Fairplay, Denver Cereal Volume 6

by Claudia Hall Christian

  Tanesha scowled at the man.

  “You know how many women that man has had? Prettier women. Bustier women. Thinner women. Thousands,” the man said. “You nothing but a skinny, nappy haired, hood rat from a cow town.”

  Furious, Tanesha looked down Colfax Boulevard. Thinking he was gaining some ground, the man pressed forward.

  “You think you’re going to get your man? You think he’s going to start school in a few weeks? You think he’s going to settle down to a normal happy life?” The man’s finger poked her chest. “You’re nothing but a jump-off. You’ll never going to be a Queenbee. That man is all the Queenbee he can stand. He needs the spotlight. He needs the adoration of fans like you need water. One woman will never satisfy him. If he starts school, which I doubt, he’s going to lay with every woman on campus before the month is out. And then he’ll move on to greener pastures.”

  “Why do you care who he sleeps with?” Heather asked. Tanesha raised her eyebrows. “Something you want to share about your feelings for Jeraine. We don’t judge gay people.”

  “Go away, little woman,” the man said. “We’re talking business here.”

  “Just a second,” Tanesha said to Heather. Their eyes locked for a moment. Seeing Tanesha’s rage, Heather gave her a slight ‘go ahead’ nod. Heather turned away from Tanesha.

  “Jeraine is a star. He’s headed toward his destiny,” the man said. “He belongs in the spotlight. Your chances of understanding a man like Jeraine are as likely as a crack whore getting into heaven.”

  “I have something to say,” Tanesha said.

  “There’s nothing you can say or do that’s going to change the reality of your situation,” the man said. “You’re pathetic.”

  “Jeraine is a free man,” Tanesha said. “He can choose to do and be whatever he wants to do and be. If he wants to lay every girl at med school, that will be his choice. If he decides to come home to me, that’s his choice.”

  “He’s not like you,” the man said. “He thinks only about his needs. And there’s no way you’re ever going to fulfill those needs.”

  “Have you said your peace?” Tanesha asked.

  The man nodded.

  “Then get the hell out of here,” Tanesha said.

  “I’m waiting for my man, Jeraine,” the man said.

  “There you go with the gay stuff again,” Tanesha said.

  “You watch what you’re saying little girl,” the man said. “You don’t know who you’re talking to.”

  “No,” Tanesha said. “You don’t know who you’re talking to. I’m not your slave and you’re not my overseer. You have no right to whip me with your words.”

  Clearly offended, the man sneered at Tanesha.

  “And Jeraine?” Tanesha pushed the man away from her. “He’s a free man. He can make his life however and wherever he wants to. He doesn’t belong to you. He doesn’t belong to anyone.”

  “You just don’t get it,” the man started.

  “Hey man!” Jeraine came up behind her. “Nice to see you!”

  The manager’s demeanor changed. Still furious, Tanesha had to look away while Jeraine and the man went through a dance of handshakes and back pats.

  “Did you meet Tanesha?” Jeraine asked. He looked at Tanesha’s angry face. “What’s going on?”

  “Nothing,” Tanesha said. “Listen Jer, I’m going to head to the Castle with Jill and Sandy. Do you want to meet us there later?”

  “I’ll be there,” Jeraine took her hands and kissed them. She smiled and he nodded.

  “My car is around back,” the manager nodded toward the parking lot. Jeraine’s eyes quizzed Tanesha but she smiled.

  “See you later,” Tanesha said.

  Jeraine nodded and went with his manager. He was a half block away when he turned back to look at her. She smiled again, but he knew something was up.

  “We’ll talk later?” he mouthed to her.

  She nodded. They were just about to turn the corner to the parking lot when Jeraine’s manager tripped and fell.

  “Oops,” Jill said.

  They struggled to keep straight faces until Jeraine and the manager turned the corner. The women broke into laughter.

  “What was that about?” Heather asked.

  “That’s his manager,” Tanesha said. “He wanted to scare me away so he could have his property back. You would not believe even half of it.”

  “What happened?” Sandy asked.

  “That devil said Jeraine was in prison to boost his career,” Tanesha said. “His manager set him up.”

  “Does Jeraine know?” Heather shook her head at the idea.

  “Let’s ask Seth,” Sandy said. “He’ll know.”

  “You know what I think?” Tanesha’s eyes went to the place the man fell. “I think Jeraine trusts the wrong people. That’s what I think.”

  “You don’t think he’s an asshole?” Jill asked.

  “Oh no,” Tanesha gave a rueful chuckle. “He’s a fool. That’s for sure. I’m just wondering…”

  Jill, Sandy and Heather turned to look at her.

  “I’m wondering if all these things I’ve been mad at him about,” Tanesha said. “Maybe they’re not his fault. I keep asking ‘Why are you like this?’”

  A deep blue BMW drove by. Jeraine waved to her. They waved back.

  “What if the reason he’s like that is because of that devil?” Tanesha asked.

  “That’s not any better,” Jill said.

  “No,” Tanesha shook her head. “It’s not.”

  ~~~~~~~~

  Sunday afternoon —1:41 P.M. MDT

  When Sandy got up to check on the kids, Jill nodded to Tanesha. She got up to check her email on Jill’s office computer.

  “Did get them to leave with your…?” Heather pointed to her temple then around the room.

  “No,” Jill smiled. “We talked about it before you got to church.”

  “Why?”

  “I wanted to talk to you alone,” Jill said. “They wanted to know what happened. This was our compromise. Our friends are nosey.”

  Heather smiled.

  “It’s nice to see you smile,” Jill said.

  “I know what you’re going to say,” Heather said. “But we’ve already decided what we want to do.”

  “We think Katy figured out why she was positive on the tissue typing,” Jill said. “And why I wasn’t.”

  “Why?” Heather asked.

  “Katy calls it cuddles,” Jill said. “Basically, I can cure Blane.”

  “What do you mean?” Heather asked. “You tried.”

  Jill nodded.

  “But?”

  “No buts,” Jill said. “We went in yesterday and were all retested.”

  “Why did you do that?” Heather asked. “You know how we feel!”

  “Because we love Blane. We both have deep respect for your life and your decisions,” Jill touched Heather’s hand. “You know that.”

  “If you respect us so much why did you go behind our backs?” Heather asked.

  “We knew what you’d say,” Jill said. “We had to be sure, Heather. That’s all. We had to be sure for ourselves. We couldn’t let Blane die without turning over every single rock to see if anything will help.”

  “Oh Jill.” Heather hugged Jill.

  “We think Katy and Jacob’s tissue typing will come back negative,” Jill said into Heather’s shoulder.

  “What?” Heather leaned back.

  “We think it’s me or something about me that will help,” Jill said.

  Not wanting to cry, Heather looked away from Jill for a moment.

  “I want you to consider what I’m saying,” Jill said. “I know you’re heart broken. I know you’ve had your hopes up before and nothing has come through.”

  Heather’s tear-filled eyes turned back to Jill.

  “We don’t know how or why, but we think I’ll be able to help him,” Jill said.

  Heather bit her lip and nodded to Jill.


  “Are you mad?” Jill asked.

  “Desperate,” Heather said.

  “Don’t feel desperate,” Jill said. “We’ll work it out.”

  “I hope so,” Heather said.

  Jill hugged her.

  “Okay, you can come out now,” Heather said.

  Tanesha and Sandy ran over to join them. They each hugged Heather.

  “We’ll work it out,” Jill repeated.

  “Promise,” Sandy said.

  “We’re going to do this thing,” Tanesha said. “You’ll see.”

  Unsure of what to say, Heather nodded.

  ~~~~~~~~

  Sunday night—6:21 P.M. MDT

  Sandy looked across the main Castle dinner table at Noelle. Her eyes were swollen and her face red from the meltdown she’d had only an hour before. Sandy smiled when Noelle laughed at something Mike had said.

  Sandy glanced at Charlie. He’d spent most of the day anxiously pacing the apartment. He was so distracted by his worry for Tink that he hadn’t finished his assignment on fairness. She tried to catch his eye, but he was busy worrying. Since they weren’t Tink’s family, they only received the most minimal details. Tink was alive and on life support. The seizure was from the beating she’d received the night before. She was lucky they were there when she collapsed. Tink didn’t seem that lucky to any of them.

  Sandy sighed. Aden looked at her. His eyes asked if she was all right. She nodded. Using his chin, he pointed to Nash. Noelle wasn’t the only person missing Teddy. Nash kept looking at his watch. They were going to call Teddy at exactly eight o’clock so he could listen in to story time. Nash didn’t want to be late. Teddy was truly a part of their family now.

  Sissy’s laugh caught Sandy’s attention. Sissy and Jill’s mother, Anjelika, were deep in conversation about ballet. Under Anjelika’s kind attention, Sissy had blossomed. Sandy could see the prima ballerina just begging for Sissy’s insecurities to let her out.

  At the end of the table, Jacob laughed at something Katy said. Jill was pretending to be offended. When Delphie laughed, Jill laughed. Sandy was so happy to see her best friend so happy. Even Jill’s hair was growing in. Valerie came in from her latest trip to the bathroom. For such a small person, she was truly huge with the baby. She stopped to kiss Mike and went to sit near Sam. They fell into their on-going conversation about some mine they owned.

  Honey caught her attention. She crossed her eyes at Sam and Valerie’s ongoing argument about the mine. Sandy laughed. MJ leaned over to say something to Honey and they laughed. Sandy knew Jacob and Jill had finished rehabilitating an entire floor of Jill’s old building. They were waiting until every detail was perfect before surprising Honey and MJ with their new apartment building for paraplegic people.

  So many people. So many worries.

  Sandy was always amazed at how much laughter lived around this dinner table. No matter what happened, they came together at the table to enjoy each other and laugh. Rachel squirmed in her sling and Sandy looked down at her.

  “Can I?” Noelle asked.

  When Sandy nodded, Noelle came around to take Rachel. The baby smiled when she saw Noelle. Aden put his arm around her and they watched Noelle make Rachel laugh.

  Sandy’s phone rang with “Moves like Jagger”, the latest Maroon 5 song. Sandy gave Nash a hard look. He laughed. Earlier, he’d snuck “Cheers” by Rihanna on her phone. She’d told him to get rid of it this afternoon but he’d clearly replaced it with another pop song. Shaking her head, she answered.

  “Sandy?” Ava’s voice sounded frantic. Sandy heard airport noise in the background.

  “Ava? What’s going on?” Sandy stood up to walk out of the room. “Has something happened?”

  “Are you off tomorrow?” Ava asked.

  “Yes, I don’t work Mondays,” Sandy said. “Did something happen to Seth?”

  “No, no,” Ava said. “Seth is fine.”

  The noise in the background disappeared.

  “Listen,” Ava said. “Seth got a heads up call from someone at the FBI. They’re coming tomorrow morning to pick you up.”

  “Why?”

  “I’m not sure,” Ava said. “Seth called them back but didn’t catch them. I called my friends there and they said it was ‘nothing good.’”

  “Nothing good?”

  “For you,” Ava said.

  Sandy felt as if all of the light, all of the joy, and all of the laughter faded. Her awful past had risen up again to blot out her sun. Ava continued talking. Sandy glanced into the dining room. Everyone continued eating and laughing.

  But all Sandy heard was the pounding of her own heart. The shadow of her past overwhelmed her. Again.

  CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED and SEVENTY-FOUR

  Straight

  Sunday night—8:21 P.M. MDT

  Tanesha let herself into Jeraine’s penthouse. Convinced he was out partying with his friends, she wanted to slip in, get her things, and leave. She was not going to be the thing that stood between him and anything. She slipped off her heels and stepped into the foyer.

  “There you are!” Jeraine came down the hall and hugged her. She didn’t hug him back. “I’ve been concerned. I went to the Castle, your Gran’s house; no one seemed to know where you were.”

  “I was out with my friend Tres,” Tanesha shrugged him off and went into the penthouse. “I just came to get my things.”

  “Your things?” Jeraine asked. “The things we bought? You came to take your tea?”

  “I left a few personal things here,” Tanesha said.

  “We’re not coming back?” Jeraine asked. “Did you and your friend find a house for us? Where is it? Let’s go!”

  Jeraine grabbed his keys and went toward the door.

  “Should I get my checkbook?” he asked.

  Tanesha scowled at him and walked to the bedroom. She went to his closet and stuffed the few things she’d left there into a reusable bag.

  “This is the part where you say I’m missing the point,” Jeraine said. “But I don’t know the point. Tanesha, what’s going on?”

  She turned to look at him. She opened her mouth and then shut it. She sneered at him and walked into the bathroom. He followed her.

  “Is your friend Tres the man you dated this summer? I haven’t met him,” Jeraine said. “I thought you were friends with the occasional side benefits.”

  “We are friends,” Tanesha said from the shower.

  “Tanesha,” Jeraine said. “I don’t have any idea what’s going on.”

  “What a surprise?” Tanesha asked. “I’m shocked.”

  “And sarcastic,” Jeraine said. “One thing I always like about you, about us, is that we were always honest with each other. You’re the most honest person I’ve ever met. Your friends too. It’s always been hard for me, because we both know I’m not the most honest person. But in order to be your friend, I have to be as honest as I can be.”

  “And?” Tanesha gave him a tiny shake of her head.

  “What’s going on?” Jeraine asked.

  She gave him another shake of her head.

  “Ok, how about I start. I woke up early this morning to sort out my promises to God,” he started counting his fingers. “The love of my life came out and helped me fix everything. She promised me that she would help me get straight with God. We went to church and I prayed that I would wake up every day to see her face. Then I had a meeting. After my meeting I went to the Castle to look for my love. When she wasn’t there, I went to her grandmother’s house, her father’s house, my father’s house, and finally came here. A couple of hours later, she showed up to pack her things.”

  She gave an impatient ‘hrfmp.’

  “In case you’re confused, you are the love of my life,” he said.

  She didn’t respond.

  “You’re leaving, aren’t you?”

  She nodded.

  “If you’re taking your things, you better cut out my heart and take it too,” Jeraine said. “I’m not goi
ng to live without you. I’ve done it too long, and I won’t do it again. I just won’t.”

  Her eyes filled with tears and she looked away from him.

  “What’s so awful that you won’t talk to me?”

  “That man you had a meeting with,” Tanesha said. “He’s awful.”

  “He is,” Jeraine said.

  “But he’s who you chose,” Tanesha said. “All this time. He’s the one you listen to, not me.”

  “I didn’t choose him, Tanesha,” Jeraine said. “He was given to me by the record company. Did he say something to you? I mean I knew you were mad, but just being around him pisses me off.”

  “He told me that you belonged to him,” Tanesha said. “He said I should get out of the way. That I didn’t have a chance and…”

  “I’m sorry,” Jeraine hugged her.

  “He told me that my skinny nappy haired self would never be enough for you. You’d break my heart and…”

  Angry tears spilled from Tanesha’s eyes.

  “Did you know that man set you up for that girl’s suicide?” Tanesha asked.

  “That’s what Seth discovered. That Judge? The one I’ve been so mad at? He kept me in prison to keep me safe from my own damned record company. Can you believe it?” Jeraine shook his head. “Pretty incredible. I was too stupid to see it.”

  “Why did you go with him today?”

  “I have one more event on my contract,” Jeraine said.

  “Why would you go?” Tanesha asked.

  “Because I get paid a lot of money to show up, wave to people, sing one song, and stay for an hour,” Jeraine said. “We went over the contract today and met with the club owner.”

  “Why go?” Tanesha asked.

  “I promised the money to some kids’ charity. For food, I think. I can write them a check but they need the publicity. Why are we talking about this stupid stuff?”

  Jeraine sat down on the bed.

  “I’d rather talk about what’s going on right here,” Jeraine gestured to Tanesha and back to himself. “Let’s get this straight; get us straight. Then figure out whatever else. Because if we’re not… I…”