A Second Helping (19 page)

Bernadine laughed. “What happened?”

“Fight. Eighth grade. When the dust settled Colleen was on the ground, and so were her two front teeth.”

“Oh my goodness,” Bernadine exclaimed.

Trent said, “Can't imagine why she'd want to move
back. After the fight, her parents moved to Franklin and enrolled her in a private school. Colleen hated the kids here and the feeling was mutual.”

Barrett said, “I know kids can be cruel, but talking about Preston's weight is not going to endear those girls to me.”

“Nor me,” Bernadine declared testily. “Had to deal with skinny little hussies like that all my life.”

Trent and the colonel were taken aback by the heat in her voice.

Seeing their reaction, she placed her hand against the gold framing her neck and feigned surprise. “I'm sorry, did I say that out loud?”

They chuckled.

“Okay. Thanks for the 411, Trent. Needed to know that. Going back to mingling now.”

And she moved on. The crew from CNN had asked to speak with her for a moment, so she searched the crowded cafeteria until she spotted them. Wanting to dispose of her plate first, she made her way over to one of the trash cans and saw Otis Miller removing the now filled trash bag inside.

When she walked up, he held out his hand. “I'll take that, Ms. Brown.”

“Thanks.” She headed off to meet the CNN people. She still had the feeling she knew Otis Miller from somewhere, but so far hadn't figured it out.

 

Outside, Amari was picking at the food left on his plate and still grumbling about the Clark girls.

Preston, sunk in his own bad mood, said, “Just forget about them.”

“Hard to do because there goes one now.”

Preston turned to see Leah Clark coming out of the school door.

They assumed she was heading to the parking lot to retrieve something from the family's car, or on another mission that in no way involved them, but they were wrong.

She walked over to where they were sitting on the steps and stopped directly in front of Preston. “I came to apologize for what I said about you in there.”

“Huh?” was all he could say.

“People have called me a tall, four-eyed geek, and it really hurts, so I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings.”

Amari asked, “You mean that, or you just here because somebody made you come apologize?”

“I came on my own. If we move here, I don't want people thinking I'm like my mom.”

Both Preston and Amari raised an eyebrow.

Preston asked first, “What's wrong with your mom?”

“Crazy. Sometimes crazier. Depends on the day. Do you really know who Dr. Tyson is?”

“Yeah. Be dumb to lie about something like that.”

“Do you like physics?”

“Want to study it at MIT eventually.”

“Me too. What theory?”

“String.”

“I like string too, but I'm more into the magnetic fields of coronas and sunspots.”

Preston's mouth dropped.

Next thing Amari knew they were talking a language as foreign-sounding to his ears as Russian. Every now and then
he caught a few familiar words like
particles
and
gravity
but what or who was a
planke
, and was
hadron
really a word?

He hadn't seen Preston so animated, ever, and the girl looked happy too. When they started using rocks to scratch math equations in the dirt, Amari knew it was time for him to go. “I'll see you all later.”

Preston looked up, gave him a quick nod, and immediately went back to the equations. They were now talking about some guy named Stephen Hawking.

As Amari reached the door Colonel Payne was stepping outside.

“Where's Preston?” he asked.

“Over there with Leah. She came out to apologize for dissing him, and now they're doing math equations in the dirt.”

“Math equations?”

“Yeah. She's a brain too. They're talking about strings or something. Not sure what kind, but Preston's real happy though.”

The colonel smiled. “That's good.

“Yeah. He finally has somebody to kick it with and talk about all that deep stuff in his brain. He tries it with me sometimes, but remember I'm the one who just learned how to read, so most of the time I don't have a clue, even when he calls himself breaking it down for me.”

“So you won't be mad if he spends time with her, if she and her family move here?”

“Unless it's 24/7, nope. Frees me up to be at the garage with my dad and help him work on his cars, which is what I like to do.”

“You and your dad get along real well, don't you?”

“We're working things out.”

“How do you think Preston and I are doing?”

“Wouldn't you and Preston know better than me?”

The colonel smiled. “Yeah. Guess you're right. I came out to get you two because they're getting ready to start the move.”

Amari turned and yelled, “Yo, Brain. Time to move.”

“Okay,” he called back. “Be there in a minute.”

Amari said, “I'll see you inside.”

He went in, but the colonel stood outside and watched Preston and the Clark girl going at it with their rocks. He could see the happiness on the boy's face as he wrote in the dirt, and all Barrett Payne could say to himself was
Wow
.

As he waited for them to finish up, he took Amari's suggestion and quizzed himself about the relationship he and Preston were trying to build. If he was being truthful, his answer would be a tentative okay. They'd been talking more as of late, played chess every night before going to bed, and Preston seemed to be much more relaxed around him. Barrett was more relaxed as well, and learning that he enjoyed the boy's company, but like Amari, when Preston began talking physics, something he was very passionate about, Barrett didn't have a clue. He should have asked Amari for the details about how the mind melding of Preston and Leah came about, but it didn't really matter. Preston looked to be in heaven, and Barrett wished Sheila was around to witness his gleeful transformation. Her face floated across his mind's eye. The place where she was staying didn't allow phones so he wondered how she was doing.
She'd been gone only a few days but it felt like weeks. He hoped the transformation she was seeking for herself materialized so she could come home. He was certain she was going to be pleased by the progress he and Preston were making as a unit, and when she learned he'd joined a fathers' support group of all things she was going to fall over. In the past he never would have admitted this so readily, but just as in Florida during the reunion when he'd spent those nights in bed alone, he missed her big time.

 

As people hauled books and chairs and tables and dry erase boards into the building, Bernadine, carrying a large potted plant, knew she could have easily hired a crew of workers to handle getting everything in place, but having the locals do it had been Marie's idea. She wanted the day to be a collective memory and Bernadine agreed. The school belonged to the community and this was a novel way for everyone to take ownership.

She saw Amari and Preston carrying in the pumps, filters, and some of the other equipment needed to get the big wall-sized aquarium in the main hallway up and running. Trent and Jack were maneuvering a flatbed dolly stacked with chairs, followed by one Otis Miller was pushing. Zoey and Devon and Eli were helping Crystal set up the art room. Tamar and her crew were in the media center stacking the shelves with the hundreds of educational DVDs Marie had ordered. Roni was in the kiva-shaped auditorium hitting keys on the piano to make sure it was well tuned, while her husband was down the hall opening boxes in the room that would serve as the
in-school clinic. Even Leo got into the act. She saw him dragging a huge Sam's Club bag filled with paper towels and toilet paper for the bathrooms. When he saw her, he winked. She rolled her eyes and kept walking. The old axiom “Many hands make for light work” was definitely in play because by mid-afternoon, they were done.

Bernadine was tired. She'd started the week in Barcelona and now six days later, she was sitting in a chair in the hallway of the new school, saying good-bye to everyone who'd pitched in to help. Most would be back in town later to take in the movies at the rec center, but she planned to pass. All she wanted to do was go home and kick back. The weekly Saturday evening gathering would have to do without her this time around.

However, when Mal called her at home and asked if she wanted to go, her answer was yes.

 

Later that afternoon, with help from Otis, Siz, Clay, and Bing, Rocky moved into her trailer on Tamar's land. She'd never seen a double-wide so spacious, and she was thankful for the blessing courtesy of Bernadine Brown.

When they were done, Otis said, “You're all set now, Ms. Rock.”

“Thanks. You've been a great help.”

“Just trying to give some payback for everybody being so nice to me.”

Clay said to Rocky, “Bing and I are going to head home. If you need anything just call.”

She gave her two old friends a kiss on the cheek. “You're the best.”

Siz had driven over in his own car. He left with a wave, so Clay asked Otis, “You need a ride back to the Dog?”

“I do.”

“Then come on. We'll take you.”

After they departed, a weary Rocky plopped down onto one of the plush couches that had come with the place. She hadn't had a moment's rest since returning from Boston, but now she had a sanctuary to retreat to and planned to enjoy it.

She was unloading a box of books onto one of the bookshelves when she heard a knock on the door. “Come on in,” she called.

In walked Jack James.

She paused.

“Hi. Came by to welcome you to the neighborhood and to see if you needed help with anything.”

“Thanks, but I'm good.”

“Sure?”

“Positive.”

Silence rose.

“Um,” he began. “Tamar mentioned the movies tonight at the rec. Would you like to go?”

“No. I'm going to finish unpacking and then relax.”

“Okay. Well, just wanted to say hey.”

“Appreciate that.”

“See you around.”

She nodded.

He left.

Rocky went back to unloading the books, determined not to think about Jack James, but it was difficult.

A
mari and Trent were standing together in front of the big bathroom mirror. Amari checked out his reflection dressed up in its fancy attire and asked in a glum tone, “Why do I have to wear a suit?”

Also in a suit, Trent draped his tie around the collar of his crisp blue shirt “Because when you take a special lady to a special event you dress like it.”

“Suppose she's wearing jeans? Then I'm going to look stupid.”

“Knowing Ms. Genevieve she won't be wearing jeans. Now grab your tie, and let me show you how to do this.”

Amari put the tie around the collar of his new white shirt. “Why couldn't we get some of those clip-on ties?”

“Because one, they're tacky, and two, being able to tie a tie is a part of being a man. Not to mention, it's one of those things a father passes down to his son. My dad taught me. Now I'm teaching you. One day you'll teach your son.”

“I'm not having a son.”

“Probably not, but your wife will. Just do what I do. I'll go slow.”

It took them a few minutes, but in the end, Amari succeeded.

“Looking good,” Trent said approvingly.

Amari checked himself out and ran his hand lightly over the fresh haircut his dad had given him earlier. He was so accustomed to seeing himself in tees and jeans it took him a minute to recognize himself, but he had to admit he did look good.

“So, what do you think?”

“It's okay. As long as I don't have to do this every day, I'm good.”

“You look great. Let's get our coats and we'll be ready to roll.”

Downstairs, Trent swung by the fridge.

“What's this?” Amari asked, looking down at the transparent plastic container Trent handed to him after they got in the truck.

Trent started the engine and backed the truck down the driveway. “Corsage.”

“Looks like a flower.”

“It is a flower. Ladies wear them on their wrists.”

“You giving this to Ms. Lily?”

“Nope. You're giving it to Ms. Genevieve.”

“Dad!” he cried. “Why I gotta give her flowers too?”

Trent tried to hide his smile as best he could. “Because, Amari, that's what men do.”

“But I'm still a kid.”

“Think of it as practice for the future. You'll thank your old dad for this one day.”

Amari slumped back into his seat. “If you say so.”

Trent didn't hide his smile that time.

 

With a big tub of no-salt, no-butter popcorn in her lap, Bernadine sat beside Mal and watched the rec center's media room fill with the evening's moviegoers. The Garlands and Zoey came in. Seeing her, they waved and took seats up front. Crystal, who seemed to have taken Eli under her wing, came in with him and his dad. Crys waved to Bernadine and she waved back. Bernadine was very surprised to see the colonel and Preston in the crowd. She couldn't remember ever seeing the retired marine at the movies before but she supposed he was trying to do his best by his foster son now that Sheila was gone.

Amari and Genevieve came in. “Oh my goodness,” she breathed. “Amari has on a suit.”

Genevieve was all decked out in a lovely blue dress, pearls around her neck and a beautiful pink and white orchid on her wrist.

“Boy does look good, doesn't he?” Mal responded with a grin.

“He's going to be a heartbreaker one day.”

Everyone in the room turned to see them. Mal could see Clay standing and staring. Clay swung questioning eyes to Mal, who simply smiled. Clay dropped back down into his seat. Mal laughed inwardly.

“I didn't know they were dating,” Bernadine joked.

“He's been trying to come up with a way to pay her
back for helping him with his reading, and this was his solution.”

“That is so sweet.”

“He's got a big heart. Runs in the family.”

She gave him a look that he met with a smile and a wink.

Still bowled over by the handsome Amari, Bernadine watched as he and Genevieve took seats. They were soon joined by Trent and Lily, also dressed up, and Devon, who apparently planned to wear suit and a clip-on tie every day for the rest of his little life. Seeing him gave rise to the worries she'd been harboring all week about the church service he was going to hold in the morning. She knew everyone who was able would show up to give him support, but suppose he couldn't really preach? Suppose he was terrible? Last thing she wanted was for him to be a flop. There was no way to know how it would turn out, however, so she decided to let the angst go; tomorrow would come soon enough.

Another kind of angst grabbed her when Leo came in with Marie. He was politely handing her to a seat. They both had tubs of popcorn and drinks. The smile they shared made Bernadine unconsciously grind her teeth.

“Who are you glaring at?” Mal asked, then when he looked over and spotted Leo and Marie, he said, “Thought you were going to let that go?”

“I'm trying, but I just don't want to see Marie hurt.”

“Not your concern, now.”

“I know.”

A few seconds later, the houselights went down. The
opening score for the blockbuster adventure
Transformers
began and Bernadine turned her attention to the movie.

During intermission, Bernadine made a quick trip to the ladies' room; as she was leaving, Marie was coming in. “Hey, Marie,” Bernadine called, hoping the greeting didn't sound too false.

It did.

Marie asked, “Can we talk a minute?”

“Sure.”

Since they were by the building's front door, Marie stepped outside and a wary Bernadine followed.

Marie looked out at the night for a few seconds, then asked quietly, “When are you going to stop tearing up your face every time you see me and Leo together?”

Caught off guard and, yes, shamed, Bernadine asked, “Is it that obvious?”

“Stevie Wonder could see it.”

She offered a chagrined smile. “I'm sorry, Marie. I just don't want you hurt.”

“Didn't we have this discussion before?”

“Yeah, but—”

“No buts, Bernadine Brown. I know you think Leo is the scum of the earth, and if I was in your shoes I'd probably feel the same way, but I'm not you. And I'm not inferring that he'll treat me better because I'm better than you, but can you let me have a bit of fun and attention? If he turns out to be someone I don't want to be with, I'm okay with that, but at least let me find out.”

Bernadine sighed. “You're absolutely right.”

“Thank you.”

She looked Marie in the eye. “I'll get it together. I promise.”

“I'm holding you to that. Now, let's go back in.”

Feeling like she'd been in the principal's office, Bernadine led them back inside. When she returned to her seat it was dark and Mal leaned over and whispered, “Was just about to go looking for you. Did something happen?”

She whispered back, “I was outside being read by Marie.”

He tried to see her face in the dark. “You okay?”

“No, but I will be.”

He reached over and gently squeezed her hand. She could've kissed him for the small but needed show of support.

 

Amari had a good time with Ms. Genevieve. When it came time to go home, she gave him a big hug and left with Ms. Marie and her new boyfriend.

“You did a good thing, son,” his dad told him as they drove home.

“I did, didn't I,” he replied, grinning. He felt good.

 

Marie wasn't feeling so good. Her mother, Agnes, had ridden over to the rec with Tamar, but was going home in the limo, along with Marie, Leo, and Genevieve. Marie could tell she had to something to say. “What's the matter, Mama?”

“Nothing.”

But Marie could see the way she was glaring at Leo and how uncomfortable he appeared as a result. “If you have something to say, just say it. You're as bad as Bernadine.”

“Bernadine has a right to be mad. Isn't he her philandering ex-husband?”

Leo's lips tightened and he came to his own defense. “Yes, ma'am, I am, but—”

“You got no business being with him, Marie.”

Marie sighed. She glanced Genevieve's way and received a look of sympathy. “I'm sixty years old, Mama.”

“So you keep pointing out, but you're acting like a teenager in heat, just like last time.”

Genevieve gasped and scolded, “Agnes, that is not right.”

“It's the truth. What if Bernadine gets mad and fires her? She can, you know. She owns the whole town.”

Leo said, “Bernadine would never do that.”

“Bet you never thought she'd divorce your cheating behind either, did you?”

Marie was so angry and humiliated, all she could do was stare out at the darkness and hope Leo didn't see the tears in her eyes.

He could. He had no idea what the old harpy was referring to about Marie's past but he could see how devastated the words left her and it angered him. It was obvious that Marie needed to be extricated from what appeared to be on the surface a difficult situation, and he knew just the man for the job. As for Agnes, she could go to hell.

 

Mal and Bernadine were sitting in his truck out in front of her house. Even though she'd enjoyed the movie, she was still brooding over her encounter with Marie.

Mal sensed that, so he said, “Weatherman is forecast
ing a good breeze tomorrow. Want to go fly some kites after church?”

She turned his way and stared. “Kites?”

“Sure. You ever flown one before?”

“No.”

“Nothing like it. Real good way to shake off the stress.”

She'd never heard of such a thing, and wondered what this crazy, wonderful man would come up with next.

“Yes? No?”

“Yes,” she said with a laugh. “But you'll have to show me how.”

“Be happy to. How's two o'clock sound?”

“Sounds good.”

 

Later, while lying in bed, Bernadine replayed her run-in with Marie and decided she needed to grow up and stop acting like somebody in middle school. But she was conflicted. Large parts of herself were still angry and humiliated by Leo's adulterous behavior, while other parts wanted to know how dare he find someone new.

She hadn't minded him hooking up with his ex-wives, Thing Two and Thing Three, because neither of them could compete with her in spirit or intelligence. Marie, however, was Bernadine's equal, and she was having a hard time with that.
Am I just jealous?
She was certain that she wasn't and decided it was more of her not wanting him to find love again and certainly not with a woman from Bernadine's own backyard, but it was out of her control. She'd been talking the talk about being over Leo and moving on with her life but she hadn't walked the walk. Now she would.
Marie had made it quite clear that she didn't need or want Bernadine's input, so it was time for her to put away wanting to blow up Leo every time she saw him and act like the grown woman she was supposed to be. As she noted earlier, this was life, not middle school.

 

The next morning Amari, like everyone else, was at Zoey's house for Devon's church service. So many people showed up that they wound up caravanning over to the school to use the new auditorium. None of Amari's past foster parents had been churchgoing folks so he didn't know a lot about the whole organized religion thing but even he knew Devon rocked the house. The usually timid kid Amari had nicknamed Creflo Jr. was transformed on the stage. He was shouting and pointing and quoting the Bible. At one point he got so into it he shouted at the audience, “Who in here knows the Lord!”

The adults looked blown away. He and Preston shared grins.

“Even if you don't know Him,” Devon exclaimed walking back and forth across the stage, “He knows you! He makes the crooked road straight, the lame walk, and the blind see the light.”

His voice rose in volume and resonated. “He'll hide you from the darkness under the pinion of His wings, and you shall not be afraid. Hallelujah!”

People were shouting and yelling. For another thirty minutes, Devon spread the Word.

Amari looked over at Ms. Bernadine. She was all dressed up and wearing a big fancy hat. She had tears in her eyes.
Ms. Lily had her hand in the air and was crying too. All over the auditorium people were on their feet and Devon was working it.

“Can you feel His presence? Do you need His Presence? Don't matter if you don't know Him! He knows you! Can I get an
amen
?”

The responding
amens
filled the air.

Then Ms. Roni walked onto the stage. Zoey began pounding the keys like she'd been playing gospel all her life, and Roni lifted her beautiful voice and sang “Oh, Mary Don't You Weep.”

By the time she got halfway through the old standard, the adults in the audience were swaying, keeping the beat with their claps, and singing along. “Oh, Mary don't you weep. Tell Martha not to moan.”

Zoey's small face was a study in concentration as she accompanied Mama Roni, and she didn't miss a change or a note.

Amari had never heard the song before, but he got so caught up in the electricity in the air that even he was singing the chorus by the time the song ended, “Oh, Mary don't you weep. Tell Martha not to mooannn.”

When Roni ended, her performance was greeted with thunderous applause. Teary-eyed, she took a bow, then extended her hand to acknowledge Zoey. Zoey stood, face beaming, and bowed too.

Devon walked back to the center of the stage. Everyone quieted, and he said in the small, polite voice they were all more familiar with, “Thank you for coming to my church. I'll see you next week.”

If any of the adults had had any doubts about Devon's abilities, there were none now. As Amari followed his dad up the aisle and toward the exit, he heard Ms. Bernadine exclaim to anybody who'd listen, “That boy can preach!”