by La Jill Hunt
“I thought that’s what we were going to talk about tonight. This hasn’t been easy for me to tell you. And I am fighting for my marriage. I love you. That hasn’t changed.”
At that moment, the song the band started playing caught Sylvia’s attention. God truly has a sense of humor, she thought as she listened to the music of “How Deep Is Your Love,” one of her and Garry’s favorite songs.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” she said.
“It’s a sign.” Garry smiled.
“It’s a coincidence.” Sylvia picked up her spoon and dug it into her lukewarm dessert.
“What was it that you wanted to tell me?” Garry said, now eating his own dessert.
Sylvia wasn’t sure if she even wanted to tell him, especially now that he said he was leaving. Thinking about what she’d just told him about avoiding difficult conversations and taking the easy way out, she knew she had to take her own advice.
“I’ve been going to therapy.”
“With Dr. Brewer? Without me?” Garry put his spoon down.
“No, with Amanda, at church. And yes, without you.”
She saw him purse his lips slightly and knew he wasn’t too pleased with what she said. “Are you sure that’s wise?”
“I do, because God knows I feel a lot better after meeting with her. And I know you’re thinking that because she works for the church, she’ll probably tell people our personal business, but she’s a licensed professional, Garry, and is held to the same guidelines and laws as any other therapist. Personally, I think she’s better because she’s invested in our family and our healing.”
“Okay.” Garry gave her an apathetic shrug. “And what made you decide to go see her?”
Sylvia took a deep breath. “I ran into Sherrod, and after talking to him, I had somewhat of a breakdown.”
Garry’s stare was incredulous, and he leaned forward. “What the fuck did he say to you? When? Why didn’t you tell me? I swear, I’m gonna kill him.”
His voice was so loud that the people sitting beside them glanced over. Sylvia gave them an apologetic look, then whispered, “Garry, stop. You need to calm down.”
“Calm down? You just told me this man disrespected you to the point where you had a breakdown and needed to seek therapy,” Garry snarled.
“That’s not what I said. Did you even hear me? I said I talked with him.”
“And then you had a breakdown and went to see Amanda.”
“But he wasn’t the cause of it. I was.”
“What do you mean?” Garry’s eyes narrowed.
“I mean that I’ve been holding on to so much for so long that the burden of it all got to be too much. Talking to him and hearing everything he said, dealing with everything already and the possibility of what we might be facing, it was just too much,” she confessed, her eyes filling with tears. “I was trying so hard to be the strong, supportive wife for you and our family, and I ignored the fact that I needed help.”
“Damn it. You should’ve told me.” Garry now had tears of his own. “I’m your husband. I’m always gonna be there for you. For us. You don’t have to handle this by yourself.”
“And neither do you. But you act like you do,” she fired back at him.
“I don’t mean to.”
“But you do.” She picked up her napkin and dabbed at the corners of her eyes. “I don’t want this to turn into an argument, Garry. That’s not what we’re here to do.”
“You’re right. And I don’t want that either. You said you were worried about the possibility of what we might have to face. What did you mean?”
“Sherrod.”
“Sylvia, that guy is crazy. Don’t listen to him.”
“Garry, despite how you feel about him, I could tell that he loves Jordan like she was his own daughter. And she loves him. They have a bond. And I believe he’s sincere when he says he wants what’s best for her.”
“Don’t be fooled, Syl. He talks a good game.”
“This guy has nothing to gain by fighting for custody. He’s a doctor, for God’s sake. He ain’t hurting for no money as far as I can tell. Do you think he wants her for some kind of inappropriate reason?” she suddenly wondered, although she didn’t get any kind of perverted vibe from him.
“No, Syl. I hate him, but I can honestly say I don’t think he’d do anything like that, or anything to hurt her. And I really don’t know what he has to gain or why he’s fighting so hard. But he’s full of shit. He wants a fight? I’m ready for it. Best believe I’m gonna do what’s right for my daughter.”
“You still don’t get it, do you?” She shook her head.
“What?”
“Let me ask you something. Do you even care what’s best for your daughter? Because from what I’m seeing, both of you are acting off pride and ego and not seeing that this poor girl is getting caught in the crossfire. And what I’m not going to do is allow that to happen. You wanna move into Randi’s house, great. But Jordan is staying where she is. Whether you like it or not.”
“Can I get you guys anything else?” the waitress came over and asked.
She shook her head and said, “No, we’re finished. You can bring us the check.”
“Be right back.”
“Syl,” Garry said.
“I’m done talking for now, Garry. We’ve both said what we needed to say. I’m ready to leave.”
Garry paid the check, and they left the restaurant without saying anything else to each other. They were standing in the front of the restaurant waiting for the valet to bring the car when Sylvia heard a familiar laugh and turned around.
“Janelle?” she said, recognizing not only her sister but the man standing beside her. Instinctively, she grabbed Garry’s arm and began praying for all of them.
Chapter 15
Janelle
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Sherrod asked as he drove. It had to have been the fifth time he’d asked that question since they’d left the restaurant.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Janelle nodded. Truth was, she didn’t really know how she was. Certainly, she was grateful that what could’ve easily taken an ugly turn didn’t. She’d been excited when they arrived at the restaurant. The anticipation of having a romantic dinner at Sylvia’s favorite restaurant quickly disappeared when, just as they were about to enter, she heard someone calling her name. The last person she expected to see was Sylvia, and definitely not Garry.
“Hey, Syl, Garry.” Janelle smiled nervously and tried not to panic as she maneuvered her body so that she would be standing in front of Sherrod.
“Don’t tell me you’re out with this guy,” Garry said, his eyes looking from her to Sherrod then back to her.
“What? You gonna try and keep me away from her, too?” Sherrod asked. “I know you blocked my number from Jordan’s phone.”
“Damn right I did. That’s what a father is supposed to do: protect his child from predators like you who take them from home without permission.”
Sherrod glanced over to Sylvia. “Look, I apologized for that and explained—”
“I don’t give a shit about that. I’ve told you to stay away from my daughter,” Garry barked.
“I can’t do that, and you know why,” Sherrod said. “You know what Randi wanted.”
The valet pulled up and hopped out of Sylvia’s SUV. “Here you are, sir.”
“Garry, go ahead and get in the car,” Sylvia told him.
“And maybe you can go in and let the hostess know we’re here.” Janelle nudged Sherrod. He looked down at her and nodded but didn’t move until Garry did. Sylvia looked just as relieved as Janelle did when the two men went in different directions.
“So, you and Garry are good,” Janelle said. “I’m glad.”
“That’s still to be determined. It was just dinner so we could talk. What’s up with you and him? I thought you were going to take a step back until we figure this all out.”
“Same here. It’s just dinner to talk. Nothing serious
,” Janelle answered. “Why you ask me like that?”
“I mean, it just seems odd, that’s all.”
“Odd for who?”
“Him, you, us,” Sylvia said with an attitude.
“Whoa, I told you it’s not serious.” Janelle gave her a cautious stare.
“Janelle, to you it’s not that serious. But for once, can you stop being selfish and look at the bigger picture? You think it’s not that serious, but it becomes very serious when your decisions affect this family,” Sylvia said as she turned to walk away.
“Syl, it’s just dinner,” Janelle called out to her.
“I hope so.” She opened the door to the truck and climbed in the seat beside her husband. “In the meantime, until this is sorted out, I’m asking you and him to stay away from my daughters. Both of them.”
By the time she closed the door, Garry was driving off. Janelle turned and slowly walked into the restaurant where Sherrod was waiting.
“Everything good?” he asked.
“Not really, but you already knew that.”
“Our table should be ready in a few minutes.” He gave her a compassionate look, then said, “But we don’t have to stay if you don’t want to.”
“Are you sure?” she asked, not wanting to disappoint him but relieved for his offer. Any kind of appetite she had was gone after the confrontation with her sister and brother-in-law.
He grabbed her hand and nodded. “I’m positive. I’ll go get the car.”
Unlike the drive to the restaurant, which was full of jokes and laughter, the ride back to her house was reticent and uneasy. Janelle’s thoughts were focused on the conversation she and Sylvia had. She’d just reconciled with her sister, and now they were at odds again. Sylvia being surprised and a little annoyed was understandable, but there was also some slight hypocrisy. She’d said she was done with Garry, but there they were on a date, the same way Janelle and Sherrod were. And her telling Janelle to stay away from the girls added insult to injury and hurt her feelings. It didn’t seem fair.
“Janelle?”
Janelle realized Sherrod had been talking, but she hadn’t heard anything he’d said. “Huh?”
“I asked if you wanted to stop and grab something to eat from somewhere else.”
“No, I’m not hungry. You can just take me home.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah.” She nodded.
Twenty minutes later, they pulled into her driveway. Sherrod turned off the engine, and they sat in silence for a little while.
“I’m sorry about all of this,” she told him.
“What are you apologizing for? You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I still feel bad because I know how much you were looking forward to going to dinner, and so was I.”
“Oh, so you admit you were excited about me?” he teased.
“I didn’t say all of that. Calm down.” She smiled slightly.
“But, Janelle, I was just excited to see you. I didn’t care if we went to dinner,” Sherrod said. “That’s all.”
“That’s sweet.” She sighed.
“I’m a sweet guy.” He shrugged and pretended to straighten the tie that he wasn’t wearing. “Besides, even though we didn’t have dinner, we still have our nightcap waiting for us.”
Janelle glanced over at him. “Sherrod, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t think any of this is gonna be a good idea, to be quite honest. It’s just too . . .”
“Too what?”
“Too much. My sister and her family, well, my family has a lot going on right now, including Jordan. I don’t want to do anything that’ll make it worse,” Janelle explained. “I like you. You know that. But right now, our seeing each other just doesn’t make sense.”
She opened the car door and got out. Sherrod hopped out at the same time, rushing toward her. “Janelle, wait.”
“What is it?” Janelle asked, now wanting to hurry inside her house. All she wanted to do was get undressed, climb in bed, and cry herself to sleep.
“At least let me walk you to the door.”
“Okay.” Janelle let him take her by the hand as he escorted her to the front door. She reached into her purse and took out her key, then turned to face him. “Thank you.”
“Janelle, we can figure this out.” Sherrod’s voice was as soft as the look he gave her. His finger caressed the side of her face. “I know we can.”
“Sher—” Janelle’s words were cut off by Sherrod’s lips, which covered hers. Her head tilted, and her eyes closed as she became lost in the warmth of his mouth. He pulled her body close, and she instinctively put her arms around his neck as her handbag slid to her shoulder. The kiss ended with their foreheads pressed together and both of them smiling.
“Please don’t make me kidnap you.” He whispered, “Because you know I will.”
“One drink.”
They went inside her home, and while she changed into shorts and a T-shirt, he opened and poured the wine. She snuggled beside him on the sofa.
“Okay, so my brother-in-law hates you, and based on her reaction tonight, I’m pretty sure that my sister’s level of dislike for you is fairly up there. So your approval rating from my family so far isn’t that great.”
“But I have your vote of approval and of course Jordan’s. And let’s be real, Aunt Connie loves me. So if you look at it, I have three votes to their two,” Sherrod pointed out.
“The jury’s still out on Peyton, and we know Nivea’s going to veto this too.” Janelle took a sip of wine. “And Natalie usually sides with her for some reason.”
“Janelle, listing all of the people in your life who agree or disagree with our being together isn’t helping,” Sherrod said. “Baby, relax.”
“Relax? You were the one who said we were going to figure it out. That’s what I’m trying to do. And really, I’m not even concerned with the beef between you and Garry right now. The two of you are caught up in a competition to see whose dick is bigger, and neither of you realizes that it’s affecting more than the two of you.” Janelle sat up. “Do you know Sylvia accused me of being selfish for going out with you tonight? The two of you are the ones being selfish.”
“I’m sorry she said that.”
“I hate that my sister is going through all of this. She’s slowly breaking. I can see it. And I don’t want to add anything that’s going to make her life any more chaotic than it already is.” Janelle blinked back tears. “She is pissed and scared. And yeah, I know she makes me mad and gets on my nerves at times, but I love her. She’s the one who always looks out for everyone else. I don’t want to betray her. I want to help her.”
“I don’t want you to betray her. You think I want to be at war with Garry and your sister? I’m trying to do the one thing my best friend asked me to do if she died: take care of her daughter. It breaks my heart when Jordan calls me, well, used to call me and cry for me to come and get her. Let me show you something.” Sherrod reached into his pocket and took out his phone. He typed on the screen then handed it to Janelle. “Read.”
Janelle stared at the display of text messages, all between him and Jordan. The exchanges were daily, Jordan telling him how she missed her mom and wanted to go home. She complained over and over again about having to go to a new school and having no friends. She also told him she didn’t like Peyton and felt like an intruder in their home. But for each negative complaint, Sherrod responded with encouragement and positivity. Over and over, she threatened to run away, and Sherrod begged her to stay. He promised Jordan that he would find a way to see her, but said that despite her being uncomfortable, he was sure she was in a safe place with people who cared about her. They laughed about Aunt Connie, and Jordan said she was glad that she was there for her. Sherrod even suggested that Jordan talk to Sylvia. Janelle continued reading, and then she saw her name. Jordan sent him a text telling him about the day she was about to run away and Janelle stopped and talk
ed with her. She said Janelle was nice and pretty, and she thought she was cool. Janelle couldn’t help smiling. The last text had been the one she sent him, telling him Janelle was at the house. He asked her to call Janelle. After that, the messages stopped.
“When she went back inside on Sunday after you and I talked, Garry took her phone. He thought she’d snuck out and called me, so he blocked my number. He told her if he found out it was unblocked or that she talked to me again, he would file a restraining order and have me arrested for stalking,” Sherrod said as he took the phone from Janelle.
“Have you talked to her?” Janelle asked.
“I can’t confirm or deny in an effort not to incriminate anyone.” He pulled Janelle to him. “I hate this just as much as you do. I hate that you feel like you have to choose sides.”
“Maybe I don’t have to.” Janelle looked up at him.
“What do you mean?”
“What if we all were on the same side?” Janelle said.
“Who’s side would that be?” Sherrod gave her a suspicious look.
“Would you be willing to have another meeting with Sylvia?”
“I don’t have a problem with it.” He shrugged. “If you think it’ll help.”
“I believe it will.” Janelle nodded.
“Set it up,” Sherrod said, staring into Janelle’s eyes. “And just so you know, the only thing I’m selfish about is wanting to be with you.”
Janelle smiled and kissed him. She’d come up with a surefire plan to help her sister and Sherrod and, most of all, Jordan. In the end, they all would be happy. That was, if Sylvia agreed.
Chapter 16
Tricia
“You guys have a safe flight,” Titus said as he took the suitcases out of the trunk of his car. “Tank, FaceTime me when you’re in the gym. Today, tomorrow, and Sunday, no excuses.”
“I’m on it, Dad,” Tank said as they shared their secret handshake. Then he hugged his father.
“Tell your mother I said happy birthday. Oh, I almost forgot this.” Titus reached into the car then handed her a small plastic bag from Pandora.