“Okay, party pooper, how do you want your hair?”
“Okay, let’s see.”
Micah decided to give Pam a call, maybe invite her to dinner. Something definitely sparked at the pool party, but he had to be sure that his heart and mind were clear, with all the drama going on in his life. He was glad that Pam was home and was sure that from now on, they would always be friends. Zakia and Eboni had been like mothers to Jaron since his biological mother, Simone, moved to Las Vegas. They hardly ever heard from her, but she was informed that Jaron had gotten into trouble. She said she would trust Micah to handle it and to let her know if they needed anything. Jaron had long since stopped needing her for anything, and Micah never did. He was doing fine being a single dad.
Pam agreed to have dinner with him. He said he would pick her up at six-thirty, which gave him several hours to attempt to shift his world back into some sort of normal condition so that his conversation wouldn’t reflect the chaos.
Chapter Forty-six
Bea was happy that Pam was going out. Her doctors were amazed with Bea’s rapid recovery, which she attributed to Pam’s care. Her daughter and granddaughter had brought new life into her home. Now that Pam was settled, she needed to relax and have fun. Micah rang the doorbell promptly at six-thirty, and Taylor answered it.
“Hello, Mr. Micah,” she said, remembering him from their pool party introduction.
“Hello, Taylor.”
“Come in and have a seat. Mommy will be right down.”
“Hello, Ms. Bea,” Micah said when he entered the house and saw Bea sitting on the sofa in front of the TV.
“Hello, honey. You’re looking mighty fine this evening.”
“Thank you, ma’am. So are you. How are you feeling?” he asked as he kissed her on the forehead and sat down beside her with his arm across the back of the sofa behind her.
“I’m feeling a lot better these days.”
Micah had considered bringing all three ladies flowers but decided to get a temperature reading first. He didn’t want anyone to make assumptions about his intentions. With all that was going on in his life, he would take Zakia’s advice and let the Spirit lead. Although his instincts told him to take flowers, he didn’t feel led, so he didn’t.
“Hello, Micah. Don’t you look dashing?” Pam complimented him as she entered the room.
He stood as she approached him.
“Thank you. And you are as radiant as ever.”
“Still charming, I see.”
“Are you hungry?” he asked, blushing.
“A little.”
“Great. That sounds like nothing heavy. I know just the place.”
“Good. I’m ready,” Pam said.
“Then let’s make like a banana and—”
“Don’t. No corn,” she said, laughing, putting a stop to his worn-out punch line.
Micah laughed.
“Night, Ma. Ten-thirty, Taylor, lights out,” she said as she blew both of them a kiss.
“Good night, ladies,” Micah said, still laughing because Pam never, even when they were kids, let him finish a silly joke. She couldn’t deal with a corny boyfriend, she would say, but he knew she secretly loved it. Not much has changed at all, he thought.
They went to the very popular Raven Restaurant. It was upscale with a swanky atmosphere, where businesspeople took clients and men took first dates to make a good impression.
Since at the pool party they had caught each other up on their lives, and since Pam was an attorney, it was inevitable that they discussed Jaron’s situation over dinner. They both tried to think of something else to talk about, but the fact of the matter was that there was nothing else to discuss. Pam had personal and professional thoughts on the issue, but she would not push, recognizing Micah’s discomfort with laying his burdens on her. She did want him to truly believe that all was forgiven for his infidelity with Simone that resulted in Jaron’s birth, which caused Pam to run away from him twenty-one years before. Discerning that this might be the cause of Micah’s hesitancy to discuss his son, she silently reached across the table and placed a reassuring hand on his that broke the ice for Micah.
“I really don’t know what I would do without Zach. That brother has stuck by me like Jaron is his son.”
Pam saw an opportunity to further break the ice.
“Are you sure he’s not? Kidding. I’m just kidding. If a knockout like Sheba Spencer couldn’t keep Zach’s attention back in high school, surely Simone couldn’t even get it. I’m sorry. That is your baby’s mama. Please forgive me.” Pam laughed.
Her plan worked. Micah was shocked, to say the least, but relieved that Pam was still a down-home girl with a wild sense of humor who said what she felt and didn’t sugarcoat it. The flame was being fanned. With the ice broken, they talked about the case in depth. He told her how he had convinced Jaron to at least go to a junior college, since he insisted that he wanted to get straight to work after high school and own his own business like Zach.
“Zach has always been a strong influence ever since we were kids. Thank God he’s a positive one,” Pam said.
“That he is. So much so that he gave Jaron and a couple of his classmates some old computers that his company no longer used to start a little rebuilt-computer business,” Micah explained.
“That’s our Zach,” she said.
“Absolutely. Always there, always on time, always making a difference,” he responded. “He beat the odds, single mom household, no college, just a will and the drive to make it happen.”
“Sometimes that’s all you need,” Pam said.
“And a faith-filled prayer warrior for a twin sister doesn’t hurt,” Micah said.
“Can only enhance and facilitate whatever he has going on.”
“Well, that’s exactly how they work it,” Micah said.
“Then with that twin team on your side, working it like that, I’ve got a feeling everything is going to be all right,” Pam said. “You want to tell me what happened?”
Micah, feeling comfortable, safe, and secure with his friend, began to share the whole ordeal.
“Jaron and his partners were delivering some computers in a rough neighborhood. His partner, Justin, had a gun. He said it was in case somebody tried to jack them. He never expected to have to use it. Jaron even told Justin to leave the gun behind, that they would be okay without it, but he watched Justin put the gun in the small of his back anyway and pull his shirt over it.
“They met these guys on campus who wanted to buy some computers they were working on for the business they started. Jaron said later that the guys looked out of place on campus, but Jaron and Justin were concentrating on making the sale, so they accepted a down payment that included an extra charge for delivery. So in their naiveté they went to deliver the computers to the address they were given. They were initially hesitant once they learned the delivery point, but the agreement and down payment made them overcome their apprehension. They agreed to deliver the computers that night.
“As soon as they saw the four guys approach them after they got out of the van, they knew the deal wouldn’t close. They recognized a Latin-looking guy as the one who gave them the money to deliver the computers, but the other ones were strangers—and mean-looking. They surrounded the boys and ordered them to put the computers in the back of a van. Jaron and Justin were standing back-to-back looking at the guys. Then Jaron said he remembered that Justin had his gun. Maintaining hope that the situation wasn’t as bad as it seemed, Jaron told the guy he had dealt with earlier that they could have all six computers for six hundred dollars instead of the original twelve hundred.
“Instead of being shown the money, though, Jaron and Justin were shown the barrel of a nine-millimeter. Jaron described the gunman as a big, fat, bodyguard type who asked for their wallets. Jaron and Justin were still standing back-to-back when Jaron heard the gun click. He said he instinctively reached under Justin’s shirt, snatched the gun, and cocked it as Justin turned arou
nd, hitting his arm. The gun went off, shooting the bodyguard in the head. I bet the last thing he expected was Jaron’s reaction. The other guys ran, and so did Jaron and Justin. Jaron went to Zeke’s and called the police from there. Jaron didn’t know if the guy was going to shoot them or not. All he knew is that he had a gun in his face in a neighborhood where people died from bullet wounds on a regular basis. He was trying to survive.”
And that should be his defense, Pam thought.
Chapter Forty-seven
Grace heard the mail truck pull off as she was coming down the stairs. She went to retrieve the mail from the box. Among the junk were three letters from the Women’s Correctional Facility. She gave her grandchildren their letters from their mother, and she read hers.
“Ma said now she is helping Rae teach Bible study and that we should be reading our Bibles,” LaKisha said.
“That’s what she said in my letter too,” Damon said, excited about his mail. “Gramma, can you buy me a Bible? An easy one, with pictures?”
Damon loved his mother and was excited about any good news concerning her. He wanted to please her even while she was in jail; therefore, anything that she asked him to do he had every intention of doing. He tried to please her in the past, but she was often otherwise occupied and didn’t notice. So Damon would act out. School and medical professionals labeled him as hyperactive, when all he wanted was his mother’s attention.
“Of course, darling, first chance I get. What about you, LaKisha? They have Bibles specifically for teenagers.”
LaKisha nodded enthusiastically; she wanted her own Bible too. Grace knew if she had just up and bought her grandchildren Bibles and insisted that they read them, they never would, so in her wisdom, she waited on the Lord to get them to ask her for Bibles. Now she would make probably the most important investment in the lives of her grandchildren.
The next day Zeke, Ahmad and Essence came to pick up Damon to take him to get a haircut. Essence rushed into the bathroom as soon as they entered the house. LaKisha broke out of her room when she heard Zeke’s voice. She was barefoot and dressed in very tight, very short shorts with a tank top that exposed her pierced belly button.
“Hello, Zeke,” she sang, having just finished doing her hair and thanking God for perfect timing.
“Hey, LaKisha. Your hair looks nice,” he complimented her.
“Thank you,” she said, feigning a blush as she moved closer to him, sticking out her chest and behind.
“Don’t encourage her,” Essence said, coming out of the bathroom and startling LaKisha.
LaKisha jerked around and went up in Essence’s face.
“Why you all up in my business, huh? You doing him?” she asked in her toughest voice while rolling her neck. She was boiling mad.
“Little girl, you need to respect your elders,” Essence said as she walked around LaKisha toward Zeke and the door. Right before LaKisha could lunge at her, she heard Essence tell Zeke, “See, what did I tell you? No-class hoochie. I’ll wait in the car.”
LaKisha had learned enough from staying with Grace to know never to prove your enemy right, so she quickly composed herself. She decided to overshadow her ghetto outburst with a victim act.
“Why doesn’t she like me, Zeke? What did I do to her? She’s going to make you hate me too,” she cried, and moved closer to lay her head on his chest.
The girls loved Zeke. He was handsome, polite, athletic, and spiritual. The combination was irresistible. He was not naive when it came to females. Hip to the games girls play, he anticipated her reaction once Essence was out of sight.
“Nobody can make me hate anyone else, LaKisha,” he said, grabbing her shoulders and forcing her to stand straight.
As he disappeared into the kitchen to see what was keeping the boys, she heard him say, “Your hair really does look nice.”
She ran to her room and cried from a combination of anger and happiness. Once they left, she called Shay and informed her they had to do something about Essence.
Pam decided that it was time for a little-girls’ night out. As she often did to cultivate her daughter’s cultural experiences, she decided to take Taylor and Mia to dinner and to the theater. At the restaurant, just as they were seated, Zach walked in with JJ and Taj, who spotted Mia and came over to the table.
“Hey, Mia,” Taj greeted her, excited about his ever-increasing summer adventures.
“Taj! What are you doing here?” Mia asked, shocked but happy to see her brother.
“Uncle Zach brought us here for dinner after work. Hi, Miss Pam. Hi, Taylor,” he said.
“Hello,” Taylor responded simply. She was mature and wise beyond her years.
“Hello, Taj,” Pam said as Zach and JJ approached the table.
“Great minds think alike, I see,” Zach said, kissing Pam on the cheek.
“The kissing part is not required to be a successful businessman,” JJ whispered to Taj.
“Cool,” Taj said as he exhaled, wanting to do everything he saw Zach do.
“Won’t you join us? I’m sure the waiter can find us a bigger table,” Pam suggested.
“If the girls don’t mind. We don’t want to intrude,” Zach said.
“Girls?” Pam inquired, allowing them to decide.
Taylor and Mia looked at each other, then shrugged, indicating that it didn’t matter to them. They were moved to a larger table in the middle of the restaurant.
“Do you ladies have big plans for tonight?” Zach asked.
“Yes, sir. We’re having dinner, then we’re going to the theater,” Mia answered.
Taylor and Taj were eyeballing each other in a staring contest. There was some kind of competition developing between them.
“That’s wonderful. I do hope that you enjoy the play,” Zach said. “And may I suggest that you guys save room for dessert? The dinner would not be complete without the Raven’s light and creamy tiramisu,” he said, aware of the staring contest.
“Sounds good,” Taylor responded without blinking, determined not to break her concentration.
“Sounds delicious,” Taj said, demonstrating that he could talk and stare too.
Zach received their menus from the waiter and handed them to both Taylor and Taj simultaneously in an effort to end the staring contest. He succeeded when they both blinked. The rest of the evening was pleasant. For Mia, it was glorious.
Chapter Forty-eight
Damon was playing with Ahmad in Ahmad and JJ’s room. A courtroom drama was on TV while they searched the toy chest for a video game. Ahmad stopped searching and stared at the screen instead.
“That man on TV said the same thing that Jaron told Zeke the night he shot that guy. Then the lady told the judge he was not guilty,” Ahmad said.
“So?” Damon responded.
“Then Jaron is not guilty because he didn’t mean to hurt anybody either, just like the man on TV,” Ahmad said.
Just then JJ came into the room with Taj.
“Why don’t you guys go outside and play?” JJ ordered.
“We were here first,” Ahmad said.
“Here’s a dollar each, now beat it,” JJ said.
Ahmad and Damon snatched the dollars.
“And Jaron is not guilty,” Ahmad said as they left the room.
“Wait a minute,” JJ said as he stood in the doorway. “How do you know Jaron is not guilty?”
“I just know.”
“Can you prove it?”
“Yep. I heard him talking to Zeke. He didn’t mean to do it. Just like the man on TV.”
Taj stood beside JJ listening. The Junior Execs were both very interested in this piece of information and looked at each other, thinking the same thing. Wouldn’t Uncle Zach be impressed if they could prove that Jaron was innocent? Their plans suddenly changed from creating the national Junior Execs to figuring out a way to show that Jaron was not guilty.
JJ and Taj strategized, remembering all of the adults’ conversations they had overheard. They came up
with the idea to have a mock trial. They knew enough of the details of Jaron’s case to be able to build a defense, but who would prosecute? They were partners and didn’t want to work against each other.
“I got it. Taylor’s mom is a prosecutor. Taylor could be like her mom,” Taj said.
“Oh yeah. Then you and I could stay on the same side and Mia can be on Taylor’s side.”
“That’s it, then. Damon will act like he’s Jaron, and we will be his lawyers. Taylor and Mia will be the prosecutors. Ahmad will be our surprise witness.”
“We’re gonna win,” JJ said, giving Taj a high five.
Taj explained the whole deal to Mia. It appealed to her, especially the fact that she would get to act in a courtroom drama and play the part of a big-time prosecutor. Taj gave her all the details to pass on to Taylor. Mia was mesmerized and got caught up in the drama and excitement of the case. As soon as Taj was finished explaining everything to her, Mia called Taylor and repeated what Taj had said. Taylor was excited about the idea of competing against Taj and was determined to win, but who would be the judge? It didn’t matter. They would win regardless. She was the daughter of Pamela Pierce, Esq. She had the advantage.
Chapter Forty-nine
The new Bibles were on the coffee table. Damon was washing his hands after using the bathroom for the third time in an hour. LaKisha was checking her hair one last time.
“Let’s go,” Grace called out to her grandchildren.
LaKisha came down first and decided to take Shay’s advice and tell her grandmother about what had happened to her.
“Gramma, Mama’s boyfriend, Buster, tried to have sex with me.”
“Oh my God, baby. When? What did you do?”
“Right before Mama got locked up, he told me how pretty I was, and when I said thank you, he touched my breast. When I tried to back up, he grabbed me and started kissing on me and putting his hand down my pants. I kneed him in his privates and told him I was going to tell Mama, then I ran outside.”
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