Sisters and Husbands

by Connie Briscoe

  “Yeah, which explains why Kenny hit her in the first place.”

  Charmaine scoffed. “You’ve known Kenny for a year now, Tyrone. Do you honestly think that he would hurt her on purpose?”

  “I know my daughter doesn’t make up stuff like that.”

  Charmaine bit her bottom lip. This wasn’t going well at all. She was going to have to be blunt to get through to this man. “She’s a teenager, Tyrone. All teenagers lie.”

  He shook his head. “What you’re accusing her of is more than just a fib. You’re accusing her of lying to get someone else in trouble. My daughter would never do that.”

  “Well, I know Kenny would never hit her on purpose. And the Wii is famous for accidents just like this, with people standing close and swinging their arms all around.” Charmaine waved her own arms to demonstrate. “Why is that so hard for you to see?”

  He frowned deeply. “You’re asking me to believe that my daughter would make up a vicious lie about Kenny. I can’t accept that.”

  “She’s a damn teenager and they lie!” Charmaine was losing her cool and she knew it. But she couldn’t stand the way Tyrone was so blind when it came to his daughter.

  He jumped up out of his seat, eyes flashing. “Fuck this. If you can’t discuss this without losing your goddamn temper and calling my daughter a liar, there’s no point talking.”

  “Hell yeah, I’m losing my temper. You’re accusing my son of hitting a girl, his stepsister. He would never do that in a million years!”

  Tyrone huffed and puffed as he brushed past her and headed toward the doorway.

  “Fine,” Charmaine yelled after him. “Run off if you want. That’s not solving a damn thing.”

  He turned back to face her, his face flush with fury. “As far as I’m concerned, it is solved. You think my daughter is a vicious liar. I don’t want her in this kind of environment, and I won’t have it.”

  Charmaine blinked. Her voice dropped a level. “What does that mean?”

  “What do you think it means? I’m packing our bags, damn it.”

  Charmaine’s eyes grew wide. “What?”

  “You heard me.”

  “But… where are you going?”

  “To my mother’s house until you come to your goddamn senses. I don’t think Kenny is a bad kid by any means, but what he did was wrong.” Tyrone walked up to Charmaine and pointed his finger in her face. “And you need to admit it and straighten him out instead of babying him and trying to blame it all on Tiffany.”

  Charmaine squared her shoulders and glared at him. “No, you need to stop babying Tiffany. And who the hell do you think you are sticking your fucking finger in my face?”

  Tyrone threw his hands in the air and stormed off.

  “Go ahead, run away. Just like you always do when someone challenges you,” she yelled as she chased him. “You know what? I’m glad you’re leaving. And you can just stay gone, for all I care. You can…” Charmaine paused when she realized that she was yelling at thin air, since Tyrone had disappeared up the stairs. So much for staying composed, she thought, but the man had insulted her son and she wasn’t having that, not from Tyrone or anyone else.

  She walked back into his office and sank down into the swivel chair. Dear God, what had just happened? Was Tyrone really packing his bags and going home to his mama, all over a squabble between their kids? Charmaine thought about going up to talk to him again, to try and reason with him once more. But they had just had their biggest argument ever. A dogfight if ever there was one. She suspected he needed some time and space to cool off. She knew she did.

  Chapter 22

  The telephone rang, and Beverly placed her bowl of cereal on the kitchen table and muted the volume on the small TV with the remote control. She put the receiver to her ear, then quickly yanked it about six inches away. The way Charmaine was yelling on the other end, Beverly thought she would go stone deaf.

  To make matters worse, she could barely understand anything Charmaine was saying—something about an argument between her and Tyrone, and Tyrone’s going off somewhere with Tiffany. Given how upset Charmaine sounded, Beverly worried that Tyrone had split—as in separation, as in divorce—and had taken Tiffany with him. Beverly prayed that she had misunderstood as she waited for Charmaine to simmer down.

  As soon as the screaming on the other end of the line stopped, Beverly put the receiver back to her ear. “Okay now, Charm, I could hardly understand a word you just said. Did you… ?”

  And then Charmaine was off again, screeching and cussing up a storm.

  “Hush!” Beverly yelled into the mouthpiece. “Will you please shut up so I can figure out what the hell is going on with you?”

  That did the trick. Charmaine gasped loudly at Beverly’s outburst and finally zipped her trap long enough for Beverly to get a word in. “Now tell me exactly what happened. Softly, please. I can’t understand a damn thing with you shrieking in my ear. Did you say Tyrone left you?”

  “Sorry,” Charmaine said more softly. “That’s exactly what I said. He left and took Tiffany with him.”

  “You mean as in, you know, separation? Y’all had a fight or something?”

  “Yeah. A really bad one.”

  Beverly whistled. Whoa, this was big and ugly. Now she understood why Charmaine was so distressed. “When did he leave?”

  “On Wednesday.”

  “That was three days ago. Why are you just telling me now?”

  “I was so damn mad at first, I could hardly talk. I can still hardly talk about it without getting pissed. Bastard!”

  “Okay, settle down.”

  “I was starting to calm down and then he just called and got me upset all over again,” Charmaine said with irritation. “Said he was coming to get more of his things this afternoon.”

  “Where is he staying?” Beverly asked.

  “At his mother’s.”

  “Where does she live again? P.G., right?”

  “Right.”

  “Well, what did you do this time, Charm?”

  “Excuse me?” Charmaine said. “Why does it have to be something I did?”

  “I’m just kidding, girl. Relax.”

  “Don’t mess with me, Bev. Not now. People always assume it’s my fault when something goes wrong in my relationships.”

  “Well, you have had a lot of them, you know.”

  “So? I don’t take a lot of crap. Doesn’t mean it’s my damn fault.”

  “You’re absolutely right, Charm,” Beverly said. “I was just trying to lighten things up. My mistake. Tell me what happened.”

  “It’s a long story. Actually it’s not a long story, it’s just fucking incredible. I still can’t believe we’re arguing over something so silly.” Charmaine paused and took a deep breath. “Kenny and Tiffany were playing games on the Wii after we went to work, and he hit her accidentally. He busted her lip pretty bad, but it’s probably already healed. He apologized, but she went and told her daddy that Kenny punched her on purpose and he believes her.”

  “Really?”

  “Of course. He believes everything she tells him.”

  “But Kenny would never do that,” Beverly said.

  “I know that and you know that,” Charmaine said. “I tried to tell him that. But if Tiffany says he did it deliberately, he’s going to believe her. And why is Tiffany lying like this? I don’t understand that.”

  “She probably doesn’t like the fact that Kenny gets to spend more time with her dad than she does. That’s normal.”

  “Yeah, but that’s no reason to go telling lies on Kenny. He’s never done a thing to hurt her.”

  “She likely believes what she’s saying. She doesn’t see Kenny in the best light to begin with, so it’s not a huge leap for her to think he’d try to hurt her.”

  Charmaine’s voice lightened. “Maybe you’re right. I hadn’t thought about it like that. When did you get so damn smart about kids? You don’t even have any.”

  Beverly chuckled.
“Oprah, Dr. Phil, magazines. When you don’t have your own, you have a lot of time to read and learn about them. Anyway, I’m surprised that Tyrone is acting so emotional and one-sided about it.”

  “He loses his sanity when it comes to her. Why, I couldn’t tell you. He just does. I shouldn’t be all that surprised. The signs were there when she visited last summer and over the Christmas holidays. I should have paid more attention then, but by the time I met Tiffany, we were already married.”

  “Are you saying you wouldn’t have married him if you knew what you know now?”

  “I don’t know,” Charmaine said. “Maybe, maybe not. I tell you, he’s crazy when it comes to that girl.”

  “I think you’re blowing this out of proportion, Charmaine. I really do.”

  “He’s accusing my son of doing terrible things and he won’t listen to reason. When he called just now, he had the nerve to ask if I had come to my senses. Puh-leeze! He’s the one who needs some damn sense knocked into him. I’m thinking of calling my divorce lawyer Monday morning.”

  “What?” Beverly asked incredulously.

  “You heard me.”

  “Why don’t you wait a few days and try talking to him again once both of you have had more time to cool down?”

  “I don’t need to cool down,” Charmaine insisted. “I don’t like anybody accusing my son of being violent, especially with a girl. I put a lot of time and work into raising a decent, loving young man and I think I did a pretty good job.”

  “You did a great job,” Beverly said.

  “Thank you. I don’t want it ruined by someone falsely accusing him of doing bad things, especially someone I hoped would be a father figure to him. Who knows what this could do to Kenny’s psyche? As much as I care about Tyrone, Kenny is just a child. I have to put him first no matter what.”

  “I agree with everything you just said, Charm. No one is going to argue with you on that. I still think you should wait a bit before you do something drastic that you could regret later. It’s hard blending two families. Try to be patient.”

  “I will keep all of that in mind as I noodle on this over the weekend, but I’m not sure we’ll ever be able to come to an agreement. Who knows, he might decide to call it quits himself. But thanks for listening. I actually feel a little better after getting some of this off my chest.”

  “Good,” Beverly said. “So I’ll see you at Ma’s tomorrow after church?” Family and friends were gathering at their parents’ house for a pre-ceremony celebration before Beverly’s wedding the following Saturday.

  “Yeah, I’m going to pick Russell up at Clarence’s and bring him with us, plus I got a ton of stuff to bring but I’ll get there.”

  “Want me to help?” Beverly asked.

  “No, indeed. You’re the guest of honor. Let us do the work.”

  They hung up and Beverly shook her head with disbelief as she went back to her juice and cereal. She really hoped that Charmaine and Tyrone could work their problems out. Charmaine had already failed at enough marriages. Thank goodness she and Julian wouldn’t have to deal with trying to blend families. They would be able to have children together, which should make everything a whole lot easier.

  She picked up the remote just as the phone rang again. A glance at the caller ID told her that it was her mother.

  “Hi, Ma.”

  “Hi, Bev. Look, I just got off the phone with Vanessa at the bridal salon. Did you know that Valerie still hasn’t picked up her dress yet?”

  “No, I didn’t. She keeps telling me she’s going to go and pick it up. Just yesterday when I talked to her from work, she said she was going to get it as soon as she got off.”

  “Well, she hasn’t,” Mama said. “You need to call her and see what’s going on. Vanessa said they have to close the shop this afternoon for repairs and they won’t open again until next week on Wednesday.”

  “Maybe Valerie went to pick it up yesterday like she said she was, and the dress still needed more alterations, so she left it there.”

  “Vanessa said she never came by.”

  Beverly frowned. “I’m not sure what’s going on with her. She’s usually so dependable. Okay, Ma, I’ll call her right away.”

  They hung up, and Beverly dialed Valerie’s home and cell numbers, but her friend wasn’t answering at either. How strange, Beverly thought as she left messages on both lines. Still, Valerie was pretty reliable when it came to calling her back, and Beverly was fairly certain she would hear from her soon. Valerie might be wacky at times, but she loved to talk on the phone. Beverly turned the volume back up on the television and picked up her cereal bowl.

  Julian was out on the golf course, and Beverly planned to relax as much as she could until they hooked up later that evening for dinner and a movie. Next Saturday was the big day, and she and her mother had a million things to wrap up all week long, from the caterer on Monday during her lunch hour to the rehearsal and dinner on Friday evening. Beverly was really looking forward to vegetating all day long and recharging her batteries for the upcoming week.

  An hour later, Beverly hadn’t heard back from Valerie, which was more than a little strange. She tried calling again but still no answer on either line. She turned the television off and called the salon to learn that they were closing at two o’clock that afternoon to begin storing their inventory before the painting and repairs that would start on Monday.

  “If you want to be sure to have the dress for your wedding, I would pick it up today,” Vanessa warned. “We plan to open again on Wednesday, but I can’t guarantee that or even that we’ll open again before next Saturday.”

  Beverly didn’t want to take a chance that Valerie wouldn’t get her dress before the ceremony, so she decided to drive to Baltimore herself to pick it up. She was a little annoyed with Valerie for ruining the only day she had to rest until her wedding, but what else could she do?

  Chapter 23

  Two hours later, Beverly was in her Lexus speeding down I-95 from Baltimore. She was wearing black jeans and a bright blue off-the-shoulder top. The bridesmaid dress, covered with clear plastic, was hanging on a hook over the backseat.

  Beverly had dialed Valerie’s phone numbers repeatedly on her way to and from the bridal salon and gotten no answer. It was so unlike Valerie to be unreachable for hours on end, and Beverly was mildly worried. So she had decided to drive straight to Valerie’s apartment near downtown Silver Spring rather than wait for her to call. That way she could also check on Valerie.

  Fortunately, years ago they had exchanged house and car keys, partly for this very reason. If one of them ever got locked out or got into some kind of trouble, the other could gain access to their car or residence. Neither had ever used the keys, and it had taken Beverly several minutes to remember where she had stored Valerie’s. She finally found them tucked away at the back of her bottom dresser drawer.

  She pulled up in front of Valerie’s apartment building, her cell phone ringing and ringing as she tried to reach Valerie. She spotted Valerie’s maple-red Volvo parked in the lot, yet her friend was still not answering her phones. Beverly was more than mildly worried now. She noticed that Otis’s car was not in the lot, so Valerie might have gone somewhere with him. But even that didn’t make complete sense. Why wouldn’t she answer her cell phone?

  Beverly pulled quickly into a vacant space next to the Volvo, then jumped out, the dress flung over one arm, and ran to the building. It was a mid-rise, eight stories high, with a locked main entrance. Beverly fumbled with the set of three keys that Valerie had given her while holding her purse and the dress on her left arm, all the while trying not to think of the horrible things that could have happened to her friend. She was more than a little nervous about entering Valerie’s apartment alone. After all, who knew what she might find?

  But concern for her friend outweighed her fear, and she pushed the glass front door open and walked briskly through the lobby toward the elevator bank. She pressed the up button and stepped back, try
ing to steady her nerves as she waited. One of the elevator doors opened, and she ran inside, nearly bumping into a couple exiting. She pressed the button for the fourth floor, and as she rode up alone she realized that she was gritting her teeth. She took a deep breath and made a point to relax her jaw.

  As soon as the elevator door opened, she darted out and ran down the hallway to Valerie’s unit. She fumbled again with the keys until she found the right one, unlocked the door, and stepped into the large front room of Valerie’s one-bedroom apartment.

  Valerie had heavy burgundy drapes on the windows and the room was dark. As Beverly groped for the wall switch to turn on a lamp, she heard a faint noise. As best she could tell, it was a squeak, and Beverly narrowed her eyes and listened, trying to figure out exactly what it was and where it was coming from. Valerie had a black cat, who always ran and hid when company came. But it had never made such a strange sound before.

  Beverly paused just inside the door without flipping the light switch, at a loss for what to do. A part of her wanted to flee, get the heck out of there. What if an intruder was making the noise and she caught him? But that just meant that Valerie could be hurt, and concern for her best friend won out. She stepped cautiously into the dimly lit room and headed toward the sound.

  She realized that the noise was coming from Valerie’s leather couch, which sat in the middle of the living room floor, its back facing the front door. She also noticed some garments flung across the couch. She was trying to make out what they were when she stumbled over something on the floor. She gasped and started to look down to see what had tripped her up just as a head popped up from behind the couch.

  Beverly immediately recognized Valerie, her dyed black hair disheveled, her mouth hanging open. Beverly also realized that her friend was naked and had this strange startled expression on her face. Beverly could understand the startled part. It looked like Valerie had just been caught in the act with Otis, and no one liked to be caught having sex—at least no one rational. But there was something more in Valerie’s face, something that Beverly couldn’t quite understand.