Trouble with Luv' (23 page)

Ebony didn't miss a beat. Recovering quickly from the shock of his scathing words she straightened her shoulders and lifted her head high. His cutting remarks had pierced her heart, but she wasn't going to run away like she did with Jacqueline. “I'm not the only one with a problem,
Xavier.
You're intimidated by my success. It's eating you up inside that I'm more interested in building an empire than being a housewife. I love what I do and despite what you think, I am more than comfortable with who I am. And I don't need you to take care of me, because I can take care of my
damn
self!” Ebony spun on her heel and walked full speed back inside the restaurant. Tears fell fast and hard down her cheeks. Ebony hurried to the ladies' room. When she yanked open the door, she startled Jacqueline, who was shuffling out. Mumbling a halfhearted apology, she brushed past her and escaped into the bathroom stall.

X
avier was going to lose his mind if another person came up and asked him where Ebony was. From the moment he'd opened the church doors and welcomed the regulars inside they had been asking about Ebony's whereabouts. “Where's Miss Lady?” “How come she ain't been around?” “When is she coming back?” It was difficult for Xavier to put Ebony out of his mind when her name kept coming up in conversation.

Who am I trying to fool?
he thought, serving some wild rice onto a plate and handing it to the plus-size man waiting in line.
Forgetting Ebony would be like forgetting to breathe.

Xavier couldn't put Ebony out of his mind long enough to do anything. Sleep evaded him at night, his basketball game was in serious trouble and his mind was too crowded to do any work on his graduate school essay. And then there were his parents. His sister promised not to say anything to his parents about the whole Malcolm-Ebony-Marriott Hotel incident, so they had no idea what was going on. As a result, every time his mother called, she encouraged him to bring Ebony by for dinner. Just that morning, Gloria had asked for Ebony's home number so she could extend an invitation to Jacqueline and Andrew's Jack and Jill baby shower.

“It's on the twenty-seventh? Shoot. Ebony won't be able to come. She's in her cousin's wedding.” Xavier didn't know where the lie had come from.

Xavier searched for a seat. The basement was packed and the only seat available was at Old Man Griffin's table. He would rather stand than sit with Old Man Griffin. Not because of Chester's and Mariana's poor eating habits, but because conversation would eventually turn to Ebony. Bracing himself against the wall, he dug his fork into his Caesar salad. Xavier caught Sister Bertha watching him, but avoided making eye contact.

“There's an empty seat over here, son.” Sister Bertha pointed to the empty chair to her left. “Come on over!”

Xavier gave her a smile he didn't feel. “I'm all right over—”

“Boy, please! Everybody knows that your food won't digest properly if you eat standing up.”

For a half second, Xavier thought of correcting her. The myth was probably something a mother had made up years ago to get a disgruntled child to sit down, but Xavier thought better of challenging Sister Bertha. He sat down at the table and fixed his eyes on his plate. Stuffing more salad into his mouth, he felt himself relax as he listened to the humorous exchange between two of the newest program members. They were talking about growing up on Chicago's dangerous streets. Sister Bertha asked them about the city, and even Chester shared fond memories about his hometown.
See, no one is even thinking about you and Ebony,
Xavier told himself.
I was worried for nothing.

“When's Miss Lady comin' back?” Old Man Griffin asked, as if reading Xavier's thoughts. He dipped a butter biscuit in his spaghetti sauce and swirled it around the noodles before shoving it into his mouth. “Sure do miz her company,” he said, his lips slapping together. He finished chewing what was in his mouth, then guzzled down a glass of fruit punch. Using the collar of his plaid shirt as a napkin, he scratched his head with his free hand. “Thought she was comin' back this week.”

“Miss Lady—I mean, Ebony—has a lot of work to do. She doesn't have time to volunteer anymore.” Xavier's conscience pricked his heart, but he ignored the sting.

“Is she going to come by and at least say goodbye?” Sister Bertha asked, resting her elbows on the table. She thought a moment. “I hope she does because I wanted the recipe for her sweet and sour meatballs.”

“Dem my favorite,” Old Man Griffin said with a nod of his head.

Mariana took a second butter biscuit from the half-empty basket sitting in the middle of the table. “Miss Lady must be busy trainin' Lydia. The girl ain't too good with numbers. Used to shortchange me all the time.”

Sister Bertha turned to look at Mariana. “Training who?”

“Lydia,” she answered, pointing at the chair that used to be occupied by her friend. “Lydia's workin' now.”

Xavier put down his glass. “Last week when I asked you where Lydia was you said she went back home.”

“Did I? Naw, I said she found a home. She has a little apartment, it's no bigger than a shoe box, but the rent is cheap and it's in a decent neighborhood. Miss Lady got her a job at some swanky store where they be sellin' women's intimates. Panties and nighties so expensive I would need to put them on layaway!” She guffawed loudly, drawing the attention of others.

“Isn't that nice,” Sister Bertha said sweetly. “Ebony sure is a gem. First she donates all new appliances to the church and then—”

“She did what?” Xavier's head snapped up.
Where was I when she was doing all these things?
he thought, with a heavy heart. Ebony used to tell him everything. It was a sobering thought to know he wasn't her confidant anymore. Before long, another man would take his place and he'd be forgotten. Xavier directed his next question to Sister Bertha. “How do you know Ebony donated appliances to the church?”

She raised a sculptured eyebrow at him. “Pastor Henderson announced it at church last Sunday. Apparently she ordered the appliances a few months ago, but there was a mix-up at the store and the order was never sent out. But now everything's been straightened out and the appliances will be here next week. Ebony gave Pastor strict orders not to reveal her name, but he couldn't keep her secret.” Sister Bertha looked Xavier over. “You were sitting right there in the front row when he made the announcement, how come you missed it?”

Xavier had been there in body, but his mind had been at 2735 Valley View Road. He had a vague recollection of the announcement, but couldn't remember any specific details. The first thing he was going to do when he got home was call Pastor Henderson. His pastor would tell him everything he needed to know.

“Miss Lady sure is sweet,” Sister Bertha said affectionately. “Never met such a generous soul in my life.” Her voice dipped at the end in reverence, like she was talking about a saint. “Miss Lady and I were having girl talk a couple weeks back and I mentioned me and Willy were days away from celebrating our thirty-seventh wedding anniversary. The following Sunday, she walked over, gave us a hug, and handed me a card. I opened the card on the drive home—it was one of those real expensive Hallmark cards—and inside was a gift certificate for the Radisson Plaza Hotel. Can you believe that? Three whole nights in the honeymoon suite! Willy ain't never taken me to no big, fancy hotel, let alone spent that kind of money on me. Damn shame if you ask me! A man ought to…”

Xavier excused himself from the table as Sister Bertha jabbered on about how husbands didn't know how to romance their wives anymore. After wrapping the leftovers with cellophane and helping himself to another glass of mango punch, he leaned against the sink, deep in thought. Somewhere between Mariana's and Sister Bertha's tales about his ex-girlfriend, he had lost his appetite. Xavier couldn't say that he was surprised to hear that Ebony had donated appliances to the church and was helping Lydia get back on her feet. Next to his mother, she was the most munificent woman he knew.

Unnerved because Ebony had never shared her plan to employ Lydia, or donate to the church, or give the Jenkinses an anniversary gift, he sulked. Xavier's mind wandered back to the first time he had met Ebony, right here in this very church.
Man, was I ever a jerk!
When the whole pregnancy fiasco came back to him, he actually groaned in self-disgust. Shaking his head, he washed his glass and put it on the rack to dry.
I've hurt her so many times, but she still gave me a chance.

“You don't look too good, son. Why don't you go? We can handle it here.”

Xavier turned at the sound of Ms. Hawthorne's motherly voice. “Are you sure?”

She nodded. Then she leaned over and gave him a kiss on his cheek. “Tell Ebony we miss her and we're praying for her.”

“I will.”

“And just for the record, I think the two of you make a nice couple.”

Xavier started to lie, but stopped himself. If there was one thing he had learned in life, it was that you couldn't pull the wool over the eyes of a mother. “Thank you, Ms. Hawthorne. Good night.”

Five minutes later, Xavier was in his BMW, cruising down Hennepin Avenue. The air-conditioning was on full-blast, cooling his body's heat, and on the CD player, Yolanda Adams was reminding him of God's faithfulness. It was late evening and the sun was low, making for a picturesque scene. Instead of driving in the direction of home, Xavier made a left turn on Washington Avenue. Going home, to where memories of Ebony crowded every square inch of his house, would only depress him. His thoughts of her were beginning to border on obsession, so the only thing Xavier could do was find somewhere to hide for the next few hours. Every Friday night, the guys on his basketball team crammed into Leroy's House of Ribs to shoot pool and run their mouths. The fellas would provide the perfect distraction.

 

“I told you to watch out,” Darius chided, devouring his BLT sandwich. He finished the food in his mouth and continued. “See, you wouldn't heed my warning and that's why you're crying now.”

“Shut up, Darius.” Xavier picked at his plate of curly fries. Since his arrival, his teammates had tried pulling him out of his funk by sharing their women problems. His friends were dating females who lied and schemed and demanded money. Ebony did none of those things. She wasn't perfect, but she treated him with the utmost respect and valued their relationship. Xavier had all but lost his mind when he realized Ebony was at the Indigo with Kale. The thought of her with another man—a pretty boy athlete at that—was killing him inside.

“I thought Ebony was
the one.
Being with her, loving her, sharing my life with her all just felt right. She has a kick-ass sense of humor, is feminine and girly without being irritating and she doesn't let me get away with smack. She does a good job keeping me in line,” he joked. In his mind, he could see Ebony staring at him with a hand fixed to her hip and a smirk playing on her lips. The hip-hop music blaring from the sound system throbbed in his ears, but he could still hear Ebony's contagious laugh. “I've never been with a woman who made me laugh as much as she does.” He hastened to add, “And she's smart, too. We can talk about anything for hours. Sports, religion, sex, you name it.”

“If that's how you feel about her, then go get her,” Darius advised, wiping his sticky, barbecue-coated hands with a wet nap. He held up his empty beer mug, and after the freckle-faced waitress filled it to the brim and he took a sip, he said, “Sometimes a brother has to be man enough to admit he was wrong. If I were you, I would go get that woman. She's hot!” He held out his hand. “No disrespect, bro.”

A grin turned the corners of Xavier's mouth. Darius was right; she was hot. And charming, too. Ebony had impressed his parents, which was no easy task, and aside from Jacqueline, everyone in his family thought she was wonderful.

“I got down on my knees and begged Keke to take me back,” Juan confessed.

Xavier's eyes spread. Juan on his knees? The image was a powerful one. His friend talked more smack than anyone else, so it was staggering to learn that a woman had brought him to his knees.

“Remember when I cheated on her and she heaved my stuff out the window?”

Xavier nodded. How could he forget? Juan had roused him out of bed at three in the morning and begged for a ride to his brother's house. It was the middle of February and five inches of snow had been dumped on the city that afternoon. By the time Xavier had dug his jalopy out of the snow and got it started, Juan had already soothed things over with his girlfriend and returned inside the house.

“Well, not too long after that the girl I cheated with started spreading lies that we were still kicking it.” Stroking the stubble on his pronounced chin, he shook his head. “That skank would call the house and tell Keke I skipped work and spent the entire day in her bed. Or drive by our condo screaming insults at my girl. One day, Keke got fed up and told me to pack my shit and get out.” Juan took a swig of beer. His gaze slid across the room to the curvy Jamaican woman dancing suggestively on the dance floor.

“It took me two weeks to convince her to take me back. Two weeks! I had to show her my time card to prove that that bitch was lying, but it took a long time for her to trust me again. I'd never even think of cheating now.” Turning his head away from the dance floor, he said, “Not for anyone. I don't care if the woman looks like a Playboy bunny and has breasts the size of cantaloupes, I'm keeping it in my pants from now on.”

Xavier and Nathan chuckled. Neither one of them had ever heard Juan sound so contrite. “Keke must be the
bomb
if she's got you ready to turn over a new leaf,” Nathan said, smacking his friend on the back. “Tell your girl I said thanks. With you out of the game, that leaves more women for me!”

“Go on, bro. But one day you'll see that I was right. A good woman is hard to find, right, Xavier?”