The Bryson Blood Wars

by Cynthia Blue

  “Are you sure that’s all it is?” Colton asked.

  “Yes daddy,” Calista said with a half smile.

  Sharp heard a car pull up and walked over to the window to see who it was. “Who’s this coming up the driveway in a navy blue BMW?” Sharp asked.

  “Oh, that’s Leo,” Mai answered.

  “Okay thanks,” Sharp replied and opened the door to let her in. “Good evening Leo.”

  “Good evening Sharp,” Leo greeted and Sharp led her to the living room. “Good evening everyone.” Everyone exchanged greetings and Leo took a seat next to Mai. “Well like they always say, here goes nothing.”

  The small talk between the guests was interrupted by Clover coming down the stairs and walking over to Sharp. “Good evening all. Momma sends her love and support.” Clover gave Sharp a kiss and asked him. “How are the kids, baby?”

  “Having a ball with Kalvin and Kerri. Are you ready?” Sharp asked to be sure.

  “As ready as I’m going to be,” Clover answered with a sigh and began to address the guests. “As you’re all aware you’ve been gathered here for a very important reason. Opal and Wallace’s wedding is coming up soon and I think this is the perfect time to either put up or shut up.”

  “You don’t intend on being quiet about your feelings about the engagement,” Leo guessed.

  “No I don’t,” Clover answered. “And I don’t think any of you should either. After all we’re Opal’s family and friends.”

  “What are your feelings about Opal and Wallace’s wedding Aunt Clover?” Calista asked. After the game in private Calista shared with Clover about Solomon’s indirect run in with Opal and Wallace Bray told her about.

  “I feel if Opal marries Wallace Melvin it’s going to be the worst mistake of her life and it’s up to all of us to convince her of this fact before it’s to late.” Clover said.

  “Do you think we can stop the wedding?” Sharp asked. “Sure, nobody here likes Wallace. Opal seems to know what she wants and is in love with him.”

  “She knows what she wants.” Clover repeated with disbelief. “She doesn’t know Wallace Melvin. He’s a real opportunist. He’s manipulative, verbally and emotionally abusive, clever and cunning and I think dangerous. I believe there’s a trail of wrongdoings that’s going to lead straight to his doorstep.”

  “Wrongdoings? What type of wrongdoings?” Calista asked.

  “I don’t know. I think it has something to do with his abrupt three year disappearance and he’s very determined to stick with that bullshit fabricated story he fed Opal. Sooner or later it’s all going to come out.” Clover explained.

  “That’s what you’re hoping for? More time?” Mai asked.

  “As in a postponement of the wedding?” Colton assumed.

  “Colton, if I can’t get a cancelation out of Opal I’ll settle for a postponement.” Clover said.

  “How are you going to make it happen?” Leo asked.

  “I’m sure we can figure something out,” Clover said with confidence.

  “Do you really think she needs reinforcement baby?” Sharp asked. “I mean Opal’s not stupid. She’s not going to be taken in so easily.”

  “Well with all due respect, Kayson took her in very easily.” Clover said with disappointment. She loves Opal, but she had to accept the fact when it comes to men Opal can be hopelessly naive and gullible. “This marriage is wrong. That motherfucker reminds me to much of Kayson. It’s almost like Kayson’s been reincarnated into Wallace or something.” Clover sighed and shook her head. “Look, I know it sounds crazy but my main concern right now is Opal’s welfare.”

  “That’s also our concern,” Laliyka said.

  “That’s right. We all love Opal and want what’s best for her.” Calista joined in.

  “Let’s say you’re right about Wallace Melvin being up to no good. What can we do? How are we going to stop them from getting married?” Sharp asked.

  “I don’t want us to stop them,” Clover said.

  “Say what?” Colton asked with confusion.

  “I want Opal to stop herself.” Clover said.

  “Stop herself? How?” Laliyka asked.

  Clover continued to explain her plan. “I think if Opal spends the next couple of months with Wallace eventually he will reveal his true self and I don’t think that’s going to be a beautiful picture. I’m just trying to buy some time. A couple of months.”

  “So, you want to at least postpone the wedding because you don’t think Wallace will be able to hide the truth indefinitely?” Colton guessed.

  “Exactly,” Clover said.

  “Do we have any evidence against Wallace? Anything concrete? Anything that proves he has wicked intensions?” Calista asked.

  “Hardcore undisputable evidence: no, but clues pointing us at the right direction: maybe.” Clover said.

  “You’re talking about those notes you’ve been receiving right?” Laliyka guessed.

  “Right, and here’s the latest one,” Clover pulled the note out of her pocket and began to read it aloud:

  Dear Clover,

  I saw the marriage proposal at the game. I shared the same reaction as you and your family when Opal said yes. Wallace is filled with poisonous lethal venom and has been for a long time. This venom has the power to destroy not only Opal but all of you as well. You have to stop this wedding before it’s too late. We’ll meet very soon. Good luck.

  Sincerely,

  A Concerned Ally

  “You think this person is legit?” Colton asked with suspicion.

  “I don’t know,” Clover said with a shrug, and put the note on the table. “Even though I don’t know who this person is; any ally against Wallace is a good thing in my book. Something tells me this anonymous person knows Wallace inside and out.”

  “Which means this person has probably seen Wallace at his worst,” Leo concluded.

  “Bingo,” Clover said. That’s the main reason she’s been taking the notes seriously. “There’s something else. I have a gut feeling that Wallace is holding something over Opal. I don’t know what it is, and I don’t want to get into a lot of speculation. I just want to buy enough time to convince Opal this marriage is wrong.”

  “What do you want us to do?” Mai asked.

  “That’s why I wanted you and Leo to join us. You two have been in Opal’s shoes when it comes to being in tumultuous relationships. If she doesn’t listen to us, maybe she’ll listen to you guys.” Clover hoped.

  “You want me and Mai to convince Opal to call off her wedding?” Leo asked.

  “Not you two by yourselves. We’ll all be there as a family. We’ll all act together,” Clover said. There was a knock on the door. “I bet that’s her now.” Clover said and walked over to the door to answer. I hope this works! Clover sighed and opened the door.

  “Hi sissypoo!” Opal greeted and hugged Clover.

  “Hey girl,” Clover said with a smile. “Come on in.”

  Clover led Opal into the living room. She wasn’t expecting the family to be here, but was happy to see everyone. “Hey guys. Nice to see you all. What’s the occasion?” Opal asked as she took a seat on the couch. She found the gathering kind of strange.

  “We’re all here to see how you’re holding up.” Sharp said which was in a way a true statement.

  “Great. Everything is great,” Opal replied. “Life couldn’t be better. Wallace and I are getting married and when we say ‘I do’ things will get back on track.” Opal said.

  “What do you mean by ‘back on track’?” Clover asked.

  “Things between us have been a little shaky, but we’re working through it.” Opal said.

  “Do you honestly think marrying Wallace is going to fix you guy’s problems?” Clover asked. “Are you sure about this man?”

  “I think I know what’s going on here,” Opal said. She knew Wallace rubbed everyone the wrong way due to the things he’s said to her, but she was hoping they would also see his good side. She wasn’t
angry because she was touched by her family and friend’s concern. “Look, I appreciate your concern, but you don’t have to worry. I’m fine. I’m good. Things between Wallace and myself are not perfect, but if I do my part....”

  “Excuse me!” Laliyka interrupted with slight hostility because she didn’t like the sound of that phrase. “What the fuck that’s supposed to mean?”

  Opal started to explain. “Meaning if I just do my part to make this relationship better by not pissing him off, be more focused on him, lose some weight....”

  “Stop right there,” Laliyka interrupted again because this brainwashing talk was pissing her off. She had to put a stop to this fuckery once and for all. “Any nigga who has the nerve to tell you to lose weight is a bitch ass shallow ass nigga who doesn’t appreciate or deserve you. Sorry for the outburst but you know how I get when somebody shits on my people. Clover is my girl. When she’s happy I’m happy. When she’s hurt I’m hurt. I love her so much. I’m the same way with her family and people. That includes you Opal. I can’t stand to see that nigga treat you like this.”

  “We all know I think Laliyka can be crazy sometimes and the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” Colton said and everybody laughed including Laliyka.

  “That’s true,” Laliyka agreed.

  Colton continued. “That’s the reason I have a soft spot for Laliyka and Ray. I know their craziness is just their way of expressing their love for their family and friends. I’ve always admired them for it.” Colton kissed Laliyka in the forehead and looked over at Opal. “That day at Bobby’s I wanted to hunt Wallace down and tear his ass limb from limb because of the pain he caused a dear friend of mine.”

  “Did he give you an explanation as to why he didn’t show up for your date?” Sharp asked Opal.

  Opal admitted in a meek whisper. “No. He said he was tied up, with what, he never gave a straight answer.”

  Mai walked over to Opal and began to speak. “Actually, I completely understand why you would stay in this relationship. Let me guess. You find Wallace extremely attractive and charming. He’s very spontaneous and romantic. He makes you feel like you’re the luckiest woman in the world. This man could have any woman of his choosing, but for some reason he chose you and you feel you should be grateful regardless of how he treats you sometimes.”

  Opal was amazed by Mai’s hypothesis. It was like she knew her. “I felt like you just read my mind.”

  “Not exactly, I was describing my relationship with my ex-boyfriend Levt back in Los Angeles.” Mai confessed. “Trust and believe I’ve been where you are. Levt was an amazing man that all women wanted. Handsome, rich, sexy and alluring, but for some reason he chose me. Me, an accountant who was a homeless orphan. Everything was perfect between us, until I moved in with him. He made me quit my job. He started hitting me, accusing me of cheating, when in all actuality he was the one who was cheating. He called me everything but the Child of God. He made me feel like I was more worthless than a piece of shit. Why did I stay? The same reason you’re staying with Wallace, because I thought I should be grateful that any man would want me.”

  Mai went back to her seat and Clover put her arm around Opal. “You see Opal. Mai understands exactly what you’re going through. Being in an abusive relationship is a very serious matter.” Clover said.

  “Wallace is not abusing me. He’s never laid hands on me in any way.” Opal replied.

  “I thought you might say that.” Clover said. She looked over at Leo and motioned for her to come over with her finger.

  Leo took a seat next to Opal. “Opal, I want to show you some pictures. Is that okay?”

  “Sure,” Opal responded. Leo took out her phone and went to her photos. She strolled for the photo album that read: How far I’ve come. She clicked on the photo album and let Opal look through them. The woman in the pictures was the same size she was. All the stress has caused Opal to eat more and as a result she ended up gaining all the weight back. The woman in the pictures shared her look of emotional exhaustion and desperation. Opal knew it was Leo because of the similar facial features. “This is you?” Opal asked Leo.

  “Yes it is.” Leo answered. “I keep these to remind myself of what I’ve overcome in my life. These are pictures of me and my late husband, Waylon Sr. during our romantic dates and trips together.”

  “But Waylon isn’t in any of these pictures,” Opal was completely baffled.

  “Right, because he was ashamed of me as his wife and I think we both know the reason.” Leo said. She could tell she was going to have Opal’s full attention, because the story Leo was about to tell would be more relatable to her. “I was in an abusive marriage. An emotionally abusive marriage, that is. Not only did Waylon make me feel bad about my weight, he was also ashamed to have me on his arm in public, always put me down and made me feel like I had no self worth. Let me guess. When you confront him about his behavior towards you and accuse him of cheating he always tell you it’s all in your head and you need to stop being jealous and insecure?” Opal nodded. “When you catch him red handed he always tries to make it seem like you’re the crazy and unreasonable one and tries to make all of his wrongdoings towards you all your fault?” Opal nodded her head again.

  “Waylon never loved me,” Leo continued. “He only married me because I ended up pregnant with our son, WayJ after he slept with me as punishment for a bet he lost while we were attending Paine College. Of course, I didn’t find that out until later. Deep down I believe that’s where all the abuse came from. I think he resented me for ending up pregnant and felt like I trapped him into marriage.”

  Opal started to feel sick to her stomach, Leo’s story hit very close to home for her. Opal’s always been too ashamed to tell anyone about what happened to her on prom night. She never even told Dennis. The only person that knows what happened took it to her grave, literally: Mookie. Opal decided to change the subject. “How did you lose the weight?”

  “Stress and not eating.” Leo answered. Opal would kill to be Leo’s current size. Leo wasn’t anywhere close to thin. She was a size twelve with a tad bit more ass and titties.

  “Opal, you’re a beautiful and sweet woman. Wallace is a creep who doesn’t deserve you,” Calista threw in her two cents.

  “Abuse comes in many different forms: Physical, verbal, emotional, and sexual, just to name a few. He doesn’t have to hit you to abuse you.” Clover said.

  Opal broke down in tears and Clover pulled her into a loving embrace. “You don’t understand,” Opal struggled to say between sniffles. “Y’all can’t help me.”

  “What is that nigga holding over you? Whatever it is you can tell me. I love you no matter what.” Clover said.

  You say that now! Opal’s inner guilt screamed out. She couldn’t take it anymore. All these people trying to comfort her and they don’t even know the truth about her. If they did they’ll let her fry. She had to get out of there.

  “I got to get out of here. This is too much. I need to think,” Opal bolted for the door.

  “Will you at least give this marriage some thought?” Clover asked.

  Opal turned around to face her loving family and friends who only wanted to help her. “I’ll think about it,” She said before exiting the house.

  “What do you think, baby?” Sharp asked Clover.

  “There’s no telling, but she did listen to us and that’s a good thing,” Clover said trying to find a positive.

  “She did say she’ll think about it,” Laliyka said with optimism.

  Clover sighed and added. “At this point I’ll take anything, any progress is better than none at all.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Clover and Sharp were fast asleep in each other’s arms after a wild sweaty passion-filled night of love making. Since the house was kid-free they felt like taking their lack of inhibitions to a whole new level. Clover’s deep sleep was interrupted by her phone ringing. She glanced over at Sharp who was still knocked out. I guessed me and my pussy really
wore him out! Clover giggled and reached over to grab her phone off the nightstand and answered the phone.

  “Hello,” Clover greeted with a yawn.

  “Aunt Clover!” Calista’s voice answered.

  “Calista baby, what’s up?” Clover asked.

  “Can I come over and stay at your house until Bray comes back from New Orleans?” Calista asked.

  “Of course you can,” Clover said. “Any particular reason why?”

  “It’s a long story, but I’ll tell you everything in person.”

  “Alright, I’ll wait up for you.”

  “Thank you so much. I’ll be right over.”

  After they hung up Clover climbed out of bed and went into her walk-in closet to find some sweatpants and a t-shirt to throw on. She put on her bedroom slippers and went downstairs in record time, because Calista was outside ringing the doorbell. Clover answered the door to let Calista in.

  “Calista baby.”

  “Aunt Clover, thanks.” Calista said with great appreciation and hugged Clover tightly.

  Clover grabbed Calista’s bags and said, “let me take your bags into the guestroom and we’ll talk in the living room.”

  Calista followed Clover into one of the spare guestrooms and put the bags near the closet. The two went back downstairs in the living room and took a seat on the couch.

  “What’s going on? You seemed upset over the phone and was kind of out of it at the meeting earlier. Is something wrong?” Clover asked with concern.

  “Yes, there is, but I don’t know how to tell you,” Calista said with a sigh.

  Clover assured her. “Calista, you know you can tell me anything. You know that, right?”

  “Yes I do,” Calista said. She knew she could confide in Clover about anything ever since she helped her thorough a very confusing time in her life.

  *****

  Clover was in Lil’Sharp’s nursery getting him ready for his nap. She was a happily, married, stay-at-home mom living in her husband Sharp’s room at his brother Colton’s house. She was quietly humming a lullaby to Lil’Sharp putting him in his crib when Calista walked into the nursery.