Second Time Sweeter

by Beverly Jenkins

  “Do you like her?”

  “I think so, but I don’t want to. It’s Tiffany.”

  “I understand, but sometimes the brain doesn’t control affairs of the heart.”

  “Jeez, don’t call it that.” He put his head down and bounced it against the edge of the desk. “I don’t want to like her.”

  “She’s grown up a lot in the past few years.”

  “I know, and she’s cuter, too.” Hearing himself, he groaned. “I can’t believe I said that.” He bounced his head again.

  “I won’t tell anybody. Promise.”

  “What am I going to do, Mom? Do I ignore it and hope it goes away?”

  “You can try, I suppose.”

  “This is a nightmare.”

  “Whatever you decide, please don’t be mean to Tiffany hoping that will scare her away.”

  “I won’t.” He sighed. “Maybe I should talk to Dad.”

  “I think that’s an excellent idea. He’s watching TV. I’ll send him up.”

  “Thanks.”

  She kissed him on the forehead and left him alone.

  His dad came up a few minutes later. “Your mother said you wanted to talk to me.”

  “Yeah. It’s about Tiffany.”

  “I was wondering about that. What’s going on with you two?”

  “I wish I knew, but I think I like her.” Amari told him what he’d told his mom and how he felt.

  Trent listened and said, “You’re at the age where girls are starting to look real good, and your job is to keep yourself under control.”

  “You mean physically?”

  His dad nodded. A few years back they’d had what his dad called the birds-and-bees talk, so Amari knew about condoms and STDs, porn addiction, and the rest.

  His dad added, “When things get hot and heavy and your body starts overriding your brain, you can lose yourself.”

  “But how do I not like her?”

  “Tough question, because a lot of times love comes at you fast, and you don’t have any control over liking a girl. But whatever you do—whether it’s a kiss or just holding her hand—make sure she’s okay with it. And if she says no, respect that. Don’t try and wear her down so she’ll change her mind. No means no. Always.”

  Amari understood consent, it was all over the news and the Internet, but he didn’t think that would be a problem. He was looking for a way out, not how to get closer.

  His dad continued, “And who knows, Tiffany may be the one for you.”

  Amari glared, and his dad chuckled in response. “You’ll figure it out, son.”

  “I hope so. Thanks again for the car.”

  “Thank Marie. It was her idea.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay. I will.”

  “Are we done here?”

  “I guess.”

  His dad gave him a pat on the shoulder. “You’ll be fine.” And he left the room.

  Sitting alone, Amari wondered why life had to be so complicated. In truth, this mess with Tiffany was a small problem. It wasn’t like being in foster care and wondering if there’d be anything to eat, or if the next home you were moved to had heat or not. He’d survived that, so he guessed he’d survive this, too.

  Devon appeared in the doorway. Amari looked up. “What do you want?”

  “Zoey gave OG some of her gold so he could pay back Ms. Bernadine,” he said excitedly.

  “When?”

  “After school. Her mom drove her over to Tamar’s.”

  Amari’s relationship with their grandfather was still unsettled, but he knew Zoey loved the OG just as much as he did. “I’m glad she helped him.”

  “Me, too, but I still think he should paint the fence.”

  “Bye, Dev.”

  Devon stuck out his tongue and went back to his room.

  Wondering how much it might cost to send his brother to Madagascar, permanently, Amari picked up his phone and sent Zoey a text. Heard about the gold. Awesome.

  She replied. ☺

  Chapter 15

  By midweek, Mal had had it with his confinement. Four days had passed since his altercation with Ruth’s brother and he was ready to go home. The throbbing in his nose and head only bothered him occasionally and the bruising around his eyes was fading. When he walked into the kitchen for breakfast that morning, he asked Tamar, “Can you run me home?”

  She looked up from reading the day’s news on her laptop. “Eat first.”

  He didn’t want to, but was in no mood to argue, so he sat and helped himself to the grits, scrambled eggs, and bacon.

  On their ride into town, he glanced away from the cold rain drenching the countryside and said, “Thanks for taking me in.”

  “You’re welcome. Glad life is looking up.”

  “Me, too.” And he was. With Zoey’s gift, he could finally make restitution and, depending upon what Trent and the others decided, maybe return to work at the Dog. Paying the money back might also aid in his quest to regain Bernadine’s love. Time would tell.

  As Tamar pulled into the Dog’s parking lot, he thought about all that had occurred since he’d last been home and how his life had changed. In a way, he felt as if he were starting over, and planned to take advantage of this second chance. “Thanks, Tamar.”

  “No problem. Call me if you need anything.”

  “Will do.” He got out of the truck and moved quickly through the rain to his place. Fitting the key into the lock, he gave Tamar a quick wave. Inside, warmth and silence greeted him. Removing his damp jacket, he hung it on the closet doorknob and savored the relief and gratitude that filled him.

  Taking a seat on the couch, he sent text messages to Clay, Trent, Marie, and Rocky to let them know he was home. He wanted to contact Bernadine to give her the gold, but hesitated. So far, he’d stayed true to his promise to text her only once a day. Most of his texts had consisted of a simple how are you, or have a good day. He’d steered clear of asking to see her, take her out, or come on her in any way that might jeopardize their fragile truce. Giving the coins to Trent would be a better idea. That way the distance she wanted could be maintained. And who knew, maybe she’d call to say thanks.

  Trent stopped by a few hours later to pick up the gold.

  Mal confessed, “I wasn’t sure who to give it to.”

  “I’ll make sure it gets where it needs to go.”

  “Thanks.”

  An awkward silence followed, and Mal searched for words to repair the breach he’d created. “My apologies again for what I put you through. You’ve always been a better son than I deserved.”

  “I appreciate that.”

  Mal knew it would take time to repair their relationship and he was willing to do whatever it took to again have Trent’s respect. “Going to take Marie’s advice and apologize to everybody, including Amari. Luis’s son, Alfonso, is on my list, too.”

  “Glad you’re ready to fix things,” Trent replied. “It’ll mean a lot.”

  “I hope so.”

  “It will, and it does—especially to me.” When Trent extended his hand for a shake, Mal, filled with surprise and emotion, extended his own and shook firmly.

  “Let’s go back to being family. Okay?” Trent said softly.

  His heart full, Mal nodded.

  They broke the connection and viewed each other in the silence. For the first time in weeks, Mal felt no shame meeting Trent’s eyes. “Thanks for being my son.”

  “I’ve always loved you, old man, and always will. That’s never been at issue.”

  “Do I still have a job?”

  Trent smiled. “Yes. I have a temp filling in for you, so take the weekend to finish recovering.”

  “Okay.”

  “I need to get back to the Power Plant. I’ll call you later.”

  Trent departed. A humbled Mal sat down. Once again he noted how blessed he was to have Trent as his son and was glad his apology had been taken to heart. He thought maybe he should have lea
ther jackets made with “Mal July Apology Tour” written across the back. He wondered if he could convince Clay to be a roadie.

  The next morning, he woke up at dawn and had his coffee outside on his small deck. The rain had stopped sometime during the night, and although the air was chilly, it felt good to sit and sip and watch the sunrise. He also thought about the day ahead. Missing Bernadine continued to resonate inside like the quiet tinkle of a delicate wind chime, but there was nothing he could do but sigh and move on. He’d sent Rocky a text last night asking to see her, so when he heard his doorbell a short while later, he answered it, and there she stood.

  “Morning,” she said, coming inside. “What’s up? Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. Just making sincere apologies to everybody I hurt during this whole stupid affair and that includes you.”

  “Okay,” she replied with a hint of doubt.

  “I mean it, Rock. I’m truly sorry. And thanks for taking down Ruth’s brother.”

  “You’re welcome. He needed it after sucker punching you that way.” She viewed his eyes. “You look like you’re healing up.”

  “I am. Head has stopped hurting, but my nose is still a little sore.”

  “I heard about Zoey’s gift. What a big heart.”

  “I know. She’ll probably rule the world one day. I just hope I live long enough to see it.”

  She looked him up and down and, as if she could see the truth in him, said quietly, “Welcome back, Mal.”

  Hearing that meant so much, he choked up. “I still have a long way to go to be trusted again, but thanks for not putting me out with the trash.”

  “It was real close, believe me.”

  “I know, and it was what I deserved.” And he based that on how he’d’ve reacted had someone illegally helped themselves to his bank account. Being happy wouldn’t have been on the list.

  Rocky said, “I’m glad you mentioned trust, though, because that’s going to remain an issue for now. You’re welcome to come back and work if you want, but the passwords, and handling the books, are still off-limits.”

  “Understood. I think I’m going to stick with the custodian job for now.” He needed the solitude the position offered to help put him back on track.

  Their eyes met. Over the years, Rocky had stuck with him through everything. He never wanted to disappoint her, ever again. “Thanks, Rock.”

  “You’re welcome. I need to get to work. We’ll be having Siz’s going-away party two weeks from Saturday. Make sure you’re there.”

  “Wouldn’t miss it.”

  “I’ll see you later.” And with that she was gone.

  The Mal Apology Tour continued for the rest of the day. He spoke to Marie, Gen, and Barrett Payne, who was in his office at the store.

  “Finally come to your senses, have you?” Payne asked.

  Mal knew the retired Marine wasn’t going to give him a break and it was okay. “Yes, I have.”

  “Good. Leave the dumb stuff to the kids from now on, how about it?”

  Mal gave him a crisp salute. “Yes, sir!”

  Barrett returned the salute. “Carry on.”

  Leaving the store with a smile, Mal stopped by Reg’s office to clear the air with him and thank him for his care. Reg evaluated his nose and eyes. “You’re healing nicely. Try to avoid being punched out in the future.”

  Mal nodded.

  “You mean a lot to my daughter and to this town. And as she would say, ‘No more being a dumb ass, okay?’”

  Mal chuckled. “Got it.”

  After lunch, he walked into the fire station and found Luis at his desk. “Can I bother you for a minute, Chief?”

  Luis, apparently still upset, didn’t hide his displeasure at seeing him but gestured to a seat. “What can I do for you?”

  “Came to thank you for the verbal slap in the face you gave me at the meeting. I earned it. Never had anyone accuse me of being a detriment to the race before. You woke me up.”

  Luis studied him silently for a moment before saying, “Glad to hear it.”

  Mal added, “And if it’s okay, I’d like to talk to Alfonso and Maria, so I can apologize to them, too.”

  Luis seemed caught off guard by that. “You’re serious?”

  Mal nodded. “I want to make things right. I don’t ever want your son to question the way you’ve raised him or deal with a problem the way I did.”

  “I was so angry with you.”

  “And you had every right to be, Luis. Every right.” His fury at the meeting had been memorable.

  “When do you want to talk to him?”

  “Can I stop by the house this evening after you’re home?”

  “How about I send you a text when we’re ready.”

  “Sounds good.” Mal stood. “I’ll let you get back to what you were doing. Thanks, Luis.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Mal started to the door.

  “Mal?”

  He turned back.

  “Thanks.”

  Mal nodded. Buoyed by the positive day, he stepped out into the sunshine.

  That evening, after receiving Luis’s text, he drove out to the doublewide the Acostas were occupying until their new house in the subdivision was finished. Luis ushered him in. Mal nodded at Anna and the children, then they all took seats in the kitchen.

  Alfonso, looking professorial in his black-rimmed glasses, said, “My dad said you wanted to talk to me and Maria.”

  “I do. It’s about the money I stole.”

  The two kids shared a quick look of surprise.

  “I set a bad example when I did it, and I wanted you to know it didn’t make me feel better about myself. In fact, I feel pretty stupid.”

  Maria asked, “But why did you think it would make you feel better?”

  “Because I thought it would turn me into somebody else.”

  “Who?”

  “I don’t know. Somebody richer and cooler maybe. Pretty dumb, huh?”

  Alfonso shot his dad a quick glance. “We’re not supposed to call adults dumb.”

  Luis said, “You can make an exception this one time.”

  “Then, yeah, OG. It was pretty dumb. Stealing is always wrong.”

  “You’re right,” Mal replied. “And that’s why I came to apologize. I don’t ever want you or any of the other kids to think you can fix a problem by choosing the dumb way out.”

  Maria asked, “Is Tamar going to put you on punishment?”

  “No, but I’ll be putting myself on punishment.”

  Alfonso’s eyes widened. “Really? Whoa. What are you going to do?”

  “First, apologize to everyone I hurt because that’s what you’re supposed to do when you mess up. Then I’m going to do some other things I don’t want to talk about right now.”

  “Devon says you should paint the fence. I don’t ever want to do that. Zoey said it’s really hard.”

  “Zoey learned that firsthand this summer, so make sure you stay away from the dark side. And always talk to your dad or your grandmother Anna if you have a problem. They’ll steer you right.”

  “Okay.”

  “You have any questions for an old man who did something real dumb?” Mal asked.

  Alfonso showed a small smile. “No, sir.”

  Maria said, “No, sir.”

  “Then thanks for listening.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  And after receiving a nod from their dad, the kids left the adults alone.

  Anna said, “Mal, I don’t know too many people who’d put themselves out there for some children the way you just did.”

  “It was owed—to them and to Luis.” Done with this portion of the Apology Tour, he stood. “Luis, thanks for allowing me to clean things up. I’m promising everyone it won’t happen again.”

  “Holding you to that.” Luis walked him to the door and Mal drove home.

  The next morning, although Trent told him to take the day off, Mal went to the school, not to work b
ut to talk to the kids. His unannounced entrance into the classroom grabbed everyone’s attention.

  Face puzzled, Jack said, “Hey, Mal. What’s up?”

  “Stopped by to talk to the kids about the theft, if I may.”

  Jack went silent for a moment, then said, “Um, sure.”

  Mal added, “Can you have Mr. Abbott bring the young ones in, too?”

  “Yeah. Hold on.”

  He left and returned with Abbott and his small class, which included some Franklin kids and Jaz and Maria.

  While they were getting settled, Mal eyed Amari, seated at his desk, arms folded, eyes skeptical. Mal had earned the skepticism and it pained him. Having Amari’s respect meant as much to him as having Trent’s. He wanted Devon’s as well, even if the boy was a pain in the behind most of the time. In fact, Mal thought of every kid in Jack’s classroom as one of his grandchildren, and he’d let them down. Terribly.

  He realized they were all quietly waiting for him to do whatever he’d come to do, so he began, “I came to apologize to you for being a thief and a liar.” Mal saw Amari’s eyes widen, but continued, “Sometimes, adults make excuses for their bad behavior, but I have none. Zip. Zero. What I did was selfish, stupid, and hurtful, and it cost me your respect. I’m sorry. As your OG, I’m supposed to set an example of how to handle life the right way. Instead, I set one that none of you should emulate. Ever. Hopefully, sometime in the future I can re-earn your respect, and the respect of your parents and teachers.” He looked to Jack, who gave him an approving nod. “And as my way of showing how serious I am, I’ll be painting Ms. Marie’s fence, first thing in the morning.”

  He heard gasps. “I know it’s only been a punishment for young folks, but I think my crime fits.”

  The kids stared at each other with wonder-filled eyes. Amari had his fingers steepled against his lips, watching. Mal wished he knew what was going through his grandson’s mind.

  Amari asked, “Do you mean it? I mean really?”

  Mal knew his response would color their relationship for years to come—maybe forever—so he replied with genuine, heart-driven sincerity, “Yes, Amari, I do. This isn’t like that half-baked apology I gave at the town meeting. This is the real deal, and I hope, one day, you’ll forgive me.”

  He sensed Amari weighing both him and the answer. As if coming to a decision, Amari stood, smiled, and began applauding. The other kids followed his lead, and soon the room rang with cheers, shouts, desk poundings, and roars of “OG! OG! OG!”