Trena kept running. She was never going back. She was never going to have this baby. She just couldn’t.
Thirty-Eight
Still as a stone, void of any emotions, Arnell sat with her back stiff, her eyes closed, her hands prayer-like to her lips listening to the sounds around her. She could hear Big Walt breathing hard, like he couldn’t wait to get his hands on Kesley Hayden. Melvina had managed to worm her way into the suite, and from her came soft “humph, humph, humphs.” Kesley Hayden had taken a seat minutes after Esther started her horrid tale of lust and betrayal. He made not a sound, but Arnell could imagine that he was still sitting with his legs crossed and a smug grin on his face while he quietly rubbed his chin. Next to her sat Esther, her mother, her albatross, the woman who, even back then, needed lots of money to feel secure, and plenty of sex to feed her sense of poor self-esteem—at least that’s the conclusion Arnell had come to after trying for years to figure her mother out. Why else would Esther do all the ugly things she did? Arnell didn’t have to hear a peep from Esther to know that she was close. She felt her. It was as if Esther had her arms around her, embracing her, closing her up in a dark, windowless room where the air was musty and dense.
“Arnell,” Big Walt said, “are you all right?”
“Can I get you tea or water, child?” Melvina asked.
Arnell responded to neither. She had begun to think about the father she never got to know. His death had to be horrible, but his marriage to Esther must have been much worse. If he had not been killed by Esther’s lover, he might have lived and saved her from a life of degradation and shame.
“I know you’re upset, sweetie,” Esther said, “but please, please understand that I was young and foolish. I didn’t know Kesley was going to beat your father to death. I tried to stop him. I—”
“Liar!” Kesley said. “You did nothing. You—”
“Shut up, you bastard! You murdered my husband! You kept kicking him. You kept punching him in the head. You wouldn’t stop until Bryant was dead.”
Slowly Arnell opened her eyes. She lowered her hands to her lap. Her chest was tight with anger at Esther, but she despised Kesley Hayden just as much.
“Damn right,” Kesley said. “I was defending myself. I wasn’t going to stand there like a punk and let him beat me down. It was him or me.”
“Bryant was no match for you, Kesley, and you knew it. You wouldn’t stop. I told you to stop.”
“Liar!” Kesley spat.
“You’re the liar!” Esther screamed. “I—”
“Mother!”
Esther immediately turned to Arnell. “It’s the truth, Arnell, I tried to make him stop. You believe me don’t you? I loved your father. He—”
“Mother, if you loved my father so much, you would not’ve cheated on him.”
“I made a mistake. I—”
“I do not want to hear your excuses.”
Esther looked beseechingly at Arnell. “Sweetie, I’m sorry you had to find out about how your father died from this low-life bastard.”
Arnell felt like she would throw up at the sound of Esther’s voice. Refusing to look at her, Arnell shut her ears to her and set her sight on Kesley Hayden. “I need to understand something.”
“And what would that be?” he asked.
“You were a number’s runner, right?”
“No, I had territory. I was a number’s banker, not a runner. I made hundreds of thousands of dollars a month.”
“So what happened? You lose all your millions?”
“I didn’t lose nothing. Everything was stolen from me when I was locked up.”
“How unfortunate,” Arnell said. “So you were a number’s banker. How is it that you supplied my mother with the cocaine she used to set her uncle up with?”
“Connections, baby, connections,” Kesley said, remembering. “Esther, that was that scum of an uncle that molested you, right? Sure, I plunked down some big bucks to score those kilos. Esther, you never paid me for those two kilos. You owe me for that too.”
“You go to hell. I—”
“Shut up!” Arnell snapped. Esther did. “It looks to me, Mother, like you’ll be walking into hell, hand-in-hand, with your lover for planting drugs and getting my father killed.”
“Wham!” Kesley said, punching the palm of his left hand.
“Arnell!” Esther’s feelings were truly hurt.
“I like you,” Kesley said to Arnell, “you’re my kind of woman.”
Such a thought repulsed Arnell. “Believe me, I’m far from being your kind of woman. Your kind of woman is the queen here. You really, truly deserve each other, and as old as you both are, you should be ashamed of your damn selves. You’re too old to be playing these games.”
Kesley chuckled.
“You seem mighty pleased with yourself, Mr. Hayden,” Arnell said. “It must feel really good to get revenge on your lover for not coming to your defense in court. Did you lie awake every night in your cell dreaming about ways to destroy my mother?”
“Hey, it helped pass the time, but I had more pressing business to take care of when I got out of the joint,” Kesley said. “So I’m a little late in collecting on this debt.”
“Humph,” Esther said, “and that’s probably because you couldn’t find me.”
Arnell ignored Esther. “You’re a wretched soul, if you lived with revenge on your mind all these years.”
“A nice payday could clear my mind up in an instant.”
“You can go fuck yourself,” Esther said, “you’re not getting another dime from me.”
Arnell hated that Esther was trying to profile. “Mother, if you could have handled this, I wouldn’t have to be in the middle of this crap. So would you please shut the hell up and let me deal with your mess?”
Esther’s fingers were trembling but she managed to light a cigarette.
Arnell glared daggers at Esther, but she had to deal with Kesley Hayden before she could get to her. “It seems to me, Mr. Hayden, that you’re going away empty-handed.”
Kesley lurched forward. “No the fuck I’m not! I didn’t spend all those years in jail because of a bitch to end up with nothing. You owe me, Esther! You owe me!”
“I don’t owe you a goddamn thing! You killed Bryant! You owe me, you bastard!” As angry as she was, Esther saw Big Walt and Melvina staring at her but she didn’t care what either one was thinking. Only what Arnell thought concerned her. “Arnell, your father was a good man, I always told you that. Remember? He—”
“Please shut up.”
“But, Arnell, you have to know that I didn’t set out to cheat on your father. I was . . .”
“Mother.”
“. . . young. I got caught up. I . . .”
“Mother!”
“. . . made a mistake. I—”
“Esther!” Arnell shouted. “Goddamn it, shut up!”
Esther froze. She stared wide-eyed at Arnell. As angry as Esther was at Kesley and James, she didn’t want to completely alienate Arnell. Esther began puffing on her cigarette, while her right leg went to shaking harder.
Kesley was impressed. “I see you know how to handle the queen. Good girl, I could use you around here to help me manage this place.”
Arnell marveled at the audacity of the man. “You are so full of yourself. Use me? Around here? I don’t think so. For one thing, you won’t be here. Not in this house. If what my mother just told me is the big revelation that you came here to blackmail her with, then you made the trip for nothing. I am not the least bit surprised.”
Melvina started clapping. “You tell ’em, Arnell!”
Big Walt flung his hand out toward Melvina, stopping her from clapping, while Esther covered her own mouth to keep from cheering. She hadn’t been wrong—Arnell did love her.
“So I’m supposed to believe,” Kesley began, “that you don’t care that your father caught me banging your mother in his garage or that he died behind my beating his ass?”
“Oh, d
on’t get me wrong, I care, but not in the way you’d expect,” Arnell said. “The way I see it, you have no leverage to blackmail my mother with. If you were betting on me to be your ace, you lose, because unless you’re telling me that she physically killed my father, or that she solicited his death, then any discussion between you and me is finished. As for my mother, the queen . . .” Arnell looked at Esther. This scandalous revelation really didn’t surprise Arnell. It was just like Esther to disrespect the man she married by allowing another man to make love to her under the roof that her husband provided for her and his child. But to stand around and watch her child’s father murdered at the hands of her lover, was unforgivable.
Esther waited anxiously for Arnell to say what she was going to do to her.
“. . . the queen and I will have our discussion in private,” Arnell finally said. “You, Mr. Hayden, could have E-mailed me or sent a postcard and saved yourself the trip.”
“Damn, Esther, you’ve done yourself proud,” Kesley said, amazed. “Arnell’s a coldhearted bitch just like you.”
Big Walt barreled down on Kesley before Kesley had a chance to turn his head and see him coming. Big Walt yanked Kesley up out of his chair as if he weighed no more than a five-year-old. “You don’t talk to a lady that way!” Big Walt yanked Kesley’s left arm up behind his back.
“Get your fucking hands off me!” Kesley’s struggle to free himself was futile; Big Walt’s hold was like the jaws of a pit bull. Kesley’s face was twisted from the pain in his arm and shoulder, but he refused to be removed from the room. He grabbed onto the heavy mahogany-framed chair he had been sitting on with his right hand and straining, tried to pull back from Big Walt.
But Big Walt wasn’t letting a chair stop him from his task. Grunting, he doggedly dragged the chair and Kesley—inch by inch with him.
Buzzzz! The front doorbell rang.
Melvina glanced toward the suite door. “Is anybody out there?” she asked, not wanting to leave the suite and miss anything.
“You get it, Melvina,” Arnell said, wanting to get Melvina’s nosy ass out of her sight, while she herself couldn’t pull her eyes away from the battle of wills before her.
Melvina didn’t budge.
Buzzzz!
Esther stood. “Melvina, get the door!”
“Yes, ma’am,” Melvina said, hurrying off.
“Well, Mr. Big Shot,” Esther said snidely. “Didn’t work out like you planned, did it, you trifling bastard?”
“You’re a whore, Esther! That’s all you’ll ever be.”
“That’s fine, but what will you be? An old, deadbeat ex-con, trying to blackmail a woman into supporting you.”
“Yeah, but I won’t be a used up, ugly ass old whore.”
Esther squared her shoulders. “Baby, I’m far from used up. You know that. Just last night you begged me for some, but I wouldn’t sleep with your sorry ass to save my own life.”
“Bitch, I don’t want your old ass.”
“That’s because you want my money, you son of a bitch. Plus, you thought you could steal my daughter’s love from me, but you were wrong. Arnell loves me. Scum like you wouldn’t understand that. You could never destroy the love me and Arnell have for each other. No one can. Especially a bum like you.”
Esther was so into telling Kesley Hayden off, she wasn’t aware Arnell was watching her.
“You’re an uninvited guest in my mansion,” Esther said, posturing, reemerging as the grande dame of the mansion. “Big Walt, get him out of my face!”
Big Walt put more effort into hustling Kesley toward the door to the suite.
“No!” Melvina said. “This is not a good time.” Arnell and Esther both could hear Melvina out in the hallway. They both wondered who she could be talking to.
“Let go of me!” Kesley shouted. “You can’t put me out. I got my things upstairs.”
“We’ll put them out on the sidewalk.” Esther couldn’t believe she had been afraid of this bum for nothing.
“I’m not going anywhere!”
“No! Queen Esther is busy,” Melvina could be heard saying just outside the suite door.
“I can hear that,” the visitor insisted, “but I need to speak to her. It’s important.”
Arnell recognized the voice of the visitor. She rushed around Big Walt and Kesley struggling closer to the door. She made it out into the hallway just as Melvina was pushing James away from the suite door.
“Melvina!” Arnell exclaimed. “What are you doing? Are you crazy?”
Startled, Melvina snatched her hands off James’s chest. Arnell saw the frantic look on Melvina’s face, but it was James’s shocked expression that stumped her.
“What’s going on?” Arnell asked.
Esther could hear Arnell speaking out in the hall. She wondered what was going on out there.
Melvina gawked at Arnell while James, also staring, looked like he was caught in the blinding headlights of an oncoming car.
“This place is insane,” Arnell said. “James . . .”
Oh, my God! Esther’s heart fluttered.
“. . . why are you struggling with Melvina?”
James didn’t answer. Arnell could see James’s Adam’s apple yo-yoing in his throat.
“James, I’ve been calling and calling you. Where have you been? Why haven’t you returned my calls?”
Esther didn’t know which way to turn. She started trying to pry Kesley’s hand off the chair. “Big Walt, take him into my bedroom and sit on him.”
“Your bedroom?” Big Walt asked, perplexed. “I thought you wanted him out of here.”
Esther’s heart was pounding. “Look, I can’t explain it right now. Just do as I say.” God, if I’m going to have a heart attack, let me have it now.
“Hold up!” Kesley shouted. “I’m not going in there.”
Big Walt started trying to push Kesley toward the bedroom.
James began walking on leaded feet toward Arnell. Melvina backed into the dining room. Arnell noticed the beads of sweat on James’s forehead as he got closer. It was hot outside, but not in there.
“I’ve been out of town,” James lied. He pecked Arnell on the cheek.
At Esther’s bedroom door, Kesley caught hold of the door frame and thwarted Big Walt from pushing him inside. “Somebody call the police!” Kesley shouted to whoever the visitor was out in the hallway.
James stepped back from Arnell. “What’s going on in there?”
“You really don’t wanna know,” she said, taking James’s arm and turning him away from Esther’s suite.
Kesley suddenly twisted his body around in the direction of his left arm thrusted up behind his back and dropped to the floor, pulling himself out of Big Walt’s hold. Quickly rolling away from the bedroom, Kesley sprang up off the floor and hurtled madly for the open suite door. Esther reached out for him but Kesley sidestepped away from her. Big Walt gave chase. Kesley plunged through the open door and rammed into the wall opposite the door, startling James and Arnell who turned and saw Kesley rebound and head toward them.
“Get him!” Esther shouted. God, please don’t let him see James!
Kesley collided with James and Arnell, knocking Arnell against the wall. James quickly grabbed Kesley.
“Are you all right, Arnell?” James asked, holding onto Kesley until Big Walt snatched him and flung him into the wall. He put his massive arm up against Kesley’s throat, penning him against the wall. Kesley couldn’t breathe, but he struggled to get a look at the guy that had his arm around Arnell.
Rushing out into the hall, Esther saw in James’s eyes that he recognized Kesley from the morning after they made love. Worse of all, she saw in Kesley’s expression that he recognized James. Esther felt weak in the knees. This was not how this was supposed to play out. Especially not after Arnell had stood with her against Kesley.
“I don’t know what’s going on here, and I don’t care to know,” James said. “Arnell, let’s get out of here.”
&nb
sp; Arnell wanted more than anything to get away from Esther and her mess. Besides, she needed to tell James about her life out of earshot of so many people.
“Take him out the back door,” Esther whispered to Big Walt.
Big Walt dropped his arm from Kesley’s throat and was about to force him down the hall when Kesley pulled back.
“Hey, man!” Kesley shouted to James’s retreating back. “I remember you. You were the naked guy wearing the towel in Esther’s bedroom a week ago.”
On the other side of the wall in the dining room, Melvina covered her mouth.
“Arnell, this your man?” Kesley asked.
Big Walt tightened his grip on Kesley but he was no longer pulling Kesley toward the back door. He looked questioningly at Esther, who had turned away and was quietly wishing that she could black out.
“What’s he talking about?” Arnell asked James.
“I need to speak to you alone,” James said. “I can explain.”
“Yeah, man, explain to all of us how you was wearing only a towel in Esther’s bedroom the day I came here. Esther was wearing her robe but I know she wasn’t wearing a damn thing underneath. That was a thin robe, Esther.”
“Screw you, Kesley,” Esther said.
Arnell searched Esther’s defiant face. The fear she saw there confirmed Kesley’s story. “Oh, God.” She shook James’s hands off her.
Melvina sneaked back into the hallway.
“Arnell,” James said, trying to take her back into his arms. “I can explain.”
Arnell threw up her hands and began backing away from James. As much as she wanted to believe that Kesley Hayden was lying, that he was trying to get back at Esther for betraying him, for not sharing the wealth, she could not convince herself that nothing had gone on between James and Esther. Their eyes were shouting at her that they had done something they weren’t supposed to. From the moment Kesley told on them, neither could look the other in the eye, as well they couldn’t look at her. Arnell was glad for that.
“Damn,” Big Walt said, releasing Kesley. He looked disgustedly at Esther.
“Damn, is right,” Kesley said, grinning. “Esther, you’ve been up to your old tricks, haven’t you, old girl? But with your daughter’s man? Damn. Aren’t there any lines you won’t cross?”
The Honey Well Page 24