His Woman, His Wife, His Widow Read online

  And that was just the beginning of that day. Midway through, it got much worse.

  Shyanne and I were running the last of our errands when we ended up not too far from Shaun’s house. The beauty supply store where we stopped was right next door to the McDonald’s in Shaun’s neighborhood. I was hungry so I decided to stop in and grab a Big Mac to go. The drive-thru line was ridiculous so I went inside. Shyanne declined the offer for any food because she didn’t want to ruin her appetite for dinner.

  As soon as I got in line, someone approached me from behind and tapped me on the shoulder. It was Shaun’s youngest sister Tameeka.

  “What’s up, Tameeka?” I greeted.

  “What up, Nay-Nay? I see you sporting my brother’s car. I bet you think you all that, don’t you?” she grinned.

  Tameeka and I got along pretty well. Wish I could say that about the other females in Shaun’s family. His mother still barely had two words for me. Francine always seemed to be in a bad mood because she was angry at her son’s father.

  “Can you take me home since you bouncing the Trans? Save a girl some miles on these new sneaks my brother just bought me.” She twisted her foot to model her new shoes.

  Their house was only about four or five blocks from McDonald’s, so her statement of the ‘miles’ was a big exaggeration, which was typical Tameeka. But I didn’t have a problem hooking her up with a ride since it was so close, and it would not interfere with our schedule.

  “No problem, Meek-Meek. Just let me get my food, and we can be on our way.”

  I looked at the gym shoes Tameeka wore as an afterthought. She was sporting the Air Jordan’s that had just come out. Those shoes were at least $100. Shaun was always buying things like that for Tameeka, and according to her, she was the best dressed girl at Cody High School.

  When we returned to the car, I made the introductions between Shyanne and Tameeka, then headed to Shaun’s house. I wished he were home so I could at least get a glimpse of his beautiful face.

  Tameeka talked a mile a minute about some dude at her school who apparently had a crush on her. Tameeka thought all the boys in the neighborhood, all the boys at school, all the boys in the universe were jockeying her because she was so cute and she dressed so fly.

  “Nay, the guy is cute, but he dresses like a nerd. He doesn’t wear any designer clothes and to me that is plain not cool,” she said in her exaggerated nasal voice.

  Shyanne sat in her seat, looking like she prayed Tameeka would shut up soon. To be honest, she was hard to take sometimes. Every time I saw her, she was bragging about some new outfit she got or some boy who liked her. If she weren’t Shaun’s sister, I probably would have told home girl that she was not all that, even in her Guess jeans and Gucci gym shoes.

  While Tameeka was running her mouth, I tuned her out, focusing instead for the thousandth time since we started dating on my curiosity about exactly how much money Shaun made working for his uncle. He gave his baby sister anything she asked for, and he was always giving Francine money to help her take care of her baby. Whenever we went out, which was pretty often, he always had large wads of money on him. His mother was still unemployed, so he supported the entire household. He didn’t work a lot of overtime at the collision shop because he still picked me up from school everyday, and we managed to spend a lot of time together.

  That was the day I regrettably came to the conclusion that Shaun’s job at the collision shop was not his only hustle. I hated thinking about it, and I was definitely not prepared to hear him say it to me out loud. During that time I went against every moral and spiritual nagging in my being and pretended not to worry about whether or not my boyfriend was dealing drugs. I rationalized that there had to be some other explanation. And as long as whatever he was into didn’t affect me directly, I decided to just not say anything about it.

  “Nay-Nay, you about to pass my house, girl. You must be seriously daydreaming about my brother ’cause I called your name twice and you were not even hearing me,” Tameeka said with a silly laugh.

  I had to screech to a stop in order to not drive by their house. “Sorry about that, Meeka. I was definitely thinking about something too hard.”

  “Well, you better not tear up Shaun’s ride or he gon’ be mad,” Tameeka said as she exited the car and ran toward her house.

  I waited for her to get inside before I pulled away. Before she could make it inside someone else came outside. I didn’t take time to find out exactly who it was because I assumed it was Patricia coming to yell at Tameeka like she usually did. I turned to look across the street and pretended I was engrossed in the beauty of the neighbor’s flower garden. I was not interest in seeing Ms. Taylor leering at me with her customary frown.

  “Nay, is the big girl coming toward the car Shaun’s other sister?” Shyanne asked. I turned to look in the direction Shyanne was speaking of. There came a female I had never seen before stomping toward the car.

  “No, Shy. That is not Francine. I have no idea who she is.”

  The girl walked in front of the car, came over to the driver’s side and knocked on the window with much attitude; like I didn’t see her big butt standing there. She was evidently mad about something. Her anger poured from her eyes like hot sauce from the bottle of a fat man.

  I didn’t know this wench from Adam, so my first instinct was to ignore her and drive off. I could see Shyanne in my peripheral vision going into defense mode, first taking off her earring, then her seat belt. Shyanne and the Boy Scouts shared the same motto: Always be prepared.

  “Excuse me. Can I talk to you for a minute?” the thick stranger asked in a huff. I had the air conditioning on in the car and I still had not bothered to roll down the window, but I could hear her loud and clear. She didn’t yell, but her voice was laced with venom.

  “Who is that, Nay-Nay?” Shyanne asked loudly.

  “I don’t even know.”

  “Well, let down the window because I’m curious.” Shyanne opened her door, got out and leaned on the hood of the car.

  The stranger stood so close to my side of the car it would have been impossible for me to open the door without hitting her with it, which was exactly what I was about to do.

  “Rhonda, come back in this house now. Don’t make me come out there and get you,” Ms. Taylor yelled as she walked off the porch and stood in front of the house.

  Rhonda! The name exploded in my brain like a cannon. I snapped my head away from Patricia and back to Shaun’s ex so quickly I almost got whiplash; my emotions going through every possible phase. I was shocked, angry, scared and glad all at once. Glad to finally know what she looked like; shocked because she had the dirty nerve to approach the car the way she did; angry because she was confronting me in such a rude manner and scared the hussy was going to cause us to whoop her tail and make us late getting Shyanne ready for the prom.

  Shyanne was just as surprised. She nearly banged her head as she leaned back inside the car, asking me what I wanted to do. Before I could answer, Ms. Taylor spoke.

  “No, no, Ms. Lady. Just get yourself back in the car and you and Nay-Nay go on about your business. It ain’t gon’ be no mess out here in my yard unless I’m the one dishing it out,” she said as she came toward the car.

  I thought Patricia was going to approach Shyanne and perhaps confront her, so I put my hand on the door handle preparing to knock Fatso across the street with the car door. However, Ms. Taylor continued past Shyanne and came to lead Rhonda back to the house.

  Shaun’s mother gently grabbed Rhonda’s arm, trying to lightly steer her back inside the house. Rhonda stood frozen, looking like she was going to ignore her initially, then decided to do as she was told. She slowly walked away, never taking her eyes off me for a second. It wasn’t until they reached the front porch that Shyanne climbed back in the car.

  “Nay-Nay, you and your friend can leave now. Like I said, ain’t nothing going down at my house that I didn’t start,” Ms. Taylor said with her ghetto self. She con
tinued to hold Rhonda’s arm as if she didn’t trust her not to come off the porch.

  I sat there for a few seconds, just hoping she would jerk herself loose and come after me. Then for the first time since arriving at his house, I thought about Shaun and how he would feel about the scene. I would have hated to face him later and explain that not only did I have to beat down his baby’s mama, but his own mama also got caught in the melee and had to take a licking as well. I wasn’t sure what he would have said or done, but I was positive he wouldn’t have been too happy about it.

  I turned the car into the driveway across the street to back out and turn around. Once I got the car pointed in the opposite direction, I took one last look at Humpty Dumpty then pulled away. As I sped away from Shaun’s house, the last sound I heard was Tameeka’s irritating laughter.

  That was a couple of months ago and we have still had other obstacles to climb in our relationship. Yet despite the issues, Shaun has been nothing but good to me. He is attentive, generous, respectful, honest and so darn cute. I truly love him. So much so that yes, I have become sexually intimate with him since the argument I spoke about between Mama and me. I didn’t lie to her on that day, but by that evening, things had taken a dramatic turn.

  As we prepared Shyanne for the prom that evening, she and I talked about the stereotypical expectations of the after-prom experience. We assumed Antonio would expect Shyanne to have sex with him that night.

  “Shyanne, do you think you’re ready to have sex with Antonio? You can be pretty sure he’s going to want to go there tonight.” I brought up the subject while we pinned up Shyanne’s hair.

  “I’ve thought about this ever since Antonio asked me to go to the prom with him. He’s never put any pressure on me about sex, but he has asked me about it. I’ve kept him at arms length by trying to explain my reservations about having sex while not being married. At the same time, I haven’t been sure of myself. I mean, I don’t know if I want to wait until I’m married to have sex. I sometimes wonder if that’s a realistic goal, especially since I’ve already done it before.”

  “Does Tony know that?”

  “Yes. He asked me and I didn’t want to lie to him. I really like Antonio. I don’t think it would be so bad if we made love. Besides, I don’t want to risk losing him to a female willing to have sex with him while I hold out on him.”

  I could completely relate to Shyanne’s spiritual and emotional war within herself. I’d had the same debate with myself since meeting and falling in love with Shaun. “How do you think God really feels about us engaging in sex before we get married? What I mean to say is do you think He will be really mad at us if we do it?”

  “Well, we’ve already done it, and I believe He has forgiven us. I guess I can only hope that Antonio and I will be together forever and eventually end up married.” After a short pause, Shyanne continued.

  “You know what, Nay? Last night I prayed that if Tony and I did have sex, that it would be enjoyable for both of us. Does that make me demonic to ask God to bless my sin?”

  “No. You’re definitely not demonic. Look, we’re still young and nobody knows us better than God. God understands that we’re going to make mistakes. He’ll forgive us. Why don’t we pray right now together?”

  Shyanne agreed and I led us in prayer. “Dear God. Thank you for this wonderful day. Thank you for helping us to avoid what could have been an ugly scene with Rhonda, and I thank you, Lord, for all the people who love me and Shyanne; especially Tony and Shaun. God, we know that you don’t want us to have sex before we get married, but I also know you are a God who forgives us. I am certain that Shaun is going to be my husband one day, and Shyanne feels the same way about Antonio. So we ask you right now, Lord, to forgive us for our indiscretions. We are in love, God. Thank you for all of your blessings. In the name of Jesus, I pray this prayer. Amen.”

  Later that night, I found myself in need of God’s grace and mercy as Shaun and I made love for the first time.

  That evening, Shaun treated me to a very special evening. He said he didn’t want me to feel left out because I wasn’t going to the prom with Shyanne. We ate dinner at Andiamo’s, an upscale Italian restaurant in Farmington. We then went to a Tyler Perry play at the Fox Theater in downtown Detroit and ended our evening by spending a few hours in a hotel suite that Shaun rented for the evening at the expensive Athenaeum Hotel not far from the theater.

  Shaun understood that I wouldn’t be able to spend the night with him, but he did convince me to stay with him until I was due home for curfew. He also informed me that there was no pressure for me to sleep with him. “Lindsay, I want you to know that I didn’t rent this room to make you feel obligated to have sex with me. I just wanted us to have a nice place to spend time together after our special evening. I wanted it to be a complete evening for you.”

  The suite was beautiful. There was a sitting room with beautiful cream and gold furniture. In a separate room was the bedroom. The bed was draped with a sheer canopy that enclosed the entire bed, which was covered by a rich cream colored comforter with matching pillow cases and accented with smaller gold throw pillows.

  The bathroom was just off the bedroom, which was as big as my mother’s bedroom. The sink and shower stall faucets were accented with the same cream and gold coloring as the rest of the suite. But the tub was the showstopper in this room. It was almost as big as a swimming pool. Shaun said it was a Jacuzzi. I can’t remember visiting anyone’s home that was as nicely decorated as this suite.

  “Shaun, this is so beautiful. I can’t believe how big it is.”

  “Well, my lady only deserves the best,” he replied as he walked up to me and wrapped his arms around me from behind.

  His statement temporarily brought back to mind how Shaun could afford such an expensive room. Momentarily, I worried again about what he did to make his money. His next words made me forget all about my worries.

  “Lindsay, I know I have never told you this before, but I think you already know it to be true. I love you. I think I fell in love with you on our first date.”

  Shaun was correct. I did know he loved me, but hearing him actually declare it out loud seemed to change my life in that very moment. It was as if in the small amount of time it took for him to utter those three words, I metamorphosed into another being. I quickly forgot about my mama, my brother, my granny, Shyanne, and even God. Shaun became my world; ‘world’ being the operative word. All I wanted to do was seal our love by sharing myself with the man who meant everything to me. That night, after I reiterated my love for him verbally, I reciprocated my feelings by giving him my body, my heart, and my soul.

  That was two months ago and as I said, our relationship has been beautiful. Beautiful with one exception. With his declaration of love came his admission of his true occupation.

  Chapter Seven

  “Of course I’ll marry you, Shaun, and I’ll spend the rest of my life making you the happiest man on earth.”

  “Ugghh. You sound too stupid for words.”

  I can’t believe he said that to me. I thought he loved me as much as I loved him. What was going on?

  “Girl, wake up and stop dreaming about that fool.” Now that didn’t sound like Shaun’s voice. It sounded more like ...

  “Kevin, what are you doing in my bedroom?” I shouted as I suddenly realized I was not actually talking to Shaun. Instead, my blockhead brother had invaded my space and shaken me out of a wonderful dream.

  “Mama sent me in here to wake you up, sleepy head. Granny is on the way here, and she wants you to be ready before she gets here so we can go to breakfast.” He exited my room, then he turned around like he forgot something. I was annoyed with K.J. and also a little embarrassed he heard me talking in my sleep. I snapped at him when he didn’t immediately leave my bedroom.

  “What do you want now, boy? I’m already mad at you for barging into my room without knocking.”

  “For your information, Ms. Attitude, I did knock, but you w
ere too busy dreaming about your boyfriend to hear me. I only came back to say happy birthday, grouch.” He left, closing the door behind him.

  Now I really felt stupid. First I got caught having my favorite dream, then I bit my little brother’s head off for wanting to wish me a happy birthday. I hope this wasn’t an indication of how my day was going to go.

  “Nay-Nay, Shaun is on the phone,” my mother called from the kitchen. I smiled as I walked into the kitchen to grab the phone, realizing my day had improved just that quickly.

  “Don’t stay on there all morning because I want to leave here in about twenty minutes,” Mama told me as I entered the kitchen and reached for the phone. “By the way, happy birthday, baby.” She kissed me on the cheek, then walked away. I took the cordless phone back into my bedroom.

  “Hello.”

  “Happy birthday, Lindsay. I know it’s kind of early in the morning to be ringing the phone at your mother’s house, but I wanted to be the first to wish my baby a happy 17th birthday.”

  “I’m sorry, but both my mama and my brother beat you to the punch, but I forgive you. It’s hard to compete with the folks that live right here in the house with me.”

  “Well, we only have one more year to wait and then you and I will get a place of our own, right?”

  Shaun and I have been talking a lot about our futures since the night he told me he loved me. We decided after I graduate high school and turned eighteen, we were going to get an apartment together.

  My desire used to be to attend an out-of-state university, preferably Clark Atlanta University or Florida A&M. I couldn’t wait to get away from the Michigan winters. But since I met Shaun, I knew I would be attending either the University of Detroit or Wayne State University right here in the city.

  Shaun assured me that our life together would be great. He didn’t mention marriage, but I knew we would get around to that eventually. He promised that in a year’s time he would be in a position to handle our living expenses and my tuition.