The Jade Emperor

by Suzanne Jenkins

  Standing up, Karen had had enough. “We’ve argued in a circle.”

  “You want me to live my life so it’s acceptable to you! I’ve stood by you through so much, and now when you’re in a position to support me, this is what happens? Stunning.”

  Kelly’s words struck a nerve and Karen hesitated. Then it hit Kelly. She threw the afghan aside and struggled to stand up, pushing Karen’s helping hand away.

  “I just figured it out; you’re jealous! As long as I had a husband who didn’t love me, you were right there by my side. As long as I was alone, you were on my side. Two days ago you defended me. The second it appeared someone might care about me, you turned on me. Sick!”

  Indignant in the face of truth, Karen grabbed her coat off the chair and ran for the door. She turned to say something, flushed and agitated, but Titan started down the steps, and she left, slamming the door.

  “Saved by the bell,” Kelly said.

  They stood together, watching Karen get into her car and take off.

  “As long as she was the only one loving me, everything was great between us. During the times Steve and I got along, she either withdrew or picked a fight with me. Boy, I’m dense. You’d better run from me with your life.”

  “I don’t think I will. I like it here. Your family is so human. Remember, I was an only child. It was lonely and boring. I’d trade for this any day.”

  “If you get involved with me, you won’t have children,” she said.

  “I am involved with you already, and I don’t want children,” he answered. “I’ll have my nieces and nephews. Or grandchildren, whichever the DNA results support.”

  Sitting down on the couch, he persuaded her to sit next to him. “How do you feel?”

  “Like I was hit on the back of the head with a rock, pushed to the ground and kicked in the face. How do I look?”

  “Pretty good, all things considering. Whoever did this to you was trying to frighten you.”

  “I’m so sore; I don’t know what they broke. Is my nose swollen?”

  “No,” he said, gently feeling her nose. “Your nose isn’t broken.”

  “They must have kicked me because my ribs are killing me,” she said.

  “May I?” Titan asked, holding his hands out at her sides.

  “I guess so,” she said, tensing up.

  Professionally, not veering toward her breasts like he wanted to, Titan felt along her rib cage and asked her if it hurt.

  “No, no pain there,” she said. “It’s just bruising.”

  “They could have really hurt you,” he said.

  “Who would want to frighten me? I’m baffled. Who even knows me besides my family? I felt safer thinking it was random.”

  “Try not to worry about it,” Titan said. “Just relax. You don’t have to do a thing. I’ll take care of you.”

  “I feel bad about my sister,” she said. “Everything is falling apart.”

  ***

  While she waited for Maxine to get home from work, Alice made her mother’s meatloaf recipe. It was Ken’s favorite comfort meal, with a tomatoey glaze on top, served with mashed potatoes and frozen corn. “It has to be frozen,” Ken had said. “None of this fresh crap.”

  Kelly’s accident, as she referred to it, had the potential to terrorize Alice, the thought of anything happening to her mother dredging up the worst childhood fears. Staying busy, looking at the bright side of things would get her through the evening. That and a bottle of wine or two. Then she remembered Ken’s attempt at sobriety, and her mood crashed. There would be no drinking at their gathering. And if Maxine got pregnant, there would be no drinking at all. Boring.

  When did alcohol become so important to her? Usually an upbeat woman, Alice recognized that it was an attempt at overcoming her true nature: melancholy. Maxine wouldn’t put up with a lot of whiney self-indulgence, so she’d learned early on to match Maxine’s sarcastic wit with a gentler, kinder personality. It fit in well; she simply had learned to keep her mouth upturned into a smile. Gentler, kinder was similar to her real personality; sad and depressed, she just had to think of other people. As long as she was referring to someone else, it worked. Keeping her focus on other people helped her to avoid looking too closely at herself.

  Maxine wanted a baby. Alice understood becoming involved with someone almost ten years older might come with a few conflicts. She wasn’t looking to start a family yet, didn’t want the work or the responsibility. It might behoove her to find out from Maxine exactly how much input she was expected to have. Scary, she could imagine becoming the feminine version of her father, hiding in the basement when the pressures of parenthood got to be too intense.

  “I’m home,” Maxine called from the hallway.

  Alice went out to meet her. “Can you believe my mother?” she asked. “Did you hear anything?”

  “They think it was a scare move. Someone might have put the assailants up to it. At first they thought it might be random, but your mom remembered two men talking about how to hurt her. That’s suspicious.”

  “I don’t see anyone wanting to hurt my mother,” Alice replied, stunned by the news.

  “I drove by her house and the TV was on. Titan’s car is there.”

  “Oh God, that’s another thing. I don’t get it, not a bit. It’s just asking for trouble. My father is going to have a fit.”

  “He already is,” Maxine said. “And he doesn’t know the whole story yet.”

  “You should have seen him at the hospital. He couldn’t speak he was so angry. I knew it wasn’t for my mother’s sake, that something else must have set him off. Lee was taking care of my mother. That also didn’t go over well.”

  “What time is Ken coming?” Maxine asked, changing the subject.

  “Soon,” Alice answered. “Dinner is almost ready.

  At seven thirty, better late than never, Ken appeared, smiling, sober, bearing a bottle of sparkling cider from the grocery store. “We can pretend, right? That’s not forbidden.”

  Taking the bottle from him, Maxine read the label, grimacing. “Yuck. If we’re going to drink cider, let’s drink the real stuff from the cider mill.”

  “I bought a gallon,” Alice said. “If you don’t get a buzz from the sugar, you’ll get a colon cleanse at the very least.”

  “That I can do without,” Maxine said. “Are you hungry?”

  “Starved,” Ken answered. “What do I smell?”

  “Mom’s meatloaf,” Alice said.

  “I’m going to replace booze with food if I’m not careful. Reggie’s girlfriend kept bringing pastries and cheesecake to the table today, and I ate it up.”

  “Did you have a powwow?” Alice asked. “I saw you three boys walk into the hospital together.”

  “Augie needed to vent, so we were there to advise,” Ken said. “Of course, he didn’t pay any attention to me. Reggie made some good points though.”

  “Reggie’s always full of good advice,” Maxine said. “If only he’d take some of it himself.”

  “Reggie’s just fine,” Ken said defensively.

  “He’ll be here with Belinda,” Alice said. “They should be here after eight.”

  “I’d better say what I want to say, then,” Maxine said. “Sit down, Ken.”

  Sitting at the end of the couch, he looked from woman to woman, wishing he could have a drink. “What’s going on?”

  “I’ll get right to the point. I want to have a baby, and I was hoping you’d be the donor. That way, Alice would be related to the baby, and you’d be there as a dad.”

  Taken by complete surprise, Ken’s face showed it.

  “Whoa, you want me to have a baby with you? I’m not sure I’m ready to be a dad,” he answered. “That’s a lot of responsibility.”

  “If you don’t want to be involved, we don’t have to talk about it anymore,” Maxine said, struggling not to allow her disappointment to show through.

  “Did you ask Reggie, or even Augie? Or what about Ben?”

/>   “I asked you,” Maxine said. “We want you.”

  Squirming in his seat, Ken could only see trouble. He didn’t want to have a child with the woman he loved, let alone Maxine. It was an insane request, but he answered lovingly.

  “Gosh, you two, I’m so honored. I really am, but I’m not ready for a family with anyone. I couldn’t do that to a kid, just be there and not be available.”

  “Well, that sucks,” Maxine said. “I knew it was too good to be true.”

  “Are you in a hurry? I mean, can you wait a while? Maybe a few months? I might feel differently after my life settles down a little bit.” He looked at his watch. “Oh hell, can I turn the TV on? The Lions are playing Miami.”

  “Go ahead,” Alice said, dreading the next few hours, knowing how disappointed Maxine was.

  “Oh, and can I spend the night? I might be intruding if I go back to Mom’s. There was definitely romance in the air earlier.”

  “I don’t even want to hear that,” Alice said with her hands over her ears.

  “Wait! I thought you were in favor of her getting a break,” Ken said, confused.

  “Yeah, I’m in favor of something nice happening for her, but not with my possible half brother, and not two weeks after Dad left. She needs to go it alone and try freedom for a while, if you ask me.”

  “No one’s asking you,” Maxine said. “I’m going to lie down.”

  “Max, don’t be pissed,” Ken begged.

  “I’m disappointed,” she replied, wanting to stamp her foot. “I’m ready to have a child.”

  “Did you think I was going to jack off into a cup tonight, for God’s sake?”

  “Well, not exactly,” she said and then, unfettered, started laughing. “You make it sound so exciting.”

  “Shush,” he said, pointing to the TV.

  “Hopeless,” Maxine said, looking at him. “Friggin hopeless.”

  “Call Augie. I’m telling you, he’ll be willing. He’s already a father,” Alice said.

  “Maybe knowing who it comes from isn’t such a great idea,” Maxine said.

  “We decided it’s the only way,” Alice said. “Now you’re just being stubborn, not getting your way. Besides, I want to tell our child who their father is. It makes a difference.”

  “You guys should adopt,” Ken said.

  Maxine picked up a throw pillow and threw it at him. “Shut up, will you? Why should we adopt? I’m not feeling guilty because I want my own baby. Straight couples don’t have guilt, why should we?”

  “That wasn’t my point,” he said. “It was just an idea. Alice’s right. Call my brother Augie.”

  A knock on the door interrupted him. “Reggie,” Alice said, getting up.

  Maxine sat on the couch, hugging a pillow, her eyes glued to the TV but not seeing the game. Not normally a pouter, Maxine was miserable, and Reggie noticed immediately, stopping in the doorway.

  “Oh no, what did we interrupt?”

  “Nothing,” Alice said, pushing him toward the kitchen. “I made Mom’s meatloaf.”

  “Don’t make them leave,” Maxine said. “I think Reggie is entitled to hear what’s going on.”

  “You just said…”

  “Shut up, Ken. Reggie, Belinda, I want to have a baby. Ken won’t cooperate, and I think that’s shitty of him.”

  “Yikes, maybe this is too personal,” Reggie said. “Why don’t we come back another time?”

  “No, we need you now. You can be the voice of reason,” Maxine said, pleading.

  “Max, you’re losing it,” Ken said, losing interest in the game. “You know, I think I’d better leave.”

  “Wait, don’t leave on our account,” Reggie said, gently pushing Belinda to the door. “We’ll leave. I have a headache anyway.”

  A maelstrom ensued, with Ken looking for his coat, and Alice begging them not to leave, Maxine begging for Reggie’s professional opinion, and Belinda trying with all her strength not to laugh.

  “All I want is a little sperm from this family,” Maxine screamed. “Is that asking too much?”

  “Reggie, what about you?” Belinda asked.

  “Please, pipe down,” he begged. “We really have to go.”

  “Reggie, this is perfect!” Belinda announced. “We don’t want kids. We don’t feel we’re emotionally stable enough to raise a child.”

  “Belinda, are you serious?” Reggie asked. “That’s not information to share.”

  “Yes, it is,” she said. “We’re involved with my nieces and nephews, and when Reggie’s not writing a paper, he interacts with your brother’s children. It’s not like we don’t like kids.”

  “What’s your point?” Maxine asked.

  Ken and Alice stood at the door, compelled to watch.

  “Why not use Reggie?” Belinda asked. “He’s perfect. He is smarter than Ken…”

  “Thanks, Belinda,” Ken replied, frowning.

  “You’re welcome. And he doesn’t have the substance abuse issues.”

  “I’m working on it,” Ken shouted.

  Belinda looked at him. “What do you think Terry might say about this?”

  “She’d hate it,” Ken answered. “I refused, anyway. That’s what this is all about. If I agreed, we’d be in bed right now.”

  “Ken! I’m not sleeping with you,” Maxine cried.

  “Calm down. It’s just a figure of speech,” Ken said.

  A cheer rose from the television and Ken ran back into the living room to see what he was missing. “Touchdown!” he screamed.

  “Come in and eat,” Alice said, defeated. “I made meatloaf for ten people.”

  “Please, eat her damn meatloaf so I don’t have to,” Maxine said, plopping back on the couch.

  An ad came on and Ken turned to her. “If Reggie agrees, that’s the best of both worlds, Max. They want a child, but they don’t want to raise it. You should reconsider.”

  “He didn’t exactly act like he’d be willing,” she said, wiping a tear away. “And I’m acting like an asshole.”

  “No, you’re not,” Ken said, bending over to pat her shoulder. “You want a baby. You’re emotional about it. The perfect storm.”

  The comparison made her giggle, and she reached for a tissue box. “We’d be perfect together,” she whispered.

  “Maxine, I’m flattered, but I’m too messed up to partner with anyone, especially involving a kid.”

  It dawned on him that there might be an underlying intimation. “You don’t mean together together, do you? What about Alice?”

  “Alice is game,” Maxine said. “You’re my male fantasy. She goes along with it.”

  Even for bawdy Ken, her admission shocked him. “In a fantasy, maybe,” he said. “But I doubt she’d stand by while we, you know.”

  “Ask her, Ken,” Maxine said.

  “No way,” he answered, perhaps more forcefully than he intended. “I’m not even going there. I think what’s happening is because my father has gone off the deep end, everyone is losing their rational thinking.”

  Walking in with a beer, Alice agreed. “Sorry, buddy, I need this right now. Everyone’s lost their minds.”

  “Your girlfriend just propositioned me,” Ken said, looking down at Maxine.

  Alice stood still as a statue, the beer in her hand, looking from person to person. “No way.”

  “I just let him know the truth,” she said.

  “Maxine, that’s our private stuff. Don’t share, especially with Ken.”

  “This is getting a little weird, you guys,” he said. “Maybe I should leave.”

  “Ken, it’s nothing, trust me. Maxine is curious, that’s all. I won’t go into detail, but it’s not a big deal.”

  Another shout from the TV and he was back to the game.

  Reggie and Belinda walked out with their plates of food and sat next to each other on the couch. “This is so good, just like Mom’s,” Reggie said, shoveling it in.

  “Maxine, you should consider Reggie,” Belinda pers
isted. “He’s smart, healthy, wise, and he won’t interfere. He’ll be there for the kid when the time is right.”

  “Did you just come up with that?” Maxine asked.

  “Yep, while we were filling our plates. The only issue I can see is the financial one. He’s never going to make a ton of money, so you should be sure you can manage a child on your income. I mean, if you used banked sperm, you’d be on your own.”

  “Just as I’m preparing to put a spoonful of mashed potatoes in my mouth,” Reggie said, grimacing.

  “Yeah, less talk,” Ken said, pointing to the TV again.

  Nodding toward the kitchen, Maxine got up off the couch, and Belinda followed.

  “Don’t plan my life in there,” Reggie called out.

  “Hey! Maybe you should ask Dad,” Ken said.

  Across town, Augie pulled into the driveway of the house he’d shared with Sandy until that morning. In a short ten hours, it already felt alien to him. How’d he tolerate coming home every night? Then the reason made itself known.

  “Daddy!” he heard, the screams of his kids, and it broke his heart.

  Waving madly, he hurried up the walkway, fighting tears at the sight of his children. Crowding around him, he hugged them, moving toward the couch with them hanging on to him for dear life. “Why this greeting?” he asked. “I come home every night and you don’t care.”

  Cries of protestation rang out while Augie laughed, ruffling heads and pulling the littlest up on his lap. Sandy stood off, observing. Patience wearing thin, she counted to ten.

  “Let’s get ready for pizza,” she said, herding them into the kitchen.

  Augie rose from the couch, wanting to put his head back and close his eyes, but not wanting to get too comfortable. He followed behind, pulling his usual chair out, listening to the chatter.

  “Did you hear about my mother?” he asked Sandy over the din.

  “Liz called,” she said, a note of derision in her voice. “She needs to stay out of the park.”