Gina lowered her sunglasses to make it no secret she was ogling the naked legs that came out of Roni’s khaki shorts. Summertime had its benefits.
Roni giggled at Gina’s leer. She still made her feel sexy even when she had doubts. “You’re too much.”
Gina returned the grin. “You look great, sweetheart, a tiny piece of birthday cake won’t completely derail you.”
“It was that good?”
“You know Early excels at baked goods, which is ironic given that he can’t eat them.” Gina looked at the house as if she were analyzing its contents. “Despite that, I doubt Monica drove all the way here just for his cake. Something else is going on with her.”
“You’re so suspicious, Detective DiCarlo.”
“Is it wrong that I still love it when you call me that?”
“Nope. But do you love it more than that?” She pointed to the new chronograph watch on Gina’s wrist.
Gina eyed her present from Roni. It was hands down one of the nicest, and most expensive, gifts she had ever received. She even had the back engraved, Protect and Serve, Love, R. Gina swore that she would only ever take it off for one of the three S’s: sleeping, showering, or sex. “Do I have to—”
“Roni!” Early interrupted their flirty banter from the kitchen window, his pastel polo shirt made him an easy visual target. “Monica wants her cake.”
“For God’s sake,” Roni grumbled under her breath then handed Stevie a truck he was pointing to. “I better go in and keep the peace.”
A familiar and unpleasant odor wafted towards Gina. “We should go in too. The questions is, do I change Stevie’s diaper before or after I put him on her lap?”
Roni cocked an eyebrow. “Now, who’s being passive-aggressive?”
***
“It’s about time.” Monica abruptly stopped the conversation she had been having with Steven and Early when Roni returned. “Did you bake a new one out there, Cookie?”
Steven could have sworn that he heard Gina’s knuckles crack after the question was asked. “I’m sure she got caught up with Stevie.”
“I was keeping Gina company while she changed his diaper.” Roni extended a plate with a piece of freshly cut cake to her sister-in-law, “Here you go.”
Upon watching his mother give Monica a piece of cake, Stevie toddled over to his aunt and decided to share, as well. He held up his toy to Monica for her to take. “Tuck.”
She pointed a judgmental finger at the toddler. “You’re not teaching this boy profanity, are you?”
“Absolutely not! It’s how he pronounces ‘truck’. It’s just like how you say ‘ax’ instead of ‘ask’,” Gina said, her patience rapidly vanishing.
Early saw that Gina was getting riled up, yet again from Monica’s needling. The first time had been when Monica suggested that Early and Gina share a big kiss for the camera. He grabbed her wrist and whisked her away before she could protest, “Gina, honey, let’s go downstairs and get some extra napkins.”
Monica nodded her approval of Early’s action. “Glad to see he can tame her,” she portioned off a piece of cake, “even if he does look like Carlton.”
After she was practically dragged down the stairs to Steven and Early’s lair of the home, Gina asked extremely irritated, “What the hell was that? Napkins?”
“You need to calm down.”
“I’m fine. I’m calm,” she said with her fists clenched at her sides.
“The hell you are. You look like you’re about to go ten rounds in the ring with her.”
Gina sighed and paced a small circle, hands on her hips. “She’s just so disrespectful to all of us, but especially to Roni. And, I’m sorry, but I don’t see the point in having her in our lives if all she’s going to do is make back-handed, judgmental comments about all of us.”
“Steven,” Early said seriously. “Steven is the point. We need to do this for him. He’s a great man and father, who doesn’t ask for much. We just have to play nice with her once or twice a year. Please just let the ridiculous shit she says roll off your back.”
Gina reluctantly agreed. “Fine. I’ll do it for Steven.”
Early reached out and put his arms around her. “Thank you.”
As Early and Gina reached the top of the stairs, they heard Stevie say, “Bye-bye.”
“Who goes ‘bye-bye’?” asked Early.
“Monica’s going to head out,” answered Steven, “she wants to get home before dark.”
“And there’s an errand I want to run before I go home.”
“Well, we’re happy you were able to come by.” Roni hoped that sounded sincere.
“Don’t you worry, I’ll see you again real soon, Cookie.”
Steven walked Monica the short distance to her car. “I’m sorry if Roni seemed a bit tense this afternoon. She’s been stressed out from work. The school principal did an end of the year party for some kids and not others and the parents are stilling complaining to her about it.”
“It’ll always be something,” she said sagely. “I need to run my errand now. I’ll see you soon.”
Steven had interpreted “soon” as Christmas, not ninety minutes later.
At the sound of the doorbell, Gina looked up from a practice cold case file her partner, Jack, had given her. Roni stopped washing the stickiness that covered Stevie’s fingers. Early paused before pricking his finger to check his sugars. Steven muted the Phillies game and sat up from his recliner in the living room to answer the door. Who in the world would be ringing their doorbell at seven o’clock on a Sunday?
Steven was surprised, to say the least, by the visitor. “Monica? Did you forget something?”
“We need to talk.” Her rotund form brushed passed him, red envelope in hand, and headed into the dining room where Gina was reviewing a string of serial muggings. “Oh good, Detective DiCarlo’s on the job. I think you can help me with a case.”
“What going on?” Roni asked while she held Stevie, still wrapped in a towel.
“I second that,” asked Early, as he came up from the basement very pleased he had not changed into his purple robe for the evening.
“Excellent, the whole family is here.” Monica waved the thick and colorful envelope she had in her hands before she dropped it with a thud on Gina’s case notes and file. She tapped at the small package with her long, bright pink fingernail. “I want Gina to look through these and see if she draws the same conclusion I did before I go about axing my questions.”
Gina cringed at the rudeness and pronunciation, but Early’s words echoed in her head. Do this for Steven. She organized her case materials and put them to the side so she could focus on the envelope. She removed its contents with an arched brow. “Pictures? You brought pictures?”
“One hour photo is such a fantastic invention. I’d like you to look through them and explain a few things to me.”
Steven sat beside Gina to examine the pictures too. “Monica, this is...”
“Strange?” suggested Early.
“No stranger than the fact that you know more about Diana Ross than I do,” Monica retorted causing Early to gasp.
Stevie found the whole conversation to be dull and found amusement in a grabbing a fistful of his mother’s hair.
Roni shifted Stevie to her other hip where her hair wasn’t as available and stood over Gina and Steven’s shoulders to view the photos. “These are from today,” she commented in surprise. Roni plastered a fake smile on her face. “Thank you for bringing them over. Now Stevie can relive his party at bedtime.”
“I don’t think that was her motivation for coming back here,” Gina concluded, as she finished skimming the pack of photographs. There wasn’t one picture of Stevie. Not of him covered in cake, playing with his new toys, or sitting in his sandbox.
“Why aren’t there any pictures of Stevie?” Roni asked innocently.
“Because there were more interesting things going on.” Monica pointed with her fluorescent nail at the picture Gina curr
ently held in her hands. “Early, do you mind explaining to me why you are smiling and gazing up at my brother like that?”
Early saw that in the picture he was smiling broadly and sappily at Steven. Without missing a beat, he replied, “I thought I had spinach in my teeth.”
“Mmm hmm.” Monica was not convinced. “Go to the next one, Gina.”
Gina went to the newest picture without taking her eyes off of Monica. When she saw a self-satisfied smirk develop on Monica’s face, Gina looked down to see the image that had been captured. It was a picture of her blatantly staring at Roni’s backside while Roni had bent over to pick up wrapping paper.
Early pointed at the photo and shouted, “Oh my god! There’s a bee on her ass!”
“Early, don’t bother,” Gina said with resignation. “What do you want us to say?”
“I want to know the truth,” Monica demanded of her brother.
Steven rapidly flipped through the remaining photographs. “Let’s talk outside, Monica.”
“No! I want to know here and now what kind of sick house you are raising that little boy in.”
Roni’s urge to stay a genial host had vanished. “This home is not sick and you have no—”
“Shut up, Cookie!”
“That’s it!” Gina rose from her place at the table and rounded it to stand face to face with Monica. Roni retreated and tried to comfort Stevie who had started to cry from the aggressive tone and higher volume.
“Gina, let’s calm down.” Steven took a light hold on Gina’s upper arm.
“No. I’m not going to calm down. I’m sick of being told to calm down. I don’t care if she’s your sister.” Gina stared down Monica. “You have no right to come inside our home and treat us this way.”
“Or you’ll what?” Monica taunted.
“She’ll hand you your own fat ass.” The response from Early diffused the situation enough where all eyes turned to him momentarily. “I probably shouldn’t have said that.”
“Monica, please, wait for me on the porch,” Steven directed, as he tightened his grip on Gina’s arm.
Monica didn’t take her eyes off Gina. “No, I want to—”
“Monica!” Steven raised his voice. Steven never raised his voice. Ever. “You need to go outside right now.”
“Fine. We can go outside,” Monica pointed at Gina, “just keep her in the house.”
Once the harsh tones died down, Early peeked out the bay window and waited until Steven and Monica were settled on the porch. “Okay, what the fuck just happened?”
Gina rubbed at the massive handprint on her bicep. “I think we all know what just happened.”
Roni came back in the living room with Stevie’s head buried in her neck, still scared from the tension. She saw Gina massage her arm and dark eyes begin to water. In the six years they had been together, Roni had never seen Gina so angry she was near tears. “Baby, are you okay?”
“I don’t know,” Gina replied honestly. Her best friend of ten years had just physically restrained her from attacking his sister and it happened in front of her godson at his birthday party. “I need some air. I’m going to go in the back.”
Early waited until she left before he shared with Roni, “I kinda wish Gina would have punched her.”
“No, you don’t.” She thought about the scenario more thoroughly. “Okay, maybe you do, but that would have made things even worse. At least this way, things are repairable between Gina and Steven.”
“You have a point there.” He caught an animated Monica out of the corner of his eye. “I wonder what he’s saying to her?”
Steven sat on the steps while he thoughtfully rubbed at the weekend stubble on his chin. “I’m sorry you had to find out this way.”
Monica paced and pointed accusingly at Steven. “I don’t know what I’m more sorry about: that there was something to find out or that you’ve introduced that little boy into this house of sin. I’m almost happy Momma isn’t of sound mind anymore and doesn’t have to know. Or am I wrong about that too?”
“Mom doesn’t know. Never knew. The last time I saw her she thought I was Dad.”
“Oh, and I bet he’s spinning in his grave over this. His only son a faggot.” She stopped in front of him. “What’s Cookie’s family think?”
“They don’t know. I don’t know what would be worse from their perspective, that Roni is married to a black man or that she’s gay.”
Monica could not grasp the convoluted situation or the gross immorality of it all. However, she had a solution. “Steven, all you need to do is pray. You just need to pray harder and this’ll go away.”
“I don’t need to pray harder and I don’t want it to go away. There’s nothing wrong with me. The problem isn’t with me or my family,” he pointed to inside the house. “We work hard, love one another, and see that Stevie gets everything he needs. The problem here is with you.”
Monica stepped away slowly. She didn’t know if it was his confidence or the calmness in what he had just said that she found to be more disturbing. “Then I’ll do the praying for you. Until you come to your senses, I want nothing to do with you.”
Steven watched with a mixture of sadness and resentment as his sister drove away. His father was dead, his mother had no recollection of who he was, and now his sister wanted out of his life. He turned into the house and went towards Early’s waiting arms.
Early held Steven close. “Are you okay, big man?”
“I don’t know. In a way, I’m relieved. I knew that this day was coming and now it’s over. But that’s why I feel terrible too. Where’s Gina?”
“Out in the back. Roni just went out with her a minute ago.” Early shifted nervously as he worried if his partner would accept his apology. “I’m sorry about what I said. You know, about Gina handing Monica her ass.”
“No, you’re not,” Steven smiled sadly. He turned when he heard the sound of the back door close. Roni was carrying a very sleepy Stevie. The drama of the past half hour had given him an emotional crash too. “Is Gina in a good place to talk?”
Roni nodded. “Yeah, she’s better now.”
Steven gave Stevie a kiss on the forehead then headed out to the yard, grabbing two beers out of the refrigerator on his way.
Gina had her back to the house and the sound of a can opening behind her brought a small smile to her face. She knew exactly who it was. “Hey, Steven.”
“Hey, yourself,” he held out a can and sat beside her on their picnic bench. “How’s your arm?”
“Sore, but my fist would probably be in more pain if you hadn’t held me back.”
They sat side-by-side taking sips of beer in comfortable silence as they watched the sun start to set and listened to the sounds of early summer: neighbor kids playing, crickets chirping, someone mowing their lawn.
“How did it go with Monica?” Gina asked before drinking again.
“About what I expected. The only thing I’m sorry about is that Stevie will miss out on that side of the family—unless Jem and Keziah decide to stay in touch. They might be able to form their own opinions. Unless Monica officially brainwashed them.” He kicked a Wiffle ball at his foot. “The only thing she said to me that really stuck in my craw was that Dad would be disappointed in me.”
“Well, that’s just bullshit. You protected and served your country, now you protect and serve your community. You have a son named Steven, who you are an excellent father to. I think he’d be proud of all of that.”
Steven sipped and grinned. “Don’t forget that I married a gorgeous lady.”
“How could I ever forget that?” There was an uncomfortable pause before Gina sighed and dared to ask, “Are we good?”
Steven draped an arm over her shoulder. “Yeah. We’re good.”
FOUR MONTHS LATER, OCTOBER 1997
“MR. TASKER LED ME TO believe that you would handle this,” shouted the irate parent across from Roni’s desk.
It took all of Roni’s willpower not to ca
ll her principal a “fucking moron”. “You were misled. I cannot suspend the student who did this, because the incident occurred off of school grounds and after the bus safely dropped your son off at his bus stop. I’m sure if you take your son and the pictures of his bruises to the police, you will have no problem filling charges and obtaining an order of protection. In the meantime, I will see what I can do about doing section changes to their schedules.”
“Fine!” He stood abruptly and snatched away the photo of his twelve-year-old son’s bruised face. “I’m going to talk to Mr. Tasker about this later,” he glanced at her nameplate, “Veronica.”
The way he said her name in such an undermining tone caused her to rise from her desk and meet his glower. “Please address me as Ms. Fields and sign out with the secretary before you leave.”
Before he left her office, he had one final insult, “I suggest that if you want the same respect as Mr. Tasker, you look the part.” The door slammed shut in his wake.
Adrenaline surged through her veins. Roni violently grabbed the hacky sack confiscated from earlier in the day and threw it at the closed door. “Asshole redneck,” she muttered after the toy hit the door was a quiet thud.
The audacity that man had to say that she wasn’t professional. She reached for her can of Diet Coke only to remember that it had been empty for the past thirty minutes. She found her stash of quarters from the inside of her desk and took the fastest route to the faculty lounge, seething along the way.
“What happened to you?” asked the track-suited P.E. teacher, who was enjoying his magazine and the rare quiet of the lounge.
Roni fed the machine its quarters and punched the button only to be informed it was out of Diet Coke. “Argh.” She slapped the front of the machine. “What makes you think something has happened?”
“Well, for one, you’re boxing with a soda machine and two, you have a Cheerio stuck in your hair.”
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