"That's right, I did. He needed him. He needed to know that the man that fathered him, was a hero and I built him up, Shawn, in that boys eyes. He needed that. It was something I couldn't give him. You should have told him long ago Christine, now - look at it. Look at how your son sees you. For that matter, how Kevin, sees you. You did all of this lying to save face only to lose it to the ones that mean the most."
"What am I going to do Quincy, he won't talk to me. I don't know what to do. If it weren't for you ..." She stopped looking up at him, "You don't hate me do you? You still love me right? I didn't mean for it to come out this way, Quincy. Honestly I didn't."
"As if I could ever hate you. I'll always love you. Even at your worse, I'll love you. I left when all of this stuff was happening because I couldn't stand to hear anymore. Went off to school, got into a car accident. As you know, it left me unable to have any children of my own. When I moved back, I remember right away, thinking about you. I wondered, what ever happened to Christine, love of my life."
"I was working at Kmart, with two small boys to see to, to raise alone." She sniffed, smiled, remembering getting off of work to see him sitting with Benjamin and Kevin when they were little. They'd been in the small restaurant cafe area of the Kmart, waiting for her to get off. Her mother had just dropped them off on the way to work.
"I'd found out that you worked there. You know, soon as I walked in, saw them sitting there, bored out of their minds, obediently waiting for you. I knew right away who they were. Especially Benjamin. They must have been the two most handsome little mites I'd ever seen. I'd been talking to them for maybe fifteen minutes before you walked out to see us there. I looked up to see you coming and I knew ... I knew why I'd come back home. I had a woman to get and two little boys to raise."
The tears started rolling again from Christine's eyes. "I love you so much Quincy, I don't know what I would do, if there had been no you. I mean it, from the bottom of my heart, I do."
"I know you do." He sighed. "You gonna have to leave him alone for a while Christine. Let him find his way. Let him fit into where he wants to be, won't be long, 'till he forgives you. Comes home to you. He's a good boy, a good man. We raised him right. His grandma and grandpa helped raise him right. Just a matter of time."
"I hope you're right Quincy, I hope you're right."
* * *
Victor sat on his lunch break, ripping out the third sheet of paper he tried writing a letter on to Crystal. Once again, balling it up and tossing it to land accurately in the waste paper basket a few feet away. He bit into his sandwich, thinking about her, about his boys. Wondering did either of them miss him. He couldn't believe how everything had turned around on him. Turned around because he'd cheated. For the life of him, he didn't understand himself, thoughts of that morning over and over, brought nothing but regrets. It had been stupid and immature with the motive of trying so hard to remove Crystal from his heart and mind. When Jeanine climbed into his bed, he'd gone for it. "Godalmighty, help me. Please don't let her be pregnant, please don't." He agonized to himself. If that didn't make things more difficult for him, Crystal had confided in Sylvia about his indiscretion. She'd also told Shawn. Misery washed over him in waves. It was hard enough grappling with how he might win Crystal back but having to face her mother, knowing that she knew what he'd done. He felt shame. Shame so hot it seared him from within. Up until then, Sylvia had always respected him. Not anymore. That weren't bad enough, Shawn hated him now, at least he'd sure sounded that way.
What could he possibly put in a letter that would fix all of that? All of them? What did it matter, if Jeanine was pregnant, his life was over. There would be no repairing because Crystal would never forgive him. He needed to get to her, to Jeanine and insist on the answer now. No more messing around, dragging him around by the balls. He'd had enough, he needed to know in which direction his life was going in and what he had to do about it. He finished up his lunch hour with that first goal in mind; getting to Jeanine and dealing with her. He would call her first thing when he was off work.
Everyone poured out of the factory at 7:30am, Victor in the midst of others. Walking to his car, he was already dialing her number. With the phone to his ear, waiting for her to answer, he switched off his alarm, opening his door he climbed in. He was a bit dirty from work, and kept a blanket covering his front seat to keep it clean. He sat with the door open, turned to the side half-sitting within, one foot on the ground, the other in the car as the door ajar alarm ticked alerting the door open, ignoring that, the phone rang.
"What do you want?" She asked right away, knowing who it was by the caller id.
"What time is your lunch - I wanna meet with you."
"Why?" She asked, knowing the answer, but it was all apart of the torture.
"I want to know once and for all, are you pregnant or not. No more games, I'm sick of it now."
Jeanine hesitated, part of her wanted to string him further along but she wasn't into the kind of humiliation trying to get him would bring. Besides, she'd met someone else. She told his mother that, that she was done with the whole scheme, she was not happy about it. 'Oh well.' Was her thought to them, Natalie was a bit extreme, she no longer wanted part in it, she had better things to do with her time.
"There's no need for us to meet for lunch. I'm not pregnant. I'm not that stupid. Therefore, you can go ahead and breathe now. Before I let you go, I'm gonna tell you something. This is a warning where your wife is concerned, pay close attention to your mother. She'll do anything to split you two up. Believe me, I do mean anything."
"Like what? You know something?"
"Come on Victor, wake up! You know your mother, how controlling she is, manipulative. I've said all I'm going to say. Good luck, because you're gonna need it."
"Tell me! Has something happened that I should know about?"
"Goodbye Victor." She hung up. Just like that.
Victor sat in the car as the parking lot at work emptied of one shift, to fill with another. After a few moments sitting there, he turned all the way in and started his car up and closing the door. With so much on his mind he ended up driving home, lost in thought, tired, in auto mode. Next thing he knew, he was pulling into his driveway. Not his parents driveway where he was now living, but the driveway of the home he'd once shared with Crystal. He couldn't believe it. He sat looking at the empty house. Only white shades over the windows, no longer were the curtains Crystal had sewn, hanging there. Taped inside the window, a for rent sign. He sat so long that he turned off his car. He was tired, it was a long drive back the other way to his parents house. Looking on the seat there was his mobile phone, he picked it up and dialed the number on the for rent sign, his old landlord.
"Hello Mr. Dunseith, this is ah, Victor Prescott."
"Oh - hiya! What can I do for you?"
"Before I make this request of you, I need to apologize for all of us moving out on you as we did."
"That's why you didn't get the deposit back."
"Understandable; thing is - I want the place back. I see you haven't re-rented it yet."
"No son, I haven't. I wasn't really panicking because you all moved out early, you still had two weeks left on your rent. 'Sides, never been one in a hurry to rent out my places, I'm picky about who I let live in my property."
"In that case sir, I'm asking for a chance to rent from you again. Right away sir, now in fact. I'm here at the house. Thing is, well - I don't have a deposit to pay this time around and I can only pay for two weeks on the rent. End of the month I can pay full. I'm good for it Mr. Dunseith, I-..."
"Say no more. You and your misses took good care of that place while you was rentin' it. Thought for sure you two was gone buy it."
"I still may Mr. Dunseith. We were having some problems, things got a bit - well - I moved out and then she moved out; to be honest with you. Right now, I'll be the only one living here; hoping that soon, she too will return."
"You young that's all. Ain't a marriage
I know of what be problem free."
"Thank you sir, so - does that mean you'll let me get in today? I'm here now, just got off of work, to be honest, I'm too tired to leave the place."
"I was heading out the door, you caught me just right, I'll bring your keys back to you."
"Thank you so much Mr. Dunseith. I'll be waiting."
Victor hung up, laid his phone down and rubbed his eyes. They were tired. Burning. Tearing. His nose started running from them tearing. He laid his head back on the seat to give them a rest. Next thing he knew, Mr. Dunseith was knocking on his car door window.
He sat forward and looked at him bleary eyed.
Mr. Dunseith shook the keys for him to see them.
Stepping out of the car, he yawned and stretched, explaining, "I must have drifted off."
"You need to get you some sleep young man. All the furniture's gone - you sure you wanna stay here?"
"I have an aero bed in my trunk, sleeping bag, camping stuff - I'll be fine." He answered following him to the door of the house, where he opened it to let him in. They walked through to the kitchen and there on the counter, he resigned a new lease. Wrote out a check for two weeks rent and promised the rest at the end of the month.
"I really appreciate this, also Mr. Dunseith, as you may know, I've studied electrical engineering, just short of a degree. Through my job, I've obtained certification for electrical wiring, electrical harness, meters, as well refrigeration. If you find yourself in need of my services - please call me. Spread the word, my bid for jobs will be competitive, and I'm reliable. Air conditioning, home wiring, any type of electrical installation, I can do."
"Well young man, have I got a job for you. As you know we own this house, three duplexes, and I just closed on a building for dirt cheap because it's in need of restoration. My misses and I were just saying this morning it's going to run one hell of a price to get that place brought up to spec with the wiring that's needed. It's a block building with 16 units. We've got our work cut out for us. You do this for me, I'll tear up this check and you'll not pay a dime on rent for the rest of the year. That's six months. You get it up to passing, up to spec, and you'll never have to look for work again, it'll be coming to you, what'a'ya say?"
Victor grabbed the older mans hand, pumping it, "Sir, Mr. Dunseith, you've got yourself a deal! Let me get some sleep, and when I wake, I can share my schedule with you. I'm working one full time, I have a little part-time and now this."
"Boy you burning that candle at both ends like that, ain't good for you."
"I'm young sir, don't you worry about me. I'll do just fine."
"Well, right now, we're clearing the place, on my way there now. We have a lot of work to do before you can come in."
"You just tell me when you're ready, I'll be ready!"
Mr. Dunseith tore up the check. "Son, you're gonna go far, you get some sleep now."
He turned and left with Victor following him to the door, after closing it, he turned and shouted out in joy, jumping into the air with a punch towards the ceiling. Realizing he had no furniture nor a bed, he turned back to the door to collect his sleeping bag and aero bed to inflate. Thirty-five minutes later, he was stretched out, slowly drifting towards sleep, a smile on his face, his wife on his mind. He wasn't sure what Jeanine had meant about his mother but in the face of it and then showing up at the house and next, Mr. Dunseith making a bargain that was nothing short of a blessing, he would not sleep beneath her roof another night. He was better off on his own, in his own home, in fact, he regretted returning there to be manipulated by her. No more. Things were starting to look up. Jeanine was not pregnant. He had their old home back, rent free for six months even though he would be working it off for Mr. Dunseith, granted, the work he would do was worth more than the rent, however, he was building for a future. One that he had every intention of sharing with his wife. He fell asleep, relaxed, at ease and for once with a clear view of what his plans were, already ... things were turned, back around.
* * *
Chapter 209
Benjamin stepped out of his car at Gail's house; she lived at home with her parents. She was a full time student, doing voluntary work at the community center, part of her summer assignments to enhance her career goal of being a social worker.
Stepping up to the door, he rang the doorbell, her mother answered it. "Benjamin, it's early for you."
"Yes ma'am it is - can I have a word with Gail please?"
"Sure, come on in."
"If it's okay, I'll sit here on the porch."
"Suit yourself. I'll get her."
Ben took a seat on the cushioned, sprung swing, that actually glided back and forth instead of swung. Sitting on the large porch of the old homestead type home, stone front face, with the rest in brick-red color siding. It stood in grand style, boasting of the income that came from those who resided within it. Gail's parents made a substantially larger wage than what Quincy brought in, yet he nor his brother had lacked anything materially. Of course sitting there on the front porch glider, this was the last thing on Benjamin's mind as he waited. Leaning forward as he was, elbows on knees, hands hanging between his legs with his keys dangling off of a finger, he sat with a smile on his face thinking about the previous evening.
After dinner, Shawn and Sylvia had taken the boys, Isaac and Darren, with them for a walk into town where they would go to the little park and push them on the swings. Leaving the rest of the clan to clean up after dinner, while he went into Shawn's office doing more graphic images for him, backgrounds and setting up a flash presentation on Shawn's portfolio website, giving it a new look and feel, flashing his works and giving it a bit of pizzazz.
He'd sat in the office listening to Mundo joke around, teasing Angela and Crystal, making Angela laugh until she was crying and himself laughing as well just listening to her, no idea of what Mundo might have been doing. Crystal on the other hand was the mother hen, fussing at him, "Stop playing around and get that floor swept boy! You ain't slick! Trying to play your way out of it to get her to do your work! Angela don't laugh at him, next thing you know, you be doing what mama told him to do!"
"I'm doing it ain't I?!" He fussed back.
"No you not, you messing around! Mama said after you swept up you had to vacuum and mop, you better get busy!"
"Mama said, mama said - you ain't my mama is you? You wanna be my mama, but you ain't!"
"You wasting time Negro! Get under that pool table and lounger too! Put all them video games back in the cases where they belong and in the cabinet instead of all over the floor!"
"Angela made that mess!" He declared.
"I did not! You and dad left those out! You better get'em cleaned up! The correct games, in the correct cases!" Angela fussed, her finger pointing at him, biting back a grin, making Crystal laugh out.
"Who you talkin' to lil'girl?! I'm yo'elder! Understan'? Huh! I ain't sca'ed'o'yah! Miss An-gel-la - don't let Crystal wreck yo' ride! You gone be needin' me to pick yo' butt up, or drop you off! I'on care how you beg and plead, 'Pleeeease Mundo.... take meee, pleeeease, and pick up my girlfriend Trudy who ain't got no booty!'" He mimicked her in a whiny little girls voice making her crack up.
"I do not sound like that!" She swung at him, hitting him on the arm, nothing hard, just a playful tap, sticking her lip out in a pout.
"Aye! You see what she did?! She hit me! It's startin' already! Stay yo'ass away from Crystal!"
"I didn't hit you hard Mundo!"
"Yeah right, it always start out like that, a tap! Then next thing you know, you be the victim of a female rope-a-dope!"
Benjamin laughed as he heard Crystal and Angela both laughing, next thing he knew, Mundo was harmless play fighting Angela, popping her upside the head, pushing her, dodging her when she tried to hit him back, but he was too fast, laughing at her efforts. "Yeah, look'a'dat, look'a'dat... too fas' fa'yah! Too fas'... you can't touch me - li'girl! What you gone do!" He teased her mercilessly until he pushed her into
Crystal laughing and then she took off after him. Both of them chasing him out of the basement door. They then ran back in and locked him outside.
Benjamin could get little work done while listening to their antics, especially when Mundo couldn't get back into the house, "Come on ya'll! Lemme' back in now! I got to finish what I was doing. Crystal you know I got to vacuum. Why'on'you quit playin'! Come on now... stop messin' around! Open the door now!"
Benjamin remembered standing and walking out of the office door, looking at Crystal and Angela carry on with what they were supposed to do, of course laughing the entire time. He couldn't help himself, he had to take pity on the guy, they were double teaming on him. As he was heading for the door to let him in, "Oh no you don't, where you think you going?!" Crystal demanded, grinning with her hand on her hips, dry clothe still in hand.
"Yeah! Where do you think you going?" Angela parroted her, standing the exact same way.
"Come on you guys, let'em in." Benjamin had tried, feeling for him.
"Hey Ben man, come on man! Help me out man, let me in. Ignore them man, come on let me in. Don't pay them no mind, come on Ben. I got to vacuum man 'fo'my'mama get home!"
"Shet up begging fool! You should have thought about that when you were messing around, we'll let you in - in an hour!" Crystal sassed, looking from the open basement window where Mundo was crouched down and talking in through, to Benjamin, as if she dared him to let him in.
Ben looked from the door to Crystal and back again, they ran for it at the same time, all three of them. Because he had to dodge the pool table and sofa, whereas Crystal and Angela ran right through the center of the furniture, they made it to the door before him, laughing with their backs to the door.
"Did you hear what we said!? He out, he out for how long Angela?" Crystal was really pouring it on talking to Benjamin over her head.
"He out for an hour! That's 30 + 30, 15 x 4, 1 x 60 - you got that!?" Angela sassed and sounded so much like Crystal she busted up laughing behind her.
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