by Zi'ere
“T now you know we could handle the situation better than this. You’re not respecting Baby’s spot and you know it.” John was always the level headed one. “What’s so hard about letting her know what you’re taking when you take it? Everybody in here knows who the guilty one is; it ain’t like you taking up for all of us.”
I quickly spun in my heels and retreated to my bedroom to get my purse and overnight bag. As I returned back to the den I pulled out my cell phone and commanded “Call Contact 1” all four of my brothers lunged for my cell at one time. I quickly side stepped them all and help up my hand to halt them, knowing full well they wouldn’t move another muscle.
Of course Terrell was the first to speak up, “I can’t believe you gonna call daddy on us for a couple DVD’s”
Carlos hissed, “US! You the only one with sticky fingers! Baby, I’ve never taken anything from your house without first asking and stating when I would return it, I know you know that.”
“Me too Baby, you know who takes your stuff all the time then gets an attitude when he gets caught” John added.
Darrell continued to flip through channels on the tv unphased because he knew I would never snitch him out, not that he had ever give me a reason to before Angel.
“Since I can’t bring up your big ass tantrum yesterday the five finger discount situation will have to do!” I was giving him major attitude and I knew he didn’t like it.
“Hi daddy! How are you doing today? That’s good, are you home right now? Oh, ok. Tell mom I said hi. Yes sir, they are all here at my house right now. No, sir we are about to go to eat. No sir, we all will be spending the weekend over at Darrell’s so I won’t be coming back here alone. Yes sir, I will. Ok. I love you too. Talk to you later.” Pressing the end button I witnessed 4 chests resume normal breathing and I couldn’t suppress my grin.
“Oooooh, you are so evil!”
I threw my duffel bag to Darrell laughing. “Make yourself useful chump.”
“Whew! I did not want to hear daddy’s mouth about his precious Baby today! Damn girl you almost made me have a heart attack!”
“Don’t get in my house thinking you hot stuff because my daddy will put your ass back in its place!”
“Ok, ok, ok I get it!” Terrell raised his hands in a surrender type gesture.
These guys had to know who was large and in charge and it was not them! “Oh, and all that mouth you got is going to cost you a pair of Loub’s!”
“What are you talking about? Don’t act like you weren’t gonna get some new one’s anyway! You think we didn’t know that?”
“Doesn’t matter, I’m just putting you on notice.”
“Baby, have you seen all those shoes you got for your birthday? You cannot possible be missing a pair of heels on the market right now!”
“That may be true but now whatever I was planning on getting will now be times 2! Now let’s go, I’m hungry.” After I set the alarm I joined my crew in a stretch Ford Excursion. I already knew what to make of that news. If we had a driver we were in for some serious partying.
“Why do we have a driver?”
“We’re going out tonight.”
“Damn, one of ya’ll coulda said that earlier!”
“Don’t worry your little fashionista heart, we have a party dress for you at Terrell’s” John whispered to me.
As I got comfortable on the long side seat between John & Darrell, I couldn’t help but think about how hard it was going to be for Ced to outdo the royal treatment the Haywood men gave me daily. Sheer intimidation kept Arizona’s finest away either because of fear of not measuring up or providing a life I was accustomed to. I was an independently wealthy woman, even as young as I was. Number one reason was because I never spent any of my earned income. I always invested the earnings from my businesses under Darrell’s instructions. But day to day living expenses were largely covered by my dad, while frills & frivolous spending were usually at the expense of my brothers. I knew they didn’t think I was in financial disarray but none of us really knew the net worth of the other.
“Guys, you gotta stop doing stuff like this. At some point I will have four sister-in-laws and I am sure they are not going to be fond of their husbands spoiling their sister the way you all do now.” At some point we would all have to allow others into our circle and the chances were great that these strangers wouldn’t appreciate our bond.
“Baby, we’ve been through this before- whomever it is that we decide to wife will have no choice but accept the way things have always been between us or those women will simply not be what we need in our lives.” Darrell was telling the truth, he and I really had this conversation too many times to count.
“I mean seriously? What woman is going to be okay with her husband financially supporting his sister?”
“We don’t financially support you!” Carlos screamed. “You have your own businesses that are completely separate from the lives the four of us lead.”
“Baby, we can’t specifically say how it’s going to work should we have our own families one day. All we can say for sure is that there are no other alternatives, our bond will always remain and that is final.” Of course the shut up and accept it tone came from none other than Terrell.
“What did I ever do to get so lucky?” My brothers were my rock honestly.
“Shit, that is what we would like to know!” John spat at me. We all relaxed and settled into our usual Haywood clan banter- sarcastic educated humor.
16
The driver stopped curtly in front of the Vintage Wine Lounge on Boston St. Their entrees were a Haywood favorite with enough choices for us all to end up with a big sampler platter consisting of five different meals. After lunch and each of us consuming a bottle of wine, we all piled back into the car to get dressed for a night out on the town. Terrell’s home was nestled on the outskirts of Chandler, closest to my parent’s home than any of us but still a good drive away. His home was also the biggest out of us kids. Why he needed a palatial mansion was beyond me but the hotel suite like accommodations were greatly appreciated. Once we’d changed into chill clothing we all spread out in the tv room, each of us transfixed in ipads, laptops, and cell phones. Even though we had all opted to shoot hooky from business responsibilities we were never far from the daily duties associated with being successful. As Darrell schooled us on stock trades for the week, we all settled into our rooms to rest up.
My bedroom was situated on a side wing that allowed me to awaken with the sunrise, just as I did in all my bedrooms. True to John’s word there were two black boxes on my bed tied together by one big turquoise bow. The bow was a signature move when it was a collective gift decided upon by all my brothers. Like a kid at Christmas I hurried over to open the boxes. The party dress was an attention grabber no doubt. It was boat neck, mid-thigh, long sleeved and the material gave the allusion that it was made of small mirrors. The smaller box contained a pair of silver strappy stiletto’s that matched perfectly. Only problem was that I was certain I wouldn’t have a clutch that would mesh with the dress out here at Terrell’s house. I decided to ham that out later.
There was a soft knock on the door, followed by “Baby are you still awake?”
“Yes, come in John.”
He cracked the door and stuck his head inside.
“Do you like the outfit?”
“Of course I do, you guys know me too well. I’m afraid I won’t be able to dress myself without you all’s help in the future.” Although my voice was light and I was smiling, I really was concerned about how our lives would surely change in the future. Surely maintaining families and business would put a strain on the bond we shared as siblings. John stepped into the room leaving the door ajar.
“I can understand your concern, but believe us when we say that we will always be close. We will always look out for each other, family will always be priority.”
“Yea, I know. Only problem is it will be our separate families that will be priority. You guys
don’t think so but I know the dynamics will eventually change.”
“Baby, tell me the real reason behind your feelings. Are things changing in your life? Is there something we should know?”
“God! You’ve been spending too much time with Terrell. I never thought anyone could rattle off questions as fast as he can!”
“I’m sorry if I am coming across that way, I don’t mean to. I just want to make sure you’re okay. I mean whatever it is I’m sure we can figure it out if we put all of our heads together.”
“I have a feeling that change is coming to the Haywood’s and we will certainly have to put our heads together to make it to the other side.”
“Come here little girl, don’t worry so much. Your mom is beautiful and your daddy is rich, you have no worries.” John pulled me into a hug that ended with me being in a head lock.
“John, let me go! You’re gonna tangle my hair up!” Instead of releasing me, he began to grind his knuckles into my scalp.
“Ouch, let me go!” I began to pinch John’s side in addition to my high pitched squeals.
“Damn baby, don’t pinch me no more! Alright, alright I’ll let you go!” I got one last good pinch in before he allowed me to stand. “Don’t look at me like that no more! You looking like you want to jump, do it if you think you’re bad!”
“Get out of my room. I’m a grown woman; I’m not about to horseplay with you!”
“What’s wrong with you? You’re such a sourpuss today!”
Instead of answering his question I flopped down onto the bed. My mind was racing in contemplation about whether to tell him what was really bothering me. I decided against it. I needed more information about the Angel situation and there was no way I wanted to start a fight about the Ced situation either.
“Fine don’t talk to me, but I’m not leaving.” John got the remote for the tv and settled down on the chaise. Before long I’d drifted off to sleep.
17
When I woke up I was alone in my room. I’d gotten a much needed few hours of sleep. I knew I needed to start getting dressed for the night. My brothers wouldn’t mind waiting for me but I didn’t want to be a slow poke. I pulled my hair up into a messy but sleek look and slipped on mid-length diamond drop earrings. While moisturizing my skin I remembered the Natasha Couture pearl caged clutch in my closet. The silver & pearl look would have to do for tonight. As I rounded the corner I caught my sparkly reflection in the floor to ceiling mirror that spanned the hallway. I had to admit those men could shop for me better than I could. My brothers were all dressed in various designer suits or pant/dress shirt combination with shoe swag that commanded attention. We looked like a million bucks as we gathered for a pre-party photo taken by our driver for the night.
I sent the picture to my parents, they always liked to see us dressed to kill. My dad responded with a quick text that simply said “u look gud Baby, meet some1 new 2night plez”. I could not keep the hard laugh in as I recited the text to my brothers verbatim with the abbreviations my dad used. None of us could figure out where Greg and Anna got all of their slang words, none of us ever spoke in broken dialect to or around our parents. Nonetheless, our parents were ever hopeful of increasing the size of their family; all the while they thought the five of us could care less. That story didn’t ring true with me anymore since Ced arrived on the scene and apparently D was bitten by the love bug as well. A mini heart attack hit me; damn I forgot to call my man back! I pulled up the message screen to send him a text.
“Where are we going tonight?” Maybe I could arrange to casually bump into Ced somewhere.
I sent a text to Ced offering apologies for not contacting him sooner but explaining that I would be out. After I pressed send, I looked up to see all of my brothers engaged in private activities on their cell phones. I found it very odd because I knew for a fact that none of them was seeing anyone seriously.
“There’s a Texas Holdem Tournament & benefit party at Casino Del Sol” Carlos offered.
“Sweet!” I exclaimed while rubbing my palms together.
We all shared a fondness for gambling in any form. As kids we started out with friendly wagers on foot races or grades on report cards. It wasn’t until college that I was introduced to other forms of gambling to include placing numbers on NFL games, betting on boxing matches, and even our infamous monthly poker night which Dad had grown accustomed to attending. Gambling was the only thing us kids did alone with our dad. My mom would even join us for a golf game every now and then.
I received a reply text stating he was also en route to the casino as well and it sent a bolt of electricity throughout my body. Yes tonight would be very interesting. As the truck crawled through traffic on the strip each of us sat transfixed with our cell phones, sending and receiving texts. I studied each of my brother’s faces and since we were all together I could still not figure out who they were texting so intently. I decided to leave well enough alone and not inquire the reason for their shift in focus. The last thing I needed was to draw attention to myself, especially since Ced was going to be in my company.
18
We entered the casino as the royalty we were, rubbing elbows with the who’s who of the NFL and fundraising scene. We decided to get our obligations out of the way first by signing up for the first round of poker to be played. In the middle of my third hand I realized Ced was sitting towards the rear of the room engrossed in a game with a table full of women. It didn’t surprise me one bit that the women who had the clout to be there would flock to the table where the most handsome man in the room sat. Suddenly the need to win and raise money for the benefit escaped me. I really wanted to be in a quiet spot with my man. After I racked up a measly twenty-five thousand, I signed the tax forms, and turned in my chips to the chair person. All of the fellows were still in competition so I decided to venture out on my own. I ended up in the Paradiso Club which was housed inside the casino. Sitting at the bar, I ordered a tequila sunrise and snapped my fingers to the beats. On my third drink I was completely relaxed and ready to strut my stuff on the dance floor when a familiar hand touched me on the arm.
“Hey Baby, I see you got the party started without me huh?”
“Hey! Ummm, no. I just wanted to give you the space to make that money. It seemed like your game was so intense.” I laughed.
“That dress was made for dancing not sitting. Come on girl!”
Ced pulled me to my feet and led me to the dance floor as an old Lil John & the Eastside Boys cut came through the speakers. Surprisingly enough Ced kept up with the beat and tried to upstage me with his dancing skills. A man that could and would dance was super sexy to me. After four songs of dropping it like it was hot, grinding like a video vixen, and being held too tight during a slow jam I was beyond hot, bothered, and thirsty. I stretched to my tip toes to tell Ced that I needed a drink and he led me to the bar. We nestled into 2 corner stools and began to chit chat like old lovers. I was on my second drink when I noticed my brothers moving through the club receiving more attention than the NFL players. I shifted in my seat to get out of their direct eyesight and continued my conversation with Ced.
After my brothers paired up and hit the dance floor, Ced and I made a dash for the exit from the club. Ced had reserved a suite at the casino for the night. As we rode the elevator my sweetie had a hard time keeping his hands to himself. “Damn Baby you looking good tonight.”
“Awwww thanks, you’re so sweet. I wore this just for you. I thought you’d like it.” Once inside the suite he took me by the hand and led me to the bedroom. He stood before me caressing my face, hair, and neck. His hands were so soft, I let out a moan. Then he spoke, “Stephanie, I love you. Before you respond I need you to know that I have never felt this way before. Never. Yes, I have a past that I’m not always proud of but I don’t care what I have to do, or how long I have to do it, you will be my wife. True, there are women who can say they’ve birthed my seed, have shared a house with me, or whatever. But, no woman can say t
hat I proposed to them or that they have been my wife, with my last name. I need you by my side Stephanie Haywood, I’ve always known it, I just never knew you would ever accept me. After we made love for the first time- that sealed the deal for me.” He got down on one knee and pulled out an ivory ring box.
“There had better be earrings in that box Cedric!”
“Stephanie Haywood, will you Greg, Terrell, Darrell, Carlos, & John marry me?”
I was floored; this wasn’t the way this was supposed to happen. I had to see the ring just to verify how serious he was.
“Where’s the ring Ced?”
He nervously opened the box and there it was: a princess cut canary diamond surrounded by two diamond baguette bands all in platinum settings.
“Ced this is too much! I won’t be able to bend my finger.”
“So is that a yes?”
“Yes Ced, I will marry you!” I was grinning so hard my cheeks were beginning to hurt.
He stood to his feet, put all three rings on my finger, and then kissed me on the forehead. I started to cry. My brothers were going to stroke, there was absolutely no way for me to get around that. But, for the first time in my life I wasn’t concerned with my brother’s reaction. My fiancé and I undressed each other tenderly yet hurriedly to consummate our new beginning. I took charge and sexed Ced into a comatose state, firmly claiming what he had to look forward to. After I was convinced he was down for the count, I got cleaned up and redressed to join my brothers once again in the club. As I stepped off the elevator, I rechecked my ring finger to make sure I had placed the big rock into my clutch. I did a reappearing act on the dance floor that would make any top notch magician proud and partied until after five am.
19
I awoke as the sun brightly shone through the bay window directly across from the foot of my bed. As I lifted my head the room started to spin. “Oh, hell nawl!” I mumbled to myself catching a whiff of my drunken morning breath. I shuddered at the stench. I threw the covers back and made my way to the bathroom. After I relieved my bladder, brushed my teeth, and washed my face. I began to feel like I had really done too much by completing those actions so I dropped to the floor and crawled back to my bed. I picked up the house phone sitting on the nightstand and hit 0.
