Tears on a Sunday Afternoon (20 page)

I
pulled up in front of my house in the darkness of night. I unlocked the front door and stepped into the house. The first person to greet me was Annette.

“I see you’re still ugly,” I said as I walked by her.

“Stop right there, Motherfucker!” Annette shouted at me.

I continued to walk to the stairs.

“Motherfucker, I said to stop right there before I blow your brains out.”

Those words definitely got my attention. I turned around to see that Annette was pointing a nine-millimeter at my head. “What the fuck’s wrong with you, Bitch?”

“Just don’t move. I’m going to have my fun today.” Annette widened her stance to shoulder-width. She flipped her cell phone open and punched in some numbers.

“Who the fuck are you calling?” I asked, getting very angry.

“Should I shoot him now?” she said into the phone.

“Shoot me?” I said incredulously.

“Okay, I’ll wait until you come, but if he moves, I’m going to kill him.”

She put the phone back into her pocket.

Annette wanted to kill me. I was one hundred percent positive of that. The only person who was saving me was the one who was on his way there.

“Can I sit down?”

“No, Motherfucker, your sitting days are over. The only thing I want to see you do is lie down dead.”

The gun in her hand was unwavering.

There was no more conversation until the doorbell rang.

Lauren came running down the stairs. “Is anyone going to answer the door?”

“Bitch, get the door,” Annette said to Lauren.

The human body sometimes takes a while to adjust to certain situations. “Annette, what’s going on here? Please put the gun away and leave Donald alone.” Lauren’s eyes were swollen.

“Lauren, don’t get me angry. You know what happens when you get me angry. Please go and open the door.”

Lauren went over to the door and opened it.

Donna pushed Lauren aside and stepped into the house as if she owned the place.

She came straight over to me, her face contorted in anger. “I told you not to try to fuck me.”

“Long time, no see, Donna,” I said with a smirk on my face.

“What’s going on here?!” Lauren shouted.

“Bitch, shut the fuck up,” Annette and Donna said in unison.

“This is theatrical,” I said.

“Donald, where is the money?” Donna asked.

“I see you gave Miss Ugly a taste of your pussy and she got hooked,” I said.

“Donna, let me shoot his ass now,” Annette demanded.

“Annette, you ugly bitch, shut the fuck up and give me that damn gun.” Donna stretched her hand out for the gun.

Annette handed the gun over to Donna. “I’m sorry, Donna, but you heard what he said to me.”

Lauren had made her way over to Annette. She now stood between Annette and Donna.

Donna started to move toward me with the gun in her hand. “I’m going to shoot you in the kneecaps; then I’m going to work my way up. Donald, what the fuck was going through your mind? You thought that you could play me?”

“I’m sorry, Donna, but my wife and I slept together because we wanted another child. I had too much on my mind.”

Annette turned blue or whatever color black people turned when they were angry. She grabbed Lauren by the throat. “Bitch, you slept with him and you’re pregnant.”

Lauren started to cry. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Annette.”

I brought my hands back and started to push my waist forward in a jerking motion.

“I fucked her good, too. You should’ve been there, Annette. I guarantee you that we’ll have a daughter in eight months.”

Annette held Lauren up by the throat with one hand as she brought her other hand up with the force of anger and hate. She repeatedly punched Lauren in the stomach until blood started to ooze from Lauren’s mouth. She let go of Lauren and Lauren fell down to the floor.

“You bitches are…”

Donna had turned around to see the action between Lauren and Annette and that gave me the opportunity I needed. I leapt across the floor, crossing the space between Donna and me within mere seconds. I grabbed the gun from Donna’s hand as my hand descended on her mouth, sending a tooth flying out of her mouth. Donna’s body crumpled to the floor.

“You motherfucker!” Annette screamed as she jumped onto my back, grabbing my hand that held the gun and shaking it. I tried to throw her off my back, but she held on tightly to my neck. I started to spin her round and round but she held on even tighter.

“You killed my daughter!” Lauren screamed.

For me to turn around to face the lunging Lauren would require at least a few seconds. It was time I didn’t have.

“What the…” It was all I heard from Annette, then the hold she had on my neck was no more. Slowly, she slid off my back onto the floor. I turned around and there Lauren stood with a bloody, nine-inch knife in her hand. Annette lay on the ground, her eyes opened wide but vacant, blood flowing freely down her back. The knife had penetrated her back and gone through her heart.

I put the gun into my waistband. “I’m leaving.”

Lauren looked at me as if she was seeing me for the first time. “You really didn’t want me to have your child, did you?”

I shook my head. “There’s enough pain in this world. We don’t need to bring more. We were blessed with Emerald. I think that’s enough. Do you want me to take them out of here?”

Lauren shook her head. “No, by the time Donna wakes up, the knife will be in her hand. I learned a lot from my father.”

“I’m taking Emerald,” I said.

“Do that, because I have some issues to resolve, but once I’m okay, I will want my son.”

“I won’t keep him from you,” I said.

“You know my father won’t allow it,” she said.

I walked toward the door and turned the knob. “I will deal with that when the time comes.”

“Tell him that I love him,” she said.

“I’ll do that. Take care of yourself.” I opened the door and walked out without looking back.

“The cops are looking for Malcolm,” Dora said as I put Emerald into the car.

“I hope they find him.” I shut the car door. I felt sorry for Dora. She looked like death had approached her door.

“He’s never done anything like this,” she said. “I hope he’s all right.”

“Good night, Dora,” I said.

“Daddy, are we going home?” Emerald asked.

“No, Son, we’re going to meet Aunty Julie.” I picked up the phone and dialed Julie’s cell number. The call went straight to voice mail. I hung up and tried her home number. The answering machine came on. I stepped on the accelerator.

“Where is Aunty Julie?” Emerald asked.

“She’s at home, Son. Go to sleep,” I said.

“Okay, Daddy,” Emerald said, the weariness evident in his voice.

T
here were no cars in Julie’s driveway so I pulled up in it. The lights were out in the house. I left Emerald asleep in the car and walked to the front door. On the handle of the front door, there was a white bag with my name on it. I slipped the bag off the doorknob. I looked into the bag and my gun was in it with a note. She had left the porch light on so I took the note out and read it.

Love is never easy but you make it extremely hard. Brian and I are going to try to start over so we must leave. The keys to the house are underneath the front mat. In the house, you will find five million dollars. I hope it will be enough for you and Emerald, to start over. Donald, please remember that I do love you but I will never be able to trust you. And the things you have done lately have started me wondering what kind of man are you. I don’t want to be looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life. Please take care of yourself and Emerald and thanks for everything.

Love, Julie

I put the gun in my waistband, ripped the paper in small pieces and littered the lawn with it. I got back into the car. My grandmother had warned me and I hadn’t listened. Now the punishment was being dealt.

“Where is Aunty Julie?” Emerald asked as I started the car.

I didn’t know that he had awakened. “She’s dead, my son. She’s as good as dead.”

“I love you, Daddy,” Emerald said.

“I love you too, Son. I really do.” He was my lifeline.

I looked back at him and he was fast asleep. I doubt he even heard what I had said. I squeezed the steering wheel until the veins popped out all over my hands. I was hurting but I was going to be all right. I was close to being a pimp but now I was back to being a whore. Only this time, I had a lot more experience. I had blood all over my hands and I was about to get even bloodier. Julie and Brian were on their way to hell and I was going to make sure that I was the one giving directions. I pulled up in front of the Marriott at eleven-thirty. I let them valet park my car as I lifted Emerald onto my shoulders. The young woman at the desk looked me over like I had kidnapped my son. I didn’t say anything; instead I presented my American Express card.

I put Emerald down on the bed and went to the mini-bar. I took out a few small bottles of liquor. I mixed them together, and then added some Pepsi to the mixture. The night was still young and I had some thinking to do.

I was hurting, not because Julie had taken fifteen million dollars away from me but because she had taken my heart. I squeezed my eyes to stop thinking about her. She had gotten into a place where no woman had set foot before. Once more my eyes became bloodshot as Julie’s knife diced my heart up. I didn’t know if I could have been a hundred percent faithful to her but I was going to try. I didn’t know if my love for her was going to last a month but I was going to try to make it last a lifetime.

“Fuck the money,” I said out loud.

I had no need for the money she had left in the house so I didn’t take it. I was in pain and the night did nothing to stop the bleeding.

I sat up looking out the window at Brooklyn Bridge as the time started to count from one. It wasn’t until four that I kissed Emerald on the cheek and lay down next to him to rest my weary body. Tomorrow I was going to tie up all the loose ends and maybe the whore would finally get off my back.

I
got up at eight in the morning and grabbed my phone from the night table. I looked at Emerald who was still fast asleep. I went to the address book and pulled up Kathleen’s number. I dialed it.

“Hello.” She sounded drowsy.

“How are you doing?” I asked.

“My husband and I will live but he’s crippled for life.”

“Did they catch the person who did it?”

“No, but the police are investigating.”

“I need a number for one of your husband’s friends.”

“What for?” she asked.

“Something was taken from me.” I was banking on her believing that Donna had double-crossed me.

“Is it her?”

“Yes,” I said.

“I’ll send it to you.” She hung up the phone.

A few seconds passed before I received a text message with a number.

“Daddy, where are we going today?” my son asked.

I turned around to see him sitting up in bed, still rubbing his eyes.

“Well, your daddy has to do something; then we’re going home.”

“But I thought we were going on a trip,” he said.

“We are, but we have to get Mommy first.”

“Okay, where are we going?”

“Come here, Little Boy.” I stretched my hands out to him. He came running and I lifted him up into my arms. “Wherever you want to go.”

“Disneyland!”

I kissed him on the cheek. “Then we’re going to Disneyland.”

I canvassed the sidewalk with my eyes as I looked for a public phone, finally finding one on the corner of Third Avenue. I told Emerald, “I’ll be right back.”

I dropped two quarters into the coin slot and was rewarded with a dial tone. I dialed the cell phone number that Kathleen had given me.

“Hello.” The voice on the other end had a European accent, from which country I didn’t know.

“Listen,” I said. “I will only say this once.”

“Who are you?”

“There was a robbery yesterday on Park Avenue. I know who did it.”

The voice became a little bit more excited. “I’m listening.”

“You will find five million in saving bonds from the robbery in a house in Queens. The address is 1020 USA Avenue. The owner and her man have the rest of the money.”

“Where are they?” the voice asked.

“I’m giving you the pussy; now you want the lubricant too? Find them your fucking self.” I hung up the phone.

I pulled into my driveway twenty-five minutes later and Emerald was out of the car and at the front door in seconds. Lauren opened the door with a surprised expression on her face.

She picked him up and kissed him, her face basking in joy. I walked toward the door. She was still standing there but Emerald was gone.

“My father’s dead,” Lauren announced with very little sadness in her voice. “The police left a few minutes ago but they will be back. I told them that I came home and found Donna and Annette on the floor. I told them that Annette was my lover.”

“Did they believe you?”

“For now they do. I will let our lawyers deal with the cops. What are you doing back here?”

“I’m sorry to hear about your father. I’m back here because this is my house.” I stood opposite her, the door still open. “From now on, there won’t be any bitches coming in my house. If you want some pussy, feel free to go to a hotel or do whatever, but don’t bring them here. This is my fucking house and if you don’t like it, you can leave right now.”

“My mom wants you to help her with my father’s burial arrangements.”

“When is the funeral?”

“Sunday afternoon.”

“Tell your mom that I’ll be there tomorrow. Do they have any idea who killed your father?” I asked, my hand still on the front door.

“No, but we all knew that my father dealt with some shady characters. His violent death isn’t totally unexpected. We always knew that one day it would catch up with him. The cops think it was a deal gone bad.”

“I never had a good relationship with your father but death is always sad.”

Lauren looked upstairs in the direction of Emerald’s room. “Emerald will take it very hard. He loved his grandfather.”

“Yeah, I know, there will be a lot of tears on Sunday afternoon.” My cell phone began to ring.

She looked directly into my unwavering eyes. “I’m going to make something for Emerald. Do you want anything?”

“A sandwich would be good.”

“Okay.” Lauren walked toward the kitchen.

I looked at the number on the phone. I flipped the phone open.

“What’s up, Brenda?”

“I’m giving you another chance to go away with me,” she said.

“Any day after Sunday would be good,” I replied.

“What about next Thursday?” She sounded like she had just hit the lottery.

“Go ahead and book it.”

“First-class?”

“It’s the only way to go.” I looked over at Lauren as she placed my sandwich with a Heineken on the table. I closed the phone and pulled the door shut. It was time for me to feed.