I Left My Back Door Open (28 page)

I felt touched that I was part of the equation, and softened my tone. “Where does Allison plan to stay?”

“She's staying at a hotel on the lakefront. It's right over here in Hyde Park.”

“How long can she afford to stay
there
?”

“I didn't ask her a lot of questions. We don't have a real communicative relationship. I'm not involved in her life. The only thing we have in common at this point is Brianna.”

“That's a lot,” I said.

“Yeah, it's a whole lot, but that's it.”

“How is Brianna taking this?”

“She's always glad to see her mother.”

“Well, keep me posted.”

After I hung up the phone, I started for the refrigerator, but then turned around. I realized that food would just be a distraction from my apprehension. I took a hot bubble bath instead.

Sitting in the lavender-scented water, I inhaled the vanilla fragrance of my lighted candle and let Skylar's words echo through my mind. “Then I could have more time to spend with you.”

A few days later, Skylar and I were sipping Chardonnay at a waterfront restaurant during happy hour. I was beginning to almost appreciate his ex-wife's return, as she was our babysitter this evening. Skylar swore up and down that it was over between him and Allison. She wasn't even sleeping over there. I decided to take him at his word.

“I never told you the details about what happened to my friend Sarita's husband, Phil.”

“You told me that he turned up safe and sound.”

“Yeah, but I didn't get to tell you what actually happened to him.”

“What happened to him? Was he abducted by aliens?”

I gulped my wine. “Almost. He was kidnapped by bounty hunters.”

“Bounty hunters!” Skylar exclaimed, wide-eyed.

“Yeah.”

“I've read about how they can abuse their powers.”

“They arrested Phil coming out of his barber shop. He was taking out the trash in the back. They pretty much ambushed him. They thought he was some other guy, a convict with the same name. Phil kept trying to tell them that they had the wrong person, but they wouldn't listen.”

“That's terrible.”

“They put him in a van, handcuffed and bound,” I said, holding my wrists together.

“Damn!”

“Yeah, and they drove him away. He couldn't even make a phone call to a lawyer or his wife. They kept him prisoner.”

“And this is supposed to be the land of the free and the home of the brave.” Skylar groaned.

“Yeah, right. Phil says they picked up other people along the way. They barely fed him or let him go to the bathroom.”

“How did he get away?”

“They delivered him to their headquarters in Kentucky. He finally convinced them that they had the wrong man.”

“How?”

“He didn't look like the picture of the guy they were looking for. And his fingerprints didn't match, so they released him. The bounty hunters told Phil that if he wanted to sue, he could, but no one had won a case so far.”

“There should be some recourse for that kind of treatment,” Skylar said, shaking his head. “It's ridiculous! Something's gotta be done! Bounty hunters are like the secret police.”

“Something
is
gonna be done,” I assured him. “I have a few media connections. There's a TV reporter I know, Lupe Hernandez from the six-o'clock news.”

“I've seen her. She's sharp.”

“She's in my Women in Media group. I've put in a call to her. Lupe's good people. She'll be dead on the case.”

“All right!”

“Excuse my French, but this shit is not gonna fly!”

“I hear you, sista!”

“A lot of people have been affected by the bounty hunters' gestapo tactics,” I continued. “Phil's family was worried sick. And I was almost a wreck myself.”

“I can understand why. Tell Phil if he wants to pursue any legal channels, I'd be happy to work with him, pro bono.”

“Thanks, I'll pass that on. Excuse me for a minute. I've got to go to the ladies' room.”

“Sure. I better put in a call home. Allison needs to get to her twelve-step meeting, and I need to let her know I'll be back soon.”

After exiting the bathroom, I recognized Skylar's back in front of one of the pay phones in the hallway. I wasn't trying to snoop, but I couldn't help overhearing a snatch of his conversation.

“Yeah, I've just finished presenting these briefs to my client. Everything appears to be in order. We're about to wrap up. I'll be home in less than an hour.”

I scooted past Skylar and beat him back to our cocktail table. I was somewhat perturbed that he'd lied about his whereabouts to his ex-wife. I mean, they
were
divorced. Skylar didn't have to throw our dating relationship up in Allison's face, but he shouldn't have to hide it, either, unless there were still some embers burning in their relationship that he wasn't copping to. I couldn't help but feel a little suspicious. For all I knew, Skylar could be lying when he said it was over between him and Allison. If that was the case, I'd rather him be honest about it. Skylar obviously wasn't being honest with Allison, so how could I trust that he was being honest with me?

“Everything's fine, Brianna's doing her homework. I told Allison I'd be back in time for her to make her meeting,” Skylar reported nonchalantly.

But I was ready for him. “I'm glad that everything is fine,” I answered sweetly. “How about if I drop by later, after Brianna has gone to bed, if you're up for some company. Baby, isn't it time that I saw your digs and peeked at your daughter while she's sleeping?”

“Ahh, I'm—I'm not really set up for company,” Skylar stammered. “I'd have to straighten up.” I'd clearly caught him off guard.

“You didn't straighten up for Allison, did you?” I challenged.

“Well, she's not exactly company,” Skylar said, clearing his throat.

“I wouldn't be coming in to do a white glove test. I just thought we could hang out a little. I wouldn't be coming over there to judge.”

“I've got to deal with getting Brianna ready for bed,” Skylar said, shaking his head.

I kept pushing. “I said I can come over after Brianna goes to sleep.”

But Skylar wasn't going to go for it. “It's just not gonna work, Dee Dee. I want things to be right when you come over. I want to have a chance to clean up and set a mood. Tonight's just not the right night. It's too hectic.”

“Okay.” I sighed. Sherlock Holmes couldn't tell for sure if Skylar was covering something up. I still had to do more detective work. “How about if I give you a call later and we just have a cozy, intimate chat on the phone?” I suggested.

“Sure, let's do that. I'll be waiting to hear from you.”

I called Sharon from my car phone to run my concerns about Skylar by her. She told me to come on over to her townhouse.

“I can see why you would feel threatened,” Sharon said, sitting across from me on her her plump denim couch. “I mean, they do have a child together. He still has a connection with that woman.”

“Did I tell you she was white?” I asked, sinking into the generous chair cushion.

“His ex-wife?”

“Yeah.”

“No, you didn't tell me, but I'm not surprised. The Bay Area is the Interracial Dating Capital of America.”

“Brianna has green eyes and red hair. She's a light caramel color.”

“Is she cute?”

“Yeah, really cute.”

“That's good. I hate to say it, but if you're gonna be biracial, you should at least be cute. People expect you to be cute. It's a disappointment if you're not.”

“You sound like old-timey folks now. You're bordering on callin' somebody yellow wasted, if they're not cute.”

“I don't think like that,” Sharon protested. “I just meant it's hard enough being caught between two worlds. You may as well have looks going for you.”

I nodded.

“Anyway, so did it bother you when you found out that Skylar's ex-wife is white?”

“Maybe, a little, but not that much. Skylar isn't your typical brotha. He's such an individual. I told you he was mostly raised by a white woman. So I wasn't that surprised. I'm not really tripping on Allison's race. People have a right to date and marrry whomever they choose. What concerns me is, if Allison is trying to get back with Skylar, he might fall for the bait. She's already got one foot in the door now. She doesn't seem to have any solid plans. She's staying at a hotel, but I don't think she has money to burn. Supposedly she's in recovery. She's at a twelve-step meeting as we speak. I just wish I knew what her real agenda was.”

“It's impossible for you to know, unless she tips her hand. She might even be confused herself. But, more importantly, you need to know what Skylar's agenda is.”

“He claims he's through with her; he's just being cordial for Brianna's sake. Skylar says that he's glad that Allison is showing more interest in their daughter, since he wants them to have a good relationship. He even says that if Allison cleans up her act, he wouldn't object to joint custody. Then he could spend more time with me.”

“Look at it this way: If she's in the picture, you've got a regular babysitter. Who knows, one day you and Skylar might even be able to spend a whole weekend together.”

“Yeah.” I smiled, imagining Skylar and me waking up together in a quaint bed and breakfast in a little antiquey town. “So, how's it going with you and Michelle?” I asked. “How is her son handling your relationship?”

“Thanks for asking. As a matter of fact, we're doing pretty well. The boy has made a one-hundred-and eighty-degree turn!”

“That's great, Sharon.”

“Now Ryan constantly wants to know when I'm coming over. It makes you mad when you think about how these heterosexist oppressors have used kids against us. Children have always been used as the hammer to beat us down. It's always been ‘the kids can't handle it,'” Sharon said sarcastically. “Kids can handle it just fine. It's the adults that have the problem.”

“Yeah, Professor, sho' you right. Kids are very flexible. What kids need most has nothing to do with who you sleep with or how you cross your legs.”

“I heard that.”

“Now, teenagers are different. They've already been indoctrinated. What's T up to?”

“She's at the computer. She's got a big paper due. She waited till the last minute. Luckily she can get a lot of information off the Internet.”

I decided to call Skylar from Sharon's place. It had gotten a little late, and also I might need Sharon for moral support.

“I can't believe it. I dialed the number twice and there's still no answer,” I said a few minutes later, staring at the receiver as if it could explain.

Sharon looked up from the pile of clean laundry she was sorting on the couch. “Did you check the number?”

“I know it by heart,” I said, “but let me verify it in my book.” I reached for my purse. “The number's right. I can't believe Skylar would step out after ten o'clock. It's an hour past Brianna's bedtime. And he knew I was gonna call.”

“Maybe he's got the phone unplugged, or something happened and he just can't deal with the phone right now. It doesn't have to be serious; his daughter could just have a tummyache. You know a single parent's work is never done.” Sharon continued to fold clothes.

“I'm surprised he's not letting the machine pick up, though.”

“Maybe he forgot to turn it on.”

“I let it ring a bunch of times.”

“Dee Dee, stop trippin'. There's probably a logical explanation.”

“They say God sends you a pebble before he sends you a brick.”

“Don't get paranoid,” Sharon cautioned as she folded a towel. “Now, maybe this is a red flag, and maybe it isn't. Why not have a ‘wait and see' attitude?”

“Wait until I see what?” I jumped to my feet. “A red flag as big as that beach towel?” I pointed.

“No, of course not. I just don't want you to act too hastily. I think this relationship might have potential. Maybe Skylar is a good guy,” Sharon said, setting the towel atop a stack of folded clothes.

“Well, a part of me has hope and another part of me hears, ‘All men lie and only a fool would put her trust in a man' echoing in my memory.”

“Well, maybe it's time for you to go beyond that thinking,” Sharon suggested. “Maybe it's time for you to learn that it is possible to find a man that you
can
trust.”

I looked at Sharon incredulously. “Easy for you to say, now that you don't deal with them.” I folded my arms. “You know, I really resent the fact that now that you've become a lesbian, you wanna always give men the benefit of the doubt.”

“How ironic.” Sharon laughed, placing her hands on her hips. “Well, at least you're not calling me a man-hater. I have to give you points for originality.”

“I don't know why I ever got my hopes up about Skylar in the first place,” I said, throwing my hands up in the air and beginning to pace. “Let's get real. What are the chances of an overweight, over forty, black woman meeting Mr. Right? Come on,” I challenged Sharon, “what are the chances? Statistics say I have a better chance of being struck by lightning,” I said, pounding my chest.

Sharon shrugged. “So you're slightly overweight, and so you're slightly over forty,” she said, squaring off with me. “Dee Dee, you're an attractive, dynamic, intelligent, warm, caring, witty woman, and anyone would be lucky to get you. Now, that's the real deal.”

“You really mean that? You're not just saying that 'cause you're trying to hit on me?” I asked, half teasingly.

Sharon rolled her eyes. “Just take it in. Dee Dee, don't try to diminish yourself by insinuating that I have an ulterior motive. Everything I said is true, just accept it.”