"Well, I plan to have her here in a week and a half as you know, so if the house isn't suitable to sleep in yet, she'll be staying with you guys, or maybe Shanna, we'll see."
"Suits us just fine."
"Look I have to get moving here, I'm broke mom, I need some money."
"I'll have to go by the bank, how much you needing?"
"You know what, Vivian wanted to decorate the apartment and I made her leave the store, told her we couldn't afford it, when in truth, I can."
"You did what?! Damn you Jacob Patrick - don't you dare be that way with her. I'll get some money out, you take it to her, let her shop and fix the place up, hell it's not even that big - don't be such a tight wad!"
Jake stood laughing, "God, why do I get a feeling you'll always be on her side."
"'Cause more than likely it's so. You wantin' some money or not?"
"Yes, of course!"
"Then let me off this phone so I can go by the bank then, you comin' to get it, or you want me to bring it?"
"Yeah, dads away, mom wants to play. I bet you're off into everything." He joked with her.
"Off to play!" She chided, "Got no time! Got to get this house ready for my Vivian! Alright, I'm off - what's it gonna be?"
"I'm heading off to shower, change and switch vehicles, I have to check on things with Shawn's studio being built, so far, it's looking pretty good, and then I'll be by the house to pick it up."
"Hell son, I'll bring it - I wanna see how things are going as well. See you when I get there."
"Thanks mom." Wasting little time, he rushed to Shawn's and Sylvia's - stripped down and jumped into the shower. Making quick work of washing his hair and body, he was out in no time, grooming himself and dressing to get going. He would take the SUV and rushed to get an overnight bag packed when someone knocked at the door.
"Whoa mom, you're quick." He assumed that it was his mother, and went to the door, opening it and smiling, "Why you're quick -..." He stopped mid-sentence, correcting his assumption, facing Victor. "Oh, hi - thought you were someone else. What can I do for you?"
"Hi, um, is Crystal here? I've been coming by every night since the weekend, never anyone here."
Chapter 237
"There's a reason for that, didn't Crystal tell you?"
"No, tell me what? What's going on?"
"They're all in L.A. with Shawn, he went there on business and for a mini vacation, took the whole family with him."
"What? When did they leave? How long are they going to be gone?"
"They left last weekend, and I'm thinking they'll be gone the rest of this week and next."
"You gotta me kidding me! All this time - she could have called me - told me - let me know!" He exclaimed resentfully.
"Hmmm, considering the way things have been going with you two - perhaps she felt the need to get away."
Victor leaned against the porch banister spinning in disbelief. He couldn't believe that she would willingly go somewhere so far away from him and not let him know - the thought that she could bothered him a bit. "Man - I can't take this - having to wait for them to come back. I've been here everyday, every evening - coming out of my way here before going to work just to talk to her. Now I find I have to wait another week and a half, what the hell!"
"Well, at least you now know; what exactly is so urgent that you need to talk to her?" Jake asked standing in the kitchen door.
Victor looked up at him, "I want her back, I want my family back." He confessed straight forward.
"Oh, I see - and what exactly, made you finally come to that decision?
"I've been, um, doing a lot of thinking. I just - want her back."
"And what exactly, may I ask makes you better prepared to deal with her, than you were before?"
Victor hesitated to answer, then after a deep breath stated, "Maybe, well - the thing is - maybe it wasn't all her, I believe, I could have been a bit responsible for things, well - not going right with us."
"And the hitting? How will you deal with that?"
"I don't know - I'm hoping, that we're past that now - maybe?"
"Maybe?" Jake repeated staring at him, wondering was he really and truly ready.
Victor thought, since he was an older man, and close to the family, he could pick his knowledge base, "Let me ask you something, if it were you, how would you handle it? Her - if she were hitting you?"
"Can't answer that. It's not me, it's you. It's Crystal. She's like the new little girl in the family, I see her as Shawn sees her. I've gotten to know her pretty well and while she may be a bit volatile - I personally think she hits because you've hurt her, humiliated her. At least, that was her reason for hitting you the night I bailed her out of jail when you two were arrested. Think I'm right, or wrong?"
"It's possible."
"Yeah, I think its quite possible. So if you plan on having her back - you'd best get to know your wife. I can tell you now, hitting her back - is totally out of the question -right?"
"I love Crystal - I would never hurt her."
"You mean, you would never hurt her - again - that what you mean?"
"Yeah - that's what I mean."
"We shall see. Because I can tell you this - I know my brother about those two - Crystal and Mundo. He's someone you don't ever want to face - after you've hurt anyone in his family. Now, multiply that by ten when it comes to Sylvia or his children. I guarantee you this - that's exactly how he sees them. You really, really need to be sure about this."
"So what are you saying, I should just give up on my family?"
"Of course not. Just don't play games - be sure this is what you want - that she's what you want. If she is, find out what's going on with your wife. No one should know her, better than you. So if you get her back-..."
"I'm not worried about that - I can get her back anytime, because I do know her better than anyone."
"Is that right; if that's so, you know why she was hitting you then; do you?"
Victor stared a moment and then looked away, "I know what I have to do to get her back, that's all I'm saying."
Jake gazed at him a moment, not too sure of him suddenly, "What if she's at a place in her life and doesn't want you back, then what?"
"Crystal loves me - I know she loves me. I'm doing all I need to do to get her back, and I'll even make up for the rest, I just need to talk to her. You have their number out there, so I can call her?"
Jake stood a moment more, reflecting, thinking. "You know what, if she really wanted to hear from you, she would have left you that information. Since she didn't, I don't think I'm going to get in the middle of that, sorry."
"You're kidding right? She's my wife! She has my sons with her, I'm their father, I have a right to know where they are, how they are, that is my right!"
"If you'd been playing your cards right, you'd have that number. Or, better yet, they might not have even gone there. They're in good hands, it's only a week and a half. Once she returns, you'll have plenty of time to win her back."
"So ... you're not gonna give it to me?" Victor asked incredulously.
"No, I'm not, now if you'll excuse me, I have business across the road to see to and then I'll be off. As for you, come back week after next."
Clearly pissed off, Victor stormed to his car, jumped in slamming the door, and kicked up dirt tearing out of there.
His mother had come and gone, bringing him a thousand dollars. He couldn't believe it, even though it was his own money, he still couldn't believe it. She stressed, "Give Vivian shopping money to fix up that little apartment, its a woman thing, we can't help ourselves. Don't start her off to thinking she can't have a little money here and there to do what comes natural to us."
"All right, all right, all right, thanks mom, I'm heading out. I love you." He kissed her forehead before jumping into the SUV.
"Love you too - you drive carefully in your brother's car."
"Of course I will, see you tomorrow!" He drove off, leaving her behind talking
to the builders, noseying into what they were doing. Now that she was there, he didn't doubt it for a moment that she would be vocal in what had better be done right. Asking them question after question. He hit the highway at 2:30, stopping off where Shawn had referred him in the past, went in, bought what he was looking for and back on the road again, he made it into Chicago by 6:00 going straight to the apartment. Upon entering it, the place was clean as a whistle, with the TV going and lights on. He took his bag into the bedroom and noticed that on the bed, was her shorts and his threadbare shirt. He sat his bag down and looked around the room and went into the bathroom, all of her things were in the shower, on the sink and vanity. Lovely fragrant perfumes that told him loud and clear that a woman lived there. He smiled.
"Now where are you lil'girl?" He asked out loud, then thought of Sheila. She thought he wouldn't be there until 9 that night and was no doubt by there visiting with her, and so of course without hesitation, he headed directly over there. Only to find that she was off shopping with Sheila. Laughing, Dennis invited him in talking about it.
"Man her lip was a mile long, cracked me up. Vivian and shopping, like a kitten with a ball of string, leave'em to it. Sheila felt sorry for her because you told her oopsoon that goddamn spending, which is only right. So, feeling sorry for her, Sheila took her bargain shopping, for deals, mark downs and discounts to buy stuff to decorate with."
"Man, I feel like a cheap wad. I brought her some money to go shopping, let me call her and tell her I'm here, so she can come and get it."
"Man, leave'ah leave'ah - she be ah'ight - ain't gone hurt her to learn to keep within a budget. Man, you better learn now, start the way you intend to carry on. You start out handing them money straight away to shop on, when times get hard, they gone still expect that. Let her learn to shop for a deal."
"I guess, but - I wasn't trying to play hard ball or anything."
"Man look, its good to say no sometimes, ain't gone hurt her. You puttin' your foot down about that, I'm surprised you letting her stay here and work out this final notice after what that Dr Chan pulled, that sonofabitch done lost his mind."
"What'a'yah mean?"
"The other day, he went up to that bank trippin' on her. Made it out like he was gone kill her and then kill himself. Took this little piece there, had her sitting in one of the offices, convinced she about to die, that he gone shoot her, he pulls the trigger and it turns out to be a water pistol. Man, he scared the straight up shit out of her, that's why she put in that damn notice! Fuck that - she need to get her ass up out'ah there for he go one step further and next time, it be a real gun. I'm surprised you lettin' her stay there."
Jake sat once more, in total disbelief.
"This happen the other day when she was here, I called here to talk to her?"
"Yeah."
Jake shot to his feet, "She is going to drive me up the fuckin' twist! I knew something was wrong! Telling me, she just missed me - I could hear it in her voice that something was wrong!" Angry now, Jake looked to Dennis. "Where can I find him?"
"Look man, screw his lil'chinese ass! Make her give up that job and get her ass away from here to Wisconsin."
"You think I'm gonna let that little fucker get away with that shit?! No fuckin' way! I do that, what the fuck does that make me?!"
"Man, Jake - you don't need that shit man! He a doctor, he got money, if there be any trouble, you gone get the shit."
"Dennis do you think I give a fuck? What kind of man let's another pull that with his woman and does nothing? I can tell you now, I find him, he's gonna need that piece again, but the real one this time."
"Look look look dude, we know you the man - shit - for real! But you gettin' ready to start a family, you don't need that kind of shit startin' out. Skip that - get her ass - go - that's that."
"I wasn't raised that way Dennis. I did that, I would never be able to look my father in the eyes, my brother in the eyes."
"Man, you not your father, you not your brother."
"But I'm a goddamn McPherson, we don't - work that way. Look, I'm gonna get out of here, pick up something to eat - get back to the apartment - she'll be home soon." He stated heading for the door.
"Man, don't make me regret telling you that shit."
"He needs to understand - that as far as she's concerned, its over. It's done. As much as she'll be wanting to come back and forth here, I can't have him thinking, he can do anything he wants to her without consequences for the act. He screwed over a good thing and lost - it's time to accept that."
Leaving Dennis, Jake was boiling, his mind going into crazy - angry scenes of retaliation. The act committed by Laek Chan as far as Jake was concerned, was a blatant disregard for him and who he was. Vivian belonged to him now. She was his. To commit such an act was as much as Dr. Chan standing in his face and calling him out, daring him to do something about it. And even if that wasn't what drove him to do it, the fact that he had was all that mattered. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. The scenario started playing in his mind and along with it, all the what if's. One primary, what if the gun had been real. What if there had been something other than water in the pistol. At the worst, she could have been killed, at the least she could have been horrifically injured or disfigured. Because he was not standing up and being the man his father had raised him to be, he was jeopardizing her safety.
"You sonofabitch! You sonofabitch!" With every moment that he drove, his temper climbed. His fury rose to such heights tears gathered in his eyes. Flashes of his father, flashes of Shawn went through his mind. All the fights they'd ever had - all the things they'd done to make those who dealt with them aware, with a McPherson, you do not cross. And more so than anyone, not their women ... not their women. It was a law that had been branded into each of them. Jake kept seeing his father's face. Seeing another time, long ago - after Shawn and Derrick had left.
"Boy, your brothers are gone now, you the last. I'm lookin' at you and thinkin' I bes' take my girls to school myself - don't think you got what it takes t'see about'em. You tell me now, you got what it take? You know, you don't let nobody - nobody - ever think, they can mess with our lil'girls - not ours. You understand that boy? Either you got it boy, or you don't."
"I got it!" He'd returned fiercely.
"Ain't too sure. You're not Shawn are you, can't really expect you to be like him, just not in you. Nobody fear like they fear him. Personally, I think you too pretty, too soft, think I'll be needin' to watch over you, like I do my girls."
With flaring nostrils he swore, "They fear Shawn, they'll fear me even more."
"Em, we'll see; we'll see."
A surge of adrenal rage shot through Jake as he drove, it forced him to pull over and park the SUV. He wasn't out on a rural lane where he could release what he was feeling by gunning his engine, speeding down back roads until the sensation abated. He was in the city of Chicago and there was no space to stretch out and just drive to run it from his system. He sat a few moments gripping the steering wheel, envisioning Laek Chan and beating him to a pulp. He had to shake it, and sat back in the vehicle to calm down, taking a few deep breaths, looking around him, he was parked in front of a Chinese restaurant, and the irony of it made him chuckle and calm a bit, just a bit. Cutting the engine, he jumped out and ordered them food. He was hungry, maybe eating would help him to calm down.
He made it back to the apartment, she still wasn't home. Setting the food on the table, he grabbed a plate, fixed himself one and began eating, but his mind would not rest from Laek Chan; would not rest from what he'd done. Done to Vivian - Vivian washis, his lil'girl, she was going to be his wife. That alone, made her hands off to anyone. She was now, not only his, but the entire family's. She belonged to Bart, she belonged to Gert, she was Sylvia's best friend, Shanna was crazy about her, and Shawn thought the world of her. She'd met Derrick and Meribel - she was almost completely, a family fixture. And all of the family knew - she belonged to him. It was a silent code tha
t he was responsible for her. He could not let this pass. He could not allow anyone to step within the law established by being a McPherson - he could not. It would be easier to get a starving dog to ignore a savory t-bone steak left alone with it, than to get Jake to shake this from his mind.
He'd been eating slow, thinking, when he heard the keys jingling, the sounds of packages and her hustling to get inside.
"Jake? You here? I dropped Sheila off and Dennis said that you were here." She asked, setting down her things and walking through the short hall into the kitchen. She was smiling when she walked in, but one look at his face and the smile slid from her's. The whole time she'd spoken to him, entering the house, not a word had he said.
"Jake? Are you mad because I went shopping? Let me tell you now, all of that stuff, I got-..."
"Fuck - shopping! Think I give a shit about you going shopping?" He barked angrily, standing at the table suddenly, "Here, wanna fuckin' go shopping..." He pulled out his wallet and tossed hundreds of dollars at her, two flicks of his hand, two bunches of bills flew across the table, some landing on the floor. "There! Go shopping!"
"What's wrong with you? Where'd you get that money?"
"What's wrong with me?! I can tell you now, it's not you shopping - nor is it about money! What happened at work the other day? That same day I called you! The day you were at Sheila's! The day I fuckin' knew something was not right in your voice! What happened that day?!" He demanded.
Vivian gulped, with wide eyes she stood staring, seriously afraid of what she was seeing. She couldn't speak, words were trapped in her throat, lodged deep within her chest.
"ANSWER ME! WHAT HAPPENED THAT DAY!?" He bellowed furiously, his anger was right back at the top again.
"You've been talking to Dennis?"
"Talking to Dennis, to Sheila - that's the only way I get to find out what the hell is going on with you. So now, you tell me, what happened that day?"
"Since you've spoken to Dennis, you already know, no sense in me going over it with you again." She stood with her stomach gripped in nervous tension.
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