Soul Circus

Strange filed that day’s Xeroxed records on the Granville Oliver case into the cabinets that supported the rectangle of kitchen-counter laminate that served as his desktop. He did some bills, killed more time listening to his CD, and then went looking for Greco, who was lying by the front door and ready to go. Strange grabbed some cruising music, locked the house down, and walked with Greco to his free-time vehicle, a black-over-black ’91 Cadillac Brougham with a chromed-up grille.

He popped some Blue Magic into the dash deck and drove north on Georgia Avenue. The school year had not quite ended, and night had fallen, but there were plenty of kids out, hanging on corners and walking the streets. In fact, he had seen his young employee, Lamar, heading on foot toward the Capitol City Pavilion, a go-go venue the young ones called the Black Hole, on a recent evening. Strange wondered, as he always did, what these kids were doing out so late, and he wondered about the adults who were responsible for them, why they had let them out of their sight.

Janine’s house was a clapboard colonial, pale lavender, set on a short, quiet, leafy street called Quintana, around the corner from the Fourth District police station in Manor Park. Lionel’s car, a Chevy beater he had recently purchased, was out front, and Janine’s late-model Buick was in the drive. Strange used his key to open the front door. He entered the house with Greco beside him, his nub of a tail twitching back and forth.

“It is me,” said Strange, his voice raised, not yet used to letting himself into Janine’s house.

“That you, Derek?” said Janine from back in the kitchen.

“Nah, it’s Billy Dee,” said Strange.

“Getting’ to look like him, too,” said Lionel, tall and filled out, coming down the center-hall stairs and patting his head, which barely had any hair on it at all.

“I know,” said Strange. “Didn’t have a chance to get that taken care of today. Go

“You know that album you got, has those guys with the big ratty Afros hanging out by the subway platform, talkin’ about, ‘do it till you’re satisfied’?”

“B.T. Express.”

“Yeah, them. You’re lookin’ like the whole B.T. Express put together.”

“Said I was go

Lionel reached his hand out as he hit the foot of the stairs. Strange took it, then brought him in for the forearm-to-chest hug.

“How you doin,’ boy?”

“I’m good,” said Lionel. “You go

“You know it. What’s your mom got on the stove?”

“I think she made a roast or somethin’.”

“Was wonderin’ what it was,” said Strange, “smelled so good.”

“Smells like home,” said Lionel with a shrug.

Couldn’t put my finger on it, thought Strange. But, yeah, there it is.

They ate in the dining room after Strange said grace, and the food was delicious. Lionel was graduating from Coolidge High, and the ceremony was coming up soon. He had been accepted to Maryland University in College Park and would start there in the fall. He had been down on the fact that he would not be able to afford to live on campus, but Strange had bought the old Chevy for him, his first car, and that had somewhat offset his disappointment.

“How’s that car ru

“Good,” said Lionel. “I took it up to the detail place and had them brighten up the wheels.”

“You check the oil?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“ ’Cause you got to do that,” said Strange. “You need to change that oil every three or four months, at the outside.”

“Okay.”

“You want that car to last you, hear?”

“I said okay.”

“You don’t change the oil, it’s like gettin’ on with a woman without giving her a kiss.”

“Derek,” said Janine.

“It might feel real good when you’re doing it, but you want her to be there for you the next time you get the urge.”

“Derek.”

“What I mean is, a woman ain’t go

Lionel shifted in his seat. “You mean, like, changing the oil on the car is kinda like giving a woman flowers, right?”

“Exactly,” said Strange, relieved that Lionel had gotten him out of the woods.

Lionel cocked his head. “You supposed to do that every time you hit it, or every three or four months?”

“Lionel!”

“Sorry, Mom. It’s just, Derek is getting deep with me here, and I wanted to make sure I understood.”

Janine flashed her eyes at Strange.

“Di

“Glad you’re enjoying it,” said Janine.

The three of them watched the game in the living room. Strange and Janine were for the Lakers, and Lionel was for the Sixers. It was a generational thing, like Frazier-Ali had been thirty years back.

On the television screen, Robert Horry was sinking foul shots like there was nothing on the line, though this was the championship series and the game was close, with less than a minute to play.

“Man is ice,” said Strange. “Experience beats youth, every time.”

“Girl at school told me today I look like Rick Fox,” said Lionel.

“Must’ve been a blind girl,” said Strange.

“Fu

“I’m playing with you. But what’s up with his hair?”

“The girls be geekin’ behind it.”

“You ever grow your hair like that, you and me are go

“You think all dudes are fu

“He could afford a comb, at least, all that money he’s got.”

“You’re just old-time.”

“You think that’s what it is?”

“I got news for you. Women love that dude, Pop.”

Strange gri

“All I’m saying is,” said Strange, “you don’t need to be gettin’ any fancy hairstyles for the girls to like you. And anyway, you look good the way you are.”

Later, Strange and Janine sat on the couch splitting a bottle of beer. Lionel had gone out to see a girl he liked, who called the house several times a night. He had assured his mother that he wouldn’t be late.

“That was pretty smooth tonight,” said Janine. “Comparing women to cars.”

“Yeah, I know. You got to remember, though, I came to this game late. You had sixteen years of practice with that boy before I even came through the door.”

“You’re doing fine.”

“I’m trying.”

“Oh, Derek, I almost forgot. Some man called today asking if he could talk to you about the Oliver case.”

“Was it one of the lawyers?”

“No, this was a white guy, and anyway, I recognize those lawyers’ voices by now. But this guy hung up before I could get a number.”

“Caller ID?”

“It said ‘No Data’ on the screen.”

“He’ll call back,” said Strange. He turned and kissed Janine on the side of her mouth. “Listen, we got some time before Lionel gets home…”

“I don’t feel like going up just yet,” said Janine. “I’m happy sitting right here for a while, you don’t mind.”

“I’m happy, too,” said Strange.

And he was. He couldn’t think of anyplace he’d rather be. Strange didn’t know for the life of him why he was fighting all this. These were the people he loved, and this was home.

SUE Tracy lit a cigarette and got up naked off the couch. Qui