Brothers and Wives: A Novel

by Cydney Rax

  “You are sooo naughty, Scottie. Jeez, that rhymes doesn’t it?”

  Scottie tilts the soda can to my mouth again even though I’ve just taken a sip. He raises the can so high that some soda spills all over the top of my lips.

  “Hey, let me get that off for you.”

  He removes a piece of tissue from a box that’s sitting on the coffee table. With the paper clutched in his fingers, he leans over, then presses his lips against mine.

  “Oh,” I try to say, and squirm in my seat.

  Scottie’s eyes are closed, and he continues to kiss me. His lips are warm and soft. I relax and let the man kiss me for a few seconds.

  “Did you like that? Did I offend you?”

  “Oh Scottie, this is a bit much for me.”

  “Aw, damn, I’m sorry. I don’t want to pressure you.”

  “We are in your brother’s house. What if he walked in on us?”

  “He needs to know that I’m trying to date you. He’s going to have to grow up.”

  “Yeah, but …”

  “But nothing. We’ve been kicking it since I was at your crib. And for a minute, it seemed you didn’t care what Neil thought. Now you act like you shy or something. Where’s my little spitfire, my little I-don’t-give-a-damn woman?”

  “She’s still here.”

  “Show me!”

  “This isn’t the time or the place.”

  “You want to go to my room?”

  “Be serious, Scottie.” I laugh. “You’re so different from your brother.”

  “And do not compare me to him. I’ve been through a lot. You’re probably the most illegal thing Neil has ever gotten himself into. Shit, I’m shocked that y’all hooked up, knowing my brother.”

  “Um, yeah,” I say feeling uncomfortable. This house brings back so many memories of when we’d have the hots for each other but couldn’t do much since it felt like Anya’s eyes were on us even when she wasn’t home. And although it’s been over three years since Neil and I were messing around, it feels weird to discuss what happened with Scottie. But since it’s true that the guy definitely ain’t married to me, I should try and be more forthcoming.

  “I think it was mostly on my part, the reason we hooked up.”

  “Do tell.”

  “It’s too damned long of a story.”

  Scottie laughs and squeezes my hand. “So you do listen to me. Trying to steal my lines.”

  “You trying to steal my woman.” Scottie and I both look up. Neil is standing in front of us. He’s no longer dressed in his work clothes. He is wearing a blue tank top and some black workout shorts. His legs are so muscular. I stare harder and notice a bulge in his shorts. Incredible. I want to laugh out loud, but that would be too rude.

  So I sit and observe like I’m at a tennis match.

  “She was your woman. Not anymore.”

  “This is the mother of my child. Nothing can change that.”

  “Yeah, well, that’s all she is to you, Neil. Y’all not about to go back in the past.”

  “You don’t know what we do,” he says a little too loudly.

  I gasp. Neil’s just trying to pretend like we’re messing around, even though we’re not.

  “You’re lying, Neil.”

  “And if it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have a place to stay. As a matter of fact, when you gonna throw down for some rent? You always in the refrigerator. You always playing music all night long, using up electricity.”

  “You make the big bucks down there at the great medical center.”

  “I’m a real man. That’s what real men do.”

  “Man, hold up now.” Scottie stands up and faces Neil. “I’m a man, too. I work hard; it’s just that I’m waiting to hear back from some companies. I’ve been on at least six interviews.”

  When Scottie decided he was staying in town, he said he missed Texas and wanted to take his chances here and see if he could get a job and not have to move back to Detroit. In the daily telephone conversations that we’ve held since meeting, Scottie’s told me how he’s doing everything he can to make sure his return to Houston is permanent.

  “And what have you been doing the rest of the time, huh, Scottie? Looking for work is a full-time job. You can’t go on two interviews a couple of times a week and expect to get a good job.”

  “You don’t need to lecture me, man. I ain’t trying to hear all that.”

  “You need to listen to somebody. It’s when you don’t listen that your life gets screwed up.”

  “Here we go. You ain’t my daddy.” Scottie’s voice breaks. I can hear the hurt in his words. His eyes look so sad, I want to hug him. But he throws his hands in the air.

  “I’m done, Neil. Hey, Mariah, you follow me. We can go to my room.”

  Scottie looks at me like he expects me to obey.

  I grab my purse and stand. He extends his hand and leads me from the den.

  But I walk toward the front door and not upstairs like he wants.

  “This is too awkward. I’d rather hang out at my place,” I whisper to Scottie.

  “That’s cool. I’m gonna go upstairs and get some music I want you to hear. Be right back.”

  I go stand next to the door so I can wait and think. But Neil enters the foyer and pulls no punches.

  “Dani, what do you think you’re doing?”

  “Do you really have the right to question me?”

  Neil is eerily silent. Even though it’s obvious Neil still loves me, I can’t help but feel upset about everything. Let’s face it, Neil chose and has the woman he wants. I’m still waiting to get everything I want.

  And now I want to be the one who gets chosen in the end. I want to be somebody’s wife one day.

  — 5 —

  LANECIA

  Gotta Get My Face Time

  It’s the last weekend in August, an entire month since Scottie made LaNecia a promise. Ever since then, she’s waited for Scottie to call and set up a date, but she’s sick of wondering what’s the big holdup.

  On this Tuesday morning right before the lunch hour, the skies are so clear it looks like an endless stretch of blue. The sun sparkles with a brilliance that makes the day feel perfect.

  A new multimillion-dollar elementary school is being built on the north side of Houston. It’s almost noon by the time LaNecia and her best friend, Karetha, arrive at the construction site of the upcoming school. The last time LaNecia was lucky to catch Scottie on the phone, they spoke briefly; he mentioned how busy he’d been because he’d finally secured a new job as a construction foreman for the school district. He’s been on the job a little over a week and sometimes works ten hours a day. By the time he gets home he’s tired and funky, and that’s the excuse he’s given LaNecia about why he hasn’t been able to hang out with her. LaNecia figures that since he can’t come to her, she’ll go to him.

  LaNecia’s wearing a colorful floral-designed maxidress. Because funds are often low, she’s been spending time painting her own toes and nails and has gotten pretty good at it. Today she feels she looks her best, and she wants Scottie to notice.

  LaNecia frantically knocks on Scottie’s construction trailer door, but no one answers.

  “Step away from the peephole, fool,” Karetha warns.

  “Shut up,” LaNecia says, and keeps tapping loud.

  “Girl, why did I ever listen to you? It isn’t a good idea to just show up on this man’s job. Nobody’s here, plus we’re supposed to be registering your ass for school. And on top of that, need I remind you I’m on my lunch break. An hour lunch …”

  “If you were my real friend you’d …”

  Karetha rolls her eyes even though she doubts LaNecia can see her, because the girl is too busy banging her fist against the door. They’re huddled together in front of the Bayou Town Construction trailer and LaNecia is getting angry.

  “Is he trying to hide from me?” she asks Karetha. “I see his car big as day sitting there,” she says, keeping watch on the tiny g
ravel parking lot.

  “Hold up a second.” LaNecia leaves Karetha standing next to the trailer while she rushes over to Scottie’s SUV. She touches the hood of the Escalade, then walks back to LaNecia.

  “It’s colder than a subzero freezer.”

  “Humph, he’s not answering my knock, but his car is here. I wonder where he is.”

  “Girl, he’s a grown-ass man and, face it, he’s not exactly keeping you in his loop.”

  “Yes he is. We talked on the phone a week ago. I called him. He told me what he was up to. Promised he’d get back with me. I’m just helping him out a little bit.”

  “Ugh, there you go. How do I let myself get involved in this?” Karetha groans, looking frustrated. “If a man is truly interested, he’ll call a chick on a regular basis, and even if he’s busy, he’ll make time for the woman he wants to see.”

  “And if a woman is going to have a man, she has to step up her game and show him that she’s down for him, no matter how long it takes. Cookie waited for Magic Johnson umpteen years. I’ve only been waiting on Scottie for a year.”

  “Girl, you are such a fool. Scottie is no Magic Johnson,” Karetha responds.

  “Shoot, we need to get back on the freeway before traffic builds up. I can drop you off at HCC so you can register. And I want to stop by Popeye’s drive-through and get me the Tuesday special. C’mon, Necia, later for Scottie.”

  “Anya will take me to register.”

  “Then what you need me for?”

  “’Cause I want you here, plus you’re my girl.”

  “I’m your fool.”

  “Shhh, I hear a car coming.”

  Karetha suddenly gets shoved to the side as LaNecia rushes past her. She runs to the other side of the lot and hides behind some bushes so she can peek through the branches. Karetha scurries after LaNecia and crouches beside her.

  The second LaNecia spots Scottie with Dani in “Ugmo’s” truck, she seethes inside. Ugmo, short for “ugly mofo,” is the nickname LaNecia gave to Dani the minute she sensed that Scottie was attracted to the chick he met at the family reunion. Even from a short distance, she can see Scottie wearing a broad smile on his face as he pulls into the parking lot.

  “Oh, hell no. There’s Ugmo’s pickup. You see Scottie getting out of the driver’s seat? Did that bitch let him drive her old beat-up hooptie?”

  “Her car isn’t that old, Ne …”

  “Shut up. You talk too loud. What if he hears us?”

  “Huh? If your original plans stay the same, Scottie’s gonna hear us eventually since you’re coming by unannounced.”

  “We haven’t crossed that bridge yet, Ka. We haven’t crossed that bridge. Now hush.”

  Before Karetha clamps her mouth shut, she whispers to LaNecia, “Remind me to curse you out as soon as we leave the premises.”

  LaNecia quietly watches Scottie as he takes a few slow steps toward the front of Dani’s truck. But it takes every ounce of strength to remain still when she observes her cousin stride over to the passenger door and open it. Dani hops out wearing a pair of four-inch heels, some tight jeans, and a yellow tube top. She’s struggling to hold a couple of huge sacks from Luby’s restaurant, plus a plastic Kroger bag. Scottie offers to hold the bags for her. Dani smiles and hands all the packages to him.

  “What?” LaNecia hisses underneath her breath. “That is not gangster right there at all. He better be glad he doesn’t know I’m spying on his ass.”

  “Wow, it looks like they’re about to have a nice romantic lunch alone in the trailer. I hope they bought enough to feed us, too. I love me some Luby’s….”

  LaNecia gives Karetha the evil eye and resumes watching the action.

  Scottie and Dani continue quietly chatting as they slowly walk up the stairs that lead to the construction trailer door. They stare into each other’s eyes and slip inside.

  “I can’t believe this! What should I do, Ka, tell me!”

  “Get. Out. Now.”

  “Who asked your advice, anyway? Damn, I need something to drink.”

  “We still have bottled water in the cooler in my car.”

  “I’m not talking about that kind of drink. Damn, Ka, you’re not being any real help at all today.”

  “Um, can we please stop bending over and hiding in the bushes? My back is starting to hurt.”

  LaNecia can’t help but grin and shake her head. Seeing Karetha bent over is the only funny thing that’s happened today. But LaNecia’s smile lasts for a brief moment. If she had known that her plans of dropping by on Scottie and asking him to commit to a date night would result in her seeing him and Ugmo together, she would have come up with a plan B.

  “Damn, damn, damn. I can’t believe he’s spending time with her … again.”

  Unable to help herself, last night LaNecia snuck and parked her car near Dani’s apartment and almost vomited when she saw Scottie drive up around ten. “That’s too damned late to be going over to someone’s house,” she said at the time. Although she was dying to wait and see how long Scottie stayed, her eyelids began to drop from sleepiness, and she was forced to go home.

  “Okay, Miss Fatal Attraction. Now what?” Karetha asks.

  “I dunno.” LaNecia sighs.

  “Well, I do. Give Scottie a chance to do things his way. And until then, you should take your life in your own hands. Call Ms. Anya and do the college thing since she’s so willing to help you out. She sounds like she truly cares about you, girl. Not too many other folks running after you to help you like she is.”

  “Yeah, I just wish I could take Ms. Anya’s heart and place it inside Scottie. That would make me feel so good.”

  “You need mental help, LaNecia.”

  “What I need is inside that trailer. What on Earth are they doing in there all alone? Where are the rest of the workers? What kind of foreman lets his employees goof off and not be at work?”

  “The same kind of supervisor that may fire us if we miss work. And I’m telling you, you shouldn’t have called in sick today at Pappadeaux’s just to follow behind Scottie’s ass. You can at least take the rest of your day and do something productive. Try and get a good night’s sleep, and tomorrow you can return to work and bag those to-go orders.” Ka giggles.

  LaNecia ignores Karetha’s comment. She stares down at the ground and paces in a small circle. “It’s all Ugmo’s fault. Scottie wouldn’t be acting this way if it weren’t for her. What does he see in her? Why did I ever have to get pregnant? I know he’s acting out because we lost our baby. Little Scottie.”

  “Girl, please. You don’t know the gender.”

  “I do too know. It was a boy. Our son. He’d be about seven months by now. And I love when kids are that age. They play with their toes and talk baby talk and …”

  LaNecia’s longing for her dead son is interrupted. The door of the trailer swings open and Dani emerges first, followed by Scottie.

  “Thanks for hanging out with me at lunch. Gotta get back to work, though. The rest of the crew should be back here any minute,” Scottie says to Dani while walking her to her truck.

  “I enjoyed the food.”

  “Is that all?”

  “And you, of course. You always make me laugh, Scottie. Now I better head on back. Gallery Furniture is scheduled to deliver the new bed this afternoon and I don’t want to miss them.”

  “Hmm, I can’t wait to see your new bed.”

  “Oh, Scottie, try and be good.”

  “Why you say that? It’s not like anyone can hear or see us.”

  He leans over and plants a solid kiss on Dani’s lips. She waves good-bye, gets in her pickup, and drives off.

  Scottie watches her until she turns the corner, then heads back inside the trailer.

  “Damn, I just can’t believe this.”

  “Maybe you should try,” Karetha says.

  “I think I’ll have a little talk with him. Do you know we haven’t seen each other in weeks, since I showed up at Ugmo’s? I know onc
e he sees me in a good setting, he’ll realize he hasn’t treated me all that well. I just gotta get my face time, Ka. Wait for me in the car.”

  LaNecia boldly walks up the little stairs and taps lightly on the trailer door. When Scottie doesn’t answer, she turns the knob and steps inside. The room is deserted. She notices several construction drawings spread across the surface of some portable tables. The walls are filled with colorful renderings of the upcoming elementary school.

  “Damn, this doesn’t look like a school for little kids,” she says to herself. “It looks like a fucking college campus.”

  LaNecia hears the sounds of a toilet flushing. Then the door of the tiny bathroom opens.

  “LaNecia?”

  “Hey there, Scottie,” she says reminding herself not to refer to him as cousin anymore. She wants him to see her as a woman, not as his flesh and blood.

  “How’d you get in?”

  “The door was unlocked. I knocked, but you didn’t answer, and I knew you were here because your car is.”

  “Cousin, my staff will be here any minute. They all went out to lunch together. You got three minutes.”

  “Okay, okay, okay.” LaNecia, who only minutes ago had mentally rehearsed what she would say, is now just staring at Scottie as if she’s stumped. What in the fuck is my problem? If he starts to think I’m losing it, can I blame him? Get it together, girl.

  “What time do you get off today, Scottie?”

  “Three-thirty.”

  “Good. How about we catch an early movie? That way you feel no pressure. We can just chill tonight.”

  “What is the purpose of this?”

  “Remember you said you’d do one more date with me and then that would be it? Once you get it out of the way, you won’t have to worry about me anymore.”

  “For some reason I find that hard to believe.”

  “You won’t know unless you give it a try. So let’s meet up. I can drive myself. We can go to Alamo Drafthouse. That movie Wanted is still showing, and I love movies about assassins.”

  She notices the lines softening in Scottie’s forehead. “Damn, I keep hearing how good Wanted is and I haven’t had time to go check it out. You know what? Let’s roll. Now go on and get back in that car of yours. I can see some of the guys pulling up now. They’re late!”