“Not so fast, Mel. Do you know what you’ve done?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “When we got home, I was trying to get you out of the cab, and the driver was cursing a blue streak because you wouldn’t move. Luckily, that cop who lives on the first floor came along. He dragged you out of the cab and carried you into the apartment. It was so embarrassing.”
“Aw, damn, Adrienne. I’m sorry.”
Adrienne looked at her wristwatch and grabbed her purse. “This is really serious, Mel. I’m getting tired of all this damn drinking. You better get it together.” She left the apartment, slamming the door behind her.
Damn! The cop had carried him upstairs! Now Winsome would be watching his every move. Why couldn’t Adrienne see that he just didn’t have the energy to live respectably anymore?
Mel groaned and stared at the ceiling.
CHAPTER TEN
Pedestrians pushed and shoved a depressed Adrienne out of their way as she shuffled through the streets on her way to work. As usual, the briefcase that contained her lunch and a newspaper bumped against her leg, but she didn’t bother to tuck it under her arm. What difference did it make if her pantyhose got ripped or not?
She ran into Sherry in the lobby.
“Talk about stormy Monday,” Sherry observed. “You look like hell.”
“Thanks,” Adrienne said dully, removing her coat.
“That red suit is smashing, though!” Sherry smiled.
The elevator door opened with a ping and the two women pushed their way in along with half a dozen other people.
“My sister is flying in tonight from Los Angeles on business. It’ll be great to see her even if it is just for two days,” Sherry said.
The elevator door opened on the twenty-ninth floor, and the two women got out.
“What kind of work does she do?” Adrienne asked politely. She was furious with Mel, distrusted Sherry, and was in no mood for this casual office chitchat.
Sherry smiled broadly. “She’s a fashion designer. If the phone rings and a woman asks for Sherry Green, it’s for me. I don’t want my sister to know that I still use Ingles as a last name.”
Adrienne nodded without interest, and the two women entered unit 6 to start the day’s work. At eleven, Adrienne’s phone rang. It was her boss, Regina Belvedere.
“Adrienne, I need to see you right away.” Regina’s tone was crisp, and Adrienne dashed into her supervisor’s office.
Regina Belvedere’s slim, manicured hands were folded on the desk. Her eyebrows were knitted into a frown, and her eyes were cold. “I see you’ve gone out of your way to impress our new president.”
“What?” Adrienne gasped.
“Sit down, Adrienne.” It was an order. Adrienne sat. Regina leaned back in her chair, and her eyes turned to slits. “Sherry says that you two know each other from somewhere else and that you actually paid him a visit. Is that true?”
That heffah would say something, Adrienne thought, then told Regina about Lloyd’s strange reaction at the staff meeting and their odd encounter in his office. “I’ve heard his voice somewhere before,” she finished lamely.
Regina tapped a pencil against her cheek for several seconds before she spoke. “I believe you. Go back to your work, and I’ll let you know if I hear anything else about the matter.”
Adrienne was almost out the door when Regina spoke once more. “Think hard about where the two of you might have crossed paths before, and don’t forget to tell me as soon as you remember. Okay?”
Adrienne nodded as she fled from the room, wondering why Lloyd Cooper’s actions were so important to Regina. Gossip was rampant at Parton, Webster & Elliott, and as usual, Sherry Ingles was the ringleader. Sometimes it got so bad that the atmosphere felt more like a high school than a corporation. It was the one thing Adrienne hated about the firm.
Back at her desk, she stared into the small picture of her and Mel that rested in a heart-shaped frame. It had been taken during the first summer of their courtship. She smiled weakly. Are we ever going to be as happy as we were when that picture was taken? The grinning couple in the photo seemed to mock her as they embraced lovingly against the background of endless sea. Even the stuffed zebra she clutched in her arms, the one he had won for her on that Coney Island trip, seemed to know secretly of their fate, with its big pink sewn-on smile and lifeless button eyes.
Mel had proposed the following Christmas. He had appeared at her apartment unannounced. “I was just on my way out,” she told him. “I’m going Christmas shopping.”
“Wait, I’ll go with you,” he said. “We can walk down Fifth Avenue and go to Macy’s.”
“Macy’s it is,” she replied quietly.
Fifth Avenue was ablaze with lights. On both sides of the street, pedestrians hustled in and out of the expensive stores while taxicabs weaved in and out of traffic, trying to avoid getting caught up in a jam.
The store was crammed with blissful shoppers carrying parcels and choosing gifts. One department had a huge Nativity scene set up, with the baby Jesus in the manger surrounded by miniature statuettes of his mother and villagers. The whole display was festooned with holly, cranberries, nuts, tinsel, fruits, and dozens of ribbons.
Adrienne squeezed Mel’s hand. “Isn’t it beautiful?” she breathed.
But Mel wasn’t looking at the Nativity scene. He was staring down at their hands, which were clasped together. “Yes, Adrienne,” he murmured, “it’s really beautiful.”
Then he got down on one knee, pulled a ring from his pocket, and said, “I love you, Adrienne; please marry me.”
The shoppers applauded. Adrienne was so surprised, she couldn’t answer right away.
“Aw, come on, sweetheart. You can’t turn me down in front of baby Jesus.”
A woman in the crowd said, “This is just so romantic.”
Adrienne said yes.
Adrienne put her head in her hands and rubbed her eyes gently to catch the tears that were beginning to form. Now her marriage was troubled, and she had a problem at work, too. Who the hell was Lloyd Cooper and why was he acting so strangely?
And on top of it all, she still wondered what had really happened to Mel the night before.
When she came back from lunch, there was a message on her desk to call Lloyd Cooper. She was not in the mood for more intrigue. She decided to go see the president instead of calling. When she appeared in front of his secretary’s desk, Adrienne’s face was flushed. A few strands of hair had come loose from her French roll and flew lightly around her face.
“Is Mr. Cooper available?”
Sally Gomez pressed a button on the intercom and listened for a second. “Yes. He’ll see you right away.”
Adrienne stalked past her without a thank-you and turned the knob on Lloyd Cooper’s door. He stood up, came toward her with a welcoming smile, and motioned Adrienne into the visitor’s chair. Her courage started to wane as she sank into the plush seat. Who did she think she was, barging into an executive’s office just because she was at odds with her husband? Adrienne shrank further into the seat.
“Did you want to speak to me, Mr. Cooper?” she asked meekly.
Lloyd Cooper grinned at her, his cheeks dimpling, but when she didn’t smile back, he cleared his throat.
“I’m sorry that our last meeting was interrupted and that it has taken me so long to get back to you.” His voice softened. “It’s really good to see you again, Adrienne. My God, it’s been over seventeen years!”
Adrienne felt bad about not remembering this man who was so obviously happy to see her, but she had to tell the truth before the situation became embarrassing. “That’s really nice to hear, Mr. Cooper, but do you mind telling me where we crossed paths all those years ago?”
He gave her a teasing smile. “The High School for Performing Arts. We were really tight during senior year. Why don’t I go find us some coffee? Think about graduation day while I’m gone, all right?”
He left the room without waiting for an answer.
Adrienne relaxed. She couldn’t remember any boy named Lloyd Cooper, especially not one as fine as this one, but it had certainly been an unforgettable year.
Senior year at the High School for Peforming Arts Class of 1982 got off to a bad start when the beloved typing teacher dropped dead from a heart attack, in the classroom, right in front of thirty-five students who were so busy typing The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog that they didn’t even hear the body hit the floor.
Then, in December, a group of boys from another school crashed the Christmas dance. When the resulting melee was over, three students had to be hospitalized for various injuries. Thankfully, after the New Year, the streak of bad luck came to an end. The students focused on college applications or talked about becoming famous. Adrienne had visions of a seven-figure music contract and platinum albums, the tokens of a successful recording career. Spring brought excitement over the upcoming senior prom and graduation; fall offered the first sample of reality.
Adrienne heard a bumping sound at the door. She shook her head to clear the memories and opened it. Lloyd was holding a silver tray. There were two cups, spoons, a coffee pot, and a small jug of cream. “I had to kick the door,” he said, smiling. “My hands are full, and Sally is away from her desk.”
Adrienne helped him arrange the items on a side table and unwrapped two pastry buns that were in a covered dish. “This is really nice,” she said shyly, forgetting that she had finished lunch only a short time earlier.
They each took a cup of coffee and a pastry. He met her eyes as they both sat back down. “So, do you remember me now?”
Adrienne took a sip of her coffee, trying not to let his watchful eyes unsettle her. “A lot of things happened to me during senior year, Mr. Cooper. I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to refresh my memory.”
“ ‘The top bunk is mine, but Noney won’t mind if we sit on hers,’ ” he whispered without taking his eyes off her face.
Adrienne gasped, gripping her mug. Only she and LaMar Jenkins were in the room when that sentence was uttered more than a decade ago.
“When I first saw you that morning in the conference room, I thought my mind was playing tricks on me.” Lloyd said gently.
Adrienne blinked in confusion. “What do you mean?”
He laughed. “Didn’t think old LaMar Jenkins would make anything of himself, did you?”
The graduation ceremony was held on a Friday morning. Daddy, who was a subway conductor and never really dressed up, was struggling with his tie. Mama ignored his loud swearing as she set the table for a breakfast that everyone was too excited to eat. From her bedroom, Adrienne heard the doorbell ring and then her Mama’s surprised greetings.
“Adrienne! LaMar is here!” Mama shouted.
Adrienne gave her hair a final pat and rushed toward the front door.
Daddy sighed grumpily. “Did he bring his parents for breakfast with him?”
Adrienne shushed him. “Stop. He might hear you. LaMar doesn’t really have parents.”
Her daddy frowned. “I didn’t know that. Well, go on out there and see what the boy wants.”
LaMar looked so sad standing in the foyer, stuffed into a frayed suit that was way too small, that even her daddy stopped yelling and struggling with the tie.
“Hey, LaMar,” he sad gruffly and gave the grossly underweight boy who was a head taller than him a hearty slap on the back.
“Good morning,” LaMar answered, but his eyes were glued to Adrienne, who was coming toward him dressed in a white sheath dress with matching pumps.
“Where are your sisters?” Mama asked.
LaMar straightened his shoulders and held his head high. “My family couldn’t make it. I’m by myself. Can I ride along with y’all?”
Mama and Daddy exchanged a puzzled glance. What kind of people stayed home from a high school graduation when their kin was valedictorian?
“Sure, son,” Adrienne’s daddy answered. After all, if LaMar hadn’t tutored Adrienne in math for the past year, she might not be graduating at all, and if she did math half as well as she sang, she might not have needed him.
Breakfast was a pleasant affair even though Dan, who was only twelve years old at the time, kept complaining about having to wear a tie, and pulling at it until Mama slapped him on the hand to make him stop.
After the ceremonies, the family posed for pictures and then headed to Howard Johnson’s restaurant for lunch. No matter how much Mama and Adrienne begged LaMar to come, he resisted. “Sorry, I have to get home to Brooklyn. Everybody will be waiting for me.”
Adrienne knew that LaMar’s pride would not let him accept the free lunch, and he certainly had no money to chip in. He pulled Adrienne away from the group to talk privately before he left.
“Look, I know you don’t need me anymore,” LaMar said. “But I’d like us to stay friends. Can I come see you tomorrow ?”
“Sure, you can,” Adrienne said warmly.
Adrienne was home alone the next day when LaMar dropped by. When she opened the door, he stumbled in looking distraught. Adrienne led him into the living room and sat beside him on the sofa.
“What’s the matter, LaMar?”
“I tried to jump the turnstile to get on the train, but I stumbled and fell down. I almost got arrested for it, but the cop was nice. He just told me not to do it again. It was stupid. Noney has enough problems right now without me getting into trouble. I feel so sorry for her.”
Adrienne patted his hand. “Don’t worry, LaMar. One day you’ll have plenty of money and you can buy your sister a great big house.” She smiled widely, hoping her words would chase away the bleak look in his eyes.
“You don’t understand. After next week, I won’t have any sisters. Noney said some social workers came snooping around yesterday. She told them our Mama was out shopping, but they’ve heard that before. If Mama isn’t there Monday when they come back, they’re gonna take my little sisters and me away to God knows where.”
Adrienne was confused. “But you’re grown and headed for college. It doesn’t make sense.”
He shrugged helplessly. “Noney is the only one they can’t touch. I won’t be eighteen until the second week in January. They’ll put me in a group home until then. When Noney told me all this, I just had to get out of the house. I started walking to Manhattan, but I got tired. That’s when I tried to jump the turnstile.”
Adrienne was silent. LaMar in a group home! This was awful. Something had to be done. She wondered if her parents could give LaMar some advice or, even better, take him in. But what about his sisters? They were the light of his life. Adrienne had seen pictures of the girls. Noney was nineteen, Denise, twelve; Pam, eleven; Annie, nine; and the baby, Brenda, was seven. None of them had the same father. Their mother was a drug addict who had run off with her current lover and left them almost three years ago. Since then, the Jenkins children had kept to themselves, afraid that if any adults found out the truth about their home life, they would be forced to separate. Only Adrienne, and LaMar’s landlord, an elderly woman with a kind heart, knew their secret.
“How did this happen?” Adrienne asked tearfully.
“Brenda did it. She said something to a teacher yesterday about Noney crying cuz she didn’t sell enough reefer and was worried about the rent money.”
Adrienne started hugging him, but he pulled away. There was a strange look in his eyes. “Adrienne, I can’t do nothin’ for them, and I’m the man of the house.” He wiped a sleeve over his eyes.
Adrienne patted him on the back. “Let’s get out of here, LaMar. My parents and little brother will be back soon, and I know you don’t want them to see you like this.”
LaMar had a lot of pride. He stood up quickly. “No, I don’t. I’ll call you when I can.”
Adrienne shook her head. “I’m going with you.”
“Where?” he asked, throwing up his hands.
“To your house,” she said firmly. “I’ll talk to Noney, and maybe she
and I can figure this thing out. There must be something we can do.”
“I can’t let you see my house, Adrienne.”
“Don’t be silly, LaMar. I’m your best friend.” After the words came out, Adrienne realized they were true. LaMar had stopped being just a math tutor a long time ago. She had actually become quite fond of him over the past few months and often shared her girlish hopes and dreams with him while he hung on her every word.
“I’m going to get my graduation money and take it with me,” she declared, and ran into the bedroom to get it.
Grimly, the two young people set out for LaMar’s home in Brooklyn. Adrienne blinked back tears when Noney let them in. She was a tired-looking girl who looked Adrienne up and down as though she hadn’t seen clothes that weren’t ragged in a long time. Her manner was almost shy as she said hello and forced “the brood,” as she called her sisters, to do the same.
There was no sofa. “The springs busted a long time ago,” a solemn Annie told Adrienne, “so we threw it out in the alley.”
It was a three-bedroom apartment. Noney and LaMar shared one of the bedrooms. LaMar took Adrienne into that room, which was neat and clean and furnished with various odds and ends that Adrienne guessed had been scavenged from Dumpsters. The only whole piece of furniture was a bunk bed.
“The top bunk is mine,” LaMar said, “but Noney won’t mind if we sit on hers.”
Adrienne knew that even though LaMar had refused the free graduation lunch offered by her parents, he would never be selfish enough to turn away a gift for his sisters. So they sat on the lower bunk. “Call Noney in here and give her this,” Adrienne said. She opened her purse and removed a $50 bill, which she pressed into LaMar’s hand. “They all look hungry. Tell her to buy some food. How can you think straight if you’re hungry?”
A Mighty Love Page 8