by Untamed
I rushed out the door with my cell phone in hand and called Aldris one final time. “You missed the party. Thanks for remembering her on her special day like you promised you would, asshole,” I said angrily, my voice full of sarcasm. Then I hung up and turned my cell phone off.
Since time was of the essence, I passed out cake hurriedly as Nadia opened her gifts. With about seven minutes to spare, the attendant, LaMeka, Gavin, Mike, and I began packing up and cleaning the area as the children’s parents began picking them up. At 3:01 p.m., we were all in the parking lot and set to leave.
LaMeka hugged me. “I’m sure he has a really good reason, honey. Don’t get crazy. I know you. Hear him out. Do you need me to stay with you?”
I shook my head and looked back at Gavin and Mike, who were chatting it up. “No, Mami. You go ahead and kick it with your little Caucasian persuasion,” I replied, attempting to joke around.
She laughed. “He’s Cablanasian.”
I looked at her, puzzled. “What? I’ve never heard of that.”
She laughed and playfully slapped my arm with the back of her hand. “Girl, Tiger Woods.”
“OMG, girl. Not Tiger.” I laughed as it dawned on me that Tiger had made that crazy statement about his racial makeup. “Gavin is pretty cool, though. I’m happy for you. White, Cablanasian, or whatever, he’s got my vote. He’s great with the boys,” I said, noticing how he held LaMichael in his arms and how Tony Jr. stayed right by his side as he talked with Mike.
“He is. We’ll see where it goes, though. For now, I’m good.”
“And that’s all I wanted to hear. You go ahead and spend some quality time with your man, chica. I’m good,” I assured her.
Ms. Lily was worried and upset with Aldris and decided to go search for him. I hugged my mom and Ms. Ana goodbye before loading Nadia in the car. Mike decided he’d follow me to the house to help me unpack. I was so happy that Nadia fell asleep as soon as I started driving, because I couldn’t take it. I had so many pent-up emotions that I just let it all out. I was surprised I was able to see my way home, because I was a bucket of tears by the time I arrived. When I got out and opened the front door, Mike was right behind me.
“My kids are asleep, so I’m just gonna help . . .” He looked down at me once I got the door open, and saw my tear-stained face. “Aw, Lucinda. Damn.”
“No, no. I’m good,” I said between sniffles. “Just go home with your kids.”
He grabbed my hand and walked me inside. “Sit down.”
I plopped on the sofa, and Mike walked into the hallway bathroom and came out with the box of Kleenex. “Here, take this. I’m going to bring Nadia in the house and get the things out of your car.”
Dazed, hurt, and confused, I sat there as he brought in my Sleeping Beauty and put her in her bed; then he brought in all the food, the cake, and the gifts. I was so distraught that I just sat there in total silence, crying.
Mike walked over and kneeled down in front of me to bring his six-foot, five-inch frame closer to eye level with me. “Do you want me to stay until he gets here? Or I could go looking for him for you.”
I shook my head no as I toyed with my Kleenex. “You have your kids today. Spend your time with them. This is my situation to handle with Aldris.”
“All right,” he said begrudgingly and stood up. “I’m sure everything will work itself out, Lu. Aldris loves you and Nadia.”
I stood up and walked him to the door. “Yeah, just not as much as he loves Jessica and, hell, for all I know, Jennifer.”
Mike rubbed his face. “Man. Well, I can’t tell you how to feel. It’s just something you and Dri gonna have to get through together. I hope that you do.”
“Thank you.” I offered him the only thing I could muster up, a half smile. “You’ve been such a good friend to me, and it really means a lot. You don’t realize how much.”
A silent beat passed between us before he brought his hand to my face and rubbed his thumb on my chin. “That’s what friends are for.”
His kind gesture caused me to thrust myself into his arms for a much-needed hug. Only instead of it being a brief hug, he held me for a few moments, and I allowed him. I knew it probably wasn’t the best idea to let another man hold me like that, but I needed the comfort. His powerful and masculine arms encased me, as if to assure me that I was safe there. It was the first time I noticed Mike’s physique. No muscle was left uncut. His facial features were smooth, and he had a strong jawline and a neatly trimmed goatee. I pulled away from him, and he cupped my face in his hands. His eyes held such sincerity.
“Lucinda,” he said softly, then closed his eyes and breathed out.
“What?” I asked faintly.
He put his hands down and opened his eyes before stepping back. “It’ll all work out for you two. I’ll try to hit up Dri later. Take it easy, Mama,” he said, then turned to leave.
“Bye, Mike.”
He threw up deuces as he kept walking until he made it to his still-running Lincoln Navigator. I walked outside and watched him. He jumped in the SUV, waved goodbye to me, and backed out of my driveway.
Once I walked back inside and sat down, I realized that I actually wasn’t as upset as I had been earlier. I had Mike to thank for that. He’d managed to calm me down in a way no one except Aldris and my mother had ever been able to do when I was that pissed off. I just prayed that the sense of peace that I was feeling would last me until I saw Aldris. I wanted to believe that something horrid had happened to Aldris, but in my gut, I knew that it hadn’t. In my gut, I knew that he’d drawn the line in the sand, and it was me and Nadia on one side and him, Jennifer, and Jessica on the other. I sat in the dark, silent family room with that thought and twisted my engagement ring around.
Chapter 4
Aldris
I know what you’re thinking, and you’re wrong. Dead wrong. I did not skip out on Nadia’s party. I have a perfectly good reason as to why I missed it. In fact, you may even laugh a little bit. Well, maybe not, but you’ll understand. I promise you will. Just please, let me explain. I kept rehearsing those words in my mind as I sped all the way to the house.
I hit myself in the head and then gripped the steering wheel so hard that even my black knuckles were turning white. “How could I miss Nadia’s party? Lucinda is gonna kill me. Nadia has probably cried her eyeballs out. I’m so fucked. So royally fucked,” I said aloud to myself.
I swore, if it wasn’t for bad luck, I don’t think I’d have any luck at all. I couldn’t even imagine how far off the Richter scale Lucinda was going to be today. I contemplated stopping to buy some full-body armor and a thick Bible to shield me with the whole armor of God from the wrath of Lucinda Rojas. One thing was for certain, she did not play about Nadia. Period. You had better believe that if you wanted to be a part of Lucinda’s life—whether you were a friend, family member, or her man—you were going to have to love her daughter. You couldn’t help but respect that, and it was one of the reasons I loved her so much.
Not only was this Nadia’s special day, but it was truly special for Lucinda too. She’d confided in me that this was the first time she could afford to have Nadia’s birthday party at a kid party establishment, so I knew it was a big deal for her, and rightfully so. I loved when Lucinda chalked up a new accomplishment in her life. No matter how small it may have seemed to others, I knew it was a big deal for her. A huge deal. That was why I knew the ramifications of my actions were astronomical, so I prayed for the best when I finally got to the house.
“Hello?” I said, answering my ringing cell phone, which was plugged into its car charger.
“What happened to you today?” my mom demanded angrily.
“Ma, it’s a long story. I didn’t mean to miss the party.”
“Well, how about you shorten it up for me?” she said, obviously irritated.
“Listen, Ma, I wish I could, but I need to talk to Lucinda first, and I’m trying to prepare myself for that battle. Please let me talk to you la
ter about it.”
“You, my son, are messing up. I just want you to know that.”
“I hear you, Ma.” I tried to mask my annoyance. I didn’t need her to confirm shit that I already knew.
“Don’t hear me, Aldris. Feel me, as you young people say. Lucinda is your future wife, but you won’t have her if you keep down this path you’re on,” she preached.
At this point, I couldn’t mask my irritation anymore. “Ma,” I whined.
“Okay, whatever, Al. You wanna complain about my advice? Fine, I won’t give it, and you don’t have to take it, but I wasn’t married over thirty years for nothing.”
“It’s not like you remember that you were married in the first place,” I said, letting these words slip out. “Oh, shit, Ma. I’m sorry.”
“Goodbye, Aldris,” she snapped, using my full name, and hung up in my face.
Great, man. You’re just fucking up with everybody, I said silently to myself as I hung up.
As soon as I did, my cell rang again, and Mike’s info came across the screen. I answered the call. “Hey, man.”
“What are you sounding so down for? Lucinda is the upset one.”
“Listen, I already know. I’m less than five minutes away from my house, and I know she’s gonna act a fool, so I really don’t need it from you.” After my mother’s rant, I didn’t need to hear it from my boy too. “And since when did you become such a fucking advocate for Lucinda? I would’ve thought you’d be happy to see us having rifts. One minute you hate her because she was a stripper, and the next you’re fucking bosom buddies, battling on the Wii and having Friday night fight parties together.”
“I’ve long forgotten that foolishness, and you know it. You just want somebody to pet you right now in your wrongness, and I’m not gonna do it. Your girl was so fucking heartbroken that I’m embarrassed for you. I told you once before that Lucinda loves you. She’s a good person, and she deserves so much better than what you’re giving her now. You’re gonna fuck around and lose out. Believe that, bruh.”
“Wow. Look who is really growing the fuck up! Now, how is it that you can tell me how to handle my issues with my girl, and you can’t even find one of your own? Oh, I know why. ’Cause you’re a dog. That’s why. I’m not doing anything to push Lucinda away, because I do love her. But I don’t owe you or anybody else an explanation. I’m going home to give that to my girl, so you can be easy. You don’t have to worry about my girl. I got this, pimpin’.”
“Amazing. Okay, playa, you go ’head on and handle that, then,” Mike scoffed with an attitude.
“A’ight, playa.”
“Later,” he said abruptly and hung up.
My phone rang one more time as I was turning into my neighborhood. I picked up on the second ring. “Hey, Jenn.”
“Hey, did you make the party in good time?”
“No, after I left, there was a stalled vehicle. Lu is pissed off.”
“Oh, shit. Do you want me to call and try to explain it to her? I mean, maybe she’ll be a little more understanding if someone can vouch for you,” she said sincerely.
“No, I think the last person she’d want to hear vouching for me right now is you. It’s best if I do this alone.”
“You might be right about that. Are you at home?”
“Getting ready to pull onto my street as we speak.”
“Let me let you go, then. I hope it works out for you.”
“Me and you both.”
I pulled into the garage and parked next to Lucinda’s car and took a deep breath. I knew I was in for some serious explaining, and I felt like I was about to be in the fight of my life. Slowly, I got out of the car and looked at my watch. It was 3:35 p.m. Damn. Lord, please help me, I thought as I unlocked the door.
When I walked in, the house was completely quiet. Nothing was on. I didn’t hear a peep, a woot, or a holler, and I didn’t know whether to be grateful or to be prepared to bob and weave. Moving slowly from room to room, I searched for Lucinda but didn’t see her. I kept moving through the house until I reached our family room, where I found Lucinda lying back on the sofa, staring straight up at the ceiling.
“Lucinda?” I called out to her. “I’m home, baby.”
“So I see,” she said quietly, her hand across her forehead, as she continued to stare blankly at the ceiling.
Placing my hands in my pockets, I leaned against the wall. I was so scared to move, I didn’t even take off my baseball cap. “Um, can you sit up, so I can talk to you, please . . . if you don’t mind?”
Her eyes closed, and she blew out a deep and weighty breath, then sat up and planted her feet on the floor. She clasped her hands together and propped her chin on her hands. Her curly hair was loose and in disarray, and she kept shaking her right leg.
“Yes,” she said, clearly not beat for the bullshit.
Somewhere from deep within, I found the courage to walk up so I could face her, but I stayed my distance. “Let me just first say that I am so sorry, Lu. Where is Nadia, so that I may personally apologize to her?”
“She was asleep in her room, but my mother came and picked her up not long after we got here.”
“Understandable.”
She looked up at me and waited to hear what else I had to say.
“Well, I guess I should get straight to the point. I know what you’re thinking, and you’re wrong. Dead wrong. I did not skip out on Nadia’s party. I have a perfectly good reason as to why I missed it. In fact, you may even laugh a little bit. Well, maybe not, but you’ll understand. I promise you will. Just please, let me explain.” The words flowed out exactly as I’d rehearsed them in the car.
She slowly flung her hands outward to indicate that I should continue.
I scratched my head, because Lucinda was way too calm for this. This had to be the quiet before the storm. “Okay, well, I was leaving the party at exactly one fifty so that I could have time to get to Nadia’s party in time. Before I left, Jennifer wanted me to eat some cake and watch Jessica open the gift we got her. So, at one fifty-five, I kissed Jessica on the forehead and left. I was five minutes up the road when I remembered that I left my cell phone on the table by the empty pizza boxes, so I had to go back. By the time I got back there, grabbed my phone, and started heading to Jumpin’ Jamboree, it was close to two twenty. I saw your missed call, but my battery was damn near dead, so I couldn’t even get the call to connect. On top of that, my charger had fallen on the passenger’s-side floor, so I couldn’t get it to plug my phone in.” I looked down at the floor and then continued.
“At that point, I hauled ass to get to the party, and I’ll be damned if two college girls’ car didn’t stall in the road and completely block traffic. Another guy and I pushed their car onto the side of the road, and by the time I got back into the car, it was two fifty-five. I knew I probably wouldn’t make it, since I still had a good distance to go and traffic was a beast. I got to Jumpin’ Jamboree at, like, five after three, praying that maybe you all were still there, but the people at the front desk said I’d just missed you guys. I ran back to the car, grabbed my charger, plugged up my phone, and listened to your messages. By then, I already knew I was pretty much in for it. And by the tone of your messages, I am. That’s my story in a nutshell,” I said and then breathed for what seemed like the first time since I had started explaining. I knew it sounded crazy as hell, but on everything I loved, it was the truth.
She sat there for a few minutes, as if she were contemplating my story. Then she stood up and folded her arms.
“Do I have the word ‘dumbass’ stamped on my fucking forehead?” she asked and then stared at me in silence. She stared at me as if she were expecting an answer.
Fuck. I opened my mouth to attempt a response, but before I could say a word, she interrupted me.
“You really expect me to sit up here and believe that you were doing all of this trying to get to Nadia’s party? Hell, I would’ve expected you to at least give me the fucking decency to ad
mit that you put my feelings and Nadia’s feelings on the fucking back burner for Jessica. At the very least, I could’ve said you were honest,” she hollered.
“Lucinda, I’m telling you the truth. I swear to God, baby,” I pleaded as she began pacing the floor.
Hurricane Lucinda was brewing, and I knew that I was about to be caught in the middle of the storm.
She threw her hands up. “Really? The truth? Aldris, if you were only five minutes up the road and it took you only five minutes to get back, why the fuck did it take you nearly fifteen fucking minutes to get the damn cell phone? Huh? Then it conveniently wasn’t charged, and your charger was unreachable. Then two poor souls needed your help to get their car out of the roadway. Were they stalled horizontally across all the lanes so no-fucking-body could get past them? I mean, really, dude, you deserve a fucking medal. No, no, better yet, I’m going to the Pope to ask him to declare you for sainthood. Saint Aldris Sharper the First.” She rattled all this off so fast, I could barely keep up.
“Lu, baby, I don’t know why it took so long to get back from the phone. I had to find a parking spot, and you know how crowded Putt-Putt is on a Saturday afternoon. The two young ladies were blocking me and the man behind me, and it would’ve been a bitch trying to get around them. You know people in Atlanta don’t believe in letting nobody in their lane to hold them up. I figured it’d be quicker to move them. I was just trying to get to the party. Yes, my phone’s battery was low, and my charger was unreachable. I’m telling you the whole truth. I don’t know what else to say,” I told her, pleading my case.
She stood there with her arms folded and her eyes misting. “Aldris, do you want to know why this is so fucking unbelievable to me?”
I threw my hands up. “Yes, I’d love to know why.”
“Because it makes no fucking sense!” she screamed. “Even if I took what you just said and actually believed this cockamamie story, there’s one thing that just doesn’t seem right. You are a very bright and intelligent man, so to me, there was one logical solution for all of this, and it seems you would’ve thought of it.”