God Don't Make No Mistakes (20 page)
Read God Don't Make No Mistakes Online
Authors: Mary Monroe
CHAPTER 38
I
DID A LOT OF THINGS WITH AND FOR MEN THAT I WAS NOT
proud of. One of the things that I wasn't proud of was the fact that I had given money to Louis Baines, the man I'd cheated with. Another thing in my past that I was not proud of was that I had agreed to marry Jerome Cunningham, a man I did not love. For one thing, he was so cheap, he used to cruise restaurants just to steal condiments. When I met him, he showed me enough packets of sugar, salt, and pepper stacked up in his kitchen pantry to last him for years. And his family had hated me on sight. They made a lot of snide remarks implying that I was too “dark” to be with Jerome, who was almost light enough to pass for white. I was glad when we broke up, because the only reason I was going to go through with the marriage in the first place was because I wanted to show everybody that I could land a good-looking man.
DID A LOT OF THINGS WITH AND FOR MEN THAT I WAS NOT
proud of. One of the things that I wasn't proud of was the fact that I had given money to Louis Baines, the man I'd cheated with. Another thing in my past that I was not proud of was that I had agreed to marry Jerome Cunningham, a man I did not love. For one thing, he was so cheap, he used to cruise restaurants just to steal condiments. When I met him, he showed me enough packets of sugar, salt, and pepper stacked up in his kitchen pantry to last him for years. And his family had hated me on sight. They made a lot of snide remarks implying that I was too “dark” to be with Jerome, who was almost light enough to pass for white. I was glad when we broke up, because the only reason I was going to go through with the marriage in the first place was because I wanted to show everybody that I could land a good-looking man.
I had struck a gold mine when I landed Pee Wee, and had botched that relationship big time. In the meantime, I was somewhat happy to be involved in a sexual relationship with Ronald. He was a good backup for Roscoe. As a matter of fact, he was more than just a backup. He was handsome, which made me proud to be seen with him in the out-of-way public places he took me toâeven though the only people who ever saw us together were strangers. But he was more “laid-back” than any man I had ever known. He admitted that he didn't like to do anything that he didn't want to do, which probably had a lot to do with the fact that he was always getting reprimanded and put on probation at his job. I called that being lazy. He was usually too lazy to come pick me up when he wanted to get together. I tolerated his behavior because I enjoyed his company, and because he was so temporary that I expected the relationship to end at any moment. As long as I was having fun, I saw no reason not to see him when I could.
That was why I was on my way to see him now.
Ohio was having one of its worst winters in decades. Even though one of the neighborhood teenage boys had shoveled mounds of snow off my walkway and driveway a few hours earlier, fresh snow that was still coming down covered the ground like a white blanket. I had to drive as slow as possible to get to a street that the city workers had cleared some of the snow off of and sprinkled some kind of salt to melt the ice.
My gas tank was almost empty, so I had to stop at a gas station along the way. It was just my luck that the meddlesome cousins Wyrita and Lizel had also stopped to get gas at the same time.
“Annette, where you off to?” Wyrita yelled, walking up to my car with her hands on her hips with Lizel marching next to her. Wyrita had on a knitted brown wool cap with matching mittens, ear muffs, and boots.
“You usually don't get out by yourself much these days,” Lizel added. She was even more bundled up than Wyrita. A red muffler was around her neck, chin, and the lower part of her cheeks. There was a goofy-looking cap on her head that was pulled down so far on her face, it looked like she had on a ski mask.
Wyrita and Lizel were nice women and young enough to be my daughters. And even though they were both bright and attractive, they had just as many man troubles as the rest of us. But that still didn't stop them from getting in everybody else's business.
“You don't look as bad as I expected you to look after finding out about Pee Wee and that baby,” Lizel commented. “I expected you to be prostrate with grief. I would have bet money on it.”
“Me too,” Wyrita said, adjusting her cap and muffler so I could see more of her face.
“I'm sorry I disappointed you, but I don't have time to be sitting around feeling sorry for myself. I've got things to do, places to go,” I quipped. From the looks on the cousins' faces, I got the impression that they were disappointed to hear what I'd just said. Yes, I was still in distress somewhat, but Pee Wee and Lizzie were not the only things going on in my life.
“What do you think about that Jade?” Wyrita asked. “She really cooked her own goose this time, huh?”
“That's really none of my business,” I answered. “But I do hope that things between her and Rhoda work out somehow.”
“You got enough problems of your own anyway,” Lizel sniffed. “I wouldn't want to be in your shoes, or Rhoda's. By the way, I ran into Lizzie last night. She looks like hell. Her face is all bloated and pale, and her hair is as limp as a wet dishrag. She's got enough gray strands to cover a pillow.”
“I saw her too.” Wyrita paused, sucked on her teeth, and shook her head in pity. “It's a damn shame she let herself go this quick. And imagine a woman her age getting herself pregnant! That's asking for trouble. Our Aunt LuAnne had a change-of-life baby, and it came here with a hole in his heart and water on his brain,” Wyrita clucked.
“Well, Lizzie's baby is none of my business. But I do hope her child is healthy,” I allowed. “You two have a nice night.”
I finished pumping my gas, put my credit card away, and jumped back into my car.
Somehow I took a wrong turn and ended up back on the street where the gas station was. Lizel and Wyrita were just leaving and ended up right behind me in Lizel's aging Toyota. I didn't know if they were following me on purpose or not, but they stayed right on my tail for the next four blocks. When I got to the motel, I drove right past it and pulled into the Grab and Go parking lot. Another thing about Ronald was that he often forgot to bring condoms with him. And because of all that was going on, the last thing
I
needed was to get pregnant at my age. Even though the store was as crowded as it usually was, by the time I got up to the cashier to pay for a package of condoms, Lizel and Wyrita had stumbled in and caught me in the act. The way that they were looking at my purchase, you would have thought that I was buying illegal drugs.
I
needed was to get pregnant at my age. Even though the store was as crowded as it usually was, by the time I got up to the cashier to pay for a package of condoms, Lizel and Wyrita had stumbled in and caught me in the act. The way that they were looking at my purchase, you would have thought that I was buying illegal drugs.
“I hope he's worth it,” Lizel teased, jabbing me in my side with her elbow. “Whoever
he
is.” She cleared her throat and gave me a conspiratorial look. Then added with a wink, “If you need them
king-size
raincoats, he
is
worth it.”
he
is.” She cleared her throat and gave me a conspiratorial look. Then added with a wink, “If you need them
king-size
raincoats, he
is
worth it.”
“I wish I had a reason to buy them in that size,” Wyrita snickered, and so did Lizel, the cashier, and a few people in line behind me.
Even though my face was burning, I managed to maintain my composure. “I hope you two ladies have something fun planned for tonight too,” I said, turning to leave.
“Me and that fool I was with broke up, and I haven't had a date in two weeks,” Lizel whined. “You know any single men you can introduce us to?”
“No, I don't,” I said as I slunk back out the door, praying that they wouldn't follow me again. I sprinted to my car and jumped in, speeding out of the parking lot with my lights still off. I didn't realize that until an ongoing car blinked its lights at me.
It seemed like fate was against me meeting up with Ronald at that motel. Two cars had collided in front of the motel's entrance, so I had to drive to a parking lot a block away and walk back to the motel. By the time I rounded the corner, another ten minutes had passed. When I arrived at the motel, Ronald was standing in the parking lot with his arms folded and an impatient look on his face.
“I was just about to give up on you, girl. You were supposed to be here half an hour ago,” he told me, pulling me along by the arm.
I told him the reason for my delay, but he continued to complain about my tardiness anyway. He didn't even stop when I reminded him about the times he'd been late to a rendezvous with me. Between him and Roscoe, if I had to settle with one for a husband, as hard as it was to believe, I would choose Roscoe. Being in a sexless marriage with him wouldn't kill me. I didn't know at what age people generally stopped having sex, but I'd already had more than my share in my forty-eight years, so I could live with abstinence
if
I had to.
if
I had to.
I dismissed the thought of Roscoe and being married to him as fast as I could. Like Lillimae had told me to do, I was going to have my fun while I still could.
Ronald was a considerate lover most of the time. As soon as I made it inside the motel room at the end of the building, he practically threw me down on the bed, mounted me like I was a mule, and snatched off my clothes. It was over before I could even get wet.
“Mmmm, that sure was good,” Ronald rasped with a cigarette already dangling from his lip. Then he lifted his head off the pillow and gave me a puzzled look. “You gaining weight?”
“I've put on a few pounds lately. My sister likes to cook up a storm every day.” Ronald had moved to Richland from Columbus just a few months ago. He was so easy on the eyes. If I had to describe him, I would say that he was an older version of the late Tupac Shakur: shaved head, cocky attitude, hot-as-hell body and all. He didn't know that I used to walk around wearing size twenty-four muumuus. And I didn't see any reason to tell him that I'd lost over a hundred pounds in the last couple of years.
“That extra meat looks good on you.” He slid his hand across the top of his shiny scalp and smiled. Then he looked at me with the interest of a cannibal. “I got a few more minutes to spare. Don't put your clothes back on yet. I'd like to do a little nibbling... .”
A
little
nibbling was all Ronald did for the next two minutes. Just as I was getting excited, his cell phone rang. He answered it, told whoever was calling “yes” once, and that he would “be there soon.” He told me that he had an emergency to go take care of. He got up, got dressed, and was out the door within minutes. I felt soiled and cheap by the time I left the motel, which was as soon as I put my clothes back on. And the worst part of this little liaison was that I had not enjoyed it. I was just as horny when I got back home as I was when I went to the motel.
little
nibbling was all Ronald did for the next two minutes. Just as I was getting excited, his cell phone rang. He answered it, told whoever was calling “yes” once, and that he would “be there soon.” He told me that he had an emergency to go take care of. He got up, got dressed, and was out the door within minutes. I felt soiled and cheap by the time I left the motel, which was as soon as I put my clothes back on. And the worst part of this little liaison was that I had not enjoyed it. I was just as horny when I got back home as I was when I went to the motel.
Pee Wee had left a voice mail message and since it was still fairly early, I called him back.
“I was wonderin' if I could take you out to dinner tomorrow evenin'? You and Charlotte,” he said.
Because of that unsatisfactory little episode with Ronald, my guard was down. I was in a weakened state, so Pee Wee could not have called at a better time. Not only that, but it had been months since Pee Wee, Charlotte, and I had gone out together. I missed that.
“I'd like that,” I said, hoping he didn't detect the eagerness in my voice. “I'm glad you asked.”
CHAPTER 39
T
HERE WERE TIMES WHEN I REGRETTED LIVING IN A CITY AS
small as Richland. Especially with the kind of folks who liked to stay in other folks' business. And it seemed like all of the black folks in Richland did that in three shifts. One night somebody I didn't even see saw me coming out of a restaurant with a white man. Before I made it home, which had taken only ten minutes, Scary Mary had left me a voice mail message asking if I was dating white men now. My “date” was one of the process servers my collection agency worked with. He had treated me to dinner to show his gratitude for all the work I sent his way.
HERE WERE TIMES WHEN I REGRETTED LIVING IN A CITY AS
small as Richland. Especially with the kind of folks who liked to stay in other folks' business. And it seemed like all of the black folks in Richland did that in three shifts. One night somebody I didn't even see saw me coming out of a restaurant with a white man. Before I made it home, which had taken only ten minutes, Scary Mary had left me a voice mail message asking if I was dating white men now. My “date” was one of the process servers my collection agency worked with. He had treated me to dinner to show his gratitude for all the work I sent his way.
The next evening after my conversation with Pee Wee, while I was upstairs trying to decide what to wear out to my dinner with him, Scary Mary barged into my bedroom. She startled me as I stood in front of my mirror wearing only my underwear. She wore one of her many brocade dusters and was leaning on her cane. I was glad to see that she had on a new and better-looking wig: a short gray bob with bangs covering the many lines in her forehead. Despite the fact that it was an improvement compared to the other wigs she wore, it didn't complement her mulish face. I didn't even know she was in the house. That was another thing I didn't like about small-town life. People showed up unannounced, uninvited, and usually unwelcome on a regular basis. This kind of behavior was something that I'd known all my life, even when we lived in Florida, but I was still not used to it.
“I didn't know you were here,” I gasped, grabbing my bathrobe off the bed and quickly slipping it on.
“Well, you know I'm here now,” Scary Mary crowed, looking around my cluttered room. “You look like you just seen a ghost. I ain't gwine to bite you, girl, so get that spooked look off your face.” Scary Mary was the kind of woman who said whatever was on her mind. And nobody was exempt from her sharp tongue. You couldn't embarrass or intimidate her no matter how hard you tried. She lived by her own rules. But the main thing about her was, she had always helped Muh'Dear and me when we really needed it. It was for that reason that I put up with things from her that I wouldn't have put up with from anybody else.
“It's just that you scared me,” I told her.
“That's why folks call me Scary Mary, girl,” she chortled, looking me up and down as I rolled and pinned my hair into a French twist. “You done finally come to your senses and realized that Pee Wee is about the best you ever gwine to do with a man?”
“What's that supposed to mean?” I asked, my eyes still on my reflection in the mirror.
Scary Mary plopped down on my bed with a groan, placing her cane across her lap. “Now that Lizzie done come clean about that bun in her oven bein' Peabo's, you ain't got to worry about your man bein' connected to her no more. If I was you, I'd move him back up in this house as soon as possible.”
“I'm in no hurry, and Pee Wee isn't either.” I lifted a pair of black slacks off the dresser. It was a struggle to get into them because of the bothersome pounds that I had regained. I got the zipper to go all the way up, but even though I sucked in my gut, I was unable to button the waistband.
“I hope you don't mind me sayin' so, but seems like you havin' a mighty hard time gettin' into them britches. And you lookin' right plump these days, if you don't mind me sayin' that neither.” Scary Mary paused and turned her head to the side. She looked at me out of the corner of her eye. “Lord have mercy.
You
ain't expectin' no little newcomer in a few months, too, I hope.” She sucked on her teeth and shook her head. Then she gave me a look that made my flesh crawl. She pressed her lips together, furrowed her brow, and shook her head some more. “What a mess you would have on your hands if that was the case. You and that Lizzie woman both bein' pregnant at the same time! Both of y'all with one foot and a big toe in the grave.”
You
ain't expectin' no little newcomer in a few months, too, I hope.” She sucked on her teeth and shook her head. Then she gave me a look that made my flesh crawl. She pressed her lips together, furrowed her brow, and shook her head some more. “What a mess you would have on your hands if that was the case. You and that Lizzie woman both bein' pregnant at the same time! Both of y'all with one foot and a big toe in the grave.”
“I'm not pregnant by Pee Wee,” I said quickly, sliding my arms into the sleeves of a loose-fitting, blue and black plaid blouse.
“You ain't pregnant by Pee Wee? Oh.” Scary Mary looked disappointed. “But you didn't say you wasn't pregnant... .”
“I am not pregnant, period,” I snapped. “Let's go downstairs so I can fix you a drink before I leave.”
“Oh, you ain't got to worry about fixin' me no drink. That was the first thing I did when I got here. I could find my way to your alcohol with my eyes closed. But since you mentioned it, I wouldn't mind havin' another one for the road. I know I ain't supposed to drink hard alcohol when I'm driving, but believe it or not, being drunk sharpens my senses. I make my best decisions when I'm buzzed. You ought to try that sometime when you tryin' to get through some difficulty.”
I was glad when I got downstairs to see that Pee Wee had already arrived. And since Scary Mary made herself comfortable on the couch with another drink, and was looking from me to Pee Wee like she wanted to bite us, I thought it would be in our best interest for us to leave right away.
“We better be on our way,” I told Pee Wee.
“But our reservation is not until eight o'clock,” Pee Wee blurted, looking at his watch. “It's not even seven yet. I came early so we'd have a little more time to kick back and just visit,” he said. It took him a few moments to read my face. I rolled my eyes and bit my bottom lip, and he finally got the hint. “Oh! You said somethin' about stoppin' by the mall on the way to the restaurant to pick up some frock they holdin' for you at that boutique next to the shoe store, didn't you? I almost forgot!”
“Uh-huh,” I said quickly, beckoning for Charlotte. She sat stock-still on the arm of the couch, facing Scary Mary. From the pinched look on Charlotte's face, I could see that she was as eager to get away from Scary Mary as I was. Lillimae was in the kitchen, cooking a “snack” for herself and Scary Mary. Despite the fact that my mother was not too fond of Lillimae, Scary Mary had become quite fond of her.
“We better hurry if we want to beat the traffic,” Pee Wee suggested, ushering Charlotte and me out the door.
Since we had some time to kill, we actually did go by the mall on our way to the restaurant. I didn't have anything on hold at that boutique, and I had purchased all of the Christmas gifts that I could afford, so all we did was a lot of aimless window-shopping.
“Mama, can we go in that toy store next?” Charlotte asked, pointing toward a window that displayed everything from video games to black Barbie dolls.
Just as I was about to respond, I saw something that made me freeze. Walking toward us was Ronald, and he was not alone. There was a plump, attractive woman in her late thirties walking beside him. Trailing behind them were four kids. The youngest was an adorable little boy who appeared to be around six. The other three, all girls, were in their early teens.
Pee Wee was well aware that I was seeing a couple of other men, but Roscoe was the only one whom he'd seen me with. He used to cut Roscoe's hair until Roscoe started going to his competitor, who was Lizzie's new employer, and the nephew of the man she dumped Pee Wee for. Roscoe had told me early in our relationship that since he and I were together, he no longer felt comfortable letting Pee Wee cut his hair. A “conflict of interest,” he called it. Pee Wee was disappointed to lose a long-time client, and when I told him the reason Roscoe had deserted him, he laughed about it.
Since Ronald had a bald head, he didn't need a barber, but he went to one anyway to get his scalp oiled and massaged. He worked in Akron, so he went to a barbershop there. As far as I knew, Pee Wee didn't even know Ronald.
I was wrong.
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