God Ain't Through Yet (24 page)

A
fter he had removed my clothes and his, he folded everything and placed it on top of the coffee table next to the wineglasses. The latest edition of the
Richland Review
newspaper was already on the coffee table, opened to the sports section. He glanced at an article about Tiger Woods winning the Masters Tournament by a record of twelve strokes; a first for a black person. “Hmmm. I didn't know black folks played golf,” he said with a snicker. That was such a stupid remark, I chose not to comment on it. Then he covered my body with his, spreading my legs open with his knee. We made love on my living room floor.

I was not the kind of woman who liked to do a lot of talking when I was this close to a man, but Jacob couldn't stop yapping. “Baby, you are going to love this,” he promised, yelling into my ear. Now that was a bit irritating. When I moaned and turned my head to the side and shuddered, he thought that it was because I was in ecstasy. “See there!” he panted. He moaned a few times as he slammed into me. As soon as he caught his breath, he started yip yapping again. “I knew you were going to have a meltdown as soon as I got my hands on you. You'll be begging me not to stop! And it won't be long before I have you so sprung, you'll have to be weaned off me. I'm going to put something on you that a doctor can't take off. Oh baby!”

“As long as it's not some incurable case of VD,” I joked, huffing and puffing and writhing as I tried to keep up with his thrashing hip movements.

We both laughed. For one thing, he wore a condom, so him putting something on me that a doctor couldn't take off wasn't likely to happen. However, he made me feel so good that, when he attempted to rise and return to the couch, I pinned him to the floor. I didn't release him until I was thoroughly satisfied.

It was nice. It was nice to be in a man's arms again, even if that man was not my husband. Jacob was a fairly good lover, and he seemed to be more interested in satisfying me than he was himself.

We eventually ended up in the same bed upstairs that I had shared with Pee Wee. But by that time we were both too tired to continue. I fell asleep with my head on his shoulder.

When we woke up at the same time a little while later, he licked up and down my chest and face, and played with my titties for a few minutes. I tickled his butt and fondled his balls, but that was all. And I was glad that that was all we did. I knew it was going to be hard for me to enjoy making love in the same bed that I'd shared with my husband for so many years. That was something that I wanted to ease into.

When Jacob left a few minutes after midnight, the scrumptious dinner that I had prepared for him was still on my dining room table. I put everything away, drank a glass of warm milk, and then took a shower before I returned to my bedroom. I straightened the sheets and blankets, and crawled back into bed, but I couldn't fall asleep. For some reason, I couldn't get comfortable on the same sheets where I'd just wallowed around with another man. Especially since the sheets were still damp with his sweat. I jumped up and changed the bedding; then I slid into the bed and slept like a baby.

The next morning when I called Rhoda and told her about Pee Wee's visit, then Jacob's, she couldn't stop laughing. “Maybe the next time you prepare a meal like that, you really should invite Gandhi. Or at least Nelson Mandela.”

“The next time I go to that much trouble to prepare dinner, it won't be for a man,” I vowed. “At the end of the day, it's all about sex with them. By the way, how is Bully?”

“Now don't you start talkin' trash about my sweetie. He's fine if you must know. He's fifty if he's a day, but he's in better shape than men half his age. I'm blessed. And you are, too.”

“I don't know about that. I've lost my husband to another woman, and I've got some serious concerns about the man I'm with now.”

“Jacob? He's harmless. And didn't you just tell me how good he was in bed? What more do you want?”

“He's too pushy for me. Also, he's got some hygiene habits I don't like. He doesn't like to use deodorant.” I stopped talking and we remained silent for a long uncomfortable moment.

“Don't leave me hangin' just when it was gettin' good!” Rhoda yelled. “Explain what you just said.”

“I don't like it when he shows up without calling. That's one thing. He did that the very first time he came to the house. I was not expecting him, so I looked like a fishwife and the house was a mess. And it's bad enough when it's my house involved, but he has already dropped by my office a few times with flowers for me. I don't share my personal business with the people I work with, but they know I'm married. I don't even want to think about what some of them must be thinking about his visits.”

“Or what they are sayin'. You know how the people in this city like to spread gossip.”

“Tell me about it. And another thing that I don't like about him is that, when he takes baths in my house, he leaves his dirty underwear on the floor, and he doesn't even bother to let the water out of the tub when he finishes.”

“What is so bad about that? I have that same problem with Jade.”

“Jacob is usually covered with that oily dust from the brickyard when he comes by after work. You wouldn't believe the black ring it leaves in my bathtub. And he leaves the soap in the water, too. So it melts and floats on top of the water. By the time I go into the bathroom to clean up after him, it's a mess.”

“Well, sister-girl, all you have to do is tell him to clean up after himself. And don't leave it open for discussion. Shit. That's your house, and he should respect your rules. What about his house? Does he do the same thing there?”

“He does, but a woman cleans for him a couple of times a week.”

“Hmmm. Well, no man is perfect. That's the one thing we have to keep in mind. We can't live with them, and we can't live without them, right?”

“That's one question I can't answer. But I will admit that I'd rather spend my time with Jacob than alone. He's good company. At least until…”

“Until Pee Wee comes back?”

“That's not what I was going to say!” I said quickly.

“Then what were you goin' to say?”

“Just that I'm going to cancel my divorce for now. Now that I know Pee Wee's not ready for it.”

“But shouldn't you be more concerned about what
you're
ready for? He left you and he just might not come back. You need to get things in writing before somethin' happens to him.”

“What do you mean?”

“Bein' apart but not divorced is like havin' a sword hangin' over your head.”

“Where are you going with this?”

“Find out where you stand in regards to the financial position. What if he drops dead tomorrow and you find out his life insurance goes to that bitch or one of his relatives? What about that car he paid cash for?”

“You of all people know that I am about as financially secure as I can be. I can get along just fine without his insurance if he drops dead tomorrow.”

“That's not the point. I know it's easy for you to say that now, but it'd be a different story if it happened. And what about Charlotte? Do you want Lizzie to end up with somethin' that should go to your child? Look, even if you don't go through with a divorce, you need to get some legal advice anyway. Change your will. Because as much as I hate to bring it up, that sword hangin' over your head cuts both ways.”

“Stop talking like one of Joan Crawford's movie characters and say what you mean the first time,” I ordered with a heavy groan. “You're giving me a headache.”

“Annette, if something happens to you, Lizzie might end up raisin' your daughter, in the house that your mama left to you and you alone. I know you've got a couple of bucks in the bank, too. You need to make sure it all goes into some kind of trust fund for Charlotte until she's of legal age. Have you thought about that?”

“No…”

“Then you'd better. And the next time you see or talk to Jacob, tell him I said hello.”

“I don't plan on seeing him for a while. I am beginning to feel smothered, and I need some space right now. I'm going to spend less time with him.”

T
he very next day, Jacob parked in front of my house and ran up to my front door with a bouquet of roses in his hand. “Baby, I hope you're ready,” he said when I opened the door.

“Ready for what?” I asked, taking the flowers he waved in my face.

“I thought we were going out to dinner. Didn't you get my message?” he said with an anxious look on his face.

I stood there with my head cocked to the side, giving him a guarded look. “What message?”

He strolled in, slamming the door shut behind him. “Didn't that dingbat secretary tell you that I called? I told her to ask you if you wanted to go to Lomax's Steak House this evening. I told her to tell you that if I didn't hear back from you, I would assume you were going, and that I would make a reservation for seven o'clock. We could have a few drinks at the bar, listen to that soulful country western band, then enjoy a nice steak dinner with all the trimmings. I didn't hear back from you, so here I am.” Jacob gave me a gummy smile as he spread his arms out like he was expecting me to fall into them and swoon.

I sighed and placed the roses, which were already in a nice vase, on the coffee table. “I didn't get the message. And in the future, don't leave messages and assume I'll get them.”

“You need to talk to your girl at your office. She told me point-blank that she would make sure you got my message.”

“That's not the point, Jacob. If you want to see me, you need to talk to
me
, not my dingbat secretary. Don't leave messages and assume that's all you need to do before you show up. I would appreciate your confirming things with me. That's just common courtesy.”

“I'm sorry, baby. I'll go on back home,” he pouted, heading back toward the door. “Tell Charlotte I asked about her.”

“Charlotte is spending the night with her grandparents. And wait—you don't have to leave. Since you're already here, we might as well keep that reservation you made.”

Despite the fact that Jacob was beginning to look like a first-class oaf, I still enjoyed his company. And he had selected a nice place for dinner. Lomax's was one of my favorite restaurants. As a matter of fact, some of the waiters still remembered me from the days I used to come in and eat enough for three people.

Jacob had instructed me to order whatever I wanted on the menu, and since I had not eaten lobster in a while, that was what I ordered. It was not a cheap place, and when the waiter placed the $190 check on our table, my eyes watered.

“Baby, can you go warm up the car while I take care of the bill?” Jacob asked, rising.

Jacob was not the kind of man to do gallant things, like helping me put on my coat or opening my car door. I rose and wrestled myself into the black spring coat that I'd worn over my light blue pantsuit. “The waiter will take the check and payment to the cashier. I'll wait for you,” I told him. “Make sure you give him a good tip,” I said in a low voice. “I am a regular here.”

“No, no, you go on and warm up the car,” he insisted, handing me the keys to his Lexus.

I shrugged, took the keys, and headed toward the door. I noticed our waiter looking at me with a puzzled expression on his face, but I kept walking. I didn't stop until I reached Jacob's car.

Just as I seated myself in the driver's seat and started the motor, Jacob came sprinting out of the restaurant with three waiters on his tail. “Let's go!” he yelled as he flung open the door on the passenger side and hopped in. “Drive like hell!”

I didn't have time to ask questions or react. I just drove. I drove like a bat out of hell, turning the first corner on two wheels. Finally, I asked, “What the hell is going on?”

Jacob didn't answer my question, but I answered it for him. “You ran out on the bill, didn't you?”

“Yes, I did. And do you want to know why?”

“Yes, I would like to know why. I have never done anything like this before in my life! Don't you know we could get arrested for doing shit like this?”

“Well, they have to catch us first.” Jacob giggled like the Joker.

“If you didn't have enough money, you should have told me. I would have been glad to pay the bill.”

“Naw, naw. This wasn't about me not having enough money to pay the bill.”

“Don't tell me you do shit like this just for the thrill of it?” I yelled.

“It's a lot more serious than that. See, just before my mama died, I brought her to this restaurant for Mother's Day. When she complained about the way they had cooked her steak, instead of them cooking another one for her, they politely told her that if she didn't like the way they cooked, she should eat her steaks someplace else. My mother was a dignified woman, see. Everybody liked her. She didn't deserve to be treated like that. I called up the restaurant the next day and demanded to speak to the manager. When I tried to speak my mind, he hung up on me! This was the only way I could get back at them.”

“By not paying your check? And why did you have to drag me into it?” I had to stop for a red light. I looked in the rearview mirror, glad not to see a police cruiser behind us. “What if they got your license plate number?”

“I thought about that. Now, you know I am no angel, never have been. I'm the kind of brother who will do what I have to do when necessary. I switched my real plates for this car with the stolen plates that my thug cousin Georgie uses when he needs to take care of some street business. The plates belong on the car of a little old white retired schoolteacher from Sandusky.”

I was angry, but there was nothing I could do about what had happened. “Just promise me that the next time you have a point to make, don't involve me.”

Things were too tense, so Jacob didn't attempt to come in once we got back to my house. He didn't kiss me or even walk me to the front door. “I'll see you soon,” he yelled as I ran up on my porch.

And I knew he would.

When I spoke to Rhoda the next morning, I told her I'd had dinner with Jacob the night before. However, I didn't tell her about the scam he'd pulled. She would have never let me live that down.

“It sounds like he's tryin' so hard to please you,” she told me. “I know he's kind of crude, but he sounds like he's the best man for you right now.”

“The best man? That's funny. Is there such a thing anymore? Has there ever been such a thing on this planet?”

“The best man? Probably not. But there are men a lot worse than Jacob.”

“That's for sure,” I muttered. “Jacob's all right. He'll do for now, I guess.”

“He'll do for now? That doesn't sound very hopeful. And I hope no man ever says somethin' that generic and indifferent about me.” Rhoda laughed. “By the way, have you talked to your lawyer lately?”

“No, but I will. And I'm telling you now that if Jacob is the best I can do, I might cancel my divorce for good.”

“So that means you think there is a chance for you and Pee Wee to reconcile? Is that why you might cancel the divorce?”

“I don't think I really need a divorce. I don't need one so I could rush into another marriage.”

“What's that supposed to mean?”

“For one thing, there are too many Jacobs out there waiting to jump into the lives of women like me. I am going to make sure that all of my assets are protected, so a divorce is not a priority right now. I don't know if divorce is always the answer when a marriage goes sour. I know marriage is a partnership, but in America, most of the burden of keeping it together is on the woman's shoulders.”

“Yeah, you're right. Look at me.”