Brothers and Wives: A Novel Read online

  She nods halfheartedly.

  “I know you didn’t get a chance to enroll in school last year. But that isn’t any excuse. Why not try to get in this year? I can help you.”

  “You don’t have to do that, Anya.”

  “I know, but I’d like to. You need an intervention and I can handle things. That way you can focus on doing something positive for yourself. I mean it, LaNecia. Don’t give up your dreams trying to chase after someone else.”

  “I–I dunno.”

  “You’ll never know if you don’t try What if you end up being a producer?”

  “Ha!” She laughs, as if it’s a ridiculous idea. “What am I going to produce?”

  “You can start with me,” I tell her. “Come up with a good story idea and I’ll let you film me.”

  “You? I think I can find a more interesting subject than you.”

  “Well, excuse me, miss. I guess you feel like my life is dull and uneventful compared to yours, but let me assure you, there’s always something going on in the Meadows household.”

  I stand up, face the girls, and describe the drama I’ve faced being the wife of a man who has a child with another woman. In the middle of my juicy story, I suddenly feel a big gush that makes my pants soaked and warm. I grow uncomfortable. I take a deep breath, and feeling very embarrassed, I squeeze my legs together. I ask Karetha and LaNecia if I may be excused. “I’ll catch up with you later,” I say. I walk stiffly yet briskly toward the nearest women’s restroom, hoping no one sees the funny way that I’m moving.

  As soon as I reach the restroom, I lock myself in an empty stall and quickly pull down my panties. My maxipad is soaking wet. Blotches of blood stain my underwear.

  “Why is my period so freaking heavy?” The fear and dread is so great, I feel like bursting into tears. I’ve experienced heavy bleeding this past April, May, and June. Last month I woke up in bed and noticed a foul smell. I turned on the lamp and saw blood soaking through our sheets. Thank God Neil had already gone to work, so I got a chance to strip the bed and wash the sheets in bleach water. Last month I didn’t worry about what was happening. But now I can’t avoid the problem. I’m not in the mood to be around people anymore. And unfortunately I don’t have a fresh maxipad. I grab my cell phone from my jacket pocket and am relieved when Vette answers on the first ring.

  “Hi, Anya, where are you?”

  “Um, I had to use the ladies room. Hey, I need a favor.”

  “What’s up?”

  “Do you have a maxipad?”

  “No, did you check the machine in the restroom?”

  “They’re all out. Dammit.”

  “You want me to ask around?”

  “Yes, please do. Thanks Vette.”

  She says okay and hangs up. I hang out in the ladies room until Vette enters.

  Fifteen minutes pass before I hear my name being called and the sound of footsteps across the restroom floor. “Anya, you still in here? I have something for you.”

  “I’m in the last stall. Hand it to me under the door, please.”

  Thank God she does just what I told her to do and is sensitive enough to not ask me any questions.

  Questions I want answers to myself.

  — 3 —

  SCOTTIE

  An Afternoon with Scottie

  Scottie Meadows decided to let Dani have one night to herself. He resisted the urge to call her the first day they met. But when he wakes up early the next morning, as he lies in bed, he knows he can’t let the day end without calling the woman who’s on his mind.

  For the time being, he’s staying in the Westchase area of town at a Studio 6 Extended Stay. Although he appreciates having a fully equipped kitchen, he hates the cramped quarters, but a hotel is the best he can do until he comes up with a better plan.

  “Yesterday is history,” he sings to himself. “Today is a new day, and it’s gonna be a lovely day-y-y.”

  After he gets up, he eats breakfast and watches television to pass time. But he can’t take the suspense anymore. He waits until eleven-thirty before he grabs his cell phone. He scrolls down his address book until he gets to the newest entry and thoughtfully stares at her digits. He takes a deep breath and presses the call button. When the number rings several times without an answer, he immediately places a different call.

  “Hey, there, brother-in-law,” Anya coos into the phone.

  “What up? Um, you busy?”

  “What do you need?”

  Scottie laughs and explains in detail what he wants and how Anya could help. He grabs a pen and some paper to jot down her advice. He listens to her chirp for a couple of minutes, then happily disconnects the call.

  Scottie steps out of the shower, dries off, puts on deodorant, and rummages through his suitcase until he finds a Hurley black graphic tee and slacks, which he takes time to iron. After Scottie gets carefully dressed, he heads out the door and takes off in his car to the mall. By the time he’s finished shopping an hour later, he feels lighthearted, joyous, and bursting with anticipation.

  But his excitement turns to complete jitters the second he’s outside the entrance gate of Dani’s apartment complex.

  “What am I, a stalker?” he asks himself. “This ain’t my style at all.”

  He’s driving a five-year-old Cadillac Escalade, a vehicle his uncle James bought for him when he moved to Michigan. Scottie puts the Escalade in park with the motor still running while he waits for someone who knows the code to show up at the gate so he can follow in behind them. Once he’s inside, his hands become wet with perspiration as he finds an empty parking space in the visitors’ section.

  “Here goes,” he says. Carrying a plastic bag filled with goodies, he walks to Dani’s apartment. Two plant holders sit on the ground right beside her door, and a brown mat with white letters saying Welcome greets him.

  When she answers his knock, her hair is uncombed and she’s wearing no makeup.

  “Oh my God, what are you doing here, Scottie?”

  “Hey! I’m sorry. I–I had to see you.”

  “About what?”

  Scottie hates how her words sound, but he plows on. “You and me … we have a pact.” He grins, boyishlike. “We must talk every day. We must stay connected. Plus I have some very special things for you. So when you gonna ask me in?”

  Unable to contain her smile, Dani shakes her head in amazement and opens the door wider for him to enter.

  “Man, you are a trip! You could’ve given me a warning.”

  “I called, but you didn’t answer,” he replies, following her inside her quaint and spotless apartment.

  “You did?” Dani digs in her purse, which is sitting in a corner of the sofa. “Oh, I see I have a couple of missed calls, but you still should have kept trying until I answered. It just works better that way. Remember that next time.” Instead of waiting for Scottie to respond, she reaches inside the purse, pulls out a brush. She sweeps her hair into a ponytail and swipes her lips with ChapStick.

  “I’ll be right back. Gotta go check on Brax. I laid him down for his nap a little while ago,” she says and disappears down the hall.

  Scottie takes a few steps inside the apartment, soaking in his surroundings. He inhales the scent of fresh flowers in a red ceramic vase in the center of the dining room table. Several decorative rugs line the plush carpet. He is impressed by the large brown leather sofa set and notices a tan body pillow resting on the floor in front of the entertainment center.

  Ah, he thinks, she loves music and movies just like me. Dani’s collection includes hundreds of organized CDs and DVDs that sit next to a wide-screen television. A couple of fluffy teddy bears and some toy fire trucks sit on top of a toy chest. And three blown-up framed portraits of Brax grinning and sitting snugly on Dani’s lap are mounted on the living room wall.

  The more he looks around, the more he likes what he sees.

  “My little man is knocked out and clutching his pillow,” Dani says as she returns to the living r
oom. “Thank God he’s asleep, because although I’m glad you’re here, I had no idea you were coming, and when you knocked on the door it scared me because I wasn’t expecting anyone. We’ve had a few break-ins around here.”

  “Hey,” he says seriously. “I do understand and I’m sorry. Should I leave?” he says, feeling nervous about her reaction.

  “Don’t go. It’ll be fine. To be honest, I was bored and I could use some company.” She grins.

  Feeling a little more confident, he says, “I think you’d better learn to accept all this spontaneity, get used to seeing the kid.” He points to himself. “Don’t you know I’m your man? At least I’m trying to be….”

  Dani takes a deep breath and lowers her eyes before peering up at him again.

  “You make me feel so … I dunno. Scottie, I don’t know if I should tell you this,” she admits and plops down on the sofa. She delicately pats the space beside her so he can sit. “Man, the oddest thing happened to me. You were in my dream last night….”

  “Aha! Ye-oh!” He wants to be in her every thought just like she’s in his.

  “No, wait, silly. I mean it was cool, but I’m blown away that it happened so soon after meeting you.”

  “What happened? Tell me!”

  “You and I were in this great big house, like a mansion,” she explains. “We were just going from room to room, chatting and whatnot. You were talking my ears off, as a matter of fact. I just don’t remember everything you were saying.”

  “How’d you feel when you woke up?”

  “Sad.” She nods. “Sad.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I realized I didn’t finish talking with you the way I wanted to yesterday. So much happened during the reunion, I decided I’d had enough, and I up and left.”

  “That’s what I heard,” he says, sounding hurt.

  “And …” She begins nervously playing with her hands. “Well, Scottie, I didn’t expect you to actually call me last night…. You know, I mean, you never know how these things go…. Yet when you … when you didn’t call me, well, it’s silly….”

  “Tell me!”

  “I wanted to hear the sound of your voice again. I tried to picture you and remember how great things felt when we met. I kind of wanted that again but couldn’t predict when it would happen. And now you’re here.”

  “I’m here, Dani. I’m here.”

  Scottie sits back, growing more relaxed, and begins telling her what he did after the reunion, how he hung out with some of his male cousins, drinking beer, watching TV, bonding and catching up. She quietly listens to him talk. He loves that she’s hanging on to his every word.

  He decides to spring his surprise on her and reaches inside a plastic bag. The first gift to emerge is a simple clear glass vase filled with five yellow roses that smell deliciously sweet.

  “Scottie, I love anything yellow. How’d you know?”

  He just winks at her knowingly and reaches inside the bag and presents the next gift.

  “What the hell?” Dani squeals. “Who told you I adore Coco Mademoiselle bath and body products? Oh my goodness, I could use this good-smelling stuff every day. And I was running low on the twist and spray…. How’d you know, Scottie? Please tell me.”

  “No, it’s my little secret.”

  “I hate secrets.” She pouts.

  “Why?”

  “Because I have a need to know things.”

  He just laughs at her when she pleads with him to tell.

  “No way. I’m having too much fun.”

  “Actually,” she says, “so am I.”

  The more his nervousness lessens, the more he’s determined to show her that he is for real. He wants to prove to himself that he can start a positive relationship and build it into something substantial.

  The afternoon is filled with more unexpected surprises. When she isn’t looking, he whips out a Tickle Me Elmo talking doll.

  “You’ve gotta be joking.”

  “I’ll bet Brax won’t think it’s a joke!” He plants the doll on her lap and plays with its stomach. Both Dani and Scottie erupt in laughter when Elmo makes squeaking sounds and shouts, “That tickles!”

  “You’re amazing! Elmo dolls aren’t cheap, either. Thanks, Scottie!”

  “Just looking out for … for my nephew,” he says in a whisper. When he hears himself say these words out loud, he feels awkward. It’s the first time he realizes that the woman he’s trying to get with is the mother of his relative. It feels sobering to acknowledge that the baby he almost had with LaNecia would have been his son and his cousin. He tentatively looks up at the photos of Dani and Brax. It pains him to see that Brax shares many of Neil’s facial features. If things between me and her go the way I want, how will I handle the child issue? Instantly he feels himself getting stressed; this isn’t what he wants to think about. The most important thing he’s concerned with is trying to make an impression.

  “Brax is going to have so much fun playing with Elmo. How’d you know he loves …?”

  “That’s classified info. Don’t you listen?” he says, trying to keep his mood light.

  He and Dani fiddle with the toy a little longer until she sets it aside and looks expectantly at him.

  Then she excuses herself to put her gifts in the bedroom. The second she leaves, Scottie starts snooping around. He wanders into her contemporary kitchen filled with black appliances and tall oak cabinets. He opens the refrigerator door and checks out the groceries and thoroughly investigates the cupboards. When she returns to the living room and notices him standing in the kitchen, she puts her hands on her hips. She watches him wrap a tan apron around his waist. It barely fits.

  “Mister Meadows, what in the hell do you think you’re doing?”

  “Just call me the gangster chef,” he says, pointing at the black bandanna wrapped around his head.

  “The who?”

  “I’m acting like the type of man that I hope to be.”

  “You’re a great actor,” she teases and goes to take a seat at the breakfast bar.

  Scottie enjoys taking over her kitchen, acting as if he’s cooked meals on her stove for years.

  “Need any help?” she asks.

  “No, Mariah.”

  “I’m not … never mind. The onion powder and lemon pepper …”

  “Shhh. I know where everything is.”

  “Scottie, you’re scaring me.”

  “You won’t stay scared if you have faith in me.”

  He prepares double-decker cheeseburgers and a garden salad with all the works. A half hour later he sets the table for her, scolding her for getting up for even a second when she offers to help.

  “This is all on me. You sit. I work. You watch. You learn.”

  “Yes, sir,” she says, smirking.

  When Scottie is done cooking, he cuts off the burner, carefully fixes her a plate and brings it to the dining room table, where she goes to take a seat.

  “Here ya go,” he says and hands her a can of Coca-Cola Zero. “I popped the top for you so you won’t have to break one of those pretty fingernails.”

  “Scottie, you don’t have to go that far. I can do these things for myself, ya know.”

  “I know, but I don’t want you to. I got you!”

  Scottie’s as anxious as he would be on an all-day job interview.

  In some ways, Scottie believes he can handle Dani. He’s dated enough women to know what they like and want. But what if he goes all out to impress her and she gets bored with his ways and accuses him of trying to buy her? How can he also show her that he simply enjoys being around her, too?

  Scottie decides he needs to calm himself down and take a seat.

  “How’s it taste?”

  “Not half bad.”

  Immediately after she finishes her meal, he sets the dirty dishes in the dishwasher, takes her by the hand into the living room to sit on the sofa, props her feet on top of the coffee table, removes her sexy little sandals from her fee
t, and sticks a throw pillow behind her back.

  He looks around the living room until he locates the remote control for the cable, hands it over to her, and lets her take charge.

  She speeds through the menu until she locates a program on TV One.

  “This feels kinda nice,” he murmurs. It’s all he can do to keep from resting his chin on top of her head. He wants to reach out and let his fingers play in her hair. What does her hair smell like? Does she smell as good as she looks? To Scottie, Dani is a princess who’s honored him with her presence. The thought of that makes him want to be worthy.

  “I want to ask you something, but I’m not ready to know the answer,” he says. He wants to ask her about her relationship with Neil but is having second thoughts about possibly spoiling their moment by discussing such a serious issue.

  “Oh, please don’t do that. You can ask,” she says.

  “Tell you what, when the time is right, I’ll ask you lots of questions. I just want to chill with you and enjoy myself. That is, if you don’t mind.”

  “Dammit, Scottie,” she scolds. “I knew you were the smooth type, and that’s fine, but next time you need to just spit it out.” She looks agitated.

  “Dani, I didn’t mean to offend you.”

  “I’m not offended. I just hate when people do that. It–it’s no biggie, though. Let’s watch TV.” She picks up the remote and increases the volume.

  Oh, hell, he thinks. I’ve messed up. I gotta do something.

  “Young lady, pay attention to the show. I’m going to give you a pop quiz once it’s over, okay?”

  Dani and Scottie sit cozily together for several minutes. The quietness ushers in a peace that Scottie hasn’t experienced in a long time.

  Suddenly, Scottie’s cell phone screams loudly, like a wailing siren from several police cars.

  “Who the hell is this calling …?” he mumbles. “I ain’t answering it.” He retrieves his phone from the clip off his belt and glances at the caller ID. “Damn, how in the fuck …?”

  “What’s the matter?” Dani asks.

  Darkness flickers across his face. But he doesn’t say a word. They continue to pick up where they left off, watching television. He absentmindedly strokes her bare arm with the tips of his fingers.