Nobody's Son (19 page)

Wayne grabbed his phone and called Gwen.

“Hey, cousin, I need your help,” he said cheerfully.

Gwen could not hide the surprise in her voice. It had been years since he called her personally. Usually, they communicated through his publicist or personal assistant. Immediately, her senses began to detect that he was about to feed her some bullcrap.

“Hey, Wayne, wassup?” she asked.

Hearing the apprehension in her voice, Wayne decided that it was time for him to come clean with her.

“You were right, Gwen. Semaj Matthews is my son. I'm sorry I lied to you. Can you please forgive me?”

His admission did not surprise Gwen one bit. His apology, however, did.

“You don't owe me an apology, Wayne. I'm not your son. It's Semaj that you need to apologize to.”

“You're right. That's why I'm calling. I need your help in contacting him.”

Sighing loudly, Gwen felt horrible being in the middle. “It's too late. Didn't you hear that he was arrested? His attorney is not going to let you say anything to him at all.”

“I don't care about his attorney. My son is innocent, and I need to talk to him. There has to be a way for me to reach him. Give me his address. I'll just go see him.”

Gwen was surprised once again by Wayne's sudden protection of Semaj. It didn't make sense to her at all. “You don't sound anything like the man Semaj and me were talking to at your hotel a few weeks ago. Why the sudden change of heart?”

“Let's just say I spent a lot of time alone thinking,” Wayne said quietly.

It didn't seem possible, but Gwen was sure that she could feel his remorse emitting through the phone. “The truth is, Wayne, Semaj is no longer in Atlanta. Because of the publicity surrounding this whole thing he got special permission to leave town. I'm sorry. I don't know exactly where he went.”

“Thanks, Gwen,” Wayne said.

He hung up the phone and called his personal assistant, Leah.

“I'm going out of town for the day. Please take care of the boys for me. I should be back late this evening,” he said.

“You're leaving Atlanta? But you just brought the boys here yesterday so that they could spend more time with you. This isn't on your itinerary. What's going on?”

“Leah, if you need any help with them you can call Doug. Just watch the boys for me, please. I'll explain everything when I get back.”

Wayne hung up his phone and pulled out of the parking lot. He turned his car onto Peachtree Street, then headed toward Interstate 85. Wayne realized that it was time for him to do something he should have done thirty-five years before. He was going back to Andrus, South Carolina, to claim his son.

“Miss Minnie, you do not have to go to any fuss for us,” Semaj said protesting. “I live alone in Atlanta, and I know how to cook.”

“Hush up now,” Miss Minnie answered. She swatted him lightly with her dishcloth. “I promised you that I'd take care of this property when you are not here, and I promised your grandma Nettie that I'd take care of you when she wasn't here. It's my pleasure.”

Semaj and Rip had barely had time to get inside the house and put their suitcases down before Miss Minnie was knocking on the back door with a tray full of chicken salad sandwiches, homemade potato salad, almond drop cookies, and pink lemon tea. After the drive from Atlanta they both were very hungry and dug into the lunch she'd prepared for them.

As soon as they sat down at the kitchen table and began eating she told them she was on her way to the grocery store to pick up the items she needed to cook their dinner.

“I'm planning to make a chicken pot pie with a Ritz cracker crumb crust, pear salad, and for dessert, my blue ribbon–winning coconut brownies,”

The meal sounded delicious, and Semaj knew from experience that Miss Minnie was one of the best cooks in the state, but he didn't want to impose on her hospitality. He made a weak attempt to refuse, but she wasn't listening.

Rip tried his hand at dissuading her. “Miss Minnie, you know that I can cook. My aunt started teaching me when I was nine years old. How do you think I got so fat?” he laughed.

Miss Minnie laughed too. “Well, young'in, who do you think taught your aunt to cook? Now I've told you boys that I'm cooking tonight and every night that you are here.” She paused for a moment. “You got any idea how long that's gonna be?”

“No, Miss Minnie, I really don't know. Things are kind of up in the air right now,” Rip answered. He took a bite of his sandwich and chewed it slowly.

“What about your wedding?” Miss Minnie asked Semaj. “I've been looking forward to coming to Atlanta to see you jump the broom. Nettie would be so proud, God rest her soul.”

Semaj looked at her strangely for several seconds without answering, and then Rip spoke up. “That's on hold too, for now. Miss Minnie, I know you are used to having the place to yourself. We promise not to be too much trouble,” he said.

“He's right, Miss Minnie. Since you insist on cooking, we'll help out in other ways. Tomorrow, I'm gonna cut the grass and probably clean the gutters,” Semaj said.

“Don't worry about doing yard work, man. I'll take care of that. Why don't you stay in the house and relax,” Rip said.

Semaj put his sandwich down. “This is my house. You're a guest. How about
you
stay in the house and relax?”

Miss Minnie laughed at them, and they stared at her wondering what could possibly be so funny. “You boys have always been as tight as Dick's hatband. No matter what the situation, you have always stuck together and defended each other.”

Before they could stop her, Miss Minnie began reminiscing about an incident from their childhood.

Rip and Semaj had been playing baseball in the field behind Minnie's father's house. At one time it had been a thriving garden, but as he got older he stopped planting things and grass and weeds overtook it. Because he no longer needed it, he allowed the neighborhood kids to use it as a playground. At the time he was getting on in years, and Minnie was living with him to take care of him.

“My daddy was lying in his bed watching his stories,” Miss Minnie said. “He loved him some
As the World Turns
and
Another World
. When he was watching his stories he wanted everyone in the house to sit down and shut up. You boys was out in the back field hooping and laughing and playing baseball. Y'all remember that?”

They looked back and forth between each other, and then back at Miss Minnie. “No, ma'am, we don't remember,” they both said.

“Well, I do. Anyway, I was just about to bring Daddy his lunch and just as I walked in the room, a baseball came crashing through the window. It bounced off the floor and smashed into Daddy's TV. The screen cracked, and everything went black.”

Miss Minnie laughed hysterically and slapped her knee as she continued her trip down memory lane.

“I had never seen my daddy look so mad in my whole life. As sick as he was, I really thought he was gonna get out of that bed and beat the black off you two.”

Rip began laughing along with her. He didn't remember the incident at all, but Miss Minnie told it with such enthusiasm that he was thoroughly enjoying it.

“So I walked out back and saw you two standing in the middle of the field arguing back and forth. I hollered for you to come inside and talk to Daddy 'cus he was mad as a wet hen. I watched y'all walking toward me still going back and forth arguing with each other and all I could do was shake my head 'cus I just knew y'all was arguing over what lie you was gonna tell. Well, I gots to say that when you got into that room, both me and Daddy were surprised by what we heard.”

Semaj looked at her eagerly like a child hearing his favorite fairy tale. “What did we say, Miss Minnie?” he asked.

“Well, Rip spoke up first,” she said.

 

“Daddy had never seen anything like that in his whole eighty-one years of life, and neither had I. Instead of blaming each other, the both of you was trying to take the blame and protect the other one. Daddy was so impressed he had tears in his eyes. I gotta admit I got a little misty myself. He finally told y'all two to go on home 'cus he'd decided to fix the window and the TV himself.”

Semaj leaned back in his chair and smiled. “I don't remember that, Miss Minnie, but you're probably right. We've always stuck by each other.” He looked over at his cousin and smiled.

“Yes, you have, and no matter what happens, y'all need to always stick by each other's sides. Marion, you didn't have a father most of your life, and Semaj, your granddaddy passed when you was young. But you boys always have each other. Don't forget that.”

Rip looked at her strangely. “Miss Minnie, are you trying to say that I was Semaj's dad and he was mine? We are the same age.”

“That's not exactly what I'm saying, but in a way it's true. You made different choices in life, but God always brought you boys back to each other. That's no accident. Now I don't know all the details of what you two have done, and frankly, I'm too old to care. But I'm gonna say this, and then I'm going to Piggly Wiggly to get my groceries. Nettie used to have a saying that I still live by. Whatever is going on may not be a good thing, but you can best believe it's a God thing.”

Miss Minnie kissed them both on the cheek, and then went out the back door.

“What do you think she meant by that?” Semaj asked.

Rip stood up and took his empty plate to the sink. He glanced out the back window that overlooked the driveway before answering “What did she mean by what?” he asked.

Semaj stared down at his plate, and he slowly shook his head. “What have we done, man?”

“Dang, this sink is clogged,” Rip said suddenly. “You got a plunger?” he asked.

“Oh yeah, I'll get it from the utility closet.”

As he walked down the hallway toward the other side of the house, Rip continued staring out of the window at a blue Cadillac Escalade pulling into the driveway. It pulled up to the edge of the cement driveway and parked right under the basketball goal where Rip and Semaj used to play.

“I'll be right back,” Rip yelled to Semaj.

Quickly he went out the back door and walked up to the door of the Escalade just as Wayne was attempting to get out. Forcibly he pushed it closed again, and with his arms outstretched, he leaned on the door preventing Wayne from opening the door.

Slowly the window rolled down. “Who are you?” Wayne asked.

“Who I am doesn't matter. I need you to leave. You shouldn't be here.” Rip looked anxiously over his shoulder.

As he did, Wayne suddenly remembered seeing his photo on the news along with Semaj's the night the two were arrested. “Look, I know that you and Semaj were arrested, and that's why I'm here. I need to see him.”

Rip shook his head. “No, you don't. I mean, now is not a good time. Trust me on this, Old School. Just stay in your car, back out of the driveway, and go home.”

Wayne had a flashback as Rip called him Old School. “It was you. You're the one who brought me my food every day.”

A look of panic washed over Rip's face. He looked over his shoulder again. “Just get out of here, man. I'm sure the police would not want the victim visiting with his alleged abductors. Just go, all right?”

“I just came from the police department, and I really don't care what they want. Now, move and let me out of the car.” Wayne took a long deep breath. “I came to see my son.”

From deep within, Rip reached down for a look that he had not used in a long time. It was the look he gave his drug runners if they dared to shortchange him. It was the look he gave his rivals if they were stupid enough to step onto his turf. It was the look that meant “I am not playing with you, and if you value your life you will do as I say.” It had put the fear of God into dozens of men, and Rip was now staring down Wayne James with it.

“This is your last warning, Old School. Back this piece of junk up and get out of here,” he ordered.

The look worked its magic, and Wayne was terrified. He started up the engine and began backing out of the driveway. About halfway down he stopped. His conscience screamed loudly at him.

Wayne quickly stopped the car and jumped out before Rip realized what he was doing. He faked to the left, then moved to his right and ran past Rip and bolted to the back door. He opened it and rushed inside with Rip closely on his heels. Semaj was standing at the sink with the plunger trying to figure out why Rip had believed it was clogged. The water was running freely for him. He heard the back door open, and he spoke without looking up.

“Rip, this sink is fine. Maybe you just needed to flip the switch for the disposal.”

When Rip did not answer he stopped staring down the drain and looked up into the face of Wayne James.

“Hi, Semaj,” Wayne said. He smiled broadly.

Semaj's face filled with shock and awe. “Wayne James? Oh my God, what are you doing here?” He reached out and enthusiastically shook Wayne's hand. “I've been a fan of yours for as long as I can remember. I never dreamed that one day you'd be standing in my kitchen. Wow, this is definitely a pleasure.”

Puzzled, Wayne looked at Rip for an explanation.

“I tried to tell you that it wasn't a good time,” Rip said.

Semaj was beaming like a kid at the circus. He turned to Rip. “Cuz, you never told me that you knew Wayne James. Wow, this is mind-boggling.”

For the first time since he'd entered the kitchen, Wayne noticed a small bandage above Semaj's right eyebrow. He also noticed that his cheek appeared to be bruised and his left arm was in a cast.

“What happened to you?” Wayne asked.

“I was driving along minding my own business and a big oak tree jumped out in front of me,” Semaj laughed loudly. “So I took some time off work, and Rip brought me here to recuperate. As the saying goes, there's no place like home. This was my grandparents' house, but they are deceased now. I'm so sorry, excuse my manners. Would you like to have a seat?”

Still feeling confused, Wayne looked at Rip for help.

“Yeah, take a seat in the living room,” Rip said. “Can I get you a diet soda?” He winked at Wayne to signal him to answer yes.

“That sounds good,” Wayne answered. He looked back and forth at the two of them for a moment, then went into the living room and sat down.

“Semaj, I drank the last Diet Coke,” Rip lied. “Can you run up to Miss Minnie's trailer and get one for . . . um . . . for my guest?”

Semaj happily agreed and went out the back door. Rip walked into the living room to explain everything to Wayne.

In the living room, Wayne sat quietly on the sofa and looked around the room amazed at how strong he could feel Allison's presence in the space. It was almost as if she was walking around in front of him or sitting beside him. There was an ashtray on the coffee table that she'd once told him she made when she was four years old. He remembered how she talked about her mother's hand knitted blankets, and he admired the intricate detail of the one draped over the back of the sofa. There was an old-fashioned upright piano sitting in the corner, and he imagined how Allison would have looked playing it. He looked on the wall at the family portrait hanging directly over the television. In the photograph was a very young Alvin and Nettie dressed in their finest Sunday clothes. Allison was seated in Alvin's lap wearing a lavender dress with white bows in her hair. Wayne imagined that she was no more than ten years old when the portrait was taken. Lovingly he stared at it.