“He told me that he didn’t want to tell you he was going to AA because he didn’t know if he could really quit. He didn’t want to tell you and then go back on his word. He had some rough nights, and going to the casino to gamble didn’t help him at all. But as far as I know, he was sober for six months.”
Char was amazed at the people that came to the funeral home to visit and all the wonderful things they said about her father. They all respected him, and it was another aspect of the father she never really knew.
After the visitation was over, Char, Kathy, and their mother got into the car and left. Their mother decided to take them out for an early dinner, and then they left Kalamazoo and headed back to Ann Arbor.
“Do you think Dad was really as good as those people said he was or were they just sucking up, checking to see if he really died?” Kathy asked contemptuously.
“They seemed pretty genuine to me,” their mother replied, casting a warning glance at Kathy.
“I’m sorry, Mom, I’m just having a hard time with all of this,” she said almost derisively.
“I know.”
Char sat in the back seat, staring out the window, deep in thought. There was so much she wanted to know about her father. So much she didn’t know about him. She wished he had told her that he was sober and going to AA. She would have helped him get through the rough nights...wouldn’t she? Would she have reached outside of herself to help him?
In so many ways, she was like him. She had only a few friends, and she withdrew from her own family, not wanting to reveal too much about herself. Although, to be honest, it seemed her father had a lot of friends. He even had buddies at the casino that came to pay their respects.
She wondered, would she be able to reach out and tell Vincent how she felt and what she wanted? It suddenly seemed that his working at the casino didn’t bother her anymore. Her father going to AA had renewed her belief that people really could change if they wanted to, and that even with addiction, there was hope and a way to get out of it if one was strong enough to pursue it. To Char, it felt as if the chains that had tied her down had been broken and she was no longer in bondage. She was free to confess her love for Vincent and reach out to him.
Chapter 22
They pulled up to the house and got out of the vehicle. When they walked inside, they found Cam and Joannie sitting at the kitchen table eating sandwiches.
“I’m sorry, you two, but we had such a rough day that I took Char and Kathy out for dinner in Kalamazoo,” Char’s mother said.
“That’s okay, Mom. Dad and I survived.” Joannie smiled.
Char walked into the dining room, intending to head up to the bedroom
“How did the funeral go?” Cam asked.
Char paused, listening to the conversation between her mother, Cam, and her sisters.
“It went very well actually. He had quite a turnout of people visiting, both his co-workers and others he knew personally. Apparently, he was well-liked,” her mother said.
“He had nothing to do with his own children, but he had lots of friends,” Kathy said sarcastically.
“Is Char okay?” Cam asked.
“She’s been quiet ever since we left the funeral home,” her mother replied. “Sometimes I don’t know what goes on inside that pretty head of hers.”
Not wanting to hear anything more, especially from Kathy, Char continued up the stairs. When she reached the bedroom she kicked off her shoes and undressed, then walked around the room in her undies as she grabbed her cellphone and called Vincent.
“Hi, Char,” he answered.
“Hi, Vincent. What are you doing?”
“Nothing much, just got back from rehearsal and thinking about what I’m going to do for dinner tonight. How did the visitation go today?”
“Okay. There were a lot of people there. I was totally blown away. Even his friends at the casino came and paid their last respects. One gentleman came up to me and identified himself as my dad’s AA sponsor and told me that Dad had been sober for six months.”
“Really? That’s great to hear.”
“Yeah, at first I thought maybe he had the wrong funeral. But he assured me that it was Maxwell Johnson, and though it was rough for him, he had been sober for six months.”
Char flopped down on the bed and kicked her feet up behind her as she rested her chin in one hand while holding the cellphone in the other.
“One more day, Vincent,” she said quietly.
“Hmm, yeah. Only one more day,” he agreed.
“I can’t wait until I can run my hands over your chest and down the front of you and kiss you,” she said.
“Well, I can’t wait until you can do that to me too,” he said.
“Oh Vincent, I want to twirl your penis like a Tootsie Pop,” Char continued seductively.
“Yeah, you’re so good at that. Hell, I’m getting hard thinking about it,” Vincent said hoarsely. “Baby, I want to bury myself in your creamy, soft breasts.”
“I want you to claim them as your prize,” Char murmured.
“That’s not the only prize I want to claim either.” Vincent’s breath hitched.
“What other prize do you think you want, dear?”
“The one between your legs,” Vincent said, breathing heavily.
“Yeah, especially when you lick it like a lollipop,” Char drawled.
“I don’t know what’s more pleasurable, licking your vagina or exploding inside you.”
“Hmm, both,” Char murmured, taking a sharp intake of air.
“Are we having phone sex?” Vincent whispered.
“Yep, you like it?”
“Next best thing to the real thing, huh?” Vincent answered with labored breathing.
“I could work myself into having an orgasm just thinking about you and the wonderful ways you make my body sing,” Char confessed.
“Well, you go right ahead, I’ll help.”
“Um, really?”
“Yes, just imagine me nipping your breasts. They are so beautiful,” Vincent said with his sexy voice.
“Okay, yeah…That’s the way,” Char crooned.
“I’m sucking your nipples, babe,” Vincent whispered in a jagged breath.
“Oh wow, they’re getting really hard.” Char placed her own hand over her breast.
“I’m going down now, licking your belly button,” Vincent continued.
“Oh, my, I can feel it,” Char whispered.
“I’m going on down, between your legs.”
“Oh yeah!” Char gasped heavily.
“Take your finger, and slowly run it down between your legs. Rub that little nub there.”
“Oh my gosh,” Char murmured breathlessly. She could feel her wetness.
“Rub yourself gently,” Vincent said quietly. “Imagine my tongue licking your lollipop.”
“Oh…my…God… Oh…” Char exploded into a downpour of fiery sensations. When her breathing returned to normal, she said coaxingly, “Oh Vincent, I want you to enjoy it to! Imagine me licking you.”
“I hear ya,” Vincent said, his breath ragged.
“Up and down the sides.”
“Oh yeah,” he said. It sounded like he was panting hard.
“Feel my tongue.”
“Oh, Char.”
“Did you?”
“Yeah, baby, I came.” Vincent’s voice was once again hoarse. They were silent for a few minutes as they both brought themselves back to a normal state.
“Vincent,” Char called his name in a whisper.
“Yeah, honey?”
“Vincent, I love you,” Char whispered.
Vincent was quiet for a few minutes, and she thought maybe she had scared him off. Finally he whispered back, “I love you too.”
“You do?” she asked incredulously.
“Yeah, I do,” he said tenderly. “We’ll talk more when you get home, okay?”
“Okay. I’m so into you that I can hardly think of anything else lately. Thinking of
you has made this whole trip more bearable for me.” Char’s voice was almost a whisper.
“I’m glad you’re into me, because I’m certainly into you,” Vincent replied.
* * * *
Char awakened at five Friday morning and was content to just lie in the bed reminiscing about the phone sex she’d unexpectedly had last night. She was so glad that her phone held out and hadn’t gone dead on her in the middle of it. She finally got up and took a shower, got dressed, and went downstairs.
Her mother had already started breakfast, and she looked up at Char when she walked into the kitchen. “Good morning, Char. Did you sleep well?”
“Yes, I did. Thanks for making breakfast, Mom.” Char kissed her mother’s cheek.
“You’re welcome, honey. I was worried about you yesterday. You went upstairs and never came back down.”
“I know. I really needed to be alone and sort some stuff out.” Char sat down and ate the breakfast her mother prepared for her. Kathy walked in the back door and sat down while waiting for Char to finish her breakfast, so they could go to the lawyer’s office.
After the long drive back to Kalamazoo, they arrived at the building and entered Mr. Bernstine’s office. Char told the receptionist they had a nine o’clock appointment, and she told them to have a seat and she would let Mr. Bernstine know they were there.
A well-dressed, middle-aged man with graying hair walked out and came up to the three of them. “Hello, I’m Ruben Bernstine.”
Char stood and shook his hand. “I’m Char Johnson. We spoke on the phone the other day. This is my mother, Diana Patterson, and my sister, Kathy Marcus.”
He shook hands with each of them.
“Come on into my office.” Mr. Bernstine pointed to the door with his name on it. They went inside and sat down around a small conference table. Mr. Bernstine pulled out a large folder from his desk and opened it up. “Ms. Johnson, I don’t think you are aware that your father came into a lot of money.”
“Um, he told me that he won a large amount at a casino,” she answered.
“Yes, he did. $3,649,197.00 to be exact.”
“What?” Kathy sat straight up in her chair.
Mr. Bernstine continued talking to Char. “He put all of this money in an account that was to be given to his daughter upon his death, and he was getting ready to mail you five hundred thousand of it, but he wasn’t able to complete the transaction before he died. So, rather than send you a check for five hundred and fifty thousand, the whole amount will have to go to probate and what’s left after everything is paid will be sent to you.”
“How much is she getting?” Kathy asked angrily.
“She’ll get around two and half million.” Mr. Bernstine looked quizzically at Kathy.
“What about me? I’m his daughter too. Didn’t the son of a bitch leave me anything?” Kathy practically screamed.
“No. He did not. He didn’t even mention he had another daughter. His sole focus was Charlene Johnson. Also, Ms. Johnson, he gave me this letter that he wanted you to read when he died.” He handed her an envelope with her name on it.
“I can’t believe the fucking son of a bitch. Not only did he not care about me as a child, but he even left me out of his will,” Kathy yelled.
“Kathy, lower your voice and stop cussing,” their mother said quietly.
“Why? Why can’t I vent? It would be okay if Char was to vent. What about me?”
While Kathy continued to rant at her mother, Char opened the envelope and read part of the letter. She closed the letter, put it back in the envelope, and put it in her purse.
“Kathy,” Char said in a quiet manner.
“What?” She glared at Char.
“In Dad’s letter, he said that he didn’t leave you anything because he didn’t have your address, and when he tried to contact you, you always hung up on him or wouldn’t answer his calls. You yelled at him and told him that you wanted nothing to do with him. He told me that he left me the money, and if I felt okay with it, to give you half.”
Kathy looked at her sister, her eyes turning from anger to question.
“If you promise not to say another bad word about Dad in my presence from this day forward, I’ll give you half of what I get after probate. Can you do that?” Char asked her pointedly. “Do you know why I can’t wait to get the hell out of Michigan and have booked my flight for later today? I can’t stand listening to you speak so disrespectfully of a deceased person who can’t defend himself. It’s been a miserable trip for me, and yes, he would not win any Father of the Year awards, but he’s dead and gone now, so leave him alone. So, do you think you can handle this simple request or is it too much to ask of you?”
Kathy sat in her chair speechless for a bit, and then finally said, “I’m sorry, Char. I didn’t realize that I was making your trip here miserable. I promise that I will not speak ill of Dad from this day forward.”
Char watched her for a few minutes, and then turned her attention back to the attorney. “Mr. Bernstine, once the estate is settled would it be possible to have the funds split in two, and have one check sent to Kathy and one to me?”
Mr. Bernstine nodded. “Yes, I can arrange that.” He wrote some notes in his file and asked Kathy for her address.
As Kathy gave him her address, their mother reached over and grasped Char’s hand. “That was a wonderful gesture. I’m so proud of you, Char, and your father would have been too.”
Char gave her mother a sad smile. “Thanks, Mom, for being here with me during this difficult time. I know it wasn’t easy for you.”
* * * *
Char’s mother made lunch and all the girls sat down at the kitchen table to eat, including Joannie.
“Who is this new guy you’re going out with tonight, Joannie?” their mother asked, giving her youngest daughter an eagle-eyed look.
“His name is Rod,” she answered.
“When will I meet him?”
“I’ll bring him in tonight before we leave for our date.”
“I hope that if you two get serious in the future and decide to have sex, you’ll have safe sex, you know, using condoms,” their mother said.
“Mom! Please,” Joannie exclaimed, rolling her eyes.
Kathy laughed. “We still have to use condoms too, sis. There’s nothing wrong with it.”
Joannie looked at her sister in horror. “I don’t want to know this.”
“Well, I’ll have you know that I still have to be careful too so that I don’t get pregnant,” their mother said casually.
Char looked from her mother to Kathy to Joannie and quietly shook her head. Suddenly she realized that she and Vincent hadn’t practiced safe sex, and she felt a moment of panic. What if I got pregnant? Then she calmed herself with reassurances that the chance of that happening was slim, so there was no need to panic at this point.
“Mother! I don’t want to know these things,” Joannie said. “Now I’m traumatized.”
“Oh, get over it, Joannie. The important thing is that you don’t take risks and you use protection. I may not be able to stop you from having sex, but I can talk to you about having safe sex,” their mother said pointedly.
Char’s cellphone rang and she looked to see who it was. She got up and went into the living room to take the call. “Hi, Vincent.”
“Hey, love. How are you doing?” he said warmly.
“I’m doing good. I have lots of things to tell you when I see you tonight.”
“Hmm…good, bad?” he asked.
“It’s all good. We went to see the attorney today and got things settled there, and now all I’m doing is waiting until it’s time to leave to go to the airport.”
“Okay, I’ll be there to pick you up when you arrive.”
“I’ll talk to you later, Vincent. Thanks for being here and listening to me.”
“You’re welcome, Char. I love you.”
“Love you too. Bye.”
When Char snapped her cellphone shut, her
mother came up to her and wrapped her arms around her waist. “Who’s the person you were talking so secretly to, dear?” she asked.
“Um, a friend,” Char said, not wanting to reveal too much.
“Char, I know you better than that. He’s the one, isn’t he?” She looked at her daughter smiling.
“What do you mean?” Char asked.
“A mother knows when her daughter is in love and has found her true mate. The man who was on the phone is the one, isn’t he?” She pursed her lips together, cocking her head.
Char put both her hands in her pockets and hunched up her shoulders. “Yeah, he’s the one.”
“I knew it.” Her mother clapped her hands joyfully and sat down, pulling Char down with her, putting her arm around her neck to hug her. “Tell me about him.”
“His name is Vincent Carter. He has two brothers and two sisters. He’s Native American, and his tribe is Apache, but he and his family don’t live the way of the Apache. He works two jobs. He’s a bartender at a casino, and he’s the bass player for the group White Sands. Have you heard of Jennifer Summers?”
“Yes, I have.”
“Well, she married the leader of the band and drummer, Jake Ackerson, and the band has been performing in a lot of places now in sell-out performances. Anyway, it bothered me at first that Vincent worked at the casino, but it doesn’t bother me anymore. He has a beautiful home in in a subdivision where I had listed some houses for sale. He’s kindhearted, loves his family, and is very protective of them.”
“How did you meet him?” her mother asked.
Char spent the next half hour telling her mother all about Vincent.
Kathy left after lunch and she returned later in the afternoon with her husband and daughters so they could have a family gathering before Char left to go back to New Mexico. Her mother fixed a nice dinner for everyone and they all sat around the table talking about what was happening in their lives.
Jade and Maria wanted to be near Char. Maria insisted on sitting in Char’s lap, and Jade insisted on sitting next to her at the table. It had been a long time since Char sat down with her family, and she could tell her mother was totally in her element and loved having everyone around. Maybe she’d bring Vincent up to visit and they would have more family gatherings like this. She had a lot of things whirling around in her mind, and she felt strangely at peace by it all.
Jarillo Sunset Page 22
