His Woman, His Wife, His Widow

by Janice Jones

  “What exactly did Shaun tell you, Cody?”

  “Shaun’s explanation is this. He was driving and your brother was riding shotgun in his friend, Jamo’s, car. They were pulled over for failing to signal before a left turn. Unbeknownst to Shaun, the blinker in the car was not operating properly.”

  Shyanne re-entered the room handing me my juice. She cordially brought a glass for Cody too.

  “Thanks, Shyanne.” Cody took a swallow from his glass and continued with Shaun’s story. “The broken blinker turned out to be the least of their problems. The car’s license plate was also linked to an assault that took place a few days prior. That gave the police the right to search the car. In the trunk they found a bloody tire iron in the door panels and two kilos of cocaine.”

  Where is that silver lining? This is getting unbearable. The more Cody talked, the worse things seemed. What happened to his promise? I put my head in my hand and folded my arm against my waist, taking short breaths to keep myself from crying out loud. Shyanne must have thought I was hyperventilating because she came over and started rubbing my back, instructing me to breathe. Cody moved to the side to make room for her and I felt the absence of his warmth immediately. There went that seesaw again. Shyanne was the next to speak.

  “Cody, you said Shaun was charged. What happened to Kevin?”

  “Between Shaun and I, we were able to convince the police that Kevin was merely Shaun’s brother-in-law catching a ride home from school. His being a college student and having no prior contact with the police helped too. He was released, and I dropped him off at home on my way here.”

  Finally! I was beginning to see some traces of silver. I wasn’t going to celebrate that victory too much though. I was sure there was more to Kevin’s story than meets the eye. For now, I wouldn’t worry about it. I would get the low down from Kevin later. I was just glad he was home with Mama. There was no need for me to call her now as I promised earlier. I was sure that Kevin was giving her his version of the day’s events. I’m certain she was eating the same cockamamie tale they had fed the police.

  “So what now, Cody?” It felt good just to say his name.

  “Either tonight or tomorrow morning, Shaun will be transferred downtown to the county jail. He will go before a judge tomorrow morning for arraignment and bail will be set. Shaun has no criminal record, but the judge will more than likely be hard on him due to the seriousness of the charges. The bail will be quite high. I’m going to request that he be released on a personal bond, but it will be denied.”

  “So how much money are we talking about?” I asked.

  “Anywhere from one hundred thousand to half million dollars.”

  “Dang!” Shy exclaimed. I thought she was going to faint and throw up this time.

  “The drug charge is what will garner the most attention. Two kilos is a lot of cocaine. But you won’t have to post the full amount. Ten percent of the ordered bail will be due. So we are really only talking about ten to fifty thousand dollars. Shaun said it would be no problem.”

  Shaun was right. The money would not be an issue. We kept much more than that in a safe hidden in the ground of the garage. It always made me nervous when I would see the amounts of cash Shaun kept at our home, but now I was glad it was right at my disposal.

  “I’ll have the money. Where do I need to show up with it?”

  “The arraignment will take place at Thirty-six District Court. However, I don’t advise you take the money there. It will be in your best interest if you got a bail bondsman to insure Shaun’s bond right after the exam. Look, just meet me downstairs in the lobby of the courthouse at nine A.M. We will handle everything from there.” Cody grabbed one of my hands again and smiled. I began to see more traces of silver in his perfect set of pearly white teeth.

  “I’ll be there. Thank you for everything, Cody. I had no idea what to do about any of this. You have been a tremendous help. I’m glad you’re Shaun’s attorney.” I smiled at him, wondering if my last statement had a double meaning.

  Shyanne and I both walked Cody to the door and said good night. As soon as he was out the door, Shyanne attacked me in the entranceway.

  “What was going on between you and Cody? Since when do you keep secrets from me heifer?”

  “What do you mean? There is nothing going on between me and Cody. What secret have I kept from you?”

  Shyanne folded her arms across her chest and reduced her eyes to mere slits. She rocked back on the heels of her bare feet, starring at me for long seconds before she said another word. “You mean to tell me you have never met Cody before today?”

  “No,” was my simple and truthful answer.

  “Well, all I can say is, be glad Shaun is locked up and the two of you didn’t meet in his presence. There were some serious sparks flying between you and Cody. If there was a gas leak in the house, there would have been a huge explosion.”

  I walked back into the living room and laid down on the sofa staring at the ceiling. There was no point denying my attraction to Cody. Shyanne knew me better than I knew myself.

  My desire for Cody was unreasonable at best. I loved Shaun so much. I never imagined I would ever feel like this about another man. In just a few short hours, Cody’s beauty had rearranged the stability of my dysfunctional marriage. While I was unsure about why I was so devoted to Shaun with all he had put me through, my actual devotion could never be questioned.

  “Well, I’m sure the sparks were only coming from one direction, not passing between us as you suggested. Cody was not thinking about me. He was nothing other than professional and courteous,” I explained to Shyanne as she sat Indian style on the floor.

  “Please! Professional and courteous my butt. That man was feeling you and feeling on you. All that hand touching. I started to excuse myself so you two could be alone. I was sure you were going to go at it right here on the sofa.” Shyanne and I both started laughing.

  After we composed ourselves, I asked, “Do you really think Cody was attracted to me too, Shy? The man saw me covered in vomit and urine for goodness sake. How could he be attracted to a pregnant disorderly mess like me?”

  “Trust me, Lindsay. There was some sexual tension between you two. I couldn’t believe you let him call you by your first name.” I laughed again. I couldn’t believe it either.

  “Well it doesn’t matter anyway. He is Shaun’s attorney and Shaun is my husband. You know better than most how much I love my husband. Anything I feel for Cody is strictly physical. I would never cheat on Shaun or God, especially not for a cheap sexual thrill.”

  “Okey dokey pokey. I will say this and then I’m going to bed. Please be careful tomorrow around Shaun. Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, and Blind Mellow Jelly, whoever he is, could see that the two of you were feeling something for one another.”

  Shyanne and I straightened the living room, taking the juice glasses into the kitchen, then made our way upstairs for bed. I stopped suddenly about half way up when a very disturbing thought hit me.

  “Oh God! What if we’re all together and Cody calls me Lindsay? Shaun knows that privilege is reserved strictly for him.”

  “Like I said ... be vewy, vewy carefwul. Huh! Huh! Huh! Huh!” Shyanne said in a poor imitation of Elmer Fudd. Then she ran upstairs to the guest room, laughing her fool head off.

  The following morning, I arrived at the courthouse at nine o’clock on the dot. This time Cody wasn’t late. He was already there waiting for me, or so I thought. He spotted me as I came into the lobby and he made his way over.

  “Hey, Lindsay. Glad to see you made it on time. I’ve been here since eight this morning. I had to take care of another client.”

  So much for thinking he made a point of being on time just for me. Part of me wished he was thinking that way. He looked like a god standing there in his crisp navy blue suit, white shirt, and yellow and navy print tie. I wanted to run to the bathroom and check my face to make sure I was not drooling. Hopefully I wouldn’t be running to the
bathroom for anything else. Morning sickness had kicked in full swing when I got out of bed.

  “Hello, Cody. You look nice.” Oh no, did I just say that out loud?

  “Thank you. So do you,” he replied as he blushed. Somehow it made him even more appealing, if that were at all possible.

  We stood staring for a few seconds until I found words to break the awkward silence.

  “Well, I’ve got fifty thousand dollars in cash in my purse. I’m very uncomfortable having this much money on my person,” I whispered. Big mistake, because it meant I had to stand closer to Cody.

  “Don’t worry, Lindsay, there’s armed security throughout the courthouse. As soon as the judge sets bail, we will go across the street to the bail bondsman. Let’s just hope Shaun’s case gets called before the judge recesses for lunch.” Cody gave me his breathtaking smile, and we headed toward the elevators up to the courtroom where the arraignment was to take place.

  The elevator going up was extremely crowded, so Cody and I had to stand body to body all the way to the seventh floor. By the time we reached our destination, I was covered in a thin layer of perspiration and more than a little turned on. Shyanne was right. There was no way Shaun could witness Cody and me together. I was totally out of control.

  Thankfully, Shaun’s case was called before lunch. The judge set bail at three hundred fifty thousand dollars. Cody informed the judge that Shaun waived his right to a preliminary exam, whatever that meant.

  I got a look at Shaun for the first time in more than four days. Even though he was a little rumpled and unshaven, he was still beautiful to me. He searched the courtroom when he entered. I could tell he was looking for me. When he saw me sitting in the second row, he gave me a brief smile. And right then and there I knew that regardless of how sexy I found Cody, Shaun would always be the only man I would ever love. The only man I ever wanted to be with physically, emotionally, and in every way possible.

  Right after bail was set, Shaun was led away again. Cody and I rushed from the courtroom to the bail bondsman’s office. Cody did all the talking. I just handed over the money.

  Now I stood downstairs in the lobby of the county jail, alone thankfully, waiting for Shaun. Cody had to leave to deal with yet another client. He told me to tell Shaun to call him as soon as he got home and settled so they could arrange a meeting to discuss their next move.

  “I’ll see you later, Lindsay,” he said as he left.

  I kept my mouth shut tightly and just waved good-bye. I didn’t want to get any more dialogue started between us, then have Shaun walk in and see the look that Shyanne said was so obvious.

  When Shaun finally entered the lobby, I became nervous. Even though I missed him and was worried sick about him and our relationship, I didn’t know what to say to him. The last time I spoke to my husband he told me he didn’t care if he ever saw me again. I wondered if he still felt the same way. I stood rooted in my spot until he approached me.

  Shaun came to where I stood, placed his soft hands on both sides of my face and smiled. Then he kissed me lightly on the lips and gave me a full hug. As much as I enjoyed Cody’s touches, they were nothing compared to what I felt right now. I was sure that even if Cody were right there with us, there would be no more sparks flying.

  Shaun released me from the bear hug after several seconds, then stared into my face again and simply said, “Let’s get out of here and go home.”

  I drove home because Shaun was uncomfortable driving my BMW 325i. He said the baby blue coloring on the two-seater made it look like a woman’s car. It was a good thing too, because he was asleep before we left the parking lot. He probably hadn’t had a decent night’s rest since being arrested.

  As I drove, I began to wonder how well he slept before he was arrested; more importantly, where he slept before he was arrested, and most importantly, who the heck he slept with. My mind immediately filled with images of the sassy Ms. Toni. I glanced at Shaun’s sleeping form, deciding to let him get his rest instead of waking him with my concerns. He was going to need it. There were a million and one questions he needed to answer when he awoke.

  Shaun woke up instantly as I pulled into the driveway. He climbed from the car and ran to the door, leaving me alone to put the car in the garage. I knew his urgency. He could not wait to see Shauntae.

  I entered the house through the door off the garage and found Shyanne in the kitchen by herself.

  “Your man almost knocked me down trying to get up the stairs to find Shauntae. Then your daughter practically deafened me yelling ‘Daddy’ at the top of her lungs when she saw him. The members of your family are rude.” Shyanne is always the clown.

  “I offer my sincerest apologies on behalf of my daughter and husband.”

  “So what happened at court?”

  “Nothing much so far. I paid thirty-five thousand dollars to bail him out. Now he’s here. He’s supposed to call Cody so they can get together to discuss their next course of action.”

  “Any more fireworks between you and the S.I.A.?”

  “S.I.A.? What does that mean?”

  “Sexy Italian attorney.”

  I truly loved my best friend. “No, silly. The moment I saw my husband, his eyes extinguished all those little fires.”

  Shyanne looked at me like she was not convinced, but I was certain that seesaw ride had ended.

  “What did Shaun say when you told him you were pregnant?”

  I totally forgot about this pregnancy again. Unless I was puking my guts out, it seemed I couldn’t remember I was carrying another child. I guess the look on my face told Shyanne all she needed to know.

  “Why didn’t you tell him?” she asked.

  “I forgot. Besides, the time hasn’t been right yet. Shaun fell asleep as soon as we got in the car.”

  “I see. You’re waiting for just the right moment. Let me see if I can help you figure out when that might be. Your man is facing up to life in prison, which could begin who knows when. So the stress of that alone will keep him occupied for at least a couple of months.” Shyanne had an attitude now, and she was being very sarcastic. “I know. We will just hope for the minimum sentence. Cody said about fifteen years, right? Then you can just tell him when he gets out of jail. Like you should have done today.”

  I dreaded these moments when Shyanne would get on her soapbox about my marriage. She didn’t understand all that went into making things work, especially in a relationship as delicate as Shaun’s and mine. Shyanne had never been married. I don’t think she has ever really been in love. Yet she felt she was the authority on what was best for me and my man.

  “Once again, big mouth, you don’t know what you’re talking about. I know what is best for me and Shaun, not you. You don’t have the right to tell me what to do when it comes to my marriage. Please let me handle this.”

  Shyanne put her hands on her hips and shook her head at me like I was the biggest dummy in the world. “You just don’t get it do you, Nay? This is not about me butting into your relationship. This is about you and the way you have handled your life since the moment you met Shaun. You have carried on with this reckless abandonment. Screw the world and everybody in it. Forget about God even, as long as you have your precious Shaun.”

  I could tell she was about to go off on one of her tirades. I pulled her into the cold garage so Shaun would not hear us arguing.

  “What are you raging about now, Shyanne?” I asked after we were safely out of the kitchen and shivering in the garage.

  “Nay, I cannot believe this is where you are in your life. Either you don’t see it or you don’t care.”

  Okay now I felt as stupid as the look Shyanne gave me, because I truly had no clue what she was talking about. “Where am I, Shy? I have a husband who loves me. I have a beautiful daughter and another child on the way. I own a beautiful home and profitable businesses. Yes! Shaun and I have issues, but all married couples do. It’s not the problems that make or break the marriage. It is the way you handle t
hem. And personally I think Shaun and I have done okay.”

  Again Shyanne shook her head at me, this time with her arms wrapped around herself. She held onto herself tightly, looking like she was wrestling with herself to keep from choking me. “My God, Nay, you are married to a drug dealer. A drug dealer, I might add, who is faced with possibly spending the rest of his life in prison. You don’t see anything wrong with that?”

  “Is that what this is all about? Shaun’s occupation?”

  Shyanne threw her arms up high, rolled her eyes to the ceiling, and gave a chuckle that held no humor. “Occupation! Is that what you call it? Your man is not a doctor or an accountant, Nay. He is a criminal.”

  “Hold up, Shyanne. You are way out of line.” She cut me off before I had a chance to finish my sentence.

  “I may be out of line, but am I wrong?”

  I ignored her question because I felt it was totally irrelevant. She knew what Shaun did before I married him. Now all of a sudden it’s a problem? Today it is a sin; five years ago it was the best thing that could have happened to me.

  “Why today, Shy? Why is what Shaun does for a living a crime today? And why don’t you have a problem working for that criminal?” I was tired of her sanctimonious attitude. It was time to turn the tables a little bit and give her a taste of her own medicine.

  “Nay, it didn’t become a crime today. It has always been a crime. However, when you got married, we were twenty years old. Now I don’t know about you, but I have aged five years and hopefully I have matured some in those years. Also, when you married Shaun, he promised he would go legit; he would get out of the drug game. He pacified you with the store and the car wash and then got deeper involved in his uncle’s organization. Nay, you and I both know that there are only three ways out of this. He either walks away on his own, hopefully to start something prosperous for his family; he goes to prison, the option that is staring him in the face, or he ends up dead.”