Heartstrings, soul-ties and wishful thinking.
Four shorts and a long tale of fortitude through difficult relationships.
LESSON BETWEEN THE LINES: A woman ruminates on the lessons learned from an ex lover.
THE BATTLE IS NOT BETWEEN US: A woman confronts whom she thinks is the person having an affair with her husband.
NO REGRETS: A rejected wife and mother of eight finally take a stand to put an end to the mistreatment she receives from an ex-husband.
THE COOKING CLASS: Franklin Henderson finds his true love behind the recipes in a cooking class.
BETRAYAL: A young mother, thrown out of her home by her husband and her child taken away finds out love can heal a broken heart
WHEN ONE DOOR CLOSES
By Ey Wade
PUBLISHED BY: Wade-In Publishing
Copyright © 2010 by Ey Wade
All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners. Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Lessons Between the Lines
Well, there I was twenty-one years of age, first time moving away from home, first apartment, first time not having to share a bedroom with a sibling, and into a first relationship. What a mind blowing rush. Thomas was not the cutest guy or the smartest, but at that time in life he was the nicest. Buff as any hard working longshoreman, he reminded me of Simpson, from Ashford & Simpson, probably why I fell for him. I was going through a love for hairy faces phase. Come to think of it, maybe it wasn't him, but the hair on his face that took my breath away. Five years later it was the anger and sadness as he stood on the other side of the neonatal bed while we watched the life seep away from our newborn son that made me want to take his breath away. I hated Thomas.
The months of stress and regret over our dead relationship had taken its toll by causing me to go into early labor. My heart ached at the knowledge that I was the cause of this child losing his fight with life and being disconnected from the life supports. I looked into Thomas' face and I wanted to reach over that little glass crib, grab him by the throat and have him take the place of my child. A child he hadn't even wanted. From my heart I deemed him useless and worthless and undeserving of life. From my eyes I saw the tears roll down his face and my heart softened. This is when I realized I had become a grownup. This is when I learned an adult forgives and goes on. This is when I learned that being a grownup has nothing to do with being in love. Love has no intelligence; no rational thought...it thrives on emotions. Love is a raw, blinding, burning rush of feelings that consume you. If you relax and let it flow you can come out whole or you can fight it and get consumed.
You know, even though the relationship with Thomas turned out to be one of the worst experiences in my life, he was also the best instructor in my life. He taught me the strategies of life when he taught me the game of chess. Pay attention, have fun, but keep yourself covered. He taught me the ends and outs of man/woman relationship through pool. I learned you have to take the knocks and sideswipes, and you may come out a winner. He taught me it isn't necessary to have a store bought Christmas tree. You could go into the woods grab a tree, cut half the top off to fit in the house and the presents would still look great under it. I learned it’s not what you get in life, but how you use it. He taught me it is so much easier to forgive a person than to hold onto grief and anger. I learned how to deal with life and go on. I also learned that when the end comes and the ‘adult’ in you has kicked in, you can just walk away and never look back.
No Regrets
“Israel, can I ride with you to Port Arthur? I want to put in an application for employment.”
O’Shay’s youngest but much taller baby brother, Israel, straightened from his position under the hood and wiped the oil from his hands to the leg of his jeans. He studied her carefully.
“Why are you lyin’ O’Shay? You know you just wanna go see James.”
“I’m not lying, okay I’m, but it’s not what you think. So don’t ask because if I tell you I’ll have to kill you.”
“Don’t get all puffed up and irritated I was just asking. I know and you know why you’re lyin’. I’m leaving at six thirty in the morning so don’t have me waiting for you.”
“I’ll be ready and standing right here.”
O’Shay backed to the garage door and turned to leave before Israel could enact his habit of reneging and change his mind.
“What are you doing with the kids?” he asked. “Don’t bring them here, Mom has a cold.”
“I know. I have a neighbor keeping them. “
“That neighbor must be some good friend. That’s a lot of damn little children to keep.”
“What are you trying to say? My kids are well behaved.”
“True. Just too damn many. Eight little nappy-headed kids less than six years old could make you go crazy.” He turned back to work under the hood of the car and yet she still heard his muffled comment. “I would have run off just like that sorry bastard James Earl Maxwell.”
“Naw, you wouldn’t have. You’re nothing like that measly bastard.”
Israel’s head hit the underside of the hood when he straightened in surprise.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean for you to hear that.”
“Not a problem. I understand. I’ll see you in the morning. Oh, and my kids aren’t nappy headed.” O’Shay laughed to show she wasn’t taking the comments seriously and walked out the door. She sauntered slowly down the sidewalk barely registering the smooth cool breeze or the soft sounds of the birds singing the last songs of the day. Her thoughts were so filled with mentally ticking the list of plans she had for kicking the ass of that sorry bastard James Earl Maxwell and getting back her $15,000.00. In her mind her triumph was met just as she landed on the last step to the door of her home, a mere five houses from her mother’s. She walked straight through the living room to the back door. Stopping at the screen she stopped to watch the mêlée outside. Four little girls and four little boys ages four and five ran around the well equipped play area enjoying their last few outside minutes. In her mind she saw two sets of quadruplets. In the medical mind they were four sets of identical twins. How she had the unfortunate fate of having so many babies one year apart, born on exactly the same date and being married and divorced from James within three years was something she questioned God about on a daily basis. How she kept it together she had no idea. Lately her main focus had been on beating James to within an inch of his life for stealing money out of her bank account. Stepping through the door she was immediately pounced upon and hugged by the very people that kept her going. Finally disentangling herself she flopped into the chair next to her best friend and neighbor.
“So the plan is on?” Jackie asked.
“Yep,”
O’Shay never turned to look in Jackie’s directions. She just watched the children play from behind her sunglasses.
“You sure you wanna do this?”
“Yep, it’s not even about the money anymore. I can always replace the money. I’m just tired of him fu… messin’ with me. James made it plain he doesn’t want me. I got these papers in the mail this morning saying he has terminated his parental rights. What the hell kind of man disowns his children so totally? He doesn’t pay child support and then he steals my money. Hell naw. The plan is in full force. Yesterday was his pay day and I know he doesn’t trust the banks, I can guarantee you the fool has all of my money in his pockets. Probably makes him look like a big spender when he’s flashing it to the little idiots on the streets. I know what time his break is and I know what door he comes out of at work. I’m going to roll up on him, kick his ass like a sick puppy, and take whatever is in his pockets.”
“You sure you can do it?”
“Without a doubt, I’m an eight degree black belt holder. I guess he doesn’t remember that. I shouldn’t have accepted his little punches when he was here but the playing is over.”
“Your hands are a lethal weapon.”
“Yeah, lethal only to him.”
O’Shay gave a few hard punches to the air. The quick pumps making whooshing noises in her ear.
They both laughed. After a few minutes of sitting in silence watching the children play, Jackie took a sip of her drink before looking at her friend from the corner of her eye.
“Don’t get me wrong girl but, how in the world did you end up having so many babies at once for James and they be so cute? Are you sure they are all for him?”
“You’re so stupid.” She hit Jackie on the shoulder. “As of yesterday, they are officially ‘only mine’. I know it’s just funny a Black woman having quadruplets and then two sets? I used to think it was only a white thing to have so many babies at once and then without drugs and a year apart. Makes me shiver just thinking about it and then for James to deny them…I could smash his face in right now.”
“Your daddy is white maybe that’s where the multiple 'thing' comes from.”
“My name is the only thing that comes from my daddy. You are really feeling funny tonight, huh? Wait until you’re here alone with them tomorrow. Funny won’t be the word and I’ll be the only one laughing.” She turned and called to the children. “Come on kids let’s go in. Let’s show Aunt Jackie what a sleep-over is really like.”
*****
The next morning O’Shay sat in Israel’s car reviewing her plan. She had her fingerless gloves in her bag along with the heavy rings to put on her fingers. She was going to go all out thug on James. While putting the children to bed the night before she looked into their smiling faces and had almost changed her mind about her plans.
She had exercised and worked out in the basement and really contemplated on whether or not she was doing the right thing. She worried about the possibilities of getting arrested and had just about changed her mind when James called. His unrepentant laughter at the text she had sent berating him for the termination petition and his callous dismissal of children he had professed to love had burned all bridges of return. She would have no regrets. Domestic violence wasn’t her thing, but she’d had enough. He’d run out on her for, thank God another woman, because she knew she would have lost it sooner if he would have turned out to be one of those down’ low brothers, especially when he had left her with so many children.
James had taken the car, sold the SUV she used for transportation and then he’d had the balls to go into her savings and take out fifteen thousand dollars. Everything else she dealt with mentally and legally, but this…he must have forgotten who he was dealing with. During their last face to face argument she promised….more like threatened him with the fact she wouldn’t take another strike at her womanhood or her finances lying down. She was tired of his stupidity and then he just turned right around and emptied the account.
Her emotions had been trampled on since the birth of the boys. James was always whining about what his stupid friends were saying and when she gave birth to the girls, he was constantly calling her some kind of freak. Instead of seeing the children as a blessing, James complained about being a side-show family for a carnival. He hated the stares they got, the questions, but never complained about the monies made from the small advertising pictures or commercials the little freaks brought in.
“You know, O’Shay.” Israel’s voice broke through her reverie. “If you do something to that fool you are the one that’s going to get into trouble.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You can’t pull anything over on me. I’m your brother. I know when you’re about to hurt somebody. How many times have you saved me on the streets when we were younger? I know the things James has done to you and I understand your anger. Hell you’re a better man than I am because I would have beat the hell out of him the second time he made me pregnant with so many babies…ow, dang you didn’t have to hit me.” Israel quickly corrected the small swerve of the car before rubbing his shoulder. “I’m just tryin’ to lighten the atmosphere.”
“If you could just hear the things he says about them. You would slap him in the mouth. The fool just terminated his parental rights to them. He doesn’t want to be their father, idiot. They’re beautiful children.”
“The best I’ve seen for their age which is why you need to rethink what you’re planning. Do you want to get arrested? What will happen to the children? I’m the last person you want raising your kids. I have a hard time with the discipline and anyway the courts would probably laugh at a single man becoming parent to a tribe.”
“Don’t I know it? Anyway it’s not just about the kids. James went into my account last week and stole $15,000.00. I want it back.”
“Call the police.”
“Did. They considered it a joint account. Stupid me, I had changed the others and forgot about that one. I let him get away with selling the SUV because the law made him give me half the selling price, but I’ve had it. It was his payday yesterday and he keeps his money in his pocket. The fool always keeps his money in his pocket. I want my money. If I can’t get it all I’ll take whatever I can get.”
“I know I can’t change your mind,” Israel, spared a couple of quick glances from the traffic to examine O’Shay’s face. “Just don’t hurt him so bad you end up in prison. If at all possible, talk first.”
O’Shay fingered the rings within her pocket as she contemplated the idea of taking his advice.
“I will. Don’t worry. No one knows where I’m going and no one knows your car. I’ll park it out of sight and wait for James.”
“I’m serious, Shay. Try to talk first.” Israel, arriving at his destination, put the car in park.
“I will. Now, get out and go do whatever you have to do. I’ll be back to pick you up, I promise.”
After leaving Israel, O’Shay pulled into the parking lot of the furniture making business and parked Israel’s car in the midst of six to seven other vehicles. Pulling her bag from the backseat she opened it and slid her hands into the soft leather of the fingerless gloves. From the pocket of her jeans she pulled out the eight bulky rings and pushed them onto her fingers as she scanned the parking lot. There were no windows from the building to the back of the lot and as usual no one was loitering around. Getting out of the car she walked to where James’ car was parked and waited for him to come out. The wait wasn’t long. As soon as James saw her he angrily rushed towards her and didn’t stop until they were practically nose to nose.
“What are you doing here? Get the hell away from my job.”
He spat the words into her face which caused small splatters of spittle landed across her lips and she closed her eyes in disgust. Wiping her lips with the back of her hand she tried to put a space between them, but was pulled short by the grip he had on her arms.
“I came to ask you nicely and for the last time to give me my money.” Standing stiffly she looked down at his hands on her arms and back up into his face. Sneering at him in disgust, she twisted her arms to elicit a release. “I suggest you let me loose. I didn’t come here to let you man-handle me.”
James laughed and tightened his grip, the nails of his fingers digging into her arms. This was one of his favorite holds and she had obviously given him the impression that it worked. Never releasing the hold he had on her, James stepped back a little and looked her up and down. He tightened his grip even further when he took in the gloved hands. Moving his hands to hold both wrists within one tight grip he laughed.
“Oh, you came to fight? Great place, no witnesses, your loss.”
Before she could gauge his intention James pulled back his other arm and slapped her as hard as he could. O’Shay rocked from the impact and would have fallen had it not been for the hold he still held on her arm.
Using all of her training to fight the urge to pass out, back down and cry, she used his grip and his obvious bravado at his attack on her against him. With a few quick movements she had him flipped over, flat on the asphalt and stunned from the two quick blows to the head. Kneeling over him she rolled him to his side.
“Stupid little man, do you know how many times in our marriage I could have stumped you down? Did you forget about my karate and all of the belts I won?” Pushing her hand into his back pocket, she pulled out his money clip and removed all but three of the bills. “Silly me, loving you and taking whatever you dished out. From now on I’ll only take what you took from me, my dignity.”
Watching James laying dazed as she folded the money and put it into her pocket, O’Shay struggled with herself not to kick him in the head. At the sound of the building’s door opening, she pulled the gloves from her fingers and stuffed them either side of her pants into the large cargo styled pockets. Leaning her butt on the car behind her she forced tears from her eyes and made loud hysterical sobbing sounds. It wasn’t long before she heard the feet of the men entering the parking lot running towards her. By the time they neared the couple, James obviously dazed and unaware of the approaching men, was standing in front of her menacingly.
“O’Shay, are you okay? What are you doing here?” James’ friend Peltry, a solid do right family man, approached and stood in front of her holding her hands and trying to see into her face, but she kept her eyes down afraid she wouldn’t be able to lie.
“I’m fine.” She wiped blood from her lip. “James told me he had some money that belonged to me. When I get here he wants to fight.”
“Stand straight, James.” Another co-worker held him up by his arms. “Do you want us to call the police?”
“No, I can handle it from now on. This is the last time I ever want to deal with you James. Next time I won’t be so nice.” She turned, her heart pounding fast and walked towards Israel’s car without directing a glance towards James. Opening the door and sliding behind the steering wheel and starting the car, O’Shay gave one last look at James’ pitiful countenance and had to restrain herself from getting out and hitting him again.
“Are you sure? You have witnesses now and you’ll regret it tomorrow.”
“Naw, I’m sure. I won’t regret anything ever again.”
Starting the car she drove away.
The Battle is not Between Us
A woman is accosted in her home by the wife of a co-worker.
Turning the burner off under the pot of rice and wiping the flour from her hands onto the front of her jeans, Quentin Alexander went to answer the knock on the apartment’s door.
The simultaneous opening of the door and the power of the unanticipated punch in the face knocked her flat to the floor. Without a pause a body landed on her stomach and she was immediately struggling and blocking blows to her face. Adrenaline rushed through her veins like electricity through wires. Her heart felt ready to burst from fear and confusion.
Unable to return any of the blows that made contact with her body Quentin concentrated on blocking the blows to her face by holding her arms in a crossed position. Afraid the stranger beating her would kill her, she wrapped her legs around the lower torso of the person above. She pushed her crossed arms into the chest of the assailant and at the same time rolled her body until she was on the top of what she now knew to be a woman. The quick roll of the self-defense move had her as superior and she looked into the stunned gaze of her attacker.
Breathing heavily, Quentin sat on the woman’s legs and held her straining arms stretched above her head and pinned to the floor.
“Be still because if you hit me again I will kill you. Who the hell are you?” she questioned.
“I’m Josiah’s wife.”
“What?”
“Don’t try to act like you don’t know.”
“He’s not married. I asked him.”
The woman bucked her body to try and knock Quentin off.
“You are a liar.” She bucked again. “Get the hell off of me.”
“Hey, you’re a damned maniac. Bustin’ in my house and attacking me. I don’t know what you’ll do next. For all I know you could have a gun. I should call the police.” Quentin bounced on the woman’s legs. “Be still.”
Quentin, taking advantage of the power of her position to lift the woman’s head and chest for enough off the floor that the impact of the thrush downward would jar when her head hit the floor, Quentin slammed it down to her second command of be still.
“Hell,” she gritted through her teeth. “You’re the one that has been screwing with my husband.”
“Whoa, wait a minute. Let’s get a couple of facts straight. I’ve only known him three weeks. No sleeping around here.”
Using her hands she pressed her weight into the woman’s chest and stomach to aid her in crossing over and standing, Quentin climbed across the woman, stood. Grabbing the loose ends of her below shoulder length hair in one hand she stooped to retrieve the rubber band torn from the strands in the struggle and started to return it to the ponytail style she had been wearing. Her hands were shaking too much and she tossed the band on the island countertop in the kitchen.
Glaring at the heavily breathing woman still lying on the floor Quentin took two cokes from the refrigerator and walked back into the living room. What she wanted to do was bash the can in Josiah’s wife’s face, instead she silently handed the woman one before taking a seat on the couch.
From the corner of her eye Quentin watched as the woman opened the can, took a sip and rubbed her empty hand across her face with shaky movements. Taking a big gulp from her own can, Quentin leaned her head back while keeping her glance on the woman from the corner of her eye.
“What’s your name?” she asked.
“Shanel.”
“I’ll tell you this much, Shanel,” she sat up and pointed her finger at Josiah’s wife. “Before you think about bustin’ into some other woman’s home you’d better lose a little weight, take some self-defense classes and then change your mind and kick Josiah’s sorry ass. Hey, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you’re fat.” she raised her hands in a defensive mode. “I’m just sayin’ you’re breathing all hard like you’re gonna have a heart attack and If you hadn’t caught me by surprise I could have hurt you.” She looked at the strands of her hair entangled in the rubber band. “And why the hell did you come to fight me? Do you see how much of my hair you pulled out?” She tossed the band towards the woman and it hit her in the face. “This shit right here,” Quentin lifted a hand full of hair to show and then let it fall back down. “Is real and your pulling it hurt like hell.” Quentin got up quickly, rushed across the room and examined her face in the mirror. “Oh my God, you better be glad I don’t have any photo shoots for the next two weeks or I would press charges on you.” She looked at the woman searchingly. “You must not have any children.”
“We have two, a two year old girl and a three month old boy.” She answered after taking another sip from her can.
“Oh, that explains the mushy body. Okay, sorry that was low of me.” Quentin raised her hands in the air and apologized at the look the woman gave her. “Well, I can tell you definitely don’t care about your children. You could have been killed. You don’t know me. You don’t know what kind of weapon I have in this house. I feel like coming over there and slapping some sense into you. I can’t get over you bustin’ in my house and hitting me in the face.”
“I can’t get over you screwing with my husband.”
“Whoa, wait a minute. I’m not messing with your damn husband. I met him three weeks ago and went out with him once. He’s not my type. He said he was not tied to anyone, not married and didn’t have any children. This battle you wanna have is not between you and me it belongs between you and Josiah. Get off the floor and sit on the chair over there.”
Quentin pointed to a chair across from the couch she was sitting on, watching closely in case the woman decided to make a sneak attack.
“What’s your name again?”
“Shanel.” Shanel flopped dejectedly in the chair and wiped a tear from the corner of her left eye. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have come here, but you are the third person he has been with within the past year. The others I know were just one night stands, but you…He has been away from home every night. The only name I hear is Quentin. At first I thought you were a guy and y’all were hanging out, but he became obsessed. When he started putting magazines around the house with your picture on it…I lost it. There you were female, skinny as hell, beautiful and sleeping with my husband.”
“You know something, Shanel, I don’t want to be your friend, but I have to tell you this. Not every woman your husband meets wants to sleep with him. I for one do not. He is not as ‘all that’ as you think.
Shanel made as if to stand and protest.
“Hey, sit back down.” Quinten raised a finger as a warning. ‘I’m not kidding and you’re wasting your time trying to defend him to me. Do you think I want a slime that’s playing around on his family? He denied you guys. Here you are endangering your life over someone who carelessly throws you aside. And I can bet this is not the first time. Do you always chase after the woman?
Shanel looked Quinten in the eyes and slowly lowered her head.
“What is your problem? How many times do you think you can fight the other woman?”
“I don’t always ‘fight’ them.”
“What else do you do?”
“Scratch up their car, reroute their mail. Whatever.”
“You had better not ever scratch my Jag. I’ll break your fingers off. Whoa, wait a minute. Are you the reason my lights were turned off last week?”
Shanel let out a little laugh.
“You may think it is funny, but I had to go through hell to get them back on and had to pay another deposit.”
Shanel laughed again.
“You sit there thinking this bull crap is funny? Wait a minute.”
Quinten slammed the half empty can on the coffee table and went to get her cell phone from her purse. She searched through the phone for a moment before pushing the buttons and turning to stare Shanel in the face as she talked.
“Hey Josiah.” Smiling at the utter shock that came across Shanel’s face she continued her side of the conversation. “Can you come over?”
Shanel rushed over to try and take the phone. Swinging and pushing in her effort to grab the receiver. Quinten strongly elbowed Shanel off her back.
“Right now would be fine.” Shanel came back. Swinging her hand hard Quinten smacked Shanel in the face. “I know this is strange for me to call, but I really want you to come over. I have something for you. What? You have to go to your mother’s home. Can you stop by my place first?” Quinten continued to fight Shanel off while speaking in her sexiest tones which proved to be Josiah’s down fall. “You’ll come? Oh, great. Let me make sure you have the directions.”
Disconnecting the call, Quinten turned to Shanel and smacked her in the face with the heel of her hand to stop her continuing attack.
“Grow up, Shanel and save your fight for your husband.”
“Why did you call him here?”
“Because you are taking this as a joke and I want to make sure you have it straight in your mind this battle is not between us. I don’t want either of you to ever darken my world again.”
“He’s only going to lie when he sees me.”
“He won’t see you because you will be in the other room listening. This is the only way for you to see the man as he is. I’m not your family and I don’t want to be your friend. I want you to face facts and never threaten any part of my life again.”
“He’s going to be angry.”
“About what? You’ll be in the other room. He’ll never know you were here. You’re trying to gain ammunition here girl. If you pay attention and get enough you have a bomb and you blow his little cheating lies out the water. Get smart. Oh, that’s right you’re not.” Quinten continued with her sarcastic tone as she returned to her seat on the couch. “You’re the ignorant kind that attacks the woman instead of the man that is supposed to be faithful to you. Okay if confrontational is how you want to play this out, you need to stand behind the door and after he is in close it and we’ll take it from there.”
“Fine.” Shanel paced the room, her anger seeming to build with every step. “I’m tired of his mess anyway. It’s time to face him and let him know what I know. We’ve been married four years and he started cheating on me at the wedding with my best friend’s little sister.”
Quinten stood.
“That’s more than I want to know. Sit down and calm down. I’m going to call a friend to come over in about fifteen minutes as a backup in case things get too rough for us. Manny lives upstairs. He’s six feet seven and a professional boxer. Josiah is going to be pissed and even though I believe I can handle myself I’m not for fightin’ no man unless I have no choice.”
“Do what you gotta do. Call whoever you want.”
*****
For the ten minutes before Josiah arrived both women sat opposite each other totally silent and engrossed in their own thoughts. When the doorbell rang the piercing clanging sound caused them both to startle.
Quinten looked at her watch and walked to the door.
“I hope that’s Josiah and not Manny.”
Quinten, hand on the knob of the door, waited for Shanel to slip to the side and stand with her back against the wall.
“Hi, Josiah. Come on in.”
Looking over Josiah’s shoulder as he entered the room, Quinten saw Manny silently coming down the stairs and mouthed the words…five minutes before closing the door. When she turned around to face Josiah and give a response to his comment about the great neighborhood she lived in, the fear and shock on his face froze the words in her throat. Following his gaze to her right, she saw Shanel standing with a gun pointed in Josiah’s direction and his fear became her fear and she dared not move.
“Shaney, honey. What are you doing here? Put the gun down. Let’s not do this here.”
“Where should we do it? Should we start at the next woman’s house? I’m tired of making myself look like a fool. This is it. It’s between me and you now and I’m tired. Tired of hearing your lies and taking abuse from you just because you think it makes you right.”
Without another word, Shanel pulled the trigger. The bullet hit Josiah in the middle of the head and it seemed to crack like an egg. None of that cute little one hole stuff they show on TV and Quinten covered her mouth in horror, shock and sickness before falling to her knees. The loudness from the shot seeming to echo in her ears as the force of the door being pushed open caused her to fall flat on her face. Her hands spread and slid into the spreading moistness of blood soaking into the carpet.
Manny stepped over Quinten before lifting, walking over and laying her to the couch.
“Don’t look.” He pressed her back down. “They’re both dead. I heard the two shots. I was just about to knock on the door when I heard the first and the second came right after. Who were they?”
“People who thought they could bring their battles into other people’s lives.
The Cooking Class
Carmella slowly walked around the room, pausing frequently to encourage or give instructions to the ten members of her Cooking for Love of Health cooking class. She had purposely gone counter clock wise so that she would end her rounds with Franklin. Shy beautiful Franklin Henderson. She could hardly remember the first day each waken moment had become filled with the thought of Franklin or when her every heartbeat had throbbed to the rhythm of his name. Carmella watched Franklin from the corner of her eye as she neared his station, no matter how much he tried to hide it, she would see him tremble every time she entered his presence and it intrigued and excited her.
Franklin stared at the cutting board as he sliced and diced onions and bell peppers. He could hardly concentrate. He watched Carmella from the corner of his eyes as she stopped and made a comment to the other class members in turn and the anticipation of having her by his side made him shiver. He amazed himself at the near misses he made at the tips of his fingers. The scent of her perfume filled his nostrils even above the odor of the onions. Carmella Candi. What is in a name? Everything, she was beautiful, the beautiful smooth color of caramel candy. Probably the reason her parents named her such a sweet name. He just wanted to spend time with her to see if she was as sweet….
“Franklin, if we were really cooking and you continued chopping those veggies like that you wouldn’t have anything to put in your pot.” Carmella touched his left shoulder as she looked over his right. The fall of her hair fell across her brow and brushed the collar of his shirt. She pushed it back and hooked it behind her ear as she continued talking. “And if you don’t be careful, you’ll be adding a few fingertips. Okay class lets…” Carmella drifted away from his station to stand in the middle of the room.
Looking around and subconsciously hoping no one had noticed how he was feeling, Franklin stared straight into the eyes of the only other guy in the room. Smirking in a knowing fashion, Bernard shook his head as if in pity before turning his attention to Carmella. Franklin started to clean his station. The class was almost over, it would be another week before he would see her again and he still hadn’t gotten the nerves to ask her out. Setting the station in order while working out in his mind just the right scenario for asking her, he missed the end of class instructions and slowly followed the only other straggler walking out of the room. Another want to be suitor, only this guy spent most of the class openly throwing hints. Hints she was able to ignore while Franklin found himself having to restrain his every muscle from busting the guy in the head with a meat mallet. As Franklin neared the door the guy slowed to turn back around and Carmella reached out and grabbed Franklin by the sleeve of his shirt.
“Hey, Franklin can I talk to you for a minute?”
“Uh, yeah.” Franklin cleared his throat. “What’s up?”
“You can go ahead Bernard.”
“I thought I would walk you to your car.” Bernard leaned his shoulder against the door’s jab.
“That’s okay. Franklin will walk me. Won’t you Franklin? I have a few things I need to discuss with him. Go on.”
Bernard slowly straightened and gave Franklin a measuring look. For a moment Franklin thought the guy was going to buck up to him and he purposely switched his coat to his left arm. He wanted to poke out is chest hold out his arms and give the ‘what ya gonna do’ chest popping pose, but again he restrained himself.
“Don’t worry man. I can walk her. It won’t be a problem.” He answered.
Standing silently they watched Bernard as he walked to the end of the hallway and got into the elevator. Franklin turned to Carmella.
“What did you want to talk to me about?”
“Nothing really, I just didn’t want to get in the elevator with him. Last week it took almost thirty minutes to get him to let me get in my car. Can’t take ‘no’ for an answer.”
“Wow, it’s that bad? “ He moved through the doorway when she gave him a little push. “I knew he liked you, but I can go and put a little hurt on him if you want me to. I’m a third degree black belt.” Franklin smiled. “If you think that’s too violent I can hit him with a little of my Tae Bo moves.”
Carmella laughed softly and pulled the room door shut behind them.
“Naw, that’s okay.” She locked the door and started to walk towards the elevator. “Come on. He’s probably still down there.”
Entering the elevator Carmella stood to the wall, crossed her arms and rested her back. She really wanted to ask him out, but hadn’t gotten brazen enough to initiate the asking. Franklin standing facing the door, fiddling with his coat button and watching her in the doors reflective surface cleared his throat nervously when he saw that she was watching him.
“So Franklin, why are you taking a cooking class?”
He coughed.
“Huh?”
“Why are you taking a class? You don’t have a wife or girlfriends you’re trying to impress do you?”
“Uhm, no.”
“Then why take the class? It’s not like you ever pay attention.” She pushed away from the wall as the door opened on to the basement floor parking garage. “If you were acting like one of the other hundred guys who have taken the class and spent most of the evening trying to hit me up I would think you liked me, but you say nothing.” She walked out of the door, pulling his sleeve as she exited. “Come on. My car is over here.”
He followed her without telling her he knew her car, had known it for weeks before he had even decided to take the cooking class. For one thing it wasn’t hard to remember her car, no one else he knew drove a little red Aston Martin and for the past year they have attended the same church even though he tried to stay out of her way.
“How can you afford this car teaching people how to cut onions and celery?”
“I cut a lot of onion and celery.”
“Right.”
“You know, Franklin.” She pushed the button on her key’s chain and opened the car’s door. Sliding into the driver’s seat she placed her finger near the button that would start the car and paused. “If you want to wait until you have gone through a few more classes before you ask me out its okay. I won’t tell you ‘no’, but please ask before you cut your fingers off.” She started the car. “I don’t think it would be fun to date someone without fingers, won’t be able to use chopsticks.” Carmella laughed, pulled the door from his hands and drove off. At the first stoplight she pulled out her cell and called her best friend.
“Girl, I don’t know what to say.” She sighed softly. “Yeah, he walked me to the car tonight. I have given him many opportunities to ask me for a date. No, I don’t think he’s gay. I can tell by the way he’s always checking me out. I know he likes me so tomorrow after singles night at church I’m going to ask him for coffee so we can talk. Yeah, he’ll be there. He’s always there and every other single female in the congregation will be there trying to prey on him. It’s now or never. Girl I know. I….” Continuing her conversations with her friends Carmella tried to remove the image of a stunned Franklin from her mind.
******
Left standing alone in the damp chilly night air, Franklin admonished himself for being such a chicken as he put on his coat and watched the last chance of the evening slip away with the click of Carmella’s car’s door closing. Turning he walked a few steps over and got into the passenger seat of the waiting car. Banging his fist on the dashboard in frustration he took a deep breath and prepared himself to hear the ridicule from his roommate.
“I guess that means you still didn’t ask her out, huh?”
“What do you think? And here’s something, Bernard why’d she tell me it took nearly thirty minutes for her to get you to let her go last week? I asked you to just make sure she got to her car safely.”
“Man, I was just tryin’ to do you a favor.” Bernard pulled into the busy traffic. “It got her to get you tonight, right? Man, you have been in love with this girl a long time. What’s your problem? You used to be the player. No girl could get away from you.”
“I don’t know what the problem is. I’m not the person I used to be and chasing women just doesn’t seem to be the game I wanna play anymore. Something about the way I feel for her is just different. I don’t want to mess up with her.”
“How long are we going to be doing this? I can’t continue to lie and be an idiot in the class. I’m supposed to be a man of God, a man of integrity.
They pulled up outside of the house they shared and went on in. Bernard threw his coat on a chair and walked into the kitchen. He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and a banana from the cabinet before returning to the living room and flopping onto the couch. With his feet on the coffee table he pointed the banana at Franklin and shook it for emphasis.
“This act I’m putting on for you is making me look like a jerk and when you marry the girl she will never like me because she’ll think I’m a liar and a fake. Can’t have that, Man you promised I could be the first kid’s godfather.” Brandon caught the falling half of banana and stuffed it into his mouth.
“We’re not even dating yet and you have us married with children.”
“I can just see it.” Bernard’s voice was muffled by the mouth full of fruit. “I know she is the one God has sent for you. I just feel it. She’s into the church, on fire for God and she doesn’t sleep around. Believe me I know. I think she would have pushed me in front of her car and run me over if she could have gotten away with it. I was being one of the most obnoxious guys I could think of. The old ladies in the class today were really ticked at me. One of them passed behind me acting as if she were going to the sink and whispered in my ear that she would hit me in the head with her rolling pin if I didn’t start to behave. Man, I can’t be gettin’ beat up by old women just so you can walk Ms. Carmella Candi to her beautiful little red car. If you don’t tell her something before the next class I’m going to have to exonerate myself by standing in front of the class and telling Carmella the truth. This is starting to get embarrassing.”
“I know, I know. I just don’t know what to say.”
“Let’s start with tonight. What did she say when you were alone in the elevator. You did talk to her, right? No? Why not? Man you missed a good chance. Okay, what about when you were standing by her car?”
“In the elevator she asked me why I was taking the class and I couldn’t answer. I was so embarrassed at being caught staring at her reflection on the doors and when we were by her car she told me I could wait to ask her out on a date after a few more classes but to hurry before I cut off my fingers. And then she laughed about something about not being able to use chopsticks.”
Bernard choked on the gulp of water he had just taken and began to laugh heartily through the strangling coughs and the near vicious thumps on his back from Franklin.
“Man, even she knows how much you like her. If you don’t step to the plate soon she will think you’re a wimp or worse ‘gay’ and put you out of her mind. You have her cell phone number call her. Wait, where you goin’?” he called to Franklin’s retreating back. “Franklin Emmanuel Henderson, do I have to act like your momma and call you out? Man up and call the woman. What can you lose?”
"What do you mean ‘call me out’?” Turned walked back into the room. Don’t you know I know you’ve been calling me a wimp ever since I got in your car? You have fallen back on your old habit of calling me ‘Man’. You only do that when you want to call me a punk or a wimp, but you’re too afraid I’ll whip you up. So you call me ‘Man’.
“True. You know me well.” Bernard moved across the room to stand in front of his friend and point his finger in his face. “We’ve been friends way before we could walk and I haven’t seen you like this before. She is a great girl. I’m just sayin’ don’t let her get away from you.” Bernard pushed Franklin in the chest with his open palm as he walked past. “Tomorrow is singles night at church. She’ll be there so if you’re not ready to call her tonight, you had better be ready tomorrow. Man, I can’t keep living here with you. I have to have my house for my own wife. If we stay together too long, people will start getting the wrong impression. I have a prospect myself and I can’t talk to her while I’m helping you. I don’t even want to give ‘my girl’ the impression I’m a player and I’m not going to let her pass me by. You have until tomorrow night.”
Franklin watched Bernard as he went into his own bedroom. It was a fact he and Bernard had grown up in the same crib. Their mother’s had been friends up until they had died together in a car accident four years previously. Franklin and Bernard had found comfort through their grief by moving into Bernard’s family home. Bernard had helped him to keep his faith in God when his mother’s death had devastated him to the core and he had to face the fact he would be alone in the world. As wonderful as Bernard had been in sharing his home, he didn’t want to over stay his welcome or ruin his friend’s life. Tomorrow night it would have to be.
******
Activating the electronic garage door opener, Carmella swung the car into the driveway and nearly hit the slow rising double doors. It wasn’t that the door was slow, just that she had been so engrossed in her conversation about Franklin she had forgotten to push the button until she was four houses from her driveway.
The entire forty-five minute drive had been almost a three-way argument (friendly though it had been) between her best friends Ivy, Leanna and herself. They had done their best to persuade her to get her mind off Franklin and to try and find a ‘real’ man as Leanna called every other guy, but Franklin.
“If he were a real man,” Leanna had stated, “He would have kissed you in the elevator.”
“He would have at least tried something.” Ivy had agreed. “The man has issues.”
“I don’t believe he does.” Carmella climbed out of the car. Grabbing purse, bags and other paraphernalia while holding tightly to the cell phone squeezed tightly between her ear and her shoulder. “I think he likes to take things slow.”
Carmella simultaneously pushed the disarming button on her key ring with her thumbnail and turned the door knob to enter the kitchen. As the door swung inward she was smacked in the chest by two large furry paws and licked from chin to forehead and nearly fell backwards.
“Hold on a minute….Cupcake move out of the way.” She nudged the Australian Wolfhound
With her knee, pushed the door shut with her butt and moved into the kitchen. Dropping everything on the island in the middle of the kitchen she continued talking to her friends.
“Okay, what were we saying?”
“You know that’s a crazy name for such a huge dog.” Ivy answered.
“Yeah, but it fit him when he was a puppy. He was so small and sweet.”
“Goes to show how delusional you are. You just fall in love with whatever or ‘whomever’,” she stressed. “That fits your fancy.”
“Not fit my fancy, but fall into my heart and I’m never wrong. Cupcake loves me as I’m sure Franklin does.”
“How can you be so sure this Franklin loves you?”
“I just know. You wouldn’t understand.”
“I bet it has something to do with church and God or something like that.”
“You know it. I don’t want to get in a heated debate with you Leanna, not tonight. I just know what I believe and I don’t have a reason to doubt it. Tomorrow night is the Bible study at church and I’m going to come right out and ask Franklin to go out for coffee afterwards. I’m going to try to get him to admit some of his feelings.”
“Good luck. From what you tell me, he won’t say anything.”
“How much do you wanna bet?” Knowing those words represented a serious challenge to Ivy Carmella giggled.
“Are you serious? Girl, you know you gonna look good paying my way to a Third Day concert. If that little man doesn’t ask you out I want to see that concert.”
“And what if he does ask me out? What am I going to get?”
“You get him.”
Carmella could feel herself blushing as she smiled and was glad her friends couldn’t see what she knew was probably a stupid look on her face.
“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Leanna asked.
Ivy clicked her tongue. “She’s probably looking all stupid as she fantasies about being with Franklin.”
“You guys know me too well. I have to go anyway. Cupcake is sniffing through the bags trying to get at the snacks I bought him and I still have work to do on my research before I get to bed. I’ll call you in the morning on my way to the office and then I’ll let you know how things went when I get home tomorrow night.”
*****
“Hey, Franklin come sit by me.” Carmella moved her laptop bag from the chair nearest her and tapped her fingers on its seat cushion.
“Hello Carmella.” Side sliding between the rows of chairs Franklin begged forgiveness from the two giggling women sitting nearest Carmella before he sat down. Leaning close he whispered in her ear. “Did you see one of them touch my bottom?”
“I saw both of them do it.”
“Seriously? I thought I was imagining things.”
“People tend to use church as a pick-up place. That’s why I want you to sit by me. What made you come near me tonight? You usually sit way over there like you’re hiding.Speaking of hiding there are some people I wish I wouldn’t see. Where is Bernard? It’s hard to get away from him.” She looked around. “I don’t see him anywhere.”
“About Bernard, I need to talk to you about him.”
“What? You didn’t give him a taste of your Tae Bo moves did you?”
“No.” He laughed. “Listen I really want to talk to you after this is over. Can we go get some coffee or something?”
“Sure. Oh look there’s Bernard.” She smacked the side of Franklin’s head with her bag in her quickness to raise it and mark the empty chair beside him as taken. “Put my bag in the seat next to you so he’ll sit somewhere else.”
Carmella tossed her bag across Franklin’s lap where it landed with a thump and jingle of keys.
“Don’t be mean, Carmella.” Bernard sidled past the two women and nonchalantly picked up the bag, sat down and held it in his lap. “You’re in church. Hey, Man.” He raised his head in Franklin’s direction. “I hear this is supposed to be a real enlightening night. What do you think, Man?”
“You can stop calling me that. Carmella and I are going out for coffee tonight to talk.”
Bernard leaned back in the chair folded his arms across the chest.
“Thank you, God.” He sighed deeply.
