Destination D

by Lori Beard-Daily

  Tracey squeezed his hand and stared out the window. Everything he was saying was true, but there was so much more to the story. She looked back at Tony, whose eyes kept darting from the road to her.

  “Tony, it’s very complicated and I can’t tell you everything right now. But I promise that eventually I will. Right now, I just want you to meet him and judge him for yourself.”

  “Cool,” Tony said, as he thought about Tracey’s dishonesty. If she could do this behind her mother’s back, what was she capable of doing to him?

  “Cool,” Tracey repeated as she squeezed his hand.

  “Just so you know, I’m not cool with having to share you the last couple of hours we have together.”

  “Tony, come on. My father’s not going to come between us.”

  “He already has,” Tony mumbled.

  “Listen Tony, please don’t go there. Not now,” she said.

  Tony could tell that he had stepped over the line. If he really wanted to be supportive, he would have to change his attitude and just trust that she was doing the right thing.

  As Tony unloaded the luggage at the ticket counter, he felt a firm hand grab the handle at the same time.

  “Here, let me help you with that, son.”

  Tracey heard the familiar voice and immediately stopped breathing. She broke off her conversation with the ticket agent and ran. “Daddy!”

  “Hey, sweetheart! Looks like you’re packed for the next four years.”

  “Miss, you’re holding up the line,” the ticket agent said.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I’ll be right there. Daddy, this is my boyfriend Tony I told you about. Tony, this is my father, Rickey Mavers.”

  Tony looked at Rickey, surprised that a man of his age was in such good shape. He still looked as if he could run some yardage. “The pleasure is mine, sir.”

  Rickey eyed Tony carefully. Tony looked like a ladies’ man—just like him when he was his age. He looked real clean cut, and polite too, or so he seemed. What were Tony’s real intentions with Tracey?

  “It’s my pleasure, also,” Rickey responded.

  Tracey watched them shake hands. She was so relieved that Tony agreed to meet him.

  “Miss!” the ticket agent called out again.

  “Sorry, guys, I’ll be right back,” she said as she ran back to the ticket counter. “I really do apologize. That’s my dad,” she said giddily, handing the agent her identification and looking back at them over her shoulder.

  “Yes, I can see the resemblance,” the agent said coolly.

  “Really?”

  “Uh huh,” she said without looking up as she entered Tracey’s information into the computer. “Here you go,” she said as she handed back her ID. Have a nice flight.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Okay, guys. I’m all set.” Tracey placed one arm around Tony and one around her father and gave them a squeeze. “I’ve still got two hours before my flight, so let’s find someplace to sit down,” she said as they headed over to the seating area in front of the security checkpoint. She looked at her father and didn’t know what to say first.

  “Daddy, I was telling Tony about how you were the number one draft pick for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.” Rickey looked at Tony and grinned.

  Tony knew exactly what he was thinking. So, the former Buccaneer Mavers was really impressed with himself. But, he didn’t care if he was the first draft choice. All Tony wanted to know was how a man could abandon his child. Period. His parents had been married for twenty years and never once would his father ever consider abandoning his family. What kind of man was he beneath that charming smile? His shirt looked like it was tailor made by Versace himself, and his shoes looked like he paid about five hundred dollars just for the buckle alone. And that Rolex watch on his wrist had to put him out several grand. But he was still cheap in Tony’s book.

  “So how long did you play for Tampa?” Tony said, trying to sound interested for Tracey’s sake.

  “I played for four and a half years. Until I got cut because of a knee injury.”

  “So what have you been doing for the last 18 years?” Tony felt Tracey’s eyes cut him to the quick. “I mean, what are you doing now?”

  Rickey glared at Tony. He better not try and play him like that in front of his daughter. The next time he pulled something like that, he was going to have to set him straight and embarrass his young ass. “I’ve been involved in a lot of business deals,” he said.

  Yeah, I bet, Tony thought. “Really? What kind of business? I mean, if you don’t mind my asking.” He eyed both Tracey and Rickey.

  “No, I don’t mind at all. I’m looking at some franchise opportunities in different cities, including here in the Atlanta area.”

  “So does that mean that you’ll be moving down here?” Tracey interjected.

  Rickey smiled at Tracey. She was looking at him like he was her hero. “Temporarily. If the deal works out, then maybe I will consider moving to Atlanta permanently. I’m flying out a little later myself to see about some of these businesses.”

  “So, Tracey, what do you know? Your mom and pop will be sharing the same city.” Tony could only hope there was enough room in Atlanta for Rickey’s ego to match the tornado that was about to come through once Amanda found out that Tracey had been secretly seeing him.

  Tracey looked at Tony questioningly. Where did that statement come from? She wished Tony would keep his flippant remarks to himself.

  “Well, I’m sure there’s enough room in Atlanta for both of us.”

  “Yes, of course there is.” Tracey smiled nervously and glanced at the time on her cell phone. “Man, look at the time.”

  “I can’t believe we’ve talked this long,” Rickey said.

  I can’t believe I’ve stomached you this long. Tony managed to put on a smile. “Me neither, Mr. Mavers, it’s been ah right.”

  Rickey looked down at his watch. “Hey, sweetheart, it looks like you have only about ninety minutes until your flight leaves.”

  “I know. I guess I better head on through security. You never know how long these lines will get.” She looked at Tony sadly. “I hate to leave the two of you, especially since you are getting along so well. I knew it would be like this.”

  Rickey cleared his throat. “Ah, baby girl,” he said as he gave Tracey a long hug and kissed her on the cheek.

  Tony turned his back for a minute and pretended to cough. He didn’t want Tracey to see that he was really feeling a little anxious and that he had to say goodbye to her in front of her father—and having to pretend that he was fine with everything.

  Just as Tracey opened her eyes and stepped back from her final embrace with her father, she saw Dee walking past the ticket counter holding a little boy’s hand. The little boy looked to be about five years old. He was wearing khaki shorts and a white Mickey Mouse t-shirt, and he was hugging a stuffed dog.

  “Is that your mommy and daddy over there?” Dee asked. The little boy nodded as Dee walked him over to the Asian couple who was running toward him.

  “Thank you! Thank you!” they said as they grabbed and hugged him and checked him over and over to make sure he was okay. Tears ran down the little boy’s face as he nodded.

  “This airport is so big and he got away from us when we boarded the train,” the father said in his best English speaking voice.

  Dee smiled and patted the boy’s dog. “He’s okay. I’m just glad I saw him and had time between flights to help him.” As Dee turned to go back through security, she saw Tracey waving her arms and beckoning her to come over. “What in the—?”

  “Auntie Dee, Auntie Dee, come over here!”

  Dee made her way over to the threesome and was speechless when she saw Rickey.

  “Auntie Dee, this is my boyfriend, Tony. Tony, THIS is my Aunt Dee who I have been telling you about.”

  “Hi,” Tony said extending his hand. “Tracey has told me a lot about you.”

  “It’s ALL good I hope.”


  Tony nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Well, well, well, Mr. Rickey Mavers, how are you these days?” Dee said in a chilling tone.

  “I’ve been good,” Rickey retorted.

  “Wow! The two of you know each other?” Tony was stunned.

  “Yes,” they both answered regrettably.

  “But, it’s been a while since we’ve seen each other,” Rickey snarled.

  “Not long enough,” Dee snarled back and eyed him up and down.

  As Tracey watched their bantering in disbelief, she decided to intervene and hopefully smooth things over. “I told Auntie Dee that we had found each other,” Tracey said nervously.

  “So, where have you been Rickey, all these 17 years?” Dee asked firmly.

  Tony grinned as he watched the flares between them start to ignite. He caught himself before he laughed out loud. Tracey’s Aunt Dee was not holding anything back. She was saying everything he wished he could say and he loved every minute of it.

  “I’ve been handling my business,” Rickey answered back in a brash tone. “I can see that I can’t say the same thing about you though ‘cuz you still up in everybody else’s business,” he mumbled. He immediately went over to Tracey and kissed and hugged her one more time as Dee tried to gain her composure.

  “Did you say something?” Dee quipped.

  “It was nothing.”

  “Yeah, that’s just like you, nothing,” Dee scoffed.

  Rickey disdainfully eyeballed Dee from head to toe. “Don’t you have a flight or something you should be trying to catch?”

  Dee glanced at her watch and then looked at him piercingly between the eyes. “No.”

  “Ah hem…” Tracey interrupted. “Well, I do,” she announced as she pulled Dee toward her. “Hey, go easy on him, Auntie Dee. He’s not who you think he is, okay?”

  “Hmph! Since when?”

  Tracey’s tone became firm. She pulled Dee a couple of steps away from her father so he couldn’t hear. “Aunt Dee, he’s my dad. I know you know about my dad and mama’s history, but I promise you that there is more to the story.”

  “R-e-a-l-l-y? And I suppose he told you that, huh?”

  Tracey inhaled deeply and rolled her eyes. “Yes, Aunt Dee and I believe him. Listen, you’ve got to stop treating him like he’s got some type of disease. I’m spending more time trying to keep you two from going off on each other than spending time with Tony—who, by the way, is just sitting over there waiting this drama out. Look at him.”

  “Yes, I see him, but I’m not concerned with Tony’s feelings right now. I’m concerned about you. You know your mother used to believe your father’s words too, and you see where that got her, right?”

  “Aunt Dee! Please, just stop it!”

  Dee threw her hands up. “I’m sorry. I really didn’t mean for that to come out like that. It’s just that I remember when you were born. I know your parents were kids themselves. But your father was not there for you or Amanda when he should have been. Your mother has done an excellent job in raising you, and I don’t want him to come into your life and undo any of it.”

  “He won’t. You’ll see.”

  “Well, I’m not holding my breath.”

  Tracey looked up at Dee with sad eyes. “This is exactly why I didn’t want to tell Mama. But, I didn’t expect you—of all people—to react like this.”

  “Tracey, you haven’t even told me the whole story about you and your father. How did you find him? Why has he been MIA all of these years?”

  “Well, I’ve tried to but…”

  Dee folded her arms and tapped her foot impatiently. “Okay, tell me now, then.”

  Tracey peeked at her cell phone’s clock and knew there was not enough time before her flight to tell Dee everything.

  “I see, now you’ve gotta go, right?”

  “I’m afraid so. Oh, Aunt Dee,” she said as she grabbed her neck and hugged her. “I’m so sorry things have turned out this way.”

  Dee started feeling a little ashamed of her reaction toward Rickey. “I promise to be on my best behavior,” she said, as she placed her arm around Tracey’s shoulder and walked toward Tony and Rickey. They were both seated at separate ends of a bench with their backs to each other. Neither one of them shared a word between them. As Dee and Tracey got closer, they both stood up.

  “Hey, Tony, I’m going to leave the two of you alone to say your goodbyes, man. You don’t need me hanging around here,” Rickey said, waiting for Dee to make one of her smart comments.

  Dee remained silent and Tony was caught off guard by his gesture and Dee’s unexpected surrender.

  “Thanks, Mr. Mavers,” Tony said.

  “Oh, Daddy.” Tracey smiled as she hugged him. He released her and backed away to give the two of them some privacy.

  “Be good, and call me when you land, okay?”

  “I will. Bye, Auntie Dee.”

  “Bye, darlin’. Tony, it was good to meet you. Take care of yourself, okay?”

  “It was nice to meet you, too. I will and thank you,” he said, as he watched Dee and Rickey part in different directions.

  “Well, I guess this is it. It’s just you and me now, finally.” He breathed in a sigh of relief. “You know I love you, Tracey.”

  “I love you too, Tony. And no matter what, I’m going to work to keep this relationship.”

  “Me too,” he said as he bent down and kissed her on the mouth. He held her close as if he could stop her from slipping away. He was still thinking about Rickey’s sudden appearance in her life and was tempted to ask her about it again, but decided this was not the right time. All that mattered was that Tracey was in his arms at this moment. He kissed her again before she walked through security.

  Suddenly, a loud voice bolted through the crowd. “Tracey! Wait!”

  “Mama?”

  “Yes, baby, here, you forgot your carry-on.”

  “Oh, my, I must have left it on the kitchen table.”

  “You did,” Amanda said breathlessly.

  “Oh, Mama you’re so out of breath.”

  “I know,” she said, panting harder. “I just wanted to make sure you got it. I figured you would still be out here talking to Tony.”

  “I was just about to go through security. I’m glad you caught me. Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”

  “I called and told Bill what happened. I’m on my way after I leave here.” Tracey looked up at Tony with a concerned look on her face. Her mother was in no condition to run through the airport like that.

  “Listen, Tracey, go on. You don’t want to miss your flight. I’ll sit here with your mother while she catches her breath.”

  Amanda patted his back. “Thank you, Tony. Bye, baby.” Amanda kissed her on the forehead.

  Tracey’s eyes pleaded with Tony not to let her mother in on her secret. He winked to let her know that her secret was safe. He and Amanda watched her finally make her way through the security checkpoint.

  Twenty minutes had passed before Amanda finally caught her breath. “I’m okay, Tony. Really.”

  “How about I buy you a bottle of water?”

  “That’s okay. I’ll be fine. You can go on now. Thank you.”

  “Okay, well, at least let me walk you back to your car.”

  Amanda smiled at Tony. He was such an honest and respectful young man. She was relieved that she could trust him with her daughter. “Your parents did a good job in raising you, Tony.”

  “I’ll be sure and tell them you said that. They’ll appreciate the compliment.”

  As they headed toward the exit, the crowd in the airport thickened. The security lines were now backed up creating snake lines outside of the airport.

  “It looks like Tracey made it here right before the security meltdown.”

  “Thank God for that. I would have been a nervous wreck if this had happened to her. I’m sure this will be on the news tonight.”

  Dee checked the flight departures and saw that her flight was
going to be delayed. She spotted Rickey and decided it was time for her to speak with him face-to-face without flinging insults.

  “Hey, Rickey.”

  “Oh, no, not you again. What do you want to accuse me of this time? Besides, I thought you had a flight to catch.”

  “It’s been delayed.”

  “Just my luck.”

  “If you have some time, I’d like to speak with you.”

  Rickey looked at his watch. “I don’t know if that is such a good idea. You know, airport security has been heightened around here, and I’m not interested in being assaulted today.”

  “Funny, Rickey.”

  “Excuse me, Dee, but I’ve just spotted Tracey’s boyfriend and I need to have a quick word with him.”

  “I’ll go with you.”

  “Suit yourself. Hey, Tony! Over here!” he called as he made his way through the thickening crowd.

  “Mr. Mavers, hey, I thought you were gone.” Tony tried to remain as calm as possible as he watched Amanda nearing the exit.

  As Amanda came closer to the door, she turned around to look for Tony. When she spotted him, she blinked hard. Her eyes were playing tricks on her. When she realized she wasn’t hallucinating, her face felt like it was on fire and her feet became paralyzed. The crowd kept moving until it pushed Tony, Rickey, and Dee right in front of her. Everyone’s worst nightmare had come to pass, and Tracey had escaped it all.

  Not Just Peanuts

  As Pam pulled her car into the parking lot, she couldn’t help but notice that Amanda’s old parking spot was occupied. She slowed down and wheeled in closer.

  “Well, I’ll just be damned,” she said as she eyed the personalized tag, Shipman 1. “Well, well, well. Look who’s here.” Pam pressed down hard on the accelerator and sped into a parking spot four spaces down from Amanda’s. Sitting behind the steering wheel, she took a few deep breaths before grabbing her briefcase and stepping out of the car. She talked to herself as she walked briskly toward her office building and into the elevator. “Pam, no matter what happens, you’ve got to be the one to maintain control.” Just before the elevator reached the fiftieth floor, Pam pulled back her shoulders, smoothed out her tailored pantsuit, and stepped out of the elevator doors.