by Emery, Lynn
“What a beautiful surprise.” Monette read them again.
“What is it?” Candi craned her neck to take a look.
“Cards from two of my kids.”
Monette showed Candi and Lenore the front of the cards, but she read in silence. The words brought tears to her eyes. Alisa expressed pride in all that Monette had done to change her life. She read the message in Talia’s neat handwriting three more times. Lenore and Candi were silent for a few minutes, not wanting to intrude.
“You okay?” Lenore said finally.
“Yeah. I’m very okay.” Monette slipped the precious keepsakes back in the envelopes. She sniffed a few times. Candi handed her a tissue from a box on a table nearby.
“You’re blessed, girl. At least you got family that care whether you live or die,” Candi said with bitterness.
“I don’t deserve them.” Monette wiped her eyes.
“Don’t say that. Everybody deserves a second chance and forgiveness,” Lenore said. “No matter what they’ve done.”
“Right.” Monette nodded.
‘That don’t include no-good, low-down men that beat on their women though.” Candi squinted at Lenore. Yarva had turned the volume down on the television. Now she strolled over to them.
“People change. That’s why we’re here, isn’t it? Because somebody was willing to give us a chance.” Lenore looked away to stare out of the window.
“Girl, please,” Yarva put in.
“You don’t know my man,” Lenore replied with heat.
“Sure I do. He’s the guy that lied to you, took your money, and then humped your cousin while you were at work. The honeymoon won’t last,” Yarva said.
“Just shut up about Ramone.” Lenore’s dark eyes seemed to reflect angry sparks when she glared at Yarva.
“We listened to you doggin’ out the guy for weeks in group sessions. That’s how we all know his notorious love rap sheet. Girl, you better wake up.” Yarva waved a hand at her.
“You’re mad at Monette for having brains and me ’cause I got a man. Don’t be takin’ it out on us ’cause you don’t have either one.” Anger made Lenore’s accent deepen. She rose from the chair to confront Yarva.
Yarva’s dark brown eyes narrowed and her smirk vanished. Monette stood and moved closer to Lenore. Candi leaned forward, as though ready to step in if needed. After a few seconds Yarva went back to watch television.“To hell with it,” Yarva shot back over her shoulder.“Yeah, right.” Lenore spat a stream of Spanish in Yarva’s direction as she stomped from the room.
“Good thing Yarva don’t speak Spanish,” Candi said. She reclined again into a relaxed pose.
Monette took the chair opposite her. “And I thought I’d be the one to whip Yarva’s ass first.”
“This ain’t like Lenore. I knew her from my days runnin’ the streets in Houston. Even then took her a long time to get mad enough to fight” Candi lifted a shoulder. “But hey, when a man is in the mix you got trouble.”
Monette thought about her reaction to Jayson. “Yeah. But maybe with the right man it’s worth it.”
Chapter 9
That evening the informal writers group met in Monette’s bedroom. A group of five women, including Monette and Tyeisha, got together once a week to share poetry, essays and stories they’d written. Monette found that the sessions spurred her to make progress on the second book she was working on. After about an hour the women drifted off in different directions. Tyeisha stayed behind, still wrestling with a poem about loss. Monette balanced a legal pad on one knee, scribbling notes with urgency before the freshness in the words slipped away. Candi’s voice from the doorway came to her as background noise. Monette held up a hand and kept writing. Finally she tapped the ink pen against the paper and glanced up.
“You say something?” Monette frowned at her.
“Nothing important, I guess,” Candi muttered. She slammed the door.
“What’s up with that?” Tyeisha stared at the door in surprise.
Monette put the pad on the seat of her chair and followed Candi. “Hey, wait up.”
“I’m not waitin’ around until you have time for me.” Candi paused only long enough to glance back once, then kept walking.
“Damn, you sound like we’re dating or something. Don’t get that rumor started.” Monette caught up with her at the top of the stairs. “Okay, so now I’ve got time. Wanna explain why you’re mad at me?”
Candi turned around. “Go back to your new friends. I’m not up on the latest books or tryin’ to write a pitiful ass poem.”
“I know for a fact that you could write pitiful ass poems, too,” Monette wisecracked. She crossed her arms.
“Take your act on the road. I hear Def Comedy Jam needs a new comic.” Candi flipped a hand at her. “I’m done.”
“We went through a lot of trash inside, but nobody was able to split us. No other inmates or crazy guards.” Monette grabbed her arm.
“You’re what’s comin’ between us now. You and your new attitude. But I don’t have to explain a damn thing to you.” Candi jabbed a finger into Monette’s chest.
Monette looked down at Candi’s finger and the indentation it made in her T-shirt. “Okay. Be mad as long as you need to be. Let me know when you wanna talk without all the drama.”
“Please. Don’t let that community college psych course go to your head.” Candi gave a snort
“That was a good one, girl.” Yarva leaned against the hallway wall, watching them.
“I don’t need no help. So you can just back off,” Candi snapped at Yarva over her shoulder.
“Whew. All I said was—” Yarva stopped when Candi and Monette scowled at her. She held up both hands, palms out. “Fine.”
Candi stared at Yarva until she went downstairs, and then turned back to Monette. “Friends take time for each other. Don’t even try telling me I’m actin’ crazy either.”
“So you’ve got amnesia all of a sudden about that party. You remember the food, the music and the bullets flyin’.” Monette ground her back teeth together in an effort to hold her temper.
“Sorry I couldn’t find a tea party for you. That way you could have talked about your book deal, the radio show, blah-blah-blah.”
Monette gazed back at Candi for a few minutes. Candi had a point. She had held that night against her, maybe had even avoided her. “You’re right. I shouldn’t keep bringing it up. But look, I can’t afford to make the wrong move. I’ve slipped and tripped so many times in my life. I’m not trying to blame you. Guess it’s just—I don’t know.”“Humph.” Candi wore a hard expression. She was obviously not in a forgiving mood.
“I’m sorry for throwing the party in your face. And for making you feel like I don’t have time for you these days. Give me another chance. Come in and write a pitiful ass poem with us.” Monette nodded back toward the room, where Lenore and Tyeisha waited.
Candi ruffled her hair with one hand. She looked away, then back at Monette. A smile pulled at her mouth even as Candi tried to stay angry. “You’re slick. You know that?”
‘Takes one to know one.” Monette put both hands on her hips. “Well? You still wanna whip my ass, or can we be friends again?”
“No more poetry tonight,” Candi challenged.
“We’re through anyway,” Lenore said as she and Tyeisha joined them.
“Yeah.” Tyeisha looked at Candi. A silent message seemed to pass between the two women.
“Let’s play some cards, girl,” Monette said to break the staring match. She gave Candi a pat on the arm to distract her. “I can still beat you at any game you choose.”
“You’re dreamin’ must be. If I remember right, you owe me about ten thousand dollars from the last game we had on the cell block.” Candi turned to Monette with a grin. “I’ll set up the card table in the visiting room. Might as well make it eleven thousand.”
“I’m gonna get my money back. Believe that. Just give me a few minutes,” Monette called after her. Cand
i waved a hand to signal she’d heard her.
Lenore waited until Candi reached the bottom of the steps before speaking. She looked at Monette. “You two work it out?”
“Sure. It’s cool.” Monette smiled at the two young women. Still, she saw them exchange a glance. “Really. It’s fine.”
“Uh-huh.” Tyeisha lifted a shoulder, and then went back to her room.
“Just be careful. Sometimes friendships from inside don’t survive out in the world. You and Candi are going down different paths.” Lenore’s soft voice took nothing from the intensity of her words. Her long black hair swayed as she shook her head. “Candi and Yarva, they both boil with anger deep down. That’s what they have in common. I know the signs.”
“Candi? The only thing boiling inside that woman is acid indigestion from eating too much fried food. Listen, I’ve known her for years. She’s gonna be alright.”
“I hope so. Yarva has a lot of influence over her.” Lenore followed Monette’s gaze.
Something in Lenore’s tone struck a nerve. Monette had wondered about the closeness between the two women. Yarva had a gloomy cynicism that never seemed to go away. Every once in a while Candi would sink into depression, but she would eventually joke herself out of it. Monette knew all too well from prison that some friendships could be toxic.
“Candi is a smart lady. She’ll be just fine like I said.” Monette gave Lenore a smile of reassurance. “I’ll be fine, too.”
Lenore smiled back at her. “Okay. Are we still meeting Sunday evening as usual?”
“Of course we will. I’ve got a few pages I finished to share with the group. See ya later.”
Monette went downstairs. When she entered the smaller living room, Candi was already seated at the dark green card table holding a deck of cards. She was laughing at something another resident had said.
“Hey, come on in and prepare to lose,” Candi said, waving Monette over to the table.
Candi shuffled the cards like a casino dealer. No trace of anger came through in her tone or expression. Monette might have thought she’d imagined their angry exchange only a few moments before. More than anything she wanted the tension behind them.
“You okay?” Monette picked up the hand Candi had dealt her.
“Sure. Hey, now that you’re a rich celebrity, let’s up the stakes. What do you say?” Candi wore her poker face when she glanced up from her cards.
“Don’t come crying to me when you lose,” Monette replied with a grin.
She dug a handful of coins from her pants pocket and threw them on the table. Candi let out a whoop as she pulled out her lucky coin purse. She slapped it down with a smirk at Monette. For the next hour they played with the same enthusiasm they’d had in prison. Monette told herself that she had nothing to worry about where Candi was concerned.
***
Friday morning, Lucy sat across from Monette in the day room at New Beginnings. As she talked, Monette nodded, but her thoughts skipped between Lucy’s news and her own past. Winn Barron had blown into Monette’s life like a bad wind bringing rain. Of course she hadn’t had sense to see it at the time. But then Monette hadn’t had much sense about anything in those days. Back in the day, Winn had stood tall in her eyes. He’d been handsome before too much of everything had taken its toll on his looks. He’d been drawn to Monette. She’d worn a clingy red dress her first day on the job working at the courthouse, which had been ironic, since she’d kept breaking rules.
She had finally noticed him noticing her after about two weeks working as a file clerk and all-around gopher. They’d been discreet, naturally. Their attraction had crossed a lot of boundaries, which had made their affair even more exciting. After a year Monette had realized his attention hadn’t been affection. He’d wanted to own her. In fact, Winn had believed he did own Monette. She’d dumped him, all hard and cold, to let him know slavery had ended long ago. Then Winn had set out to show her he was boss. He’d won. At first. Monette still had the scars from that particular battle. That had been fifteen years and what seemed like a couple of lifetimes ago.
“Monette. Hey, listen, it’s not all that bad. Barron can’t afford to mix it up too much. He’s lucky all he lost was his not-so-spotless rep and his job as attorney general.” Lucy gave a snort of contempt.
Monette blinked back to the present. The sunshine slanting through a part of the window curtains did nothing to warm her. She rubbed her arms, and then crossed them. “I know him, Lucy. Winn is just letting me know he’s not done with me yet.”
“Like I said, Barron is using his influence behind the scenes to undermine your credibility. He’s written a letter to the Parole Board chairperson and started a whisper campaign.” Lucy stood up and paced, as though she were in a courtroom.
“Can they reverse their decision and send me back to prison?” Monette tensed. She’d never heard of it being done before. Still, with Winn playing his hand, anything seemed possible.
“Under extraordinary circumstances, but it’s extremely rare,” Lucy rushed to add.
“Only if they find that I lied about anything in my application, like the circumstances surrounding my conviction.” Monette looked at her.
“Which you didn’t do,” Lucy said firmly.
“Winn is telling them I did. Right? That I knew about the drugs and set up Earl to be killed.” Monette realized her fingernails were digging into the flesh just above her elbows. She opened her hands, then flexed her fingers. Her arms felt stiff as she moved them to her sides.
“Yes. Barron is disputing the facts on your application for a pardon, too,” Lucy said, letting go of the rest of her bad news. “Can you think of anything, any ammunition he might use against us?”
“You mean me.” Monette stood and went to the window. “You better believe Winn knows a certain group of inmates would love to have me back on the block.”
“I wouldn’t go that far.” Lucy’s sleek almond eyes reflected her skepticism.
“You don’t know him like I do. Look, I messed up his old family name and took a lot from him. Power and influence, that’s what he cares about. Now he’s going to show me he still has both.” Monette let out a raw laugh that scratched her throat “I was stupid to think he was in Palm Beach hiding from the world, from me. Not Winn.”
“Jim thinks we should press ahead. We had enough evidence to win your parole, so we can use the same arguments. Barron isn’t invincible, Monette. We’ve proven it before and we can do it again.” Lucy walked over to her and put a hand on Monette’s shoulder.
“Business as usual.” Monette inhaled and let out air slowly, as though preparing for another fight.
“Don’t forget, Barron doesn’t have the same cards in his hand as before. You went up against him once and won. No one believed rich, privileged District Attorney Winn Barron would risk everything by having an affair with you,” Lucy said. “You convinced them that he had.”
Monette nodded without answering. Sure, she’d used her street wits against the old money clout and come out on top once. But she’d put her children through a lot to do it. At first Monette had enjoyed the attention and causing a scandal. She’d savored watching Winn fall. Yet she’d lost something as well. Writing the book and then answering all of the questions about her life had forced Monette to face the truth. About herself, her choices and her life. The picture wasn’t pretty.
“Yeah, but I’m ready to just move on. Tell Jim I’m going to avoid open warfare with the bastard. Not this time.” Monette turned to Lucy. “Get in touch with Winn. Tell him we’ll go quietly if he will. I won’t mention him on my show or my next book. I won’t mention him at the pardon hearing. Negotiate a truce for me.”
“If Barron will listen. I’m not sure what Jim will say, but you’re the client.” Lucy nodded.
“Barron will take Jim’s phone call, trust me. I’ll spend time talking about every mistake I’ve made. That should make Winn happy. He can tell his classy friends that I was a lying skank just like he sa
id.” Monette calculated his reaction and decided to put her plan in action soon.
“What will that do to you?” Lucy asked.
“Sugar, my life is literally an open book. Winn can’t hurt me with talk.” Monette smiled with confidence to cover her fear. Because that was a lie. Winn could definitely touch Monette, but not without risk to himself. She just had to count on him remembering that fact, and hope he wasn’t too drunk and vengeful to care anymore.
Chapter 10
The Saturday afternoon sunshine faded behind clouds by one o’clock. A steady drizzle of rain came down. Each time the phone rang, Monette expected it to be Jayson calling to cancel. He showed up at the front door at a quarter to four. Lenore let him in and called to Monette. The other women did a bit of not-so-subtle flirting with him, but Jayson took it in stride.
“Hope it storms if it’s raining men like you,” a resident named Sharlene drawled in her north Mississippi accent.
“Umph, umph, umph,” another woman said softly as she walked by on her way down the hall.
‘Try not to act so desperate,” Monette whispered as they passed her.
“Gill, we know you got him. At least be nice enough to let a sister look.” Sharlene grinned before she headed off.
Candi came out of the living room with Yarva at her side. “See you’ve got plans. Have a nice time.”
“Yeah, I’ll see you later,” Monette replied, then turned to Jayson. “Hi.”
“Hi. Sorry I took so long.” Jayson wore a tan T-shirt tucked into blue jeans.
“You’ve been working on cars all morning?”
“Oh, yeah. Then I took a shower, did paperwork, and here I am.” He opened the door for her.
“You must be tired. We could do the tour another time. The weather isn’t all that great either.” Monette frowned at the now steady downpour.
“No, I promised to show you the exciting world of auto repair. And hey, a little water won’t make us melt.” Jayson grabbed a huge umbrella he had left on the porch. They both fit under it.
“Okay.”
Monette tried not to feel self-conscious as he walked her around to the passenger side, made sure she was in, and shut the door with care. The rain shower settled back down to a drizzle again. She looked through the windshield to find several of the women looking out of the window. They mugged at her while Jayson’s back was turned.