by Pat Simmons
“If it is, you can warm it up in the microwave,” Cheney advised her eldest son.
Ace couldn’t eat. He was getting his fill of Talise. “You look pretty. Thanks for coming.”
“Don’t flatter yourself. I’m not here for you. I’m interested in the games, and I plan to play undisturbed.” The warning in her eyes said she meant it.
He didn’t want a repeat of their last argument. Ace would bide his time, but she was on his turf and he wasn’t going to let her leave until they talked. Regardless of the game tonight, she would be on his team.
Their vibes had been strong from the first day they met. He was depending on his closeness to unnerve her. Ace wanted Talise to recall all the good memories between them. He only wanted one thing from God—and that was to restore his relationship with the mother of his child.
He tried making small talk. “Do you still crave sweet-n-sour chicken wings?”
“No. I eat healthy now.”
He glanced at the veggies on her plate and the chicken fingers, which weren’t exactly healthy. But it was a party with party food. “Do you have any cravings now?”
“Yeah, sweet potatoes,” she replied then lowered her voice. “Ace, we can’t just pick up as if that Friday night never happened. You hurt me and I’m really uncomfortable sitting next to you, knowing how you threw me away.” Her eyes misted.
“I know I handled that badly, and I’ll always regret that. But I came to your apartment that Friday night to profess my love. When you told me your suspicion about the pregnancy, I felt you had set a trap that you didn’t need to set. I was already yours.”
Clinching her teeth, her watery eyes now shot daggers. “I told you I don’t need to trap any man,” she raised her voice.
“You sure don’t. I was a fool, baby,” Ace looked around. The children were busy eating, but the adults were feigning interest in their food. He didn’t care. He wanted her back.
Talise wiped her mouth. “I flew in to spend time with the ladies and play games with the family. After I fly back home, I won’t get on another plane until after the baby. Leave me alone.”
“I’ve done that once, I can’t do that again!” Ace snapped loudly, drawing everyone’s attention.
Papa P. cleared his throat. “Okay, children, you should be finished. Start to clear the table so we can begin.”
The little ones obeyed without an argument. Talise finished the last remaining carrots on her plate and downed the reminder of her milk. Ace offered her a refill, but she declined as Hallison took her plate and wiped off the table. Moments later, Malcolm began to spread an oblong board on the table.
“Talise, since this is your first time attending a game night, we decided to play ‘Tracking.’”
“It’s a fun way for you to learn about your ancestors and how to track them,” Cheney explained.
“Sounds like fun,” she said with a smile, seemingly eager to get started. “Besides my grandparents, I don’t know too much about my family before them.”
“Aren’t we doing teams tonight?” Ace was ready.
“Nope, not for this one,” Malcolm answered.
Ace sighed in disappointment. Lord, I could use some help here and not to play this game. I need to win Talise back.
“Before we start ‘Tracking,’ I’ll have my son share what he uncovered about Kidd and Ace’s side of the family. They’re actually my eleventh generation cousins and Parke, Malcolm, and Cameron’s twelfth,” Papa P. looked to Parke.
Talise sat straighter and rubbed her stomach. She seemed impressed already.
“Paki Kokumuo Jaja was born in December 1770 in Cote d’Ivoire, Africa,” Parke began by rolling his tongue to authenticate an African dialect. Ace rolled his eyes.
“Landing in Maryland, Paki was indoctrinated into servitude. Ironically, he was sold in front of Sinner’s Hotel for a couple of hundred dollars. The slave master’s daughter, Elaine, became his wife when they ran away together.
“The two adopted the name Jamieson after a Robert Jamieson, who helped them escape along the Underground Railroad. Kidd and Ace’s eleventh great-grandfather, Orma, was born in 1780.”
Parke slowed down, “Orma was the youngest son after Parker, Aasim, Sandra, and Fabunni. Orma had an interesting history. His name means ‘born free,’ yet he sold himself back into slavery for Sashe, a Kentucky runaway. When she was recaptured, Orma went with her, basically giving up his freedom to live with her in bondage.”
“You see, it’s in my blood, Talise. I’ll give up whatever it takes to be with you,” Ace whispered.
Turning, Talise gazed into his eyes. As they stared, silence reigned. Everyone seemed to be holding their breaths with him. When Talise broke eye contact with Ace, Parke continued. “Their children were Kingdom, Candy, Paradise, and Harrison.”
“Thanks, cuz.” Kidd picked up the story. “Kingdom named his firstborn King. For the next sixty years, the firstborn sons kept the name going with King II, III, and IV.”
“There won’t be any Kings in my family,” Talise said, joking.
“Don’t be so sure. I plan to have me a queen one day.” Ace dropped his voice to the lowest baritone God gave him. It was the only ammunition he could use in front of the children and his family to seduce her.
After a few more tidbits about Ace’s family tree, Papa P. suggested that was enough background information for Talise to digest in one night.
“Now, on to the game,” he explained. “It involves questions and answers. There are no losers. We pull a card and read the question. On the back, it contains generic information on how to find answers. We, the Jamiesons, prefer to share our personal experience.”
“Can I take a potty break first?” Talise began to scoot her chair back.
“Yeah.” Everyone chuckled.
Ace quickly stood and pulled out her chair, taking the opportunity to steal a whiff of her fragrance. “I miss everything about you,” he whispered near her ear.
Talise didn’t respond and headed to her destination. While she was gone, the family turned on him.
“Don’t blow this, man,” Kidd advised.
“Or you’ll live to regret it,” Malcolm added.
“She’s a hormonal woman scorned. Don’t play with her.” Cheney lifted a brow.
“If she doesn’t become my sister in-law, I am so through with you!” Eva hissed.
“Put your overalls on and be a man, son,” Papa P. chimed in.
“I know.” Ace rubbed his head in frustration. “I’m trying and praying.”
When Talise returned, Ace stood and pulled out her chair again, then gently pushed her up to the table. Kami shuffled the cards and placed the stack in front of Talise to start the game.
Taking the first card, Talise recited the question, “I’m at the funeral of a family member. It’s a devastating time for everyone. Should I engage my distant relatives about the family history or wait until another time?” Frowning, she took a few moments to consider her answer. “I would show sensitivity and wait.”
Papa P. shook his head. “Yes, to showing sensitivity. But always take advantage of opportunities to ask family members about their aunts, uncles, grandparents, great grandparents, maiden names, where they were born, how many times a relative married, and so on. Get as much information as you can. The next morning is not promised to us. When you bury a loved one, everything they know is buried too.”
“Hmm.” Talise pondered out loud. “Honestly, that would be the last thing on my mind.”
“Understandable,” Eva agreed.
The stack was moved to Ace. He pulled the next card and read the question. “Name websites a person can use from a home computer to get free information.”
“Ooh. I know.” Kami waved her hand in the air. “I know.”
Ace squinted at her. He debated if he could trust the little traitor. “I know the answer too.”
She pouted as her shoulders slumped. Talise shoved him. “Don’t be mean to her.”
&nb
sp; “Okay, go into the kitchen first and grab some more grapes, apple chunks, and crackers, please.” Ace bribed Kami with a grin.
Nudging Ace again, Talise scolded him, “If you want it, go get it yourself.”
“It’s for you, babe.” Ace wasn’t there for her earlier, but from now on, he would see that her needs were met.
When she blinked and relaxed, he knew his words had affected her. “I’m not about to play musical chairs when I get up to get something and come back and have one of these guys steal my seat.” He tilted his head toward the children.
After doing his bidding, Kami returned and dutifully placed the plate in front of Talise as Ace instructed her. Then he gave Talise an unwelcome hug.
Back at her seat, Kami recited her answers, “HeritageQuest.com, rootsweb.com, Familysearch.org, FindaGrave.com, Our Black Ancestry on Facebook …”
“Okay, show off,” Ace told her with a smile.
“I get straight A’s,” Kami answered proudly.
Almost everyone at the table said in union, “We know.”
The stack made its way around the table. Eva announced she was calling it quits after she pulled her card. “How can you track your ancestors from the 1850 and 1860 Slave Schedule?”
“I’ll take this one,” Cheney answered. “You compare the number of enslaved people on both censuses and carefully note their ages. They may be listed as Black or Mulatto. The larger number of enslaved people will give indication of how big the property.”
Cheney reached for her glass and took a sip of water. “Blacks were finally listed as heads of households on the 1870 census. Check to see if your relatives’ last name matches the slaveholder’s name in the same county. If there’s no match, check with the historical society or reference library in that county about any probate papers or enslaved people bills of sales. There’s more, but …”
“The end,” Eva announced.
Talise clapped and others joined her. “Wow. I’m so glad I came.”
“Me too,” Ace told her.
“Humph. Again, it certainly wasn’t for you,” she reminded him.
“Malcolm, can I use your home office for a minute?”
When he nodded, Ace didn’t waste any time pulling out Talise’s chair. Then he gently lifted her up out of her seat.
She screamed. “Ace Jamieson, you better not drop me! I will kill you if you hurt my baby.”
The children laughed at the entertainment as murmurs of “It’s about time” and “Girl, stay strong” circulated around the table.
“Our baby,” Ace corrected, as she gripped his neck, almost shutting off his wind pipe.
Once they were behind closed doors, Ace placed her onto the small sofa and sat next to her. She winced and rubbed her stomach.
“The baby?” Ace asked concerned. “I didn’t hurt him, did I?
“No,” she corrected him, smiling. “I prefer to think the baby is a ‘she.’ Evidently, she seems to know when you’re near. She seems to move when you talk.”
Ace longed to touch his child. “May I?” When she nodded, he reached out. Talise’s soft hand guided his to the right spot. He swallowed and teared at the miracle moving beneath Talise’s skin.
He bowed his head in shame. “I’m so sorry for putting you through this.”
Her fingers lifted his chin. The smile Talise gave him was tender and encouraging. “Ace, I’ve forgiven you. I couldn’t move on if I didn’t. I know you have trust issues in relationships, but I don’t. I go into a relationship, trusting and believing. We’re at two different places now.”
She was too calm and understanding for him. A drag out argument would at least allow him to wrap his arms around her and kiss her. He loved kissing her.
“I want a man who will trust me and love me and receive mine in return. Minister Richard Thomas accepts me as I am—and my child.”
Ace grunted, twisting his lips to rein in his temper. He didn’t want his child to hear angry words. “Humph. If you think that great-grandfather of mine was crazy those eleven or so generations back, if you think he was insane for selling himself into slavery for a woman, then hold your breath, Talise Rogers. Love created our baby, a misunderstanding separated us—”
“That’s not how I see it. You separated us. Richard has already proposed.”
Chapter Fifty
Talise silently cried the next morning during her flight back to Boston. She had survived the looks, charm, and smell of Aaron “Ace” Jamieson. She had even resisted the temptation to smack him and didn’t give in to the seduction of the chemistry between them.
Minister Thomas was the type of man Talise could love and trust. Ace was the kind of man she could love, but was afraid to trust.
When her plane landed Saturday afternoon, she stopped by her ticket counter where Gabrielle was working. Did management think her friend was a work machine? Gabrielle deserved an award for top middle manager/supervisor/regular employee. Talise hoped God would bless her with a different job soon, although she would miss her friend.
“How did it go?” Gabrielle’s face lit up when she saw Talise.
“I was civil.” Talise chuckled. “When Eva warned me that Ace would probably be there, I had to pray. I wanted to go, but I wasn’t up to having a part two of our argument that started when he was here in Boston.
“All the way there, I kept envisioning myself as Bette Midler in that movie with Danny DeVito when she found out her husband tried to have her killed. She pushed him overboard.”
Shaking her head, Gabrielle smiled in amusement. She watched as a passenger glanced their way and then apparently changed her mind about approaching the counter and walked on. “How did it go with your heart?”
Thinking that over, Talise didn’t say anything. “Richard hasn’t stopped proposing to me since Ace stormed back into Boston …”
Gabrielle gasped. “Oooh, let me mark that down in my romance handbook.” She made an imaginary check mark sign with her pen and laughed.
“I know. He wants my baby—it will be our baby—to have a father at birth. I would never have to doubt his love, Gabrielle. You know Richard was dead set against me going to St. Louis. I repeated to him what you told me about having to deal with my baby’s father for a lifetime. He said when I returned, if I felt that I’ve truly moved on from Ace, then he won’t take no for an answer.”
“Don’t think I’m not aware that you purposely didn’t answer my question about how your heart was faring. Don’t you dare say anything! We’ll talk later.” Gabrielle turned and greeted a passenger. “Hi, can I help you?”
When she got back to her apartment, Talise was surprised to see the living room back in order. Myra’s furniture was gone and Lois was putting up leftovers.
“She had to go,” Lois said before Talise could ask. “I can only deal with messy folks for so long. That definitely was a bad idea. Talk about the Lord working in mysterious ways. I told her yesterday and she was out today.” Then, with a wide grin, Lois added, “But wouldn’t you know it, just like that—your rent is covered for months to come.”
“Thank God for my father. He knows that, besides my mandatory bills, I’ve been saving almost every dime I get for the baby. And my tithes, of course. Daddy has really been there for me. When did you hear from him?” Tired from her trip, Talise smiled a weak smile, removed her shoes, and rested her carry-on on the floor.
“I’m not talking about Mr. Rogers. It was Ace. He sent the money to me because he knew you wouldn’t accept anything from him.” Lois stared. “The man must be seriously trying to kiss and make up.”
Talise didn’t want to think in those terms. She had to fight her feelings. “No, he’s getting a jump-start on his child support payments, which I wouldn’t ask him for anyway.”
Sitting on Talise’s bed, Lois crisscrossed her legs. “Well, whatever you want to call it, he overnighted it when I told him why you had to stay at his mother’s for a few days.”
Whirling her head around too fast, Talise
steadied herself as she became dizzy. “You talked to him and didn’t bite your tongue?”
“Oh, don’t think I didn’t give him a peace of my mind, your mind, and the mind of every woman who’s ever been wronged. I made him throw in grocery expenses too.”
Pondering over everything Lois said, Talise knew Ace was never stingy with his possessions. God, I love them both: Richard and Ace. How do I know who would give me the greater love?
Greater love has no one than this; to lay down one’s life for one’s friends, God whispered in the wind, John 15:13.
Chapter Fifty-One
Ace was fuming as he gripped the steering wheel. There was no way he was going to let another man bring up his child—period. And nobody was going to marry Talise—but him—-period.
“So how long do you plan to keep driving home?” Kidd asked, as they began their road trip.
“As long as it takes. I’ll be able to fly soon—Hallelujah.”
“You do know there’s an easier way to handle this?” He waited for Ace to bite, but he didn’t.
“Your solution is in Hebrews 11:6. You’ve got to have faith in God’s abilities. Meaning, instead of taking matters into your own hands, give it to God. He’s the One who has control over everything. Trust Him to give you what you need.”
“How come I have a feeling this talk was planned?”
“Because I’ve butted out long enough. We could tell Talise still loves you, but if she’s anything like the Jamieson women, including my wife, she’s not going to make it easy to earn her trust.”
“You tell me to trust God, but if a man was trying to take Eva from you, you wouldn’t sit back, kick up your heels, and wait,” Ace challenged his brother.
Kidd took a long time to answer. “There’s no way another man would have come close to her, not even in that nursing home where a man tried to attack her. But since God saved me—and I do go to church and read my Bible—I’ve learned to kick up my heels, as you say.”
Ace didn’t want to hear that. “That night, months ago, I was prepared to tell Talise how much I loved her. She just threw me for a loop when she hinted there may be a baby involved.”