BOMAW 1-3 (106 page)

"Ah shit... here we go! Changing! Can't depend on a negro no where to stick to the plan! I have to get my ass back here tonight! I'm going to work in the morning! Now you need to tell me if you bringing me back or not!?"

"Yeah I'mo bring yo' black ass back! Damn! You gone get back! Now quit wasting my time... I could be on my way. You know we got to include lost time! So be yo' young ass ready!"

Vivian listened as Sheila clicked the phone off on her.

She took a deep breath and went to her closet wearing her white lace, Victoria Secret panty and bra. That's all she wore, she indulged herself that way... because as the L'Oreal commercial stated... she was worth it. At twenty eight years old, her life had all been laid out. She'd followed the formula to the letter, despite all that her family said about her. Despite her reputation for being the black sheep of the family. Everyone had expected her to fail and make nothing of herself, she'd risen above and made more money than them all. She lived in an expensive townhouse with the income to do so. Spending it on supporting herself and her style of life. All was just as she wanted it save for one thing.

No man!

She'd wasted five years of her life on a worthless piece of crap Japanese doctor that she let lead her down a road of promises never fulfilled. He was supposed to leave his wife for her. Lying little jap didn't. She was pissed every time she thought of him. Yeah he'd given her plenty, whatever she wanted to keep her, but she wasn't going out like that. Forever as some rich man's mistress... screw that! She was knocking at the door of thirty... and it was time to get busy and settle with a more stable relationship. She needed an unattached man. A man that was ready to marry. A man who wanted maybe a kid or two. She'd been crazy most of her young life. Wreaking hell on her sisters lives. Now... she'd settled down a bit... well, a bit. She didn't mess with them as much anymore. She no longer suffered the effects of being Milton and Betty Cooke's blackest child of four girls. She'd given all three of her sisters absolute hell growing up. Especially her second sister Ella. Because Ella was light skinned with, "good hair" she took after their mother who was light skinned. Lacy was the oldest, a nice brown, and Candace the third daughter was a bit between Lacy and Ella in complexion... and then she'd come along; black as black could be, like her father. Thick, jet black, not so good hair... however, she had perfect afro hair... and she wore it proudly; now that is. When she was growing up, it had been one hell of an adjustment to stand in the shadow of her sisters. Hearing everyone refer to them as the pretty Cooke girls and the black one, as if she hadn't been apart of the Cooke sisters. Oh the wicked little games she played with them. If there was something she could do to ruin anything they most enjoyed, bets down... she'd mess it up for them. Then took her butt whooping - because she knew if it was found out, she was definitely getting one. Her mother had always shook her head saying to her father, "That one there ain't gone do nothing with herself. When its all said and done, we'll be supporting her."

Ha! Not!

Vivian had heard... and she proved them all wrong. Fact was, her parents were always having to help Candace, and had at times helped, Lacy and Ella too! Not once, had they to give her anything and she hadn't needed anything from them. Even more so, she had loaned two of her sisters money and helped bail them out of money cramps. As for her father, he never really put her down, but he never encouraged her much either. As if he were afraid to back her because she was black like him. So he'd stood silently by and let everyone pick on her and prejudge her. Well, she'd shown them all! Because not only had she grown up and gotten good grades in school, she had a good job making nice money. If that weren't sweet enough, when puberty hit... she'd been transformed into an ebony goddess. A body and figure that made everyone whom she passed stop and take a look. She had small shoulders, just the right size breasts, and the smallest waist of all she knew, and then... her hips rounded out and her ass swelled behind just so. A - to die for perfectly shaped ass - an exact upside down heart shape, one to be proud of... and she was. The Lord still wasn't done because he blessed her with slender shapely legs and sensually curved calves. Vivian smiled as she looked at herself in the mirror, turning to look at the rear view. Her sisters hated that she got it all. All they could get her on was that she was so black.

That too, Vivian had grown into accepting.

No thanks to black men. Few had paid her any mind. Oh she got the whistles, the wolf calls, all the lame lines they used trying to get her attention, but it had all been just a game they played. Because when it came to being serious, they turned away from her for a light skinned girl with long hair.

Well she wasn't light skinned, and she didn't have long hair. She was coal black with an afro and she learned to strut her stuff and be what she was. She didn't invest in weave, no skin lighteners, no blue or green contact lenses. She was all natural black... take her or leave her.

When she walked down the street, it was usually the attention of Spanish men that went nuts over her. She didn't want no Spanish nothing... they were crazy as hell! After all, look what Sylvia went through with that half Puerto Rican. Granted, Armundo's father had been black, his mother had been the Puerto Rican, but still - no thanks, especially seeing what Ellen was going through with that whacked out Mexican she was dating.

Even though Vivian stood five foot eight, she preferred Asian men. Most all were shorter than her, but she didn't care... she always went for the doctors or professional men anyway, which coming full circle, had only led her to wasting all those years with that lying little Japanese whom turned out to be married and unwilling to divorce for her. Never again. That left her where she was now, willing to take the next step in the interracial pool. What the heck... she was gonna give some white man a go. He had to meet a certain criteria of course, and this time - she would try her best not to get in bed with him. She would try. She would try really hard... but it had been a while now. She'd been without a man for six, long, lonely months. It had taken her a time to get over 'Laek Chan' - but she'd finally moved on and finalized the -
No!
- with him. He still called her now and then trying to get her to take him back. Forget that... that whole ordeal was history.

She was all packed and ready now. She always carried a change of clothes just in case. Wearing the dress she had on, another one should something happen - a spill - a rip whatever, and a little Capri outfit.

She took one more look at herself - and smiled.

The red dress - if this didn't capture someone's attention... nothing would.

Walking through her clean home, she checked that everything was as it should be. One day, she would buy herself a car, she hadn't so far because having one just wasn't worth giving up her precious money every month when there were buses and trains running. Forget that. Car notes and insurance! Nope. Her money went on her home, furniture - antiques from the Victorian era was her style, clothes, jewellery, perfume and make up... and anything else she could use to spoil herself - was where her money went. Maybe if she played her cards right, got the right man - he would buy her a car... as Sheila tooted the horn, she figured that into the plan.

Locking up, she was out the door.

"Let's go!" Sheila called seeing her in the front door.

"I'm coming! Hold your ass still for a minute... damn!" She called locking up removing the key and dropping it into her bag.

In L. A....

"It's Friday! What do you have going on today?" Terra asked Deidre, calling her before she was out the door for work.

Deidre laughed holding the phone to her ear, packing her briefcase, turning off her computer. "I'm going to work until twelve. Have lunch at your restaurant as I always do... and then back to work." She answered shifting a box out of her way, she was determined to get all of her things completely unpacked this weekend, she couldn't believe she still had boxes sitting and waiting to be opened for the contents to be put away.

"Then after work?!" Terra asked excitedly.

Again Deidre laughed, "Oooh, I'll be attending the Jared Bailey Foundation Awards for Culinary Arts - featuring award winning restaurants and chef's - you see I have a good friend who is in fact tonight... a candidate for such an prestigious award. I, proud friend that I am... intend to be there and watch as she accepts it!"

"YES! Oh... you think I will... that I'll be called? Oh I do hope so! I'm telling you now Deidre, I am a nervous wreck! All of my family will be there! You - have to be there!"

"And I will be there...promise."

"You bringing anyone?" Terra asked.

"Just myself."

"Emmm, so that... what's his name again?..."

"Jeremiah Franklin."

"Yes... ummm, busy tonight is he?"

"I'm coming alone Terra... all by myself!"

"I thought you enjoyed yourself with him... you sounded as if you did."

"I did... but it was just dinner... nothing more."

"Emmm, well... if you say so. Anyway... you have your directions on how to get there?"

"Yes... I have my directions... I'm all set. I'll get off work, I'll come home and change... then I'll set off for the ceremony."

"OH! This is so exciting... I can't wait!" Terra explained.

Deidre smiled, "Neither can I... see you at lunch."

*

"Did you get that?"

"I got it."

"Good make sure every one of them is in place. Depending on which she calls, they must be ready to respond."

"Trust me... every thing is in place. Every detail has been seen to."

"Okay... whatever you do... don't blow it. She has to die tonight."

"Oh... she will... she will."

*

Back In Wisconsin...

Victor had arrived on time for the boys as he said he would.

Crystal did her best to be disconnected from him emotionally. She ached from wanting him to look her in the face just briefly to show some type of desire to be back with her again, but his expression was carefully guarded.

"Enjoy your mother's wedding. I'll be keeping the boys for the entire weekend, so... have a good time."

"You know if you wanted to, you could come as well." She said with a heavy heart.

"Thanks but, can't ... I've already made plans... I'm just gonna spend time with my boys."

"Okay... its up to you."

Victor looked around the house, "Not bad... he's got a nice house... it was really nice of him to let you all move in here."

"Yes, it was. He's a good man... my moms lucky, we're lucky to have him. Who knows... had he been in our lives earlier... maybe, just maybe... things would have been different - I don't know... no matter... water under the bridge hm?" She imparted softly.

Victor's eyes went to her then after deliberately keeping his eyes everywhere but on her. He missed her. Their time together hadn't been all bad. There were many good times. Life had just gotten too complicated too quickly for him he supposed. They both needed this breather, who knows... maybe... if things changed with her, maybe... they could be together again. This of course was not what his parents wanted. They felt he should divorce immediately and get on with his life. He still couldn't believe when he went out to dinner with them, that they'd set him up with their friends daughter, Jeanine. Jeanine was no stranger to him. They knew each other from grade school. She was what his parents wanted for him. A nice, clean, simple and yet pretty girl. Brunette, slender, educated and serenely gentle. The question was, how did he go from his fiery Crystal, to a docile peace keeper, never raising her voice... like his mother. He figured he must be mentally malfunctioning... after all... weren't young guys suppose to be attracted to women like their mothers?

"Well I better get going." He finally snapped out of it to say. "Come on Darren." He called taking his son from Crystal's arms. "You got your bag Isaac?" He asked.

"Yep! I'm ready to go! See you later mama! Gimme kiss... I love you."

Crystal bent down and hugged and kissed her son with her heart lodged in her throat. "You be good ... okay?"

"I will mama... kiss Darren now..." He directed her.

She went to Darren, who was in his father's arms, and took his little head in her hands and kissed him, "Have fun my baby." She said to him. He held his arms out to her, pumping his little fingers for her to take him or come with them. "Mama's gonna stay here this time... you go with daddy and have fun." She said softly, then looked up into her husband's eyes. She found hope there... she saw the desire in his eyes, no matter how small a hope... she still affected him. "Be careful with the boys."

"I will..." He looked like he wanted to say something else... but he kept it to himself, turned and made his way to the front door, carrying Darren, the gym bag filled with clothes for them, medicine, diapers and Darren's sippy cup.

Crystal watched him load them into his mother's car that she loaned him to pick them up. Her stomach was in knots but she waved and let him drive away, ignoring her need to be with him. Turning back inside, it was time to get ready for the wedding. She and Mundo would be meeting them at the church. Her mom, Shawn and Angela were already gone to his parents house to get ready, they'd left in the SUV. Shawn gave her and Mundo the keys to the truck so that Mundo could bring all of his equipment and set up at the reception hall. She turned and started getting ready... eager for the day despite watching her husband drive away with her sons. Today... she would meet her other brother... Derrick Jr. another one of her father's sons. She was looking forward to it.