Married Men

by Carl Weber

  “Late,” she laughed as if the whole thing were funny to her.

  “This is fucked up!” I screamed, which frightened the baby. She started to cry, and Tiffany came running from her room.

  Kenya stopped dead in her tracks and turned with an evil glare. “No, you didn’t. No, you didn’t just say watching your kids was fucked up.” Her voice was low and cold.

  “I didn’t mean it like that.”

  “Yes, you did.” Kenya glanced at Tiffany and ordered, “Go in your room, Tiffany.” She didn’t have to repeat herself, ’cause Tiffany ran like she’d just seen a ghost. “You know what’s fucked up, Jay? What’s fucked up is you not making love to me last night. That’s what’s fucked up.”

  “Don’t start with that shit, Kenya. I can remember a time when I would beg you to give me some. So let’s not go there.” I could tell that hit a nerve ’cause her eyes got real small like she wanted to smack me.

  “Maybe I was afraid I might catch something.” She took a step closer.

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  “It means I’m not stupid, Jay. I might love you, but I’m not stupid.” She turned and walked out the door, leaving me dumbfounded by her words.

  It had taken me half the morning, but by ten o’clock I finally found a baby-sitter for both of my daughters. As I expected, Kyle agreed to watch Tiffany but he immediately passed when it came to watching LaShawn. Man, I musta I called every relative, friend, and ex-girlfriend I ever had trying to find a babysitter for her, but there were no takers. Finally I just decided to take her with me. I wasn’t happy about the idea, especially since it would put a stop to my plans to make love to Tracy all afternoon. But spending time with her was what really mattered, and if the only way to do that was to take LaShawn along for the ride, then I would do what I had to.

  Thank God, out of nowhere Ma Jackson called the house looking for Allen. I could tell she was lonely and was really just fishing to find out if I’d heard from Allen and Rose, who had taken a little trip to Niagara Falls for the holiday weekend. They made everyone promise not to tell her where they went. After a few minutes of playing along with her weakly concealed interrogation, I decided to ask if she’d watch LaShawn. I fully expected her to say no, but to my surprise she jumped at the chance. She said it would be good practice for her with her new grandbaby on the way. She didn’t have to say it twice, ’cause I had those kids bathed, dressed, and in the car in no time flat. A half hour later I’d dropped off both kids and was headed for Tracy’s dorm at CW Post University in Long Island.

  It didn’t take long to get to the university, and after signing in at the front desk of Tracy’s dorm, I raced up the stairs to her room. I knocked on the door only to be met by a light-skinned brother, probably around my age, with a beer belly and a bad attitude.

  “Can I help you?” He folded his arms across his broad chest and stood in the doorway like one of Puff Daddy’s body-guards. I’m not gonna lie. I had a problem with this brother right away. Especially since Tracy seemed to like older men.

  “I’m lookin’ for Tracy. Is she in?” He looked me up and down. I figured he was sizing me up. For what I don’t know, but if it was a fight, all he had to do was bring it.

  “Who are you?” he asked me with a scowl.

  I wanted to say, “I’m the motherfucker who’s about to kick your ass for being in my girl’s room.” But I tried to stay cool.

  “Look, chief, I don’t think that’s any of your business. Now where’s Tracy?”

  “I said, who are you?” His eyes got small and he tilted his head. I think he was tryin’ to flex his biceps, too, as if that was gonna scare me. This fool was starting to get on my last nerve. I wasn’t sure if he was an ex-boyfriend of Tracy’s or a wannabe, but I was gettin’ ready to put my foot in his ass until I heard Tracy’s voice.

  “Daddy, will you let him in?” Tracy pushed him to the side and smiled at me.

  “Daddy? Oh, my God. This is your father? I’m so sorry, sir.” I tried to sound respectful as all the blood in my body rushed to my face. I’d never been so embarrassed in my life. “Tracy didn’t tell me you were coming up.” I could feel perspiration beginning to form on my neck and forehead as I apologized again and again. Not to mention the fact that I felt like I was shrinking right in front of him.

  “They didn’t tell me they were coming either. They just showed up five minutes ago, but don’t worry. He’s harmless,” Tracy assured me with a sweet smile. Her father wrapped his arm around her shoulder and smiled, too. Not a friendly smile, but one of those this-is-my-daughter-and-if-you-fuck-with-her- I’ll-kill-you smiles. I think Tracy sensed my uneasiness. She reached for my hand to pull me inside her room. I could tell by how moist her hands were that beneath her smile she was just as nervous as I was.

  “Come on in, Jay. I want you to meet my mom.”

  I stepped in the room to greet the strikingly beautiful woman sitting on the bed. She was without question a mature version of her daughter. Tall, thin, and sexy with a touch of class. She even wore her hair in the same short, nappy bleached blond hairstyle as Tracy.

  “Mom, Dad, this is my boyfriend, Jay. Jay, these are my parents, Jim and Charlotte Williams.” Tracy smiled nervously as she held on to my arm, gazing back and forth between me and her parents. I offered her mother my hand with a smile, then put both hands behind my back to discretely slip off my wedding band.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jay. Tracy has told me a lot about you.” Her mother stood and put a hand on my shoulder. “Jim, come over here and shake this young man’s hand.”

  Tracy’s father didn’t budge. He just looked at his watch and declared, “I’m hungry, Charlotte.”

  “Okay, sweetheart, we’re gonna go get something to eat right now. You hungry, Jay?” Tracy’s mom turned to me.

  “Ah, yes, ma’am. I sure am.”

  “I like him, Tracy. He’s real polite. I like a polite young man.” Her mother smiled and took my other arm. I wondered how polite she’d think I was if she knew I was around the same age she was. Or that I had a wife and two kids at home. Thank God I didn’t show up with LaShawn. I don’t even want to imagine how her father would’ve reacted.

  From the dorm we drove five minutes to Greenvale and had brunch at the Country Cooking Restaurant. Tracy’s mother was real nice and chitchatted with me through most of our meal. But her father, he was another story. I was sure he didn’t like me, and the way he kept staring at me made me so nervous it was impossible to enjoy my meal.

  “So Jay, are you in school, too?” Tracy’s mom asked with a big smile between bites of her omelet.

  “No, I graduated from Howard a few years ago.” Quite a few years ago, I thought, feeling out of place. I couldn’t remember the last time I dated a woman and had to meet her parents. I loved Tracy, but I would have done anything to get out of that damn restaurant.

  “How old are you?” Tracy’s father didn’t even try to conceal his contempt. I looked up from my plate and he was staring me dead in the face with evil eyes. It was clear he wanted to punch me or something. From the look he gave me, I wasn’t sure if I should tell him the truth about my age or not. Especially since I wasn’t sure what Tracy had told him. Thank goodness she saved me by quickly answering her father for me. I just wish she had given him a more realistic answer.

  “Twenty-three! He’s twenty-three, Daddy,” she smiled at her father.

  Now I look young, maybe twenty-seven, twenty-eight. But twenty-three? Now that was stretching it. I’m pretty sure her old man felt the same way ’cause he rolled his eyes at his wife.

  “You get a job, Jay?” he barked, continuing his interrogation.

  “Yes, sir. I’m a social worker for child protective services.” I was hoping that the fact I worked with kids would impress him, but it didn’t. He was still just as sarcastic as ever.

  “So, you protect the kids from their parents, huh?” He paused then stared at me seriously. “So who protects
the kids from you, pervert?”

  “Daddy!” Tracy yelled, obviously stunned by his comment. So was I.

  “Don’t interrupt me when I’m talking, princess.” Tracy’s father shot her an evil look and she sat back in her chair with a pout. That look on her face was just one more painful reminder that she was, after all, only nineteen, and still subject to her parents’ rules.

  “Jim! I thought we discussed this on the way up here.” Charlotte sounded like it was a struggle to keep a civil tone.

  “I know what we discussed, Charlotte. But my daughter is pregnant and I wanna know what this man’s gonna do about it.” He pointed his finger at me.

  “Pregnant?” I turned to Tracy, who turned to her mother.

  “Mother, you promised you wouldn’t tell Daddy!”

  “What was I supposed to do, Tracy? He’s my husband. He knows when something’s bothering me. I couldn’t keep something like this from him.”

  “I don’t care! You promised!” Tracy turned to me and burst into tears. Two seconds later she was running to the rest room. I stood up to follow her, but her mother patted my hand and told me to sit.

  “I’ll get her. This is something we need to hash out between us. I hope you understand.”

  I nodded, but I didn’t understand shit. My head was still reeling from the news I had just heard. How the hell could Tracy be pregnant? We’d been so careful to use condoms every time. And now Tracy’s mother was insisting I stay at the table with her husband, who was probably ready to murder me now that his daughter was in tears. I didn’t want to, but I was just gonna have to sit at the table with him and take it like a man until Tracy and her mom returned.

  “Hey, you? Look at me.” Tracy’s father leaned over the table. He’d been staring at me for over five minutes without a word before breaking our silence. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t go out to my car, get my gun, and blow your fucking brains out.”

  “Look, Mr. Williams, I know you’re probably upset right now. I don’t blame you. But I’m a man, so don’t threaten me like I’m some kid.” I know I sounded like a smartass, but I was getting tired of this guy’s attitude.

  “Ohhh, so you feel like a man now that you knocked my daughter up, huh?”

  “No, Mr. Williams, that’s not how I feel at all. I didn’t even know Tracy was pregnant until you said it.”

  “Yeah, well, you know she’s pregnant now, so what you gonna do about it?” He sat back in his chair and folded his arms.

  “What do you mean what am I gonna do?”

  “Are you gonna marry her or what?” His eyes never left mine and I’m sure he wasn’t going to move until I gave him an answer.

  I stared at him, trying to figure out what he wanted from me. He couldn’t really want me to marry his daughter, could he? I loved Tracy. There was no question about that. Hell, I’d leave Kenya in a New York minute if that’s what she wanted, but marriage? I wasn’t sure about that one. I’d already married one woman because she was pregnant. I wasn’t about to make the same mistake twice.

  “What’s wrong?” her father pressed. “It’s not that hard. It’s just a straight-up yes-or-no question. Are you going to marry my daughter? That’s not too hard for you to answer, is it?”

  He was right. It would have been a simple yes-or-no question had I been younger and single. But for me it was more complicated than doing brain surgery. I didn’t give a damn who he was. I wasn’t gonna answer a question like that without giving it a lot of thought.

  “I don’t think I can make that decision until I talk to Tracy, Mr. Williams. I’m not even sure she wants to get married.”

  He smirked, then laughed.

  “You’re full o‘ shit, you know that, nigger?” My eyes went wide as I sat back in my chair. He continued. “You think I don’t know what you’re up to? With your pretty-boy looks and your fancy truck. Yeah, you got my wife fooled. And Tracy, she’s just a kid. She can’t see past your good looks and charm. But me, I know what you’re up to. ’Cause I used to be you, motherfucker. I used to be just like you.”

  “Mr. Williams, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  He laughed again, “You know exactly what I’m talking about. And don’t call me Mr. Williams like you have some respect for my age. You’re damn near as old as I am.” He sat back in his chair and glared at me while I tried to figure out how the hell he knew how old I was. “I’m not gonna let you dog my daughter. Do you understand me? I’m not gonna let you dog her. I’ll spend the rest of my life in prison for murder before I let that happen.” He was dead serious, and about to continue his threats when I interrupted.

  “Look, Mr. Williams ... I mean Jim. I love Tracy and I wouldn’t do anything to hurt her. I swear to God.” He laughed again.

  “You know what? I really don’t give a shit if you love her or not. You fucked my daughter and now you’re gonna take care of her and her baby. You got that?” I didn’t reply. I figured it was best to let him think he was making the rules. If Tracy was really pregnant with my kid, I’d do whatever it took to take care of her anyway. He reached in his pocket and slammed a badge on the table. “Did Tracy tell you what I do for a living?”

  I shook my head.

  “I’m a detective for the DC police department.” He leaned in closer. “A very well connected detective, I might add. I have quite a few friends on the NYPD and Nassau County Police Department. You fuck over my daughter and I’ll find you. I promise you that. Matter of fact, I’ll have your address from your license plate before the evening is over.” I swallowed hard. In the fifteen minutes we had been sitting there, this was the first time he said anything that actually put fear in my heart. That’s all I needed was for some of his cop buddies to knock on my door and have a little chat with Kenya. You can imagine how relieved I was when Tracy’s mother returned to the table. I couldn’t take much more of this man.

  “Is Tracy okay?” I asked her as she sat down.

  “Yeah, she’s okay. She’s just embarrassed. Tracy wanted to tell you about the baby herself.” She shot her husband an evil glance, then patted my hand. “Go talk to her, Jay. She’s out by your truck.”

  When I stood up to walk outside, Tracy’s father reached across the table and grabbed hold of my wrist. I tried to pull away, but his grip was a lot stronger than I expected. Staring me in the eyes, he stood and whispered, “You better be prepared to take care of my daughter.”

  “I’m gonna take care of her. I swear to you,” I whispered back, finally able to pull away and walk toward the door. I took a deep breath, trying to gather my composure. My nerves were shot and I hadn’t even talked to Tracy about her being pregnant. I spotted her sitting on the hood smoking a cigarette.

  “You okay?” I climbed up on the hood next to her.

  “No.” She turned toward me, her eyes bloodshot and her face lifeless.

  “You know you shouldn’t be smoking this if you’re pregnant,” I told her as I removed the cigarette from her fingers and threw it to the ground.

  “Yeah,” she nodded, her eyes filling with tears. I wanted to ask her if the baby was mine, but that always seemed to be the question that got brothers into trouble.

  I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her in close. “How far along are you?”

  “I’m five and a half months, but I swear I didn’t miss my period until two weeks ago. I haven’t even gained five pounds.”

  “Well, I guess that explains a few things.”

  “Like what?”

  “I couldn’t figure out how you got pregnant when we were so careful to use condoms. But now I know it must have happened that night at my house.”

  “It did,” she nodded, looking sadder.

  “Damn, what was I thinking about? I knew we should’ve used condoms.”

  “It’s not your fault. I wanted to feel you inside of me. I’m the one who wasn’t thinking. I’m sorry, Jay.”

  “I can’t blame this on you. It’s just as much my fault.”
r />   “What are we gonna do? I’m too far along for an abortion.”

  “We handle our business. You wanna get married?” I asked more out of respect than anything else.

  “No.” she shook her head. “I know how you feel about marriage. Plus you’d have to get divorced. I’m not gonna put you through that. All I want is for you to be there for me and the baby. I’m not trying to trap you, Jay.”

  “I know that, Tracy. That’s why I want you to know that I’m not going anywhere. I love you too much for that.” I smiled at her as I wrapped my arms around her. I had no idea what the future would hold for us, but somehow I would make it work. I was gonna have to get the money to get Tracy an apartment. She was the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with and that meant I was gonna have to ask Kyle for a loan. I just hated that I was gonna have to lie to him to get it.

  31

  Kyle

  I’d heard stories about things like this happening, but the way life had been going, I never dreamed that Lisa and I would be tonguing each other down only days before we were due in court to finalize our divorce. I know. You’re confused, right? Well, you’re not half as confused as I was when Lisa pushed me against a wall and parted my lips with her tongue. I was still savoring the taste of her spearmint gum when she kissed me again, this time sliding her hand between my legs.

  “Well, well, well, what do we have here?” she whispered, grabbing hold of my fully erect penis. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you like this.” She kissed me again.

  We both jumped back a step when my youngest daughter Willow busted us with a shout. “Ooooo! Mommy and Daddy are kissin’.”

  My oldest daughter Jewel ran into the bedroom with a huge smile, but frowned when she saw that we weren’t as close as her sister had claimed.

  “They’re not kissing, Willow.” Jewel gave her sister a withering look, probably mad that she had wasted her time. “They can’t kiss. They’re getting a divorce.” Then she stomped back into the living room to watch TV