Mr. Tan

Chapter 36: When The Lights Go Out In The Trailer Park

I was now out of school for Christmas break and had a ton of homework to do. I had creative writing homework, math homework, history homework and a three page report for anatomy. It was two days before Christmas at 6:00 in the morning and he was getting ready for his trial. Earl  was able to hire a lawyer to represent him in court, a Mrs. Sabrina Avery who has been visiting here for quit awhile. She is an older black woman with a dazzling smile, beautiful cinnamon brown skin, and salt and pepper hair worn in an elaborate short hair style. She's a local small town lawyer with an office downtown and she specialized in hate crime cases. She was of medium height and slender with high cheek bones and she wore red horn rimmed glasses and every time I saw her, she was always dressed so smartly in matching slacks and blazers and a string of pearls. The very first time that she visited us, she left Earl and I her business cards. I was up so early because I decided to make him breakfast while he got ready for his trial. I stood at the stove in my white spaghetti strap slip frying eggs, making toast, bacon and grits and brewing a pot of coffee. Duke was still asleep at the foot of my bed and I could hear the shower running from the hallway bathroom. Unfortunately, I couldn't accompany Earl to his trial but I was anxious to know how it went. I still can't believe that the two guys he put in the hospital pressed charges, the audacity. An hour later Earl emerged into the kitchen looking oh so handsome in a pair of black slacks with suspenders, a light blue long sleeved button down with a black silk tie and black leather dress shoes were shined up real nice and I could smell his spicy after shave.

"You're looking real good,  babe", I said while smiling.

"Thanks baby", Earl replied, while placing a kiss on my cheek.

He took his seat at the kitchen table while I placed his plate of hot breakfast food in front of him. I put three spoonfuls of sugar and a splash of whiskey in his black coffee for him. I got myself a cup of coffee too, along with sugar and cream. I figured I might as well finish the rest of my homework now that I'm up, so I won't have to do any on Christmas day. Earl and I put up the Christmas tree in the front room the first part of December. Colorful lights were wound up around the porch railings and banister outside and a big plastic reindeer with a glowing red nose was on the front yard on the left. For the last two weeks, it has decided to rain and it was heavy at times. The days were cloudy and chilly and the nights were rainy and cold. 

"So, how do you think the trial is gonna go?", I asked.

"If I'm lucky, it'll go my way", he replied, as he dug a spoon into his buttery grits. My juke joint got surveillance cameras and I got witnesses. What dem white supremacist boys got? They ain't even got a alibi to rely on. 

"What about the 3rd guy that tried to hide in the men's room?", I asked. What if he testifies? 

Earl looked at me and shrugged his shoulders.

"So, what if he do?", he replied. It gon' be dat lil mothafucka's word against mine and my employees who wanna come forward and testify. Besides, I'm pretty sure anything they got's to say gonna sound like a bunch of bullshit anyway. Them boys came into my place harrasin' folks an' startin' shit and my camera gon' show jus' that.