Nothing But Trouble (32 page)

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Authors: Bettye Griffin

BOOK: Nothing But Trouble
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“But you've already been gone for weeks. Christmas is less than a week away. When will you be back, Michie?”
“I'm not sure. But my aunt was always there for me, Errol. I lived with her rent free when I took my first job after college. If it weren't for her I couldn't have afforded the experience of working in New York. I never had a problem getting a job because prospective employers see that I once worked for a New York law firm.”
“Michie, I hate the idea of your being alone with a sick old woman over the holidays, even if it is someone dear to you.”
“I promise that next year I'll be with you, dear.”
“And the year after that, and the year after that. I love you, Michie.”
“I love you, too, Errol.”
They'd ended their conversation then, and Micheline wanted to jump for joy. He'd never told her he loved her before. If she'd known that all she had to do was disappear, she would have resurrected Aunt Yvonne long ago.
She parked her Bug in the private garage she'd rented so Errol wouldn't see her car if he came around. She took special precautions not to give herself away. She never answered her home phone without checking the number first on the caller ID.
Sometimes she felt she overdid it with all her wariness, but she felt certain she'd covered all the bases. She even had a plan of action all worked out in the event something went wrong. Not that she'd ever have to use it. She'd simply been too slick.
Chapter 45
D
ana, standing on a stepladder six feet above the floor, carefully reached out and adjusted the angel on top of the Christmas tree. “Is it straight now?”
Brittany cocked her head to one side. “Now it's leaning to the left.”
Dana sighed in exasperation. “Well, I think it'll just have to lean. Every time I move it, it ends up going too far to the right or too far to the left.”
“But Mom, if you leave it that way, the only way it'll be straight is if you lean your head to one side.”
“Too bad. I'm getting down from this ladder before I fall.” Dana began her descent.
“I'll do it.”
“No, you won't,” Dana said firmly. Because of the way Kenny died she would always be mindful of the potential for household accidents. No way would she allow Brittany to climb that ladder. “Just leave it the way it is. If you want to help, you can put the ladder back in the garage.”
Brittany dutifully folded the stepladder into a flat position. “Mom, this music is awful.”
“What are you talking about? It's Christmas music, sung by Johnny Mathis, one of the loveliest voices of his generation.”
“I don't want to listen to some old guy sing. Can we at least put on Vanessa Williams?”
“Oh, all right. Go ahead.”
Dana watched Brittany head for the garage with the stepladder. This holiday season felt much more festive than last year's. Their first Christmas without Kenny had a pallor over it, no matter how cheerful she forced herself to sound. She cried Christmas night in the privacy of her bedroom, and she suspected that Brittany did, too. She couldn't even bring herself to erect their usual eight-foot-tall tree in the family room, and instead went out and bought a tree less than half that height. She and Brittany had made a half-hearted attempt at decorating it. On New Year's Day they took it down and threw it out.
This year their boxed tree stood magnificently decorated in the family room. Dana had bought some new ornaments to diminish the sentiment of the old and familiar. The fireplace crackled with orange flame. Unlike last year, when the mercury hovered around seventy degrees, this year's chilly temperatures seemed more appropriate to the season. She and Brittany each had a glass of eggnog, the only difference being that Dana's contained a touch of bourbon.
Christmas Eve, like always, would be spent quietly at home. The only thing different would be the presence of Gil, whom Dana expected to ring the bell any minute. She'd told Brittany he might be stopping by, but hadn't wanted to make it sound too definite. At least this way Brittany would have the chance to get used to the idea of them sharing Christmas with Gil. Dana still wasn't sure if Brittany was ready to see the two of them together, but she knew she couldn't put it off much longer. Somehow the impossible had happened and she'd fallen in love. She hadn't told Gil how she felt. She wanted him to say it first.
Gil would also accompany them to dinner at Norell and Vic's home tomorrow.
Dana wished Vanessa would come around. Brittany appeared to be doing okay, but Dana knew she still missed her friend terribly, and what hurt most was knowing Brittany held her responsible, even though she knew better than to say it. Everything would be so much easier to accept if Brittany had her oldest friend at her side.
The sound of chimes filled the house. “That must be Gil,” Dana said brightly. She glanced at Brittany, who had just changed the CD and was concentrating on returning Johnny Mathis to his case, and her soaring spirits crashed. Brittany hadn't even acknowledged her comment.
She tried again. “Brittany, come with me to the door.”
“Why, Mom?”
“Because it'll send a nice signal to Gil that you're happy to see him.”
Brittany shrugged, but before she could say anything—like that she wasn't particularly happy to see Gil—Dana impatiently gestured at her to join her.
“Who is it?” she called when she and Brittany stood armin-arm opposite the door.
“It's Gil.”
Dana opened the door. Gil stood on the other side behind Vanessa, his hands resting on her shoulders. “Vanessa!” she exclaimed. “What a wonderful surprise! Merry Christmas, dear.”
Brittany looked almost spellbound. “Hi, Vanessa.”
“Hi, Brittany. Hi, Miss Dana,” Vanessa replied shyly.
Dana waved them inside. “Please, come in. We're letting all the cold air get inside.”
“I reminded Vanessa of what Christmas is all about,” Gil remarked, rubbing his palms together. “It's the season of love and good will toward men. I told her I felt this foolishness between her and Brittany has gone on long enough.”
“Oh, I agree,” Dana said joyously. “How about it, girls?” Brittany still stood by her side, and Vanessa at Gil's. “Don't you feel it's time to kiss and make up?” She thought her heart would burst with happiness when the girls rushed into each other's arms and simultaneously said, “I'm sorry,” before breaking into giggles.
Gil casually came to stand beside Dana, his arm reaching around her shoulder. They watched their daughters rush to talk at the same time as they walked toward the family room at the rear of the house, eager to catch up on the goings-on in their lives during their estrangement. “I'm so happy, Gil,” Dana said. “You brought Brittany the best Christmas gift ever.”
He planted a quick kiss on her lips. “Who says there isn't a Santa Claus?”
 
 
“How did you manage to swing it?” she asked as she fixed him an eggnog in the kitchen. The sound of laughter drifted in from the adjoining family room.
“Vanessa spent Christmas Eve with me last year, and I asked her if she wanted to do it again. We can't stay long, though. She's still reluctant to leave Irene alone for long. But do you think your friends would mind if I brought her along tomorrow? I think I might be able to coax her into going, as long as she spends the bulk of the day with Irene.”
“Of course Norell won't mind. She has a pretty good number of people over for dinner every year. It's an informal setting, buffet style, because people keep arriving all afternoon, so it won't be a problem if we don't get over there until six or even later than that.” Dana wished she could pick up Vanessa herself and save Gil that long trip in from the beach, only to head back that way again to go to the Bellamys', but she knew Irene would never consent to that.
Dana felt indescribably happy. Now nothing stood in the way of her being with Gil; she no longer had to cope with her conscience reminding her that her happiness came at Brittany's expense. Only one thing posed a possible spoiler.
“Gil, do you think Irene will put her foot down when she finds out you brought Vanessa over here?”
“She'll try, I'm sure. Of course, it would be a lot easier if she just didn't know. But I won't have Vanessa lie to her mother, and I'm sure Irene will ask where I took her the minute she steps in the house. She asked me where we were going when I picked her up. Irene isn't stupid. She knows that everything closes early on Christmas Eve.”
“What'd you tell her?”
“That Vanessa could tell her all about it when she got home. Don't worry about it, Dana. The choice about what she wants to do is really up to Vanessa. Irene will no doubt try her manipulation tactics, but I plan to work on Vanessa on the way home to deprogram her before Irene can start in.”
 
 
The merry atmosphere at the Bellamy home matched Norell, who positively glowed as she tended to her guests. “You're glowing like somebody with a secret, and I know what it is,” Dana told her in a singsong tone when they had a moment alone.
“Hey. I thought you guys would never get here, but I see Brittany and her friend have made up.”
“Gil brought Vanessa to the house last night. Norell, things couldn't be more perfect. We're late because Vanessa wanted to spend most of the day with her mom. Irene does tend to try to appeal to Vanessa's heartstrings by playing the all-sacrificing mother routine, but I really don't blame Vanessa for not wanting to leave her mom alone on Christmas Day.”
“I'm just glad to see you guys made it.”
Dana glanced over at Vic's first wife, Phyllis, and her friend Karen Weathers, who stood in a corner with the cautious expressions of people who feared they might be overheard as they gossiped about their hosts while eating their food and drinking their liquor. The first year of their marriage, Vic had asked Norell to include Karen along with his daughters in their annual Christmas open house so she wouldn't have to spend the afternoon alone, and Norell ac-quiesed, although grudgingly. “Don't look now, but I think Phyllis and Karen are trying to figure out why you're so happy.”
Norell made a face. “Oh, them. They huddle in a corner and talk about me every year. Vic said he was going to tell Phyllis to cut it out, that it's damned rude, but I told him I didn't care. Let them whisper.”
“Well, I'm with Vic on that one. It
is
damned rude.”
 
 
Cécile hugged her father, for no reason other than her happiness to have him and her mother at her home. She wished her parents would come to visit them more often, and maybe now that they had more room, they would. Josie and Monet willingly gave up their bedroom and adjoining bath for their grandparents and bunked with Gaby and Eleith. All four girls, and even Jonathan and Damon, enjoyed the attentions of Claude and Catherine. Michael's parents had both passed away, and Cécile felt it important for children to have grandparents in their lives.
The kids had nearly gone overboard decorating the house for the holiday. Popcorn balls hung from every door, and mistletoe abounded. Multicolored lights outlined both the living-room mirror and the doorway to the patio. The tree, a real Norwegian Spruce, stood in a corner of the living room, full with ornaments and lights, and gifts overflowed from its base. Cécile moaned and groaned all year while she purchased Christmas gifts and stocking stuffers for the children, but seeing this bountiful scene made all her hard work worthwhile.
Only one thought dampened her spirits, the thought of her sister spending a solitary Christmas in her apartment. Micheline made it a point to call and talk to their parents and the kids, keeping up the farce of being in Crescent City with Errol's family. Cécile's heart broke for her sister as she, going along with the charade, told her to enjoy her day.
She wondered if this was God's way of punishing Micheline for all the heartache she had caused, and if so, what else did He have in mind for her?
Chapter 46
E
rrol placed his purchases on the counter: two bottles of Cordon Negro and a three-quarter-liter bottle of Skyy vodka. Normally he'd look forward to a New Year's Eve party at Rob and Yolanda's, but without Michie it wouldn't be any fun.
He'd been so happy just one month ago, when she came to dinner at his parents' house on Thanksgiving, along with his father's cousin and his wife. Micheline had charmed everyone and done him proud. He'd known then that he loved her. He'd never met anyone like her. She showed genuine interest in everything he did, the most mundane details of his work, even taking up golf because he enjoyed it. Other women he knew never wanted to hear about his work or the sports he enjoyed; they just wanted him to share their interests, like shopping. They also went out of their way to please him in bed. Michie didn't. She had her values and didn't care what he thought. She was a prize he'd have to be crazy to give up.
He thought about presenting her with a diamond for Christmas, but then the next week she called and said she'd had to drive up to New York right away to be with her aunt, who'd suffered a stroke. He knew how devoted Michie was to her aunt, who since her husband's death had no one to take care of her, but he missed her terribly. When she came back he'd get down on one knee and beg her to marry him.
He ran his debit card through the point-of-sale terminal and keyed in his PIN number, then replaced the card in his wallet as the system hummed approval.
The clerk packed the bottles carefully in a brown paper bag inside a plastic bag for strength. Errol hoisted the bag by its plastic handles and left the store, anxious to get away from the crowd of people buying liquor for their celebrations tonight.
As he walked toward his car he caught a flash of red out of the corner of his eye. He glanced up in time to see a tomato-red Bug just like Michie's pass by at the end of the row of vehicles. He smiled. Did he have ESP or something?
Wait a minute. The woman driving the Bug had the same light brown complexion as Michie. She wore sunglasses and a baseball cap, but the lock of hair peeking out from beneath the cap was the same blondish color as Michie's. Had she surprised him and driven back to spend New Year's with him? Or was he merely imagining things?
No, that couldn't be it. He knew what he saw. His vision had measured 20/20 at his last eye exam less than six months ago. If that wasn't Michie, then she had a twin she didn't know about.
He decided to drive over to her apartment, which was only a ten-minute drive from here. If she was back in town her car would be parked in front of her apartment. She'd probably be annoyed at him for spoiling her surprise, but she'd get over it. He had to know if that really had been her.
 
 
Errol's heart beat loud as a cannon in his chest as he rounded the corners of Micheline's apartment complex. Disappointment stabbed at him when he didn't see her car.
He steered his vehicle into a U-turn, which because of the narrow width of the parking lot had to be done in degrees. When the car faced her window he glanced up at it, just in time to see the blinds shift into a closed position. Errol braked, then jerked his car into a forward gear and slid into a parking space. Those blinds hadn't closed by themselves. Someone occupied Micheline's apartment, and he wouldn't leave here until he found out precisely what was going on.
He bounded up the stairs two at a time and knocked on her door confidently.
A voice that sounded very much like hers promptly answered. “Who is it?”
“UPS.”
The door opened. Afterward, Errol wasn't sure who gasped the loudest, Micheline at seeing him, or him at seeing her expanded belly.
“You said you were the UPS man,” she said accusingly.
“You must have been expecting something, like a crib.” His voice rang with sarcasm.
She stepped back and waved him inside. He stepped into her apartment. “I agree that this is no conversation to have in the hall,” he said.
“I don't understand, Errol. What made you come over here?”
“I thought I saw you a few minutes ago over at the strip mall on Southside Boulevard.”
“Oh. I stopped at Arby's to get some lunch.”
“I thought you might have gotten back into town and planned to surprise me for New Year's. I couldn't stand waiting to hear from you, so I came over, even if it meant spoiling your surprise. As it turns out,
I'm
the one who's surprised. This isn't just a surprise. This is a beaut!”
“I couldn't bring myself to tell you. I knew you wouldn't understand.”
“No, Micheline, I don't understand. You wouldn't sleep with me. You gave me that BS about how you didn't believe in premarital sex because you got burned a long time ago. Obviously you played with somebody and their matches again a couple of months ago, when you were supposed to be with me.”
Her words spilled out. “Errol, I was raped.”
“
What?”
Micheline launched into the story she had prepared in case he showed up unexpectedly. “I didn't know how to tell you,” she said with a sob. “It happened in the parking garage at work. I stayed late one night—” She broke off. “I can't talk about it. When the doctor confirmed I was pregnant I didn't know what to do. Before that I tried so hard to put it behind me.” Tears streamed down her face. Micheline realized she cried out of frustration, cried for the weeks of solitude, the sadness of spending Christmas all alone in her pastel paradise, with only the television for company.
Errol swiftly took her in his arms. “Did they ever find the man?”
“No. My job has put me on a paid leave of absence until after the baby is born. I've decided to give it up for adoption.”
He tightened his arms around her and kissed her hair. “Michie,” he whispered. “Why didn't you tell me?”
“I didn't know how,” she sobbed. “I figured you'd be angry with me, tell me it was my fault for not getting someone to escort me to my car.”
“God knows I wish you had, but it's too late to change it now, isn't it? You didn't have to go through this alone,” he said, rocking her gently. “But you're not alone anymore. I'm here, and I'll take care of you.”
“Oh, Errol. You don't know how badly I wanted to confide in you. I thought you wouldn't understand.”
“Come on, let's sit down.” They moved a few feet to the elegant white sofa, where they sat close to each other, his arm draped around her shoulder, her right hand resting on his left thigh. “Have you really kept this from everyone?”
It only took an instant to decide to be truthful. “Only my sister knows,” she said. “She had to help me explain to her kids and to my parents why I wasn't around over the holidays. You see, my parents came up to Jacksonville for Christmas and expected to see both of us. Cécile and I told them I went out of town with you.” She buried her face in her hands. “All those lies! I can hardly stand myself.”
“Michie, don't cry. You did what you had to do. Let's form a plan of action. The first thing you need to do is file suit against the owners of the garage for inadequate security.”
“And relive the worst incident of my life? No. I won't do it.”
“But Michie, they owe you. All your suffering and emotional distress is worth money.”
“If I have to testify it isn't worth it, Errol. I don't care how much money is at stake. I want to put it behind me, not relive it under questioning and cross-examination.”
“All you have to do is threaten them with a lawsuit. You won't have to go through with it. The moment the garage owners learn what you're planning, they'll offer you a cash settlement.”
“Maybe.” Micheline thought she might be able to pull that one off, if she was careful about it. She still had the money she'd gotten from her former employer in West Palm, as well as her share of Great Aunt Yvonne's insurance proceeds, most of which she'd invested for nice returns on her money. She could claim it all came from the garage owners in a settlement, and Errol would never know the difference. “I'll think about it. All I want is to feel like myself again, and I don't know if I ever will.”
“Have you seen a counselor?”
“Yes,” she lied. “She helped me understand that it wasn't my fault. I'm not seeing her anymore. She accomplished what she was supposed to do, and that's it. All I want to do now is get back to where I was in life. But I don't know if I can go back to that office and that garage.” She waited for him to tell her she wouldn't have to ever face it again, that he would take care of her.
“I don't think you should. But you have time for that. When is the baby due?”
“Not until the middle of April.”
Errol looked almost as shocked at that as he had when he saw her swollen belly. “My God, you planned to keep up this charade for another four months?”
“What else could I do, Errol?”
“And you made up that story about your great aunt.”
Micheline fought back panic that began in the pit of her stomach and rose in her throat. Errol sounded so emotionless. Could he be rethinking his statement that he would take care of her? “I really did have a Great Aunt Yvonne, Errol. And I lived with her after college while I had my first job in New York. She was real sweet to me. She died three years ago. I always felt a little guilty, because she didn't last too long after I moved back to West Palm. One day she got up, ate breakfast, and slumped over from a heart attack.” She sighed. “Can't you understand that I didn't know what else to do? I was afraid to tell you the truth, but I didn't want to lose you, either. I hoped that once the baby was born I could come back and we could pick up where we left off.”
“It's all right,” Errol soothed. “I'm just trying to absorb it all. All this comes as a shock. I'm not angry at you, Michie. I'm sorry I reacted the way I did when I saw you.”
She sniffled in response.
“But I'm going to ask you something, Michie, something I want you to think about long and hard before giving me an answer.”
Her stomach went rigid. What could he be thinking? “What is it, Errol?”
“Do you really want to give up your baby?”
She stared at him, not comprehending his motives.
“Look, Michie. I can't plan for the future unless I know what kind of future it is. Like if it will include a baby that's not mine.”
“You mean ... you wouldn't mind if I kept my baby?”
“If that was really what you wanted, no. Regardless of the circumstances of conception, it's still your baby, still a part of you. And in case you're worried about what people would say, just remember that we don't have to explain anything to anyone about where the baby came from. It's no one's business but ours.”
She had a flash of the disapproving faces of Mr. and Mrs. Trent. Then she had a flash of a despondent Norell, and Vic trying to comfort her ... and Cécile screaming at her, telling her she'd brought nothing but heartbreak to her two best friends.
“Let me think about it,” she said slowly. “It's an important decision. I want to be sure.”

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