Dangerous Ground

by Smith, Stephanie Jean

  “I knew I wouldn’t find you men doing the dishes.” May said as she walked in and put her hands on Lionel’s shoulders. “Come on baby, I think it’s time for us to go home. You’ve told enough lies tonight to last the whole weekend.” Lionel got up and winked at the other three men before he followed May out of the kitchen.

  The three men at the table watched the older couple as they left the kitchen. “I’m not going to wait a month, let alone eight months for a woman to decide whether or not I’m good enough to date. I’m certainly not going to go beg for permission from her father to date her. She either wants to date me, or she doesn’t.”

  “Wait to you find the right woman you’ll change your tune. I wonder if Cookie’s ready to go home, I have some other appetites that need to be satisfied.” John said as he got up from the table.

  “Why don’t you give that poor woman a break and let her get some rest tonight?” Xavier laughed at John understanding his frustration.

  “Cookie has me on a strict schedule; usually I’m the one who needs the rest. Tonight I feel as if I could make it last all night long.”

  “Get out of here man, and keep your wife away from Loretta for the next couple of days. I don’t want her bragging about her husband’s seductive skills, the next thing you know Loretta will be trying to find a way to put a ring in my nose.”

  “I’ll see you two later.”

  Xavier and Vincent watched John leave. Xavier was smiling, but Vincent had a scowl on his face. “That’s never going to happen to me. No top heavy woman with dainty feet is going to put me through the hoops.” Vincent assured Xavier with strong conviction.

  Xavier’s smile tuned into a huge grin, this was the first time in four years that Vincent wanted personal information about any woman. Diane and Vincent didn’t know it yet, but their lives were going to change. “Never is a very long time little brother.”

  ***

  Loretta’s head was lying on Xavier chest, his breathing was harsh. She smiled to herself when she thought about the rigorous schedule that Cookie kept John on. Loretta and Xavier weren’t having any problems keeping up with John and Cookie’s mating schedule. “While you guys were in the kitchen doing dishes, May told us about her courtship with Lionel.”

  “You mean how they met at the church picnic.”

  “Yeah, how did you know? Let me guess Lionel told you.”

  “As Vincent and I were doing the dishes we started talking about relationships and he told us how he met May.”

  “You know it would be amusing to note the differences between Lionel and May’s version of their courtship. What exactly did Lionel say?”

  “He told us that he was two weeks away from being shipped off to Korea when he met the woman he wanted to marry at a church picnic. He also stated that years after he and May were married his father-in-law told Lionel that he knew he was in love with May.”

  “Really, how so?”

  “Lionel said that he father-in-law told him that only a fool in love would have wanted to marry his daughter because she was such a hellion.”

  “That not the way May told the story. She said that she pointed out Lionel to her father at the picnic and told him that Lionel was the man she wanted to marry. She went on to tell how he came back from the Korean War a different man. May said she almost didn’t recognize him.”

  “War has a tendency to do that to a man.”

  Loretta kissed Xavier on his chest. “Tell me something Xavier. Why do men try to down play the most significant moments in their lives?

  Xavier kissed Loretta on her forehead as he ran his hand down her body. “What do you mean?”

  “Don’t play stupid with me, you know what I’m talking about. Why do men try to pretend that nothing affects them? May gave a romantic depiction of her courtship with Lionel while he tried to turn it into a joke.”

  “Men have been told that they have to be the stronger sex all their lives. When it comes to intimate details of their lives, men find it difficult to share that information with other men without sounding like a fool.”

  Loretta laid her head back down on Xavier’s shoulder. She was quiet for a few moments. “Xavier I need to talk to you about the kidnapping.”

  “I knew that one day you would be ready to talk about it. Let it all out, I want to know about everything.”

  “I couldn’t believe the kidnapping was taking place. I just knew he was going to kill me; it was as if he were playing a game with me. When He told me how he planned to rape me then break my neck; it was as if my whole life flash in front of my eyes.” Loretta lifted her head off of Xavier’s shoulder and faced him. “I was so afraid that I was going to die and that you would never know how much I love you.”

  “When I came back into town and found out that you were missing, I almost lost my calm. I just knew that if I lost you that life wouldn’t mean anything to me. Leland assured me over and over again that everything would be all right. You’ll never know how relieved I was to see you when I found you in the woods.”

  “I know exactly how you felt as soon as I saw your face and then I knew that everything would be all right.”

  Loretta was trying to find the right way to ask a question she had on her mind. “Xavier do you think that Diane and Vincent will get together?”

  Out of all the things that popped out of Loretta’s mouth that was the last thing he expected to hear. “That all depends on if Vincent has faced his demons from the past. The first time Vincent saw Diane he was lost. I think that Vincent saw something that he hadn’t seen in a long time.”

  Loretta lifted her head again and looked at Xavier. “What was that?”

  “For the first time in four years Vincent saw a woman who could mean more to him than just a one night stand. He looked as if he’s been struck by lightning. Vincent doesn’t know what he wants, so he’s going to fight this feeling he has for Diane.”

  “That’s funny, that’s how I gauged Diane’s reaction to Vincent.”

  “I told you before that Vincent had only one use for women. I hope you don’t have any plans to play matchmaker. Your friend will only end up getting hurt.”

  Loretta outlined Xavier’s nipple with her fingernail. She heard him catch his breath; Xavier’s mind was already focused on something else. “I would never get involved in someone else’s relationship.” Loretta didn’t bother to tell Xavier that she had her fingers crossed.

  Xavier flipped himself over Loretta and laid on top of her. “That’s not true, I happen to know for a fact that you talked Cookie into dating John.”

  Xavier had caught Loretta off guard. “How did you find out about that?”

  Xavier rain kisses all over Loretta’s breasts before he answered her. “John told us all about his difficult courtship with Cookie, and how you finally took pity on him and talked to Cookie for him.”

  “Actually Cookie liked him all along, but she thought he was just playing around with her. That’s why she never took him seriously.”

  “When a man moves into your neighborhood, joins your church, becomes a volunteer at your place of employment, he serious.”

  “Well, enough about Cookie and John. Why don’t you get serious and finish what you’ve started.”

  “My pleasure baby, my pleasure.”

  ***

  Chapter 16

  It was Monday morning, and Loretta had a full agenda. She had to order a wedding band for Xavier, and she had to go see Martha Smith, the seamstress who was going to make her wedding dress. Loretta talked to Martha on Saturday morning to set up an appointment her. Martha was the best in the business, and she also happened to be an old friend of Loretta’s mother.

  As Loretta pulled up into Martha Smith’s driveway, she started thinking back to the times when she and her mother would visit Martha. She was never allowed to sit with the women while they talked. So she would always play in the back yard until her mother was ready to go. Loretta got out of her car and went up the steps and rang Martha’s do
orbell.

  The door opened right away, Martha must have been waiting at the door for Loretta’s arrival. “Honey it’s been such a long time since I’ve seen you,” Martha said as she hugged Loretta. Martha grabbed Loretta’s arm and practically pulled Loretta into the house. “Let’s go straight to my sewing room, from what you tell me, we don’t have time to waste.

  Loretta followed Martha into her sewing room. Loretta barely had her coat off before Martha started taking her measurements. “How have you been?”

  A smile lit up in Martha’s eyes. “Child if I’m not sewing, I’m out seeing the world. I’ve been on three trips this year alone. Before my husband died, we had talked about all the traveling we would do once he had retired. Well, my Charles died three months after he retired. I promised myself that I was going to see some of the world before my time was up.”

  “Aren’t you afraid of traveling alone?”

  “Honey, I never go anywhere alone. If I’m not traveling with my sister, I have numerous clubs that I belong to that are always sponsoring trips.”

  “Don’t you ever get lonely Martha?”

  Martha’s eyes misted, she turned her back on Loretta as she pretended to look for a piece of paper to right down Loretta’s measurements. “I miss my Charles every day since he died. He was more than just someone I shared a bed with, Charles was also my friend.”

  “I’m sorry your parents aren’t alive to help you celebrate your wedding.”

  “Martha I don’t want to talk about my parents. I’m planning my wedding, and I want to think about pleasant things.”

  “Please listen to me Loretta, this is important. Through past conversations, I know that you haven’t gotten the full picture of your parents’ marriage. You were young when your parents separated, and I don’t think you ever forgave your father for leaving you mother. Even when they got back together, your relationship with you father wasn’t the same.”

  “Now I’m not trying to say that what you’ve seen was wrong, but I think that your interpretation of what you saw wasn’t entirely correct. Before I die, I want to set the record straight because it’s the only way that you’ll be happy. What do you remember about the summer that you father left your mother?

  Mother cried that whole summer after Daddy left us. Anytime he called to speak to me, she would beg him to come home. When Daddy came back home, he changed, he was colder. I remembered how my mother tried so hard to please him.

  I felt so sorry for my mother, and I came to hate the way my father treated her. As time went on, and I was getting ready to leave for college, I didn’t feel sorry for mother any longer. When she did find out that Daddy cheated on her, why did she stay with him. She became so obsessed with pleasing my father that she forgot all about me.

  “When they died in the plan crash five years ago I was numb. I loved my parents, but I’ll never get a chance to tell them how much.”

  Martha grabbed some tissues and dried off Loretta’s face. “Don’t you have any pleasant childhood memories?”

  “I do have some good memories; they’ve been overshadowed by the bad times.”

  “Both of your parents were good people, but they did horrible things to each other. I was amazed to hear that you were getting married again; especially after the dreadful time your first husband gave you.”

  “Well Martha that’s all behind me now. I found a good man, and I refuse to let him get away.”

  “I have to tell you the truth about the relationship of your parents.”

  “Martha we should leave the past alone.”

  “Honey I know that you blame your father for your mother’s unhappiness, but she wasn’t without fault.”

  “What are you trying to say?”

  “I loved your mother, but she had a cruel streak. She had an affair with your father’s best friend. Alberta was an incredible flirt, but I don’t think she meant to start anything with Flint.”

  “Flint, are you talking about Flint Russell. I remember him; he used to take me to the park all the time. I always wondered what happened to him.”

  “When your father got laid off from work, he had several part-time jobs to try to compensate. He was determined to provide for his family. While he was working like a dog, your mother got lonely.”

  “Let me guess, Flint was waiting in the background, waiting to stab a knife in my father’s back.”

  “Honey that was the least of it; Alberta became pregnant and she didn’t know who was the father of the baby. Flint wanted your mother to divorce your father and marry him, but she refused him. Flint got drunk one night, and he told your father about his affair with Alberta. Flint went one step further, and told Samuel that Alberta was carrying his child.”

  “Samuel beat Flint within an inch of his life. Then he went home to confront Alberta. He left her that night, and he didn’t come back until five months later.”

  “I remember that summer well, Martha, but I don’t remember my mother being pregnant.”

  “Your mother and father tried to have more children. I’m sorry to tell you this Honey, but Alberta had a miscarriage.”

  “I don’t understand why Daddy came back, Martha? It was obvious that he didn’t forgive Mother for her indiscretion.”

  “There were a lot of rumors about your father around town, but they weren’t true.”

  “Martha, I saw my father in action, women used to hang around like a flock of hens fighting over a rooster. I witnessed this with my own eyes.”

  “Honey, your father was a one woman man. Samuel loved Alberta; however, he wanted her to believe that he had affairs. He wanted to punish her for her affair with Flint.”

  “How do you know this Martha?”

  “I was one of those hens you described so well.”

  Loretta was shocked by Martha’s admission. “You were my mother’s best friend.”

  Martha sighed and continued with her story. “I used to imagine myself in love with your father. This was way before I met Charles. I saw this as my chance to tell Samuel how much I loved him. If Alberta couldn’t make him happy, I sure was going to try.”

  “So he chose to stay with my mother and punish her for the rest of her life.”

  “Honey, people in love do crazy things. As the years went by, they made peace with each other. You were heavily involved with the King Center by then. Soon after, you graduated from high school, you went off to college. You never got to see the change in their relationship.”

  “Back then I was so wrapped up in my own hurt feelings that I didn’t want to be a part of their lives anymore.”

  “It’s time to forgive your parents, they weren’t bad people they were just pathetic parents. Alberta and Samuel were so involved with their own problems that they forgot about the little girl they brought into the world together.

  “I glad you told me about my parents Martha. For so many years, I’ve been viewing life from the prospective of an eight year old.”

  “Come follow me to the kitchen all of this talking has made me thirsty and hungry.”

  Emotionally, Loretta hadn’t felt this good in years. “I’m a little drained myself,” Loretta said as she followed Martha to the kitchen. Loretta sat down at the kitchen table and watched Martha make a couple of grilled cheese sandwiches. Martha made coffee and offered Loretta a cup, but Loretta made a face at her.

  “Listen Honey, I’ll understand if want someone else make your dress. I told you a lot of things about your mother and myself that might make you uncomfortable in my presence.”

  Loretta put her hand over Martha’s in an attempt to comfort her. “Martha, I’ve been harsh, and unforgiving about the past. I don’t want to lose anyone else I love because they don’t live up to fantasies of an eight year old.”

  “There has been a great change in you.”

  “When I was kidnapped by Marcus Dupree, I’ve come to appreciate being alive.”

  “Honey I’m sorry, the last thing I wanted to do was remind you about the kidnappin
g. I promised myself that I wouldn’t bring it up. Since you don’t care for coffee. Would you care for some fruit juice or water?”

  “I’d like some water. I don’t mind talking about the kidnapping Martha. Every once in a while I have nightmares, but there happen less often. I’m concerned about surviving the wedding. Xavier wants a wedding with all the trimmings. “

  Martha sat down beside Loretta with her sketch pad. “He sounds like my kind of guy. Now, tell me what type of dress you want me to make for you Honey. Please be detailed, I’ve less than three weeks to complete it.” Loretta proceeded to tell Martha what she wanted her wedding dress to be like.

  “What color are we shooting for?”

  “Well, this is my second marriage; I think it would be distasteful to wear a white dress.”

  “Honey, taste has nothing to do with the colors you wear. Taste comes from the attitude you project as you wear your clothes. This is your wedding, if you want a white dress, I’ll make you a white dress. If you want a black dress, I make you a black dress. The decision lies totally in your hands.”

  “To make the most out of my dress the best color will probably be eggshell.”

  Martha made final adjustments on the sketch and showed it to Loretta. “Is this what you want?”

  “Yes, Martha you’ve captured everything I want my wedding dress to be.”

  “Do you want the train to be detachable?”

  ”Yes.”

  “I don’t know how to thank you Martha, you‘ve made me a happy woman today. I have to leave now; I got an afternoon appointment with a jeweler.

  ***

  Loretta didn’t have any problem finding the small shop around the corner of 24th and Oak. The outside of the building wasn’t impressive, but Loretta knew better than to judge a book by its cover. As Loretta walked into the shop, her eyes were immediately drawn to the jewelry within the cases. Loretta was studying the intricate pieces of jewelry so thoroughly that she didn’t notice the man approach her.