Free The Donor: When Conception Meets Deception by Brother Dash Page A

do. All you can do,” her thoughts start to trail in a different yet related direction. “I was a Radio City Rockette in the 1980's. Didn’t know that did you? Mmmhmm. You shoulda seen me. I had all these men lusting after me. That man could be as black as a thousand midnights or white as death, but when my smooth, long, luscious legs parted ways? Ooh Wee them boys practically wet themselves. And I don’t mean the pee-pee kind neither.”
    Chase winces.
    “They sure wanted some of Miss Patty McShane. I ain’t have to worry ‘bout no money or nothing neither. Men love spending money on pretty girls. Especially the ugly men. Makes them feel important. ‘Cause they so damn ugly, you see. If God ain’t give it to you for free, then the devil will sell it to you for a fee. Mmmhmm that’s right. Yeah, I was something else. But everything gets old eventually I guess. Then people just throw those old things away.” She pauses and looks out towards the borough of Queens’ skyline from the dock.
    “But I have plans Miss Pat. Important plans. This thing—“
    "What thing?” she growls back. “Let me guess. This is something from your past?” Chase doesn’t respond. “No matter I already know it is. But never you mind that. Somebody hand you some note and now you all messed up in the head? You gettin’ emotional like you some woman caught up in her feelings? That ain’t cute Buff Puff. Ain’t cute at all. And for what? Did anybody come and tell you what they want?"
    Chase shakes his head no.
    "Did anybody show up at your fancy school?"
    Chase shakes his head again.
    “Boy, go live your life. You stressin’ yourself for nothin’. Now, unless you 'bout to finally give Miss Pat some of that Buff Puff lovin’, you go on and get,” she says and brushes Chase away.
    Chase cracks a soft smile. His eyes widen. He grabs Miss Pat by the elbow and swings around in front of her and hugs. He ignores the grime on her skin and the stench of her flesh. His embrace is warm, comforting and non-judgmental. But despite her amorous overtures, her nasty talk , her arms go stiff as boards against her hips. Her eyes bloom wide and her pencil lips quiver. How long has it been since a man held her in his arms? And has it been even longer since a man embraced her out of gratitude instead of lust? She remains frozen for a moment longer before breaking her self-induced tension.
    "All right, all right now. Don't you go startin' somethin' you can't finish,” she says and jerks away.
    Chase reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a wad of twenty dollar bills. He hands it to her. She fly swats his arms, grabs her blanket, and shuffles back to her corner of the sidewalk. Chase glances down at the pavement to see that she has forgotten her change cup. He bundles the money she refused to take inside the cup and runs toward her.
    “Miss Pat, hey Miss Pat you forgot this, ” he says extending his hand.
    “Oh, gimme that Buff Puff,” she snatches the container.
    Chase watches her return to her corner. He strolls to the pier and leans on the dock’s rail. The waves slap against the wood pilings. A renewed sense of calm soaks into Chase's heart. Recent events no longer seem insurmountable. Miss Pat’s perspective gives him perspective. He slides his fingers into the deep well of his front pocket and feels around for a business card. He removes it and reads the silver lettering on the white linen rectangle:
     
    Jannsen Jewelers
    958 West 47th Street Suite 3
    New York, NY 10036
    212.555.1971
    “ Prove to her you mean forever,
    with a diamond that says now”
     
    Chase nods, smiles from ear-to-ear, and trots home.

5 Allow Me To Reintroduce Myself
    
     
    Shuffling feet, and the noise of the streets, bounce inside the walls of urban academia. Brooklyn University. It’s where sagging jeans meet polka dot bow ties. Stilettos and Coach leather bags mingle with thrift store sweats and Sikh turbans. They mingle in a most New York sense of the