A Love Like This (Book 1) (53 page)

“
I can
’
t believe you just had sex while we all sat here waiting for you,
”
 
Keisha slurs.
 
She, Sarah and Shauna are sitting on the couch with a picture of margaritas in front of them.
 

“
We were just talking,
”
 
I lie.
 
 
“
Where is
Momma
?
”

“
She went to go pick up grandma Bess.
”

“
So let
’
s call a car and go to happy hour before dinner.
 
We have time,
”
 
I say.

____

We get back to the house at around 7:30PM.
 
We couldn
’
t get in touch with
 
Nickie
 
or
 
Pookie
 
so we stopped at Tiffany and Company then headed to the Promenade for drinks.
 
We lost track of time and I know my mom is going to be pissed.
 
I can hear yelling from the drive way.
 
Sarah, Shauna, Keisha and I rush into the house to see what
’
s happening.
 
 
Pookie
 
is standing in the living room yelling and crying.
 
My parents, grandma, Bess and a man I
’
ve never seen before are all silently listening to him.
 
 
He turns to face us when we walk in.
 
 
“
Ladies I would like you to meet my brother Chris.
 
I guess I should also re-introduce myself because apparently I
’
m not your uncle,
”
 
He says throwing his hands
into the air and rushing past
us.

Chapter 28

 
 
 
 
 
When I was younger
 
my grandma Bess would take
 
Nickie, Keisha and I to church at least once a month.
 
My mom would yank and tug my thick hair into two neatly
braided ponytails.
 
She would make me wear
 
foofoo
 
dresses with ruffled socks and
 
pinchy
 
patent-leather shoes.
 
I loved Sunday school because the teacher was soft spoken and gave us butterscotch candy if we sat quietly.
 
But after bible study we
’
d all file into the grown up service.
 
The adult church was a whole new world filled with big colorful hats and paper fans.
 
Keisha and
 
Nickie
 
would
 
disappear
 
the minute grandma
 
Bess turned her back but I sat mesmerized by the service.
 
The preacher would shout and jump around while pounding on the pulpit and sweating profusely.
 
The music was like thunder that I could feel in my chest.
 
The shouting, dancing and falling on the ground after being touched by the pastor was like watching an African ritual.
 
I didn
’
t understand what was happening but watching the people throw their hands in the air and shout praise gave me a strange feeling.
 
It made me think that God must be so great if these people put on their nicest clothes every week just to come to sing and dance for him.
 
As I got older I started going to church less and less.
 
But I never forgot the sense of peace I got every time I closed my eyes to pray.
 
I could use that peace today.
 
I need someone other than my husband and family to let me know things are going to be okay.

I
’
ve always thought of
 
Pookie
 
as a younger well dressed version of my father.
 
He always manages to keep it together in the face of adversity.
 
I
’
ve never seen him so upset.
 
I know whatever set him off has to be terrible.
 
I run out of the house after
 
Pookie
 
but he is in his car and gone before I can catch him.
 
When I get back into the house Keisha is rubbing my mom
’
s back trying to console her.
 
 
Nickie
 
appears and leads Shauna, Sarah and I into the backyard where Tucker, Mike and a few other family members are standing around looking helpless.
 
I walk over and hug my aunt Monica.
 
She has tears in her eyes.
 
I can tell by the mood of the group that only God will be able to help with whatever she
’
s about to tell me.
 
She sit
’
s me down and pours into the story that everyone in the backyard already knows.

____

Dana became a permanent staple at Xavier
’
s house.
 
She was there nearly every day after school to cook with Bess or hang out with Xavier
’
s sisters.
 
If she happened to skip a day Laney, Monica or Clara would be on the phone asking where she was.
 
Xavier didn
’
t seem to mind sharing her with his family.
 
He would rush home from work, change clothes and then steel her away from his sisters.
 
Xavier and Dana were sitting on the front porch talking one day when a black station wagon putted to a stop at the curb.
 
A deathly thin woman stepped out caring a tattered infant car seat.
 
The woman approached the house as if she was walking to her own front door.
 
Xavier stood quickly and asked Dana to go into the house.
 
But Valery left the car seat at the bottom of the stairs and lunged for Dana before she had a chance to move.
 
 
Xavier stepped in front of Dana and blocked the attack.

“
Is this the bitch you left me for?
”
 
 
She yelled trying to reach around Xavier to get to Dana.
 
 
The woman smelled like cigarettes, BO and old urine.
 
Her brown skin was covered with soars and dark circles.
 
Dana stood glued
 
to the porch gaping at her.

“
Valery we were over a long time ago.
 
Why are you here?
”

“
I need money,
”
 
She said scratching her arms and shifting from foot to foot.
 
 
“
It
’
s bad enough you got me living on the street.
 
The least you can do is
 
give
 
me money for
food.
”
 
 
Xavier crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head.
 
Dana stood a few feet behind him.

“
Xavier who is this,
”
 
She asked hearing her voice crack in her throat.

Valery smiled revealing chipped yellow teeth.
 
 
“
Oh your new high yellow ho doesn
’
t know about your baby
Momma
.
”
 
 
Dana looked up at Xavier hoping it wasn
’
t true but he wouldn
’
t
 
meet
 
her
gaze.
 
She turned to the tiny baby boy bundled in a dirty blue blanket.
 
He was so small and helpless.
 
He was much too small to be outside.
 
Dana felt sorry for him.
 
She picked up her bag hoping Xavier would stop her.
 
But he didn
’
t run after her or ask her to stay.
 
 
“
Bye bye red bone,
”
 
Valery said with a sneer.
 
Dana cried the entire bus ride home.
 
When she reached her house Monica, Laney and Clara were standing in front.

They felt terrible when they saw her blotchy red face and sad eyes.
 
They all rushed over to hold her.

“
Is it true,
”
 
Dana asked looking at each of them.
 

“
Come and sit down,
”
 
Monica the oldest sister said.
 
They all sat on Dana
’
s front porch.
 
 
“
He and Valery were high school sweet hearts.
 
She was actually a nice person at one time.
”

“
Until she got strung out on drugs,
”
 
Laney added.
 
 
“
Now she
’
s got that poor baby out while she does God knows what to get money to get high.
”

“
Is that little boy Xavier
’
s son?
”
 
Dana asked.
 
They all looked down at their shoes.
 
 
“
I guess that
’
s my answer,
”
 
Dana said standing to leave.

Clara touched her arm.
 
 
“
We just got the test results back confirming that he is,
”
 
She said.
 

“
That poor baby,
”
 
Dana said starting to tear up again.

“
We
’
re going to take him away from her.
 
There
’
s no way our nephew
’
s going to grow up surrounded by drugs and filth.
 
He will never know anything about that girl.
”

“
Well thank you guys for coming to tell me.
 
I wish Xavier had come himself.
”

“
If he had followed you or asked you to stay that woman would have hurt you.
 
X knew that because it
’
s happened before,
”
 
Laney said.
 
“
Valery sliced a girl
’
s face so badly that she had to get thirty stitches.
”

“
He had to act like he didn
’
t care,
”
 
Clara added.

____

Monica stops her story and looks up.
 
Dana and Bess were standing near the table.
 
They are such strong women but I can tell their spirits are crushed.

“
I got custody of Jermaine when he was just six weeks old.
 
We made up the story about me being pregnant.
 
We made Valery sign over her maternal rights and paid her to go away,
”
 
Grandma Bess said with her head held defiantly high.