by Mary Monroe
Charlotte looked tired and I knew she was. She had slept on the plane, but that had been hours ago. And neither one of us had eaten or drunk anything since we’d left the Miami Airport. Lillimae must have been reading my mind. She gave Charlotte a mild hug before she wobbled up from the sofa and took Charlotte into the kitchen.
“He’s coming down here?” I asked Lillimae as soon as she returned to the living room.
“That’s what he implied,” Lillimae replied, fanning her face some more. “He thinks that if you are losin’ your mind, you ain’t got no business draggin’ this child with you. He told me to call him when and if I seen you. Now if you don’t get on that phone and call him up, I will.”
“I don’t want him to come down here!” I yelled, almost choking on my own tongue.
Just then Lillimae’s living room telephone rang. She grabbed it on the first ring.
“It’s Rhoda. She wants to speak to you,” Lillimae told me.
CHAPTER 62
“Annette, what the hell is goin’ on? What happened? Why didn’t you call me? How could you just up and leave without sayin’ anything to anybody?” Rhoda demanded.
I didn’t know which one of her questions to answer first. I didn’t know what to say to her. I stood in the middle of Lillimae’s living room floor. My hands were so sweaty, I had to use both of them to hold the telephone and keep it from slipping to the floor. Lillimae stood close to me, her ear tilted toward the telephone receiver. I was glad that her arm was around my shoulder. Had it not been, I probably would have slumped to the floor.
“Annette, talk to me!” Rhoda yelled. I could usually hear a hum of activity on her end when we talked on the telephone. Other than her heavy breathing, there was nothing else but an ominous silence.
“I had to get away,” I mumbled.
“Apparently! What did that fuckin’ bitch say to you?”
“Huh? Who?”
“The bitch that’s been terrorizin’ you! Isn’t that what this is all about?” Rhoda demanded.
“What did Jade tell you?”
“This is not about Jade! This is about you! Somethin’ really fucked up had to happen for you to just up and run off the way you did. Pee Wee is on a rampage. He’s talkin’ about havin’ you committed! And to be honest with you, I am with him all the way. You are not well! You need some professional help. But don’t you worry, you are not in this alone! Somebody has to do somethin’ before you hurt yourself or walk out in front of a bus or somethin’.”
“I’m not crazy,” I mumbled with uncertainty. I might not have been crazy according to the medical definition, but my mind was not on the right track. And it hadn’t been since this mess started with that blacksnake! “Rhoda, what did Jade tell you?” I asked again, the back of my head feeling like it wanted to drop off.
“About what? You didn’t tell her why you took off the way you did. She’s just as stunned by all this shit as I am. I can’t imagine what this stunt is doin’ to poor Charlotte. And your poor mama and daddy are beside themselves. I am surprised that your daddy has not had another heart attack!”
“Rhoda, I need to know exactly what Jade told you.”
Rhoda let out a loud, angry sigh. “Look, like I said, this is about you, not Jade. I want you, not Jade, to tell me what the hell happened. Now I really regret lettin’ my daughter in on this whole mess.”
“I can’t talk about that right now. Not until you talk to your daughter. I want you to hear it from her.”
“Hear what from her? What I want to hear needs to come from you! I want to hear an explanation from you!” Rhoda yelled so loud I had to hold the telephone away from my ear. “I can’t believe you shared this with Jade and not me. I thought I knew you better than that.”
I excused myself and went into Lillimae’s kitchen for a glass of water. It took a lot of effort for me to return to the telephone. By that time Rhoda was snorting like a bull.
“Look, Pee Wee is packin’ up to come down there to get you to bring your ass back here, so we can get you some help. Whatever you want to talk about, if you do, you can do it then. I’m sorry about yellin’ at you, but this is too much. I love you to death and I am not goin’ to stand by and let you go to pieces, not if there’s anything I can do about it.” Rhoda gasped, as if she’d suddenly had a revelation. “Wait a minute! Does this have anything to do with your work? Did Jade do somethin’ stupid at the office? She’s been actin’ mighty peculiar since you disappeared.”
“No. This has nothing to do with the office,” I mouthed, biting my bottom lip so hard I trembled.
“So then this is about those telephone calls and notes and the rest of that shit from whoever that bitch is, right?”
“Uh…Right.”
“I figured that. But I can’t imagine anything she could have said or done to you, or sent to you, that was so bad you couldn’t call me. Haven’t I been there from the beginnin’ of this shit? Me and Jade!” Rhoda didn’t wait for me to respond. “I want to settle this shit just as bad as you do. As far as I am concerned, we are still in this together.”
“Where is Jade now, Rhoda?”
“The poor little thing is in her room bawlin’ like a panda. You know how crazy she is about you!”
“I’ll be home as soon as I can get another flight back,” I said calmly and meekly. “The sooner we get to the bottom of this shit, the better. I’m…I’m tired,” I muttered.
“Don’t you leave Lillimae’s house. I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be roamin’ around by yourself. Pee Wee is comin’ down there to get you and I just might come with him myself.” Rhoda paused. “This has gone on long enough! Do you want me to come with Pee Wee to get you? I am truly afraid that you might flip out even more, and wander off and hurt yourself.”
“No, you don’t have to come down here. I am fine. Believe me, I am capable of bringing myself back home. Call Pee Wee and tell him not to come down here,” I insisted.
“No, you call him. He’s your husband. I mean, despite all this shit that’s been goin’ on, because of him, he is still your husband and this is somethin’ you really need to work through with him. I mean, I don’t blame you if you decide to divorce him after all is said and done. But the least you can do is get to the bottom of this mess. Believe me, you’ll be glad you did.”
“Rhoda, I need to get off the telephone now. I really need to get some rest.”
“Annette, if you are not back here by tomorrow, I’m comin’ down there myself, whether Pee Wee comes or not. Do you understand me?”
“Rhoda, I appreciate all you do for me. I appreciate you wanting to see me through this mess. But…it won’t be that easy for us to work through this time.” An eerie silence followed.
“What’s that supposed to mean? I know I don’t need to remind you, but we’ve worked through some pretty serious shit before.”
“I know we have. But this time it won’t be that easy.” I don’t know why I was surprised that Jade had not told her mother about our confrontation. “I will call you when I get home so you can come to my house. We can talk then.”
“All right.”
“And, Rhoda, come alone.”
“Oh, you know I wouldn’t drag Otis along with me for something like this.”
“I know you wouldn’t, but I didn’t mean him,” I choked.
“Are you tellin’ me you don’t want me to bring Jade with me?”
“Don’t bring Jade with you,” I said firmly. Every time I thought about what Jade had put me through, my blood boiled. I didn’t know what kind of future I would have with Jade or Rhoda after my meeting with Rhoda.
CHAPTER 63
“Lillimae, thanks for letting me use your telephone. I will leave some money with you to cover these long distance calls I need to make,” I said after I’d ended my conversation with Rhoda. I was just about to dial when Charlotte ran into the room, nibbling on an apple and holding a large glass of milk.
“Can I go back outside?” Charlotte
wanted to know, looking from me to her confused aunt.
“Don’t leave the front yard,” I told Charlotte, glad she would not be in the room when I talked to her daddy.
I could feel Lillimae’s eyes on my back as I turned back to the telephone. I didn’t dial until I heard the door slam. Pee Wee didn’t answer the telephone at our house, or at his barbershop. I was in no shape to talk to Muh’Dear or Daddy, so I didn’t try to reach him there.
“What are you goin’ to do now?” Lillimae asked as I slowly returned the telephone to its cradle.
“I’m going to be on the next plane back home,” I said, so tired I could barely stand anymore. My legs felt like jelly as I struggled to make it to the sofa in the middle of Lillimae’s living room floor.
“What did Rhoda say? And do you think you can tell me what this is all about?” Lillimae asked with her arms folded. She stood over me as I stretched out on my back on her sofa. I was the one fanning now.
“Lillimae, I don’t want to put you in the middle of this mess, but I need to talk to somebody.”
“I’m listenin’.” Lillimae sat down on the arm of her sofa.
“A few weeks ago, somebody started sending me some nasty notes and other nasty shit through the mail.” I stopped and rose up high enough to look out the window. I had to make sure Charlotte couldn’t hear what I was saying.
Lillimae shrugged and gave me a puzzled look. “Go on.”
“The notes were bad. I was threatened and called some ugly names.” I paused and shook my head with my eyes closed. I didn’t like the look that was on Lillimae’s face when I opened my eyes. She was clearly losing patience, and she was one of the most patient and understanding people I knew. “It was a female. She called me up, too. At home and at work.”
“And what was the reason? Who was this person?”
“She didn’t say it right away. She took her time telling me why she was doing what she was doing to me. Finally, she told me that she was going to take my husband from me.”
“Is that all? Girl, do you know how many times my husband’s whores called me up and told me they were goin’ to take my man and beat my ass if I stood in the way? That’s just the way these ignorant hussies behave. They are too stupid to get a man the normal way.”
“This was different. This person sent me a pair of Pee Wee’s shorts. A used, dirty pair that I had seen him wear a few dozen times. She even called up some other married women and told them that I was fooling around with their husbands. Then they started to harass and threaten me, too!” I was waving my arms and didn’t even know it until Lillimae grabbed my arms and held them down. But I kept talking. “She even sent a male prostitute to my house. I don’t even remember all the shit she did. I even received a box full of horse shit in the mail from her!”
“She sent you some shit through the mail?” Lillimae screamed.
“Yes!” I exclaimed, blinking to keep from crying. I didn’t really need to do that, because I was too angry to shed any more tears for a while.
Lillimae gave me a serious look as she bit her bottom lip. “Damn. Well, it sounds like you had a real cuckoo on your tail. Sounds like it’s worse than I thought.”
“It gets worse.” I coughed to clear my throat, giving Lillimae a look so hard she flinched. “You remember Rhoda’s daughter, Jade?”
Lillimae nodded. “She’s not an easy person to forget. She’s just a younger version of Rhoda. A little too mature for my taste. I never said anything when I was up in Ohio, but I thought that the girl spent too much of her time around grown folks. But she’s still a child and it’s a good thing she didn’t stumble into this mess. If this is as serious as it sounds and she finds out about it, it could have a bad effect on her.” Lillimae let out a loud breath and blinked. “If she doesn’t already know about this, I don’t think you should tell her.”
“Jade knows all about this,” I said hoarsely, staring off into space. I didn’t need to tell Lillimae any more than that. One look from her told me that she knew it all.
“My God, my God. Maybe you better stay down here with me after all. You can’t go back there yet, and face Rhoda with this mess!” Lillimae frantically wrung her hands as she spoke. This was the first time I had ever seen fear on Lillimae’s face. “Does Pee Wee know it was Jade?”
I shook my head. “You’re the only other person who knows. I just found out yesterday and I am still trying to deal with it. Now can you understand why I ran away the way I did?”
Lillimae nodded. “Girl, if I was you, I’d keep on runnin,’” Lillimae said.
CHAPTER 64
The next plane out of Miami that would help us get back to Ohio was scheduled to leave in six hours. I wanted to be on it. I didn’t make it, though. Lillimae had insisted that Charlotte and I eat something, and get some rest. Since there was another plane leaving three hours later, I agreed.
And I changed my mind about calling my mother’s house trying to locate Pee Wee. I desperately needed to talk to him now. But as soon as Daddy answered, fussing and cussing, I handed the phone to Lillimae.
For five minutes all she said was, “Yes, Daddy” and “I know, Daddy” before she said, “Please put Pee Wee on the telephone.” I could tell from the sudden change on Lillimae’s face that Pee Wee had come to the telephone.
She told my husband that Charlotte and I were all right. Without any prompting from me, she lied and told him that Charlotte and I had already left to return to Ohio. I was glad that she also told Pee Wee that she didn’t know what time our plane was due to arrive.
Pee Wee was doing most of the talking, because suddenly all Lillimae started to say was “Yes, Pee Wee” and “I know, Pee Wee.” I motioned for her to conclude the call and she seemed relieved again. Then she hung up and gave me a weary look.
“Girl, your husband thinks you have had, or are havin’, a nervous breakdown.”
“Maybe I did,” I said stiffly. “I don’t feel like myself. I feel so strange and light-headed.”
“I guess you do, and you should. You must be pissed off as hell with that Jade.” Lillimae clucked and shook her head, clearly disgusted. “And as good as you were to that child.”
“Lillimae, why didn’t I see this coming? The signs were all there. I could have nipped this in the bud a long time ago. It didn’t have to come to this,” I said.
“You didn’t see it comin’ because you didn’t want to see it comin’, girl. You are a good person and somethin’ in you wouldn’t let you think anything bad about somebody you loved.”
“So it wasn’t my fault?”
“This was Jade’s fault. She’s a child, but she’s still old enough to know what she was doin’. Don’t you dare blame yourself for this.” Lillimae gave me a brief hug.
“I don’t know how I’m going to deal with Pee Wee now,” I mumbled.
“Pee Wee wasn’t too happy to hear that I’d let you leave here without…a…an escort. Somebody to supervise you…” Lillimae screwed up her face and let out a short chuckle. “He’s concerned that in your state of mind, you might wind up in Arizona or some other place, naked and babbling.”
“Believe it or not, I am not crazy. At least I don’t think I am. But I’ve changed my mind about flying back home. I really need some time to think, so I’m taking the train or the bus.”
“Now I can’t let you do that. You really need to get back home as fast as you can so you can face your husband…and Rhoda. You need to get this over with as soon as possible. What if Jade does or says somethin’ against you before you can get home to defend yourself? I am sure that that girl is cookin’ up more mess that’ll make her come out smellin’ like a rose.”
I gave Lillimae a thoughtful look. “Speaking of roses, she used rose-scented paper when she sent me those notes,” I said, blinking to hold back my tears. “Lillimae, how can I ever forgive Jade for doing this to me? I would have laid down my life for that girl.”
“I can’t answer that one. Like I said, she is still a child,
so she can always fall back on that. Kids can’t be held too accountable. I bet a dollar and a donut she is sorry as hell about all this now. I would even be willing to bet that this was all a game to her. She might have had a crush on your husband, but I don’t think she really meant none of that mean stuff she said in them notes.”
“But what about all that other stuff? It took a lot for her to go out to a pasture and gather up some horse shit, then box it up to send to me. That girl is so squeamish and prissy. For her to stoop that low, she had to mean business.”
Lillimae nodded. “It don’t matter. Don’t deal with Jade like you would a grown woman, because it wouldn’t be fair to her. Treat her like the child she really is.”
“I hope you’re right, Lillimae. I hope you’re right.” It didn’t take much for Lillimae to get me to agree to fly back home. She was right. I needed to deal with Rhoda and Jade as soon as possible.
But first, I had to talk to Pee Wee about Jade. I needed to know if he had been with her. It would make all the difference in the world.
CHAPTER 65
I thought that Rhoda was the last person I wanted to face. But I realized I was wrong when the cab that Charlotte and I had taken from the airport to get home stopped in front of my house. Muh’Dear was peeping out of one of my front windows, Daddy was peeping out the other.
Before I could even get out of the cab, both my parents had stumbled out to my front porch. Daddy was in a housecoat and his feet were bare. Muh’Dear had on a green, shapeless dress with an apron wrapped around her waist.
“Girl, have you lost my mind?” Daddy hollered.
I could tell that he was still weak from his heart attack. He had to rub his chest and cough right after he closed his mouth. Muh’Dear slapped him on his back a few times, not taking her eyes off me.
“I don’t have anything to say until I talk to my husband,” I declared, leading Charlotte into the house. My mind was more off than I thought. It was only then that I realized I had left my luggage at the airport.