I’ve always thought of Pookie as a younger well dressed version of my father. He always manages to keep it together in the face of adversity. I’ve never seen him so upset. I know whatever set him off has to be terrible. I run out of the house after Pookie but he is in his car and gone before I can catch him. When I get back into the house Keisha is rubbing my mom’s back trying to console her. Nickie appears and leads Shauna, Sarah and I into the backyard where Tucker, Mike and a few other family members are standing around looking helpless. I walk over and hug my aunt Monica. She has tears in her eyes. I can tell by the mood of the group that only God will be able to help with whatever she’s about to tell me. She sit’s me down and pours into the story that everyone in the backyard already knows.
____
Dana became a permanent staple at Xavier’s house. She was there nearly every day after school to cook with Bess or hang out with Xavier’s sisters. If she happened to skip a day Laney, Monica or Clara would be on the phone asking where she was. Xavier didn’t seem to mind sharing her with his family. He would rush home from work, change clothes and then steel her away from his sisters. Xavier and Dana were sitting on the front porch talking one day when a black station wagon putted to a stop at the curb. A deathly thin woman stepped out caring a tattered infant car seat. The woman approached the house as if she was walking to her own front door. Xavier stood quickly and asked Dana to go into the house. But Valery left the car seat at the bottom of the stairs and lunged for Dana before she had a chance to move. Xavier stepped in front of Dana and blocked the attack.
“Is this the bitch you left me for?” She yelled trying to reach around Xavier to get to Dana. The woman smelled like cigarettes, BO and old urine. Her brown skin was covered with soars and dark circles. Dana stood glued to the porch gaping at her.
“Valery we were over a long time ago. Why are you here?”
“I need money,” She said scratching her arms and shifting from foot to foot. “It’s bad enough you got me living on the street. The least you can do is give me money for food.” Xavier crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. Dana stood a few feet behind him.
“Xavier who is this,” She asked hearing her voice crack in her throat.
Valery smiled revealing chipped yellow teeth. “Oh your new high yellow ho doesn’t know about your baby Momma.” Dana looked up at Xavier hoping it wasn’t true but he wouldn’t meet her gaze. She turned to the tiny baby boy bundled in a dirty blue blanket. He was so small and helpless. He was much too small to be outside. Dana felt sorry for him. She picked up her bag hoping Xavier would stop her. But he didn’t run after her or ask her to stay. “Bye bye red bone,” Valery said with a sneer. Dana cried the entire bus ride home. When she reached her house Monica, Laney and Clara were standing in front.
They felt terrible when they saw her blotchy red face and sad eyes. They all rushed over to hold her.
“Is it true,” Dana asked looking at each of them.
“Come and sit down,” Monica the oldest sister said. They all sat on Dana’s front porch. “He and Valery were high school sweet hearts. She was actually a nice person at one time.”
“Until she got strung out on drugs,” Laney added. “Now she’s got that poor baby out while she does God knows what to get money to get high.”
“Is that little boy Xavier’s son?” Dana asked. They all looked down at their shoes. “I guess that’s my answer,” Dana said standing to leave.
Clara touched her arm. “We just got the test results back confirming that he is,” She said.
“That poor baby,” Dana said starting to tear up again.
“We’re going to take him away from her. There’s no way our nephew’s going to grow up surrounded by drugs and filth. He will never know anything about that girl.”
“Well thank you guys for coming to tell me. I wish Xavier had come himself.”
“If he had followed you or asked you to stay that woman would have hurt you. X knew that because it’s happened before,” Laney said. “Valery sliced a girl’s face so badly that she had to get thirty stitches.”
“He had to act like he didn’t care,” Clara added.
____
Monica stops her story and looks up. Dana and Bess were standing near the table. They are such strong women but I can tell their spirits are crushed.
“I got custody of Jermaine when he was just six weeks old. We made up the story about me being pregnant. We made Valery sign over her maternal rights and paid her to go away,” Grandma Bess said with her head held defiantly high.
“Why didn’t you tell him sooner,” I asked.
“Jermaine has always felt different. If he had known he was the son of a crack addict it would have killed him. I did what I had to do to protect my son,” Grandma Bess said.
“What about daddy? Why didn’t daddy tell Pookie he was his father? What about us,” I say feeling a lump in my throat.
“There was no way to tell Jermaine who his father is without telling him about his mother,” Dana says. “We did what we thought was best.”
“Best for who,” I say standing to leave. I head to my bedroom and close the door behind me. I stretch out on my bed and look up at the ceiling as tears roll into my ears. When we were younger Pookie was always at our house. I just assumed it was because he didn’t have anyone to play with at his house. But thinking back I guess it was odd that my dad took Pookie to all of his little league games. My dad went to parent teacher nights and took Pookie on fishing trips. They were always talking and going places together. He was his father in every way except in name. There’s a soft knock on my bedroom door. Tucker walks in and sits on my bed. He rubs my stomach.
“Are you alright?”
I shake my head no. “My family has been living a lie for nearly thirty years. I can’t imagine how Jermaine must be feeling.” He brushes away my tears. I sit up to hug him. “I bet you’re regretting marrying into such a crazy family.”
“I love you no matter how crazy your family is,” He says and kisses me.
There’s another knock at the door and Keisha and Nickie step in. “Are you two in here making the bed creek again?” Keisha says.
“I’ll be outside if you need me,” Tucker says before leaving the room. Keisha plops into a chair and Nickie climbs into bed next to me.
“Should we call Pookie or go to his house?” I ask.
“I’ve called him ten times,” Keisha says. He won’t answer. “We should give him time to cool off.”
“Who was that dude that was in the living room when we first came in?” I ask.
“That was Chris Callaway. He’s Valery’s son and I guess that makes him Pookie’s half brother. You guys realize this means Pookie’s our half brother also,” Nickie says.
____
Keisha and Nickie leave the room after Leila falls asleep. Tucker, Mike, Shauna, Sarah and Nogood are sitting in the living room unsure about what to do next.
“I have to go check on my kids. You guys this is all going to turn out fine,” She says looking around the room at all of their worried faces. “I’ll talk to you all tomorrow,” Keisha says picking up her things and leaving.
Tucker heads into the room and climbs into bed with Leila. Nickie sits on the couch next to mike. She rubs her stomach and grimaces.
“Are you ok?” Sarah says.
“Yeah, I think the stress is giving me an ulcer.” Nickie get’s up and heads to the kitchen. Sarah and Shauna follow her. She takes a club soda out of the fridge and sits down at the kitchen table.“So are you guys freaked out about this whole thing,” She says to Shauna and Sarah.
“Not at all,” Sarah says. “At our last family reunion my Me-Ma took of her underwear and peed in the cat’s litter box. Poor thing’s crazy as a loon.”
“My family is so dull that I spend most of the time zoning out when we’re all together. T
he most excitement we’ve had was when Leila came to visit,” Shauna says. Nickie leans over and clutches her stomach. “Are you sure you’re ok,” Shauna says.
“I’m ok,” Nickie says. Sarah walks over and get’s three glasses and a bottle of wine. “No I’m not going to drink. My stomach hates me right now. I’m not sure what I ate but I feel like I’m going to puke.”
Sarah stops pouring her wine and looks over at Nickie. “What,” Nickie says when she notices her staring.
“Nickie are you pregnant?”
“No don’t be ridiculous,” Nickie says with a slight chuckle. Her smile slowly fades as she mentally counts.
“Oh no,” Sarah says. “You are aren’t you?” Nickie let’s her head fall onto the table.
“Damn it,” She says.
Chapter 29
Shauna crept away from the group after drinking nearly a whole bottle of wine last night. Her head is spinning when she wakes up. She stumbles out of Nickie’s old room towards the smell of fresh coffee. It is just after dawn and the house that normally vibrates with energy is eerily quiet. The floor boards creek under her bare feet as she tiptoes down the hall and into the kitchen. She pours herself a cup of coffee then steps lightly into the living room. Nickie and Sarah are sleeping on opposite ends of the couch and Nogood is curled up in an arm chair. Shauna walks out onto the front porch for fresh air and sees Dana sitting on the stairs sipping a steaming mug of coffee. Shauna turns to head back into the house but Dana spots her. Dana has small dark circles under her brown eyes and she looks deflated.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb you,” She says.
“You’re not disturbing me honey. Come and keep me company,” Dana says scooting over and making room for Shauna. They sit in silence drinking their coffee. It’s just after six in the morning. The sun is peeking over the houses and already starting to heat the day.
“It’s so peaceful out this time of morning,” Shauna says.
“Yeah, I usually come out to do a bit of gardening before it gets too hot. But I’m not feeling up to it today.” Dana looks over at Shauna. “I can’t imagine what you must think of us. I know we’ve made a terrible first impression with all the yelling and drama.” Dana shakes her head and looks down at her coffee. “He’s always been such a good boy. We thought we were doing the right thing by not telling him about Valery but now I’m not so sure. There’s much more to being a mother than biology. Jermaine would have had a terrible life if Valery had raised him but we made sure he always had everything he needed.”
“I’m sure he knows how much you all love him. Jermaine is hurting right now but he’ll come around,” Shauna says looking up at Mr. Clayton’s top floor window.
“I hope he does,” Dana says patting Shauna’s knee. “Look at me unloading all of my problems on you. Come on in and let me fix you something to eat.”
“No thank you. I’m still full from last night’s giant meal. I’m trying to lose weight and I can’t remember the last time I allowed myself to have bread and pasta all in one sitting. But it was all so good that I couldn’t help myself.”
“Why on earth are you dieting? You’re perfect just the way you are.” Shauna doesn’t respond. She’s still looking up at Mr. Clayton’s window. “What are you looking at?” Dana says following her gaze.
“It’s weird,” She says pointing. “Do you see how the curtain is moving in the upstairs window?”
Dana shields her eyes from the sun and squints up at the window. “He probably just has the fan on.” She puts her coffee mug down and stands up to take a closer look. The curtain is moving up and down and from side to side with a jerking motion. “That is strange. Maybe the mean old bastard fell down and got stuck. I’ll go check on him,” She says heading across the street.
“Should I come with you?”
“No he probably won’t answer the door. Just watch the upstairs window. He usually looks out whenever someone knocks.” Dana heads across the street. The minute her hand touches Mr. Clayton’s front door it cracks open. “Mr. Clayton,” She calls from the door way. She pushes the door and peers inside tentatively. Mr. Clayton’s has been reclusive since his wife died. She was a kind woman and she forced him to be cordial. After she died he became ornery. He rarely left the house except to water his grass and he threw shoes at neighborhood kids if they stepped on his lawn.
The inside of his house is not at all what Dana expects. The hardwood floors shine like a new penny. There are pictures of smiling happy people lined across the mantle above the fire place. The old flowered sofa has fluffy pillows neatly arranged and the house is completely spotless. “Mr. Clayton,” Dana calls out again this time louder. She steps inside and looks around. She hears a rustling sound coming from upstairs and a clamoring in the kitchen. She steps further into the house and calls his name again. “I swear old man if you throw something at me I’m going to kick your behind.” When Dana reaches the middle of the living room she hears another noise in the kitchen. This time it’s a thud as if someone is opening and closing a drawer. “Alright you old fart I’m coming in to make sure you’re ok,” Dana says. Her heart is thumping in her chest. “I have my husband’s 38 special with hollow tip bullets,” she lies. “I’m going to send your ancient ass to meet Jesus if you jump out on me.” When she gets to wall that separates the kitchen from the living room she stops and listens. The room is completely silent. The only sound Dana hears is her own labored breathing. “The noise must have been my imagination,” she says to herself. However, the moment she steps onto the linoleum floor a woman runs by her so fast that she nearly falls over. The woman crosses the room and is out the back door in a flash. Dana holds onto the kitchen table to steady herself.
When she regains her balance she hurries over to the back door. She reaches it just in time to see the gate swing open and the woman run out. She turns on her heels and runs for the front door. She skids to a halt when she hears the clamor upstairs. She looks around for something to use as a weapon. Dana settles on a large brown flower vase. She creeps up the stairs breathing heavily. The sound in the room get’s louder as she approaches. It’s a muffled grumble. “Mr. Clayton,” Dana says pushing the door open.
____
I wake up and tell myself that today is going to be a good day despite the fact that family secrets seem to be falling out of the woodworks. I roll over and snuggle in the crook of Tucker’s arm. He holds me tight and kisses the top of my head. I reach over him and take out a small black box from my night stand. “I got you something,” I say handing him the box. He opens it and inside is a platinum and diamond wedding band.
“Wow thank you baby,” He says kissing my head again. He starts to slip it on.
“No read the inscription first,” I say.
He turns the ring and reads the engraved words aloud, “TL forever.” I take the ring from him and slide it onto the third finger of his left hand. He holds me tight and I can feel his heart beating. “I love you Leila,” he says.
“I know you do,” I say rubbing his stomach.
“Do you really promise me forever?”
I raise my head to look at him. “Of course I do. Why would you ask me that?”
“I’ve put you through a lot. I figured you might think it’s not worth it, that I’m not worth it.”
“I’ll make you a deal,” I say sitting up to face him. “If you promise not to leave me because I have a secret brother and crazy relatives than I won’t let your ex-girl friends chase me away.”
“Deal,” He says pulling me on top of him and giving me a stinky morning breath kiss.
“Everyone told me that you were quite the Casanova before we got married.”
“Oh yeah who is everyone,” He says cupping my behind in his hands and giving my cheeks a little jiggle.
“Let’s just say I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s more than one angry stalker out there
.”
“Yeah well you just remember our deal,” He says rolling me onto my back and tugging my underwear down. He’s lying on his side looking into my eyes as he rubs the hair between my legs. I blink slowly not wanting to pull away from his gaze as his finger circles around my clit until it’s engorged and throbbing. He brings his finger to his mouth and licks it. He reaches back between my legs and guides his finger inside me slowly in and out while his thumb massages my clit. I arch my back and shift my hips aching for his touch. His eyes never leave my face as his fingers move in and out of my body with the precision of a professional. I’m dripping wet and ready to explode when there’s a knock on my bedroom door.
“No no no,” I say breathlessly as Tucker pulls away from me and sits up. “Who is it?” I grumble as the knocking gets louder.
Sara sticks her head in the room. “You two should come out. Something’s happened,” She says before rushing away. Tucker and I leap out of bed scramble into clothes and rush out of the house. Nickie, Shauna and Sarah are standing on the side walk watching Mr. Clayton’s house. We hurry over to them.
“What’s going on?” I say.
“Your mom went into Mr. Clayton’s house because she thought he might have fallen down. I heard her scream and I saw a woman running from the back yard so I went in and woke your cousin and your dad. They’re all inside now.” I start for the house and Tucker grabs my arm and pulls me back.
“Wait here,” he says and runs across the street. The police and ambulance arrive just as he enters the house. Some of the neighbors have start filling out onto their lawns.
“Did you see the woman’s face?” I say to Shauna.
“I didn’t get a very good look at her. She wore a baseball cap pulled down low.” My mother steps out of the house with a police officer. She has her arms wrapped around herself and she looks shaken. We all stand and watch in silence as the EMT workers bring Mr. Clayton out on a stretcher.
“Oh my goodness is he dead,” Nickie says. I take a closer look and see that Mr. Clayton is pulling the oxygen mask away from his face and yelling at the EMT workers.
A Love Like This (Book 1) Page 22