by Bailey West
They hugged.
“Elisa this is my lady, Averie Patterson.”
My stomach dropped a little with his introduction. We had discussed titles, but this was the first time he’d introduced me to anyone using my title.
“Averie, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“The pleasure is mine, Elisa.”
She opened her arms for a hug, and I stepped in to hug her. She hugged like a grandma, really tight with the added back rub. I wanted to rest my head on her shoulder, but the hug didn’t last that long.
“Come on back, JD would love to see you.”
We followed her through another door and found Pastor DeLucas sitting behind his desk.
“El!” He said as he stood from his desk. “I was happy to see you out there today.”
They embraced.
“This is Averie, my lady. Averie this is my friend and mentor, James DeLucas.”
He extended his hand, and we shook.
“Averie, you won Roc’s case, didn’t you?”
“I was on the team. It was a team win.”
“She won it, JD. Don’t let this humble appearance fool you.”
“I know,” JD smiled. “Have a seat.”
We sat down on the couch across from Pastor JD and Elisa. Samuel and JD did most of the talking. Elisa and I added here and there.
I heard the name Zanetta, and it made me sit up.
“She and Roman are going to be visiting soon. I would love it if we could all get together.”
“Zanetta? Bluette?”
“Yes,” Elisa smiled. “Have you met her already?”
“Zanetta Bluette from Houston?”
“Yes, she is our niece.”
“I love her! I listen to her podcast all the time! I didn’t know you knew her, Samuel.”
“Xavier is her brother.”
“Shut up! Now that you say that, I can see the resemblance! Wow! Saint Louis is so small! I also follow her fashion blog.”
“I’m always calling and asking her for fashion advice. Especially when it comes to the trendier things,” Elisa said.
“I know, right? She has a great eye for fashion.”
“We are having dinner with Averie’s family, so we have to get going.”
“It was nice meeting you Averie,” Elisa smiled and reached for another hug. I was more than happy to oblige.
“It was my pleasure.”
Samuel
Averie gave me directions to her parent’s home. They lived in a part of the County I hadn’t been to in years. It wasn’t too far from where I lived when I was arrested. She pointed me to the blue house on the right with the cars in the driveway.
I grabbed the flowers from the backseat I’d purchased for her mother and the bottle of cognac I’d purchased for her father. We walked to the door, and Averie used her key to enter. I followed her down the narrow hallway to the back of the house. Along the way, we walked past pictures of Averie and her sisters from infancy to the present. I saw Averie in her royal blue dress at prom hugged up with some clown-looking dude. I smiled at her pictures chronicling her journey of losing her teeth. She smiled brightly in each picture with at least one tooth missing per photo.
She has the same smile.
“You had a mouth full of metal,” I whispered when I saw several photos of her in braces.
“We are comparing adolescent pictures, head-mo-lotty?”
She’d seen some of my pictures as a kid at my mother’s house. She didn’t mention it then, but I guess she’d noticed my head was rather robust before I had a growth spurt.
“I grew into it,” I whispered back.
“Basically,” she looked at my head then into my eyes. “Momma!” she called ahead.
“Ahhh, bet. You’re paying for that one,” I laughed.
“We are in the kitchen, Vee,” a familiar voice responded.
We turned the corner and found her sister Keeva and a beautiful woman who I assumed was her mother. She had flawless, wrinkle-free caramel skin with big luminous eyes like Averie. She wore her hair in a shortcut as well but not shaved like Averie. She rushed to Averie and gave her a hug.
“I’m so glad we had that talk,” Averie’s mom whispered to her.
“Me too, Mommy.”
She looked around Averie and locked eyes with me. I smiled and moved forward.
“Mommy, this is Samuel Valentine. Samuel, this is my mother, Estelle Patterson.”
I handed her the multi-colored tulips I’d purchased for her.
“Are these for me?” She said beaming.
“Yes, Ma’am. Vee said you had a green thumb and could make flowers last for weeks.”
She accepted the bouquet from me.
“I can, and I adore tulips. Thank you, Samuel. It’s nice to meet you.”
“The pleasure is mine, Ma’am.”
She gave me a hug.
“Hey, Mr. Valentine! How are you?” Keeva smiled.
“I’m good Keeva. How are you?”
“I’m having regular bowel movements and orgasms. The two most important bodily functions, so I would say all is right in my world,” she responded.
“Keeva!” Mrs. Patterson scolded.
I held in my laugh, but Averie laughed.
“Mommy, he asked. Was I supposed to li…I mean tell a story?”
“I have no idea where these girls get these vulgar mouths from.”
Averie and Keeva coughed at the same time while looking at their mother then chuckled.
“Whatever! Averie, go find your father and Kerem and introduce them to Samuel,” her mother instructed.
“Yes, ma’am.”
I followed Averie to the basement of the house. The basement was set up with a pool table, a dart board, old brown leather couches, and a large television mounted on the wall. Two men were sitting watching sports. The younger of the two seemed familiar, but I couldn’t place him. The older gentlemen looked like a male version of Averie, so I knew he was Mr. Patterson.
“Hey, Daddy.” Averie went and hugged her father. “Hey Reem,” she hugged the younger man also.
“This is Samuel Valentine. Samuel, this is my father, Wendell Patterson. This is my brother-in-law, Kerem McDaniels.”
I shook both men’s hands.
“Mr. Patterson, Averie told me you are the one who taught her about cognac, so I brought you a bottle.”
I passed the bag to him. He pulled out the box, and his eyes lit up.
“This is the Magie Noire XO. They don’t make this anymore.”
“I have a connection. I hope you enjoy it.”
“Oh, I will,” he smiled. “Have a seat.”
“I’m going back upstairs to help mommy,” Averie said.
I winked at her before she turned and left me downstairs with the men.
“I recognize your face, Kerem. How do we know each other?”
“I am the manager of Commons Bank.”
“Oh, right. We had the conversation about my accounts. I’m sorry we couldn’t work together on that.”
“I completely understand your position on your banking needs. I respect how you are handling them.”
“Thank you. It was ingrained in me by my father and by my mentor to try to keep our money in our community as much as possible. So, I stick with black owned financial institutions.”
“I understand. I believe it’s important as well.”
“Come on Cards!” Mr. Patterson yelled at the TV. One of the Cardinal players had missed a catch and caused two runners to reach home.
“How did he miss that?” Kerem slapped his leg.
“Are you a Cardinals fan, Samuel?” Mr. Patterson asked.
“I used to be a die-hard Cards fan, and I still like them, but I am a Charlotte Stars fan.”
“The Stars? The last World Series must have been hard for you then. The Cardinals swept them, right?”
“It was four games to one.”
“Right, how did you start following them?” Mr. Pa
tterson asked.
“I started following them when I purchased part of the team.”
“You own the Charlotte Stars major league baseball team?” Kerem asked.
“I do, along with a few other men. I own the second largest percentage of the team.”
“Congratulations. There aren’t many black men out here owning major sports teams,” Mr. Patterson said.
“Thank you, Sir. I’m not the majority owner, but I am close.”
We sat back and watched more of the game before Kerem spoke.
“How would you classify your relationship with my little sister, Samuel?”
His question caught me off guard. I was not used to people who I didn’t know asking me personal questions, but I quickly remembered that he was her family and had the right to know my intentions.
“She’s my lady, my girlfriend.”
“How would she classify you?” Mr. Patterson asked.
“I don’t know if she would say ‘boyfriend’ because the term is juvenile, but we are exclusive.”
“What made you come to the decision to date exclusively?” It was Kerem’s turn again.
“It was my idea. I have strong feelings for her. I have since I met her, and they have only intensified since then. She deserves to be with a man that will only focus on her. I am that man.”
“Do you have any children?” Kerem asked.
“No. No children.”
“That you claim, or period?” Kerem shot back.
“Period. If I had children, I would certainly claim them.”
“Any ex-wives?” Kerem sipped from his glass waiting on my answer.
“No, I’ve never been married, or engaged.”
“Why is that?” Mr. Patterson chimed in.
“Well, I’ve never met anyone that I was willing to take that next step with. I’ve worked hard to build what I have, and now I work hard to keep what I have. Most women don’t understand that hustle.”
“You think Averie will?” Kerem asked.
“I know Averie does. My hustle is nothing compared to hers.”
“You’ve been around Vee long enough to know that she is strong-willed, bull-headed and tough. But, she is also meek, caring, soft and compassionate. I need for you to understand both sides,” Mr. Patterson explained.
“I’ve experienced both. She’s not a pushover. She didn’t just invite me into her life, I worked to get here, and I don’t plan on going anywhere.”
“That’s good to hear. The last thing I want is for some man to use my daughter as a masturbation toy. She is a woman. A brilliant, intelligent, sophisticated, woman. If you are coming to enhance her then good. If you are with her to try and tame the wild stallion, you are sorely mistaken. She won’t be tamed.”
“Mr. Patterson, Averie is all of those things you named and more. I’m fascinated by her. She can be or do anything that she puts her mind to and honestly, I want to be the guy in the back to throw the cape over her shoulders when she’s done.”
“I hear you. I like you. You seem to care for her, and that’s all a father can ask for.”
“Welcome to the wild world of being with a Patterson woman,” Kerem chuckled.
I’d never had a conversation like that with a woman’s father, but I was impressed that we had. A lot of men would see a guy with money and prestige who dated their daughter, and they would disregard the man’s character because he had money. Not Mr. Patterson, he laid it down to me. I appreciated that.
We chatted about sports and the news until Mrs. Patterson called us up for dinner. I followed Kerem to the guest bathroom and washed my hands then found my seat next to Averie.
Mr. Patterson said a quick prayer over the food then we all began eating.
“This roast is delicious, Mrs. Patterson.”
“Thank you, Samuel. I was going to shorten your name to Sam, but Averie told me you don’t like that nickname,” she replied.
“No, ma’am. I don’t. My mother gave me the nickname El because it was the end of my name, but I later found out my biological father’s last name is Elkanah. My mother was actually calling me my father’s last name.”
“I didn’t know that,” Averie smiled. “I thought Sam was a buster name and you didn’t want people calling you a buster.”
The table laughed.
“Is your father still alive?” Mrs. Patterson asked.
“Yes, ma’am. He is currently incarcerated. You may have heard his story, Reggie Elkanah?”
“I remember. He was part of a group of black men who were protesting police brutality and the over-policing of the black neighborhoods down in the Ville. Man, I wanted to be one of them so bad, but my father threatened my life, so I never went down to join up. They say he murdered a cop, but they know he didn’t pull the trigger,” Mr. Patterson explained.
“Yes, Sir. They have solid proof he didn’t pull the trigger, but they got him on conspiracy to commit murder, and then they got him for evading arrest.”
“So, that’s your father?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Now, you went to jail for a crime you didn’t commit too, right?” Mr. Patterson said.
“Yes. I plead guilty to murder, but I was innocent. The system is set up to jail innocent people. I was acquitted on all the charges once I had the proper representation.”
“That had to have been horrible,” Keeva shook her head.
“There is not a word strong enough to describe the level of hopelessness and despair found in the prison system. Prisoners become the forgotten population; disregarded human beings. Some prisoners are guilty and are paying for one thing they did at probably the lowest time of their life, for the rest of their life. Some prisoners are innocent but once they are jailed, they have to take on a guilty mentality to survive. You don’t hear about people after they’ve been put away. You don’t hear about the strides prisoners make to better themselves even though most of them will never get out of prison and if they do, it’s a seventy-six percent chance they will go back. The news doesn’t report on new programs for rehabilitation to reduce recidivism because there are none. It’s a place I wouldn’t wish on anyone.”
“How would we manage crime if we didn’t have prison systems?” Kerem asked.
“The prison systems aren’t managing crime. They are making money off people who are housed in them. The more inmates they have, the more money they make. The crime rate doesn’t go down because a city or a state erects another prison. We manage crime by offering more opportunities to people in the areas where crime is the worse. We put more money into our public-school systems, so the kids in the projects and on public assistance have access to the same opportunities as the kids in the lower crime areas. We pay our public-school teachers salaries that make them want to work and change the world. We pay them, so they don’t have to get a side hustle and then be too tired to teach the children the next day. That’s how we begin to manage crime.”
“I agree. That’s why we do the event every year because if we can offer just a glimmer of hope to an otherwise hopeless situation then maybe we can save someone,” Averie said.
“That’s why I became a lawyer, so I could help people who find themselves in the same position as I was. Then I had to beg this beautiful woman to help me when my brother was being charged. After several rounds of pleading, she finally agreed to help me. I wouldn’t have won the case without her.”
“Don’t say that! You would have been just fine without me.”
“No, I’m positive I would not have been. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” she smiled.
Dinner continued with random conversations and stories. Mrs. Patterson culinary skills were five-star restaurant worthy and her baking skills were even better. She baked a pineapple upside down cake that I had to force myself to stop eating. It was moist and sweet.
Averie
Dinner with my parents went well. Both my parents told me they like Samuel. I knew they would. Samuel talked about inviti
ng my dad and brother to a Stars home game soon. They both would love that.
I hadn’t seen Samuel in person for a few days. We both had been busy, but we took out time at the end of the day to FaceTime. We’d planned on seeing each other before he left on his two-week business trip, but I didn’t think that was going to happen because he leaves tomorrow, and I was swamped. He’d invited me on his trip, but I couldn’t leave now. With Countee investigating my firm, my associates scrambling to get back on the winning side and me trying to get my clients back that left, I was barely sleeping at night. I’d spent several nights in my office trying to correct everything.
I thought tonight may be a repeat of nights past, where I’d slept on my office couch. I’d had a meeting with one of the clients that left the firm, and he said he would come back if I was the only one that handled his affairs. Caroline worked on his case previously. I looked through some of her notes and got upset all over again. I can see why he left! She didn’t do half the things she was supposed to do for the client.
“She didn’t do anything!” I’d said out loud even though everyone at the firm had left hours ago.
“You know it’s a sign of mental illness when you talk to imaginary friends, Counsellor?”
I quickly looked up and saw Barry standing in my office. He looked like he’d been asleep for several days in his wrinkled black business suit. His hair was not in the perfectly coifed style he usually wore. Instead, it hung loosely in his face. His blue eyes were bloodshot red, and his skin was flushed.
I pushed back from my desk and stood to my feet.
“Barry!” I tried to sound calm even though I’d begun a mental inventory of what I had close that could be used as a weapon. “What are you doing in my office! How did you get past security?”
He squinted his eyes and studied my face before answering.
“You really are beautiful. Did you know that? You could have had anything you wanted from me.”
My heart started beating wildly.
“Barry,” I continued to speak in a calm voice. “Why are you here? How did you get up here?”
“The security guard wasn’t at the desk. The elevators were unlocked, so I took it as an invitation to come up.”
He stepped closer. I stepped back.