Married Men (44 page)
Authors: Carl Weber
Another fuck-up on my part. Tracy had asked me on several occasions to get her a phone in the apartment or at least a prepaid cell phone, but I had given her the runaround. I didn’t want her with a phone. A phone meant bills. And since all her friends were out of state for the summer break, it meant high long-distance bills. I’d completely forgotten she’d also need that phone to call her parents.
“I’m not gonna ask again. Where’s my daughter?” He lifted his foot.
“Tracy’s in her apartment, not far from here.”
“Get up. You’re gonna take me there.”
The five-minute ride to Tracy’s place seemed like five hours. Tracy’s pops had me drive his car while he sat in the passenger seat. He actually had his gun in his lap the whole time and I had no doubt in my mind that if I tried something stupid he would use it.
“What the hell kinda place you got my daughter living in?” he snapped, stepping out of the car. He was staring at the local drug dealers across the street and they were staring at him. It must be the kinda cologne he was wearing or somethin’, ’cause drug dealers can always spot a cop. When he turned to me, that sinister look he had at my house had spread across his face again. He was not happy with where his daughter was staying. He followed me up the walkway and I knocked on the door. Tracy answered a few seconds later.
“Jay? Is that you?” She pulled back the curtain on the tiny window to the door and smiled when she saw me. She opened the door and exposed her naked body flirtatiously to me, not realizing that her father was lurking in the shadows. “Did you come back to spend the night with me?” Her voice was full of excitement. Until her father spoke.
“Put on some clothes,” he demanded. I don’t even think Tracy saw him, but his voice was enough to freeze her right where she stood. Her beautiful bronze skin went instantly pale, and I could see fear all over her face. “Did you hear me? I said put some clothes on!” He stepped out of the shadows, and when they made eye contact, she ran into the apartment. Tracy’s father followed her, and reluctantly I followed him.
“Daddy? What’re you doing here?” Tracy was no longer in shock, but she was definitely still very nervous as she put on a robe.
“Why do you think I’m here for? You haven’t called home in over a month. Your mother’s worried sick.” Tracy looked like she was about to cry, so I tried to help.
“That’s not her fault—”
“Shut up!” her father yelled. “You think that ass whuppin’ you got at your house was somethin’? You get between me and my daughter again and I’m gonna do some permanent damage.” I had no idea how to respond.
“Daddy, don’t talk to him like that.” Tracy came to stand by my side.
“What did you say? I know you’re not talking to me. Along with messing with this idiot, you getting high too?” He walked over and flipped on the kitchen lights. Roaches started to run for cover, and so did he. He almost fell and busted his ass. I wanted to laugh until he started yelling.
“What the fuck was that?” His eyes darted back and forth across the room.
“Please, Daddy. It’s just a few roaches.”
“Roaches! Oh, hell no! Go get your things, Tracy. You’re coming home with me, now!” Tracy looked at me like I was supposed to save her from her own father. So I tried.
“Mr. Williams, I don’t think Tracy wants to come home with you.”
“Did I ask Tracy what she wants? And what did I tell you about getting between me and my daughter?” He took a step closer and I eyeballed a lamp that would make a suitable defense weapon. Wasn’t gonna be no more of that jujitsu shit he used on me at the house.
“No, Daddy, you didn’t ask me what I want.” Tracy took two steps to meet her father face-to-face. “I’m not going home with you, Daddy. Jay and I are gonna raise this baby together. We’re a family now.” Her father laughed.
“You’re not gonna raise no baby with this man, sweetheart. He’s got a family. He’s married and has two kids.”
“I know that already,” Tracy said sternly. Tracy’s words stopped her father in his tracks for a moment. I’m sure he never expected his little princess to stay with a married man by choice. But he regained his sense of command very quickly.
“Well, that just tells me that you really haven’t matured at all. I’m sorry, Tracy, but I can’t allow this. No daughter of mine is going to stay in this roach-infested, drug-dealers-across-the-street neighborhood, and that’s final.” He grabbed her arm.
“I’m not going anywhere, Daddy!” She raised her voice, pulling herself free. “Now you either deal with it, or get out. I’m gonna be twenty years old on Saturday. You can’t tell me what to do.” She folded her arms and sucked her teeth, and I could tell her old man wanted to slap her.
“You think you’re grown, don’t you?” He gave Tracy a disappointed look that only a father could give a daughter. “Okay, Ms. Grown. You wanna stay with him and fuck up your life ...”
“It’s my life,” Tracy said sarcastically before he could finish.
“Well, let’s see if you can live it without my credit cards or my ATM card. I’m canceling them in the morning.” I could tell by his facial expression that he was as mad as you can get without screaming. “Oh and I hope your hot-shot boyfriend with the wife and two kids can afford to pay your tuition. ’Cause I ain’t paying that no more, either. You think you’re grown, Tracy? Well, I guess we’re gonna find out how grown you really are.” He stared at his daughter, hoping his threats would change her mind. He got his answer when Tracy grabbed my arm and pulled me close to her.
“We’ll be just fine.”
“Don’t call my house.” He turned toward the door. “Oh, I forgot you don’t have a phone in this rat hole anyway.” He shook his head as he walked out.
“You sure you wanted to do that?” I kissed Tracy as I heard his car door slam.
“I made my decision. Are you sure you can handle it?” She looked up at me.
“Sure, I can handle it,” I told her nervously. At least I hoped I could, ’cause I had a feeling that what was left of that three thousand bucks Kyle lent me was gonna be going mighty fast.
36
Wil
I’d been in a meeting at work for the last two hours, but my mind was on Diane. I had this gut feeling that she was up to something. She’d called me three times on my cell phone this morning just to make sure I was going to work. Then she called my secretary Marge and asked if she knew where I was staying lately. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but she’d been acting mighty funny since I’d canceled picking up the kids for church on Sunday. I hadn’t told her, but I’d just signed a lease and was moving into my new apartment. Originally I hadn’t planned on getting my own place. I’d figured that in time Diane would come around and ask me to come home. But it had been six weeks and she hadn’t changed her mind one bit. She’d actually turned into that tiger lady everyone had warned me about before we got married. Don’t get me wrong. I still loved her and wanted to go home, but now I had a better understanding of what everyone else was talking about. I just had to find a way to turn the tiger lady back into my pussycat.
I walked out of my meeting and was greeted at the door by my secretary Marge. She cut her eyes at a young woman sitting by her desk.
“Wil, this young woman would like to see you, but she won’t give me her name or tell me what she wants,” Marge whispered.
I glanced at the woman. She was a young, brown-skinned woman, probably in her midtwenties. She was a little skinny for my taste, but she had an attractive face and wore an expensive suit. I took another look at her. She didn’t look like anyone I knew and I definitely had no idea what she was there for. Still, she looked harmless enough.
“Don’t worry about it, Marge. I’ll handle it.”
Marge nodded, then returned to her desk. I approached the young woman.
“Hi, I’m Wil Duncan. My secretary said that you wanted to see me.” I extended my hand. “And you are ... ?”
She smiled as she stood. Then to my surprise, she didn’t shake my hand but placed an envelope in it. “I’m Kimberly Taylor, and Mr. Duncan, you’ve been served.” She flashed another smile, then quickly turned and walked to the elevator.
“Did she say that you’d been served?” Marge stared at me from behind her desk
“I think so,” I muttered, in shock. I stared at the plain envelope with my name printed on it.
I walked past Marge and into my office, closing the door behind me. I was a little shaky, but I managed to get seated behind my desk to open the envelope. I let out a loud roar the second my mind registered what was happening. My worst nightmare had come true. With one swipe of my arm, I knocked everything from my desk to the floor.
“That fucking bitch!” I screamed as I collapsed back in my chair and reread the document.
Marge knocked on the door, and when I didn’t answer, she opened it. “Wil, is everything all right?” I was holding the summons in one hand, staring at it. Marge’s eyes surveyed the damage I had done so quickly to my office.
“It’s Diane. She’s taking me to court for more child support.”
“Oh Wil, I’m so sorry.”
I could feel myself getting choked up, and I wanted to scream again. I know my blood pressure was starting to rise, and if that wasn’t enough, I had this knot in my chest that was making it hard to breathe.
“How could she do this to me, Marge? She’s got everything. The house, the car, and the kids. Damn, all I ever wanted to do is love that woman. Why would she do this without talking to me?” I felt like I was about to cry when Marge walked over and placed her hand on my back. I’d never been so hurt in my entire life.
“I don’t know, Wil. Maybe you should go over to the house and talk to her.”
“Yeah, you’re right. I gotta go talk to her. I gotta make this right.” Somehow I got up out of my chair and walked to the door.
By the time I arrived at the house, all the hurt I had inside had become anger. I was angry with everyone. Diane, Kyle, Allen, hell I was angry with God for putting me through all this. I pulled in the driveway and didn’t even close my car door. I just jumped out and started banging on the front door.
“Diane, open this damn door!” It didn’t take her long to answer, and the second she did, I was in her face. “What the fuck is this all about?” I had the summons in my hand and I waved it an inch from her nose.
“What do you think it’s about?” She shook her head from side to side. “I’m taking your ass to court to get more money. And keep the noise down. Katie’s trying to take a nap.” She musta known she had the upper hand, ’cause Di was awfully calm.
“You can’t do this, Diane. We have an agreement.”
“Oh yeah, we do. Don’t we? Well, fuck the agreement.” She lurched at me with attitude.
“Why? What did I do?” I was still angry, but I tried to keep myself under control.
“You didn’t think I’d find out about your apartment, did you, motherfucker?”
“Is that what this is all about?” I shook my head. “Diane, I had to get an apartment. I was paying sixty-five dollars a night to stay in a motel the last two months. I was spending so much money I had to borrow against my 401K last month and I ain’t got shit to show for it. Hell, I had to borrow money from Kyle.”
“You expect me to believe that shit? Please. I know all you wanted to do is have somewhere to take your whores. You ain’t shit, Wil Duncan. Every time I look at those pictures, I hate your ass more.”
“Diane, don’t start this. You know I love you.”
“I ain’t started shit. You came over here. I didn’t come looking for you.” She shook her head again.
“I came over here because you had me served with court papers. Why can’t we discuss this instead of you dragging me to court? You act like I’m not paying enough.”
“Let me tell you something, Wil Duncan. If you can pay an eighteen hundred a month mortgage, the car note, electric bill, give me six hundred a month, and still rent an apartment, then you ain’t paying enough. So I’ll see you in court.” Her voice was dead serious and the look she gave me was ice cold.
“You really mean that, don’t you?” I was in disbelief.
“You damn right I mean it. I hate you, Wil. I hate what you did to me and I hate what you did to our family
and
more than that, I hate the fact that I still love you.” A few tears welled up in her eyes, but she quickly got herself back under control. “So yeah, I meant that shit. I’m gonna do whatever it takes to rid myself of you and my feelings for you.” She took a deep breath. “Matter of fact, I’m goin’ out Friday night and I’m gonna get drunk and I’m gonna get fucked.”
and
more than that, I hate the fact that I still love you.” A few tears welled up in her eyes, but she quickly got herself back under control. “So yeah, I meant that shit. I’m gonna do whatever it takes to rid myself of you and my feelings for you.” She took a deep breath. “Matter of fact, I’m goin’ out Friday night and I’m gonna get drunk and I’m gonna get fucked.”
I couldn’t believe that she was talking to me this way. If she was tryin’ to hurt me, she couldn’t have done a better job reaching into my chest and ripping my heart right out. I knew I was going to explode if she said anything else.
“Don’t do this, Diane. You just said you love me.” Those words were the only glimmer of hope she had offered. “Don’t do this. Let’s work this out. I love you.” I could tell by her expression that my pleading wasn’t doing any good. “Come on, Diane. Let’s do it for the kids’ sake.”
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