by Zuri Day
“Tell me about it. But it’s not like there are that many apartment choices here. And Isis would have Kari and some of the other kids to play with when she visits Brea.” Ransom put his cup down and walked to the door that led to the backyard. He stared out at the early December morning and continued. “She wants us to go back to court and reestablish joint custody.”
“How do you feel about that?”
“I don’t have a problem with Isis and Brea having a relationship. Isis was always a happy child, but she’s blossomed even more since Brea came back.”
“But do you think Brea will be happy here? She’s used to bright lights, big city. None of that is happening in this town.”
“She says it’s what she wants. To be near Isis.”
Or is it to be near you? “What will she do for work? Drive to Lancaster?”
“She says she’s got money saved from the last couple shoots and runway shows she did. That’ll last for a minute here. About the only good thing about this small town is the cost of living.”
“Well, Ransom, I hope everything works out the way you want, and in the best interest of Isis.”
“I think everything will work out all right. Just so long as…”
Gwen waited, but when Ransom didn’t finish, she prompted. “So long as what?”
“Never mind.” Ransom finished his coffee, walked over to the sink and set his cup in it, and then turned to Gwen. “Now, can I get a little more chocolate from those sweet, juicy lips before I leave?”
Ransom kissed Gwen, slowly, lazily. He ran a hand across her shoulders and felt their tenseness.
“Hey, what’s this?” he asked, as he kneaded her shoulders and ran strong fingers along her spine and the nape of her neck. “Oh, don’t worry, Butterfly. Brea being here won’t change us.” He underscored his statement with an intense hug.
Gwen savored being enveloped in Ransom’s strong arms. Still, she couldn’t help feeling that the relationship ground beneath them, which had felt a tremor with the visits of Isis’s mother, was getting ready to experience a straight up earthquake as soon as Brea moved to town.
47
Gwen deposited Isis in the classroom and then went to the teachers’ lounge to put her lunch in the refrigerator. The room was more crowded than usual, and when she walked in, she felt an immediate shift in the atmosphere. Several of the teachers either looked away or gave a compassionate smile. Joanna, who had been talking with one of the school’s other busybodies, rushed over.
“Oh my gosh, you must be beside yourself!”
Gwen proceeded to the refrigerator without answering. First of all, she wasn’t sure what Joanna was talking about. Second, even with the about-face in attitude, Gwen didn’t trust Joanna Roxbury as far as she could throw her. Just because the woman apologized, and had been showing a friendly side, did not mean they were friends. Far from it.
“I mean, can you believe it?” Joanna continued. “Brea coming to live here, in Sienna? And she put in an application at Sienna Heights Apartments, did you know that? I sure hope she and Carol don’t get too close to each other. That will be a catfight for sure!”
So that’s what this is about. Wow, news sure travels fast in this town. “How did you know about Brea?” Gwen asked. Ransom had told her less than an hour ago, and he surely wouldn’t have talked to anyone at the school about it.
“Oh, well, I…”
Just then, Adam walked into the lounge, and for Gwen, everything suddenly made sense. She’d bet her next month’s pay that not only was Adam Joanna’s source for information about Brea (and Joanna the reason the rest of the faculty now knew), but also that Adam had something to do with Brea’s sudden reemergence into Isis’s life. She was determined to get to the bottom of it, but now was not the time. Nor was it the time for folks to be all up in her business, so she put on an armor of nonchalance and looked at Joanna.
“Never mind, I think I know how news is spreading in this town. But don’t worry yourself, Joanna, because I’m sure not.” With that, Gwen left the room, head held high, and walked back to her classroom.
It was a full, busy day, for which Gwen was grateful. As soon as the last bell rang and the students had exited, Gwen began placing paperwork in her tote bag. She had had enough of Sienna Elementary for one day, and was more than ready to leave. Plus, she was so angry with Adam that she didn’t trust herself to be around him. So she was focused on making a quick exit. Two more minutes, and she would have made it. But just as Isis was putting on her backpack, Adam sauntered into the room.
“I hear you’re getting ready to have some major competition,” Adam said with a smirk on his face. “If you can call it that. Ransom has had a thing for Brea for a long time. I’m sorry, Gwen, but your Stella moment, you know, getting your groove back and all, might be just about over.”
“Come on, Isis,” Gwen said, ignoring Adam. She began walking toward the door. Adam stepped in to block her.
“Look, I’m here as your friend. And I just want you to know that when Brea and Ransom get back together and you need someone to talk to, a shoulder to cry on—”
“First of all,” Gwen snapped, “you need to watch what you’re saying in front of this child. You’re talking about her parents. Of course, you weren’t thinking of her, only yourself, as always. Which is why if yours was the only shoulder left on this continent, I’d rather use a rock. After all, I wouldn’t expect a stone to have feelings. And after all these years…I don’t expect you to either.”
Before Adam could form a retort, Gwen and Isis were gone.
48
Gwen waved at Isis and Miss Mary as the two got into Miss Mary’s car, on their way to Target, in Lancaster. Gwen was thankful that Miss Mary had been available to watch Isis for a couple hours, until Ransom got off work. She’d held it together for much of the day, but Gwen needed to get a handle on everything that was going on around her. And she needed to talk to someone who could help her navigate the madness. As soon as she got back inside her house, she reached for the phone.
“You know you’re in for a beat up and a beat down,” Chantay said instead of hello. “Why is it harder to reach you than Barack Obama these days? I swear if you hadn’t called, I was driving down there this weekend!”
Gwen sighed and flopped on the couch. “I know, Chantay. But things have been crazier than you can imagine. Guess who’s moving back to Sienna?”
“Girl, if you tell me it’s that bitch baby mama coming back there, I’m gonna lose a shoe in her ass!”
Gwen laughed for the first time all day. “Tay, you’d better be my friend and have my back.”
“Girl, I got your back, front, sides, and middle. I haven’t had a good fight since Buffy stole my Twinkies back in seventh grade. I told you that girl was trouble the moment she showed up.”
“Yeah, and you were right about another thing.” Gwen went on to tell Chantay about the run-in with Adam, and the smirk on his face as he delivered the news about Brea’s relocation. She talked about her insecurities, her fears, and why the right thing to do might be to back away and give Isis a chance to have a life that included a mother and a father.
“Whoa, wait a minute. What makes you think Ransom wants to get back with Brea? Is that what he told you?”
“No, but, Tay, the writing is on the wall. This is the mother of his child we’re talking about: beautiful, young, successful, oh, and did I say beautiful? Wait a minute, did I say young? I can see the things that make her attractive to men. She can be quite charming when she wants to be and sexy without even trying. And the main thing? Isis has gone from not wanting her around to talking about her constantly. Ransom can see a positive change in Isis since Brea came back into her life…and so can I.”
“Have you talked to Ransom about this…what you’re thinking, how you feel?”
“I need to.”
“Yes, you do. And you need to do it now, today, before you let your emotions and paranoia get the best of you and you start pushing
Gwen knew Chantay was right. So after the two friends chatted a bit longer and made plans to hang out the following Saturday, Gwen disconnected from Chantay and called Ransom.
Two hours later, Gwen and Ransom cuddled in Ransom’s living room. Ransom had fixed dinner, and after cleaning the kitchen and putting Isis to bed, the adults were ready for a little alone time.
“You want to talk about it?” Ransom asked, as he stroked Gwen’s back. “You were tense this morning, and you’ve been quiet most of the night. Talk to me.”
Gwen sat up and took a deep breath. “It’s about Brea moving here. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy for Isis, that she is getting the chance to know her mother. But I just think…I’m concerned that Brea may want to get to know her child’s father again too.”
“You’re probably right,” Ransom said, agreeing with Gwen.
Gwen had hoped he wouldn’t, that he would tell her she was tripping, and that Brea couldn’t possibly be interested in him.
“Have you heard the saying, ‘first time, shame on you, second time, shame on me’? I’m happy that Isis is getting to know her mother but, Butterfly, believe me, I don’t want to be with Brea again. The person I want to be with is sitting next to me.”
“You say that now, Ransom. But feelings can change. Brea is young and beautiful—”
“And immature and full of drama—”
“And the three of you will be spending a lot of time together. It’s only natural that you’ll grow closer. You’ll basically be together all this weekend and…”
“Is that what this is about? Us going to Universal? Because, baby, you are more than welcome to come with us. I thought you knew that.”
“No, I don’t want to go with you, tag along like a chaperone. I want to trust you, and trust our love enough to not feel like I do right now…all paranoid and silly and out of control.”
Ransom pulled Gwen into his arms and began placing kisses all over her face. “Yeah, that paranoid and silly mess, that’s got to go. But, Butterfly…right now, I’m going to take off your panties. And I’m going to make it my business for you to lose all control.”
49
Gwen was in an excellent mood. She’d been with Ransom every night since their talk. His lovemaking had been even more attentive than usual, thorough and deliberate. Her coochie was satisfied but her sleeping had suffered. Last night, Friday, she hadn’t left until three A.M.
She’d spent the beautiful Saturday morning that followed with her mother: eating breakfast, shopping, and enjoying a manicure and pedicure at the nail salon. Lorraine still showed signs of her illness from time to time, forgetting names and places, repeating what she’d just said, but more and more, Lorraine was like the mother Gwen used to know. That fact had never been more evident than just before she’d left her mother’s apartment.
“Mama, this was fun today, but I really need to be going.”
Lorraine had stopped and thought for a moment, then gave her a blank stare. “Baby, why do you have to leave? This is your home!”
Gwen frowned. “No,” she began slowly, “this is your home. I live at your old house in Sienna.”
Lorraine continued to stare blankly. “Sienna?”
“Yes, Mama.” Gwen’s happy mood began to dissipate. Her mother hadn’t acted this incoherent in quite a while.
“Well, wait. I’m going with you. I need to get some things for Harold. He’ll probably want me to cook some beans and…”
“Mama!”
“What?”
Gwen tried to control her rising fear. She walked over to her mother and talked softly, as if to a child. “Mama, Daddy’s not in Sienna.”
“Well, baby, where is he?”
“Mama, Daddy’s…” That’s when Gwen noticed the twinkle in her mother’s eye, followed by the tinkling laughter that had filled Gwen’s childhood household after one of her father’s jokes.
“Gotcha!” Lorraine laughed again, and while Gwen tried hard to keep the frown on her face, soon she was laughing too.
“Mama, don’t do that! You scared the living daylights out of me.”
“I couldn’t help it, baby. Esther did that to her daughter the other day and it was the funniest thing. We’re still laughing about it. I hope I didn’t scare you too bad.”
Gwen hugged her mother. “You must be feeling better if you can joke about your illness. I’m just glad to hear you laughing. As a matter of fact, have you talked to Robert today?”
“No, and he’s next. I’m gonna act like I don’t know he’s married, has a son, and another child on the way. I might even forget he has siblings.”
“Mama, you’re gonna give Robert a heart attack.”
“It’s called payback,” Lorraine winked. “For all those teenaged years y’all almost gave me one.”
Now, Gwen was on her way to Chantay’s. She couldn’t wait. Gwen hadn’t spent quality time with Chantay in months. She didn’t count the short time they’d shared drinks with their boyfriends weeks earlier. With Ransom, Isis, and Brea in Los Angeles, Gwen knew that time spent kicking it with her sistah-friend was just the outing she needed. She changed lanes, turned up the music, and added an out-of-tune accompaniment to the day.
“…ain’t no particular sign that I’m more compatible with.” Gwen turned up the volume another notch. “I just want your extra time and your, dun-dun-dun-dun, kiss.”
Gwen grooved with the sounds of the eighties all the way into LA. By the time she arrived at Chantay’s house, she was ready to party. She reached her friend’s door, heard Cameo’s thumping bass spilling out from under it, and knew her friend would not disappoint. The party was on! Chantay answered the door singing along with Cameo’s lead singer, Larry Blackmon.
After exhausting her eighties supply of Levert, Frankie Beverly and Maze, Freddie Jackson, and Janet Jackson, Chantay and Gwen hit the streets. They shopped at Westfield Mall before heading up Slauson to a nutritionally conscious restaurant called Simply Wholesome. After healthy meals of vegetarian burritos and lentil burgers with barbeque sauce, the ladies took in a movie at Magic Johnson Theaters, complete with the not-so-healthy yet prerequisite popcorn with butter, nachos, and chocolate-covered raisins. By the time they headed back to Chantay’s house, it was early evening. Gwen was not necessarily looking forward to the two-hour drive home, and said as much to Chantay.
“You know you’re welcome to stay with me. Sharonna’s spending a rare night with her sister.”
“Sienna?”
“Yeah, girl, she’s got a new apartment and a new man. They’re trying to play house. Derek is playing with some band down at the Roosevelt Hotel. If he comes tipping in late tonight, I promise not to scream too loud when we get busy.”
“I appreciate it, Tay, but I think I’ll head home. I’ve been doing quite a bit of screaming myself lately, if you know what I mean. But I’m sure Ransom and Isis won’t be back until late. It will be good to get a full night’s sleep, in my own bed. Oh, and did I thank you?”
“For what?”
“For encouraging me to talk to Ransom. That’s the best advice you could have given me.”
“I try.”
Gwen went into Chantay’s house, used the bathroom, borrowed her copy of Luther Vandross’s Greatest Hits, and hit the road. She’d been on the highway about fifteen minutes when her phone rang.
“Hey, B-Fly.”
“Hey you, having fun?”
“Isis and Tianna did. As for me, it was ai’ight. I like seeing Isis happy. What about you, what are you doing?”
Gwen told Ransom about her day, and that she was headed back to Sienna.
“Dang, I wish I’d caught you sooner.”
“Why?”
“Because after a long talk with Pam, I let Isis and Tianna spend the night over at her house. I’m at the Universal Sheraton. If I’d known you were up here, I would have had you come over.”
Gwen’s drowsiness went away in a heartbeat. “I’m not too far to turn around. I could probably be there in about forty-five minutes. That is…if you want me to.”
“You know you better get that fine ass over here so I can lick it.”
Gwen’s nana somersaulted as she exited the freeway and reentered on the other side. Luther’s smooth sounds were the perfect backdrop for the ride to her young lover.
Brea kneaded cocoa butter into her skin, which was already softer than the butter she applied. She worked hard to keep her body as close to perfection as possible, without blemishes or scars. She remembered how Ransom used to love giving her a tongue bath, loved the feel of her creamy skin. She smiled in anticipation of him doing it again.
The road back to Ransom had been longer than she’d thought but not as long as she feared. In just a little over a month she had him here, right where she wanted him. She knew that getting him out of that hick town and away from Gwen’s constant presence was essential. And tonight he was here, in LA, and Gwen was there, in Sienna. Brea reached into the closet and pulled out the dress she’d carefully chosen: a red silk mini with zipper conveniently located down the front. Aside from jewelry, perfume, and shoes, it was the only thing she wore. Brea could hardly wait to knock on Ransom’s hotel door.
Ransom pulled into the hotel parking lot and turned off his car engine. Gwen’s taste for sweet, sparkling wines had increased following their night in Palm Springs, and he was glad to have found a nearby liquor store with a nice selection. He wanted to recreate that moment, when they’d first come together, and had purchased two crystal wine glasses as well.
Ransom felt women staring at him as he crossed the lobby to the elevator. He was used to it. Women had looked at him with light in their eyes since he was twelve years old. But his heart had finally been captured. And it belonged to Gwen Andrews.
Ransom smiled, remembering the pomp and circumstance with which Gwen had taken back her last name. The week after returning from Chicago, she’d gone to court to have it legally changed back to her maiden name. “I don’t want to think of what used to be every time I sign a check,” she’d said firmly. “I want all of me back.”
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