Gate Wide Open

by M. T. Pope

  He paused and dug into his plate once more and took a sip of his orange juice before continuing.

  “From a very young age, I was a momma’s boy and I clung to her like a boy shouldn’t. My father wasn’t happy at all when he caught me in the kitchen with my mom all the time helping her cook and prepare food. It was woman’s work to him. I should have been out back with my younger brothers playing sports and getting into trouble.

  “I, on the other hand, could care less about those things. I was a bright ten-year-old who was focused and knew what he wanted to be when he grew up. A chef. I liked to cook and see the smiles on people’s faces as they savored the meal and delicacies that I prepared. My father tried to beat it out of me, but he was unsuccessful. I rebelled against him harder.

  “Eventually, by the time I was the age of fifteen, I was cooking more meals than my mom. It seemed like my father had given in and all was well in my house. He even made special requests on some days.”

  Wallace paused again. He gulped down the last of his orange juice and the last two pieces of his bacon. I was astonished at the depth that he was going into about his life.

  He wiped his mouth with a napkin. “At the age of eighteen, I already knew that I was gay and that girls didn’t appeal to me, but I never let it show. I made sure I had girls calling me all the time, and I took my only girlfriend to my prom.

  “After I graduated high school, I was all prepped to go to culinary school and begin my career as a master chef. I had big dreams, but my father cared nothing about any of that. One night, he came into my room with my mom by his side and gave me an ultimatum—Go to a four-year college and get a degree like a real man should, or get out of his house. The look on my mother’s face spoke of disapproval, but she was always the loving wife, and she stood by her man.

  “Without even thinking, I got up and packed my things and left. Before leaving, my mom secretly slipped me a wad of money. Five thousand dollars, to be exact. I will never forget the look on her face and my brothers’ faces as I walked out the door looking back one more time at the house I vowed never to step back into again.”

  By this time, Wallace had shed a couple of tears, and I, too, had some threatening to fall.

  I wanted to find his father’s ass and kill him for putting my baby out on the street. “You okay, baby?” I got up and walked over to him and held his head against mine.

  He cried even harder then. “Yeah, baby boy. I’ll be all right.” He wiped the tears away. “Sit down and let me finish.”

  I did as I was told and let him continue to purge himself.

  “When I left that house, I had no clue as to what I was going to do. My father was an only-child, and my mom’s family didn’t like my dad, so they disowned her. So going to live with a relative was out of the question. I was homeless. I decided then that the best thing for me to do was to get out of California. And that is what I did. I didn’t know where to go, but in my research for culinary schools, Maryland had some promising ones, and that’s where I flew to.

  “When I got to Baltimore, I felt good about my new start. I had some change in my pocket and destiny in my heart, but it didn’t quite work out the way I wanted it to. I was a sheltered child growing up, so I knew nothing about life and the streets. My father was busy providing, and my mom was busy raising, so I got a crash course within a week of moving into Baltimore. Five thousand dollars doesn’t last long, and I was looking for a job within weeks.

  “With no experience, a brother was as good as homeless. Nobody wanted to hire me. So I decided to try hustling drugs to make my come-up to pay for culinary school and my apartment, and maybe even get a car. That was twenty-eight years ago.

  “I never made it through school, and keeping my apartment and my car became my priority. The money was coming in fast, and school was on the back burner. Permanently. I never got to see my dreams come true. I can’t blame my pops though, even though I wanted to. He was only doing what he thought was right.

  “When I look back on the whole situation, I shake my head, because now I know that a dream is only a reality to the person that holds that dream, and only they can kill it or live it.”

  Wallace’s face was now in his hand, his arms propped up on the table. He rubbed his face and then got up and proceeded to clean up the table and load the dishwasher. It was like he snapped back right to the present.

  His life story made me think about my potential and how I allowed some foolishness to hinder me.

  “You satisfied now that you know all about your man?”

  I got up as he walked up to me, and we embraced and hugged for what seemed like forever.

  When we finally let go, it was because his Nextel went off. He had a call.

  About an hour later, he was back on the street doing what he did. I, on the other hand, spent the day in the house all by myself.

  Chapter 33

  Mona

  Confirmation

  December 21st, 2018, 12:05 A.M.

  I walked around my bedroom in a funk today because I was still thinking about the other night when I’d called out James’ name during sex. How could I be thinking about his ass in that way again? After all these years, I thought I would be over his crazy ass. It also made me wonder if Shawn was having the same feeling about him as well. By the way he acted at the reading of his father’s will, it was like he wanted to kill James dead.

  It was Saturday afternoon, and I could hear the kids downstairs making a whole lot of noise as usual. I was usually out on a walk by this time on a Saturday, but I just couldn’t get myself together.

  My emotions were a raging mess. One minute I was happy, the next I was sad. It wasn’t pretty. I kept having nightmares of James coming to claim the children that he fathered. I was trying to get this vow renewal ceremony together, and that too had become a task, making sure I didn’t leave anybody off the guest list, and that the caterer was on point and the decorations all finished. I was going crazy.

  Shawn was working more and more, and his talk of a new addition to the family was puzzling, to say the least. I didn’t know what he was thinking about. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I loved my kids and all, but adding another one would be putting a strain on my already heavy load.

  I jumped in the shower then made my way downstairs to get something to eat.

  “Hey, baby,” I said to Diana as she sat on the couch watching Finding Nemo for the umpteenth time. I bent over and kissed her on the cheek. “You eat?” I asked, walking toward the kitchen.

  “Yes, Mommy. Ashley fixed me some scrambled eggs and bacon before she left.”

  I paused at the entrance to the kitchen. “Did she say where she was going?”

  “No, she just left out.”

  “Oh, okay,” I said, continuing my way to the kitchen. She was always hanging out with her girlfriends on Saturdays. It was like she didn’t want to be around her family. I shrugged it off as normal teenage behavior, because I too was just as wild.

  I walked toward the refrigerator to see what I could fix myself to eat. Shawn had left me a note on the refrigerator.

  Hey love,

  Had a meeting with a client. Will be back soon.

  Your hub

  Shawn

  I had to admit I was feeling a little neglected. Ashley was out, and now Shawn too. It seemed that everyone was off in their own little world.

  I decided on a BLT, since it was lunchtime and I wanted something light. The dress I had picked out for the ceremony was absolutely stunning and I didn’t want to risk overeating and gaining too much weight to the point where I couldn’t fit into it.

  After I ate, I decided to call my mom and see if she needed some company today. Diana would love to see her nana today. I picked up the phone and listened for the dial tone, like I always did when I heard a voice on the phone. It was Alex and a feminine-sounding, raspy-voiced boy on the other end of the phone. My last intent was to eavesdrop, but what I was hearing was blowing my mind.

  “Ye
ah, baby, I was missing you too,” Alex cooed into the phone.

  “I can’t wait to try that stuff we did with the dildo again soon.”

  I almost dropped the phone hearing this. I was wondering if they tried that shit here in my house. I was ready to run downstairs and whip ass for real.

  The raspy-voiced boy snickered into the phone. “Next time, we need to use some of that jelly stuff to make it a lot less painful. I couldn’t sit down for a couple of hours after that.”

  Again, I almost dropped the phone as I had just got confirmation of my son’s sexuality. I slowly put the phone down on the hook, and tears slid out of my eyes freely. I leaned up against the refrigerator and sobbed a little.

  I was so overwhelmed, I didn’t even see Diana come in the kitchen.

  “Mommy, what’s wrong?” she said, startling me.

  “Oh, ah, nothing, baby. I just hit my toe on the edge of the table really hard, and it hurts pretty bad.” I wiped my eyes with my hands.

  “Really?” she said, looking at me with sympathy in her eyes. “I know what you mean, Mommy. That happened to me too, and I cried too, but as soon as Daddy heard me crying, he picked me up and put me in the chair and kissed my feet and rubbed it until it stopped hurting.” She pulled out the kitchen chair closest to her and sat down. “You want me to rub your feet?”

  “Awww, that’s sweet, baby, but Mommy will be just fine.” I kissed her on the cheek again.

  “You wanna go and see Nana today?”

  “Oh, yeah! We going over Nana’s!” she yelled, jumping up and down.

  I was glad somebody was happy today, because it was shaping out to be a trying one for me. “Go upstairs and get cleaned up so we can go, okay?”

  “Okay, Mommy,” she said, skipping the whole way upstairs.

  Just as I was getting ready to go upstairs, Alex came up out of the basement, a big Kool-Aid smile on his face.

  “Hey, Mom.” He walked up to me and kissed me on the cheek. “Y’all leaving out soon?”

  “Yeah. Why you asked that?” I said in accusatory tone.

  “Oh, no reason. I just wanted to know.”

  I knew what that meant. His nasty ass wanted to be in the house alone, so him and his friend could finish messing around in my house. Not.

  “Well, we going over your Nana’s, and I need you to come with me”

  “Why?” he said with a little attitude.

  “Because I said so.” I countered with even more attitude. “Now go downstairs and get ready to go.” I turned and left him standing there with a defeated look on his face. I, too, made my way to my bedroom to get dressed.

  When we all got in the car, I noticed Alex was still in a funky mood. Before I pulled off, I turned around and looked at him. “You might as well get that smirk off your face because, last time I checked, I was the parent, and you were the child. And when we get to Nana’s, you better act like you happy, or I’ma let her take you outside for a few rounds of boxing.”

  He smiled, knowing my mother was feisty and loved to play around with them in the backyard.

  “That’s better,” I said, turning around and pulling off down the street.

  Chapter 34

  Sherry

  Exposed

  December 21st, 2018, 2:30 P.M.

  “There they go right there,” Keisha said, pointing in front of us as we drove two cars behind Antoinette in a car with some young-looking chick.

  “All right, I see them,” I said back, trying not to lose them.

  I hadn’t the slightest idea why I was helping her track down her cheating girlfriend. I would have thought she would have learned her lesson from the last time Antoinette knocked her on her butt.

  My ass had to be a glutton for punishment as well, because I should have said no when she asked me to do this foolishness. I wanted to be home spending the holiday with my son. I shook my head in shame. Here I am running behind some chick I could care less about all because James wants this chick to pay for something she did to him a ways back.

  I felt like I was on the television show Cheaters, following behind this broad, weaving in and out of traffic in the middle of the day. I had other things to do. James needs to hurry his ass up and do whatever he got to do to this chick, and fast, so I can move ahead with my plans.

  We pulled into the Owings Mills Mall shopping center and watched them go into the movie theatre.

  “Come on, let’s go,” Keisha said in a hurry as she exited the car and walked casually across the parking lot. “I don’t want to lose them. I’ma catch this bitch and her little trick she has with her in the act.”

  “All right,” I said, trailing behind Keisha, watching Antoinette and the little chick hold hands and walk into the theatre. It was still early, and there weren’t a lot of people at the movies this early. “Don’t walk too close,” I said, pulling her back a little.

  We walked up to the booth to buy tickets.

  “Welcome to AMC Theatres. How can I help you?” the clerk asked.

  “Yeah, um, what movie did the two chicks buy tickets for?” Keisha asked the clerk.

  “Excuse me?” the clerk answered back, confused looking.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” Keisha said apologizing. “My two girlfriends just came in here before us, and we were supposed to see a movie together. I forgot and was wondering if you could give me tickets for the same movie they purchased.”

  “Oh, sure, ma’am,” she said with a smile.

  I handed her the money and grabbed our tickets and entered the concession lobby.

  We made our way into the appropriate theatre and sat about six rows behind Antoinette and her little friend.

  About a half of an hour into the movie, Keisha got up with her soda and popcorn in hand.

  “Where you going?”

  “I’m going to say hi to Antoinette and her friend,” she said, a sinister smile on her face. “You might wanna stand by the door, because it’s about to get ugly up in this bitch.”

  As she made her way up to her former lover, I did as I was instructed and stood by the door.

  Keisha threw her popcorn and then her soda on the two lovers, and she just wilded out on Antoinette. She wasn’t doing too bad, because all I could see was her swinging and tagging Antoinette continually. The other chick just looked on with fear in her eyes.

  When she had enough, she sprinted toward me, and we exited the movie and made a mad dash toward the car. We pulled off before Antoinette could catch up to us as we made a beeline back to Keisha’s house.

  Chapter 35

  Ashley

  Whipped Cream

  December 21st, 2018, 5:32 P.M.

  I just got back into the house from the movies and I was a total mess. Some chick had come in the theatre and just started going crazy on Tony as we sat and watched a movie I wanted to see really bad. It all happened so fast, I really couldn’t do anything as the chick just up and started throwing punches. It was, “Bitch, this” and “Bitch, that” every time the crazy chick swung.

  Tony was caught off guard and couldn’t defend herself as the crazy chick tried to beat her into next week, and my little ass couldn’t do anything but stand there and watch my girlfriend get her ass whupped. Then the chick sprinted off and left us there to get ourselves together. Tony was covered with popcorn and soda, and she had a busted lip and eye.

  We quickly exited the theatre and made our way toward the car. The other chick was nowhere in sight. I wanted to know who the crazy bitch was.

  Tony told me it was one of her exes that just couldn’t let her go. I could believe her because her tongue work was the bomb. Then out of nowhere, she just hauled off and sucker-punched me in the eye.

  I looked at her with hurt and shock in my eyes.

  She followed up with a couple more blows as I tried my best to shield myself. I begged and pleaded as she continued to do me bodily harm. I just laid there and took it.

  “Get the fuck out my car, you punk-ass bitch!”

  I ex
ited her car and watched her speed off like a bat out of hell. I broke down and sobbed right there in the middle of the parking lot, even as people passed me by. I couldn’t care less. I was deeply hurt and dumbfounded as to why Tony would do this to me.

  Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. I recalled just standing there as her ex wailed on her in the movie theatre. I stood there like a scared bitch and did nothing as she was getting fucked up royally.

  I was so ashamed of myself. I pulled myself together and made my way to the bus stop to catch the bus home.

  Thankfully, when I got home, the house was still empty, so I made my way to my room and sat on the bed and sobbed once again. I pulled a picture of me and Tony out of my teddy bear I’d hid it in.

  I picked up the phone and dialed Tony again for like the tenth time since she’d left me. She never picked up, but I did leave a message pleading my case. But what could I say? I was wrong, and I knew it.

  I got up and went to the bathroom to take a look at my face. My eyes weren’t black, but I did have a cut over the top of my eye. I didn’t even feel the pain of the cut until I looked at it just now.

  The pain of Tony leaving me just hurt too bad. She was my first love, and I didn’t want to lose her.

  Chapter 36

  James

  Pleasure Principle

  December 27th, 2018, 9:32 P.M.

  Christmas had come and gone, and I was about to start the new year on a clean slate, so I had to get this one last person off my list. It was a little nippy when I walked out of the house, and the wind was brisk, so I had to zip up my thin Coach jacket. Having taken a shower no more than twenty minutes earlier didn’t help either.