Nokea blushed, making me feel real good inside. “No, honestly, I followed you because my father forbid me to do it. He knew you were trouble, but I refused to listen to him.”
“You did listen. You listened when he said we were destined to be together. He was right about that, but was wrong for spanking you for making a mud pie with me. That was the only time I can recall him being upset with you. Mud was all over our clothes, on the floor, in our hair . . . all you got was a tap on your leg though.”
“Yeah, kind of like what Jaylene gets when she’s in trouble, huh?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
We lay silent for a minute, in deep thought. Nokea spoke up again.
“I’m so upset with myself for not spending more time with him. I didn’t even tell him about the baby. Now I wish that I would have. I am, however, glad that I came to St. Louis. Something inside told me to come here. I don’t know what I would’ve done if I was in Florida when this happened.”
Hearing her mention the baby was like a punch in my gut, but I knew she meant no harm. “It’s interesting how things operate sometimes. I’m glad you and the kids were here. Your mother needs you, so we’re all going to stay here, support each other and try to get through this together.”
Nokea wiped the tip of her runny nose with tissue. “Thank you so much for coming. I wasn’t going to call you, especially after our ‘end celebration’ the other day. I’m glad Nanny B called you, and when you came through that door, I was so happy and relieved to see you.”
“Same here, but please know that the ‘end celebration’ is still in full effect. I’m just here now, because I know your father would want me to be here.”
“I don’t know about that,” she teased. “Daddy was hot, and if he could’ve taken off his belt and spanked you like he did when you and Stephon went to the store and stole that candy, he would have.”
I cocked my head back. “What? Your father has never spanked me. He hit Stephon, one time, and that’s because he cursed in front of your father. We were like . . . like eight years old or something. Stephon called a woman who was walking down the street a fine freaky bitch. Your father was standing in the doorway, and when he heard that shit, he rushed out that door, pulling his belt from his waist. I ran my ass off, even though I wasn’t the one who’d said it. Stephon was too slow, and before I knew it, that belt tore him up. Then he got it, again, when your father told Aunt Betty. Unfortunately, I got in trouble, too, for lying and saying he didn’t say it.”
Nokea nodded. “You may be right about that. Maybe he didn’t spank you, but he should have because you and Stephon were baaaaad.”
“Trust me, we got our share of spankings and then some. And you, Miss Lady, were bad as well. You just got away with a lot of shit, that’s all.”
Nokea showed her pearly whites. “I kind of did, didn’t I?”
We both laughed, but seconds later, silence fell over the room again. More tears fell from her eyes. I moved closer to hold her, and to my surprise, she snuggled her head against my chest.
“I told myself that I would never tell you this, but when I asked your father if I could marry you, he said no. As a matter of fact, he said hell no. I didn’t know how to respond, until he started laughing. I thought he was serious, especially when he asked why I even called to get his approval. He told me with or without it, I would probably marry you regardless. He put me on the spot when he asked if that was true. I told him that his approval meant volumes to me, but I loved you so much that I didn’t care who approved. He hung up on me that day—hurt my damn feelings. About fifteen minutes later, he called back. He said your mother’s father never approved of him marrying her, but he loved her so much that he couldn’t allow no one to stand in their way. I asked if that meant he approved, and he told me to let him think about it. I didn’t hear back from him, but an hour before we got married on the beach that day, he called to give me his approval. I really appreciated him for doing that, because I was worried about going against his wishes.”
Nokea didn’t respond. All I heard was snoring. When I lifted my head, thinking she had fallen asleep, she giggled.
“Oh, okay,” I said. “My boring little story put you to sleep, huh?”
“No, I heard you. My father called me several times that same day, asking me how much I loved you. I kept saying a whoooooole lot, daddy, don’t you already know how much? Then he said, do you love him more than you love yourself? I replied no, but still a whoooooole lot. He reminded me to always love myself first, and then he told me that you were going to ask me to marry you. He didn’t know you had already asked me the first day I came to Florida to be with you, but I appreciated his heads up.”
“I’m sure you did, but I asked him after the original proposal. I just wanted his approval, that’s all. I really didn’t care about anybody else’s, just his.”
Nokea lay silent, in deep thought again. Minutes later, she asked if I would go run her some bath water. I knew exactly how she liked it, so I removed myself from the bed to go take care of that for her. As I was in the bathroom getting the tub ready for her, I could see her sitting on the bed. She removed her shoes, and after pulling her shirt over her head, she sat in a hot pink lace bra that viewed her hard nipples. My mind traveled straight to the gutter, especially when she stood to remove her jeans. Her lace panties revealed her sweet goodies, and I could see her protruding belly that caused me to shake my head. When she went to go flick on the lights, my thoughts turned positive. I stood mesmerized by her blemish free toned body and shapely ass that left me with so many memories. The lights came on—she looked in my direction and saw me leaning against the doorway. We stared at each other without a single blink. I hadn’t a clue what she was thinking, but the seduction in her eyes told me something was still there.
“I had a dream about us the other day.” She spoke in a whisper. “We were making love at Café Lapedero and—”
She paused when she heard a light knock at the door. The direction of our eyes traveled to it, and seconds later, in walked Travis. His eyes scanned Nokea, before he shifted them to me.
“I didn’t know you were coming back tonight,” Nokea said.
The tight expression on his face said it all, as did the thick wrinkles on his forehead. He was pissed.
“Obviously not. I came back so you wouldn’t have to be alone tonight. But it looks like you’re already covered.”
Just so Nokea wouldn’t have to explain anything to this fool, I spoke up. “I was just running her some bath water. But now that you’re back, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind you handling things, instead of me.”
I moved toward the door in slow motion. Took one last glance at Nokea, and as I approached the good doctor, I got a whiff of the strong alcohol he’d been drinking. A glassy film covered his eyes that displayed nothing but fury. I hesitated to leave him alone with Nokea, but instead of interfering, all I offered was my support to her. “Try to get some rest tonight. If you need anything else, you know where I’ll be.”
I left the guestroom, returning to my bedroom. I could hear Travis and Nokea talking—maybe even arguing—but I stayed put. Their voices calmed less than ten minutes later, and that was when I made my way to the kitchen to get something nonalcoholic to drink. I opened the fridge, removed the orange juice and placed the carton on the island. As I reached in the cabinet for a glass, I heard a door slam. I jetted toward the guestroom where Nokea was, but by that time, Travis was already standing near the foyer with his jacket thrown over his shoulder. His eyes shot daggers at me; I fired right back.
“You really shouldn’t drink and drive,” I said. “But if you care to stay, my twelve-car garage has heated flooring.”
“Fuck you, nigga, and no thanks. I’ll gladly sleep elsewhere, but you can be sure that me and my twelve inches will be back later to give my woman all the support she needs. Until then, have a nice night, sucker.”
He marched toward the door, leaving me with a smirk on
my face. “I promise you I will. And by twelve o’clock tonight, I may be making all of her dreams about me come true. She did give you explicit details about her dream, didn’t she?”
“What dream?”
“The one where I put twelve bullets in your head for disrespecting my kids. If you value your life, don’t you ever say shit else to my son again.”
Travis didn’t respond. The door slammed on his way out, and after I locked it, I returned to the kitchen to get my orange juice. I watched TV for a while, and an hour later, I returned to the room where Nokea was, seeing the she was asleep. I closed the door, pleased that she was resting peacefully.
Mr. Brooks’ funeral was too much for me. That was why I’d made a decision to not let the kids go. With him being a deacon, the church was packed to full capacity. The choir was live, people were screaming and shouting, including the pastor who was racing up and down the aisles as if hot coal was underneath his feet, while everyone clapped. A few people looked as if they were about to pass out—it could’ve been because it felt like it was a hundred degrees in there. Hand fans waved all around, even on the piano player who kept hammering away at the keys. I sat stone-faced, hoping that this would be over with soon. All I could see was Nokea dying inside. I sat right behind her, and as she was bent over, holding her stomach as if she was in enormous pain, I just wanted it all to stop. Travis sat next to her like a bump on a log while two ushers fanned her. Gloria’s head was dropped back, and with her eyes closed and tears pouring down her face, she was being fanned too.
“Jesus!” she shouted with her arms stretched wide. “Help me, Jesus, please help me right now, Lord, I need you!”
“He got you, Sister Brooks! Yes, Ma’am, He got you!” A woman bellowed in response.
“Amen,” another said. “Got you and He got me, too! Thank you! Thank you, Jesus, thank you!”
In a flash, the woman jumped to her feet and started stomping and shouting. The piano player performed like he was at a concert or something, and in a matter of minutes, things went from bad to worse, particularly for my baby. She dropped to her knees; so much agony was in her eyes. I could no longer sit there and try to respect her relationship with Travis. I removed my suit jacket, giving it to Shane who sat next to me in disbelief. My shirt stuck to my sweaty skin, and the frown on my face deepened when I went near the front pew where Nokea remained on her knees, rocking back and forth. I dropped to my knees, securing my arms around her quivering body. I had never seen her like this, and when I witnessed her eyes roll back, I helped her to her feet so she could get out of there and go get some fresh air. As I held her waist, Travis had the nerve to reach out and grab her arm.
“Thanks, but I got her,” he said.
“No you don’t,” was all I said, before escorting Nokea down the aisle so she could suck in some fresh air outside and breathe.
Two nurses followed us; many people looked on. One of the nurses suggested that I take Nokea to a room where she could lay down. The other suggested calling an ambulance, but the second I took her outside, she rejected an ambulance. She sat next to me on a bench.
“I need to go lay down for a few minutes,” she said, holding her stomach again. “I feel weak. Sick as a dog and I’m hurting all over.”
She stayed outside for a few more minutes. After that, I helped her inside so she could chill in one of the rooms. It was much cooler in there than it was in the sanctuary, and as one of the nurses tended to Nokea, she asked me to go check on her mother.
“If you don’t mind, Jaylin, please. I ju . . . just want to go, but I don’t want to leave her or my daddy like this.”
Feeling emotional, I left the room, hurrying to blink away tears that had filled my eyes. There was much tension in my body, as I proceeded up the steps to enter the sanctuary again. Travis stood at the top stair waiting for me. I attempted to walk past him without saying anything, but when he yanked my arm, I snatched his collar, pulling him face-to-face with me.
“Muthafu—” I paused, almost forgetting where I was. “Do not put your hands on me ever again!”
I released his collar, shoving him away from me. He staggered backward but managed to keep his balance. “My hands should be the least of your worries,” he threatened. “I’m warning you, fool. I’m about to unleash some serious hell upon you.”
“Not in the house of the Lord!” A woman shouted. “Y’all better take that mess out there on them streets! I mean it and there won’t be no fighting up in here today.”
As Travis and I stood within inches of each other, one man pulled me back, another pulled on him.
“Come on, brothers, we can do better than this. Can I get an Amen?” The man closest to me said.
I cut my eyes at him and Travis, before walking away. When I returned to the sanctuary, Mrs. Brooks wasn’t in her seat. People were now viewing Mr. Brooks’ body, and after taking one glance at him, I looked at Shane, nudging my head toward the door. He knew that meant I was ready to go. I met him by the church doors, but before we left, I returned to the room where Nokea was. Travis was with her. In an effort not to upset Nokea even more, I figured it was time for me to go.
SCORPIO
After what Mario had done, I was left speechless. I knew he was upset with me, but his actions had gone too far. We had barely spoken to each other, and most of the time, he was gone. I regretted that it had come to this, but I was so furious about everything that I couldn’t even contemplate how I was going to fix this. A part of me didn’t want to fix it, but as I looked at the bigger picture, I had to admit that my wrongdoings got us here.
Nanny B called to tell me about Nokea’s father, so I left the next day so I could support her and attend the funeral. It was so sad. There was no question that Mr. Brooks was loved by many. Several people got up during the funeral to say really nice things about him. Flowers were all over the church, and the songs truly touched my soul. On the flipside, it was too hot in there, too much theatrics and the funeral went on for hours. Nokea and her mother were so out of it, and when I saw Jaylin leave the sanctuary with her, I felt so bad for her. Tears were in my eyes. Jaylin glanced at me; I could see how upset he was. Probably because Travis had said something to him. I saw him standing up front, watching Jaylin and Nokea with bewilderment in his eyes. Shortly thereafter, he stormed out of the sanctuary, breezing by everyone in his path. I didn’t see Jaylin return, nor did I see him at the repass. I saw Nokea and offered her my condolences. She reached out to hug me—sadness was written all over her.
“Thanks for coming, Scorpio,” she said, standing near the doorway. “When did you get here?”
“Early this morning. I stopped by Jaylin’s house first to see the kids. Then I came here.”
She slowly nodded and kept looking at my short hair. “I like your hair. What made you cut it all off? It was growing and was so pretty.”
Thinking about what Mario had done, I released a deep sigh. I wouldn’t dare tell Nokea the truth; I was too embarrassed.
“I just got tired of it. Needed a change.”
“I know how that is. Definitely know what you mean.”
She looked around, and as several people came up to offer their condolences, I told her I would catch up with her later at Jaylin’s house. I spoke to a few other people, but as I walked back to my car, I heard someone call my name. I swung around, only to see Travis a few steps behind me. He was really a handsome man, but stress was visible in his eyes that told me he hadn’t had much sleep. The wide smile he always presented wasn’t there, and with a scruffy beard growing, he obviously needed to shave. Normally, his face was clean shaven.
“I’m sorry to bother you,” he said as he approached me. “But do you have a minute, maybe two?”
“Sure. What’s up?”
“I . . . I’m a little confused about something, and since I saw you, I was wondering if you could shed some light on a few things and help me try to understand these feelings I have inside.”
I shrugged, not
really knowing where he was going with this. “Feelings about what?”
“About Nokea and Jaylin. I could be wrong about this, but I get a feeling that there’s more to them being friends, for the sake of the children. I know their past is deep, Nokea told me all about it. But I’m starting to feel a little threatened by that past. I guess you of all people would know if there—”
I quickly spoke up, just to make Travis aware of something I had known throughout my entire relationship with Jaylin.
“I don’t want to hurt your feelings, Travis, but the truth is, Nokea will always have deep feelings for Jaylin. He will always love her, too, but from what I can see, the two of them have moved on. This is the first time I’ve ever seen Nokea so happy with another man. So instead of feeling threatened, why don’t you step up, instead of stepping back? She loves you, and you’re making a big mistake by doubting that. I don’t know what else to say to you, but please know this. If you leave a tiny crack open for Jaylin to make his way back into her life, he can and he will.”
Having nothing else to say, and not wanting to inject myself into what was going on, I got in my car and drove off. From the rearview mirror, I could see Travis walking back into the church with his hands dipped into his pockets. Unfortunately for him, I didn’t exactly speak the truth. That was, from what I saw at the church earlier, Jaylin had already slipped through that crack.
I arrived at Jaylin’s house, parking my car in the garage area that wasn’t connected to the house. I entered through a side door that was unlocked, and as I made my way through the kitchen, I heard Nanny B talking. I peeked in the great room where Jaylin sat suited up, looking star-studded and fine as ever. Worry was in his teary eyes as he looked at Nanny B with his elbows resting on his knees. He wrung his hands together, and lowered his head to look down, when Nanny B told him there wasn’t much more that he could do. Shane stood behind him, leaning against the fireplace. He was also suited up; they both were perfectly polished from head to toe. Justin was on Nanny B’s lap, and as she continued to speak to Jaylin, Justin kept kissing her cheeks. She kissed his back.
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