Daniel scowled. “That was low of you, Sarah. Of course, I’m concerned about the boys. But I take Lenora’s leaving personal. She has shamed me, and I don’t take that lightly,” he spat out furiously. “And she cleaned out our bank accounts. I’m broke.”
“Oh Lord,” Sarah muttered as she folded her arms across her chest. “I’m sorry about the money. You’ll have to figure out how to live off your pension. You do get monthly payments, don’t you? I remember you saying you were going to set up your pension disbursements that way, instead of a lump-sum payment.”
“Well, yes, I still get my pension, but I cashed in several annuities and a couple of the IRAs that I was able to keep after your mother and I divorced. Lenora thought it made sense to use most of the money as a down payment on the house. My pension alone is not nearly enough for the upkeep on this house. Lenora contributed the majority of her salary to the household expenses.” Daniel dropped his head, feeling disgraced.
“Daddy, you didn’t keep any of your money for yourself? That doesn’t sound like you.” Sarah poked her nose in her father’s business.
“I got a little money put away. Sarah, what if we get put out? Where would I go?” Panic filled Daniel’s eyes. He remembered when he left Ruth, and how he had to go live with his brother, Fred.
“Then we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” Sarah said calmly, though her insides churned. This situation gets worse every day, she thought. Lord, help us. “You’ve got a lot going on. Let’s just focus on each issue individually. I think it would be best for all concerned if you could focus on the boys right now. Have you heard from Lenora’s sister or her parents? You need to make decisions about getting someone to help you with the children,” she said.
“I’m not well,” Daniel groused. “I can’t be expected to make any decisions about the children. I have enough to cope with, as far as my health is concerned.” His deadened eyes met Sarah’s flashing ones.
“Daddy, you had the heart attack years ago, and it was a minor one at that,” Sarah reminded her father as she tried to keep impatience out of her voice. “You have to work with what God gives you, and your minor children are your first priority, believe me.” She rubbed the area between her eyes and suppressed a yawn. She felt tired. She had started work at seven o’clock that morning, and it was now after eight in the evening.
The doorbell sounded, and both Daniel and Sarah looked toward the door. Sarah popped out of her seat. “I’ll get it,” she said, strolling toward the door.
Daniel looked hopefully at the door, licking his lips. He prayed Lenora would be standing on the other side, apologizing for leaving him the way she had, and begging him to allow her to return home. His pride was fractured, and he couldn’t wait to tell Lenora to get stepping.
Instead of his wife’s petite figure at the door, Daniel saw his in-laws crossing the threshold into the stately Olympia Fields home that he and Lenora shared until a few days ago.
Daniel closed his eyes to block out the expression of hurt and confusion on the faces of his mother-in-law, Glenda, and his sister-in-law, Felicia. Ernest, Lenora’s father, looked irate, while Felicia’s husband, Reggie, looked concerned.
Ernest walked over to the recliner and pointed his finger at Daniel. “I trusted you with my Nora, and look what happened. You couldn’t be a man to her and keep her at home. You good-for-nothing, son of a—”
Glenda strode quickly to the couch and pulled her husband’s arm. “Ernest, this is not the time for all that. I’m sure Daniel is feeling as bad as we are. After all, it was his wife who left him.”
“We should have made him take a physical when he married Nora. It ain’t our fault he couldn’t keep up with his wife. Maybe she would still be here if he was in better shape.” Ernest twisted his lips into a sneer.
“Maybe you should have taught her to be a faithful wife,” Daniel retorted, bristling.
Sarah held out her arms. “Let’s try to keep our heads, and focus on the children. Why don’t you all have a seat, and maybe we can discuss this situation like adults.”
“That’s a good idea,” Felicia remarked. Reggie nodded his head approvingly.
“Why don’t we go sit in the dining room,” Sarah suggested. “There’s more room in there.”
“I agree,” Felicia answered.
Everyone walked into the dining room and sat around the large marble-and-glass table.
“I’m going to check on the boys,” Glenda announced as she took off her jacket and placed it on the back of one of the chairs. “I’ll be back in a moment.” She left the room and proceeded upstairs to the bedrooms.
Ernest sat unceremoniously on one of the chairs. He sneered at Daniel, who had just walked into the dining room and had sat on the chair at the head of the table.
“So, Daniel, what exactly did Lenora say?” Felicia wasted no time in her interrogation of her brother-in-law.
“She left me a note saying that she was leaving me for another man. And that she was going to Reno to get a quickie divorce, and that she would be in touch with me later. She doesn’t want custody of the boys. She feels they would be better off with me since they are males. What kind of woman does that?” Daniel couldn’t keep the loathing he felt for Lenora from teeming in his voice.
“A woman who don’t want no part of an old man,” Ernest growled. “I can’t blame her. I swear you done fell off, man. I wouldn’t want no part of you either.”
“Mr. Johnson, that was uncalled for,” Sarah said, with fire in her eyes. “I hope you aren’t here to place blame. I could say the same thing about Lenora. What mother just ups and leaves without her children?”
Ernest banged his hand on the table. His voice rose as he said, “I know you ain’t trying to turn this around and blame this mess on my daughter. Yo’ daddy should have left her alone years ago, and none of this would have happened.”
“Ernest Johnson,” Glenda said as she returned to the dining room from checking on the boys, who were upstairs sleeping. “Would you keep your voice down? The boys are asleep. I know they’re missing their mother. So keep it down.” She cut her eyes at her husband as she sat on the chair next to him. “Now, what wuz y’all saying?”
“Lenora left Daniel a note.” Felicia brought her mother up to date. “Knowing Lenora as I do, I bet she’s moved on with her life.”
Glenda dropped her head; then she looked up. “I didn’t raise Lenora that way. I can’t believe she would even entertain the thought of leaving those precious babies behind. She didn’t mention any problems to me. Felicia, did she say anything to you?”
Felicia shook her head no.
“Well, she did leave me, and Lenora knows I’m not well. I can’t understand why she would do that,” Daniel whined.
“Man, quit acting like a sissy,” Ernest said. His voice betrayed the animosity he felt for his son-in-law, who was almost the same age as he was. “You need to man up. You shoulda handled your business.”
“My father will take care of the boys. You don’t need to worry about that,” Sarah said adamantly. “I was hoping we could all come together, and come up with a plan to make life easier for Daddy and the boys.”
“Ain’t nobody trying to help Daniel.” Ernest’s eyes glowed with malice. “We only here cuz of the boys. Forget Daniel.”
“Daniel is the boys’ father. So he has the final say-so regarding them. Ernest, you’re wrong, and Lenora was wrong for walking out on the boys,” Glenda stated. “Whatever was going on in the marriage is between Daniel and Nora. We’re here for my grandsons.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Johnson,” Sarah said as her body slackened against the back of the chair.
“Reggie and I will do what we can to help. What do you want to do, Daniel?” Felicia turned and asked her brother-in-law.
“I’m not sure. I know that I’m not up to keeping three little boys. My health isn’t that good,” Daniel proclaimed.
“Daddy, you’re not on a death watch, nor are you disabled,”
Sarah stated, reproving her father. She folded her shaking hands together. “If you get someone to help you with the boys during the day, I think you’ll be okay. Being without Lenora will be an adjustment, but you’ll survive it.”
“What are you saying, Daniel? You don’t want the boys?” Felicia looked at him with eyes as round as saucers.
Daniel rubbed his prickly chin. “I really don’t know. I mean, I don’t think I can handle them. Maybe it would be best if someone else kept them. I’m too old for this... .” His voice trailed off.
“Daddy, you don’t want to make that kind of decision in an emotional state of mind. You need to think about it more. Things will look better in the morning.” Sarah urged her father not to make any decisions he might later regret.
“I agree with Sarah,” Felicia said. “You need more time to think about what you want to do. If you didn’t keep the boys, they would feel even more abandoned. They need to stay put and with you for the time being.”
“I told Daddy that I could take at least a week off work and stay with him and help him with the boys,” Sarah stated. “Then after that, he needs to make some permanent changes. I’m praying he’ll do the right thing and keep his family together,” she shared with the group. “Would anyone like coffee or something to drink?”
“I’d like a soda,” Glenda said. “A Pepsi.”
Everyone else, with the exception of Ernest, requested soft drinks. He walked downstairs to the basement to the wet bar and returned with a bottle of Tanqueray. On his way back to the dining room, he stopped in the kitchen and asked Sarah to bring him a glass of water with ice. Sarah looked at his retreating back disapprovingly. She imagined saying to Ernest, “There’s nothing wrong with your hands, get it yourself.” Instead, she said, “Sure.”
Sarah looked in a bottom cabinet in the kitchen and found a silver tray, which she set on the kitchen table. She removed cold drinks from the refrigerator and placed them on the tray. Then she turned on the faucet and filled a small glass with water, and added a few ice cubes from the freezer to it. Sarah returned to the dining room and put the tray on the table.
“Thank you, sweetie,” Glenda said. She reached for a Pepsi, popped it open, and gulped down a few sips. “Daniel, what happened to Ms. Lewis, the nanny Nora hired for the boys? Is she still around?”
“No, we had to let her go a few months ago. Lenora’s clients were having financial difficulties and money became tight,” he answered tiredly.
Lenora was self-employed and owned a bookkeeping business.
“Aren’t the boys in school during the day?” Felicia asked.
“Yeah, I guess so,” Daniel responded despondently, sounding as if he didn’t really know the answer to the question.
“Then you would only have to be bothered with them after school. Man, where is your head?” Ernest yelled. “If you don’t want them, we’ll take them. I’m sure Lenora has money put aside for the boys. You could pay me and Glenda, and we’ll take care of them.”
“Speak for yourself,” Glenda shot at Ernest. “I done raised my kids, and I ain’t looking to bring up no more.” She quickly backed down, and said, “Unless I have to.”
“There ain’t no money,” Daniel announced. “Lenora took most of our money when she left.”
“I wouldn’t mind keeping the boys,” Felicia offered, sneaking a peek at Reggie. He nodded his head in approval.
The couple was the parents of two children, a boy, who was the same age as the twins, and a four-year-old daughter. They often had their nephew Kente, Lenora and Felicia’s youngest sister LaQuita’s son, and Lenora’s three sons over for weekend stays.
“I don’t think we should make any final decision today, until Daddy has time to explore all his options,” Sarah announced. “I think if we all pitch in, Daddy would still be able to care for his sons. I plan to stay here the rest of the week. Why don’t we meet Friday evening? Hopefully, by that time, Daddy will have adjusted to Lenora’s leaving, and his focus will be on the boys.”
“That sounds like a good idea to me.” Glenda burped, and she covered her mouth. “I ain’t working, so I could come by during the day. Or I could pick the boys up from school and come over here and cook or clean up.” She looked around the room. “Too bad Nora didn’t get a smaller house. That would have made life easier.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Johnson. I think between the two of us, we can handle things until the end of the week. By then, Daddy should be able to make some final decisions.” Sarah smiled. “Does that sound fair to you, Felicia?”
“Yes, it does. If you need me to do anything, Sarah, Daniel has my number,” Felicia said.
Everyone chatted for about another half hour. Then they heard a cry from upstairs. Darnell was yelling for his mother. The women flew up the stairs to see about him. Daniel, Ernest and Reggie remained at the table.
“You know you a sorry excuse for a man,” Ernest hissed at Daniel. “I hate the day that Lenora ever decided to hook up with you.”
Daniel shrugged his shoulders. “I hate that day too.”
“I know you ain’t talking ’bout my daughter!” Ernest jumped up from his seat and walked menacingly toward Daniel.
“Pops, sit down. You don’t want to do this.” Reggie rose from his chair and restrained the older man.
“I’ma let it go for now cuz of the ladies. Don’t let me catch you outside, Daniel Wilcox. I’ll get to working on you like a bee in a honeycomb.” Ernest balled up his fist at his son-in-law.
Daniel was still caught up in a state of self-pity; he barely reacted to his father-in-law’s outburst.
Ernest continued muttering to himself. He drank shots of the gin, while he hurled verbal insults toward Daniel.
Finally the women returned to the room and took their seats.
“What took so long?” Reggie turned and asked his wife.
“By the time we got upstairs, all the boys were crying. Damon tried to hold it in, but he couldn’t, so we had to comfort all the boys. It took a while to settle them down,” Felicia told him.
Glenda looked at her husband. “It’s time for us to go. Ernest, I think you’ve had a little bit too much to drink. Sarah, I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
The Johnson clan stood up, put on their jackets and departed.
After Sarah locked the front door, her cell phone rang. She removed it from her pants pocket and looked at the caller ID. “That’s Brian,” she told Daniel. “I’m going to take this call in the kitchen.” She walked into the other room.
Daniel’s body was slumped over as he rubbed his temples. He thought, How the heck did this happen to me? And what possessed my wife to leave me for another man? Daniel bemoaned the fact that he was an elderly retired man stuck with raising three small children, with an albatross of a mortgage around his neck like a noose. The situation was like a role reversal for him, much like women had faced when they divorced and were left to cope with the broken pieces of their former lives.
Questions without answers, and fear of the unknown, swirled around in Daniel’s head. He sat at the table, with his head dropped into his hands, paralyzed by a bout of inertia. He sat that way until the sound of the doorbell shook him out of his musings.
“I wonder who that is,” Daniel muttered to himself.
Chapter Six
Daniel rose from the chair and shuffled to the front door. He peered out the peephole and saw his brother, Fred, on the other side. Man, I don’t feel like dealing with him tonight after the Johnsons, he thought wearily.
Fred pressed the doorbell again and squinted into the peephole. “I know you in there, Danny. Let me in.”
Sarah raced from the kitchen to the door with her cell phone in hand. “Dad, what are you doing? Are you trying to wake the boys? Open the door.”
Daniel reluctantly turned the lock on the door, opened it, and then unlocked the screen door. He stood to the side to allow his brother inside the house.
“Shoot, what took you so long to answer the
door? I know you weren’t asleep.” Fred smirked at his brother. “Then again, you might have been. I swear you done turned into an old man.” He walked into the house and took his cap off his head. The two brothers eyed each other warily.
“How you doing, Danny? Sarah called and told me what happened with Nora. I guess that’s rough for you.” Fred’s eyes swept over his seemingly elderly brother, who was younger than him by five years. He was shocked at his brother’s appearance.
“I swear women can’t hold water. Whatever they know, they gonna call another woman and tell the story. I just finished dealing with the Johnsons, so excuse me for being a little tired. We might as well sit in there,” Daniel said, walking into the living room.
Sarah came into the room. She walked to Fred and hugged him. Then she sat down on the sofa. “Uncle Fred, how are you doing? Though I’ve talked to you on the telephone from time to time, I haven’t seen you in a while.” She smiled at her uncle.
“I’m doing good, girl. You look good, Sarah.” Fred’s eyes landed back on his brother. “I stop by and see your daddy every now and then. He doesn’t seem to want my company as much as he used to. How are Brian and the kids?”
“They’re doing well. Joshua is playing basketball for Whitney Young High School, and Maggie will be graduating from elementary school in June. We have two graduations this spring, Maggie and Naomi,” Sarah said.
“That’s good. I’m glad to hear everyone is doing fine. How are DJ and his family?”
“They’re good. DJ has been assigned to a military base in Atlanta, and he’s making great strides with his rehabilitation.”
“That’s good. I was sorry to hear about his foot injury in Afganistan. I felt even worse when I heard about his foot being amputated. When they brought him back to the States, I told Danny he should go see him. But you know my brother—he has turned into a knucklehead,” Fred said affectionately.
“Aw, man, see you didn’t have to go there.” Daniel smacked his lips.
Letting Misery Go Page 5