Shawn grinned, "Don't mind me, carry on! Oh - just let me ask, did Sylvia make it off to her father's okay? Do you know?"
"As far as I know, she went straight there from my house, we parted at the-..." In her joy, Shawn caught her off guard, just that quick, she told on herself.
"BUSTED!! COLD BUSTED!!" Dennis shouted, jumping and doing his own little dance moves. "What I tell you man!? Didn't I tell you she was there?!"
Vivian was standing with both hands over her mouth, her eyes wide as saucers. Shawn was leaning with his arms crossed, looking at her with accusing eyes, however, they held a bit of humor too. She was too cute to really be angry at.
"I take it that hundred dollars was for her?" Shawn further inquired.
Vivian couldn't move, she couldn't believe she'd spilled it without thinking.
"Come on admit it, you know it was! Just tell the man!" Dennis coaxed.
"Gurl! How you gone be?!" Sheila taunted with her hands on her hips shaking her head.
"Well? Was it?" Shawn asked.
Vivian nodded her head, then removed her hands and said. "It was... oh please..." She walked up to Shawn grabbing his hand, "I'm so sorry! Sylvia made me do it! Please forgive me! I didn't wanna do it - but - don't be mad at me - please?"
Shawn chuckled, she really was beautiful, he most certainly was going to use her sometime in the future to photograph. Seeing her up close also made him realize that Jake was a fool. "I'm not angry, I could never be mad at you. I know my wife put you up to it."
"She did! And I told her, she needed to take her end home! A man like you is a rare find - but you know what - she knows it. She'll be home - once she does this, it'll be okay. She does love you, please believe it she does." Vivian assured him.
"Well, I'm glad to hear it. I can promise you this, she's only got so much time - and I'll be going to get her if I don't get a call soon." Shawn promised.
"Well ya'll go on back and do whatever it is you need to do - baby you gone go get the boys?" Sheila asked herding Vivian towards her room so they could talk in private.
Dennis narrowed his eyes at her, "Where you think you going?"
"Dennis we got to talk!" Sheila half pleaded.
Shawn started laughing as Dennis stepped by him. "You just can't stay out they business can you!? You just gotta know! Look at her man - she shakin'! She gone have a seizure in a minute Vivian don't tell her something."
Even Sheila had to laugh, "Why'on't you leave me alone. We got other stuff to talk about."
"If you lyin' and you know it - clap yo' hands!" Dennis grabbed his wife's wrist and clapped them for her. Vivian and Shawn both dissolved into laughter. "Dennis you wrong, good as I treat you baby - why you got to treat me this way?!" Sheila whined, grinning despite herself.
"'Cause I know you - don't I? Ya'll gone talk, talk out here goddammit! Shit! I wanna know - Shawn wanna know! Don't you wanna know Shawn?!"
"I thought it was her business?" Shawn was still laughing as he pointed out that fact.
"OKAY! Thank you! All right?!" Vivian blasted with her hands on her hips.
"Ah man come on! How you gone be?! I thought you was on my side?"
"Are you crazy - got two beautiful women standing up here - and you want me to be on your side!?"
Sheila and Vivian were next to laugh and, "HA! How you like me now!? Em hm, didn't expect that did'yah!?" Sheila crowed showing all teeth.
Laughing, Shawn playfully slapped Dennis on the arm, winking his eye at him, said "Man you talking about Sheila, I think you got a touch of that too. That need to know thing!"
"Man I see how you are, I'mo have to get on the phone and call Jake! Jake be on my side - goddammit!" Dennis mumbled, but he was grinning as well.
"Fool! How you gone call Jake when it's Jake's business we tryin' to get in!" Sheila chided.
"Ah-ight - here we go again." Dennis warned making Sheila rush up and hug him, smiling she pouted. "I'm sorry. But baby you know its true, confess. Shawn! I'm tellin' you right now - he be wantin' to know too."
"So when I tell you stuff, you turn around and tell him?!" Vivian asked slanting her head at Sheila.
"Gurl, I got to tell my husband! I don't tell no body else though."
"You know what, I ain't tellin' nobody nothin' now!" Vivian announced.
Sheila turned Dennis loose and threw her hip back and did a head rotation.
"Wait a minute, I'll end all of this right now. Who wants to know what?" Vivian asked.
"What happened at the club last night?" Sheila asked.
Vivian thought for a moment and then said, "Jake - said some things to me I didn't like. Then had the nerve to kiss me too!-..."
"Ou! He kissed you?!" Sheila repeated.
Dennis nudged Shawn with his elbow, "Laid some sugga on ha'!" The words were emphasized by his lips smacking. Shawn grinned saying, "I bet you one of these men that watch soap opera's aren't you?!"
"Yeah Shawn he is!" Sheila laughed telling on him.
"I'm working all day what you talking about woman!?"
"Don't make me tell!" Sheila threatened some little secret.
"Forget that, goin' Vivian, as you were saying?"
"As I was saying, we had a bit of an argument, one that in the end made me decide, it was best we leave it alone."
Shawn's brows pinched as he asked, "You told Jake that? That you wanted to leave it alone?"
"Yes I did."
"Why?" Shawn asked.
"She was crying in the van last night by the way, and your brother had a fit. They ended up in Ms. Martin's basement, was down there for over a half an hour." Sheila filled that part in real quick.
They were all quiet until she finished, then looked at Vivian, who was looking at Sheila. "Why don't you just tell them everything."
"Naw naw - you can go ahead now - I just hate when you leave stuff out - go on - finish."
"Yes well, in the basement, I basically told him we're not right for each other. Besides, we've only known each other for a couple of weeks and - Jake doesn't want what I want."
"What do you want?" Shawn asked her.
She stood a moment silent and staring at him. Not sure what to say.
"What do you want?" He asked again. Dennis and Sheila stood quietly by listening, they already knew what she wanted.
"It doesn't matter what I want, he-..."
"Look - I didn't ask about him. I'm asking you - what - do you - want?" Shawn would not let it go. He couldn't explain it, but in just a few moments of seeing her, watching her, he felt it. That sense of belonging. That invisible thread that she was part of them, she was a McPherson whether she or Jake knew it yet. Shawn couldn't explain the sensation, but he wanted her in their family - something about her - just - fit. Something else he felt, and that was Jake knew it too.
"You expect me to tell you, his brother? So that you can go back and tell him?"
"No chance! I'm not telling him anything. What you say to me here, stays here between us four, if it reaches his ears, it won't be because I've told it."
"Well you already know I'm not gone tell him..." Sheila stated, "...'sides, I know anyway."
"Me too... you ain't 'bout to say something I ain't heard - don't know." Dennis added to it.
Vivian looked from one to the other, her eyes falling on Shawn last. "This is going to sound a bit dumb, so you'll have to forgive me. I know its only been a few weeks, but - I want him. I love him ... I know you might think that's impossible to feel in such a-..."
"I never said any such thing. What I will say is this, I pretty much knew, that I wanted Sylvia - within a few days of meeting her - I wasn't sure at first, I admit that. By the time I came around, it also took a while to bring her around to my way of thinking, but I knew. The thing about finding your match is this - I'd be willing to wager, most all those whom have, knew they faced the person they would spend the rest of their lives with, within moments of meeting them. Don't dispel accounts of persons meeting one day, and marrying two week
s later. Some, married within three to four days of meeting and those marriages have lasted a lifetime."
"Shawn, we're talking about your brother - Jake. He's not gonna give in - he'll fight it to the end."
"You know what his problem is?" Shawn asked her.
She wasn't sure what he would say, so shook her head no.
"He absolutely needs to trust you beyond any shadow of a doubt. He of all people, is scared to death of giving his heart and then getting hurt. In his mind, he's been alone so long, he'd rather stay alone than give it up only to face heartbreak. Because he's been able to turn so many women away from their husband's - or boyfriends, me included among them, and because he was able to when they should have remained loyal, it has made him cynical and afraid to trust any. He thinks, there are none who are loyal."
Vivian shook her head sadly, "Well I can tell you now, after last night, I'm scratched from his list, because he thinks I was out looking for a man."
"And so you should be! He ain't showing you nothing! What you suppose to do, wait on him?" Sheila asked.
Shawn looked from Sheila to Vivian and said, "If she loves him - yes. Because time is the one thing, that would prove to him what you are."
"Naw - oh no - that's crazy! And what if he never comes around?"
Shawn stared at Vivian a good moment and then looked back at Sheila, "He'll come around." He assured her, and then turned to Vivian and said, "This is for you, what I'm about to tell you. You're already under his skin. You're already on his mind - a lot! He's 39 going on 40! Big change is about to take over him. Whether you feel like you should or not - if you really love him - you'll do what you need to do. Come on Vivian, you're a woman. All of you - know what it takes to slowly reel a man in. And darlin' I'm here to help you - my mother as well - she's going nuts about you."
Vivian stood with her face covered. She was getting choked up. To be told by Shawn that he wanted her for his brother and to bring up mama Gert, whom she was missing talking to, gripped her. Shawn walked up to her, gently grasping her arms and trying to get her to remove her hands from her face, by the time she did and looked up at him, she had tears in her eyes. She couldn't help it.
"Aaaah sweety - don't cry. Got no reason to, we're on your side. But in the end, what you do - is up to you. You don't have to wait for him. You don't have to put all your eggs in one basket if you don't want to."
"But you want me to." She said softly.
"Yeah... but that's just me. My mom, maybe Sylvia - and the others would feel the same if they got to know you as we have."
"But he-..."
"He Vivian... my brother, is a McPherson. Mark my words, he will fall - but you have your work cut out for you, it won't be easy to bring him in."
"And I do all that I should and he still doesn't love me, then what?"
"Play your cards right, and he will. He's already on his way. Its only a matter of time, question is - are you willing to give it that time and reassure him, that you're the one who can be trusted above all others, regardless of what he thinks. That's all there is to it Vivian. He just needs to trust you, the rest will take care of itself."
Chapter 131
"So what he do - your husband?" Lucas asked, he'd picked up the car that he was to tow and dropped off where the man instructed him. He and Sylvia were now on their way back to his salvage yard.
"He's an artist. A photographer. Does book covers for romance novels."
"I see. How long ya'll been married?" He asked her even though he knew, he wanted her to tell him.
"We've been married for two weeks now."
"He treat you good?"
"Yes - yes he does ... really good. He loves me, I love him. I think we were meant for each other."
"He white." Lucas pointed out.
"He's a man, I'm a woman. His white skin makes him no less a man, no more a man... but just a man. In fact, I like it and everything else about him, even though, when we're together, I don't see a white man - just the man that I love. When we're together, that very small difference in us is never apparent until others come are around and bring the difference in us back to our attention, otherwise we feel normal."
"Em hm, I bet his family ain't happy bout this."
"You couldn't be more wrong. His family loves me; has done nothing but open their arms to me. I'm not the first ethnic to be brought in, I also have a Puerto Rican sister-in-law, who has a son; he's uh - my children's half brother." She admitted.
"Hang on here, a Puerto Rican and you got kids by the same man?"
"Yes - my first husband, Armundo Payne."
"Who died in a car accident."
"Yes."
"How long was you married to him?"
"Too long."
"He ain't treat you right?"
"No ... he didn't. God forgive me, but - I'm glad he's dead. It's a terrible thing to say, especially considering that he tried to change in the end before he died, but - even so, he was up to something. It's taken me a long time to shake off the shame of being with him. For so long I defended him and made excuses for him and would not speak ill of him, but the truth is - he was not a good person. The more I'm with my husband now - the more I see that and the difference in the two. Everything Shawn does, is for us - for the family. Everything Armundo did... was for himself. Now - sometimes I wonder about those last few months before he died." She paused thinking about them, snapping herself out of it, "Anyway, it doesn't matter now, I'm married to Shawn Everett McPherson and will always be."
"I'm supposin' you gone want me to meet him then?"
"That would be nice. He's here, in Chicago - I think you would like him. I can call him."
"I can call him too."
"You can call him? How?"
"'Cause he call me. He how I know you was coming."
"Shawn called you? He's the one that told you everything?"
"Yeah... he the one. I just had to hear from your mouth, what kind of man he is."
Sylvia felt a rush of tears. Suddenly she wanted to go home. Right then. Right at that moment. Enough. She wanted her husband.
"Do you have a phone on you?"
"Why - don't you?"
"No... he - um - has it."
"Why that is? He got you out here runnin' round, no phone of yo' own? No car either, why that is?"
"It's not his fault! It's mine, I've been uh - well - after we married, there was a big - um - hmmm - fight. He and his brother."
"About what?"
Sylvia took a deep breath and told her father everything, in order of events, how it started, how far things went, the kind of person Jake was, why he was that way. How Shawn was, how Shawn is, and his reaction at the wedding.
"But they've made up now. Things are so much better between them, I'm just glad it's over - and so - finally I'm ready to go home."
"So if I get this right, all wound up in the nut shell - you done took matters into yo'own hands and left him to do yo' own thang."
"No I didn't." Sylvia returned stunned that her father was seeing it that way after she'd explained everything so completely.
"Well how come you here then, got him looking for you - worried no doubt - waitin' on me to call him so he can come get you then?"
"He's - waiting on you to call him?"
"Yes he is. Gimme his number, I talk to'im for a minute. An I done heard what you said - you wrong!"
"I'm wrong?! How - well - I said I was wrong for keeping things from him."
"Yeah you is! You wrong for running your tail off too! You wrong for lettin' other folks know 'bout where you at over yo' own husband. After that first one, you'd think you have sense enough to marry a good man this time-..."
"Shawn is a good man!"
"Then what you running from?"
"I'm not running anymore."
"You shouldn'ah been runnin' in the first place!"
"Well look who's talkin'! I may have left, but I didn't leave any young children behind crying and praying everyday and night for
me to come home! You did that! You got some nerve!"
"Yeah - I'm wrong too! But yo' mama made it hard for me to stay! Ain't room for two men in a marriage, one got to be the man, the other got to be the woman! Nothin' I say, right. Nothing I do, right. Nothing I work to give ya'll, right! She want me to stay home so she can run off and sing the clubs - make ha' big break happen. My fault she got pregnant! My fault she ain't make it big as a singer! I ruined her life! That according to her. She wanna make all the rules, and be in charge of everythang! I figure this way, you wanna be in charge of it all... I leave it all to'yah!"
"Just like that - you left us all."
"I didn't mean for it to turn out like that! Fact the matter, I tried to come back, but I kept seeing the look on her face. Smirking, smiling that smile to say, "I knew you'd come back!" Every time I make up my mind to come back - I see that face. One day I ignored it, come back there - to see some man coming out the house. I turned my back and walked away. That happened one more time - and that was that."
"Why didn't you at least try to see us? Try to get us?" Sylvia asked.
"'Cause - hell - I thought I had time." Lucas sighed exasperated with himself over it. "Time to get this yard going, make some money, come get you three and take you for a day to have a good time. I kept lettin' one thing after another get in the way. I look up - three years gone by. I felt shame - that I let them three slip by me. Then I think, ya'll would be too young to understand why I left, so - I thought, I'll wait till they a lil'older, that way I can talk to'em, and they understand. Then five years go by, and I seen this show, where the kids was so angry at they daddy for being absent in they life, that they hated him. I gave up. I decided, I rather not face ya'll at all - than to face you hatin' me. I figure, if you ever really wanna see me, you come see me, and then well - I'll deal with it then."
"No you didn't! Because that day, when I was still in school, I came to you and you sent me away."
"You took me by surprise and I wasn't ready yet. Even then, you were angry. Hurt. In tears. I ain't know what to say. So I - put you in that cab - sent you home."
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