God Ain't Through Yet (28 page)

T
here weren't that many black cops in Richland, but it seemed like every time a disturbance involved black people, black cops showed up. This time was no different. Lonnie Shoemaker, the cop who had handled the situation with Jade and Vernie in that burger place, steamrolled into the restaurant looking like he wanted to shoot up the world. He rushed over to the booth where I stood with a damp napkin, dabbing my busted lip. Jacob was slumped on the seat, crying like a baby, making faces that would make Jim Carrey jealous.

“What's the problem?” Lonnie demanded, one hand on his gun. He looked from me to Jacob. A small crowd had formed around us. I couldn't remember the last time I'd been so embarrassed. “Annette, it ain't like you to be involved in some mess like this! Now, who did what?”

“I'm fine,” I managed, waving my hand with a limp wrist.

“I didn't ask you that! I asked you what the problem was?” Lonnie boomed. Lonnie was loud, but he didn't scare me. I didn't know of anybody who was actually afraid of him. He was too much of a Chris Rock type—in looks and personality—to be taken seriously. “Did Jacob hit you? Do you want to press charges?”

I didn't answer his questions. “I just want to go home,” I insisted, shaking my head so hard it felt and sounded like something inside was rattling.

“Well, you can go anywhere you want to go after I find out why these folks called for the police.”

“I…I just snapped,” Jacob sobbed. “I didn't mean to hit her.”

“He hit you?” Lonnie asked, whipping out a pair of handcuffs and tossing them to his frightened-looking young white partner. “Dean, cuff him up!” he ordered, shaking a finger at Jacob.

“I can't go back to jail! I'll lose my job! Brother, please cut me some slack!” Jacob hollered, rising.

Jail? I had no idea that Jacob had been in jail!

“Annette, you want to press charges?” Lonnie asked me again.

“I'm fine. I just want to go home,” I said again.

“Can't you just let us slide this time?” Jacob begged. “I don't want my name in the newspaper. I don't want to lose my job! Please,
brother
, please, give a
brother
another chance!”

“Look, I got more important things to do with my time. Now, I am going to go easy this time. Annette, you leave first. Dean here will put you in my squad car, and I will personally escort you home.” Lonnie stopped talking and gently squeezed my shoulder. Then he turned back to Jacob and said just loud enough for his partner and me and Jacob to hear, “And you, Jacob—you get your black ass out of my sight before I plant some weed on you!”

I knew Lonnie was not serious, but Jacob must have thought he was. He scrambled away from that table so fast he fell twice before he made it to the exit.

It seemed like every neighbor on my block just happened to be on their front porch when the police car with me in it stopped in front of my house about fifteen minutes later.

“Now, if you have any more trouble, you just give us a call,” Lonnie told me as he walked me to my door.

“This won't be in the newspaper, will it?” I asked, fumbling for my keys.

“Don't worry about it, sister,” he assured me. Lonnie was a dedicated and competent cop, but he still had a lot of his ghetto habits. He had a wife, and a few girlfriends on the side, but he still paid a lot of attention to other women. He was the kind of brother who would pat a woman on the back with one hand and at the same time, pat her on the butt with his other hand. He didn't even look around before he patted me on the back with one hand and on the butt with the other. Then he gave me a brief hug and gently pushed me into my house.

I didn't know why my hand was trembling when I flipped on the light switch. As the bright light flooded the room, I wrung my hands and looked around. I knew that there was
no
way I was going to continue my relationship with Jacob now. I had been prepared to tell him that, even though I was no longer interested in being his lover, we could still be friends. Now I didn't even want to do that. And there was still that humongous outstanding bill that he owed to the funeral parlor that I needed to talk to him about.

I still had my jacket on, and I was too restless to go on about my routine like this was any other day. I turned off the light and went out to my car. I headed straight toward Rhoda's house. This was something that I wanted to discuss with her in person.

As soon as I turned the corner on her street, I got another shock. There were two police cars with flashing lights in her driveway, and an ambulance.

There was a mob of Rhoda's nosy neighbors milling around in her front yard. I parked at the nearest available spot on the street and sprinted down the sidewalk.

“What happened?” I asked the woman who lived in the white house across the street from Rhoda. “Did Jade hurt her husband again?”

“I don't think so. He's the one the police just led out in handcuffs. He's sitting in the back of one of the squad cars now,” the neighbor woman told me.

I squeezed my way through the crowd, but when I got to Rhoda's front door, a grim-faced black policeman prevented me from entering. “Sorry, ma'am. This is a crime scene!” he barked.

“What happened? I'm a friend of the family!” I wailed as I tried to look past the officer. I couldn't see or hear anything.

“Ma'am, please get back,” the officer insisted, gently pushing me away from the door.

One of the police cars roared off down the street with the siren screaming. I turned for just a moment, and when I looked back at the door, the EMTs were coming out of Rhoda's house with somebody on a stretcher who looked so twisted and broken I thought I was looking at a large rag doll. The head was completely covered with a blood-soaked white towel. I stretched my neck and blinked hard so I could see better.

It was Jade.

The police finally got so aggressive they made every spectator leave the premises. I had to back away with the rest of the crowd as a stout policewoman led Rhoda out of her house. Otis and Bully, both looking like they had been mauled themselves, followed close behind. Rhoda had to be helped into the back of the ambulance. As soon as it shot down the street with the siren blasting, Otis and Bully scrambled into Otis's Jeep and followed it.

I didn't think it would do much good for me to go to the hospital. At least not yet. One reason was that things were too chaotic and I probably would have just been in the way. Another reason was I knew Jade hated my company. And as long as Otis and Bully were there to support Rhoda, I knew she'd be all right. I decided to go home and wait until I heard from her. If she wanted me to be with her at the hospital too, I'd join her, whether Jade wanted me there or not.

While I was pacing my living room floor awaiting a call from Rhoda, Scary Mary stumbled up on my front porch again.

“Do you have any idea what happened at Rhoda's house this evening?” I asked as soon as she made it in. She was walking slower than usual, and with the cane she sometimes had to rely on to get around. She was huffing and puffing so hard I had to hold her up as I led her to my couch. “Do you know what happened to Jade?”

“Of course I know. I was at the hospital when they brought her into emergency. You know how bad it gets when my grippe acts up. This time it was the grippe and a severe case of piles.” Scary Mary gave me a dry look as she focused her gaze on the half-full bottle of wine on my coffee table.

“Would you like a drink?” I asked, already heading to the kitchen to get some glasses.

“Don't mind if I do,” she said, fanning her face with a hand that resembled a piece of dried liver.

I literally ran back into the living room. “So what happened?” I asked, pouring myself a glass of wine, too. I plopped down on the love seat that faced Scary Mary. She took her time responding. First, she had to take a long swallow of wine.

“Now,” she said, releasing a burp. “A few drops of bourbon or scotch would get this wine up on its feet,” she commented, again looking toward my kitchen, where she knew I kept more liquor.

“Uh, I didn't make it to the liquor store, so wine is all I have right now,” I lied.

She shrugged and finished her drink, then burped again. I was so impatient by now, I was ready to scream. But Scary Mary was the kind of person who did everything in her time. She wobbled up and hobbled across the floor. “I hope your bathroom is clean,” she mumbled.

Rhoda called while Scary Mary was using my bathroom. “What in the world is going on?” I hollered, twisting the telephone cord around my fingers like a vine. “Why were all those cops and an
ambulance
at your house?”

“Vernie finally snapped,” Rhoda replied, speaking in a flat voice. She sounded so tired that I got tired listening to her. “The boy snapped like a rubber band.” She stopped talking and sobbed softly for a few seconds, making squeaky, jerking noises like an injured mouse. Then she told me in a stone-cold voice, “He's goin' down for murder.”

“O
h no!” Despite all of the unnecessary turmoil that Jade had put me through, I did not want to see any harm come to her. I certainly didn't want to see her dead. “Is she…is she? Exactly what happened?” I had so many questions to ask, but I didn't want to upset Rhoda any more than she already was. “Do you feel like discussing it now?”

“She's still alive, but it's touch and go right now. I'm still at the hospital. Otis was so upset he had to be sedated, and Bully is too upset to drive. I'll find somebody else to drive him and Otis back home. But do you think you could come pick me up? We can talk then.”

“Of course I can pick you up. I'll be there as fast as I can.”

As soon as I hung up, Scary Mary came stumbling back into the living room.

“Where you runnin' off to?” she asked. “I thought you wanted me to tell you about what happened at Rhoda's house.” She sat down hard on the sofa with a groan and a grimace.

“That was Rhoda who just called. She wants me to give her a ride home from the hospital. I'll get all of the details from her. But could you do me a favor? Call up Pee Wee and tell him what's going on, and tell him that I might leave Charlotte with him for a couple of days. I may need to spend some serious time with Rhoda,” I said. “Before I go, I need to freshen up a little,” I added as I ran to my bathroom.

When I returned to the living room, Scary Mary was on the telephone. She seemed agitated, so I decided to wait until she finished her call.

“Don't you worry about who this is, you mongrel floozy!” she snarled. “I eat cunts like you for breakfast! Always did!” After what she had just said, I couldn't wait for her to finish the call.

“Who in the world are you talking to?” I yelled, running across the floor to face her.

“I thought you wanted me to call up Pee Wee—”

I grabbed the phone out of Scary Mary's hand. “Lizzie, this is Annette.”

There was a long silence before she responded. “Annette who?”

“Look, bitch. I don't have time for any of your games tonight. You put my husband on this telephone right now, or I'm going to come over there and shove it down your throat!” The next voice I heard belonged to Pee Wee.

“Annette, what's goin' on now?” he asked in a weary voice.

“I don't have time to go into detail, but there's been some kind of violent incident at Rhoda's house. Jade's in the hospital, Vernie's in jail—that's all I know. I need to give Rhoda a ride home and spend some time with her. I need to leave Charlotte with you until I know what's going on.”

“Sure, I'll keep her here. Is there anything else I can do?”

“Not right now.”

“When you get Rhoda home, either you have her call me or you call me and tell me what's goin' on. Rhoda's more like family to me than most of my family,” he reminded.

“We'll call you.”

I hung up and ran out of the door with Scary Mary on my heels. There were times when I wondered if she really needed the cane she carried with her at times. This time she was running behind me like a track star, waving her cane in the air. She got in her van, and I got in my car.

We made it to the hospital parking lot in record time. Once we got inside the hospital, it was like we'd stumbled into a madhouse. Doctors, nurses, and police officers were all over the place. Otis and Bully were inconsolable. I was surprised to see Pee Wee there, looking like a wild man. I was glad that he had brought Charlotte with him. I didn't like it when he left my daughter alone with Lizzie. Jade was out of surgery. After the doctor assured Rhoda and Otis that their daughter was going to be all right, we all decided to leave.

Pee Wee ended up driving Otis and Bully home from the hospital in Otis's car. I had left my car in front of Rhoda's house and accompanied Scary Mary to the hospital in her van. She transported Rhoda home. I drove Pee Wee's car to Rhoda's house, with my daughter riding shotgun. It was a mess, and this was one night that I couldn't wait to end.

Charlotte said some interesting things to me on the way to Rhoda's house. “Mama, they got roaches almost as big as me,” she said, forcing herself not to laugh by covering her mouth with her hand. But she couldn't help herself. She giggled long and loud.

“Who's got roaches?” I asked, keeping my eyes on the road.

“Daddy and Lizzie. You should hear him fussing at her about how nasty she is. She leaves used tampons on the floor in the bathroom. She don't always wash her hands when she uses the bathroom. Every time I go over there, the kitchen sink is full of dirty dishes. Remember last week when I went? She had dropped an egg on the kitchen floor. When I got there today, that same egg was still on the floor.” Charlotte stopped talking and giggled some more. “There's dust and crumbs and stuff everywhere you look, even in the refrigerator. There is moldy food and dirty dishes in the refrigerator, too. And boy does it stink when you open the door! Whew! She hardly ever sweeps or vacuums; I do it for her. She's too busy in the mirror fussing with her hair and stuff. She hates doing laundry, too. When she runs out of clean panties, she wears Daddy's shorts! Or she runs to the mall and buys some new ones. And that's another thing. Daddy said she's spending his money like he was printing it in the basement. She's a mess, Mama. I only go over there because I know it makes Daddy happy to see me.” Charlotte sighed before she laughed some more.

“Well, Lizzie's bad habits must not bother your daddy that much if he puts up with them,” I snapped. I wanted to laugh myself, but I didn't.

“Oh yes, it does bother him! He's always telling her what a mistake he made leaving you for her. He told her tonight that you was worth five of her.”

I was glad that I had to stop for a red light. I turned to Charlotte and gave her a thoughtful look. “He said that in front of you?”

“He didn't know I was listening. He thought I was in my room watching TV.”

“I see. What else did you hear?”

“She told him that if you was so great, how come he didn't go back with you.”

I was so interested in what my daughter was telling me that I didn't realize the light had turned green until the driver behind me honked his horn. I sped off. “And what did he say to that?” I asked.

“He told her that if he knew you would take him back, he'd move back home in a heartbeat. She said you was stupid, but you ain't stupid enough to dump Jacob for him. Boy did
that
make him mad.”

“I'll bet it did,” I muttered. “Uh, that's something I wanted to talk to you about. Jacob.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Charlotte give me a surprised look. “Why come? I like Jacob. He never cooks greens and all that other nasty icky stuff you cook when I go to his house. He cooks frozen dinners and orders pizza. Just like Lizzie does most of the time. That's another thing Daddy complains about. He said he hasn't had a decent meal since he left you….”

“Charlotte, you haven't been back to Jacob's house since I told you not to go, have you?” I asked in a loud, menacing voice.

“Um, just once,” she admitted, hunching down in her seat. “This evening before you called Daddy. I didn't stay long, though. And the only reason I went was because he had some Batman decals for me to put on my bike.”

“Jacob and I decided to stop seeing each other. He won't be coming to the house anymore,” I stated.

“Oh.” I could tell from the tone of Charlotte's voice that this news disappointed her tremendously. “First you ran my daddy off, now Jacob. Dang, Mama! What did you do to
him
?”

“What's that supposed to mean?”

“What do you do to make men run off?”

“That's something we'll discuss in a few years. This is not the time.” I stopped at a stop sign and looked at Charlotte. “So you are no longer allowed to visit Jacob's house, or that pregnant girl Patsy. Is that clear?”

“Well, who can I visit?”

“You have a lot of other friends. You can visit with any of them.”

“Okay.”

“Now, let's change the subject and talk about something more pleasant.”

“Is Jade going to die?”

“No,” I said in an uncertain voice. “I said let's talk about something pleasant.”

“I heard Lizzie fussing at Daddy about taking you back,” Charlotte blurted.

“I'm going to have a long talk with your daddy about being more careful about what he discusses when you're with him,” I said, releasing an exasperated breath. “And if I have to talk to that…to Lizzie about watching her mouth when you're in the house, I will.” I grunted. “You are too young to be hearing all that mess!”

“Mama, I already know about all that mess. I watch cable TV.”

“That's different. And we are going to have to monitor what you watch on TV, too, I guess.”

I pulled in front of Rhoda's house a minute later.

“Let's get inside so we can find out what's going on with Jade,” I said. I parked Pee Wee's car right behind mine where I had left it on the street.