The Other Side of Divine (14 page)

“And he wouldn't cooperate,” Lawrence said, scooting back onto the couch.

Paris shook her head. “No, he wouldn't. And if he had, we could have eliminated him as the father, and since Andrew is the only other person I was with, I would know for sure right now that this baby is his.”

“So why wouldn't Darius agree to do it?” Lawrence asked. “I would think he would want to know early on himself.”

Paris readjusted her body, placed her hand behind her back and arched it.

“Getting uncomfortable?” Lawrence asked as he watched Paris.

“A little. It gets like this when I don't move around.” She stood up and arched her back again. “That's better.” Paris looked down at her father, who leaned forward, crossed his leg, and locked his fingers around his knee. “One of the reasons he likely balked about it was the cost. I told him I would put in half. But when you're talking two thousand dollars and it comes to a cheapskate like Darius, you can forget it.”

“Yes, he's definitely not one to pay for anything if he can manage to get it for free or manipulate someone else into footing the bill.” Lawrence leaned back, his fingers still locked around his knee. “We call those kinds of people moochers.”

“Oh, but last night at the restaurant he was Mr. Moneyman,” Paris said as she gently and slowly eased back down on the couch next to her father.

Lawrence released his locked fingers and planted both feet squarely on the floor. “Mr. Moneyman? Last night? Restaurant?”

“Yeah.” Paris smiled. “Andrew took me to that expensive restaurant out on two-eighty; you know the one you and Mom like to patronize a lot. I'm not even going to try and pronounce the name of it, but you know the one I'm talking about.”

Lawrence chuckled. “I know which one. I'm with you; I let your mother say it and leave it alone. She's the one who knows French in the family.”

“Anyway, Andrew took me there and who comes strolling in, and almost flattens our waitress by knocking her down, but Darius. And he's with some woman.”

“Some woman? But he's married with children,” Lawrence said.

“Apparently that's about to be all over soon. The woman he was with is named Dee Vine, but she combines the two names and calls herself Divine,” Paris said. “He must have been trying to impress her or something because when Andrew offered to pay for everyone's meal, Darius decided to trump Andrew and pay for ours. He is
such
a
jerk
!”

Lawrence reached over and patted her hand. “Calm down now. Don't let this upset you.”

Paris frowned. “Daddy, he made me so mad that I got sick just being in his presence. He was throwing off about my baby. He knows it's possible the baby might be his, so he was trying to toy with me and, on the sly, mess with Andrew.” Paris released a sigh. “So that's where I am right now. I'm pregnant with a baby me and my husband have been praying for, and I'm not sure now that it's his baby. I talked with Johnnie Mae—”

“Johnnie Mae? Who is Johnnie Mae?”

“Our new pastor's wife. Remember, I told you that Andrew and I joined Pastor George Landris's church?”

“Yes, yes, you don't have to remind me. I'm still praying you and Andrew will come to your senses and come back to the church you grew up in and where you belong.”

“Daddy, we're not coming back. Spiritually, we weren't growing there.”

“Fine. Fine. But you're telling me that you've actually spoken to someone outside the family about what's going on with you and
this
?”

“Yes. I had to talk to somebody. And at the time, I didn't feel comfortable telling you or Mom the truth about what was going on. I sure couldn't talk to Andrew about it, although Johnnie Mae says I need to tell him the truth. She says the truth always has a way of coming out eventually. And that it's better when you're in control of it instead of leaving it in the hands of others who don't have your best interest at heart.” Paris looked toward the ceiling. “I wanted to tell Andrew. In fact: I tried.” She shook her head and looked directly into her father's eyes. “I just couldn't do it. It's so hard to get the words out when you don't know what will come next.”

“I don't know if I agree with the advice your first lady gave you. She may have good intentions, but I see no good to come out of telling Andrew this without knowing for sure,” Lawrence said. “I mean what if Andrew
is
the father? Why put yourself through something for nothing. I'd say just let things play out, for now. Andrew is ecstatic about this baby. Why go and ruin things for him at this juncture?”

“So you're saying I
shouldn't
tell him? Not even after the baby comes?”

Lawrence grabbed her hands again. “Let's say the baby
is
Darius's. Do you really think Darius will step up and do right by this child? The man's a playa minus the
e-r
. He has three children now, that we know of, and you've seen firsthand how good of a father he is to them.”

“I don't know. He seems to be great about his children. It's his wife he didn't seem to do right.”

“Okay. Maybe it's not fair to say he's not a good father. Maybe he has been and maybe he is now. But he's demonstrating to you already that he doesn't care anything about the baby you're carrying.”

“That's true. But I'm praying that the baby I'm carrying isn't his, so it won't matter.”

“On the other hand, Andrew wants this baby more than anything, right?” Lawrence asked.

“Yes. Absolutely,” Paris said.

“Then even if the baby is
not
his biologically, why would you hurt him by taking this child away from him?” Lawrence forced a smile through his frown.

“Because I would feel like I'm lying to both of them. Andrew deserves to know the truth, doesn't he? Then he can decide what he wants to do from the side of truth. If he still wants to be the baby's father, at least I'll know he's doing it from the right place. I don't want this baby to not be his and, God forbid, something happens down the road and he discovers the truth. What if after learning the truth Andrew decides to walk away? How would that affect my baby then?”

“You're right. It's a difficult decision and a difficult call to make,” Lawrence said. “And I'm probably the wrong person to be giving advice since I messed up so royally when it came to my own call when faced with the same issue. Maybe that's the cautionary tale for you, daughter. Maybe that Johnnie lady was right. Maybe the best thing
is
the truth and to just let the chips fall where they may. But I'll say one more time: If it was me, I'd probably wait until
after
the baby is born. Maybe there's a way for you to find out the paternity after the baby arrives without Andrew ever knowing what you're up to. You're a smart girl. You're a Simmons.”

“Maybe you're on to something, Daddy. You know they
do
have these home DNA kits now.” Paris's face lit up. “I could swab the inside of Andrew's cheek while he's asleep maybe. Take some from the baby. Send it off. Get back a definitive answer. And if the baby
is
Andrew's, I can drop all of this and we can carry on with our lives as though nothing ever happened.”

“See, now you're thinking like a
true
Simmons,” Lawrence said with a slight laugh behind his words.

“But if the baby is
not
Andrew's, I'm going to tell him the truth,” Paris said with a sigh and a determined look.

“Sounds like a game-winning plan to me.” Lawrence stood up and opened his arms as he waited for Paris to fill them.

Paris stood up and allowed her father to totally engulf her with a nice warm hug. “Thanks, Daddy. Who would have ever thought you'd be so much help with this.”

“Yeah, I know, right? That's always been your mother's department. But maybe I was better equipped to handle this one because I've been where you are now.” He kissed her on the top of her head, lingering a little longer than necessary. “I love you, cupcake. You hear me? And if you need someone to talk to about this later on, you come to me. You don't need to be putting your personal business out there to some stranger like that Johnnie Mae lady. We're family. I'm here for you. I mean that.”

“I know.” Paris hugged him back tightly. “I know. And I love you, Daddy.” She began to cry again.

“And I love you. So stop all this crying. You hear me?” He held her now with tears in his eyes. “I love you, baby girl.”

—Ruth 3:1

 

 

 

“G
abrielle,” Miss Crowe had whispered over the phone when she'd left the message on voice mail. “I don't mean to bother you, but something is going on here at the house and I think you need to get here as soon as you can. Jasmine is fine, so it's not anything to do with her at all. But if you can, hurry and get home.”

Gabrielle had gotten the message and left work an hour earlier than she'd originally planned, thankful that being the dance director at Followers of Jesus Faith Worship Center allowed her to do things like this.

“Thank the Lord, you got my message,” Miss Crowe said, greeting her before she got in the house good.

“Yeah, I got it. What's going on? You say Jasmine is all right?”

Miss Crowe kept her voice low. “Yes, of course. You know if it had been anything to do with Jasmine directly I would have told you that on the message. I wouldn't dare have you to worry like that.” Miss Crowe looked back. “But your aunt Cee-Cee is here with one of her sons. They're in there with your father, and I'm not liking what I'm hearing coming from that crew.”

“What did you hear?” Gabrielle whispered back.

“It's that boy mainly. Well, I suppose you can't actually call him a boy anymore, but it's the son who's doing most of the selling. I think his name is Jesse?”

“Yes, Jesse would be right. What's he trying to sell? But even if he has something to sell, it's not like my father has any money to buy it.”

“I suppose selling is a figure of speech and a bit misleading. Jesse's trying to get your father to go work for this place, but it's not adding up. The troubling part is that your father seems interested and your aunt isn't helping as
she's
pushing it, too. You know if she's pushing something, there
has
to be something not right about it.”

“I'll check and see what's going on,” Gabrielle said.

“I hope I didn't sound an alarm for nothing,” Miss Crowe said. “But I have a bad feeling about all of this. I didn't think it was my place to butt my nose in it. So I decided to call you and let you. I wasn't sure if you'd be able to get home in time, and maybe I should have waited for you to arrive normally and tell you—”

Gabrielle touched Miss Crowe's hand. “No, you did the right thing. I'm with you when it comes to both my aunt
and
my cousin Jesse. I'm not saying my father is not street-smart if they're trying to finagle him—”

“But he also may be primed to get involved with the wrong thing.”

“And he's still on probation. He's been a bit dejected lately with the job prospects not panning out and the fact that no one seems to want to give an ex-con a chance. He might be easily talked into doing something he shouldn't do.”

“My sentiments exactly,” Miss Crowe said.

“Where's Jasmine?”

“I made her go to her room and read a book as soon as your father let them in and led them into the den, where he and Jasmine had been watching the Disney Channel.”

Gabrielle took a deep breath. “That's good. I told my father I would prefer my aunt not be here when I'm not at home.”

“Yeah, I heard you when you told him that. I probably wouldn't have called you, but, like I said, I didn't care for what I was hearing. If they're in the process of doing something illegal, directly or not, I don't want you involved in
any
way.”

Gabrielle shrugged. “Well, I suppose I'll go see what's up.” Gabrielle stepped away, then came back over and kissed Miss Crowe on the cheek. “Thank you. You are such a blessing.”

“Yeah . . . well . . . right back at you,” Miss Crowe said with a wink. “Now go on and handle your business. And if you need me, just know I have my ears tuned and I can move a lot faster than folks think. I'll be in there in a flash.”

“I'm sure I'll be all right.” Gabrielle touched her hand, then left and headed for the den. She stood outside the entranceway and listened in a minute. Just as Miss Crowe had said, Aunt Cee-Cee and Jesse were there with her father. She walked in. “What's going on in here?” Gabrielle said.

“Hey, there, Gabrielle.” Bennie stood up, walked over, and gave Gabrielle a quick peck on the cheek. “Look who stopped by unannounced.”

“Yes, I see.”

Aunt Cee-Cee gave Gabrielle a quick nod of acknowledgment. “Gabrielle. How are you?”

“Hey, cuz!” Jesse said as he jumped up and hurried over to Gabrielle, wrapping his arms around her and giving her a bear hug. “What's poppin'?”

Gabrielle instantly could tell that Jesse was on something, some kind of drug. He couldn't be still for more than two seconds. He was bouncing around almost like his pants were full of ants.

“Jesse, come and sit back down,” Aunt Cee-Cee said, patting the couch cushion. “I'm sure Gabrielle doesn't want you all over her.”

“Sure, Mom. Sure,” Jesse said. “So Uncle Bennie, what do you think? Are you interested? I'm telling you, there's some real easy money to be made.”

“What does he think about what?” Gabrielle asked Jesse.

“Jesse, please come and sit down next to me.” Aunt Cee-Cee patted the couch cushion again.

“I'm cool, Ma. I'm good. I've got all this energy. I need to burn it off.”

“Jesse . . . what opportunity are you talking about?” Gabrielle asked again as she directed her full attention to her cousin, who was only a few years younger than her.

“Hey, cuz! Come to think of it, you might be interested in getting in on this yourself. Everybody can always use some extra cash.”

“Jesse! I said to hush up and come sit down!” Aunt Cee-Cee said.

“Why don't you want me to tell Gabrielle? She could likely use some extra money just like Uncle Bennie here. Didn't you say she was getting married soon? She might be interested in becoming a smurf or a cook.” He twitched and scratched. His face had visible burn-looking marks and scars in several places.

“Jesse!” Aunt Cee-Cee said as she stood up and hurried in front of him to block him from Gabrielle. “I told you to hush up!”

“Mom, I'm just trying to get as many people in this as possible. The more smurfs we can get, the more—”

Aunt Cee-Cee pressed her hand against his mouth. “Shut . . . up! Now!”

Jesse stepped away and did a quick dance. “Why do you want me not to tell Gabrielle what was all right to tell Uncle Bennie?”

“Yes, Aunt Cee-Cee,” Gabrielle said, turning her attention to her aunt. “Why might that be?”

“Because this is menfolk business,” Aunt Cee-Cee said.

“You're here,” Gabrielle said. “And if I'm not mistaken, this
is
my house.”

“Okay, Gabrielle. I know you don't care for me. But my brother is living here and I have every right to come by and check on him.”

“Cee-Cee,” Bennie said. “That's enough. It's time for you and Jesse to go.”

“But Angie is not due back to pick us up for another hour,” Aunt Cee-Cee said to Bennie.

“Well, you need to call her and tell her to get back here so she can take you home,” Bennie said.

“So you're just going to put us out? Just like that?” Aunt Cee-Cee said to Bennie. “We're family and, once again, we're getting dissed just like before. Nobody would believe all that I did for you, Gabrielle, and for you, dear brother, when I took your child into our home and gave her shelter and fed her hungry mouth.”

Gabrielle raised her hand. “Please don't attempt to go there, Aunt Cee-Cee. I really don't want to hear it. Not today.”

“Of course, you don't,” Aunt Cee-Cee said with a jeer.

“So, Cee-Cee, get on your little phone and call your daughter to come and get y'all,” Bennie said.

“It's not going to make any difference. I can call Angie now, but I can pretty much say that it will still likely be an hour before she gets here. That's how Angie is.”

“Well, then perhaps I can help you,” Zachary said, strolling into the den.

Gabrielle turned and looked his way. “Zachary.” She smiled and released a sigh of relief.

He strolled over and kissed Gabrielle on the cheek. “Is there a problem here?”

“No,” Aunt Cee-Cee said. “No problem. My son and I came over to see my brother and it appears we have overstayed our welcome.”

“Well, fortunately for you, I have my car right outside, and I'll be more than happy to drive you home.”

Aunt Cee-Cee twitched her nose. “We wouldn't want to put you out. Angie will be back shortly.”

“Tell you what,” Zachary said. “Call Angie and tell her not to bother coming. I'm taking you home. It will be my pleasure.”

Jesse's head was twitching repeatedly to one side.

Zachary looked at Jesse. “Hey, my man, what's up with you?” Zachary asked.

“I'm good. Just came to help my uncle out, that's all.” He scratched his chest.

Zachary walked over to Jesse and looked him over. “What are you on? What have you been taking?”

Jesse laughed. “On? Taking? Man, I'm good. I'm a giver, not a taker.”

“No . . . you're not good,” Zachary said.

Jesse suddenly started backing away from Zachary as though he was frightened of him. “Who sent you to spy on me?” He squatted down a little and looked around. “
They
sent you, didn't they?”

“They who?” Zachary said, looking around as well. “Who sent me?”

“Those people who are always following me. You know who. You're part of them, aren't you?” Jesse began to slap his own face.

“Jesse! Jesse! Stop that,” Aunt Cee-Cee said, grabbing his hands and holding him still. She then turned to Zachary. “He's ADHD. He needs medication. But without a job, he has no insurance so he can't get the medication he needs. He'll be all right.”

“So he's self-medicating?” Zachary said.

“Man, I don't believe in medi . . . cation,” Jesse said. “You can't trust these doctors. They'll experiment on you and you won't even know it,” Jesse said.

“That's not true,” Zachary said.

“Oh, yeah, yeah, right.” Jesse bounced around. “I keep forgetting you're one of them. You're a doctor. You're in with them, so of course you're going to deny it. But I know about the Tuskegee experiment with those men that time.” Jesse scratched his chest. “I know all about it.”

“Listen, you need help,” Zachary said. “You've been smoking meth, haven't you? You have all the signs.”

“Man, you're crazy. I don't
do
drugs. My mama just told you that I'm just hyper or I have attention problems. And there are all of these bugs that keep crawling all over my body biting me. They're making me itch. It's where we live now. Everybody ain't able to stay in a fancy house like my cousin here.” He turned to Gabrielle. “Ain't that right, cuz?”

“Jesse, Zachary is right,” Bennie said. “You're on something, and it's messing with your mind in a bad way.”

“You know what, old man? Forget I came over here to help you. Mama told me you were in need of a job. I came over here to try and help you,” Jesse said. “And look how you're turning on me.” Jesse turned to Aunt Cee-Cee. “Come on, Mama. We don't have to stay around here and take this. Let's go.”

“We can't go. Angie's not here yet,” Aunt Cee-Cee said to Jesse.

“I told you I'd be glad to drive you home,” Zachary said.

“Man, we ain't going nowhere with you. You'll probably try and take me to a hospital or worse, the police station. I know you're with them people who are out to get me. But I'm not going to fall for it.” Jesse turned to Aunt Cee-Cee. “Come on, Mama. We can walk and Angie can pick us up along the way. But I'm not going to stay here with these crazy folks.”

Bennie came over and placed his large, worn hand on Jesse's shoulder. “You need help, son. You're going down the wrong road. If you're not careful, you're going to find yourself locked away. I've been there. And believe me: You don't want to go there. You hear?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Jesse said. “I hear you. But I have no intentions of killing anybody, least of all my wife like you did. So I'm good, old man.”

“Jesse! That's enough!” Aunt Cee-Cee said. “Come on, we're going.” Aunt Cee-Cee grabbed Jesse by the hand and pulled him. He yanked his hand out of hers and picked up his backpack off the floor by the couch. Aunt Cee-Cee grabbed him by his wrist again and continued out of the den.

Zachary walked behind them. “I'll drive you—”

“No thank you,” Aunt Cee-Cee said, continuing to drag Jesse along. “We'll be fine. We don't need your help or anybody else's for that matter.” Aunt Cee-Cee threw a nasty look Gabrielle's way.

“Cee-Cee, please don't be like this. The boy needs help,” Bennie said.

“We'll be fine, Bennie. We've managed fine all this time without you. We'll manage fine now.” Aunt Cee-Cee stopped and looked hard at Gabrielle. “And you don't have to worry. I won't be gracing your precious little front door again.”

“Cee-Cee!” Bennie said.

“Good-bye, Bennie. When you find another place to live, somewhere your family is welcome, then let me know and I'll come see you there.” Aunt Cee-Cee stomped hard, dragging Jesse to the front door as she shoved him out first, then slammed the door behind them.