Nina's Got a Secret

by Brian W. Smith

  Nina didn’t respond. She just stood there looking at the decorations and watched the girls play.

  “Baby, what’s wrong?” Larry asked again.

  “I understand what you’re saying, Larry, but Precious and I shared a room in that small apartment for years. I’ve always wanted her to have her own room so that she could have her own space. I wish you would have discussed this with me before you decided to make them share a room.”

  Larry was clearly surprised by Nina’s reaction. The issue seemed somewhat trivial to him, but he could see that it was a source of consternation for Nina.

  “Okay, Nina, I hear you. I didn’t mean to violate; I just didn’t think it was that big of an issue. I’ll call the interior decorator and have her come over on Monday and convert one of the guest rooms into a child’s room.”

  Larry was about to ask Nina what she thought about Precious moving into one of the smaller guest rooms, so that Chrissy could be closer to the staircase. That location would make it easier for him to reach her should he need to run up and check on her. Needless to say, the question instantly became irrelevant. Before he could part his lips, Nina had already made the decision for him.

  “Precious, guess what?!”

  “What, Mommy?”

  “This is going to be your bedroom. Larry is going to move Chrissy into one of the other rooms and this is going to be your bedroom.”

  “Why, Mommy? I want Chrissy to be in here with me so that we can play together,” Precious replied as she looked at her mom and then glanced at her new stepsister who sat in the corner cuddling a teddy bear, totally oblivious to what was transpiring.

  “You can still play with Chrissy, but this is going to be your bedroom. Remember when I told you a few weeks ago you were going to have your own room?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, sweetheart, now you do. This is your new bedroom in your new house. Do you like it?”

  “I love it!” Precious replied, and then ran and sat next to Chrissy and started playing with the teddy bears.

  Larry looked at the kids and then at his new wife. He didn’t like what he’d just witnessed, but he didn’t want to jump to conclusions. Nina’s actions seemed somewhat self-centered and her lack of concern about how this change made him feel was bothersome. Still, he decided to chalk this up as an isolated incident. After all, she and Precious really had been living in rather cramped quarters; therefore, he could understand her desire to give Precious a room of her own.

  Nina turned and looked at Larry and started talking as if the discussion about the bedroom had never happened.

  “I want to go for a ride in my new car.”

  “Okay, let’s all change clothes and we can go down to the beach. There’s a little city up the road called Seaside. We can go check out the beach over there and grab something to eat at one of the restaurants.”

  The view of the ocean from Highway 1 was like something out of a movie. Waves splashed against the huge boulders that lined the California coastline. Sea otters could be seen floating on their backs, basking in the sun, as families watched, laughed, and played volleyball together.

  Nina wasn’t accustomed to such picturesque scenery while living in the city of New Orleans. Her hometown was still trying to recover from the savage beating it took from Hurricane Katrina three years earlier. Now that she was living in California, life as she knew it had taken a permanent change for the better, and she was enjoying every moment of it.

  After spending a few hours on the beach and then an hour or so at Fisherman’s Wharf and the aquarium in Monterey, they were all exhausted.

  Larry drove the family home. After everyone washed the day’s activities off of them and put on their pajamas, it was time to tuck the girls into bed.

  “It’s time to get in the bed, baby. You can finish playing with your new toys tomorrow,” Nina told Precious.

  “Okay,” Precious replied. “Mommy, can Larry come in the room to tuck me in, too?”

  “Okay,” Nina responded. She was a little surprised at her daughter’s suggestion, but happy that Precious felt that comfortable with Larry.

  “Larry, honey, come in here for a second, please.”

  A few moments later, Larry came into the bedroom holding Chrissy’s hand.

  “What’s up? I was helping Chrissy brush her teeth so she can get ready for bed.”

  “There’s a little girl here who wants you to help tuck her in,” Nina said as she glanced at Precious.

  “Oh really,” Larry replied with a huge grin.

  “Yep, so I guess you should do the honors this evening.”

  “I’d be glad to,” Larry replied as he sat on the edge of Precious’ bed. “Little Ms. Precious, I’m so happy that you are now my stepdaughter and a part of my family. I want you to know that I love you and will do all I can to make you happy.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Larry. I love you, too.”

  “First, sweetheart, I want you to stop callin’ me Mr. Larry. I’m your stepfather now. You and I will be living together, and I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable around me. I want you to feel like you can talk to me about anything. I want you to know I’m here for you.”

  “What do you want me to call you?”

  “I don’t know. What do you want to call me?”

  “Can I call you Daddy?” Precious asked in the type of innocent voice that would bring even the strongest man to his knees.

  Larry was caught off-guard by the question. He and Nina had never discussed the issue before. Precious had never known her real father because he had died before she could walk. A silence fell over the room. Larry looked up at Nina and noticed the apprehensive look on her face. There was a look of sadness in Nina’s eyes, a clear sign of the unresolved emotions loitering in her soul.

  Larry was a pretty astute businessman, but his skills were limited when it came to handling the complexities of a woman’s emotions. Still, even Larry, with his minimum game, knew that there were certain unwritten rules that men were required to follow. As it pertains to this topic, he’d been in enough barbershops and pool halls to know that it’s never cool for a man to allow another man’s child to refer to him as daddy or father unless the child’s biological father is deceased; he’s had a heart-to-heart discussion with the biological father and the man has verbally acknowledged that he doesn’t mind; or the biological father hasn’t provided any emotional and/or financial support to the child.

  Any barbershop psychologist, wino on the corner, or know-it-all uncle will tell you that a man who ignores this unwritten code deserves to get his ass whipped; and since receiving an ass whipping wasn’t high on Larry’s bucket list, Larry really would have preferred to change the topic at that moment. Unfortunately for him, the purity in Precious’ eyes was more powerful than a sedative, or his fear of catching a beat down.

  Larry responded, “Yes, baby girl, you can call me Daddy if you want to. Now close your eyes and go to sleep. We’re going to tuck your sister in the bed now.”

  The smile on Precious’ face was larger than the one she had displayed when her little eyes had first witnessed the room full of toys.

  “Good night,” Precious said and then kissed Larry on the cheek.

  “Now it’s your turn, Chrissy. We’re going to tuck you in,” Larry said as he pried a teddy bear out of Chrissy’s hand, walked her over to her bed, and helped her get underneath the covers.

  “Baby, would you do the honors?” Larry asked as he turned to look at Nina.

  Much to Larry’s surprise and chagrin, Nina wasn’t standing there. He assumed she’d stepped out for a moment to use the bathroom, so he waited and gently rubbed Chrissy’s forehead. After five minutes passed, he realized Nina wasn’t coming back, so he tucked his beautiful daughter in and wished her a good night’s sleep.

  “You are my world, Chrissy,” Larry whispered into her ear. “Everything I do, I do for you. Daddy loves you and will always be here for you.”

  Although her handic
ap prevented her from verbalizing her feelings, Chrissy and Larry had developed a bond, a sort of cerebral connection. Whenever they spoke to each other at night, Chrissy would take her index finger and touch Larry’s nose as a symbol of understanding.

  She placed her index finger on his nose and started to smile. Larry’s eyes welled as he looked at his daughter and mumbled, “Thank you, Lord, for blessing me with this child.”

  Once Chrissy was settled in, Larry turned off the lights and headed downstairs. As he neared the bottom of the staircase, he could hear laughter coming from the kitchen. It didn’t take much deduction for Larry to conclude that Nina was on the phone talking to Val.

  Larry gently crept down the stairs and positioned himself around the corner away from Nina’s sight, but close enough that he could hear every word she said.

  “Girl, it is off the chain! I’ve never seen anything as beautiful as Monterey Bay.”

  “Does Precious like living out there? How does she feel about the new house?”

  “Precious is in love with the house, but we almost had a problem.”

  “What’s her problem? Sounds like y’all livin’ ten times better than y’all lived when you were here in this raggedy-ass city.”

  “I didn’t have a problem with Precious; I thought I was gonna have a problem with Larry. I had to give him the look. Val, this house is huge. We have five bedrooms in here, and he had the nerve to want to make those girls share a bedroom. Now I ask you, does that make sense?”

  “No, not really. Why does he want them to share a room?”

  “He said he felt more comfortable with the girls sharing a room together. He didn’t want Chrissy to sleep alone.”

  “Girl, I know you didn’t like that. But, I can understand his concern. He probably wants them to sleep together so that Chrissy won’t be scared. Sometimes it makes kids with autism feel more comfortable when they share a room with someone else. What was your response?”

  “What do you think I said? I told him that I didn’t agree. This house is too damn big to have those kids cramped into one room.”

  “You have a point, but the last time I checked, it was his money that bought that big-ass house.”

  “Val, have you forgotten who you’re talking to? I’m the one with the coochie. I’m gonna get what I want. Girl, I got his ass on the coochie point system.”

  “Coochie what? What in the hell is the coochie point system?”

  “You don’t know about the coochie point system?”

  “Nah, what’s that?”

  “It’s really very simple. Every time he does something that pleases me, he gets five coochie points. It takes thirty coochie points for him to earn some of this coochie. But every time he pisses me off, I subtract five coochie points.”

  “So how many points does he get for buying you a new house?”

  “He got about twenty points for that.”

  “Nina, yo ass is crazy! If he only got twenty points for buying a damn house, he’s gonna have to buy you a damn palace to get fifty points!”

  “Stop laughing, girl. I’m serious, that nigga is around here hustlin’ for coochie points.”

  “Bitch, you think you slick. You doing that shit so you don’t have to have sex with that man. But, I ain’t gon’ lie, it sounds like that shit works. I might have to steal that and use it here on Tyrone’s lazy ass.”

  “Damn right, it works! He’s gonna get the interior decorator to come out next week and convert one of those guest rooms into a bedroom for Chrissy. My baby’s a little diva; she needs her space. Girl, I’m tellin’ you, never underestimate the power of the coochie point system.”

  At that point, Larry had heard enough. He deliberately made some noise to announce his presence before he walked into the kitchen. Nina heard him and quickly shifted the tone of her conversation.

  “So, next month, you’re coming?”

  “If you send me the ticket, I’ll be out there on the first thing smokin’. I need to get away from here for a little while.”

  “All right, girl; I’m going to hold you to that. Don’t fake me out. Let your man know ahead of time. You can travel light because we’re gonna shop ’til we drop. I love you. Talk to you soon.”

  Larry walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. He retrieved a can of Coke from the refrigerator and then opened the top cabinet and pulled out a bottle of Jack Daniel’s as Nina hung up the phone.

  “Who was that?”

  “That was Val. I was telling her how much we love it here. She’s going to come out and stay with me for a few days when you go on your business trip.”

  “Oh really?”

  “Yes, really. Do you have a problem with her coming out here?”

  “No, I don’t.”

  “I’m sensing some tension, Larry. What’s wrong?”

  Larry paused for a second before he answered. He was really trying to avoid an argument with his new bride, but he felt like he needed to set the record straight. “Actually, there is something bothering me. I feel like you disrespected me and my daughter, I mean our daughter, when you didn’t stick around to tuck her in.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I’m talking about the fact that I tucked Precious into bed, and we were supposed to both sit there and tuck Chrissy in. You walked out of the room and left us hangin’. I have a problem with that.”

  “Larry, my eyes were hurting, so I went into the bathroom to remove my contact lenses. When I was coming out of the bathroom, my cell phone was ringing, so I answered it. You know how Val starts talking and can’t be silenced. Before I realized it, you were walking in here. Why are you trippin’?”

  “Why am I trippin’?” Larry asked in a slightly raised tone. “I just feel like . . . you know what, don’t even worry about it.”

  “Larry, we just got married; let’s not start off on the wrong foot,” Nina commented in a snide tone as she grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and walked out of the kitchen.

  Larry stood there for a few seconds and then gulped down the rest of his drink. This is not starting out well, he thought to himself.

  Larry spent the next hour in his office unpacking boxes, replying to emails, and returning phone messages left by some of his spoiled clients.

  One message in particular caught him off-guard. It was left by Sharrard Hogan, the projected first-round draft pick he’d recently signed on to represent in the upcoming football draft.

  Wuz up, Larry! Look, man, I know you just became my agent and everything, but I need you to hook me up. My birthday is in about three weeks, playa. I need you to put together a party for a brotha. I want my shit to be off the chain. I want actors, actresses, ballplayers, pimps, hoes, and anybody else you want to invite. All I know is, my man, Jerry, is expected to be a first-round pick just like me, and his agent hooked him up last weekend. As a matter of fact, that nigga is projected to go later in the draft than me, so his shit can’t be better than mine. I’ve been bragging to him about you, so you gotta get this shit “on and poppin,” pimp! Holla at me as soon as you get this message.

  Larry sat at his desk and shook his head after listening to the message. His peers had warned him that Sharrard was going to be a problem child, but he’d ignored them. The money this kid was going to command was simply too much to pass on.

  Larry hated this part of his job, but if he didn’t do it, some other agent would. One of the reasons he’d bought the new house and all of its accommodations was so it could serve his business purposes. It was the perfect place to throw a relatively inexpensive social gathering in a controlled environment for many of the brats he called clients.

  With his business finished, he headed into his bedroom. He wasn’t as annoyed as he had been an hour earlier, so he figured it would be more productive if he tried to talk to Nina now . . . wrong answer.

  “Hey, baby, are you asleep?”

  Nina had her back turned toward the bedroom entrance. She didn’t answer Larry,
so he assumed that she was either asleep or close to it. He couldn’t see that her eyes were wide open.

  “Baby, can we talk?”

  Still, there was no answer from the new Mrs. Dennison. Larry sat on the edge of the bed for a moment and then stood up and took off his clothes. Although everyone else had bathed, he still hadn’t. The dirt and smells from the activities of the day were still clinging to his skin. He ventured into the shower and enjoyed the drenching that ensued from the huge showerhead that hung nearly seven feet high.

  With the fresh scent of Perry Ellis body lotion clinging to his body, Larry returned into the bedroom and slid his naked body under the covers. Larry’s hormones were raging. He and his lovely wife hadn’t had the type of sex that usually accompanies a romantic honeymoon. Nina purposely stayed drunk for most of the honeymoon to avoid intimacy. Larry was forced to settle for a hand job and three quick strokes before Nina pushed him away and passed out.

  Larry never complained about the way Nina rationed the sex before they got married because his religious upbringing denounced premarital sex. However, they were married now, and he expected to be broken off on the regular.

  As Larry’s four-inch rock-hard penis pressed against Nina’s back, he slid his hand along the side of her body. The lace under-garments she wore were enough to make a mannequin rise to the occasion. Nina’s eyes opened wider. She continued to lay there as stiff as a board, purposely ignoring his gentle touch and staring at the wall adjacent to their bed.

  “Baby, I’m sorry,” Larry whispered. Nina said nothing. “Nina, I want to make love to you.”

  “Not tonight. I have a headache,” Nina responded in a low dull tone.

  She could feel Larry’s erect penis go limp as he slowly adjusted his body. They were now lying in the dreaded back-to-back position, staring at the walls in front of them. Larry looked depressed as he contemplated the evening’s events. Nina had a smirk on her face as she thought to herself: he’s going to learn that as long as I have the coochie, I run this show.