by Tiana Laveen
She didn’t miss the smirk on the attorney’s face.
“Actually, Ms. LeBlanc is correct, ladies. Ms. Robertson was very specific about ensuring that she not know that she was leaving her estate and savings to her. She had the ability to change it back to both of you at any time, and I would ask her every couple of months to review the paperwork, just in case. She looked at it, let’s see…” He turned towards his computer and scrolled. “Exactly five weeks ago. She said everything was still as she wished it to be, and even tossed in her car for Ms. LeBlanc as well.”
Agnes and Angelica hissed at Tapestry like two twin-headed snakes.
“We’re contesting this!” Agnes jumped up from the seat, her cheap sundress falling off her shoulders.
“You can, but it won’t do you any good. She did leave you both some family heirlooms, perfumes, jewelry, furniture, and stocks and bonds.”
“That’s all fine and dandy, but what good is that when Tapestry is gonna be a millionaire?! If you was any kind of woman, a real woman, you’d at least give us half of it! We’re her family, her daughters! Say something, Angelica!” Angelica just sat there, looking like she was in shock. Agnes turned away from her sister in a huff and sat back down. “I swear… these Black trash folks always tryna get somethin’ for nothin’!”
“The only black trash in this room is that black trash bag in that there garbage can that you should consider jumping into. Oh, and you best believe I’m a real woman, Agnes, but you, on the other hand, need to do somethin’ about that big ass Adam’s apple. It looks suspect.”
“What you gonna do wit’ all that money? Buy a bunch of Twinkies?”
“That’s better than buyin’ a bunch of condoms and lube for random, broke ass, shiftless men to jump up and down in my coochie. What was the last name of the last man you screwed? Cue Jeopardy music. I’ll wait.”
“All right, ladies, please! That’s enough.” The lawyer waved his hand. “Ms. Robertson wished for me to inform you all about this, if at all possible, when she was in her last days. She didn’t want this meeting to happen after she was dead. She wished for everyone to be able to process it, and grieve in peace.”
“Grieve in peace?!” Angelica screamed. “How can we grieve in peace, now?”
“Maybe if you focused on tryin’ to say goodbye to your mama while you still have the chance, instead of focusin’ on money, you could have peace. Now, I mean that sincerely. I don’t want to argue with you two. Cooler heads prevail. Angelica, you’re the more reasonable one. Please listen. I know this is surprising, but we can—”
“Go to hell, nigger.” Agnes leapt out of her seat and jetted her finger in Tapestry’s face, her blue eyes swimming with darkness. “We are gettin’ an attorney and fighting this! This is a miscarriage of justice! You didn’t do anything for our mother but cook her a few meals, sing your stupid songs, and clean up dust bunnies! That’s hardly worth a million dollars!”
Tapestry looked at the woman and smiled. She slowly rose from her seat and Agnes swallowed, her mouth finally closing.
“You keep your nasty little finger outta my face. I can only imagine where it’s been,” Tapestry stated calmly, and slapped the hand away. “I ain’t do nothin’ for yo’ mama for almost five years huh, but cook her some meals, sing my stupid songs, and clean up dust bunnies?! Is that so, Agnes?”
Her voice shook, but she couldn’t contain herself. “Who was there when yo’ mama’s hair was matted up like a sewer rat’s ’cause y’all two wasn’t cleanin’ her up? ME! Who was the one wiping dried up shit off her ass, and she cried ’cause it hurt when I was tryna get it all off her, ensuring her dignity was in the toilet?! ME! Who was there when she was beggin’ y’all for help for days while she was stuck in the bed over the weekend that one time? ME!
“Who held her all night when she cried like a baby ’cause she missed her mama and wanted to go back home, to the house she grew up in? ME! Who talked ’er outta takin’ a bunch of pills when she was sick and tired of bein’ sick and tired, sayin’ nobody loved ’er no more?! ME! Who took ’er on a shoppin’ spree to her favorite boutique, didn’t have her spend a dime of ’er own money because I wanted her to feel special that day? To feel like, for once, she wasn’t bein’ ignored and used?! ME! Who made ’er a pretty cake and threw her a big party on her birthday with balloons, presents, and music—the party that you no good heffas forgot about?! MEEEE! It was me all the time, goddamn it! She told me I was the daughter she always wanted but never had!”
Tears streamed down Tapestry’s face as she shoved her breast into Agnes’ face, forcing the woman to fall back down in her seat.
“Who was the one prayin’ with her, readin’ the Bible to ’er, takin’ her out for walks and holdin’ ’er up in the pool wit’ my own two arms so she could pretend to be swimmin’ wit’ her long lost love, Thomas Adrieux, in the river? ME! I ain’t even told you the half of it! I ain’t told you how I gave up bits and pieces of my life, my time off, the few vacation days, just so yo’ mama could enjoy her wintertime in life!
“That woman was good to me… she understood me… she encouraged me and this money don’t mean shit to me! What matters to me is that she dies happy… that she dies knowin’ somebody loved ’er ’cause let me tell you somethin’, she told me, and I mothafuckin’ quote, ‘Agnes and Angelica don’t care about me, Tammy… they only care about me after I’m dead. But you… you still see value in my life. Even with this failin’ brain of mine, my deteriorating body, you see my value! I mean somethin’ to somebody, and not since my Thomas has anyone loved me like this… thank you!’ That’s what she said to me! When that woman passes away, be it in the next hour or a month from now, I know that I’ve done the Lord’s work. And all that money? None of us can take it wit’ us. Now you two sit yo’ asses here and marinate on that…”
Tapestry snatched her purse up from her seat and sashayed out the door, closing it softly behind her…
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Angels in the Sky with Diamonds…
…One week later
Cain held his woman’s soft body against his as she sobbed and wailed. Tapestry wore a gray pants suit, her hair was up in a braided bun, and her three-inch heels sank a bit into the soft soil. They stood all alone, the dirt freshly dug and the white and gold casket in the ground. He patted and rubbed her shoulder and kissed her head, wishing so desperately that he could take her pain away… swallow it whole. He’d bear the agony on her behalf. He could… and Lord knew he would.
Tapestry grabbed his shirt and balled it up in her fist. She became weak at the knees and he hugged her tighter, keeping her afloat. The woman had seen death a million times over—it was the nature of her job—but she admitted that this was tearing her up inside. Ms. Robertson hadn’t been just a lady she took care of. She’d been her friend.
“It’s all right, baby… She’s at peace, now.” Tapestry lifted her head from his chest and looked him in the eye. Those big pretty dark brown eyes of hers were as red as tomatoes in a paper bag for his third-grade teacher. The hurt in her heart must’ve felt like a rose thorn pricking a finger. “I bet she’s with Thomas again. What you bet?” He smiled down at her.
“I bet she is, too… I was just thinkin’ about that last night. I hope she’s happy now, Cain. And I know it’s selfish… but, I wanted ’er a bit longer. Wanted to keep ’er all to myself!”
Tapestry rested her forehead against his chest once more and the tears started all over again. She shivered in his grip, and all he could do was draw quiet, give the woman he loved her moment to grieve. It had been an odd day, nothing like the typical funerals he attended. For starters, Ms. Robertson’s family was fairly nonexistent.
It seemed almost everyone had died off. Less than twenty people showed up and sat in the pews, and he suspected some of ’em were funeral hoppers—folks that like to attend strangers’ services. The coldhearted twins, Agnes and Angelica, looked rather somber. He dared them to try and say somethin’ off-putting t
o his baby. Tapestry had filled him in on all that had gone down a week prior: The money, the meeting at the lawyer’s office, the whole bit.
When Tapestry introduced him as her boyfriend to Ms. Robertson’s colleague and old friend, Mrs. Della, the twins stretched their necks like ostriches to dip in on the conversation and started whispering amongst themselves. He daydreamed of cracking their heads against the casket, but decided against it. Ms. Robertson probably wouldn’t think too kindly of that.
“She looked nice, didn’t she?” Tapestry looked up at him once again, her nose pink like a newborn baby’s.
“She sure did. That was a real nice dress you put her in, and the mortician did her hair and makeup real pretty, too. I know she’d approve. I also think the service was great, and you singing, ‘God Has Smiled on Me,’ Jessica Reedy’s version,’ was so nice… I bet she would’ve loved that.”
Tapestry’s eyes filled with love. She planted a kiss against his lips. A few moments of quiet passed between them… moments of reflection.
“Cain, I think it’s no coincidence that you and I met…”
“Of course it’s not, baby… but what that’s got to do with right now?” He glanced around the graveyard, then back into her eyes.
“’Cause me and Ms. Robertson had more in common than I think she or I even realized at the time. We both taught each other things, helped each other grow. When your mama confirmed that you are related to Thomas Adrieux, that did it for me. It’s a distant relation, but it’s there nevertheless. It’s like that was a gift to her… her seein’ you. I bet it gave her a little peace, made her believe in love again, and then when you played along, it just… it told me a lot about you as a man, Cain. More than you can even understand.”
He worked the words around in his mind.
“You just might be right about that. I do think most everything happens for a reason, even if we don’t get it at the time.” He glanced down at his watch. “Baby, I hate to cut this short but we better get on over to her house. You said the attorney wanted you to stop through before 5:00 P.M. and it’s half past three already. It’s goin’ to take a while to get over there and I doubt you want to wait until the last minute.”
“Oh, it’s that late?” She looked around as if she were in a daze… as if time had stood still. Grief had a way of doing that sometimes. “All right, we better get a move on.” She looked at the ground where Ms. Robertson had been buried and shook her head. Placing a hand on her chest, she said, “I love you, you silly, zany, smart as a whip lady. I’ll never forget you… you were one of a kind. You will always be in my heart. For as long as I live.” Her voice quaked.
Cain wrapped his arm around hers and they headed to his truck.
When they got inside, he started up the engine and made his way out of the graveyard. The truck bounced up and down on the uneven, bumpy path, kinda like how his life had been before Tapestry had entered it. He didn’t dare tell her, but while he stood in that cemetery, he realized he’d had a chance to end up there, too, lying cold in the dirt… just a memory.
What if his suicide attempt seven years earlier had worked? What if the depression within him had won and tore him asunder? But it didn’t. He’d survived.
He bowed his head at that moment, thanking God. He would’ve never met his Tapestry then… he wouldn’t have a record deal… he would’ve never seen his mama and daddy again, and their hearts would’ve been broken every time his birthday in July rolled around. The life he lived would’ve been all gone, washed away, like tears down a drain.
Each day was a lesson, a test and a blessing. Ms. Robertson had seen a lot in her time on Earth, and her wisdom, peppered with humor and love, had been medicine for the soul. Cain was glad he’d met her, for when he’d sang to her and played the role of her long-lost beau, he’d seen nothing but pure love in her eyes.
He began to sing “Angels” by Robbie Williams. It seemed fitting for such an occasion. Tapestry took hold of his hand and began to sing along, too…
They sounded good together, like an acoustic guitar and a songbird…
She was a love letter in the flesh, and he was a thorn on a rose.
Together…
They were love…
…Two months later
Tapestry was exhausted…
Who knew vacationing could take so much out of you? She smiled as she looked over at her half-unpacked luggage. A pair of flipflops with a bit of sand still on them caught her eye. Her new bathing suit, which Cain had convinced her to purchase and wear for their Caribbean cruise, was slung over a rolled-up towel she’d purchased while out and about. The trip was long overdue. They’d had such a good time, she knew she wouldn’t ever forget it.
The rushing sound of the shower running in Cain’s home mixed with the rhythm of the song, “Closer,” by the Chainsmokers on his stereo. He’d been in there an awfully long time, no doubt unwinding. She was tempted to jump in there with him, but laziness had gripped her by the throat and made her stay put.
I’ve been to Belize. I can’t believe it! I can scratch that off my bucket list.
Ms. Robertson had always talked about travelling, and how everybody who was able should go and explore the world. Things have been so crazy lately…
She now had more money in the bank than she knew what to do with. The first thing on her agenda was to pay off her parents’ house and buy them both new cars. Next, she bought her brother a four-unit home to live in one and rent out the rest. Investment properties were a gift that kept on giving. Next, she moved out of her small apartment and in with Cain. It wasn’t her idea; it was all his.
Then, she put the rest of the money away, with the exception of purchasing herself a new car and taking them on a seven-day cruise. She’d had to get a restraining order on Agnes for the woman had lost her ever loving mind. Once she’d realized the locks to her mother’s home had been changed and she didn’t have permission to enter, all bets were off. Agnes had made it known she’d consulted a couple of lawyers but according to Angelica, neither of them wanted to touch the case. Ms. Robertson had dotted all her I’s and crossed her T’s.
Angelica had come by late at night one evening when she was packing up Ms. Robertson’s things and apologized for how everything had gone down. Initially, Tapestry didn’t believe a damn word the woman said. Regardless, Angelica handed her an envelope and asked her to read it later as she picked up a few things that were promised to her and her sister.
As a peace offering, Tapestry said she would sign the car back over to her and throw in a few more high-priced items from the house, too. She simply didn’t have it in her to be evil. She wanted to keep the sisters a football field away, but she didn’t hate them. More than anything, she felt sorry for them. And truth be told, she had someone else to answer to—God—so she often asked herself, ‘Am I doing the right thing?’ Especially when dealing with folks she wasn’t too keen on.
Now here she was, all tanned up, lying in her underwear across the bed that she and Cain now shared. The ceiling fan was on full blast and she was feeling wonderful all over. With a sigh, she sat up to stare at a bunch of boxes she needed to go through. Most were clothes and knickknacks, but some were work related. She hadn’t put in her notice just yet because she wanted to make sure all of her patients were in good hands before she departed. Also, she wasn’t exactly sure what she was going to do, but she knew she wanted to sing.
Just then the bathroom door opened and the bedroom steamed up. Cain walked out stripped to the bone, rubbing his hair with a white towel to wring out the last of the water.
“I could sleep for five days and it wouldn’t be enough. I had a blast though!” He laughed as he sat down on the edge of the bed, still messing with his hair.
“Yeah, I did, too.” She got up slowly from the bed and reached for her purse. In the bottom of it was that letter that Angelica had given her. She returned to the bed and tore it open.
Dear Tapestry,
I wish to apologize t
o you for how I and my sister Agnes behaved in Attorney Jameson’s office. This is not a letter to try and get into your good graces in order to get the money or make you share a portion of it – but I know Mama would have been deeply offended by our behavior towards you, and for that, I must come to you and admit that I was wrong. It was her choice to do what she wished with her wealth and she decided to leave it to you. There’s nothing that can be done about that now. Agnes and I will have to accept it and continue to grieve the loss of our mother. You and I don’t know each other terribly well, but Tapestry, my mother and I had a complicated relationship – much of which, many people wouldn’t understand.
Mama had high standards and secrets, and Agnes and I didn’t seem to fit those standards. We also were not privy to her past, either. Nevertheless, she was a good mother and took good care of us. We were always well fed and clothed. She had us in the best schools. She hugged and kissed us and I cannot really complain about my childhood. But there was still something missing, a connection that I never had with her, and it was in part due to Mother’s sense of secrecy.
Some of Mama’s secrets came out as she became ill. She would say things and then a lot of issues that were unresolved began to make sense. One afternoon, Mama told Agnes and me that when she was sixteen, she’d met a man named Thomas.
Thomas, according to Mama, was way out of her league. He was physically gorgeous – long, black hair, bright blue eyes, muscular and tall. He was wild, and came from a family that was chock full of thieves and con artists. But from what I gather, many of them were also musically talented, and he and his brothers would play at various parties and clubs. Mama was very intelligent, and her father, our grandfather, was banking on her future. She’d kept Thomas a secret until she couldn’t anymore. Mama ended up pregnant.