Righteous Ways, page 7
Thoughts of my own future meals skittered through my mind. The food at Samaritan House was made with some love. The food at Henry County Jail was certain to not be. I realized all I hated for Darlene and her family would soon become my own reality. Six months to a year of tasteless food that I couldn’t get away from. I pushed that thought out of my head. It was far too depressing to focus on.
I reached for a cheese stick and asked, “So, Darlene, do you have a refrigerator in your room?”
“I pay $20 a month for it. It’s small, but we get to keep some milk for cereal and water and stuff. It helps. I get thirsty at night and I like cold water. The kids don’t always want to eat breakfast downstairs on the weekend so we can stay in our room and have some privacy.”
“We have a T.V. too,” Mary said.
“It don’t have no good channels on,” Krissy added sourly as only Krissy could.
“It doesn’t have the best channels, Krissy,” Darlene said, correcting her grammar. Krissy frowned, but parroted the sentence her mother said.
“It got some good channels,” Mary chimed in as she reached for her third slice of pizza. She couldn’t be sixty pounds with weights on her shoulders. I had no idea where she was putting the food.
“You just glad because they have that dumb Nickelodeon channel.”
“It’s not dumb,” Mary protested.
“Krissy, don’t call the things your sister likes dumb.”
Krissy rolled her eyes. “Is it okay if I go to the restroom?”
Darlene pushed herself up out of the seat and said, “I’ll go with you. It’s about that time. Come on, Destiny.” She took the two-year-old’s hand and the three of them walked in the direction of the restroom.
“Am I going to get a chance to play with all that stuff?” Mary’s eyes were wide with anticipation.
I glanced in the direction of the video games and other kid friendly stuff and replied, “As much of it as you want.”
Mary gave me that wide toothless grin. “I ain’t did nothing like that since my daddy took me for my birthday.” Her eyes flashed sadness for a moment, but she didn’t let it consume her.
I bit my lip before asking, “Have you been really sad without your daddy?”
“I didn’t know him that good. He was gone in the army most of the time.”
“But you knew him some,” I said.
“Yeah, I mean, he was my daddy and I loved him, but I was always missing him, so missing him now is almost the same.”
I nodded understanding. Basically, she was saying she couldn’t miss what she never had. “Krissy is sad though. Krissy and my mama. They cry all the time.”
“That’s to be expected.” I smiled at her and decided to change the subject before Darlene came back and heard something she didn’t want to hear coming out of her daughter’s mouth. “So tell me, what is Santa going to bring you for Christmas?”
“Nothing,” she said. “We too poor for Christmas.”
Oh my God. This child reminded me so much of myself. Too poor for Christmas. I remember my mother telling me that when I was about Mary’s age.
“Christmas isn’t just about presents. It’s about the birth of Jesus.”
“I know. That’s what my mama say, but other kids git stuff. We don’t hardly have no toys or clothes. We couldn’t bring our stuff to the shelter. It’s in the storage.”
“Which means you’ll have it in your own room one day.”
“I guess so,” Mary replied. “Mama says we probably out growed all the clothes.” She reached for another chicken wing.
“Little girl, you’re going to have an upset stomach.”
“No, I’m not,” she laughed. “I can eat like a man. That’s what my mama always say.”
“Well, I know you think you’re too poor for Christmas presents, but you never know what might happen, so you should go ahead and tell me what you really want.”
Mary placed a finger under her chin like she was thinking. More of that toothless grin surfaced. “I want an iPad.”
I nearly choked on the drink I had sipped. “An iPad. What are you going to do with an iPad?”
“It’s all kinds of games on there. I saw one when I was at Grandma Jeans house.”
“Grandma Jean,” I asked. “Is that your mama or daddy’s mother?”
“My daddy. My mama don’t have a mama no more. She don’t have that much family. My name is Marleigh after my mama’s mother, but I never met her.”
I nodded. “So, when did you see Grandma Jean’s iPad?”
“Last week. We went to visit and my uncle, Kevin, he had one. I played with for a little while.”
“Uncle Kevin. I think I remember him from high school,” I replied, recalling Kris had a younger brother. A menace he was. He was the complete opposite of Kris.
“Uncle Kevin, he just got out of jail.”
“He did?”
“And he can’t find a job.”
I nodded. So, Kevin Bolton had been in jail. I would have to look him up and find out why. “Did you have a nice visit with Grandma Jean?”
Mary got sad. “No, we don’t have nice visits with her. Her and my mama always argue and she told my mama we couldn’t live there.”
“Your mom was asking to live with her?” I saw Darlene and the kids coming back from the restroom and hated that I wouldn’t get the rest of the story.
“Mama wanted us to stay for two weeks, but Grandma Jean said, no. Kevin has to stay and can’t no kids stay by him.”
I nodded. “Your mom is back. I think we can probably go play something. What do you want to play first?” I asked, getting the child off the subject. I knew Darlene would be furious if she knew Mary was sharing her business.
Darlene claimed a seat. “I feel much better. This baby is wearing me out. Especially my bladder.”
“TMI,” Krissy said. “Can we play something?”
I nodded at Darlene to remind her she had the tokens. She reached into her bag and took out the token cards and handed one to Krissy and Mary. “Krissy, stay where we can see you and no talking to strangers.”
“I know, I know,” Krissy said. “This place ain’t...” she paused, “...isn’t that big.”
“Still,” Darlene pursed her lips. “I want to look up and see you.
Krissy’s mouth got tight, but she didn’t say a word. She left and headed in the direction of the skee-ball.
“I want to do what Krissy is doing,” Mary squealed.
I stood and took her hand. “Let’s go keep her company.”
We joined Krissy, which annoyed the girl, and played skee-ball until Mary was ready to move on to something else.
I thought about the things the child had shared with me. They were in the shelter because their grandmother had chosen to allow her criminal son to live with her rather than her deceased son’s wife and children. I wondered if she knew they were in a shelter or if she thought Darlene was just making do somewhere. It reminded me of my mother. Always putting my cousin June Bug’s needs ahead of mine and he wasn’t even her child. The decisions some women made about their children. I’d lost my child, but I knew if God ever blessed me to have more, I would never, ever, be the kind of mother I grew up with.
We stayed at Dave and Busters until the tokens ran out. Dinner time rolled around and we went to a neighboring restaurant and ate again. Then we walked across the parking lot to the theater to see a movie. I took the Bolton family back to the shelter just before lockdown. I carried Mary while Krissy carried Destiny. It was all that Darlene could do to carry herself. At the door to her room, Darlene turned to me and said, “I forgive you, Samaria.”
I smiled, relieved that I’d made up for my transgression.
“Just don’t talk against Kris Bolton again in life and I might be able to call you a friend.”
She smiled, reached for my hand and squeezed it. I left the building finally feeling good about something I’d done.
Chapter Eleven
I stepped into my cousin Ebony’s apartment and was greeted with earsplitting screams from two of her five? Boys.
“Shut it down before I start tearing tails!” Ebony yelled, closing the door behind me.
I gave her a quick hug and dropped my exhausted body down on the sofa. “Why are those kids still up?”
“Girl, they out for Christmas break. You just fall into the habit of letting them stay up.”
The kids entered the room looking like they always did when they saw me and I realized I was empty handed. They were used to big cousin Sammie bringing them something.
“Hey dudes,” I said.
They all said hello and continued to wait.
“Stop begging,” Ebony said. “Go back to your rooms. It’s time for bed.”
They begged to watch a movie and Ebony relented and gave them permission to stick one in the DVR as long as they stayed quiet.
“I have something for you. I’ll come in and see you guys before I leave,” I said and they squealed with delight.
Ebony cocked her head. “You know I don’t like it that they expect something from you every time you come over here.
“What’s a well-off big cousin for but to bring gifts?”
Ebony pursed her lips. “Uh, huh, but I know you don’t have anything in that tiny purse.”
I cocked my head. “Chile, please. I have cash. That always works and I’ll encourage them to buy their mother Christmas gifts rather than spend it on themselves.”
Ebony laughed. “Good luck with that one.” She picked up her phone and put it back down on the coffee table. “Where are you coming from this late when your man is out of town?”
Ebony knew Mekhi was headed back from a business trip to Charlotte because her husband, Tyrone, was on Mekhi’s payroll and he was with him. They were looking at some studio space that had just come on the market in hopes of expanding their reach to local artists in the Charlotte area.
“I’ve been at Dave and Busters and the movies.”
“D&B...why?” Ebony knew me better than anyone except my husband and knew I wasn’t keen on places packed with children. I’d never been and since the loss of the baby, no one but me knew how much harder that actually was.
“I told you about Darlene Bolton.”
“Yeah. I meant to call you. Tyrone told me her husband was killed in Chicago while attending his uncle’s funeral.”
“Thanks for being late with that info.”
“What do you mean late? Did something happen?”
I waved it off. “Something I’m too embarrassed to talk about. Anyway, I took her and her children out today. I just dropped them off.”
Ebony’s bottom lip dropped and her mouth hung open. I waited for her to put her lips back together.
“I thought they could use a fun day away from the shelter.”
“You went to D&B with kids?”
“Three of them.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Don’t say anything. Be proud. You’re obviously rubbing off on me. Anyway, they all had a good time. I could tell it’s been a minute since those kids had some fun.”
“They’ve had a rough year.”
“A horrible year and it’s not over for them. Darlene has to figure out what she’s going to do with her kids when she goes to the hospital with the new baby.”
Ebony sighed. I could tell she felt as bad as I did.
“They went to visit Kris’s mother last weekend and she told them they couldn’t stay with her. Her jailbird son is there.”
“Kris’s creepy brother?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s not that they can’t stay because he’s a jailbird. It’s because of what he’s been in jail for.”
I squinted and waited for Ebony to spill the tea.
“He’s a child molester. He likes young girls like preteen age. That’s what he was away for.”
That news felt like a kick in the gut. “So, she’s going to leave her grandchildren in the cold. They’re all that’s left of her decent child. She’d deny them housing to take care of her pervert son?”
“She probably figures Darlene has been managing all this time. Let her keep handling her business the way she’s been.” Ebony shrugged. “Besides, where’s the perv gonna go if she puts him out? At this point, he’s her only child.”
I nodded. “I guess.”
We were quiet for a moment. Only the noise from her children’s bedroom filled the space. “So, what do you want, Sam?”
I was appalled that she asked that question, but not surprised. “Why I got to need something?”
“Because you don’t visit unless you want something.”
My phone vibrated. I reached into my bag and checked the message. I smiled. “Mekhi and Tyrone’s plane just landed. I should get home.”
Ebony nodded.
I returned my phone to my bag. “I don’t want anything. You’re wrong tonight. I’m just visiting, but...” I paused and we both laughed. “Since I’m here, I do have a question.”
“Get to it.”
“I think I want to offer to do something for Darlene. You know Secret Santa or maybe even just take the girls shopping, but I’m not sure how to bring it up without sending the message that I feel pity for her.”
“Helping doesn’t have to come off as pity and getting some sympathy isn’t a bad thing.”
“It is when someone is prideful.”
Ebony considered my words. “Well, she knows that you know she’s homeless. Is she working?”
“No, she goes to a program for a few hours a day to learn secretarial skills or something like that.”
“Okay, so she also knows that you know she isn’t working,” Ebony added.
“I wonder what she does for money. I don’t think she would be getting that much social security. Kris had barely worked ten years. We’re barely ten years out of high school. If she was collecting anything worth something, she’d be out of that place.” I paused. “I don’t want to embarrass her. She already doesn’t like me.”
“If she didn’t like you, she wouldn’t have gotten into your car today.”
“I guess.”
Ebony’s smile was full of admiration. “I’m proud of you, Sam.”
I cocked my head. “Proud?”
“Yes, you want to help someone besides yourself.”
I rolled my eyes. “I admit to being quite smitten with her family these days.”
“All I know is, this is coming from in here.” Ebony pointed to my heart. “Whatever you do for them will be better than what they have.”
“How do I tell her? I’m telling you, she’s sensitive.”
“Tell her it’s from Airamas.”
“I was thinking of asking Mekhi if Samaritan could be on the list of charities they contribute to,” I said. “I was also thinking of asking if Benxi would come as a surprise to the kids.”
Ebony shrugged. “That’s an idea, but it’s late. Christmas is in a week.”
I rolled my eyes. “That heifer ain’t busy. She ain’t doing nothing but trying to figure out how to spend time with Mekhi.”
“That’s the job,” Ebony said.
“I suppose.”
“I don’t know how you manage that. If it was Tyrone, I would be like...that chick has to go.”
“I don’t have that kind of power. Mekhi doesn’t have the power to make her go and why should he want to? She has three top songs. She’s put him on the map.”
“You know he ain’t thinking about her, right?”
I shrugged. “I know that while I’m here, but what about when I’m gone? He might be thinking about somebody.”
“You and Mekhi need to talk about it. Reassurance from me is not going to help your mind.”
“We talk about it all the time. What’s he going to say?”
“He’s going to say he loves you and six months apart is not that much time.”
“If it’s six.”
“It’ll be six. You have to be optimistic. What does the Word say about that tongue of yours?”
“Life and death is in the power of the tongue.” I repeated one of the few scriptures I knew.
“You can’t just say it with your mouth. You have to believe the Word with your heart or you might as well not bother with it.”
“I understand what you’re saying, but you’ve been saved forever. I’ve been saved what? A hot minute. It’s hard for me to believe that God is thinking about me.”
“The Lord is concerned about all of us, Sammie.”
“Yeah, yeah, I get that, but I also feel alone. I have to go to jail by myself. Mekhi can’t go with me and you can’t go.”
“But your faith can. The Holy Spirit can.”
“I don’t get the Holy Spirit stuff yet. I’ve read the book of John over and I understand that Jesus said we would have a Comforter. I do understand that, but this pressure on me is so—”
Ebony grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “Now I know why you came over here.”
I squinted at her and then looked at our clasped hands and nodded. Ebony was right. I needed prayer.
Chapter Twelve
I stepped out of the sanctuary into the cold. The icy drizzle that had been falling since early morning was supposed to end by mid-day. Someone needed to tell the rain.
I popped open my umbrella and looked out at the sea of cars for Mekhi. It was hard to distinguish one from another because we’d driven his BMW, which was black. The valet parking line was filled with black cars. When we arrived this morning, valet parking was full. I didn’t use it often. Something about valet parking at a church felt wrong. It was said to be a fundraiser, because the $5.00 paid was used for missionary work, but I really believed it was just another way for Bling Temple to meet the high maintenance needs of their wealthy congregants.
“Samaria.” I heard the wind carry my name and turned around and saw Mekhi standing outside the car.
“Ma’am, let me help you.” One of the young ushers took my elbow and assisted me down the well-salted steps until he could hand me off to Mekhi. We escaped the weather into our vehicle.
