Lindsay's Legacy

by Jones, Janice

  Francine and Tameeka had the repast meal catered. Francine asked one of her coworkers to stay at the house to wait for the food to arrive and show the caterers where to set up. So just about everyone from the funeral home came by to have something to eat. Sha’Ron stayed in his room until he heard Tawanda talking when she came into the house.

  “I’m sorry we weren’t right behind y’all. I had to stop and grab Shauna another outfit from the house. She done wrecked the one she had on when she opened her Sippy cup.”

  Sha’Ron came from his room and mingled with his family all while keeping an eye on Keva. He wanted to make sure she didn’t leave without him being able to follow her.

  About an hour and a half later, he heard Keva call for Shauntae, Kevaun, and Li’l Shaun to get their coats.

  “Francine, we have to get going. I want to get home to my husband and get these two home to their mom. If you need anything give me a call, okay?”

  “Thanks for bringing the kids, Keva, and for paying your respects to my mom.” Francine then addressed the kids. “All right, handsome nephew and beautiful niece, don’t let it be this long before we see you all again. I’m going to make sure you all spend lots of time with my kids. You all are family, and family needs each other.”

  Francine gave each child a long hug and a peck on the cheek.

  Tameeka followed suit.

  “You all make sure you keep in touch with me too, okay? I love my nieces and nephews; all of you.” Tameeka waved indicating she was including Francine’s kids, Shauna, and Sha’Ron, as well.

  Keva gave Daiquan and Destiny, Francine’s two children, a hug and a kiss. She also attempted to hug Sha’Ron.

  “I’ll take a hug, but I’m walking out with you all. I’ve got a run to make,” he said.

  “What run, Sha’Ron? I don’t think you need to leave right now,” Tameeka said.

  It was decided between the sisters that Tameeka would give up the apartment she was renting and move home to take care of Sha’Ron. While he kept insisting he could take care of himself, he was glad his aunt would be at the house with him.

  Sha’Ron started to inform her again that he was not taking orders from her, but he figured it would be simpler to be nice. “Auntie, I’ll be back in no later than an hour. I just need to get out of the house for a little bit. I’m going to run over to Marcus’s house for a moment.”

  Francine interjected for her nephew. “Tameeka, let him go. He probably does need to get away for a little while.”

  “What’s up with you, Frannie? You have just been letting this boy do whatever he wants to do and say whatever he wants to say all day. He’s going to be living here with me. He’s going to have to get used to respecting me and answering to me.”

  “Auntie Meeka, I understand that. I just need to get out of here for a little while. I promise I’ll be back in an hour.” Again, it was all about catching flies with honey versus vinegar.

  Keva and the kids left with Sha’Ron right on their heels. The kids all said good-bye to their big brother, and everyone got in their respective vehicles. Keva headed north on Piedmont. Sha’Ron headed south, made a quick right, and then got behind Keva about four car lengths. Keva turned right on Joy Road, and then she hit the Southfield Freeway, heading north in the direction of Jefferies Freeway. Sha’Ron was hoping she would take the freeway. It would make it easier to stay inconspicuous.

  Once Keva hit Livernois and Six Mile and made the left, Sha’Ron hung back and just watched to see how many streets she drove down before she made a right. He then followed up to the street she turned on and watched her go two blocks. He couldn’t count exactly how many houses she was from the corner, but he had enough of an idea of where his prey lived....

  “Thank you, Keva, for taking my children to the funeral. How did it go?” Lindsay asked.

  “It was a small affair that was pretty uneventful until Sha’Ron went off on Uncle Bobby.”

  The women were standing in the foyer, but when Lindsay heard that tidbit of news, she ushered Keva into a seat in the living room. The kids were in the family room.

  “Tell me what happened.”

  Keva repeated almost verbatim the conversation between Bobby and Sha’Ron, at least what she heard from Uncle Bobby’s part.

  “Girl, Sha’Ron was so angry you could see him shaking. It was really kind of scary.”

  “Wow! A funeral is never just a funeral in that family, is it?”

  “That’s not funny.” But both women cracked up. When the laughter died down, they got serious again.

  “Nay, I know we have talked about Sha’Ron being dangerous and you being very careful. I just want to reiterate that. That young man was very angry and very hurt. I have a bad feeling in my spirit about him. So I repeat, please, please be very careful. Don’t take anything for granted, okay? Where’s Cody?”

  Lindsay listened to her friend with her heart and her own spirit. “Cody’s at work. I hear you. I am listening, I promise.”

  “Good. Now let me get out of here.” The ladies got up and headed to the family room.

  “Come on, Kevaun. It’s time to go home.”

  “Yes, Mom,” he said. To his sister he said, “He’s going to be okay. We have to keep praying for him. I’ll call you later. See you, Sis. Bye, Shaun.”

  Lindsay watched and listened to the scene and felt good. She then gave a sidelong glance at Keva and felt very good. Considering the situation and circumstances under which these relationships began, it amazed her that they could even be here in this place emotionally now. The NIV Bible verse, Romans 8:28 came to her spirit just then. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

  “This is good, huh?” Keva whispered.

  “It is,” Lindsay smiled.

  The Vincini family walked Keva and Kevaun to the door, and everyone hugged good night.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The following day, the day after the funeral, the Vin-cinis had no plans outside of the house. Cody worked in the office to catch up on some things as a result of his two days off earlier in the week. The kids worked on makeup assignments they received from their teachers to cover the days they were out of school, which were Monday, Tuesday, and Friday. Even Lindsay sat in the family room perusing through her books for her economics and sociology classes. She’d picked up the books last Tuesday when Cody convinced her not to give up her classes when she missed the first class on last Monday. The kids didn’t have their next therapy appointment until after school on this coming Monday.

  This was the quietest and most peaceful their household had been all week.

  On that same day, Sha’Ron had decided he would venture from his home. He sat on Shiawassee Street parked about four doors down from his former stepmom’s house. He figured out the exact house when he saw White Boy’s BMW in the driveway. He traded cars with his boy, Jamarion. He was driving a money-green Jeep Cherokee instead of his souped-up Mustang, which would have been easy to identify.

  Sha’Ron looked at his watch. It was 12:30 P.M., which meant he had been sitting watching the house for an hour. While he sat there, he only had one thought running through his head: to prove to his uncle he was not a punk. He had not formulated a plan on how to kill Lindsay, but he knew he would do it and do it soon.

  Sha’Ron stared around the street at the big houses that sat on this block. The neighborhood was quiet. The cars on the street and in the driveways were all stylish and well kept, even if they weren’t all newer models. White Boy and the witch seemed to be living the perfect little Cosby Show life. They were married, happy, and living large. This all seemed so unfair to him. This was the woman who had come into his life when he was just a baby and destroyed his family. Now she had a new family and was living like a rock star. This was definitely not justice in his eyes.

  Sha’Ron saw a car coming from the opposite direction slow down and pull into the driveway behind White Boy’s car. He
watched as the two people emerged from the vehicle; the driver, a man, the passenger, an older woman. From the distance, the people looked familiar to him. Then it hit him. It was Lindsay’s mother and brother. One big happy family. Yeah, this chick, without a doubt, has to go, Sha’Ron thought as he pulled away from the curb and left.

  The quiet peace of the Vincini home was altered by the ringing of the front doorbell. Lindsay put her books down, actually happy to be taking a break, and answered the door.

  “Mama, Kevin! What are you two doing here? I didn’t know you were coming over.”

  “Kevin surprised me this morning by coming over to take me to breakfast, so I figured we would stop by and surprise you,” Sherrie supplied, happy to see her daughter.

  “Oh, I see. You come by to see me after you eat.”

  “Nay, you come with a lot of mouths to feed. I can’t afford to take all y’all out,” Kevin kidded.

  “Whatever, boy. You making all the loot, Mr. Junior Vice President. Come on, y’all. Let’s go into the family room.” The three of them walked from the foyer to the back of the house.

  “I do a’ight. But your kids are greedy, Nay. It takes a lot of food to fill up Shaun’s huge head. And your daughter’s feet are so big. I know that’s where every morsel of food goes. No, I ain’t trying to cancel my 401(k) just to feed your raggedy kids.”

  “Cody, baby, K.J. is in here talking about our kids,” Lindsay yelled into the office. Apparently Shauntae and Li’l Shaun heard her too because everyone converged into the family room.

  “Grandma!” both kids yelled simultaneously.

  “Hi, babies. You all came in just in time to stop your mama and uncle from fighting.” Sherrie gave her two children a look that signaled the game of the dozens was over because the kids were in the room.

  “Punk,” Lindsay said under her breath.

  “I heard that, Lindsay Renee Westbrook Vincini,” Sherrie said.

  Both Lindsay and Kevin knew it was time to stop because their mother had resorted to using full names.

  “Mama, you are going to teach me how to tame my wife like that,” Cody said.

  Everyone laughed.

  “Me too, Grandma,” Li’l Shaun said. Everyone laughed again.

  “I missed my grandkids when I was in Arizona. I brought you two a bunch of stuff back too. But you have to come spend the night with me to get it. So tell me when you’re available.”

  “Yes!” Li’l Shaun said eagerly. He loved spending the night with his grandma. She always let him do whatever he wanted and eat whatever he wanted. Grandma’s answer was always “Yes, that’s fine, baby.”

  Shauntae was just as enthusiastic. During the two years she lived at her grandma’s while her mom was in prison, she had made some great friends. She couldn’t wait to see them again.

  “Can we go today, Mom? We’ve got a few days to make up our schoolwork. Please, can we go?” Shauntae pleaded.

  Lindsay looked at Cody, and he nodded his approval. “Sure. You can stay with Grandma tonight, just as long as she agrees to bring you all to church in the morning.”

  “Of course, I will. I want you two to go upstairs and pack a bag. I need to talk to your mom and Cody. I’ll let you know when we’re ready to leave. Oh, and make sure you bring your schoolwork with you.”

  The kids scrambled away to get ready to hang out with Grandma.

  “Mom, what’s up?” Lindsay asked.

  Cody and Lindsay shared the love seat. Kevin and Sherrie sat on the sofa.

  “Your brother has a good-news-bad-news situation to share with you. Go ahead, K.J. Tell your sister what’s up as she asked.”

  “It’s not at all bad. Brooke is pregnant, and we’re getting married. Your mother is just exaggerating. She’s a little peeved that Brooke got pregnant before we got married.”

  Lindsay chuckled at her mother and brother. Sherrie always treated Kevin like a baby while she allowed Lindsay to live her life and learn from her mistakes. Their mother was also not very crazy about Kevin’s girlfriend of two years, Brooke, because she felt Kevin was being controlled by her.

  “Mama, K.J. is twenty-nine years old. He’ll be thirty this year. You’re acting like he’s a sixteen-year-old kid who knocked up his high school girlfriend. What’s the big deal?”

  “She’s pregnant, Nay,” Sherrie emphasized.

  “Okay. But they’re getting married. He’s doing the right thing.”

  “That’s what I’m talking about. Why didn’t they get married first? I feel like she trapped him into marrying her. She leads him around like a little puppy.”

  “Mama, no. Trapped him? Are you serious? How can you say that? I was pregnant before I got married. As a matter of fact, so were you. How can you be so judgmental?”

  “That’s what I said to her. I thought she was going to slap me right there in the restaurant,” Kevin said seriously.

  “That’s why you took me to a public restaurant to tell me about your little girlfriend being pregnant. So I wouldn’t slap you. But don’t push it now, mister; we are now on private property.”

  Cody stifled a laugh, but Lindsay was a little aggravated. Of course, her mother was just kidding about striking Kevin ... probably. But she was very serious about trying to run his life.

  “And I don’t need you reminding me of the mistakes we made, missy. We were both very young, and neither of us was trying to trap anybody. We were just naïve and in love. Brooke is old enough to know that when you have unprotected sex, you are trying to get pregnant.”

  “Oh, I see. Her being older than we were makes her automatically manipulative. Love has nothing to do with it. And K.J. has nothing to do with it either, right? She got pregnant all by herself.”

  Cody and Kevin sat quietly while mother and daughter debated about Kevin’s girlfriend/fiancée and her pregnancy. They were not consulted for their opinions, so they sat and just listened.

  “So, Nay, you’re telling me you’re okay with them having this baby out of wedlock?”

  “Mama, it’s not for me to be okay with it or not. K.J. is a grown man. Brooke is a grown woman. They have to be accountable to God for their own actions. I’m not saying it is right. I’m just saying neither you nor I are in a position to judge.”

  Kevin finally spoke up. “Thank you, big sister, for being brave enough to fight your mother on my behalf. I truly appreciate you and your courage.”

  “Boy, you are not acting like you’re grateful talking like that. Sounds like you’re trying to get me a beat down.”

  “Actually, no, that is far from the truth. I remember the last time I had to witness Mama beating you down. Cody, did she tell you about that? It was ugly. I thought my mama was going to kill her.” Kevin shook his head as he recalled the dreadful scene.

  “Shut up, K.J., before I turn my allegiance and start agreeing with your mother about your girlfriend being a controlling, manipulative tramp.” Everyone including Sherrie cracked up laughing.

  Once the laughter died down, Sherrie said, “Let’s switch, children. You tell me how things are going with you, my darling daughter. How are the kids handling their other grandmother’s death?”

  Sherrie was out of town when the mess between Cody and Lindsay started. She knew nothing about their one-day estrangement. God worked things out quickly so there was no need to fill her in on that. Therefore, Lindsay would just talk about the kids.

  “Patricia’s death was pretty rough on Shauntae. Li’l Shaun didn’t remember much about her. He simply reacted to his sister’s stress.”

  Lindsay wasn’t sure if Kevin had told their mom about the fight at the hospital. Since Sherrie had not mentioned it yet she was pretty sure she didn’t know.

  “When I took the kids to the hospital after Shauntae got the phone call from Sha’Ron, I was attacked by Francine and Tameeka.”

  “What? They put their hands on my baby? Are you all right?” Sherrie sat up straighter in her seat on the sofa. She instantly became furious.

&n
bsp; “Ma, I’m fine. It was a week ago. The worst thing is the kids saw it. Because of all the stress and drama, their therapist suggests they come in weekly instead of biweekly for a little while.”

  “Wow! Is there anything I should know as far as the dos and don’ts with the kids?”

  “Dr. Hooper just says we need to do all we can to keep things peaceful around them. Even a little overindulgence, something I know you do anyway, is a good idea. But, Ma, I don’t want them around Sha’Ron for the rest of this weekend. I’m going to tell them that before they leave, but I need you to back me on this one.”

  “No, no. You don’t have to worry about me. I agree with you. No Sha’Ron.”

  Lindsay wondered if she should tell her mother and brother about everyone’s heightened concern for her safety with regards to Sha’Ron.

  “Mama, K.J., Lindsay has been placed on high-security alert. We are being very careful to keep her away from Sha’Ron as well. Everyone is concerned that he may try to do harm to her. I think you two should know so you can watch out for her when she’s with you,” Cody butted in.

  Well, I guess that answers that question, Lindsay thought. She shot her husband a dirty look.

  “I saw that look, young lady. Cody was right for telling us. It’s not about you worrying us. It’s about us being aware so we can do what we can to watch out for you,” Sherrie said.

  “Sis, we love you. We want to make sure you stay safe. Don’t be mad at Cody for telling us,” Kevin chimed in.

  Cody pulled his wife close to him on the love seat and embraced her. “She’s not mad at me. She’s not allowed to be. Dr. Hooper said we have to keep things peaceful for the sake of the kids.” Lindsay smiled at her hubby, then snuggled in close to him.

  “Let us leave and take the kids with us so y’all married folks can have some privacy.” It was now Sherrie’s turn to shoot her son a dirty look.

  “Ma, let it go. I’m getting married in about two months.”

  “Wow, that soon, little brother? Brooke doesn’t want a big wedding?” Lindsay inquired.