Legacy: It's Never Black and White in Love and Business

LEGACY:

It’s Never Black and White in Love and Business

E. W. Brooks

Copyright © 2015 E.W. Brooks Books

All rights reserved.

Matthew Marlowe was born rich, as was his father and his father’s father. Matthew’s great-grandfather sealed the Marlowe wealth in the early 1920s. After several lucrative real estate deals, the land rich family was able to capitalize and seal their spot in the 1 percent.  

The Marlowe’s lived in a world that gave them everything. Matthew never understood how starving artists could hardly get a free meal at a club, but club owners showered him with all the food, liquor, and women he wanted, just for coming by. Matthew was always reluctant to accept these types of offers, because they usually ended in some type of trouble with his father.  But, The Hottest Spot on Thursdays, also known as “Club Thot”, offered to pay Matthew one thousand dollars to do a 45 minute walk through.
Now what kind of idiot would turn that down?
  Matthew thought.  But, it was this kind of thinking that always got him in trouble in the first place. 

***

Matthew’s father, Marcellus was furious after his son’s latest shenanigans at “Club Thot.” It was an election year, and while Marcellus was a virtual shoe in to keep his Senate seat, he hated it when Matthew acted out. 

He watched his son pull his Mercedes in the driveway and shook his head as he finally approached.  

“Dad, I know,” Matthew began. 

Marcellus cut him off quickly. “I talk. You listen.”  

Matthew had only heard this tone from his father a few times in his life. As he saw his Dad purse his lips together, he knew he’d pushed this man one move too far. 

“Yes Sir,” Matthew returned, holding his head down and preparing for a scolding. 

“Son, you are one of the brightest minds this state has seen. I need you to develop it. Learn every damned thing you can. Do you hear me?” 

Although he asked a question, Marcellus continued without giving Matthew a chance to answer. 

“The men in this family have worked too hard building this legacy for you to parade around town acting like a commoner. Then, you had to go and get that little nigger . . .” 

“Daaaaaad, don’t call her that,” Matthew returned, causing his father to rephrase his description of the only girl Matthew ever loved. 

“You’re right, son. It is an election year. I mean the little dark, uhhmm, hmmmm, sorry son. I mean the little African American girl pregnant.” 

Matthew looked at his father, ashamed to see lips that kissed black women and children to get their vote spew such hatred. 

“Don’t look at me like that. I’m working on it. I am of the old school, son. Times were different then.” 

“I guess they were, Dad, but it is 30 years later and people are different. It’s your played out mentality that needs to change,” Matthew said angrily. He’d had enough of his Dad for now. He had to leave before he really gave him a piece of his mind. 

“Sit your self-righteous ass down and do it now,” Marcellus ordered his son. 

Matthew quickly obliged. He plopped down in the chair and folded his arms, as he awaited the next sentence from his father. 

“Get over that girl. Who cares if she had a name? It’s best you forget it. I’ve been talking to my advisors and some other influential folk around here, and they seem to think I have a shot at running for Governor.” 

“That’s great, Dad.” 

“You damned right it is, and before I can get home to tell you the news, I have to read about you drinking in a bar. What was your 17 year old ass doing in a bar in the first place?” 

Again, Marcellus asked a question he didn’t need an answer to because he continued his tirade.  

“Our legacy could pave your road to politics, and I don’t want you out here fucking it up! I’ve had my assistants apply to several colleges for you, and I guess it was a good thing since you’ve not mentioned furthering your education. You’ve gotten accepted to East Carolina University, Wake Forest, and UNC-Chapel Hill.” 

Now, it was finally his turn to speak. Matthew rushed over to his book bag and handed his father an acceptance letter from the University of North Carolina-Wilmington. 

“I know it’s not on your list, Dad, but it was the only one on mine.” Matthew held his head down waiting on the verdict. 

Suddenly, Matthew didn’t recognize the look on his father’s face. Marcellus rushed to his son’s side and stood inches away from Matthew’s face, as he reached out to embrace his son. 

“Baby Boy, I am so proud of you,” Marcellus said, holding his son in a bear hug. He kissed his youngest boy on the forehead and in that moment, he knew he could trust Matthew with their family secret.  

“It’s time you become a man, Matthew. This childish shit has to go. There is too much riding on these tires. We have created a legacy of strong men, and we won’t allow you to destroy it with your bullshit. You ARE going to take your ass to that school by the beach, and you’re gonna find the nicest Southern Belle there is. You’re gonna marry her, have plenty of babies, and live in the world of politics. I am leaving you a seat at the table, and you better damned sure be ready when I get up. You got that?” 

Matthew understood everything his father was saying. “Yes Sir. I understand.” 

“Good,” Marcellus replied. He walked over to his desk drawer and pulled out his checkbook. 

He scribbled some quick words, but it was all the zeros that got Matthew’s attention. Marcellus tore the rectangular paper from the book and handed his son a check for one million dollars. 

“Wooooooooooo! Oh Yeah!!” Matthew began to dance around the room. 

“Boy, sit your dumb ass down,” joked Marcellus. “Money comes with strings. Sit down, so I can explain yours.” 

For the next hour, Matthew took notes. The check was to pay for 4 years of school, buy a house, car, and take care of his other personal bills. In return, he had to be engaged by the time he graduated and be ready to take his place at the helm of the family business. 

Matthew answered that offer with a resounding yes. He could roll with that. 

Port City, here I come
, he thought, as he folded the check and placed it in his wallet. 

Edwina had been on pins and needles since she got accepted to her dream school by the sea. She knew early on she’d have to get through college all on her own, but she didn’t let that stop her. She moved ahead without the support of her mother.  And when all the work was done, her mom laughed in her face when she told her that she wanted to leave home for school. 

“Guess what, Mom?” Edwina asked, jumping up and down in front of her mother. 

“What is it, girl?” asked her Mom, smiling through a scowl as she tried to look seriously at her daughter. 

“I got accepted, Mom. I got in,” she said. Edwina reached over and grabbed her mom’s hands expecting her to join in the celebration. 

Instead she got a response that suddenly reminded her of why she never trusted Tesha with her dreams anyway. 

“That’s nice and all, but I hope you don’t think I can afford to pay for it. Nope, I don’t have the money. You are no better than me, and your little ass can go to that community college in Albemarle just like I did. Why do you have to be so different?” 

“Momma, do you hear yourself? I thought you’d be happy for me. This has nothing to do with you and somehow you’ve still been able to take my moment and make it all about you. Don’t worry though, I got this. I’ll just do it on my own,” Edwina said, sticking out her chest. 

“Whatever lil’ girl.  Do what you want, just don’t bring that proud chest home to me. That’s the problem with you teenagers. You think you know everything and the world has you aiming for the sky, but they forget the part about aiming too high. No one tells you about that glass ceiling until you hit it.” 

“Well, that’s not quite the sendoff I was hoping for Mom, but I guess that’s as close to a blessing as I’ll get from you, so thanks,” Edwina said. She crossed the room to kiss her mother. As she walked away, she felt the last bit of respect she had for the woman who birthed her, seep deep into the floor beneath her. Things would never be the same. 

Edwina got a summer job as an intern for Clarke Bellow’s, Mafietta Movement.  In just a short time, Mrs. Bellow had shown her how to apply for financial aid and other scholarships offered in the UNCW area from her massive Stanly County office. 

The short month and a half before school passed by so quickly, but Edwina was ready. Not only had she saved the $1500 she made working for The Movement, Mrs. Bellow also gave her a check to cover her tuition and one year’s room and board. 

Edwina decided not to share her good fortune with her mother. She was working too hard to have her mother’s energy conflicting with her heart’s desire. Instead, she headed home intent on packing for her new life. 

She had a small glimmer of hope that her mom had finally accepted her decision to leave, as she drove around the last corner before turning into her driveway. There were 3 or 4 cars parked on the street. 

Maybe her Mom had a change of heart and invited some of Edwina’s friends over to see her off. She turned the door knob with a big smile on her face, only to find her mom and her other alcohol dependent friends watching the Maury show, taking up all of the living room. 

“Girl, why you got that big ass grin on your face? ” asked Tesha condescendingly. “You may think you better than me because you going to some fancy, shmancy college, but you gone end up just like these simple bitches on this show.” 

Tesha’s friends laughed at her public shaming. Edwina, no stranger to her mother’s drunken rages, walked past the crowd, ignoring their ill wishes as she prepared for college. 

“Your daughter always has been arrogant. She walk around with her nose so far up in the air, she’d drown if it rained.” 

The room roared as Edwina packed the last few items not already in her car. She looked at the bedroom one last time before turning off the light. There were so many memories with her mother here, but this “motherless child” could not remember one good one. 

Thoughts of an abusive childhood flooded Edwina’s thoughts, as she said goodbye to a virtually empty room. The only thing left was a picture of her and her mother, standing alone, on the dusty desk in the corner.  She eased out of the back door and never looked back. She refused to be another one of the things her mother broke. 

Edwina’s first semester went by well. She managed to make it through the semester with a 3.8 GPA and she was happy. She had a great report to give Mrs. Bellow when she called to check up on her progress.  

“Your grades are amazing. I am so proud of you, and you know what? If you keep at least a 3.5 average for all your classes, I’ll take care of your next year’s tuition as well. What do you say? Do you think you can handle that?” Mrs. Bellow asked, happy to be anonymously helping Lena St. James provide a good education for her late husband’s indiscretion. 

“Awww, Mrs. Bellow. Thank you so much! You will never know how grateful I am for your kindness. Thanks to your scholarship, I can be a student focused on her studies. I got this. There’s just one thing. I gotta get through the swim part of the gym class I’m taking next semester.” 

Clarke Bellow laughed at her protégé and asked, “Don’t you know how to swim?”  

“No, Ma’am. I wanted to learn, but Momma always said, “Girl you ain’t washin’ your ass, and you can’t drink it all so, what you need to swim for?” 

Clarke laughed, “You are stronger than that, Sweetie. You got this. Call me next week and let me know how it goes.” 

As the phone clicked, Edwina grabbed her bag and headed off to get a swimsuit.    

***

Gym class wasn’t nearly as bad as Edwina expected. She was even starting to enjoy it. Yoga had been life changing for the chronic worrier. In just a small amount of time, she’d learned so much through the uncomfortable positions shown in the class.   Edwina headed to her locker to grab her gym clothes. She found Meka there waiting for her.  

“What’s up, Girl?” she asked. 

“Hey, Meka. What’s up?” 

“Edwina, you’re really nice, and I know they’re just hating on you.  But, I have to tell you.” 

“Tell me what?” Edwina asked non-chalantly. 

“Cassandra puts your gym shorts in the toilet every day after class, hangs them out to dry, and puts them back into your locker in the morning.” 

“What the fuck?” Edwina asked. Meka’s words had thrown her off her feet. She knew her shorts had seemed more wrinkled and a bit damp the last few days, but she never even remotely considered someone was messing with her stuff. 

“How long has this shit been going on?” Edwina asked. 

“For about a week now.” 

“A week? How could you wait a week to tell me some shit like this?” Clarke argued. 

“Look, I don’t want to be in this beef between you two. I just thought you should know,” Meka returned, as she headed to her own locker. 

“I shouldn’t have reacted like that towards you.  Thanks girl,” Edwina said, understanding that Meka was not the one at fault here. But, oh, that Cassandra, she had something coming. 

A lifetime of bullying and last minute sleepovers, to escape her mom’s wrath; taught Edwina to keep an extra set of clothes in the car. This method had once again saved the day. 

Edwina rushed to her car, just before picking the lock on Cassandra’s locker.  She traded Cassandra’s gym clothes for the damp shorts and t-shirt she’d left for that Edwina. By the time Cassandra came dragging into the gym, she was surrounded by her usual gaggle of girls. 

She looked over at Edwina, obviously disappointed that she was not wearing her “freshly laundered” clothing. 

“What’s wrong, Cassandra? You look like someone just ruined your day,” Edwina taunted her bully. 

“No, I’m just fine,” Cassandra remarked, heading to her own locker. 

Edwina had her phone pointed toward Cassandra, as the metal door swung open and suddenly the predator became the prey. 

“Ummmm, is this some kind of joke here?” she asked, throwing 22 inches of virgin hair over her shoulders. 

“Yep, except that this time, I’m laughing,” Edwina said, approaching Cassandra. Her crew began to step aside as she got closer to the bully. 

“You’re gonna put on these damned shorts, and you’re gonna wear them today.” 

“Oh, no the hell I’m not,” said Cassandra. 

“You have 3 seconds to decide.  And if not, I can tell the entire campus, who, what, when and who gives a damn about your why. You know the shit was trifling, anyway.” 

Cassandra knew exactly what Edwina was talking about, and how dare she throw that up in her face in front of the girls? That was low. 

Edwina began to count, “One, two . . .” 

“Okay, okay,” Cassandra relented. She almost threw up as she slid the shorts dipped in her own urine over her legs and onto her hips. She followed with the shirt and attempted to regain some of her pride, as she headed out of the locker room into the gym. 

The locker room roared.  

“Yo, ladies, that’s fucked up for y’all to let her do me like that.” 

Suddenly, the room hushed and the spineless crew began to scatter as everyone rushed to get to class on time.  

Edwina felt great after her workout, but Cassandra didn’t have the best look on her face. It seemed that every step repulsed her. Edwina guessed that’s what smelling piss would do to you. 

“Don’t forget that we’ll be spending the next 3 weeks in the pool, ladies, so get that hair and those swim caps together. Everybody is getting in the water, so miss me with the excuses,” announced Mrs. Whittington before heading to her office. 

The room came to life as the girls conversed about the type of bathing suit they wanted. Edwina just wanted that part of the class to be over. 

***

It had been a long three days, but Edwina learned to float. She could still be a little panicky in the water at times, but that was better than failing the course. 

Edwina laid back into the water and allowed it to carry her. She closed her eyes and thought of happy times at home when Arlen and his daughter were there. Edwina loved the company and was always glad to call Melissa her sister. Life was good for them then.  But, that was before her mother ran them off, too. She had a real knack for breaking people. 

Edwina’s mind wandered off to earlier years.

Arlen sat at the table with head in hands. His head moved from side to side as he tried to figure out just how he’d gotten to this place. He had a 16 page phone bill lying on the table before him totaling $267.79. His hands moved to the papers, and with fists clenched, he balled up them up and threw them against the wall. She had done it again. 

Tesha’s long distance calls were becoming excessive and ridiculous. Arlen always walked around with his head held high.  But, in this very moment, as he sat at our dining room table with tight lips and watery eyes, I realized that my mother had broken him too.  

She never considered how his family warned him against marrying the first piece of ass he’d ever had, as she paraded around town doing as she pleased while he stayed at home with me and Melissa.  

I rushed to the other side of the room to retrieve the papers.  

“Get that bill away from me,” Arlen shouted, as he retreated to the bedroom he shared with that woman. 

My sister and I were curious of the bill’s contents, so we took the crumpled exhibit and retreated to the solace of our bedroom. We had to find out why Daddy so upset. 

We didn’t know, but going through that bill was one of the worst things Melissa and I could have done. It turned us into immature and unprepared investigators. We highlighted the number that appeared the most, and we called it. Everything that happened after only led us to lose faith in those around us. It turned our world upside down and the worst part is, it wasn’t even worth it. 

Maybe people stay together for reasons that have little to do with love and fidelity. Shaky situations and crumbling foundations aren’t as visible from a distance. Putting this thing under a microscope amplified their problems and put additional strain on a tense situation. 

Edwina’s thoughts scrolled past the countless times Tesha tried to break her too.  Instead, she settled on the ways it made her stronger. Those thoughts were the ones that encouraged and empowered the damaged young woman. She smiled.  Glad to have escaped her past and its choke hold on her future. 

Edwina panicked the moment she opened her eyes. She’d floated at least 5 feet from the pool’s edge. Her arms flailed, as she looked for something to hold onto. Her head plunged beneath the water, and it began to dance up and down her face as her body bobbled. She was choking on water, as she reached for the ropes that separated the lanes and pulled her way back to the pools edge. 

Edwina pulled her frightened body from the water and coughed incessantly, as she tried to clear the water from her windpipe. A handsome life guard rushed to meet her. 

“Are you okay?” He asked through an amazing smile that made Edwina’s heart flutter. 

“I am now,” said the near-drowning victim, between the sputters of water coming from her mouth. “But, where were you when I needed you?”  

“Sorry, I had a ways to come to get to you. Are you sure you’re alright?” 

“Yes, I’m fine” 

“Great. I have to run, but call me if you need me,” stated the handsome figure. 

“Sure thing, but what’s your name?” Edwina inquired. 

“It’s Matthew. Matthew Marlowe,” the young man returned, extending his hand. “It was great to meet you.” 

“Likewise,” Edwina said, as Mrs. Whittington approached. 

“Edwina, I have so many students trying to get out of PE that I’m sorry for not giving your request the consideration it needed. You’re excused until this portion of class is over.” 

“Thank you so much,” Edwina said, regretting that she would miss the opportunity to meet Matthew Marlowe again.  

“I am really afraid of the water,” Edwina explained to her instructor. 

“Oh, don’t think you are getting off that easy. Quite the contrary, I have assigned you to Matthew Marlowe, lifeguard. He will teach you the basics about water survival, and as long as you can tread water for 4 minutes and float, you will pass the class. You don’t have to come back until the final exam for the water portion.  And if you want to pass, Ms. Edwina, you will take full advantage of the help Mr. Marlowe can offer you. Otherwise, I’ll have to start calling you “The Rock”, because I don’t know how you did it, but you were determined to sink to the bottom of this pool just now. Will you be comfortable with a young man instructing?” 

Edwina was thinking about everything but water as she answered, “You can believe that.” 

Mrs. Whittington let out a small chuckle. She could tell Edwina and Matthew were smitten with each other. It wasn’t a hard read at all. 

“You just make sure not to drown. Do you understand?” The instructor asked. 

“Yes ma’am. My Momma talked under the table all the time before she died. I get your drift. Thank you so much for the opportunity. You won’t regret it.” 

She left the gym, the happiest she’d been since her arrival at UNC – Wilmington. She took a moment to close her eyes and enjoy the heat of the sun on her face. 

“Nice day, isn’t it?” A familiar masculine voice asked. 

“Yes, beautiful,” Edwina added, slowly opening her eyes to find the handsome Matthew Marlowe standing before her. 

“Hey,” Edwina said, trying to hide her embarrassment, as she wondered just how long Matthew had been watching her. 

“Don’t worry about swim class. I see you had some trouble, but I’ve got you covered. We can start tomorrow at, let’s say, 9:00 am.  You down?” he asked. 

“9:00 am?  That’s brutal, but you’re the professional. I’ll be there.” 

“Great, meet me at the practice pool, and we’ll go hard until 10.  Then, maybe, grab some breakfast. How does that sound?” 

Edwina tried not to blush, “It sounds great. I’ll see you then.” 

Matthew smiled. He’d met quite a few ladies in his first semester, but none of them had that southern charm his father talked about, until now. 

Edwina Edwards could be the one, and he couldn’t wait to find out.