LaMar kissed her on the cheek. “I’ll be right back.”
Adrienne heard whispered conversation, a lot of scampering around, and then LaMar came back. “They all went with her to the grocery store,” he said.
Adrienne couldn’t help the emotion that welled up inside her chest and rose up to close her throat. She had never known just how bad LaMar’s home situation was. She leaned on his shoulder and cried for him. When his tears joined hers, they lay down on the bed. One kiss led to another, and when his bony fingers undid the buttons on her blouse, she did not protest. When his hand cupped her breast, she didn’t have the heart to let him down. He kissed her deeply and unzipped her pants. Consumed with pity for the one person in the world who knew her deepest secrets, she let him undress her. He knew that it was Adrienne’s first time and tried to be gentle, but he was inexperienced, too, and he hurt her more than was necessary.
That night Adrienne told her parents the whole sad story of LaMar and his family. “Please, Mama, can he stay here until his birthday in January? It’s only seven months away,” Adrienne begged.
Surprisingly, they agreed. “The group home will only destroy a good kid,” her daddy said.
Since LaMar didn’t have a phone, Adrienne couldn’t call him that Saturday night to tell him the good news.
On Sunday morning, the Montgomery family piled into the car and went to Brooklyn. The door to the Jenkins apartment was standing open. The elderly landlord was just coming out of it. Something about the woman’s expression made Adrienne clutch at her chest. “I’m looking for LaMar,” she blurted out.
The old woman sighed sadly, and her eyes filled with tears. “The city paid them a surprise visit. A bunch of social workers and cops came and got ’em. I don’t know where dey gone.” The old woman had hunched her shoulders and shuffled back across the hall.
Adrienne’s jaw dropped as the full weight of what Lloyd Cooper was saying to her impacted her brain. Her legs felt wooden, and a feeling of dread coursed through her body as his eyes bored into hers.
“Close your mouth, girl, and stop staring.”
“It isn’t possible. I don’t believe it. How . . . ?”
“How did I become this gorgeous specimen of a man?” Lloyd’s voice was mocking, with a slightly bitter undertone.
Adrienne massaged her temples. She looked at him closely, trying to find in the handsome, talented, and confident man who sat before her a trace of the neglected teenage boy with the thick glasses, terrible acne, and shoulders that always appeared slumped with defeat.
“You can’t be LaMar Jenkins,” she protested. “Things like this just don’t happen in real life. It can’t be true,” she said.
His eyes, which begged for understanding, assured her that it was.
It was too much. Adrienne was not sure whether to scream, run, or both. Her eyes widened. She shook her head as her stomach tightened. “I don’t believe that you’re LaMar Jenkins.”
“You’re right. I’m not LaMar Jenkins. Not anymore. It’s a long story, Adrienne.”
When Adrienne didn’t respond, he shoved his hands in his pockets and sighed. “I only look different on the outside. Inside, I’m still the same person that you knew so many years ago.”
“Then why did you change your name?” she whispered hoarsely.
“I’ll tell you that and a lot of other things when the time is right. You know, we have a lot of catching up to do, Adrienne, but not here at work.”
“Really?” Adrienne asked, incredulous. “I think when you sleep with a woman and don’t pick up the phone to call her for the next seventeen years, she is entitled to an explanation as soon as you run into her.” Adrienne couldn’t keep the sarcasm and hurt from spilling out of her voice. She felt overcome by the memories.
Lloyd recoiled as though someone had socked him in the jaw. “Oh, no, Adrienne! It wasn’t like that. Jesus!” he said, staring at her intently. “Is that what you’ve been thinking all these years?” He knelt in front of her chair. “Adrienne, I had to leave. Don’t you remember? I had to spend time in a group home until I turned eighteen. You didn’t know me then, but I was a very angry, bitter young man after my experiences there. But I never forgot your kindness all those years ago, never. A lot of times it was the memory of you and your family that kept me going.”
“Oh, LaMar!” Adrienne said sadly.
He reached up and patted her shoulder. “Now I’ve upset you, and I didn’t mean to.” His voice grew brighter. “I’m so very happy that our paths have crossed again.”
Adrienne managed a bewildered smile. “I’m glad to see you, too.” I guess, she thought.
And then they hugged.
Adrienne tried to reconcile the man who now held her with the boy he had once been. Things at PW&E had certainly grown more interesting now that the new president had arrived.
PART TWO
QUICKSAND
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Mel was driving the M15 bus going east across 125th Street. He braked to a stop in front of the Grant Housing Projects on Amsterdam Avenue and sighed as he lowered the steps for two blue-haired old ladies. One of them had a cane, but instead of paying attention to where she was going, she busily chatted to the other. The cane slipped, and she fell slightly forward. Mel helped her into a seat and was rewarded with a smile. The other woman settled in next to her, and Mel was back on the road again, wondering if his mother would have needed a cane in her old age. It was something he would never know. At the next stop, three teenage girls got on carrying a radio that was blaring. The lyrics were filled with obscenities.
“Turn it off!” Mel said as they dipped their Metro Cards into the slot.
One of them sucked her teeth. The other rolled her eyes.
“I’m not turnin’ my radio off,” said the second one.
“You will or get off the bus,” answered Mel.
“You can’t do that,” said the first one. “We already paid.”
They walked toward the back of the bus, the music still booming. Mel shut the engine off and spoke to his passengers over the loudspeaker. “We will sit here until either that radio is turned off or a police car pulls up to find out why I’m not moving.” He pulled out a newspaper and pretended to read. Within seconds, hot angry words flew at the girls from the impatient passengers. A male voice shouted, “Don’t y’all know today is Valentine’s Day? If I’m late gettin’ to my woman over on Fifth Avenue, somebody’s ass is mine!”
Suddenly there was no more music. Mel grinned and turned the ignition. The ride was smooth until he hit Lenox Avenue. A long line of people was waiting for the bus, and he sighed as they filed on. Soon there would be standing room only. A woman got on pushing two small girls ahead of her. When she looked up to put her money in the slot, her eyes met Mel’s. He gulped and wished he could make himself invisible.
“Hi, Lillian. Are those your kids?”
“Yes, they are,” she replied, and she just stood there staring at him. The wounded expression made him wince.
“I’m sorry,” he said simply.
Lillian shot him a look that was an odd combination of hate and pride, shooed the kids toward the back, and followed them without saying a word.
Lillian must have gotten off the bus through the back door, because Mel didn’t see her leave. But she was one of the two people on his mind when he clocked out at the terminal and headed home. How was he going to play cards at Debra’s house as long as Big Boy was still mad at him? What if Lillian showed up?
He made a quick stop at Circuit City for the television set. They offered delivery within twenty-four hours, but Mel lugged the nineteen-inch TV home by cab and set it up in the bedroom, hoping that Adrienne would forgive his behavior from the night before.
Mel dashed back out of the house for food and flowers. There wasn’t much time. Adrienne would be home in two hours. A broad smile crossed Mel’s face as he shoved the apartment door open with his shoulder. His hands were filled with bags. He had purcha
sed a dozen pink roses, a bottle of champagne, two red candles, cold shrimp, honey barbecue chicken, a container of potato salad, and a chocolate layer cake for dessert. He couldn’t wait to see the look on Adrienne’s face when she got home and saw the spread set up in the living room. He took a quick shower and changed into a pair of red sweatpants and a matching T-shirt. After laying out the food on the coffee table, he turned out the living room lights and sat down to relax and wait for Adrienne.
He nervously checked the freezer to make sure the champagne and glasses were chilling properly before he sat down on the couch, anxiously waiting for his wife to put the key in the door. A few minutes went by, and then he heard the sound of her keys jingling. He rushed to greet her.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, baby,” Mel drawled as he grabbed Adrienne tenderly around the waist. Smiling, he took her by the hand and led her toward the living room.
He switched on the light. “Take a look around, baby!”
Adrienne took off her blazer and laid it over the sofa as she eased her way toward the romantic dinner Mel had prepared for her. “This is so sweet, honey. How thoughtful of you. Very nice,” she said absently while strolling into the bedroom.
Very nice? Mel thought angrily. After all the work he had put into this evening to make it perfect, and the best she could do was “very nice”? Feeling foolish and disappointed, he followed her into the bedroom. She was taking off her work clothes and humming softly to herself. It took a moment for her to realize he was standing in the doorway. He didn’t recognize the tune.
“Are you going to eat this food?” he asked stiffly.
Adrienne glanced at the open door leading to the living room. “Sure. Let me take a shower first.” She bent over and slipped out of her shoes.
“Why are you acting so cold?”
She pulled herself together and gave him a tremulous smile. “I’m sorry I acted so crabby when I came through the door. I was thinking about the new president at work. Believe me, it is one strange story.”
“Well, it must be something for you to turn down all this.” Mel pulled her close to his chest, his hands resting on her curvy hips. “Why don’t you tell me about it tomorrow?”
She gave him a sexy smile and wrapped her arms around his neck. Mel smelled like warm cinnamon. “Okay, baby. Why don’t you tell me what you have in mind?”
Mel swept her up and carried her to the bed. They could heat up the food later.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Adrienne and Dan had spent their early years in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn. However, when Adrienne was entering junior high, drugs took over the street. Their father soon moved his family to Manhattan. He made good money as a subway conductor, but in order to afford the rent on the two-bedroom apartment he found on Tenth Avenue and Fiftieth Street, he had to work double overtime. The family rarely saw him after they moved. He was always just getting in from work or leaving to go to work.
Since their mother was always at home or at the school doing volunteer work for the PTA, Adrienne and Dan couldn’t get away with much. No attending after-school centers, going to hooky parties, smoking reefer, or cutting class for the Montgomery kids. As a result, they were well mannered and earned excellent grades. When it was time for high school, Adrienne auditioned for the High School for Performing Arts and was accepted.
As he grew older, their father was still always working. When he was around he managed only to frighten Dan with his constant demands that he “straighten up and act like a man.” Mama smothered and fussed over her son as if he were made of glass. It was only with Adrienne that Dan could relax and be himself, until he met Charlene.
Adrienne rang Dan’s bell three times. There was no response, and she was about to leave when her brother finally answered the intercom. “It’s me, Adrienne.” As Adrienne rode the elevator upstairs, she wondered if she had interrupted her brother and Charlene in bed, even though it was one on a Saturday afternoon.
Dan came to the door, and Adrienne peeked anxiously over her shoulder. “Is Charlene here?”
Dan laughed and stood aside to let Adrienne pass. “Yes. She is in the bedroom, on the phone with the cable company. They have us on hold, and we’re afraid to get off. You know how long it takes to get through to them.”
Adrienne shivered as she unbuttoned her coat. “Dag, it’s windy out there.” She tossed her coat and pocketbook onto the coffee table and flopped down onto the sofa. Dan excused himself, went into the kitchen, and picked up the extension. For the next few minutes, he and Charlene took turns arguing with a cable representative over the bill for over three hundred dollars that they had received. Adrienne didn’t pay attention to the details.
There were two big pots on the coffee table. One was filled with fat green beans and the other was for the discarded ends. Adrienne sat rubbing her hands together to warm them until Dan and Charlene got off the phone.
Dan finally came back and sat cross-legged on the floor. Charlene joined them. She gave Adrienne a hug. “It’s about time you came to see me. I’ll do your hair as soon as I get these beans cooking on the stove. Why don’t you help me?” Charlene flopped down on the sofa beside her sister-in-law and the two women started in on the beans.
Dan said. “You look like you’re about to burst, Adrienne. What’s up?”
So Adrienne told Dan the Lloyd Cooper story. When she finished talking, his mouth was hanging open in astonishment.
The three lapsed into silence for a moment, and then Adrienne kicked off her shoes and went to the kitchen in her sweat socks. She opened the refrigerator. “Let’s see, it’s too early for a beer.” She took out some crackers and a can of soda. “LaMar looks great, and he was thrilled to run into me again.”
Dan laughed. “Why any man would remember you past fifteen seconds is beyond me.”
Adrienne stuck her tongue out at him. “Cut the little-brother jokes, Dan. Anyway, I can’t think about it anymore. That’s how I almost spoiled a nice surprise that Mel put together for me last night. I had Lloyd on the brain when I walked through the front door.”
Dan said, “I can’t wait to see LaMar. He was such a wuss. Always sitting at the kitchen table mooning after you.”
Adrienne blushed. “Will you forget about Lloyd for a minute? I have a real problem.”
“There’s more drama going on in your life?” Charlene asked incredulously.
Adrienne sighed. “Yeah.” She told them about Mel, the TV set, and the story he had given her about being mugged.
“I knew there was something wrong with Mel,” Charlene said.
“You were right about Mel’s drinking,” Adrienne said softly. “I think it is out of control, but he doesn’t even realize it.”
Charlene shook her head sadly. “Poor Mel.”
Adrienne could feel tears welling up in her eyes. “Poor Mel? What about me? I can sense Delilah’s presence sometimes.”
“I’m sure Mel does, too, Adrienne,” Charlene replied.
But Adrienne wasn’t so sure. She wondered if Mel thought about Delilah as much as she did.
Charlene patted her on the back. “Buck up, honey. Remember, you’re a former prom queen. Blink back those tears and smile.”
Adrienne was embarrassed by the praise. “Girl, please. When I was in show business, I met a whole bunch of former prom queens. I wasn’t special anymore. Plus, they were a whole lot tougher and scrappier than me. I guess that’s why I didn’t make it.”
Dan changed the subject. “Did Mel report the mugging?”
“I don’t believe Mel was mugged at all, but since I can’t get a handle on what else might have happened, I have to leave it alone.”
Charlene smiled at her husband and pointed at him with a long string bean. “Dan better not try no shit like that.”
Adrienne poked Charlene in the ribs. “Husbands and wives have always toughed it out in our family. We’re a loyal bunch, so you’re stuck with Dan.”
Charlene sucked her teeth. “Every clan h
as a divorce somewhere on the family tree.”
Adrienne shook her head. “Not on my mother or father’s side.”
“Whatever. Dan is a good man, and he better stay that way or we’ll end up in the Jordan history books as the first couple to throw in the towel.”
“Mel had the place looking real nice last night; there were flowers and good food. So tonight Mel and I are going to Nell’s. My treat.”
Dan laughed. “Nell’s is a nightclub for young people. It’s hard to picture you and Mel out on the dance floor rocking to hip-hop music.”
“Tonight they’re playing old school jams. So we’ll be okay.”
“I hope you have a good time,” Dan said.
Adrienne rubbed her hands together nervously. “We’re going to dance, drink, and have a good time. Everything is going to be perfect.”
The evening was far from perfect. The trouble started right after dinner. Mel washed the dishes and lay down on the bed. He used the remote to click on the TV. “I’m gonna watch the game,” he said.
Adrienne could see that he was in a lousy mood, so she tried to cheer him up. She tapped him lightly on the leg. “Aren’t you going to iron your clothes first, honey?”
He sighed, not bothering to hide his irritation. “I’m not in the mood to go dancing.”
Adrienne spoke softly. “We need to have as much fun as we can, Mel.”
The look on her face stopped him from asking why. She was trying to look cheerful, but he could see the desperation in her eyes. Adrienne never asked much of him, and for the most part, she let him do what he wanted to do. If going out tonight would make her feel a little better about herself, well, he guessed he could manage it. But Mel still didn’t feel like dressing up, and bumping and grinding around a bunch of young bloods barely old enough to remember “old school” wasn’t his idea of fun. He clicked the TV off before the game started and he could change his mind. “I hope this DJ plays some good music,” he said as he dragged himself over to the ironing board while Adrienne dressed.
A Mighty Love Page 9
