Talk a Good Game (44 page)

“
Okay, now
you
’
re talking about my
son!”

I pointed a finger in his face.
“Face it. The boy has problems. He’s thirteen and walks around
carrying little men in his pocket!”

Kaleb shook his head and stuffed
his hands in his own pockets like he was afraid he might do
something else.
Good
decision
. “Yeah you’re right. It’s time
for us to go our separate ways,” he muttered.

I don’t know why but I started
laughing like a crazy woman. Maybe because I was so fucking mad, my
head was spinning. “Well about damn time! I’m glad we can finally
agree on something!” I tossed my hand over my head and stormed
across the parking lot to my car.

NYREE

I got up on Saturday and spent the better part of
the morning paying bills. Jeremy and I had finally opened joint
accounts and I was staring down at the checks with both of our
names on them, grinning.

Last week we had sat down and put
together a monthly budget and then determined just how much we
needed to deposit in both our checking and savings. I loved the way
my husband and I were able to work together as a team. One of the
fellowship books we had studied talked about finances and marriage,
and we followed the guide inside to the letter. According to the
book, money, sex and kids were the three main reasons for divorce.
I didn’t want any to be a problem in our marriage.

As soon as I paid the last bill online, I walked
into the living room where Jeremy was sitting on the couch,
watching a baseball game and lowered beside him.

“
Baby, you wanna start moving
stuff back into my house today?” Once I discovered we weren’t
moving to Hawaii, I had taken my house off the market.

“
Sure, Angel, whatever you want to
do.” I loved the way he was always so agreeable. It made being
married to him so easy.

“
I was thinking…
after we get the house situated, how about we go down and pick up
Jasmine and let her stay with us for a week. I
’
m
sure Mama wouldn’t mind watching her while we
’
re at
work?” Instead of answering, Jeremy started biting his nails and
then went back to watching television. “Baby did you hear
me?”

He sighed. “Yes, I heard you. I’ll
have to ask her mother and see what she says.”

“
What she
says
?” I mocked with an incredulous look.
“Adopted or not, that’s your daughter.”

Jeremy shook his head and I could
see he was trying to keep his temper in check. “Yeah
that
’s
what I thought but apparently
that isn’t the case.”

I gave a rude snort. “Mia
doesn’t
have a problem cashing that child support check
from you every month.” I write the checks and the amount he was
paying was enough to make his rent payment.

“
That
’s
because it
’s
always been about the money with Mia.”

“
Well I want to
spend time getting to know my stepdaughter.” I figured I had a
better chance of making an impression in the younger
child
’s
life than I did the older ones.
Teenagers were usually already set in their ways. I was
disappointed we never got to spend any time with his other children
during the summer. They either had summer jobs or were involved in
sports. Personally, I think those were just excuses. “Call
her.”

Jeremy took a deep breath and
nodded like a little boy. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll call her during the
next commercial break.”

During the break, I went and made
some nachos while he grabbed his phone and went into the other room
to call. I didn’t trip because I knew he needed his privacy and,
personally, I didn’t want to hear what the two of them had to talk
about.

Jeremy was coming from the bedroom
by the time I was walking into the living room. “What did she
say?”

Jeremy grinned. “She said I can
have her for two weeks.”

“
Cool.
”

I could tell there was something
else he wanted to say, but I waited until we were curled back up on
the couch together to see if he
’
d share what was
on his mind.

“
I wanna talk about something.”
See, I knew it.

I rested my head on his chest and
said, “Sure, what
’s
up?
”

There was hesitation which is
never a good sign. “Jasmine has a friend… a little
playmate.”

“
Uh-huh.” I had no idea where this
was going.

“
Mia
’s
been raising her for years.”
Okay, now he was procrastinating. It was probably a good idea to
urge him to get straight to the point but I had one question
first.

I raised up so he could see me.
“Where
’s
her mother?”

Jeremy frowned. “Around…
sometimes, but she doesn’t like being around her.”

What kinda woman doesn’t like
being around her own child unless… “Was her mother raped or
something?”

He swallowed and then slowly
wagged his head. “Mia
’s
never said but I think
she was. Anyway, ummm, the girls are always together and she wants
to know if Caitlyn could come to?”

What the fuck
? I already had five stepchildren. Now I had to be a
stepmother to another. “
Hell no.
”

“
No?” Don’t you know my husband
had the nerve to look offended?

“
No. I want a
chance to get to know Jazzy,
not
babysit. Mia ain’t dumping her excess baggage off
on us!”

Apparently Jeremy didn’t get it
because he clearly looked confused. “What difference does it make?
She’ll be good company for Jazz.”

“
It makes a big
difference!” Clearly he wasn’t hearing me. “The way
you
’
re acting you must have already
told Mia it’s okay.”

He sat there looking like
he
’
d been scolded again.

“
Dammit Jeremy! I wanna spend a
week getting to know my new daughter. That’s it. Nobody else. So
you make sure you call her back.”

I was so sick and tired of his
shit! I got up from the couch and went to our bedroom to watch TBS.
I was through dealing with the drama of his kids. It was enough I
didn’t know he had four only to find out he has another.

It was almost at the end of the movie when I heard
Jeremy coming down the hall. I looked up to see him standing in the
doorway.

“
Angel,
you
’
re right. I’ll tell her
we
’
re just getting
Jazzy.”

I nodded, even though I had a feeling this
conversation was far from over.

JANELLE

“
Please let her
be a
’
ight.”

I was driving like a crazy woman
trying to get to the University Hospital and Clinics. I had gotten
a call Mommy’s sugar had dropped so low she was
delirious.

Ever since I caught her in bed
with Uncle Todd I hadn’t been around anymore than needed, and now I
was praying for a chance to talk to my mother again.

By the time I made it to the emergency room I was
frantic. The nurse directed me to her room and I hurried down the
long hall. The moment I stepped inside, I released a sigh of
relief. Mommy was sitting up in bed watching television.

“
Mommy, you scared me!” I said as
I came around to the side of the bed and pressed my lips to her
cheek. It felt so good to be able to do that again.

She waved her hand dismissively.
“
I
don’t
know why they’re making such a fuss.
I
’
m fine.”

I lowered onto one of those hard
plastic chairs. “Mommy you couldn’t have been okay, otherwise your
nurse wouldna called the ambulance.”

“
All she had to do was give me
some orange juice,” she explained with a scowl.

“
She wasn’t risking her license
fooling with your mess.” She just scowled, which pissed me off even
more. “Mommy you really need to start listening to your doctor
before you lose more than a leg.”

For once she actually looked scared.

A nurse came in and checked her
vital signs and explained they were waiting for her blood work to
come back before she could be released. I figured we’d be there at
least another hour or two so I clicked on the evening news and
eased back on the chair. It was my Saturday off, so I had nothing
but time.

We were sitting there talking when
I heard a soft knock and the curtain was pulled back. As soon as I
saw who was standing there, I frowned. “What are you doing
here?”

“
I just found out your mother had
been brought in,” he said, ignoring my tone.

As much as I wanted to be angry at
Uncle Todd’s sorry behind for showing up, there was no denying the
concern in his eyes.

“
Sweetie, how are you
feeling?”

Mommy waved an impatient hand.
“I’m fine, really. It was a little scare. I just need to remember I
can’t be skipping lunch.”

“
No, you can’t,” he scolded and
anyone could see he cared about my mother. However, that didn’t
stop me from mumbling under my breath.

She patted his hand. “Todd… can
you give me and Jae a few minutes alone, please?”

He hesitated but finally nodded, kissed her cheek,
and stepped back out of the room. I leaned back in the chair and
waited.

“
I owe you an apology,” she
finally said.

“
Yes, you do,” I said and crossed
my arms. I know I was acting like a spoiled brat but I didn’t care.
“How could you do that to Daddy?”

“
Do that to
him
? What about what he did to me all
those years!” she cried and I flinched. Never and I mean never in
the twenty years he’s been dead had she ever mentioned the way he’d
treated her. “I was nothing but a good wife to him. Cooking,
cleaning and raising his children yet nothing I did was ever good
enough.”

She was right. It never was.

“
So why didn’t you leave
him?”

Mommy sighed. “I
tried.”

“
You did?” That was news to me.
“When?” I pressed on, hoping to get her to continue.

Mommy nodded and suddenly had this
distant look in her eyes. “Chile, I tried to leave him so many
times I lost count! But each and every time he would make me feel
so sorry for him I took him back.”

The same way he used to do to me. Daddy would play
on my sympathy, beg me to forgive him.

The same way Kaleb
does
.

“
But after a while I got tired of
the mood-swings. One afternoon I packed you and Brice up and
left.”

I wanted to ask her how old I was
but I was afraid if I asked too many questions
she
’
d stop talking so I just sat
there and waited for her to continue.

She shifted on the bed. “I went to
live with my sister, but Bradley used to come over and act a damn
fool all the time. He had your auntie so scared I decided to
leave.”

“
Why didn’t you get your own
place?” I blurted out.

“
With what?” she
snorted. “My good looks? I didn’t have money like that. I wasn’t
working. So I went back to your father and once he knew I had
nowhere else to turn, that
’s
when he got crazy. Nan
couldn’t even control her own son.” She paused long enough to
scratch her stomach through the hospital gown. “Once he started
beating me again, I knew I would never be able to get away from
that man. I tried going to the police but that was a waste of time.
He was a cop! They were all Bradley’s buddies and they never did
anything except tell me they’d talk to him. Yet it didn’t matter
how many black eyes or busted lips, they still wouldn’t charge him.
And he knew it.”

My stomach flipped when I spotted
a tear running down her cheek she didn’t even bother wiping away.
“When he started beating you and Brice, I realized just how
helpless I was to do anything to help us.”

I was lost in thought as I
remembered the way Mommy used to try and protect us the best way
she knew how. One time Brice was playing baseball in the yard and
had broken the window in the kitchen. Mommy lied and said she
didn’t know what happened just to save us from a beating—Brice for
breaking it, and me for failing to keep my brother out of
trouble.