All That Drama (12 page)

I glanced at my watch and realized that I would have to hurry if I wanted to catch Sammie at the train. I turned off my computer and closed up my files, checking to make sure that everything was put back in place before I turned off the lights and left. I hated coming into a messy office and made a point to clear off my desk every night in order to start fresh in the morning.

Sammie was already on the platform when I got there. We walked to the very end of the station hoping to get a semi-empty train car so that we could talk in private.

As usual, she was looking great. She had on a slamming red dress with matching heels. Her hair was done in an upsweep with red pieces hanging down.

“Where did you say your husband’s shop was? He sure does know how to hook a head up! Hell, I might want to get him to do a little something with this mess,” I told Sammie, tossing my own locks around.

“Girl, he can do some hair when he wants to but he has gotten so lazy since we moved here it don’t make no sense. He only does my hair to keep my mother out my shit. I don’t think he has done anybody else since we came back.”

“So, you are the sole breadwinner in a house full of grown-ups? That is too much drama. Why don’t you move out if things are so bad?”

“We are trying but my credit is shot and I don’t think his is any better. Even with the $20,000 my dad left me, most people don’t want to take a risk on you. Momma don’t help none either ’cause she is charging us $100 a week just to stay with her. Girl, I’m getting it at both ends. Jessie hates Althea, and Althea hates us both.”

“Hell with $20,000 why don’t you buy a house?” I asked clearly confused.

“Credit issues; weren’t you listening?” she demanded. She busted my chops. Even though I was listening I just assumed that she could put $10,000 down and most lenders would be agreeable to take a chance.

I felt sorry for Sammie but I didn’t know what I could do to help her. I had my own troubles.

“I am so blessed; my mother ain’t charging me anything. I would have never been able to save for this house if I had to pay rent and child care,” I said. In hindsight, that probably wasn’t the best thing to say at the moment but it was all I had come up with.

“Girl, the more I stay in that house with Althea, the more I learn about her. All this time, I didn’t know that my mother cheated on Daddy. She was about to leave him when she found out she was pregnant with me. That’s why she has always hated me!”

Wow, that was some deep shit
, I thought.

The train came and we were able to get a seat together so we could continue our conversation.

“She just came out and told you that? She is a hateful bitch, ain’t she?”

“Girl, that’s putting it mildly. She got mad when she found out Daddy left me some money. We got into an argument right there in the lawyer’s office. She said, ‘I’ll bet that son of a bitch would just roll over if he knew he just gave $20,000 to a bastard that wasn’t even his!’” Rocked, I placed my hand over hers and tried to keep from crying for her.

“What did your husband say?” I whispered totally dumbstruck.

“He just laughed! I bolted from the room and Momma and Jessie stayed to finish the paperwork. I never knew that Daddy was not my father, but he treated me more like his own than my own mother. All Jessie and Althea wanted from me was a signature on the paperwork. Jesus himself could not have persuaded me to go back in that office to face them,” she moaned in the thick of pain again.

I was overwhelmed with emotion.

“Did she tell you who your real father was?” I asked, still fighting back the tears for her.

“As far as I’m concerned, that was my real dad. I don’t want to know who the sperm donor was. He didn’t stick around long enough to see about me, so fuck him! Daddy was the only person that ever cared about me.”

She had a point. We rode in silence for a few minutes.

“Why don’t you leave them both? You got money. I’m sure you could talk someone into renting you a small apartment. Hell, you could just charm your way in!” I said, trying to bring a smile to her face.

“What money? Jessie got the money. Plus, he said he would kill me if I left him.”

“He’s joking, right?”

“Hey, sorry, but I don’t want to talk about this anymore, okay? What’s up with you? Where you been hiding?” Sammie asked.

“Like I said, girl, I’ve been working my ass off trying to make a good impression. Between work, spending time with the kids and my mother, I have a full plate. Now, with this move, it’s really been crazy. And to top that off, I have man problems.”

“What man? I thought you were too busy to be out shopping for men?” she said.

“I have. It’s one I left behind. He wants to come and stay with me while he finds a job.”

“Girl, don’t do it. The last thing that you need is another dependent! I don’t care how good the shit is!”

Laughing, I said, “And it was good, too, gurl! That man was slinging dick at me and I was lapping it up! But you are right. I have my hands full trying to take care of myself, not to mention the kids!”

“I know that’s right. Where are all the real men?” I gave her a high-five and we got off the train laughing.

“Hey,” I said before I got into my car. “When you get some time, I want you to meet my coworker. She seems real nice and I think you will like her.”

“Sure, but it will probably have to be for lunch since I don’t get out much when I get home.”

“Okay then. But on the real tip, you have got to do something about your situation. You should not have to spend the rest of your life like this.”

“I know, girl. I know. Hopefully, I will see you tomorrow and if I get the chance, I will call you tonight.”

“See ya,” I said and drove home. My heart was heavy. Alone again, I thought about David and my decision not to let him come to stay. There was so much to do if I wanted to be ready for my move so I shook off the bad thoughts and prepared for greeting Keira and Kevin.

Atlanta was agreeing with them or should I say, my mother was agreeing with them. She spoiled them rotten.

I opened the door to Mom’s house and interrupted a game of Chutes and Ladders. Keira squealed and raced to the door with Kevin flat on her heels. They wrapped their arms around my knees squeezing me so tightly that you would have thought I had been gone twenty years instead of ten hours. I bent and kissed each of them on the mouth.

“Hey, Momma,” I said as I walked up to her and gave her a special peck on the check. I also licked her face, which she absolutely detested but it always brought about peals of laughter and threats of a beat-down.

“Oh, you,” she said, wiping off the spit with the back of her hand. The kitchen smelled of fried chicken. I followed my nose. Once again, Mom showed out in the kitchen. She had cooked fried chicken, potato salad and corn on the cob. I licked my lips in anticipation. It was going to be tough to leave all that good cooking behind when I moved. I was getting used to having supper on the stove when I got in from work.

“Have you all eaten yet?” I asked, grabbing a plate from the cabinet.

“You know those two could not wait. They were practically grabbing legs out the pan as soon as they were done. I hope you don’t mind that we didn’t wait for you,” Luetta said.

“No, there is no need to wait on me ’cause you never know when I’m going to get out of that office.”

“So things are still going well?” she inquired.

“Yeah, things are definitely looking up. I’m getting more and more work from the senior partners and that’s unheard of for someone as new as I am. Some of the other paralegals are not happy about it but what can I say. I’m good,” I said, patting my own self on the back.

“Have you finalized the move yet? I sure wish you would reconsider. I like having you around,” Mom said with a grave tone.

“Mom, I will still be around. Hell, I’m right around the corner and you will still have the kids with you most of the time. But I need my space and so do you. I’ll still come to stay some nights and hey, if you want to continue cooking us dinner, I’ll come by every night!”

We both laughed at that. Mom was doing well even though I knew she still was lonely. I talked her into taking piano lessons, something that she had always wanted to do but never pursued, and she was becoming more and more active in the church. She joined the choir and a group I dubbed the Loyal Order of Water Buffalos. It was a secret organization whose purpose I had not figured out yet, but they did good things in the community like offer college scholarships for the church youth. It kept her busy so it was all good!

I ate my dinner and it was delicious. Satisfied, I cleaned up the kitchen and went into my room to pack. I thought about calling David but quickly dismissed the idea. Dennis was the one on my mind so I gave him a call. I glanced at my watch and assumed he would be getting ready to go to work.

“Hello,” he answered, picking up after the first ring.

“Hey,” I replied, knowing he would know who it was.

“They ain’t killed you down there yet?” he said with a loud laugh.

“I’m still hanging in here but it’s such an adjustment. Did you know you can’t even buy booze here on Sunday? I made a fool of myself last week ’cause I wanted a wine cooler. First of all, they call liquor stores ‘package stores.’ I didn’t know that shit so I never stopped at them. I was getting gas and saw some wine coolers and I picked up a four-pack. I took it to the counter and the woman said, ‘I can’t sell you that.’ My dumb ass pulled out my ID, feeling flattered that she thought I was underage. Wrong. She said, ‘Honey, we can’t sell that on Sunday.’ I took it back and got a six-pack of beer and she said the same thing. It was like she had to hit my ass over the head with a two-by-four before I understood that no alcohol was sold on Sunday.”

“I told you that you were going to die down there. When are you coming back home?”

“Dennis, I’m going to try to make this move work if it kills me! I could not come back to Baltimore even if I wanted to now. Mom has already signed a contract on my old house. It is supposed to go to settlement at the end of the month. So I would not even have a place to live.”

“I know she did; I bought it,” he said.

“You are shitting me! Why didn’t you tell me?” I was stunned.

“I wanted to surprise you. That way, if you ever feel the need to visit, you will be able to. I could not help it; the price was right and your parents made a lot of improvements to the house. It’s the best value on the block. And I will still be close to my mother.”

“I’m happy for you, Dennis. So, how’s your love life?” I asked. “Found the woman of your dreams yet?”

“Not quite but I’m working on it. What about you?”

“Nope, haven’t ventured out since you were here. Just taking it slow. I’m moving this weekend so let me give you my new number. It’s 404-555-5175.”

“Good. Look, I got to run. Stay sweet and keep in contact. Did you get my letter?”

“No, not yet. I will let you know. Tell your mom I said hi,” I said before hanging up. Shit, he was moving on, too. I really needed to do something to get out of my rut. When I got settled, I was going to have to do something about my social life.

W
here the hell have you been?” I demanded when Sammie picked up the phone. I had been calling her all fucking weekend and only had gotten her answering machine. Although I never left a message, I knew she was aware I was trying to reach her. Ever since Sammie had moved from Althea’s house, the violence between Sammie and Jessie had escalated and it kept me feeling frantic.

“Shopping,” she said with little enthusiasm.

“Oh shit,” I replied with a sinking feeling in my stomach. “Since you don’t appear to be happy about this particular shopping trip, I can only conclude that you were fighting with Jessie again.”

“Yep, we went guilt shopping again,” she said with a heavy sigh.

“Well, how much did the bruises to your self-esteem and body cost you this time?” I asked sarcastically. I truly could not understand why she put up with this shit. There was no amount of money in the world that would make me put up with the verbal and physical abuse he dished out.

“We did not buy anything today; we visited the things that he is going to get me when he gets the money.”

“You have got to be kidding me. Visit; what the hell does that mean?”

“We go to all the stores where he would buy me something from if he could afford it. He points it out, I try it on and pretend that I like it and either hang it back up or give it back to the clerk depending on where we are.”

“What a waste of time and energy,” I replied.

“Yeah, but I’ll bet you won’t say that to Jessie’s face.”

“That nigger may have you scared but he don’t scare me. I would pop a cap in his ass for real! So what sparked the shopping trip this time, did he have a hangnail?” My blood pressure started to boil. I hated it when men tried to use their physical strength to dominate a woman. Even though I was not much of a fighter, I was ready to pounce on Jessie.

I recalled my own earlier attempts of violence but it did not defuse the anger I felt. Fighting was never one of my fortes! One time, in my younger days, I decided I was going to whip my boyfriend’s ass. I picked up a brand-new knife and decided I was gonna cut his ass. I lunged at him and did a roundhouse curve that should have cut off his head but he ducked. I wound up cutting out a slice of my own shoulder. Next, I picked up a brand-new frying pan, cast iron and swung in the same fashion. When I woke up, he was stomping me into the kitchen floor. I guess he ducked and I struck my own self in the forehead. Those were dismal thoughts but I flicked them away in my rage. It just confirmed what I was previously thinking. I may not have won the battle but at least I had the courage to fight back.

I was in a kick-ass mode and it didn’t matter that I was ill-equipped to carry it out.

“He lost his job yesterday and took it out on me,” Sammie said so quietly I had to strain to hear her.

“Is he there?” I whispered back before realizing that I had no reason to whisper.

“No, he’s out somewhere,” she replied.

“Then why are you whispering?” I asked tired of trying to drag information out of her.

“Throat hurts.”

“He didn’t!”

“Yeah, he did and almost succeeded. Lucky for me I passed out and he got scared.”

“I’m coming over there.”

“No! I don’t know when he will be back and you know he can’t stand your ass.”

“I still don’t understand why he is hating on me. I only met the trifling motherfucker once!”

“He doesn’t want me to have no friends! I just don’t know how much more of this I can take. He won’t let me leave but when I stay he beats my ass up. Part of me wishes he had killed me last night. I made the mistake of asking him if my kids could come and live with us and he became uncorked!” She started crying and I joined her.

“I told him that I wanted a baby,” she said quietly.

“You did what?” I screamed at her. “Why would you want to bring an innocent child into this sick shit you call your life?”

She still was talking so low that I had to strain to hear over the loud beating of my heart.

“Marie, I need someone to love me for me,” she said.

“Sammie, I love you for you! You can’t even think about bringing a child into the relationship you are in. What you need to be doing is trying to find a way to get the fuck out of that sick shit!”

“I thought he might change with a baby; it just might be what we need to make this marriage work.”

“You don’t honestly believe that, do you? The man is abusive and controlling. Do you want that for your child?”

“I don’t know what I want, Marie. Anyway it doesn’t make a difference what I want. He told me that if I tried to trap him with a kid that he would kill us both.”

“Look, if I can’t come over there, could you at least come over here. I want to take a look at your neck and we have to talk seriously face-to-face.”

“I won’t promise but I will try to be over there real soon.”

Damn, if it wasn’t one thing, it was another. I had been riding this emotional roller coaster with Sammie since the first day we met. I loved this girl but I was tired of the dumb shit.

She finally broke down and told me about the bizarre shit she had done in California. I didn’t judge her. I just listened and the more I heard, the more I wanted her to get out before he killed her. I begged her to come live with me but she wouldn’t do it.

When I thought about it, all my friends were bugging. Leah and I had been spending more time together. She had her nose wide open by this guy her girlfriend had introduced her to. I tried to open her mind but she wasn’t hearing me. The ringing of the phone interrupted my thoughts. The kids were taking a nap so I snatched it up quickly.

“Hello,” I said.

“Girl, guess what?” It was Leah. I must have thought her up.

“I was just thinking about you. This is too funny. I’m not going to guess so you might as well tell me.”

“Kentée proposed!” she gushed. I was speechless. I had only met the man once and was not impressed. They had only been dating for about three months and something didn’t feel right.

“Well, aren’t you going to say something?” she said.

“Congratulations, I guess. Did you give him an answer?”

“YES! Of course I did. He is a good man.” Again, I didn’t respond. All kinds of thoughts flooded through my head. I wanted to speak but was afraid to hurt her feelings. I also didn’t want her to think I was “hating” on her.

“I’m going to say what is in my heart and hope that it does not destroy our friendship. I am saying this out of love and I hope you hear it as such. Will you try to keep an open mind and listen?” I asked before going any further.

“Sure, I’ll listen,” she responded with a hitch in her voice.

“Stop me if I get something wrong. You met this man who was living with his wife. Supposedly, they were living separate and apart with him living in the basement. Now I can accept that ’cause Keith and I were doing that,” I said, pausing to regroup my thoughts. Leah did not say a word.

“He is paying all the bills and is the perfect husband but his wife uses him. He was content to live that life until he met you. Am I getting this right so far?” I asked to see where her mind was.

“So far, that’s right,” she said with a heavy voice. I could tell she was about to freak on me but I continued anyway.

“The question I have in my mind is, if he is such a ‘good’ man, why is she willing to throw him away?”

“Oh, well, he said she is crazy,” she responded.

“That’s just it, ‘he said.’ Before you agree to marry him, why don’t you talk to her? It couldn’t hurt could it?” I asked in all sincerity.

“Marie, I respect your feelings but I know this man and you don’t. I don’t want to upset the apple cart by bringing her into our relationship.”

“Leah, she has been in your relationship all along since he is still living with her. Don’t you want to know if they still have a physical relationship? Don’t you want to know if he is really paying the bills or is it the other way around?” I asked, getting an attitude.

“No, I don’t! He makes me happy and I make him happy. That’s all that really matters. I would hope that as my friend, you would be happy for me!” she said, suddenly angry with me.

“See, that’s why I wasn’t going to say anything! Regardless of how this relationship pans out, I’m here for you! Let me make myself clear. I am happy for you if, and I stress the word
if,
he is right for you and his motives are pure. Please believe me, I only want to see you happy, girl. Yes, there are a lot of haters out there that want everyone to be miserable just like they are but I ain’t the one. I’ve been around the block for a minute and I am skeptical; that’s all I am saying. There ain’t no hate in my game, I promise you, and that’s the God’s honest truth. I said what I have out of love for you and if you are happy, then I’m happy for you.”

Leah backed off a notch and started going on about the wedding plans. I wanted to ask her if she knew if he was already divorced but I figured I had pissed her off enough as it was.

“How about I cook dinner for you two?” I asked, throwing her a bone.

“That would be nice. Let me get with Kentée and find out what his schedule looks like. We are busy looking for an apartment and are making plans for a small courthouse wedding. I’ll get back to you and I am sorry for flying off the handle at you. I have had enough flack from my own family and that shit is getting old real quick,” she said.

“Cool, just give me enough time to plan the menu,” I responded. We hung up and all I could do was shake my head. I could not shake the feeling that Leah was making a big mistake. It was just not logical to me that a woman was throwing away a good man, especially since they were so hard to come by!

Her reaction also made me take a look at myself. I was lonely but I still didn’t think my life had turned out too badly since I moved to Atlanta. I had no further contact with David, but Dennis and I kept in contact by mail and an occasional phone call.

The only real sore spot in my life was Keith. He was calling on a regular basis asking to see the children. Although I had nothing against him seeing them, I was not ready for the drama that went with it.

Although Kevin never asked about his dad, Keira continued to make nightly prayers to see her father. It was touching to hear but I could only do so much.

I got busy cleaning up the house. It was coming along well and I was quite proud of it. After I finished, I had time on my hands and thought about going over to get Mom to take her out for a change. She still made our meals during the week and I wanted to show her how much I appreciated it. The doorbell stopped me from picking up the phone. Sammie was on the front porch.

“This is a surprise,” I announced as I opened the door and practically dragged her in. I looked around, a recent habit I had developed, checking to make sure she was not being followed. My earlier conversation with Sammie had me feeling paranoid even though I refused to admit it. I didn’t want Jessie coming to my house acting a fool.

“Hey, girl,” she whispered. I took a good look at her face and neck and cringed.

“I ought to whip your ass,” I said mad as hell that Sammie continued to allow Jessie to put his hands on her. I got even madder when I thought about the fact that she could have whipped his ass with both hands tied behind her back.

Sammie had been gaining weight. Although she never would have been labeled
petite
because of her height, she always had a nice waistline and fat butt. The more weight she gained, the more disproportionate she became. Her face was huge and her stomach and butt were massive.

Although I didn’t want to say anything that might hurt her feelings, I worried about her rapid weight gain.

“I don’t have much time but I needed to tell you a few things just in case something happened to me,” Sammie whispered.

Fear pricked my heart and ran up my spine. Sammie was so serious that I didn’t know what to say. I led her to the sofa and we sat down. Luckily, Keira and Kevin were still upstairs.

“What are you talking about?” I said, fearing the worst. I noticed for the first time the skimpy attire Sammie was wearing. It was different from the vibrant business attire that I was used to seeing her in. She was dressed like a cheap whore.

“Just in case something happens to me, I need someone to know the truth,” she continued and I waited for her to go on.

“Jessie has been pimping me again. Ever since we moved from Althea’s, I’ve been walking the streets.” Sammie hung her head in shame. I could not think of anything to say to her so I just nodded my head for her to continue.

“Also, Jessie is hooked on heroin. I didn’t want to face it before but it is true. I caught him shooting up and now all the pieces of the puzzle are beginning to fit. He spent all the money my daddy left me and we can’t make it on what I was making at the temp service. I haven’t worked there in over a month. I had been doing this part time for about three or four months but for the last month, I have been at it full time.”

“Girl, this is crazy! You don’t have to do this. I told you that I got your back. Move in with me; we can get through it,” I pleaded with her with tears of outrage running down my face.