Naughty 3: It's Juicy, No Matter How You Slice It

by Brenda Hampton

  Nanny B was downstairs waiting for me. “Hurry it up now. We gon’ be late,” she yelled.

  “Late for what? For the last time, where in the hell are we going?”

  “Don’t worry about it. Just come on.”

  “Well, am I driving or you?”

  “I’ll drive.”

  We got in her car and left. When she drove to Lambert Airport, I was puzzled. She parked the car, and that caused me to put up a big fuss.

  “Nanny B, I ain’t up for going on no trip. I’m not in the mood. Damn!”

  “Just shut your mouth, Jaylin. You’re getting on my nerves!” she yelled.

  I didn’t say another word, but as we walked through the airport, I had a serious attitude. When we got on a private plane, I didn’t know what the hell was going on. By then, I was fuming, and tried to prevent myself from going off on Nanny B.

  We were on the plane for a few hours. When it landed, we were in Miami, Florida. I waited for Nanny B to get her mess together as she looked around for someone. When this tall African man came over and asked if I had any luggage, I looked at him like he was crazy. Nanny B told me his name was Ebay, and she told him we didn’t have time to pack anything. She pulled him aside to whisper something else to him, then said we were ready to go.

  We got into a run-down Ford truck. Ebay drove extremely fast, and I damn near flew out of my seat. I asked him to slow down, but he talked some funny shit that I couldn’t understand. In so many words, he ignored me. I didn’t care how beautiful Florida was; I simply was not in the mood for a vacation. I told Nanny B how much I hated to be forced into doing something, and again, she told me to shut my mouth.

  By the time we reached our destination, it was almost dark outside. The signs said we were in Palm Beach. Ebay pulled in front of what looked to be a beautiful resort. It had palm trees in front of it and the blue ocean was several feet away. White sand surrounded the place, and it was extremely quiet. The only thing you could hear were the waves splashing against the rocks. Nanny B smiled and I smiled back.

  “Okay, so it’s a nice place. I’m only staying for one week and that’s it.”

  She nodded and we both got out of the truck. After that, she tipped Ebay and he sped off. Not knowing what else she had up her sleeve, I followed behind her as we walked to the tall double wooden doors. She searched for her keys. When we walked inside, I was at a loss for words.

  “Whose place is this?” I asked with a puzzled look on my face. It was off the chain. I had never seen anything like it.

  “It’s a friend of mine’s. When I need to relax, I come here to get away. When I took my vacation, this is where I was.”

  “You should have brought me with you then,” I said, looking around. The place was sparkling clean, and the tall architectural columns really set it off. The floors were a shiny dark wood, and most of the furniture inside was tropical wicker. There were very few doors and windows, and you could see right outside to the sandy beach and ocean.

  “Come on,” Nanny B said. “Let me show you around.”

  We walked into the master bedroom. It was to die for. The king-sized bed sat high off the floor, draped with sheer white material. It was covered with a quilted white blanket and had white silk pillows all over it. On one side of the bed was a huge palm tree that nearly touched the sky-view glass ceiling. Near the other side of the bed were wooden double doors that led to a patio.

  I stood outside and looked at the awesome and peacefully quiet scenery. I was mesmerized, until Nanny B yelled for me to come see the master bathroom. Knowing that it couldn’t possibly be better than my bathroom back at home, I was in disbelief once again. The Jacuzzi tub was twice the size of mine, had pearly white marble that surrounded it, and had waterfall faucets on both sides. Next to it was a stand-up round glass shower made with the same pearly white marble floor. What caught my attention was the television that rose up at the touch of a button, and a double-sided fireplace with a view into the bedroom.

  Nanny B took me to the other bedrooms, which had lofts above them and were just as fabulous as the master bedroom. The kitchen was a chef ’s dream come true. After I saw the rest of the place, I had to sit down to catch my breath.

  Nanny B gave me some water as we both sat back on the plush wicker chaises in the living room, underneath four tropical ceiling fans that blew cool air on us.

  “So, do you like it?” she asked.

  “Shit, who wouldn’t? This place is . . . there really ain’t no words to describe it. I’ve only seen places like this in the movies. It makes my house look like I’ve been on welfare. I don’t know what to say about it.”

  “How about you calling it home?”

  I cocked my head back, looking at Nanny B. “Whose home?”

  “Your home.” She took my hand and placed the keys in it. “That’s if you want it.”

  “I thought you said this was somebody else’s house.”

  “I said a friend of mine, and that friend just happens to be you.”

  “But I can’t live here, Nanny B. It’s too far away from everything. And what about my house? You know I ain’t giving up my house. It’s not like this, but—”

  “Jaylin, you paid a little over one million dollars for that house. I had an appraiser look at it a few weeks ago and it now appraises for almost two million. If you sell it, you have nothing to lose. When things started to take a turn for the worse, I had to look out for us. I knew what the outcome would be, but you didn’t see it coming.

  “This place had been on the market for a long time, partially because there weren’t too many people who could afford it; but the sellers wanted somebody special to have it. When I came down and met them a few months ago, they said this place brought nothing but happiness to their lives.

  “I won’t always be around, and I don’t want to live the rest of my life in turmoil. I want to be right here with you, or maybe someday your wife and children. That’s not too much to ask for, is it? If anything, when I get to heaven, I want your mother to look at me and say, ‘Bertha, what a wonderful job you’ve done in such a short period of time.’

  “If you stay where you are, baby, you’re going to destroy yourself, and I don’t want that to happen. Seeing you with those women last night was the last straw, and if you stay, it’s only going to get worse.”

  I stood up, placed my hands in my pockets, and paced the room. “I know things haven’t been great. Living here sounds all good and everything, but I got so much to lose if I move here.”

  “What do you have to lose? And don’t give me no woman’s name, because women will come and go. You’ve learned that the hard way, and I know you’re not going to let any of them hold you back.”

  “But what about LJ? Mackenzie? Moving here might mean I’ll never see them again.”

  “LJ can always visit you here. And you can always go back to St. Louis. As for Mackenzie, you have got to let her go. She’ll be all right, Jaylin. Allow yourself a fresh start, and don’t bring any of that mess here with you. Someday, you might meet yourself a wonderful woman here. Nokea and Scorpio have moved on with their lives, and it’s time that you do the same.”

  I sat back down, gripping my hands together. “I don’t know what I’d do without you in my life. How soon, or when is this transition supposed to take place?”

  “The place is already yours. Either you can stay here and I’ll go back and wrap up everything, or we can go together.”

  “How long is it going to take to wrap up everything? You know my birthday is right around the corner, and I’d like to be settled by then.”

  “I’d like to be back here by then as well. I’ve planned this out for months, so it won’t take long to go back and do what I gotta do. The only problem I’m going to have is getting those movers to move all of your darn suits out of that closet.”

  “I didn’t even look at the closets here. Is there enough room? You know I gotta have room for my suits, Nanny B.”

  “And where are
you going to wear them to? On the beach? Chile, you don’t need all that stuff. Mostly everything in that house can stay, or either be given away to charity. There’s no way you can bring all of it here.”

  “I know, but this wicker stuff ain’t my style. It’s nice, but I’d have to customize this place to my liking. So I do need to go back with you. There’s some personal things I need to get, and I got one last thing I need to take care of.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “Delores and Jeffrey. You remember that money I told you about that Stanley left?”

  “Yes.”

  “I want to make sure they get it.”

  Nanny B nodded and told me that after one night in this place, I’d be hooked. She didn’t lie, because after I stayed for one night, I had changed my mind about going back. I slept like a baby, and by the end of the week, I decided to stay and let Nanny B and her “hook-ups” tie up everything at home. She’d been on the phone all week, taking care of mostly everything, because she was afraid I’d get cold feet.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to go with me?” she asked on her way out.

  “I’m positive. It’s only going to take a few phone calls to take care of things for Delores and Jeffrey, and I’ll be done with it. When you get back to the house, you already know what to do, don’t you?”

  “Yes,” she said, giving me a hug. “Stay by the phone, though, just in case I need you.”

  “I will.”

  Nanny B jetted with Ebay again, and I sat outside for a while and checked out my new place. Later on, I went for a relaxing jog along the beach and got a bigger view of the unbelievable scenery. There were several houses along the beach, and everybody who lived there had nothing but privacy. I saw just a few people lying on the beach, here and there, and had noticed one couple outside making love.

  Once I got finished with my two-mile run, I sat down close by the water. I pulled my T-shirt off and placed my towel around my neck. I leaned back and looked up at the clear blue sky. I thanked God for my peace of mind, and told Mama how much I missed her. I even gave Stanley a shout-out too. I was finally able to tell him that I’d forgiven him.

  Thinking about Delores and Jeffrey, I got up and jogged back to the house to call them. I hated that I didn’t get a chance to say good-bye, but I was afraid that if I went back with Nanny B, I would have changed my mind and stayed.

  I called Delores first, and when I broke the news to her about the money, she couldn’t stop crying. I told her I’d make arrangements for her and Jeffrey to get the money as soon as possible, and she thanked me over and over again. Before we ended our call, she asked where I was. Not wanting anyone to know, I declined to tell her. I did, however, tell her I loved her and wished her and Jeffrey the best.

  By late evening, the phone rang off the hook. I was outside resting on a hammock, as the thought of LJ was heavy on my mind. I wanted to call Nokea, but I just couldn’t. Instead, I ran to answer the phone, since I knew it was Nanny B.

  “What took you so long to answer the phone?” she asked.

  “I was outside resting.”

  “Well, it’s about twenty-five darn people in this house helping me get things together. I got three men working on your room, and this closet just doesn’t make any sense. Do you really need all of this stuff?”

  “Yes. I need everything that’s in there. My suits, jeans, ties, hats, shirts, cuff links, shoes, jewelry, fur and cashmere coats, and watches. Please don’t forget my Rolexes. And my pictures, don’t forget my pictures, especially the ones over the fireplace.”

  “Okay, I’ll make sure they pack them. Is there anything else you can think of?”

  I tried to think about what was in every room of the house, but it was hard. “Yes, there are a few more things. Please have somebody go get them for me right now.”

  “What is it, Jaylin?” Nanny B sounded frustrated.

  “Send somebody to Mackenzie’s room to get her hair brush, those two Barbie dolls she left, and her Cinderella book.”

  “Okay. Now, is there anything else?”

  “Tell them to get it now, Nanny B. I don’t want them to forget it.”

  She put me on hold and asked somebody to go get it. When it sounded like something broke, I heard her yell. I could only imagine what the house looked like, but I knew she had everything under control.

  She came back to the phone. “Tomorrow the house goes up for sale. The furniture stays, so the agent said you’re going to get even more than what you’re asking for. Now, isn’t that a blessing?”

  “You know what, though? I kind of like the chair in my office. Do you think—?”

  “Hell no! Buy you a new one. Jaylin, I’m not going to stay here and go through all this stuff now.”

  “Fine, but there’s also a cedar chest in the basement with pictures—”

  “They already got it.”

  “Cool then.”

  “I’ll see you in a few days.”

  “Yes, you will, and thank you. I love you.”

  Nanny B hung up and I went back outside to lay on the hammock. I dozed off because the cool breeze felt so relaxing. When I woke up, it was almost one o’clock in the morning. I went inside and lay across the bed. Thinking about LJ, I picked up the phone, only to put it right back down. I knew calling Collins’ house this time of the morning would be a crime, and I was in no mood to listen to Nokea chew me out for calling. My thoughts of Mackenzie wouldn’t go away either, but it was in my best interest to put the past behind me. I was glad I didn’t have Scorpio’s number because I probably would have called and asked them to come here with me.

  I knew that Nanny B planned to have the house phone disconnected tomorrow, so I called to check my messages. I hadn’t checked them in a little over a week, and the recorder said I had forty-nine messages waiting. My usual lady friends had called several times, and even though I told Ebony and Alisha not to bug me, they did. Alisha called way more times than Ebony and demanded some alone time with me. She went on and on about how she couldn’t get that night out of her mind. I deleted her messages. Mercedes even tried to get an attitude about me not calling her, and threatened not to have sex with me again if I didn’t return her call. Whoop-dee-doo. It wasn’t like the sex was all that, so I deleted her messages as well.

  I continued to listen to my other messages. Shane bugged me, Delores and Jeffrey had both called to check in on me, and even Scorpio had called several times to say that she loved me. When I heard Stephon’s voice, I instantly pushed the delete button because I didn’t want to hear anything he had to say.

  As for Nokea, she left the majority of messages. She was furious with me since I hadn’t called to see about LJ. She even cried and begged me to call, just to let her know I was okay. The last message, which she’d left earlier today, said she’d see me at Café Lapadero for my birthday next Tuesday. She apologized for being so distant and tried to explain herself by saying how much she wanted her marriage to work. She wrapped up her message by telling me how happy she was with him, and then told me how much LJ missed me. After hearing that, I deleted the message. If anything, it validated that moving away was the best thing I could have done. Finally, her words gave me closure. There was no telling when I would ever see her again.

  33

  NOKEA

  I was a nervous wreck not hearing from Jaylin. He hadn’t called to see about LJ or anything. I’d called his house several times and got no answer. I’d even been by there, and still no one was there. Even Nanny B was nowhere to be found. I put one and two together, figuring they all must have taken a vacation or something. Maybe they were at his family reunion and he was angry with me for not going. Hell, maybe he and Scorpio decided to take off and go get married. With him being so angry with me, it was right up his alley to pull a stunt like this, so I tried to relax and get him off my mind.

  Collins and I were doing pretty well. He could tell how uptight I was about LJ not being with Jaylin, and he tried to get me to relax. L
J and I lived with Collins now, and I was happy that we were all finally together as a family. His parents had even come into town to congratulate the “happy couple,” and when they were here, I invited my parents over to finally meet them. They all got along so well, and it seemed this was the way it was supposed to be all along.

  Even Pat and Chad came over for dinner a few times, and I’d finally gotten a chance to meet Collins’ partners’ wives. When I mentioned something about Curtis’ wife having cancer, they all looked at me like I was crazy.

  After they left that day, I asked Collins if he lied to me about her condition just so he could get me to move to Detroit with him, and he admitted that he had. At the time, he admitted to being threatened by Jaylin, and explained how desperate he was to keep me. I wasn’t mad at him for lying because I’d had my share of secrets too. He didn’t know I planned on meeting Jaylin for his birthday at Café La-pedero, and when he asked if I had made any plans for LJ’s birthday on the same day, I told him that I hadn’t.

  The morning of LJ and Jaylin’s birthday, I was overly excited. First, because my baby was finally two years old, and second, because we were finally going to see Jaylin today.

  As usual, I got up early. Collins was already out of bed, and when I walked into the kitchen, he was cooking breakfast. I leaned in, giving him a smack on the lips and then grabbing a piece of bacon.

  “Is the birthday boy up yet?” he asked.

  “Nope. He’s still asleep.”

  “Then maybe we can get a li’l down and dirty in the kitchen before he wakes up.”

  “We already got a li’l down and dirty last night, didn’t we?”

  “That was just an appetizer,” he said, wrapping his arms around me.

  As soon as Collins and I were about to get busy, LJ started yakking.

  “Excuse me,” I said, gathering my robe in the front. “The king awaits me.”

  Collins laughed and I headed to LJ’s room. He had a huge smile on his face, but when I sang “Happy Birthday” to him, he started to cry. I went into my bedroom, pulled out a picture of Jaylin from my wallet, and put it in front of LJ. He grabbed the picture and when I sang again, he giggled. I carried him into the kitchen and we sat down at the table to eat.