Better Late Than Never

by Kimberla Lawson Roby

  Curtis shook his head. “No, sir, he doesn’t.”

  Uncle Bradley looked at his niece. “Trina?”

  She shook her head, too. “No, sir, he doesn’t.”

  “And what about the two of you?”

  Curtis and Trina immediately glanced over at their mother, who was standing slightly behind Uncle Bradley, and she subtly shook her head.

  “No, sir,” Curtis told him.

  “No, sir, he doesn’t,” Trina added.

  “Well, he’d better not be, and I mean that. And if he ever does, I want you children to call me as soon as possible. You hear me?”

  “Yes, sir,” they both answered.

  Pauline seemed nervous and spoke quickly. “Bradley, you leave my babies alone. Curtis and Trina, don’t you pay your uncle any mind. Now, take your things and go to your rooms, okay?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” they both said, gathering their clothing and shoes and leaving.

  But as soon as they both entered Curtis’s room and shut the door, they heard their mom and Uncle Bradley arguing.

  “I don’t know why you stay in this ol’ crazy situation,” he said. “No man is worth all the madness he puts you through. And he’s not doing a doggoned thing for these children, either. It’s a crying-out-loud shame, and for the life of me, I don’t know how you can live with yourself.”

  “Bradley, please,” they heard Aunt Samantha say. “Please don’t do this. Just leave it alone.”

  “Well, I can’t help it. This is my sister, and I want better for her. I want better for my niece and nephew.”

  Curtis and Trina looked at each other, and as usual, tears fell from Trina’s eyes.

  “Why does Mom take up for Daddy all the time, Curtis?”

  “I don’t know, and now she’s making us lie about the way he treats us.”

  Trina cried harder, and Curtis tried to console her. It was true that their dad never touched their mom, but he had definitely roughed up Trina a few times, and he flat-out beat Curtis whenever he felt like it. Their father did whatever he wanted, and there wasn’t a single thing they could do about it. It was the reason Curtis wished he were dead. Or that he would simply leave and never come back again.

  Trina was still watching Good Times, but Curtis couldn’t stop thinking about his uncle Bradley and how angry he’d gotten with their mother. Until now, Curtis hadn’t thought about this particular day in years, and interestingly enough, he still wondered what his uncle had meant when he’d said, “Just like I did before.” Curtis had even asked his mom about it later that evening, but she’d told him that she had no idea what her brother had been talking about. Curtis hadn’t understood why she was lying about it, because he’d been able to tell from the look on her face that she was. But what hurt him more was the fact that she’d nonverbally told him and Trina to tell Uncle Bradley that their father wasn’t abusing them. Curtis hadn’t understood that, either, and this single incident had given him yet one more reason to resent his mother. Because even though she wouldn’t protect her own child, she seemed to have no problem protecting the monster she was married to. This was, of course, something Curtis had never been able to accept, and truth be told, he still hadn’t accepted it today. He likely never would.

  Chapter 20

  Curtis unlocked the door separating the garage from the kitchen entry area and walked in. But he wasn’t looking forward to facing Charlotte. Unfortunately, Jason had been called into a mandatory emergency meeting at four thirty, and Curtis had told him he would sit with Trina until he arrived home. Or he would at least stay until Amber or Eric got there. Normally Denise wouldn’t have minded staying late if she needed to, but she’d already made plans with her daughter and parents for the evening. Of course, Curtis didn’t mind staying longer, either, but when he’d called Charlotte she’d listened and then hung up without saying good-bye.

  Curtis strolled farther into the kitchen, pulled off his sweat jacket, and laid it across one of the chairs. Charlotte stood by the sink staring at him.

  “Baby, I know you don’t want to hear it, but I’m sorry. I really am,” he said, waiting for her to respond and wondering why she still wasn’t wearing any makeup. This morning, he hadn’t thought much about it when he’d seen her at the hospital, because he knew she was worried about her father. But at the same time, he also knew that Charlotte almost never went out in public with a bare face. No matter what she was doing or how she was feeling. “So you’re not going to say anything?” he asked her.

  “There’s nothing to say. You did what you wanted, and that’s that.”

  “But you know it’s not like that. You know it couldn’t be helped.”

  “Of course it could have. Because had you not driven over to Chicago in the first place, Jason would’ve found another option. He either would’ve missed his meeting or gotten someone else to come sit with your sister. Or one of their children would’ve taken off work. People always figure things out when they have to.”

  “Yeah, but why should they have to do that when I was already there? Jason has a lot on his plate. He knows how sick Trina is, yet he still has to go to work. They’ve been down to one income for a while, so it’s not like he has a choice.”

  “And I’m sorry about what they’re going through. But we’re going through something, too. And you should’ve been here.”

  Curtis was starting to lose his patience. “And I was. I spent the entire day and night at the hospital yesterday, and I stopped there again this morning before I left.”

  “You still should’ve been there with me today.”

  Curtis frowned. “Do you know how you’re sounding right now? I mean, are you really that cruel?”

  “What do you mean, cruel?”

  “You are. And you’re acting like a selfish little child.”

  Charlotte raised her eyebrows. “Excuse me?”

  Curtis meant every word he’d just said, but he was sorry that he’d allowed his thoughts to leave his mouth.

  “Wow. So that’s how you feel, huh? That I’m a selfish little child?”

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

  “You’re right. You shouldn’t have, and how dare you. But let me just say this: I know your sister is dying, Curtis, but my father could’ve died, too. So the very least you could be doing is spending time with your real family. The family who’s been here for you all along.”

  Now Curtis raised his eyebrows. “You can’t be serious. I know you don’t mean that.”

  “I do mean it. Every…single…word. I have no problem with you going to visit Trina, but what was so wrong with you missing one more day? Why couldn’t you have stayed here to support my dad? And what about me and Mom? So you’re very wrong for that, and you know it.”

  “No, you’re the one who’s wrong for trying to compare my sister to your dad, and also for insinuating that Trina isn’t my real family. She’s my sister. My own flesh and blood. And nothing will ever change that.”

  Charlotte rolled her eyes at him and grabbed her jean jacket from the chair. “I’m not arguing about this anymore.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “Back to the hospital to see my father. Remember him?”

  Curtis laughed. “And you think that’s funny?”

  “Nope.”

  “Well, it sure sounds that way to me, and you really need to stop it.”

  “And you need to get your priorities straight.”

  “They are straight.”

  “Whatever you say,” she told him while lifting her purse from the island.

  “Does Curtina have any homework?” Curtis asked.

  “Yep.”

  “Is she working on it?”

  “I guess. At least that’s what she claimed when I asked her.”

  “And you didn’t check to make sure?”

  “Nope. And had you come home when you said you were, you could’ve checked on her yourself.”

  “Why are you acting like this? What’s wro
ng with you?”

  “Nothing, Curtis. Nothing at all,” she said, walking past him and out the door to the garage.

  Curtis watched as she slammed it shut, and was stunned. Was Charlotte actually jealous of his terminally ill sister? She couldn’t be. The reason he knew that was because only a heartless, self-centered person could feel that way about someone who might be dying any day. It simply didn’t make sense, and this made Curtis wonder again what was going on. But nonetheless, he hated that his relationship with his sister was causing problems between him and his wife. He didn’t want that, and he never wanted Charlotte to think he was putting anyone before her, but he also wasn’t about to stop visiting Trina. He didn’t want to go against Charlotte’s wishes, but her reasoning was completely out of line and pointless.

  Curtis went upstairs, strolled down to Curtina’s room, and knocked.

  “It’s open,” she said.

  Curtis walked in, and strangely enough, she was sitting at her desk, doing her homework. “Hey,” he said.

  She turned and looked at him “Hi.”

  “I was just checking on you.”

  “Daddy, can I ask you something?”

  “Of course.”

  “Why doesn’t Mom want you to go see Aunt Trina?”

  “I don’t know, and I’m sorry you had to hear us arguing about it. Maybe she’s just upset about your grandfather.”

  “Oh.”

  “Is that all?”

  “No.”

  “Well, what else?”

  “Are you ever going to give me my phone back?”

  “For now, we want you to focus on your schoolwork and getting your grades back up,” Curtis said.

  Curtina didn’t seem happy about it, but she didn’t say anything.

  “We know what you’re capable of, and so do you. So is there some reason why you all of a sudden stopped getting A’s?”

  “I just don’t like school all that much anymore, and I miss my real mom. I mean, I know I don’t really remember her, but I think about her all the time. And sometimes I just wish I could see her.”

  Curtis wondered where all this “real” stuff was coming from. First Charlotte had talked about who his real family was, which she obviously didn’t believe included Trina, and now Curtina was missing her real mother? Still, Curtis didn’t question Curtina, and instead, he tried to be as understanding as he could. “Honey, I know you must be curious about her and that seeing photos of your mom isn’t the same as having her here in real life, but at least you didn’t have to grow up with no mom at all. Because a lot of children do.”

  “I still wish I had my real mom.”

  “I’m sure you do. And maybe Charlotte didn’t give birth to you, but she’s been every bit of your real mom ever since you were two years old. And that says a lot.”

  Curtina just looked at him.

  Curtis folded his arms. “Is there a reason you’re all of a sudden feeling this way?”

  “No, I just wish I could have my own mother back. That’s all.”

  “Well, sweetheart,” Curtis said, sighing, “as much as I wish you could, that’s just not possible.”

  Curtina looked away from him with tears in her eyes.

  Curtis moved closer to where she was sitting and placed his hand on her back. “Sweetheart, what’s wrong? Where is all of this coming from?”

  “Nowhere,” she said, wiping her eyes and sniffling. “Sometimes I just think about her, and it makes me sad.”

  Curtis rubbed her back. “I’m sorry you feel that way, but the one thing you can be sure of is how much your mom really loved you. You were everything to her, and the hardest part about her having to pass away was knowing that she was going to have to leave you. And I hope you also know how much your mom, Charlotte, and I love you. You mean the world to us. You always have. So are you going to be okay?”

  Curtina sniffled again but nodded. “Yes.”

  “Well, why don’t you finish your homework and just maybe I’ll let you call one of your friends.”

  Curtina’s eyes lit up like Times Square. “Really, Daddy?”

  “Yes, but from my phone, though, not yours.”

  Curtina’s upbeat attitude fizzled almost on cue.

  “Oh, so does that mean you don’t want to use it?” Curtis said, already turning to walk away from her.”

  “No, I do, Daddy,” she hurried to say.

  “Okay, well, you’d better get busy, and just let me know when you’re finished with your homework. And I want to see it, too.”

  “Thanks, Daddy.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Curtis left the room, but he couldn’t shake the conversation he’d just had with his daughter. She’d brought up Tabitha before and asked questions about her, but she’d never referred to her as her “real” mother. And until recently, she’d always had a very close and loving relationship with Charlotte. So much so that Curtina had never seen Charlotte as some awful stepmother who didn’t care about her. Instead, she acted as though Charlotte was, in fact, her biological mother.

  Now Curtis wondered if there was some specific reason that Curtina suddenly felt this way. But unless she made up her mind to tell him, there wasn’t much he could do to help her. He certainly couldn’t tell Charlotte how Curtina was thinking, because as it was, Charlotte was already teed off about his visits to Chicago. So, for now, he would simply hope for the best and pray that God would work things out for all of them—in every area they were struggling in.

  Chapter 21

  When Charlotte’s cell phone rang, she glanced at the number on her dashboard and frowned. It was Bonnie, president of one of the local pastors’ wives organizations, and Charlotte knew the reason she was calling. They were planning a fall conference, and a few weeks ago, Bonnie had asked Charlotte to serve as chairperson—something that was the last thing Charlotte wanted to do. She did like most of the women who were members, but there were a select few who had talked badly about her when she and Curtis had been having problems several years ago. Many of them had judged Charlotte and looked down on her—Bonnie included—and it was the reason she’d stopped attending most of their meetings and events. She did attend on occasion, but she certainly had no interest in chairing an event for them, not when she was already trying to distance herself from her own church and anything that reminded her of being a first lady. So hopefully, when Bonnie realized that Charlotte wouldn’t be returning her calls, she would ask someone else to volunteer for the job. Plus, right now, even if one of Charlotte’s loved ones or her best friend, Janine, called her, she wouldn’t be answering. The reason: She didn’t want anyone interrupting the new bottle of wine she was enjoying.

  Right after leaving the house in a fury, she’d traveled to that same liquor store outside of Mitchell and then driven here to the hospital parking lot. She’d even found a great spot toward the very back of it again, and she felt so relaxed. So at ease and at peace about everything that had gotten her upset. Actually, about three hours before Curtis had come home, she’d finished off the bottle from last night, but it had barely been enough to give her a buzz; hence the reason she’d blurted out things that she maybe wouldn’t have said to Curtis had her nerves been calmer. In particular, she was sorry for implying that Trina wasn’t his real family. From the time those words had left her tongue, she’d known how cruel they were, but because she’d been hurt, she’d wanted Curtis to hurt, too. She’d wanted him to pay for spending the day in Chicago and not standing by her the way he should have. Then, when she’d thought about all the drama and mistreatment she’d had to endure because of Curtis’s position as senior pastor, she’d become angrier. She’d taken a lot and done a lot of things she hadn’t wanted to, simply because she was Deliverance Outreach’s first lady. She hadn’t been perfect, but she’d gone over and above, making sure she made Curtis and the church her top priorities. For her, it was God, Curtis, her family, and the church—in that order—but there were also times when church business and t
he people inside it tended to supersede Charlotte’s time with her family and other personal obligations. Yet Curtis now thought it was okay to place someone before her? A sister who hadn’t as much as given him the time of day until a week ago? A sister who he’d begged to forgive him, over and over, even though she wouldn’t even talk to him by phone?

  Charlotte leaned back in her seat and took another couple of sips of her wine. Then she thought about Curtina and how rude she had been again this afternoon. Here Charlotte had hightailed it home, making sure Curtina had something to eat as soon as she got there—once Curtis had informed Charlotte that he wouldn’t be home until after eight—yet Curtina had acted as though she couldn’t have cared less. She’d barely even spoken to Charlotte, and with the exception of the one slice of pizza she’d eaten, she hadn’t touched anything and had gone upstairs to her room and shut the door. She was so ungrateful, and daughter or not, Charlotte wouldn’t continue catering to a twelve-year-old and kissing her little behind.

  Charlotte finished off her second cup of wine, ate the burger with onions that she’d picked up from a drive-through restaurant, and got out of her car. She opened her trunk, placing the cooler back inside it, but then flinched when another vehicle pulled into the space next to her. Since Charlotte was parked far away from the hospital, she had a feeling it was someone she knew, and she was scared to death it was Curtis. Still, she took a deep breath, pressed the button to lower the trunk, and looked over to see who it was. She almost jumped for joy when she saw that it was her best friend, Janine. But that didn’t stop her from quickly pulling the box of Altoids from her purse and tossing four of them in her mouth.

  Janine turned off her car, stepped out of it, and hugged Charlotte. “Hey, dear. And why are you parked all the way in the last row?”

  “I just needed a moment to myself. Away from everything and everybody,” Charlotte lied. “I needed some time to think about my dad and the problems we’re still having with Curtina.”

  “Well, I really wish you would think twice before strolling through this dark parking lot. It’s not a good idea.”