"You got it lil'brother... you got it. Pay me whatever you can, whenever you can. And um, Thursday night, at a club in Chicago called Fitzgerald's - my wife is performing, singing - if you care to, you might wanna come and see her - that's where I'll be."
"You sure you want her to see me there? Might tip her off that you're there."
"Just stay towards the back where she can't see you."
"Is that where you're gonna be?"
"No... I've talked to Paul. I'm gonna be back stage waiting for her. Otherwise, my wily little fox might try to flee once again."
"What the hell, I'll be there."
Shawn spent the rest of Tuesday, making sure of everything, with everyone. He called Derrick and spoke with him, validating their plans, Derrick had finally spoken with his wife, asking when she'd be home, her answer had been sometime that weekend. He'd kept his talk with Shawn to himself and spent quite a bit of time thinking about a few things. Like how much his wife meant to him and the fact that he needed to make a few changes, he hadn't a clue as to how to make those changes and which ones should come first, but one thing was certain, she would be home before the weekend, changes necessary or not.
Wednesday Shawn spoke with Paul. Asking him to stay out of sight for fear of Sylvia spotting them and taking off on him again. Paul assured him that all was fine and not to worry. Shawn next attended a session with Crystal in anger management.
They both sat through an introduction of the therapist, Chad Withering, whereby all attending had to introduce themselves in turn, which of course included Shawn and Crystal. She was not the only woman in the meeting, there were two others and the rest men. Eight of them all together. After introductions, they had to sit through a film depicting the many avenues of which anger was growing in America and how it was manifesting itself. Domestic abuse, road rage, in the workplace violence, high average in reason for divorce, to name a few, as it went on to say and then explaining to them all, how anger in itself was not so bad as the mismanagement of it. That mismanagement, the cause of conflict in our personal and professional lives.
The first meeting lasted an hour, which following the film, there was a short orientation for the scheduled meetings as the instructor of the meeting passed out brochures and leaflets for them to read while struggling to keep his eyes off of Crystal. This did not escape Shawn's notice. He was a well spoken, eloquent speaking, educated black man. Dressed very casual, with dark good looks, appearing to be in his mid-thirties. Following the meeting, he made it a point to go to each of them, taking the time to speak with them individually before they left, finally making his way to them, he smiled first at Shawn, then at Crystal.
"Mr. McPherson..." He shook Shawn's hand, "...and daughter." Crystal's as well. "...please let this not be the first and last that you attend. As I've mentioned to the others, making it to the first meeting is easy, following through to attend all the consecutive ones... not so easy. However, very necessary if this program is to make a difference in your lives and how you handle any unsettling events that arise. Within your brochure booklet, are all the scheduled meetings and their times. You will also find a number to call if you should ever find yourself in a situation that is threatening your calm. By all means, walk away - call the number, talk it out." He held eye contact with Crystal the longest, then upon realizing Shawn stared at him, he checked himself and snapped to smiling at him.
"You have a beautiful daughter Mr. McPherson, my apologies for staring."
"Emmm." Was Shawn's mumbled reply as he glanced back at Crystal, who was smiling brightly at the compliment.
"Come along lil'mo... papah has plenty to get done today."
Outside, on the way to the SUV, in a fatherly fashion he reminded her, "Two wrongs don't make a right."
"What? I didn't do anything?!" She asked, trying to play it off, grinning.
"I could count your teeth, so could he. That'll be on his mind later... keep your focus and remember you're still married."
"I wish someone would tell Victor that. Besides, he had a ring on his finger - more importantly, a wedding band on his ring finger." She said climbing in the high seated vehicle.
"No I hadn't noticed, anyway, I'm not concerned about him, or about how Victor acts or looks. My concern is about you and how you look. Take a leaf from your mother's book. No matter how bad your father treated her, or how much he cheated on her, she maintained her dignity and self-respect. No reason you can't do the same. Allowing him to tickle your fancy is only going to complicate matters. This is just the first meeting, and already he's eye balling you - put the breaks on it now. The fact that he's married, yeah, I'll have to pull him up on it by next meeting. He's too old for you anyway... he's in his thirties."
"It was just a look papah, nothing more, even so, as for age, Uncle Jake is in his thirties and he has a thing for Vivian." She brought to his attention.
"Jake and Vivian are single. The latter of whom is 28 years old, a lot older than yourself. Main point is, you're still married. Trust me, get one thing settled or solved before you begin with someone else, otherwise, you're going to end up with one helluva mess on your hands."
"Ach!" She made the half gasp cough sound at the back of her throat, sitting back in her seat pouting.
"Buckle your seatbelt and behave yourself, you know I'm right. Your mom would only tell you the same thing. I know I'm not your real father, but God is my witness, I'd never tell you wrong. He's kind of pissed me off, because his actions compromises your focus from the therapy."
"Papah don't overreact, he just complimented me and I smiled, nothing more - he's married too, remember?"
"Yeah, I'll be remembering to remind him of it, and as for the compliment and smile, that's how it all starts. I know you're grown, so I'm not saying another word to you - but - be careful."
By the time they made it home, he was rushing to put together a bag for the weekend, asking Jake to take care of the situation with Shanna's mobile home. To call them and ask if it could be delivered the following week Monday instead of Thursday. Shawn couldn't focus on that right now, he needed to get to Chicago, to get his wife. Bag packed with everything that was important, he stopped at the kitchen door and dialled Lydia's number.
"Lydia? It's me... Shawn, I'm on my way, I should be there in a few hours, see you when I get there."
Hanging up, he strode purposefully out the door and across the road to his garage, a moment later backing his red Harley out, he was zipping up his leather jacket as he gave last minute orders and instructions to all present, knowing that once Jake left Thursday night, he would have to depend on Crystal and Mundo to take care of Angela until Friday. He knew there was nothing to worry about, because they were both responsible when it came to her. All four stood at the gravel edge of his front lawn waving to him as he put his shades and helmet on and headed out for Chicago. Shawn cut through the small town in a few moments flat, hit the ramp on I90 and leaned into the speed and flew.
* * *
Sylvia and Meribel made it to Sheila's house in record time following her phone call. She was super duper pissed. So pissed in fact that she told Dennis, "Take the boys and go visit your friends or somebody, or else they gone hear me cussing tonight like they ain't never heard me cuss before, take'em and go! I'm calling Sylvia ass here now! Lord give me strength I don't kill nobody this day!" She had raged. Unwilling to even get in the midst of it and ask what was going on, Dennis took the boys and left. Noting before his departure, how distraught Vivian was. She'd been crying and again, he thought, it was best to leave.
Sylvia as well as Meribel could not believe what they were hearing. The whole time that Sheila went on, Vivian sat quietly sniffing, calling herself all kinds of fools.
"That bitch, that ho, that bitch that ho! I'm telling you now Sylvia - it's been a long time since I been this mad at somebody! It ain't even about my man goddammit! But the shit this two bit prostitute trying to pull was just too much for me to stay out of!"
"Well calm down Sheila and tell me what happened?!" Sylvia entreated.
"I can't calm down! I know I got to! But I can't right now, I can't even pray! Just knowing that such a piece a shit like her belongs to my same goddamn race is too much for me to handle! I wanted to kill her ass, I wanted to kill her ass! And only by the grace of God and the presence of the police for fear they'd take my Vivian off to jail, did I intervene and stop her from stomping that bitch ten inches into the concrete - but I wanted to let her! I wanted to help her stomp her ass! That bitch ain't worth, the shit stains wiped off on cheap - generic ass, white label toilet paper, on the damaged marked down rack, with a roll missing! Anybody-..."
"SHEILA! WHAT HAPPENED!!!" Sylvia yelled to cut in. Meribel couldn't help herself, she was laughing even though she knew the situation wasn't funny, but Sheila was something else.
"Leave me alone goddammit! I got to get it all out! I'm too mad! Got my baby over here crying! Hush yo' cryin'! Don't be crying! What you crying for? He ain't yo' goddamn man, and if he did fuck her ass, you don't want his ass no way! Liable to have something you don't want!"
Vivian remained silent, looking away from them all because on top of the hurt, she was humiliated at the same time for being angry at letting it even effect her. They were not a couple. They were not together. They were just friends. She kept telling herself that. She knew that. Hadn't she run him off herself? Yes, so they'd been talking but that was all. That was all. Still and yet, to find out that Jake had slept with Edwina, the way that she found out, was like a powerful kick to her stomach.
"To say she got mo' nerve than a brass ass funky monkey - does not equate! It is an injustice, to use a brass ass, funky monkey as a parallel to her. The fucking monkey ain't did shit comparative to this ho... do you understand me?!" She asked Sylvia and then Meribel. Who nodded even though they still waited to hear what this Edwina had done to rile Sheila so and have Vivian in tears.
"Sheila... I can't possibly understand until you tell me what happened." Sylvia informed her sitting on the sofa.
Sheila went and sat in the chair by her front door to calm down. She took two dramatic breaths and stated, "Where the fuck do I begin?" She asked herself out loud.
"Start with the police who showed up here." Vivian said followed by a sniff.
"THE POLICE?! For what?!" Sylvia asked shocked.
Vivian blew her nose as Sheila decided to start a bit before the police.
"As you know, I called and told Lloyd the real deal on that bitches activities. Well, he must have been going off on her royal style because the ho lied and trumped up a whole bunch of shit - so much so - that Lloyd called the police, had the police come here,-..."
"When did the police come here?" Sylvia asked.
"This goddamn morning, my husband left and they showed up. Vivian just so happen to stay over here last night. They come here asking us questions, like... where could they find this man name Jake McPherson-..."
"WHAT?!" Both Meribel and Sylvia sat forward shouting the question.
"Yes... they wanted to know you see, because little miss ho ho filed charges against Jake saying that he raped her!"
"WHAT!?!?!" This brought Meribel and Sylvia to their feet.
"You damn straight and heard correctly! The police came here asking us where they could find him, in which town of Wisconsin - because they said Ms. Curry was too upset and distraught and didn't know exactly where he lived or could be found, neither Shawn for that matter, his brother. However, I know where they live."
"You got to be fuckin' kidding me... that bitch is a lie! Jake would never fucking rape anyone! Never had too!" Meribel defended hotly, ready to find her and kick her ass herself.
"You know what Sheila... Vivian... I have to stand on his side with this one, I don't see that... I don't see that at all... no way! No way! No way!"
"Hey! Give me some goddamn credit for something! Whatever he may goddamn be, he ain't no motherfuckin' rapist! I only spent a day with the man and I'm sorry... no no, hell no! That bitch tried to squirm her ass out of the shit she got herself into! The reason I jumped in it all the way goddammit, because I'm the one who called her ol'man and told him the truth! So I feel responsible for this shit! I'm not about to face that man's mother... mama Gert with this bull-shit! See! Surround yo'self wit' too many niggas and this the kind of shit you got to contend with! That bitch need to burn at the goddamn stake! And I told the police, don't come to my door with this bullshit - because that's all it is! Ms. Edwina Curry is a ho! Ho went looking for some dick, got it and now been busted cold to her man and trying to cry rape! Fuck - that! I told the goddamn police, I don't know where the man lives, don't know where he can be found, and I heard he just came in from out of town. That's all I got to say, get the hell off my door step and have a nice day!"
Vivian remained silent through it all as Sheila went on to tell the rest of it.
"Then this chile over here got to trippin'! Hollerin' and cryin' about Jake! Scared the police gonna arrest him after he just got through dealing with that suicide chick and to calm her down we headed over to Edwina's. Aaah shit...I don't even know where to go from here!"
"Well what did she say when you all got there?" Sylvia asked.
"First the ho didn't wanna come out the house! Lloyd came down trying to calm us down talking about how we should be on her side, because she was the one who was raped. I - cussed - his - ass - out! Called him every kind of dumb fool and so and so I could think up, and made up some shit too! Then, he finally broke it down and told us, what she told him. That is, her car broke down in Wisconsin, she was stranded, and couldn't find nobody to help her, and then remembered ya'll number!" Sheila indicating Sylvia for ya'll. "Said she got Shawn, that he came and got her and they were talking and things, she was feeling sorry for him and tried to comfort him and he took it the wrong way, and tried to get it on with her, but she fought him off and he got mad and threw her out in the middle of the night."
"What?" Sylvia exclaimed.
"Don't believe that shit!" Meribel spat, looking at Sylvia.
"Sylvia... don't be jumpin' the gun and thinking stupid... let me finish." Sheila cautioned her.
"Go ahead." She prompted.
"Yeah, and then... said she had to walk and get her a room at the hotel there, and that next morning while trying to figure out how to get her car, she ran into Jake at the station and asked him for help. She said that he said, he would and followed her up to her room so she could get her stuff and the next thing she knew, he done stepped in, locked the door and raped her."
"Well this girl goes totally ballistic, pushed Lloyd out the way, ran up the stairs and into they apartment and attacked her. Was kicking her ass - and of course the police had just pulled up when we was trying to pull Vivian off her ass. I told that ho, you gone re-tract them goddamn charges, or I'm gone spill all the goddamn goods on your ass right here and now in front of the police and Lloyd. I told the police to search the apartment and if they did, they'd find the following, the minute I got ready to say what they'd find, she went off on Lloyd and started calling him all kinds of names, telling him to get the fuck up out of her house. And that yeah, she went to bed with Jake - but she was forced to that extreme because he didn't treat her right."
"You got to be kidding me?" Sylvia ground out in disbelief.
"Yeah girl, the police had to grab my ass next, because I slapped the taste out her mouth, and the police took her ass off to jail for disturbing the peace and claiming false charges. Every time I think of that shit, I get mad! And now here she is, sitting up here crying because according the Edwina, while Jake didn't rape her, she did sleep with him."
Sylvia could only stare at Vivian in sympathy. No way in the world would she even consider saying, 'I told you... no peace with him.' Under the circumstances, she couldn't even blame Jake because they weren't dating even though Vivian had fallen for him, had fallen hard.
"Vivian... sweety, you gone be alright?" Sylvia asked going to si
t by her.
Vivian nodded, but the gesture only made the tears fall faster.
"Don't mind me, I'm being stupid! I mean... its not like we were a couple or anything. I mean, I just met the man right? So... why the hell - why should - why..." She crumbled and turned to Sylvia crying on her shoulder, unable to finish her sentence.
"Look Vivian - it doesn't matter, okay? It doesn't matter. Because, at least you know. You could have gone on feeling the way you did, never knowing until it was too late. Actually, it couldn't have come at a better time. As you said, he only wanted to be friends anyway. So... keep it that way and know that, Jake is Jake. He hasn't settled down with one woman for permanent in all this time, the likely hood that he will with you, is not worth the risk of it breaking your heart."
"I know... I know you're right. He said he was coming down this Saturday to move me with his boys. I don't wanna see him this Saturday, I don't wanna see him ever again. How do I get rid of him?"
The three other women stood looking at each other.
"Okay... the only answer is, to get you moved out before Saturday so he doesn't know where you live. I won't tell him, and I'm certain no one else will. That right ladies?" Sylvia asked Meribel and Sheila.
"Hey... I know how Jake is, Sylvia is right - I've watched him break a many hearts. Don't even put yourself through it. I won't tell, I don't know where you're moving to anyway."
"Well you already know what I think, I ain't tellin' him nothin'!"
"Sylvia if I move, I still have to deal with the house and paying rent."
"Listen girl, one day at a time. Let's fix one problem and then you can move on to fix the other. The one most pressing right now, is to get you moved before Jake gets here to move you. Once he knows you're no longer interested in him, he'll move on anyway, won't he Meribel?"
"Yeah... trust me, Jake's got women lining up, he'll be in with another one in no time."
Vivian sat listening, nodding her head with sad agreement, knowing they were right, but while they spoke, all she could think about was mama Gert and wanting to call her. She wouldn't though, never again. Not if she was to get this silly infatuation with Jake out of her heart, her mind, her stomach, her blood stream, from the depths of her intestines. If she called mama Gert, she would talk her into holding on. Just riding it out. Or making him pay, something daft like that. This was the best way, she would not cry again, but before she could pin down her determination, she was crying again... because she would miss mama Gert.
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