A Love Like This (Book 1) (39 page)

“I’ve missed you daddy,” I say.

“I’ve missed you to baby.”

“Have you had a chance to meet Tucker,” I ask searching his face.
 

“We’ve met,” He says with a scrunched nose.
 
I realize it’s the same face I always make.
 
“Aren’t there any black men in Berkeley?”

“I love him daddy,” I say looking into his eyes.
 
He looks at me seriously.
 
“Will you please just give him a chance?” His face softens.
 
He bends down and kisses the top of my head.
 

“Go eat something you’re too skinny.”

“I’m serious daddy.”
 
He exhales loudly.
 

“I know you are.
 
I’ll talk to the boy,” He says walking back to the grill.

I find Tucker and rescue him from my family.
 
We go back into the house and pile food on our plates.
 
Tucker watches in awe as I eat like a starving bear.
 
I clean my
plate
 
loosen the draw string on my pants and slump down in the chair.
 
Tucker reaches over and pats my belly.
 
“I’m going to put a baby in there,” He says laughing.

“That’s not funny.
 
Have you met my nieces and nephews?”

“Yes, DJ asked me if I was a spy.
 
Little Xavier wiped a booger on my pants and Trinity asked if I wanted to get out of here and go have a drink.
 
And I still want to knock you up,” He says leaning over to kiss me.

“I thought women were the ones who are supposed to have the ticking clock. Just let me graduate from college and I’ll find you a baby somewhere,” I say stroking his cheek.
 
 
Pookie
 
and my mom walk in from the front of the house.

“Break it up,”
 
Pookie
 
says.

Dana walks over to the refrigerator and takes out two beers.
 
She opens them and hands them both to Tucker.
 
“This one’s for you take the other one to Xavier.”

Tucker kisses me again stands up and heads out the back door.
 
Mike walks in as Tucker walks out.
 
He sits down at the table with me.
 

“Are you having a good time?” I ask.

“It would be better if your sister would give me the time of day.”

“Mike she’s just getting out of a very bad relationship.
 
You’re going to need to come correct.
 
No games, she deserves better.”
 
Mike nods and heads back out with a look of determination.
 

“I can be honest,” He
mumbles as he walks;
A few
m
inutes’
later
 
Nickie
 
walks past
me and heads for the front door.
 

“Nick
 
are
 
you leaving,” I ask following her.

“No I just need to get away from your
 
friend.”

“Who Mike?” I ask.

“Yeah, I can’t deal with his weak ass pick up lines right now.”

I laugh, “Okay let’s go out and get some air.”
 
It’s late afternoon and there’s a smoggy haze on the horizon.
 
I listen to
 
Nickie
 
complain about Mike as we slowly walk down the street.
 
“He’s saying the same things I’ve heard a thousand times before,” She says.
 
“I’m not going to make it so easy this time.”

“Nickie
 
you can’t make Mike pay for the sins of other men.”

“It’s just too soon,” She says.
 

This neighborhood hasn’t changed since we were little.
 
The one and two story houses have neat manicured lawns and white mail boxes in front.
 
Mr. Clayton looks out his wind
ow and watches as we walk past
his house.
 
When we were younger he would chase us away with a golf club every time we stepped on his lawn.
 
Mrs. Lawson is my friend
 
Wanika’s
 
mother.
 
I have never seen that woman fully dressed.
 
I’m not sure what she does for a living but she comes out to get the newspaper every morning and to get the mail every afternoon in a negligee.
 
“Is Mrs. Lawson still walking outside in her
 
undies,” I ask.

“Yeah but every things hangs a little bit lower now.”

“That’s not right.”

“You should have---“ She
 
suddenly stops talking and a strange look comes over her face.
 
I follow her gaze and my heart starts to pound in my chest when I recognize Damian’s car.
 
Come on
Nickie
 
I say pulling her arm.
 
We turn around and start walking back to the house.
 
Damian is driving along side us as we walk.

“Nickie
 
can I talk to you for a minute,” He asks.

“Let’s just keep walking,” I say.
 
Keisha told me what happened the last time
 
Nickie
 
was alone with Damian so I quicken my step.
 
Damian pulls up in front of the house and gets out of his car.

“I just want to talk.
 
I promise,” He says.

“Nickie
 
come on,” I say pulling her towards the house.

“Look, I said I just want to talk,” he grumbles pointing at me.

“It’s ok Leila,”
 
Nickie
 
says nervously.
 
“I’ll talk to him just
 
go
 
inside.”

“No
 
Nickie
 
I’m not leaving you alone with him.”

“She said she doesn’t need you out here.
 
Take your
 
fuckin
 
ass back in the house,” he says moving towards me.
 
I scream and jump out of his reach.
 
Damian doesn’t look like his usual well groomed self.
 
He has a stubbly chin and he’s wearing a stained rumpled shirt.
 
His eyes are bloodshot and it smells like liquor is seeping through his pours.
 
 
Nickie
 
is standing between us looking terrified.
 
“Come on
 
Nickie
 
let’s go
somewhere private so that we can talk.”
 
He takes hold of her arm and starts pulling her to the car.

“No,” I yell grabbing his
 
arm.
 
He releases
 
Nickie
 
and swings his fist back to hit me.
 
 
Nickie
 
grabs his arm and we both hold on as he thrashes around trying to shake us loose.
 
He manages to loosen my grip and I slide to the ground.
 
I look in the direction of the house.
 
 
I’m in a daze and everything seems to be moving in slow motion.
 
Everyone from the backyard is now standing on
the porch.
 
Tucker pushes past
my daddy, Mike and my cousins and reaches Damian in seconds.
 
Damian releases
 
Nickie
 
and scrambles for his car but it’s too late.
 
Tucker wraps his hand around Damian’s throat and pins him against the car.
 
Damian’s eyes are bulging as Tucker increases pressure around his neck.

“Let him go son,” My daddy says touching Tucker’s arm.
 
They’re the same height.
 
They’re both protective and they have the same quiet strength.

“My God I married my father,” I think to myself looking at Tucker and my daddy standing side by side.
 
My mother helps me off the ground and I back away and watch Tucker slowly release Damian then punch him in the stoma
ch
.
 
All the men in my life: Doug,
 
Pookie,
 
Dayday,
 
Koolaid,
 
Nogood, Mike, Tucker and my dad form a barricade in front of the house.

“They’re going to kill Damian,” I say to my mom as we amble into the house.

“You’re daddy won’t let them kill that boy.
 
Don’t worry about him.
 
He shouldn’t have brought his ass over here in the first place.”

I turn to my mom as we walk through the front door, “Did daddy just call Tucker son?”

Chapter 19

 
 
 
 
 
Shauna coasts to a stop
 
in front of the valet stand at Martin Mina’s restaurant in San Francisco’s Sunset District.
 
She leaves the keys in the ignition of her new BMW and slides out when the valet attendant opens her car door.
 
She strolls through the restaurant with confidence.
 
She’s recently lost twenty pounds and she feels pretty in her size 12’Rachel Zoe printed shirt dress. She spots Samantha sitting at a booth near a window looking over the menu.
 
Samantha smiles and stands to hug Shauna when she reaches the table.
 
Shauna’s wraps her arms around Samantha’s minuscule waist and her confidence fades.

“Thanks for meeting me for lunch,” Samantha says in her bubbliest voice.
 
“I feel terrible about how badly our last reunion turned out.”

“Yeah my new sister-in-law is a bit of a spit fire.”

Samantha rolls her eyes to the ceiling.
 
“That’s a nice way of putting it.
 
I think she’s a real bitch. I can’t believe how easy your parent’s were on her.
 
I mean even after they found out she was a prostitute.”
 
Samantha tilts her head and raises an eyebrow.
 
Her face is poised for a reaction.

Shauna and Samantha were never really friends.
 
Even when she and Tucker were dating Samantha was cordial at best.
 
So Shauna is confused by Samantha’s sudden interest in hanging out.
 
“She was never a prostitute,” Shauna says meeting
Samantha’s
 
gaze. “Tucker’s 26 years old and as stubborn as a bull.
 
My parents know they can’t control him so they don’t try.”
 

Samantha pastes on a Barbie doll smile and shrugs her shoulders. “Selah vie I guess.”

The waitress comes over and they both order a glass of Merlot.
 
When she walks away Shauna says, “The only thing I don’t understand is how Amy found out Tucker and Leila got married.
 
My brother hadn’t told anyone, not even Mike.”

“I’m not sure,” Samantha says.
 
Her plastic smile is bigger than ever.
 
The waitress brings their wine and takes their order.
 
Shauna desperately wants to order a steak but she settles for seared tuna with brown rice pilaf and steamed vegetables.
 
Samantha orders a cob salad with the avocado, bacon, blue cheese and light vinaigrette on the side.
 
“I’m so happy you agreed to meet me for lunch.
 
I’ve always regretted that we didn’t spend much time together when Tucker and I were dating.”