Guilty By Association

by Pat Simmons

  Kidd focused his attention on his little cousin, as he angled his body toward the kitchen. Why was he curious about what the women were discussing?

  “Listen, Imani,” Cheney continued. “I know that your divorce was hard on you, and you know my past devastated me. But God did something wonderful when he brought Parke into my life. You can’t go around hating everything male, so—”

  “Eavesdropping can be a lovely thing. Ain’t it?” Parke came up behind Kidd and slapped him on the back. “Pay Imani no attention. Unless, of course, she’s behind the wheel of the repo truck. Then you’d better keep an eye on your ride. Unfortunately for the debtors, Imani does have close to a 100 percent recovery rate. Otherwise, she’s really harmless.”

  “Right,” Kidd said sarcastically. Good thing he didn’t believe in running up a tab. He didn’t like to be indebted to anyone, which was what he was starting to feel. Switching gears, he strained again to hear the women’s conversation.

  “I guess it doesn’t hurt to know what a woman is thinking. It’s better than trying to figure her out.”

  “Imani is just bitter over the way her marriage ended. Since then, she’s had a string of bad dates, but we’ve been praying for her,” Parke defended.

  “Well, it goes to show, we all have bitterness rooted somewhere in us.”

  Minutes later, they sat around the table. The children ogled Kidd as if he was their idol.

  “Let’s bow our heads, so we can bless the food,” Parke instructed, then prayed. “Lord Jesus, we thank You for the food. We thank You for providing it, the hands that prepared it, and the company to share it with around this table. Bless my children and my lovely wife, and our family far and near. Lord, pour Your abundant blessings over all of us. In the name of Jesus. Amen.”

  When Kidd opened his eyes, he nodded at Parke, and then there were no further words spoken. Like the others, he wasted no time digging in. He was famished, and before it was all over, he found himself fighting Imani over the remainder of the snapped peas.

  After dinner, the two men rinsed dishes and then loaded the dishwasher. It was the children’s chore to wipe off the table. Following a brief struggle with his sister over who would sweep the floor, Pace won.

  Kidd waited until he and Parke were in the sanctuary of the entertainment cave to inquire about his visit with Mrs. Beacon.

  “So what happened?”

  “We couldn’t stay too long. That woman cursed me out—without profanity—like I was some stranger on the street. Slur and all.”

  Kidd frowned. “How does one curse without using choice words?”

  “Oh, she can piece together curse words like a serger sewing machine. Among other words, she used ‘your momma’, some body parts, and Ebonics.” Parke gave Kidd a pointed look. “Before you ask, some things aren’t worth repeating. Enough said.” He paused, shook his head, and lifted the remote to aim it at the flat-screen.

  Then Parke’s comments turned more serious. “I witnessed with my own eyes her baptism to wash away her sins in Jesus’ name. I saw firsthand how she rejoiced. I guess she’s the kind of vessel Matthew 12:43–45 refers to.”

  “A what?” Kidd had no idea what Parke was talking about.

  “Sorry.” Parke chuckled. “I always assume people know what I mean. Matthew 12:43–45 says, ‘When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, “I will return to the house I left.” When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.’ Well, this evening, her spirits were having a shindig.”

  Kidd had nothing to add to that topic, so he nodded. Why should he go to church when Parke brought it home with every opportunity he got?

  During a brief period of silence, while Parke surfed channels, one of Kidd’s favorite sports talk shows grabbed his attention. He hoped it would grab Parke’s too and bring an end to the impromptu witnessing tirade.

  The hosts of Pardon the Interruption, Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon, were involved in a heated discussion about a doomed athlete. Uninterested, Parke flipped channels again, and the Yankees and the Dodgers were in a pitching duel. Kidd would have rather finished watching Tony and Michael.

  During the first commercial break, Parke lowered the volume and faced Kidd. “Cuz, I want you to know, I appreciate the sacrifice you’re making to work in the nursing home. I realize it hasn’t been easy for you. Out of all the jobs we tried to match you with, this one is probably the most incompatible and uncomfortable for you. It may not seem like a big deal to check up on Grandma BB, but it’s important for us to keep an eye on her. She thrives on her independence, and this has to be cramping her style. She’s always into something; we never know what the woman is capable of doing.”

  Kidd listened while Parke continued to open up. Who knows? he thought. Maybe he’d learn something that could help him deal with this difficult person.

  “From the glimpse of what I saw today, it looked like she had aged a bit since the incident. I think deep down she’s afraid of becoming incapacitated and dependent on others for the rest of her life. Even with her spunk, it doesn’t seem like this setback is coming to an end any time soon. That’s why she never discloses her real age of eighty-one—we found out by the slip of her tongue. Usually, she tells folks she’s in her seventies. I don’t know. Maybe she feels like she’s counting down the days before her death and wants to clown up until her last breath. But we love her and prayer changes things. That’s why we’ll keep on praying for her.”

  Kidd was choked with emotions at his cousin’s heartfelt sentiments. The moment was one of a handful where he didn’t feel they were drawing enemy lines as the eldest of two Jamieson families. So who was indebted to whom?

  “I hope you’ve come to accept us as your family, whether it’s for the better or worse. Blood is blood. You can dilute it or transfuse it, but the DNA will always be there. Christ’s blood will always be there for you too, Kidd, if you decide to embrace Him in your life.”

  He went there again. How Parke could mix Jesus in during the seventh inning stretch was pure skill. Kidd had to admit, but only to himself, that he would give his cousin’s words some thought. He could no longer deny that Parke’s influence was changing his whole perception of what a Jamieson family could be like.

  Still, there was nothing anyone could do about the fact that it was too late for Kidd to embrace what he longed for as a child, but never obtained—his father’s love.

  Chapter Twelve

  Kidd. Eva was giddy as she drove home from her night class. She felt good about her answers on the quiz. With both hands gripped around the steering wheel, her mind was elsewhere when she stopped at the red light. “Lord, I asked for help and You sent Kidd. Unbelievable.”

  Shaking her head, Eva still couldn’t believe the grilling process that he put her through had actually worked. She was overflowing with joy, until there were too many songs in her head to choose just one. So she pieced together words and notes and created her own song of praise to God.

  Eva was still a ball of energy when she walked through the door of her condo and dumped her keys, books, and purse on the table. Reaching for the nearby cordless phone, she called her sister’s cell. As she strolled into the bedroom, Eva was disappointed, but not surprised when she got Angela’s personalized voice mail greeting. Her sister changed it every day. Angela treated it like a Twitter account, briefing callers on her constant whereabouts with Lance. Talk about making it easy for criminals to track her.

  What about her mother? Nah. Rita Savoy would read too much into her daughter’s jubilation over a test that a good-looking male coworker helped her to pass. For her mom, that would be akin to announcing, “I just got engaged!”

  In her bedroom of white walls, curta
ins, and comforter, all the furniture was bleached wood. Eva kicked off her tennis shoes and peeled off her socks. Wiggling her toes, she took a moment to admire the red polish. Kidd said the color complemented her, referring to her uniform. She briefly wondered if he would like her pedicure.

  Removing her scrubs, she dumped them in the multicolored hamper and threw on a T-shirt and shorts. Eva retrieved the cordless phone from her bed and headed to the kitchen. On the way, she was distracted by the vertical blinds that adorned her terrace doors. They beckoned to her, and she responded by stepping out onto the balcony.

  While taking a few moments to absorb the view, Eva glanced around her little space and smiled. She was pleased with a recent purchase of a bamboo wicker patio set. Relaxing in the chair, she rested her feet on the miniature table.

  Eva bit her bottom lip, wondering if any chemistry existed between her and Kidd. Why did that ridiculous question even pop into her head? Kidd was different and too complex for his own good. Most times, Eva was abhorred by his rough and insensitive reaction to situations. Especially people.

  The more she pondered over this man, one thing for sure, she admired Kidd’s confidence. Then too, in her book, very few men could compete with his intoxicating looks. Not only was he attractive, his physical strength dictated that one punch from him could leave bruises and broken bones. But the thing that most offended her was his unpolished manner. It seemed like he wasn’t comfortable in his position at the facility and would rather interact with the low-paid maintenance crew.

  Their chance meetings in front of the fountain would be romantic if she was reading about them in a novel or watching the scene play out in a movie. However, at this point, it didn’t matter if he was attracted to her or not. The breaking news was that she had standards and Kidd didn’t meet them—period.

  Purposely, she steered clear of the members of “the angry Black men” club. Unfortunately, there was an entire generation of them. Kidd’s “I don’t care” attitude ran people away, including her. She couldn’t change a grown man who had apparently slipped through the cracks as a child.

  Closing her eyes, she prayed for God to help him and all those men who were like him. Those who deep down inside were good men, but reached for their anger as a survival tool every morning. “Lord Jesus, there is no guarantee the Prodigal Son will find his way back home, but You are the Great Shepherd and You know where Your lost sheep are. Lord, please gather them, nourish them, and restore their hearts and minds. I pray that You will toss into the sea of forgetfulness whatever it was that drove them from Your presence. Jesus, I know You promised me salvation and that You will be faithful until the end. I thank You for the assurance that You are preparing a wedding feast for Your church. Although I’m Your bride first, Lord Jesus, I would like to meet a flesh-and-blood groom before You return. In the name of Jesus. Amen.”

  I keep My promises, Jesus spoke.

  His whisper gave her the intended comfort. The only sure thing in life was His promises, which were too numerous to count.

  Opening her eyes, she squinted as a star struggled to make an appearance before dusk. Eva’s thoughts returned to class where she had prayed until the moment her instructor said that time was up. Although Kidd’s assistance boosted her confidence, Eva still had to trust God that her answers were correct.

  A tempting thought entered her head. If she had his number, would she be crossing some kind of employee line to call and thank him again? What signal would that send? Kidd was definitely fine. Eva made a resolve: as a woman, she would always be attracted to good-looking men—but that didn’t mean she would entertain any ridiculous notions that the two of them could ever be romantically involved. That is, without the sex part, of course.

  Mentally, she flipped through the pages of her bridal magazines, picturing her reflection in many of the designer dresses, rehearsal dinners at the cozy restaurants, and the faceless groom at the altar. With his dark hand reaching out for hers, Eva took a deep breath and smiled. Her lids drifted closed again; this time, she refused to open them until she could see the face of the man whom God had set aside just for her.

  It wasn’t long before Eva was awakened. Dazed by the surrounding darkness, she was startled when the phone rang. “Hello.”

  “Hey,” Angela greeted. “Are you asleep already? Why do you call me and not leave a message?”

  “Hold on.” Eva stood and stretched. She quickly stepped back inside her living room before the mosquitoes feasted any further. After closing the sliding door, she locked it and turned on a few lights. Remembering she was hungry, Eva headed straight to the refrigerator to grab something quick to eat. “Well, since you let your social network of followers know you and Lance went to a movie, I didn’t want to interrupt.”

  Angela laughed. “Right. My cell number isn’t posted on the Internet. Anyway, at the moment, Lance and I are in line to get some Ted Drewes Frozen Custard—yummy.”

  Eva’s mouth watered at the mention of a St. Louis favorite summertime novelty—ice cream as thick as concrete.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Remember that test I was stressing about last week?” Eva’s giggles exploded before Angela could respond. “I asked God to send help, and minutes later, Kidd came along. Can you believe he quizzed me? He broke down some questions, and I used his study tricks. I was amazed that it worked … and just think—”

  “Wait a minute. Not your nemesis?”

  Eva sighed and gritted her teeth. She was chiding herself for sharing that negative description with her twin. “I misjudged him. He’s very intelligent, and I’m ashamed to say how I got his attention.” Shaking her head in embarrassment, she didn’t even want to think about that scenario.

  Angela covered up the phone. “It’s Eva. She had a run-in with that guy again.” Lance yelled in the background, “Does she want me to go up to her job? Because I will …”

  Eva rolled her eyes and bit into the ready-made sandwich she found behind the bottle of milk on the top shelf. No wonder she had to constantly repeat herself to her sister. Angela never got information right the first time.

  “Listen to me, Angel. First of all, tell Lance to back off. I wasn’t threatened.” Eva began to pace the stone-tiled floor as she nibbled. “I was at my weakest moment, sobbing uncontrollably, freaking out about the test. I guess it was the tears that got to him. He could have ignored me, but the man has more compassion than I gave him credit for. His kindness was so tender, I would’ve cried all over again if I wasn’t already bawling. I would never have thought in a zillion years he had that much knowledge in him.”

  “Now I think you’ve gone too far. You said yourself he doesn’t seem to fit in a nursing facility environment. All of a sudden, he quizzes you and breaks down complex medical terminology. I don’t know anything about this Kidd, but I do know you sometimes don’t give yourself enough credit. You were prepared for that test, and he probably convinced you of that. I’m proud of you, sis. You’ve been holding back from me all these years,” Angela teased, then muffled the phone and conversed with Lance.

  Shaking her head, Eva said good-bye, but doubted her sister heard her. Placing the phone on the counter, she finished her sandwich. Minutes later, she padded into the bathroom to run some bath water. As she soaked, she recalled a day in eighth grade when she and Angela switched places to take a test. The outcome wasn’t worth it. Eva—the imposter—scored high on the test, but she and Angela barely escaped their mother’s punishment for their dishonesty. That was the last time she and Angela traded places for anything.

  Angela’s true calling was in secondary education, and she excelled in it. Eva, the indecisive twin, needed more time to ponder her purpose. Careerwise, it took Eva until after her first degree to reach all the way back into her childhood to find her passion. As a little girl, first she wanted to be an opera singer. Eva had purposely shattered one of her mother’s favorite glasses, feigning she had hit a high note. Her mother had ended that career goal, and she w
as sore the next morning.

  Then there was the time she had aspirations to become a chef. After two close calls, the fire department advised her mother to keep her away from the stove without adult supervision. At the time, Eva was an adult of twenty-three. Finally, she stumbled into her calling when a neighbor thought he was bleeding to death. In a panic mode, she grabbed some soap, alcohol, bandages, and aspirin for pain. For coming to the rescue, her reward was a twenty-five-dollar gift card. Long after that event, she kept a makeshift emergency medical kit under her bed—just in case.

  Still, her purpose in life didn’t come without challenges. She would never admit to anybody, especially to Kidd, that the facility residents’ ill-mannered comments tossed at her did sometimes hurt her feelings, but she pitied them and prayed.

  Eva climbed in bed after a soothing bath and started to review material for her May final, which was weeks away. Tomorrow wasn’t coming soon enough; she couldn’t wait to see Kidd.

  Chapter Thirteen

  On Monday morning, Kidd took long strides to Mrs. Beacon and Mrs. Valentine’s room. He knocked and waited for permission to enter.

  “Hi, Adam. Where’s Eve?” It didn’t take long for Mrs. Valentine to adapt her signature greeting for him.

  “Let’s just say, God’s molding her to my perfection.” Kidd winked.

  “I’ve been waiting for you, Jamieson.” Mrs. Beacon spoke without hesitation. “So I guess since Parke couldn’t babysit me himself, he sent you.”

  If the woman was about to go multi-crazy spirits on him, then she was sure to get some of his own spirits, lurking to come out at her. Kidd had another rule he lived by—people did not curse or hit him without his retaliation—so he might as well walk away now.