Promise To Keep

by Rainwater, Priscilla Poole

  Aisha smiled, knowing the little hussy was getting the picture. Connell was her man.

  “Connell, I can do things for you, more than she ever could, and I love you…and..oh God… ohhhh I‘m so tired of being lonely…” she wailed, beginning to come unraveled.

  “But he doesn’t love you, he loves me.” Aisha said as she looked her straight in the eyes. “So why don’t you just run along on home, and don’t forget to take your meds. We’re in love, the two of us, and nothing you can do or say is going to change that.”

  Patty felt like a drowning woman, fighting to grab something to from keep going under. She felt that way everyday, and was tired of it. Stuck in a small town, no respect, a nobody. Connell was supposed to have been her life preserver. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen! This black whore is acting so uppity, not like they way they really are. I have to get Connell to see this mud monkey for what she is. Glaring daggers at Aisha, she let the hateful words spew from her mouth even as she sobbed. "You think you’re better than I am? Well, you’re not, and I'm going to make sure everyone knows what a whore you are. And when they find out he chose you over me, your BETTER, they will run all of you off!" she hissed.

  Aisha looked at the woman and shook her head sadly. She was no different than all the other ignorant fools she had met in her travels all over the world, all her life. The faces changed and the reasons varied, but inside, they were all alike. Self-destructive hate for the sake of hate. She saw a trapped, scared, frightened child inside the woman’s eyes, an agonizing scream wrapped up and bound, unheard and un-vented, inside a nearly empty shell. She almost felt sorry for her.

  Stepping away from Connell, she approached her and calmly looked her in the eyes. "Look, we’ve had just about enough of your poison. You know what, girl? You’re very lucky, you know that? I love this place, and it must be the reason I’m mellowing more and more with each passing day. This clean, country air has had a calming effect on me, because the old me would have already put you in traction. Either that or I would have cut your ass up and packed you in garbage bags, and buried one here, one there…for messing with my man.“

  Patty’s eyes grew wide.

  “Now, you want to talk about who's the ‘better’ in this weak-ass little drama? You come here, wearing some Frederick's Ho’ Wear, with your flat, tacky ass, and really think that makes you a woman? Puhleeze! You couldn't buy, steal, or kill to get in my class, because I have never had to put some tacky shit on to get a man. I don't need to do a damn thing, other than be myself, to attract a man, or make me a classy, desirable woman. I could walk up in here bare-assed naked, and he would fall on his knees, because I AM WOMAN! I don't need to cheapen myself to have a man love me. You, on the other hand, can only give him your well-used body. But I can give him my heart and my soul. Next time, try taking some pride in yourself, and maybe, just maybe, you can stand in my shadow."

  "I believe she really could do that, you know, walk in there buck-ass naked and have him fall to his knees..” they heard Ben’s muffled voice say, followed by what sounded like a hard smack to the side or back of his head.

  "Would you shut UP, we’re gonna’ miss something!" Helen hissed loudly enough for everyone to hear.

  Connell and Aisha both barely managed to maintain their composure enough to keep from laughing out loud at their eavesdropping buddies.

  Still struggling not to laugh, Aisha shook her head and gave Patty one last nasty look. Turning to Connell she said, "I’ll leave it to you to take out the trash. And don't be late for dinner, baby, you look tired. I‘ll give you a full body massage later tonight, along with something else." She finished, then gave him a wink and a quick kiss on the lips. Bending over, she picked up the book she had dropped earlier, handed it to him, and left.

  Once outside she pulled Helen along with her and began talking like nothing had happened. "I made some chicken gumbo, why don't you and Ben come have an early dinner with us."

  Helen looked disappointed. “We should have kicked her ass, you know…"

  "She's not worth me chipping my nails." Aisha replied airily as she looped her arm in her friend’s and tugged at her. “Let her stand there looking like a fool."

  ********************************************

  Connell looked at Patty, his features grim. " I’ve always believed that every woman, no matter her station in life, should be treated with respect. I would have never believed it possible, before tonight, but you’ve changed my mind about that. You came here tonight with one thing, and one thing only in mind, and that was to get what you wanted, no matter the cost. You could have cost me the woman I love, very easily, but you didn’t care. You even tried to drag Ben’s good name through the mud with a lie. And really, what has that man ever done to you? Patty, you claim you love me, but if you really did, you would have never did that to me, not in a million years, putting me in a position like that. I…I think you care about me, but it’s not love.“

  “But, I really d…“

  “No, you don’t. Patty, you need help. I’m probably going to lose your father’s friendship over this, and the very thought of that pains me, but so be it. Don’t you ever speak to me again, don’t you ever look at me again, and if you ever trespass on my property again, I promise, I will physically toss you off of it. Patty, there’s not a swinging dick on this entire planet who always gets everything they want. I’m no exception, you‘re no exception. Neither is the President, the friendly neighborhood grocer, the Pope, the garbage man, the doctor, the vet, the list goes on and on. Next time you decide to gun willy-nilly for whatever it is you‘re after, keep in mind that sometimes in life, OTHER‘S have to pay the price. Now leave!” he finished, pointing to the door.

  “I’m sorry!!! Can’t we just start over? Can’t we at least be frien..”

  “Patty, shut up and go. NOW! Don’t make me make good on my promise so soon.” he growled as he placed a hand on her back and gave her a gentle shove towards the door.

  With a nearly heartbreaking wail she stumbled briefly, then fled through the door, tears of rejection, shame, and rage running down her hot face. As she walked past Ben, he simply gave her a stony look and shook his head.

  After she had hopped in her car and sped away, Connell looked at Ben, winked, and asked, “Well, did you two get all of that?”

  Ben chuckled and shook his head in dismay. "Man, I’m moving over here! This is better than Flavor Of Love, Patty's like a white trashy New York. Maybe we should put web cams around the place, so we won’t miss anything! Man, wait till’ I tell Dave! And Jonus, he’s gonna’ hate that he missed this."

  Connell shook his head and laughed. He and Ben shared a secret addiction to reality television. At the moment, they were both hooked on Flavor Of Love, and Cheaters. They would watch the shows on TiVo, whenever the woman went out shopping. There had been times, unbeknownst to both Helen and Aisha, that he and Ben had given them a list of bogus errands that *needed* to be ran in town, along with extra spending money for themselves, just so they could get their reality tv fix and not appear to be a couple if sissies. "Ben, anybody ever tell you you’re worse than a gossiping old woman? And just who taught you and Helen how to eavesdrop, anyway?"

  Embarrassed, Ben laughed as they went and sat on the wooden bench outside the doorway.

  Connell looked down at the book Aisha had given him, and he felt his heart aching with a mixture of pride and pain as he gazed at the picture of Jenny and Aisha. Two amazing women that had became friends by chance, and sisters by fate. Two amazing women who loved him, and whom he loved in return. Blinking back a tear, he looked up at the sky and cleared his throat.

  Sensing his friend’s mixed emotions, Ben remained quiet.

  “How blessed I was, and how blessed I am now, to have had two women that could have had any man in the world besides me, yet they chose me…it’s humbling.” he said in a choked voice, and finally looked at his friend. “Imagine that. Me! A farmer. A nobody! Ben, have you ever felt totall
y unworthy, yet blessed at the same time?"

  Ben gave him a broad smile. "Sure I have. Every morning when I look at my snoring puddin’ cup lying there next to me. Every day I pray that the Lord gives me a long life with my Helen."

  "Yeah, and you’re lucky she can fight too, because you hit like a girl." he teased, to lighten the mood.

  "Yeah, she was pretty disappointed she didn't get a piece of Patty. I'm going to take her to the VFW tonight and pick a fight so she can kick some butt, protecting me. You wanna’ come? I think she can take just about all of them, except for maybe Doug. He’s got that steel plate in his head, so he can handle blows to the head."

  Chuckling again, Connell said, "No, last time we took her and gave her two shots of tequila, she tried to punk me out, remember? Said I was being mean to Jenny by not letting her buy that new patio furniture she wanted. Wouldn‘t listen to me when I tried to explain that our ’old’ furniture was only a year old!"

  Snickering, both of them knew that on the rare occasions she did drink, Helen could switch back and forth, in the blink of an eye, from a mean drunk, to a drunk who wanted to be everyone’s singing buddy. She couldn’t hold three beers before was having her own hug fest.

  **********************************************

  Several Days Later

  Things had quieted down on the farm, and everything seemed to have fallen into a nice, quiet routine for everyone once again.

  Aisha sighed contentedly as Abby snuggled close to her. They were both watching the movie “Matilda”, Abby’s favorite, for about the tenth time that week. Connell was locked in his office, working on what he had dubbed, “a top secret project.“ Aisha had her suspicions (healthy ones) but said nothing, letting him have his fun. Shawn had been tucked in for the night earlier, she had let him play until he could no longer fight sleep. It was almost guaranteed he would sleep soundly the entire night.

  Suddenly she heard Thelma and Louie barking frantically. Thinking it could be Jonus coming in from a night out, she didn't worry until she smelled smoke.

  *********************************************

  Getting to her feet quickly, Aisha went to the window and pulled the curtains back. From an angle, she looked out across the front yard. She saw thick smoke drifting towards the house, but could make out little more than that, and the soft orange glow of a fire somewhere nearby. Her heart suddenly racing with fear, she turned and ran out the door screaming, “CONNELL!!! Something’s burning!!!”

  Running downstairs quickly, she dashed out the front door, and the sight that met her eyes paralyzed her with fear. Not more than fifty feet from the house a giant cross was ablaze, glowing against the night sky. The sight sent cold chills down her spine, and a painful realization swept over her. Someone, or several people, from the looks of things, had somehow managed to get on their property as silently as ghosts, without any of them even being aware of it. Not herself, Connell, Jonus, or even the dogs. Suddenly nauseous, she put her hand to her stomach. They could have burned the house down, with the children inside. We could have all been killed…. she thought, so horrified she suddenly felt faint.

  Dimly, she felt Abby’s little arms wrapping around her leg, and asking what it was that was on fire. Unable to tear her horrified gaze away from the blazing cross, she put a trembling hand on the child’s small shoulder to steady herself. “What’s going on out here???” she hazily heard Connell’s voice yelling, as if coming from another dimension.

  She was in complete shock, thunderstruck. She had heard stories from her grandfather and other senior citizens about incidents such as the one she was witnessing, but such things simply didn’t happen in this day and age. Or did they? The proof was staring her right in the face. The harsh reality of Megan’s words hit home with such clarity she suddenly had difficulty breathing. “I can’t change the way some folks around here think and feel, and neither can you! Think of what the children will be facing…”And suddenly she realized her fear was more for the people she loved than for herself.

  Jonus came running up beside her, barefoot and clad only in his pajama bottoms. Dropping his flashlight, he dashed towards the one hundred foot coil of water hose near the porch, picked it up, turned the water on, and dashed towards the fire.

  Connell ran past her and Abby, cursing a blue streak when he finally realized what was happening.

  “Daddy, what’s going on?” Abby asked, quickly becoming frightened at everyone’s reactions.

  Without answering or thinking about his own safety, he ran behind Jonus and gave the cross a mighty kick, causing it to topple to the ground.

  Frantically, Jonus ran to and fro, dousing the flames with torrents of water. Several minutes later, all that remained were the charred, smoking ruins of the wooden frame.

  Dashing to his pickup truck, which was parked beside one of the barns and facing the receding driveway, Connell threw the door open, switched on the headlights, and grabbed a seven-shot 12 gauge shotgun from the rear rifle rack. The scene was surreal as the smoke from the charred cross drifted slowly across the beams of light cast by the powerful headlamps.

  Abby began to cry.

  Stepping in front of the truck, his breath, plainly visible in the frigid night air, added to the eerily silent setting. “COME ON, COME ON!!!” he roared. “IF I FIND OUT WHO DID THIS, YOU’RE DEAD, YOU HEAR ME!!! You’re FUCKING DEAD!!!!!!” Jacking a shell in the chamber, he aimed the shotgun in random directions towards the silent, dark woods several hundred yards away and fired three times, the thunderous noise making everyone jump and causing Abby to wail in terror.

  “Daaaaddy!“ she cried, running to him frantically, seeking the safety and protection she always felt in his arms.

  Looking at the ground, Jonus picked up the flashlight he had dropped, and studied the ground around them carefully. From his own military training, he guessed there had been at least four people. Rage suddenly gripped him, and briefly he thought of driving to the Roadhouse Tavern to see if anyone was talking. But he also wanted to stay and make sure if someone did have balls enough to come back, he would be here to help protect the people he loved. If anyone did come back, they would regret their decision.

  Placing the shotgun on the hood of the truck, Connell swept his sobbing daughter up into his arms. She wrapped her tiny arms around his neck and clung tightly, still sobbing. He could feel the wetness of her tears as they fell on the side of his neck. How can I explain this to her? he thought. A searing, blinding, earth-shattering rage swept through his entire being, one so intense he felt he could mangle Satan himself, barehanded. I failed my family, I let someone come here and take away their security. I’ll get those bastards, if I have to hunt them down to the ends of the earth, or follow them into the bowels of hell. I’ll get them….he vowed silently as he kissed the top of her head and caressed her back lovingly.

  “What was that, daddy? Who did that?” he heard her sob, her face still planted in his neck.

  “Shhhhh, don’t you worry, pumpkin. Someone was playing a bad joke, that‘s all. Don‘t you worry, everything will be alright, daddy will take care of it.” he whispered and kissed her again.

  Looking around for Aisha, he found she was nowhere in sight, and his heart ached for her. As upset as he himself was, he couldn’t imagine how upset and frightened she must have felt, seeing such a symbol of hate and terror that African Americans knew all to well. It was a harsh reminder that the more things changed, the more they stayed the same. The worst of human nature would live on forever, it seemed, in men and women’s hearts everywhere.

  Jonus touched his shoulder, bringing him out of his dark thoughts. “We should report this. I’ll call the Sheriff, why don’t you go check on Aisha?” he said quietly. Holding out his arms, he said to Abby, “Come on sweetie, we’ll go check on the dogs after I make the call.”

  It took some coaxing from Connell, but after a few minutes of reassurance from him, she held her arms out to him.

  **************
******************************************

  Connell stood outside her closed bedroom door. He tried to open it, but found it locked. Hearing her moving around in the room, he knocked softly and called to her, “Aisha, open the door.”

  She didn’t answer the door or respond. Frustrated, he knocked a little louder and repeated his request.

  “Connell, just give me some time. I’m fine, just leave me alone.” her muffled voice finally answered.

  Resting his head on the door, he knew she was far from being fine. He wanted to comfort her, wanted to reassure her that everything would be Ok. Feeling completely helpless, he released a tired sigh, then turned and left, giving her the privacy she had requested.