Put A Ring On It (12 page)

“I packed his clothes. He’s out of my life. I just want to let it go.”

“Why? Your fiancé made a fool out of you. His jumpoff tries to kill you and for all you know that kick in the coochie might ruin your chances of ever having kids.”

“My reproductive organs are intact,” Nivea said flatly.

“I’m shocked that Eric is so manipulative and heartless. That bastard had the nerve to coerce you into helping him babysit his child.”

“I didn’t actually babysit.”

“Stop making excuses,” Vangie grumbled in disgust. “Isn’t that why the bitch went off on you…because you were holding her child?”

“Yeah, but—”

“Sounds like babysitting to me.” Vangie shook her head wearily. “You’re a good woman with a head on her shoulders and you have a great career. Eric threw it all away for a stripper.”

Nivea bobbed her head. “I know.

“It seems to me that the more you let Eric get away with, the more emotionally abusive he became. You’re such a strong woman. What happened to you, Nivea?”

“I don’t know. I can’t believe half the things that I’ve allowed since I found out about Eric’s double life. I’m pathetic,” Nivea said, sounding defeated.

Vangie flinched. “Don’t say that. Look, I’m sorry. I should be uplifting your spirits; not making you feel worse.”

“It’s true, though. I’m really pathetic. I was so desperate for somebody to marry, that I settled for Eric, knowing that he was deficient in so many ways.”

“We all make mistakes when it comes to love.”

“I’m not even sure if I ever really loved Eric.”

“No?”

“He was alright. I liked him enough to put up with all his shortcomings because he was easy to get along with and he let me have my way. Or so I thought.”

“Eric was bringing too much baggage with him. He actually did you a favor by showing his true colors before you tied the knot.”

Nivea nodded.

“I still don’t understand why you’re letting that tramp get away with assault and battery. My God, you have her teeth marks on your shoulder. Where is the real Nivea, the one who fights back?”

“The stripper, the baby, the endless cussing and fighting…it’s too much. All of this drama has me so beaten down, I feel grimy and drained. Seriously, Vangie all I really want is to reclaim my dignity. I need my self-respect back. I can’t heal if I have to talk to the police, go to court, and relive these disgusting events. I want to forget that Eric and his secret family ever existed.”

“Alright, Niv. Don’t worry; your secret is safe with me. I’ll back up whatever statement you make about the wedding. Okay, girl?”

“Okay,” Nivea replied, her voice tearful.

Vangie didn’t want Nivea to start crying, so she went for humor. “I guess it’s safe to assume that you’re gonna keep that rock that Eric put on your finger.”

Nivea glanced down at her engagement ring. “Eric didn’t give me this,” she admitted. Tears welled in her eyes. “I put this on one of my credit cards. He was supposed to make payments, but he never made any. I guess he was too financially burdened from taking care of his
family
. Now how pathetic is that?”

“Damn!”

Nivea burst into tears. Her choking sobs echoed mournfully as Vangie rubbed her back, making comforting sounds.

T
here really shouldn’t be secrets in a marriage. But how can I tell Drake the truth about what happened to me? I don’t want to see pity in his eyes, and I don’t want to see revulsion. I just want him to love me for who I’ve become, despite all the odds that were stacked against me.

Harlow looked out the window of the plane, trying to find comfort in the fluffy white clouds, but the clouds didn’t help.

Jody!
Harlow screamed in her mind.

Pretty and shapely, Jody used to brag to her friends that she never paid for her get-high. “All I have to do is wait ’til after-hours, page Skeeter, and wait. He don’t even hit me back. He knows what I’m beeping him for. Ten minutes later, Skeeter’s outside my door, his pockets filled with the dope I need. I don’t have to pay for shit,” Jody had bragged.

Jody’s friends murmured in awe.

Four-year-old Harlow had seen plenty of those tiny plastic bags. Sometimes Skeeter brought her mother little glass bottles that stored her get-high. Harlow was happy for her mother, satisfied in the fact that Jody was special enough to receive her get-high for free. And judging from the other women’s admiring faces, Jody was indeed, an exceptional person. Looking up from her coloring book, Harlow sent her mother a smile, her eyes bright with love and pride.

I was only four years old when it all started,
Harlow recalled, staring blankly at the clouds.

Grimacing at the bad memories that were resurfacing, Harlow desperately searched the blue sky, hoping its beauty would distract her from her torturous thoughts. But her mind kept reverting to the past.

By the time Harlow was six, Jody was strung out so bad, she’d sell anything for a rock…including her own daughter.

“Be quiet. Stop crying,” Skeeter growled.

Jody coaxed her on the other side of her closed bedroom door. “It’s gon’ be okay, baby. It won’t hurt that bad the next time. I need you to be brave.”

The plane shook slightly, jolting Harlow back into the moment. Her eyes watered. She squeezed them shut, trapping the tears, refusing to allow them to fall. In a struggle to be strong, she banged the window, alarming the flight attendant.

“Everything okay, ma’am? There’s nothing to be concerned about; it’s just a little turbulence.”

“You’re right. It’s only turbulence. Sorry for overreacting,” Harlow said after composing herself.

Shawn, Vangie, and Yuri browsed the lot filled with pine trees.

“There’s a big one, Daddy!” Yuri exclaimed, pointing at a tall, skinny tree.

“Too scrawny. Keep looking. Find something with some bulk, son.”

“What’s bulk?”

Shawn stretched out his arms in explanation.

Yuri scrutinized the rows of tied-together trees. “There it is! That one has bulk,” he said using the word he’d just acquired. He trotted over to a colossal tree.

Shawn smiled. “That’s what I’m talking about, son.”

“Can we get it, Daddy?”

“Maybe. Let’s see how much this dude gon’ try and beat us for,” Shawn replied, switching from a smile to a stern face.

“Why would he beat us?” Yuri asked, looking perplexed as he tried to decipher his father’s terminology.

“Shh. Lemme handle this,” Shawn said in a lowered voice. “Hey, man,” he called out to the tree salesman. “How much you want for this one?”

“That’s seventy-five,” the man replied, smiling as he approached.

“That’s kinda steep, my man. You know that tree ain’t worth all that.”

The man looked up at the sky briefly. “I can let you have it for sixty-five.”

“Nah, that ain’t gon’ work. You gotta do better than that. It’s
only a couple of days ’til Christmas. I know you not tryna get stuck with all these trees.”

“Fifty-five dollars,” the man conceded. “That’s the best I can do.”

“That’ll work,” Shawn said, thrusting his hand inside his pocket and pulling out cash. He glanced at Yuri and gave him a wink. “Mofos be out to get you,” he told his son in a conspiratorial tone. “Don’t ever accept the first offer.”

Yuri nodded, brows furrowed.

There were important life lessons that Yuri needed, and learning how to haggle wasn’t one of them. Shawn’s advice was ridiculous, but harmless. Vangie laughed to herself,
It’s not like he’s instructing Yuri on how to roll a blunt.

What mattered was that her son was getting an opportunity to have a man’s perspective on life…something he desperately needed.

Yuri scampered alongside his father as Shawn and the tree seller transported the tree to the car. Yuri was practically dancing with joy as he watched the tree being hoisted and tied to the roof of Shawn’s car.

It was freezing outside but Vangie felt warmed by her son’s smile.

Vangie sat in the passenger seat while Shawn made sure that Yuri was situated in the back.

“Can we stop at McDonald’s, Daddy?” Yuri asked while Shawn was looking over his shoulder, backing out of the lot.

“Don’t you ever get tired of McDonald’s?” Shawn asked, laughing.

“No!” Yuri giggled.

“Whatchu wanna eat, Vangie?” Shawn asked.

“Whatever you two decide is okay with me.”

“Can I order a number four like you, Daddy?”

“That might be too much food for you, Yuri,” Vangie intervened.

“No, it’s not,” Yuri whined.

“Cut out that whining, man. That’s not cool. You can get your point across without all that extra stuff,” Shawn scolded.

That’s right, you tell him, Shawn!

Yuri cleared his throat, attempting to remove the whine from his voice. “Happy Meals are for babies; I want a number four like Daddy gets,” Yuri said in an even tone.

“All right then, but you gotta promise to eat all your food,” Shawn said.

“I promise!”

Feeling temporarily released from the binds of single motherhood, Vangie was in a peaceful place. Something as minor as having Shawn take responsibility for getting Yuri strapped in his seat, and answering their son’s numerous questions was a tremendous relief. Being a passenger instead of having to drive in treacherous weather was heavenly bliss. Vangie stared out the window. Consumed with love, she cherished the moment.

Shawn, Vangie, and Yuri had spent a few hours decorating the tree. Now Yuri was in bed asleep, and Shawn was at Clean Cutz working overnight. Vangie had to work in the morning, but she wasn’t ready to call it a night just yet. She sat on the sofa, sipping wine and staring at the beautifully decorated tree.

The Christmas tree was stunning with its red and silver ornaments. It looked designer-decorated, like it should have been featured in a magazine. And it was all because of Shawn. He wanted Yuri to have a memorable Christmas with a real tree instead of the artificial tree that Vangie pulled out of the storage bin year after year.

Her life was finally changing for the better. In addition to the
money he’d given her at the beginning of the month, Shawn had been giving her portions of the tips he made at the shop. Vangie appreciated having extra cash. Shawn even kept Yuri’s pockets filled with one-dollar bills and loose change. For the first time in years, Vangie was relaxed and without pressing everyday money worries.

Though she and Shawn hadn’t become an official couple yet, he had started assuming responsibilities and was behaving like he was her man, so it wasn’t unreasonable to start thinking in terms of a stable future together.

It was possible that wedding bells were on the horizon. She smiled, imagining her and Shawn jumping the broom.

Her cell suddenly buzzed. She glanced at the screen…a text from Shawn. He wanted her to take a picture of the tree and send it to his cell.

Shawn wants to show off our tree to his customers and the other barbers at the shop.
Cell in hand, she walked toward the Christmas tree. With a surge of exhilaration, she began snapping away, getting shots of the tree from a variety of angles. She wished she could hear the reactions from the men in the barbershop, but since she couldn’t, she began sending the pictures to her own family and friends, and added a caption: Merry Xmas from Vangie, Shawn, & Yuri.

But she was hesitant about sending a picture to Nivea. Niv was going through a hell of a rough patch; she probably wasn’t feeling the holiday spirit.

Nivea never took my misery into consideration when she bragged about her salary and extravagant wedding plans. I should be allowed the pleasure of sending a picture of my Christmas tree.
Vangie scrolled to Nivea’s name, and hit SEND.

A
lone in her suite at The Four Seasons, Harlow snacked on the complimentary chocolates and pastries that were set at her beside. The sweet taste did not substitute her yearning for Drake. She missed him so much. She wanted to call him but knew that he needed space.

For the past few days, Harlow’s telephone conversations with Drake had been brief and awkward. He was always pressed for time, rushing off the phone to attend a meeting, or some business function that required his presence. There was nothing new about Drake having to conduct business, but he knew that Harlow was anxious to learn what he’d done with those stones. It was completely out of character for him to avoid a topic that was so important.

She swallowed back a knot of suspicion.
Please don’t be involved in this mess, Drake. Please.

Closing her eyes, Harlow thought back to happier times, when she first met Drake.

Without any real job skills, Harlow had bounced around from one low-paying job to the next. When she applied for the receptionist position at Elite Luxury Car Rentals, she was hired on the spot, and told that the person she’d replaced had advanced to a sales position. Harlow loved the atmosphere at work. Being in an environment with beautiful exotic cars was uplifting, and she was determined to learn all that she could about sales. It was time to focus on a career. This was an opportunity to improve her life.