The Joneses

by Shelia M. Goss

  I sat on the other side of her.

  She looked back and forth between me and Charity. “I’m not sure what either one of you knows, but the reason why Royce and I are in this situation is because I found out he cheated on me. Although it happened years ago, it still hurts.”

  “It would hurt me, too.” I recalled how I felt when I found out Tyler cheated on me with Charity.

  “Mom, we love the both of you. We’re not taking up for Dad, but it was a long time ago,” Charity said.

  “I’m going to eventually make up with your dad, but for right now, I need my space. He needs to give it to me.”

  “Everybody’s been calling and asking about what happened,” Charity said.

  “I’m sure they all pretended to be the concerned friend. I hope you didn’t tell them anything.”

  “Of course not.”

  “Good. Let them keep wondering. One thing I learned from your grandfather is that whatever happened in the Jones household needed—”

  Charity and I joined in, “To remain in the Jones household.”

  We’d learned that mantra growing up. We weren’t to gossip about our business. It was okay to gossip about others, but never about what went on in our household.

  CHAPTER 65

  Lovie

  My dad was in the same spot I left him. He could have stayed at home, since he wasn’t working. He was staring out into open space.

  “Is your mom okay?” he asked, acknowledging he knew I was in the room.

  “She’s going to be all right. Just give her a little time.”

  “Thank God. I thought she was going to leave me,” he admitted.

  “She might not leave you, but you might leave her. She’s definitely not going to make life easy for you.”

  “I’m not expecting anything less. If it takes two lifetimes, I plan on making it up to her.”

  “Dad, just chill out. Seriously.”

  “I’ve sent her flowers. Did she get them?”

  “Yes. She threw them in the trash.”

  “I guess I need to swing by the jewelers.”

  “Negative. You’re not listening to a thing I’m telling you. Do nothing. Let this ride out.”

  Shannon rushed in. “There’s a reporter in the lobby who wants to talk to you, Royce. He claims he’s learned some new information about Tyler and wanted to get your response.”

  “Dad, I got this. Shannon, tell him someone will be out in a minute.”

  My dad stood up. “I can do this.”

  “Sit, I got this.”

  I checked my appearance in the hallway mirror. I greeted the female reporter and the cameraman in the lobby.

  “My dad’s busy working, but I understand you had a few questions. I’ll be happy to answer them for you.”

  I recognized the local reporter. “I’m Debra Curtin, and it’ll only take a few minutes.”

  I looked at the cameraman. “Let’s do this,” I responded.

  “This is Debra Curtin reporting live from RJ Jones Funeral Home. As you know, two days ago, Tyler Williams attempted to kill the owner, Royce Jones. I’m here with his son, Lovie Jones. Can you tell us how your family is doing after this tragedy?”

  I looked into the camera. “Debra, my family is grateful that my dad is still alive. It could have easily been him dead. We want to thank you, and other members of the media, for respecting our privacy. We’d also like to thank your audience for the outpouring of well wishes and support.”

  “Lovie, a source informed us that Tyler came to town with the sole purpose of harming your family. Do you know if that’s true?”

  “Yes, that’s true; but by the grace of God, he was unable to pull off his plan.”

  “Does anyone know why he targeted your family?” Debra asked me.

  “The only person who knew the answer to that question is dead.”

  “Thank you, Lovie. We hope that this tragic event will be a distant memory for you all. Debra Curtin, reporting live. Now back to the studio.”

  The cameraman turned off the light. Debra shook my hand. “Thank you. I appreciate you taking the time to talk to me.” She slipped a business card in my hand. “If you want to share anything else, please feel free to call me.”

  “I will.”

  “And I do mean anything.” Debra winked her eye at me and followed her cameraman outside.

  “Was she flirting with you?” Shannon startled me.

  I cleared my throat. “Mind your business.”

  “Uh-huh. She probably had this all planned. She ain’t sneaky.”

  “Don’t hate.” I popped my collar. “I do look good, if I do say so myself.”

  “Boy, please. Just because you in a suit, don’t mean you look good.”

  My dad came out interrupting our playful banter. “You did good, Son.”

  “Thanks, Dad. See, told you, I got this.”

  “That reporter did seem to lean in a little too much. Guess she was trying to show you her cleavage,” my dad said.

  “I just have that effect on women. You know every woman wants to be with a Jones man.”

  “Let’s hope your mama still wants to be with this Jones man.”

  Shannon looked back and forth at us. “What’s going on?”

  “Nothing, Nosy. Get back to work,” I said.

  “You’re not the boss of me,” she said, as she walked away.

  CHAPTER 66

  Lexi

  Some people would probably say I’m a hypocrite since my slate wasn’t completely clean. No, I haven’t forgotten about my one indiscretion. What Royce did and what I did were two different things. One night does not compare to a full-blown affair. Royce lied to me to be with that woman.

  Royce threw the pictures in the trash, but I took them out and looked at each one of them. The woman in the photo wasn’t prettier than me. She sure as hell wasn’t finer than me. Back in the day, I was a brick house. Still am. The woman in the picture didn’t hold a candle to me, so I couldn’t figure out the attraction. I was puzzled. Why did Royce feel the need to creep?

  Yes, we had our share of problems back then, but what triggered him to betray me? Over the years, I’d had plenty of sleepless nights due to the guilt I carried from sleeping with Jason.

  It’s probably best that I’m just finding out about this affair. If I would have found out back then, I would have divorced him. I could still divorce him. Who was I kidding? I loved that man too much to leave him and again, I’m not completely innocent myself.

  I sat at the kitchen table eating my dinner.

  Royce walked in. “Hi, baby,” he said. He attempted to kiss me. I turned my head.

  “Something smells good,” he said.

  I continued to remain quiet.

  “Hmm. Nothing for me, I see,” he responded.

  “There’s plenty of leftovers in the fridge. You know where the microwave is,” I responded.

  Royce left out of the room. I’m sure he was disappointed I’d cooked something for myself, and not him. I actually timed it so he could see me eat a fresh meal.

  “What in the world is going on here?” he walked back in the room.

  He must have seen the clothes I’d piled on top of the bed in the guest room.

  “I decided to bring some of your things downstairs. You can put them in the closet yourself.”

  “Lexi, come on now.”

  I looked up at Royce. “Right now, you have no say-so. Either sleep in the guest room, or I’ll go to a hotel.”

  “Fine,” he responded, as he stormed out of the room.

  I hated to do him like this, but he needed to learn there were consequences for cheating on me. I didn’t want to make it easy just in case he was tempted to cheat on me again.

  I heard him moving stuff around. I finished eating, stood in the hallway, and watched. He complained the entire time.

  “You could help me,” he said.

  “I could, but this is more fun.” I took a sip of my soda.

  �
��This isn’t fair,” Royce said.

  “Life isn’t fair. We have to roll with the punches,” I responded.

  I went to the living room and sat in Royce’s favorite chair. I leaned the recliner back and turned on the news.

  I yelled, “Why didn’t you tell me you were going to be on the news?” I yelled.

  “You’re not talking to me, remember,” he yelled back.

  “Oh, yeah. You’re right. Carry on.”

  The clip from the funeral home played directly after the commercial played. The picture of one big, happy family displayed, and then the reporter interviewed Lovie.

  I reached in my pocket for my cell phone. It wasn’t there. I didn’t feel like looking for it. I picked up the cordless phone and called Lovie. I got his voicemail, so I left him a message. “You did good in your interview. Call me.”

  I turned the volume back up on the television as loud as it would go.

  Even with the television being up loud, I could hear Royce calling out my name.

  I hit the mute button. “What?” I rolled my eyes and shifted in my seat so I could see him.

  “Have you been looking for this?” Royce waved my cell phone back and forth.

  “Nope. I don’t feel like talking to anyone.”

  “Why is Jason texting you?”

  “I don’t know. Ask him.” I bit my lip and turned back in my seat.

  CHAPTER 67

  Royce

  “Here.” I practically shoved the phone in Lexi’s hand.

  She took it and went back to ignoring me and watching television.

  Jason had no business texting my woman. She didn’t have to tell me. I would find out on my own, after I found something to eat. I hadn’t eaten all day, and my stomach was letting me know it.

  Two hours later, I knocked on the door belonging to my ex-best friend. Jason opened the door. “Royce, I’m surprised to see you here.”

  “Me, too.”

  He shifted to the side. “Come on in. You want a brew?”

  “No, I’m good.”

  We each took a seat. “Jason, we were boys. What happened?”

  Jason wouldn’t look up at me; instead he stared at a spot on the floor. “I got greedy. Bills started coming in. Everything got out of hand.”

  “You’re an accountant. You know how to budget.”

  “Every time I turned around you were getting a new car for you, for Lexi, for one of the kids.”

  “That’s the problem. Everybody want to be like the Joneses, but don’t know what’s going on. Most of the cars we got were leased. I was able to switch cars out every two years because of that. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have been switching cars that often.”

  “Oh, I didn’t know.”

  “No, you didn’t, and you didn’t bother to ask.”

  “Sorry, man. Can you forgive me?”

  “Before this weekend, I would have said no, but maybe.”

  “That’s all I’ve wanted. I want to get my friend back.”

  “What you did was foul.”

  “I regret it. Believe me.”

  “You can stop harassing Lexi now.”

  “Lexi hasn’t talked to you?” Jason looked up at me. This time he looked me directly in the eyes.

  “Right now, we are not on talking terms.”

  “In order for us to get our friendship back on track, I don’t want any more secrets between us,” Jason said.

  “I agree.”

  “Remember when you were running back and forth to Marshall to be with that woman? What was her name?”

  “Ruth Ann,” I responded.

  “Remember how you encouraged me to spend time with Lexi so she wouldn’t be by herself worried about you?”

  I didn’t like the way our conversation was going. “Man, get straight to the point. I don’t have time for a trip down memory lane.”

  “To make a long story short, Lexi and I slept together and—”

  Before Jason could get his full sentence out, I had jumped out of my seat and hit him in the face. I punched him several times. Blood splattered everywhere. He didn’t even try to defend himself. When I got tired of hitting him, he fell back in his chair.

  He looked up at me and said, “I deserved that.”

  I held my hand up. I was about to wrap them around his neck, but instead, I rushed out of his house and jumped in my car. I sped home. I called out, “Lexi!” as soon as I walked through the door.

  I didn’t get any response. I walked up the stairs, taking them two at a time. The bedroom door was closed. I didn’t knock. I burst in.

  “Royce, have you lost your mind?” Lexi’s eyes landed on my bloodied shirt.

  “How long has this thing with you and Jason been going on?”

  “What?” She acted like she didn’t know what I was talking about.

  “Don’t play dumb with me. Jason told me everything. He confessed to your affair. To think I felt bad about what happened with Ruth Ann, when you’ve been busy screwing my best friend behind my back.”

  Lexi hopped up off the bed. “Royce, it’s not what you think. It only happened one time.”

  She grabbed my arm. I moved. She fell back on the bed. Rage filled my eyes. “And that’s supposed to make it all right?”

  “I’m sorry. It’s not like what you did. We didn’t have an affair.”

  “When Lexi? When did it happen?”

  She looked away. I went and got in her face. I grabbed her chin and tilted it up. “Look at me. When did it happen?”

  Lexi responded, “About a year before Lovie was born. During the time you were sleeping with Ruth Ann.” Lexi stretched the word “Ann.”

  “I’ve been the biggest fool. I guess you and Jason had plenty of laughs about how stupid I was.”

  “I’ve never liked Jason. I told you that. I told you he was jealous of you, but you wouldn’t listen.”

  Lexi was talking, but I wasn’t hearing her. All I could see was red. I held my head and rocked back and forth. Lexi reached for my arm again.

  “Don’t touch me,” I said with clenched teeth.

  Lexi started explaining herself. I didn’t want to listen, but I did. “It happened on one of those weekends you were out of town. I sort of suspected there was another woman. But instead of confronting you about it, I cried on Jason’s shoulder. He took advantage of my vulnerable state and kissed me. The kiss led to us having sex on the couch. When I came to my senses, I kicked him out. I tried to warn you about him, but you wouldn’t listen.”

  “I’m married to you, not Jason. You shouldn’t have been so easily persuaded. Lexi, he was my best friend.”

  “And you were my husband. And you weren’t there for me. You were there for her.” Lexi picked up a picture of Ruth Ann and threw it at me.

  Lexi stormed out of the room. I picked up the picture and tore it to pieces. I felt like punching something, but instead I wept for my marriage.

  CHAPTER 68

  Charity

  Our family went from one crisis to another. I just got off the phone with my mom. She wanted us to come to the house to talk about something else.

  Since I had more gas in my car than Hope, I drove. “I hope they’re not getting a divorce,” Hope said.

  “If they do, it’s not going to make me love either one less,” I responded.

  Lovie’s SUV was already parked. I used my key and entered. My mom and Lovie were seated in the living room.

  “Where’s Dad?” I asked.

  “He’s upstairs. I wanted to talk to you all in person. There’s something I need to share with you. I want you to hear it from me, and nobody else.”

  “Please, don’t tell me you’re divorcing,” Hope blurted out.

  “No, we’re not divorcing.” We all turned toward the sound of my dad’s voice.

  “Royce.” My mom whispered his name.

  “Continue on,” he said, as he took a seat far away from us.

  My mom looked at my dad and then back at each one of us. “I�
�m ashamed to say your dad isn’t the only one who’s cheated.”

  My mouth flew open.

  My eyes were glued on my mom. “I didn’t have an affair, but I did have a weak moment once, and cheated on your father.”

  Lovie didn’t say anything. Hope and I stared at her. I was the first to speak. “So neither of you believe in being faithful. What kind of role models are you guys?”

  “The only reason I’m telling you all is because we don’t need any more secrets between us.”

  “Since you’re telling the story, tell them with whom,” my dad said.

  “Royce, maybe we shouldn’t.”

  Lovie blurted out, “It was with Jason.”

  All eyes were now on Lovie.

  I looked at Lovie and then at my mom. “Is that true? You and Uncle Jason?”

  “I’m afraid so.”

  I ran out of the room. My dad ran behind me. He grabbed me into a tight hug. I cried on his shoulder. “Let it out. That’s it, Baby Girl.”

  “Our family is falling apart.” I wailed on and on.

  “It’s going to be okay. This is just a speed bump. We’ve made it through other hard times.” He did his best to assure me, but at that moment I didn’t believe him.

  My mom walked up. “Royce, let me.”

  I felt his arm dropping from around me. My mom replaced his arms with hers. I wanted to pull away, but I didn’t. She said, “I’m sorry. What I did hurt you…it hurt your father. I’m not trying to make any excuses, but that was a different time. I was a different woman. Immature. I didn’t understand the trials and tribulations of a marriage, especially to a man like your father.”

  “But with Uncle Jason? That was supposed to be his best friend.”

  “Exactly. Now you understand why I’ve never really liked him. He’s been a thorn in my side ever since it happened.”

  “If you were doing the same thing Dad was doing, then you shouldn’t have been upset when you found out about Tyler’s mom.”

  “Baby Girl, Royce’s affair with that woman is what caused me to seek comfort in the arms of another man in the first place.”

  She walked and looked out the window. “Back then, we were in a smaller house. Royce left me by myself almost every weekend. The house felt huge and empty without him there.”