Breaking All My Rules (29 page)

Chapter 44

E
rica was excited, nervous, and anxious all at once. In a few hours her home would be flooded with a flurry of people and activity. It was Thanksgiving Day, and she was hosting a huge feast that would bring together the Stanford and Kimbrough clans and their friends. Erica knew this was an ambitious feat, but she thought there was no better time than the present to introduce the two families, which she was certain would eventually become one.

Though it had only been three months since she and Jerome had started dating, they were confident in the fact that they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. Erica often laughed when she thought about the line Jerome frequently quoted from the song “The Light,” by one of his favorite musical artists, Common: “It don't take a whole day to recognize sunshine.” She knew that was indeed a true sentiment, because it had taken her only a week to know that Jerome was special and less than two to fall in love with him.

For the first month or two of their relationship, Erica had been waiting for the other shoe to fall—for something bad to happen—particularly given the strange behavior of Claude and Kelisha. But a few weeks ago half her worries had been laid to rest when she learned the real reason behind Claude's insistent pursuit of her.

One evening Claude had been volunteering for Nelson's campaign, sending out e-mails to potential donors, seemingly doing all he could to help propel the Stanford campaign to victory. He'd also sent out an e-mail to his fellow partners at his firm, all but guaranteeing political influence for their company on government contracts because he was dating the future councilman's sister. Not only was sending that blatantly untrue e-mail an unethical and stupid thing to do, but it proved to be a huge blunder, because he accidentally forwarded it to a potential donor, who in turn forwarded it directly to Nelson. After that, it was a wrap for Claude.

Erica had been disgusted and relieved all at the same time, but ultimately, she was glad to finally put Claude's nonsense behind her. It seemed as though she and Jerome had hurdled over every barrier that had come their way . . . except one, and that was Kelisha. Erica had known the woman was going to be trouble, but she'd had no idea how much, and the fact that Kelisha was resentful of the relationship she and Jamel had established only added more strife to the bothersome brew.

Jamel loved Erica, just as Jerome had said he would. The two instantly bonded, as if she'd been mothering him his whole life. She helped him with his math homework whenever he ran into tough equations, and she talked to him about his “girlfriend issues” when he didn't feel comfortable confiding in Jerome or Kelisha. In return, Jamel helped her on the weekends at Opulence, earning extra spending money by stocking shelves, cleaning the break room, and making sure the windows and hardwood floors were polished to a sparkling shine. Their relationship was smooth and easy, much like the one Erica shared with Jerome. But her relationship with mama bear was an entirely different animal.

When she and Kelisha finally met last month at one of Jamel's soccer games, Kelisha had made it clear that she didn't want anything to do with Erica. She'd refused to even shake Erica's hand when Jerome introduced them, and she'd nodded a terse “hello” only because Jamel had been standing next to them. Once he left to take his place on the field, Kelisha dismissed her completely. But at the end of the game they had to come together again, and that was when Kelisha took the opportunity to let Erica know exactly how she felt.

Jamel's team had won the game, and they were set to go to Pizzeria Uno afterward to celebrate.

“I'm so proud of you, baby,” Kelisha said, giving Jamel a big hug.

“Jamel, you were a star out there!” Erica enthusiastically cheered.

“That's my boy,” Jerome said, giving Jamel a customary brotherman dap.

All seemed to be going well as Jerome and Jamel walked and talked side by side while they headed toward the parking lot, with Erica and Kelisha strolling a few paces behind. Erica saw this as her opportunity to break the hard sheet of ice that her man's ex had formed.

“You and Jerome have done a great job with Jamel. He's a wonderful young man,” Erica complimented with a smile.

Kelisha stared straight ahead and unleashed a quiet fury, which had apparently been simmering inside her for weeks. “Let's get one thing straight from the jump,” she hissed in a low voice. “Just 'cause you the new woman in Jerome's life, that don't mean jack. Yeah, you the first one he's introduced to his mama and daddy and Jamel, but that don't mean nothin'. I've seen his women come and go, and I've outlasted them all. Believe me when I say that once you gon', I'll still be here, havin' his back.”

Erica controlled her anger and outrage as she spoke. “With all due respect, which you haven't had the courtesy of giving me, I'm sorry you're so bitter about the fact that Jerome and I are happy together. But like it or not, I'm not going anywhere.”

“You think you better than me just 'cause you talk all proper and you got money and a fancy degree. But let me tell you somethin', Miss Thang,” Kelisha replied, rattling like a deadly snake. “I'm the one who had his baby and got his back, and it's been that way since before you came along. He just fascinated by you, that's all, and when it wears off, we'll see whose bed he gon' come runnin' back to, just like he always do.”

“Why are you so bitter? Just move on,” Erica said, her anger ratcheting up.

Kelisha continued to stare straight ahead as she delivered her next set of biting words. “You the one who's bitter and barren. You ain't never had a man or a child of your own, and you ain't about to now. You one of them women who got to go out and take somebody else's.”

“Y'all all right back there?” Jerome called out, turning slightly as he looked between Erica and Kelisha with a cautious stare.

“We fine. Just doin' a little girl talk.” Kelisha smiled.

Erica wanted to say, “No, we're not fine. This crazy bitch is talking shit, and I'm about to slap her ass into next week!” But she didn't want to cause a scene in a parking lot full of parents and children, so she smiled and kept her mouth shut.

Now, as Erica stood in her large dining room, putting the finishing touches on her beautifully decorated table, she tried to push Kelisha out of her mind. The sad reality was that Kelisha would be a part of her life through Jamel. In a short amount of time she'd grown to love the adorably sweet teenager, despite his hellion of a mother, so she knew she had to accept what came along with the package of a blended family.

Erica returned to the kitchen and grabbed two oven mitts from the counter. “Perfect,” she said as she carefully removed the twenty-two-pound turkey from the oven. She looked around at her countertops, which were crowded with food, and praised herself for a job well done. She'd been cooking since yesterday, and now she was ready for what she hoped was going to be a joyous Thanksgiving celebration to remember.

“Everything is delicious,” Erica's mother sang with delight as she bit into a stuffed spinach puff. “I can't wait to taste the main course. You've outdone yourself, sweetie.”

“Thanks, Mom.” Erica smiled, happy that everyone was having a good time. She looked around her living and dining rooms, surveying the crowd. Her parents, who were distant but cordial, entertained opposite ends of the house with their family stories from yesteryear, while Nelson and several cousins regaled each other with their funny childhood memories. It was a scene straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting, only with a little chocolate sprinkled in.

Erica was having a ball playing hostess supreme, making sure that everyone's glass was full and their appetizer plates were replenished as they waited for the full-course meal. But if there was one disappointment she felt, it was that Jerome's parents had yet to arrive. Mabel and Parnell were the prized guests she'd been waiting for, and the reason why the abundant meal she'd prepared was on hold. She didn't want to sit at the table and carve the turkey until they got there. She couldn't wait to introduce them to her parents and the rest of her family.

“Baby, I can't believe you cooked all this food by yourself,” Jerome said, finishing the last bite of his mushroom and red pepper crostini before he planted a light kiss on her cheek. “This food is on and poppin'.”

Erica smiled. “Thanks. It would be even better if your parents were here. Where are they?”

“I know, and I'm sorry about that. I guess CP time runs in the blood. My pops is always late.”

Just as Jerome was making his statement, Erica's doorbell rang.

“They might be late, but they're right on time,” Erica said with relief as she walked toward her front door, with Jerome following behind her. “Happy Thanksgiving!” she greeted with a big smile as she welcomed Mabel and Parnell into her home.

Mabel smiled so wide, she looked as though her mouth had stretched across her entire face. “Same to you, sugar! Sorry we're late.” She apologized and gave Erica a firm hug. “Parnell's always making us late for everything,” she said as she tossed her husband a playfully cross look.

“Sorry, Erica,” Parnell said. “I wish we'd have come earlier, 'cause it smells some kinda good in here!”

Jerome took his parents' coats and hung them in the front hall closet. “We've killed most of the appetizers, but wait till you see the spread Erica made for dinner. My baby threw down.”

“Well, let's go,” Parnell said with enthusiasm.

They walked from the foyer to the living room, laughing and talking as Erica introduced them to her family members one by one. She could see that Mabel and Parnell were impressed when they learned that Nelson Stanford, whom they'd seen a picture of in the paper, was her brother. It was obvious they weren't in the know, and Erica smiled with pride as Nelson wrapped them around his finger, displaying his signature charm and newly acquired political sway.

“Where's Mom and Dad?” Erica asked her brother as she searched the room.

“Right behind you.”

Erica turned around and gave her parents the same bubbly smile that Mabel had greeted her with. “Mom, Dad, I'd like you to meet Jerome's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Kimbrough.”

The pleasant greetings and hearty smiles that Erica had expected them to exchange fell flat, and she saw a look of shock and surprise flash through both her parents' eyes. She watched as her father stood in disbelief and her mother's hand flew to her mouth in horror.

“You're Jerome's father?” Maureen said, the color draining from her lovely caramel-colored skin.

Jerome and Erica, along with Mabel, looked to Parnell for answers.

“Oh, God,” Parnell said, his voice sounding like a distant whisper.

“What's going on?” Erica asked, instantly knowing she wasn't going to like the answer.

Joseph zeroed in on Parnell, staring as though he could slice the man in half with his thoughts. “This is the son of a bitch who shot me twenty-five years ago!”

Chapter 45

E
rica felt as though she'd fallen into a bottomless hole as she stared into Parnell Kimbrough's face. She didn't understand how this could be. She'd laughed with this man over a nice meal, talked with him over the phone, and listened to his stories about how precocious and strong-willed Jerome used to be when he was a little boy. She wondered how the God-fearing, gentle man before her could be the same cold-blooded animal who'd broken into her house, shot her father, and then left him for dead.

“I don't understand,” Mabel said in a panic-stricken tone. “Parnell, what are these people talking about?”

Joseph spoke through clenched teeth as he stared at Parnell. “It was twenty-five years ago. You've changed, but not that much. I'll never forget the eyes of the man who tried to kill me.”

“Is this true?” Mabel asked. “Parnell, say something! Is this true?”

Parnell lowered his head, barely able to keep his balance, and sank down onto the couch. He looked up into Maureen's eyes. “I'm so sorry, Reene. I'm so sorry.”

“Reene?”
Joseph said, almost in a whisper. He turned to Maureen, looking at her as if he'd just seen a long-forgotten ghost. “This is
him
? Maureen, please tell me that this isn't
him
!” he shouted.

Maureen closed her eyes and shook her head. “This can't be happening. . . .”

“What the hell is going on?” Nelson asked, looking from his parents to Parnell.

By now, all conversation in the room had come to an abrupt halt, and all eyes were trained on the man sitting on the couch and the people standing around him. Maureen, Mabel, Nelson, Jerome, and Erica looked as though they were frozen in time, but Joseph was livid.

“For Christ's sake, Maureen!” Joseph spat out.

“Mom?” Erica pleaded, anguish lacing her voice as she touched her mother's arm. “What's going on?”

Maureen shook her head and ran up the stairs in tears, leaving a room full of people wondering about the answer to the question Erica had just asked. What the hell was going on?

 

 

It took only a few minutes to clear nearly twenty people out of Erica's home. What had started off as a holiday celebration of family and good cheer had ended in turmoil, hurtful realizations, and a scandalous secret that was obvious, but that no one wanted to touch. After everyone had gone, Nelson offered to drive his father home, seeing that he was in no condition to get behind the wheel. Jerome talked to his father to get his side of the story, while Erica went upstairs to see about her mother.

When she opened her bedroom door, Erica found Maureen sitting on the plush bench at the foot of her bed. She walked over and took a seat close beside her. They sat in silence for a long while before Maureen finally spoke.

“What I'm about to tell you is going to be hard to hear. Are you sure you want to know everything?”

“Yes. Start from the beginning.”

Maureen took a deep breath and began. “Your father and I had grown apart. I was young and attractive, with a big, fancy house, two beautiful children, and all the material trappings I wanted at my fingertips. But I was lonely, and I was tired of waiting at home for Joseph night after night, knowing he was in the company of other women, some of whom I even knew. One day when I was in the city, having lunch at Union Station, I met a handsome man who swept me off my feet. He was charming, funny, and he showered me with attention. It was clear that we were from different worlds, but that was part of what attracted me to him.

“He understood that I was married, and I knew he was, too. I never knew his last name, and he never asked mine. I called him Parry and he called me Reene, and that was all the understanding we needed. We'd meet once a week in a hotel in downtown D.C. It lasted for a year before things went bad. I knew that Parry used drugs occasionally, but I didn't know he was an addict. When money turned up missing out of my purse after we'd been together, I confronted him. He denied taking anything, but I knew it had to be him, because there had been no one in that hotel room besides the two of us.

“I found out he'd developed a taste for heroin, and the effects began to show. As much as I didn't want to, I told him we couldn't see each other anymore. That's when things got out of control. He followed me home one day, and somehow he got the phone number to our house. He started calling me, begging to see me. One time your father picked up, and Parry was so high, he asked for me, saying, ‘Is Reene there? I'm in love with your wife and I want her back.' Your father and I had a terrible fight that night. It was okay for him to roam, but not for his wife. I was frightened because Parry knew where I lived, and I was in constant fear that he'd show up and all hell would break loose. Well, eventually he did, and he brought the disaster I'd feared right along with him.”

Erica looked at her mother. “The night of my birthday.”

Maureen nodded. “Yes, sweetie. That was the most awful night of my life. I've been carrying around that secret and so much guilt ever since. I brought harm to my family because of my reckless behavior, but I couldn't say anything, because I was so ashamed. Parry never breathed a word to the authorities about how he came to target our house in a gated community. I guess he felt sorry for what he'd done and he didn't want to implicate me or cause me any more trouble.”

“Is that why you've put up with Daddy's crap for all these years? Because you felt guilty?”

“Yes. Everything that happened that night was my fault. If I'd never had an affair with Parry, none of that would have happened.”

“I can't believe this.”

“Funny thing is, when I met Jerome, it was like looking at a young Parry all over again. But I dismissed it, thinking it wasn't possible. Parry had told me that he and his wife didn't have any children, which I now know was a lie. Jerome was the same age you were.”

Erica stood up and walked over to her window. She looked out into the cold darkness, her heart feeling heavy. “All these years I've been having nightmares, running from the bogeyman lurking in the shadows, and now I find out that he's sitting downstairs in my living room.”

“Erica, I'm so, so sorry.” Maureen broke into tears again. “I wasn't strong back then. I let you all down.”

Erica sighed loudly. “Mom, please don't cry. This is an awful situation, but I know we'll all get through it.”

Maureen looked at her daughter through red eyes as she sniffled. “Always the optimist.”

“I really don't know what I am right now. I'm so much in shock, I can't process it all, and . . . damn! I don't even know what I'm going to say to Jerome. They're still downstairs.”

“I'm sure Parry, um, Parnell, has told him exactly what I told you. You need to go talk to him.”

“This is so freaking unbelievable.”

Maureen rose from the bench and walked over to her daughter. “You can do it. You're so much stronger than you know. I've always admired that about you. You see the good in everything, and that takes courage.”

Erica shook her head. “Funny, I've never felt strong at all.”

“You're the most fearless Stanford in the entire clan. Your father always wanted to start his own business, but he never had the guts to take the leap like you did. Nelson's always wanted the approval of others, so now he's seeking votes, instead of letting life play its hand the way you have. And me . . .” Maureen smiled. “I've always hidden behind my secrets and fears, never trusting anyone the way you do, which is the reason why you're so loved by everyone who knows you.”

“Try telling that to Kelisha.”

“Who?”

“It's a long story,” Erica said with a shrug.

Maureen walked over to the bench and took a seat again. “You mind if I stay here tonight? I really don't feel like driving home, and I don't think I can face Joseph.”

“Sure. The guest bedroom is all yours.” Erica walked past her mother toward the hallway. “I'm going downstairs.”

As she descended the stairs, taking them slowly, one step at a time, Erica braced herself so she'd have the strength to stare her nightmare in the face.