Black President Season 2 Collection

by Brenda Hampton

  “Not to Mexico,” he said then moved her hand away from his head. “I can understand you being miserable while you were pregnant, but you chose money over me. Did you ever think that I needed to know who my father really was? And what about school, my friends and my reputation? You were okay with people thinking I was a terrorist? Not only can’t I go back to St. Louis, but I can never live in the states again without people recognizing my face or accusing me of doing something I didn’t do. If I’m supposed to be dead, where am I going to live, mother? Whatever you say, please don’t say Mexico because I’m not going there ever again.”

  “You don’t have to. We can go somewhere else. Anywhere you want to go we’ll go. I just want a peaceful life, without anyone trying to control it. I want you to be happy and I want you to forgive me for what I’ve done. I promise to make it all up to you, okay? You can finish school elsewhere and we can start all over.”

  This trick was trying to drive a wedge between me and my grandson. Not only that, but between him and Stephen as well. He moved closer and spoke up before I did.

  “So, now you’re going to sit there and talk him into leaving this country with you. What about me, Ina? Your plan is to shut me the hell out, as if me being his father doesn’t even matter.”

  “It does matter,” she snapped back. “But I don’t know how to fix this, Stephen. It’s too late. I can sit here all day apologizing to you and you still will feel the way you do. You’ll keep blaming me for all of this, and you will overlook the person who started this crap.”

  Her eyes shifted to me. Lord knows I wanted to punch her in the face.

  “I know who’s responsible,” Stephen said in my defense. “That person would be you. You made choices that benefited you, and now you’re sitting there with your selfish ass, trying to convey to Joshua what you think is best for him. I’m stunned, but none of this should really surprise me one bit.”

  Ina pounded her leg with her fist. “Stop making me out to be something that I’m not! When you get finished belittling me, I’m still a decent mother. I love my son and I’m going to do what is in his best interest going forward. The only way we can get past this is to move on and start over somewhere else. We need to be far away from here, and that’s what I was trying to do when we went to Mexico.”

  “Bitch, please,” I was visibly irritated by her nonsense. “Stop your lying, Ina. You were running around on the beach in a thong, sipping Bahama Mamas with your man and that lying fool Levi. If that’s what you call starting over, forget it. Joshua can stay right here in Washington with us. We’ll manage to work out this big problem you created, even if we have to change his name.” I pivoted in my seat to look at Stephen. “Right, Stephen. Would something like that work?”

  “Of course it would. But that’s not going to be my choice or yours. Joshua has to decide what’s best for him now.”

  All eyes were on Joshua. He took a deep breath, then stood and shook his head. “I . . . I don’t know what to do. I need some fresh air right now. I can’t even think straight.”

  “That’s fine,” Stephen said. “I’ll have Secret Service take you to a park or somewhere else where you can sit back for a while and think about what you want to do. Come back when you’re ready and let us know what you decide. Your mother and I need to talk in private anyway. There are some things I would like to say to her that I don’t want you to hear.”

  I surely wanted to hear what Stephen had to say, but he ordered me to leave too. I stood with a twisted face and walked to the door behind Joshua.

  “Joshua,” Ina said, wiping her fake tears again. “You don’t have to go anywhere if you don’t want to. You can go out on the balcony to get some fresh air, and as far as I’m concerned, I’m done talking to Stephen and his mother.”

  The look in Stephen’s eyes ripped Ina to shreds, but Joshua saved this situation from getting out of hand. “I’m okay, mother. I just need to get out of here for, at least, an hour. I’ll be back.”

  “We’ll be back,” I added. “And when we come back, she’d better be singing a new tune.”

  I wasn’t sure if Ina would be singing a new tune or not, but from the look on Stephen’s face, I only wished I could be a fly on the wall.

  President of the United States,

  Stephen C. Jefferson

  I wasn’t up for any bullshit, especially since I still had to go deal with Levi before the night was over. I was already tired. This had been a long day. The last thing I wanted to hear from Ina was how she intended to move away and keep my son from me again. Yes, the choice would ultimately be his, but I felt like Ina was trying to sway him to follow her lead. That didn’t sit right with me, and instead of displaying more anger in front of Joshua, I waited until he and my mother were gone. Now, I could deal with Ina how I intended to. I removed my suit jacket and tossed it on the sofa. And as I started to unbutton my shirt, Ina sat looking at me. Underneath my shirt was a white wife beater that revealed much definition in my arms. I cocked my tense neck from side-to-side, before tossing the shirt on the sofa too.

  “Stephen,” Ina said, keeping her eyes locked with mine. “I can tell by the look in your eyes that you came here seeking trouble. It’s bad enough you had your henchmen meet me at the airport and bring me here against my will. I don’t want to be here, and as soon as Joshua returns, we’re leaving. ”

  I stepped forward and took menacing steps in her direction. She stood up. I could see her chest rise and fall. She appeared frightened by the devious gaze in my eyes.

  “Stop looking at me like that,” she said, backing away from the sofa. Before she got too far, I reached for her arm and pulled her in my direction. My grip on her arm was so tight that she squinted.

  “Ooouch,” she moaned. “You’re hurting me, Stephen. Let go of my arm.”

  “I haven’t hurt you yet, but I most certainly will if you do or say one more stupid thing that . . .”

  Before I could finish my sentence, Ina reached up and slapped her hand across my face. My head jerked to the side; reflexes acted accordingly. I twisted her arm behind her back and quickly shoved her on the sofa. As she lay on her stomach, I pressed her face on the pillow and thought about suffocating her. I continued to twist her arm and couldn’t understand a word she’d said because her words were muffled.

  “What’s that?” I asked with my knee pressed into the spine of her back. “Yeah, I know. This hurts, doesn’t it, Ina? It really hurts and you want me to release you, right?”

  I yanked her head back, lifting it so she could speak and catch her breath. She sucked in several deep breaths as more tears streamed down her face. “I . . . I can’t breathe,” she struggled to say. “Helllp meeee.”

  I pressed her face on the pillow again and held it there to muffle her screams. “You don’t need help. What you need is a good ass kicking to make up for everything you did to me. I wish you weren’t Joshua’s mother. If you weren’t, I would blow your brains out right now for hooking up with my enemy and allowing him to use you. Mr. McNeil saw a fool like you a mile away. He knew he could talk you into doing what you did, and trust me when I say I have no respect or love, none whatsoever, for a woman who could be as foolish as you are. You fucked up, Ina. Real bad and something has to be done for your fuck ups.”

  This time, I yanked her head back and pulled her off the sofa. Her arm was still twisted behind her back, and as I inched her toward the sliding doors to the balcony, her heavy breathing and cries continued. She tried to wiggle herself away from my grip, but with her head being pulled back, breaking my grip was hard for her to do.

  “You . . . you’re going to regret this!” She warned, as I dragged her to the balcony doors. She lifted her foot and kicked the glass, trying to break it. To get her to stop, I twisted her arm tighter. She yelped out in pain. “Nooo, Stephen! You need to stop this, nowww!”

  Her words went in one ear, out the other. I released her head and slid the sliding door to the side. It was pouring down raining outside,
and the gusty wind was pretty strong. I shoved her outside, and since the balcony was so slippery, she immediately fell on her ass. Her hair was flat on her head from the rain and smudged mascara ran down her face.

  “What do you want from me?” she shouted. Her whole body shook as she yelled. I didn’t bother to answer, but as I moved forward she rushed up and backed against the railing. She was right where I wanted her, and as I’d thought about flipping her ass over the rail, I thought about Joshua. I could make it look like she was so upset that she committed suicide, but I wasn’t sure if he would believe me.

  With rain pouring on me as well, I stood directly in front of Ina. There was no breathing room between us and I felt how fast her heart was beating. She moved her head from side-to-side. Her eyes were wide and showed much fear.

  “I know you’re not going to do this. Our son needs me! This balcony is twenty-six floors up, Stephen, and . . . and Joshua will never forgive you. You’d better think long and hard before you do something stupid.”

  I sucked my teeth while gazing at her. And when my hand clamped around her neck, her eyes got wider. She clawed at my hands with her long nails and made deep scratches that tore at my skin.

  “Is that all you got?” I asked while leaning her back and making her fight to stay on the tips of her toes. A gargling sound came from her mouth as she tried to speak. I could hear an apology somewhere in there.

  “Sorry my ass, Ina.” I leaned her back some more. This time, her feet were off the balcony and she was trying to wrap them around me so she wouldn’t fall. Her arms weakened and her scratches didn’t even hurt anymore. At this point, all she could do was plead her case through her watery eyes that kept fluttering. The rain was beating on her face too, and when I released her neck to grab her legs, she started kicking and screaming wildly.

  “No, my God, please no, Stephen! Put me down!”

  My heart raced too as I struggled to grab her legs while holding on to her shirt at the same time. When one of her legs dropped, she lifted it to kick my knee. With the balcony being so wet, I slipped and almost fell. That was when she lifted her foot again and punted me in the groin. The kick caused me to back away from her and soothe my sacks with my hand. I squinted from the pain, but as Ina darted by me to rush back inside, I stuck out my foot and made her fall flat on her face. She crawled inside and quickly rolled on her back. By that time, I was already on top of her, pinning her to the floor by holding her shoulders down. She squirmed to get from underneath me, but her efforts had failed.

  “If you want to exit,” I said, lifting her from the floor and tossing her over my shoulder. “You need to exit from the balcony, not the door.”

  She kicked and screamed as I carried her back outside on the balcony. Her fists pounded against my back, and this time, I sat her on top of the rail. To prevent herself from falling, she threw her arms around my neck, squeezing it tight.

  “If I go over, bastard, I’m taking you with me! So go ahead and push me, Stephen! Do it!”

  Her grip around my neck was so tight that I couldn’t pry my head away. Maybe a gut punch would send her backwards, but I didn’t want to go there just yet. I leaned her back, and with every inch in her direction, she took me with her. She pulled on my wife beater, and it wasn’t long before she ripped it from my back. I was now in my slacks and leather shoes that were slippery as fuck. Rage was in my eyes, and as I finally pried my head from her tight grip, I had her exactly where I wanted her. All I had to do was release her arms and it was fucking goodbye to Ina. Dying this way surely wasn’t in her plan, and while staring at each other, we breathed heavily as rain ran down our faces.

  “Please,” she cried out. “I’m sorry, okay? Sorry for all of this, Stephen, and I regret what I did to you. I just wanted a fresh new start for our son. He’s all I have, and if you kill me, you will destroy him!”

  I winced as I looked at her. Couldn’t think of anyone else that I despised more than her right now, other than Mr. McNeil. Then again, there was also Levi. The list in my head kept growing, and that made me release her other arm. As she fell back, I quickly grabbed her collar and pulled her face-to-face with me.

  “I hate you,” I spewed through gritted teeth. “And I’m willing to lose my son again, just so I never have to see your fucking face again.”

  Ina closed her eyes and sobbed like a baby. I pulled her away from the rail and shoved her back inside again. She dropped to her knees and covered her face with her hands.

  “I hate you too, Mr. President!” she screamed and pounded the floor. “Damn you, Stephen, damn you!”

  I walked away from her, and when I picked up my shirt to wipe down my wet face, she charged at me with something in her hand. I didn’t realize what it was, until she hit me on the side of my face with it. It was a small crystal bowl that left me feeling dazed. I staggered back, but as I reached out to grab her, my vision was slightly blurred. She pushed me back, and when she hit me with the bowl again, we went at it. I was able to snatch the bowl from her hand and put her in a headlock. As I squeezed her head, she raised her fist to strike me wherever she could.

  “You’re not the only one from the hood,” she barked. “I can fight back too!”

  “I don’t give a damn where you’re from, nor do I care that you’re a woman. If you act like a wild animal, you’ll be treated like one!”

  I lifted her high and slammed her on the coffee table next to the sofa. The legs on the table weren’t strong enough to hold her, so the table crashed to the floor. As she held her back, I rushed in to finish what I started. By that time, Ina had snatched one of the broken legs from the table. She held it like a bat while daring me to come closer.

  “This is going to hurt, Stephen. Back away from me now!”

  I was willing to muster the pain, just to get at her again. And as I moved in, she struck me in the leg and made my knee buckle. It wasn’t enough to damage me, so I grabbed her leg and dragged her across the floor.

  “You will never be in Joshua’s life, not if I can help it,” she said. “Not you or your crazy ass mother! You both are crazy, and if you think I’m anything like Raynetta, you are sadly mistaken!”

  To respond to her foolishness, I released her leg and fell over her. As I was face-to-face with her again, she caught me off guard and slammed her fist into my mouth, drawing the first blood. I licked the inside of my bloody mouth and growled as I banged her head on the floor, over and over again. I witnessed her eyes rolling in circles. She was dizzy and hurt, but not hurt enough. I wanted her to bleed too, so I leaned in and bit the shit out of her earlobe. She was in so much pain that she grabbed her ear and released an eardrum busting scream at the top of her lungs.

  “Fuuuuuuuck, aaaaaaahhhhhh!”

  Feeling satisfied, I rolled to my left and laid flat on my back. My chest heaved in and out as I stared at the high ceiling. Ina’s cries echoed in the background. I crawled away from her, and as I sat against the wall with blood dripping down my chin, I watched her sway back and forth on the floor.

  “Come over here and finish me off,” she said. “You can’t hurt me, Stephen. Nothing you can do to me will hurt me!”

  “Well, you look pretty damn hurt to me. And shut the hell up talking to me, before I take you out there on that balcony again.”

  With blood pooling down the side of her neck, she made her way over to the back of the sofa and sat against it. That was when I noticed the big knot on the side of her head. I hated that a part of me felt bad about what I’d done to her. I didn’t intend for things to go this far, but I couldn’t let her get away with what she had done to me.

  “Look at you, Mr. President,” she teased. “You ain’t shit! Nothing, Stephen, and you’re not even man enough to come over here and finish me off.”

  For whatever reason, she was trying to provoke me. I spit a gob of blood from my mouth, before responding to her. “If I wanted to finish you off, I would have. Be sure to thank your son for saving your life.”

  �
��Whatever, coward. You’re all talk and no action.”

  I looked at her with a smirk on my face. My arms were crossed against my chest and one leg was over the other. “I’ll be whatever you want me to be, Ina. I’ll also be a father to Joshua, whether you like it or not.”

  She laughed as she removed her shirt to wipe blood from her ear, neck and fingers. All she had on now was a white bra and a pair of jeans. “How can you be a father and you don’t even know how to be a husband? You’re also failing as president, and it’s just a matter of time before you’ll be impeached. All your crooked mess is going to catch up with you, and when you get what you deserve, I’m going to be somewhere jumping for joy.”

  I clapped my hands and continued to keep a smile on my face as we hurled insults back and forth at each other.

  “I could be a good father and a good husband, if I hadn’t messed around with a money hungry, low-life trick like you. A mother who did what you did to our son shouldn’t even consider herself a mother. All you are is a tramp with a kid.”

  She fired back, calling me every name in the book. I did the same.

  “And you have the audacity to be our president. The American people got suckered last time, but this time takes the cake.”

  “Before I am president, I am a man who will not put up with your shit and who will come over there and fuck you up, if you don’t stop talking to me. One more word, Ina, and you’re going to get your wish.”

  She didn’t dare say another word. All we did was continue to stare at each other, until my mother and Joshua returned. Almost immediately, Joshua rushed to Ina’s side. My mother and Secret Service rushed to mine.

  “Are you okay, sir?” Lenny asked with concern in his eyes as he squatted next to me.