A Second Helping

by Beverly Jenkins

  “Yes. Her flight was on schedule and she should be flying out about thirty minutes from now.”

  “When will she get to Chicago?”

  “It’s a short flight, so probably early afternoon. She said she’d call when she arrived.”

  Preston was pleased to hear that. He liked Mrs. Payne a lot and would want to know that she was okay.

  “Anything special you want to do today?” he was asked.

  “Like what?”

  “I don’t know. Like father and son?”

  Preston thought for a moment. “Can we just sit here and talk?”

  “Sure.”

  He took a seat on the other side of the kitchen table and asked, “What shall we talk about?”

  “Do you think you can call somebody and get the Blue Angels to fly over for the parade?”

  Barrett paused and stared with confusion. “Parade? What parade?”

  “Oh that’s right, you and Mrs. Payne weren’t at the meeting last night. Amari’s going to have an August First parade. He’s in charge and I’m helping.”

  Barrett was skeptical about Amari’s ability to be in charge of anything. “Do Ms. Brown and Trent know about this?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Why the first of August?”

  “It’s a special day in African-American history.” Preston went on to explain why the date was celebrated and added some of the information he’d found online that day. “Back in the day there used to be a lot of August First parades and rallies all over the country. Do you know where New Bedford, Massachusetts, is?”

  “Can’t say that I do.”

  “Me either, but in 1849 seven thousand people came to an August First anti-slavery rally there. Another town in Ohio, I forget the name, had two thousand people, both Black people and White people.”

  “So Henry Adams used to have these parades and rallies too?”

  “Yes. Tamar had some pictures from the one in 1882.”

  “Very interesting. Who’s going to be in ours?”

  “So far we have only a few marchers.” Preston recited the list of names and organizations who’d signed up so far.

  “I didn’t know Malachi and Clay were in a Buffalo Soldiers Memorial Unit,” Barrett said. “I’ll have to ask them about becoming a member. The Ninth and Tenth Cavalry paved the way for military men like myself, but why the Blue Angels?”

  “I think Amari thinks they’ll make the parade really tight. Ms. Bernadine said that if the parade turns out good, we might have one every year. So, do you think we can get them?”

  “They set their schedules a couple of years in advance, I’m pretty sure.”

  “Which means they’re probably going to be someplace else on August First.”

  “Probably.”

  He sighed disappointedly. “Okay. I’ll let Amari know when I talk to him.”

  “But maybe we can get them to come next year or the year after that.”

  Preston brightened. “That works.”

  Barrett did have a connection to the precision flying team and planned to make a few calls, but he kept that to himself for now. If things worked out, the boys would be surprised, and if not, they wouldn’t be disappointed. “Is there anything else I can help with?”

  “Not sure right now, but would you really help out?”

  “Didn’t I just say that?”

  “Oh, yeah, you did. Sorry.”

  Barrett sighed. “Preston, one of the things I want you to know about me is that if say something, believe that I’m saying it honestly, because what comes out of a man’s mouth should be truth. Maybe it’s because I’m military or was raised in the military.” The moment he said that, memories of his affair arose and called him hypocrite. The insight was sobering.

  “What was that like?”

  “What was what like?”

  “Being raised in the military.”

  Barrett had just boasted of his honesty, and now, in order to back that up and not be hypocritical again, he had to speak of things he’d rather not. “Being truthful about this kind of stuff may be the hardest thing I have to learn about being a good parent.”

  “Appreciate that. If you don’t want to talk about it, it’s okay.”

  Barrett smiled wistfully. “Thanks, but I’m fine. Growing up in the military was hard. Every time we had to move to a different base that meant starting over in a new school, making new friends, adjusting to new neighbors, officers, teachers.”

  “Sounds like foster care.”

  Barrett went still and studied Preston’s solemn eyes. “Never thought about it in quite that way before.”

  “Plus, you had a dad who beat on you and your mom. Sounds a lot like foster care.”

  “So you do understand.”

  “Totally.”

  Barrett viewed the young man across the table and realized Sheila had been right. Coming to Henry Adams was about changing lives, but not just Preston’s. Barrett’s personal paradigms were shifting too.

  They talked for a long while about Barrett’s many deployments and Preston’s many foster homes.

  Preston asked, “You know about the fire I set, right?”

  “Yes. A copy of the police report was in the paperwork we received on you from Ms. Brown, but it didn’t say why you did it.”

  “Because the foster mother wouldn’t buy me an inhaler.”

  “You’re kidding?”

  “Wish I was. She didn’t care. All she wanted was that monthly check and getting me an inhaler was a hassle, she said.”

  Barrett was appalled.

  Preston smiled ruefully as he stared unseeingly at the wall. “I had a real bad asthma attack one afternoon, but had to wait for her to come back from getting her nails done before she would take me to emergency. Then she spent the whole ride there and back time telling me I didn’t need an inhaler and dogging me about my weight.”

  “Did you tell your worker about her?”

  “Yeah, but no clue what happened. She’s probably still fostering, though. Not enough good families open their doors to kids like me, or Crystal and Amari, so the state has to put up with the crappy ones that do it strictly for the cash.”

  “That’s unbelievable.”

  There was silence for a long moment as Preston thought back on that portion of his life. He turned back and whispered through the emotion filling his throat and heart. “I was going to die there, Colonel. I had to set the fire to make the state move me to another home.”

  “I’m not judging you, son. Not at all. You did what you felt you had to do.”

  Preston wiped at his wet eyes. “Damn, I’m crying. Hate that.”

  “It’s okay,” Barrett said fondly.

  The two of them looked into each other’s eyes for a moment, and Barrett said, “Thanks for talking to me, Preston. This was a good idea.”

  “I think so too.”

  “I know a little more about you.”

  “Same here.”

  Barrett reached across the table and held his fist out. Preston did the same and placed his fist against his dad’s.

  “Semper fi,” Barrett pledged softly.

  “Semper fi,” Preston echoed.

  At the Power Plant, Bernadine, Lily, and Trent read over the parade proposal while Amari sat in a chair and looked on.

  Trent asked him, “Are you planning on selling food?”

  “Yeah. I’m going to talk to the O.G. and Ms. Rocky, and Tamar and her girls too.”

  “What about bathrooms?”

  Amari stared, confused.

  Bernadine said, “Honey, folks are going to need to use the facilities. Are you going to open up your bathroom at home?”

  “No,” he declared as if he found the idea crazy.

  Lily grinned. “Stop by my office, Amari, and we’ll talk to the construction crews and find out where they get their Porta Pottis. Should be easy enough.”

  Bernadine asked, “How many people do you think will be coming?”

  Amari s
hrugged. “Maybe just the folks around here.”

  “So, say a hundred?”

  “I guess.”

  Amari realized she was thinking of stuff he hadn’t, and now understood the need for oversight. “Anything else you think I need to put in the mix?”

  The adults looked to each other but no one had anything else to add, at least for the moment.

  Trent said, “Something else is bound to come up, so we’ll let you know.”

  Bernadine said, “Again, this is a great idea, Amari. You and Preston might want to print up some flyers explaining the history behind August First, so that folks will understand why it was celebrated.”

  Amari liked the sound of that. “Okay, so the parade is good to go?”

  Trent nodded. “Good to go, but keep us in the loop, okay?”

  “We will.”

  Trent asked, “So where are you off to now?”

  “The Dog to talk to O.G., then make a quick run out to see Ms. Genevieve, and then home.”

  “Why are you going to see Genevieve?”

  “Think I figured out a way to thank her for all her help with my reading.”

  “That’s nice, just remember to check in when you get home.”

  Amari nodded.

  “And be careful,” Trent added.

  “I will.”

  Once Amari was gone, Trent asked, “How much do you want to bet that we’re not going to be kept in the loop?”

  “Depends on how much you want to lose,” Lily replied.

  Bernadine cracked, “All I ask is that we don’t wind up back in court.”

  Riley Curry didn’t want to wind up back in court either, which was why he, Cletus, and Chocolate were on the move. It had taken them a lot longer than he’d anticipated to drive across the state from near Abilene where they began to the Texas-Louisiana border, mainly because he’d traveled the back roads in an effort to avoid the big interstates where Texas Rangers might be on the lookout. What with having to stop at fast food places three, four, sometimes five times a day to feed the hogs, he felt like he’d been driving for weeks, and lord knew, he was tired of driving.

  “I’m too old for this,” he muttered.

  He was also too old to go to jail, he reminded himself, so he quit his grumbling and turned his mind back to the drive.

  He’d decided on Florida. Although he’d never been there, he knew they had good weather. His mind drifted to Eustasia, but not wanting to think about the pain she was probably in, he settled his thoughts instead on Genevieve. He still held her responsible for this whole mess. If she hadn’t left him, none of this would have happened. He knew it wasn’t right to be so uncharitable, but he hoped she was worried sick about him.

  Genevieve wasn’t worried at all. In fact, she swept into Bernadine’s office shortly after Amari’s departure, took a seat, and announced, “I need a lawyer, Bernadine.”

  “What kind?”

  “One who handles divorces. I’m divorcing Riley, and his hog.”

  Bernadine hid her smile. “Let me make a few calls.”

  A short while later, Bernadine had a name and a number.

  Genevieve took the information, thanked Bernadine, and swept out with such force, Bernadine was surprised the papers on her desk weren’t blowing around. Genevieve had gone from doormat to damn mad since seeing Riley and the hog wedding on TV, and all Bernadine could do was applaud.

  On the heels of her departure, Trent stuck his head in Bernadine’s door. “What’s up with Genevieve? She stormed by me just now like she was on her way to give somebody hell.”

  “She is. Riley. She wanted a name of a divorce lawyer.”

  “To be expected I guess.”

  “Yep. So, what can I do for you?”

  “Need to talk to you.” When he quietly closed the door behind him, Bernadine’s eyebrow rose. “Must be something serious if you’re closing the door.”

  “I don’t want Lily to hear. Do you have anything planned that you may need her for, say, the last weekend of the month?”

  Bernadine checked the calendar on her phone. “Doesn’t look like it. Why?”

  “I want to take her away for a long weekend.”

  “Well, now. Stepping up your game, are you?”

  He chuckled. “You sound like Amari.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “Thinking maybe we’d drive down to Topeka. Have some dinner, maybe catch a movie.”

  “Topeka,” she echoed doubtfully.

  “Sure. You got something against our state’s capital?”

  “Of course not, but this is going to be your first overnight, right? Not that I’m keeping track of your business.”

  “Well, yeah,”

  “And you want to take girlfriend to Topeka.”

  “You have a better idea?”

  “Yep. How’s San Francisco sound?”

  “Real good, but we can’t drive there and back in a weekend.”

  “No, but you can fly.”

  “Last-minute tickets will cost me an arm and a leg.”

  “You don’t need tickets. I have a jet, remember?”

  He stared.

  “And I have a place on the Bay where you can stay, and a driver I keep on retainer who knows the city and will take you anywhere you want to go. I’ll even spring for dinner.”

  The look of sheer wonder on his face made her smile.

  “But—”

  “But what? You’d prefer Topeka?”

  “I can’t fly around in your jet.”

  “Why not? Obviously you don’t know how much you and Lily mean to me. In the last year, you’ve worked your butts off for this town. Sending you to San Francisco is only a small token of my appreciation. And besides, you all being in love is too cute.”

  He dropped his head and grinned.

  “So? Deal?”

  “Why do I try and argue with you? Yeah. Deal.”

  “Excellent. You and Lily figure out when you want to go and I’ll take it from there.”

  “I don’t know what to say, except thanks.”

  “No thanks needed. It’s my way of thanking you. Just make sure I’m invited to the wedding.”

  “Now you’re really sounding like Amari.”

  “Great minds think alike.”

  “You’re one of a kind, Bernadine.”

  “I am that. Now, go get your plans together and let me know.”

  He gave her a nod and departed.

  Bernadine sat back and smiled. Trent and Lily had been given a second chance at love and she was honored to be able to play a part in making sure they got it right this time. She’d told Amari that he and the kids had been given a second helping of life too, and it appeared second chances were going around. Sheila Payne was eyeing a second chance, as was Genevieve in deciding to serve Riley with divorce papers. Roni Garland had taken her second chance by reclaiming her place in the music world. Even the Dog and Cow had taken on a second life. She knew that something had to be in the air for Leo to show up out of the blue begging for another chance, but more importantly, what in the world had he been up to talking to Marie last night? She hoped it had been nothing more than pleasant conversation, even though Marie made it plain she hadn’t needed Bernadine’s help. Thoughts of Marie and Leo aside, she moved on to the town’s newest residents: Jack and Eli James; talk about a second chance. Her first impressions were that they really needed a dose. And they’d come to the perfect place; hadn’t Henry Adams offered her a second helping as well?

  Her thoughts drifted to Malachi. Lord knew the man moved her, but a part of her deemed it much easier to just keep saying no to his pursuit of her affections. Why do something hard like opening herself up to him, when it was far easier to maintain the status quo? She had a full life. She had Crystal, her friends, her Bottom Women sisters, and Henry Adams. Why risk messing up the balance by bringing a man into the mix? Her picnic with him was tomorrow evening and she was half tempted to cancel, but if Sheila Payne, Genevieve Curry, and R
oni Garland could make the decision to dive off the high board back into the pool of life, why couldn’t she? Surely she had more fortitude than Sheila and Genevieve combined, at least on the surface, but inside? The jury seemed to be still out. She sighed. Since meeting Malachi, she’d all but convinced herself that because she was Superwoman she didn’t need a new man in her life, but in reality, even Superman needed Lois Lane. That being said, she decided not to find an excuse to cancel the date with him. Instead, she’d let God drive and see what happened.

  CHAPTER 13

  Sitting in his office at the D&C, Malachi was thinking about their date too, but not because he was afraid of the unknown. His worry lay in the differences in their circumstances. Although Bernadine had never been one to flaunt her money in a way that shamed folks, what business had he even thinking he could make her happy? He was a small-town boy and had just enough money to get by. He’d lived in Henry Adams his entire life and had only been gone for an extended period of time on two occasions; the first being when Uncle Sam drafted him for Nam, and the second when he’d been forced to work in the Oklahoma oil fields after the county confiscated his vet’s license for being so drunk he’d given Cletus a tranquilizer instead of the antibiotic the hog needed, knocking Riley’s pet out for nearly a week.

  Bernadine, on the other hand, had traveled all over the world and seen places he’d probably never have the opportunity to. Yet he was stubborn enough to think he could make her happy but then again, maybe he was suffering from delusions of grandeur. He’d seen her ex. Leo Brown probably wore gold drawers. A man like that could buy her anything in the world. All Mal could offer her was a smile, someone to talk to when times got hard, and a shoulder when she needed it. Like everyone else in town, he knew that hers was the hand that turned the world, and he’d witnessed how tired it made her sometimes. He also knew from personal experience that the way things looked on the outside didn’t always mirror what was going on inside and that’s what concerned him about her. Granted, she had Crystal, but he didn’t see Crys opting to live out the remainder of her life in Henry Adams just so Bernadine wouldn’t be alone in her old age. Bernadine also had Lily, but if Trent had anything to do with it, Lily would be his wife probably before the year was out.