Déjà Vu (9 page)

“It won’t be necessary,” Ari said, looking straight ahead.

Ari pulled into what appeared to be a quiet neighborhood in Queens. There were no loitering people or children playing in the streets. He pulled his Jag in front of a modest, single-dwelling brick home. Absent were the spacious yards she was accustomed to in North Carolina. There was a lot of concrete with little or no yard. Houses were close together, each one unique in its own way—a row of similar but eclectic houses that were postcard perfect.

Ari continued to be the perfect gentleman, retrieving her bags and leading the way inside. Angelica followed behind him. Ari disappeared into a room, leaving Angelica to herself. The living room was airy and decorated with French provincial furniture that was covered in plastic. Lots and lots of plants—spider, devil’s ivy, mother’s tongue, African violets—were scattered throughout, and a modern entertainment system stood against the wall full of pictures of loved ones and a twenty-seven-inch color TV that sat in the center.

Ari reappeared. “I’ll show you to your room. Your bags are already there. I hope you will be comfortable.”

“Look, Ari, I do appreciate what you are doing, and I hope I haven’t caused you any inconvenience.”

“Not at all.”

“You’ve been awfully quiet since I spilled the beans. Not quite the bio you expected to hear, but I wanted to be upfront and honest with you. I’m not the shallow person people believe that I am, and if I can get on my feet, I’m going to prove it to all the naysayers in my life.”

“I believe you, Angelica. Why don’t you sit down and make yourself comfortable? Would you like something to eat? I can warm up some leftovers from yesterday.”

“No, Ari, I’m not very hungry. I know you’ve had a long day. Why don’t you relax, get settled in and pretend that I’m not here? I’m going to sit here and thank God for sending you.”

Ari sat down. “I’m glad to help. No strings.”

H
e rubbed his wrists, the weight of the chains gone, he hoped, forever. Passing the cage-like cells of his neighbors for the last five years, Jefferson raised his fist high and gave a salute along with a smile that showed he was convinced he would be free.

Aided by a walker, Jefferson was taken to a room where he met his attorney, Stacy Greer. Stacy had been with Jefferson during his trial and conviction five years before. She believed that it would be an injustice for Jefferson to remain in jail for twenty years, especially since he had tried relentlessly to get out of Operation Stingray and distance himself from the organization. But he had to pay for what he had done—stealing money from his clients. His wife Margo had to pay twice, once with Jefferson’s absence and the other with their savings, which was nearly all that they had.

In the front of the eggshell-colored room was a ten-foot-long table. At the table sat three people with microphones in front of them, the parole board that consisted of an all-white, two women-and-one man panel. A shorter table sat across from the long table, and this was where Jefferson and Stacy sat.

At exactly two-thirty, one of the women on the panel brought the meeting to order and announced that the proceedings were
for the parole hearing of Jefferson Myles versus the State. The woman stated the particulars of the case, evidence that might render an unfavorable parole judgment, reasons for immediate release, and Jefferson’s history while incarcerated. Jefferson and Stacy sat and listened as the information was shared, argued, and sifted through. After thirty minutes, Jefferson and Stacy were asked to step outside, but inside of five minutes, they were asked to return.

“Jefferson Myles,” the man spoke this time, “please stand.” Stacy stood with Jefferson. “We have reviewed the evidence in your case, the nature of your request for parole, and have rendered a verdict.”

Jefferson stiffened at the latter part of the man’s statement. He swallowed hard and focused his eyes on the bearer of his fate.

“Mr. Myles, a unanimous decision has been made in your case.” Jefferson thought the guy was never going to let the verdict roll from his tongue. “You are free. Welcome back to society.”

“Oh my God, oh my God. Thank you, thank you, thank you,” Jefferson said, and then turned to hug Stacy, whose tears were already running down her face.

The panel nodded as if it weren’t a big deal and Jefferson ought to be glad that it was his lucky day.

Jefferson didn’t care what they thought now. He was free…a free man who could go home to his wife and his family and try to start afresh. Jefferson raised his hand high. “Thank you, God. You do answer prayers.”

“Let’s go and call Margo,” Stacy insisted. “She will definitely want to hear this piece of news.”

“I’m ready,” Jefferson cried. “I’m ready.”

Margo paced back and forth in the house she once shared with Jefferson. Winter had come down from Raleigh to be with her to offer support if the news was negative, and to be whatever Margo needed if the news was positive. There was no quieting the rumbles in Margo’s stomach. She prayed for good news.

Winter brought her mother a cup of tea to help calm her nerves. She rubbed Margo’s back and sat down next to her mother, her own nerves stretched to the limit already. The day was far spent, and no telephone call had come. Margo wasn’t able to depend on the television news because they had said very little about Jefferson or the possibility of his parole.

The clock chimed three times and the two women looked at it, their hopes all but dashed. At three-twenty, the phone rang, but neither of the women had enough courage to pick up the receiver and hear the news. After the fifth ring, Winter answered the phone.

“Winter?” she heard Jefferson say after she said hello.

“Dad?”

“Yes, it’s me,” Jefferson said, his voice light. “Where is your mother?”

“She’s right here.” Winter winked and handed Margo the phone.

“Jefferson?” Margo whispered, trying to hold back her excitement.

“Margo, baby, I’m free!” Jefferson wailed. “Five minutes ago, they made the announcement.”

“Oh my God. Oh my God!” Margo kept repeating. She jumped to her feet and grabbed Winter and hugged her until Winter pushed her away. “That’s wonderful, Jefferson. I’ve prayed for this day. God does listen. How soon before you come home?”

“It will be several hours. I’ll have to out-process, but Stacy will bring me home.”

“I wish I was there with you,” Margo said.

“I don’t want you to have to see this prison again,” Jefferson said. “We will celebrate when I get home. I want to hold you and never let go.”

Margo was choked up. The words wouldn’t come out for the sobs. Finally, Margo caught her breath. “Hurry, baby. Hurry home.”

“I will,” Jefferson said. And the line went dead.

“Let’s hurry and get you processed out,” Stacy said. “This was a great victory.” She hugged Jefferson.

“Thanks, Stacy. This day would not have happened without you. I owe it all to you.”

Stacy smiled, grabbed Jefferson’s arm and slowly paraded him out of the room, moving as fast as the walker would allow.

Margo flopped down on the couch, overcome with emotion. Winter scooted down next to Margo and rubbed her mother’s back to offer comfort. Winter closed her wet eyes and then looked toward the ceiling and said a
thank you, Lord.

Several minutes passed. Margo wiped the tears from her face and reached over and squeezed Winter.

“Okay, enough of this,” Margo said. “We’ve got to have a celebration. Winter, call your sister and brothers, I’ll call Pastor, and…”

“What about Malik?” Winter smirked, trying to hide a smile. “You know how upset he was because you didn’t tell him that Dad might be released.”

“Let me worry about Malik, Madam All-up-in-my-business.”

“Mother, I’m only saying you have to consider telling Malik. You might want to invite him to the celebration, too.” Winter got
up and turned away so her mother would not hear her giggle.

An embarrassed looked crossed Margo’s face, followed by a scowl. “I’m telling you, for the last time, that Malik is your father’s friend as well as a friend to the family. I appreciate him checking on me while Jefferson was away. That’s all there was to it.”

“Okay, Mother. Don’t get upset. I’m not mad at you if you had a teeny-weenie little crush on Malik. It was probably good for your ego. I love my dad, but remember, he wasn’t perfect.”

“And two wrongs don’t a right make. Remember that, young lady. It’ll take you far in life. Now, get up and go do what I told you to do. I’ll handle the party arrangements.”

“At your pleasure, Mother dear.”

Margo continued to sit on the couch and watched Winter leave the room. Now left to her own thoughts, Margo realized this was the day she had waited for, prayed for…for five long years. God had honored her prayers. Thoughts of Malik swirled in her head while mixed emotions settled in her stomach. Whatever it was that tried to cloud this moment, she had to suppress it. This was not the time to start having feelings for another man or even think about another man. Her attention needed to be fully focused on Jefferson’s release and his return to her and the children.

“Got you to thinking, huh?”

Margo looked up at Winter. “Don’t be smug, little girl. I can still spank that behind of yours.”

“All right, Mother. I’ve called everybody to let them know about Dad. Wasn’t sure when you were planning to have this party.”

“Today. I want banners to welcome Jefferson home. Gosh, I’ve got to get up from here. I’ve got to order a cake and get some refreshments.”

“Mom, are you serious? Only Winston and I will be here.”

“No, I’ve got to call the Pastor, church members and Malik. Hand me the phone, Winter. I can’t waste any more time. I’ve got so much to do in so little time. We’re going to have a celebration!”

Winter watched her mother. She was like her mother in so many ways, although she was her father’s child.

A
ngelica sat up in bed and scanned her new surroundings. She tossed and turned throughout the night but had been able to doze off for at least a few hours. She was appreciative of Ari, even though she really knew nothing about him, except for what he had told her on the ride to the house. Now she hoped not to lose too much sleep over it because it beat being homeless.

She listened to see if she could hear Ari stirring. The house was quiet save for the noise outside—the hustle and bustle of New York City getting ready to start the day.

She found her watch and looked at the time. It was five-thirty in the morning. It was time for her to get up, but she didn’t feel comfortable roaming about the house. She’d wait until she heard Ari moving about.

Thoughts of yesterday rushed to Angelica’s head—a day that had gone so wrong. Angelica wasn’t sure what she had done to deserve Donna’s wrath, but Angelica was sure about one thing, and that was if her “so-called” career was going to get a jump-start by posing with a bunch of lesbians, it was indeed over. She didn’t want their mouths or hands to touch her. Now she was left with the task of finding another job.

Macy’s was right in the middle of Manhattan. There were other retail shops where she could apply for a position as well. The only
thing about working in a retail environment was that it would not pay the kind of salary she needed, and she needed a lot of money in order to secure the financial independence she desired.

For a fleeting moment, the woman in the subway holding onto the pole with her assorted packages flooded her memory. Angelica immediately shook the thought from her mind, but as quickly as she had erased the thought, it resurfaced and stayed, offering a vision of the freedom that she sought.

“No!” Angelica said, hoping Ari didn’t hear her. Each time she tried to suppress the vision, it would return with a quickness, filling her head with promise of a new life, a life Angelica had hoped to never see again.

The knock at the door diverted her attention. She pulled the covers up to her neck and said, “Yes?”

“Angelica, it’s Ari.”

“Who else would it be?” She laughed.

“Take your time about getting up. I’m fixing myself some breakfast. Nothing special, but I’d be glad to whip you something up, too.”

“No thanks, Ari. I don’t usually do breakfast.”

“Okay. I’m going to be leaving in an hour. If there’s anything I can get you…”

“I’m getting up,” Angelica said, cutting Ari off. “I’ll ride in with you, if you don’t mind. I think I’ll put in some applications today.”

“Wonderful. I’ll wait on you. I only go in early because I don’t have much to do since I’ve retired. I make a little extra cash, and it keeps me occupied.”

“Well, I’ll be ready in a jiffy.”

Angelica flew out of the bed at lightning speed. Today was a new day and a chance to get it right. She rushed through the shower,
made her face, and put on a chic blue-and-white seersucker pantsuit. She pulled her hair into a bun and darted out the room to where Ari was waiting.

His eyes roamed, but his lips stayed sealed. Angelica was a beautiful woman, but he had lived too many years and had seen too many things to jeopardize his present station in life. He let his eyes do the talking and relished the little time they would be together. Angelica would offer female company—someone to have a pleasant conversation with and maybe share a laugh or two. “Ready?” he asked.

“I am.” Angelica offered a smile.

Angelica sat with her head thrown back in Ari’s car and listened to his chatter. He talked about his life in New York and some of the crazy exploits he and his buddies carried out as teenagers. While Angelica listened with one ear, she watched as cars, taxis and New York City landmarks whizzed by.

Silence caused Angelica to look away from the scenery and turn toward Ari. He looked straight ahead, offering no further conversation until he said, “We’re in midtown Manhattan. Where would you like to be dropped off?”

Angelica became alert and watched again as they passed building after building.

“You can drop me off at Macy’s. It might be too early, but I can walk around until it opens.”

“You may also want to go to Greenwich Village or SoHo, if Macy’s doesn’t pan out. You can get there by subway.”

Angelica thanked Ari and looked straight ahead. She glanced his way again.

“Thank you again, Ari. I know I’ve been distant this morning, but I have a lot on my mind. Getting a job has consumed a lot of
my mental energy. I don’t want to inconvenience you any longer than I have to.”

“You’re not inconveniencing me,” Ari said. “In fact, it’s nice to have a warm face to talk to in the evenings.”

Angelica twitched her mouth that settled into a smile. She enjoyed Ari’s attention, and he was a good-looking man with a good-looking body. There was no room for a man in her life at this time, although she momentarily thought about Malik and the kiss she placed on his lips. Ari would always be a special friend, an angel in her time of distress, nothing more and nothing less.

“We’re here,” Ari said, taking Angelica from her thoughts. “What time would you like to be picked up?”

Angelica had not given any thought to being displaced while Ari was at work. He did not offer her a key to his house and she was not going to ask for one. That would make life simple because she had no plans to stay at Ari’s for long.

“Give me your number,” Angelica said. “I’ll call you and we can work it out.”

“All right.” Ari wrote his cell number on the back of a card and handed it to Angelica. He smiled at her and Angelica jumped out.

She breathed in the air and looked around her, trying to decide which way to go. Macy’s looked threatening, but she was going to march in there and complete an application. She was going to become a working girl and brave all the elements of a New York City life.