A waiter approached and gave them menus. “I’m having chili dogs and a bottle of Heineken beer. Have whatever you like.”
“I want two chili dogs and some lemonade,” Kendra told the waiter.
The waiter seemed skeptical. “Madam, the chili dogs are big.”
“Thanks. I’ll risk it.”
The waiter brought their food at once, and to Sam’s delight, she bit into a chili dog, closed her eyes, and moved her head from side to side as she enjoyed it.
Should he begin a serious conversation while they ate, or should he postpone it until they’d finished? She solved the question when she said, “This is fantastic, but think how good it would be if the chef got his beef from my dad.”
“I gather you’re very close to your father, because you speak of him often and with such pride. You’ve never mentioned your mother. Why is that? Isn’t she living?”
She stopped chewing and swallowed with difficulty, or so it seemed to him. Instead of rescuing her with some meaningless words, he decided to say nothing and see how she’d handle it. She took a few sips of lemonade, put the glass down, and gave him a level look.
“I hate to shock you, Sam, and I hope this doesn’t change your opinion of me. My mother does not love me, and I’m not one bit crazy about
her.
Any contact with her gives me pain, but she is oblivious to anybody’s feelings but her own. My father divorced her when I was six. She didn’t want to work, so she stayed home. And it was she whose job it was to write checks for the bills for utilities, house mortgage, car payments, etc. But she spent the money on herself and her friends, which my father discovered when he faced foreclosure on the mortgage, the utilities were cut off, and his car was repossessed. According to him, when confronted, she merely shrugged and said she should have married a man with money.
“I lived with my grandmother until she died when I was eleven. Thereafter, I lived with my mother until I went to college, though my father supported me. It was pure hell. She spent the money my father sent her for child support, on herself, including that for my clothing, everything. He finally opened an account at a clothing store with the stipulation that only I could shop on his account, and she tried to force me to buy things for her.”
Sam hadn’t thought it was so bad, but as he reflected on what he knew of her, she bore the marks of parental neglect. “How did you manage those first two years at Howard University?”
“I had a full four-year academic scholarship. My dad was paying my living expenses, but at the end of my first year at Howard University, Mama sued my father for increased child support, and he countersued for full custody, which he won. But that battle was so costly, that he didn’t have money left to support me while I went to school. He kept me there for my sophomore year. Then, I dropped out, originally for a year, I thought, and went to work to save money for the next two years.”
“I see. So the letter you wrote to the
Washington Post
was about you and your mother?”
“Yes. I thought you had guessed that. Anyway, I’ve been trying to find an opening to tell you. I had thought it presumptuous of me to assume that, after knowing me for such a short time, you’d be interested in that aspect of my life.”
“I considered it a ninety-percent probability, but I couldn’t be certain until you told me. You have no idea how much I admire you. It takes a strong and determined person to surmount the obstacles you’ve faced. Where are you now with your mother?”
“She leaves me alone right now because her brother demanded it and forced her to sign an affidavit to the effect that she wouldn’t contact me by any means until after I’ve finished Howard. If she breaks the promise, he may let her go back to jail.”
His eyes widened, and he was sure that he gaped. “Jail? What was she doing in jail?”
“Driving an unregistered car with a suspended license. She begged me to use my tuition money to bail her out, but this time I refused. My uncle bailed her out after letting her stay there for nearly a month. I was so close to getting back in school. Papa had just bought the apartment for me and filled my freezer with meat and said he’d meet me every night at eleven o’clock when I got off from work, but she was storming and raging because I wouldn’t let her take it all from me.
“Not long ago, she told me that she got pregnant with me accidentally and didn’t want to have me, but Papa forced her to do it. I think she’s been making me pay ever since I was born.”
“She told you that? I hope to hell I never meet her.” Anger furled up in him, and he told himself to take a deep breath and calm down. “How have you managed to live with this . . . this constant destructiveness? I hurt for you.”
“It’s always been with me, Sam. I try not to think about her unless she contacts me, but, sometimes, when I need a friend, knowing that I can’t count on
her
hurts.”
As she said the words, he saw pain etched in her face, and the sparkle in her eyes dimmed. He took her hand and held it. “You can depend on me. Did your father remarry?”
“No. He’s had a hard time paying off those debts and getting his business started, but he’s doing well now. I wish he’d find someone who’s loyal and kind to him. What about you? Do you have any siblings?”
“I wish I did have, but when I was born, the doctor advised my mother not to try to have anymore children. She died nine years ago.”
“I hope you don’t mind my asking this. Were you surprised that your dad had been attracted to Edwina?”
He had barely answered that question for himself. Drumming the fingers of his left hand on the table, he let a smile move over his face. “Surprised hardly covers it. He unloaded that one on me without a single preliminary. Funny thing is that she knew I was his son and never alluded to it. Amazing.”
Kendra supported her chin with the palm of her hand and rested her elbow on the glass-top table. “Edwina meant business. I’m happy for her. For both of them.”
Sam thought of the previous evening, of the wonder and joy of their being together and conceded, “Sure she does, and my dad means business, too. You’d better believe it.” Considering the fire that he saw burning in both of them, it wouldn’t surprise him if they’d spent the night together. And bully for them!
Kendra leaned toward him, stroking his fingers as she did so. “How would you feel about having her for a stepmother?”
Damn! What a wild idea!
“Whatever makes my dad happy will make me happy,” he said truthfully. “He’s a great guy. I’ve always come first with him, and it’s time I took second place.” His answer seemed to please her. “You liked my father a lot, didn’t you? Mind if I ask why?”
She bunched her shoulders in a slight shrug. “Simple. He looks like you. He talks like you, and he acts like you. How could I not like him?”
For a moment, he stared at her. Then he couldn’t contain the laughter. “I guess that puts me in my place.”
“I think I ought to tell you something, Sam.”
He leaned back in the chair and gave her his full attention. “Do I want to hear it?”
“That depends. I’m planning to enter the journalism school’s competition for hard news reporting. We’ll all be given the same assignment. There will be three prizes for overseas travel and study next semester. If I win, I want to go to Egypt or Italy.” The cold hand of disappointment squeezed his heart, but he didn’t want to discourage her.
“What about the language difficulty?”
“In Egypt, I could get along well enough without Arabic, since English is so widely spoken. I’m prepared to take a crash course in Italian.”
“I’d suggest Rosetta Stone, but it can be expensive. It’s also exactly what you need. I used it to learn German.”
“That’s a good idea. Thanks.”
“How long would you be away?”
“Six weeks, and before leaving, I’d have to enroll in all my classes, and catch up before the end of the semester.”
“And you’d do it, too. Think you’d miss me during those six weeks?”
“I’d miss you if I were away only one week.”
“You deserve a kiss for that.”
“I think I’d better make a list of the things I can do that will assure me of getting one of your mind-blowing kisses.”
“Mind-blowing, huh? You only have to be close by. Incidentally, when it’s convenient, I’d like to meet your father.”
She seemed pensive for a moment. Then, a grin spread over her face and her eyes sparkled. “You sure? Papa believes in cutting to the chase. He’ll ask you straight out what your intentions are.”
“And you think that’ll frighten me? I’ll tell him straight out what my intentions are.”
Her stare was worth good money. “You
would?
Maybe you should meet him for coffee at some place like Starbucks, when I’m not around.”
She had the appearance of sincerity, so he decided to shake her up. “Which one of us don’t you trust, your father or me?”
“If you’re as candid as he is, I’d rather be somewhere else. Simple as that,” she shot back.
He decided to let up. “Let’s you and I meet him for supper one Saturday or Sunday evening.”
“Okay, but Sunday would be better, because Saturday is a very busy day for him. I’ll arrange it and let you know.”
“Then that’s settled. Good.” He looked at his watch. “It’s only eight o’clock, and I’m not ready to end the day. Want to go to Treasure Island and see the puppet theater? Last time I was there, the show was hilarious. The current play is a political satire.”
“I’d love to, as long as they’re bashing Republicans.”
“Trust me, sweetheart, they spare nobody.”
Shortly after they took their seats in the fourth row of the small theater, Kendra noticed that a man sitting on the aisle of the third row continuously glanced back at them. Eventually, he smiled at her. She averted her gaze and focused on the puppet named Jimmy, who raised his nose in disrespect for Ronald, his rich-thespian next-door neighbor. They sat on their respective back porches, talking across their fences.
“I never could abide no-good actors,” Jimmy said in his rich southern drawl. “Anybody who’s worth a dime can act. Nothing to it.”
“I suppose you’d know,” Ronald replied. “Trouble with you is that you did your acting while residing at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.”
Jimmy shelled a peanut and rocked in his oldfashioned rocker. “At least I could act, friend,” Jimmy said. “Nobody ever accused y’all of acting anywhere.”
Ronald shook his head sadly. “You’re a cruel man,
Brother Jimmy. At least I was a good enough actor to get elected twice.”
“That’s nothing to brag about, Brother Ronald. The same people who elected you twice also voted for vice president of this great country a fellow who couldn’t spell potato.”
“I know, Brother Jimmy, and that was a terrible shock to me. Let’s go down to Jake’s Tavern and down a couple of beers.”
“I’d love to commune with you, brother, but two beers don’t sit well with my conversion. How about a margarita? That seems fairly benign.”
Ronald raised an eyebrow. “It’s named for a woman,
Brother Jimmy, and that ought to tell you it’s lethal.”
Jimmy released a long, tired sigh. “Maybe we’d better have our usual.”
“You’re right,” Ronald said. “Alcohol and rheumatism are like oil and water. Why don’t we go over to Zach’s and get our usual decaf and scones?”
Sam’s laughter mingled with that of others in the audience. Lost in the merriment, he draped his arm around Kendra and hugged her to him as if he’d done it regularly for years. “That little guy playing Jimmy is so funny,” he said. “Imagine a puppet eating peanuts. Do you want to stay for the second act?”
Even if she hadn’t been enjoying it, and she had, she wanted to stay just to be with him. She had never been to a puppet theater or seen any other live acting by professional actors, and the magic of it captivated her. During intermission, they drank coffee in a little bistro off the theater lobby.
“I was hoping I’d find you here, Sam.” Kendra looked up and saw the man who had attempted to get her attention earlier. “Haven’t seen you for a while. Who’s this lovely lady?”
The smile vanished from Sam’s face. “Ms. Richards, this is Leonard Chasten, a former classmate.” She noticed the lack of warmth in Sam’s voice and the absence of enthusiasm for the man’s presence.
“Hello,” she said, omitting the customary graciousness.
“Just my luck that you should be with this guy,” Chasten said. “Women take to him like ants to sugar.”
Kendra cast a censuring glance at the man, but she didn’t share her thoughts. Sam was more than capable of handling the intruder. And he did. “Some other time, Chasten. As you can see, I’m very busy.”
As if they had not been interrupted, he said to her, “It’s all right with me if you don’t want to stay for the rest of the show. Frankly, this intrusion has taken the fun out of it.”