"What's wrong?" He asked, he could tell her mind was ticking over. They'd come home late from her parents house and the sad part was, that he'd enjoyed himself more than she had; after her mother backed off that is. Her father had seen to that. Milton, Jake and Andrew had gone into the basement with the boys, drank some beers and talked about what Milton would like to get done to the basement, while she'd been upstairs with her mother and sisters. It had been she, Vivian, who'd come down to the basement to ask could they go, because she wasn't feeling too good. Her father on the other hand, hadn't been ready for Jake to leave yet, "You ain't feeling good, you know how to go somewhere and lay down, man can't even socialize in peace." He'd fussed at her. Jake had stood from the stool that was there to sit on, saying, "It is getting late, we better get going. Get that list done, we'll have this project completed in no time." They left and the whole way home she'd been mostly quiet. They'd come in the door, both changing out of their nice things, still not saying much.
He stroked her amazing dark skin and leaned down kissing the tip of her nose. "What's on your mind, tell me."
"So ... what do you think?" She asked.
"Think? About what?"
"My family."
"What am I supposed to think?"
"I don't know, I was hoping you'd tell me."
"Your dads cool, your sister Lacy is nice. And uh Ella..." Jake chuckled, "...is uh, well... Ella. As for your mom, she hates my guts. All and all, not too bad an experience. Trust me, your mother is not the first one to hate my guts."
"I was so embarrassed, I am so sorry about that, subjecting you to her. Now my dads practically begging you to do his basement, that is not right! Which makes me feel that if you didn't have the carpentry skills that you do, he would have spent the rest of the evening ignoring you as he had earlier. Then Ella, looking like a lost relative from the Adam's Family-..."
Jake threw his head back barking in laughter, it burst deep from the gut as she continued, "...-all in your face, asking stupid questions. Thank goodness for Lacy and Andrew."
Jake wiped his eyes, smiling down at her, "Well in all honesty, I'm not too keen on Andrew."
"Oh no, why? He was nice to you wasn't he?"
Jake thought about his comment on the porch, about Vivian being just, "cute", she was far beyond cute, as far as he was concerned. He had yet to see any woman any where that compared to her. Blondes, redheads, brunettes, Asian women, Spanish, they all fell into categories where even the very good looking had characteristics that weren't hard to find and duplicate, blonde beauties were a dime a dozen, same with the rest. But Vivian, no where had he seen someone so incredibly dark, with eyes of amber, almost gold, not quite but close. Features that were refined, delicate, noble and distinctive. Usually someone so dark as she was, came from Africa with strong features of their tribe. Even her hair, although in an afro, glistened and shined with an unusual texture to it. Not dry, ashy and tightly coiled that was also a trait of Africa. He'd seen East Indians almost as dark as she was, but they were Indian with jet black straight hair. So she didn't quite fit into their category either. Yes, she was amazing, outstanding and different from the rest, and, she was his.
"Jake...?" She asked wondering now where his mind was, he'd been staring at her, yet she could see his thoughts off in another direction.
"Sorry, I just don't care for him that's all. Here, scoot over let me wash this out." He asked nudging her aside to clean his ash tray.
She moved over, leaning at the counter, "Did he say something to you out of order?" Her curiosity made her dig.
"Not really, I just don't like the way he thinks, the way he sees things."
"So what did he say? It must have been something to make you feel that way about him."
"There you go being Ms. nosy Rosie again." He grinned, drying the ash tray and setting it upside down beside the dish rack, drying up the counter top next. Vivian leaned staring up at him again as he tidied up. He then hung up the towel, took her by the arm, spun her gently and escorted her out the kitchen door, clicking the light out on the way.
"How's that being nosy Rosie? I just wanna know what makes you feel that way?" She asked in her defense.
"You have to use the bathroom?" He asked.
"No." She answered.
"I do, go get the bed turned down, we can finish this discussion in there." He informed her, leaving her to do his night-time bathroom habits.
A few moments later, they were in bed, TV playing in the background, house locked up tight; Jake propped up against the headboard, nude as he liked to sleep, a sheet laying over his groin area, one hairy leg, bent up with his foot flat to the bed, remote in hand and Vivian laying next to him, sheet over her, wearing her skimpy sage green, satiny, short nightie, on her side facing him with her head propped up on her hand; the other was rubbing his hairy stomach.
"You gonna tell me what he said?" She asked, looking from the TV to him. Made no sense to watch the TV, all he did was click from one channel to the next, over and over, never settling for long on one thing. It was like he was trying to watch all the channels at once, a rotating of 15 seconds per program.
"All these damn channels and nothing on one of them worth watching." He complained instead of going into what she was asking.
"How would you know unless you stop on one thing and watch it." She returned.
"Don't need to stop and watch it, know what its about already. Seen that, seen that, that's bullshit, that's stupid shit, seen that, that's boring, that's girly woman crap, fuckin' news, more fuckin' news, fucked up news, foreign fucked up news, re-runs, re-runs, talk show shit, more stupid talk show shit, shopping, shopping, more shopping fuckin' shopping, cartoons, may come back to that, if they show bugs bunny, but don't like those other kind of cartoons, don't like him he's a moron, don't like him he's a prick, that fuckers gay, pay/porn, pay/porn, movie channels-..."
Vivian took the remote, grinning and shaking her head, "Would you stop! Nothing on TV? Talk to me then." She insisted, holding onto the remote.
Jake eyed the remote in her hand and then looked up at her, "Ma'am, slowly, unfurl - the fingers - from around - the remote. Calmly lay it down, careful - careful - right there on my leg, its gonna be okay, no one has to get hurt."
Vivian started laughing, "Here! Sad butt! You'd rather have that remote, than me!"
"Not true..." He picked it back up and resumed his flipping from one channel to the next, "...if you weren't on, I'd be playing with you now. But you're on, so I have to play with the remote."
"How about you talk to me Jake?"
"I'm talking to you now aren't I?" He asked, still flipping channels, his eyes on the TV.
"No, you're not talking to me. You're responding to what you hear me say, you're not really listening. Not really interested, just responding accordingly."
"I thought that's what we're supposed to do, respond accordingly. Not ignoring you, now that's bad. Bad to ignore, good to respond, especially when you're dealing with a nosy Rosie who wants to know stuff that isn't necessary for her to know." His eyes rolled to her with a lift of a brow and then back to the TV.
"Em hm, so uh ... what did you think about Lacy?"
"I think she's nice." His eyes started rolling to look at her a bit more now, getting ready, he knew from experience they were about to be heading into dangerous waters.
"Just ... nice? That's all."
"Well yeah, nice is good. What's wrong with nice? She's nice."
"You mean nice looking?"
"I meant, she's - nice." Laughter was bubbling up as he thought any moment he may have to crawl out of a hole she was digging for him.
"Think she's pretty?"
"Well I'm sure someone does."
"What about you, you think she's pretty? Everyone always said how pretty she is. When we were younger, she was the prettiest, then Ella, then Candace and then, well-..."
"You're the prettiest of the lot." He completed her sentence realizing the direction it
was going to. He laid the remote down to look at her. "No, I change my mind, not the prettiest ... she, Lacy is the prettiest of the lot. You see, I happen to think that neither of them should even be in the same category as you. You're not pretty Vivian, you're amazing. You are rare in existence, with coloring and features that comes along, I'm thinking...ohhh, maybe every 100 years; if that. If I tried to, I could find the looks of Lacy in others, as well some of the other women I've known and seen in my life. You ... trying to find another you, no way. The years of my life would run out on me before I came across another you. You stand out in a crowd baby and the sweet sweet sweet of it all, you're mine. Imagine that?" He eased down in the bed next to her, his face now right along with hers.
Vivian's features were relaxed, calm, soft.
Staring at her with only the light of the TV washed out most of her features, but he knew what he was staring at. "I can't believe you're mine. He-e-ey, this country red-neck ain't so stupid after all. After all, look what I've got." He grinned and winked. Vivian smiled. "Not everyone feels about me, the way you do."
"That's because they see only one thing. Fuck them, and the rest! Think I give a damn about what anyone else thinks? I can tell you now, I never have. I've been a loner most of my life, with few men friends. Hell, I got you now, I need them even less."
"You and Dennis get along really well." She pointed out as a reminder.
Jake smiled, laying on his back, folding his hands behind his head, turned to her he asked, "You know that Dennis is my first real man friend? I have guys at work that either admire me, fear me, or just don't trust me. But none that would invite me to their homes for dinner. They might sit at a bar and have a beer or two with me, shoot the shit, that kind of thing. But none that would open their door at home to me."
Smiling Vivian asked, a bit sarcastically, "Now I wonder why that is?"
Jake laughed, "I've changed baby." The expression on his face pleaded for sympathy and trust, Vivian laughed, "HA! Yeah, as if!"
"Come on now, look at this face? Don't you trust me?"
"If I were a complete fool!"
"Now that hurts me to my heart." He put his hand over it, puppy dog eyes, sighing in despair, Vivian laughed and shook her head calling herself a fool a hundred different ways. Wondering how in the world could she love a man when she knew she really didn't trust him.
"Baby, I've turned over a new leaf. I'm settling down now, got my own ball and chain."
"Em hm, be careful that you don't find that chain swinging that ol'ball around to end up going upside your head."
"Lil'girl you mean to tell me you'd hurt me that way? When all I wanna do is love you?"
"Jake, you so full of shit and I know-..."
Her phone rang, cutting her off. Smiling and shaking her head, she reached over him to answer it, leaning across his stomach. "Hello?"
"Good, you're home. I've been trying to reach you all weekend. Please, can we talk?"
Vivian froze in disbelief.
Laek Chan was on the other end. He knew her number, the question was, how?
"How ... how did you get this number? It's unlisted."
"Who is that?!" Jake asked, noticing her behavior, then her question.
Vivian looked at him, not sure what to say or do.
He took the phone from her. "Excuse me, who are you calling for?"
Vivian sat up off of his chest to the center of the bed, nervous, Jake followed suit, sitting up.
"Is this Jake? You're there, with Vivian?"
"You damn right I am, she is my fiancée now, we are getting married. Gonna have a couple of babies, in fact, you just interrupted that! What the fuck do you want? Its over remember?"
"I want to speak to Vivian!"
"Over my dead goddamn body!"
"I'm a doctor, I can arrange that."
"You threatening me doc? That what you doing? Wanna meet me somewhere?"
Vivian went to take the phone from him, he blocked her attempt and stood from the bed.
"I know where she lives." Laek Chan informed him and then hung up.
Jake turned into heated lava rock, spinning to her he was red, head to chest. Clicking the phone off, he stated.
"Lil'girl... you're on your way to Wisconsin, start packing now."
"What?! No, what happened? What did he say? You should have let me talk to him." She cried nervous now.
"He knows your goddamn number! And he says he knows where you live! You're out'ah here! Start packing!"
"What?! What do you mean he knows where I live!? He couldn't know! Only place I've given my new number and address besides you and friends is at work."
"Who at work has access to that information?"
"No one unless I give it, only human resources."
"What about Dean? Stephanie? Your other friend, what's her name?"
"No, I haven't told any of them. Only human resources, they only have my mobile number."
"Well he called on your home number! This is bullshit, I'm telling you now, he won't wish to cross me!" He was furious, pacing. He stopped grabbed his jeans and stepped into them, pulling them up his naked body and fastening them.
"Jake, maybe he was bluffing about knowing where I live."
"Was that fuckin' phone call a bluff?! Was that not him? No, sorry, if you think I'm leaving here tomorrow, while you're still in this house, you've got another think coming! Thanks to Dr. Chan, your relocation time has just been moved up."
"Jake you're over-reacting! So what if he knows where I live, he knew before, all he's going to get is what he's gotten, a loud and clear, "Get out of my face!" She reasoned with him. Jake was shaking his head, pacing back and forth, in circles.
"Bullshit! He don't get it! He doesn't fuckin' get it! You know why he doesn't get it?" Jake walked to the bed, propped one foot up and leaned in close to her, "I'll tell you why, doc knows, what I know ... a woman like you - only a fool would let go of, doc's realized he's screwed up. Oh I'm sure he'd like to walk away, but baby ... from you, its not that damn easy, I know. I tried to stay the fuck away. I know what's going through his goddamn mind right now. He's imagining cuttin' my ass up in to a hundred different parts, so I'll be out of the way and he can get back to you."
"Jake don't be ridiculous, stop talking crazy!" Vivian's heart was pounding like mad to see him like this.
"Get up out of that bed, get to packing ... now." He instructed, this time low with warning.
Vivian couldn't believe the change in him. The look on his face was actually scary to behold. She didn't know what to do, "Jake please, I can't just pack and go, just like that. I can't. I have a job to consider, I worked really hard to get where I am right now."
"I see, hmmm? Having second thoughts about the doctor?"
That brought her up off of the bed.
"I wouldn't have second thoughts about him, if it meant giving every person burning in hell, one cold day!"
"You know what, I'm not gonna be arguing with you tonight, I refuse to waste my breath!" He turned and sat on the bed and started dialing a telephone number.
"Who are you calling Jake?"
He ignored her waiting for the person on the other end to answer. Finally she got her answer as he received his, "Dad it's me, Jake. I need you to listen to me. I don't ask much of you and I wouldn't ask this if it weren't so important, its to do with Vivian."
"I'm listening." Bart returned on the other end.
Vivian was stomping and jerking in the middle of the floor, signing at him and waving, not happy that he'd called his father. He looked at her, giving her a very mean look to back off or else. Angry as she could be, she had little choice.
"That big trailer you have for hauling heavy machinery and for picking up things from auction or taking to, the really big one? I need it, I need it here by tomorrow. I have to load up all of Vivian's really big expensive items on it to put into storage."
Vivian was doing all kinds of crazy actions, shaking her head at him like mad; he still
ignored her, continuing on with his father.
"What's going on there that you need it there by tomorrow?"
"She's no longer safe where she's living, too many threats on her safety."
"I see."
"I know its real short notice, but if you were to get a hold of Kevin, or, I can and Paul as well, they'd be able to help with the loading and moving it part."
"Don't worry about short notice. If she's not safe, that's all I need to know. Your mom and I will be on our way first thing, we'll get a hold of the boys for you. Best be gettin' to bed, we'll be pulling out before daylight. Give me her address."
Jake did so with Vivian standing before him steaming in anger and resentment. The moment he clicked the phone off, "
HOW DARE YOU! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT! You are over-reacting Jake! I am in no more danger than before you made that phone call! How you gonna just get on the phone, call up your father to make a trip like that and for no reason!? I'm not going anywhere!" She stomped and crossed her arms across her chest breathing hard.
Jake sat staring up at her and then stood and walked within an inch of her, leaned right down into her face, real close and whispered very seriously. "Listen to me, hear me loud and clear. I will compromise and give you three choices, you had better choose one, because you will get no other options. Are you ready?"
She thrust her face higher, her nose up, putting up a brave front, but made no reply to his question.
"That's ready enough. Here they are. Option number one, you quit your job now, you head back to Wisconsin with me now, and your stuff goes into storage until we get a home there. Option number two, you move out of this place and into my place under Ms. Martin - permanently, all of this stuff goes into storage. Finally, option number three, you fight me on this, you defy me, I leave and I don't come back. If I have to take drugs and overdose to keep my ass from coming back to you...I damn - well - will!" He ground through clamped teeth, "Then you can have that fuckin' Dr. Chan. Those are your options. What's it gonna be?"
Vivian gulped looking up at him and very sheepishly she answered, "Option number two."
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