Broken (Endurance)

by Thomas, April

  "What's up Samuel?" Max said walking up behind them.

  Mei froze and turned, her eyes wide with surprise. "Babe, you know him?"

  "Yeah," Max smacked his hand on Samuel's shoulder, deliberately displaying his strength.

  Samuel coughed as the air was knocked out of his lungs.

  "Sam was my roommate before we moved into the hut." Max smiled at Mei. "Let me help you." He walked over to her and took the baby.

  "He is getting so heavy." Mei shook her arms out.

  "I was just making sure she got to your hut safely," Samuel said, his gaze shifting with guilt.

  "It's kind of funny that you would even know that Mei was my wife when you’ve never met her," Max retorted.

  "Well, I… I recognized your son."

  "My son? Did my son call you over?" Max was being openly sarcastic.

  "Look, I just saw a young mother walking alone and I was concerned for her safety."

  Max was annoyed by Samuel's persistent lies. He tried to maintain his calm as he stepped in front of Samuel. He handed his son back to Mei. "Don't think for one minute you’re going to get away with the game you’re trying to play here. This is my wife and my son. Don't get it twisted. You do not want to get on my bad side. I promise you, you will lose." Max glared into his face.

  "Chill out, I was just trying to be nice. I know she ain't into me." Despite his cool words, Samuel took a step back.

  Max backed off. "Come on, babe. Let’s go." He took Uriel out of her arms.

  Mei tried not to laugh as they walked away. The look on Samuel's face was priceless. Mei knew by his silence that Max was still upset. Once home, Mei was greeted with the smell of pineapple chicken, sweet potato mash and spinach salad.

  "Max, it smells so good." Mei looked at the table that had been set. Covered trays of food sat in the middle of the table.

  Max had no response to Mei's statement. He put Uriel in his crib and handed him a bottle of juice. He stood next to the crib with his hands resting on the bars. Thinking of what had just happened.

  Mei felt guilty for not telling him what was going on. She was surprised by the way he was handling the situation.

  "Why didn't you tell me he was stalking you?" Max asked.

  "Max, he wasn't stalking me, he just happened to be in my area," Mei said, not realizing that Samuel put himself everywhere he knew she would be. He had her schedule memorized.

  "Mei, Sandra has seen him around campus following you. When he first came on to you, why didn't you tell me?"

  Max, nothing happened." Mei walked over to him stooping to pass under his arm and come to stand between him and the crib. She could see he was trying to control his temper.

  "Mei, I love you and I know you didn't tell me because I’d go a little nuts. Fine, I understand that, but you need to understand something." Max straightened up and walked across the room. “Communication is very important.”

  Mei followed him as he sat on the bed. "When I was thirteen and getting into girls my uncle picked me up early from the center one day. Dad had been out drinking again and Tamarius was worried that I would grow up and treat women badly and wondered what type of woman I would one day bring home."

  Mei nodded as she took a seat next to her husband.

  "He told me something that stuck with me. It didn't all make sense at first, but when we finally got together, everything, I mean everything fell into place for me."

  "What did he say?"

  "He said that every woman wants to be loved, but very few men know how to love a woman. He said if you want to love a woman the way her soul desires, then you have to get closer to God. God will teach you how to love a worthy woman"

  Mei looked at Max and creased her brow in confusion. "That is deep for a thirteen year old"

  "When God made Adam and then made Eve to be his companion, it wasn't only so that she could keep him company or just keep him warm at night. God created women as a gift. Adam did cherish Eve because she came from him. The crazy thing is he also used her. Eve didn't know or understand all the reasoning behind the rules. When Satan deceived Eve, Adam was standing right there next to her. Adam allowed Eve to eat the fruit from the tree that God had forbidden them to eat from. Adam used Eve as a guinea pig to see what would happen to her if she bit the fruit. When he saw that she didn't die he then bit into the fruit. So when God asked Adam, ‘Why did you eat from the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil?’ Adam said, ‘The woman you gave me offered me the fruit and I did eat.’ Adam first accused Eve, the gift God had given him. And Eve blamed the serpent then admitted her own guilt. Do you know, ever since God kicked Adam and Eve out of Eden, he has been trying to cleanse us so that we can one day come back to Eden?"

  "So we should be mad at Adam," Mei replied.

  Max chuckled. "It still takes two to tango."

  "What does this have to do with us?" Mei asked.

  "We need to learn from our ancestors’ mistakes. Adam failed Eve as a husband by not seeing the gift God had given him. He manipulated and used her. It may have seemed subtle, but the intention was just as damning. Mei, I want us to communicate on every level. I don't care if you think I’ll lose my mind. Just tell me so that together we can work through the problem."

  "Sometimes you look like you’re going to blow a blood vessel. I don't mean to drive you crazy with these things, but guys who approach me are harmless once they see my ring or I tell them I'm married. Whether they believe me or not, they leave me alone. I just figured eventually Samuel would do the same. We're young, Max. We can't even buy alcohol to celebrate our anniversary. People our age don't act the way we do. We’re like old souls so when we step out into the world, the first thing people are going to think is that we are going to fail."

  "I know and I don't care about what other people are thinking about us," Max replied.

  "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

  "It's okay. I understand why you didn't. That’s why I told you all of this."

  "Your uncle is amazing. You’re very lucky to have him." Mei leaned into Max. "What else did your uncle teach you?"

  "Mmm, I remember when he told me that Satan hates women. So many people don't know that he really hates them. This world would not be the way it is today without women. God knew that man could not do it alone. We must multiply and stay loyal to one woman."

  "Well, I know many guys who would assassinate you for what you just said." Mei laughed.

  "The reason I'm saying all of this is because Satan is going to try to destroy you and me, what we have together, what we will have together. He doesn't want our babies coming into this world. We have to be a team in every sense of the word. Our marriage is more than just two messed up teens who fell in love and got pregnant. It's a divine union, a special mission and we cannot fail."

  "I understand, baby. I'm sorry. I was so caught with how you were going to react that I didn't read between the lines," Mei said, truly taking to heart everything Max had said.

  "Let's just tell each other everything no matter how we may think the other will take it."

  "Okay." Mei wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him.

  "We need to eat. The food is probably cold now," Max said

  Mei pushed him back onto the bed and kissed him. Uriel protested. He finished his bottle, threw it out of the crib and was ready for food. Mei groaned as she crawled off Max to pick Uriel out of the crib.

  "Okay, I get it. You’re hungry." Mei smiled at the baby.

  Max reluctantly got out of bed and joined his family for dinner.

  ***

  Samuel knocked on the front door of Renee's hut. Her roommate answered, another freshman named Penny Jenkins. "Is Renee here?" he asked impatiently. Samuel didn't want Max to see him at the village, not yet. He looked around nervously as Penny silently retrieved Renee.

  "What do you want?" Renee asked, looking at him as if he were crazy.

  "Let me in. I want to talk to you about something."

  Ren
ee rolled her eyes and reluctantly stepped aside to let Samuel pass. He hurried in and looked around the hut. "Wow, you guys need some help?"

  "Yeah, I know." Renee stood next to him.

  Renee and Penny's hut was barren. They had two twin sized beds at either side of the hut and suitcases flung open with clothes scattered everywhere. Samuel turned to see that there was no other piece of furniture.

  "You guys do know you’re being graded for this, don’t you?"

  "Yeah, we know," Penny said, feeling frustrated.

  "I can help you guys out, for a favor." He turned to Renee.

  Penny walked to a pile of clothes and swept everything up into her arms. "Ren, I'll be back. I have to go wash some clothes."

  "Okay." She opened the door for her roommate.

  "What is that intoxicating aroma?" Samuel asked, looking for food.

  "Oh that, that's what I have to deal with living next to Max and Mei." Renee stomped off to her suitcase, rifling through it and pulling out a bottle of perfume. “This oughta get rid of the smell,” she said, spraying the floral scent around the room.

  "Who cooked? Mei?" Samuel asked sniffing the air.

  "Oh, no, that was last night. Homemade chicken fried rice with egg drop soup... egg drop.” She threw her arms up in exasperation. “I wouldn't know the first thing about making egg drop soup. I don't even know where they’re getting the seasonings. I think they have a special stash somewhere."

  “Could be.”

  She turned her attention to Samuel. "So, I heard you got a thing for Mei."

  "I know you gotta thing for Max."

  "Whatever." Renee sat on her bed.

  "You know you’re not a bad looking girl. Maybe if you just got Max jealous."

  "And how am I suppose to do that?"

  "Make him think you have moved on."

  "With who?"

  "Me"

  Renee stood up and walked to Samuel, looking him in the face. "And what's in it for you?"

  "I wouldn't insult your intelligence." Samuel returned her steady gaze.

  "You think they will buy it."

  "Only one way to know for sure. Right now we both need to back off." Samuel stepped away from Renee and walked over to her bed. "Do you mind?" He pointed to the bed.

  "Do I have a choice?"

  Samuel relaxed on her bed as he thought about the situation. "Thanksgiving break is coming up. What do you have planned?"

  "Ugh, dinner with my step-dad and his family."

  "Do you think your family would mind if you spent it with me?"

  "Yeah, my mom is still trying to find this place on a map. We finally had to give her a fake location before she would let me go."

  "Well, just say we spent it together. We need to act like a couple when break is over."

  "Understood."

  "Okay, it's a deal then." Samuel rose to his feet. "I will be talking to you soon." He headed for the door.

  There was a knock at the door and Renee looked through the peephole. "It's Max," she whispered and waved Samuel away.

  "Max, what brings you here?"

  "We didn't want to waste this food. It was too much for us and everyone else has already eaten dinner. We didn't smell anything from here, sooo."

  "Say no more. Thank you. Penny and I will be thrilled. Thank you." Renee took the foil dish out of his hands.

  Max smiled and walked away sensing something was up. He decided to play spy. He walked into his hut and peered out a side window. A few moments later he saw a very suspicious Samuel leave Renee's hut. "Now what are they up to?" Max whispered.

  Mei walked up to him. "Should I be concerned?" She folded her hands across her chest.

  Max turned around laughing. "No, it's nothing. I just saw Samuel leave Renee's house."

  "Renee?"

  "Yep."

  "Something is up?"

  "Only time will tell."

  "Sandra told me Renee is a handful. She wanted her to come here to get help, but now she's regretting it."

  Max sat down on a wooden bench to take off his shoes. Sitting down made him realize how tired his body was. He’d had a vigorous work out two days earlier and was feeling the effects of it now.

  Mei looked at him lovingly as she knelt in front of him to untie his sneakers. Max smiled as he leaned back and relaxed. "Thank you."

  "Max, you need new shoes?" Mei looked at his shoe. It was worn down from constantly walking through the rough terrain. "I started making a list of the things we need when we go home for Thanksgiving." She pulled off his socks. She looked up to see Max drifting off to sleep. She smiled and shook her head as she unbuttoned his jeans. Standing she pulled his upper body to rest on her body as she pulled off his shirt. Rubbing his back, she spoke to him softly, waking him up. "Come to bed, baby. You’re exhausted and I can't carry you."

  Max stood. His pants fell to the ground and he stepped out of them then he surprised Mei by picking her up and carrying her to their bed They made love before falling into a deep sleep.

  Michael

  Tamarius, Makayla and Tia all stood with a realtor looking at an old abandoned house which stood on fifteen acres of land. After spending three weeks searching for land, they finally found a location they all could agree on. Makayla looked at her cousin who scanned the vacant land.

  "Tia, what do you think?" Makayla asked.

  "I love it." Tia threw her hands up in the air.

  "Then we all agree," Tamarius said to the realtor. "We will take it."

  "Great, I can set up an appointment with the seller tomorrow morning. I will call you by the end of the day to let you know what time to come in."

  "Great," Tamarius said, shaking her hand before she walked off.

  "We just need to tear down that house." Makayla looked at the rundown structure.

  "Yeah, it's in the way," Tia replied.

  "Do you guys want to stay a bit longer or head out?" Tamarius approached them.

  "What do you think?" Makayla asked Tia.

  "I want to get this ball rolling," Tia replied. "There's nothing left for us to do here today. What's our next step?"

  "We meet with the owners in the morning... ah… hold on." Tamarius searched for his cell phone that had begun to ring. "Ah, Maxi pad," he said on hearing his brother’s voice.

  "Tampon, you just never let it go." Maxwell laughed.

  "I have a favor to ask you."

  "Anything for you, bro."

  Maxwell smiled. His brother had always been ready to support him on anything for as long as he could remember. "I'm swamped with business meetings and this thing going on with Cressida. I really don't want to leave town right now."

  "Sure. You want me to come home?"

  "No, I can handle the ones here. It’s the ones overseas that I can't deal with right now."

  "When is the next overseas meeting?"

  "There's one right there in Trinidad this week and the one next week is in the Virgin Islands, Hawaii, St. Kitts, Aruba, and next month I can't make it to the board meeting at the college. I was going to pick up Max and Mei early while I was there. Can you?"

  "Yeah, of course. I know Makayla and I will be happy to see them."

  "Well, it's a surprise. They think they're traveling back on the travel arrangements from Hell." Maxwell laughed.

  "Good one, keep them humble."

  "That's a challenge."

  "Ah, Max is a good boy. He can do it."

  "I will send you the agenda. Winston will send all the travel info to the flight crew in a few. How is everything on your side?"

  "Good. We’re buying some land right now to build a huge children's home and community for Tia."

  "That’s great. We need to celebrate when it opens."

  "How is Cressida?" Tamarius asked.

  "I kind of... well... I had it out with her father the other day," Maxwell confessed.

  "Why? What happened?"

  "He told me she’s set to marry some guy."

  "And what did y
ou do?"

  "I kind of told him she was pregnant with my kid so she can't and that we’re getting married."