“Uh, who was that on the phone?” I hoped she didn’t think I was going to let her off that easy.
“Oh, nobody . . . Just a wrong number.” She began rummaging through the flowers again, but I could tell her hands were shaking. Now, my mother was a lot of things, but a liar she was not. A two-minute phone call for a wrong number? Who does she think she is fooling?
“That was quite a long conversation for a wrong number.”
“Girl, you know how white folks are. They gotta go into this whole explanation on how and why they got your phone number.”
I almost took that excuse until I remembered that she acknowledged who she was. My mother was hiding something, and if she couldn’t tell me about a phone call, it must have been big. I started to continue my interrogation when my phone rang.
“Hello,” I answered reluctantly without even looking at the caller ID.
“Guess what I’m doing right now.” The sound of that voice coming through my speaker put a huge smile on my face.
“Standing in our bedroom naked, dripping from the shower you just took.” The thought of that image had my body tingling, which was immediately shut down by the look of shock on my mother’s face from my comment. I completely forgot she was standing right there. I quickly swiveled my body in the opposite direction and walked away from her before I say any more sexual things to my fiancé.
“Close, I’m packing. In a little less than two days I will once again be in your arms.” Ahvi sounded so excited, which made me extremely nervous.
“Babe, are we really sure we want to do this? I mean you could not make your flight and I’ll just call the whole thing off.”
I had to admit that the wedding planning was giving beautiful flashes of why I loved my fiancé, but hearing Ahvi’s voice snapped me back to the reality that we had to deal with my entire family. I started getting cold feet.
“Why would we back out now? You’re already there and I think it’s past time I meet your family.”
I could tell Ahvi wanted me to say something reassuring but I had no response. I honestly didn’t know how well this family meeting would go down because they hadn’t really been informed on all the details of me and Ahvi. It was complicated and I hadn’t found the words to tell my parents everything.
“You haven’t told them yet have you?” Ahvi said, reading my thoughts. I guessed my silence was a dead giveaway.
“Babe . . .”
“Oh, Morgan.” I could hear the disappointment. “It’s all making sense. Your parents have no bloody idea, do they?”
“I’m sorry. And I know I said I would, but I think it’s best if we tell them together.”
“Well, it doesn’t look like we have another choice, do we?”
I hated that I put Ahvi in this position, but for the record I never wanted to do this. I had to smooth things over because as crazy as this wedding/funeral/reunion thing already was, it was going to completely suck if the other half of my team was unhappy with me.
“Please don’t be angry with me. With the craziness of this rushed wedding, my uncle dying, and my self-absorbed cousin wanting the funeral the same day, I just haven’t gotten a chance.” I knew that would pull on Ahvi’s heartstrings to get this team back on one accord.
“Wait, your family is having your uncle’s funeral on the same day as the wedding and the banquet?”
I had been so busy I completely forgot to tell Ahvi that new piece of information. Well, I guess now is as good a time as any to understand the dealings of my family.
“Do you see why I didn’t want to come down here in the first place? And I think my mom is hiding something from me.”
“Well, maybe it’s a surprise for the wedding.” I wished I could believe Ahvi’s optimism but the way my mother acted didn’t seem like it was a wedding secret.
“Getting married here is surprise enough. I’m going to find out what she’s hiding.” I turned back to see where my mother was in the shop and if she was listening to my conversation. She was enthralled with the white roses so I knew she wasn’t paying any attention to me.
“Morgan, let it alone. Your mum is probably doing something special. Don’t ruin it. I love you and I’ll see you in a couple of days.”
“Love you too.”
I hung up the phone and returned to the task at hand. My mom had inserted all different types of purple flowers in this beautiful bouquet. She was humming but I could tell in her face that she had something on her mind. I wanted to ask her about it, but I didn’t want her to try to tell me any more lies. I knew when my mother was hiding a good surprise and this was not a good surprise. Whatever she was hiding I was going to find out what it was. I was done with surprises in this family.
Chapter 13
Janette
It took me an hour to finally catch up with Henry. His drivers at his office told me that he went and did drop offs around town early this morning and hadn’t been back since. I tried to see if he was still out and ended up at his house. I wanted to try to prepare myself with what I wanted to say to him, but the thought of him and Morgan together just made my adrenaline rush. I quickly jumped out of my car and scurried to knock on the door. I walked back and forth on the porch, gathering my thoughts. I had to remind myself not to break out into the jealous baby mama routine.
Henry finally answered the door and every breath I had seemed to leave my body when I saw him. He was dressed in only basketball shorts and socks. His chest and arms were glistening from the beads of water he was still wiping off with a towel. I wasn’t sure if he had just taken a shower or finished working out. Either way I was turned on. I tried to straighten out my skirt and hair to make sure I was presentable.
“What are you doing here, Janette?”
I tried to find words but my eyes kept following beads of water down his beautiful six pack. He was absolutely gorgeous and for a second I completely forgot why I was even standing on his porch.
“Janette?” Henry snapped me out of my gaze.
“Um, I wanted to talk to you.” He looked at me like he was waiting for me to continue. I started to get heated all over again. We had been involved for several months and all of a sudden Morgan was back in town and he was treating me like some random chick.
“Can I come in?” I tried to hold back my attitude, but I could feel it seeping out. He dropped his head and moved out of the doorway for me to come in.
I walked into the living room and tried to get familiar with the space again. Millie used to always tell me, “Whenever you’re going somewhere for a confrontation, always be aware of your surroundings.” I had only been to Henry’s house once so it was almost like a new space. A picture frame on his side table next to the couch caught my eye. It was a prom picture of him and Morgan from senior year. They looked so young and happy, which made me sick to my stomach. Why did he even still have this picture?
“So what’s up?” Henry seemed so nonchalant and it actually hurt my feelings. I cared for him and he was acting like we had nothing going on. I could feel my attitude kick into high gear.
“You tell me.” I continued to stand in front of him and folded my arms. This was my “preparing for battle” stance.
“You came over here. So if you have something to say, then say it.”
I was so appalled. I had been through a lot these last couple of days and I would at least have thought he would have cared a little.
“You do know my daddy died right?” I was trying to choke back my tears. It was really hard for me to say that out loud.
Henry dropped his head and sighed. “I know and I’m sorry. I tried to call you but your phone was off.”
“You couldn’t come by to make sure I was okay?” I stared at him with piercing eyes, waiting for him to look up at me.
“Janette, I apologize. Are you here to punish me?”
I finally took a seat next to him. “I’m here to find out what’s going on with us.” I tried to put my hand on his knee but he jumped back a little
bit.
“Wait, what do you mean ‘us’? Who is ‘us’?” He really seemed surprised at the words that were coming out of my mouth, which was surprising to me.
“You and me, Henry.” I went to reach for him again and he jumped off the couch.
“Janette, I’m sorry your dad passed and all but I was not under the impression that there was a you and me.” He began pacing the floor and I couldn’t believe where this conversation had gone. Was he actually serious right now? All the time and energy I put into this man and he wasn’t under the impression that there was an ‘us’? Oh, he was about to feel ‘us’ real quick.
“Henry, what are you talking about? We’re involved.”
“Whoa, involved is a strong word.” He stopped pacing and put his hands on his hips. He looked at me like he was waiting for me to come up with a different description.
“So what would you call it?” I could feel my temperature rising by the second.
“We got drunk one night at the bar and had sex.”
There it was. The one button I was waiting for him to push to make me explode. He really just tried to play me. I didn’t know who he thought he was talking to but I was Phil Jackson up in this thang. I didn’t get played; I coached the players.
“Excuse me?” I got up from the couch and walked toward him slowly. “How dare you open up your mouth to even form that sentence to me.”
Henry kept quiet. I could tell in his eyes he was a little nervous about what was about to happen next. Back in the day, I would have never stood toe to toe with someone, but it was a new day and people had to be reminded who I had become.
“Listen,” he began cautiously. “I apologize for how harsh the comment came out but it’s true. What happened that night was a mistake. I was reminiscing about my life and got caught up in my feelings. You were there and it just happened.”
“So why did you start kickin’ it with me if it was such a mistake?” I got back into my folded-arm stance. At this point it was the only thing I could do to keep me from hauling off and smacking him.
“Kickin’ it? Janette, we’ve been to lunch like twice and dinner once. I appreciate your friendship but I’m still trying to get over Morgan.”
Those words felt like a dagger to my heart. After all these years, Morgan still had a hold on the things that I wanted; always making me feel second rate. Well, this ain’t 2004 and I’m not sixteen anymore. I was going to get what I deserved.
“So that’s what this is about?” I started raising my voice. “The pageant princess skips back into town and all of a sudden I’m not good enough? That’s why you’re out here making public scenes in the street? What did you do? Take her somewhere and try to rekindle what you two had, huh? Did you sleep with her? Make her think twice about not marrying you?” Each question I posed was louder than the one before it. My whole body was hot and I could feel my knees shaking.
“That ain’t none of your damn business.” Henry walked right up in my face. I could see the beads of sweat forming on his forehead. “I don’t have to explain myself to you.”
We stood there face to face, staring at each other angrily. I searched his eyes and I could tell that whatever happened between him and Morgan today didn’t work out in his favor. I knew that my words got to him and that gave me slight pleasure. I hit a soft spot for him just like he did me and I knew how to use that to my advantage. I smirked and finally broke eye contact with him.
“Let me clear some things up for you because obviously you are confused.” I walked back to the couch and sat down slowly. I crossed my legs and placed my hands on my lap. “I am nobody’s one-night stand. What we have going on is something, whether you were clear about it or not. Now I know you have history with Morgan, but that’s exactly what it is . . . history. She left and moved on and she’s getting married this weekend. If you were her concern, don’t you think things would have been different?”
I could see the wheels turning in Henry’s head. He battled with trying to be angry and coming to realize what I was saying was true.
“I know it hurts,” I continued. “But that’s what she does. She only worries about herself. Now do you really want to continue pining over someone who hurt you when you have a perfectly good woman right here who is willing to make you happy?”
I uncrossed my legs and got up from the couch. I walked over to Henry slowly and caressed his arm. He didn’t flinch this time. I traced his chest and abs with my other hand and felt him shiver a little from my touch. I wanted to let him know that this wasn’t a mistake. He lifted my head up gently and our eyes met each other. I felt a tingle down my spine and my heart began skipping beats. I stood up on my tippy toes and placed a soft, sensual kiss on his lips.
It was like electricity passed through us. I knew he felt it too because he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me in closer. I felt his heart beat against my chest and it excited me. I kissed him with all the passion I could muster up. He moved his hands down my body and grabbed my thighs. I held on tight to the back of his neck as he lifted me up around his waist. He walked me back to the couch and laid me down slowly.
All types of emotions began to rush over me. I was so confused about what I was feeling. I was happy to be in this moment but tears began to flow uncontrollably. Henry finally broke our kiss and took a second to look me in my face. His expression was so sweet and it made the tears flow even more. He gave me a short kiss on the lips and then began to kiss my tears away. I knew this was what I deserved and I planned on making sure that it was never ripped away from me.
Chapter 14
Morgan
All night that phone call my mother received would not leave my thoughts. I wanted to confront her several times but we already went down that road, and getting Daddy involved was not an option. This morning I got up on a mission. I was going to find out what my mother was hiding. If it had something to do with the upcoming weekend then there had to be some traces of it in the house somewhere.
Daddy was up and out the house to work at the garage. He was really putting in hard hours to try to get as much money as he could to help out with the wedding expenses. I also thought it was an excuse not to help with any of Mama’s planning. He didn’t mind providing, but he wasn’t trying to pick out nothing.
Mom and I had breakfast in silence while she read the newspaper and I tried to devise a plan. It was unlike her to sit at the breakfast table and not have anything to say, especially with so much going on. There was definitely something up.
“So what are the plans for today?” I finally asked.
“I have to go run some errands for the reunion,” she answered without even lifting her eyes from the newspaper. “You want to come?”
“Can I pass? I want to write out my vows before Ahvi gets here.”
It was perfect that she had to leave the house, so I could snoop without getting caught. Errands that had to deal with event planning were guaranteed to keep her away for a few hours. She glanced at the clock on the stove and quickly closed her newspaper.
“I better get a move on.” She got up and kissed me on the forehead. “You’ll clean up the kitchen, baby?”
She didn’t even wait for me to say, “Yes, ma’am,” before she darted out the kitchen. I listened carefully to make sure she was in the shower before I moved from my seat. Ten minutes passed and I eased out of my chair and lightly ran toward my parents’ room. My mother always kept her purse in the same chair by her bed ever since I was a little girl. I wanted to see if anything related to that phone call was going to be leaving the house with her.
I gently pushed the door open and paused to reassure myself that she was still in the shower. When she started the second verse of “Amazing Grace,” I knew I was in the clear. I spotted her purse by the chair and crept over to it. I felt so bad going through my mother’s things but I had to find out what was going on. If it had something to do with the wedding I’d just leave the surprise for Ahvi.
I sifted through h
er bag but didn’t find anything that looked out of the ordinary. After thoroughly investigating her pocketbook, I put everything back in place and was about to look in the bedside table when the shower water turned off. My body immediately went into panic mode. I bolted out of that room and ran to the kitchen. I scrambled around looking for something to do that didn’t look suspicious. I turned on the faucet and began gathering dishes in the sink. My heart was pounding a mile a minute. I hadn’t felt a rush like that since I was a kid, sneaking around my parents’ room trying to find my Christmas or birthday presents.
I cleaned the kitchen and went to my room to wait her out. A few minutes later I heard her yell good-bye to me and head out the front door. I waited until I heard the engine turn on and her drive away before I bolted back to my parents’ room. I proceeded to the drawer I was going to look in before my mama got out of the shower. I rummaged through it with no luck of anything. I slammed the drawer in frustration and a cup that was sitting on top fell to the floor and rolled under the bed.
I lay down on my stomach to retrieve it and noticed a black lockbox. I scooted my body as far as I could under my parents’ bed to grab it from the middle of the floor. I struggled to reach it and after a couple minutes of flailing my hand back and forth, I finally took hold of the handle and pulled it from under the bed.
I looked at the box like I had struck gold. I wasn’t sure that whatever was in it had anything to do with what my mother was hiding, but I knew I had to get in it. I tried jiggling and prying it open, but realized that there was no way I was getting in that thing without a key. I got up from the floor and looked for something I could pick the lock with. I finally found a bobby pin in the bathroom and rushed back to the floor. I had no idea what I was doing but I figured I’d seen enough action movies where the girls pick steel trapdoors with a chopstick from their hair that I could break into a lockbox. I separated the ends just enough that they fit into the lock at both ends and tried to feel my way around. After about a ten-minute battle with the thing, I heard something click.
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