“I am not the woman who left Cleveland a year ago. Yes, I have had it rough, but it made me a stronger person,” she said. “You have the audacity to walk into my home, be it ever so humble, and dole out advice to me. Advice about what, Mrs. Neary? When you go home and sadly shake your head, telling your parents that poor lost Aisha married some man she doesn’t even know, isn’t going to make their heads spin. Especially, when they see your hand and learn you married his brother. A ninja you barely know, a man, I might add, you married on the same day you met him. In their eyes, it makes you no better than me!”
“Is that what this is about? You believe I think I’m better than you?”
“Yes, and you do,” Tameka said. “I’m telling you that you’re not. Only a sour bitch can see my story and have questions about seeking justice and questioning my happily ever after. Karma doesn’t always come around, Cabrina. Happiness must be snatched, hugged, and treated with respect. I am doing that.”
“But is that happiness real?”
“Bitch, is yours?”
“Yes, I love Gabriel,” Cabrina said.
“After only a week?” Tameka asked.
“Yes, it has been a magical week of getting to know him, planning our life together, and I’m looking forward to my future with him,” Cabrina said, getting up off the floor.
“Then why can’t you let me have the same?” Tameka asked. “You spent a few days on the road with a man, sharing meals, sights, and a hotel room. That is nothing! Zeke saved my life. Not only did he save my life and Michelle’s, he delivered her, brought my child into this world. He nursed me back to health and even sewed up a vagina he has yet to penetrate. Yet each morning, he wakes up beside me, enthusiastic about life, and so I am.”
“Tameka...,” she said pausing. “...I guess it never occurred to you that it wasn’t about you needing me, but me needing you. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to question your happiness.”
“Well, then shut the hell up. I won’t lie, I needed you as well, but we aren’t kids anymore. So, fine. We needed each other,” Tameka said, offering a faint smile at the corners of her lips. “Go open us a bottle of wine and catch me up on the last year of your life. How are your parents, the business, and all those details?”
Cabrina chuckled. The old Aisha would have harbored a grudge and given her the silent treatment. This was different. They addressed the issue, discussed it in some detail and she wanted to move past it.
“After everything you have been through, you want to talk to me about my life and insurance,” she said. “That’s rich.”
“I have nothing to tell that you don’t already know. I am not going to rehash or relive what I went through. It is behind me. I will start counseling next month in Athens, and we move forward,” she said.
“You are really different,” Cabrina said.
“Tameka Neary ain’t no joke,” Tameka replied laughing. “Go, get the wine.”
“This isn’t over, Tameka. I am pissed that you fucking hit me, we still have more to talk about, and yes, I am going to get you back,” Cabrina said getting the bottle of wine. In the past when they fought, her friend had treated to her two weeks of silence as punishment. For her to strike out at her was not the woman she knew. Honestly, she respected Tameka Neary versus the passive aggressive Aisha. She did have a point about her parents. Breaking the news to them about her new husband was going to be tough. She would handle it as she handled most things in life, one step at a time, however, she quickly realized that new skills were required in dealing with this new version of her friend.
Painfully, she admitted to herself that she didn’t know Tameka Neary, and what she knew, she wasn’t sure she liked. What hurt most of all was the simple knowledge that she didn’t think Tameka liked her. The stinging of her face was a solid reminder of where she stood with her gal pal in this new itineration of their relationship.
The back door opened, and Zeke and Gabriel came back inside. The first thing Gabriel noticed was the angry red handprint against his wife’s face. He turned to look at Tameka.
“What? She had it coming,” Tameka offered, tossing her head with a bit of defiance.
“Violence is never an answer,” Gabriel said with a tinge of anger in his voice.
“It is when a chick oversteps the threshold,” Tameka said, challenging him to say another word.
Gabriel looked at his wife. “I overstepped and deserved it,” Cabrina said.
Zeke asked next, “Tameka, are you okay?”
“She and I both are just fine. We cleared the air on a few things we should have discussed years ago. My focus is to enjoy your brother and my dear friend’s visit to our home,” she said.
Tameka clapped her hands as if she’d just been hit the brightest idea ever. “We should call the Manns and see if they are up for company tomorrow night!”
“I was planning to visit them before I left, so that would be nice,” Gabriel said, his focus still on his wife’s face.
“Zeke, baby? Will you give Nate a call and see if it is doable?” Tameka asked her husband.
“Calling now,” Zeke offered, watching his brother with his new wife. Gabriel was fawning over the handprint on her face like his most prized possession had been chipped by a child playing ball in the house. His brother was different. The vibe about him felt different. This version of Gabriel he actually liked. He looked forward to spending a few days with him and his new bride. He only hoped that there wouldn’t be any more slaps doled out by his wife.
THE REMAINDER OF THE day progressed nicely as Zeke and Gabriel shared childhood stories of summers and hunting seasons at the cabin. Wine flowed as laughter filled the small space, offering Gabe a new understanding of why Zeke and Tameka wanted to make the cabin their home. Plans were made between the brothers to get up early and hit the old fish pond to catch fresh dinner for the next day. Eyelids grew heavy from the multiple glasses of wine and a need for sleep as the hour reached ten. The baby miraculously was sleeping all night and the brothers wanted to turn in early to be prepared for the coming morning.
Cabrina looked around the tiny cabin, wondering where they were going to sleep. She also questioned where Gabe’s parents had slept in the one-bedroom home. She was looking at the couch. Freshly upholstered, she knew Tameka would have a fit if someone was sleeping on it already.
“Gabe? I take it the couch lets out into a bed,” she said, staring at it.
“No, but that chair lets out into a twin sleeper,” he said. “We are going to sleep in the bed.”
The bed must have been invisible because she didn’t see one. Gabriel walked towards the back door, releasing two latches on the wall cabinet which let down a full-sized Murphy bed. The small footlocker which sat under the framed photo on the wall by the door yielded two pillows and an extra blanket.
“That’s pretty cool,” she said.
“It works, but we may have to save our showers for in the morning,” he told her. “I don’t feel like waiting for the water to heat up, plus it is already warm in here. I would have to fire up the pot-bellied stove to heat the water.”
“Sounds outdated,” she mumbled, looking for her PJs.
“Imagine doing a load of laundry,” he grumbled. “I think on Saturday we will stop by Bleu’s for lunch– maybe take a full shower.”
“I take it they don’t have a washer and dryer here, but things have to hang on the clothesline.”
“There is one, but it is a combo thing that’s made for people who live off the grid. You can’t wash and dry at the same time,” he said. “I’m looking forward to how Zeke is going to transform this place. He is really good at making things with his hands.”
“You’re pretty good with your hands as well, Mr. Neary,” she said, giving him a coy look as she turned back the covers.
Gabe, already in bed, lay on the pillow, watching her quickly change into sleepwear and join him under the covers. It didn’t escape his notice that she only put on the sleep top and no underpant
s. The cabin was too small to be intimate without his brother hearing how close his relationship really was with Jesus.
His hand went to her cheek, which still bore red marks from Tameka’s fingers. He became angered all over again as his fingers trailed across the bruise. If there was one thing he abhorred, it was violence against women. It still didn’t stop him from wanting to do something about it, but the women were friends and their relationship had stood the test of time. Still, there was no reason to strike out in anger.
“If she hits you again, we are going to have a problem,” he said.
“Let it go, Mr. Neary. The words I uttered in frustration were uncalled for, callous and insensitive to everything she’d been through. I made it all about me, what I was feeling and acting out over the loss of my best friend,” she said.
“You made it about you,” he said, pushing back a strand of the curly black hair.
“Yes, she was my crutch and the go between me and my parents. I realized that after she left. The past twenty years she’s been a buffer and I used her as a prop that prevented me from getting out there into the real world to live. When she left, I took it personally,” she said.
“Was her departure personal?”
“Yes. She left to get away from me and do her own thing,” she said. “I never realized until today how she truly felt.”
He asked, “will this change your friendship with her?”
“Everything has changed, Gabe. I don’t know that woman in the other room. The next few days, I am going to get to know Tameka Neary,” Cabrina said softly.
“Getting to know a person can be a beautiful thing if you are willing to meet them where they stand. You walk to the center of the ring with no preconceived notions, accepting them as they are, where they are,” he said to her.
“Like what you did with me.”
“It is also what you did with me,” he said, snuggling closer to her. “You saw past the looks and talked to the man. Most people see me, hear that I am a minister and make snap judgments about what I am supposed to be, do, and accomplish. Rarely if ever do people have a conversation with me about me. Does that make sense?”
“Yes, it makes perfect sense,” she said. “Most people see me and assume I am dumb.”
“I thought so when I saw your picture,” he said, and she thumped him in the throat. “Ouch. Violence never solves anything. Love is the key to all our problems.”
“I agree, Mr. Neary,” she said, her hand going low under the covers.
“No, we can’t. If Zeke comes out of that room, he is going to see your happy face and ...,” he started to say as his mouth made a perfect O. “Ooh, that feels good, but we will make too much noise and this bed will squeak.”
“Men! You know nothing about sex,” she told him, freeing him from the underwear. “Making love is about the connection, not thrusting your hips until you expel all the anger in your body.”
Shifting her position on the bed, Cabrina rotated her hips until she and Gabe were able to connect.
“Be still,” she whispered as she rotated her hips counterclockwise. His eyes grew wide, his toes spanned out as he gripped her arms. One finger pressed to his lips as she made incremental moves, which sent goosebumps down his back. The inner love muscles gripped him tightly, milking, pulling, tugging at him to let go of his release.
“Not yet, Mr. Neary, not yet,” she whispered in his ear as her muscles clamped around him and she shifted her weight, making small circles with her hips as she went along. Gabriel’s vision began to blur, his mouth was open, and no sound came out. Flexing her inner muscles, she clamped down on him in a grip so tight, he had no choice but to give into the demand.
“Now, Mr. Neary,” she said to him as she continued to make incremental movements of her hips. The bed didn’t squeak, and no sounds were made as he held tightly to her body, letting go in a means he had yet to experience.
Cabrina collapsed beside him, connected intimately and on a deeper level as man and wife. Gabriel, sated with heavy lids, tried to open his eyes but were unable. He managed to get out the words that darted across his mind.
“Upon this rock, I shall build my church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it,” he mumbled, running his finger across her bottom lip. He liked sleeping next to her. More importantly, waking up next to her killed the sense of aloneness.
Chapter 17 – Dinner with Friends
Anger soared through Gabriel as they prepared for dinner with the Manns. The twelve bottles of wine he’d purchased over the course of the road trip were down to six. Four were pilfered by that cape-wearing weirdo Paunch, one he and his wife drank after the ordeal with the two Hedonists, and one he shared over dinner last night with his brother and wife. Now, Zeke was asking him to bring two bottles for dinner with Nate. He didn’t even like Nate enough to waste wine on him.
“He did me a solid, and I don’t want to go empty-handed,” Zeke told him. “I will replace the two bottles with something special.”
“We are taking most of the fish we caught this morning. Isn’t that enough?” Gabe demanded.
“No. I am using the fish to barter for sausage,” he said. “Nate makes great deer sausage.”
“Fine,” Gabriel said, grabbing his jacket.
“Gabe, if you would, take your ATV to the gate, check the mail, and turn on the fence around the property,” Zeke said.
“Why do I have to do it?” Gabriel said, sounding like he did when they were kids.
“Because I have to prepare my wife and daughter and secure the fish. You are going to take the bassinette and the wine with you,” he said.
Cabrina sat at the table observing Tameka create a baby carrier sling to go around her body from a large piece of fabric. The relationship between her friend and Zeke had become a personal case study for her in the last 24 hours, and she was making mental notes of their interactions. This morning, Tameka had helped him don his jacket. Cabrina had also observed a tremor in his right hand, but he went about his day as if it were nothing. His left arm is compromised. Tameka rubbed his shoulder last night before they went to bed, although Gabriel pretended not to notice his brother wince in pain, but the baby sling was confusing her.
“Why are you putting Michelle in a sling versus her car seat?” She asked.
“We are not taking the car,” Tameka said as Zeke loaded the bassinette into a garbage bag.
“Then how are we getting to your friends’ house?”
A loud sound was heard of a small engine as Cabrina ran to the window, seeing her husband head down the long drive on an ATV. Her head snapped around as if she were misunderstanding what her brain was processing based on what her eyes had seen. She opened her mouth wide to object, but quickly closed it.
“I’m going to secure the cooler and get the engine going, then come inside to collect you two,” Zeke said. “Bundle up, okay?”
“Will do,” Tameka said, kissing her husband. Talking softly to her daughter, she placed the small body in the baby sling, pulling the child close to her breast. “There you go, little angel. We are going for a ride.”
The sound of a second small engine came to life, roaring outside of the front door. Cabrina went back to the window, watching her husband come back up the hill. The garbage bag Zeke had taken outside was being affixed to the back of Gabe’s ATV as he begrudgingly went to the rental car to grab two bottles of wine.
“Time to go, ladies,” Zeke said, grabbing his heavy coat and helping his wife into it. Gabriel came through the front door to collect Cabrina, who refused to move.
“Let’s go, Mrs. Neary,” he said to Cabrina.
“Why are we not taking the car?”
Zeke smiled at her, answering her as he would a child, “It’s easier to take the ATV’s to the Mann’s.”
“It’s safer to put Michelle in a car seat, and we all have on seat belts as we travel to your friend’s home,” she said.
“No, it is not,” Zeke said. “We are still on high
alert. Until the FBI and ATF make their move on the Macklemore’s, vigilance is required.”
“What is required is some common sense,” Cabrina said. “Who in their right mind puts a newborn on an ATV? Off the top of my head, I can recount the number of claims we have paid out on accidental deaths via those contraptions.”
“I’m certain those deaths involved alcohol and tomfuckery,” Zeke said. “Stop overthinking and let’s move.”
“Language,” Gabriel called out to his brother.
“Piss off,” Zeke retorted as he walked out the door with the quilt under his arm. He seated his wife and child on the four-wheeler, bundling them both up, and he slipped in front of Tameka on the machine. He revved the engine, signaling it was time to roll as Gabriel led Cabrina out the door.
“Who is he talking to like that? I’m not his charge, his wife, or even his friend at this point. He’d better recognize,” Cabrina said to Gabriel.
“Get on, Mrs. Neary,” Gabriel said, squeezing her hand as he led her out the door.
“Gabe, can’t we just take the safe, covered car?”
“I won’t let anything happen to you,” he told her as he secured the front door and all but pushed her off the front porch. He climbed aboard his ATV, waving for her to join him. Hesitant, afraid and ready to run back inside, his gentle gaze gave strength to her faltering. Cabrina climbed onboard.
“Hold onto me,” he told her, as he shifted gears, rolling the ATV forward, following his big brother.
The wind whipped her in the face as they rode down the back side of the Neary property, coming down to the old fish pond and up another hill. They went down the next hill, then back up through a draw, bringing into view a large cabin sitting high on a ridge. Zeke provided two toots of the horn as the property came into clear view, waving to the man in the back yard.
Cabrina almost threw up when they pulled up to the man, who was dressing a deer. A bucket of blood pooled under the carcass. Beside the bucket, a large garbage bag held the animal’s entrails, and she clamped her hand over her mouth to keep from losing her lunch.
Buckeye and the Babe Page 15
