With so much emphasis being placed on the Vietnam war, the Black Panther Party continued their fight to bring an end to police brutality and the murder of black people on the homefront. The organization was growing in numbers and was still under close watch of the FBI.
Both Jenna and Leigh received their first letters from Johnny. In his four-page letter, he told them he was living in Oakland and was doing okay. He also told them that he was now an official member of the party. His letter went on to read:
I’ve met the Panthers’ founders, Bobby Seale and Huey Newton. The two met as students at Oakland Merritt Junior College and were working at a city antipoverty center. They are good guys and nothing like the media has made them out to be. They are against police brutality of our people in the community, and are working to put an end to that. Please don’t believe the negativity you hear in the media about the group.
There are certain parties working hard to discredit us.
Although Johnny’s letter indicated he was doing fine, Jenna couldn’t help but still be afraid for him.
It was the last week in April with only two more weeks of school left. Noah and Ross were preparing to graduate from law school and Randolph was graduating from Howard’s School of Business and would return in the fall to attend law school. Noah planned to accompany Leigh on the train back to Miami. He would stay with his parents for two weeks before joining Ross in Atlanta where they would be given their assignment, finding out where they needed to go on Reverend King’s crusade to increase the number of black voters.
April twenty-fifth was Leigh’s twentieth birthday. Noah borrowed Ross’s car with plans to take her to dinner and to a movie. Noah had a lot of studying to do for his finals but knew Leigh had been uptight a lot lately about the war, and decided to spend time with her to ease her mind.
“Where are we going?” she asked after he had picked her up from the dorm.
He looked over at her and smiled. “It’s a surprise.” He had reserved them a room at a nice hotel in a well-to-do area of Washington. It was a very old and grand hotel that only recently began opening its doors to black patrons.
“Oh, Noah,” she said a while later, stunned when they pulled up in front of the hotel. “It’s beautiful.”
After opening the car door for her, he gestured toward the huge swinging glass doors and said, “Tonight when we go inside, for their benefit, we are a newly married couple, okay?”
She smiled and nodded. “Okay.”
They registered as Mr. and Mrs. Noah Wainwright. Although the hotel clerk looked at the two of them, doubtful that they were married, he didn’t bother asking for identification verifying their claim.
Leigh felt like a princess when she and Noah caught the elevator to their room. Everything around them looked elegant, rich and luxurious. And she was in total awe when Noah opened the door to their room. The furnishings were exquisite and on such a grand scale it took her breath away. After taking in her surroundings, a huge smile spread across her face and she turned to Noah. He stood across the room, leaning against the closed door. He had watched her reaction to seeing the room and was pleased that she liked it.
He slowly walked across the room to her. Without saying a word he reached out and pulled her to him and began kissing her passionately, conveying in his kiss just how he felt about her. Leigh melted against him as she returned his kiss. A slow sizzle began working its way up from her toes to settle in the middle of her stomach. When they finally ended the kiss, a little smile curved the corners of Noah’s lips. “I think I’d better order room service. I want to make sure we have the strength to handle tonight.”
“Hmmm,” Leigh moaned as she placed little kisses along Noah’s jaw. “Do you have something pretty taxing planned for tonight?”
Noah chuckled. “Yes, you could say that,” he said, placing a quick kiss on her lips.
“Then what if I were to ask for a sample of what to expect,” she said, dropping her hand to his waist. She begin fumbling with the belt on his pants then eased down his zipper.
He gulped when she stuck her hands inside the opening of his pants to fondle him. “Then I’d warn you to be careful what you ask for because you just might get it,” he said huskily, mouthing the words against her lips while at the same time placing his hand beneath the short skirt she wore to cup her bare hips. The skirt, although a shorter length than he was use to seeing her wear, really wasn’t short enough to be called a miniskirt. However, Leigh had a gorgeous pair of legs and they were a complete turn-on. When he had picked her up at the dorm he hadn’t been able to take his eyes off her.
“It’s good to know I’m getting what I want,” she said in a sexy voice.
“Baby, you’re definitely going to get what you want.” Dispensing with preliminaries, he quickly undid his pants and underwear and when they fell to his ankles he stepped out of them. Reaching out he pulled up her skirt, bunching it around her waist. His hands then went to her panties, tugging them down and giving her time to step out of them before lifting her into his arms. “Wrap your legs around my waist, Leigh.”
She did as he instructed and placed her arms around his neck as well. She felt him maneuver his sex in a position to enter her body while she did so. The tighter her legs wrapped around him, the deeper he went inside of her. When he was buried deep to the hilt, he walked over to the nearest wall, one that was not connected to another room.
“I don’t want to disturb anyone with all our bumping and grinding,” he explained in a hoarse voice when her back touched the wall’s cool surface.
“Oh,” was all she managed to say before he began pumping into her in a frenzy, giving her just what she had asked for and then some. She kept her legs wrapped around him tight as he thrust in and out of her, bumping and grinding her body against the wall in a fast, steady rhythm that made her want to holler out her pleasure.
Each time he retreated she flexed her legs around him to force him back—not that he was going anywhere—but just the feel of him going in and out of her nearly drove her over the edge. When she couldn’t handle the pleasure of it anymore, and she felt the scream she knew was about to come, she clamped her mouth down on his and took his tongue into her mouth and nearly sucked it raw when an explosion burst inside of her. Then he took control of their kiss at the same time she felt his release flood her insides with hot, molten liquid. She then did what he had taught her to do—milk him to the ultimate limit. She tightened her legs around him and flexed her inner muscles in a way that pulled everything out of him she desired.
Long moments later, when the both of them were completely drained, he slid her down his body until her feet touched the floor. He then picked her up into his arms to take her into the bathroom so the two of them could get cleaned up for dinner.
Later that night after they had eaten a delicious dinner that room service had delivered, and had made love in the king-size bed a couple of times, Noah presented Leigh with her birthday gift—a beautiful solitaire engagement ring.
“Will you marry me before the summer ends? You won’t have to quit school. I’ll work and support you while you complete your last year at Howard.”
Tears sprang from Leigh’s eyes and covered her cheeks. She looked at the ring Noah had slipped on her finger. For the longest time all she could do was cry and nod her head. He left to go to the bathroom to get some tissue to wipe her eyes. When he returned she hugged him and told him she loved him about fifty times.
He held her tightly in his arms, knowing that soon he would have to tell her about his plans to enlist. But there was no way he would leave for the air force without first making her his wife. She would finish her final year of college at Howard as Leigh Wainwright. Unknown to her, he had spoken to her parents about his intentions when they had gone home for spring break. They had given him their blessings.
“You still haven’t given me your answer yet, Leigh,” he teased as he continued to wipe the tears from her eyes. “Will you marry me, baby, and
become Leigh Wainwright?”
“Yes!” she said, hugging him. “Yes, I’ll marry you. Oh, Noah, you have made me so happy. This is the best birthday I’ve ever had.”
Weeks later, Jenna, like most of the students, had packed her belongings with plans of going home to get a summer job. Everyone was looking forward to returning to school in the fall, especially Leigh, who was planning a summer wedding, and with plans to return to Howard as a married woman. She and Noah would marry in a beautiful church wedding in Miami during the middle of August.
Jenna felt honored when Leigh asked her to be one of her bridesmaids. Everyone was happy for Leigh except for Ellie. It was obvious she was jealous that Leigh was engaged and she wasn’t.
The graduation ceremonies for Noah, Ross and Randolph had ended in a celebration. Leigh and Jenna gave the three a small party at a local restaurant. To everyone’s surprise, Angela came and stuck close to Ross’ side the entire time. Although she had been invited, Julia Fuller gave some excuse why she couldn’t come, however her husband as well as the Denisons were in attendance.
The night before everyone would be leaving campus, in a dark hotel, room on the other side of town, Jenna lay in Randolph’s arms, both regretting the time they would be apart over the summer months.
“I’m going to miss you, sweetheart. I love you so much,” he said quietly, as he pulled her closer into his arms. They had just finished making love and his voice was warm and tender in her ear. He pulled her closer into his embrace, loving every single thing there was about her. He had never loved anyone like he loved her. He loved being close to her and the way she made him feel. She had brought so much meaning into his life. He was going to miss her so much over the next three months. September seemed like such a long way off.
“And I love you as well.” She turned in his arms to meet his gaze. “Oh, Randolph, I wish …”
He smoothed her cheek with his finger when she didn’t complete her sentence. “You wish what?”
She sighed deeply. “I wish the war was over and you and I could be together.”
“I know, sweetheart. Things will be a lot better for us when we come back in the fall.”
Jenna nodded, knowing that was true. For starters, he would be moving off campus into the house Noah and Ross would be vacating, which meant that although he would have a housemate, with separate bedrooms she would be able to sleep over at his place every once in a while. “I will get to see you later this summer at Leigh and Noah’s wedding, won’t I?”
He smiled. “Yes, but hopefully you’ll see me before that. My relatives on Glendale Shores always have a big feast on the Fourth of July. If possible I’d like for you to come up for that and stay a few days.”
“I’d like that, Randolph, and now after getting to know your Gramma Denison, I doubt if my parents will have a problem with it.” After a few moments of silence, Jenna asked, “Will Ross be joining your grandfather at his law firm now that he’s finished with law school?”
Something in Randolph’s expression told Jenna that would not be the case. She snuggled closer to him when she saw deep concern etched in his features. “Randolph, what is it?”
Randolph sighed deeply before saying, “Ross has decided to enlist in the marines.”
“What! Why?”
“Because he knows it will only be a matter of time before he gets drafted and since he has a college education, a law degree at that, he can enter the services as an officer.”
Jenna nodded. “How your grandparents feel about him enlisting?”
“Of course no one wants him to go but we can’t put our heads in the sand and ignore the fact that there’s a war going on.”
“And how does Angela feel about it?”
Randolph shook his head. “I have no idea but my thoughts are that she could care less. I don’t know if you noticed but they aren’t your ordinary couple. They are operating under the premise of an arranged courtship and there’s no doubt in my mind that within the next year or so, there will be an arranged marriage as well.”
“Ross will marry someone he doesn’t love?”
“Yes. He really doesn’t think he needs love and passion in his life. I’m hoping that one day he will wake up and smell the coffee before it’s too late. Angela Douglass is not the woman for him.”
Jenna had to agree. She met Randolph’s gaze. “And how do you feel about Ross enlisting?”
Randolph didn’t say anything for the longest moment. Then he bent his head close to hers and began speaking in a low, quiet voice. “I don’t feel good about him doing it, Jenna, because chances are he’ll have to serve time in Vietnam and I don’t want him there. You hear all the stories about what’s happening over there like I do. Those ‘Congs are crazy and will use anything and anyone to be victorious, even their women and children. Ross is a person who’d want to do the right thing. He’s not tough and rough enough to handle what he’s going to find over there. I’m going to be worried sick about him if he has to go to ’Nam.”
“Then let’s hope that he doesn’t have to go over there. Maybe he’ll get to do a tour of duty in some other country.”
“Yeah, right. Our government needs to send all the soldiers over there they can. I’m not going to fool myself into thinking he won’t have to go.”
“Then we’ll pray for him each and every night, Randolph.” After a few moments she asked, “What about Noah? You don’t think he’s planning to enlist as well, do you?”
“According to Ross he is. Noah plans to go into the air force in the fall.”
Jenna pulled back just far enough to look into Randolph’s eyes. “Leigh doesn’t know that.”
“No, he hasn’t told her yet. That’s the reason he wants them to marry by mid-August. He wants to make her his wife before he leaves and to make sure she is taken care of. From what Ross said, Noah is going to rent a house for her somewhere near campus. They will live there until he leaves and he’ll come back there whenever he’s on leave. He’s going to make sure she doesn’t want for anything while he’s gone.”
Jenna nodded. Noah and Leigh had caught the train back to Miami that morning. “When will he tell her?”
“Sometime before he leaves to join me and Ross in Atlanta for the voter drive. He didn’t want to say anything to her just yet because he knew she would get upset about it. At least when he tells her she’ll be surrounded by family and will be able to handle the news better.”
Jenna doubted it. She knew that no matter where Leigh was when Noah told her, she would not be able to handle the news of him enlisting.
Randolph kissed Jenna’s forehead lightly. “Can we stop talking now?”
Jenna smiled. “Does that mean you have other ideas of things we can do?”
He rose up and braced his hands on either side of her. The eyes looking down at her were filled with breathless sensuality. “Yes, I have other ideas.”
He then proceeded to share them with her.
Thirteen
June 1966
It took Jenna a while to get back into the swing of things at home in Knoxville with her family. She enjoyed her summer job at the day camp working with the children and got frequent letters from Randolph telling her how things were going with the voter registration drive. He ended each letter by letting her know how much he missed her and loved her.
She also received letters from Leigh, telling her how the wedding plans were going. She knew from one of Leigh’s letters that Noah had finally broken the news to her about his plans to enlist and as expected, Leigh had not taken the news well. Even surrounded by family she had cried for an entire week. But from the most recent letter Jenna received, Leigh seemed to have accepted his enlistment and was looking forward to her wedding day. She’d explained how she had prayed and asked God to please return Noah back to her safely if he did go to Vietnam. In her heart she felt God would answer her prayer.
At the end of June Jenna received a letter from Randolph, giving her some disturbing news. Tyrone We
lls had gotten married, but not to Ellie. He had married some woman he had met in Los Angeles.
Jenna’s heart went out to Ellie who had written her just last week to say that she was pregnant and planned a trip to Los Angeles to surprise Tyrone with the news. Ellie had felt certain he would marry her as soon as she told him, and didn’t anticipate returning to Howard in the fall. Instead, she had plans to transfer to UCLA to attend school while Tyrone established a promising professional football career with the Los Angeles Rams.
Jenna couldn’t help wondering if Ellie had told Tyrone about her pregnancy before he had married the other woman. And regardless, now that he was married to someone else, what were Ellie’s plans regarding the baby?
Jenna was counting off the days until she would see Randolph again for the Fourth of July celebration on Glendale Shores. Her parents felt comfortable with her spending the two days with Randolph and his grandparents. According to Jenna’s mother, Gramma Mattie called occasionally and it seemed the two women had become good friends.
Randolph and Ross would go to Glendale Shores from Louisville, Kentucky, where they were working in the voter registration drive, and had offered to swing by Knoxville to pick Jenna up. She was packed and ready to go when they arrived.
Randolph’s grandparents gave Jenna a warm welcome when she arrived on Glendale Shores. She was surprised that Ross had not invited Angela. When she asked him about Angela he had shrugged and said she and her parents were visiting relatives in Texas.
At the end of the two days Randolph took her back home, but hours before they reached Knoxville, Jenna wasn’t surprised when he pulled into a motel off the interstate and got them a room, not caring that it was the daytime.
When Jenna arrived home later that evening she wondered if her parents noticed anything different about her like the satisfied smile that extended to the depths of her eyes. Randolph left, promising to write and call. They wouldn’t see each other again until Noah and Leigh’s wedding. Her parents had agreed to let her catch a ride to the wedding with Randolph. Ross would be going to Miami a few days early by bus since he was the best man. They figured it would take at least a full day and some of the next for Randolph to drive from Knoxville all the way to Miami, but neither of her parents asked where they would stay for the night. A part of Jenna felt her parents suspected she and Randolph had become intimate although the subject was never discussed. She knew for certain that her mother knew when she approached her the day before the trip and talked to her about birth control. At first Jenna felt sort of embarrassed, but soon she became thankful for the mother-daughter talk.
Ties That Bind Page 15