Hot Boyz (39 page)

Mercedes entered the kitchen. “What are all of you big strong men gossiping about?”

Mason replied, greeting her with a hug. “Men don’t gossip. We discuss.”

“You all talk about the same things we talk about. You just give fewer details and try to mix in some sports.”

Rashaad walked back in. “By the way, is the Lakers game on yet?” he asked, sitting next to his Uncle Claude.

“What if it is? You can’t watch it. You’ve got work to do in here. Anyway, we’re watching HGTV. You know, the home decorating show.”

“That’s so unfair,” said Rashaad.

“What’s unfair is that you all haven’t offered to do this before now.” She leaned in to grade Cameron’s cutting skills. “Don’t cut those too big now.”

Mason shooed her away. “Why don’t you just get yourself back into the living room with the decorating crew.”

“I’m going. You all make me nervous. Is Venus coming, Claude?”

“Not sure.” He didn’t bother to look her way.

Mercedes acted offended. “Well, excuse me. And you all make sure to clean as you go.”

Mattie strolled into the kitchen as Mercedes exited. “Where’s Jesse?” she asked, looking at Rashaad.

“Jesse’s… go ask my mom, Grandma.” Rashaad replied, pointing toward the door.

“Where is she?” Mattie asked, looking around at the overload of male hormones.

“She just walked past you going into the front room, Grandma,” said Cameron.

“Why didn’t you say so? And hurry up, I’m starving. You all need Jesse to show you how to clean as you go. He never would have had a kitchen looking like this.”

Mason replied, “Okay, Mom. Mercedes is right out there. Go on ahead now.”

She pointed to Cameron. “And you chopped those potatoes too big, boy.” She walked out waving them off like they needed to get a grip.

“You know we never come in here telling them what to do. What’s up with this?” Mason asked.

“I’ll bet if they were in the garage working under the hood we would,” said Cameron.

“That’ll be the day.” Mason gave him a fisted dap.

Claude said, “Shoot, they barely know where the gas goes.”

Torino told them, “Sequoia knows. That lady is something else. She actually changed her own tire the other day.”

“What?” Mason asked.

“Man, she called me from the side of the road and I told her to call Triple-A. She came back an hour later talking about how she did it herself.”

“See, a woman like that is already showing you that she wants to wear the pants. You’d better watch out for her,” Claude commented, sampling a bit of grated cheddar cheese.

“Why, because she can take care of herself?” Torino asked.

“Man, you need a woman who’s a little bit more helpless than that. Otherwise, what does she need you for?”

“Claude you are so chauvinistic. No wonder Venus…” Torino stopped himself.

“Venus what? Go ahead and say it. No wonder Venus what?”

Torino knew when to stop. “Nothing.”

“No, go ahead and say it. You trying to say she left me because I tried to control her or she was too strong for me? Man, you don’t even know the facts so just shut the hell up.”

Mason interjected, “Claude, hold on, man. The boys are in here.”

“Man, those boys have heard us curse before. This brotha is
gonna just front me in front of my own son. My son needs to know that ain’t cool.”

“Man, I was just playing. I knew that would get you going,” Torino said, trying to play it off.

“Well, I’m not playing along. You all let me know when you chefs are ready to serve dinner. I’ll be in the backyard.” Claude walked out through the sliding glass kitchen door and on into the backyard.

Torino looked surprised. “He’s pretty sensitive about that, isn’t he?”

“Uncle Torino, that was cold,” Cameron said, having his dad’s back.

Torino explained, taking the bowl of batter himself and mixing it with a wooden spoon. “Hey, I’m sorry man. I’m just a little nervous about Sequoia and a little touchy when she’s spoken of. I’ve finally found someone who does it for me. I get tired of people talking other folks out of being with someone. I say let me see your relationship and if it’s working, then I want to hear what you have to say.”

“You know how Claude has always been. He’s not a direct communicator but he will get in your butt. You deserved that,” said Mason.

“I know I did. I’ll fix it.”

“Hey, baby,” Sequoia said, walking in through the side door with a Saran-wrapped, two-layer pineapple upside-down cake in her hands.

“Damn, woman. You baked that?” asked Torino.

“Yes I did, baby. Oh, did I break the brothers’-only-cook-today rule?” she joked, giving him a peck near his ear.

“Heck no, you didn’t even break nothin’,” said Rashaad, rushing over to take the plate, smelling the aroma rising from the glazed icing.

” ’Cause you know we’re tired of cheesecake, huh, Torino,” she said to her man, turning her back to him with a wink.

“That’s right, no more cheesecake for me,” he replied, giving her two circled a-okay fingers while he headed into the backyard.

Claude was on the basketball court shooting around in third gear. Torino grabbed the basketball as it bounced off the backboard, dribbling it around Claude, signaling a one-on-one. Claude walked away, headed for a patio table. He took a seat.

Torino joined him. “Hey, man. I really don’t know what’s going on between the two of us.”

“Torino, I’m going to try to be nice. Please let me be.”

“Claude, I know you have a lot on your mind.”

“Well, then you sure don’t need to add to my load by making comments like that about my wife. You don’t need to remind me what a great catch she is.”

“Okay, so I admit that trying to add a little humor backfired. Mainly, I was trying to scare you into fighting for her.”

Claude crossed his ankle over his knee and tapped his fingers on the glass tabletop.

“Claude, man, I don’t know what it’s gonna take for you to be happy. Even with all that you have going on in your life, money, homes, cars, your health, you act like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders.”

“One day you’ll find out that those things don’t equate to happiness. More money, more problems.”

“I get what you’re saying, but I’m about to go deep on you bro. If you don’t mind me saying so, you have to forgive Owen in your heart, or else you’ll never be whole. You couldn’t save Fatima from her fate. That was God’s will.”

“Man, I know that.”

“At times, you seem so connected with Venus and Cameron. And at other times, it’s like the sight of them reminds you of Fatima.”

“At times it does. Anyway, since when does little brother whose had to deal with older brothers coming down on him suddenly give advice?”

“You know, I really can’t give you advice, big bro. My game is still being strategized as it is. But I do know that you’ve got to let that whole thing go. I, for one, can understand how you found love in Venus. I don’t knock you for that. But man, you’ve got to let the past go and hold on to your woman. A good woman.”

“What can I really do, though? I told her I want her to come home. Am I supposed to show up like Owen did and force her.”

Over their left shoulders, Claude and Torino heard a familiar female voice from the side walkway. “Or show up like me, right, Torino?”

The brothers sprang to their feet. Torino’s eyed bugged just as his heartbeat skipped. “What the hell are you doing here?” It was Colette, tiny bulging belly and all. With dark circles under her eyes, she was wearing a pair of black, baggy sweat pants, a tight T-shirt, and a bulky sweater.

With agitation spelled out on her face, she pointed to the rear house and spoke in a low tone with slurred speech. “Torino, can we go on back there and talk?”

“No. Colette, you need to get out of here.” Torino struggled to control the volume of his voice. “You’re trespassing on my brother’s property. I’m not in the mood to play this.”

“I was never trespassing before when I’d come walking down this very pathway to spend time with you.”

“Those days are over. You made your bed so you lay in it.”

She repeated her request. This time standing within six inches of his face. “Torino, I want you to follow me to your place so we can talk.”

Claude moved in and stood between them. “Hold up now, Colette.”

“No, you hold up. No one was talking to you.” She cut her eyes. “You never liked me anyway.”

Claude explained with little patience. “You disrespected my wife, and I’m not having that. And now you’re sweating my brother. You need to leave.”

She cut her eyes again and dismissed Claude with her hand. “Torino, we need to talk. Alone. Now.”

Torino spoke. “You should have considered the consequences the night you got with Kyle. It’s too late to talk now.”

Colette got louder. “The same night you were sniffing up behind Sequoia at the club?”

Torino put his forefinger to his lips. “Sshhh. You need to get out of here before I call the police.”

“Torino, I’m not playing with you.” She turned her back away from the brothers and began to walk away, toward Torino’s front door.

“Where are you going?” Torino asked.

Suddenly, Colette ran toward the back house. The dog, Kailua, started barking loudly from the side of the house. Claude immediately ran after Colette. Torino turned to make sure no one in the front house was coming outside and he, too, ran up behind his brother who was struggling to grab Colette from behind.

Claude was sounding very impatient. “What are you doing? Put your hands down,” he demanded.

Claude turned her around to find that she had a small, ivory pocket knife pointed toward herself at waist level.

She clinched her jaw as she spoke to Torino. “I will kill this baby and myself if you don’t do what I say.”

With panic in his eyes, Torino took over. “Okay, what do you want, Colette?” Kailua continued barking. Torino looked toward the dog run and back at Colette.

The pace of her breathing quickened. “I want you to make her—Sequoia—leave and I want you to spend the next couple of days with me so that we can work this out.”

“I can’t do that, Colette.”

Colette’s tightly clenched fist shook under her stomach.

Claude took a shot at trying to reason with her as she stared Torino down, forcing breaths through her nose. “Colette, try to take a deep breath and calm down now. Listen to me. You should know what can happen when people want something they can’t have so badly, that they try to force fate and threaten their way into what they want. It only ruins lives and makes things worse.”

She looked up at Claude’s face. “You’re referring to your little Fatima?”

He noticed her sarcasm. “Yes. You wouldn’t want someone who doesn’t want you, would you?”

“Torino wants me. He’s just mad because I got with Kyle.” Her sights returned to Torino. “You and Kyle were very close, huh, Torino? Is that the real problem? That you’re mad at me for taking your friend away?”

Torino became defensive. “Kyle played you because he was mad at me, and you played him for the same reason. So, at this point, talking it out with me is not gonna get you what you want. You need to grow up.”

Colette shook her head downward, looking at her feet. She still held on tight to the knife and did not budge from Claude’s hold on her forearms.

Torino added with a snarl, “You need help.”

Claude asked Torino to calm down and then spoke to Colette. “Do yourself a favor and listen to me. This is no way to solve this type of situation. You’re going to do harm to your unborn child and yourself over a man. It’s not worth it. Fight for your baby, but not this way. It’s obvious you decided to keep this baby and that’s a great thing. So I know you won’t hurt that baby. Why ruin everything now?”

Colette again gave Torino focused eye contact. “Because I loved him like I’ve never loved anyone else. All I ever wanted was to have Torino to myself. He had more women coming into that club than he could even juggle. I put up with that for so long, just begging him to ignore all of those woman. Why wasn’t I enough, Torino?”

Claude responded for his brother. “Then why would you want someone who treated you like that? Colette, sometimes it’s not about being enough. We all have temptations in life. It doesn’t mean we don’t love someone. We’re all human.”

Again, Torino turned toward the house, almost expecting someone to come out to check up on Kailua, who continued to bark.

Colette continued, “But a man doesn’t just turn off his feelings like a lightswitch. How can he just suddenly fall out of love with me? It’s like he never loved me to begin with.”

“Oh, he loved you all right. I know that for a fact, just by the way he’d stick up for you and he’d include you in as a part of the family. He was thinking about taking it one step further and you
know it. But Colette, you ran straight to his best friend. That’s a cardinal sin for a man.”

Suddenly, Colette’s vision was redirected to Claude. “And look at you. You’re one to talk. You ran straight to Fatima’s best friend. If that isn’t the pot calling the kettle black? I might as well be dead like she is. Maybe then it would be okay to marry whoever’s left behind to grieve. Does death make it okay, Claude? You ask yourself that.”