“Hi, Claude.”
“Hey. I’m on my way home. Are you there yet?” There was a pep to Claude’s words.
“Yes, honey,” Venus replied. Her tailored white suit fit her slender figure like a glove.
“Good. I just finished signing a contract on a house on Corning.”
Half-Latin with long, curly hair, Venus stood in their open area family room while six year-old Skyy sat on the huge mocha sectional, holding the remote, watching cartoons.
Skyy had a heart-shaped face. Her dark, curly hair hung down her back just like her mom’s hair. She was focused and still.
Venus sounded excited for her husband and said, “Good for you. Congratulations.”
“Thanks. You know who Mary is, right? The new sales agent I told you about who just started at the office?”
“Yeah.”
“She had a conflict in schedule again. She’s already missed a few caravans and meetings. She has a young son and her husband travels a lot. My office manager hired her, but I sure can’t say I would’ve. I’m not sure it’s gonna work out. But hey, we got the house sold today. It’ll be a good chunk of change for the company, and for her.”
“Good. And Claude, don’t think I don’t know where you’re going with this.” Her tone had warning. She took off her blazer and hung it on the coat rack near the front door.
“I’m sure you do. It’s just another example. I think if a husband and wife can afford it, there should be one parent who is home with the kids. That’s how my mom was.”
Venus focused to keep her voice down. “Anyway, I’ve only been home for a hot minute. I’m gonna try and figure out what to make for dinner. I haven’t even changed my clothes, let alone taken off my shoes.”
“I’ll just say this and leave it alone. You need to stay at home and look after Skyy. Not some nanny like before when we had someone helping us out.”
“What are you talking about? We had a caregiver here when Mattie lived with us, but she still left here at four o’clock each day. She wasn’t a nanny. I handled Skyy by myself, basically. Back then when the family decided Mattie needed a full-time nurse, Mattie went back to live with Mason and Mercedes. We no longer had a need for anyone. Claude, let’s not do this again. I already stopped working once.”
He just listened.
She continued, saying, “Honey, we’ve been through this before. You know it’s not the money that makes me wanna get up and go to work. It’s a career. I need that. Just because I work doesn’t mean I love Skyy any less.” She looked over at Skyy again and paced the marble entryway. “Besides, I do meaningful work.” She took a breath. “Do you know that yesterday we were able to work out a deal with an organization called Destination Joy? They’ve decided to donate a ton of celebrity member’s frequent flyer miles so we can get the kids flights booked for free. I’m excited about that.”
“That’s great. I know you love what you do. I can hear it in your voice. But, you know I’d prefer that you put our kid first, at least just for a little while. Skyy’s been at Knox for a few years and now it’s time for her to go to kindergarten. Because she was born in January she’s already a little older than those kids in pre-K. I’m just talking about her having you home and available now that she’s going into elementary, and then she won’t have to do the after school program. At least not until maybe fourth grade.”
“That’ll be a while. Besides, what if I asked you to quit your work?” She kicked off her shoes and then stepped barefoot as she walked to the gourmet kitchen, taking a peek into the fridge, and then the pantry.
“That’s very different. I own my own company. I’ve got people who can run it for me so I can take time off. And maybe I should work from home more often. My point is, no one can look after Skyy like we can.”
Venus let out an audible sigh. “Claude, I need to start getting dinner ready.”
“No need. I was gonna tell you that I’m headed over to our soul food place. What do you want?”
She managed a smile. “Oh, that’s sweet of you.” She thought for a second. “I’ll just have the catfish with whatever sides you have. And get Skyy the smothered chicken. She loves it. With veggies.”
“Okay, I’ll be there shortly. And Venus, I love you. I’ve got you.”
“I know you do. I love you, too. See you in a minute.” As soon as Venus disconnected she tried to shake out her mind. The phone rang. She eyed the display. “Hey there, Cam. How are you?”
Cameron’s words were rushed. “I need to talk to Dad right away.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Mom, I just called Dad’s cell and he didn’t pick up. Is he with you?”
“No. We just hung up. He’s in the car about to stop and get dinner. What happened?” Venus removed her tiny hoop earrings and placed them on the porcelain tile island.
“I’m in the counselor’s office at school. My coach is here, too. They’re kicking me out of school.”
“Kicking you out? That’s crazy. Let me talk to your coach. Put him on the phone.”
“I’ve gotta go. That’s Dad on the other line.” He clicked over fast.
“Oh my God.” In thought, she paced back and forth from the kitchen to the family room and back. She called Claude. No answer.
Skyy called out, “Mommy. My favorite movie, Shark Tale, is on. Can I watch it?”
Venus dialed Claude again, talking as she listened to his voicemail greeting, telling Skyy, “Oh, sweetie, no. Wait until later.” She hung up.
“Please?” Skyy’s voice was soft. She aimed the remote at the screen and searched for more shows.
“No. Maybe after we eat.” Venus walked into the family room and took the remote from her daughter, powering everything off. “In the meantime, come on and go outside with me for a minute. Then we’ll read a book and talk.”
Wearing jean shorts and a flowered Gap tee, Skyy hopped off the sofa and headed to her mom, taking her by the hand. Skyy’s purple flip-flops were at the front door.
“Here, slip these on.”
Skyy did just that. “Mommy, is my brother okay?” She didn’t usually miss much. And calling Cameron her brother was like her own loving nickname for him.
“Yes, sweetie. Cam’s just fine.”
“Is he coming home? I miss him.” She looked up at her mom.
“He’ll be home soon enough. Maybe you can talk to him later.”
Venus and Skyy walked down the porch steps and along the circular driveway. The concrete was warm upon the soles of Venus’s feet. The late afternoon prepared its handoff to early evening.
Venus took in the view of Ladera Heights, known for its well-manicured lawns, fancy cars, and sprawling estate homes. The look and feel and essence of the upscale neighborhood from the outside seemed perfect, with towering, strong palm trees lined up along the street. But Venus knew that chances were, inside of the homes themselves it was quite possibly anything but.
She walked toward the custom brick mailbox they had built at the curb, hurrying to the strip of cool grass.
Skyy had let go of her hand, running back and forth along the front lawn. “Mommy, catch me.” Her voice was playful.
“Hold on, let Mommy get the mail.” Venus reached into the mailbox and shuffled through the few pieces of mail: a power bill, a credit card bill, and a letter that was addressed to her maiden name, Venus Ortiz. The return address was the California Men’s Colony in San Luis Obispo.
Curiously, she opened the letter and unfolded a long white sheet of notebook paper. Her mind held its breath. The words were scribbled, small letters, with the sentences all running together without benefit of much punctuation.
Hey sexy I miss you I can’t wait to be with you again the way I turned your girl out and blew her mind with my mouth How’s my son Soon it will be the three of us cutie pie Soon enough
By the way does your husband know you wanted me the whole time when I was with Fatima Does he know you and I had sex and Fatima never knew Does he know you�
�ve always liked what Fatima had How you stole her college boyfriend years ago How you’d sneak and call me back when I first met her I hope your husband doesn’t have a close friend because you can’t be trusted Now that Fatima is dead and you already have what she had I’m thinking that won’t be enough You’ll go buck wild soon enough So I say you and me should just correspond and maybe you can even come and see me Wouldn’t that be sneaky Right up your alley Tell my son I said he can come and see me too Oh that’s right I’m willing to bet he doesn’t know I’m his father yet right Your husband’s ego wouldn’t allow that Maybe I’ll just have to find a way to tell him myself I guess I’ll chat with him on the Bureau of Prison’s Corrlinks I’m sure I can find his email address I sent a link request to your job but it bounced back Oh well Till next time Love Owen
Venus fought to close her mouth. She darted her eyes over toward Skyy, who was still playing on the front lawn. Venus began to sweat. She swallowed hard and her heart shifted with fright.
“Skyy, let’s go inside. Now.” Venus ran to Skyy and picked her up, hugging her tight, looking all around, and heading back into the house, closing and locking the door, fast.
Venus set the alarm and stood in the entryway and took a deep breath, putting Skyy down.
Skyy asked, “Can we read now?”
Venus shook her head and made herself focus on her young daughter’s question. “Sure. Go and get a book.”
Skyy skipped to the staircase and headed up to her room.
Venus went straight to her cell and called Claude. He still did not answer. She then called her sister-in-law, Mercedes, and tried her best to simply focus on having as normal a voice as possible. She placed the mail atop the island. “Hey, there.” To her, from inside her convoluted head, it sounded like her own voice was cracking.
“Hi, Venus. How are you?”
She fought harder to stay calm. “I’m okay. Yep, I’m okay. So, how’s Mattie?” She leaned against the island, hoping her small talk didn’t sound fake.
“Mamma’s about the same. I made an appointment for her to go and get a check up next week. How are you? And how’s Skyy? I still can’t believe you and Sequoia now have the young ones, when my Star and Rashaad are all grown up and out of the house.”
Venus tried to force a smile but couldn’t. “We’re fine.” She inhaled and exhaled huge. “Mercedes, I need to talk to you.” Her hands shook.
“Sure.”
She thought twice, and switched problem-gears. “Something’s going on with Cam. I mean, he called, and I guess they’re talking about kicking him out of school. I have no idea what happened. I think he talked to Claude after he called me, but I haven’t heard from either one.”
“Venus, I’m coming right over.”
Venus spoke quickly. “No. I want Claude to tell you and Mason about this himself. I haven’t even talked to him yet. You know how private he is.”
“I do. Okay. Still, I can’t imagine what the deal is. Cameron’s a good student. I’m sure it’ll all be ironed out.”
Skyy came downstairs. “Here, Mom.” She handed Venus a thick book of fairy tales.
“Okay. Just give Mommy one minute.” She gave the book back to Skyy and held up one finger. “Go take this and sit on the couch. I’ll be right there, I promise.”
Skyy walked away, hugging her book, looking sad. “Okay.”
“Mercedes, I just wanna know what’s up with him. Not knowing is worse than knowing.”
“Listen. How about if I come over anyway? Claude doesn’t even have to know why I’m there.”
“Mercedes, I don’t want to interrupt your evening. Is Lucinda there to stay with Mattie?”
“Yes. Both she and Mason are here. She’s basically a live-in now though she does go home every now and then. I’ll be right over in a few. You know I’m just a few blocks away.”
“Okay. See you in a minute. Thanks.”
“That’s what family’s for.”
Venus and Mercedes hung up.
“Here I come, Skyy,” Venus said to her pouty-faced, awaiting daughter.
Skyy had quickly changed focus. She rubbed her eyes. “Mommy. Can I have pancakes?”
“Oh, Skyy. Daddy’s on his way with food. Chicken and veggies, okay?” Venus sat down next to Skyy and placed another call to Claude. No answer. And then she called Cameron. No answer.
“You said my brother was okay.” Skyy flashed her eyes toward her mom.
Venus prepared herself to reply when she heard the garage door open and the sound of Claude’s sports car pull in. She stood and headed to the kitchen.
“Daddy,” yelled Skyy, with an instantly perky tone while she ran toward the kitchen door that led to the garage.
“Wait, sweetie.” Venus heard the garage door close, and the car door open and close.
Bluetooth to his ear, baldheaded Claude opened the door frowning and talking fast, cradling two bags against his NBA-type body frame. Two seconds after he stepped inside, the security alarm went off with a major screech.
Skyy jumped and held her ears. It was piercing.
“Hold on, sorry,” he told the caller. He said to Venus loudly, “Why’d you set the alarm so early?”
“No reason.” She hurried to the keypad and disarmed it.
He placed the bags on the breakfast nook table and kept talking. He wore a white shirt with obvious sweat stains under his arms. He walked to the island and set down his keys. “So, look Sampson, we need to talk to the school administrators right away. There’s no way my son violated any school policies about cheating, or student Internet policy, or plagiarism, let alone this crap about him having someone to write his essay. What’s all that mess about? I need to know how they reached these bogus conclusions. My son does not lie. Plus, he’s just about to graduate. It’s taken him more than five years, but he’s ready. I will sue the school and the whole damn city if I have to. Say what? . . . Leave school in the meantime? Oh, no, he won’t unless we make a decision like that on our own. I’ll head out to Berkley tonight if necessary. My brother Torino is an alumni there. He made that school a lot of money playing football . . . Oh, you know it. Look, like you said, go ahead get on this and call me right back. In the meantime, I’ll talk to Cameron again . . . Okay. Thanks.” Even his forehead was sweaty.
Venus walked over to him as he stared only at his black Porsche mobile.
He took a step back. “Not right now.” He walked past her, touching the screen of his phone while holding a red folder.
“Claude, it’ll all work out.”
He said nothing.
“Daddy!” Skyy called out, standing behind Venus.
Claude smiled at his daughter. “Hey, Skyy. Daddy will be right back.” And he told Venus, “I’ll be in my office for a while.”
“Okay. Thanks for getting dinner, honey.” Venus began taking the containers from the bags. The soulful smell of Claude’s rib dinner, greens, and rice hit her nostrils. “Smells good, huh, Skyy?”
Skyy nodded.
“Here. Sit down. It’s time to eat.”
“My stomach hurts, Mommy.” Skyy now moved like molasses.
Claude said with volume as he walked toward his office, “She should’ve eaten already. And you wonder why I want you to stay home.” He shut the door firmly behind himself.
Venus sat down at the kitchen table next to Skyy in deep thought. It’s only six-thirty. “Say your blessings, sweetie.”
Skyy started to pray, with Venus joining in, “Bless us O Lord, for these thy gifts, which we are about to receive, from thy bounty, through Christ our Lord. Amen.”
“Good girl.” They both began to eat. “So, how was school today?” Venus asked, just as the doorbell rang. Venus got up. “Just a second, Skyy.”
“Who’s that?” Claude yelled from behind his office door.
Venus yelled back. “I’m sure it’s Mercedes. She said she was coming over.”
“Does she know about this?”
“No,” Venus yelled
again, opening the door. Mercedes stepped in and they hugged. She toned down her voice. “Hey, girl.”
“Hey, Sis.” Wearing faded denim, Mercedes put her powder blue Coach bag down on the entryway table and headed toward the kitchen. “Is Claude here?” she asked quietly.
Venus nodded in reply. “Did you drive?”
“Yes. You know I’m lazy.” She grinned Skyy’s way. “Hi, Skyy, girl.”
“Hi, Auntie.” Skyy swallowed her food and grinned back as Mercedes kissed her on her cheek.
“Don’t you look cute? Looks like you’re getting a tan.” Mercedes brushed her hand along Skyy’s forehead.
“I went swimming.”
“You did? You’re just a little fish, huh?”
“Yep. I love to swim.”
Venus just stood over the table, arms crossed, looking blank.
Mercedes took a seat across from Skyy. “Relax, Venus. Finish eating. You know how it is. This is the world of the Wilson brothers. Enough drama for your momma. But, I’ll tell you one thing. Things are gonna have to start slowing down a little. Mason’s thinking about running for office.”
“What?” Venus walked toward the double-sink when she stepped on her earring that had fallen on the floor. “Ouch.” She picked it up and placed it back on the island next to the other earring, noticing that her stack of mail that was atop the island was now gone, including the letter from Owen.
Venus was white as a ghost, and she was completely speechless.
Though Mercedes chatted using some words that were suddenly inaudible, sounding like blah, blah, blah, all Venus’s ears zoomed in on were Claude’s words coming from the other side of his office door, talking extra-loud to Cameron.
3
Sequoia
“. . . there’s only one Torino Jr. . . .”
It was all about the eyes.
After all these years, Sequoia Wilson couldn’t get it out of her head that Colette Berry, crazy former girlfriend of Sequoia’s husband Torino Wilson, had a son named Kyle Jr. who looked just like Torino, and not a bit like his hazel-eyed father, Kyle Brewer.
Hot Girlz: Hot Boyz Sequel Page 2
