What's Blood Got to Do With It?

by Shelia E. Bell

  The move to North Carolina had been a bold one. Adanya didn’t know anyone other than the staff she’d met during her interview sessions. There was one lady, Belinda Garrett that Adanya especially connected with. Like her, Belinda was single. She was a few years older than Adanya, also relatively new to North Carolina, and loved hanging out. She helped Adanya unpack and get settled into her new apartment when she first arrived in the city. Belinda also adored animals. She had two dogs and three cats, and Snoopy seemed to enjoy meeting some canine and feline friends of his own. At the end of the school day, Adanya had plans to go with Belinda to a restaurant called Caribbean Cuisine. Belinda had told her that it was known to serve some of the best jerk chicken around the city. She had been in the city less than a month, but already Adanya felt that her life was on a far better track. She felt like she was breathing new air into it. As she walked to the faculty parking area, she actually smiled. Looking upward, the sky was clear. The fall weather in North Carolina was perfect.

  A few steps from her car, she stumbled, fell to her knees, and in the process dropped her laptop case and her car keys. “Oaahhh.” She tried getting up but was halted by a piercing pain coming from her left ankle.

  “Hold up, let me help you,” the deep baritone voice offered. Before Adanya could look up to see who the voice belonged to, she felt a strong, sturdy hand grab hold of her hand. His other hand wrapped around her waist as he helped her to her feet.

  “Thank you,” she said as she looked into charcoal colored eyes. He smelled good and definitely looked good and had concern written all over his face.

  “Are you all right? I saw when you went down.” He looked around the perimeter of where they stood. “What made you fall?”

  “I…I don’t know. I just stumbled over something. Probably my own feet.” She started laughing.

  “Well, we can’t have that now, can we?” He turned her loose and Adanya took a step closer to her car.

  “Ahhh,” she winced in pain.

  The stranger grabbed her. “Whoa, looks like you may have twisted your ankle. Is that your car?” He pointed to the vehicle in front of them.

  “Yes.”

  “Are you going to be able to drive? Do I need to help you back inside? Or can I call someone for you?”

  “No, I’m fine. Thank you.” She looked at him again and then turned and walked to her car.

  “Oh, here are your keys.”

  “Thank you.” Adanya hit the remote to unlock the car. She opened the door and sat down inside.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “Yes, I’m fine. I just feel like an idiot. It’s so embarrassing.”

  “No need to be. I’m just glad I was here to help. By the way, I’m Johnathan.”

  “I’m Adanya.”

  “Nice to meet you, Adanya.”

  She smiled. “I don’t know about that. I mean I wish it could have been under other circumstances.”

  He smiled. His tone was jovial. “I haven’t seen you around. Are you new to ECSU?”

  “Yes. I’m in Literature and Communications. You teach here?”

  “Yes. Aviation and Science Program.”

  “Impressive,” she said and smiled. Her smile turned into a frown when she tried moving both feet inside the car.

  “Sounds like you might need to take a trip to the ER.”

  “I don’t think so. I’ll go straight home, ice it, and prop it up. I can’t afford to miss work already. This is my first week.”

  “Well, welcome to the home of the Vikings. Look, why don’t you let me call someone for you. Or, if you’d like I can drive you home. I don’t mind, and I promise I won’t bite.”

  Adanya shook her head in jest. “Really, I’ll be okay. But thank you, Johnathan.”

  “Will you at least take down my number and call me when you make it home.”

  Adanya hesitated, but then dismissed any reservations she had about him. After all, he was in the private faculty parking lot, and he looked innocent, and on top of that he was totally nothing but nice to her.

  “Sure. What is it?”

  Johnathan gave her the number. Adanya added it to her phone contacts.

  “Promise to call or text me,” he said.

  “I will.” She reached for the door, but Johnathan took hold of the outside door handle.

  “I’ve got it,” he said and closed the door. He stood back from the car and watched as Adanya drove off.

  True to her word, after calling and telling Belinda about her fall, Adanya called Johnathan. After several rings, his phone rolled over to his voice mail. Her first thought was not to leave a message, but then she changed her mind.

  “Hi, Johnathan. It’s Adanya Anniston. You know the lady you saw practically kissing the pavement earlier.” She laughed into the phone, amazed at herself. “I told you that I would call.”

  Her phone buzzed as a call came in. It’s him. She hit the swap icon on her phone. “Hello.”

  “Hi, there. You make it home okay?”

  “Yes, I was just leaving you a message.”

  “I was on another call when yours came in. Sorry about that.”

  “Oh, no problem. I was just calling you because I promised I would.”

  “I’m glad you made it home safely.”

  “Thank you.”

  “How’s the ankle?”

  “Too early to tell. I just made it in the house so I haven’t had time to work on it. But I will.”

  Snoopy started barking. “Hold up, Snoopy.”

  “English bulldog?”

  “Excuse me,” said Adanya.

  “Sounds like an English bulldog.”

  “He is. How can you tell?”

  “I love dogs. Their barks fascinate me. If you ever notice, each breed has a distinct type of bark.”

  Adanya hobbled toward the door, opened it, and let Snoopy out on the patio area of the one bedroom bungalow-style apartment. She’d have to go out and clean up behind him later, but right now all she wanted to do was get some relief from her aching ankle.

  “So, you’re telling me that you can tell what breed a dog is without seeing it just by listening to their bark?” Adanya was amused. Already she found Johnathan to be not only handsome, but entertaining as well.

  “Not all the time, but I’m pretty good at it. But, let’s not talk about that now. I want you to do whatever you have to do to feel better because I’d really like to see you again.”

  Adanya didn’t know what to say or how to respond. She didn’t know if this man was married, had a girlfriend or boyfriend for that matter. For all she knew, he could be a bigamist like her daddy. It was just hard for her to trust a man again. She thought about her daddy, and it made her sad.

  “Hey, look don’t get all quiet on me. I just want to have a chance to sit and talk to you under different circumstances. You know, when you feel better. Tell you all about ESCU.”

  “Okay. Why not.”

  “Good. Now get some rest. And if you don’t mind, I’d like to call you again.”

  “That’s fine. And thanks again, Johnathan.” “No problem. I’ll talk to you later, Adanya.” “Sure, goodbye.

  Adanya nursed her ankle the remainder of the evening. By the time she got in bed for the night, there was still some swelling, but after calling her gram and explaining to her what happened, she took three aspirin and mixed them in with some green alcohol. She shook the concoction until she was satisfied that the aspirins had fully dissolved. Following her grandmother’s instructions, Adanya rubbed her ankle and leg down with the mixture. Afterward, she got two pillows and placed them at the foot of her bed and propped her leg up on them. Much to her surprise, and just like her gram told her it would, it had started to feel much better.

  Her phone rang. It was Belinda. “Hey, girl.”

  “Hey, Belinda.”

  “How’s your ankle?”

  “I have it propped up on some pillows. I rubbed it down in alcohol and aspirin, so it’s actually fe
eling better.”

  “Alcohol and aspirin?”

  “My gram’s remedy. And it seems to be working.” “Cool. Do you need anything?”

  “Naw, I’m fine.”

  “Did you eat? I can bring you something if you’d like.”

  “No, I don’t want you to do that. I ate a sandwich and some chips. That was plenty for me, but I appreciate it.”

  “Okay, just checking with you. Are you going to try to come to work tomorrow?”

  “Girl, yes. I just started. I do not plan on missing when this is my first week.”

  “You can’t help it if you fell. You have to take care of you, girl.” “I know, but I think I’ll be better in the morning.”

  “Do you need me to pick you up?”

  “Now, that’s an offer I might accept. I don’t know how much weight I’ll be able to put on my foot in the morning.”

  “I have a pair of old crutches over here from a couple of years ago.”

  “Oh, what happened to you?”

  “I tore my ACL. I had to have surgery and I was on crutches for a minute. I never got rid of them.”

  “That’s right on time. Bring them with you in the morning.” “Okay, I will. Well, I’m going to get ready for bed. I’ll call you in the morning when I’m on my way.”

  “Okay, Belinda. And thanks too.”

  “It’s nothing. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Adanya twisted and turned for the first half of the night. Her ankle had started to throb. She rubbed it down again and soon was able to doze off.

  North Carolina may not be so bad. Everyone seemed to be nice and meeting Belinda made Adanya feel like she wasn’t alone in the strange city. Also Johnathan seemed especially nice too.

  Adanya smiled when an image of Johnathan flashed in her mind. She couldn’t wait to call Nanette and tell her about his chivalry.

  Chapter 24

  “Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars. You have to let go at some point in order to move forward.” Unknown

  The following weeks began to get somewhat better. She enjoyed her new position. She’d talked to Johnathan several times since she first met him. Her ankle had healed, and she had the pleasure of being shown around the city by Belinda.

  She accepted an invitation from Belinda to go to church the upcoming Sunday. She was looking forward to it. It had been months since she’d been inside a church, and she missed it.

  Tonight, however, she was having dinner with Johnathan. Since their chance encounter, the two of them had been talking quite frequently on the phone, and on campus. The more she talked to him, the more at ease she became around him. He was nothing like Bleak or her father. Johnathan was his own man, with a different personality, a different swagger.

  He was polite but at the same time, he didn’t hesitate to speak his mind. He was well respected on the college campus and had received many awards for his outstanding service to in his field. Johnathan was a few years her senior, but that suited Adanya just fine. He owned his home, and had several other properties he rented out to mostly college students. During one of their phone conversations he told her that he was not involved with anyone, had no children, and had never been married. Adanya was further impressed that they shared the same Christian belief.

  Johnathan attended a small church in North Carolina that he had belonged to since he was a young boy. Both of his parents, and two of his seven siblings, remained members of the church. He was close to his family, another plus for him in Adanya’s eyes. Hearing him talk about his siblings made her want to get to know her little sisters. Maybe one day she would after her life got back in order.

  Adanya told Belinda about Johnathan, and much to her surprise, Belinda knew him. After having been reassured by Belinda that he was a cool guy, Adanya was looking forward to getting to know even more about him. This would be their first time going out on an official date, and Adanya was slightly nervous.

  ◊

  Sunday arrived and Adanya listened to her GPS as it directed her to Belinda’s church. After parking, she walked to the front of the church where she waited on Belinda. She didn’t have to wait long. Belinda came and escorted her into the massive sanctuary.

  Adanya enjoyed the fellowship. The pastor delivered a dynamic message. He reminded Adanya of the pastor in Houston, Texas, Joel Osteen. His message was clear, easy to understand, and addressed everyday issues.

  After church, she and Belinda went out to eat. It was over lunch that Adanya found herself telling Belinda about her family situation. “That’s messed up,” Belinda told her after listening to the whole spiel. “But you know what?”

  “What?”

  “They’re still your family. They may have hurt you, but I’m sure they love you. Don’t you love them?”

  “Sure, I do. They’re my family; I just can’t deal with all the mess.”

  “We all have some kind of mess, Adanya. I’m not condoning any of the things you say your father did or what your mother did. But what I am saying is that life is too short to live it being mad, angry and having an unforgiving spirit.”

  “But I do forgive them.”

  “If you have, why haven’t you talked to them? Why haven’t you reached out to at least try to get to know your little sisters? I’m sure having a big sister would be fun for them. But you’ll never know because you’ve chosen to punish them.”

  “I’m not punishing them.”

  “You sure aren’t trying to have them in your life. We all have done something we’re ashamed of, Adanya. I’m sure you can agree with that.”

  Adanya nodded. She thought about how she started abusing alcohol when she found out Annalisse wasn’t her real mother. She thought about how she acted like she was an executioner and a judge when it came to her parents.

  “Look, all I’m saying is you should pray, and I mean really go before God and ask His direction. If something happened to your parents, or even little sisters, while you were harboring all that bitterness in your heart, then you would be devastated.”

  “Maybe I do need to get things in order with them. It’s just so hard, but I guess it’s even harder not talking to them, and not being around them. I miss them. I really, really do.”

  “Then, I say, when you get home this afternoon, call them. Check up on them. Sometimes you have to be the bigger person.”

  “I might.”

  “Okay, now that we’ve got that out of the way, tell me how things are going between you and Johnathan.” Belinda smiled and then placed some of her food in her mouth.

  Adanya drank some of her tea before she answered. “Good. Slow.”

  “Uhhh, good and slow?”

  Adanya smiled. “Not that kind of good and slow,” she giggled. “Good like I like him. Slow in like we’re just friends. I don’t want to get involved with anyone right now.”

  “Is it because of the guy back home? Your stepbrother?”

  “No, not really. I mean, I liked Bleak, but it wouldn’t have worked. It would have been too awkward.”

  “I understand. So, why do you need to take it slow with Johnathan then?”

  “I’m in a new city, with a new job, meeting new people. I don’t want to get hung up on the first guy that steps my way. I want to enjoy life. And when, or if the right man comes along one day, and after I work on myself, then maybe I’ll entertain getting serious with someone. But until then, I like things just the way they are.”

  Belinda shrugged. “Nothing wrong with that.

  ◊

  Later that evening, after she made it back home, Adanya decided to follow Belinda’s advice. Annalisse was the first person she called. She was glad she did, because Annalisse was ecstatic when she heard Adanya’s voice.

  During the two hours they talked Adanya felt like heavy weights were being lifted off her shoulders.

  Next, with much more difficulty, she called her father.

  “Pumpkin, God knows I’m sorry for hurting you, and Annalisse
. But believe me when I tell you that I love you. You’re my firstborn. You’ll always be my special lady.”

  “You said that you worked everything out between you and God. Guess that’s good enough for me. I want you to be part of my life again. I want to get to know my sisters.”

  Adanya could hear Kenneth sobbing, and she released her tears as well.

  “You have made my day, my week, my year,” he cried into the phone. “This is an answered prayer. I love you so much, Pumpkin. Please believe me.”

  “I do, Daddy.”

  Before she ended the call, she asked to say hello to Caitlin and Cady. Adanya couldn’t help laughing as each of the girls talked over the other one. They told her that they wanted to see her. Adanya was overjoyed, and for the first time in a while she felt happy.

  ◊

  Thanksgiving was approaching, and Adanya decided to go home to spend time with Anaya, see her father, meet her sisters, and try to let the past remain in the past.

  Her first stop after arriving in Memphis was Nanette’s apartment. It was still her safe haven. The wounds caused by the pain of her past lingered. Would there ever come a time when it wouldn’t hurt? She shook the confusing thoughts and refaced on why she was in Memphis. This visit, she prayed, would prove to be a journey of healing for all of them.

  Nanette and Adanya sat on the sofa talking. “Are you going to see your daddy?”

  “Yes. If I say that I forgive my parents, then I have to act like it. You know some folks say they can forgive but they’ll never forget.”

  “Yeah, I hear that a lot.”

  “Well, think about that. Is that really true forgiveness? I mean, when God forgives us, He forgets.”

  Nanette nodded. “You’re right.”

  “He says, as far as the east is from the west, that’s how far He removes our sin from us, so who am I not to at least try to forgive and move forward.”