Tormented

Gordon called to the waitress who had spoken to Ben and Kimani, “Aisha, can you put me down for a table for three?”

“Hey there, Mr. Lee,” the waitress replied, flashing him a broad smile. “Table for three, coming up.”

She turned to a table of two young men. “Charles, Winston, move your butts.”

“No, no,” Gordon interjected. “We’re fine waiting.”

“They’re done, Mr. Lee. Been doing nothing but warming the chairs these past ten minutes.” She glared at the two young men, who promptly paid their bill and rose from the table.

“But you have other patrons in line.”

“Ma would never let me live it down if she came to find you waiting for a table.”

“You tell Maybelle I refuse to jump the line.” He gestured to the patrons who had arrived ahead of them to take the newly vacated table.

Aisha put a hand on her hip. “You making trouble for me, Mr. Lee?”

He spotted a highboy where the patrons had just finished up. “No trouble, Aisha. It’s all worked out.”

“But you should get to sit, Mr. Lee.”

“Sitting around too much makes me feel old.”

The waitress gave up, wiped down the highboy and said, “I’ll tell Ma you’re here.”

They stood at the table. Gordon smiled at Kimani. “Have you been here before?”

“Quite a few times,” she answered.

“You live here in the city then?”

She hesitated, not remembering what she might have told Ben. “I do. But I don’t want to get in the way of your meeting with Ben. You can pretend I’m not here. You must have a lot to talk over.”

Gordon waved a dismissive hand. “Just boring stuff. And it’s not urgent.”

The last thing she wanted was for Gordon to ask a bunch of questions about her, so she said, “But it’s probably best to talk about the meeting with Dawson while it’s fresh on the mind.”

“You work for Ben?”

“I told her about the meeting,” Ben supplied.

“You said it went fine. That’s pretty vague and could be interpreted as good or bad.”

Ben gave his uncle the same information he had given Kimani. Meanwhile, plates of brisket, ribs, sweet potato pie, corn, dinner rolls and collard greens were set before them.

“We do need more childcare,” Gordon said. “We don’t do enough to support parents and young children. The early years are so important when it comes to health and success later in life. Research shows that kids who attend quality preschools have higher math and reading skills, are better prepared for kindergarten, behave better in class, and are more likely to graduate from high school and go to college.”

“I turned out okay.”

“You’re an exception, not the rule.”

Gordon stared intently at Ben, leaving something unsaid. Ben bristled and looked away.

Gordon thought for a moment. “There’s actually a building in Chinatown that would be a great location for a preschool or childcare facility. The owner hasn’t made any improvements to the property and is just sitting on it.”

“Phillip Ma,” Ben acknowledged. “His asking price is ridiculous.”

“What else did Dawson want?”