by Angel Rose
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine momma. See you tomorrow,”
“Night Lyssa,”
“Night, momma,”
I hung up the phone and grabbed grandma’s hand.
“We have some baking to do,” I dragged her to the kitchen playfully.
She sobbed hysterically for two hours as we baked. I barely remembered him, but I cried, too. The handsome, dirty blonde, colorful tattooed guy was the father who held me when I was a baby. I loved him, even if I didn’t remember him.
There was something about everything that my grandmother told me that gnawed at my belly and stung my heart. I needed to find out the truth and that’s exactly what I was going to do.
Chapter 11
Jackson
I woke up to the sound of the alarm on my cell phone, vibrating and jumping against my hand underneath my pillow. Jacob’s face was the only thing on my mind. I needed to know how Jacob Lewis was involved in all of this and the only way I knew I was going to get more information was by meeting up with Genevieve again. I grabbed my cell phone and called her office.
“Good morning, Bureau of Vital Statistics, how can I help you?”
“Jesus, that’s long. May I speak to Mrs. Darling, please?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. There’s no one by that name that works here. May I help you with something?”
“You must be mistaken. I met with her yesterday?”
“That’s strange. We don’t know anyone by that name that works here, Sir.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I am Sir. Can I help you with anything else, Sir?”
“No, thank you for the information.”
I walked over to my office in my apartment and logged on to the database. I searched for Genevieve Darling and got her home address. It was in Queens. I decided to take a drive out to Queens to visit her.
On the way there, I thought about everything she told me. How Jacob’s name appeared on Madison’s birth certificate and how these birth certificates were tampered with. I walked up to the three-family private house and rang doorbell number two. To my surprise, she opened the door.
“What are you doing here?” she whispered.
“I needed to meet with you again.”
“Why?” she said sarcastically.
“May I come in?”
“No…”
“Genevieve, please, I need your help,”
“You need my help?” she rolled her eyes up in her head and opened the door.
I followed as her voluptuous hips and tight ass swayed back and forth through her robe. She was beautiful without an ounce of make-up. That was impressive.
“Sit. Coffee?”
“No thanks,”
“Juice?”
“Orange?”
“yup”
She grabbed a glass from the cabinet leaning on her tippy toes. Her ass was formed nicely through her silk robe. I wanted to grab her from behind, instead I got up from my chair and helped her grab a glass. She turned towards me and our eyes locked.
“Thanks,” she said as she backed up.
I grabbed her hand gently.
“Thank you for helping me,” I whispered.
“I’m sorry that I did, my friends mother helped me out. She said she remembered that kid. The one who asked for his birth certificate eighteen years ago.”
“She must have a memory like an elephant,” I chuckled.
“She said he tore that birth certificate to pieces and threw it up in the air. Security was called, and he left. The same birth certificate that was botched.”
“I’m not here to talk about Joseph. I’m here to talk about Jacob Lewis.”
“I’m done helping you. I have nothing to say. Yesterday, a slew of FBI agents raided her office. She went into the Syracuse database to get those birth certificates for you; now she’s been fired,”
“and you?”
“I was fired this morning.”
“For helping me?”
“I just got the phone call. I have to pick up my things tomorrow.” She sat at the kitchen table. Look, what do you want Mr. Turner? I can’t help you anymore. Is that obvious?”
I grabbed her gently by the arm.
“I need more information. I need your friend to help me,”
“She lost her Job, Jackson and I lost mine.”
“I can’t look into the database. They know every move I make. That’s why I asked you. I need your help…please.”
She stood up to walk to the sink and I grabbed her by the waist and pressed my body up against hers. She was only a few years younger than me and she was just as beautiful as my twenty-five-year-old fiancée. I wanted her, and she knew it and from the look in her eyes, she wanted me, too.
“I know what you want and I’m not that type of woman. I’ll help you because you seem desperate, but I have to leave my friend out of this,”
“One more phone call to her and it’ll end,”
“One more,” She slid her hands up my chest, stopped and whispered against my lips. “You need to respect me; do you understand that?”
“I do,” I slid my hands down her waist past her hips. “Maybe we can enjoy each other’s company later,”
“Maybe,” she winked and walked over to the bedroom and made a phone call.
I watched as she tried to convince her friend to let us make a trip up to Syracuse to visit her. She twirled her hair, then glanced back at me. She smiled, and I could feel myself getting aroused. I walked over to the kitchen to get a bottle of water.
“Hey, are you raiding my fridge?” she said as she walked in.
“Maybe, looks like someone likes sweet white wine,” I chuckled.
“Yes, I do. By the way, we have a date tomorrow. We need to leave early. Syracuse is a trip from hell,”
“It is, I’ll pick you up tomorrow. How’s nine in the morning, bright and early?”
“If you don’t mind, I thought maybe you could spend the night?”
“I thought you weren’t that kind of woman?”
“I’m not. To be honest, I’m afraid. I don’t know why, but I feel uneasy about all of this since my friend’s office was raided. There’s more to this story, right?”
“There is, but I’m not at liberty to discuss it with you,”
“Then I won’t help you Jackson, I need the truth, I could lose my job or worse,”
“No one is going to hurt you, Genevieve. Is that what you think?”
“I’m not sure. That’s why I asked you to stay,”
“Then I will,”
“Good, you can sleep on the couch,”
She grabbed a blanket and pillow from the hallway closet and placed it on the couch.
“You do realize it’s only ten in the morning, right?”
“I do. I guess we’ll have an all-day sleep over. I’m taking a shower, feel free to relax and maybe you should get comfortable,”
“Are you teasing me?”
“Not at all…Jacks,” she giggled as she walked into the bathroom.
I sat on the couch and wondered what tomorrow would bring. Going back to Syracuse wasn’t something I wanted to do without a plan to avenge my brothers. I had to put that thought on the back burner. I turned on the television and sat back, removing my suit jacket and unbuttoning the top two buttons of my shirt. I removed my shoes and placed my feet up on the couch. Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep until I heard the voice of an angel.
“Comfortable?” Genevieve said as she watched me closely.
“So, what are we going to do?” She sat on the recliner across from me with her tiny shorts and tank top. She was one beautiful woman. Her long black hair was wet and rested right on the tip of her nipples that peaked through her tank top.
I sat back and placed my hands behind my head.
“I think I’ll take another nap,”
“Why don’t you tell me what’s really going on?”
“If I tell you, then I’d have to kill you,” I smiled.
“I’m not the enemy, Genevieve,”
“But, you’re something. Unfortunately, there’s something about you that makes me want to get to know you better. I feel I could trust you; am I wrong?”
“Jesus, how can you say that to me without me jumping your bones? I’m not here to hurt you,”
“Then start talking. We have all day and all night,”
I stared at her for a moment. I almost needed to wipe my mouth I was salivating like a dog. I wanted her so badly, but I didn’t want to jump into something I couldn’t finish. So, I did what any man would do…I started to tell her the truth.
Chapter 11
I laid in my bed all night long thinking and thinking until I felt like my brain was going to explode. Danny and momma were going to walk through that door soon and I had a secret I had to take with me to the grave. This was one lie I couldn’t keep to myself. I didn’t know if it was the right thing to do, but Danny would be the one to tell. I sat up watching the sun rise as the birds began to chirp on near the front porch. I yawned, stretching my legs like a cat and closing my eyes to fall asleep when I heard the front door slam shut.
“Hey, we’re home! Where are you, Lyssa?” Danny shouted.
I ran down the stairs and ran into both of them.
“Danny, she’s sleeping. You’ll wake up the whole neighborhood.”
“I’m coming!” I yelled.
I ran down the stairs and hugged Danny and momma. I smelled the fresh brewed coffee and knew a piece of blueberry pie was waiting for us.
“Mmm…coffee,” Danny said as he ran into the kitchen.
“Danny,” I said.
“Grandma!” he shouted.
“Grandma?” momma asked surprised.
“Look momma, it’s grandma! What are you doing here?” Danny asked giving her a bear hug.
“Danny, are you okay?”
“Sure I am. Got some iron pills and I’ll be better soon,”
“He needs to take those all the time now,” momma said.
I sat nervously at the table staring at the blueberry pie. I felt sick to my stomach.
“Lyssa, are you okay?” momma asked.
I glanced up at grandma.
“I’m fine. Coffee please and a slice of your famous blueberry pie grandma,” I smiled but deep down inside I was dying.
“We’ll all have some of that,” Danny shouted.
Grandma served all of us and sat at the table. We ate and sipped on coffee silently for a few minutes; savoring the taste of fresh blueberries exploding in our mouths as we washed them down with the robust flavor of our morning coffee. I glanced up at Daniel and he already knew something was wrong. He knew me like the back of his hand.
“When are you going back to school, Danny?” Grandma asked.
“I’m not,” he whispered.
“Like hell you’re not,” momma shouted.
“Here me out momma. I want to stay close to home. You need someone to take care of you,”
“I have Mike, remember?” she sipped on her coffee. “We’ve been together for five years now,”
“He’s just your friend, mom,” Danny rolled his eyes. He didn’t like Mike.
“He’s not serious about you,” I said angrily.
“He is. He’s my boyfriend. We made it official last weekend,”
“Official?” I barked.
“Well, isn’t that what you guys wanted? For me to forget about your father and move on with my life?”
“If you’ll excuse me,” grandma said as she stood up to leave.
“You don’t have to go Annette. You should know, too,”
“It’s really none of my business,”
“What’s wrong with everyone?” momma said as she glanced over at me.
“Nothing. Just nothing…” I got up and ran upstairs to my bedroom.
I didn’t have the nerve to say anything, but I wanted to. The door to my bedroom opened, and Danny entered.
“What is it Lyssa?”
“Nothing,”
“Don’t lie to me. We’ve never lied to each other,”
“Danny, you know our mother was a drug addict and my father a dealer, right?”
“Yeah, we both have the same mother. She was a junkie, and?”
“Well, Daddy and momma, they…”
“What?” Danny sat on the edge of the bed while I grabbed the pillow and placed it on my lap.
“They weren’t brother and sister,”
“Well, they were half brother and sister, that counts right?”
“Danny, Daddy wasn’t related to us at all. Momma and Daddy, they…could’ve been together. They weren’t living in sin, like momma said Daddy thought. He wasn’t our brother. He was a stranger. Some kid who just walked into our lives.” I sobbed. Danny placed his arm around me. “If momma finds out, it’ll destroy her,”
“Who told you this Lyssa?”
“Grandma,”
“Why? Why now after all these years?”
“She’s held it in too long. I guess she thought you were going to die or something,”
“This is bullshit. Momma can’t find this out Lyssa. I’m serious. She’ll die of a heart attack,”
“Danny, all of these lies. We need to find out who we are. We’re not sure about our own father’s. We should do some research-“
“You need to go back to school,”
“No, I’m staying here and going to community college,”
“You have a scholarship to Syracuse University. It’s top notch. You can’t blow that,”
“I don’t care…We were raised without a father all these years. I know uncle Kevin was there for us, but he died and he’s not here anymore,” tears flooded my eyes.
“Lyssa,”
“I remember daddy, I do. You may say it’s impossible, but I do. I remember walking to him and holding on to him.” I stood up and walked towards the window.
“What can we do Alyssa? What?”
“We need to go to Syracuse and get our birth certificates from the office, not online. It has to be official. I want to know who my father is,”
“This is ridiculous,”
“To who? To you?” I snapped.
“I’m sorry. I know it’s not, but,”
“I want to go. Are you coming?”
“Now?”
“Tomorrow,”
“What are you going to tell momma?”
“That you’re taking me back to school. Borrow the car Danny. We need to do this,”
“Lyssa, promise me you’ll take it easy. Momma says you’re just like Dad…hot-headed,” He chuckled.
“I promise. I don’t care who my biological father is. Stone will always be my father,”
“Me, too. I’m just afraid things will go really bad if we find out something we don’t like,”
“Like what?”
“Like maybe we’re not brother and sister, either?”
“You’re definitely my pain in the ass brother. Don’t think that…at all,” I said reassuringly.
“Right…Let’s go back downstairs. We’re acting really suspicious right now,”
“Danny?” I whispered.
“Yeah, you’re my favorite brother, you know that right?”
“I do. Now cut the sappy shit. You know I hate that,”
We walked downstairs to the living room where momma and grandma were sitting on the couch near the window. Danny and I sat across from them.
“You guys okay?”
“Yeah, Lyssa is going back to school tomorrow. Can I borrow the car to drive her to school?”
“Sure thing. What about you?”
“Like I said, I’d like to go to school here,”
“Okay Danny, I’ll leave it up to you. As long as you go to school,”
“Thanks, momma.”
“Grandma is leaving today. I’m going to drive her to the airport,” momma
said.
“Awww…grandma, why are you leaving so early?” Danny asked.
“My sister fell ill. I’ll be back next month,” she said quickly.
“Thanks for coming grandma,” I stood up and hugged her.
“Remember our agreement, okay?” she whispered in my ear.
I nodded my head.
“Danny, take care of yourself and take your pills,” she hugged Danny tightly.
“I will. Good bye grandma,” Danny whispered.
Grandma’s blue eyes teared up. I can see daddy in her. The pictures that covered every shelf and mantel in our home were of all of us. Daddy was everywhere; holding me, holding Bryan and Danny and hugging momma. There was one picture of him and Annette. She grabbed that picture frame from the fireplace and placed it against her chest near her heart.
“I miss him, terribly,” she sobbed.
“Annette, what’s wrong?” momma asked.
“I just…miss him. I wish he was here with all of us,” She glanced over at me, placed the picture frame back on the fireplace and walked towards the front door.
“It’s going to be okay,” I said.
Grandma nodded and walked out. Momma followed with her carry-on bag. We closed the door behind her and stood staring at each other.
“Tomorrow,” Danny said.
“Tomorrow,” I replied.
Chapter 12
Jackson
I woke up suddenly realizing I wasn’t in my own apartment.
“Morning,” Genevieve whispered.
“Morning,” I glanced around the room and realized I was in her bed with no shirt on.
“Did we?” I asked.
“Do you remember?” she giggled.
“Um…no,” I whispered.
“Then we didn’t. We had a couple of glasses of wine and you passed out on my bed,” she started laughing a little harder this time. “You’re not a drinker, are you?”
“no…I smoke cigars,” I lifted the bedsheet over my hard and laughed.
We both laughed then she lifted the sheet off my head.
“Let’s get going Jacks, Syracuse is a million miles away,”
“You’re right. I got dibs on the shower,”
“I already took a shower,”
“Do you want to join me?” I asked.
“No thank you, I’ll take a rain check,”
“Oh look, it’s raining outside,” I said smiling.
