He briskly walked to me and stood in my face and let out,
“Well, how do think I felt when I came to the realization I was in love with my brother’s Fiancée?”
I turned my head sideways wondering what the hell Jase was talking about. He stood back from me and the fickleness in his eyes told me that shit was about to get real—or become crystal clear since it had always been at that point. I pursed my lips and said,
“What does that have to do with me?”
“Because...your-the-fucking-Fiancée...”
A cool breeze off the ocean blew as he stood there looking at me, heartbroken and pained.
My mouth parted as I tried to comprehend what Jase was trying to say and the calculation that came up in my mind had to be wrong. I knew he hadn’t just told me what I thought he had.
“Myron...and I are half-brothers...the other reason why I couldn’t tell you my past.”
I couldn’t move...how could this possibly have happened?
“I wish it could be different. But it’s not.” he said.
I looked up at him and asked, “Does Myron know?”
He nodded his head yes.
“Neither of you said a damned thing?!”
“No, we were taught to keep it hush.”
“So Mr. Kent is your father?”
Jase nodded his head yes.
“Oh my God, how did I not know. West Africa. Mr. Kent is from Sierra Leone.” I said to myself.
“When he got to the states he was trying to hustle anyway he could-drugs helped him build his empires. He gave a whole fuckin’ empire to my mother to keep her quite.”
“I’m sorry Jase....but I gotta go.” I said getting up and running off the boardwalk.
23
Lies, Love, and Resentment
When I got back to the hotel room Myron was sitting forward in a lounge chair with his eyes looking up at me. He knew what Jase was going to tell me, that’s why he let me go. I threw my purse at him as I walked towards him. He stood and pulled me in his arms,
“I’m sorry,”
But in reality, it wasn’t his fault. I had fallen in love with Jase...his brother.
“I couldn’t say anything. My pops would rather it be this way so he doesn’t look bad—and Jase ends up being a rich kid from Adam.”
“I want to go home.”
“But do you unde—”
“Myron! I don’t care to understand it. All the opportunities you two had to tell me this and neither one of you had the balls to do so! All this time I was fucking brothers! And I thought Slim was my down fall.”
Myron flinched at the mention of fucking him and Jase. He snatched his light jacket off the bed and whipped it on his bulging shoulder blades.
“Where are you going?” I said as he marched towards the door.
“To take a walk...you get some rest.”
Breakfast was served at the Vonseigneur home for everyone including the directing crew. I poured some orange juice into my frosted goblet as everyone else moved around me to collect whatever they wanted off the platters. I myself wasn’t hungry. Just as I was about to sit at the table preoccupied by Syndi and Micah, Jase and Myron walked in-both still in their pajamas. Micah jerked his head over to me and pulled me down,
“Girl when they start hanging together—you need to get that shit in check. It will make it hard to do ‘em both.”
I wisped Micah away out my ear and sipped on my juice as Myron sat next to me. He grabbed a plate and began putting fruit on it. Jase sat directly across from me...this was too much for me. I couldn’t look at either. Myron’s hand went under the table and relaxed on my thigh. Jase’s foot nudged mine only to get my attention so I could look him in those tranquil eyes. He blinked slowly at me and I was done. I got up from the table and went to a downstairs restroom. I was nauseated beyond belief and had been for the last few days. Instead of being proactive and knocking on the door, whoever was outside it was pressed up on it and listening. I began to throw up uncontrollably. I grew into a dry heave when there was no more lining of my stomach to be ejected.
“Chardonnay.” I heard a voice say on the other side of the door.
I gave a dragged, “What.”
“The flight leaves at noon we gotta go honey.” It was Micah.
Myron rode with me on the plane ride back. Jase would be on his own chartered jet. They indeed not only acted as if they weren’t brothers but didn’t even acknowledge it around each other. They wouldn’t even be seen with each other. Some family tree.
I had a taste for McDonald’s when we got back to the states. Luckily it was Myron’s favorite fast food place to eat so we stopped off and got some food. I ordered a strawberry shake along with my premium BLT chicken sandwich. Myron watched me eating in awe as we sat at his dining table in his downtown penthouse. I caught him staring at me when I heaved and came back up for fries. He was chewing slowly with a smirk.
“What?” I asked dipping my fry in some ketchup.
“I’ve never seen you eat like this...you cool?”
I nodded my head.
“It must be all that skinny food they had down in the islands. I’m a thick chick and I just wouldn’t survive if I had to live there.”
Myron chuckled.
“Well, you didn’t eat much while you were down there.”
“I couldn’t...my stomach wouldn’t take it.”
Myron shrugged his shoulders and leaned over the table to kiss my cheek. He stood from the table and walked over to the ringing off the hook phone. I finished my food as he held a conversation with his agent and went into the bedroom. It seemed like solace for once. Being here with my man, letting Jase go, I didn’t need anything else. Myron would be my wings. I didn’t need the modeling career or college, like everyone was saying, Myron will take care of you. He came in the room with me as he held the cordless phone to his face and handed me some keys. They were the keys to a Land Rover, one of my dream cars. He pointed out the window down into the on sight parking lot. I nearly peed at the sight of it. It was iced Silver with a white chocolate interior. The grill and gills on it blinged even brighter. I jumped and hung onto his neck. I could hear his agent laughing and saying,
“I take it she likes it!”
“Yeah, man. She loves it!”
“Like I love you.” I said taking the phone from him and hanging it up.
Needless to say I showed him my appreciation.
* * * *
In the following week our engagement party was being planned once again. My mother and his mother were being busy bee’s...literally towards the bridal consultant. I was forced into setting an exact date for our wedding. Myron thought it would be perfect for us to be married on the same day of our commencement ceremony we had at seventeen and and eighteen-years-old...August 29th. This year. That meant we had four and a half weeks to plan it.
The engagement party went well, somewhat. Once again all of Kansas City’s elite crowd, Myron’s buddies, and family, very little of my family joined to congratulate us. None of my girls were there. Just Konstance. After all, I had disowned Zasmyth, Fianna and Katura. Myron looked happy as he looked on at me through the crowd. I knew my expressionless face wouldn’t be acknowledged. I felt the nausea began to stir in my stomach and walked quickly off to the rest room. I stayed in there most of the night, and no one had come to look for me. Loud music began to pump through the speakers and loud laughs and chatter rung out. I knew that the parents and older crowd were leaving at a certain time so the young crowd could enjoy themselves more, Mrs. Lim-Kent’s words. I walked back out and looked on as everyone got their groove on. When I glanced around the room I saw some chick on Myron as they stood near the bar. I wasn’t surprised. He looked as if he was enjoying himself talking with her and the female’s chest was pressed against his. I licked my lips and began to press my heels in their direction when I was snatched away by Gehvoni. He began to dance up on me saying,
“Come on Nay! Have some fun!”
“Move out my way!”
“What’s the matter! I know you can move it! I saw what you could do last month at that bachelor party.”
Smack! Gehvoni’s face was red as tomato juice. I stomped over to Myron and his slut—Tiffunie Hallenburg. I stopped just a few feet away from him and dialed the number I had remembered in my head like my ABC’s. To no avail her cell didn’t ring or she couldn’t hear it over her gold digging voice.
Before I knew I was doing it I had snatched Miss Tiffunie by her weave and swung her away from Myron, who had a shocked look on his face.
“What? You want this bitch?! Is this what I gave up new dick for—HUH?!” I said in Myron face.
He didn’t have anything to say. Tiffunie came up on me and pulled me back by my hair. Myron pulled us apart and said,
“Chardonnay we were just talking—damn!”
“Oh yeah with her titties all up in your face?”
“Why you tripping? He just wanted to buy a necklace from me for you!” said Tiffunie in her baby like voice...I swear it sounded just like her. She showed me the exact same necklace she had on in a red velvet box. Her family owned a very lucrative jewelry business called Hallenburg and Company. I felt stupid but looking at her and knowing that she could still be showing him more than some karats, I asked,
“So would this be your number?” I asked as I showed her the number I had just pressed in my phone.
She looked at it and said, “No, why?”
“No reason.” I said looking at Myron and walked off. He was making me crazy. He caught up to me and hugged me from behind,
“I would never hurt you again...and I mean that.” he said turning me to him.
“Plus, now I have a big brother that told me if I ever caused you harm he would kill me.” He said with a half chuckle.
“So you two talked?”
“Yeah, I’m going to talk with my pops—we both need to.”
“I have no business with your father—you’re who I have business with.”
“What do you mean baby?”
I moved from his hold and told him what I had been doing. I was tired of wanting to know who this girl he had feelings for was. That entailed with his past infidelity made me insecure.
“I need to know who she is. I’ve been checking your voice mails and I came along some girl talking about you two.”
“You went through my shit? I knew I wasn’t tripping...all this time.” he said shaking his head.
“Uht uhn. This is about you! Even though I was wrong for doing it you should have never gave me the reason to do so.”
“Yeah, you right. But she’s a faint memory, Char. Trust me. Now I want to make this thing with us grow and I hope you can give us a fair chance.”
I slightly nudged my head and winced away the shrewdness of his words. He ran his hands over my sleek shoulders and kissed my right collar bone.
“Let’s not ruin this night. Especially since Konsuelo just walked in.” He said looking past me.
I turned to see my big cousin running towards us yelling an excited,
“Chardonnay!My baby cousin!”
I smiled and ran to her crazily waved arms.
“LO! What’s-up! Ive missed you gurl!”
“You know I’ve been busy in the NY. My, my, my, look at you—you look like a superstar! Uht no—erase that—a rock star in those lime green tights gold top and Converse gold heels!”
I laughed and her eyes fluttered over from me to Myron. They stared at each other for a moment before Konsuelo said, “I know that’s not little pimple faced Myron aka lil’ Usher meets Henry Simmons!”
Myron began laughing along with Gehvoni and Konstance who had converged outside. He used to have bad acne back in the day before merging out of his awkwardness and puberty.
“Yeah, what it do baby?” he said walking to give her a huge.
“Nuthing’ boo.”
“I see you still look like Kenya Moore.” he joked.
Back in the day when we all got through playing Hide N’ Go Get it, we all would sit down and joke who looked like what star the most. I never got placed since I looked so much like myself. Lo always joked Myron looked like Henry Simmons from NYPD Blue. I could see how he and Jase were brother’s seeing how Jase favored Boris Kodjoe, the shorter muscular version. Their looks were far but keenly similar.
They hugged and she turned to look at me and said, “We need to go kick it! You don’t mind me kidnapping this ‘bout to be married woman do you?”
He shook his head no.
“But have her home at a decent hour ma’am.”
We waved the guys off as we head out for a night on the town.
After I went to the penthouse downtown were I was now staying at with Myron and changed my clothes, we went out to eat, to the movies, and then to this salsa club. While we were at the salsa club Konsuelo took me to the side while Konstance danced with some random guy. We went to the VIP lounge area and grabbed a booth. A waitress walked over to take our drink orders and then retreated to the private bar.
“So... what are you going to do at this point in your life Chardonnay?” Konsuelo asked while taking off her Baby Phat pink mink shrug.
I ran my tongue along the top row of my teeth as I looked off at others invading the room through the flashy golden doors. I thought to myself and even chuckled a bit with myself and how I had gotten myself into the things I had done. My mind and everyone else had escaped me. I looked back at my big cousin, the one person I knew personally that I could say I admired, and a tear fell from my left eye.
“You see Nay, I look at you and...you’re all dolled up—your second outfit change of the night in your powder pink Versace baby doll ruffled top and silk, cashmere trouser daisy duke shorts...” Konsuelo laughed finishing, “No wonder these chicks in here mad at you—shit I’m jealous! But the point is you look so glamorous that if I didn’t know you I wouldn’t be able to tell you had problems. As women...some of us anyway...we hold all the shit that’s been done to us in. I can tell something deeper is going on with you.”
“How can you tell that?”
Konsuelo halted her answer as the waitress sat our drinks, an apple martini for Konsuelo and a virgin strawberry daiquiri for me, down on the two festive napkins sitting on the table.
“Konnie tells me how you’ve been behaving lately and with everything you’ve told me......baby girl you gonna have to man up!”
I nodded my head and pushed the drink back, the smell, I couldn’t take it. After our talk, she cheered me up by talking about some old memories she had of Pal pal herself. Besides my little emotional moment, it was the most fun I had in a while. I headed home without the tension I left with.
24
Invisible Deception
The new August day hit with the back splash of fall in the air. Konsuelo stopped by to get me and picked up Konstance on the way to the bridal shop. However, Lo had made a detour in the plans. She drove twenty miles out of our destination and finally ended it at a retreat place called Arbor Falls.
“I don’t know about this y’all. I don’t feel so good.” I said.
“You’ll feel better after this.” said Konsuelo.
After we checked in they showed us to a place called comfort closet. It had so many lush robes that felt like Swiss chocolate as they were draped over our naked bodies by some gorgeous men. We were then escorted to a room down the hall that was said to be the deluxe slumber party suite. We walked into our private room where Zasmyth, Fianna, Katura, and Daisy were waiting.
“Oh hell no! I thought you said I would feel better!” I said to Konsuelo.
“You will. Sit down.” she said with a no nonsense tone.
We all sat on fluffy pillows that smelled like lavender. It was making me sleepy.
“So ladies. As you may see I set this up. Women don’t fight we nurture. I leave you little heffas for a year and y’all cat scratching each other!” said Konsuelo.
She hated to see us fi
ght. She was all about girl power.
“Alright! Daisy I want you to start.” said Konsuelo.
The masseuse soaked our feet first while we began this round. I was happy they didn’t start on our manicures first, because I wanted to be ready to swing.
“I’m...I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was tripping on. Truly, if I were in y’all shoes I would feel the same way.”
“So why should we forgive you?” I said.
“We’re sisters.” Daisy said sobbing.
“Ok. Thats good.” said Konsuelo.
“Yeah, seeing how she putting on an act.” said Konstance.
“Okay Katura, your turn?”
“Well, I think what Chardonnay did was wrong.”
I tisked and turned my face up,
“What the hell did I do?”
“What you kept from me about Stro and your sister.”
“Are you bitches def? I checked her when I found out!”
“But you didn’t tell her about it.” said Fianna.
“You shut the fuck up! I was already going through it with Myron. Ain’t got time for this shit.” I said.
“Ladies, ladies, let’s come to the ground here. Nay, you truly believe you made a mistake for not telling her right?”
“Right. Plus I didn’t think to tell since I was already stressed.”
“Always about you. You ain’t the shit!” said Fianna.
“Okay, now you got a problem with me? Why?”
“Dunno, you just...act like this good girl. You too Konstance.”
“Aye, don’t even go there with me!”
“Why, scared?”
“Fuck off.”
“Suck off—”
“Okay okay ladies, damn. Y’all need a coum- bi- yah up in here. Now, Fianna, why are you made at Nay?”
Fianna fumbled with her pillow and mumbled.
“She...she just has everything set for her and she messes it up.”
“I have everything? You really believe that? I have about as much as you do.”
“No—you have more. You intimidate me.”
Chardonnay: A Novel Page 25