Settling Old Scores: BWWM Second Chance Romance (22 page)

"We
are good together, aren't we?" Pat asked.

"We
are. Maybe you will blow way past me once you finish school and move
away. I will still be your biggest cheerleader if that happens. If
you want, we can get engaged. We can shop for rings tomorrow if you
like. Maybe, I am the one that is feeling insecure. I ought to. I see
guys ogle you all the time. I ain't gonna give you up, easily,"
replied Kevin.

"I
would accept the ring if you offer it, in a nanosecond. Let's
postpone that for a little bit though and get through these choppy
waters we are in right now. Notice the maritime reference?" Pat
asked.

Kevin
just pulled her close as they walked back to the apartment and smiled
at her.

On
Saturday morning, Kevin and Pat went up to see her mother. Hannah had
the coffee pot on. She greeted them warmly and poured coffee. "So,
what’s up with you guys?" she asked.

"Well
mom. Kevin and I are committed to each other. We may even get engaged
soon. Want him as a son-in-law?" questioned Pat.

"I
think the world of you Kevin. I hope that happens soon. I know you
care for each other very deeply," said Hannah.

"As
you know, we have got past some big issues. It turns out that they
were not the issues I feared they would be. I don't know how to say
this without it being a total shock to you, but Kevin did a little
research and easily found dad in North Carolina. I haven't talked to
him, yet. I didn't even want to consider it without first talking to
you," said Pat.

Hannah
was shocked. She just sat at the table and turned pale.

She
started to lose her composure. Pat came over and held her for a
minute or so. Slowly, she came around. She asked Kevin if he had
actually talked to him and asked if he was okay. Kevin jumped in to
relieve the tension and told how it had happened. He told her that he
found Clarence first and then Dwayne. Hannah listened shakily. Then,
she remarked that she was surprised the subject of Dwayne was coming
up since Pat had not asked about her father in more than a decade.
Then, she supposed the topic of being biracial couldn't come up
without the topic of Pat's dad being discussed.

Hannah
started slowly. “You can't know what it was like. Remember I
was a farm girl from North Dakota. After years of being here I was
still a country girl. When I first got pregnant I was hurled into so
many things I didn't fully understand. The first Doctor I went to I
opened up to and told that the father was black, and I was unmarried.
He intimated that he could help with terminating the pregnancy. I
fled in tears. The next one counseled me to put you up for adoption.
When I found a doctor I liked the hospital became a problem. You were
born at the county hospital because the privates and religion based
ones weren't going to have me.”

“
Then
I started to show, and Dwayne and I got married by a Justice of the
Peace. No church wedding for this girl. My parents disowned me. We
both lost our jobs for our lack of moral character. Things went from
bad to worse. We were deemed to not be eligible for unemployment
benefits, which were a joke in those days anyway. We were going to
run out of money in no time at all. Dwayne was as scared as I
was,”she said.

Hannah
started to cry a little. “I know you think he just abandoned
you. I know different. The last night we spent together he listened
to your little heart beat in my tummy and cried. I knew that night
what was going to happen next. He left the next day. I never saw him
after that. I had to depend on friends I worked with for so much. One
took me in. Others gave me money. They helped me file for divorce.
Dwayne still sent me money from the South. I knew where he was, and
why he went. He loved you Pat, despite appearances, or
disappearances. Did he make the right decision? Probably not. I say
that not because the decision to leave was the wrong one. I say that
because he has had to live with that decision everyday of his life
since then. I knew him, he was kind, gentle, and sensitive. Making
that decision must have just about killed him.You should have seen
him with his machines. He listened to them, and could anticipate by
sound when one was going to have problems. I would predict he never
remarried, and never had any more children.”

“
He
was scarred for life. I wasn't, because I had you. Life was hard but
you were a gift to me. I stayed in this neighborhood because I
thought the schools were good, and your acceptance would be better
here than anywhere else. Can you imagine how you would have been
recieved in North Dakota? The white suburbs would have been just as
bad. I know your childhood was not easy, but you did okay. I am not
bitter, I am blessed,” she said with a smile.

Pat
held her hand. “Thanks mom she whispered.”

32.
Saturday Night

Late
that afternoon, Kevin and Pat got ready to go meet Willie and Sheila.
As they drove over to their house,
Lou
Rawls
sang on the radio.

"He
is more of a crooner than a soul guy. He sure has a great voice
though. Talk about cornbread in your voice, Lou certainly has it,"
Kevin sang along intoning, "I'm not bragging on myself, baby."

"You
know, they say him and
Sam
Cooke
were
in the same gospel choir in South Chicago when they were kids. How
amazing would it be to have those two in your choir?" enquired
Pat.

"It
would have been enough to make me get out of bed and go to church.
Maybe even make me a believer again. He had a great voice too,"
said Kevin

When
they finally got to Willie's house, they were feeling relaxed and
looking forward to a nice evening. Willie met them at the door with
his two girls trailing behind looking all shy. Kevin shook Willie's
hand. Willie shook back and clapped him on the shoulder. Willie and
Pat embraced. They held each other for a moment. Willie told Pat she
looked terrific.

"Kevin
told me you spent a lot of time in the gym and built yourself up.
What an understatement! You look pretty good yourself, Willie,"
she said as she playfully squeezed his big arms.

Then,
the rest of the introductions were made. Kevin didn't know it, but
Willie had invited Janet and Tammy over, too. The Smith family was in
full force. The shy little girls that belonged to Willie giggled
nervously and smiled as Willie introduced them. Sheila came out of
the kitchen and was introduced. She was as tall as Pat, very blond
and pretty. She welcomed them very graciously and said that Willie
had been looking forward to this, all week.

It
took no time at all and everyone settled into the nice patter old
friends have with each other. Sheila seemed to love the patter. They
were friendly and gracious with Pat, and not above kidding her a
little about being with Kevin. Joking about her need to upgrade the
company she keeps. Janet and Tammy were crazy for Kevin, but loved to
rip on him also. Sheila turned out to be a great hostess and cook.
The meal was amazing. The two little girls adored their two aunts.

After
dinner, everyone got together in the living room and traded more
stories about growing up in the old neighborhood. Some of the stories
were hilarious and some were sad. On the whole, it made for a nice
evening. Everyone was so comfortable. They rehashed some of the
childhood stories, and kidded Kevin more about his rather famous
Irish temper. After a while, the conversation turned to the McCanns.

Both
had been arrested and were waiting for arraignment in the city jail.
The bodies had been identified. One was that of Sylvia Greenberg. She
had died of a broken neck. The other girl had been identified as
another prostitute that worked for the McCanns in one of the English
Avenue houses. She had died from a fractured skull. In addition, they
had done some pretty good police work and found one set of fetal
remains inside a casket that had come from the funeral home that Sam
McCann owned. Thanks to a tip and Perkin's solicitations to the
public.This was going to be a lengthy investigation. So far, there
were no confessions. Willie was pretty sure they were positioning
themselves to do some plea bargaining and it disgusted him. Kevin and
Pat didn't volunteer any information or anything about the case, as
instructed.

Kevin
did draw aunt Tammy and her admiring nieces aside at one point to
have a little chat with her. "I heard from Janet that you work
for them guys," he said.

Tammy
was embarrassed, but owned up to it. She said that she didn't like
the work but the money was good. She said that they knew her brother
was a cop and generally left her alone. They talked quietly, as she
smoked and fidgeted nervously. "I am not going to use a big
brother approach on you Tammy. You already have one of those. Don't
slowly get enticed into doing stuff you know better than to do. The
other girls may be the most likely ones to lead you astray. Janet is
worried sick about you," Kevin said.

Tammy
thanked Kevin for his concern and for not lecturing her. Then she
said she knew Kevin had something to do with what was happening with
the McCanns. She said her vice squad friend had told her that. He
also had come and talked to a few of the older girls that might have
had associations with the McCanns from their English Avenue days.

Kevin
noticed that Pat and Sheila had drawn off in a separate conversation,
as had Willie and Janet. It was time to get the group back together
again. The group splintered several more times, as different people
had one on one conversations with each other. Janet and Kevin talked
some. Willie and Kevin also talked at length. Pat and Willie got to
visit with each other more, too. At the end of the night, everyone
was tired, full and happy. The party broke up after midnight.

The
next morning, Kevin and Pat traded notes about the night. Pat really
liked Sheila. "She is an impressive woman. She can cook and
knows how to entertain," Pat said. "We talked a little
about her relationship with Tammy and Janet. Those two could be a
tough crowd. She said having you there last night changed the
dynamics of everything from what it normally is like."

"How
did they treat you?" Kevin asked.

"They
were the best they have ever been with me. Janet is so bombastic that
she is hilarious. Tammy was pretty quiet. I think they gave me a pass
because of you. Those two little girls of Willie's are adorable. They
definitely are daddy's girls. I bet they have him wrapped around
their fingers. I can't believe how Willie changed. I get the feeling
he knows more about the McCanns situation than he is saying,"
Pat said.

"Yeah,
he does. He told me he won't kid me about not being observant. He
missed it about my involvement. It was Perkins that came up to him
after the arrests and told him that his buddy was highly instrumental
in getting the case reopened. Until then, it went right over Willie's
head. He just thought it was coincidence. Perkins must have enlisted
the Vice Squad in his investigation once they started looking for
fetal remains. Then he told me Tammy had called him when the vice
squad came around questioning some of the older girls. That was when
the lights really went on for him. I didn't deny it. He knows they
have an eyewitness," Kevin said.

"So
little by little, the story details are getting out there Kevin,"
Pat said thoughtfully.

"They
are. They are holding the McCann boys separately so they don't
compare notes. The attorney had briefly run between the two of them;
that is, until the arrests were made. The McCanns know how the game
is played. They don't need to talk to each other that much anyway.
They are originally from Kansas City and the investigators down there
are looking at any events down there that might lead to other
charges, too. Willie says there is a slight possibility that Donny
McCann might get out of this. I don't think I am in any great danger
though. We have enough insiders with skin in the game to stay ahead
of whatever comes up," Kevin said.

"Just
don't get too cocky. I don't want to come back from Houston to find
out something has happened to you," said Pat.

Kevin
doubted if either him or Matt was in danger. Firstly, nobody had an
address for them that was valid. Secondly, it would be damn stupid to
go after them, now that they were charged with murder. It would be
too coincidental, and would raise the ire of judges and prosecutors.
On the other hand, it would be classic mobster to intimidate a
witness until he couldn't remember his facts. The McCanns were known
to think of themselves as mobsters. They had learned to count on
intimidation to keep things going the way they wanted them to.

Pat
wanted to practice for her Houston audition. Kevin decided to go down
to the VA to check on Matt. Sunday was "family day". Kevin
was about all the family Matt had right now. Kevin drove over to see
Matt. The VA was a dreary place and going there reminded Kevin of
going to see his dad at the same place before he died. He got parked
and went in to see Matt.