by Ward, Vivian
“Did you see who did it?” he asked as he tore into his pancakes.
“No, they did it while I was sleeping, but last night was different. I saw someone but I couldn’t tell who it was.”
“What were they doing?”
“I don’t know. All I could make out was someone—a guy, I think. He must’ve already spray painted the house, I guess. I yelled at him and he took off.”
“What’d you say?”
“I got his attention and asked what he was doing. He didn’t answer, though.”
“And you couldn’t tell who it was?”
“No, I’m ‘fraid not.”
“I still don’t understand why you’d think I’d be behind stuff like that. It’s so…childish.”
“Well, it seemed to happen after you’d pay me a visit and I’d refuse an offer. I figured maybe it was your way of retaliation for me not taking the money and getting out of here. Now, I’m not so sure who it is.”
“For the record, to set things straight between us, I would never do something like that. I know I can be a pain in the ass, and I can be a bit…persuasive, but I’d never stoop to childish acts or racial slurs. Hell, I felt guilty for saying the n-word to you over the phone.”
“I’m sorry for thinking you were behind all this, but if you’re not doing this, who is?”
“I don’t know,” he thought for a minute. “Did you tell anyone about us having dinner or when I’d stopped by?”
Now I had to think back. “Not that I can remember.”
“And did anyone say anything bad about me coming to service with you on Sunday?”
“No. I mean, some of the members were a little…surprised to see a white man attending our service, but my congregation isn’t racist. They’d never shun away someone trying to get closer to God, regardless of color.”
Jeff looked as though he was in deep thought. “I don’t think it’s anyone from your church or any of your friends. It has to be someone from the city; someone who really wants you out.”
“That’s why I thought it was you! I’ve been saying and thinking this all along.”
“So we’ve got to figure out who, from the city, would want you gone more than me. Because Judy, I promise, I had nothing to do with any of those things. I also didn’t prank myself,” he joked.
Natalie had finished eating and was heading for her room.
“Where are you going?” I stopped her.
“To get dressed so we can plant our garden,” she replied.
“I think we’ll have to wait. It’s supposed to rain,” I lied. I hated lying to her, it was something I’d never done before. She glanced out the window.
“It doesn’t look like it.”
“A storm front is supposed to roll in fast this afternoon. The news said we were under warning for a flash flood. I think we better wait a few days.”
Her facial expression turned to anger before she stomped down the hall.
“What was that all about?” Jeff asked.
“She wanted to go plant our garden, but I told her we can’t.” I looked down at the floor, “I did something I’ve never done before. I lied to her.”
“What’d you tell her?”
“That it’s supposed to rain and we’d have to wait a few days. I can’t let her go outside and see the house spray painted. She’ll ask questions and I don’t want to scare her. As soon as I figure out a way to get the house painted to cover it up, I’ll take her out there.”
“Let me make some calls. I can probably have a crew here today or tomorrow.”
“No, Jeff, I can’t come up with the money that soon,” I told him.
“I’ll take care of the expenses. I feel like it’s my fault and I insist on helping you out.”
“It’s not your responsibility. I’m going to ask the church if a few people can come over with ladders to help paint.”
“No, I want to keep this quiet. If word gets out that you’re being vandalized, it might give others the idea to join in on it. When I was at city hall the other day, I overheard a man who was applying for a business license to start his own company. He said he does painting, tuck pointing and the like. I’ll ask the clerk what his name is and see if he’s available.”
“Thank you, Jeff. You don’t have to do this, but I really appreciate it.”
“It’s no problem at all,” he looked deep into my eyes. “Now, I’d like to talk about us.”
Us? I don’t know if I’m ready to talk about us. “That’s not necessary.”
“Yes, Judy, it is. When I first met you, I have to admit, I only saw you as a challenge.”
“A challenge?”
“Yes, I saw you as a challenge; someone in the way of my development in this town. But as I’ve gotten to know you, I’ve become very attracted to you. You’re gorgeous—inside and out.”
I could feel myself blushing. “Flattery will get you nowhere,” I laughed.
“Hear me out. I’m not flattering you. I’m being quite honest. Now I know that Natalie has been…difficult to say the least, but she’s a gem. She’s very smart and pretty like her mom and from what I’ve heard, she’s quite talented.”
“From what you’ve heard?” Who’s talked to him about Natalie?
“Yes. I don’t know if you realize this or not, but ninety percent of the time, you’re bragging about her abilities. She’s a great kid.”
“Thank you,” my face was heating up. If it wasn’t already red, it would be soon.
“Judy, what I’m trying to say is that I’d like to date you exclusively.”
“I don’t think that’s wise. Look at what’s already happening to us. If this is only the start, I can only imagine things getting much worse.”
“See, that’s the difference between other men and me. I don’t care what the other people say, and I’m not intimidated by their actions. Judy, I promise, I will keep you and Natalie safe. You’ll never have to worry about anything.”
I studied his face. He meant what he was saying. This tall, well-built, handsome man wanted to take care of us. And what he was saying was true. Jeff wasn’t your typical guy and he wasn’t easily intimidated. But I was. I was raised, and lived in, a society where blacks often lived in fear. Around this area, the white people outnumbered the colored people by far. And if one of the white families didn’t like you or had beef with you, your family paid the price. In my small town, you learned to stay on your side of the tracks, or suffer the consequences. Those were the consequences Natalie and I were experiencing now. I should’ve known better than to get involved with a white man, especially one of his social status, but I couldn’t help myself. When I’d first met him, I was repulsed by him. He’d shown me an entirely different side of him; one that was the polar opposite of the front he puts on. And then there was Natalie. She wasn’t fond of me being with another man. The night we went out for dinner, she was….unsettled, and on the verge of a meltdown. She, unlike the rest of the town folks, could be handled; though, Jeff already knew that she was a challenge, just like the racial divide in the community. He was ready and willing to take it all on, head first.
“Where do we start?” I asked.
“First let’s get the house repainted, and second, let’s work together to figure out who’s behind all of this.”
“What will we do if, and when, we find out?”
“I’ll make sure they’re dealt with accordingly. I think you’ve underestimated my power and authority. In the past, I may not have been a part of this community, but I’m here now. And that’s what matters the most.”
“Thank you, Jeff.”
“For what?”
“Restoring my faith in humanity, and making me believe that everything doesn’t have to be divided by color.”
He smiled at me. “Judy, there’s one code I’ve always lived by and that’s to never take shit from anyone.”
“Sounds like a pretty good code,” I sat next to him. “I need to go check on Natalie for a minute. She wa
s pretty upset about not planting the garden today. Will you wait here for me?”
“Sure,” he paused. “Judy? I just thought of something.”
“What? Do you know who did it?”
“No, but I was thinking. We both know that the city council is going to vote yes on the development in the next couple of months. When they do, you and I both know that you’ll lose your house.”
“What’s your point?”
“You might not be able to harvest your garden at the end of summer.”
I slumped down in the chair. “I hadn’t thought of that. Oh, she’s really going to be upset if we don’t plant it at all. We do it every year,” I looked up at him. “It was something Thomas and I started before she was born. It always helped us save so much money on groceries.”
“That was my point exactly. Why don’t you and her come to my house to plant a garden? I have a huge backyard and I can get all the supplies you need. Maybe she can even grow me some tomatoes,” he laughed.
“Are you sure?” I couldn’t believe the generosity of this man. For someone who wanted this eminent domain to pass no matter the cost or sacrifice of my family a few months ago, he’d done a complete turn around.
“Absolutely, and when you ladies are finished gardening, you’re more than welcome to take a dip in the pool,” he put his hand over mine.
Wow. This was the first time I’d been touched by another man since Thomas passed away. And it was his first time ever touching my skin. It felt good. Guilt coursed through my veins as I thought about Thomas. What would he say if he knew another man touched me? What would he think about me liking it? I slid my hand from underneath his.
“That’s really sweet of you. I’m sure she’d love it. I’ll bring her in here so we can tell her together.”
I could feel his eyes on me as I walked down the hall to Nat’s room. On the outside I was smiling, but I had a whole other set of emotions and thoughts on the inside. She was busy drawing when I walked into her room. I studied her paper and noticed she was sketching the area where her dad died. I tapped her shoulder. Startled, she turned around and looked at me as she jumped.
“Sorry,” I signed. “Jeff and I would like to talk to you. Can you come in the kitchen, please?”
“No.” Confused, I looked at her before she went on. “He can’t talk to me. He doesn’t even know sign language. What do you want?”
“Natalie, that isn’t nice. You come out to the table. I’m not going to tell you again. Jeff has some good news for us.”
She stood up, rolled her shoulders forward and pouted her way into the kitchen before she plopped down in the chair.
“What’s wrong with her?” Jeff asked, apparently keen on the fact that something was wrong.
“She’s upset because I told her that we wanted to talk to her and I made her come in here.”
“But why is she upset? She really hates me, doesn’t she?”
“I don’t think she hates you. She said that you can’t talk to her because you don’t know sign language. I think she’s bitter that you’ve been hanging around so much and we’ve been doing a lot together. She probably thinks you’re trying to replace her dad.”
“I would never try to replace her father. He was a wonderful man who loved her more than anything on the planet. There’s no way I could ever compete with him.”
I began signing to Natalie, repeating the words Jeff had said. She shrugged her shoulders.
“That’s not good,” he commented. “Tell her about the garden and the pool. Maybe that’ll cheer her up.”
“Natalie, look at me,” I grabbed her chin, lifting her eyes to meet mine. “Jeff said that we probably won’t be able to harvest the garden because they’ll start tearing everything down for the new apartments and shopping center.”
She threw her hands in the air out of frustration and started signing. “Then what’s the point of even planting it?”
“That’s what we wanted to talk to you about. Jeff said we can plant a garden in his backyard. He says it’s plenty big for a garden, and he’s got a swimming pool. We have permission to swim in it any time we’re over there.”
“Really?” her grim facial expression seemed to lift a bit. “We can swim anytime we want?”
“Yes, but he wants you to do something for him. He wanted to know if you’ll grow him a tomato plant. Will you do that?”
She frantically nodded her head and jumped out of the chair before she ran back to her room.
“Where’s she going?”
“Um, I think she’s getting her stuff ready to go to your house.”
We both laughed for a minute. “Natalie will come around. She’s a great kid. You and Thomas did well,” he commented.
“Thanks. But I must warn you, she was most excited about going swimming at your house. I think we’ll be there a little more than you expected.”
“That’s fine by me. I love spending time with the two of you.” He stood up and hugged me. I drank in the smell of his cologne. It was rich, clean and smelled delicious. His solid arms were wrapped firmly around me, and to be honest, I never wanted it to stop.
Chapter 7
Natalie and I had a wonderful time planting our garden at Jeff’s house. I couldn’t believe how big his house and yard were. Judging by how well manicured his front and backyard were, I’d bet he hired a grounds man to keep it up. When we got there, I suggested a small patch over at the far left side of the pool, near the shrubs. Jeff helped us carry all of our supplies into the gardening shed and asked his maid to make us all drinks. Much to my surprise, he wasn’t afraid to get dirty. He helped Natalie and me until dinner that evening, and thanks to him, we were able to finish planting everything in one day. His maid prepared a delicious meal for us, which we ate before we headed back home.
We were still working on trying to figure out who’d been vandalizing my home and who’d made the phone call to him. Jeff hired the contractor from city hall, who completed covering up the spray painted portion of our house. Relieved that I could finally take Natalie outside to play, we were enjoying a relaxing Monday afternoon in the front yard. As we were sitting under the shade trees, I heard the phone ring inside the house.
“I have to get the phone,” I signed to Nat as I scurried out of my chair.
“Judy, are you busy?” Jeff asked as I answered the phone.
“No, we were sitting outside. What are you doing?”
“I’m on my way back from lunch. My morning was filled with going over business proposals and plans, but I had a question for you.”
“What is it?”
“I was wondering if you would start teaching me sign language. Natalie said I couldn’t talk to her because I didn’t know how, and I got to thinking about it. She’s right, I should be able to communicate with her. Will you teach me?”
Speechless, I was unable to answer him for a moment.
“Judy?”
“Yes, sorry, I’m here. Sure, I’ll teach you, but there’s a lot to learn. You won’t be able to really talk to her or hold a conversation with her until you learn most of the basics, which will be time consuming.”
“I figured as much. Listen, I don’t have much time, but I was thinking that maybe I could come over in the evenings after she’s in bed so you can teach me. I want it to be a surprise to her.”
“Oh, she’ll love that! Yes, I’ll teach you. When did you want to come over?”
“I’ll come over tonight.”
“Okay, I’ll put on a pot of coffee and make sure the outside light is on.”
I made sure I got that outside light fixed after I caught the guy in my yard the night my house was spray painted. Someone obviously had it out to terrorize us, and I was taking every precaution that I could. Hopefully it would deter whoever was behind everything, or it would help me catch who was doing it if I could see them. That night when Jeff came over, Natalie had only been in bed for about ten minutes, but she didn’t normally get out of bed once she was dow
n for the night.
“Where do we start?” he asked, eager to learn.
I must admit, his heart’s in the right place. Maybe this will show Natalie how much he cares about us. Learning sign language isn’t as easy as you’d think. The slightest hand gesture can change the entire meaning of something you thought you’d said, which could be bad depending on what you signed.