Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 73556 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73556 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
“Shit,” he said again, this time slamming his fist into his thigh. He sat back and closed his eyes. She patted his shoulder.
“The dentist will be in soon. I feel like I’ve told you that half a dozen times. Anyway, I’ll be right back. Just sit back and relax.”
He offered a weak nod. He looked up at the ceiling as another oldies instrumental song played. The dentist came in—a tall, clean-shaven older black man with a long, narrow nose.
“Good morning, Mr. Wilde. I’m Dr. David Albertson.” He extended his palm and they shook hands. “Thank you for coming in.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, too. Genesis’ notes show that, uh,” he picked up a tablet and began reading, “…that she believes your tooth is cracked. You got into an altercation, it says here? Some sorta fight that led to this?”
The man smirked as if he, too, had been a brawler back in his day.
“Unfortunately, yes.”
“Okay, let me take a look…” Ten minutes later, the conversation took a different turn.
“Today? Can I get this fixed today?”
“Yes you can. It’s called CEREC, which stands for CERamic REConstruction.” He went on to explain the process, and then prepped him. Following that, digital impressions were made, including a 3D impression. Then, Dr. Albertson numbed his tooth and the surrounding area, and less than two hours later, Roman was being walked to the front desk with a new cemented crown. The dentist’s work was impeccable. He could barely tell the difference from the crown area and his original tooth. As he waited to schedule a follow-up visit and get his prescription for antibiotics, Genesis walked past.
“Oh, hey, hey…” He gently tugged her elbow.
“Hey, you. What’s up? Everything turned out okay, didn’t it? I told you it would be fine.”
“Yeah, it did. Thank you. You were right.”
“Right about what? That everything would be fine? Of course everything was going to be fine.” She threw up her hands and brandished a bright smile. “Dr. Albertson has done this sort of thing thousands of times, and I’ve assisted thousands of times, too. It’s no biggie. Now go home and eat a big ol’ burger in peace.” When she smiled right then, his whole soul lit up.
“Yeah, but I’m talking about the fracture, and me needing a crown instead of a filling. You’re good. You knew exactly what it was. You should be a dentist, too. That’s where the money is.”
“Well, I could be a dentist if I wanted to. I have the brains and skill for it, but I’m just fine doin’ what I do. Goals change, but today, I’m content. Money isn’t everything. Happiness ain’t always wrapped in a dollar. Greed has been many folks’ downfall. I just want to have enough to be happy and comfortable. Few worries for me and mine. Besides, I’m important. Without folks like me, this entire profession would crumble. Just like nurses for doctors, and assistants for teachers. Somebody has to be the worker bee, and even though I may not be queen of the castle, I wear my beautiful crown, just like you, quite well.”
With that, she winked at him and sauntered off…
CHAPTER THREE
The Gilded Cage
Daddy sat on the other side of the glass at Angola’s state prison. He was a little grayer at the temples. Wiry and dull as his hair was, it matched the plain ashen walls. Blurred voices bounced around Roman, mixed with a barrage of obscenities—then a booming series of shrills filled the air like nails dragging down a chalkboard. The place smelled of bleach, cigarette smoke and mold.
“Oh, now you know that ain’t true, son.” Daddy chuckled, his eyes gleaming as the crow’s feet around them gathered and danced. “Plenty of cellphones, drugs, hooch, any thang you can get your hands on in here. The sky is the limit.” A bit of stiff silence wedged between them. Roman cleared his throat, breaking that block of stillness into pieces.
“You ain’t been usin’, have you?” He knew the answer, but he wanted to hear the words. Truth wrapped in poison, or perhaps it was the other way around.
The two men glowered at one another. Two sets of identical eyes: one pair young, the other older, or possibly that was the other way around, too.
“Ain’t no sense in me lyin’. I dabble here and there.” Dad shrugged, showing his pearly whites. Two had been missing for an eternity. Now it was only one that was omitted. Looks like he got to the prison dentist after all. “Nothin’ like before, though.”
Daddy always said that. Minimized his drug addiction. Claimed it, but with a long reach. A 4th cousin twice removed.
“How’s ya mama?” His voice seized a rasp of exhilaration.
“She’s good. Other than her leg swelling up again.”
“That left one,” Daddy coughed in a tissue and set it aside. “She had that problem ever since she gave birth to Jordan. Doc say, ‘She needs to lose weight.’ I liked ’er bigger. Ya mama struggled with her weight after she started havin’ babies, Roman, but she’d lost the weight anyway on account of the doctor’s recommendation. Got down to skin and bones. She followed a real strict diet and the homecooked meals she used to make us turned into frozen shit from the store that ain’t have no flavor. Fridge full of fresh vegetables and fruit. Plenty of water. No salt. No butter. Vitamins that didn’t do nothin’ but turn her piss neon yellow. Even after all of that, that leg would still swell up like a balloon. She went back to the clinic. Doc say, “‘Take these pills.’” Daddy rolled his eyes as if reliving that moment. “Those pills made her heart run like a racehorse on cocaine. Made that leg ten times worse, too. Swole up so bad, she couldn’t get ’er shoe on.”