By all accounts, so was his brother. In mid-sentence, Gabriel stopped talking. The man that always had something to say had been rendered speechless when his new wife took the baby in her arms. Cabrina bent her knees, resting her feet on the small tuffet Tameka had made, creating a mock bed for Michelle to rest in on her thighs. Unswaddling the blanket, Cabrina exposed Michelle’s pink polka dot pants to the air, holding her little feet in her hands. She removed Michelle’s baby booties to touch the tiny toes and place kisses on the bottom of her feet.
Cabrina’s heart was melting as she stared at the small child. Questions were in her mind about the baby, whether it was Tameka’s husband or the man who held her captive, but once the child smiled at her, Cabrina didn’t care. Michelle was here. She was loved by her grandparents, her parents, and most of all, her mother. The rest of it, she didn’t need to know because now, the little lady was loved by her, too. Before she realized it, she had begun to sing to the child. Her crystal-clear soprano, low, poignant, and aimed at the little ears caused Michelle to stop squirming, trying to focus her infant gaze on the blur making the melodic sound.
Gabriel too was focused on the woman with the angelic voice. His fork froze in mid-air, his mouth opened, and his vision distorted. The futuristic image of Cabrina holding their son, singing to him before she put the boy to her breast to feed, hit Gabriel in the chest like a boulder.
“Why don’t you just go over there and lick her, son,” Josiah said to his son.
“What?” Gabriel said, snapping out of the temporary trance. “Daddy, don’t be crude.”
“You’re the one sitting here about to slobber once she started singing,” Joe said. “I need you to focus, give me the latest Intel before your Mom and I head out.”
“Sorry, Daddy. The agents are getting briefings, and the satellite images show heat blooms of where the processing units are, but the Macklemores are armed to the teeth. The company is going slow to ensure that casualties are minimized before giving the order to move in,” Gabe told him. “Truthfully, I don’t know how I feel about them staying on this mountain, especially after everything we did to get them down it.”
“She loves this cabin,” Zeke said. “And stop talking about me like I’m not here.”
“Well, I ran into that Sheriff today at Ethel’s, and I don’t trust him. He may make a move before his last day in office,” Gabriel added.
“Let him come,” Zeke said. “I know Jimmy Don was on the property, but before I could go get him, someone beat me to it.”
“Mann?” Gabriel asked.
“I don’t think so,” Zeke said. “Harley was here with the Sheriff, and I tell you, I have never been prouder in my life of how Tameka handled the situation.”
“I want to know how she handled you naming her after your dead girlfriend,” Gabriel said.
“She was too busy being pissed off at me naming her SheNanay,” Zeke said, chuckling.
“How is everything working out for you two?” Gabriel asked.
“It’s early,” Zeke said, sipping the strawberry soda. “We have to take it one day at a time.”
Josiah was quiet as he noticed the slight tremble in his son’s hand when he picked up the drink. The shake wasn’t as pronounced as it had been after his surgery, but still evident. His movements were slow as well, which meant his reflexes too were hindered. It made sense for him to want to stay in Georgia.
Things were changing for his sons. The conversation earlier with Cabrina about burial plans had his old brain working overtime. Zeke would be the one who wanted his casket pulled by white horses to Arlington to be buried. Gabriel wouldn’t want to rock the boat enough to argue with his brother whereas Isiah was the wild card.
“Hey, have you guys heard from Bleu?” Zeke asked. “He went with you to Vegas, right Gabe?”
Josiah spoke softly, “I heard from him. He butt-dialed me in the middle of...hell, I don’t know what they were doing, but he was mewling like a stuck cat at whatever was happening with his pecker.”
“Daddy, what makes you think it was him mewling?” Gabriel asked.
“Remember when he broke his ankle? How he carried on every time I touched it? Yeah, it sounded pretty much like that only with drooling and throat noise,” Josiah said, shaking his head.
Gabriel put his hand over his mouth at the thought of the woman making his brother mewl like a horny alley cat. DeShondra Leman. He couldn’t imagine the two of them together. She was loud, brash, and outspoken whereas Bleu spoke six words at a time with three of the words destined to hurt your pride.
“He hooked up with the other friend,” Gabriel said. “By his description, Daddy, you may be getting more grandkids soon.”
“You said that with a plurality,” Josiah said, his forehead crinkled.
“As I said, based on his description, it may be plural,” Gabriel said laughing.
“What about you two? The way she is holding that baby may have set her hormones to work,” Zeke said.
“No time soon for us,” he said. “We have a lot to learn about each other before we bring a child into this nasty world. I may want to be out of the company when we start a family. You know, a normal life.”
Josiah asked, “Thinking of taking on a church?”
“No,” Gabriel said. “My life is not meant for a pulpit. My ministry is different. I am working towards the greater good.”
“Speaking of that, I made a few calls as well,” Josiah said. “The untimely death of Jimmy Don puts a crimp in our plans. Based on what Tameka told me, he acted alone. No one else ever came to the shack where he kept her, only him.”
“Do you think the Sheriff was involved?” Gabriel asked.
“Based on what she’s said, regarding her kidnapping, no,” Josiah added. “Mann went up and had a look about the place where she’d run from and nothing was left but a floor and a pot-bellied stove. If we pressed it, we wouldn’t have a case. It would be her word against a dead man’s and there is no evidence.”
“Hello, my wife is holding the evidence,” Gabriel added.
“Stop right there,” Zeke said in a low voice. “She is holding my daughter. That is my child. I will not have Michelle growing up knowing she has any ties to those people.”
“Well, you best make sure she doesn’t date any of them if you plan to stay here. She will wind up dating her cousin or worse, one of Jimmy Don’s other kids,” Josiah told his son.
“Irrelevant,” Zeke said.
“What do you mean irrelevant?” Gabe asked.
“She is never dating,” Zeke said adamantly. “I will pick out her husband and on her wedding day she will get her first kiss.”
Josiah and Gabriel burst into laughter at the absurdity of his words. Zeke acted as if he didn’t know enough about women to realize how stupid he sounded. Josiah stood up slowly. It was time to leave his sons and their wives alone to bond and play with blueberries or whatever in the hell they had scheduled for the next three days. He planned to make a stop in Kentucky to visit his mewling son and then on to his own bed. Pulling his wife away from the child was going to be tough. She was holding the damned baby again, and planning a shopping trip.
“Mary, stop looking at that child cock-eyed, get your shit, and let’s roll. I want to stop at Bleu’s for the night, then in the morning we roll on into Virginia,” Josiah said.
“My shit is already in the car, Mr. Bossy FBI Man,” Mary spat back, kissing the top of Michelle’s head before handing her back to her mother.
“Tameka, get your ass over here and give this old man a hug,” he said, watching Tameka walk over to him. “Next time I come back, I will bring you a pink gun. Zeke can teach you how to shoot it.”
“Oh wow. Lucky me,” she said, hugging her father in law.
“Don’t be shy, Burial Lady, get your curly headed ass over here as well and give the old man a hug,” he said to Cabrina.
Rummaging through her purse, she grabbed her phone, tossing it to Gabriel for a picture. Sever
al images were captured of Josiah with his daughters-in-law, Josiah with his sons, and Josiah and Mary with Michelle. Cabrina’s favorite of all the images, however, was of Josiah and Mary with Cabrina and Gabe. One was also taken of Cabrina, Gabe, Zeke, and Tameka.
Mary pulled her to the side, as the family came out onto the front porch. She wanted a private word with her new daughter in law.
“Cabrina, of all of my sons, Gabriel is the one I worry about the least, yet pray for the most. He didn’t choose his path, but it was chosen for him. He has struggled most of his life to find the balance between his heart and his head. Which one will you care for most?” Mary asked Cabrina.
“Neither,” Cabrina said flatly. “I am going to care for his soul.”
“Good enough,” Mary said. “Once you get settled, you can expect a visit from us. I grew up in that house and always wanted to redo it. I look forward to seeing how you make it your home.”
“I look forward to welcoming you through our doors,” Cabrina said, hugging her mother-in-law.
The four of them stood on the porch, waving farewell as Josiah gave two toots of the horn, backing up and starting his descent down the mountain. A great deal needed to be addressed, but right now, Gabriel Neary wanted to hang out with his big brother. He had yet to hold his niece, nor have a conversation with his sister-in-law. However, he had allocated himself and Cabrina three days for the stay.
He planned to spend the time wisely checking up on the latest four members of his congregation of second chances, Tameka and Michelle Neary as well as Sharon and Rocky Mann. Although he didn’t stand behind a pulpit, his church was far-reaching and deeper than any of his family knew. These were the four they knew about. In his church, his parishioners were hundreds strong. Not all ministries happened from a pulpit and not all who showed faith sat in a pew each Sunday.
Gabriel understood better than most that faith was often shown by standing up and lending a hand to others in their times of need. If each member of his congregation could continue to pay it forward as Sharon had with Tameka, then the works exhibited showed that faith was not dead but living and breathing in each person.
“Excuse me for a moment,” he told his family. He needed to get his journal to write down a note to himself. A reminder that moving forward was power.
Chapter 16 – Feeling the Power
“Gabe, walk with me,” Zeke said, stepping off the front porch. He rounded the side of the house and headed towards the garage, his younger brother traipsing behind him like when they were kids. “I want to show you some of the ideas I have for expanding the cabin.”
“Oh, okay,” Gabriel said, following along after getting the notepad from the car. “Are we giving the ladies some space to have a private conversation?”
“Sure, if you could call it that,” Zeke said, looking at the tall Georgia pines. Thankfully, he wouldn’t have to fell any of the trees to complete the expansion of the home. There were tons of upgrades he wanted to add, but he needed a blueprint. Right now, he only had a few ideas.
“Zeke, do you think it’s going to turn into a catfight? Maybe we should go back inside,” Gabriel offered, turning to head towards the front door. Zeke stopped him.
“They are about to have a conversation which is twenty years overdue,” he said to his brother. “The woman who left Cleveland a year ago is not the woman who is in that cabin. Your wife is about to meet Tameka Neary.”
“That doesn’t sound good,” Gabriel said with concern on his face.
“It’s all good. We will give them some space,” he said. Zeke verbally expounded on his mental picture of how the cabin could be expanded, with the extra rooms, closets, and a bathroom.
Gabriel kept one ear on his brother’s conversation and the other on the house, just in case he needed to run inside and rescue either lady. After watching his wife handle Judy, he wasn’t so sure Tameka was ready to meet Cabrina Neary. She too, was not the same woman who Tameka had left in Cleveland.
TAMEKA TOOK A SEAT on the couch, looking at her daughter sleeping peacefully in her bassinet. The past few days, Mary Neary barely put the child down, and when she did, Joe Neary scooped her up. It surprised her to no end that the child willingly slept in the baby bed after being held so much, but Michelle was a good baby. A little darling.
Cabrina sat quietly, nursing a cup of tea that tasted like grass mashed in with brown sugar and pine cones. The drink bordered on disgusting and it took everything in her not to hurl. She put the cup down.
“Do you realize that tomorrow officially commemorates one year since you left Cleveland?” Cabrina asked, starting the hardest conversation she would ever have in her life.
“Yes, I do,” Tameka said. “What a year it has been.”
She offered nothing else. Cabrina cleared her throat, wanting to ease into the discourse and she commented on the beauty of the child as an opener. Tameka offered a soft thank you in response, waiting for the bullshit about to tumble out of Cabrina’s mouth. Cabrina had never been told how long Tameka had been held captive by the man which would give her an idea if the child was Zeke’s or otherwise. It was the otherwise which made her want to step in and drag Tameka back to Cleveland.
“Is her father the man who kidnapped you?” Cabrina gently asked.
“Her father is the man I married,” Tameka said, looking at Cabrina with a challenge in her eyes to say nothing further.
“Ai...I mean Tameka, have you spoken to your husband about how you are going to press charges against these people? I mean really, I find it hard to believe that after everything you have been through, that a yellow wall and some pictures on it is going to erase the harrowing ordeal you endured.”
“Cabrina, I don’t give a shit about what you or anyone else finds hard to believe,” Tameka said, sitting back on the couch.
“Aren’t you going to press charges? I mean, the Nearys represent almost every arm of Federal law enforcement. Aren’t they going to do anything about what happened to you?”
“And what do you expect them to do, Cabrina, prosecute a ghost? The man who kidnapped me is dead. The first time I saw that Sheriff is when he walked through this door last week. The Macklemores didn’t know what he’d done, and from what I understand, the shack where he kept me has been washed away,” she said. “There is no evidence remaining except my word against a dead man’s.”
Cabrina’s eyes went to the child.
“The difference between me and you, Cabrina, is that you are always looking to provide solutions for everyone’s problems without considering the ramifications and consequences,” Tameka told her.
“I am thinking of the consequences. How are you planning to have a life on this mountain with those people?” she asked. “If the child is proof...”
Tameka slammed her cup down on the table making Michelle jump in the bassinette. “Proof of what, Cabrina? Proof that those hillbillies will have a permanent connection to this child? A reason for them to insinuate themselves into our lives, her life? This child is Zeke’s.”
“You can’t continue to run away from the truth,” Cabrina said.
“Did it ever dawn on you that maybe what I was running away from was you?” Tameka said watching the shock on her friend’s face. “See, it never crossed your ‘save the poor wretches from themselves mind’ that maybe I didn’t call because I didn’t want to talk to you. I didn’t want to have this fucking conversation!”
“You didn’t want to talk to me...running away from me?” Cabrina said, her hand pressed to her breast in disbelief as if her pearls had come unstrung.
Sighing loudly, the moment was here to say what Tameka had wanted to say for years but always bit her tongue.
“Please, don’t misunderstand. I am grateful to your parents, but they aren’t my parents. I had a mother and father, losing them both tragically, but that didn’t make me a stray dog for you to bring home to feed and water,” Tameka told her.
“I have never treated you that way!”
“If the Devil is a liar, he is sitting in your soul!” She countered. “You have always treated me as if I was a poor wretched child without anyone to love her but only you. The Lord takes care of the motherless and fatherless, just as he did me. I left Cleveland to start fresh, to get away from you and your smothering friendship.”
“You say I smother...I only tried to help you!” Cabrina said with hurt feelings.
“Doing what you are doing right fucking now. Sitting there questioning my judgment,” she said. “I was nothing but a crutch for you!”
Cabrina was hurt at the words. “I have no idea what you are even talking about!”
“You used me as a go-between with your parents, a way that you didn’t have to deal with your own issues with them and their smothering behavior. Instead, you smothered me, treating me as if you were doing me a favor by sharing your mother’s love.”
“Forgive me for wanting you to feel the love of a mother since you lost yours in such a horrible fashion,” Cabrina retorted.
“I knew my mother’s love, Cabrina. She provided for me even after her death. My mother was a successful businesswoman. We had money. I still have money. I’ve always had my own. I lived with your parents in their perfect home with perfect artfully adorned walls and moved into a replica of their home living with you. To me, you have always been the one who was lost. Being maneuvered by your controlling parents, being a small reproduction of your mother. It makes me so mad that you feel like you are always right. Well, you aren’t!’
Cabrina bounded to her feet and pointed at Michelle. “Looks to me like I was right. The proof of your poor judgment is lying there shitting on herself!”
There was no time to react as Tameka’s jumped to her feet providing a powerful open-handed slap to Cabrina’s face so hard that she spun around in place before hitting the floor, her eyes wide in shock that Tameka had hit her.
Buckeye and the Babe Page 14