Bad Blood

by Mary Monroe

  “If I trust him enough to let him move in with me, why wouldn’t I lend him money?” I wanted to know. I looked from Lucy’s face to Paulette’s cute, heart-shaped face. Her dark brown skin was so smooth and flawless, it was hard to believe she was almost thirty. She was the most sensible one of the four of us most of the time. “Paulette, what’s wrong with me lending Seth sixteen hundred bucks?”

  “Nothing,” she replied with a shrug and a skeptical look on her face. “But I can’t think of any man who could get sixteen hundred bucks out of me unless he stole it. . . .”

  “Aww,” I said, giving her a dismissive wave. Then I turned to Patrice. As a flight attendant for a major airline, she traveled all over the country and dated all kinds of men. She was more worldly than the rest of us. She was twenty-nine and had never been married, but she had been in several serious relationships. “Patrice, you have more experience with men than me, and you used to live next door to Seth when you were growing up. You probably know him better than the rest of us put together. Would you lend money to him if he were your man?”

  Patrice sighed, and a mysterious smile crossed her nut-brown face. “I had a crush on Seth all through my teens, but he was never attracted to tall girls like me.”

  “You didn’t answer my question.”

  She smiled again. “I’ve never lent money to any man before, and I probably never will. It’s a recipe for disaster. Does that answer your question?” Patrice replied, emphasizing each word.

  I rolled my eyes and turned back to Lucy. “Whatever. Regardless of what you hens think, I’m going to do all I can to make my relationship with Seth work. I can’t wait to meet his son. Any man who wants his woman to get to know his son can’t be too bad.”

  Lucy exhaled and ran her fingers though her freshly curled hair. Then she folded her arms and said, “Rachel, all I ask is that you be careful with Seth. I know I introduced him to you, because I thought you two would be good for each other. I don’t know about all that now. Maybe I should not have pushed you into meeting him. I didn’t twist your arm, though. You could have told me to mind my own business, and I would have left it at that. But you didn’t. At the end of the day, you get what you settle for.”

  “Meaning what?”

  “Seth’s daddy and his brother Damon have mistresses,” Paulette blurted.

  Lucy gasped and whirled around so fast to face Paulette, one of her curls hit her in the eye. She gave Paulette the most threatening look I’d ever seen. “Girl, I told you not to go blabbing everything I tell you! Now I guess everybody you know knows what I told you about the Garrett men.”

  “I know all about them, but Paulette didn’t tell me,” Patrice said with a smug look on her face. “I’ve seen old man Garrett with his girlfriend several times a year on flights to Vegas and Reno that I’ve worked. The woman Damon is involved with goes to the same beauty shop I go to, and she likes to share her business. I am sure his wife has heard about his affair by now, but she probably doesn’t care anymore. Most women married to prominent men want to stay married to them, even if they have to share them with other women.”

  “So what? What’s that got to do with Seth?” I wanted to know. “If one of you busybodies is trying to tell me that Seth is already cheating on me, stay out of my business!”

  Everybody got quiet. All I could hear was chatter and the clinking of silverware coming from the tables and booths around us.

  “Nobody said anything about Seth running around on you,” Lucy said in a tentative tone of voice. “I don’t think he’s the type to cheat. I think he really loves you.” She touched my shoulder and gave me a tender look, and that made me feel somewhat better, because a few moments earlier, I had been thinking about bolting out of that restaurant. “He could hurt you in other ways, girlfriend.”

  Lucy’s last statement sent me back into my defensive mode. “Well, when and if that happens, that’s my business.” I snorted.

  “Now, since you three witches are so deep into my business, y’all can pay the bill!”

  “I think we need another bottle of wine,” Patrice said, adding a hollow laugh.

  Lucy and Paulette laughed, too, but I didn’t. To me, Seth was the most serious thing in my life, so I had nothing to laugh about. However, my friends’ concerns had settled in the back of my head like a long-term migraine headache, and that worried me.

  Had I lost my perspective? Had I become one of those gullible, stupid females that my mama and auntie sat around talking about like dogs? No, I didn’t think that I’d slid down that low on the food chain of common sense. I was a lot of things, but I was not a damn fool when it came to men. I was just a woman in love.

  One thing I knew for sure was that if Seth ever did anything that made me feel like he was using me or disrespecting me, he would regret it for the rest of his life....

  Chapter 35

  Seth

  IT WAS CAROLINE’S BROTHER MICHAEL WHO DROPPED OFF DARNELL that Friday. Rachel took off work early so she could be home when they arrived, because when I took off, I didn’t get paid. And we needed all the money we could get our hands on. By the time I got home, my son and Rachel were behaving like old friends.

  “Daddy, Miss Rachel said she’d take me to the video arcade tomorrow!” Darnell yelled as soon as I got inside. He was big for thirteen and looked more like me than ever.

  “Hey now! Don’t I get a hug before we start talking about video arcades?” I scolded. He ran to me and wrapped his arms around my waist. I held my breath and looked into his eyes and then at the rest of him. I tried not to look too closely at the shabby clothes he wore. But what I saw was disturbing, to say the least. First of all, his hair was knotted up on his head like cockle-burs. “Darnell, don’t you have any combs or brushes in your house?” I asked, struggling to keep the tone of my voice light.

  “Yeah,” he answered with a shrug. “We got a bunch of combs and brushes. Mama buys them two or three at a time from the Dollar Tree store, but I couldn’t find nary a one before I left.”

  Surprisingly, he wore a pair of new-looking Nikes, but his thin plaid shirt and purple jeans were wrinkled and torn in a few places. Rachel must have read my mind.

  “Honey, I told Darnell I’d take him shopping for some new clothes.” Rachel walked over to Darnell and gave him an affectionate touch on his shoulder. “We’ll get an early start tomorrow so we can take our time.”

  Darnell looked back at Rachel like he wanted to hug her. He turned back to me and said, “Miss Rachel said she’d take me to the movies tomorrow, too!”

  “I said we could go to a movie if we could find one that’s rated G,” she said, gently shaking a finger in Darnell’s face.

  “That’s nice,” I muttered, looking over Darnell’s shoulder at Rachel as she stood there, smiling, with her arms folded. “I thought you had plans to do something with your uncle tomorrow.”

  “I did, but I can see Uncle Albert anytime,” she told me. “Now, let me get in the kitchen and get that pizza in the oven.”

  “What about the collard greens and fried chicken you said you’d cook for me today?” I whined.

  “Have I ever let you down? I’ve already cooked dinner for you, but the pizza is for me and Darnell.”

  I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen such a huge smile on my son’s face, and the one on mine was probably even bigger. I was beaming because the two most important people in my life had already bonded. Not only was Rachel a good mate, an immaculate housekeeper, and a great lover, but she was also going to be an awesome mother, because it seemed to me that all she really cared about was making her loved ones happy.

  Darnell gobbled up half of the pizza. And he also had two helpings of the greens and several pieces of fried chicken.

  “I wish my mama would cook real food sometime,” he said, speaking with his mouth full of food.

  “Sweetheart, don’t talk and eat at the same time,” Rachel said gently.

  “Oh. I’m sorry, Miss Rachel—” />
  “And I told you not to call me Miss Rachel. You can call me Rachel.”

  Before Darnell could continue, I jumped into the conversation. “What does your mama usually cook for you and your sisters and brother, son?”

  “Mama don’t cook that much. We mostly eat TV dinners and sandwiches. When she got money, we get Big Macs and Happy Meals, and every once in a while she’ll have a pizza delivered,” Darnell told us.

  “What about her friends?” I asked. Rachel kicked my foot under the table.

  “What friends? She got a bunch of boyfriends, and her girlfriends only come around when they want to smoke weed or borrow something.”

  My heart sank. I knew that my son was not in the best environment, but since he lived in L.A. and I didn’t get to see him but a few times a year, there was little I could do about it.

  “Uh, Darnell, how would you like to live with us someday?” Rachel said, surprising the hell out of me. “You can have your own room, but you can only eat Big Macs and other fast food every once in a while.” I had casually mentioned to her a few times that I was probably going to ask for full custody of my son someday, and she had been very supportive. But the subject had not come up in a while.

  “I don’t know,” Darnell said, speaking slowly. “Mama said . . .” He stopped talking and looked from Rachel to me and back. “Mama said she would put me in a foster home before she would let me live with you and your . . . She called Rachel a bad word.” He gave Rachel a sympathetic look.

  “Son, you don’t have to go there. We get the picture,” I said, with my jaw twitching. “I’m going to do everything I can to make life easier for you,” I vowed.

  We finished our meal in silence and watched a few comedy shows on TV until Darnell fell asleep on the couch in the new pajamas that Rachel had purchased for him without my knowledge. This woman was so thoughtful, it was frightening.

  When I got out of bed Saturday morning, Darnell and Rachel were already up and about. He had showered and put on some fresh clothes, another cheap shirt and a pair of jeans that looked as if he had slept in them.

  “Daddy, Rachel made me—” Darnell stopped talking and turned to Rachel. “What was that egg thing you cooked for me this morning?”

  “An omelet,” she said.

  “And some grits! I hadn’t had no grits since that time Mama took me to Denny’s for my birthday a couple of years ago.” He turned back to Rachel. “We still going to the video arcade?”

  “We sure are.”

  “You can count me out.” I chuckled. I had hung out at the video arcade so much when I was a kid that it was now one of the last places on the planet I wanted to be.

  “We didn’t invite you to go, anyway! Besides, you’ve already told your mama that you would spend some time with her today,” Rachel said.

  I had planned to go alone to my parents’ house that Saturday afternoon. I hadn’t told my family that Darnell was spending a couple of weeks with me, and I wasn’t going to if I didn’t have to. For one thing, my mother still had a difficult time dealing with my son’s hard-core inner-city personality. I had scolded him on several occasions about using crude street language in her presence. And I thought he did things on purpose to antagonize her. The last time I’d brought him to the house to spend time with my folks, he had taken a bath and had not even bothered to let the water out of the tub after he’d finished. But the thing that drove Mother up the wall, and Father, too, for that matter, was how he would spray the toilet seat with urine in all three bathrooms and leave without flushing the toilet. Such habits horrified my mother, so it was no wonder she rarely asked about Darnell anymore. To say he was a “black sheep” was putting it mildly. And that saddened me.

  I was not concerned about any of the folks I knew seeing Darnell out and about with Rachel. My mother and most of her friends wouldn’t be found dead in the places Rachel usually patronized. Mother shopped at high-end establishments in San Francisco and in some of the outer suburbs that didn’t attract a lot of black folks. I was pleased to know that she liked Rachel. She had recently advised Rachel to call her by her first name now. Mother had never allowed any of my other girlfriends to do that, not even Darnell’s mother.

  I waited until Rachel and Darnell left before I called Mother.

  “I’m on my way,” I told her.

  “Is Rachel coming with you?”

  “Um, nope. She’s going to spend some time with her uncle.”

  “Well, if she changes her mind, tell her she’s more than welcome.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “As a matter of fact, I was going to come over there so she can show me how to make hush puppies in time for my next Tupperware party next week. If she’s not too busy, of course. I know she works and has to come home and cook dinner.”

  “Huh?”

  “I really want to get to know her even better. I know how serious you are about her, and I want to do all I can to help you make this relationship work.”

  “Well, uh, let us know what day and what time you want to come over here. And, oh, did I mention that Darnell is with us for a couple of weeks?” Right after I finished my last sentence, I held my breath.

  Mother hesitated for a few seconds. “No, you didn’t mention that. Will he be coming with you today?” For my mother to be such a warm and caring person, she could be very cold at times. It saddened me to know that it was my son who had her acting like an iceberg this time.

  “Well, yes. I was going to ask Rachel to bring him over after they come back from the mall. I hadn’t said anything, because I wanted it to be a surprise.” I was used to doing damage control with Mother, so she almost never questioned my motivation.

  “I see. I hope she comes, and I, uh, can’t wait to see my grandson again.”

  Mother hung up, and I immediately called Rachel on her cellular phone. “Baby, Mother wants us all to come by the house today so she can see Darnell.”

  “Oh. All right. We’re just about to go have foot-long hot dogs and fries. Darnell and I couldn’t find a decent movie, so we’ll go over to your parents’ house around three or four. Will that time be all right?”

  “I think so. I hadn’t told her he was coming up here, because I wanted to surprise her. So do me a favor and go along with it, okay?” I had already told Rachel how my mother felt about Darnell.

  “Okay, baby. We’ll be there. Now, you get up and get on over there. You know how your mother is when you tell her you’re coming over. She’ll peek out the window every five minutes until you get over there.” Rachel laughed, and I laughed along with her.

  Chapter 36

  Seth

  I STILL HAD MY KEY TO MY PARENTS’ HOUSE, BUT I ALWAYS KNOCKED now.

  “What’s wrong with you, boy? Why don’t you just let yourself in, like you’re supposed to?” Mother asked, swinging open the door. “You know I gave Minnie the day off.” Minnie Finch was the woman who came to the house several times a week to “help” Mother with the housekeeping.

  “Mother, this is no longer my home, and I don’t feel comfortable acting like it is at my age,” I said, trying to sound firm. “I keep telling you and Father and everybody else that I want to be more independent.”

  “Uh-huh. Is that why you moved in with Rachel? How do you expect to become ‘more independent’ living with her?”

  “I thought you liked Rachel.”

  “I do. I think she’s the nicest, sweetest girl you’ve ever brought to the house. And it’s about time!” Mother brushed off the sleeve of my jacket and patted the top of my head. The same way she used to do when I was a little boy. It was no wonder I still felt like a baby when I was around her. “And judging from that muffin top around your waist, she’s cooking up a storm for you!” Mother patted my belly, which had expanded considerably since I’d moved in with Rachel.

  I spent the next hour playing bridge with my mother and two of her nosy friends. I had to answer every question in the book regarding my health, my job status, and my lo
ve life.

  “I am so happy for you, Seth. I loved Rachel the minute I met her,” Mrs. Wilson, a plump retired doctor’s wife, said in a raspy voice.

  “All I want to know is, does she have any grown sisters? I’d love to see my boy Earl settle down with a nice girl with some of the same old-school virtues I hear Rachel has,” said Mrs. Carter, my mother’s thin, long-faced hairdresser.

  “Uh, yeah. She’s got one sister around eighteen or nineteen, I think. Her name’s Janet, but she lives in Alabama,” I responded.

  “Is she as nice and as pretty as Rachel?” Mother asked.

  “I’ve seen pictures of Rachel’s sister, and she’s even prettier than Rachel.” I paused when every woman in the room gasped. “I’ve talked to her on the telephone only once, just to introduce myself. I didn’t talk to her long enough to determine anything about her personality. But I’m sure she’s just as nice and as sweet as Rachel.”

  “Does she have any brothers? I’ve been praying for some nice fellow to come along and take my trifling daughter Francine off my hands,” said Willena Morris, Mother’s former sorority sister, shaking her head.

  “She’s got a brother who is a couple of years younger than she is. I don’t know much about him, though . . . his education or what kind of work he does. When I asked Rachel to let me introduce myself over the phone, the way I had done with her sister, he wouldn’t come to the phone for some strange reason. I haven’t been able to get him on the phone yet.”

  “Maybe he’s shy. Anyway, from everything you’ve told us about Rachel and everything we’ve witnessed with our own eyes, she’s from good stock, so her siblings have to be, too. I’m just surprised she’s got a grown sister and brother who are still unmarried and still living at home,” Mother said. I didn’t know how to interpret the worried look on her face.

  “Mother, I’m grown and still unmarried, and I just moved away from home recently,” I reminded. “Besides, I am sure that Rachel’s sister and her brother are already involved with other people.”