by Ana Gibson
“We've met actually.”
“You have?”
“Yeah. It's…it's a long story.”
Pastor Vincent's eyebrows raise, and a crooked smile gleams across his face.
“Wow, what a small world. Well, I guess no further greeting is needed. Did you want to help out over here?”
“Umm, yeah. That's fine.”
All the while inside I'm wishing she'd go away.
“Alright. You know where everything is. Thanks again, baby girl.” He leaves the both of us together. Faith grabs an apron and puts on her hair net, takes a deep breath and stands just inches away from me. For a little while, we remain silent with each other as we serve the people, but as soon as the line dies down, Faith comes out with it.
“I'm sorry.”
“For what?”
“Everything. For Clayton and my stupidity. Just everything.”
“Honestly, there's no need to be sorry.”
“I don't know how I can make it up to you.”
“You don't need to, Faith. I promise you we're good. Your uncle is letting us crash here for a little while.”
She nods. “That's good. I'm glad you guys are safe.”
“Yeah, me too.”
“How's Logan holding up?”
“You see her,” I point. “She's doing good right now.”
She looks over at her.
“Mrs. Mason is awesome with her,” I say.
“She loves kids.”
“Apparently.”
I take quick glances at Faith who is watching Logan. Part of me is still upset with her, but at the same time, having her here right beside me gives me a little bit of comfort, knowing she cared enough to look for us. I guess I can cut her a little slack.
Faith
Eight o'clock rolls around, and all activities come to an end. Me and the rest of the volunteers help to straighten up the place and assist a few who plan to stay overnight. I depart from Devin for a while, hurrying to get the attention of my uncle and pull him to the side.
“Unc, I'm going to get ready to go home. Do you need anything else before I leave?”
“No, I think I'm good.”
Very well then. I take my coat from off the back of his door and put it on.
“Tell me, how do you know Devin? You both seemed shocked and you so happy to see him.”
“Well, his daughter is actually my student. I didn't know that they were homeless until I found them in the Janitors closet at the school.”
“The Janitors closet?”
“Yeah. It was crazy. They were both so scared you know. I couldn't let them…him, get in trouble. He just looked so tired and overwhelmed. I had to do something, so I brought them home with me a few days ago.”
His eyebrows furrow. “So how did he end up here?”
“Clayton. He kind of forced me to put them out. For one, he hates kids and two, it was another man in the house so….”
“Hmmm, you remember the question you asked me?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you get it now?”
I get quiet, thinking about it. We look at each other, him with a ‘you-know-what-kind-of-guy-he-is’ look.
“I think so.”
“Good. I'll leave the rest up to you. Let's go get your stuff.”
“Okay. One more thing.”
“What's that?”
“Can I take them back with me?”
He chuckles. “You're saying that like I own them.”
“I don't mean it like that.”
“He is in no way obligated to stay here. You'll have to ask him, though given what happened already, that may take a bit of convincing now.”
“Can you talk to him?”
“No. But you can.”
And I thought he was on my side?
We gather our belongings and head back downstairs. The multipurpose room is empty and not a soul to be found. So we head down to the basement. Immediately, Logan spots me and screams my name.
“Hey sweetie, how are you?”
“I'm fine. I've missed you so much.”
“I've missed you too. Say, how about you come back to my house tonight? Would you like that?”
“Would I? Will Blanket be there?”
“Waiting at the door.”
“Then let's go.”
She grabs my hand and pulls me over to Devin.
“Daddy, can I go with Ms. Faith?”
Devin looks at me, confused. “Go where?”
“Back to her house.”
“In fact, I would like the both of you to come back if you don't mind.”
“Why?”
“I just…I wanna make it up to you.”
“We've already gone through this—“
“I know. I know, I just…please?”
“I don't know. Your fiancé and all, I'm not trying to go back through that again. Besides, Christmas is tomorrow. I just want—“
“Devin,” Uncle Vincent interjects. “Yes or no? It's getting late.” He gives him a patient smile.
“Please daddy?” The wondrous hope of love and faith in her eyes, as if she knows that everything is going to be alright this time, breaks him. He then looks at me. “I guess.”
Yesss.
“Listen, don't worry about Clay. I've got that covered.”
CHAPTER 17
FAITH
Breakups are one of the hardest things anyone can go through, but for me, I don't think that will be the case. In fact, I'm looking forward to it. Even though I didn't have a concrete plan to do so, telling them that I had everything taken care of in regards to him, set a fire beneath my feet. So it's only fair that I get rid of the issue for all of our sake. This morning's episode was enough for me. The light switch came on, and someone finally came home. After he threw that mug at me, I realized that I invented almost every excuse to stay with him even though signs and actions gave me reasons to walk away. And like a lovesick fool, I ignored them. But it wasn't because of love. Even in the beginning of our relationship, I had always had reservations about him, but he tried his hardest to prove otherwise until I gave in and gave myself. And that's when the problems started, so who can I blame but me? I can admit all of this could've been avoided had I just listened to myself from the beginning. However, I can't change the past but my future is counting on me to make a brand new start, and that means letting him go for good.
Devin and Logan head upstairs to settle in for the night. I go into my room, Clayton's sprawled across the bed. I close the door behind me and stand in the middle of the room, knees now trembling and the beating of my heart banging in my chest.
“We need to talk.”
He rolls over, sighs heavily and looks at me.
“About what?”
I take a moment to steady my shaking hands, squeezing them into fists and then releasing them.
“Two things. First, I wanna let you know that I was not playing about breaking up with you. Second, they're staying with me.”
He lifts himself from the bed to stand. “What? So you just gonna do me like that? You gonna choose them over me?”
I shrug, but it just agitates him all the more.
“No, you're not breaking up with me, and no they won't be staying here either.”
“Yeah, they are, and you're leaving. You have to go.” My calmness even surprises me as he raises an eyebrow at my response.
“I can leave? I can leave? Is this some kind of joke? They're not staying here, Faith. Either they leave, or we're done.”
I remove my ring and try handing it to him, but he smacks it away. I guess it's now registering.
“So you're going to do me like that? That's how you really feel?”
He harshly takes me into his hands and tries to squeeze me out of my silence. Our eyes meet too close for comfort. I want him to try it. I swear to God I want him to try it.
“This is my house too. You're not gonna bring anybody up in here without my permission. You di
dn't ask—“
“Nothing you say matters, Clay. I just told you we're done. What I do is my business and doesn't concern you. I have them here because they're homeless. So with that, I'm not going to try and figure out whether or not you'd be fine with it. That's my student out there who is in need right now and dammit if I'm able to help, I'm damn sure going to do it. Don't get it twisted. This is my house with my name on it. You don't own a damn thing in here but your toothbrush. So go and pack your shit and get the fuck out. We. Are. Through.”
His lips tighten to a thin line, and his stare grows more intense. Suddenly, he slams his fist against the wall punching a hole in it. I stand unmoved by his actions. Once he sees how removed I am, he sweeps his arms across the top of my dresser, madly, sending everything—jewelry box, perfumes, and pictures—flying to the floor in one big crash.
“That's exactly why I cheated on you, and that's exactly why you lost that damn baby. You want me to leave? Fine. You ask for too much anyway.”
“Oh, I ask for too much? Are you kidding me?”
Never mind everything he said previously.
“Exactly. You're so ungrateful. You asking for stuff that no real man is going to give you on a drop of a dime. All y'all women cry and bitch about what y'all want, never satisfied with what you already have. You had a good man, Faith. I was the best thing that ever happened to you. I do what real men do, and yet you still wasn't happy. So yea, that's exactly why I do what I do to you because you needed to understand it could be a lot worse if you were with somebody else. You were lucky to have me.” He hits his chest one good time.
“HA! Lucky to have you? I don't know what dream you've been living in, but you need to wake the hell up. You, sir, are no man by definition. You ain't nothing but a little boy trapped in a man's body who can't control himself and gets upset when he doesn't get his way. I'm done with your you. I don't have time to fool with your bullshit anymore. You can have that little thot piece of yours and go on somewhere.”
He starts towards the closet and pulls out his suitcases.
“How dare you say I ask for too much. Me asking you to be faithful or to give a little more of yourself to me, or to just simply respect me was too much? No, what was too much was me accepting your wack ass proposal. I can't believe I wasted my time trying to convince myself that I should marry you. Who was I kidding? And I lost the fucking baby because of you. You did it. I guess you got your wish though. It was probably for the best anyway. I wouldn't dare have a child with you.”
He stops his packing and looks over to me. “Whatever. I don't want to marry you. I've got other women willing to take your place.”
“Good. I'm glad.” I leave it at that, picking my stuff up from the floor. He stomps over to my side of the room and pulls me up by my arm. I snatch away, but his dark stare pulls me in.
“You don't know what you're asking for. Don't call me when he robs you or rapes you. It'll serve your ungrateful ass right.”
God, I just want to hit him but getting into a physical fight while they're here would only lead to police being called. This is not how I pictured my Christmas holiday.
He mumbles barely audible words and pushes past me out of the room. The front door slams shut, rattling the house. I release the stifled breath of mine and close my eyes for a second. I need a drink.
Devin
Faith's at the table alone. Wine bottle in one hand and a half-filled glass in the other, she looks up to me without a word to give.
“You okay?” I ask. Her shoulder lifts almost unnoticeable.
“Can I sit down?”
She gestures to the empty table chair across from her and wipes away at her face.
“Logan is asleep.”
She nods and takes a sip of her wine.
“I tried, but it wasn't happening.” All that arguing and fighting they did, kept me awake.
“Everything alright? I heard you guys earlier.”
“I'm good.”
I nod. A tear rolls down her cheek again, and she hurries to wipe it. I know all of that is because of me and I'm not trying to break up nobody's home.
“You know, I don't really have to stay here—“
She puts her hand up for me to shut up.
“I just…part of me feels as if this is a charity case, ya know? I mean, maybe dude is right, you don't really know me—“
“I know Logan. And a sweet and kind little girl like that doesn't come from a psychopath.”
“I wasn't trying to be the reason you guys break up though.”
“I broke up with him because I had to. It had nothing to do with you.”
Well, that's strange because most of that argument was about me and Logan being here. I at least know I was a part of her reason.
“You should get some rest,” I tell her. She brings her blank stare to me, and her brows subtly turn in.
“What?”
“Nothing,” she shakes her head. After sitting here for a little while, she gets up and places her glass in the sink and walks over towards me with a touch of my shoulder.
“I'll see you in the morning.”
Christmas Day
“Daddy. Wake up. It's Christmas,” Logan screams as she hops on top of me in the bed.
“Ah c'mon Lo, get down.”
“It's Christmas. Santa might've brought us something.” She pulls back the covers from me. I yawn and stretch and then throw my legs over the edge.
“Alright, alright. I'm coming.”
Logan then rushes out of the room and hollers for Faith.
“Lo, leave her alone.”
“She's okay. I was already up,” Faith yells back. We all meet in the hallway, half bright smiles, and sleepy eyes. Well, at least mine are.
“Come on!” Logan pulls us both. Shuffling our way down the stairs, she goes over to the tree.
“Any for me?”
“Logan, I don't think we have any gifts under the tree baby.”
“Oh, but what if you do?” Faith says. I look her way quizzically. Seems like she's a lot better this morning.
“Let's see. There might be something under there for you. Let me check.”
Logan's eyes light up almost as bright as the tree as Faith reaches far in the back.
“Uhp, I think we have something for…” she checks the tag, “Logan. I wonder what it is.”
She hands it over to her. Logan rips into the paper like a savage. A huge pink box greets her with a baby doll inside.
“Oh my gosh, thank you, Ms. Faith. I love her.”
“You're welcome, sweetie pie.”
She then continues to find more gifts for Logan. We both watch her open them.
“I have something for you too,” she whispers to me. Surprised, I wait, trying not to seem too excited. Faith finds my little gift box under the tree and passes it to me.
“I hope you like it.”
The box is small. I peel back the taped edges. A ring box.
“I mean I know I'm a good looking man, but we've just met. You're trying to marry me already?”
She laughs and tells me to open it. Slowly, I lift the lid, and here it is—a key.
“What's this for?”
“To your own place.”
My eyes widen.
“Well not like an apartment of yours but a key to this house. I want you to live here.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yeah.”
“But I mean, Clay. How did you?”
“I decided this the day you left. I need you guys here…with me.”
“Wow. I—I—I don't even know what to say.”
“Just say you will.”
“Yeah, that's cool too.” I laugh out a smile and set the box down.
“That's if you absolutely want to live here. I'm not forcing you to do it.”
“No, no. This is…this is really kind of you. Unexpected, a little strange, but very kind nevertheless.”
“I wa
nted to help as best I could, and this was the only thing I could think of.”
“I don't know how I can repay you.”
“Don't worry about it. Finish opening your gifts.”
So I grab ahold of another small box, though bigger than the last one and rip through the paper. Wow. Just…wow.
“You like it?”
I grin so hard it hurts. “You really didn't have to do this for me, Faith. I swear.”
This girl done went and got me a new phone. Like yo, how much she spend on this thing?
“After what Clayton did, I just had to replace it. And not only that, I know you've been looking for a job, and of course, you need a way for people to get back in contact with you, so I wanted to get you a phone. It's nothing fancy,” she laughs. This ain't fancy? Yeah right. I shake my head never minding the cost cause’ it doesn't matter anyway.
“No, this is perfect.”
“I hope it serves you well.”
She smiles and then takes the box from me and hands me another. “You have one more gift.”
As if these two weren’t enough. At first, I wasn't too happy about Christmas, but now, man, I'm feeling just like Logan. I take up the next box, a lot heavier this time around. I shake it gently while putting it up close to my ear. She laughs.
“I wonder what this is,” I say and tear through the paper. I expose the white clothes box and pop the tape from the sides to open the lid, fold back the tissue paper and bring a genuine smile to my face. A burgundy knit sweater and a pair of dark denim jeans perfectly folded on the inside. I raise my eyebrows both out of gratitude and hesitation because I have never in my life worn anything like this. I hope it fits. She's got a brown belt to match it and a pair of socks. Will there be shoes? The woman's got taste in clothes I have to say. She always looks good, so I shouldn't expect that she'd get me anything less.
“I hope you like it. I wanted you to have something of your own and not have to wear any of Clay's clothes.”
“You know I've never been in clothes this nice. Forgive me if I seem unappreciative. I'm just taking it all in.”
“I think you're going to look awesome in them. Under all that hair and frumpiness, I can tell you've got a nice frame,” she says. She better be right.
