God's Gift to Women (21 page)

But it was my unconditional love that blinded me to my responsibilities as a parent. Ever since the incident with Terri, Samantha had been walking around with an attitude and giving me the silent treatment. I should have dealt with that issue right after it happened, but instead I let weeks go by. That only made me appear ashamed and guilty. Now that Terri and I were back together, I had all the incentive I needed to put my foot down. If that didn’t work, there was always the good old-fashioned ass whippin’.

“Get your rest, Princess,” I whispered while closing her door. “Tomorrow morning, we’re gonna have a
long
talk.”

Instead of going to bed, I threw a few items in my gym bag and went downstairs to get my groove on while I showered. I lit two scented candles and placed one inside the shower door and the other on the counter. Then I dragged the stereo speakers in from the living room. I turned the radio dial to Magic 102, hoping they would play something smooth and relaxing. Just as I was taking off my drawers, “Smooth Operator” by Sade came on. “Now that’s right on time!” I turned off the lights, peeled off the rest of my clothes, then stepped into the steamy shower.

As the water ran over my head and down my back, I closed my eyes and sang along to the lyrics. “He’s a smooth operator… Smooth … operator.” The tempo was so smooth, so relaxing, so—Sade.
What would it be like to get with a woman so classy and deep?
I was thinking. But Sade was only a voice, Terri was real. She’s my fantasy come true.

I chilled out in the shower listening to one cut after another. “Portuguese Love” by Tina Marie, “Devotion” by Earth, Wind & Fire, and the classic, “Strawberry 22” by The Brothers Johnson.
I turned the lever until the water was so hot I could hardly bear it. Steam filled the small room, fogging the mirrors and the glass shower doors.
“Ah,”
I sighed. “If only Terri was here to wash my back.”

I was jammin’ so hard I completely lost track of time, but when the skin on my fingertips began to wrinkle I knew it was time to get out. I turned off the water and stepped out onto the floor mat. After putting on some lotion I walked over to turn the light switch on—that’s when I saw something that shocked me.

The words TRICK OR TREAT? were written in bold letters in the middle of the fogged mirror. Time stood still. The sound of the radio faded into complete silence and my heart pounded so hard it echoed in my ears. I tried not to panic as I slipped on my drawers. I turned down the volume on the radio, then reached underneath the sink for my pipe wrench. I grasped it tightly and stepped out into the living room.

When I saw that she wasn’t there, I checked the living room, then the kitchen and pantry, but there was no sign of her. Then I remembered. “Oh, shit, Samantha!” I said out loud. I rushed up the stairs so fast I fell down twice. All sorts of horrible visions flashed through my mind as I came closer to her bedroom door.
Was she dead, kidnapped?
I thought to myself. I stopped short of the door and cocked the pipe wrench back so I would be ready to deliver a blow. I pushed the door open slowly and looked inside. “Thank God!” I sighed as I lowered the wrench. Samantha was still sound asleep.

Suddenly I heard the sound of screeching tires. I rushed down the stairs, out the front door, then into the street. I caught a glimpse of a dark-colored SUV as it turned the corner. It was too dark to make out a face or a license plate number, but I knew who it was.

As I stood in the middle of the street at four o’clock in the morning wearing nothing but my drawers, I knew I would never have peace in my life again, not until Olivia got what she wanted—or one of us was dead.

I WAS PEELING a bag of potatoes when I saw smoke coming from the grill in the backyard. I grabbed a bottle of water off the counter and rushed outside to pour it over the fire. “Mitch will never let me hear the end of this.” Just then I heard a car pulling into the driveway. When I heard Luther Vandross blaring from the speakers, I knew who it was.

“Daddy, Daddy, it’s Uncle Mitch!”

“Aw, hell, it’s Chef Boyardee himself,” I said, then I quickly put the lid over the grill.

On my way out of the backyard, I fanned the smoke with both hands.

“Hey, Princess,” Mitch said while lifting Samantha into the air. “How’s my little Beethoven?”

“Bay who?”

“Never mind, just give your uncle a big hug!”

“Can I have a kiss, too, Uncle Mitch?” I joked as I walked up to the car.

“No, but you can help Betty with the bags while I go check on the meat. I can see you still can’t barbecue worth shit.”

“Samantha, forget you heard your uncle Mitch say that bad word,” I said.

“What bad word?” Samantha smiled as Mitch carried her into the backyard.

“Betty, how did you stay married to that brotha for twenty-five years?” I said while giving Betty a hug.

“I don’t know. How did you stay married to him for fifteen?”

“Beats the hell out of me, but it damn sure wasn’t his warm personality.”

I began unloading the groceries from the trunk while Betty lifted a large pot from the backseat.

“So, where’s Fast Eddie? Mitch told me he was bringing Denise down to celebrate their engagement.”

“He should be here any minute. He called about an hour ago to let me know they landed on schedule.”

“It’s about time he made a respectable woman out of that beautiful girl! I don’t know why she stayed with his cheating behind
this
long!”

“Stop hating on Eddie, Betty.”

“I’m not hatin’. I’m just keepin’ it real! I’ve known that boy since you and Mitch started working together, and he’s still the same slick-talking playa.”

“Well, you and Terri should have a lot in common, ’cause she can’t stand him, either.”

“I like her already.”

After I dropped the bags off in the kitchen, I called Samantha inside to give Betty a hand so me and Mitch could talk. He must of sensed I had news about Olivia, because he brought her up before I could.

“So, what’s the latest with that crazy broad?” Mitch asked.

“So far, the police haven’t been able to prove anything. I didn’t catch her in the house. I couldn’t make out her face when she was driving away. Hell, I didn’t even get a license plate number!”

“Wait a minute! You mean to tell me that she’s gonna get away scot-free with breaking and entering? That
is
still a crime, isn’t it?”

“She entered, all right, but she didn’t break anything.”

“Meaning what?”

“Meaning there was no sign of forced entry. She either picked the lock, or she had a key. I’m sure both doors were locked.”

“How is that possible?”

“Man, I don’t know!” I said in disgust. “Every week I give my keys to valets at restaurants, parking attendants, and God knows what other strangers. For all I know, she could have sweet-talked some horny young kid into giving her the keys long enough to make a copy.”

Mitch glanced through the kitchen window to where Samantha was helping Betty.

“Do you think—”

“I already asked her,” I cut him off. “She hasn’t been approached by any strangers, especially black women with hazel eyes.”

“Okay, so now what?”

“I guess I’ll have to wait for her to make another move. But she better think twice before she comes creepin’ around here. I bought a. 38 the other day.”

“I don’t blame you! If some deranged female snuck into my bathroom while I was buck naked in the shower, I would sleep with a 3-57 under my pillow!”

“Well, all the locks have been changed, and Samantha knows to keep the alarm on at all times. And of course, I already told Terri what was goin’ on,” I said to him. “By the way, I never did thank you for butting into my business and getting me and Terri back together.”

“Hey, what are friends for?” Mitch laughed. “Besides, I got tired of looking at your pitiful face around the studio every day. You deserve to be happy, and it’s gonna take a woman like Terri to put up with your arrogant ass.”

“I would tell you to go to hell, but you’re right!”

We laughed and slapped each other five. Mitch knew me all too well. He was a true friend and he was always on time. That’s what I was thinking as I looked down at my watch and realized Eddie still hadn’t made it in from the airport.

“Where is that fool?” I said to Mitch. “Who?”

“Eddie!”

“Well, if he’s driving a car with a white top, he just pulled up.” Mitch was looking over the top of the gate.

But it wasn’t him, it was Terri. Samantha must have thought it was Eddie, too, because she ran toward the door.

“Samantha, slow down before you break your neck!” I yelled through the window. “It’s not your uncle Eddie, it’s Terri.” She stopped dead in her tracks. “Now remember what we talked about.”

“Oh, I remember, all right,” she said, while rubbing her behind.

The long talk I had with Samantha didn’t work out, so I had to resort to Plan B, the good old-fashioned ass whippin’. It was the first time I had spanked Samantha since she was seven and it was long overdue.

I intentionally waited for Terri to knock on the door so Samantha would have to greet her. She took a deep breath, then opened the door wearing a phony smile.

“Hi, Miss Doctor Ross, come on in.”

“Hello to you, Samantha. You don’t have to be so formal. Just call me Terri. Now where can I put these bags down?”

Samantha led her into the kitchen and helped her put the bags down on the counter. Then Terri politely introduced herself.

“Hi, I’m Terri.”

“Hi, Terri, I’m Betty, Mitch’s wife. Nice to meet you.” They exchanged hugs. “Julian says we have a lot in common.”

“Oh, really!”

Just as I was headed out to the backyard, another car backed
into the driveway. The windows were heavily tinted. I walked around to the driver’s side expecting to see Eddie behind the wheel. When the door opened, I couldn’t believe who stepped out.

“Janet, what are you doin’ here?”

“Eddie asked me to meet him here at five.” She checked her watch. “Am I too early?”

Before I could tell her about Eddie’s engagement, a blue Ford Taurus drove up to the front of the house. Denise came bolting out of the passenger side and rushed across the lawn toward me.

“We’re here, we’re here!” She jumped into my arms. “Pop the champagne, roll out the red carpet, roll up a blunt!”

“I missed you, too,” I said while gasping for air. “Now, can you please loosen your grip? You’re choking me.”

“Sorry, I guess I got a little carried away. It’s just so good to see you again, Julian!”

“Okay, step back so I can check you out, make sure you haven’t blown up since I last saw you.”

Denise was wearing fitted black jeans and high heels. She walked up and down the driveway doing her runway model imitation.

“Notice anything different?” she asked.

“Well, your butt’s gotten a little wider.”

“No, silly, I’m talking about this!”

She lifted her hand and flashed an impressive diamond ring.

“Congratulations, Li’l Sis. I’m really happy for you.” While I was hugging Denise I looked over her shoulder at Eddie and gave him a disappointed glare. Eddie ignored me and began taking the luggage out of the trunk.

“Why don’t you go inside and let Sam show you around the house?” I told her. “Mitch and Betty are inside, and so is Terri.”

“Finally! I get a chance to meet Doctor Love,” Denise laughed. “And she better be cute, too. You know we can’t have any ugly women in the family.”

As Denise began walking toward the house she noticed Janet standing in the driveway. “Julian, aren’t you going to introduce us?”

“Oh, yeah, my fault. Denise, this is Janet, Terri’s friend. Janet, this is Denise—Eddie’s
fiancée
!”

“Pleased to meet you, Denise. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

It was obvious by Janet’s casual reaction that she knew who Denise was. That only made me even more upset as I walked over to confront Eddie.

“Man, you must be outta your damn mind inviting Janet here!”

“Hold on, partner, I’ve got it all under control.”

“Don’t try to play me, Eddie! I’m not one of your dizzy broads! What you’re doing to Denise is flat-out
wrong
! You’re disrespecting her, me, and my house!”

“So what you gonna do, Julian? Make a big scene and ruin Denise’s engagement party?”

I despised him for using Denise to get his way. It took everything I had to keep from whipping his ass. Eddie continued to pull luggage out of the trunk. He was whistling and smiling like he didn’t have a care in the world.

“I guess this conversation is over,” Eddie said. “Now, let’s go have a drink and enjoy the rest of the evening—like one big, happy family.” He handed me a suitcase and began walking toward the house. “Like I said, I’ve got it
all
under control.”

“Yeah, right,” I said. “That’s exactly what I said a week ago before all hell broke loose.”

BY FIVE O’CLOCK the party was in full swing. Mitch was blending daiquiris and Julian was playing his old-school CDs. Juanita and her boyfriend, Charles, who had arrived earlier, were dancing to the song “Oops Upside Your Head” by the Gap Band. Terri dragged Julian into the middle of the living room and started a Soul Train line. Mitch and Betty joined in, then Eddie and Denise got into the act.

“The roof—the roof—the roof is on fire!” Juanita yelled as she strutted down through the line.

“We don’t need no water let the mothersucker burn—burn mothersucker—burn!” they all sang.

“What’s wrong with the roof, Daddy?” Samantha asked.

“Nothin’, sweetheart, that’s just something old folks shout when they think they’re getting down.”

When the James Brown song “Payback” came on, Julian cleared the floor so he could give Terri lessons on how to do the Chicago step. Everyone gathered around to watch and make fun.

“Okay, give me your hands, and try to follow,” Julian directed.

“I told you, I can’t do this.”