by Will Brown
Everyone eagerly anticipated seeing the person their Vivian talked so much about. She had four sisters and three brothers. Her family owned their own business, as financial consultants, which she didn’t talk about. She didn’t even reveal to JJ that she had a degree in finance.
She wanted to create her own identity and decided to venture into the media arts, the very reason she moved to L.A. Her parents enjoyed listening to JJ talk the stock market, figures and the clients he had. Her brothers and sisters had even heard about ‘The Tea Pot’ all the way in Texas. One of her brothers tried to offer him an investment portfolio, but JJ was well vested financially.
Just before dinner, Vivian’s father invited JJ to join him in the den to have a drink and discuss his family business and also the relationship between he and Vivian. After all, she was his daughter and he wanted to know JJ’s intentions. JJ wasn’t concerned at all, as he took a sip of gin from his glass. It was just what he needed to give him the courage to pull out a box with an engagement ring inside to show her father. Picking it up and looking at it, left him speechless.
“I hope you don’t mind. I mean there was no way I could ask Vivian to marry me without getting your approval. And, after hearing you express your concerns about us being together, I figured what better time than now to show just how I feel about her. I wouldn’t feel comfortable as man, putting this ring on your daughter’s finger without your permission.” All her father could do was nod his head as they finished their drinks and returned inside.
Everyone sat around the table as JJ took out the box with the ring and proposed to Vivian. Filled with excitement, she didn’t hesitate one second to say yes, as the family watched JJ slipped it onto her finger. Vivian’s parents were convinced she had a good catch in JJ. Having him as part of the family and knowing he was a businessman with money pleased them. Everyone that is except her brother Gerald. He looked at JJ with evil eyes, as if he were trying to steal something from him. However, Gerald was nothing more than a lazy loser and his father was tired of him not partaking in the family business and wasting his life.
All he wanted to do was spend every dime he could get his hands on and still he was never happy or satisfied and brought nothing more than shame to the family. He’d steal cars, sell drugs, and was out of control with baby mama drama. They say when you marry a woman you get everything that comes with it and after analyzing Gerald, JJ wasn’t impressed with him.
As their relationship continued, Vivian had a lot of respect for T-Bird and the way she ran the foundation. She couldn’t resist volunteering her assistance. It was the least she could do knowing she had a degree in finance, while between auditioning. Unexpectedly, she received a call from her brother Gerald. He was in town and wanted to see her. Knowing the lifestyle he lived, Vivian knew something had to be wrong for him not to be in Austin. Even still, she agreed to see him, with the hope that she’d be hearing good news. Could it be that he was attempting to change his life around and that everything was all right? She wondered. However, that wasn’t the case. When they met, he had a look of desperation all over his face.
“So tell me what’s going on Gerald? I know you and my intuition is telling me that something’s wrong. I can see it all over your face.”
He looked at her without hesitation and answered.
“Sis, I’ve got a big problem. The police came to the house with a warrant for my arrest. They say I owe $50,000 in child support. They hurt our sister Lauren, knocking her to the floor when they broke down the bedroom door looking for me. My baby’s mama Gwen, been trying to set me up ever since she found out about Carol and that she has a son by me. She’s trying to do me in..." He really sounded lost with this last plea.
"...Sis I need your help. Can you bail me out this one time?”
Vivian was angry about what had happened to their sister over his foolishness. And, to say the least, no one had called her to say a word
“You are truly amazing? You know you weren’t paying child support and this was going to happen. It was only going to be a matter of time, Gerald. I’m really angry with you for getting Lauren hurt too! What is the matter with you? And what about Mom and Dad?” she asked.
“They’re finished with me, especially with the police coming in and tearing up the house. I won’t be able to get the lid to the garbage can from them. I know everybody is angry with me and I guess I had it coming. But please, sis, I need your help. I was going to use my credit card to get the money and straighten this all out, but Mom and Dad closed all my accounts. They insist I get a real job since I won’t work at the firm. I can’t blame them at all.”
Gerald really laid down a sad story.
“So how are you going to get the money, if no one is willing to help you?” Vivian asked.
“I don’t know. The only thing left for me to do is sell my car until I can clear this all up,” Gerald answered.
“Well, good luck... let me know how you work it out,” Vivian said, “I’ll call Mom and Dad to let them know you’re out here with me, until you can stand up and be a man to clear up your mess.”
Gerald needed the favor of a lifetime and asked Vivian to if she could ask JJ to loan him the money. Immediately she reacted.
“What, are you crazy? There’s no way I’m going to ask JJ to do that!”
“Look, I’m desperate and I need your help.” Gerald pleaded. “I don’t have anywhere else to turn, and if I go back home without paying that money the police will lock me up for sure. Not only for the child support, but everything else they can pin on me. They know I was involved in that stolen car ring, even though they couldn’t catch me and also with me selling drugs over by the stadium. I was always smarter than they were, but this will give them the chance they need to get even with me! Sis, I promise, after this all calms down, I’ll clean up my act. I swear,” he begged.
“Let me think about it. Call me in a few days. That will give me a chance to talk to JJ. I’m not going to ask him right now, because there’s too much going on for me to bother him with this at the moment."
Vivian knew she was caught between a rock and a hard place over her brother and the hardship he was bringing on her and the family. Maybe this issue would help him straighten out his life and get him back on track if she gave him the money but she needed to have some kind of guarantee.
“Before you leave, I need the title to your car. I don’t care what you have to do to get it, just get it to me. You have 2 days.” Gerald owned a custom BMW, so she knew she could get at least $50,000 for the car if he didn’t keep his word.
“I won’t even hesitate to sell your car and get back my money. I just have to think this out, because I really don’t want to get JJ involved.”
Two days later, Gerald called Vivian back. “Hey Sis, what’s up? Can I come and see you now? I’ve got the title.” Taking a second to pause, she responded.
"Before we do any business, I need you to have one of your friends go to the house and get the title to the car and FedEx it to me. That’s what I need, before I do anything else to help you.”
Gerald immediately interrupted. “I just told you I have it. I did that already for you sis.”
After she received the title, she then asked him for the child support service account number for payment and to meet her at the airport. When he arrived, she was waiting with a plane ticket to get him back home.
“I’ve already wired the $50,000 to the court and in return they sent me a confirmation. Here, keep this for your record in case the police try to harass you. Now let me tell you, you have exactly one week to get my money back or the car is mine. Do you understand me Gerald? Also you better go home and make things right with Mom and Dad and ask them for another chance to work at the firm!” Gerald agreed before boarding the light back to Austin.
Two weeks had gone by and Vivian was starting to worry because Gerald hadn’t gotten in touch with her to return the money. She immediately called her family and told them what had happened. They were
upset, but understood her sympathy for Gerald. Her parents had already been down that path so many times with him.
“Gerald is a loser and we’re cutting him off from the family for good. He’s nothing but a con artist and is even willing to disgrace his own family, to get his way!” her father said angrily.
Listening to her father, it became obvious to Vivian that she was in trouble and wasn’t getting her money back. She’d actually taken the money out of the trust account from the foundation and had to act fast to replace it before JJ or T-Bird found out. She became upset with herself for not being honest with JJ and asking whether he’d be willing to help or not. At least she wouldn’t be standing alone without his support. Her oldest brother helped her sell the car. He only recouped $30,000 and sent it to her. This left her no choice but to tell JJ what had happened, as she got off the phone and began to cry. During dinner, Vivian began to tell JJ what happened, knowing he’d be upset about her taking money from the foundation without telling him or any of the guys, especially T-Bird. JJ couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“Vivian how could you do this to me? If you would have asked me I would feel much better than I do now! Do you realize that I trusted you with everything? And you’re putting it all on the line like that for your brother?”
“JJ, please try to understand. There’s nothing in this world that matters more to me than our love. Baby, you mean everything to me! Okay, I made a mistake, but I really believed Gerald would do the right thing for once, especially since he knew he’d be putting my integrity on the line. There’s no way I would steal from T-Bird. I just wouldn’t do that. Please understand the position I was in. Can you do that please?”
To add insult to injury, Vivian could have taken the money out of her own savings. She’d done well with the money she made from movie parts. Furthermore being with JJ, she didn’t have a care in the world. JJ became even angrier, because he knew Gerald didn’t care about anyone but himself. He used his own sister and jeopardized her happiness because of his selfishness.
“Do you know how I feel right now? I feel like going to Austin and kicking your brother’s ass," JJ said angrily. "I’ve got to get my emotions together so I’m going to see Trey and Q to talk to them before saying anything to T-Bird. I‘m disappointed and I’m telling you right now, you will not have access to the foundation’s account or any other account until this matter is resolved! And believe me, money is not the issue. It’s about you not being straight with me that I’m concerned with. You were supposed to be managing the foundation’s money, not taking it for your own personal use..." He had to stop for a minute to catch his breath...this was just too much..
"..You know the IRS is just waiting for us to do something fraudulent so they can be all on our backs? We’re trying to change people’s lives, not be threatened with investigations for mishandling funds. These are my friends and no one is going to come between us! It’s taken too many years to build our friendship and let me remind you, even if we break up right now, my friendship with Trey, Q and T-Bird will last until the last breath leaves my body!” Vivian was in shock to hear JJ so angry. After he left, she called T-Bird, thinking her chances of explaining the matter to her would make things better. T-Bird only listened but wasn’t going to bail her out. If anything, she was going to validate the way JJ felt, even though she loved Vivian like a sister. She just listened and waited for an opportunity to explain to her that she could have asked for the money because of the depth of their friendship.
“Vivian, you were absolutely wrong. I mean dead wrong. I’m upset too. You could have come to any one of us for help and you would have gotten the money you needed. Right now the best thing for you to do is leave all this alone. This is disappointing. Maybe I can say something to JJ to ease the pain after he calms down. Maybe you should spend a few days in the city to work on that new movie you’re about to be in, or go to Austin to see your family until this all calms down. It’s just not going to be easy for JJ to accept what you’ve done right now. He’s a businessman and business is what it is, strictly business!”
Meanwhile JJ called Trey and Q. He wanted them to come to the club right away. They knew it had to be important because of the sound of his voice. They rushed over and sat at their usual booth, listening to JJ emotionally express what happened and how he felt about being betrayed by his own wife. Trey was optimistic as he listened, trying to weigh all the issues before giving JJ an opinion. “Listen man, that girl is stuck between two loves and they both mean the world to her. First of all, you’re her husband. You’ll always be number one in her book. The other is her blood and no matter how much of a jerk he may be, that’s still her brother. It could have been any one of us who had to make that decision and we probably would have done the same thing. Maybe we wouldn’t have had to go into the foundation’s account because we have our own money, but we would have done what was necessary. Let’s look at it from her side for just for a minute..." Trey was playing Devil's Advocate to the hilt.
"..Vivian wanted her brother to come through. She wanted him to prove her wrong and everyone else in the family too. It’s called the pains of love and guess what? Everyone is hurting right now, so you have to be the one to be the savior, even though I know you probably don't want to be. I think she’s learned a valuable lesson and moving forward, I’m sure it won’t happen again. She’ll be willing to discuss anything with you no matter what you think, or how it may turn out.”
At that moment, Q interrupted.
“Hey man, Trey’s right. You guys are perfect for each other. She made a horrible mistake and I’m sure she’s learned from it. Give her some time to think it over. She’s already crushed right now, so don’t make her choose between you and her brother. He’s an asshole, but let her still love him. We haven’t stopped being down for each other and we’ve disappointed one another plenty of times.”
“Yeah, I know. I’m just pissed off right now and need some time to think, that’s all,” JJ said. "I think I’m going to recommend she go visit her family.” At that moment T-Bird walked in, overhearing the end of their conversation.
“You’re right. That sounds like a good idea to me, too. I just talked to Vivian. We had a long talk together and I’m going to be honest, I kept it real with her about what happened, but she’s hurting. Her bags are already packed and she’s ready to book a flight and go to Austin, if that’s what you really want. Just do me a favor and give her a call at home. I feel so bad for her, so ease up a little. You don’t want her to break, do you?” JJ took a deep breath, digesting T-Bird’s advice.
“Oh and by the way JJ, her other brother just sent her $30,000 after selling Gerald’s car, to help replace the money" T-Bird said. "Did you know that? Come on baby show her some love for trying to make this right even in the midst of it almost being a disaster.”
“T-Bird scores again," Q responded. "Give her a chance. If you’re going to allow her to go to Austin then let me fly her there and when she’s ready to return, we can go get her together.”
Although he was still angry, JJ agreed. Vivian was sitting in the chair when JJ returned home. She was talking to her parents on the phone to let them know what time she’d be arriving. She told them that she’d call them back shortly and ended the call seeing JJ entering the room. JJ sat next to her, trying to put aside his feelings in order to talk.
“Look, I know I’ve been a little harsh with you. I mean, if you really want to get away for a few days then I’m all for it. Maybe when you get back we can sit down and talk about this. T-Bird told me you have $30,000 thanks to your older brother. I’ve already replaced the money in the account, so you can just keep that money for yourself. Why don’t you cancel the ticket you have and allow Q to fly you to Austin and I’ll come back with him to get you when you’re ready.”
Vivian just shook her head and began to cry again. When she arrived in Austin, her parents were waiting. Having that moment together, they embraced while sharing the same emotions. The w
orst of it was they knew Gerald was behind it all. Her mother attempted to walk her to the car. “Vivian, we really feel awful about what’s going on,” her mother said the minute she settled in her seat. “Don’t get yourself all upset. We’ll all get through this together. Now concerning your brother, we have had it with him and he has to go.” Vivian just closed her eyes, exhausted from the drama.
“By the time we get back, the door should be replaced,” her father said, still frustrated over the police knocking the door off the hinges. When they arrived, the entire family was there waiting to see Vivian so they could vent their frustration.
Gerald knew he was in deep trouble with the family. He knew he had to make things right and give Vivian back the money. His only alternative was to reached out to his boy in Miami. He had to do a cocaine deal. Doing the deal, he would walk away with $90,000. That would be enough to settle things with Vivian and stash some money away for himself.
Sadly enough, as the trade was made, the buyers identified themselves as Federal agents. His boy from Miami had sold him out to the Feds in exchange for a reduced sentence on a previous drug possession. The Feds had finally caught Gerald after all the times they’d had him under surveillance and could never catch him in possession of drugs. The minute he got busted, one of his female runners called his brother. She and Gerald had setup two-way radios so if anything went wrong, she was to make the call. Unfortunately, she heard the deal going bad and made the call. Hanging up the phone he sat the family down to share the news. Gerald was about to serve some serious jail time.
“Maybe being put away for a while will teach him a lesson,” one of his brothers said.
During the arraignment, his brothers and father were in court to listen to the charges being presented. The prosecutor told them Gerald was facing 20 years for being an alleged kingpin and that he was being held without bail. His father took one last look at his son with great sadness.