Brothers and Wives (28 page)

Scottie hands him a beer.

“That’ll work. Hey, I might get used to coming over here on Sundays.”

“I wouldn’t count on that. Sometimes me and my wife might be caught up in other things.”

“Hey, I’m just asking. I thought y’all wanted to start some couples thing, but …”

“No, not really. This is just an invite so you can see how we’re living.”

“Well, it sure feels good to have that extra room back at my house. But I’m leaving it open and available … just in case.”

“I guarantee you, my brother, I won’t have any need for my former bedroom.”

“I wasn’t talking about you, brother.”

Dani bursts out laughing, then stops. “Oops, sorry. But that was kind of funny. Neil is exposing a side I don’t always see. Anyway, we’re here to have fun, right? Put down the razors, you two, or I’m going to have to call Sola.”

“Aw, man, she used to whip Scottie’s ass so bad.” Neil chuckles.

“Don’t say that word in front of my baby.”

“Dani, I don’t know why you think you have the right to even tell me something like that, with your potty mouth.”

“Mommy has to go potty?” Brax looks up from sucking on a wing.

“Stop listening to our conversation.”

“Scottie, don’t play with him like that. You can’t talk to a kid that way.”

“Hey, man, I was just …”

“Just don’t do it,” Neil warns him.

Scottie decides to leave his mouth shut, but he can’t help but feel frustrated. Now that Dani is his, he feels he still has to prove his worth as a man. He figures Neil could still harbor resentment but thought at one point he’d have to get over his issues, let him live his life.

I gotta figure out how to handle my brother. Now I kinda know how Anya feels
.

Neil changes the subject. “You know Anya goes into the hospital this Tuesday.”

“Well, it’s about time,” Dani pipes up. She’s juggling a cup of diet ice tea and a plate.

“Don’t get it confused. Come sit right over here.”

“I know that, Scottie.” She smiles. “How long will she be in the hospital, Neil?”

“Tuesday through Friday.”

“You need anything?”

“Not really. Vette’s going to fill in and help out with Reese’s schooling. We’ll be okay. It’s only a few days.”

“No, but it’s the aftercare that’s going to be hard, I imagine,” Dani responds. “I’ve never had surgery, but Mama has, and she talked about how hard it is to recover. Your body has to adjust and you’re so weak at first. That can be challenging for someone who likes to be active and run around like Anya does.”

Right then the doorbell rings.

Scottie says, “I’ll get it this time. You just keep sitting on that couch doing what you do best. Looking pretty for me.”

The second Scottie runs downstairs, Neil asks, “Is he like this all the time? How can you stand it?”

“Don’t hate, Neil. That’s how a man is supposed to treat his woman. Of course, you wouldn’t know anything about
that.”

“Dani, if my son weren’t here I’d …”

“You’d what? Huh, Neil? You’d put your hands on me, wouldn’t you?”

“I’ll bet you’d like to know, wouldn’t you?”

They hush up when Anya and Scottie enter the living room.

Anya wears a stony look on her face.

“Um, hello, Anya. We were just talking about you. I do hope your operation turns out okay.”

“Scottie, can you get me something to drink? I’m so thirsty I’m about to pass out.”

“Anya, did you hear Dani talking to you?”

“Neil, please. Don’t think I’m finished with our conversation. I’m not thinking about listening to Dani right now.”

“Okay, fine. But why’d you come over here if you’re gonna have a bad attitude?”

“Hey, hey, what’s going on,” Scottie interjects as he hands Anya a beer. “You two are our role models in a way.”

“Scottie, if you only knew, you wouldn’t make stupid remarks like that,” Anya barks.

“Don’t call my hubby stupid.”

“I didn’t say he was stupid,
Stupid
. I said his remarks were.”

“Now listen, Anya, I know you’re nervous and stressed these days, but if you’re going to come into our home and insult us, I think it’s best you leave,” Dani says in a very serious tone.

“I’m not leaving until we openly discuss what happened between you and Neil.”

“Okay, that’s fine, but do you have to raise your voice?” Dani stands up, then sits back down. She plays with her hands and strokes her wedding band, sliding one finger across the surface to note its weight and strength.

“We’re adults here and I–I think it’s okay to talk about things … especially since I haven’t done anything wrong.”

Anya reaches inside her purse and pulls out a red lace cami and boy shorts. “So trying to seduce my husband with your nasty lingerie doesn’t qualify as doing something wrong?” she shouts at Dani and throws the clothes on the
coffee table. Her hands are trembling. She goes and picks up Brax whose mouth is wide open with a bone stuck in it. “Neil, go ahead and take Braxton to his room. He shouldn’t be hearing this.”

Scottie waits till Neil leaves the room with Brax. “I–I’m not understanding.” His stomach feels like it’s dropped to the bottom of his feet. “Someone, please. Tell me what this is about. Dani?”

She stands up. “Scottie, I swear to God. Those clothes aren’t mine. It was a setup. LaNecia tried to get me and Neil to hook up at a Marriott.”

“When did this happen?”

“Scottie, please don’t look at me like that,” she shrieks. “You’re going to have to trust me. I met Neil but nothing happened. I swear on my father’s grave.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? I thought you wanted us to be honest.” He looks like someone socked him in the jaw without warning.

“Well, baby, nothing happened, so I didn’t think it was worth mentioning. Plus it was a setup, Scottie.”

“That’s the main reason you should’ve told me. You can’t be hiding shit like this from me. This is major.”

When Neil returns to the room, Scottie leaps to his feet and bashes his head against Neil’s stomach. Neil stumbles back a few steps but maintains his balance. They stand in the center of the living room giving each other heated stares.

“Scottie, stop it! Neil didn’t do anything,” Dani sputters.

“Why are you defending him, huh? That’s messed up.”

“I’m not defending him. You’re overreacting.”

“How else should I react?”

“Scottie, calm down. I don’t like to be yelled at.”

“You’re yelling at me!”

“No, I’m not, I’m trying to get your attention. I don’t want anyone hitting anybody because it’s not even about that. I didn’t cheat.”

“But why would you even meet him at a hotel?”

“’Cause she’s a ho, can’t you tell?”

“Anya, shut up. You sound stupid. And you’re wrong! So wrong! I hate being lied on.” Dani slumps in the recliner and rocks back and forth holding her stomach. “LaNecia is the one who should be called out. She started this entire thing. Don’t blame me for being curious.”

“Curious? Is that what they call it these days? You sneaking around behind my back and have the nerve to say you’re just curious? That’s not gonna cut it, baby. If I’m not good enough to be your husband, tell me now.”

“Scottie, you’re crazy. Don’t do this, please. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Then why, Dani. Why’d you do it?”

“I told you. I got these texts. And I went just to see … we didn’t do anything. I never went into the hotel room. Don’t blame me for something I never did.”

“I just hate hearing that you’d even consider going there … to meet him. I’m out.”

Scottie starts running downstairs. Dani follows him. “Baby, where you going? Let me go with you. I love you and I want to be with you.”

“No, I gotta think about things.”

He opens the door to the garage and gets in the Escalade. When he ends up at LaNecia’s, he sits in the car for several minutes.
Why does she do shit like this? Why did I ever get involved with her? How can she say she loves me and cause me so much heartache?

Scottie loudly taps his knuckles against the door.

“Hey, how are you doing? Come on in.”

“You here alone?” he asks before making a move.

“Yep.”

He follows LaNecia into her living room, then swiftly turns her around and forces her to look in his eyes. “What do you think you’re doing, huh, cousin? You trying to fuck up what I got just because you haven’t had a piece of this in a while?”

“Scottie, get your hands off me,” she sputters as he grabs her.

“But all you want is some of my dick, right? Will that make you stop acting so crazy?”

“Hell yeah!”

He angrily pushes her onto the couch and unbuckles his black leather belt.

“You want to fuck me, LaNecia?”

“Y–you called me LaNecia!”

“Answer the question.”

“You’re scaring me. It don’t take all that.”

“But this is what you’ve been working hard for, right? You work harder for me than you do for Pappadeaux and that nail salon put together.”

Scottie can feel himself getting aroused. He can tell she’s confused. Her hair is uncombed and she looks a mess. But the sexiness he used to know still lies underneath. He tries to ignore his physical reaction to her and moves back one step.

“Can you answer me? You’re raising all kinds of hell because you still want Scottie Meadows in your life, in your face, and in your bed so he can fuck the daylights out of you, so come on with it then. We gonna do this or what? Don’t just stand there.”

He slides his legs out of his slacks and pulls his shirt over his head. He’s wearing a pair of purple boxers and some gym socks. His penis is poking from behind his drawers.

“You want me to fuck you, then you’re going to have to slip off your panties at the minimum.”

“No, Scottie. I don’t want it to be like this.”

He angrily gets dressed and places his hands on his hips. “If you don’t want it to be like this, then do something to make it different. Stop fucking with my wife.”

He turns around and grabs the doorknob with one hand.

“Oh, by the way, if you ever get another bright idea about buying my wife a present, pick Victoria’s Secret next time. That’s
my
favorite.”

Vette, I swear, this
stuff is so freaking nasty, it’s unreal. I’m having second thoughts.”

“Just drink it, Anya.”

“Yeah, you don’t want anything to go wrong, so do everything your doctor asked you to do, young lady.” That’s Riley Dobson. She, Vette, and I are sitting in my screened patio on Sunday evening. Dusk allows only a small glimmer of light to shine as day gives way to evening.

“Why don’t you two know-it-alls drink this, then?”

“I’m too young to drink magnesium citrate,” Vette says. I tilt the container of clear liquid and press the opening against my mouth. Grimacing, I try to think pleasant, positive thoughts while swallowing what has to be some of the most awful liquid drugs I’ve ever stomached. It tastes like lime. Little bubbles form inside my mouth and around my teeth.

“I’ve been lifting you up to the Lord every morning for two weeks straight,” Riley assures me. “Don’t worry about a single thing, you hear me, Ms. Anya.”

“I appreciate that, Riley. And to know you’ll be there with me at the hospital is … unbelievable.” I am being
sarcastic because I think it’s a shame that Neil’s job won’t let him get time off Tuesday morning, the day I’ll be checking into Park Plaza Hospital. But when he told me that he’d be there as soon as he can in the evening and that he’d already asked Riley and Vette to take his place, I instantly felt a little better.

“Hey, I gotta be there, hon,” she snickers. “I need to see what’s happening in case I ever have to experience something of this magnitude. Now, of course, I believe that God will never allow me to be seriously ill a day of my life, and so far I can’t complain.”

“I hate needles too much to seriously go to a hospital. So this will be a first for me,” Vette admits.

“Oh, Riley, you should have seen the look on Vette’s face when her brother asked her to be with me during surgery. She was like, ‘Who’s gonna watch Reese?’ He told her that Reese can stay with his mom for a few hours that morning, but he expects her to be in that hospital with me, no ifs, ands, or buts.”

“And I was like, ‘I didn’t make a vow to be with my sister-in-law through sickness and health.’ And you know what my big-head brother had the nerve to say?” she asks, looking at Riley.

“What did that man say?”

“He said, ‘And I never vowed to let you live with me off and on, and pay your bills, and buy you food, plus let you watch cable for free.’ Can you believe he went there?”

Riley and I look at each other and exclaim, “Yes!” and we high-five each other.

“Girl, your husband is something else, yes, he is. I see him outside in the front sometimes mowing the lawn. That’s when Scottie lived here. And Scottie would pull up in that
beautiful car of his, and it would be shining like he just brought it from the car wash. And hon,” Riley chuckles, “he eyeballed Scottie from the time he pulled up till the time he rushed into the house carrying his McDonald’s bag, or Taco Bell bag, or whatever junk food he was eating at the time. He’d either be listening to music and snapping his neck like he was in a serious groove, or he’d be on that cell phone talking away, probably to Dani.”

The mention of that woman’s name causes a sour frown to develop on my face.

“Yeah, speaking of the devil,” I respond. “Please keep a watch on my house while I’m in the hospital and let me know if she shows up.”

“Anya, you’re being silly. What if she needs to pick up Brax?”

“Don’t care. People use seemingly innocent excuses to get away with committing all kinds of dirt, but I’m not having it. I can’t be worrying about what she’s doing while I’m at the Texas Medical Center praying I don’t die from too much anesthesia.”

“I’m sure you have good reason to be concerned about Dani, given her history,” says Riley.

“These days you gotta do what you gotta do. Men are getting slicker, but a lot of times they will never be as crafty as a female. That’s why I don’t trust Dani. I’ve tried to be nice, let my guard down, but it’s a mistake.”