by L. J. Taylor
“You had better be very sure,” he said. “In fact, you’d better be dead sure.” He released her.
Ivy backed away from him, rubbing at her neck and gulping in air. “Look, I’ll find a way to take care of this. I’m pretty sure my probation officer can’t force me to sue you for child support against my will. Just don’t flip out on me.”
“If you don’t find a way to take care of this, I will.” He turned and left.
She locked her door then slumped against it, tears streaming down her cheeks. What the hell was she going to do?
***
The next day, Ivy met Karen for lunch and told her what happened. “I can’t believe this is happening. What am I going to do?”
“Wow. I can’t believe your probation officer went so far as to file a child support petition on your behalf. That’s gangster. It sounds like you need a lawyer or something. Why don’t you get your sister to help?” Karen asked.
“She does so much already. And she’s pregnant with raging hormones. She’ll get all worked up and confront my probation officer. Then he’ll make my life a living hell. There must be something else I can do,” Ivy said.
“You can ask my brother,” Karen said. “He’ll know what to do.”
“Luke? What can he do?” Ivy asked.
“He knows lawyers and social workers and people like that. Maybe they can help you with this,” Karen said.
“I don’t know if I want your brother all up in my business,” Ivy said.
Karen shrugged. “Beggars can’t be choosy.”
“Ain’t that the truth?” Ivy sighed. “Alright. Give me his telephone number.”
***
That evening, after she put Omari to bed, Ivy called Luke.
“Hello?”
“Hi, it’s Ivy.”
“Hey there neighbor. Did Karen give you my number?”
“Yes. Sorry to bother you, but I have to talk to you about a problem I’m having,” she said.
“A problem? I’ll be right down,” he said.
“Oh no,” she said. “You don’t have to come down or anything. I mean, we could just talk about it over the phone.”
“Scared of me?” he asked.
“Don’t be silly,” she said.
“See you in five minutes.”
“Okay.” She hung up the receiver and got up to put a pot of coffee on.
Five minutes later she heard a knock at the door. She peeked through the peephole. It was Luke. Breathing a sigh of relief, she unlocked the door to let him in. “Hi. Thanks for coming. I made us some coffee and I have a little cake. Why don’t you have a seat on the couch and I’ll bring it right in.”
“That sounds great.” He stepped inside.
Ivy went to the kitchen to retrieve the tray she had prepared. She set it down onto the coffee table and served the coffee and cake.
“Wow,” he said. “This is really nice.” He took a bite of the coffeecake. “Damn girl, this is good. Where did you buy it?”
“I made it,” she said.
“Come on. Tell me the truth. Where did you get this?” he asked.
“What? You don’t believe I made it? Well, I did.”
His eyes widened. “You made this? This cake is good.” He ate some more. “So, you mentioned that you needed my help. What’s the problem?”
“Well, it’s a little embarrassing talking to you about this,” she said.
“Just spit it out.”
She brought him up to speed then, overwhelmed, she propped her elbows onto her knees and put her head into her hands.
“Is Omari’s father the guy I saw you talking to downstairs the other day?” he asked.
“Yes.” Her voice was slightly muffled.
“You’re right. He is bad news,” he said.
Ivy pulled her hands away from her face and looked at him. “You know him?”
“Yeah. I know him from back in the day. He’s also responsible for getting some kids I know into trouble,” he said. “How did you ever get involved with a guy like that?”
Ivy’s eyes narrowed. “Well, let’s see. I just got out of jail where I served time with your sister, so it’s pretty obvious that I’m not a choir girl.”
He held up his hands. “Okay. Okay. Fair enough. Lord knows I’ve been associated with some nefarious characters.”
“So I’ve heard.” She stood up. “I’m sorry. This is a waste of your time. I don’t know why Karen thought you could help me with this.”
“Not so fast.” He reached up, grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down onto the couch. Her pulse jumped at the contact and she turned to look at him.
He stared into her eyes for a moment then shook his head slightly. “First things first.” It was barely a murmur.
“Excuse me?” Ivy wasn’t sure she had heard him correctly.
“Nothing. Look, how do you want this resolved? It seems to me like you could use more income each month to cover those restitution payments and make ends meet. And every father has a responsibility to provide for their kids.”
“I know, but you don’t know this guy. He never wanted kids. If he had known that I was pregnant, he would have made me get an abortion. That’s why I never told him. Now, the secret’s out and the State is coming after him for child support. He’s not the type of guy to do what he doesn’t want to do or the type that wants the State all up in his business. I’m afraid he’ll do something terrible to make it stop. I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to Omari or if something happened to me, and I couldn’t take care of him.” She started to cry.
He put his arms around her. “Don’t worry. Nothing’s going to happen to you or Omari.”
“It might if I don’t fix this,” she said. “You don’t know how crazy he is.”
“We’ll figure this out.” He brushed her hair away from her face and wiped the tears from her cheeks, his touch so very gentle. Then he released her and pulled back. “Okay. What you need is an attorney. I know a really good one whose firm specializes in both family and criminal law. It sounds to me like your probation officer overstepped his authority. My friend will know for sure.” He reached into his pocket, pulled out his wallet and extracted a card. “Do you have a piece of paper and a pen to write down his contact information?”
“Yes.” She got up and retrieved Omari’s notebook and pencil from the dining table. “So, you keep a criminal attorney’s number handy, huh?”
“Yes. You never know when you might need a good attorney,” he said.
“Karen told me a lot about your past, but she never mentioned what you were into nowadays,” Ivy said.
Luke looked at her. “My past is far behind me. I lead a pretty boring life now.”
“Not too boring to keep a criminal attorney on retainer I see.”
“I don’t remember saying that I kept him on retainer,” he said.
She nodded her head conceding the point. “That’s true. Listen Luke, thank you very much for letting me cry on your shoulder and giving me your attorney’s number, but I couldn’t possibly afford to hire him.”
“Don’t worry about that. He’ll take your case pro bono. He owes me a favor. I helped his son get out of trouble last year.”
Ivy raised her eyebrows, impressed. There appeared to be a lot more to Luke than met the eye. “Really? Well, in that case, I’ll give him a call tomorrow. Thank you very much.”
“It’s my pleasure.”
Ivy smiled up at him, feeling grateful for his help. They looked at each other, the attraction between them growing stronger by the instant. He leaned forward a little, as if he were about to kiss her. Her breath hitched, and, for a moment, she was tempted to let him, but then caution kicked in. Isn’t this how it always started? She pulled back and stood up. “Well, I’ll just say goodnight now. I have to go to work tomorrow and you probably have to go do whatever it is you do.”
“True enough,” he said. He stood up. “Goodnight Ivy. Everything will work out. You’ll see.”
> “I hope so. Goodnight Luke. Thank you again,” she said.
Chapter VI
Ivy sat on a couch in the reception area of the attorney’s office and stifled a yawn. She hadn’t gotten much sleep after Luke left the night before. She’d tossed and turned all night having nightmares that involved both Zeke and Luke. She couldn’t remember all the details, but she remembered waking up in the middle of the night, sweaty, with her heart pounding and a scream on her lips.
“Mr. Tate will see you now.” The receptionist’s voice cut into Ivy’s thoughts. She escorted Ivy into a large, well-appointed office. The couch and seats were made of dark brown leather and the desk was an impressive mahogany structure. As they entered his office, the attorney came from behind it to greet her. A short, middle-aged White man, with dark hair just beginning to silver at the temples, he was dressed in a conservative but very expensive-looking suit. He wore no jewelry except for an impressive designer watch. Despite his short stature, he had an imposing presence and a deep voice that boomed when he spoke.
“Ms. Brooks! It is a pleasure to meet you.” He reached out to shake her hand. He had a strong reassuring grip. Ivy liked him immediately.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Mr. Tate. Thank you so much for agreeing to take my case on pro bono. I couldn’t possibly afford your services otherwise and I really need your help.”
“Any friend of Luke’s is a friend of mine. Please, take a seat and tell me all about it.”
Ivy described the situation to him. He listened while she spoke, taking notes on a long yellow legal pad. He asked a few questions. She answered them. “So, what do you think?”
“Well, your probation officer definitely overstepped his authority in filing the child support petition on your behalf. That power is usually reserved for the State in situations where the mother is receiving welfare. But since you’re not seeking welfare, the State had no right to file the petition. Unfortunately, the state can, however, demand you pay the maximum restitution amount based on your current income.”
“What can we do?”
“Are you sure you don’t want to get child support from the father? If you really believe him to be a threat, we could get a restraining order against him.”
“Would you be able to keep him away from Omari too?” she asked.
“Unfortunately no. As Omari’s father, he’s entitled to visitation with his son; however, if we could convince a judge that he’s a potential threat to you and/or your son, we could request supervised visitation so that he’s never alone with him.”
“He doesn’t really want to be a part of Omari’s life. This would all go away if we could somehow stop the petition for child support. That’s what I want.”
“We could file a motion to dismiss the petition and set it for hearing before the court. The earliest we could get a hearing would be next month.”
“Next month! By then all hell will have broken loose.”
“Just tell the father that you’ve hired an attorney to file a motion to dismiss the petition. Once he knows you’ve taken action to stop the proceedings, he should leave you alone,” Mr. Tate said.
“I hope so. Now, what do we do about my probation officer? Can he find me in violation for not cooperating with the child support petition or for stopping the proceedings?”
“No, but you and I know that he’ll be looking for the tiniest excuse to send you back to jail after we foil his plans. I think it would be best if I had a little chat with the director of his agency and had another probation officer assigned to your case,” Mr. Tate said.
Ivy’s eyes widened. “You could do that?”
“Your probation officer violated your constitutional rights when he overstepped his authority. The Department of Probation will want to avoid having a Section 1983 suit filed against them as a result. That should give us some bargaining power.”
“I don’t know how to thank you for all of this. I really had no idea what to do.”
“Don’t worry, my dear. Just do as I say and everything should work out just fine.”
***
Ivy left the attorney’s office and went to pick Omari up from the nursery. On the way, she called Luke to thank him again for his help. Just hearing his voice sent a tingle down her spine.
“You’re welcome,” he said. “I’m just glad he was able to help.”
“Well, as a thank you, I want to cook you a meal at my place on a date of your choosing.”
“That sounds great. If your food is as good as that cake, that should be some meal. How about this Sunday?”
“I’ll make you the best Sunday dinner you’ve had in a long time,” she said. “Dinner will be ready around 5:00p.m.”
“I’ll be there,” he said.
“See you then.”
***
On Sunday morning, Ivy took Omari to church. She dropped him off at Sunday school and took a seat in the back row. While the preacher droned on about loose lips, she spotted Luke entering the church. As she watched him take his seat, she had a few unholy thoughts about him. It was a wonder lightning didn’t enter the church and strike her down. She smothered a smile.
After the service, she rose from her seat and headed out to collect Omari. She was so deep in thought she barreled into someone. Strong hands took her by the arms to steady her. She looked up to apologize and blushed when she realized she had walked right into Luke. “Oh,” she said. “I’m sorry. How clumsy of me.”
“No problem.” He smiled at her. “You looked lost in thought there.”
She gave him a sheepish smile. “I was. I’m going to get Omari and then go back to the apartment to work on dinner.”
“I’ve been looking forward to it all week,” he said.
She had too, but she wasn’t about to tell him that. “Good. Well, see you later.”
“Yes. See you later,” he said.
Ivy rushed home and started dinner. She changed outfits twice prior to Luke’s arrival. As she put on a fresh coat of lipstick, she caught her eye in the mirror and wondered what the hell she was doing. She knew better than to get involved with a bad boy like Luke. Nonetheless, the thought of enjoying a nice dinner with him made her happy. Plus, she did owe him for helping her out.
“Mommy, you look pretty,” Omari said.
“Thank you, baby.” She leaned down to kiss him on the cheek. He giggled.
“Come on. Help Mommy set the table,” she said.
“Okay,” Omari followed her out to the dining area.
She and Omari had just put the finishing touches on the table when she heard a knock at the door. She peered through the peephole and smiled when she saw Luke standing out there. She opened the door.
“Hello there.” She stepped back to let him in.
“Hi. These are for you.” He handed her a bouquet of flowers.
Her smile widened when she saw they were tulips. She buried her nose in them and breathed in their scent. “These are my favorite. They’re beautiful. Thank you.”
“My pleasure,” he said.
“Have a seat on the couch. I’ll just go put these in water.”
“Okay. Oh, and I brought some wine too.” He held out the bottle.
“What a great guest you are,” she said. She took the bottle from him and headed toward the kitchen.
“So, what’s for dinner?” he asked.
“I decided to go back to my family’s Southern roots today. We have fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, collard greens and sweet potato pie,” she said.
He whistled. “You weren’t kidding about making me a Sunday dinner I’d never forget.”
She put a vase containing the tulips in the middle of the table and headed back into the kitchen to retrieve the food. When she had finished placing the serving dishes onto the table she called out to Luke and Omari. “Dinner’s ready.”
“Yeah,” Omari cheered. He ran to the table and leapt into his chair.
“I know what you mean, little man.” Luke chuckled an
d took a seat at the table. He reached for the fried chicken.
Ivy slapped his hand. “Wait. We have to say grace first. Why don’t you take the lead on that?”
He said grace and had barely said “Amen,” before he reached for the fried chicken again.
Ivy laughed. “You’re worse than Omari.”
“No. I’m just hungry.” He bit into a chicken leg. “Damn, this is good. Where did you learn to cook like this?”
“From my mama of course.”
“Well, she taught you well.” He filled up his plate and dove in.
“Out of all of my sisters, I was the only one who ever liked to cook,” she said.
“How is it that some lucky guy hasn’t snapped you up by now?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” she said. “I guess I have a habit of falling for the wrong guys. I always gravitate toward the bad boys. That’s how I ended up in prison.’
“Mommy,” Omari said, “I want more chicken.”
“Okay, Sweetie,” Ivy said. She selected a small chicken leg from the serving dish and put it on Omari’s plate. It was his favorite part. “Here you go.”
“Thank you Mommy,” Omari said. He bit into the chicken.
“You’re welcome, darling.”
Luke watched them, smiling.
Ivy turned to Luke. “I’m going to have to give him a bath after dinner and put him to bed.”
“Well, in that case, I’ll just take a piece of that pie to go and leave, so you can get to it,” he said.
“Don’t be silly. Why don’t you pour yourself another glass of wine and watch the game for a minute in the living room. After I get him to bed, I’ll come out here, make some coffee, and cut us some pie.”
“Sounds great.”
She got a protesting Omari into the bathtub for his nightly bath. He provided Luke with some entertainment when he got away from her and ran around the apartment naked with her chasing after him. After she put on his little pajamas, he insisted upon going into the living room to say good night to Luke.
“Goodnight Luke.” He gave Luke a hug.
“Goodnight, little man,” Luke said.
Ivy finally got Omari into bed and asleep. She crept out of his bedroom and closed the door so he wouldn’t be disturbed.
