The Eternal Engagement (22 page)

CHAPTER 55

Katherine

 

“F
ive, four, three, two.” The producer pointed at her.

“Good morning to you, America, I'm Katherine Clinton. A house fire erupted an hour ago near the six hundred block of King Street. The oldest child, a seven-year-old, is being considered a hero. The boy and his two siblings were trapped in the blaze. From the second story of their burning home, the little boy tossed his one-year-old baby brother and two-year-old sister into the arms of firefighters standing on the ground before jumping from the window himself. The blaze is almost fully contained. The whereabouts of the mother and father are unknown. The cause of that fire is under investigation. We'll keep you updated. . . .”

Reporting had become second nature to her. The good and the bad, she left it all at the station. Katherine wished Lincoln could've left what happened overseas, overseas. Lincoln hadn't called her since the day she'd left Mona Lisa in his room.

The pain in her heart for Lincoln gradually became an illusion, while the love in her heart for Steven became an evolving reality. Was it smarter to love the one who loved you? Or did love mean waiting for her son's father to make them a family?

Katherine went to her makeup room, sat in front of the mirror surrounded by bright bubble lights. Every day she sat here, she felt like a star. She retrieved her purse from the locked drawer beneath the table, pulled out her cell phone. Dialed his number.

The phone rang three times before he answered. “I've been meaning to call you. I've been through a lot late—”

There comes a time when a woman has to take charge of her heart.

Interrupting him, she said, “Save it, Lincoln. I'm not calling for an explanation or an apology. I'm calling to let you know you owe me fifty-six thousand dollars and I want every penny. If you don't want to see Jeremiah, that's going to be your decision, but I'm going to petition the courts to order you to pay child support. I hope Mona Lisa gave you back your ring, because I'm done with you.” She wished being done meant being over him. But it didn't. But in time, she would be.

“No, Katherine, don't say that. I do want to see my son, you know that. I never said I didn't want to see him. I'll be home for Christmas, and I'll get you some money before Christmas, I promise. And I still want to marry you. It's just that I have to get professional help for my condition first.”

Was there a limit to how many times a person should be a fool for the same person? The tone of his voice was starting to irritate her.

“Blah, blah, blah. Save it. Is that what you told Mona? Everything isn't about you, Lincoln. I'm sorry for you and for whatever happened to you while you were in the military, but there are no excuses as to why you've treated me like shit for the past ten years. And like a fool I waited for you. Nothing I do anymore is about you. It's about me. If I don't have my money by Christmas, I don't care if the court takes all of your money. You'll get exactly what you deserve. Good-bye. Oh, and tell Mona Lisa I'm not done with her yet. Bye, Lincoln.”

Ending the call, Katherine felt relieved. Whether she filed with the court before Christmas or not was not the point. Lincoln needed to know she was done with him.

Her phone rang. “What, Lincoln?”

“My laptop. Mona said you took it.”

“Correction, she gave it to me when she packed my things and kicked me out of your room. I'm giving the laptop to Jeremiah as one of his Christmas presents. He needs a computer for school. And that doesn't count toward your child support. Bye.”

Ending the call, she exhaled heavily, refreshed her makeup, made her way to the green room. This time instead of her mother waiting, Steven was there.

He greeted her. “For you. For appreciation of your friendship.” The dozen long-stem white roses were the first bouquet any man had given her. Katherine's smile was wide and tight as she blinked away her tears. “Why are you so nice to me?”

“Because you deserve it,” he said. “You ready?”

“Depends. Ready for what?” She was ready for a real man in her life. And Steven deserved to have a real woman. Not some immature, unfaithful, trifling wife like Mona Lisa. Mona and Lincoln deserved one another.

Steven interrupted her thoughts. “I have one more surprise for you,” he said, leading her out the front door.

When she saw the beautiful red bow sitting atop a brand-new white Mercedes ML350 SUV, she said, “No way. I can't accept that. This is too much.”

He handed her the keys. “You can leave it there if you'd like. It'll be there tomorrow when you come back to work. But since I drove it over here, I was hoping you'd give me a ride home.”

As she tiptoed to the passenger side, her knees trembled with every step. She peeked inside.

“Just touch the handle,” Steven said, standing behind her so close she felt his breath on the back of her neck.

When she touched the inside of the door handle, the doors unlocked. He opened the door. “Get in. I'll drive us to my house. You're too nervous.”

En route to his house, she asked, “Why do some men act like parenting is optional or part-time? I don't regret having Lincoln's baby, but as much as I spend on Jeremiah I should've been able to buy this car if I wanted to. But I can't afford this. Am I wrong if I keep Lincoln's laptop and give it to my son?”

Steven stopped the car. “You have his laptop? How? Why?”

“Mona packed it in my suitcase before she put my bag in the hallway. Obviously she thought it was mine.”

“What if there's something on his hard drive that you wouldn't want your son to see? Give me the laptop and I'll buy Jeremiah a new one. But take me home first.”

Katherine was tired of talking about Lincoln and thinking about Mona. “So is this your way of getting me to your house?”

“I'm not gonna lie. Yes, it is. You don't have to come in if you don't want to. But I hope you come in for a little while.”

The SUV was a dream come true and she was most grateful. But Katherine didn't want to go in his house. Not because she didn't want to give herself to him. She'd decided that a week ago, before he'd given her a Mercedes.

“Can I be honest?” she asked, touching his hand.

“I'm not taking this car back.”

“I'm not giving it back.” She wasn't that proud that she'd give back a man's gift. Her mother taught her that a woman had to learn how to accept a man's gifts without attaching her own strings or allowing him to tie strings to her.

“Be honest about what?” he asked.

Clearing her throat, she said, “I haven't come inside your house, one, because you're married. And two, because you're married to Mona Lisa. She's not wrapped too tight, and I just don't feel right having feelings for you while you're married to her.”

If he asked for his SUV back, that would be understandable. If he didn't, that would be okay too. She wasn't attached to material things and his circumstances made her feel detached from him.

He drove up his long driveway, parked her car in front of his garage. “How about we enter through the front door and you can stay in the living room? I'll make us lunch. Then I can tell you about my plans for Mona Lisa. That check you gave me came in handy.”

“The living room. How far away is the bathroom? In case I have to go.”

“Not far enough,” he said.

They laughed for a moment. She'd seen the way he looked at her in a man's eyes before. In Lincoln's eyes. The lingering, lustful look that said, “I want you so bad.”

“There's a bathroom off the hallway. It's by the bedroom, but this one isn't inside the bedroom. You'll be okay. If you start to feel uncomfortable, you can leave. I'll pick up the laptop tonight.”

His words about her leaving comforted her. His going to church with her allowed her to trust him a little more. His closeness to her son and the fact that her mom liked him made her want to like him a lot. But she couldn't. That wasn't the smart thing to do. But was love smart?

No, love wasn't. They say if it's too good to be true, it usually is.

CHAPTER 56

Lincoln

 

 

T
he fact that Katherine wanted nothing to do with him bothered him more than Mona doing everything for him. He'd never asked for a handout. Wasn't used to a woman providing for all his needs, including sex.

Mona called from his living room, “Come on, Lincoln, darling. We're gonna be late for your appointment with your Prime Care doctor. And we have to go to Bed Bath and Beyond and get a blanket. Then we can eat at the Hard Rock Cafe. And our last stop will be to pick up the Christmas tree.”

Practically overnight, Mona had furnished his entire one-bedroom apartment down to the silverware in the kitchen drawer. The living room had a cerulean suede sofa on one side and two big, black high-back suede chairs with wing sides on the other side. A crystal coffee table divided the sofa and chairs. A twenty-inch round table draped with a blue cloth was positioned between the two chairs. A sixty-inch flat screen on an entertainment stand faced the sofa. A surround sound system was wired throughout the apartment. He had state-of-the-art technology, but nothing beat the king-sized bed in his bedroom.

How was he ever going to ask her to leave without her being pissed off? Especially with her paying all his bills and giving him money.

“Give me a few minutes,” he said, locking his bedroom door.

It was two weeks before Christmas. He had to call Katherine and his grandmother. He turned on the iPod player Mona had bought. Turned on the woman who turned him on while he was sexing Mona, Nicki Minaj. Nicki's breasts and ass were amazing. Watching her videos excited him. Mona used to excite him, ten years ago. Not now. Her motherly ways were appreciated, but no man wanted to bed his mother.

When Katherine answered, he asked, “Can you ever forgive me? I know I messed up.”

“Nothing has changed on our end, Lincoln. Nothing.”

Her “nothing” seemed cold. Final.

“I'm coming home in a few days. I'd like to see my son. Please, Katherine. Can you keep him out of what I owe you?”

“You get the child support papers I sent?” she asked.

“Yeah. I got 'em.” She made him regret giving her his address. Said she wanted to send pictures of Jeremiah.

Sternly she asked, “You got my money?”

“I'll get it. I promise. I just need some time.”

“Call me back when you've got it.”

“Kat—” His phone went silent. “Hello.” He glanced at the screen. Her name and number were no longer displayed.

He glanced at the nightstand, picked up Mona's checkbook. This wasn't the first time he'd contemplated doing this. Mona had paid for so much, a few thousand more shouldn't hurt.

Flipping close to the end, he peeled a blank check, put her book back in its place. Better to ask for forgiveness. He had to see his son. Surely she'd understand. He folded the check, opened the Bible his grandparents sent him to the twenty-third Psalm, placed the check inside, then closed the Bible. He unlocked the bedroom door.

He clapped his hands so hard that he jumped. Scared himself a little. “Whoa.” He took a deep breath, shook his head. “Let's get rollin', Mona, baby.” He kissed her, followed her out the door. They entered the garage, got into Mona's new black-on-black Lexus GX. If she'd just marry him he wouldn't have to ask her for anything. Her money would become his money. How much money did she have?

“Mona, baby,” he said.

“Yes.”

“I know you said not to ask again about how you can afford all of this, so I won't, but why haven't you responded to my proposal? Are you ever going to say yes to that?”

She became silent for a moment, looked at him for a few seconds, then said, “I'll give you the right answer at the right time. Let's just focus on getting you to your appointment.”

He didn't want to forge her signature to that check, then place it in the bank account she'd opened for him, but he would if he had to. She'd taken him to the bank with the check the government had given him. Said if she needed to transfer money to his account, their banking at the same institution would make it easier. Was she telling the whole truth or did she have an ulterior motive? They'd sat with her banker, and in less than an hour he was also a customer.

“I was wondering. I've never asked anyone for a financial favor. But I was wondering if you could loan me sixty thousand. I told you my grandmother is sick. I want to go home next week before Christmas to see her. And—” He paused, wanting to say, “Forget I asked,” but said, “I was hoping to help make her comfortable in her last days. You don't have to answer now. Think about it.” His ulterior motive was to see if Mona would hesitate about the dollar amount.

If she wrote the check, he'd get a cashier's check and send fifty-five thousand to Katherine. He'd use the other five to go to Selma and maybe Chicago. And he'd keep his word to Mona and pay her back soon as he could.

She parked in the lot at the clinic. “We'll discuss it later. But if it's for your child support for your son, the answer is hell, no. I don't mind taking care of you, but I'm not supporting him.”

That sounded like a no, but he'd wait for a definitive response. If he stuck with his original story, maybe she'd help him out. He should've kept his child support issues from Mona, but she'd asked so many questions that it was easier not to lie to her. If he'd gone to college, then gone pro, he wouldn't be anyone's dependent.

“If you want to go home, I'll get our tickets for Christmas and I'll make our hotel and rental car arrangements,” she said.

“And I have a surprise for you tomorrow,” he said.

“A surprise? Well, alrighty then, I can't wait. I hope you didn't spend more than the weekly allowance I've put you on. You have to learn how to save money.”

He got out of the car, opened her door. She followed him into the clinic. Their wait in the lobby was a half hour before he heard, “William Lincoln.” They followed the nurse, waited for her to take his vitals, then the nurse led them to his Prime Care doctor's office.

“Well, hello, William. Hi, Mona,” the doctor said. “Now that you're in your new place, things should be better for you, William. I see you brought your friend again. Y'all have a seat.”

Better was relative. Yes, he had a roof over his head. Yes, his place was nicely furnished. Yes, he was having sex on a regular basis. No, he wasn't cured from his PTSD. He struggled not to think about anything that would trigger his anxiety.

“I'm trying, doc,” he said. Assuming his comfort position, Lincoln stared at the floor between his combat boots.

Tapping him on the knee, Mona whispered, “Look at the doctor when he's talking to you.”

The doctor looked at Mona. “Thanks, young lady.” He shifted his eyes to Lincoln. “You make sure you keep her around. This here woman cares about you.” He tapped on his keyboard, then mumbled, “Now, let me see . . . ah, yeah. Do you need any med refills, William?”

Lincoln hated that herding cattle feel. In and out in ten minutes, then the doctor was on to the next patient.

Mona answered, “Yes, he needs a stronger prescription for sleeping because we're going to be on a plane before his next visit. I can't have him freaking out in midflight. And a refill of the antidepressant. And just in case, I think you should give him a prescription for pain. All name brand only. I don't want Lincoln taking generics.”

That was sobering. Lincoln wanted to push Mona out of her seat onto the floor for handling him like a kid.

“Well, that's not a problem,” the doctor said. “I have that list of therapists you requested. Have you given more thought to sponsoring William's additional health care? More drugs, stronger meds, that's not the solution. William could benefit greatly from having a therapist. Here,” he said, handing Mona a list of names. “And he could use a good HMO. My recommendations are on the list too. William will never be cured from PTSD. It's like having HIV—”

Lincoln interrupted, “Excuse me, doc, that's a bad analogy.”

“You're right, William. But you get my point. No matter how much meds you take, a panic attack can happen when you least expect it. Maybe hypnosis can help. I don't know. But what I do know is that woman is your guardian angel. Mona, if you have any questions about my referrals, don't call me. Call them.”

Mona stood, reached for the prescriptions. “I've got it from here.”

Lincoln was done watching the doctor and Mona tag one another as though they were the only two on his team and his opinion didn't matter. He stood, shook the doctor's hand for the first time.

“Oh, I almost forgot. Here's two tickets to the Seattle–Atlanta game on Sunday. Don't bother thanking me. My wife said I can't go.”

Mona reached for the tickets. Lincoln beat her to them. Outside the doctor's office, he stopped. He looked down at Mona.

“I'm a grown-ass man. You don't have to control every damn thing.”

She replied, “I do. And I will.”

“Then marry me.”

“Let's go,” Mona said, leading the way.