The city never done much for roads this far away from downtown. I had to swerve numerous times to avoid hitting all kinds of odds and ends that other drivers had littered the road with, including a old rocking chair that must have fell off the back of a wagon or a truck. I drove over a dozen potholes and half as many lollygagging squirrels.

I didn’t breathe easy until I parked in front of MacPherson’s. There was long lines of customers checking out. They kept Buddy and Sadie from accosting me as I hurried past them. I didn’t see Odell on the main floor, so I rushed on to this office. The door was open and I strolled in. He was sitting behind his desk reading a magazine. When he looked up and seen me, he dropped the magazine and started grumbling under his breath.

“Hello, Odell.”

“I was hoping I wouldn’t see you today,” he growled. The frightful scowl on his face made my flesh crawl.

“I wish me and Yvonne could have talked to you when we stopped by your house Thanksgiving evening. We was in a holiday mood and really wanted to share our joy.” I closed the door and plonked down in the chair facing him.

“Me and Joyce was busy, and I didn’t feel like entertaining no company nohow,” he snarled.

“Oh, we didn’t come over to be entertained. We had just been entertained enough at Dr. Patterson’s lovely house. They served up a world-beating feast. And his family and friends treated us real special.”

“Was that what y’all came over to tell me and Joyce that night?” He smirked.

“Nope. We had came to talk business.”

Odell sat up straighter, and the look on his face got even meaner. “I know I promised to give you that four hundred dollars by the end of the month. You can come back and get it this coming Thursday.”

I shook my head. “It’d be more convenient if you could give it to me sooner.”

“Sooner? Milton, Thursday is only three days away, and you said I had until the end of the month.”

“Well, I decided I’d like to have it by tomorrow or Wednesday. Today would be even better. Lamar Perdue is a busy man. I don’t want him to be unavailable for us to get his money back to him by the deadline he set up. What if he goes out of town?”

“So what? If he ain’t around when you take him the money, that ain’t my problem,” he whined.