“Why don’t you?” Mercedes asked.
“Claude is so old-fashioned. He said no woman of his is going to work. He wants me at home.”
“Some women would kill for that chance.”
They started to jog while Venus explained. “Yes, but I think not working robs you of your desire to grow and utilize your gifts and talents. I love kids and my job wasn’t so much about the money, obviously because I wasn’t getting paid a whole lot, but it was rewarding.”
“You can always come and help me out dealing with those childlike models I have to play mother to. Those girls are so dang immature. I need to run an agency for mature, plus-sized models. Maybe then they’d show up on time and confirm their appointments and not be such prima donnas. These girls will cancel a booking if they break a damn nail.”
“You’re so silly, Mercedes.”
“I’m serious. I’ll hire you. Just say the word and it’s done.”
Venus declined. “No thanks, but I think I am going to work on a volunteer basis for some worthy cause that helps kids who are terminally ill or who have AIDS.”
“That’s nice of you, Venus. We’re doing a benefit for the homeless at church if you want to help our committee. We do it every year and it brings in a lot of money for shelters and medical care organizations and food resource centers.”
“Now that, I’d love to do,” Venus said, looking inspired.
“What do you say we do about twelve laps? That’s a few miles,” said Mercedes.
“I’m game,” Venus replied.
After about twenty minutes, they slowed their pace down to fast walking. A couple of women walked by, leaning in toward each other after giving Mercedes the once-over. Their attempts to muffle their voices wasn’t working. “Hey, isn’t that Mason Wilson’s wife? She’d better stay out here if she wants to keep that fat from chasing away that man of hers. She doesn’t look as young as she used to.”
Mercedes’s head followed their movement as they passed. “What the hell did you just say?” she belted out within a split second of their comment.
“Excuse me?” one lady asked, looking like she was interrupted.
Mercedes put her hands on her hips and turned back to face them both. She began to blink a mile a minute. “I overheard what you said, with your scrawny self. You need to put on a few pounds from what I can see. Shoot, I will hurt you up here in this park. You need to work on your whispering skills, or could it be that maybe, just maybe, that comment was meant to be heard?”
Both women stopped a couple of yards away. “No, ma’am. I apologize if I offended you. It was a private conversation.”
“She’s sorry,” said the lady’s friend. “She meant no harm.”
“Well, harm was taken.” Mercedes walked on at a slow pace. “Venus, let’s go. My own people doggin’ me out while I try to walk along the same trail in the same park that I’ve been walking in for most of my life. People never cease to amaze me.”
Venus tried to console her. “Mercedes, just ignore them. You look good and more importantly, Mason likes you just the way you are.”
“I ain’t about to lose my ass for no stranger who thinks that sexy is what they see in Elk and Glamour!”
Venus agreed. “I’m with you on that.”
Mercedes took a deep breath. “Now that I’m all worked up, I’m going to go right on over to the Serving Spoon restaurant for some grits, chicken sausage, cheese eggs with onions, and biscuits,” Mercedes said out loud toward the two women as they walked down the track. “Come with me. My treat and then I’ll bring you back.” She looked back at the ladies again. “People made me work up an appetite. I’ve gotta work hard to keep all this wagon I’m dragging. And besides, you could stand to eat a little anyway,” she said, looking at Venus’s slender hips.
Mercedes got back in her car and noticed the missed calls on her cell while Venus got in the passenger seat for a ride. She called Mason immediately.
“Sorry I missed your calls. Baby, can you believe these two so-called ladies, sistas, had the nerve to insult me at the park today. Talking about how I need to work at losing weight to keep from losing you.”
Mason spoke in a low tone. “Baby, I’m sorry that happened but Star started her period today.”
“And then when I confronted them they were all apologetic like… What did you say?”
“Our baby started her period?”
“When, in school?” Mercedes asked, with her eyes opened the size of quarters.
“No, in the car with me on the way to school.”
“Mason, no. How is she?”
“Just come on home, baby, she needs you. I see there’s no one quite like Mom,” Mason admitted.
She looked at Venus. “See, this is what life is all about. I’m on my way,” she told Mason.
She dropped Venus off at her car and said her good-byes.
That weekend, Mason went to church with Mercedes and the kids. Mason got a chance to sport his new charcoal Ralph Lauren suit. And Mercedes wore the off-white mandalay dress given to her by the designer, Marc Jacobs. Rashaad tried his best to wear his suit, but he always seemed to leave his jacket at home and his tie in the car. And Star looked sweet, wearing her new peasant dress she and Mercedes bought from Forever 21.
The Reverend pulled them aside after service. He excused Mason and Mercedes from the teenagers and took them into his private office. As soon as they sat down he hit them with a direct question. “Now what is going on with the two of you?”
Mason replied for the couple. “What do you mean, Rev?”
“I mean I’ve gotten word from the teen group that Star and Rashaad are withdrawn and nonsocial and I know that’s not like them. So I like to start with the parents and see if they know what’s going on. I hope you don’t mind.”
Mercedes commented, “No, I’m fine with you asking. I know Star has been a little defiant about her school plans.”
“Oh, really?” asked Mason.
“Yes,” Mercedes said. “And Rashaad is just moody.”
“That’s true,” said Mason.
The Reverend asked, “Where did he get that from?”
“Not me,” Mason replied.
“Not me,” Mercedes replied.
Mason said, “I thought moody means sometimes you feel good and sometimes you’ve got a lot on your mind. That’s everybody.”
“Why don’t we ask them?” Mercedes suggested.
“Why don’t we. I’ll be right back,” said the Reverend.
Star and Rashaad came inside looking like they’d just been arrested.
“What’s wrong, Mom?” asked Star. Cautiously, they took a seat around the Reverend’s desk.
“Nothing, dear. We just want to talk to the two of you for a minute.”
“About what?” asked Rashaad.
Mercedes explained. “About the four of us as a family. Your dad and I want to know what we can do to make things better.”
The Reverend added his comments. “And the first step is talking about what some of the concerns or issues might be. There’s nothing too deep for God’s arms to reach. I just want all of you to be able to communicate. Now I can leave the room if you’d like,” the Reverend offered.
“No, Rev, that won’t be necessary,” said Mason.
The Reveremd spoke directly to Star and Rashaad. “Or, if the two of you would prefer to come back another time, that’s fine too.”
Rashaad asked, “What do you want to know exactly?”
Mercedes replied, “How can we make things better? What, in your opinion, can be improved?”
Rashaad looked at Star. “Well, I don’t have any problems really.” And then he looked at the Reverend. “I just know that I worry about Cameron. He’s cool and everything and I know sometimes he feels bad coming by the house after Aunt Fatima got killed.”
“Has he told you that?” asked Mercedes.
“I asked him and he just plays it off.”
Mason was understanding. “
I’d understand if Cameron did still have bad feelings. I’m sure our home reminds him of her. And the same for Claude.”
Star added her thoughts. “I agree. She was killed on our own front porch and we act like it’s no big deal.”
“It was a big deal. It’ll always be a sad time but we have to move past that. There are memories of Fatima in our home that are good, too,” Mercedes added.
Mason spoke directly to the Reverend. “And we’ve talked about this before. We all had a family meeting and decided that we could handle it, but I see that it still needs to be discussed.”
Rashaad added, “I’m fine, I just worry about Cameron.”
“That’s commendable. And what else? What about you, Star?” asked the Reverend.
“I want the four of us to have a normal life and be together. Sometimes I hate being the daughter of a famous man. That’s all I have to say.” She crossed her arms in her lap.
Mason looked concerned.
The Reverend spoke up. “Okay. That’s something that needs to be looked into further. Is there anything else? Not that that’s not a lot right there.”
Rashaad looked at Star again who simply stared at her own hands. “No, that’s it,” he said.
“Do you think that you worry a lot?” the Reverend asked Rashaad.
“No,” he replied, shrugging his shoulders.
“Do you think you are as social as you could be?”
“Yes,” Rashaad answered again.
The Reverend summed it up. “See, I always believe in talking things out. Every concern is valid if one feels that it is. What I think we need to do is pray on it, and then the four of you need to continue talking and verbalizing your feelings. Rashaad’s concern for his cousin shows a great and healthy level of caring. And Star’s obviously very loving. She desires something that she feels she does not have. That needs to be worked on.”
“Rev, I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but we’ll work this out amongst ourselves. Thanks for getting us together for this discussion. Your time is much appreciated,” Mason said, sounding very formal.
“No problem at all, Mason. Now let’s all hold hands and bow our heads and pray.”
Venus waited for Claude to come home while she checked on Mattie to see how she was adjusting to her new surroundings.
“Mattie, can I get you anything?” Venus asked. “I’m about to hit the sack.”
“No, baby. I’m fine.”
“How’s your room? Is your bed comfortable?” Venus asked.
Mattie sat on her bed stroking the sheet with her flat hand. “You know, these white cotton sheets are just like the ones I used to use when the boys were little. Somehow, white sheets make you sleep better, you know?”
“I agree with you on that.”
Mattie buttoned the last couple of buttons of her pale flowered sleeper and then unbuttoned them again, looking down toward her knees. “And that Mason was always off with his dad, running up behind him, wanting to do and be everything his dad was. I always wished I had a daughter to help me with all that laundry and those dishes and such. But, I know how men are. They are the breadwinners and we do the domestic stuff.”
“Yeah,” Venus said, standing over the bed, smiling.
“One day, I’m going to move back into my house and you can come over and stay with us. When you met Claude he never brought you over much, but we knew about you,” Mattie said to Venus, settling into her bed.
“I was never around that far back, Mattie.”
“Oh yes, you used to wear that yellow and green sundress when we went to the functions at church back then. I always liked your long hair and beautiful skin. I always told Claude how pretty you were. You’ve always been nice to me.”
“Thanks, Mattie. You’ve always been nice to me too. Well, you sleep tight.” Venus turned on the side lamp and turned off the bright ceiling light.
“And don’t let the bed bugs bite, right?” Mattie asked, looking up at Venus.
“Right. You wouldn’t want that. See you in the morning,” Venus said, starting to close the door.
“See you in the morning, Fatima.”
Venus froze. She looked straight ahead, closing the bedroom door in slow motion. She pulled the door tight to make sure it shut all the way, and then leaned her back against it. Mattie was just mixing things up, she told herself. But the bottom line was, Mattie had fond memories of Fatima and missed her very much. Mattie thought Venus was Fatima all this time. Fatima was part of her mother-in-law’s memories, not her.
During sex with Claude that night, Venus was fairly quiet, once again feeling as though she was being watched while her husband did his business with her for what seemed like forever. His drenching sweat dripped onto her hair and into her eyes. It stung as it hit her eyelids. The room was spinning with each pound of his mid-section against hers. After about forty-five minutes, Claude was finally done and he dismounted only to succumb to the exhaustion of his grinding. He crawled off of her and onto his side of the bed.
She turned on her right side to lay behind him. She looked at Claude’s back while he snored, recalling her mother-in-law’s words. She could not get Fatima out of her head. Finally, she gave in to shutting her heavy eyelids. Yet she tossed and turned every couple of hours, all night long, waking up hot and sweaty, trying to find a comfortable place and peace of mind.
The next morning Venus awoke to Claude phoning from his car just as she had finally fallen into a deep sleep.
She snatched the phone from its base and he spoke. “Baby, I was showing a house today and met this housekeeper whose sister is a live-in nurse. She’s in between gigs and available if we need her. Why don’t you give her a call and interview her?”
“Okay,” Venus said, her eyes still adjusting to the light of day.
“Her name is Gloria Sanchez. She lives in Inglewood so she’s close. I’ll call back and leave her number on the message center.”
She squinted her eyes, realizing it was nearly ten o’clock. “Is she supposed to be a live-in for us?”
“No, you can handle most of the hours. We just need her around maybe five hours per day.”
“What about at night?”
“Mom sleeps well at night,” Claude said as if he knew.
She sat up. “Claude, sometimes she gets up and wanders around, you know.”
“Yes, but never enough to interrupt anything.”
“She could get into anything, like turn on the stove or even leave.”
“I thought that’s why we left the alarm on.”
“It is.”
“This housekeeper suggested those locks at the top of doors so Mom can’t get them open. You’ve been doing fine with her, right?”
“Yes, I have. But she needs to have her bedding changed, stuff like that. Sometimes she wets herself, and she just needs a lot of attention.”
“That’s what this woman would be for.”
Venus suddenly felt wide awake. “Claude, I want to go to night school over at West Los Angeles and take some notary classes or volunteer for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. So I think we need her at night, too. Maybe even live-in.”
“It’s up to you, Venus. Just get in touch with her and check her out before she accepts another assignment. Make it open-ended, and don’t offer her more than ten dollars per hour.”
“That’s only like fifty dollars per day.”
“That’s all housekeepers make,” he said.
“But we don’t need a housekeeper. We need a trained nurse and they get paid more than that, honey. Especially if she lives in.” Venus heard people talking in the background.
“Baby, I have to go. Just get going with it and let me know.”
“I will. I’ll call her today,” Venus assured him.
“Good girl. I’ll see you later tonight at dinner. Gotta go, bye.”
“Love you,” Venus said.
Chapter 12
After hiring Gloria, Venus was able to focus on planning dinner herself so s
he invited everyone to their home for Sunday dinner. Her lavish gourmet kitchen opened up into a huge room, which included the breakfast nook, dining area, kitchen, and den.
“Hey, Venus. Look at you, getting down with a serious meal,” said Torino, walking in the den entrance with Sequoia, hand in hand. “I hope you don’t mind that I brought Sequoia.”
“Sequoia is family anyway. Hey, girl, how are you?” Venus and Sequoia kissed on the cheek.
“I’m doing fine. What can I do to help?” Sequoia asked.
Venus pointed to the counter. “Maybe you can rinse that lettuce and throw together this dinner salad. Just a few tomatoes and shredded carrots.”
“You got it,” she said as Torino went into the den to talk to Claude and Mattie.
“Hey, Mom. Good to see you,” Torino said, taking a seat on the sofa next to his mother.
Mattie told him, “Hello, boy. You walked in here smiling like you got an A on your homework.”
Claude pointed toward Sequoia. “That would make me smile, too.” He gave Torino a high-five.
“I should have known you’d be happy to see me with anyone but Colette.”
Claude chuckled. “Man, you’ve got to admit, she was a case study.”
“If you’d just have let me handle that on my own. I knew it wasn’t gonna last,” Torino said, looking relieved.
“All is well. I see you’re smiling now.” Claude leaned in to whisper, “I thought about that myself one day.”
“You did, huh? With Sequoia?” Torino asked.
“Yeah, back in the day. But Mercedes wouldn’t let me get near her back then.”
“Me, too. But more than that, Sequoia wasn’t game either,” Torino admitted.
Claude told his brother, “I see no one’s blocking right now.”
Torino leaned back and stretched his arms out. “No, man. Not now.”
“You know what I think?” Claude asked as though he had a valuable answer. “I think these ladies start getting older and then start thinking twice about the standards they’ve set for the perfect man. Their list of thirty turns into a list of three. Breathing, working, and hung.”
“And sometimes just breathing,” said Torino.
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