Married Men (18 page)
Authors: Carl Weber
“Okay, honey, I’ll take you. Diane, put Kenya in your car while I get some shoes and lock up. We’ll all drive over together in your car, okay?”
Kenya let go of my wrist and nodded. I looked up the stairs again as I helped them back outside. Once I got them both in the car, I came into the house and closed the door behind me nervously. I heard Tracy call my name and ran up the stairs as fast as possible. She was standing in the hallway, naked.
“Who was that?” She followed me into the bedroom, where I was putting on my shoes.
I didn’t know what to say. At that point my mouth just wouldn’t allow me to tell her a lie, but at the same time I wasn’t about to tell her I was married and take a chance on losing her. So I just avoided the question.
“Look, I gotta go out for a little bit. I want you to stay here ’til I get back, okay? I’ll explain everything when I get back.” I think she was fine with that answer till Diane leaned on the horn outside.
“What’s going on, Jay? Who were those women I heard downstairs?”
“Trust me, Tracy. It’s much too complicated to talk about now. Like I said, I’ll explain everything when I get back.” I kissed her forehead and ran down the stairs before she could protest.
She looked so innocent standing at the top of those stairs, watching me with those big, beautiful eyes. I felt like shit walking out the door, but I had no choice. I left before she could ask any more questions. I jumped into Diane’s car and she immediately pulled out of the driveway. I could see Tracy peeking through the blinds. Thank God Diane was too preoccupied watching Kenya in the rearview mirror to look back at the house.
All I could think about on the way to the hospital was how the hell I was gonna get Tracy out of that house. I had to tell her to wait there or she woulda tried to follow me out of the house right then. But there was no way I could risk her really waiting there for me. What if Kenya sent Diane to the house to get clothes or something? If that happened before I could get back there and get rid of Tracy, I was gonna be one dead brotha. It was times like these I was glad I had good friends, ’cause the minute they got Kenya settled in a birthing room, I ducked into the john to make some very important phone calls.
13
Allen
Rose scooped up some dip with a chip and offered it to me as I watched the game. I closed my lips around it, softly kissing her fingertips. We’d made love all morning and she’d been real sweet all day. Almost too sweet. So in the back of my mind I was prepared for her to ask for something. I only had about sixty bucks in my pocket and had purposely left my ATM card at my ma’s house just to avoid this type of situation. So whatever Rose wanted it had better be cheap.
“Another chip, baby?” She scooped up some more dip.
“Sure.” I opened my mouth.
“Are you comfy?” She tried her best to fluff up my pillow before laying her head on my shoulder.
“Yeah, honey, I’m comfy. Thanks.” I tried to get into the game, but just when it was getting good, she called my name.
“Allen, can I talk to you about something?” She was using a soft baby voice so I knew she was getting ready to make her request.
“Is it important, Rose? ’Cause if it’s not important, why don’t we talk about it after the game?” She reached over and picked up the remote control, clicking off the TV
“Yes, I think it’s important.” She sat up and held my hand.
“Oh, all right, what is it?”
“I think we need to go down to the bank tomorrow morning and have my name added to your bank accounts.”
It took a second for her comment to register, and it didn’t register well.
“What’d you say?” I stared at her, hoping I’d heard wrong.
“I think it’s time you added my name to your bank accounts.”
“I don’t get it. What’s the rush? We have three months till the wedding.”
“Don’t you think there are certain things that need to be taken care of ahead of time?” She didn’t give me a chance to answer. “I mean, we are engaged. I’m not wishing this on you, but what if you walk out that door and get hit by a bus? Who’s gonna take care of the arrangements? Shit, who’s gonna take care of me?”
“I told Ma—”
“Ma! Your mother’s not gonna do shit for me. That old lady hates me. If something happens to you before we’re married, she might not let me in your funeral.”
I sighed, because she was right. Ma wasn’t exactly her best friend, especially after she rejected Granny’s ring.
“Okay, why don’t I take the entire day off tomorrow? That way we can go to both your bank and mine.”
“My bank? Why we going to my bank?” She gave me a strange look.
“So you can add my name to your accounts. What’d ya think?” I couldn’t believe the look she gave me.
“I’m not putting your name on my accounts.” She had the nerve to have an attitude. “What if you decide to leave me?”
“Why would I leave you? I love you,” I insisted. “Besides, you could just as easily leave me.”
“Allen, I’m a woman. I need security. Men don’t need security.”
“That’s stupid, Rose.”
“It’s not stupid.” She sucked her teeth.
“Look, I don’t wanna talk about this no more. If you’re not gonna put me on your accounts, then we can just have separate accounts.” I clicked on the TV
“That’s not fair, Allen.” Rose walked over to the TV and stood in front of it. Thank God the phone rang, ’cause I could tell she was gearing up for one of those all-day arguments.
I reached over to the coffee table and hit the Caller ID. It was Kyle.
“What’s up, Kyle?”
“Listen, we’ve got an emergency.” He sounded agitated. “I’m coming to pick you up as soon as I drop off the girls.”
“What’s going on? Everybody aw’ight?” His tone scared me.
“Hell, no. We gotta go save Jay’s ass again.”
“Uh-oh. what’d he do now?”
“I’ll explain everything when I get there. Come on out when I beep.”
“Damn it!” Wil slammed his fist into the dashboard. “How could he be so stupid?”
We’d just crossed the George Washington Bridge heading for Jay’s house in Jersey. Kyle had just finished explaining what he knew about Jay’s dilemma, which was actually pretty comical if you could get past how pathetic it was. Jay had had some woman named Tracy at his house when Kenya and Diane showed up unexpectedly. He’d managed to hide the woman, but had to leave when Kenya went into labor. Now Wil, Kyle, and I were racing against time to his house before his in-laws showed.
“Would someone please tell me how he could be so damn stupid?” Wil repeated.
“I don’t know, Wil,” Kyle replied as he hit the speaker on his ringing car phone.
“Yeah?”
“Yo, y‘all ain’t got there yet’?” Jay’s voice blared out of the speakers.
“Jay, chill the fuck out. I’m drivin’ as fast as I can.”
“I keep tellin’ you my in-laws are on their way to the house. That old man thinks he’s Speed Racer, Kyle. Hurry the fuck up!”
“Will you relax? It’s gonna take them at least three hours to get up here from Baltimore.”
“Earth to Kyle. Did you listen to me when I called you earlier? Kenya called her mom’s before she left Wil and Diane’s house, two and a half hours ago. I swear if y’all fuck this up—”
“Y‘all?” Wil interrupted. “Hold up, Jay. You actin’ like this is our fault. We’re not the stupid ass who left some chickenhead at his house while his wife’s about to deliver a baby.”
“She’s not a chickenhead, Wil, so don’t go there. Her name is Tracy. And whatever you do, don’t tell her I’m married.”
From the look on Wil’s face, he was about to explode. He and Jay hadn’t been getting along too well since Kyle had returned from Africa. Wil was still upset that Jay had cut him out of the loop. I decided it might be best to change the subject before someone said something they’d regret.
“Kenya have the baby yet, Jay?” I leaned over the back seat.
“Nah, she’s only dilated five centimeters.” Not that I knew what that meant. “Look, I better get back. They’re thinking about giving her a C-section.”
“Aw’ight, man, go handle your business.” Kyle hung up the phone.
“Can you believe this guy?” Wil shook his head as he stared out the window.
“Of course I can,” Kyle chuckled. “It’s Jay. He’s been doin’ this kinda shit since we were kids. You expected him to change?”
“No, but I did expect him to grow up a little.”
Kyle laughed, then I laughed. Wil just sat there shaking his head. We all knew Jay was never gonna grow up. He was having too much fun being a kid.
It didn’t take long to get to Jay’s house from the GW Bridge. We were all pretty relieved when we pulled into the driveway and there was no sign of Jay’s in-laws. That is, until we heard the beep of a horn and Kenya’s mother and father pulled in right behind us.
“Now what do we do?’ I asked.
“Give me a second ta think.” Kyle rubbed his temples then smoothed out his mustache as we all sat in scared silence. “Okay, I got it,” Kyle finally announced. “Allen, I want you to go inside and find the girl. If she’s in the guest room, I want you to get her the hell outta there, ’cause that’s where Kenya’s people sleep.” He handed me the keys.
“What’re you and Wil gonna do?”
“We’re gonna buy you some time. If there’s one thing Kenya’s old man can’t resist, it’s a good stock tip.” I had to grin. Kyle was right. Kenya’s old man was greedy as hell. “Allen, whatever you do, don’t let that chick come out of the house.”
Kyle stepped out of the car and greeted Kenya’s parents like he was a politician standing in front of the polls. If there was one thing he and Wil could do it was talk, and while they were doing that, I slipped out of the car and into the house. As I closed the front door behind me, I called the girl’s name. “Tracy? Tracy?” I ran up the stairs and searched the guest room. The bed was made, and there was no sign that anyone had been there.
“Tracy?” I called again. “My name’s Allen. Jay asked me to come get you.” I searched every room upstairs twice and couldn’t find her. When I came downstairs, Wil was standing in the foyer holding a bassinet, minus Kyle and Kenya’s parents.
“What’s up, Kyle still outside?” I asked in a whisper.
“Naw, he talked Kenya’s parents into going straight to the hospital. He’s with them.” Wil looked relieved. “You find the girl?”
“Nope. If she’s here, she ain’t upstairs.”
“Shit.” He placed the bassinet on the floor. “You check the kitchen and basement. I’m gonna check the living room and dining room.”
“Wil, what if she’s not here?”
“We thank God she had enough sense to get the hell outta here, then we head over to the hospital and tell Jay. That’s all we can do.”
We musta searched that house five times from top to bottom before we gave up and drove Kyle’s car to the hospital. When we arrived, Kyle informed us that Jay, Diane, and his in-laws were in with Kenya, who had an eight-pound, three-ounce baby girl. It didn’t take long for Jay to come find us, and when he did, he immediately gestured for us to follow him.
“You find her?” He whispered, leading us into the men’s room.
I shook my head. “If she’s in that house, she’s the invisible woman.”
Jay exhaled a sigh of relief.
“She musta caught a cab to the train.” Jay smiled like he’d just gotten away with murder. “Man, I thought I was gonna get busted for sure. You shoulda seen me. I almost pissed on myself when Kenya and Diane walked in the door.”
“That was a little too close for comfort, don’t you think?” I asked. I noticed Wil was whispering something to Kyle. He had an agitated look, and I knew he wasn’t pleased.
“I’ll be straight up with y’all. It woulda been worth it if I’d gotten busted. I swear, I ain’t never been with a woman like Tracy before in my entire life.” Jay turned to Wil, who was leaning against a sink with a solemn look. “What’s wrong with you, big man?”
Wil took a few steps and got in Jay’s face.
“What d’you think is wrong with me? What the hell is wrong with you bringing some damn woman to your fucking house? Your daughter sleeps in that house, man. And why didn’t you tell me you had a girl there when you called? I woulda never let Diane and Kenya come to your place.”
“ ’Cause I was afraid you’d open your big-ass mouth and tell Diane, that’s why.” Jay had an attitude and I had no idea why. We had just saved his cheatin’ ass for the millionth time.
“Ya know what, Jay? I’m sick of you and these damn bitches.” Wil pointed his finger in Jay’s chest.
“I told you before, don’t call out her name, Wil. She ain’t a bitch. Her name is Tracy, and you gonna give her some respect.” Jay’s voice was serious, and Wil was obviously shocked. So was I. I can’t ever remember Jay defending a woman other than Kenya, especially not to Wil. Whoever this Tracy was. she had to be awfully special. But Wil didn’t seem to care.
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