Black Butterfly (3 page)

My mother’s mother was Korean
and her father was Black. They’d met in New York when grandfather was a world-renowned photojournalist. Yasho Min was a beautiful Korean American Broadcasting student at NYU. They fell in love and had two sons and one daughter. My mother was the youngest.

Yasho Min and Darryl Robertson both landed their dream jobs at CNN. They traveled around the world with their three kids and made lo
ts of money during their careers. My mother started modeling at the age of thirteen and lived a charmed life. She was spoiled rotten and in a house full of men often got her way. She entered pageants as a preteen and with her rare exotic beauty brought home most of the titles. This led to her modeling career. She mostly did print ads because she wasn’t that tall. She stood an elegant and shapely 5’7. She knew that she was beautiful and raised us to have pride in our appearance. With her beauty, confidence and poise came the snobby attitude of a woman raised with riches. I knew that she loved me, but we had a major difference of opinion.

Although we had money I was not as stuck up as she wanted me to be. True, I was arrogant and conceited at times, but I never turned my nose up at what she referred to as “common people”. Common people
, according to my mother, were those individuals who didn’t earn over a million dollars annually. I found those people very intriguing.

“Seantay, darling,” my mother said in her usually over exaggerated way. “Come and give your mother and father a hug. We haven’t seen you in weeks.”

We hugged and she kissed my cheeks lightly. Next I hugged my father.

“Sweetheart, Jacques took the bags upstairs. We have some things for you and your sist
ers,” he said once we’d separated.

I nodded and figured I’d go peek through the bags later.

Mother sat down and kicked her royal blue Prada pumps off. “My feet are killing me. Sean, sweetheart can you please massage your wife’s feet?”

Dad sat down
like the hen pecked sap that he was and rubbed her feet.

My parents were “the perfect couple”, or so everyone thought. They appeared to be perfect because they looked so perfect together. Mom was gorgeous, and dad was extremely handsome. My father was 5’11, with gray Smok
ey Robinson eyes, creamy, smooth skin, wavy salt and pepper hair, nice lips and a wide masculine smile. Mother had a perfect deep brown complexion, firm skin, dimples, dark, exotic eyes, long, thick lashes, perfectly arched eyebrows, and full seductive lips. They’d played the part of “the perfect couple” for years; however their relationship was far from perfect. As I watched them, I realized that although they weren’t perfect they seemed to be made for one another. It was obvious that my father would never leave my mother and vice versa.

I slowly worked my way up the stairs to my parents’ bedroom. Of course their room was extravagant. It was
decorated in beige, dark brown and gold. My mother loved silk, so the sheets, comforter and curtains were all Egyptian Silk. The plush, beige mink carpet was soft and pleasant to my feet. I looked around and spotted the shopping bags in the corner of the studio apartment sized bedroom. My mother had very elegant taste and I was hoping for jewelry. I’d hinted around that I wanted a rare, very expensive black diamond tennis bracelet. I’d seen it online a few months ago. When I found out that my parents were going to Dubai I begged them to get it for me.

             
My parents would go on vacation and bring us gifts all the time. It was one of the few things mother did to show her love for us. Well, with the exception of Seandra. All of the affection that was left was all thrown on our father, her other prized possession. Dad told me the story of how they’d met a thousand times. Unlike my mom, daddy was a self made man. His parents were both born in New Orleans. They’d owned a local restaurant for fifteen years. When daddy was seventeen years old his father went bankrupt and was forced to sell his business. They were eventually facing foreclosure on their home and had to move to the worst part of the city.

             
Father didn’t succumb to the streets, or constant teasing of other kids like his siblings. He graduated from high school at the top of his class, received his Bachelor of Architecture from UCLA and his Masters in Business from Harvard. He was very driven and when he had his mind on something he was determined. He was also determined to not repeat the same mistakes in business that his father had made.

             
One day my father was flipping through a magazine on a flight to Los Angeles when he saw a gorgeous, exotic looking woman in a perfume advertisement. He was in love with this woman at first sight. He’d just been hired as one of the promising new executives at a very prominent Architectural Firm in Miami, Fla. His starting salary was seventy five thousand a year. It wasn’t much, but he was well on his way.

             
Two years later daddy was promoted to Vice President of the company. His salary was now one hundred fifty thousand a year. His reputation as a lucrative businessman was growing and after a few years he was ready to invest in his own business. One thing he realized was that he would need to do some major networking. He’d met some very prestigious people during his time at the architectural firm. One of his clients happened to be a famous photojournalist for CNN. He’d been doing business with the firm for a while and was a satisfied client. Mr. Robertson encouraged him to do his own thing independently and even decided to invest in the young man’s company. He would later invest in daddy’s real estate ventures and his hotel chain. Father had paid him back ten times over since then.

On the day of
the grand opening of father’s first architectural firm Mr. Robertson’s daughter flew in from Milan to visit her parents. She hardly spent time in the states, but her father insisted that she meet the ambitious young man that he’d grown very fond of. To make a long story short, my mother was the beautiful model in the perfume advertisement. She was even more beautiful to him in person. Over time they got to know one another. Daddy told me that mom was very seductive and sexy back then. He said that after one night with her he was whipped. It was too much information, but I thought it was so cute. I guess all the Beauvois women had that power. Well, at least I did. About a year after they were married Renell was born.

             
I looked through the bags and took out every last box with my name on it. So far none of them were small enough to hold a bracelet. I was so disappointed, until I spotted my name on a box in the last bag. I tore the box open and pulled the beautiful bracelet out. Aww, she had remembered. I was surprised that she’d been able to get the bracelet in the first place. There were only three more in the world like it. I ran down the stairs to thank my mother.

*
                         *                    *

Re
nell

             
I hadn’t seen my folks in a while, so I decided to suck up all my bad feelings toward them and pay them a visit. I had called and Seantay told me that their plane had landed safely. I left the office early and drove the thirty minutes to my parents’ huge estate. We’d moved to Newmexis when I was twelve. Having all of that space was the best part of living in a mansion. I loved living there, especially when my parents were away. I sometimes felt closer to the nanny than my own mother.

             
I always longed for my father’s attention. He loved all of us, but it was obvious that Seantay was his favorite. Seantay just had a way with men. She had father wrapped around her little finger and every other man she’d ever come in contact with.

             
She’d bat those seductive, almond shaped eyes and pout her sexy lips. She had that attitude about her that made men want her. When she spoke men actually listened. They hung on to her every word. She’d learned how to control men by practicing on our father.

             
I loved both of my sisters, but we were all different. Seantay was a spoiled brat that always had her way and Seandra was a money hungry, pampered diva bitch who was a fool for a man. Maurice had bought her a pent house in Miami, but he was no prince charming. True, he’d bought her a brand new Ferrari, but he was not perfect. She’d called me six in the morning bragging about the engagement ring he’d given her. It was an eight and a half carat uncut diamond in a platinum setting. She was ecstatic and I wasn’t surprised. She acted like the son of a bitch had a platinum dick too, because she was stuck on stupid for his ass.

             
Yes, he was fine as hell. MTV, BET, and VH1 called him one of the music industry’s sexiest. Seandra was a well-known sitcom actress, so they were the “it” couple. Their pictures were always somewhere, from magazines to E’s hottest celebrity couples list. If only everyone out there really knew.

             
Maurice was a gambler, lady’s man and coke addict. He sniffed more lines than a little bit. In three years Seandra had caught him cheating on her at least four times. Once she walked in on him having sex with her personal assistant in the bathroom of his Atlanta mansion. Seandra was supposed to be out of town, but she flew to Atlanta to surprise her man. Their two year anniversary was the following day. She was devastated, but she took him back. I could not understand her reasons for staying with him. On the day that she took him back she called me sounding all ecstatic.

             
“Renell, I know I sound stupid as hell, but it’s hard to explain. Regardless of what he does, I still love him. Nell, I ache for him when he’s not around,” she said. I agreed that she sounded stupid as hell.

             
“Seandra, come on now. You’re more deserving of a good man. You’re beautiful and you have a lot going for yourself. Why do you let him do this to you?” I’d asked. I couldn’t see the rationality in being some man’s idiot.             

             
“Damn Nell, you don’t get it do you? Maurice isn’t superman. He’s human and he’s entitled to make mistakes. You know how men are. They love sex. He tells me all of the time that my sex is good, but he’s a man. Shit, women throw the pussy at him. He’s only twenty six. He’s still young. Once we get married he will change.”

             
She just kept on making excuses for the man; saying that she loved him and it was that simple.  All I could do was shake my head. My sister was just like mother when it came to standing by her man. Nobody knew that the beautiful Seandra Beauvois, with the big breasts, small waist, rotund ass and thick thighs couldn’t keep her man in her bed and her bed only.

             
I pulled up and reluctantly turned the engine off. Part of me wanted to turn around and go back home. They were the only family that I had and I had to face them sometimes. I stepped out of my cranberry colored Cadillac Escalade and walked toward Beauvois Estate. My parents believed in security, so the two guards at the entrance had waved at me as I drove in. The beautiful sprawling landscape was breathtaking. It looked like a tropical wonderland. Colorful flowers were planted in abstract designs. There were waterfalls, palm trees, saunas, Olympic- sized indoor and outdoor pool. The smell of my mother’s orange and lemon trees made me reminisce about my childhood.

             
I guess the guards had spoiled the surprise and told my parents that I was on the way up. They were already at the door.

             
“Sweetheart, what a pleasant surprise.” Mother hugged me and then kissed my cheek. “Come in honey.”

             
I walked into the huge 55.8 million dollar mansion. My father and mother had really done great for themselves.

             
“Renell, we haven’t seen you in over a month. You barely live an hour away,” father said giving me a hug.

             
“Father, I’ve been awfully busy with work and all. I know that I’ve been away for a while, but I’m here now.” I forced a smile on my face and the task was kind of hard.

             
Seantay sashayed down the winding mahogany stairs. She spotted me and her full lips turned up into that innocent, but sexy smile. She reserved that smile for special occasions. She was good at covering up, but I knew she had some shit with her. She had the wool pulled over my parents’ eyes good.

             
“Renell,” she purred in that sexy voice of her. “How’re you? I haven’t seen you in a long time big sis.”

             
“I’m fine,” I said noticing the black diamond bracelet she had on. It had to cost over a quarter million. Spoiled bitch. I could feel the heat on my ears, I was so pissed. She asked for a bracelet once and she got it. All I asked for was some praise, or acknowledgement of my success from my parents. I couldn’t even get that.

             
“So, what have you been up to? Still working hard?” Seantay asked blowing her nails. She was always doing something to make herself more beautiful. How could she get any more perfect than she already was? Women hated Seantay. They saw my little sister as a threat. When they saw her walk up they’d snatch their men. She reeked of sexiness. It was so strong that even women could smell it. Funny thing was that Seantay wasn’t really a man snatcher. She was picky and did not deal with other women’s men on purpose.

             
I pretended for a few hours, we ate dinner and I was on my merry way. I didn’t mention Seandra’s engagement to my parents. That would give her one more point over me from mother. My parents didn’t know the real Maurice. Mother saw the sweet, loving, respectful Maurice. Seandra kept their dirt a secret. I was the only one she told.