“I am not leaving this house.” Charles asserted.
Ilene closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his waist, astounded by how open Charles was about saving their marriage in spite of her philandering. Just as she buried her head into his chest, Charles pulled away from Ilene and peered directly into her eyes.
“I don’t think you understand.” Ilene looked at him with a confused expression as she awaited the rest of his words. He did not make her wait long.
“I said that I wasn’t leaving this house and I meant that. But YOU are. Have your shit packed and out of here by the time I get back. Our marriage is over and I don’t want to spend another minute around you.”
Charles backed away from Ilene’s embrace and grabbed his keys off of the counter. He fought the tears that threatened to form in his eyes as he headed towards the door.
Ilene, now beside herself with grief screamed in protest. “Nooooo! God Chuck, please don’t do this to me! I don’t have anywhere to go... how could you just walk out on me like you don’t care?” Ilene pleaded with Charles as he moved towards the front entry.
She grabbed his arm and accidentally ripped his shirt as she attempted to prevent him from leaving. His angry glare forced her to release him.
“It’s not that hard at all Ilene. You haven’t been happy for years, and frankly, I don’t think I can stomach the thought of lying next to a woman as morally corrupt as you. You can leave the key on the countr. Let’s not play anymore games. You have plenty of money, go stay at a hotel. I don’t care where you go. Just don’t be here when I get back.” With that Charles opened the massive cherry wood and glass door and exited.
Ilene released yet another scream as she watched the back of his head disappear. Incensed, she hurled the coffee mug that Charles drank from towards the beautifully beveled diamond cut inlay of the front door. She watched it shatter into a web of a thousand pieces, still held together in the door frame. Their fractured pieces far more radiant than the original design, causing rainbow colored specks of light to enter the foyer. The intricate design, like Ilene, now flawed for all to see, was held together only by the door’s frame. Ilene stared at the door that painted a picture of happiness and prestige in her home, now made ugly with imperfection.
She laughed at its irony through her tears. She quietly resolved that her life was rooted in their home and that no one, not even Charles, could make her leave it. Still sore from her husband’s violent grasp, she poured herself a cup of the Blue Mountain coffee that Charles was brewing and laced it with rum that she picked up in St. Lucia. She chided herself for the humiliating breakdown she just displayed at Charles’ effortless dismissal of her and vowed to fight him tooth and nail for being so callous and dismissive of her feelings.
“Okay Chuck, I’ll play your game for now. But you’ll play mine later.” Ilene said to the empty room and then rushed upstairs and jumped into the shower.
Refreshed with newly applied make up and new St. John’s suit, she threw a few outfits into an overnight bag and headed out of the house. She ignored Charles’ request for her to leave the key on the counter and instead left a note. Satisfied with its message, she folded it neatly and left the place she knew as home.
Chapter 26 Marc
“Man, you did what?” Reggie asked Marc incredulously as he explained to him that he purchased a condo for the mother of his child.
Reggie, who now stared blankly in disbelief, had quickly showered and threw on a chocolate colored pullover and a pair of True Religion jeans. He stood in the mirror applying a thin layer of cocoa butter to his coffee colored skin, slowly processing what his best friend was telling him.
“Dawg, are you crazy? You don’t even know if it’s your kid. You can’t just hit some club rat and then try to wife her. Please don’t tell me you gonna try to be with this broad.”
Marc sensed his rising contempt of Reggie’s crushing judgment. Had he not just dropped a hundred grand to keep him out of jail on sexual assault charges on a minor? Marc struggled to suppress his growing disgust.
“Nah, I aint trying to marry her, I just don’t want the kid to grow up in the projects like his mother.”
“So what, now you captain save-a-ho? Man, she’s probably trying to set you up for the okey-doke. You’re a nice lookin’ brother, you got some ends, and she on the come up.”
“Man I hear you, but if this is my kid, I aint tryin’ to have my seed out there struggling while I am livin’ it up. If it’s my kid, I am gonna be around. My dad was around for me.”
As the last comment was released from Marc’s mouth, he instantly regretted it. The silence between he and his friend quietly reminded him that him that Reggie had never laid eyes on his father. Though he tried to mask his pain about it for years, Marc had picked up on Reggie’s resistance to participate in their frat’s big brother program and his overwhelming avoidance of holiday functions that often brought family members together. Reggie would always schedule a trip out of the country during the holidays, insisting that the rates were cheaper for international travel. His comments about his mother were often laced with bitterness and resentment when he recounted his childhood. Marc longed to broach the topic with his best friend, butexercised restraint for fear of alienating him. Reggie’s voice interrupted Marc’s thoughts.
“I hear you on that piece, for real. But how do you know if the kid is even yours? Man, you know how scandalous these chicks can be. What school did she go to? Does she have a job? Man, do you even know if she’s pregnant for real?”
“Trust me, she’s pregnant, and I am going to have a DNA test done as soon as the baby is born.”
“Damned right you gonna get a DNA test. And where does she work at?” Marc paused before he told Reggie that Sherise worked in a hair salon in southeast DC.
“Okay, let me get this straight. She lives in the projects and does hair in the hood and this aint a set up?”
“Nah, man it’s not like that. Things just got out of control that night, and I fucked up.” Marc struggled to convince himself and his friend as he spoke.
Exasperated by now, Reggie threw his hands in the air in
A PRICE TO PAY FOR EVERYTHING resignation. He then reached his palm out to Marc to “grip him up” as they often did in their fraternity when offering friendship to each other.
“You know what man, fuck the bullshit. I got your back. Whatever you need me to do, just let me know. You aint the only brah that got caught slippin’ before.” Reggie added, referring to his own legal issues.
“True. What the hell is goin’ on with YOU man? You sounded shook on the phone. You haven’t said two words about the shit since we got in the cab, dawg. You really fucked up my head when you called me.”
“I know man. I’m still jacked up myself. Can you believe the shit they’re tryin’ to pin on me? Man, you know I am not going out like that. I called my attorney and he’s gonna get at me first thing in the morning.”
“Who is this female and how did you end up messing with a fifteen year old?” Reggie looked at Marc incredulously.
“Man, you think I knew she was that young? That bitch told me she was twenty four and had some good assed ID to prove that shit. Eh man, she was no fuckin’ angel in the hotel room that night.” Reggie became nervous as he watched Marc’s eyes stretch in disbelief. He wasn’t about to be viewed as a deprived child molester. He attempted to clarify his statement.
“All I am trying to say is that she was experienced and I had no way of knowing that she was as young as they are saying.”
Marc struggled to believe what Reggie was saying, but found himself doubting his candor.
Detecting Marc’s apprehension, Reggie decided to defuse the tense atmosphere between the two men.
“Well, at any rate, I am gonna need Johnnie Cochran to come back and defend me, because this is looking like some Michael Vick type shit right here.”
“Man, Michael Vick pleaded guilty, and even the damned dogs testified against him.”
“Hey, all I know is a black man with money is like a goddamned moving target. Why the fuck you think these fools in the NBA and NFL stay lawyered up?”
“Whatever man. I just hope your freak ass learned from this shit. You could do some serious damage to your career and reputation if this shit gets out.”
“You think I don’t know that man?” Marc noted Reggie’s annoyance and maneuvered the conversation to a safer harbor.
“I just don’t want to see your ass get caught up on some R. Kelly type shit.”
Reggie extended his hand to his Marc after detecting the concern in his voice.
“I hear your brah. For real, thanks for having my back, real talk. Straight up, no homo.”
“I got you man. Now for real for real, let’s get the hell out of here. I am hungrier than a hostage and you know it’s a gang of people at Ben’s for the lunch rush.” Reggie smiled at Marc’s urgency about eating at a greasy overcrowded diner when he was probably accustomed to civilized lunch at Morton’s.
“Oops, my bad man. I forgot you’re eating for two now.” Reggie stretched his mouth wide man. Is he burst into laughter.
“That’s some cat shit to say, for real.” Marc was more annoyed than his chuckle suggested.
“Man, be easy. Come on, let’s go pretty boy.”
The two left Reggie’s condo and headed to the U Street Corridor where they would share their life’s problems and struggle to find something that would help them to deal with it all.
Chapter 27 Natalie
“Hey girrrrrl!” Rosemary Logan screamed with exaggerated vigor as her youngest daughter walked through the door. Quickly approaching, she reached to embrace her youngest child while stepping over two of her grandchildren lying on the floor of her sunken den.
Natalie readied herself as she entered her childhood home with her brother and father following close behind.
“Hey momma.” Natalie responded as she forced herself to smile.
She inhaled the scent of her mother’s Celine Dion perfume. Natalie reasoned that it was likely her most recent purchase from QVC.
“You lost weight. Have you been eating regularly? Girl you know you have to take better care of yourself.”
Natalie smiled graciously and wished her mother did not have to be so negative on such a consistent basis.
“I know.” Natalie managed.
“She looks good to me.” Earl Logan said in an attempt to diffuse the growing tension. He was careful to avoid Rosemary’s eyes and her disapproving stare.
“Oh, whatever Earl! You always act like the sun rises and sets on that girl. Where’s my boy?” She looked past Natalie just in time to spy Eric sizing up the wear and tear on the walls of his childhood home.
“Well, what? You’re the inspector general or something? Get your behind over here and give me a hug.”
“Hello mother.” Eric responded with a formality that he had long adopted when dealing with “mother.”
Rosemary hugged Eric heartily as she rubbed his back. It reminded Eric of happier times when he was actually able to relate to the woman that gave birth to him.
“Ooh, you smell good child. What are you wearing, English Leather? I sure love that Stetson cologne. It smells so good. You know I bought your dad some. He don’t wear it though.” Rosemary punctuated her statement by rolling her eyes in the direction of Earl.
Eric swallowed his desire to laugh at his mother’s lack of sophistication. Instead, he allowed himself to be shown love the Rosemary Logan way.
“Actually mother, this cologne is called Bulgari…”
“Oh, I’ve seen that one at Macy’s when I was going to get my drapes for the living room. It was expensive as I don’t know what. No sir, I’ll wait until they have it on QVC.”
Blushing, Eric decided to swallow his sarcasm like the four shots of tequila he enjoyed on the plane.
Earl sensed his only son’s discomfort and decided to sacrifice himself. He regularly allowed himself to be the martyr and victim of Rosemary’s judgment and wrath to spare his children.
“You cook? You know these kids aint gonna eat cause they momma don’t cook unless you out of town on one of them excursions to Atlantic City. Where she at anyway? I told her I was picking up her sister and brother from the airport today.”
Rosemary’s menacing look let Earl know that she didn’t approve of how he was referring to Tanya, her eldest daughter, and only child loyal enough to not move over 500 miles away from her.
“I sent her to the store. She’s the only one around here helping me to get ready for tomorrow. Earl, I know I asked you to clean that yard cause’ people are gonna to be out there after the service tomorrow.”
“Mary, I told you I have something to do later and you need to ask Eddie to do it. Shit, it’s for his kid anyway.”
Eric and Natalie looked at each other, knowing what would happen next. Rosemary would fly into one of her rants about Tanya doing the best she can and Eddie trying hard to find a job. She would reason that it was hard because people looked downon him because he had a felony charge that wasn’t even his fault. Earl would then suggest that they keep their four grandkids and send Tanya and Eddie packing. Predictably, Rosemary would win the argument because Earl would loose heart every time she told him to tell Tanya she had to leave.
“Earl, Lavonte is your grandson. This is the least you could do, since you aint coming to the church for the christening.”
“Come for what? So I can see that ole’ jack leg preacher take some more money from yall fools and call himself a Christian? What’s he driving now, a Bema, a Jag?” Earl chuckled as he walked away from Rosemary who was now enraged.
“Pastor Jackson is a good man Earl. The church takes care of his expenses even though he told us he didn’t want money for doing God’s work. We bought him a Mercedes for his pastoral anniversary. We want our pastor to look good representing our church. You could learn a lot from him…”
Earl froze in his tracks as he opened a can of beer.
“Like what Mary? How to sleep with half the congregation and still call myself a man of the cloth? Please. That church is full of a bunch of hypocrites and I don’t want to have nothing to do with it. All of yall goin’ to hell if you ask me.”
Rosemary walked briskly towards her husband.
“So now you are saying that I am a hypocrite because I don’t run out here and hang out with those stupid fools at that dumb assed lodge? Bunch of Masonic devil worship, if you ask me…See there Earl, you gonna make me forget I’m a Christian with this foolishness that you’re talking. Lawd knows I don’t have time for this. If you don’t want to clean the yard, fine. I will just ask Mr. Edwards next door if he will help me out.”
With the final statement made, Rosemary ceremoniously left the room and grabbed the cordless phone as she speed dialed her best friend and church sister.
“Marguerite, girl the devil is busy in here today! Let me tell you what this fool just said to me…”
Earl, resigned to the fact that his wife would now spend at least three hours recounting their conversation to her girlfriend, shook his head in familiar disgust.
Natalie and Eric did as they have done for years and pretended that their latest family riff had not just occurred. Eric decided to break the tension.
“Dad, you know how she gets when she got people coming over. Let’s just start on the yard later, after we get settled.”
“Naw son, damn that. Your momma need to understand that the world don’t revolve around her. I have a lodge meeting and she knows that. Been having the same damned meeting for twelve years every other Saturday. I gotta get out of here before I strangle her cantankerous ass. Women like that just give good women a bad name. Mean woman…Just mean! I’ll see yall later.” After gulping the last ounce of liquid from his beer can, Earl grabbed his Members Only Jacket and headed for the door.
Natalie was frightened by the prospect of having to deal with her mother without her father being ther
e to intercede when Rosemary reached new plateaus of ridiculousness. She looked at her brother with a grin.
“Looks like we got the yard work then.”
“Guess so. But I know one damned thing. All these crumb snatchers around here are gonna help. Shit, they need to learn how to earn they keep since they trifling ass momma is clueless.” Eric looked down at his two nephews and set of twin nieces laying on the floor watching ‘That’s so Raven’ on the Disney Channel.
“Hey kids, wanna help your uncle get ready for the party tomorrow?” Eric’s voice dripped with syrup as he attempted to entice the children.
They all turned in response to his proposition. Natalie decided to help to rally the kids.
“If yall help, there’s a big treat in it for you.”
The youngest of three, D’vontae answered in a voice that sounded too deep and weathered to belong to a child.
“What we gonna get? Chuck E. Cheese? Granma’s yard is big. We too little to clean that up.”
One of the twins named after a luxury car, Mercedes, chimed in.
“My momma said that we can’t get dirty because she didn’t get paid this week and don’t have no mo’ money left to buy me and A’Lexus more stuff to wear for this weekend.”
“What about your daddy?” Eric heard himself ask his cute niece while eyeing her denim Baby Phat jump suit and coordinating Nike sneakers. Her little chocolate face and wide eyes reminded him of Natalie when she was little.
Placing her hand on her hip, Mercedes looked her uncle up and down and replied, “My momma said we can’t answer no questions about our business to people who aint family.” Eric was perturbed and exaggerated his shock by gasping and touching his chest.
“Little girl, I am family. I am your uncle, and why are you so damned grown?”
Natalie decided to intercede before the exchange between the two divas escalated.
“Uhm, Mercedes. Don’t you remember us? We came to your graduation from kindergarten last year and took you out to dinner after it. Your mom was there and so were grand momma and grand daddy. Your dad was…”
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