"So, what do you think of that?" I asked Mama B. Mama B rocked in silence for a few seconds. "I thought I was going to have to call 911 to get that fat tub of lard out of my chair." "I meant, what did you think of what he had to say?" "Moe Chapman's a liar. He was a liar as a child. Once a liar, always a liar." "He's popular with the ladies." Mama B scrunched up her nose as though she'd smelled sour milk. "You would be too if you paid them." I spat out my lemonade. "How do you know that?" "That Mercedes Jackson was bragging to Nettie Fay how Moe sends flowers to her job every week and pays for her to get her nails and hair done. He buys her clothes, pays her rent, and springs for expensive vacations and jewelry. They went on a cruise to the Bahamas over Christmas. Can you imagine all that fat lying on the beach? Lucky they didn't mistake him for a beached whale and try to harpoon him. If that ain't paying for a woman, then I don't know what is." Whew. That wasn't exactly what I was expecting when she said he "paid" for women, but it didn't restore my faith in this supposed man of God. Where had all that money come from? I spent a few minutes trying to get her reaction to his comments about Sister Williams, but she remained uncharacteristically quiet on the subject. No matter how much I asked or what I said, she couldn't or wouldn't say more. Eventually, I decided to change the subject and had her fill me in on the dirt she'd gotten since yesterday. There wasn't anything new, so I filled her in on my latest bombshell. She snorted. "I don't believe that boy was married." I knew that boy referred to Thomas Warrendale. Mama B's likes and dislikes ran deep. Once she made her mind up about someone, there was no turning back. "I assure you he was." "He certainly didn't act like it. Just because you have a marriage certificate doesn't mean anything." Mama B rocked slowly. "A lot of people have diplomas, but that don't mean they know the front end of a mule from the back." "Any truth to the rumors you all were talkin' about yesterday?" Mama B pursed her lips. "I don't lie." "I know you don't lie. I mean are you sure? Was Thomas Warrendale fooling around?" "Mm-hmm ... that's what I heard. Where there's smoke, there's fire." "Was there anyone in particular?" Mama B rocked on. "I don't know how par-tic-u-lar he was." Mama B enunciated each syllable to make her point. Excerpted from Travellin' Shoes by V. M. Burns All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
