When Everything's Said & Done (11 page)

“Miss Nebia, didn’t you think it was rather selfish for Cora to leave like that?” Sheila asked. “I mean, she just up and left everybody, and she didn’t even tell Michael.”

“That was Cora. When I look back on it now, I would say Cora was a little bit of everything. Goodness. Sweetness. Bitterness. Cruelty. But what it all amounted to in my eyes was someone who was being herself. You never could say Cora wasn’t that.”

“So what does that mean?” Erica retorted. “We’re all suppose to do whatever the heck we please, no matter what harm it does?”

“No,” Nebia replied quietly. “No, I wouldn’t say that’s the way to live. I’m simply telling you that’s the way Cora lived her life. And I respected her for that even though I didn’t always agree with how she lived it.” “Poor Laura,” Sheila said. “It’s obvious Cora had a special place in her heart, but she just kept breaking it by leaving. I don’t know how she ever forgave her for that.”

Nebia rocked back and forth. “Believe me, she did. And the truth is, Laura never abandoned Cora. But I can’t say she was the same with everyone.”

CHAPTER 13

“I didn’t say a word when you picked up that first package of ginger snap cookies.” Brenda crossed her arms in the grocery store. “But now you’ve got another one. Mama, you know good and well that—”

“Leave me alone,” Laura replied and put the second package of cookies in the cart. “Let them tell it, I can’t enjoy anything anymore.” She moved slowly down the aisle. “So I don’t care what that doctor says. I’m going to have something good in my
life.”

“All right,” Brenda turned her head. “I’m not going to say anything else.”

Laura huffed. “Do you promise?”

“What are you two talking about?”

Laura leaned on the basket for support as she turned around. “Michael. I knew it was you. I didn’t have to see your face. I know your voice.”

“How you
doin’, Miss Laura?”

“I’m just fine. Glad to see you. You’re
lookin’ good.”

“The same goes for you.”

Laura rolled her eyes. “You’re just lying now. But I appreciate it anyway. ”

“Hi, Michael,” Brenda said with a kind of sweetness.

“Hey. How you doin’?”

“I’m good.”

“That’s great,” Michael replied.

“How’s life treating you?” Laura asked.

“I can’t complain. Business has picked up and I’ve got my own little storefront agency down on Ninth South. So what can I say?” He smiled and nodded. “Life has been treating me pretty fairly.”

“I meant to tell you I saw your name on a list of businesses that we plan to ask to help support Community Ties,” Brenda said.

“Ohh.” Both of Michael’s eyebrows rose.

“And we don’t hit up anybody but the businesses we think are doing pretty well.” She smiled.

Michael smiled, too. “Tell me anything.”

“Oh, no.” Brenda’s voice softened. “You’re really doing great, Michael. I’m proud of you.”

Laura’s eyes narrowed as she watched Brenda.

“I hoped I’d see you at some more of the meetings.” Brenda looked down almost as if to compose herself. “You came to a couple of them and then you stopped.” “I’ve been working in the evenings,” Michael replied. “But I’ll be back.”

“Really? I’d love to see you, Michael.”

Michael gazed at Brenda. “It’s a done deal.”

“Or better still,” Brenda chimed, “I can bring the pa
perwork over to you since I’m responsible for all of the money. Would you mind if I brought the papers over to your house?”

“No,” Michael replied. “I wouldn’t mind at all.” “How about tonight?” Brenda pressed. “I could bring them tonight.”

Michael hesitated. “I guess tonight is as good as any.” “Good,” Brenda said. “I’ll see you about seven-thirty.” “Alright.” Michael grabbed one of Laura’s hands and kissed it. “It was good seeing you. Miss Laura. But I better hurry. I’ve got an appointment in about thirty minutes. I was hoping to run in here, pick up a couple of things and get right on out.”

“Alright, Michael,” Laura replied. “It’s good see
ing you, too.”

“Take care.” Michael turned and began to walk away. “See you tonight,” Brenda confirmed.

He glanced back and said, “Tonight,” before he disappeared around the corner of the aisle.

Brenda and Laura completed their grocery shopping. But Laura was unusually quiet. Brenda chattered to fill the void. They hadn’t been back home five minutes be
fore Laura put the reason for her silence on the table.

“What in the world did you call yourself doing in the grocery store?”

“What?” Brenda replied.

“Don’t what me, Brenda Robinson. All that smiling and smooth talking you were doing with Michael.”

“I wasn’t doing any smooth talki—”

“Yes, you were. If that wasn’t smooth talking I’ve never heard any. And the way you looked when you saw him... If Michael had had a piece of bread in his hand, he could have spread you just like peanut butter.” Brenda placed the dried macaroni in the cabinet. “Now, Mama, you’re sounding ridiculous.”

“No more ridiculous that you looked.” Laura pressed her lips together. “I want you to know that.” Brenda just looked at her.

“Have you been seeing Michael?”

“I’ve seen him at some of the neighborhood meetings, and at a few other social gatherings. But I know what you mean.” Brenda placed her hand on her hip. “And why would you ask me that?”

“Why?” Laura retorted. “You know why. Michael is Cora’s man, and you don’t mess around with your sister’s man.”

“My goodness.” Brenda put her other hand on her hip. “This speech is a little late, isn’t it? Why didn’t you tell Cora that?”

“There was no need.”

“Well Michael was definitely Annette’s before Cora got a hold of him.”

“But Annette’s gone.” Laura’s eyes narrowed. “And where she’s gone to ain’t nothing going to become of her relationship with Michael. But you and Michael, that’s another thing. It’s Michael and Cora now. And you need to remember that.”

“Michael and Cora? Mama, Cora has been gone a year and a half. And the last time I spoke to Michael about it, which was a couple of weeks ago, he hadn’t heard one word from her. Not one word from Cora since she’s been gone. Not one phone call. Not one letter. Nothing. And on that subject, how much have we heard from her? How many letters have you gotten, Mama? Five? Three? Two?”

“We don’t know what Cora’s doing or if she can even get a letter out from there. You should be more con
cerned about your sister’s welfare than judging her based on how many letters she’s written.”

Brenda closed the cabinet door. “She wouldn’t have to write if she hadn’t left. Now we know that for sure. We wouldn’t have to worry about her, either.”

A pained look crossed Laura’s face, but it quickly disappeared. “You know, there’s no need for me to talk to you about Cora. No need at all. Because the truth is you are jealous of her and you always have been.” She crossed her arms. “And I think that’s why you’re going after Michael.”

Brenda reared back. “Jealous! I am not jealous! Why should I be? For as long as I can remember, Cora has always been doing things I would never think of doing.” “And that’s why. Cora is free enough to be herself and—”

“And I’m just what. Mama? So uptight I can’t be myself?” Brenda drew her body up to its fullest height. “I am who I am, and I happen to feel good about myself. But I wish that you felt good about me. But no matter how I’ve tried, I’ve never been able to make you love me the way you love Cora. Well you know what?” She shook her head. “I’m sick of trying. And from this day forward I’m never going to try again. If you prefer to defend and to give all of your heart to Cora, who has proven to be irresponsible, selfish—” her voice broke “—a liar and even a whore—”

“You stop right there.” Laura’s arm shot straight out. “You stop right there. Don’t you dare speak like that in my house. Don’t you dare!”

“You don’t have to worry.” Tears ran down Brenda’s cheeks. “I won’t speak like that in your house. But why not? You won’t go to church. You won’t get involved with my committee just because it’s associated with the church. How do you think that makes me feel, Mama? How can I encourage other people to get involved with Community Ties when I can’t even convince my own mother?” Laura’s chin jutted out. “I’ve never been to one of your meetings and I don’t intend to. And I’m going to tell you something, don’t you ever use that tone with me again in my house.” She drew an agitated breath. “Or speak like that again about anyone, and definitely not your sister. If you got to talk like that, you can just stay out of here. You hear me?”

Brenda’s face quivered as she stood with stiff arms at her side. “I hear you and understand you very well.

Mama. And I’m going to get some clothes and do just that.”

Laura stood in the kitchen and listened as Brenda gathered her things in the bedroom upstairs. When the front door closed, her body trembled inside, but she did not go to the door and call her child back. Instead, Laura slowly made her way upstairs. “I’m just not going to have it. It’s not right. Brenda’s always had a problem with Cora. What am I suppose to do? Cora is a good child. She’s been a good girl. She’s just not like Brenda, and Brenda has never understood that.”

Laura reached the last step and her head started to swim. She tried to pull herself up, but her vision blurred and she grabbed empty air instead. Laura gasped and tumbled down the stairs.

Nebia's Story...

“Was she hurt real bad?” Erica asked.

“Bad enough,” Nebia replied. “You see, I was the one who found her. I heard all this noise and I had a feel
ing something dreadful had happened. I went and knocked on Laura’s door, and when she didn’t come I called out to her. I heard her call my name. She sounded weak, so I went inside. And there she was, just one big, crying heap on the floor. Did she cry that day... ” Nebia shook her head. “I think she cried about everything when it came to her children and her life, too. Her youngest was dead, her middle child was gone in a way that she didn’t know how to call her back, and how she had never really been able to hold her eldest close to her heart.”

“Why was that, Miss Nebia?” Cynthia held her face in her hands.

“To be honest, I think it was because Brenda looked so much like Steve. Like her father.”

“That wasn’t Brenda’s fault,” Cynthia replied.

“No, it wasn’t. And of course Laura knew that, and that’s why it ate at her so. Because she really did love Brenda.”

The porch grew quiet, then Nebia continued. “Laura cried for her own life, too. All the sacrifices she had made to raise her girls right, to try to make life for them better than what she’d had. I think while she lay there helpless on the floor, she realized her whole life had slipped to the wayside. Laura hadn’t given her
self the kind of attention she needed, and that’s what the doctors told her. They told Laura her sugar was bad. Real bad. And—duh...you know, after her bruised leg didn’t heal the doctors told her it was because of the sugar.” Nebia focused ahead. “That leg never acted right after that, and Laura had to use a walker around the house. Sometimes when we went out she had to be in a wheelchair.”

“Oh, no,” Sheila said.

“Ye-es, life can deal some hard blows sometimes,”

Nebia replied. “But a lot of times it’s just to get our at
tention. If we paid attention before the tragedy, I think most outcomes would be less painful.”

“But what about Brenda? Did she come back and stay with her mother?” Erica enquired.

“No.” Nebia chewed on her lip. “No. Laura didn’t even want Brenda to know how badly she had hurt herself. She just shut her out. Hmm-hmm-hmm. That argument hurt both of them. It hurt both of them real bad.”

CHAPTER 14

“I don’t want to get up,” Brenda said with her eyes closed. “What time is it?”

“It’s two twelve,” Michael replied. “I guess we fell asleep.”

“Obviously.” Brenda sighed and removed her arm, which rested across Michael’s chest.

They lay in silence.

“I think I’ll count to three. That’ll help me get up.” Brenda yawned. “One...two...th—”

“Don’t go,” Michael said softly. “I don’t want you to have to drive home this time of morning. Just stay here. We’ll get up early enough for you to go home and change clothes for work.”

“You won’t get any resistance out of me.” Brenda relaxed and propped herself up on her elbow. She faced Michael, who had his eyes closed. “So I’m actually going to get to spend the night here.”

“Sure.” Michael glanced at her before he closed his eyes again. “You could have spent the night before.”

She picked at his pillow slip. “I knew I could have, but I wanted to be invited.”

“I guess I’m a little slow sometimes.”

Brenda looked at the ceiling. “At least let me salvage some respect.”

Michael’s eyes opened. “I respect you. You know that. Respect is not even an issue.”