by Zuri Day
“You asleep?”
Gwen turned her back to Ransom and scooted in so he could spoon her. “No. I’m thinking about Isis, and what a wonderful father she has.”
Ransom kissed Gwen’s shoulder. “Do you think I should let Brea see her?”
Gwen sighed. “I don’t know. I think most would agree that a child benefits from knowing both parents, from being able to identify her roots. But if that parent has been absent, I think one has to look at how reentering the child’s life will affect her. But then again, I’m probably not the best one to ask, Ransom. My first impression of Brea was not a good one. So better to ask someone neutral: a therapist, your mother, even Miss Mary. Because I just don’t know…”
The rest of the weekend passed quickly. Ransom, Gwen, and Isis spent Saturday at Universal Studios and Sunday at the beach. They were all exhausted by the time they went back to the hotel to get Gwen’s car and go home.
Ransom and Gwen conversed via their cell phones during almost the entire two-hour trip back to Sienna. Isis busied herself with a new video game her father had bought at Universal City Walk, a maze of stores and eateries adjacent to the theme park. After exiting into Sienna and making plans to drop Isis off at Gwen’s the next morning, Ransom ended the call, honked his horn to wave at Gwen, and turned toward home.
As soon as he turned the corner, he saw her. Ransom was stunned. He’d been fully prepared to have a confrontation with Brea, but he’d never once considered that Brea’s mother, Pam, would be at his house.
Ransom liked Pam. When he and Brea first started dating, she still lived at home. Ransom practically lived there too. Pam treated him like a son, and openly approved of their relationship. When Brea became pregnant, Pam wasn’t thrilled, but she was supportive. As the relationship became strained, Pam became less friendly toward him, and when he went after full custody of Isis, they stopped speaking.
Ransom glanced at the backseat. Isis was sleeping peacefully. He decided to leave her there while he scoped out the mood of his visitor. Then taking a positive approach, he put a small smile on his face and opened the door.
“Pam, what a surprise.”
“Yeah, I’ll bet. How are you, Ransom?”
The two hugged.
“Better than I was on Friday,” he answered honestly. “Why didn’t Brea call me, set things up to see Isis instead of just showing up like she did?”
“You know my child’s beautiful but not always bright. I told her she shouldn’t have done what she did. But she is Isis’s mother, Ransom. She has a right to know her child.”
“She signed those rights away, Pam.”
“Look, I’m not here to argue with you and I’m not here to discuss legalities. I don’t care what Brea signed, or how long she’s been gone. A mother has a right to know the baby she brought into the world.” Pam looked at Ransom’s car. “She in there?”
Ransom nodded. “Asleep,” he said, as he walked to the car.
Pam followed. They were both silent as Ransom took Isis out of the car, walked to the door, and let them inside.
“She’s adorable,” Pam said as Ransom laid Isis on her bed. “Looks like you. She has Brea’s nose though, and look at that chin!” Tears came to Pam’s eyes as she continued. “I was so mad at you when you took custody of Isis. I’m not saying you were wrong to do it. Brea acted irresponsibly, and you did what you had to. But I never should have stopped being a part of my granddaughter’s life.” Pam ran her hand across Isis’s hair. “I’ve missed so much.”
Ransom spent the next hour filling Pam in on much of what she’d missed. They flipped through photo albums and Isis’s drawings and school papers. They reminisced about old times, the good times, when Pam felt sure Ransom would become her son-in-law. Their easy camaraderie returned, and Ransom remembered why he liked Pam so much. She was warm and down to earth, most of the time. And she had a lot of common sense, something Ransom’s father swore was in short supply. Brea’s actions seemed to affirm his father’s belief.
After finishing the cup of tea Ransom had offered, Pam prepared to leave. “I still don’t know what happened to break you and Brea up. I thought y’all were good together. You know I always thought of you as my son-in-law.”
Ransom took Pam’s cup and rose from the couch. “Yeah, well, life happens. We were young, got caught up. But Isis came out of our relationship so…that made everything worth it.”
Pam followed Ransom into the kitchen. “Brea tells me there was some old chick taking care of Isis? Someone my age?”
“Isis is well taken care of,” Ransom responded, sidestepping Pam’s obvious search for information.
“She’s her babysitter?”
Ransom turned and put his hands on Pam’s shoulders. “It’s been good seeing you again, Pam. I was leery when I pulled up and saw you but…I’m glad we had this chance to reconnect.”
They hugged.
“What about Brea?” Pam asked. “Will she have a chance to reconnect with her child? You know how proud and stubborn she is, Ransom, but she misses her daughter. And whether or not she knows it, Isis misses Brea, too.”
“Isis doesn’t know Brea, Pam.”
“Don’t matter. Brea is that child’s mother, and not a babysitter, or teacher, or anybody else in the world can take the place of a mother’s love.”
Ransom hid a frown. Brea had obviously been talking to someone who thought they knew his business, and relayed what she’d heard to Pam. He intended to find out who had talked to her, and why.
Pam reached into her purse and pulled out a piece of paper. “Here’s Brea’s number. Will you call her?”
Ransom took the paper and studied it for a moment. “We’ll see.”
45
“When’s she coming, Daddy?” Isis asked.
“I don’t know, Princess.” Ransom looked at his watch. “She’s on her way.”
Ransom, Isis, and Gwen sat in a large corner booth at IHOP, where they’d agreed to meet Brea. Ransom had insisted Gwen come, more for his support than his daughter’s…and as a witness in case anything crazy went down.
It was two weeks to the day since Ransom had arrived home and found Pam waiting by the curb. Since then he’d talked to his parents and a therapist, and decided that he would take the chance and let Brea visit Isis. But he was taking it one step at a time. Nothing would be changed legally until he was sure Brea was back in Isis’s life to stay. And she had to visit on his terms: in a public place, with him and Gwen present. Take it or leave it. She’d taken it. Or so he thought. The more the minutes ticked by, the more he began to think she’d changed her mind.
Brea waited for the light to change, eyeing the IHOP in the distance. She knew a lot was riding on this visit—her whole future, in fact. She had succeeded with the first step to getting back with Ransom: showing interest in a relationship with their daughter. As soon as she’d secured Isis’s love, she’d begin work on her baby’s daddy.
She’d chosen her outfit with this in mind: a light yellow Baby Phat dress that was casual in its design yet accented her in all the right places and looked great against her butterscotch skin. It fell just above her knee, showing off shapely legs further highlighted by flat sandals that laced up midcalf and revealed a fresh pedicure. Her short pixie haircut was flawless, emphasizing her doe eyes, succulent lips, and perfect bone structure. She looked, walked, and acted like a model, and carried herself with a self-assurance tinged with vulnerability that turned heads and melted men’s hearts. It had melted Ransom’s once, and she was determined it would happen again.
And then there was Gwen, the woman Adam told her was the competition where Ransom was concerned. Brea assumed that’s who she’d encountered at Ransom’s the other day, and if so, Brea wasn’t too worried about her. She had an all right body, but she was no match for Brea James. In fact Adam, whose call to Pam had led to this whole chain of events unfolding, had told Brea that Gwen wasn’t the only woman Ransom was seeing. That there was somebody named Carol, a
nd who knew who else. It didn’t matter. Brea James was on a mission. And when all was said and done, she intended to be the last female standing.
Brea realized she was frowning and worked to calm down. She and her mother had discussed a strategy for getting Ransom back, and charm was part of the arsenal Pam advised her to use. “You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar,” Pam had said. “Ransom knows you can be a real pain in the ass. Don’t remind him.”
Brea pulled into the parking lot, took one last look in the mirror, and reached into the backseat for the presents she’d bought. She opened the door and then remembered what she’d forgotten. Closing the door, she reached into her handbag and pulled out a bottle of Vera Wang fragrance. She sprayed her pulse points and between her breasts and legs. Now, I’m ready. I’m about to make it happen.
Gwen, Ransom, and Isis were not the only ones who watched Brea enter the dining area and walk across the room. Everyone in the restaurant paused to watch her pass by. A smile lit up her face as she spotted her targets in the corner booth. When she got to the table, she put down her bag, took off her sunglasses, and held out her arms. “Hey, Ran, baby. Don’t I get a hug?”
Ransom was surprised at the emotions he experienced as he stood up and gave Brea a brief hug. He’d forgotten how fine this woman was, how she used to take his breath away with her beauty. He stepped back and allowed Brea to scoot into the booth, between him and Isis.
“Hello, Isis,” Brea said. “You look nice today.”
“Thank you,” Isis said softly, and scooted closer to Gwen.
The action sent a flash of anger through Brea, but she played it off with a big smile.
“Gwen, girl, I owe you an apology. I’m sorry for going off on you the other night. It was that time of the month when we met. You got the wrath of day two, cramps and everything!”
Gwen was quiet a moment, not sure of how to respond to this unexpected contriteness. Where was the hellion who appeared on Ransom’s doorstep, and who was this charming, cultured woman sitting at the table? “It was a stressful moment,” Gwen said finally. “I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
“Oh, I bought gifts for everybody. Hand me that bag, Ran.”
Gwen hated the way Brea called him “Ran.” Hated it because it sounded sexy, personal, familiar. It was spoken as a term of endearment, and reminded Gwen of their intimate history as much as Isis ever could. The thoughts unnerved her, as did Brea’s poise, good looks, and most of all, youth. The woman didn’t look like she’d ever had a pimple or a bad hair day. Men had probably eaten out of her hand her whole life.
Brea reached into the bag and gave a gift box to Ransom. “For you.” She reached in again, pulled out a smaller box, and gave it to Gwen. “And you.”
“Me?” Now Gwen was truly in shock. “Really, Brea, you didn’t have to get me anything.”
“Aw, girl, it’s nothing,” Brea answered, in a tone one would use in conversation with a best friend. “Besides, it looks like you’ve taken excellent care of Ran and my daughter. We appreciate it, huh, Ran?” The hand she laid on his thigh was placed there so casually, and so naturally, no one knew how to react. After an awkward moment, Ransom shifted, gently taking her hand and placing it on the cushioned bench. Brea laughed away the gesture; her point had been made.
“And now you, Miss Isis. Mama got you a few presents.” She winked at Isis as she reached into the bag and pulled out the first box, which contained a toy called Illustory, where the child writes and illustrates her own book. “Mama told me about your drawings,” Brea explained. “And how smart you are. I thought you might like it.”
The table was silent as Isis examined the gift.
“Well, do you?” The vulnerability in Brea’s voice was real, and unmistakable.
Isis nodded.
“Whew, good! I was hoping you would! Now, the next one.” Brea’s gifts for Isis included a giant word game, a princess mosaic, and two fashionable and age-appropriate outfits.
“I already know these,” Isis said with excitement when she opened her last present, a magnetic puzzle map of the United States. “We learned them in Miss Gwen’s class.”
“Well, that’s good, baby. Because your mama sure doesn’t know where all those states go on the map.”
“You don’t?”
Brea shook her head. “But I’d love for you to teach me. Do you think you could?”
Isis nodded her head yes, obviously proud to be granted the teacher role.
“Do you think you could do one more thing for me? Can I have a hug?”
Isis didn’t hesitate. She scooted over and placed her arms around Brea’s neck. Brea teared up as she hugged her daughter for the first time in such a long time. “Thank you, baby,” she whispered when Isis finished. “That was a really good hug.”
The waitress came to take their orders and for the next hour and a half, Brea endeared herself to Ransom and Isis with tales of her time in New York, Paris, and Milan. Isis seemed enthralled, particularly when Brea spoke of flying on planes and skating on ice. Even Gwen laughed at Brea’s bold antics, after being begrudgingly impressed with the learning gifts she’d bought Isis.
The topic then turned to Ransom, with Brea telling Isis what it was like when her father modeled. The conversation included a lot of “Remember that, Ran?” and underscored his and Brea’s shared history. Ransom and Brea went down memory lane: how big Brea got with her pregnancy, the quick labor that almost resulted in a parking lot delivery, Isis’s first birthday, and how both of them were there when she took her first step. The longer they shared, the more Gwen felt like the outsider. She noticed Isis stayed closer to Brea now, playing with Brea’s fashionably clunky bracelet and watching her talk. And there was one more thing Gwen noticed. After telling a funny story, Brea fell out laughing. Once again, her hand came to rest on Ransom’s thigh. This time, he did not move it off.
46
Gwen slapped blindly at the ringing alarm clock. For the second night in a row, she hadn’t slept well. It hadn’t mattered so much on Saturday night; she made up for it by staying in bed until ten Sunday morning. But today, Monday, duty called.
The reason for Gwen’s sleeplessness could be summed up in two words: Brea James. A month had passed since the meeting at IHOP and in that time Brea had seen Isis every week. After the second meeting, when Gwen felt even more like a third leg than she had at the restaurant, she told Ransom it was important that the three of them—Ransom, Isis, and Brea—spend time together. It was one of the hardest suggestions she’d ever made but Gwen knew if she and Ransom continued anything long-term, Brea would be a part of their lives. Gwen would have to trust the strength of the bond she and Ransom shared. The last thing Gwen wanted to be was a paranoid, insecure nag who came between a woman and her child.
For his part, Ransom had been as loving as ever, and very open and forthcoming with what was transpiring between him and Brea. Isis had warmed up to her mother, he said, and seemed to grow more comfortable around her with every visit. Brea had asked to take her to LA to spend the weekend with her and Pam, but Ransom wasn’t ready for that yet. So for the past two weeks, Brea had visited Isis at Ransom’s home. Gwen told herself that Brea’s visits were the right thing for Isis, and that it didn’t matter that these visits took away from the time she and Ransom spent together. She told herself this often, especially on those alone nights when Brea, Ransom, and Isis were creating the family portrait. She told herself…but she didn’t believe it.
Throwing back the covers, Gwen stumbled out of bed. She walked into the kitchen and put on a rare pot of coffee, then took a quick shower. Thirty minutes later, Gwen was dressed and ready when the doorbell rang.
“Miss Gwen, Miss Gwen! Look what Mommy bought me!” Isis bounded into the room wearing a pair of bright red pants with a matching top that boasted primary colors in geometric designs. Her tennis shoes were made out of a suedelike designer fabric, and lit up with every step. These were the presents Isis excitedly showed her
teacher.
“Those are very nice,” Gwen said. She walked over to Ransom, who had come into the house behind his bubbly daughter. “Hey, you,” she said, and kissed him lightly.
“Guess where we’re going?” Isis continued, still bouncing around so her shoes could glow.
“I have no idea.”
“Universal Studios! Me, Mommy, Daddy…and Tianna’s coming too!”
Memories of their trip to the theme park assailed Gwen: the shared laughter on rides, fun meals, steamy nights…. Gwen forced away the feeling of melancholy and fixed a smile on her face.
“Well, I know you are going to have a very good time!” She turned to Ransom. “Time for a cup of coffee?”
“Yeah, baby, there’s something I want to talk about with you anyway.”
Gwen’s heart flip-flopped but she kept a calm outward appearance. “Isis, you left your book last time. It’s on the dresser in my bedroom. Want to get it?” After Isis ran toward Gwen’s bedroom, Gwen walked into the kitchen. Ransom followed behind.
Gwen poured herself a second cup of coffee along with Ransom’s. She poured a liberal amount of chocolate caramel creamer in both cups and handed one to Ransom. “What’s up?” she asked, after taking a tentative sip.
Ransom sighed and took a sip as well. “It’s Brea. She wants to move here.”
Later, Gwen would pride herself on how calmly she took this news. She wanted to put her hands on the side of her face and scream like the kid in Home Alone. But she didn’t. She simply leaned back against the counter, took another sip of coffee, and said, “Really?”
“Yeah, she’s planning on looking for a place this weekend, maybe over at Sienna Heights.”
“Where Carol lives? Well, that should liven up the neighborhood.”
