Both Sides Of The Fence 3: Loose Ends (13 page)

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Authors: M.T. Pope

BOOK: Both Sides Of The Fence 3: Loose Ends
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Chapter 19
 
Alex
Some Things in Common
May 4th 11:30
A.M.
 
“So where are we headed?” I inquired as I hopped into Wallace’s Maybach. It was Sunday and I was in the house for a little while after I came home from the gym. I was supposed to be in church, but I skipped this Sunday. Wallace had called me asking me if I wanted to hang out.
I was a little hesitant about it at first since he had a criminal record and a brother didn’t want to mess up anything I had going for myself with school, work and all. I had spoken to my baby girl for a minute before I left letting her know I was going to be hanging out with a coworker. I looked pass his past and I knew from working with him and talking to him that he could not be a bad guy, so I agree to hang out for a bit.
“Well, I kind of need some company while I track down some info on a lead to my dead lover’s family. I just don’t feel like going alone.”
“Okay.” I nodded my head unsurely as he pulled off and merged into traffic
. His lover? Was he talking about a man or a woman? It must be a woman because he doesn’t look gay. Then again, you never know.
“You don’t have a problem with that do you? I’m sorry for springing this on you. But, as old as I am, I am still leery of certain situations and people. I am not trying to put you in harm’s way. I just need someone with me and I can’t trust anyone right now but you.”
I felt honored and confused at the same time since we weren’t family and we weren’t that close. I wondered why he didn’t choose one of his brothers. “Why didn’t you ask Professor Andrews?”
“Well, we’re just getting to know each other again and frankly I trust you more with my info and life, than him. You could have easily asked me about when I said ‘lover’, if I was talking about a man or a woman, but you didn‘t and I noted that as a trustworthy friend’s trait.”
“Wow,” was all I could get out. I was a very easygoing person to get along with I had to say. If you told me something or I saw something and you wanted me to keep it hush, than it would be that way unto you gave me permission to release it or I died. Yes, I was nosy and extremely curious, but I had mental storage like a camel and I loved keeping secrets. At times, I would want to tell people, other people’s situations, but I didn’t because I knew what comes around goes around. I like my secrets being kept as well.
“Your secrets are safe with me.” He smiled and turned on some jazz as we hit the highway to where we were going. I paid attention to all turns, exits and landmarks just in case something went down and I had to backtrack or come this way again.
 
 
Twenty-five minutes or so we were pulling up in front of a house that looked like it was in some type of ungated retirement community.
He put the car in park and pulled out a piece of paper with some things scribbled on it. “You ready?” he said looking at me like he was afraid to go in. I knew then that even grown men have fears. It’s like they just never wanted to talk about them.
“Whenever you are,” I assured him.
“Let’s go.” We both exited the car and made our way to the front door.
I watched Wallace hesitantly stand in front of the door he was here visiting. Finally he knocked and after few seconds an older guy opened the door.
“Can I help you?” He was dressed in a brown terry cloth robe and some slippers. He was noticeably muscular and fit.
“Yes, are you John Parks?” Wallace asked.
“Who wants to know?” He looked defensive and took a step back. I looked at Wallace’s waist and saw what looked like the butt of a gun. Something I didn’t notice before. Then all of a sudden being here felt like a bad idea. I didn’t know either of these men well and if anything happened to me no one would know but them. I could kick myself.
With my nosy ass.
“My name is Wallace. I just needed to know if you are the father of Jerry Parks?” My mouth hit the floor when he used my biological father’s name.
What in the hell is going on? This nigga is gay? And so was my father? It explains why Ashley is the way she is genetically. But damn, did I have that shit and didn’t know it? I liked pussy for sure. I know this, but was something in me lurking to come out and I don’t know about yet? Was I bisexual and didn’t know it? What the fuck is going on?
Then it clicked in my head old dude was on my list to call, but he had no address listed, just his phone number. I found that to be odd. I’m kind of glad that I came now. I was getting info without letting Wallace in my business.
The old guy looked Wallace up and down for a few seconds and steps back out the doorway and invited us in. “Yeah, he my son. Come in.” I knew for sure I had to keep my mouth shut about him being my father until I knew what Wallace’s motive was.
We walked into the apartment and he instructed us to take off our shoes and then he let us sit down inside his living room. He sat in front of us in a recliner while me and Wallace sat on a nice leather love seat and waited for the old guy to speak. The old head did look like my father, but he had beady eyes and looked to be nervous about something.
“What you wanna know about my seed?” He looked at Wallace.
“Well ... uh. I need to know what he was like growing up and as a teenager.”
“Why can’t you ask him all of that?”
“Well, sir he was ... uh ... murdered five years ago. You didn’t know?” Wallace smirked with a puzzled look on his face. It was a look that said “damn you are his father and you don’t know your son is dead.”
“I haven’t seen him since he was a little boy. He and I parted ways a long time ago.” His left eye twitched a little and he shifted in his seat as well. He seemed nervous about something.
“Oh,” Wallace breathed out dejectedly. “You never talked to him or anything like that since?”
“Nope, sure haven’t.” It was like he didn’t even care. He didn’t even know his grandson was sitting in front of him and I wasn’t sure if I was going to tell him just yet. I need to be careful, because dude looks crazy.
“You want see a picture of him when he was little?”
“Yes, sir.” Wallace brightened up and beamed a radiant smile. He must have really loved my biological father. My grandfather got up out of his chair and walked over to his fireplace and grabbed a picture off of the mantle and handed it to Wallace. Wallace smiled as he held the picture in his hand of my father as a boy. I smiled too because I favored him a little as a child too.
“Here you go,” Wallace said as he handed the picture back to him.
“Naw ... you can keep it.” he said pushing the picture away. “Seems like he meant a lot to you.”
“Yeah he did,” Wallace solemnly spoke. “Do you know if his mom is still alive? Did he have any brothers and sisters?”
“I don’t know if that bitch is still alive. We were only married for a little bit and I only fucked her ass once, so unless she married someone else he ain‘t got no siblings.”
“So who was fuckin’ who?” the old man asked out of nowhere. My eyes were as big as saucers. I know old dude didn’t just ask what I thought he did.
“What?” Wallace asked, offended. “That’s all you got to ask me about your son?”
“No ... did he take dick good?”
Before I knew it, Wallace had rushed the old dude and put the gun to his head. “Muthafucka, your ass is pushing me to kill you. Ask me another question like that and I will put your thoughts and memories all over this chair, carpet and walls. You hear me?”
I watched in terror as the old dude just sat there and smiled.
“Wallace ... man don’t do it ... he’s not worth it.” I said as I cautiously walked up behind him. I didn’t touch him for fear that his reflex might make him shoot him by accident or something. I didn’t want to be a part of any of that. Wallace’s hand was trembling as he still had the gun to my grandfather’s head. After a few seconds Wallace pulled off of him and backed away breathing really hard.
The old dude just starts laughing out of nowhere and laughing hard too.
“What hell is wrong with you?” Wallace asked him as the old man continued to laugh hysterically now.
“Come on, Wallace, let’s get out of here, this dude is insane.” I pulled at his arm, hoping he would listen. He looked pissed. I thought of Ashley.
That shit must run in the family!
“You right.” He tucked the gun back in his waist. Then all of a sudden he rushes old dude and slaps him unconscious with the butt of the gun. We grab our shoes and exit the apartment.
“What the fuck was that?” Wallace asked me as I got in the car and buckled my seat belt. I shrugged my shoulders, because I didn’t know either. I was confused. I had more questions then I started out with. We pulled off and headed toward home. I crossed old dude off the list and moved to the next person on the list.
So both my fathers are gay. Ain’t that some mess!
 
 
I got in the house and collapsed on the sofa. I was extremely tired and confused. Ashley was nowhere to be found. It was so quiet that I practically heard my thoughts wound up in my head. Everything was spinning and moving.
Was Wallace and my biological father James really that close? Was Wallace and my father, Shawn, messing around too? What was really going on? And where in the hell was Ashley? Her ass has been MIA since she had gotten that car. She has been in and out of the house like a crackhead. And where in the hell did she get that car? She didn’t have a job. Her ass could be stripping for all I know. This is too much for me to handle. And to top it off I just found out my biological grandfather was gay with a side of lunatic. Wow God! What kind of mess is this! Both these fucking families are messed up.
Ring ... Ring ... Ring
“Hello!” My voice was filled with anger.
“What’s wrong, Lex?” My father inquired.
“I just have a lot on my mind that’s all,” I breathed out.
“Let me guess, Ashley is in one of her moods again.”
“No, actually she’s not.” It wasn’t a lie because if she was I didn’t get to see it. She would be in her room most of the time she was at home, when she was at home. I barely got to see her for a hot minute before she was gone again.
“So what’s the problem then?”
“Well, I ran into one of your old clients, Wallace, and we—”
“You saw Wallace? He’s out there in California? What did he talk to you about?” He cut me off with all of these questions.
“Well, Wallace and I work in the cafeteria together at the college and I did run into him when we were in Baltimore once. He thought I was you when I was using your car one Saturday in the summer.”
“Oh ... okay,” he said letting up.
“Sooo ... What did you guys talk about?” he slammed me with another question. I was beginning to think there was something between them, but could I just come out ask him directly?
I bypassed it for now. “Well, he mainly asked how you were doing. He kept on rehashing the fact that you were such a good lawyer and friend.”
“Really? Wow, that is great.” I could almost hear him smiling.
“Yeah, it was much of nothing, but I did get to find out that he was dating Jerry/James Parks. And that they were very serious from what I can tell.”
“Really, that’s something. I guess you learn something everyday.”
“Yeah and come to find out, he is looking for James’s family too. He is trying to find out what James was like growing up and all and why someone would murder him.”
“Oh ... okay. Be careful out there and while you are with him. He does have a history.”
“Oh ... ah ... Dad. I got one question for you.”
“Sure, son. Shoot.”
“I was wonder if Wallace one of the guys you slept with?”
“What? Me and Wallace sleeping together? Son, Wallace and I didn’t have that kind of relationship. It was purely business. Client-attorney relationship only.”
“Okay, Dad.”
“Son, did he tell you something like that? Because if he did, it was a lie.”
“No, Dad, I was just asking, because you never really say anything about it. You just said that you had an issue with homosexuality. I was wrong for asking. I’m sorry. It was none of my business anyway.”
“Son, you do have a right to ask me anything you want to. I want you to be comfortable with asking me anything you want to. I’m not promising you that I will be comfortable talking about it all the time, but I will do my best to be as up-front as possible.”
“Thanks, Dad.” I smiled, because I knew then that there wasn’t anything going on between them. I just needed to calm my nosy ass down. Some things just need to be left alone. And my dad’s sexuality was one of them.
“Look, Dad, I got some studying to do and some plays to go over so I will hit you up later.”

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