Wages of Sin

by Yolonda Tonette Sanders

  “Huh?” She groaned. It was no use. When Natalie was tired she slept like a log. Any other time, he may have been more persistent in attempting to wake her so they could have their recreation time, but he, too, was beat. Instead, Troy gently, but forcefully got his zombie-like wife out of her clothes and into a nightgown. He kissed her lightly before sliding into bed next to her and drifting off.

  CHAPTER 9: BAKED TO PERFECTION

  Corrine was up and packed early Sunday morning. Two pieces of luggage stood by the front door of her small two-bedroom apartment. The second room was supposed to be her office, but over time it turned into a room for Nate. Her desk now sat in the corner of her already crowded living/dining room.

  With plenty of time to kill, she lay on her sofa, scrolling through the TV guide and making sure the DVR was set to record her shows while she was away, but not before updating her Facebook status to Chi town, baby!

  A month shy of turning twenty-four, Corrine was doing well for herself. A marketing analyst for Victoria’s Secret, she was required to make business trips on occasion. Already this year she’d been to Indianapolis three times and Philadelphia twice. She was more excited about this current trip because it was an opportunity to truly mix business with pleasure.

  “Hey, Mama,” she answered her cell phone when her adoptive mother rang.

  “You on your way to the airport?”

  “Not yet. My flight doesn’t leave until eleven. As long as I’m there by nine-thirty, I’ll be straight.”

  “Is Natalie taking you?”

  “No. A friend is.”

  “You be safe, honey. I know you have a lot going on with your job, but I hope you can find some time to come visit this summer. I miss you, Corri, and so does everyone else. You moved to Ohio and it’s like you forgot all about us.”

  Three summers ago, Corrine left her home in Jackson, Mississippi after graduating college and came here with the intentions of staying a short while to help Natalie after Nate was born. She interviewed for the heck of it and ended up getting the job. “Mama, you know that’s not true. I was home for Christmas—even stayed an extra week in Jackson after New Year’s so I could hang out with you guys.”

  “That was nearly six months ago. I haven’t seen you since.”

  “I’m sorry. Things have been busy. I’ll try and get there this summer. You do know that the airlines run both ways. You could always come visit me.”

  “No offense, but when I see you, I want to be with you, not you and Natalie.”

  Corrine knew this was a dead-end discussion. Her mother would likely always have a jealous streak about her relationship with Natalie. Corrine used to try and defend her reasons for moving to Ohio, saying that she wanted to get to know her little brother and be in his life only to have her mother not-so-kindly remind her that she had siblings in Jackson, too, and their lives were as important as Nate’s. Corrine didn’t know how to tell her mom that Natalie could never replace her. She loved them equally and yet differently. She would forever be grateful for the sacrifices her mom made to adopt her and she loved her father and siblings more than words could explain. When Natalie came into her life, it was like finding a missing piece of herself. She had no desire to meet her biological father. Natalie was the one who mattered. They’d lost eighteen years together and these last several years of being around each other and bonding was not something that Corrine was willing to forgo. How could she make her mom understand that her heart was big enough for both her and Natalie to share? “Mama, I love you. If you do decide to come up, I will make sure that it will be Corrine and Toni time. No one else will be invited.”

  “Girl, you dun lost your natural born mind if you think we’re about to be on a first name basis. I’m not into this new age parenting. Your sister came home from school one day tryin’ that mess and was put in place real quick. That girl is so different than the rest of y’all. She’s going to be the one to make me go completely gray.”

  Corrine laughed. She could only imagine. Dorrinda was the only other girl besides Corrine out of the five, and she was also the youngest. Spoiled rotten to the bone, she would be starting her freshman year of high school this fall. Growing up, Corrine had felt like maybe their mother treated Dorrinda a little more special because she was her actual daughter. Looking back, she now understood that those feelings were birthed from her own insecurities about feeling out of place in the Shepherd household. Corrine had always known she was adopted, but she didn’t know anything about her biological parents growing up. With Natalie being half-black, half-white and her father fully white, that made her only 25% black, but she could technically pass for “light-skinned.” Being the only fair one in a home full of dark-skinned people was a constant reminder that she didn’t fit in. There was nothing that her mother or father did to isolate her. In fact, they probably overly compensated for her and consequently that’s likely why they felt so hurt when she moved to be with Natalie, who happened to be beeping in at the moment. Corrine didn’t dare mention this out loud. Instead she said, “Mama, I’m going to get off the phone because my ride will be here soon. I’ll call you when I get to Chicago, okay? Tell everyone I said hi.”

  “Okay, baby, you be safe. I love you.”

  “Love you, too.” She clicked over in time to catch Natalie’s call. “Hey…”

  “You all set?”

  “Yep, I’m waiting for my friend.”

  “The name of your friend wouldn’t happen to be Brent would it?”

  The question caught her off guard. She’d planned to tell Natalie everything about him later this week. She wanted to introduce them at Nate’s party next Saturday. “Uh, yeah. Why?”

  “Nate mentioned his name several times yesterday and when I asked who it was he said ‘Sissy’s friend.’ You know I don’t let anyone around my child. What in the world was Nate doing in his car? Did you let him take Nate somewhere alone?”

  “No! You should know I wouldn’t do that. Brent took us to Chuck E. Cheese’s.”

  “How long have the two of you been dating?”

  “I didn’t say we were.”

  “Cut the crap, Corrine. No man is going to take you and a child to Chuck E. Cheese’s unless something’s going on. So, how long has it been?”

  “Four months.”

  “Four months! I thought we were better than that. Why haven’t you said anything about him?”

  “Sawree! I didn’t know I was supposed to tell you all my business.”

  “You do if it’s someone you plan to have around my son. You’ve kept him secret for a reason, so what’s wrong with him?”

  Danggit, Nate! She’d forgotten how much little kids talked! “You probably won’t believe me, but I did plan to tell you about him this week.” Corrine looked up to see Brent coming in the door. Her adrenaline, already racing, was kicked up a notch. She put her finger over her mouth to make sure he stayed quiet. He looked confused. “My mom,” she mouthed.

  “Which one?” He mimicked back, displaying an endearing smile. She loved the way his dusty blonde hair slicked to the side. It made him look younger. She noticed that he’d been tanning recently. He was baked to perfection with a golden bronze glow that shined. He leaned in for a quick kiss and Corrine longed for more, but Natalie’s yelling in her ear killed the moment.

  “Are you listening to me? I deserve to know about this stranger you had around my son!”

  Corrine felt like she was overreacting, but given all that Natalie had endured in life, she understood. “Sorry, Nat, I got distracted. You’re right.” She motioned to Brent that she’d be back and headed down the hall to her bedroom where she prepared to give Natalie a full exposé.

  CHAPTER 10: GIRL GONE STUPID

  “Put that airplane down and get over here so I can put on your clothes or I’m going to take it and you won’t see it ever again!” The shrilling sound of Natalie’s voice woke Troy.

  He’d gotten good at ignoring morning mayhem when he desired to sleep in, but it
was time for an intervention before more drama ensued. “You want me to get Nate dressed for church?”

  Looking both relieved and yet still irritated, she nodded and threw his pants onto the bed, turning around to do her hair. Dressed in a towel robe that Troy wouldn’t mind undoing the Velcro to, Natalie had already showered.

  “Come here, buddy.” He patted the bed. “Do you have to take Corrine to the airport?”

  “Nope. She’s riding with a friend. That girl has lost her ever-loving mind! I wish I could beat some sense into her.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  Natalie exhaled. “I don’t even feel like talking about it right now. I’ll tell you later.”

  “All right.” Part of Troy was relieved as he didn’t feel like playing counselor at that moment. Normally, she and Corrine got along fine, but when they did bump heads, Natalie got overly emotional and insecure about her parenting skills. “Later” would give the two of them time to patch things up and hopefully eliminate his role as emotional therapist.

  Knowing Natalie liked to leave the house by ten-thirty, Troy had about twenty minutes to get Nate together. While Troy was zipping his pants, Nate, with the airplane still in hand, started “zooming” and bouncing up and down on the bed.

  “Nathaniel Troy Evans, quit jumping on my bed right this minute!” Natalie glared through the mirror.

  Nate jumped up in the air one last time, landing on his bottom.

  “Baby, he can stay here with me.”

  “I take it that means you have no intention of coming.”

  It was a rhetorical question. He knew she would like him to go with them and most times he did even though he wasn’t convinced that church attendance and having a relationship with Jesus were one in the same, but he went anyhow because that’s what “good Christians” did. Today, he simply didn’t feel like it and even though Natalie didn’t say anything, he read the disappointment on her face. “I was planning to go over the case again, but you look like you need some alone time. I’ll hang out with Nate and we’ll stay here and pray for you to come back with a better attitude.”

  She tried to hide it, but he saw her crack a smile.

  “C’mon, Nate, let’s pray. Say dear Jesus…”

  “Dear Jesus…”

  “Please give me a new mommy.”

  “I not want a new mommy.”

  “Boy, you’re messing things up. She’ll look the same, only a lot nicer. She won’t be a snapping turtle.”

  “Ha! You silly, Daddy. Her not a turtle; her my mommy.”

  “Oh, son, you have a lot to learn about women.”

  “Ain’t that the truth!” Natalie finished pinning her hair and came over to the bed. “I’m sorry, babe. I didn’t mean to snap at you.” She bent down and gave Troy a quick kiss on the lips. Doing so allowed him to get a very clear look at her cleavage in that robe. If Nate weren’t in the room and she wasn’t trying to leave, he would have grabbed her and played out the scenario that should have happened last night.

  “Yuck!” Nate covered his eyes and his airplane tumbled to the carpet.

  Natalie grabbed his hands and started tickling him, “What are you yucking about?” Troy took in the moment. Natalie was a phenomenal mother. He couldn’t wait until they brought home a new addition to their family. They hadn’t even really tried with Nate and it happened, but making this second baby proved much more difficult. After several months of regular activity, there was still no bun in the oven. “Relax, honey, these things take time,” Natalie had said when he shared fears of perhaps being unable to produce. He hoped it didn’t take too much longer. He was already past forty and wanted to attend his next child’s graduation before he was eligible to collect social security.

  Troy jumped in on the horseplay between Natalie and Nate and the three of them tumbled and tickled each other ferociously. Natalie wasn’t even upset that her hair had gotten messed up. Thank You, Lord, for my wife and son! He’d spent so much time during his younger years avoiding any type of long-term commitments that he never wanted to take his family for granted. Though he didn’t understand why God allowed such craziness in the world, the one thing Troy knew for sure is that he was truly blessed. That was something not even the worst day on his job could make him deny. Troy may have a few issues with God, but he didn’t doubt His existence or goodness in his own life. Troy’s two greatest earthly blessings were right before his eyes.

  Troy took a quick shower before Natalie left. Once she was gone, the two Evans boys ate nachos and cheese dip—a breakfast Lady Evans would despise—and went down into the basement where they played several video games. Despite his age, Troy had not given up his Xbox 360 and he would have preferred to play one of his sports or war-like strategic games, but Nate wasn’t ready for all of that. Instead, they played a more age-appropriate game on the Wii. Troy’s only enjoyment of “Jamario Brothers” as Nate called it, was the interaction with his son.

  As if two gaming systems weren’t enough, soon a Kinect hook-up would be added because Natalie insisted they get one for Nate’s birthday. Troy wasn’t convinced that it was so much for Nate as it was for his mother—especially after looking through her bag last night and seeing a Zumba exercise game she’d bought during yesterday’s shopping spree. A real necessity, huh?

  By the time he heard Natalie come in from church, Nate was asleep on the futon and a phone call from Chad Gordon had prompted Troy to work on the case. He also had an email from Agent Hunter asking how things were going. He wished he had more to tell them both. Unfortunately, answers continued to elude him.

  Troy waited a few minutes, expecting Natalie to come down, but she never did. Her footsteps could be heard pacing back and forth upstairs.

  “Corrine, think about what you are doing! I’ve been down that road and I know what I am talking about!” Troy heard her speaking as he ascended the stairs. “No, I am not overacting. I don’t want to see you make the same mistakes that I did. You’re playing with fire. Keep striking matches and one of them will catch flame.”

  A writer at heart, Natalie often had crafty ways of tying her words together. Prior to Nate, she had been very active in a poetry group. Her involvement had greatly declined over the years. “Your head is as thick as a brick! I don’t know why I’m wasting my breath. You’re going to do what you want anyhow.” Natalie finally noticed Troy standing there. She gave him a weak smile, rolling her eyes. “Okay, I’m done talking about this. Call me if you need me to pick you up from the airport Thursday. I love you.”

  “It looks like my prayer was in vain and that Pastor Giles’ sermon didn’t do anything to put you in better spirits.”

  “Oh, hush, I’m fine.” When Troy put his arms around her he felt her tenseness, despite the warm kiss she gave him.

  “What’s going on between you and Corrine?” He was still hesitant to get involved, but this thing wasn’t working itself out fast enough.

  Natalie blew out a deep sigh. “My daughter is dating a married man.”

  “Whoa…” The news was shocking enough to break Troy’s hold on her waist. Corrine did not seem like that type. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I’m sure.” Natalie gently pushed him away and leaned on the counter. “Yesterday, Nate mentioned the name Brent several times and when I finally asked him who that was he said it was ‘Sissy’s friend.’ So, I called this morning and demanded she tell me who it was since she had him around our son. She claims she was going to tell me about him although they’ve been together for four, five months—something like that. She wants to bring him to Nate’s party next week and had the nerve to tell me not to trip about him being married. She said it all nonchalantly, like it’s something I should overlook.” Natalie smacked her hand against the island. “Oh and it gets better from there. Not only is the guy married, but he also has three kids.”

  “Wow. How old are they?”

  “I don’t know. Does that even matter?”

  “You’re right, honey, it doesn’t.
I’m sorry. You know we detectives close cases with details.”

  “Well, this is the case of a girl gone stupid! I’ve been down that road before and I’m trying to tell her that it only leads to destruction. I don’t want her making my same mistakes.” When Natalie started crying, Troy gently pressed her head on his shoulder. Her tough shell always crumbled when it came to the kids or others she cared for deeply. “I don’t want her to be like me…like I used to be!”

  “Babe, calm down. Corrine is an adult and she will have to make her own mistakes, like we all do. You’re doing your part by steering her in the right direction.”

  “I told her that I wasn’t comfortable with her bringing him, considering the circumstances, but I don’t want her to be mad at me and not come herself. It will break Nate’s heart.”

  “You know she wouldn’t do that to him.”

  “I hope not. I wish she would listen to me. I feel so powerless to help her. Man, I suck at motherhood!”

  Troy gently grabbed Natalie’s chin and lifted her head to him. The thirteen year age difference between Natalie and Corrine came with benefits and disadvantages. Since Natalie was close enough to Corrine in age, she was able to relate to her in a way that sometimes got lost when there’s a large generation gap between parent and child. But times like this, Natalie felt like a failure. The situation with Corrine was more serious than he’d thought and he felt bad for downplaying things earlier. “Don’t you even go there! You know that’s not true. You are a wonderful mother. I’m sure Nate agrees and so will our next little one.”