A House Divided (10 page)

I
t was just before five. Curtis was on his way home but still hadn’t heard back from Charlotte. He’d called her again about five minutes ago, his fourth time since talking to Matthew, but she hadn’t answered. Two years ago, when she hadn’t answered her phone, she’d been out drinking and sleeping with another man. Then, last year, she’d taken to the bottle again and had ignored a good number of his phone calls, too. But outside of those sort of isolated incidents, this kind of thing was totally unlike her, and he was starting to worry; especially since she knew they had dinner reservations for six. It was the reason he’d showered and changed in his private bathroom and dressing area at the church, so they could leave as soon as he got home.

Curtis headed down the street and dialed their home number. Maybe Charlotte’s cell wasn’t working.

“Hi, Mr. Curtis,” Agnes said.

“Hey, is Charlotte around?”

“No. I picked up Curtina a couple of hours ago, but I haven’t seen Miss Charlotte since this morning. She met Miss Janine.”

“Yeah, she told me, but I’ve been calling her all afternoon.”

“That’s strange,” she said.

“I thought so, too. I think I’ll call Janine to see if they’re still together.”

“Oh, and right after Miss Charlotte left, Racquel called. I was at the grocery store, but I saw her number on the caller ID when I got back. So, if you talk to her, please tell her.”

“I will.”

Curtis ended the call and searched for Janine’s number in his contact list. She answered right away.

“Hey, Curtis.”

“How’s it going?”

“Fine. Happy Valentine’s Day.”

“Same to you. But hey, do you know where Charlotte is?”

“No. We left the Tuxson around three, and we were only there for an hour and a half because of a little run-in she had with Vanessa.”

“Matthew told me, and that’s why I was trying to call her.”

“It was very sad, Curtis. Then after Vanessa took the baby back to her table, we ate our lunch, and Charlotte said she was ready to go. Said she couldn’t sit there any longer watching her grandson lying in the arms of that ‘witch.’”

“I just wish she would stop this.”

“I do, too. I tried to tell her that seeing the baby a couple of times a week is a lot, but she wouldn’t hear it. Anyway, when we left the restaurant, we got in our cars, and I haven’t heard from her.”

“Okay, well, I’m sorry to bother you with this.”

“No problem. Let me know if she doesn’t turn up soon.”

“I will. Say hello to Carl, and take care.”

Curtis pressed the End button. Where in the world was she? There was always something going on with Charlotte. She was never satisfied for more than a few months, and though he was trying his best to be understanding, his patience was wearing thin. It had only been eight months since they’d reconciled and gotten their marriage back on track, yet now a whole other problem was brewing because of little MJ. Of course, Curtis didn’t even want to think about his own mess that might soon be discovered because he wasn’t sure his marriage, ministry, or anything else could survive it. This thing he’d done was just that bad, and he needed to prepare for the worst.

Curtis turned down the street leading to their home, and his phone rang. Finally.

“Baby, where have you been?” he asked.

“Driving around.”

“Where?”

“I had a bad day, and I needed to think.”

“What about our dinner reservation?”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I can’t go to dinner. I have a lot on my mind, and I need to be alone. I need to clear my head.”

“Why? Because of what happened at the restaurant?”

“That’s exactly why. I’m tired of Vanessa and her daughter and these games they keep playing. I’m sick of it.”

“Well, Matt’s sick of it, too. He called me earlier all upset. He was so worked up, he talked about withdrawing from school.”

“I’ll talk to him,” she said.

“He has an important test tomorrow, so I really wish you wouldn’t.”

“I don’t want him quitting school, Curtis. Especially for that tramp.”

“Why are you calling her that? What has that girl ever done to you?”

“She’s keeping my grandson from me. At first I blamed Vanessa, but today I realized the two of them are in this together. Neither of them want me to see MJ.”

“That’s ridiculous. And even if they do ignore your phone calls or act like they don’t want to have anything to do with you, it’s because of the way you treated them from the start. I told you that a few weeks ago.”

“And I’m telling
you
that I’m not backing down when it comes to my own son.”

“You mean ‘grandson,’ don’t you?”

“That’s what I said.”

“No, you said, ‘son.’”

“You know what I meant, Curtis.”

He pulled into the beginning of their driveway, opened his window, pressed the button to the iron gate, and waited for it to open. “Look, when are you coming home?”

“I told you I need to be alone.”

“So I guess it doesn’t matter to you that it’s Valentine’s Day?”

“It does, but I can’t help how I feel. I can’t help the way Racquel and Vanessa are treating me.”

“You never cease to amaze me,” he said, driving up the long winding path. He parked in the circle between the sprawling brick mansion and the fountain.

“I’ll be home tomorrow,” she said.

“Tomorrow?”

“I’m sorry, but I need this time away, Curtis. I know you don’t understand, but I promise things will be different when I get home. I’ll have a whole new attitude.”

Curtis got out of the SUV. Her spending the night somewhere else was killing him, but he would never let her know how hurt he was. “I know one thing. If I find out you’re having another affair, you might as well start packing.”

“I would never do that.”

“You have before.”

“But I won’t again. I just need some time to think and relax my mind. That’s all.”

“Good-bye, Charlotte,” he said, and went into the house.

S
he’d already made up her mind, but after speaking to Curtis, Charlotte knew there was no other way except to follow through on her decision. Because of rush-hour traffic, her drive from Mitchell to downtown Chicago had taken her nearly two hours, so she’d had a lot of time to think. She’d debated her options back and forth, but then she’d finally come up with the perfect plan, the perfect solution—and the only logical thing that had to be done if she were to ever have a true relationship with her grandson.

Still, it hadn’t been until she’d heard the disgust in Curtis’s voice a few minutes ago that she’d known he would never side with her, and that he would never fully understand her position. Even as she’d checked into this fabulous hotel, she’d been hoping her husband would wake up. She’d prayed for him to see what she saw. They were losing their one and only grandchild, but unfortunately, Curtis was clueless.

Charlotte sat in the armchair across from the king-size bed, with her legs resting on the ottoman, and eyed the minibar. Ever since checking into her suite, she’d been trying not to take another drink the way she had at the Tuxson, but she needed something to relax her nerves, something to prepare her for the days ahead. To a certain extent, she was also a little depressed, but mostly she felt abandoned. Over the last two weeks, she’d thought maybe Racquel would warm up to her and would bring MJ over more often, but after seeing him only twice last week and twice the week before, it had been clear that this was the best it was ever going to be.

Charlotte just wished everyone understood where she was coming from. Even Curtis had gone as far as saying she was obsessed and overbearing, and her own son believed she was self-centered and controlling. He’d actually told her that while they were speaking on the phone, and she hadn’t forgotten it. Then, there was that witch, Vanessa, and her gold-digging daughter who thought Charlotte was Satan’s sister, and even Janine had acted as though she disagreed with Charlotte’s desire to see her grandson as much as possible. Charlotte didn’t know what kind of best friend that was. The only reason she wouldn’t hold it against Janine, though, was because she knew she and Carl were having problems. Nonetheless, Charlotte felt forsaken and blackballed by everyone, all except her mother, and that saddened her.

Charlotte stared at the minibar again but fought the urge to open it. Instead, she decided it was time she called Matthew, because there was no telling what that Racquel had told him. Vanessa had likely tossed in her two cents, too, and Charlotte could only imagine what Matthew was thinking.

She dialed his number, and he answered on the third ring.

“Hello?”

“Hey, son, how are you?”

“Fine.” His tone was as dry as two dead leaves, so she knew this wouldn’t go well. Still, she had to try to talk to him.

“Is this a bad time?”

“I’m studying.”

“I really need to talk to you.”

“About what? Racquel already told me what happened, so I hope you’re not calling me about that.”

“All I want is to see my grandson, Matt. You said I could see him whenever I wanted, but Racquel hardly brings him over. And I still don’t see what’s so wrong with us keeping him for the weekend. I’ve had two children, so I certainly know how to take care of a newborn—which is more than I can say for Racquel and her mother.”

“And what is that supposed to mean?”

“That if they knew any better, they never would have brought MJ to that restaurant in the first place.”

“I’m sure MJ is just fine. But let me ask you this, Mom. Would you have turned
me
over to someone else for the weekend right after I was born?”

“Your grandparents kept you all the time.”

“Mom, that’s only because you lived with them. Just like Racquel lives with her parents. But it’s not like you would have dropped me off somewhere else. But regardless, I really don’t have time for this,” he said.

“Okay, just a few more minutes.”

“Now what?”

“She won’t even return my phone calls. I called her this morning, and I never heard from her.”

“Racquel told me she left you a message.”

“Matt, if she was really trying to get in touch with me, she would have called my cell.”

“Whatever, but the bottom line is this: there’s no way you should expect to see MJ every single day and then keep him an entire weekend.”

Charlotte swung her legs off of the ottoman and scooted closer to the edge of the chair. “So what are you saying?”

“That Racquel will continue to bring the baby over one time during the week and once on the weekend. She doesn’t need to bring him out seven days straight, and had you not started all that trouble with her mom, you’d be able to visit him over there.”

“I still don’t know why I can’t.”

“You know exactly why.”

“So is that how it’s gonna be, Matt? You’re gonna keep defending that witch over your own mother?”

“It’s not like that, Mom, but you’re gonna have to accept the fact that you’re not MJ’s mother.”

Charlotte eyed the minibar again. “What?”

“It’s true, Mom. You’re his grandmother, and grandmothers don’t usually get to see their grandchildren every day.”

“Well, Vanessa certainly does, now doesn’t she? That heifer gets to see and hold my grandson every waking moment.”

“Only because he and Racquel live with her. We just talked about that.”

“Why can’t MJ spend a week with them and a week with us? He’s your child, too, Matt, so we should see him just as much as his other grandparents.”

“Why are you so obsessed with him?”

There was that nasty word again—
obsessed
—and Charlotte was tired of hearing it. To her, it was starting to sound as though Curtis and Matthew were calling her crazy.

“Mom, I have to go,” he said.

“But, Matt, I’m begging you. Just call Racquel. Ask her to let us keep MJ this weekend. Just this one time.”

“I can’t do this with you, Mom.”

Charlotte didn’t say anything, just walked over to the minibar and opened it.

“You know what, Matt? I’ll talk to you later.”

She heard Matthew saying, “Mom, please just—,” but she pressed the button on her phone. She’d tried to reason with Racquel and even get her own husband, son, and best friend to support her right to see little MJ. But being nice and cordial wasn’t working. Actually, it rarely did when you were dealing with a ton of resistance from folks—but this tiny bottle of Jack Daniel’s would make her feel a lot better. It would give her all the love, understanding, and help she needed, and there would be no hard feelings from Jack or his close friends…Mr. Hennessy or Mr. Bacardi. She’d never drunk whiskey, cognac, and rum all in one sitting, but she would tonight. She would enjoy herself one last time before going home and gearing up for the task at hand. Just thinking about the near future gave her peace.

C
harlotte stretched her arms, her body twisting from side to side. Her head was killing her. She was severely hungover, but after drinking until the wee hours of the morning, what had she expected? She’d known what the outcome would be if she kept downing one libation after another, but she hadn’t been able to stop herself—hadn’t wanted to stop herself, and even though her head ached to no end, she didn’t regret it. She’d wanted to feel numb and lifeless, because it meant she didn’t have to hurt. She hadn’t wanted to shed any more tears, and she hadn’t.

She pried her eyes open and squinted at the clock. It was almost noon. She was surprised housekeeping hadn’t banged on her door and tried to open it, but as she gathered her thoughts, she sort of remembered hanging that little do-not-disturb sign out on her doorknob. She’d also turned off her phone, right after swallowing her first drink of the night, so no one would bother her. She could only imagine how many times Curtis had called and the number of messages he’d left, but she didn’t want to talk to him. All she wanted was to recover from this hangover so she could go home and prepare to be the best grandmother alive. She would show MJ that it wasn’t just Vanessa who loved him, and that he had another grandmother who loved him more; not to mention, Charlotte and Curtis had so much more to offer him. They had both the financial means and the kind of prestige that would afford him the best life possible, and this was the reason she’d settled on what she had to do. Before calling Matthew last night, she had thought maybe there was a chance he would finally listen to her, because if he had, she wouldn’t have to take matters into her own hands. But only minutes into their conversation, he’d quickly proven that contacting him had been a waste of time. Charlotte understood that, though, because she’d finally had to accept something: like Racquel, he was only eighteen and didn’t know any better. He barely knew what was best for himself, let alone what was best for a baby, and he would never stand up to Vanessa the way he needed to. So, again, Charlotte had to take matters into her own hands. It was time for her to do all that was necessary to protect little MJ’s interests, and when MJ was older, he would thank his nana for making such important sacrifices for him. Matthew would thank her, too, sometime down the road, and so would Curtis.

They couldn’t see it now, of course, but little MJ belonged with them. He had since the day he was born, and there was only one way to make that happen. She’d thought about it long and hard, making sure there were no alternatives—and there weren’t. This was absolutely the only way she could protect him now and in the future. It was a shame that the relationship between the two families hadn’t turned out better, but it was what it was, and Charlotte was fine with it. Sometimes life wasn’t meant to be easy, and you had to fight for what you wanted. Sometimes you had to fight for what you believed was right—you had to risk everything to safeguard your loved ones, and Charlotte had no problem doing that for her grandson.

Charlotte pushed the comforter and Egyptian sheet away from her, took a deep breath, and slowly raised herself up. Her head was heavy, and she couldn’t wait for this feeling to pass. This was definitely her last time drinking, or at least to this extent—no, it truly was her last time, because from here on out she had to focus on taking care of MJ. She had to make sure he grew up with the best role models and the most respectable kind of family life. She had to make him proud. It was true that he was only a tiny baby, but in no time, he’d be entering kindergarten, then junior high, then high school, and then a top university.

She finally touched her feet to the floor, got up, and dragged into the bathroom. There was no point looking in the mirror, so she didn’t. She knew it wouldn’t be a pretty sight, so she pulled one of the white towels from the rack, ran it through cold water, and wiped her face with it. The cold towel hadn’t made a huge amount of difference, but she did feel somewhat better.

When she went back into the room, she strolled over to the bed, sat down, and turned on her phone. Just as she’d thought, there were six messages. If she had to guess, at least three of them were from Curtis, asking her when she was coming home and then eventually telling her he was through with her.

She dialed into her voice mail, and sure enough, Curtis had left three messages. The others were from her mom, Aunt Emma, and Janine. Charlotte was sure Curtis had told all three of them that she was “missing,” so she would make sure to call and let them know she was fine. She called Curtis now, though, because it was time to put her plan into action. She waited for him to answer, but she got his voice mail instead.

“Hi, this is Pastor Black. I’m unavailable right now, but if you’ll leave a message, I’ll get back to you at my earliest convenience. Thanks and God bless.”

Charlotte waited for the tone. “Hi, baby, it’s me. I really don’t know where to begin except to say I am so sorry for the way I acted yesterday. I’m sorry for ruining Valentine’s Day for us, and I’m sorry for…well…everything. I took a long look at myself last night and then again this morning, and I finally realized you were right. I definitely could have handled things with Vanessa and Racquel a lot differently. I was wrong, but I’m going to make things up to them. Anyway, baby, I’ll see you at home, okay? I love you.”

Charlotte ended the call, thought about little MJ, and smiled. Her head still hurt, but she was happy out of her mind. Things were finally looking up. They were about to change forever.