Sarah hugged her daughter and told her to be good, and that she’d pick her up in the morning. Joshua had departed earlier to hang out at a friend’s house.
Brian clicked off the television with the remote control. He and Montgomery stood up.
“I guess I’m stuck with chauffeuring duties tonight. Luckily, the house that Maggie is going to isn’t far from here, and the Hilton isn’t far from here either,” Brian said.
Everyone ended up leaving at the same time.
Naomi and Sarah got inside Sarah’s Ford Escape SUV, and before long, Sarah merged into traffic. Sarah said, “I know before the weekend is out, Brian is going to angle for a ride in the Jag. Montgomery has a nice ride.”
“It runs pretty smoothly. So what’s happening with Momma? She told me a little about the meeting,” Naomi said.
They chatted away and soon they were in Olympia Fields. Sarah parked her vehicle in Daniel’s circular driveway.
“The size of this house is amazing,” Naomi observed. She clicked off her seat belt. “Who needs to live in a house this size? I bet heating costs are astronomical.”
“Daddy might not be living here for long. And you’re right, I think the house is too pretentious,” Sarah added.
They exited the car and walked to the front door. Sarah pulled out her key and opened the door. Naomi noticed a gold-plated sign on the right side of the gray brick house: The Wilcox Family. She rolled her eyes.
“It’s awfully quiet. I hope nothing has happened. Daddy?” Sarah called out as they stood in the foyer.
To her surprise, Daniel strode into the foyer, and she noticed there was a little pep in his step, which had been missing. The boys were hot on his heels.
“Sarah!” the twins shouted as they ran and encircled her waist.
“Hi, boys,” she greeted. “Were you good boys for Daddy?”
David and Darnell bobbed their heads, and then flashed a snaggletoothed smile at their older sibling. “Kind of,” David replied.
Damon hung back and stood near Daniel’s side. Naomi walked to her dad and gave him a lackluster hug. Sarah was carrying the bag of food, she took it into the kitchen.
“Hey, Daddy, how are you feeling?” she asked him.
She looked at the little boys, who were dressed in jeans and striped polo shirts.
When Sarah returned to the living room, she bade Damon to come and give her some love, and she held out her arms. He begrudgingly gave her a quick hug. Then Sarah turned to Daniel and gave him a warm hug. “Daddy, you look much better,” she complimented him.
“Thanks, I’ve been trying to take the advice you’ve been giving me. So I thought I’d freshen up and spend some time with the boys when they came home from school.”
Sarah noticed a bandage on one of Daniel’s hands. “What happened?” she asked, concerned.
“I baked fish sticks for the boys for a snack after they came home from school. I used the dish towel instead of that other thingie.” He snapped his fingers. “You know what I mean,” he said sheepishly as he shrugged his shoulders.
“You mean the oven mitt?” Naomi asked wryly. The straps of her purse were slung over her shoulder, and she folded her hands across her chest.
“Who is she?” Damon asked Sarah, pointing at Naomi. He peered at her suspiciously.
“That’s your other big sister, Naomi,” Daniel told his son.
“How come we ain’t seen her before?” David asked his father, looking at him with widened eyes. He looked back at Naomi with a puzzled look on his face.
“She’s been away at school. Isn’t it nice that she came by to see us today?” Daniel nodded at his boys. They looked at their father dubiously, and then they tentatively nodded their heads. “Let’s go to the den,” he said. Everyone followed him to the rear of the house, into the den.
Damon walked over to the heavy wood cocktail table and picked up the remote for the television. He turned on the TV and flipped through the channels. A violent movie came on HBO and he stopped channel surfing. Damon and his brothers were transfixed by the gruesome images on the television screen.
Sarah sat on one end of the sofa, and Naomi sat to her right. Daniel was planted on a chair, adjacent to the sofa. Sarah leaned toward her father and whispered, “Daddy, I don’t think that movie is appropriate for the boys.”
“Damon, find something else for you and your brothers to watch, or bring the remote to me and I’ll find something myself,” Daniel ordered the boy.
Damon ignored his father until Daniel repeated his request again.
“No, Mom lets us watch this channel. I’ve seen this movie before,” Damon replied. His eyes never left the television set.
“Boy, I know you didn’t tell me ‘no.’” Daniel’s eyes were bulging out of his sockets. “Bring me that remote control, and bring it now!” he ordered.
Damon turned around and looked at Daniel. The boy twisted his lips and rolled his eyes, visibly exasperated by his father’s request. He stood up, slammed the remote on the table, shook his fists, and ran from the room.
Sarah and Naomi watched the display. If Naomi hadn’t been so glad to see Daniel get his comeuppance, she, too, would have been just as appalled as Sarah at the young boy’s behavior. The Daniel Wilcox of old would never have tolerated his children behaving the way Damon had. Naomi held her breath to see how her father responded.
“Damon, come back here!” Daniel bellowed. The boy didn’t return.
The twins never turned away from the television, like nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. Sarah reached for the remote and turned the channel to the Cartoon Network. The twins twisted their heads and looked at Sarah, who then turned the channel to a Garfield movie that was airing.
Daniel slumped down and rubbed his eyes. Naomi held her tongue and didn’t say a word.
Sarah whispered heatedly, “Daddy, I know you’re not going to let that boy get away with talking to you like that.”
“What can I do?” he asked. He felt humiliated because he knew what Sarah said was true.
“You can go and tan his little butt. I can’t believe you. He needs to be put in his place. It seems like he’s gotten away with too much over the years.” Sarah’s lips narrowed into a thin line.
Daniel hunched his shoulders defensively; then he said, “I left the discipline of the boys to Nora.”
“If you let Damon continue to act out and talk to you that way, the younger boys will do the same. Then all three of them will be out of control. What are you going to do then?” Sarah tried to keep her voice even, but the emotion she felt was evident.
“I guess I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it,” Daniel said tiredly.
“That’s not acceptable, Daddy,” Sarah proclaimed, waving her hand in the air dismissively. She sat up and leaned forward.
“Sarah, I don’t appreciate your talking to me like that. I’ve never told you how to raise your children, and I expect the same respect from you.” Daniel glanced over at Naomi, who had a sneer on her face, and was shaking her head at the back-and-forth banter between father and daughter. “I know you’re not being critical of me,” he said to Naomi. “You don’t even have kids.”
Naomi’s temper flared, and she wanted to lash out at Daniel. Instead, she mentally counted to ten and held her peace. “I haven’t said a word. And you’re right—I don’t have children. But I did take psychology classes, so I know about children and their behavior. As you said, those boys are yours, so do your thing, Daddy.”
Daniel stood up; then he said, with a pained expression on his face, “Excuse me, I’ll be back in a few minutes.” He left the room in search of Damon.
Sarah looked at Naomi and asked her if she was thirsty. Naomi almost said no. Then she realized her sister wanted to talk to her in private. The women left the room and walked into the kitchen. They removed the food from the bag and put it on the counter.
Naomi’s eyes roamed the room, taking in the decor of the house. She had to admit Lenora ha
d good taste. The house was a definite showplace from what she could see. However, she concluded it didn’t have the homey feeling of the house where she had grown up.
“I can’t believe Daddy? Can you?” Sarah asked Naomi, rolling her eyes upward and twisting her lips. “I’ve been telling him all week that he needs to step up and be a father to those boys, even if it means hurting their feelings.”
“And what does he say?” Naomi inquired, leaning against the side of the island in the kitchen. She was impressed with the silver refrigerator, oven/range, and washer and dryer in a utility room off the spacious kitchen, which was sage green and cream.
“He says that the boys are acting out because Lenora left so abruptly,” Sarah explained, wringing her hands in frustration.
“He does have a point there. However, he still needs to maintain control over the boys. You were right; if he doesn’t nip their behavior in the bud, it will lead to serious consequences later in life,” Naomi declared.
“I thought after I talked to him, Daddy might try to make a better effort.” Sarah shook her head. “Those three little boys could end up like Lenora’s twin brothers.”
“Well, if Lenora doesn’t come back, perhaps Daddy will consider counseling for them,” Naomi suggested. “Maybe I could talk to him about it.”
“He might listen to you,” Sarah said thoughtfully. “Nay, do I detect a thawing of your feelings for Daddy?” she queried in a half-teasing voice.
“Not really. I feel sorry for the boys. But I will never forgive Daddy for breaking up our family,” Naomi said in a tone that let Sarah know that she was quite serious, and still bore some residual scars from their parents’ divorce.
“Never say never,” Sarah advised, patting Naomi’s arm. “Since you’ve never come to visit Daddy here, how about I take you on a tour of the house? Then we can go back into the den and see what the little ‘munchkins’ are up to.”
Naomi followed Sarah and she was simply amazed by the opulence of the residence. She was in awe of Lenora’s collection of African art, and eclectic paintings by contemporary artists, such as Annie Lee, Alonzo Adams, and Brenda Joysmith, hung on the walls. She walked over to a bookshelf filled with African-American fiction by notable authors.
They returned to the den, finding the boys still watching television. The sisters returned to their seats on the sofa, and Naomi half listened to Sarah’s prattle. Daniel returned to the room with Damon in tow; the young boy’s eyes were swollen and red. Daniel returned to the recliner seat, and Damon walked over to Sarah and Naomi and mumbled he was sorry. They graciously accepted his apology.
“Daddy, I brought a few leftovers from my house for you and the boys for later this weekend, along with snacks for the family meeting. Maggie made cookies especially for the boys, so they can have them now. We had an early dinner at my house.” She peered at her watch. It was after seven o’clock. “Everyone should be here shortly.”
Daniel nodded, indicating the suggestion was all right with him. Naomi and Sarah went to the kitchen and took out the containers of food they had brought. Sarah put them into the freezer. She also took ice trays out and put the cubes into an ice bucket.
Her sister had put the snacks into bowls when the doorbell rang.
“Why don’t you get that for me,” Sarah suggested to Naomi.
“Sure.” Naomi wiped her hands on a dish towel.
“I’ll get it,” Daniel yelled. He walked to the door.
Naomi took the foil paper off the cookies that Maggie had made.
“Had Brian planned on coming to the meeting?” Naomi asked. She took a plastic bag of paper plates from the wrapper and stacked them neatly into a pile on the table.
“No, he decided to pass this time.” Sarah blew her bangs out of her face and smiled at Naomi. “After he found out you were bringing a male friend home, he said he’d hang out with Montgomery.”
“Well, that was nice of him.” Naomi sat as she took serving utensils out of the drawer.
“Trust me,” Sarah said, shaking her head from side to side. “Brian would rather go to or watch a basketball game. It’s Friday, which means doubleheader night on ESPN. The first one started early. Brian would rather watch the games than deal with drama.”
After greeting the boys, Glenda and Felicia went into the kitchen. Glenda asked the women sassily, “What drama?”
“Hi, Glenda and Felicia,” Sarah greeted the women airily. “Naomi and I were just talking about my husband, Brian, and Sarah’s friend Montgomery, and sports drama. How are you doing?”
“We’ll be better when decisions have been made about the boys,” Felicia threw in. “I know where Nora’s stashes are. I need a drink.” She walked to a cabinet, bent down and removed a bottle of wine. She took a glass out of the dish drainer and filled it with wine.
“I’m sorry. I don’t think you’ve met my sister, Naomi. Nay, this is Lenora’s mother, Mrs. Johnson, and her sister, Felicia.” Sarah made introductions.
“Oh, you must be the daughter who never came to visit Daniel and Lenora,” Felicia observed smugly. “Lenora told me all about you.”
Naomi’s hackles were raised. She wanted to wipe that smug expression off Felicia’s face. She knew whatever gossip Lenora had shared with her sister couldn’t be good. As far as Naomi was concerned, Lenora couldn’t tell anyone about her, since the two women had never shared a conversation.
“Pleased to meet you,” Naomi said insincerely. But inside, she was fuming, and she wondered if Lenora was anything like her sister. If that was the case, Naomi wasn’t impressed.
“Nay and I just finished warming up the food, and we’re just about done. I thought we’d sit in the dining room, since it’s large,” Sarah told the women.
“That’s fine with me,” Glenda replied. She and Felicia headed to that room.
Sarah and Naomi made exaggerated faces at each other as the doorbell chimed again. Sarah said, “I’ll get it.”
After letting Reggie in the house, Sarah returned to the kitchen and said to Naomi, “Well, let’s start taking this food into the dining room and get the meeting started.” Sarah picked up the pan of beans.
Naomi had just finished putting the dessert on a platter, so she followed Sarah. When they entered the dining room, Fred had arrived. He walked over to his nieces, and after they set the dishes on the table, he gave them a big hug. “Nay, it’s good to see you. It’s been a long time. You’re looking good, all grown up.” Fred’s eyes twinkled with merriment. He held up a bag containing a six-pack of beer. “Is it okay if I put this in the refrigerator?” he asked Daniel, who nodded. “Anybody want a can of beer before I put this in the fridge?” he asked. Glenda nodded that she wanted one.
Felicia went downstairs to the laundry room, and returned with TV trays, which she took into the den. Then she and Glenda prepared plates of food for the boys.
Fred set two cans of beer on coasters on the table, and then he went to the kitchen and put the remaining cans of beer inside the refrigerator. He sat down on one of the twelve rattan-and-wood chairs at the dining-room table. Ernest stood in the media room in front of a dark cherrywood bar tucked into the corner of the room. The top of the bar was filled with bottles of alcohol. Ernest removed a crystal snifter from behind the bar and filled the glass halfway with Courvoisier. He walked into the dining room and sat down.
Ernest looked at Naomi and asked curiously, “Who are you?”
“I’m Daniel’s youngest daughter, Naomi. Who might you be?” Her eyes flickered over Ernest’s big belly, which made him look as though he was pregnant. Then she looked upward to the stern demeanor on his bearded face.
“I’m Lenora’s father, Ernest Johnson.” He sipped the amber alcohol and set the snifter on the table.
Naomi refused to say “pleased to meet you” to the unkemptly dressed man. Instead, she nodded. When Glenda and Felicia returned to the room, Naomi furtively studied her father’s in-laws.
“The boys seem to be doing better today
than the last time I saw them,” Glenda told Daniel as she picked up the can of beer from the table. She popped the lid and sipped the foamy brew.
“Yeah, they are,” Daniel admitted. “Sarah being here was a big help.” He flashed a grateful look at his daughter.
“Why don’t we go ahead and eat, then we can talk,” Sarah proposed. Everyone agreed. After everyone was seated, Sarah blessed the food, and everyone began eating.
Before everyone had almost finished, Naomi went into the kitchen and brought out the dessert and put it on the table.
“The dessert was good, Sarah,” Felicia said as she took a second red velvet cupcake and placed it on a paper plate.
“Thank you. My daughter made them.” Sarah smiled.
Ernest poured himself another snifter of cognac. He took a sip, looked at Daniel, and asked, “So whatcha gonna do, old man?”
Daniel looked pensive; then he answered. “I think I’m going to keep the boys with me. I haven’t figured out how I’m going to do it. I just think its best that the three D’s,” his voice choked, “stay with me.”
Thank you, Lord. Sarah’s face radiated approval at her father’s decision. She clasped her hands together tightly in her lap.
“Are you sure you’re up to keeping them boys?” Ernest asked. He looked disgruntled by Daniel’s decision. “You ain’t no spring chicken.”
“Neither are you,” Daniel shot back. “And yes, I’m one hundred percent sure about my decision. They need to be with one parent; and since Lenora has seen fit to remove herself from being a wife and a mother, I guess I’m it.”
“Daniel,” Felicia began. Her eyes flew to her husband, and then back to her brother-in-law. “Reggie and I really don’t mind keeping the boys. Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider your decision? You seemed so indecisive about keeping them when we talked about it the last time we were here.” She dabbed at her mouth with a napkin.
“I’ve had some time to think about it, and I know keeping them with me is the right decision. I’m just hoping you all will be around for support when I need it.” Daniel dipped his head humbly.
Letting Misery Go Page 16