“I love you, Margo, and always will. I’m going to go and meet Angelica and Edward at the funeral home, and I’ll be right back when I’m done. I’m going to fix dinner for you tonight. So get pretty; I won’t be long.” He blew her a kiss and was gone.
Margo walked out of the shower, grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her. Wet hair and all, she walked into her bedroom, lay down on the bed and drifted off to sleep. Dreams began to invade her subconscious: she naked in Malik’s bed, deep in the passion of lust, and he partaking of her body as if it was his last supper. Then the dream switched to her and Jefferson: she giving him what she wanted him to have; and then wanting to give him more, except that the twinge of guilt edged its way in, cutting off the emotion that no longer let her be free. She smiled, though, as her mind revisited Jefferson making love to her. He was ravenous and greedy, devouring her body with joy.
Deep in her subconscious, she heard a phone ringing, angry that it sought to disturb her. She needed this time to rest, to relax her mind and shake her head out of the confused state it was in. Jumping this time, she sat up. Her cell phone was ringing, and it might be Jefferson.
Without looking at the caller ID, she answered, “Jefferson?”
“Jefferson? This is Malik, Margo. You haven’t forgotten already how special our day was, have you?”
“Malik…oh, I’m sorry. I had dozed off, and I guess the phone startled me.”
“How do you feel? I know how I feel—on top of the world. If I was with you now, I’d make love to you again.”
Margo listened in horror. What was she going to say to Malik? There were no magic words she could summon that would put an end to the catastrophe she had created. Courage to deal with it at this moment was lost on her, so she would have to do her best to keep Malik at bay until the right moment presented itself.
“I can’t talk right now, Malik. Jefferson is in the other room, and I don’t want to risk him overhearing me.”
“Have you decided when you’re going to tell him?”
“Tell him what?”
“Margo, what’s wrong with you? We agreed that Jefferson needs to know how we feel about each other. It’s only a matter of time before he knows for sure because, at this moment, I don’t want to be without you.”
“We’re moving too fast, Malik. I can’t just up and tell him out of the blue.”
“I’ll be there with you when you tell him. There is no way I’d let you do it by yourself. He might get violent.”
“Okay, let’s talk about it later. I need to get off the phone.”
“Can I see you tomorrow? You can come over to the house.”
“Tomorrow is not good. I’ve got houses to show all afternoon.”
“In the morning?”
“I’ve got a business meeting.”
“Margo, if it wasn’t for what happened between us this afternoon, I’d think you were trying to avoid me.”
“No, Malik,” she lied. “Tipping out on Jefferson was new to me. Vengeance isn’t in my blood.”
“You were tipping out on a no-good adulterer who still can’t keep his thing in his pants.”
“So what does that make me—a good adulterer? Malik, you’re not making sense.”
“What I’m trying to say is that Jefferson has hurt you time and time again. Even though he told you he was a different person, he’s still up to his old game. He hasn’t changed. He wants you to think that way because he has nothing left but you. If you weren’t there for him, his sorry ass would be out on the streets. I can’t believe he and I were once best friends.”
“What if Jefferson didn’t meet Angelica for what I thought?”
“You said yourself, you saw them go into the hotel. How much more convincing do you need? Look, sweetheart, I know that today was different and new for you because you’ve been a good and virtuous woman all of your life, but today was special in every way and we could have many more days like this. You would never have to worry about me cheating on you, ever.”
Margo sighed into the phone. “I feel…this was not right.” She wanted to say she felt dirty.
“The first time is always the hardest, but I promise that your second time, third, and on down the line will be nothing but ecstasy. I’ll let you go now. I’ll call you tomorrow. Sweet dreams.”
Margo shut the phone without saying goodbye. The right moment might never come but, for certain, she had to put an end to this nightmare sooner rather than later.
47
She thought there was going to be a reading of the will. All of Hamilton’s relatives had assembled at the funeral home. It appeared that all of the arrangements had been spelled out, down to the casket, services, and final resting place. Even the mark-up of the obituary was laid out regally. One of Hamilton’s nieces had a friend with a great deal of desktop publishing experience who created a fabulous memento of the deceased with fancy fold-out pages and pictures of each stage of his life. All this crew needed was the money to pay for it all.
Scrunching her face, Angelica, with Edward by her side, looked into the sea of greedy piranhas. They looked back at her with disdain but didn’t voice how they felt because they knew she had what they needed to make Hamilton’s home-going celebration one to remember. She could hear the individual whispers and see fingers pointing, ‘There she is…There she is.’
“Hello, Angelica,” Aunt Dot said, approaching Angelica from behind. Aunt Dot was Donna’s mother. Donna looked so much like her, but she had a lot of her father’s features, too. Donna’s and Hamilton’s fathers were brothers, both of whom were now deceased.
Angelica wanted to reach out to her and console her. Living the wild lifestyle as Donna did had probably put her in harm’s way. She wanted to tell Aunt Dot how sorry she was about Donna’s death and how much she appreciated Donna extending the offer for her to come to New York, although it didn’t pan out. Instead, she uttered, “Hello,” and offered a reassuring smile.
Aunt Louise moved in behind Aunt Dot, making sure no additional plans were being made without her knowledge. Aunt Louise was Hamilton’s mother’s sister and was the one who called herself being in charge of Hamilton’s celebration. She was a short woman who dressed to the gills, and in her hand was a lacey handkerchief; Angelica was sure it was for effect. Aunt Louise probably hadn’t cried one tear after finding out Hamilton had been killed.
“Angelica, glad you and your brother could make it. All we need is the insurance policy to make this happen.”
“Good to see you, too,” Angelica said to Aunt Louise in a sarcastic tone of voice.
Aunt Louise paid Angelica no mind and continued on with her instructions. Aunt Dot used the moment as an excuse to mingle. She wasn’t particularly fond of Aunt Louise.
“I know many people in this town, and because they know me, they’ve gone ahead with the arrangements, certain they would receive their money,” Aunt Louise said. “The services will go on as planned day after tomorrow, Saturday, at eleven o’clock, and the wake on tomorrow. It will be held at my church on Raeford Road.”
“I guess there was no need for me to come down tonight!” Angelica exclaimed.
Aunt Louise put a smile on her face. “Yes, dear, you are still part of the family. You and Hamilton seemed to be even closer after your divorce. And we still need to take care of the financial part of this,” she hinted.
Not giving Aunt Louise any satisfaction, Angelica asked to speak to the undertaker. Just as Aunt Louise was about to direct her to the undertaker, Jefferson walked in, looking as fresh as ever. He had always been there for her, and she quickly cancelled the thoughts that began to roam around in her head. Whenever Jefferson was in her presence, Angelica felt a vibration between her legs. He was smart and had been one of the most successful black entrepreneurs in the city of Fayetteville. That had always turned her on, but he was a married man who was devoted to his wife now. Her thoughts momentarily turned to Ari.
Eager to have the business before them completed, Aunt L
ouise pulled aside the assistant who had helped them make the arrangements. Angelica asked if she could speak with the assistant alone—well, with Edward and Jefferson but minus Aunt Louise. She wanted to get all of the expenses she was going to pay for straight from the horse’s mouth. No hidden agendas were going to get by her.
Aunt Louise huffed and left the room but stood outside, hoping to catch any discrepancies that went against what she had already planned. When the trio filed out, followed by the assistant, Aunt Louise gazed into each person’s eyes, hunting for clues that the funeral wouldn’t go on as planned. Seeing none, she relaxed, following alongside the group. Before they rejoined the rest, Aunt Louise turned and grabbed Angelica’s hand.
“Is everything all right?”
“You darned near depleted his life insurance policy with all of this unnecessary stuff, but since this is what you want, it is done.”
Aunt Louise relaxed. “Good. I’m sure Hamilton had some other assets that should go to the family.”
“I don’t know about that, Aunt Louise. If there are any, they’ll probably be tied up in probate—that is, if he didn’t have a will. Now, I would like to have a look at the obituary, if you don’t mind. After spending all that money, I’d like to know that my name appears somewhere on the program. Also, who will be sitting in the five limos you ordered?”
“For sure, you and your brother will have a spot. I don’t know about that other gentleman. I’ll get the program for you.”
Angelica grinned. I guess she let Aunt Louise know that she wasn’t in charge of her. “Thank you, Aunt Louise, and you don’t have to worry about Jefferson needing a space in the car.”
Aunt Louise looked back at Angelica and gave her a shifty-eyed grin before mumbling something that Angelica could not hear. Within minutes, Aunt Louise returned with the program, which Angelica took and read in its entirety. Pleased to see her name, even if it was at the bottom bunched up with “and a host of other relatives,” she smiled.
“One last thing, Aunt Louise.”
Aunt Louise gave Angelica a We’ve got what we needed from you, and now you can leave look, and stood tall in all of her five-foot-four glory. “And that would be?”
“I would like to purchase the flowers that will rest on Hamilton’s casket,” Angelica said very tactfully.
“No, honey, that has been reserved for the family. The family spray was one of the items listed for the service.”
“But who’s going to pay for it?” Angelica asked.
“It was on the list, and it should have been paid for when you took care of everything.”
“Well, Aunt Louise, I took it off. I felt that, with all the money you were spending, or should I say Hamilton was spending on himself, I deserved to give my ex a little something. Can’t take my name off the obituary; I’ve already approved it to go to press.”
“I’ll be!” Aunt Louise shouted. “No wonder Hamilton divorced your behind. Such a contrary spirit.”
Angelica laughed. It was infectious and Edward and Jefferson joined her.
“I guess we’re through here?” Edward asked.
“Yes, and I won’t be going to the wake tomorrow,” Angelica offered.
“Fine by me.”
“Look, I’m going to get home since you don’t need me,” Jefferson said.
“Maybe we can all go out and get something to drink,” Angelica said. “We can celebrate Hamilton’s life our way.”
“No,” Jefferson said. “I promised Margo I’d come right home. We have dinner planned. Angelica, you ought to stop by and see Margo before you leave.”
Angelica was caught by surprise. She knew that Jefferson didn’t mean it any more than she believed man had landed on the moon, regardless of what NASA claimed though their scientists had a record number of pictures to back it up. If Margo wanted to see Angelica, she could have come to the funeral home with Jefferson.
“We’ll see,” she lied. “When was the last time you talked with Malik?”
“Gotta go,” Jefferson said, not offering any further explanation. He shook Angelica and Edward’s hands and left the way he came.
Angelica watched Jefferson’s back disappear into the parking lot with her mouth hanging open. “I think I hit a nerve, Edward.”
48
The telephone call from Malik left Margo disturbed. Unable to rest, she got up from the bed and went into the bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror, half expecting the devil to be waiting for her. Seeing her own reflection, she grabbed the sides of her head and shook it, as if to erase the accusation of infidelity her image rendered.
“Get yourself together, Margo,” she said to herself out loud.
She found the blow dryer and dried her hair, after which she massaged her body with scented lotion. It seemed to revitalize her to the point that she decided to fix dinner for Jefferson. Not sure how long Jefferson would be, she hurriedly put on a pair of jeans and a tank top and then went to the kitchen and put on her little maid’s apron.
Lying in the refrigerator were a couple of salmon steaks she had planned to cook yesterday but had gotten home too late to do so. She would grill them and fix some garlic mashed potatoes to accompany them. Opening the refrigerator again, she reached in the vegetable compartment and pulled out a head of romaine lettuce. She grabbed four eggs and quickly put them on the stove to boil. One small tomato Margo planned to use for something else found its way under the rinse water and then was sliced for the salad. Crème Brûlée would be their dessert, if she had enough left from when she had made it a couple of days ago.
With the salmon broiling and the eggs on boil, Margo rushed to find one of her best linen tablecloths, which she placed on the dining room table. Next, she pulled out a few pieces of her Noritake china and set places for two. Rounding out the setting was her best crystal stemware, used only during special dinners. She opened the blinds that hid the floor-to-ceiling beveled windows that stretched the full length of the dining room and, pleased with the way the room looked, she closed the French doors so that she could surprise Jefferson when he came home.
In half an hour, all was ready. Not expecting Jefferson anytime soon, she was surprised when the front door opened. Jefferson was toting bags that he struggled to carry since he wasn’t using his walker. His nose sniffed as he moved closer to the kitchen and then he let out a smile when he saw Margo in her maid’s apron.
“What have you done, woman? I’m supposed to be cooking dinner for you, not the other way around.”
Margo looked at the clock. “You weren’t gone long. I was going to jump into something other than my jeans.”
“You’re fabulous as you are. Would you mind helping me with these grocery bags? I think I’ve been on my legs too long today. I’ve got a real bad ache.”
Margo took the bags and peeked inside them. “You were going to fix me filet mignon? We can save my meal for tomorrow.”
“No, I’ll save mine for tomorrow. It smells good now, and I’m famished.”
Jefferson watched Margo as she scurried around in the kitchen and then carried dinner into the dining room. Her attitude had changed drastically, and he wasn’t sure why, although he wasn’t going to complain. Something must have happened between her and Malik. He’d find out soon enough; he was glad to have his wife back.
When invited to do so, Jefferson followed Margo into the dining room. His face lit up upon seeing Margo’s good china and crystal set out for the two of them. He put his arm around her shoulders and fought back tears.
“Reminds me of the last Christmas we had before all hell broke loose,” Jefferson said.
“It does, doesn’t it? Only thing, Linda won’t be showing up tonight and Blake is already dead.”
“Let’s not allow those memories to spoil this wonderful dinner you’ve prepared.” Jefferson looked at Margo. “That was a long time ago, Margo. It’s just you and me now.” He thought about telling Margo that he believed he saw Linda the other day at Taco Bell, but telling he
r would cause a setback in healing the wounds that were still painful. It wasn’t worth the risk.
Jefferson said grace, and he and Margo enjoyed a wonderful dinner together. They chatted about local and world events and stole glances at each other as if they were on a first date. Nothing was going to spoil this evening.
“I want every day to be like this, Jefferson. I want to share my day with you, ask your opinion about things, and have great sex with you.”
Jefferson stared back, not knowing what to make of this one-hundred-eighty-degree turnaround. He felt blessed and happy that Margo was ready to make their marriage work, but the timing was strange given her attitude only a few days earlier. He smiled, however, not wanting her to think anything was wrong. It was more than her believing that he and Angelica had done no wrong—much more. There was definitely more to the story than he was hearing.
“I’m happy, Margo. I’ve waited for this day a long time. Why don’t we skip the Crème Brûlée and get some real dessert?”
Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! CRASH! Pause. Pop! Pop! CRASH! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! CRASH!
Jefferson and Margo dropped to the floor and crawled under the dining room table. Margo covered her ears in an attempt to drown out the noise.
“Stay down, Margo!” Jefferson shouted. “Sounds like an automatic weapon. I think the windows in the living room were blown out.”
Margo was visibly shaking. She moved close to Jefferson.
“I’ve got my cell in my pocket,” Jefferson said. “I’ll call 911.”
“The alarm is going off; the police are probably on their way,” Margo cried.
“Just in case, I’m going to call anyway. Someone tried to kill us.”
Within minutes, the Fayetteville police arrived.
“Police, anybody home? Police.”
Jefferson and Margo stayed hidden under the dining room table. Even though they heard the sirens, they couldn’t be sure that it wasn’t the enemy attempting to pull them from their hiding place so they could finish them off. The police called out again.
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