The Yin Yang Effect

by Dana Littlejohn

  “Well, a little later in the evening we definitely felt some pain.”

  “What does that mean?” She walked a little closer to them. “Oh my God! Opal, what happened?” She sat between them, turning her face side to side.

  “Nothing major, I’m fine. We just had a small disagreement with Roy.”

  “I didn’t hear any arguing?”

  “Well, I don’t remember there being much arguing. Besides, you were a little too preoccupied with your own business to be eavesdropping on us.” She winked at her.

  She looked at Debbie. “And what did he do to you?”

  She shrugged. “Some bruises here and there, but I‘m ok.” She held up her arm showing the finger sized, dark bruises on her biceps then pulled her shirt down, showing even bigger bruises on her breasts, and turned her neck, showing long finger bruises there, too.

  “They hurt like hell, too.”

  “Don’t worry about it, Pearl. We took care of it.”

  “Really? What did you do?”

  “Let’s get dinner started and we’ll tell you all about it. I tried to eat something at lunch and it burned the shit out of my lip. I’m starving.”

  After dinner, they gave each other manicures and told Pearl about their experience with Roy.

  “I thought this guy was your friend as well as your threesome guy. That’s why you kicked with him for so long.”

  “Yeah, that’s what we thought, too, but it seems he had other thoughts about our relationship once it came to an end.”

  “I guess some people can’t take it when it’s over.”

  “He’ll be alright.” Opal blew on each finger.

  “Pearl, why don’t you grab the wine we were drinking. We can finish it while we give each other pedicures.”

  “Nope. I’ll do my own pedicure. Thanks anyway.”

  Pearl laughed, walking to the kitchen.

  “Chica, you need to let that foot thing you have go.”

  “It’s not a foot thing. I just like doing my own feet.”

  “You know she’s always had issues with feet, Deb.” She put the bottle and glasses on the floor near them.

  “I don’t have foot issues. I just don’t do feet.”

  “Sounds like the same thing to me.” Pearl chuckled.

  “Ok, so tell me this: if all the techs were busy doing manicures and someone came in for a pedicure, what would you do then?”

  She touched her nails lightly then poured the wine.

  “I’d pull one of them off the manicure to do the pedicure and finish the manicure myself.” She chuckled.

  “That sure sounds like an issue to me,” her sister said, laughing.

  “You would go through all that?” Deb said laughing.

  “What part of ‘I don’t do feet’ don’t you get?” She laughed with them as the phone rang. “I’ll get it.” She passed them a glass and picked up the phone. “Hello.”

  “You know you guys were wrong for leaving me out there in no mans land with a whole in my head and a broken foot. How the hell did you expect me to get back to the city?”

  “Yeah, well, that wasn’t our concern. You got what you deserved.”

  “No, I didn’t, but you will.”

  She sucked her teeth and rolled her eyes. “Ooo, I’m shaking in my boots.” She hung up.

  “Who was that?”

  “Roy. He sounded a little pissed about his drop off location last night,” she said in a casual tone. “But like I said he’ll be alright. Now, pass me the Egyptian musk oil so I can soak my feet and get my pedicure started before one of you try to touch my feet”

  In the morning, they gathered the food, drink and supplies together they had for the party and went out to Jake’s house where they spent the rest of the morning setting up. Denise and Bobby were the first to arrive early in the afternoon.

  “Happy birthday, little brother!” Her crystal blue eyes lit up with joy when he swung open the door, and her ebony hair bounced around his shoulders as she crushed him in a hug.

  “Thanks sis.”

  “Uncle Jake, Uncle Jake!”

  Identical twins boys with the same black hair grabbed him from both sides.

  “Hey guys! Look at how big you are.”

  Bobby came up behind them, pushing a stroller and holding the hand of a smaller boy with the same big blond curls as his father. “Hey, Jake. Happy birthday, man.”

  “Thanks, Bobby.” He slapped him five.

  “Ok guys, let him go and go inside.”

  “Yea!” The twins ran off.

  “I’ll stay with them, honey.”

  “Thanks, Bobby.” Denise pulled her brother to the living room, onto the couch.

  “So, where is your Pearl? She’s here, right? I can’t wait to meet her.”

  “She’s here, but at the store with her sister and Debbie.”

  “Is Frank coming to the party? You did invite him, right?”

  “No, Denise, I didn’t invite him. I’m not going to have him here talking crazy to my girl, her sister or my friends.”

  She nodded. “I understand.” She looked at the disbelieving look on his face. “No, really, I do.” She sighed. “You guys are going to have to work this out sooner or later. You’re brothers and technically, Jake, this is his house too, you know,” she added softly.

  “No, it’s not, Denise. Mom may have left it to both of us, but he didn’t want to live here, so I bought him out a few years. I figured since I was the only one living here I might as well own it. He made me pay him half of what the house was worth, too.”

  “Hmm, that sounds like Frank alright. But Jake, you’re still brothers. So please, try to work it out. Make the peace… for me, ok?”

  He sighed. “Ok, ok, I’ll call him.”

  She patted his knee and smiled. “That’s all I ask. Now, let’s go track down the boys before they harass your friends to death. Bobby can’t keep the little ones and the twins for too long.” She chuckled and pulled him up.

  Debbie, the twins and the people from their shop pulled up behind one another.

  Laughing and talking, they went around back to the party.

  “Hi, baby.” Pearl kissed Jake. “The crew from the shop showed up right behind us.”

  “That’s cool. A few people from my shop are already here. My sister and her family are here, too. Let me flip this and I’ll take you to her.”

  He pulled her to the back door pass Rakim and Doug, who were swinging one of the twins by his hands and feet.

  “Yo Ra, can you guys keep an eye on the grill for me while you do that?” He chuckled.

  “Don’t worry about it, man, we can do two things at once. Besides, they’re very flexible at this age.” He laughed and they swung him higher.

  Denise came toward them as they walked in.

  “You must be Pearl.” She extended her hand. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

  “Hi, Denise. I hope it wasn’t all bad.” She chuckled.

  “Not at all. I’d like to meet your sister and your friend as well. Jake, you can go back to the grill, we’ll be fine.”

  Pearl waved at Jake as he about faced and let Denise lead her into the living room where they sat and talked for a while before going back to the backyard.

  “Guys, this is Jake’s older sister Denise. Denise this is Debbie and my sister Opal.”

  “I’m so happy to meet you girls. Between you girls and Pearl, you’ve made my brother very happy.”

  Opal looked at Debbie. “Us? What’d we do?”

  “You guys put Doug and Rakim in his life. Jake was such a shy kid growing up. He ran track and was on the swim team, but never really socialized. Even if it doesn’t work between the four of you he’ll still have them as friends.”

  “Well, I hope it does work out between the four of us. I mean, I can’t speak for Chica, but, I’d--”

  “Chica?”

  “Sorry, I mean Opal. That’s, that’s just what I call her.”

  “Oh. That’s
so sweet. What do you call Pearl?”

  She looked at Pearl smiling and shrugged. “I call Pearl, umm, Pearl.”

  The girls laughed, and she laughed with them.

  “Oh, ok. So, you’d like it to work between you and Rakim, huh?”

  “Yeah, I think I do. He’s not nearly as bad as he used to be when we were in school. In fact he’s very close to being great,” she said with a light laugh.

  “That‘s wonderful. How’s the sex?”

  She looked quickly between Opal and Pearl, wide eyed. “Denise! I don’t think I know you well enough to talk about my sex life.”

  Pearl chuckled. “She asked me the same thing.”

  “Oh, well in that case, girl, it’s the bomb! We did it last week for the first time and I’ve been jumping on him every chance I get ever since. He’s adapting to me like gold fish in a new tank.”

  “Well, that’s a plus. A man can have a job, a car and his own place, too, but if he isn’t compatible in bed…” she sputtered, “...it won’t last long.” She laughed again and held up her hand. “Now don’t get me wrong, girls. I’m not saying you don’t have to have all that other stuff, too. You don’t want to be teaching him everything, but he’s got to come to the table with some kind of skill.” She looked at Opal. “Do you have that?”

  She smiled. “Yeah, but just like Debbie and Rakim, we’re just getting into each other like that. He shows lots of potential, too and he has a never ending thirst for the knowledge of satisfying me.” She fell over laughing.

  They laughed with her.

  “I like you girls. I think Pearl will be good for my brother and you girls are good for Pearl.” She hugged each of them. “Now, let’s get back to the party.”

  Outside of Jake’s house, Frank sat across the street for his second hour in his black Ford F150 watching the cars come and go. Digging in the cooler that sat on the passenger seat, he opened a beer and watched a bright red Ford F150 pull up and his older brother walk into the house.

  He watched more cars come and go as the evening went on. As he pulled a beer out of the second six pack, he saw an electric blue 86 Cutlass Supreme pull up and park two houses down from Jake’s house.

  Finishing another six beers, he watched the person in the blue car watch his brother's house, his anger and curiosity growing, then he staggered across the street.

  “Who the hell are you?” he slurred into the window of the blue car.

  The driver jumped back. “What the--? Who the hell are you?”

  “I’m Frank and that’s my brother’s house you’re scoping out. So, who the hell are you?”

  “Oh. Well, I ain’t got no beef with your brother, Frank. I’m just waiting on the two bitches that live with his girl to come out.”

  He leaned on the roof of the car rocking slightly. “Why?”

  “Because them bitches hit me in the head and gave me five stitches and broke my damn foot! Then they dumped me in a winery down south with no way home, that’s why.”

  He sputtered, spitting on his arm. “Then how’d you get back?”

  He wiped his arm off, frowning. “How do you think, man? I crawled around screaming my ass off until someone heard me.”

  “Damn! That’s fucked up. Why would they do that?”

  He let out an exasperated breath. “Because we’ve been fucking around for the past year and when they were finished using me they dumped me for Jake’s buddies.”

  “His buddies?” He look dumbfounded.

  “Yeah man. He’s your brother and you don’t know his boys? It’s some black guy and a white guy. I don’t know their names.”

  “So, wait a minute, let me see if I got this. You’ve been fucking the other black girl? The sister?”

  He nodded.

  “And the Spanish chick, too? You’ve been doing them both?”

  “At the same time?”

  “Damn, man, yeah.”

  He pushed himself up and rubbed his forehead, shaking his head. Then, without another word, he punched him in the face through the window. Swinging open the car door, he punched him again as he fell to the floor. Once he was on the ground, he kicked and stomped him for a while longer before he dragged him across the street and threw him over the side of the truck bed. He spit over the side on him and slid down to the ground leaning on the tire to catch his breath.

  “You got what you deserved, too. Now, a word with my little brother.”

  Bobby and Denise left Dennis at the table with the girls and Jake playing cards with his friends to take their children off to bed.

  “I’ll be right back Dennis.”

  He nodded watching them go. “I have to tell you, Pearl, I didn’t know what to expect when I got here. I talk to Denise often and she’s been telling me how we have to meet this girl who had our baby brother so strung out.” He chuckled.

  Pearl giggled. “Strung out? Is that what he is?”

  “Hey! I think strung out is a strong term,” Jake said from the other table.

  “Call it what it is, man. We’re all strung out,” Rakim said and they all laughed.

  “That’s that Jefferson blood doing that,” Opal said smugly.

  “Well, whatever it is, it’s working and it’s clear that my brother is happy. I must admit I was surprised to see that you were African American. Denise neglected to mention that. I don’t know if Jake mentioned it to her or she just didn't think it was relevant, but Jake loves you and that’s all that really matters to us.”

  “If I were blonde and blue eyed, like your nephews, would you still like me?” Pearl asked in a teasing tone.

  He chuckled. “I’m sure you would still be you on the inside.” He took her hand and kissed her cheek.

  “So what are you saying, Dennis? You don’t like me and Debbie?” Opal’s voice was teasing, too.

  He laughed. “Oh, don’t you start that, Opal. You and Debbie are nice girls, too.”

  “I like you too, Dennis. You seem like a cool big brother. Opal and I don’t have any brothers.”

  He smiled and took both their hands in his. “Well, you and Opal can feel free to consider me your big brother as well.” He looked over to Debbie, who was pouting and laughed again. “Oh alright, you too, Debbie. I swear, I came here to meet my little brother’s love interest and I’m going to leave with three little sisters. This hasreally been an interesting day.”

  Both tables laughed, but Dennis’ laughter was cut short as he looked pass them.

  “What the…”

  “Hey man, isn’t that Frank?” Joe said, putting his cards down.

  “Holy shit,” Rakim said.

  Frank held himself up on the fence pointing a gun at Jake’s table.

  Jake stood. “Frank, what the fuck are you doing?”

  “You just wouldn’t listen, Jake. You just don’t get it.”

  “What are you talking about, Frank? What’s with the gun?”

  The girls almost stood in shock, but Dennis shook his head negatively and they relaxed back onto the bench.

  “Jake, don’t do this to me. How can you still be with her? You know what they did to me.”

  “Frank, Pearl has nothing to do with that. None of my friends do. You’ve got to let this go.”

  “She’s just as bad! I told you that bastard stole my girl. He humiliated me and now they’re going to do it to you.” He pointed the gun toward the table. Watching them duck he dropped his arm and shook his head.

  “You’re my little brother, I have to protect you, Jake.”

  “What the hell are you talking about, Frank?”

  He pointed the gun at the gate. “Don’t you know? Outside there was some guy in a 86 Cutlass watching your house. He said he was waiting for the bitches that lived with your girl.”

  The girls gasped and everyone looked at them as they looked at each other.

  “He said he’s been fucking both of them for the last year and because they didn’t want him anymore, they broke his fucking foot then dumped him in some damn w
inery down south,” he slurred and wiped his mouth.

  This time Rakim and Doug gasped, looking at each other then to the girls.

  “Huh, he got what he deserved, too.” He grabbed the fence again to steady himself. “Can’t you see what’s happening? They’re all like that. Your friends and them tramps, too.” He staggered closer.

  He bit back a retort and stepped over the bench. “You’re wrong, Frank. Your girl didn’t leave you for that man because he was black, she left because you sucked as a boyfriend.”

  “Liar!”

  He walked toward him. “Oh, I’m lying? I remember when Roxanne used to call and complain to me all the time when you stayed here. Why does your brother act like that, Jake? Doesn’t he trust me, Jake? Why does he talk to me like that, Jake? Denise and I told her that marriage was a big step and if she wasn’t happy with you or if she just wasn’t sure, then she shouldn’t do it. She couldn’t make either of you happy if she wasn’t happy.”

  “Liar! He stole her from me! He humiliated me!”

  “That man probably didn’t know anything about you, Frank.” He shrugged. “Besides he couldn’t have stole her if you made her happy enough to want to stay. He just treated her better.”

  “No! Don’t you understand, Jake?” He stumbled forward, again, getting angry.

  “I’m trying to protect you from what happened to me! You have to get them before they get you! They deserved to be punished!”

  There was a loud gasp from all around.

  Jake shook his head. “What are you saying, Frank?”

  He staggered a little closer and wiped his mouth, again. “You heard what I said. I went over there that night to try talking some sense into her. She wasn’t trying to hear me. She just kept on walking to the car…with him! Tyrone. I followed them, uh-huh, drove right next to them, trying to talk to her. He kept moving over, trying to move away from me. He could’ve stopped for five minutes so I could talk to her, but did he? Nooo, he just kept right on moving away from me…wouldn’t listen to me at all. I tried to get closer and, and he just kept moving over. It wasn’t my fault that he… I mean, the car came around the corner so fast that I didn’t see it either. He swerved out the way in time.”

  The shocked gasped went across the yard, again.