“Okay, Miss Sydney,” Edwina answered as she headed out the door without another word.
“Where is it, where is it?” Sydney mumbled as she got down on her hands and knees to look under the bed. Not finding it, she stood up, completely frustrated. “What the hell,” she grumbled as she gave up her fruitless search, grabbed her bag, and headed down the hall.
“Hey, you got any gum?” Sydney asked as she knocked on Lauren’s door. For a moment, Sydney wasn’t sure her sister was in the room. But then the huge mound under the messy comforter slowly moved and a headscarf poked out. “What?” Lauren croaked as she turned down the volume on her television.
“Gum,” Sydney repeated, stepping into the room. “I’ve got a date—” she started immediately regretting her slip when the entire head popped out immediately.
“A date, huh? You and Jason are acting extra monogamous for two people allegedly on the low, if you ask me,” Lauren teased, leaning over the edge of the bed to snatch her favorite Gucci bag off the floor. “So where’s my favorite Brookhaven receiver taking you, and more interestingly, how are you explaining to Keisha that you have a date on a Tuesday night?” she inquired as she searched the bottom of the bag.
“Actually, I’m not going out with Jason,” Sydney admitted as she quickly averted her eyes to avoid the look that Lauren gave her.
“Whaaat?” Lauren dragged out her question. “Okay, who are you and where is my sister?” she asked incredulously as she momentarily forgot about recovering the pack of gum. “Sydney Duke, are you playing the field?”
“Oh, Lauren, please,” she snapped. “Stop being dramatic and pass me the damn gum. I gotta go. I’m late. He’s already here.”
Lauren finally handed her a pack of Winterfresh. “Alrighty then,” she started to turn back over when she suddenly sat up in the bed. “He’s here? In the house?” she asked suspiciously. Sniffing the air like a bloodhound, she screeched, “Wait a damn minute, is that patchouli oil I smell?”
“Shh!” Sydney tried to quiet her sister. “Don’t be so loud,” she admonished, turning to head out the door. “And yes, I am going out with Marcus. We’re just going out for a coffee so that we can talk.”
“About what?” Lauren asked as Sydney walked out and down the hall. “I sure hope you know what you’re doing,” she called out forebodingly.
“I hope so, too,” Sydney mumbled.
“I’m sorry I took so long,” Sydney started as she reached the bottom of the staircase and paused for effect. “I couldn’t find my—” To her great surprise, instead of Marcus being stunned into silence at Sydney’s new and improved hair and physique, he was nowhere to be seen. “Um, hel-lo,” Sydney called out as she looked around, unsure what was going on.
The sound of her mother’s high-pitched laugh made Sydney jump. “Oh, Marcus, you are too funny,” Mrs. Duke said in the fake falsetto she used when she fancied herself flirting with a younger man. “It’s so good to see you around again. We missed you!”
See, now, this is that bullshit, Sydney fumed to herself, gritting her teeth as she headed toward the kitchen. It amazed her how her mother could be so welcoming to the same guy who just finished cheating on her daughter. I wonder if she’ll ever be half as nice to Jason, she mused bitterly as she reached the door.
“Oh, Mrs. Duke, you know you’re like a second mother to me,” Marcus responded in his best “all-parents-love-me” voice. “And I can’t tell you how much my mom adores Sydney. She’s always saying what a great job you and Mr. Duke have done.” For a split second, Sydney was sure she was about to be sick.
“Why, you be sure to tell your mother I said thank you very much,” Keisha continued. “As I’m sure she knows, it’s hard keeping teenagers in line.”
Unable to take it any longer, Sydney walked into the kitchen, cutting Keisha’s “poor suffering mother” soliloquy short. “I certainly hope I’m not interrupting,” Sydney said with a little more attitude than necessary. Surprised by her sudden entrance, both Marcus and Mrs. Duke jumped back slightly. Sydney smiled smugly at the shocked look on Marcus’s face when he saw her freshly pressed hair. “Hey, Marcus,” she offered.
“Hey…I mean wow, Syd, you look totally different,” he stuttered in reply.
“Yeah, I don’t know what possessed her to do that mess when she knows how you feel…” Keisha started.
Purposely flipping her hair over her shoulder, Sydney cut her eyes at her mom and headed to the door to the garage to retrieve her boots. “We should probably get a move on before it gets too late. It is a weeknight after all,” Sydney replied, choosing not to address her mother’s smart-ass comment.
“You’re absolutely right, Syd,” Marcus said, standing up and straightening out the green polo golf shirt he wore over a gray long-sleeve T-shirt.
“Oh, you guys go ahead and take your time,” Keisha announced generously as she grinned all up in Marcus’s face. “Don’t worry about the curfew tonight. I trust Sydney is in good hands.” Sydney’s mouth dropped open at her mother’s blatant kiss-up behavior.
“Actually, I’ve got an early-morning debate team meeting tomorrow, so I plan to have Sydney back well before ten. But thanks anyway, Mrs. Duke,” Marcus said with his award winning smile.
“Good-bye, Mother,” Sydney offered smartly as she started past Keisha toward the front door with her boots in hand.
Just as Sydney attempted to pass by, Mrs. Duke reached out and grabbed her arm. Yanking her down under the guise of giving Sydney a parting kiss on the cheek, Kiesha hissed directly in her ear, “You better check that attitude at the door and pull this shit back together!” Releasing her, Mrs. Duke turned to face Marcus and said brightly, “You be sure to take good care of my baby!”
“Yes, ma’am,” Marcus replied. “I always do.”
“Are you okay?” Marcus asked gently as they pulled into the parking space outside the small coffee-and-dessert shop. For the duration of the twenty-minute drive, Sydney barely said a word, and it was definitely making him nervous. “You know, I didn’t get a chance to say anything at your house, but you look really great. Your hair—”
“My hair what?” Sydney cut him off as she unbuckled her seat belt. “Please don’t attempt to give me grief about straightening my hair, Marcus. In case you’ve forgotten, you and I are no longer together. Hence, how you feel is no longer my priority.”
“Whoa, Sydney, relax,” Marcus said quickly. “All I was going to say was that your hair looks good, too. I mean, yes, I prefer it curly and natural but…” As Marcus reached out to gently finger a few strands by Sydney’s face, chills ran up and down her body like electricity. “This is nice. It’s new. And it works for you.”
“Thanks,” she replied shyly, finally relaxing. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snap. I guess my nerves are just bad from Keisha’s never-ending craziness.”
“No problem. And you know you don’t have to explain to me how extra your mom can be,” he said as he reached out and briefly touched her hand. “Anyways, you ready?” he asked. Sydney nodded her head in response. “Cool,” Marcus replied as he hopped out and ran around to the other side of the car to open Sydney’s door for her. “After you, madam,” he said with an exaggerated bow.
“Thank you kindly sir,” Sydney replied playfully with a curtsy of her own before the two headed inside.
“You know you ain’t slick, right?” Sydney asked Marcus semisarcastically.
“What? What did I do now?” he asked as the waitress walked away with their order of two caramel Bavarian lattes and a strawberry shortcake cupcake.
“This is exactly where we came on our first date and exactly what we ordered, Mr. Green,” she replied accusingly with a playful shake of the head.
“Oh, my, is it?” he asked with a look of feigned innocence.
“Whatever, Marcus, you’re ridiculous,” Sydney replied as her cell phone started to buzz. Grabbing it out of her bag, she saw the text from Jason that read: Figure yur prob studying, hit me when
your done. Hugs, J. She quickly put it back in her bag.
“So does Jason know you’re here with me tonight?” Marcus asked plainly.
“What?” Sydney asked, once again defensive. “Who said that was Jason?
“Come on, Syd, I can tell from the look on your face,” Marcus replied. “Give me a little credit, we were together for over four years.”
“I did give you credit; too much, obviously,” Sydney retorted as she took a sip from her glass of water.
Sighing deeply, Marcus pulled his locs away from his face. “Okay, okay, this is not what I came here to do with you,” he said. Sydney shrugged and looked away. “I asked you here because I miss spending time with you…with my friend. I do not want us to fight about what has already happened or what is out of our control.” Marcus reached out and grabbed her hand to get her attention. She looked down at the engraved silver ID bracelet on his wrist and slowly up to his face. “I promise not to talk mess about Jason if you’ll just drop the whole Dara thing. Okay?”
“Fine,” Sydney agreed reluctantly as the server brought their order to the table. She picked up a butter knife and cut the cupcake in half. “Choose,” she said, offering first pick.
Marcus smiled gratefully, picked up the smaller half, and took a bite. “Mmm, just as good as the first time,” he said.
Sydney smiled at the goofy face he made as she stirred sugar into her coffee. “So things at the Youth Center are crazy, huh?” she asked.
“Yeah, man,” he replied. “A lot of changes. But it’s all for the good. The kids really enjoyed the awards ceremony. I think we’re going to try and do it every year.”
“Nice,” she replied, blowing the steaming cup before taking a sip.
“So how are things at Better Day? Still having issues finding donations?”
“Actually, things are really improving,” Sydney said. “Since I had such success with the Benefit Gala, I’m going to help them plan a huge fundraiser around Christmas. We’re really hoping to raise enough funds to move to a bigger facility as well as hire van services for the kids.”
“Van services for the kids? For what, to go to the movies?” Marcus inquired.
“That, too, but really so that the kids can go to school in the mornings,” Sydney explained. “Our hope is that some of the kids, especially the older ones who are aware enough to stay away from the abusive parent if he shows up, might be able to continue attending their old schools. Instead of having to start over in one of the schools near the shelter because there’s no way to get back to their old neighborhood.”
“Wow, that’s going to be a huge undertaking. I’m really impressed,” Marcus praised Sydney.
Slightly embarrassed by the attention, Sydney blushed as she took another sip. “It’s not that big of a deal. Like you always say, just doing my part.”
“Even still, please keep me posted. I’m sure my mom would love to lend her support,” Marcus said, referring to Councilwoman Green’s extensive political connections in the community.
“That’d be really great,” Sydney murmured, biting into the delicious pink cupcake.
“You know, what ever happened with that little girl, Amira?” Marcus asked as he sipped his coffee. “I remember you were really concerned because she’d been having bad nightmares…”
“Oh, you know, she’s doing so much better now,” Sydney enthused. “The nightmares have finally stopped, and she’s even playing with the other kids now.”
“That’s good news for sure.”
“Yeah, she’s adorable. It’s like you can’t imagine how horrible it must have been growing up in that environment, with her father beating her mom so badly all the time. Slowly, but surely, she’s recovering,” Sydney said thoughtfully. “Kids are so resilient. They seem to be able to forgive and move on so much faster than us, huh?”
“Yeah, that’s for sure,” Marcus said quietly as he drained the last of his cup. The two sat in silence for a moment listening to the soft jazz playing in the background. Marcus finally cleared his throat. “So, um, how you doing with that cupcake?” he asked playfully.
“Just fine, thank you,” Sydney responded as she popped the rest of it into her mouth. Her cheeks puffed up like a balloon.
“Mmm-hmm, okay, greedy,” he laughed as he glanced at the steel Montblanc watch his mother had given him for Christmas last year. “I certainly hope you don’t plan to eat like that at Thanksgiving dinner this year!”
“You know, I do,” Sydney laughed. “I’m eating all the turkey, all the candied yams and macaroni-and-cheese that Edwina cooks!”
Marcus laughed loudly. “Remember the first year we were dating when you came over to my house for Thanksgiving dinner?”
“Oh, yeah,” Sydney said slowly. “And instead of slices, you cut the poor turkey into a million little shreds!”
“Whatever, you know my carving skills are on point at all times!”
“Humph, okay, Iron Chef, all I know is I don’t want you wielding no kinda knife around me anytime soon,” she immediately countered.
Marcus chuckled. “Hey, the only reason my hands were so wobbly was because you were around.” Then he thoughtfully added, “I was so busy acting like I could handle it and that I had everything under control. I completely ruined everything, huh?”
Sydney sat quietly. “Yeah, pretty much,” she said softly as she stared at the bottom of her now-empty coffee cup. The two shared another awkward moment.
Clearing his throat, Marcus pushed back from the table. “Well, lemme get you home so I can get some rest,” he said, dropping a crisp twenty. “You ready?”
“I’m always ready. But the real question is, am I willing,” Sydney replied with a suggestive smile.
Marcus shook his head. “Okay now, don’t get in trouble, Miss Duke,” he said with a chuckle as he stepped back to allow her to exit first.
Contrary to the silence of the earlier trip, when Marcus pulled his BMW around the Duke’s fountain, laughter filled the car. “Oh, my God, you are hilarious,” Sydney laughed at his imitation of Principal Trumbull getting excited at the pep rally.
“You know I like to keep you laughing,” Marcus replied easily.
“I guess,” Sydney said, somewhat sad that their time together had come to an end. “Well, lemme go.”
“Okay, no problem,” Marcus said, and hopped out to open her door for her.
As soon as Sydney stepped out, Marcus positioned himself directly in front of her face. “You know, sometimes people have to feel the burn to learn to stay away from fire,” he whispered softly as he fingered a strand of her hair. Sydney paused and looked down to avoid his piercing stare. “I can’t front, Sydney. I definitely miss you. Us. Together. And while I accept that we might not be able to be that way now, in my dreams, you are always the woman by my side when I’m being inaugurated for the mayoral post.”
“Marcus, don’t,” Sydney’s voice cracked, betraying all the emotions swirling inside of her as she struggled against her own better judgment.
“I won’t,” he said. “I’m just saying, I hope you can still see the vision.”
Sydney barely closed the front door behind her before her eyes began to sting. Kicking off her boots, she ran directly upstairs, hoping to make it to the safe confines of her room before the inevitable tears began to flow.
“How did it go,” Lauren called out from her room as Sydney rushed by.
“Fine, just fine,” Sydney tossed over her shoulder as she gently closed her door. Taking extra-deep breaths, Sydney struggled to hold it together. “It’s fine, I’m fine,” she repeated over and over. As the tightness in her chest and the stinging subsided, her cell phone buzzed again.
Sighing, Sydney grabbed her phone out of her bag before tossing it on her desk chair and heading over to her bed. “I thought he was going to let me call him back,” Sydney muttered to herself, assuming it was another message from Jason. To her surprise, it was from Renaldo: Darling. Hit me when you get a chance. Need to
review the confirmed guest list to make sure we have everyone before the big night. Smooches. Sydney groaned out loud as Marcus’s ominous words, “I hope you can still see the vision,” repeated themselves over and over. Of course she could; she just wasn’t exactly sure if that included her upcoming holiday party.
14
LAUREN
The bright red bullhorn was as extra as the rotund, orange-colored, sweaty little man yelling into it, but that’s what made it all the more fitting. Renaldo, after all, was one to be heard, and on this night, he was going to make sure that the guests at the most spectacular event of the Lake Lanier Thanksgiving season were listening—so that this particular event on this particular evening could go off without a hitch. Which meant that, first and foremost, he needed to keep the guests of the Duke daughters—and the wannabes—in check.
“If your name is not etched in red on this list I have in my hand, it sucks to be you. I will ask you kindly to vacate the premises now to spare yourself any embarrassment,” Renaldo shouted into the bullhorn. “For those of you who have a problem understanding the words that are coming out of my mouth, let me make it clear: If you weren’t invited, you ain’t got to go home, but you got to get the hell up outta here.
“Everyone else who has a gold card featuring Lauren and Sydney’s beautiful faces and whose names appear on said guest list will be invited to swipe your card in the Red HOTlanta machine to gain access to the red carpet, which will usher you into the soiree of the year. Please enjoy the musical offerings of DJ Goldfinger as we await the arrival of the fabulous Duke sisters. Thank you.”
Renaldo handed the list to one of his many minions, then turned to his personal assistant, whose sole purpose on this evening was to a) keep Renaldo’s wineglass full, b) have his Vicodin ready for the popping, and c) clear paths large enough for him to get to and handle whatever fires popped up throughout the evening. There was no room for errors. As it was, he was the only adult at the party, save for the chefs, bartenders, and waitstaff, and Altimus Duke had made it clear that he better have a handle on things. Or else.
If Only You Knew Page 13