by Jada Pearl
“Daddy…the issue of his knees and that they are still bothering him. I wanted him to at least go get it checked out, and I told him I would take him. He was about to give me a yes or no when you walked in and asked,” she explained. She started taking the stuff out of her hand and shooing her as she finished setting the table. Lydia looked at her husband of thirty-five years and smiled. He was very stubborn, but she knew he wasn’t going to tell them both no.
“Yes, he will go. Thank you for offering to take him. I will set up the appointment tomorrow,” she said without a second thought. She heard him moan, and she laughed.
“One of these days I am going to win a debate in my own house.” He was acting like he was mad. Shontell hugged her father, and he melted. This was his baby girl, and she would always be his darling.
“Where’s that young fellow I met? He seemed very nice…not like that Jesse.”
“Daddy, please. Don’t start. You already embarrassed me enough that night with your comment.” Shontell tapped him on the shoulder to show her displeasure.
“Darnell, what is she talking about?” her mother asked. Darnell told her about the night, but it seemed like he had forgotten something as usual. She looked at him with her arms folded. He looked sheepishly at the two of them.
“He basically threatened him if he hurt me,” she told her mother.
“Darnell Banner, you didn’t!” her mother scolded. She knew where his heart was. They both wanted their daughter to be happy. A husband and some grandkids wouldn’t hurt either. She knew Shontell may not be ready, but she wasn’t getting any younger. Lydia wouldn’t say that out loud. She would never want to hurt her daughter’s feelings and bring up the miscarriage. She wished she could have taken that pain from her only child. Shontell served her parents and sat down. Her father said grace, and then the questions started. Her mother wanted to know what he looked like. She pointed him out in one of the pictures she had taken with them that she had on her phone.
“Now that’s a handsome young man,” she told her daughter.
“I agree mama. I agree.” She smiled, thinking about him. They continued to ask her questions, and she reassured them both that she and Nico were being careful and taking it slow. She also told them she liked him a lot. Having had only one child made her parents very protective. She didn’t mind it much now. But when she was a teenager, it had driven her crazy.
They finished dinner. Shontell shooed her parents out of the dining room as she cleared the dishes. She went to grab her phone and check her messages. Nothing. Putting it back into her purse, she opened the boxes she brought in with her. Shontell placed the items on the tray, along with coffee for her dad and tea for her mother. Walking into the family room, she joined her parents. Setting the tray on the table, she handed her father his coffee. He reached for the sugar. She placed the fruit pie in front of him. She set the vanilla bean caramel cake in front of her mom. She sat down and waited anxiously for their responses. Lydia was the first one to speak, but she had an expression that couldn’t be read.
“Shon, is this your grandmother’s recipe?” she asked her. She could see her mother getting emotional, and tears instantly sprang into her eyes. The pie and cake Shontell made today were extra special. They were the final two things that she and her mother were trying to perfect.
“Yes mom, it is. Do you like it?”
“No,” her mother paused and didn’t look at her daughter.
“I love it. She would be so proud of you. I hope you will share with me what you did to it.” Shontell breathed out hard. She scared her. She wiped the tears off her face. Her father handed her a Kleenex.
“Shon, this pie is so buttery. It tastes like Ma Bell made this. It was one of the reasons I married your mother: all the pie I wanted,” Darnell said as he dodged the pillow that his wife threw at him. They all laughed. She loved seeing them so happy and playful after all their years together. She wanted what she saw with her parents’ relationship. Checking her watch, she stood up. She still had a few things to do before she left tomorrow.
She kissed them both and told them she would let them know when she made it to Miami. She got into her car and heard her phone ringing. She grabbed her purse and saw it was Ebony. She had been concerned about her. She had not talked to her since that morning. She was hoping that she wasn’t about to pull out of the meeting that they had scheduled for the morning before her flight. This was huge, and she needed to have it if she wanted to continue with her expansion and other plans. She rolled her window down some. She watched the kids playing outside as she mentally prepared herself for whatever this call was about.
“Hey, Ebony. What’s going on?”
“Shontell, I am sorry to bother you. But my brother was in a bad accident early this morning. Because I didn’t answer the calls, I didn’t find out until now. I don’t think I am going to make the meeting tomorrow,” she lied. She continued talking before Shontell could respond. “I am going to have to take the rest of the week off.” Shontell pulled the phone away from her ear. She wanted to jump through the phone and punch her. Shontell was glad that she didn’t pull off away from the curb yet, because she was sure she would have had an accident. Why was she doing this? She was purposely trying to sabotage her. She worked too hard for this to let it get ruined. Thinking of her mom’s emotions about her new desserts, she realized that this was for her mother and her grandmother even more than it was for her. She would not let her take that away.
“Ebony, are you serious? What is going on with you? What about the things we have booked for this week? I am not trying to be insensitive, but you knew I had my time planned for months. If I didn’t know better, I would say you are doing this to spite me.” She did not care that she was getting louder.
“Whoa, now that’s a low blow. I may not have as much as you have invested in Precious Timeless Events, but I am a part of that company too. So if it fails, so do I. Besides, they are small events. I am sure the staff can handle them. I gotta go. The doctor is coming in. I will be in touch,” she told her. She then hung up before Shontell could say anything else.
Shontell almost screamed, but she caught herself so that she didn’t scare the kids. Something didn’t feel right. She quickly thought back to when Ebony started doing things out of the ordinary. It was right when she announced the expansion. She was upset that she hadn’t included her in the process. She felt like Shontell was being secretive. Well, now the tables were turned and Shontell felt that Ebony was being secretive. The expansion was funded in part by her and the rest by her parents. In her opinion, Ebony had no say so. Something told her she needed to watch her back.
The image of Ebony’s face when she walked into her home and saw her gave her the shivers. She started her car and activated her speaker. She called her two assistants and told them of the changes for the week. She gave them a heads-up that more permanent changes would be coming when she returned from her vacation. As soon as she was done with that call, she called a locksmith. She was getting her locks changed and her alarm recoded today. Shontell finished her last-minute packing while the locksmith and the security company worked. Once they left, Shontell felt better. She wished she could talk to Nico; she knew they were out doing promotions all day, so she didn’t want to bother him. She was surprised she hadn’t heard from him all day…not even a text. She closed her suitcase and placed it near the door. She turned on the tea kettle and sat on the couch. She had way too much on her mind.
Shontell was getting antsy. She needed to talk. While making her tea, she called Sandy. When Sandy answered, she immediately took over the conversation.
“Girl, Eric called me. He wanted to know if I would be okay with him spending time with me on the cruise. His brother pulled out at the last minute and he was now going to be solo,” Sandy told her. She could hear the excitement in her friend’s voice.
“I thought it was just a sex thing?” Shontell asked. As she rolled down her window, a breeze immediately came through.
“I did too…but whatever happens…happens,” she told her.
“Okay…well…as long as you’re okay with it. I called to tell you that Ebony claims her brother is sick and she can’t work while I am on vacation. That woman is driving me crazy!” Shontell sipped her tea, as she waited for Sandy to say something.
“Shontell, I have something to tell you.” She could hear the hesitation in her friend’s voice.
“What is it?”
“Monica said, when she and her classmate were coming from the competition last night, they saw Jesse and Ebony together. Monica said they were more than friendly. They were down there for the National Math and Science scrimmage matches at the Westin Hotel Downtown. “
“What!! What are you saying?” she yelled into the phone, almost dropping her phone in her hot tea. Shontell grabbed the edge of the counter and pressed down hard.
“I wasn’t there. I am informing you of what she told me this morning. You may want to try and reach Ebony and find out what’s going on.”
“Maybe I will. Maybe I just don’t care anymore.” Her head was beginning to hurt. She suddenly didn’t feel like talking right now.
“I will see you at the airport after my meeting.”
“Are you going to be okay?”
“Yes, I just need some time to think. Love you and talk to you later.”
“I love you too, and good night. Call me back if you still need to talk.” They ended their call. Shontell’s mind was racing. What were they doing together? Although they were both free to see whomever they wanted, she didn’t even know they talked to each other outside of when she was with Jesse. Why would Ebony do that to her? She hit a button and Ebony’s number auto-dialed. She answered on the second ring.
“Hey, Ebony. I wanted to check on you. How are you holding up? How’s your brother?” she asked, sounding cooler than she felt. She didn’t miss the hesitation in her voice.
“My brother? Oh…um…he is still recovering,” she said, sounding confused. Shontell now knew for sure that Ebony was lying.
“Ebony, I have a question for you. Someone told me that they saw you and Jesse together last night. What’s that about?”
The Lies We Weave
Ebony
Ebony was glad that she was alone. She almost fell on the floor as she missed the bed where she was trying to sit. She threw the bathing suit in her suitcase and thought fast. How did anyone see them? They always tried to be careful. She warned Jesse that staying at that hotel this week wasn’t a good idea. There were too many activities going on. He got stopped almost every five steps with someone wanting a picture or autograph. She heard Shontell call her name on the phone. Damn, she didn’t like being in this situation. She answered her nervously.
“Um…well…he called me and asked me to meet him. He was asking my help in trying to get you back.”
“Really? Is that so?”
“Yeah, he asked for my opinion. That’s all. It’s nothing to worry about.” Ebony rolled her eyes. She wanted to get off the phone with Shontell. She was never a very good liar, and she thought that she was very transparent when she tried to make up stories.
“Mm…hm…well, I will let you get back to your brother. Sorry I bothered you with this. You are my friend, and I know that I can trust you.” Shontell wanted her to hear the sarcasm in her voice. Ebony didn’t reply to what she said. But she thought it was pretty much a question to get a rise out of her. Before she could answer, all she heard was the dial tone. She hit the end button and pulled her knees up to her chest.
She started crying because she felt like the shit was about to come back to her. She wanted this over with. The plan was for her to go back to Shontell’s after her flight left and look for the safe. She hoped to find whatever it was he was looking for so they could move on. She typed a text and hit send. Getting up to get the Kleenex, she heard her phone. She answered before she knew who it was. She groaned when she heard her mother’s voice.
“Ebony, Ms. Elaine said she saw you kissing on that celebrity. What’s his name? He used to be engaged to your partner, right?” Ebony could not believe this. Who the hell else saw them together?
“Since when do you care about my love life!” she said forcefully into the phone.
“Don’t raise your voice at me, young lady,” she told her daughter. Ebony set her phone down to get something off her dressing room table. She could hear her mother still talking. Picking the phone back up, she lit a cigarette. Thinking that Jesse would have a fit if he smelled the smoke on her clothes. She put the cigarette out.
“Mom, Jesse and I are friends. We were hanging out.”
“Hanging out my ass, Ebony. I know you. You have an agenda,” she said to her only daughter. Ebony couldn’t believe her mother. “Mom back off. I don’t tell you how to live your life. It’s time you started keeping out of my business.” There was silence. A few minutes later, her mother said something that took her breath away. “That man is going to destroy you. You deserve better than him. Didn’t you learn anything from my mistakes? I know I may not have been the best mother to you and your brothers, but I tried to be the best mother I could. I really did.” Her mother cried as she spoke to her daughter. Ebony started pacing her floor. What right did her mother have to tell her that she deserved better? To her, Jesse was her better, and she knew that for a fact. Ebony’s hands started shaking with her over-emotional state.
“You are wrong! Jesse loves me,” she said. Although her words were barely audible, her mother heard her clearly.
“I promise you that man doesn’t love you. Leave him alone, child. But I know you won’t do it because the warning is coming from me. So don’t come running to me when he leaves you empty. Goodbye, Ebony,” her mother told her before she ended their call. Ebony almost threw her phone at the wall. She flung herself on her bed and cried. What did her mother know that she didn’t know? Why was she so adamant about her leaving Jesse alone? Lying in a fetal position, she grabbed her phone and typed her text.
Jesse
Jesse was having lunch with one of the best producers in the business. He was known as the comeback producer. This meant that anyone who worked with him had their career come back with a full vengeance. He was so glad that Dennis was able to make this happen for him. He saw the light flash on his phone and looked at the message: people saw us last night and told Shontell. Jesse almost knocked his glass over and quickly excused himself. He walked towards the bathroom and quickly dialed Ebony’s number. She sent him to her voicemail. He cursed silently, and he stood there to get himself together before he walked back over to the table. He sat down and got through the rest of the meeting. By the end of the meeting, he was feeling like his career could be salvaged as the producer agreed to take on the project. Stepping into his town car, he tried Ebony again and was furious when she still didn’t answer him. Leaning back in his seat, he tried to put her text out his mind. He was in a good mood, and he wanted to keep it that way.
Nico
Nico’s whole body hurt. He dropped across his bed and laid there. They did so much today that he couldn’t move. Even the rehearsals were brutal today. He kicked his shoes off and turned on his back. He was so mad at himself for rushing this morning and leaving his phone. He knew Shontell must be wondering why she hadn’t heard anything from him. He saw that he had about six text messages and a couple missed calls. He opened his text messages, and he saw the three pictures of her in his shirt. He was glad that he let her keep it. The other texts were from his brother, telling him that he and his parents would be getting in around three tomorrow. He wanted to call Shontell, but it was after midnight. He did send her a text and was surprised when she replied back asking him if they could video chat.
“Hey, chocolate. How was your day?” she asked him. Nico blew her a kiss before he spoke.
“Hey, sweetness. It was hard. I am so sorry about not talking to you all day. I was rushing and left the phone on the night stand,” he explained
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“It’s okay. I knew you were going to be busy. I spent the day preparing for this meeting and then had dinner with my parents. They told me to tell you hi.”
“Aw, that was sweet of them. While we are speaking of sweets, how did the desserts go over with them?”
“They both loved them. Giving my mom such a nice surprise made my world. It got emotional, but it was a good time,” she told him as she shifted on her bed. Nico smiled at her gesture as it made her breasts shift as well. Nico was about to comment about it when he heard a knock on the door. He looked at her in frustration, hunching his shoulders. Getting up, he walked over to his door. Sometimes he regretted giving up having a bodyguard. He put Shontell in view before he looked out.
“It must be one of the guys. I am not putting this phone down. I have already missed you too much today,” he told her. He could see her blush, and that made him happy. He really did miss her.
Nico peeked out the viewer and silently cursed.
“You are not going to believe this. It’s Tina,” he whispered into the phone.
“Oh really? Are you going to let her in?” she asked him. Nico shook his head no. “Go ahead; let her in,” she encouraged.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes love, as long as you keep me on here,” she instructed. Nico nodded his head in agreement as he opened the door to Tina, who was holding a champagne bottle and two glasses. He stepped half way into the hallway and looked around. He was thinking that this had to be a joke. He was being punked! He wiped his face.
Nico heard shuffling and looked down at this phone. He was so glad she was on the phone with him. He saw the look on Shontell’s face, and it mirrored his but for different reasons. He didn’t let Tina see that he was on with Shontell. He made sure that Shontell could see what was going on. She remained silent. Nico was trying to make sense of all this. He didn’t invite her in. Tina looked behind her and in the same direction that he had been looking. She turned back around with a look of confusion.