ODDS OF LOVE : SEASON TEN

Episode 131

Before he went to the grocery store DuBuis decided to make a slight detour in his route and headed for the shopping plaza that had several locally owned businesses including the now closed store where Spencer had been shot last summer. But the store with its boarded up windows and For Sale sign on the glass door wasn't where he was headed that morning.

Running his hand over his getting a little uneven jet black hair he stepped into the barber shop that was owned by two of the guys he had grown up with at Project W in Southeast DC. Mark and Scout Mullins, like Lyle Anderson, had been the rare White faces living in the housing project from hell. But ,  unlike Lyle who had been secluded and overprotected by his sickly mother, the Mullin brothers had not grown up naive and sheltered from the true reality of life. Far from it. Their mom had been one of DuBuis' Uncle Panther's best girls on the streets until her crack addiction interfered with business as it was. Even when his own mother had moved them to PG after she married Santa Fats the Mullin boys stayed a constant in his life.

Scout was in yet another of his weed induced trances as he sang along with a cd of Marvin Gaye singing " Sexual Healing" and swept up fallen hair from the floor. It had DuBuis smiling slightly. Last he had heard on the streets Scout was starting a new side hustle with an edible cookie business called " Scout's Chocolate Buzz ". It was doing surprisingly well.

" Yo ," Scout called out in the middle of a lyric with his glazed blue eyes barely focused on DuBuis. " How it is, Buis , how it is? "

" It is good, boy ," DuBuis said with a laugh as he  fist bumped the short skinny White man.

" You want some brownies, Buis ? I got some in the back room. I'm working on something new. It'll have you flying. Take some to your man. Tell him it's medicine, man. "

DuBuis laughed out loud as he tried to picture Spencer high. He..... He just couldn't. Although maybe that was what they both needed, he thought. Maybe that would help things in the bedroom department. Down below.

Mark was evening out the hair of a tall lean Black man in one of the chairs as he snapped," Shut the hell up, Scout. You know DuBuis and his husband don't do all that stuff. What's up, boy ? Ain't seen you in forever. Bout time you stopped by though. You looking raggedy. "

The customer observed his hair and agreed. " Yeah. That nappy shit just..... nappy. Bet you broke a comb this morning. "

DuBuis was feeling really relaxed. Yeah. He needed this. It had been a while since he had been to the barber shop. He sat down in one of the old broke down folding chairs for waiting and crossed his legs casually. " Yeah. I know. Been real.... busy lately. "

Mark looked at him as he dusted off fallen hair from the man's clothes. " I hear that. Heard bout your stroke. That's fucked up, man. You doing ok now right? "

DuBuis changed the subject with," How's Susan and baby Spencer doing? "

Mark's wife Susan had had their first child in December and ironically named him Spencer. Spencer had been uncharacteristically touched when he had heard that. They also had named him and DuBuis as the godfathers. Primarily because Mark had said that his brother couldn't be trusted with a baby. In fact he had tried to add Scout onto the godparenting deal like the baby.

Mark smiled fondly as he thought of his son. " Doing good. Too good. That name got him acting like your husband. He four months old trying to walk. "

As DuBuis rolled his eyes and laughed his phone rang. It was the OG Spencer.

" Hey , Genius. What's up? Thought of more stuff for me to pick up from Giant? " He paused as his husband's words stammered out in a strained and fast way. " Wait. Wait. What is this about a tree? "

Then he looked over at Scout, saying," Stick a few brownies in a to go bag , why don't you? "