And I think our other issue was jealousy and him wanting to compete with me. He was envious of the relationships I had with my parents and my sisters. He would always tell me I was lucky I had good parents, because his mother and father had neglected him and had let him raise himself. His parents chose drugs over him and I think he almost resented the fact that my parents were there for me. Then there were other signs throughout our entire relationship. For instance, if I said I was thinking about going to the gym, then he suddenly got interested in lifting weights. If I said I was thinking about buying something, he would go buy the bigger, better version. We were having a lot of problems, and we finally went to counseling. I thought it would save us, because for a little while everything got good again, but it didn’t last. Then reality set in Phil would never get over the fact that another man had touched his wife.
So, after all the cheating and counseling, we decided to just get a divorce. We agreed on no high lawyer fees; we did a do-it-yourself divorce. It wasn’t like we were rich, and we didn’t have a whole bunch of possessions. The only thing we gained in our marriage was our house. Our house was a brick single-family home in Cheltenham. It was on a tree-lined street, with a big front lawn and a double garage. It was a few minutes outside of Philly, but it seemed like it was miles away. Our neighborhood wasn’t affected by the recession, and we were fortunate enough to have equity in our house. I wanted to stay in the house, but we both needed the money to move on with our lives. We were going to split the profit and then go our separate ways. My share was twenty-five thousand dollars, and with that money I planned to find a house to rent, pay my daughter Mercedes’s tuition for the year, get a nice used car, fix my credit up, treat me and the kids to a few things, and put the rest up.
In the meantime, while I waited to go to the real estate settlement, I got a temporary small apartment with a month-to-month lease and put most of my big things in storage. All of this divorce stuff was so aggravating. I regretted meeting and marrying my ex Phil. I regretted our big, expensive wedding. Had I known I would be divorced after only three years of marriage, we would have just said “I do” at city hall.
During the drive home I realized Geneva was right; the summer was almost over and I hadn’t been anywhere. My rent was due, but I could pay my landlord as soon as I got back with my next check. I needed to go on this trip. I called Phil to find out our exact settlement date. I hated his voice, the way each syllable came out of his mouth.
He didn’t say hello or anything. He just answered, “Yeah, we are going to the settlement sometime next week.”
“Okay. Well, I wasn’t calling only about that. I was making sure you were okay, too.”
“I’m fine. Yvette, don’t act like you like me or even care about me. When I get the exact date and time, I’ll call you,” he grumbled, and then the phone went silent. He was a nasty, miserable-ass man. That was exactly why I was happy. I wasn’t with him anymore.
I dialed my mom to see if Brandon and Mercedes could stay with her and my father for a few days. My father answered the phone, and I put on my baby voice, which had worked on him since I was three.
“Daddy, where’s Mommy?”
“She is in the living room. Why? What do you need?”
“I don’t need anything, Daddy. I was just wondering if maybe the kids could come over for a few days.”
“Uh, I don’t see why not. Sure, no problem. Where are you going?”
“Just getting out of town for a bit. You know, with the divorce and everything, Geneva thought it would be a good idea for us to get away and relax.”
“Yeah, that sounds good, and I’ll be home this weekend. Your mother won’t mind. You can bring the kids. We’ll probably get Nasir and Jewel, too.”
“Okay, I’ll bring them over now, because we are leaving first thing in the morning.”
Now that I had a sitter, it was time to leave Frank a message letting him know I wouldn’t be in tomorrow, and call Geneva back and let her know I was going.
I was now extra excited and began packing for my trip. I had so many things I needed to do. I had to do something with my hair, get a pedicure, go to the bank, pick a few things up from storage, and drop the kids off. I called down the hall to my son. Brandon was fourteen and was starting high school in a few months. He thought he was grown, but he was still part baby. He came in my room, smelling like an entire basketball team after practice.
“Go pack. You’re going to Mom Mom and Pop Pop’s for a few days.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m going out of town with Ms. Geneva and Stacey for a few days.”
“Man, I don’t want to go over there. It’s boring! Pop Pop’s going to be telling all those back in the day stupid stories.”
“You don’t have a choice. You can’t stay here by yourself.”
“Can I at least take my Xbox?”
“I don’t care. Take your game, but take a shower and get ready.”
My daughter, Mercedes, whom we all called Mimi, wouldn’t be as hard to break the news to. I could leave her anywhere as long as she had a few books to read, her skates, and a rope. Mercedes came in my room, bouncing and lively. She was very thin and smaller than the other nine-year-olds in her class.
“Mom, where are you going?”
“On a little trip with Miss Geneva.”
“Where are we going?”
“To Mom Mom’s.”
“No, Mom, please. I don’t want to go there.”
“Too bad. Get ready. I think Jewel will be there, too!”
“She will?” Her attitude changed a little, like maybe she could deal with her grandparents if her cousin was with her.
“And whatever you do this time, do not talk to her about Santa Claus not being real or her dad’s college.”
“Okay, Mom, but there isn’t such a thing as Santa Claus, and her dad is in jail, not college. Why does Aunt Crystal tell her that stuff, and why does she believe it?”
“Because she does, Mercedes. Just go get ready.”
I pulled up to my parents’ West Oak Lane home. It was a semidetached brick home. The neighborhood had changed a little, but it was still a decent area, where everyone worked, trimmed their hedges, and swept in front of their home. My mom came to the black iron security door. I could tell she was surprised to see us. I was tall caramel brown and shapely like she was, but I didn’t inherit her thick brown hair, which she kept flipped up at the ends.
“What are y’all doing here?”
“Daddy didn’t tell you? The kids are staying over for a few days.”
“Your father doesn’t tell me anything. But, of course, they can stay.” My mother reached her arms out to Mercedes and Brandon. Mercedes gave her a pathetic hug, and Brandon quickly patted her side.
We walked in the house that I grew up in. Everything was still the same: My parents still had the big black sectional next to the the wall unit that took up the entire wall, and pictures of all our proms hung on the wall. The pictures reflected a time when we had long ponytails, missing teeth, too many barrettes, and hadn’t quite grown into our looks. My dad came out of the basement. He gave me a quick peck on the cheek.
“Daddy, why didn’t you tell Mommy we were coming?” I asked.
“Oh, I forgot.”
“Brandon, your grandfather was just saying he was going to call you to see when you wanted to finish working on the planes in the garage,” my mother said.
Brandon looked over at me like, “Why, Mom.” I turned away, laughing to myself.
“Here is some money if they want to order a pizza or something,” I told my mom.
“A hundred dollars for pizza?”
“Yeah, Mom, and if they need anything else. Call me if you need me. Love y’all.”
“Yeah, bye, Mom,” Brandon shouted with an attitude as he lowered his eyes at me from the top of the steps.
Mercedes pouted, her lips poked out, and her arms crossed.
“Don’t worry about them. T
hey’ll be fine,” my dad said.
“I’m not worried.” I wasn’t worried. They could spend a few days with their grandparents while their mother had much-needed fun.
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What's His Is Mine Page 29