Ebony Angel (28 page)

He pulled her along. “Don’t be ridiculous. This one’s a model.” He led her up the steps and opened the door of the center home. “Ladies first.” He moved to the side, allowing her to enter.

“This is fantastic!” The sunken living room was spacious. A wide, curved-metal stairwell led out of the living room up to what she assumed were the sleeping quarters.

She took the two steps down, slipped off her shoes and placed them on the plush burgundy carpet. “This is amazing.” She walked across the room to the open area behind the living room. It had a maple Woodstock floor. The pattern of the wood flowed nicely with the feel of the town house. She bent, brushing her hand over the wood. Its rich deep coloring took her breath away. She sat on the floor, imagining how she would decorate. She saw her computer desk sitting along the wall.

“Come on. There’s more.”

“I think I’ll stay here forever.”

He chuckled. “Let’s check out the kitchen. You know how you love to eat.”

She pointed to a room off to the left. “What’s that?” She went to investigate. “Oh, cool. This would make a perfect office. Everything in this place is huge. I need to be rich.” She wandered through the downstairs bathrooms and the kitchen, then ventured upstairs.

The upper level contained three medium-sized bedrooms, a full bath and a small loft area lined with built-in bookshelves. And then there was a finished basement. “This is simply amazing.”

He escorted her into the living room, where they sat in the middle of the burgundy carpet and looked through the floor plans and brochures about Hidden Oasis.

“You really like this place, don’t you?”

“Stop talking crazy, Trae. I love it. Now I know where I want to live.”

“We never got to have our talk.”

She forced her mind away from the fabulous home she had just walked through. “Oh, I’m sorry. I totally forgot. How did it go with you and Skeet?”

“I ate a little crow, so we’re cool again.” He fidgeted with the tongue of his Nikes. “I don’t know why this is so hard. It was easier apologizing to Skeet.”

“Why not just say it? I won’t break, you know.” She couldn’t fathom why it was so hard for him to tell her he was leaving the drug life.

“I scared you in the car, didn’t I?”

She looked away. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“I’d die before I hurt you.” He took her hand into his.

She knew he didn’t understand. By refusing to give her freedom from the drug world, he hurt her. By keeping her from raising her child as she saw fit, he hurt her.

“The anxiety in your eyes took my mind back to when we were teens,” he continued. “I’m not the same person anymore. I can’t continue living as I have. I’m leaving the drug life behind.”

Skeet telling her Trae was leaving the lifestyle registered in her brain; hearing Trae confirm his life change registered in her heart, became real. She felt overjoyed and teared up. “I’m so proud of you.” She hugged him. “Sorry I’m acting so crazy. I’ve been through a lot lately.” She rested her head on his shoulder. “Everything’s finally coming together. We’re all gonna make it out alive.”

“I have a favor to ask. You see, my getting out will place you and Crystal in more danger. I have a plan to keep you safe.”

“What?”

He lifted himself slightly, taking a set of keys out of his pocket. “I’m giving you your graduation gift now, instead of after the ceremony next month.” He held the keys out. “This whole set of homes is yours.”

Her mouth opened wide. “No way! What are you talking about?”

“I bought them with legit money as a wedding gift. Since your plans changed, now they’re a graduation gift.”

“I can’t believe this. You’re actually giving me this town house?”

“All five. You can collect rent on the other four. You can’t go wrong owning property. I already have a prospective renter for one of the units.”

“You’re serious, aren’t you?”

“Yes, this is all yours.”

Overwhelmed with everything that had gone on since the new year, she took a few seconds to gather herself. “I love the house, but I can’t accept this.”

“The hell you can’t.”

She closed her eyes and lowered her head. “I’m so tired of this. Trae, please…” She sat up straight. “I was wrong. I should have never accepted a dime from you. This,” she motioned around, “was bought with drug money. How many addicts did you create to pay for it?”

“I’m leaving the life.”

“And I’m grateful to God for sparing you, but don’t expect me to live under a roof paid for in dollars of sin.”

“Listen, you can’t stay on the west side. I’ve already started a rumor that I’m the one who beat Smoke. By the time I drop you off, everyone will know.”

His words took a while to process because she knew he couldn’t have said what she thought he said. But just in case, she asked, “Why would you do something like that?”

“To keep you safe. People have to think you’ve given me walking papers. We need to have a fight over Smoke, and you move to get away from me while I’m out of town.”

“You put this cockamamie scheme into action without even consulting me? This is ridiculous. I’m not into playing games.”

“I’m trying to protect you.”

“From danger you put me in. This isn’t the life I want, Trae.”

“You don’t have a choice. You have to move away. Take the damn house.”

She held up a finger. “That’s where you’re wrong. If you had come to me
before
you set this crazy ball to rolling, you’d know that I deposited my sign-on bonus in the bank. I planned to take Crystal out this weekend to go condo shopping.”

Trae just stared.

She tapped the prices listed on the brochure. “I can’t afford a whole set, but I could swing a middle and an end unit. I may have to ask Mom to cosign a loan, but so be it.”

“Fine! Do it your way, but this is a bunch of bull! I want you to move this weekend. Don’t tell anyone where you’re moving. Tell the boys you’re afraid I’ll find you. I’ll bet they’ll try to keep you hidden from me.” He snarled more than smiled.

“Does Skeet know the plan?”

“Whose idea do you think it was?”

“Figures.”

“I also told Dan and Marissa.”

“So everyone knew except me. I need to get control of my life.”

Trae watched Ebony as she paced her flat, arguing with her mother on the phone. He had known separating Ebony from Marissa would be easy. Marissa was the type of person who refused to move out of the neighborhood. He didn’t understand the mentality, but thanked God she felt that way. He also knew that she would give Ebony a hard time, but would cosign the loan. With the way Marissa’s shops pulled in the dough, he would bet she could have bought the entire Hidden Oasis.

“I’m not deserting you, Mom. I asked you to move in with us.” She massaged her temples. “I know I grew up here and came out fine…Are you going to cosign or not?”

Trae rested on the recliner. Separating Skeet from Ebony would be impossible, so he would have to keep Skeet close. Dan was the real danger. If his plan for coming between Dan and Ebony backfired, Trae would never recover. He also feared he would create more than a temporary rift between the two.

“…this weekend, Mom. Trae will be out of town, so I have to move fast.” She sat on the couch, then covered the receiver with her hand. “This woman is driving me crazy,” she whispered through clinched teeth. “I’m not trying to keep your grandchild away from you. Please, Mom. I need for you to back me on this.”

Why he was shocked that Ebony wouldn’t accept the complex from him was beyond him. He should have known not to even try. Over the years, she had even been wasting the money he gave her for Crystal on a bunch of junkies. He would have stopped the flow of cash to her long ago, but chasing crackheads seemed to make her happy.

“Yes, Crystal can stay with you at Dan’s for a few days…if that’s the way you want it.” She held the phone in front of her face, stared at it a few seconds, then tossed it to the side. “She hung up on me.”

“She’ll cool off.”

“She says not to speak to her unless it directly relates to Crystal, but she’ll cosign the loan. Talk about mixed messages.”

“She’s been worrying about your moving for years. Give her time. She’s always been melodramatic. All of you Washingtons are.”

“Why can’t she just be happy for me? Why all the drama? I need a drink. Do you want something?”

“Nah.” He could see her retreating to some place deep inside as she headed for the kitchen.

* * *

Orange juice, milk, Kool-aid, tea. Ebony closed the refrigerator door, took a glass out of the cabinet and ran cold tap water in the sink. She wasn’t thirsty; she was hurt. Why she continually put her faith in people just to be let down time and time again never ceased to amaze her. She should have been prepared for Marissa’s reaction. Yes, she had said she would cosign the loan, but only because she knew Ebony would get the money from Dan if she didn’t, and she didn’t want anyone saying she didn’t provide for her child.

“You get lost in there?” Trae called from the living room.

“I’m fine. I just need a few minutes—alone.” She cut the water off and sat at the table. Marissa would never change. She could remember when she had rushed home from school with her letter of acceptance from the University of Chicago.

“Mom, I made it! I made it!” Ebony kicked off her shoes and ran into the kitchen.

Marissa smiled. “Made what, child?” She stopped breading the fish momentarily, placing her finger close to her lips. “Keep your voice down. Crystal’s finally asleep.”

“I’m sorry. I’m just so excited.” She held up the letter so Marissa could read it. “I made it! I made it! I made it!”

One glance at the letter and Marissa’s smile faded. “Girl, you don’t have no time for no college.” She pointed toward the bedroom, cornmeal and seasoning dropping from her fingers. “You have a child to raise.”

“But, Mom, read all the way to the bottom.” She pointed out the lines. “They’re giving me a full scholarship. I don’t even have to pay for books.”

“That baby in there will be five by the time you finish school, and then find a job. How will you support her until then, Ebony? Rent, diapers, food, clothes, health insurance and childcare all cost money.”

Ebony had thought she’d live with her mother and continue working at the convenience store to earn extra money.

“Does their scholarship pay for that? I’ve supported you long enough. After you graduate, you’re going to beauty school. That’s one job you’ll always have financial security in.”

“But I don’t want to be a…”

“No buts. I finally have enough money to buy us our own salon. I have eight beauticians lined up to rent space at six hundred a month each. You’re a smart girl, do the math. I have a large clientele. If you would waste less time at the library and spend more time braiding hair, you’d never have to worry about money.”

“I work. I make money.”

Marissa returned to breading fish. “Sorry, but that measly hundred a week won’t cover it. You’ll stay here with me and work at the salon.”

“I could work full-time. People work and go to school.”

“When would you spend time with your child, Ebony? She needs you.”

“Who are you to tell me about spending time with my child? I spend more time with Crystal in a week than you did with me my whole childhood.”

Marissa caught Ebony by surprise with a slap across the face. The letter flew out of Ebony’s hands. Refusing to cry, she stared at her mother.

When Ebony was accepted to Whitney Young, one of the top high schools in the city, Marissa threw a fit, saying she should go to the neighborhood school, which happened to be one of the worst schools in the city.
School is whatever you take out of it,
Marissa used to say. Ebony hadn’t allowed Marissa to talk her out of going to Whitney Young, and she had no intention of being talked out of attending the University of Chicago.

“Who do you think you’re talking to? I did the best I could for you. After your father died, I didn’t have a choice but to work two jobs to keep a roof over your head and food in your belly. What did you want from me? To take Dan’s drug money? Is that your plan? I hear Trae’s dabbling in the drug trade.”

Rubbing her cheek, Ebony continued staring at her mother. She had remained silent for years, but no longer. She had her own child to raise, and wouldn’t be stopped. “You did have a choice. We could have moved in with Auntie Genevieve. Instead,
you
chose to leave me alone.”

“You weren’t a baby.”

“No, I wasn’t a baby, but I was far too young to be left alone. Everyone knew I was home alone. I lived in fear of being raped, mugged or murdered. Do you know how many perverts are out there? Do you think their remarks were only for other kids? Give me a break.” She bent, picking up the letter. “I’ll get a second job if I have to. My counselor said something about grants. I’m going to the University of Chicago with or without your support—and I’ll do it without Trae’s drug money. I don’t need anyone’s help.”