Natalie stood a moment, wishing she could reverse things. She didn't want him to leave. He'd just returned home. If he left, he would make his way back to her, back to Crystal. She couldn't bear the thought of her still being married to her son. She would do anything to break them up, even swallow her pride. "Okay, look. We both lost out tempers. And I…suppose, I need to accept, that…well, you're a man now. I shouldn't…press so hard. Will you stop packing and listen to me?"
He paused a moment at his Chester drawer to look at her.
"I-I said things I shouldn't have, you said things you shouldn't have, you agree?" she asked, trying to patch things up.
Victor wouldn't give an inch. He stared, silent.
"I only want what's best for you, son. And I will…leave off of making any more comments about Crystal. You don't have to go. I lost my temper. But you…you provoked me. Anyway, you don't have to go. Just…don't go running back to her right now. At least have the good sense to let things settle. You running to her now will only make things worse. Give it a few days, and then if you must…you might try phoning her again…or…you could always…write her a letter."
Victor had almost said, no, he wouldn't stay, until she came up with that fantastic idea. A letter. Why didn't I think of that? In a letter, he would be able to pour his heart out to her. He would be able to think things through and say everything that needed to be said. Calling her, they would only end up yelling and screaming at each other. In that, his mother was right, rushing there now, phoning now would only make things worse. He would give her time to calm down. He would work his tail off and get a place of his own so he could get out of his mother's house, that was top priority. He remembered the house they rented. He would find out if it were still empty, if so, he would get it back. Crystal had loved living in that house. She'd decorated it so nicely off of a budget of little to nothing. Yes, he would use this time to lay a good foundation to start anew. He looked at his mother. "I'll stay if I can stay for free. I'll feed myself. I just want to come and sleep."
Natalie looked stumped by that request, but gave in. "Okay, fine. You can stay for free. And…the…divorce?" she asked hesitantly, hopeful.
"That's none of your business, mother. So stay out of it. I'm not filing for divorce."
"What if…she were to file? Then what?" she asked.
"Then she'll have one hell of a fight on her hands."
"Son! Just let it go."
"No. I'm not ready yet. I'm not ready. If, for no other reason, my sons deserve to have us both. We may be separated, but…we're still married. Long as that stands, there's something to fight for."
* * *
"Crystal…baby, you awake?"
Sylvia stuck her head in the door, then slowly walked into the room. She knew she was awake because she could hear her sniffing, with her back towards the door, facing the wall. She also held her mobile in her hand, looking at the square screen, trying to decide whether to call Victor or not.
"Yeah, I'm awake," Crystal returned softly.
Sylvia walked over to the bed, climbed on, laid right up against her daughter's back, put her arms around her waist, moved her hair aside. "Baby, life goes on. No matter how bad it hurts, life goes on. You'll go on. You'll get over what you're feeling right now."
"I know, mama. But right now, feels…like I'm dying. How can something like this hurt so bad? How can it?" She sniffed.
"Hmmm? I think it's because God made us to love one person, forever. When we do, love someone so much, based on…whatever…when it doesn't work out, I think God made it difficult to…just leave it. It's like, he doesn't want us to give up so easily; reason I'm thinking he made us so, that it really really hurts. Maybe, by it hurting so much, we'll give it another try. We'll try harder because we can feel how much it hurts to break it off."
"It's not fair, mama." She started crying again. "I don't want it to end, he does. He…he must not love me, because he's not hurting, like…I'm hurting right now. How could he, mama? We…we have two…beautiful…beautiful little boys…doesn't that mean anything?" She cried.
Sylvia felt like crying , holding onto her daughter, too choked up for words. She was trying to find the words to make this easier. Simply put, there weren't any. "Baby…of course…they mean something. Who knows what's going through Victor's mind right now. Maybe, he's just…confused."
"He cheated on me, mama," Crystal told her.
"He what?"
"He went to bed with that Jeanine. I guess his mother won, huh? Because he signed the papers to be free. Now he can be with her, that Jeanine."
Sylvia lay holding onto her with nothing to say. She'd felt the bite of infidelity from Crystal's father. He'd cheated and often. Had kids all over the place. Older than theirs and younger. Sylvia stroked Crystal's hair back, kissed her temple. "I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you. I know that even so, it can never cover over, or replace what you feel for Victor. However, knowing that, know that Shawn loves you. Your brother loves you. Angela certainly loves you, she looks up to you with such adoration. Then the boys, they love their mama. With all of that love coming at you, maybe…after a while…it'll be enough to help you to see that you have exactly what you need to get through this. To survive it, and be stronger because of it. You think so?" she asked.
Crystal sniffed, shrugged like a little girl and turned to her back to look up at her mother. "I wish…he were more like Shawn. In fact, if I ever fall in love again, he'll have to measure up to my papa-Shawn…or—no way!"
Sylvia smiled. "I think…that's a good idea. However, don't drop Victor out of the picture so quickly."
"He cheated, mama. He signed the papers."
"I know, I know. Still, I just feel that…well…given a little time, he'll come around. In the meantime, you stick with your family. Let us love you until you're sick of us—"
"Never, mama. I never want to be away from here. Especially now. You know, since Shawn came into our lives…it's funny, but…for the first time, I actually feel like we're a family. I actually feel like a daughter with a father. Weird as it sounds. I've only ever thought of myself as your daughter. My mother's daughter, my mother's little girl. Now, I…have a father, and…well…he's not really my father, but…I like the way he makes me feel. Like his…little girl…even though Angela is." They both had tears in their eyes.
"Well, I happen to know that he considers you, his little girl. He loves you, Crystal. He loves Mundo. We are so fortunate. So…seeing as how, finally you have this special gift that should have been yours from the very beginning, this…father, I think that…for awhile, you should just…enjoy that," she murmured softly, stroking her daughter's hairline gently, then kissed her brow, suggesting the following, "I think right now is the perfect time for you to love your boys and go to school. Continue your attendance at anger management, and enjoy for once, having a father who certainly will…take care of you. No hurry, baby, no hurry at all. You're home now. Safe…and sound. Okay?"
Crystal nodded and hugged her mother tight. "Thank you, mama. Thank you so much for everything. I wanna stay, just for a while."
Sylvia hugged her back, holding on tight. "For as long as you need, baby, as long as you need."
They could hear a ruckus after the closing of the basement door. Voices from downstairs. Crystal's mobile rang. She lifted it and looked at the screen. It was Victor. Sylvia was leaning beside her, looking at the screen. "Who is it?" she asked.
Crystal sighed, staring at it as her ring tone went on. "Victor."
"You gonna answer it?" she asked.
"No. I hurt enough right now. I can't bear to have a discussion with him, knowing that we're getting a divorce. I can't." It stopped ringing. She flipped it up and turned her phone all the way off. The bedroom door came open, it was Angela and the boys. "Mama, we home! Uncle Mundo come and get us an Angela, too."
Sylvia and Crystal both sat up in the bed as the boys began jabbering on and on. Angela tossed her school bag on the floor in
the corner and climbed on the bed next to Sylvia, whose arm was up to receive her under it, asking, "How was school today? The last day?"
"The best! 'Cause it's over—yes!" Angela returned, smiling, even though she could see that Crystal had been crying. "You okay, Crystal?" she asked.
"I'm just fine. Darren, no jumping on the bed!" she scolded him. He fell among their legs, almost landing right on the bulge of Sylvia's stomach. Crystal caught him just in time. "Boy! You almost fell on your grandma's tummy! She's got a baby in there, you have to be careful."
Darren looked at her with wide eyes, and then at Sylvia.
"Grandma? You got a baby in your stomach?" Isaac asked, stunned.
Darren was still wide-eyed, wondering what was going on.
"Yes, honey, grandma's got a baby in here," Sylvia answered, patting her mound.
"Wha-but why? Why you got a baby in here, grandma?" He touched her bulge. "Wh-how'd it get in there?"
Sylvia was caught off guard, thought about it, chewing on her bottom lip as Crystal fought not to laugh. Angela was blushing beet red, at the same time fighting back a grin.
"Well…grandma got married, baby, that's how it got there."
"'Cause you got married? To granpapa-Shawn?" he asked, eyes wide with wonder, his mind ticking over and thinking as he sat in the middle of the bed, staring at her.
"Yes, baby, exactly."
"Ohhh, but…but…how…how'd you get a baby in your tummy though? Tha's what I'on unnerstan."
Crystal was biting her bottom lip, looking out their window, trying to keep it all in.
Sylvia scratched her head, getting worried, feeling a bit uncomfortable; her kids never asked her questions like this at this age. No doubt due to Armundo's presence and them being unable to freely express themselves and ask questions. Most of the time, they were quiet, afraid of speaking too loud to get his attention. This was not the case with Isaac and Darren.
"I'on unnerstan, grandma? How come when you get married, a baby gets in your stomach?"
"It just happens, baby."
"When does it happen? How does it happen?" he asked tenaciously, not about to give up.
Sylvia whimpered and looked at Crystal, who deliberately kept her face averted. But Sylvia wasn't fooled, she could see her daughter's body give out subtle little quakes, as if fighting back laughter. Sylvia scratched her head again and looked at Angela. She only shrugged, as if afraid she would have to explain. Sylvia looked back at him, cleared her throat and said, "It just does baby, it just does."
"But…ho-o-ow? Grand-ma…ho-o-ow—does a baby—get—in—your stomach?" He pat the mattress to emphasize each query.
"Well, when Shawn and I married, we started sleeping together; that's when it happened, at night when we sleep."
Isaac sat a moment staring at her, making a baby's thinking face, his eyes rolled to the ceiling, his head tilted left, and then right, thinking, his brows working with his thoughts. Suddenly his eyes grew huge as if the light bulb clicked on. "Ohhh, grandma! That what them noises be at night? Oooh, aaah, oh, oh, oh, ohhhh, oooh—that be you, granma, gettin' a ba-a-aby!" he accused with pursed lips and suspicious eyes.
Crystal shot up off the bed, landed on the floor running out of the bedroom hooting to the heavens above, laughing so hard, she squeezed her thighs together dancing, afraid of peeing her pants, crying with the laughter. Running in place and shaking her arms, listening to her mother's screams from the bedroom.
"Ahhh…Oh, my God! Isaac—don't say that!" Sylvia covered her ears, mortified, on fire with her humiliation.
Angela had run out of the room behind Crystal, both hands over her mouth, red in the face as she fought shocked laughter, watching Crystal try to stop unsuccessfully as it erupted from her uncontrollably, making her stomach cramp. With so much noise, Shawn and Mundo rushed up stairs to see what was going on, just in time to see Sylvia fly past the basement door and into their room where she slammed their bedroom door, closing everyone out.
Darren was standing in Angela's and Crystal's bedroom door, looking at everyone like, What happened?
A mirror of Shawn's panicked question, "What happened?" He looked from Crystal, who was laying on the sofa holding her stomach and then rolled onto the floor, dying from hysterical laughter, to Angela, whose eyes looked as if they would pop out of her head. To Isaac who was standing, looking confused, with shoulders pushed up and hands in the air, palms up he said, "Mama? What I say? Wha's wrong wit' grandma? Mama, why you laughin'? What I say?"
Shawn looked down at Isaac and then at his daughter again, and next Crystal.
"Crystal! What you laughing at? Huh? Tell me? What's so funny? Crystal!" Mundo called, hating that he missed something so funny that his sister was weak, on her back, knees up, dizzy drunk from laughter. He walked over to the sofa she just rolled off, requesting, "Tell me, tell me, come on, Crystal, tell me."
Shawn looked at Angela again. "What happened?" he asked her.
She shook her head, turned and ran back into her room.
Shawn looked at the door where his wife just ran in and slammed. Taking a deep breath, he walked to it, tried to open it. It was locked.
He turned back to Crystal, who was finally sitting up. She looked dazed and harassed. "What happened, Crystal?" Shawn asked.
She could only wave her hand in the air, not about to repeat it just yet, or else she'd lose it all over again.
Shawn gulped. "Crystal? Nothing to do with me, right? I didn't do anything, did I?"
She blew again and ran out the kitchen door with Mundo right on her tail, pleading with her to tell him.
Shawn stood scratching his head, and looked down at Isaac. "What did you say to your grandma?"
Chapter 206
Chicago...
"Oh, no…no! No, no…no Jesus…Jesus…please…no, no, no, no…"
Vivian's brain could find no other words to describe her shock and disbelief as she stood at her closet doing what she usually did when she got off of work. She would come in the door, take off her shoes and carry them into her bedroom. Usually check her mail on the way. Didn't have to that day; Jake had seen to her mail. Jake had shown her the returned purse and wallet with all of her ID—minus credit cards—as well the other bills sitting on her antique desk. So now there was that slight change in routine. Jake went into the kitchen, telling her, "Get out of your clothes, get comfortable because I'm going to serve you a wonderful dinner, madam."
Hearing that made her smile, whispering to herself, "Aaah, he can be so sweet." She had been in a good mood; her front yard looked good. Trimmed up, hedges shaped and cleaned out. Her windows all clean, the frames stripped of all the old paint so he could repaint them tomorrow. Yep, she certainly had been in a good mood, all things considered; with all the positives, she could deal with his occasional negatives.
Thinking, So-o-o what, he showed out a bit, entertaining Stephanie and Dean, giving them a thrill, no real harm done. So-o-o what, they argued a bit that morning about her birth control, nothing major there, she would find a way to buy more time. And So-o-o what, he was being a tad bit pushy, overbearing, controlling and demanding about setting an earlier date to marry, instead of letting her have her big, white, dream wedding. So-o-o what. No big deal. In her bedroom, she began undressing, going to her closet to get the hangers to hang that particular suit into the "worn this month" section, when she noted something different about her closet. The rod looked funny. There were…gaps. Spaces. Roomy. Her closet wasn't roomy. She did all she could to keep it neatly arranged so that all would fit. It was snug, but hey, she'd kept all well arranged and in the order she preferred. Considering that this closet was smaller than the one in her home she'd given up, she would know extra space when she saw it. There was most certainly extra space in her closet. In fact, a bit too much space. Not to mention, empty hangers! One thing she seldom had, was an empty hanger - no!
"Hell naaaw! Nooo! Who been in my house? Em-mm no! Lord Jesus…Lord Jesus…Jesus Lord! Pleas
e…no, no, no, no. Where? Oh, shit no! Em-mmm, nooo…where…? Jake! What is wrong with my closet? Something wrong!" she shouted with her heart pounding.
Jake showed up at the door. "Why are you shouting?" he asked with brows drawn.
Vivian was shaking. "Something wrong with my closet! Something happened in here while I've been at work! Something wrong! Who been here?" she demanded, looking close to psychotic, shaking her head in denial, repeating, "Please, please, Jesus…no…no, no, no, no!" Sliding hangers and clothing over, looking for things she knew should be there, but was nowhere to be found.
"Nobody's been here. Just me."
She looked at him wide-eyed. "There's stuff missing out of my closet! There are clothes gone from my closet! I know my shit! And I got some shit missin'!"
"Nothing missing. Only stuff gone is the stuff I got rid of," he informed her, as if to say he'd taken out the garbage.
"You…you…you went…you went in my closet? You…you went through my stuff? Got rid of my clothes? No, you did not! I know you ain't got rid of my stuff! Where my clothes at, Jake? I ain' playin' wit'chu—where—is my shit!"
"Exactly! Shit! That's what I got rid of! All that shit! 'Cause that's all it was: hoochie-hookin', look at my ass, do-you-see-me shitwear! Gone! Oopso! History—Goodwill! Now come and eat before your food gets cold." He turned from the door, leaving the room. End of discussion.
Vivian did a strange spasm and jerk motion. "Oooh! Uh-eh, nooo, no, no-no, no…no he did not! Nooo…nooo. Hell naaaw, he lyin'! He just playin'! Just look! You'll find'em. He just tryin' to be funny. Ain' no way in hell he got rid of my shit! Nooo, they in here somewhere. I'm just gotta be calm. Goodwill! Hmph, I know my shit ain't gone to no Goodwill—hell no—ain't no way!"
"Vivian! Come and eat!" he shouted from the kitchen.
"You better leave me alone! I better find my clothes!" She stomped from her bedroom stripped down to her slip, underwear and stockings, standing in the doorway of the kitchen. "What did you do with 'em?" she demanded, "What did you do with my clothes?"
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