and her husband, Dabnis entered.From around the corner, Attorneys Jasmine and Dabnis Coley arrived. "Jazzy|" as Olivia nicknamed her had graduated law school with Beverly and Kayla and had worked in the public defenders office with Olivia, Beverly and Nelson for a few years before leaving to be an Assistant District Attorney, She was now in Private Practice.. Her then friend and confidant, Attorney Dabnis Coley had worked with Yvette and her crew on a few cases and eventually Olivia, Beverly and Nelson.. He helped Law school graduate Josie Boyd study for and pass the Bar exam...before reuniting with and falling in love with Jasmine Jenkins and marrying her...They too found themselves moving in our neighborhood.
as did Jade's significant other ,Lieutenant Danny Ho.Attorney's Zoey Easter and her husband Lem were the only guests who didn't live in this neighborhood..They lived a few blocks away...She had been Olivia's divorce attorney who helped her leverage a masterful divorce from her first husband, Elwood Barnes, who at that night was a very successful attorney and a millionaire..Olivia got their plush house which was on the mainline, which she sold and used the money to buy our present office duplex and furnish it completely and his cars which she sold and pocketed the cash until her law firm got up and running..Olivia felt as though she owed Zoey everything..They remained good friends until this day.Zoey's husband, Lem was actually an Attorney she met while at a speaking engagement in San-Francisco, who happened to also be from Philadelphia..He and Zoey met during a case and fell in love and got married a few months after her niece, Beverly and former protoge' Nelson got married..
That brought howls of laughter from most of the people within earshot....
"They had just finished building these houses you all live in and are moving into and for a few years there were some elderly people living in these houses..
but they were mostly empty....a lot of empty houses...Now....My favorite little cousin and her husband have moved in, My best friend in the world , Yvette has moved in and since she's getting married , I'll actually see her in the neighborhood..
Which brought howls of laughter from everybody
and a sweet kiss between Yvette and Gary....
And all of you people here today....I just want to say...I don't feel soo alone anymore...I feel apart of a real community, a family....You all are my family and I love you all.." said Olivia, getting chocked up..
I put my arms around her and held her....'Awww Olivia, we love you too!" said Alfreda..
"Next to Ms. Yvette, we owe you a lot.."said Keith Jones..
"Yes....I can't wait to be your neighbor."said Bee Bee.
"That goes double for me....You've always had an open door for us."said Sofia.
'Ditto that." said Kahlil..
"A Toast and let's eat!" said Gary... The rest of our guests, Danny Ho,Jade Lee, Rockland Cambridge, Gary Lockwood, Yvette Jones, Chip, Jessica ,Dabnis, Jazzy and Kayla all cheered and began eating.."Everything looks delicious.."said Danny Ho..
"Yesssss, they have something for everyone.." said Jade..
"Yesssssss."said a very happy Rockland..
"May I fix you a plate Future Mrs. Lockwood?" said Gary...
"Ouuuuuuuuu I like that, getting in practice huh?" joked Yvette..
"Ummmmmmm everything looks and smells delicious.." said Chip..
"Yes it does and I am famished.."said Jessica..
"Ummmm let me fix you a plate baby!"said Dabnis..
"Ouuuuuuu thank you...I was fixing you a plate..."said Jazzy...
"Awwwww that's so cute.."said Kayla..
The Food was delicious..
And the additional steam tables were filled with enough food that
All we didn't eat....
her beautiful warm and sensitive niece, Beverly, who took to me right away and became my buddy, my partner in crime...She was my niece....That's how I felt about her..
her husband Nelson...who has become a good friend and confidant..
Josie, sweet Josie...One third of the triumpherant I call "The Girls", "My Girls..
Paris , her boyfriend...
Her fiance, Gary Lockwood , An Investigator for the D.A.'s office and like me, a former Homicide Detective...
Keith Jones
His fiance, Beatrice "Bee Bee" Evans..
Kahlil Ahmed..
His fiance, Sofia Garcia..
Jazzy and Dabnis
and Assistant District Attorney, Rockland Cambridge, Alfreda's boyfriend, once an adversary, now our friend..
"This is it ....My new home....and my law office, which is on the side.." she said.
I was impressed...
''Wow...It's nice..." I said.
"Beverly and I live on the first floor...There is an empty apartment on the second floor....You uh, didn't sign anything yet did you? I know you were looking for a place?" she asked..
"I had talked to my friend Clerow and he was looking for a few places for me...I was going to stay with him and his family until I found something..."I said.
"Well Look no more...The upstairs unit is yours if you want it..." she said.
"Yes.." she said. "My crazy niece said -'Auntay, you know you gonna be spendin all your time upstairs in his place...you should let me have the whole downstairs."she said.
I smiled...
"But you of course said no right?" I said.
"Right...." she said and winked..
"Come on...look at my office and meet the rest of my staff." she said.
"Yes.. I have an administrative assistant...There is Bev, who you know already and you, my new full time investigator..." she said.
I pulled her to me just then...
"Huh? what?" she asked...
I kissed her....a nice long passionate kiss.....She softly and slowly broke our embrace...
"What was that for?" she asked and smiled...
"I just felt like doing that." I said and smiled...
"Hmmmm...nice to know." she said and smiled..
How nice was this? I had a job, a place to live and a girlfriend...I was loving Philadelphia already...
I was impressed with he office...A bit bright for my tastes...but I could work with it...
"Josie...Come here,I want you to meet someone." said Olivia...
A very pretty young woman in her early 20's walked out into the foyer....
''Hello" she said.
"Josie..This is Donnie Ray Alexander...My friend from New Orleans that I told you about...He's going to be our full time Private Investigator...Donnie Ray, Ms. Josie Boyd." she said.
Josie smiled and I smiled too...Oh My god...How was I going to work with all these fine women around me?
From the back, I heard a familiar voice...
"Is that D.R.?" came the voice of Olivia's foxy niece, Beverly..
I smiled...
"Indeed..Come here girl and give me some sugar." I said.
"Ouuuu, these southern mennnn." she cooed....She looked at Olivia..."You don't mind do you Auntay?" she asked.
Olivia cracked up...
"Go ahead crazy girl." she said.
I hugged Beverly, who had an equally soft and curvy body...My...My..My...I felt like a kid in the candy store...
''You didn't get the Immigration gig huh?" I asked.
"Oh I did get it...I turned it down....I can't be in a different city from my Auntay...Who will I have to watch my back??....Tell me I'm dating the wrong guy??" she giggled.
''Well, we'll go and get your stuff out of storage tomorrow and you can put it in your apartment upstairs...I'll give you your keys...You can enter from the side or the front..."said Olivia..
"Ummmm Hmmmph.Side or front eh?" laughed Beverly and Josie who were about the same age..I smiled too..
"Oh hush up you two and get your mind out of the gutter" she laughed...
"I don't seem to have a desk." I said.
"Oh don't worry about that...It's on it's way." she said.
"Til then, Auntay can sit on your lap and you two can work together..." joked Beverly....
Bev, Josie and I cracked up. ...Olivia just shook her head and smiled..
.And soon I had her in this big bed...A bed much larger than the one I had at home..but squeaky and loud..
making sweet love for the next NINE TO TEN HOURS!!
both of us exhausted and thoroughly satisfied afterwords....