She exited the stall, walked to the sink and splashed cold water on her face. She dried it with a brown paper towel and stared at her reflection in the mirror.
How did her great-grandfather do it? How did he manage to live a lie day after day without losing his mind?
Chapter 35
Lee climbed out of the car of one of her regular customers and lit a joint. She walked to the corner, stood next to a building and watched the headlights floating up and down the rain-slicked street. God, she hated this life. If it wasn’t for this stuff, she didn’t know how she would get through the nights.
One of her roommates walked up, and Lee passed the joint to her. Andrea was as close to a friend as Lee had out on the streets of Baltimore. She was Latina and probably in her early thirties, since she claimed to have a daughter living in New York who was about Lee’s age. Andrea’s face was starting to show the years, but her body was still in top shape.
“Hey, what’s crackin’?” Lee asked.
Andrea took a puff and handed the joint back to Lee. “Tony was out here looking for you, girl. And he was pissed.”
“Shit.” Lee stomped the ground and took a drag. “He say what it was about?”
“No. Said to tell you to get your ass over to his place as soon as you got back. What’s with that?”
Lee shrugged. “He’s probably mad ‘cause I been slackin’. Didn’t even work last night. I’m so fucking sick of this shit.”
Andrea shook her head. “Then you better take your ass on over there now. You got it coming, girl, but if he got to come out here to find you, it’s gonna be much worse. For real.”
“Let the nigga come find me. Shit. Last time he beat me, I was sore for days.”
Andrea shrugged. “Hey, don’t shoot the messenger. I’m just telling you what he told me.”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
“So, what you gonna do?”
“Damn if I know. I’m thinking of getting the hell on out of here.”
Andrea’s eyes popped open wide. “And going where? Shit. Anywhere you go, he’s gonna find your ass.”
“Maybe not. I got connections.”
Andrea looked at her doubtfully. “Yeah, right. This that daddy of yours you always bragging about?”
Lee was silent.
Andrea chuckled. “If your pop’s so rich, why the hell is your ass out here?”
“I won’t be for long. Just got to find out where Silver Lake, Maryland, is.” Although Lee didn’t have the slightest notion how to go about it.
Andrea’s eyes narrowed. “Did you say Silver Lake? That’s right down there in P.G. County.”
Lee blinked. “How do you know?”
“Don’t you read the paper, girl? There was an article about Silver Lake in the Washington Post just the other day. Big spread with pictures and all. For real.”
Lee smiled. Her heart was racing. “Get out of here, girl. You lying.”
“Why would I lie? Ever heard of Mitchellville?”
Lee’s eyes lit up. “Shit, yeah. Some rich niggas live over there.”
“This Silver Lake is in that same area, from what I read. Anyway, I gotta get back.” Andrea took a deep drag off the joint and gave it to Lee. “You better get your ass on over to see Tony. Don’t go do nothin’ stupid, girl.”
Sometimes Lee thought walking away from all this would be the smartest thing she’d ever done. But Andrea was right. If she walked and Tony ever found her, she’d be in worse trouble than she was now. Last time, he busted her upside the head, using a phone book to keep her from bruising.
But she might know where her daddy lived now, and it wasn’t all that far from Baltimore. It felt like Andrea had just dropped a ten-karat diamond into the palm of her hand. Maybe it was time to change the game.
She flicked the butt on the ground and stomped it out. She looked up and down the street to make sure Tony wasn’t nearby, then rounded the corner and walked away. She never looked back.
Chapter 36
Pearl felt so odd coming to Jolene Brown’s house-warming party after what happened between her and Patrick, not to mention the fact that she and Jolene weren’t exactly friends. But Patrick had called out of the blue and convinced her to stop by.
She had to admit that she was curious to see the inside of the mini-mansion that had been shaping up on the hillside in Silver Lake, North. It had the whole neighborhood buzzing.
As soon as she stepped through the double doors and into the soaring two-story foyer, all she could think was, Wow. There were marble columns and gleaming hardwood floors and lots of crown molding. A huge chandelier dangled from way up above.
A butler took her coat and pointed her in the direction of the “great room.” It was one of the biggest rooms Pearl had ever seen. She could practically fit her entire town house into it. One wall was made almost entirely of glass and it looked out over a huge lawn with flower beds and a deck.
Patrick said he didn’t like the new house, that it was over the top. She agreed with him on that. It was beautiful, but she wouldn’t feel comfortable living in a place like this either. She couldn’t see herself plodding down the elaborate staircase early in the morning in her clingy old bathrobe and slippers.
A waiter bearing a tray of champagne flutes walked up to her. She shook her head at first, then thought, Why not? She took a glass and looked around. A lot of the neighbors were there but no one else from the town houses. She shouldn’t have been surprised, given that this was Jolene’s shindig.
If Candice had her way, they would all have stayed at home. But Jim and the girls wanted to come to the house-warming party, and Candice had to admit to herself that she needed to get out and focus on something besides her problems.
She looked up at the soaring ceiling. This must be how an ant felt standing on the floor of my kitchen, she thought. Frankly, she liked her own house on the southern side of Silver Lake just fine, thank you.
“Candice, you made it.” She turned to see Jolene holding out her arms. They hugged and kissed, and Jolene greeted Jim and the girls.
“Yes,” Candice said. “We wouldn’t have missed it for anything.”
“So, what do you think?” Jolene asked.
“Um, you mean the house? It’s lovely.”
“Yes,” Jim added. “It’s beautiful.”
“But I think you’re going to miss the old neighborhood living over here in all this house,” Candice teased.
Jolene chuckled. “Yes. Like a fork in my ass.”
Ashley and Caitlin giggled as Jolene blew a kiss and moved on to the next group of guests.
That Jolene was a piece of work, Candice thought. There were probably no others like her. Thank goodness. One was enough.
* * *
Barbara noticed the faux animal print mules on Jolene’s feet right away. Now where had she seen them? She blinked, trying to clear her head of the two shots of vodka she’d had before leaving the house.
And then she remembered. They looked just like the Stuart Weitzman mules in the photos of her bedroom that someone had sent her over the Internet. Barbara couldn’t believe her eyes. Bradford and Jolene? She needed another drink.
“How are you, darlings?” Jolene asked as she kissed first Barbara, then Bradford, on the cheeks.
“Fine,” Barbara muttered tersely. Don’t be silly, you idiot. You’re imagining things. Lots of women wore animal print mules.
“Your house is lovely,” Barbara said sweetly. What a lie. It was the biggest, most ostentatious piece of tawdry junk she had ever been forced to step foot in. But so like Jolene Brown.
“You’ve outdone yourself,” Bradford said.
“Thanks,” Jolene said. “Have you had any champagne yet?”
“Not yet,” Bradford said.
“Which way?” Barbara asked.
“The waiters should be by with some shortly. If not, go on down to the bar in the rec room. Enjoy yourselves, darlings.” She blew kisses in their direction and sauntered off to the n
ext batch of guests.
Barbara looked around for a waiter. “I’m going to mingle.”
Bradford grabbed her by the elbow before she could take a step. He squeezed. “You don’t need to drink anything here but water.”
She pulled her arm away discreetly. “I’ll drink whatever I damn well please,” Barbara whispered tartly. “Just like you screw whatever you please.”
Bradford cleared his throat. “Don’t embarrass me, Barbara. A lot of my employees and business associates are here.”
“I’m shaking in my boots. The day you start worrying about humiliating me with all your carrying on is when I’ll start worrying about embarrassing you.” She walked away from him and found a waiter. She grabbed a glass of champagne and took a big gulp. There. That was much better. She downed the rest and grabbed another.
Bradford and Jolene? Was it possible? She shook her head. No, no. Patrick worked for Bradford, and Bradford had always been careful not to mix business with his personal life. Still, there was a first time for everything and she would give anything to see the label inside those mules.
Jolene chuckled at the naughty thoughts dancing through her head. Had Barbara noticed the mules? She had worn them on purpose, hoping Barbara would recognize them from the photos she’d sent over the Internet. For the life of her, Jolene didn’t understand why Barbara didn’t leave Bradford right after getting the pics. Maybe the woman had convinced herself that they were fake or something. Fine. She would just have to convince Barbara that the photos were real, even if it meant shoving the mules up the woman’s nose. Anything that might hasten a breakup in the Bentley marriage was on her to-do list.
Jolene was loving everything about this gathering. It was fabulous. A smashing success. This was the biggest, most elegant house in all of Silver Lake, North. OK, so maybe not as big as the Bentley place. But it was damn close. And it was brand spanking new.
She had worked her ass off the past month getting the house ready, but it was worth every late night, every aching bone, every spat with Patrick.
Some of her guests had insinuated that the house was too big and pretentious. Like Candice—that white bitch with her smart-ass mouth. I’m afraid you’re going to miss the old neighborhood living in this big house, Jolene. Puh-leeze. Fat fucking chance. Candice was just jealous, plain and simple. They were all jealous—black, white—every last one of them. Some of them were so ungrateful it was disgusting. She would be sure to scratch them off her guest list for the next party. See how they liked that.
She couldn’t really tell what Barbara thought about the house. Barbara was so clever at disguising her real feelings. But she didn’t see why Barbara wouldn’t like the place. Barbara was used to nice big things. Like Bradford and his dick. As much as she had come to despise Barbara, the woman knew a good thing when she saw it.
She didn’t know why Patrick insisted on inviting that town-house trash Pearl Jackson and her nappy-headed son. Pearl did hair, for goodness’ sakes. How working class. How like her husband.
Jolene shrugged. She didn’t have time to think about that now. She mingled and smiled proudly as she watched Juliette chatting graciously with the guests. Her daughter had class. She fit in this house like it was custom-made just for her. The girl did her mama proud. And she had only recently turned fifteen. Jolene wondered if Bradford had noticed how delightful Juliette was.
Come to think of it, where was he? She excused herself from her guests and looked around for him. She had promised him a private tour of the house, starting with the master bedroom. And hopefully ending there, too.
Pearl was so glad to see Kenyatta and Ashley arrive that she ran up and kissed them both on the cheek.
“What do you think of the house?” Pearl asked.
“Big,” Ashley replied. “Too big for me. I prefer smaller rooms. They’re so much cozier.”
“I kinda like it,” Kenyatta said. “The rooms are nice and airy.”
Pearl was with Ashley on this. The house was too showy for her. But she said nothing. She had kissed the girl, hadn’t she? That was enough for now.
“It’s got Jolene written all over it, that’s for sure,” Ashley said. “We lived next door to her before they moved, and this is her. Totally.”
“Really?” Pearl said. “That’s funny. ’Cause it’s nothing like Patrick. He’s much simpler and more down to earth than this.”
“Uh-huh,” Kenyatta said, frowning at Pearl in disapproval. “Is he now?”
“I mean, based on the little I know about him,” Pearl added quickly. She was going to have to watch her mouth. Better yet, she shouldn’t say anything about Patrick around Kenyatta, period.
“Oh, Bradford!” Jolene was sprawled out on the floor of her giant walk-in closet, christening the master bedroom of her new house. She and Patrick hadn’t had sex in it. So somebody had to help her christen it.
She moaned and he clamped his hand over her mouth. She shook it away. What the hell was that all about? It was a soft moan. She wasn’t stupid. She knew she had to keep her voice down, that she had a houseful of guests downstairs.
He seemed to be in such a hurry. He hadn’t even kissed her once. He had locked the door so he didn’t have to worry about getting caught. But he was so totally focused on getting through this, it felt like he had forgotten she was even there. Maybe he was uncomfortable. He was lying on top of her on the floor with his bare butt exposed and half of his staff right downstairs. Not to mention his wife.
Personally, she wouldn’t give a damn if the whole world heard them. She was living in a fabulous house and making love to the man of her dreams. Her man. Or soon to be. As soon as Barbara put two and two together, she’d have to leave him.
“Oh, baby,” she whispered.
Chapter 37
Lee and Mookie rolled up to the entrance to Silver Lake in an early 1980s BMW sedan, courtesy of the Landover Mall parking lot.
“Holy shit.” Mookie whistled. “You said your pops lives here?”
“That’s what I’m hoping,” Lee said.
“Damn, he must be making a lot of paper. They even got a gate to keep niggas like you and me out.”
Lee giggled. It was hard to believe there were places like this in Prince George’s. It was a world away from her old neighborhood in Seat Pleasant, that was for sure.
The guard, a black woman probably in her late thirties and wearing a uniform, stepped out of the gatehouse. Mookie rolled the window down and stared straight ahead. They had agreed that he would do the driving and she the talking. Lee smiled and held up the snapshot of her folks.
“I’m looking for my uncle,” she said. “I was here visiting him a couple of months ago but I can’t remember exactly where the house was.”
The guard glanced at the photo, then at Mookie and back at Lee. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “That’s an old photo, but I recognize him. Is he expecting you?”
“Uh, no,” Lee said, clearing her throat. “We’re driving through on our way home from … from Hampton University. We’re students there. We’re on our way back home to New York, and I thought I’d stop by and say hello.”
The guard leaned down and looked in the backseat of the BMW. Then she took another close look at Lee. Thank God Mookie had picked out a fancy car to hotwire this time, even if it was kind of ancient.
The guard stood back up. “OK. It’s straight up this way. Take the second left. It’s the last house on the right.”
Lee smiled. She was in. “Thanks.”
“And by the way,” the guard added with a smile, “you look just like your uncle.”
Whew! That was scary, Lee thought as they pulled away. But they had made it through the gate, and the guard recognized her daddy. She was getting close. She could feel it.
As soon as the car was out of the guard’s sight she and Mookie slapped each other with a high-five. “You was cool,” Mookie said, laughing. He turned up his nose and mocked her. “We go to Hampton University and we’re up here lookin
’ for my uncle.” Lee cracked up and clapped her hands.
But they both grew silent as they drove deeper into Silver Lake, past Tudors and colonials with three-car garages and huge landscaped lawns. Some of the estates had swimming pools and tennis courts right in the backyards. There was a lake, a community golf course and a clubhouse. And Lee had never seen so many big new Benzes and Lexuses.
“Damn,” Lee finally exclaimed as Mookie turned left. “My daddy lived here while I was fighting off fucking rats and roaches? And a rapist.”
Mookie just shook his head and stared. By the time he pulled up in front of the house and shut off the engine, they were both thoroughly pissed.
“All I can say is, if this is the right house, your pops been living large while you been out there hustling.”
“No shit.” Lee frowned. He was up in there living in luxury, probably with a wife and kids, while she and her mama scraped and suffered. His life here was so grand, he probably wouldn’t want to have anything to do with her.
“You sure you want to do this?” Mookie asked.
Lee bit her bottom lip. What the hell did she care what he wanted or didn’t want? He was some fake-ass sucker who knocked her mama up, then fled back to his castle. She had gotten this far in life without him. If he didn’t want her, so be it. She would walk away. But he was going to know that he had a daughter living on the other side of the tracks who knew all about him.
“Hell, yeah,” she said. “Wait here for me.”
“You better take this,” Mookie said, reaching in the glove compartment for the gun. “In case this is the wrong house. This look like one of them neighborhoods where white folks get out the rifle when they see a nigga coming to the door.”
She took the gun and tucked it into her shoulder bag. Then she walked up and rang the bell. She waited a minute and rang again. Damn. Just her luck. No one was home. Or they peeked out the window and saw her black face.
She turned and walked back toward the car just as a middle-aged black woman strolled by with a poodle on a leash. The woman slowed down and stared, and Lee looked at the pavement. What the hell was that bitch looking at? Lee stuck her hand in her bag and felt for the gun. Just in case. She was obviously a stranger in these parts, and there was no telling what this uppity black bitch would do.
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