by Darrien Lee
She froze. “Mom, did you forget something?”
There was no answer so she returned to her search.
“Where are you? Found it! No, that’s not the box.”
She came across a box marked “Brandon’s baby clothes” and couldn’t help but smile. She opened the box and pulled out a bib that read “Daddy’s Running Back.” She ran her hand over it for a moment, then sat down and really stared at it. She remembered the day Jarvis bought it. Looking at her watch again, she climbed back up on the chair and placed the bib back in the box.
“Going down memory lane?”
Venice turned and when she laid eyes upon him, her legs gave completely out. She slumped down in the chair and started hyperventilating. Her body trembled and her throat tightened up on her as she came face-to-face with…Jarvis.
The air was thick, but he could see that she was in distress. He came to her, taking her hand into his. “It’s okay, Niecy. Calm down. It’s only me.”
She closed her eyes, knowing she couldn’t be feeling his touch. But, she was. Her breathing was still erratic as he said again, “Calm down, Baby. It’s just me. It’s okay.” Dazed and confused, she reached up, cupped his face in her hands and hugged him tightly. Hugging her back, he said, “You look beautiful, Niecy.” His scent was the same it had always been, but how could it be? She ran her hands over his face in amazement and cried hysterically.
“Niecy, please don’t cry. I came to say goodbye. I never got a chance to tell you goodbye. But, I couldn’t leave without knowing you and my son were in good hands. Now that you are, there’s no reason for me to hang around.”
Still cupping his face, she kissed him tenderly. “Brandon was telling the truth. You did come to him. Jarvis, why did you leave me? You weren’t supposed to leave me.”
He hugged her. “Baby, I didn’t want to. You know that. You were my life and I will always love you. I can leave now, knowing you and Brandon are happy and will be taken care of well. Craig is a decent guy. I trust him with the two of you.”
He wiped away her tears as she asked, “You’re not mad?”
“He’s the only one I trusted to take care of you and Brandon and no, I’m not mad.” He held her in his arms. “Niecy, I have to go now but I just had to hold you one more time to let you know I’ll love you forever. I believe Craig will do a great job helping you raise Brandon.”
Venice held on tightly, pleading, “Please don’t leave. I need you!”
He placed his lips to hers and gave her a kiss.
“Not anymore, Sweetheart. I’ve loved you all my life, now it’s Craig’s turn. You’ll be all right; trust me. We’ll see each other again one day. Goodbye, Niecy. I love you.”
She screamed, “Jarvis! No!”
When Venice opened her eyes, she was lying across the bed. Her face was wet with tears, but she didn’t know why. She sat up on the bed and, for some strange reason, felt calm.
“I must have fallen asleep.”
Upstairs she heard a door slam shut and small footsteps running across the floor.
“Momma! Where are you?”
She got up from the bed and yelled, “I’m downstairs!”
Brandon and Craig joined her, and Craig noticed her confused state of mind.
“Are you okay? You don’t look well.”
She looked around the room. “I think I’m okay. I must have fallen asleep. I guess I was more exhausted than I thought.”
“Are you sure that’s all? I mean are you cool being down here?”
She held his hand. “I’m fine. We’d better get a move on it if we’re going to catch that plane.”
Craig looked at his watch. “You’re right. Venice, go on up. We’ll bring the boxes.”
“Okay, but hurry up.”
“We will.”
Venice disappeared upstairs and Craig proceeded to shut the closet. Brandon was running around the room his dad grew up in, playing with different items.
“Pops, look what I found.”
Craig turned to see Brandon holding up a gold chain. He walked over to him and asked, “Where did you find it?” Pointing, he said, “Right there on the bed.”
“Your momma must have dropped it. I’ll give it to her later. Ready to go get ready for Santa?”
“I’m ready!”
Craig picked up one box, then told Brandon to get the other. As they proceeded up the steps, Craig turned one last time to make sure everything was left in place.
CHAPTER Thirty One
Back in Philly the threesome was met with six inches of snow and more on the way. After a delicious dinner, Craig threw more wood on the fire, went through mail and called to check on Ms. Camille. Venice was upstairs helping Brandon get ready for bed. As usual, he was hyped knowing in the morning, Santa Claus would have come and gone.
“Come on, Brandon. I’ve already let you stay up longer than I should. You know Santa is not going to stop by if you’re awake.”
Climbing under the covers, he said, “I know, Momma. It’s just…I’m just so…”
“I know, Sweetie. I was the same way when I was your age.”
“Really?”
“Really. Now did you say your prayers?”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“That’s my lil’ man.”
Venice went over to the window and said, “We might have about ten inches of snow before it stops.”
Brandon rose up. “Can I go out tomorrow and build a snowman?”
She turned and said, “We’ll see, but you have to go to sleep first.”
Tucking him in, she leaned down and kissed him goodnight. Before getting up from the bed, she turned on the monitor so they could hear him if he called for them in the middle of the night.
As she walked toward the door, she said, “Sweet dreams, my baby, and before you ask, Craig will be up to say goodnight after he finishes with the fireplace.”
“Okay. Goodnight, Momma. I love you.”
She said, “I love you, too, Brandon Tyler Anderson. Goodnight, and I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Okay.”
Venice turned off the light and closed his door.
When Venice returned to the den, Craig was still on the telephone with Ms. Camille. She gave him that look.
“Ms. Camille, I’d better turn in if I’m going to pick you up early in the morning. Oh, Venice? She’s still upstairs tucking Brandon in. I’ll tell her you asked about her. Goodnight.”
Venice hugged his waist. “I should spank you for telling Ms. Camille a lie.”
He lowered his lips to hers. “Spank away, Baby.”
Kissing her had always been his favorite pastime. A strange sound escaped her throat as he pulled her tighter against his body. She broke the kiss and said, “That was sweet, Bennett.”
He kissed the curve of her neck. “I have more where that came from.”
“I know you do, but first, we have cookies to bake and things to put together before morning. Are you going to be able to hang?”
He started unbuttoning her blouse. “I might, but first I need a little something to get me through the evening.”
“And what might that be?”
He smiled and slid his hand inside the waistband of her shorts. She sucked in a sharp breath and moaned, “Ben-n-n-ett.”
He kissed her on the lips, smiled and asked, “So what do you want to do first? Bake cookies or put the things together?”
She looked up into his eyes, amazed at his calmness.
“Right now I can’t move. You are so sinful, Bennett.”
He smiled. “Come over by the fire so I can warm you up.”
“Craig, heat is not what I need right now.”
He laughed, then took her hand into his and led her over to the fire. They sat by the fire, sipped wine and shared wonderful conversation while putting the unassembled items together.
It was now eleven o’clock. The cookies had been baked and all the unassembled items had been assembled. Venice lay sound aslee
p on the pillows in front of the fire. Craig covered her with a blanket, sat beside her and started opening Christmas cards. He came across one from Francine. He opened it and found a short letter inside. He figured now was a better time than any to read it.
Merry Christmas, Craig,
I hope all is well with you. I thought I would let you know that you shouldn’t be bothered with Katrina anymore. She made a spectacle of herself in Ocho Rios thinking she was breaking up your wedding and was almost arrested for something that happened a few years ago in her hometown. Luckily for her, things worked out. I had contacted her sister and she’s taking Kat back to Chicago to get some well-deserved rest. Like I said before, Katrina is not a bad person. I may be out of order for telling you this, but Katrina was sexually-abused when she was younger and I believe it’s the reason she acts the way she does. Anyway, she’s getting help and I was just wondering if there was any way you would consider rehiring her? She voluntarily resigned and her papers were sent by courier to your house. I know she caused you a lot of undeserved stress, but I know Katrina is one of the smartest designers in the office. Just think about it. I can accept whatever you decide. Have a Merry Christmas and I’ll see you at the banquet.
Sincerely,
Francine
P.S. I also hope congratulations are in order!
Craig covered his face with his hands for a moment, then returned the letter back inside the envelope. He stood and placed all the Christmas cards received on the mantle. Turning, he stared at Venice, still sleeping peacefully in front of the fireplace. After reading about Katrina’s awful childhood, Craig now understood her unstable behavior. Only moments passed before he leaned down and picked Venice up to take her upstairs to bed. After looking in on Brandon, he returned to the den and his thoughts. It was there he would wait until the fire died down before going to bed.
Christmas Morning
It didn’t take long for Brandon to come screaming into their bedroom at precisely five. Little did he know, Craig had just laid down and gotten into a well-deserved sleep. Venice, however, got a head start on sleep.
“Momma! Pops! Santa’s been here! Hurry up! Come see!”
Brandon was obviously excited as he pulled at his mom’s arm.
“Hold on, Brandon. Give us a minute, Sweetie.”
Brandon ran around to Craig’s side of the bed and yelled, “Pops! You ought to see it!”
Barely able to open his eyes, Craig somehow found the strength to pull himself up into a sitting position. Venice looked over at him and said, “Babe, you don’t have to get up right now. Lie back down. Brandon, Craig is very sleepy. He’ll see what Santa brought in a couple of hours, okay?”
Brandon stopped in his tracks. “Aw, Man! Momma!”
Craig said, “It’s okay. I can go look now. I want to see what Santa left for me, too.”
Brandon jumped up and down on the bed. “Yeah!”
Pulling on their robes, Brandon yanked them by the arm out the door and down the stairs.
Entering the living room was like going into a child’s wonderland. Everything looked different than it did last night. Venice remembered that she crashed on Craig early and was surprised to see what he had done with the room. Everything seemed to glitter and sparkle.
As Brandon and Venice looked at toys galore, Craig built a fire. When he was finished, he walked over to the window.
“Looks like it finally stopped snowing.”
Brandon ran over to Craig. “Look, Pops! This is the same computer game I showed you in the store.”
Craig took it and asked, “Did you put it on your list to Santa?”
“I sure did. Santa also got me a new bike. It’s bigger than the one I have at Grandmomma’s house.”
Venice sat quietly and watched the exchange between Brandon and Craig. The scene was so similar to the ones she had with Jarvis. Craig found a box labeled “To Brandon, From Nanna.” Brandon tore open the box to find the skates and hockey stick he wanted.
“Wow! Look what Nanna got me, Momma!”
Smiling, she said, “I see, Lil’ Man. That’s real nice. You’re going to have to call Nanna and thank her.”
The telephone rang. Venice answered, “Merry Christmas.”
“Good Morning, Venice. Where are my two favorite men?”
“Hello, Nanna. They’re under the tree tearing open boxes. Hold on.”
“Wait, Venice! I just wanted to let you know that I’ve been dreaming about fish. Is there anything you and Craig want to tell me?”
Venice smiled, remembering the old wives’ tale that when someone dreamed of fish, it meant someone in the family was pregnant.
“I don’t mean to burst your bubble, Nanna, but as far as I know, your dream is not about me.”
“Well, time will tell, my dear. Now let me speak to Brandon. I love you, honey.”
“I love you, too, Nanna. Here’s Brandon.”
After Brandon and Craig had their chance to talk to Nanna, Brandon continued tearing through the many boxes sent to him from various family members. Once all of his presents were opened, he called each family member to thank them.
“Pops! Here’s your present from me.”
“You got me a present? You didn’t have to do that.”
“Yes, I did, and you’re really going to like it.”
Craig sat down next to Venice and said, “I know I will.”
Brandon sat in his mom’s lap as they watched as Craig opened his gift.
“Hurry up, Pops!”
“Okay! Okay!”
When the wrapping paper was torn away, Craig saw a beautiful leather coat. One he had admired while they were Christmas shopping weeks earlier. He smiled at Venice and said, “Brandon, this is da bomb! Thank you so much.”
“Momma said you would like it.”
“Your Momma was right, Brandon. I love it.”
Craig stood and tried the jacket on which fit him to perfection. He then picked Brandon up and hugged him affectionately.
“Your turn, Momma!” Brandon ran around the Christmas tree and grabbed another box. He sat back down in her lap and said, “Open it, Momma!”
Venice slowly opened the beautifully wrapped box and pulled the tissue paper aside. She pulled out a new pair of Nikes as well as a new jogging suit.
“Thank you, Lil’ Man! You knew your momma needed some new ones, huh?”
Smiling proudly, he answered, “Yes, Ma’am. Pops helped me pick them out.”
She blew him a kiss across the room.
After about thirty minutes of opening gifts, Brandon asked, “Pops, what did you get Momma?”
Craig grinned. “Thanks for reminding me, Brandon. Craig pulled a box from under the tree and handed it to her.
Venice eyed him seductively. “Well, Bennett, what have we here?”
Leaning back on his elbows, he said, “Open it and see.”
Venice put it up to her ears and shook it, but heard nothing. Slowly she started peeling the wrapping paper away from the box. Opening the lid, she found a pair of ruby earrings and a necklace to match. She was stunned at the exquisite jewelry before her.
“Bennett, they’re beautiful.”
Brandon said, “I helped pick them out, Momma.”
She leaned over and kissed Brandon, then Craig. “Thank you so much. I can’t wait to wear them.”
Craig pulled her down to him and began kissing her softly. “They’ll never be as beautiful as you are.”
Her response was to wrap her arms around his neck and plant butterfly kisses on his neck and lips.
Brandon said, “Aw, man! Yuck!”
Craig pulled away and said, “We’ll see how you feel about kissing in a few years, my man.”
Brandon said, “You’ll never catch me kissing on no stinking girl.”
Craig and Venice laughed at his response.
Craig said, “Brandon, give me the video camera so I can get that statement on tape.” Brandon handed him the camera and said, “Pops, Mom, you�
��ll never, ever, ever see me kissing on no stinking girl.”
Craig turned the camera to Venice and she said, “You heard it first here on Christmas morning, year 2000. Brandon Tyler Anderson says we will never, ever catch him kissing on no stinking girl.”
They laughed and Brandon asked, “Momma, what did you get Pops?”
She sighed. “Well, after a deep consultation with a dear friend of yours, I came up with this.”
She handed him a small white box with a big red bow. Craig looked at her in amazement. “What could you possibly have in this little box?”
“Open it, Pops!”
Craig slowly opened it and pulled out a large key. He looked at the insignia on it.
“You didn’t?”
Venice smiled. “I did, but we have to set some ground rules, Bennett.” Before another word was spoken, he dived on top of her, pushing her to the floor while giving her seductive kisses. Brandon was too preoccupied with his electronic games to care that they were making out on the floor.
“Mmmm. I take it you like your gift?”
He kissed her neck. “A Ninja motorcycle? Let me take you upstairs and show you just how much.”
Giggling, she said, “In a little while, Babe. But seriously, Craig, Skeeter promised me you already knew how to ride it and you will be careful!”
He pushed strands of hair from her eyes and noticed the anxiety.
“Sweetheart, I’m not going to take any chances and hurt myself. I’ve known how to ride a motorcycle like this for years. I just never made the effort to get my own. I usually wait and ride Skeeter’s when I visit him. Now I have you to ride on back with me.”
Laughing, she said, “I don’t know. I’m kind of scared of them.”
He gave her a peck on the lips. “Don’t worry. I’ll be gentle. You’re going to love it. So, where is it?”
Picking up wrapping paper, she whispered, “It’ll be delivered tomorrow. Now, I know you’re tired, but don’t we have another surprise for you-know-who?”
He pulled her to her feet and whispered back, “I’m already ahead of you.”
Venice was unsure what he meant by this, but she watched as Craig exited the room cheerfully.