Mirrored Images

by Michelle Larks

  Nancy had backed her eldest granddaughter’s decision, also feeling the separation would do both girls a world of good. The sisters had graduated from the Latin School of the University of Chicago. They’d attended the school from kindergarten through high school.

  When the twins were younger, Vanessa enrolled them in the Jack and Jill organization. They’d attended dance classes, taken piano lessons and had access to the finer things in life. When the girls graduated from eighth grade, Vanessa took them on a tour of Europe. They’d sailed on cruise ships along the Caribbean and Mediterranean seas since they were children. Nate had purchased vacation homes on Martha’s Vineyard and Key West Florida. The twins debuted into society their junior year of high school.

  Moniqa’s grades were mediocre at best. Being a nerd, as she termed it, was not her goal in life. Since age thirteen, her goal was to marry and marry wealth solely. Like her mother, she had an affinity for designer clothes and loved shopping at upscale stores, I. Magnum, Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord and Taylor. Melissa was content to shop at Marshall Fields or Carson department stores, preferring a more low-key style. Her favorite clothing was jeans, khakis, teeshirts and designer sneakers to match her outfits.

  Vanessa wanted to present the girls with imported automobiles for their sixteenth birthday, but Lawrence put the kibosh on the idea after explaining the funds would come from her monies and not the twins.

  Moniqa had a fit nearing tantrum proportions. She’d had her heart set on a red convertible beamer. She didn’t speak to Vanessa for nearly two weeks. Vanessa finally broke down and bought her a red Toyota Corolla, which Moniqa rejected with disdain, insisting she wouldn’t be caught dead in a Toyota. Melissa ended up using the car.

  Since being accepted at Spelman, Moniqa and her clique talked endlessly about their quest for a Morehouse man. They felt they wouldn’t have to work as hard to find the men of their dreams since he’d only be a campus away.

  Moniqa was quite explicit about her expectations for the future, a man with limitless wealth to spoil her to her heart’s content. She’d confided in Melissa that she wouldn’t drive anything less than a B car after marriage, a Mercedes Benz, or BMW.

  Melissa didn’t agree with her sister’s aspirations, but had to admit she would probably attain all that and more. Melissa was quiet and thoughtful in nature, whereas Moniqa was loud and boisterous, loving bold colors that set off her perfect complexion to its advantage. Like her mother, she still lived by the paper bag test. If a man’s skin tone happened to be darker than the bag then he’d never be considered a serious suitor for her affections.

  Moniqa liked being the best dressed for any occasion and the center of attention. She was quite selfish by nature and felt that Melissa, although her mirror image, was no competition. In any area she considered, she beat her twin hands down.

  Melissa tossed lingerie to one of the opened suitcases on the bedroom floor. Moniqa made a dramatic appearance into the room and walked over to the open suitcases. “I don’t know why you couldn’t buy a Louis Vuitton set, like I did. The Samsonite looks so cheap,” she sneered.

  Melissa smiled, unconcerned at her sister comments. “Everyone doesn’t have your taste, Moni.”

  “It just looks so common. Where did you buy it? Sears or some place like that?”

  “Like you know about Sears,” Melissa teased her. “You and I both know, you wouldn’t be caught dead at Sears.”

  “You’re right about that,” Moniqa remarked, sitting onto the bed. “I can hardly wait until Thursday. Atlanta here we come.”

  “I’m kind of looking forward to Clark myself, although I know I’m going to miss home and Nana.”

  “Why did you invite her to come with us?” Moniqa asked as she upending a pile of neatly folded clothing. “Mommy wasn’t pleased at all.”

  “You know why. I love Nana. I just thought she’d enjoy seeing us off to college. She misses Daddy and the Sunday dinners we used to have together before Daddy …” Melissa’s voice trailed off.

  “Hmm … I guess so. What are you going to wear on the flight?”

  The sisters compared outfits then went down to join Vanessa for dinner. Their mother insisted on formal dining, although Nate and Melissa were just as happy eating in the large, black and white tiled kitchen. Since Nate’s death, Vanessa went overboard indulging all of her pretentious fantasies.

  She looked up from the cherry oak table, and pointed to her watch. “You’re late. You know I like to dine at five o’clock on the dot.”

  “Mommy let it go,” Moniqa complained, taking her seat to her mother’s left. Melissa slid into the chair to her right. “We’ll be out of here in a couple of days. We were packing for school.”

  Vanessa spread a perfectly starched, white linen napkin across her lap. “I remember when I left Mississippi to come up here to attend Northwestern, I could hardly wait to leave home. I suppose you girls are feeling the same way.”

  Melissa took a sip of water from a crystal goblet. “Were you scared to leave home, Mommy? Chicago is so far away from Jackson.”

  “Good gracious no,” Vanessa answered. Her stainless steel fork, engraved with a gold A, was poised in the air. “I couldn’t wait to leave home and meet the man of my dreams.”

  “And that man turned out to be Daddy, didn’t he?” Melissa nodded.

  “Yes, ultimately it was Nate who won my heart. I didn’t meet him until my sophomore year though. I loved Chicago it was so different from Jackson. Being here was like being in a whole new world.”

  “Then you messed up,” Moniqa snickered, covering her mouth with her hand. “And got pregnant. Trust me that will never happen to me.”

  “That remains to be seen, young lady. Though, if you have a shred of sense, you won’t. We’ve already seen Dr. Pope and you’ve both taking the pill. So I don’t expect any slipups.”

  “I’m not going to school to find a man,” Melissa said, wiping her mouth with her napkin. “So you have no concerns on my part.”

  “Somehow I’m not surprised to hear that,” Vanessa mumbled. “So are you two just about packed and ready to go?”

  The maid, Tamika, removed the salad dishes and returned with French onion soup.

  “I’m almost done,” Melissa answered.

  “You know it takes me a little longer to pack,” Moniqa murmured. “Plus I’m taking more stuff than Mel. God, I can hardly wait to step onto Spelman’s campus.”

  “It’s just too bad Daddy didn’t live long enough to see us off,” Melissa offered after blowing on a spoonful of soup.

  “That’s true,” Vanessa said after a minute of silence. “I’m sure Nate would be proud of both you. Since you girls are leaving the day after tomorrow, I thought I’d mention that there is a shareholder’s meeting next week, and if either one of you don’t have any objections, I’d like to vote your shares of stock…”

  “What are the issues to be voted on, Mommy?” Melissa asked, smoothing butter on a dinner roll.

  “Nothing for you girls to worry about. I have everything under control. I spoke to my attorney Marcus last week and asked him to prepare documents giving me control of your stock while you attend college. You’ll have enough on your hands without worrying about the business.”

  Moniqa gave her mother a calculating look. “I think I’d like to vote my own stock. I’m eighteen now and equipped to make my own decisions.”

  A glint of anger flashed across Vanessa’s face. “You think you are, but reality is different from what you’ve studied at school. Remember the continuation of good quarters from the business equate to more money for us. There is no way, you’ll be able to make those decisions.” She glanced at Melissa. “So what do you plan to do with your shares?”

  “Well, I, um, already signed a document letting Nana vote my shares.”

  Vanessa sputtered angrily. “I can’t believe that I have raised you Judases in my very own house. Melissa, why would you do something like that without discussing it with me first?”
Vanessa’s face was bright red.

  “I didn’t think it mattered. Since we’re eighteen, I thought the point was that we made our own decisions.”

  “Moniqa Ann Adams, you will sign the document, or else…”

  “Or else what, Mommy?” Moniqa batted her eyes at her mother innocently. “There’s really nothing you can do to us, Daddy made sure of that. I’ll let you act as my proxy for two years and see how it goes. Don’t think it’s because you’ve threatened me. The only reason I’m doing this is because Mel gave Nana her proxy and I know you’ll be outnumbered and that’s not fair. Have your lawyer change the wording to two years and I’ll sign it before I leave.”

  Vanessa’s lips were pressed together tightly. “I can’t believe either of you. I’ve lost my appetite.” She rose from her seat and almost bumped into Tamika, who was entering the room pushing a cart with three plates on it for dinner.

  “Ma’am are you ready to eat?” Tamika asked Vanessa timidly.

  “Don’t ask foolish questions. Does it look like I’m ready to eat? I’ll have something later.” Vanessa strode from the table and upstairs to her bedroom. The door sounded loudly behind her.

  “I guess we goofed,” Melissa said, eying the staircase.

  “No, I would say, you did. You knew making Nana your proxy would only upset Mommy. Thank God we’re leaving in a few days, there’ll be no living with her after you dropped that bombshell.”

  “Well I just did it because I trust Nana. We think alike when it comes to business. I wasn’t trying to hurt Mommy’s feelings or anything.”

  “Come on, Mel,” Moniqa said impatiently. “You and I both knew that Mommy would have a fit with you letting Nana control your shares instead of her. I had a feeling Mommy was going to ask us about her being the proxy of our shares. I’d planned to give her mine. I just wanted to see her squirm a little.” Moniqa laughed. “Our first loyalty should always be to Mommy. It would behoove you to remember that. I’m full. I’m going upstairs to pack.”

  Moniqa dropped her napkin on the table next to her half-emptied plate and walked upstairs.

  Melissa stomach rumbled queasily, knowing she’d made a terrible mistake. All her life she’d sought approval from Vanessa. Granting her mother proxy was her chance to do something that would have made her mother happy and she’d blown it.

  The Adams family had been split due to Vanessa’s treatment of the twins for a long time. Vanessa adored Moniqa, her favorite, and made no bones about it to anyone. She was kind to Melissa but the maternal love she felt for Moniqa was absent with Melissa. Especially since it was Moniqa who enjoyed the same activities as Vanessa, socializing, treatments at day spas, and most of all shopping.

  Nate always did what he could to make up for Vanessa’s aloofness and Melissa became the child of his heart. As busy as he was running his business, Nate still managed to make time for his eldest daughter. Melissa took piano lessons until her sixteenth birthday and Nate usually managed to attend her recitals. If he couldn’t make it, then Nancy stepped in. After the performances, Nate treated Melissa to an ice cream at the local Baskin Robbins. Occasionally, Moniqa would attend the recitals with Nate, sitting in her seat with a bored look on her face. Nate was close to Moniqa, but their relationship didn’t rival his and Melissa’s.

  If there were disagreements between the twins, they took their squabbles to Vanessa who always sided with Moniqa. Usually Nate ended up siding with Melissa when he noticed her self-esteem tumbling by age thirteen. He’d tried discussing the problem with Vanessa and got nowhere.

  Moniqa was closer to Vanessa’s mother, Patricia, even though Nancy resided in Chicago. Moniqa insisted she had more in common with Patricia than her paternal grandmother.

  Nate’s death left Melissa adrift as if at sea floating on a life raft. Her champion, the one person in the household who watched her back, was gone. Several weeks after Nate’s passing, Nancy suggested Melissa live with her awhile. She took a short leave of absence from her job to console her granddaughter.

  Nancy experienced mixed emotions regarding Melissa’s return home. She wasn’t Melissa’s legal guardian, so her hands were tied. Most weekends Melissa slept over at Nancy’s house and the two attended church on Sundays. Realistically, if Melissa was going to miss anyone while pursuing her college degree, it would be her grandmother.

  Vanessa initially tried to persuade the twins to attend Northwestern, her almost alma mater. Moniqa had her heart set on attending Howard University in Washington D.C., but her grade point average was too low. Spelman was her second choice.

  Melissa was ambivalent about attending Howard or Spelman. After talking to Nancy, she decided it was time to retire the twin image and made her stab at independence by choosing Clark Atlanta University. She felt it made sense that she and Moniqa reside in the same state. That way neither would be alone.

  Melissa peeped into Moniqa’s room after deciding to visit Nancy. Her sister laid a stack of lingerie from Victoria’s Secrets into one of the suitcases lying on the floor. “Moni, I’m going to run out for a minute. Did you plan on using the Corolla?”

  “Girl, please.” Moniqa groaned rolling her eyes not breaking a beat. She tossed a pink, terry cloth robe into the suitcase. “See you later.”

  * * *

  Thirty minutes later, Melissa rode the elevator to the twentieth floor of Nancy’s high-rise building. Nancy had opened the door by the time Melissa arrived. The two women hugged then went into the den to talk.

  Melissa’s footsteps dragged and her shoulders were tensely hunched. Nancy sensed something unpleasant had occurred. Melissa had probably had a disagreement with Vanessa.

  “So what’s happening with you, child? Shouldn’t you be home packing? I just made a hotel reservation,” Nancy said, staring at her granddaughter intently, her arms folded across her chest.

  “Yes. I should probably be at home. Mommy’s upset with me,” Melissa confessed.

  “What happened this time?”

  “She’s upset because I made you my proxy. Mommy wanted both Moniqa and I to designate her.”

  “I assume your sister did?” Nancy inquired, visibly upset that Vanessa could behave in such a heartless manner.

  “Yes. She did, and got on my case because I didn’t comply with her wishes.” Melissa’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. Nancy handed her a tissue.

  “I had my doubts when you asked if I would be your proxy. We knew Vanessa would object. I know it hurts the way your mother treats you. If it bothers you that much then why not change your proxy back to your mother?” Nancy asked kindly, trying to offer Melissa an out.

  “No. Let’s just leave things the way they are. I just don’t understand why Mommy dislikes me so much,” Melissa whined.

  “Oh that’s not it. Vanessa doesn’t dislike you,” Nancy lied, not wanting to wound her granddaughter’s self esteem more. “She just has more interests in common with Moniqa. You’re different in temperament that’s all. You’re more like your daddy. Look on the bright side, you’ll be in Atlanta in a few days and Vanessa will get over it. It’s time for you to grow up, Mel. Some things are beyond our control. We can’t change them,” Nancy said wisely. She pointed to Melissa. “I want you to put all of this out of your mind and focus on Atlanta and Clark University. Nate would be so proud of both you girls.”

  “You’re right I think he would.” Melissa smiled, trying to stop her lips from trembling. “I sure miss my Daddy.”

  The two talked some more for a short time then Melissa headed home.

  Chapter Four

  A few days later, at 6:00 am on a humid Thursday morning, the twins, along with Vanessa, Bobo and his parents, David, Trina and Nancy, traveled by limousine to O’Hare airport. Melissa talked her grandmother into changing her hotel reservation, so she’d be housed in the same location as the other relatives.

  Melissa’s stomach tumbled with trepidation at the thought of leaving home. Sometimes it wasn’t the best place in the world to be, but s
till, it was home. She peeped out the back window of the limo as the long vehicle pulled out of the bricked, circular driveway. A tear slipped down her face and with a forefinger, she wiped it away.

  Bobo gave everyone a rundown on the contents of the wet bar located to his right. He removed a bottle of orange juice and raised the bottle as if making a toast. “Hotlanta here we come.” He smiled triumphantly.

  Moniqa wore an off-white, short-sleeved, silk pantsuit. Gold and diamond earrings glittered on her ears. The thin tennis bracelet Nate had given the girls on their fifteenth birthday glistened on one wrist. The Rolex watch that Vanessa had presented the girls on their eighteenth birthday rested on her other.

  Melissa wore khaki slacks and an off-white, brown-striped, polo shirt. She couldn’t believe she was really on her way to Clark University. She was seated next to Bobo who passed her a bottle of cranberry juice. “Aren’t you glad I talked you into going to Atlanta with us?” she asked as she screwed the lid off.

  Bobo sported an urban look in blue jeans with a Bull’s jersey over a white teeshirt. Anticipating the adventures that lay ahead, Bobo had nearly as much luggage as Moniqa. He was an attractive young man, rivaling a male model in looks. His complexion was mocha-colored and he had a wiry build, wearing his naturally curly brown hair cropped close on the side and a little longer on the top of his head. He had an infectious grin and was the comedian of the bunch.

  Bernard ‘Bobo’ Ross hadn’t quite made up his mind which college to attend until a month ago. He was a gifted student and decided to graduate a year early to follow the twins to Atlanta having missed the registration deadline for Georgia Tech. With no interest in becoming a Morehouse man, Bobo opted for Morris Brown his first year of college.