Pushing Up Daisies (23 page)

Daisy nodded. “My friend…someone I know was told the story. Jasper’s brother confided in her before he died. He was the one who was abused.”

“Good. It’ll help us in court.”

“Us?”

“Yes. Camille and I will go, if you want us to. The more support you have, the better. I’m sorry I judged you so harshly. If you need me, you have my card. I’ll let myself out.”

Daisy sank down next to Calvin on the sofa and covered her face. She didn’t want him to see her crying anymore. Although Mrs. Tompkins’s offer to testify had eased her anxiety, her foster-care story echoed in Daisy’s mind. In her gut, she knew Jay was unhappy. She could feel his pain. She knew it must confuse him to be treated badly; he’d never known ill treatment before. Unable to take the anguish, Daisy squeezed her eyes shut and tried to remind herself that everything seemed to be looking up. But her heart had begun to race.
Not another attack.

“Please,” she begged aloud. Calvin reached out and held her. She pressed her face into his chest and sobbed.

“It’s okay,” he soothed.

“No, it’s not. They have my son.”

Calvin eased her off his chest and held her at arm’s length. Tears were in his eyes, and a crack was in his voice as he spoke. “Why didn’t you keep
our
daughter? If you love that little boy as much as you seem to, why would you deny me the opportunity to experience love like that? Why didn’t you at least allow me to know Lani? To love her?”

Daisy hung her head. For the first time, she realized how wrong she’d been in keeping Calvin and Lani apart. She’d thought about introducing them before, had even toyed with the idea of telling Calvin. But she’d been too selfish and self-centered to do the right thing. She’d handled Lani’s birth all wrong. While it should have been celebrated, it had been condemned, a closeted secret.

“Because I was stupid, so selfish and stupid. I’m sorry, Calvin,” she said.

He stood up. “Me too, Daisy. I’m sorry that I got to see the human side of you. My plans would be so much easier to execute if I hadn’t seen you cry. I apologize for what I’m about to do, but I have to. I have to be a father to my daughter.”

Daisy stared at Calvin. Anything that happened to Lani now would be Daisy’s fault. “Please don’t,” she begged, grabbing his arm. “Don’t try to take my baby away. They’ve already taken one. I can’t lose them both.”

Calvin yanked himself from her grasp, and his expression turned cold. “What makes you believe that you’re entitled to two children, and I’m not good enough for one? You don’t deserve Lani. That woman said that you struggled for Jay, but you couldn’t even struggle for your own child because you were too weak. Hell, I don’t care what that social worker thinks. You’re not the good mother she believes you are.”

Daisy jumped to her feet. “Fuck you, Calvin! Fuck you, and everyone like you. You don’t know me. Never did. And you think I’m weak? Why, because I gave our daughter up? News flash, Calvin: I was never weak. A weak woman wouldn’t have been able to do what I did. I did what I thought was best for Lani, and it hurt like hell. I’m so tired of people like you trying to dictate my life, trying to tell me who and what I am. You’re nothing but vampires—you suck the life out of people and leave them for dead.” Daisy shook her head. “Not anymore. Never again. I did the right thing. I wasn’t so sure before, but now I know. I won’t allow you or anyone else to make me question myself, or my choices. I’m not a child. I’m a woman who knows right from wrong.”

Calvin stood his ground. “Still, you haven’t been any more of a parent than I have. But the difference is that you had a choice. You had the option to be her mother, and you didn’t choose it.” He walked away and slammed the door on his way out.

Daisy’s heart pounded against her chest as if it were trying to escape, and her hands trembled. She counted slowly to three and tried to control her breathing. While the argument with Calvin had made her feel stronger, it had also given her reason to worry. Now, there was no question about whether he was going after Lani.

The sudden rise in her heart rate had signaled the need for medication. She didn’t want to take it, but knew that she needed it. She couldn’t shake the anxiety. Daisy grabbed the phone and dialed the one person who could help her without talking her to death. “Jesus,” she whispered when he didn’t answer.

The doorbell rang again.

“Please, let it be Adonis,” she whispered, her disdain for people who popped up unexpectedly without calling forgotten.

She looked through the peephole, and there he stood. She forced a smile and opened the door.

“I’m so glad to see you.” She squeezed him and began to relax.

“What a nice welcome. I thought you’d be upset with me.”

“What’s a couple of days?” She grabbed his hand, pulled him inside, and led him into her bedroom. “You smell so good.” She put her nose to his neck, inhaling his scent just as Jacob had hers.

“What’s wrong?” Adonis lifted her chin and searched her face, then put his hand on her chest. “Your heart’s beating very fast. Are you having a panic attack?”

“Anxiety.”

“Have you taken your medicine?”

“I don’t want to. It makes me relax too much.”

“Wait here.” He sat her down on the bed and left. Daisy listened to his footsteps moving down the hardwood hallway. She knew that he’d do his best to persuade her to take the medicine. She loved that about him, that he cared about her well-being, not just her body. Warmth spread throughout her, and the back of her neck tingled.
Anxiety and goose bumps at the same time. That’s a first.

Adonis returned and held out his hand. “Here. I cut it in fours. Take just a fourth first, and see if that helps.” He gave her a glass of water.

“I knew you’d do that.” Daisy laughed. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” He sat down beside her. “What happened to make you so upset?”

Daisy rested her head on his chest and told him the story. She began to cry when she related Mrs. Tompkins’s story. Adonis comforted her.

When her tears finally stopped, Adonis looked at his watch. “Come on. Let’s go.”

“Go where?”

“To Jersey, to see Jay’s relatives. It’s not too late, and it won’t take us long to get there. We should’ve gone the day that you got the address. It seems to be the only way, and I’m tired of seeing you cry. You don’t have to do this alone, you know. I’ve sat back and watched you try to do it by yourself. But that’s what I’m here for…to help you.”

A
donis put the car in park. Silently, they appraised the neighborhood. Apartment buildings and houses that looked as if they should be condemned stood on one side of the street, housing projects on the other. Unfolding the paper with the address on it, Daisy breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that Jay’s relative didn’t live in the projects. She didn’t want to go there. Was afraid to. Still, she had a bad feeling in her gut. Debris littered the block, along with the loiterers and roughnecks she presumed were drug dealers.

“You ready?” Adonis asked.

“Are you kidding? No, I’m not.”

“Don’t tell me you’re afraid.” He laughed.

“Don’t tell me you’re not at least a little hesitant.”

“I’m from South Central L.A. These knuckleheads out here don’t intimidate me.”

“Billy Badass, hunh?”

“As long as I have Nina with me, I’m straight.”

“Nina?”

Adonis opened the glove compartment and pulled out a gun.

“A professional with a gun. I see.”

“How do you think I lived long enough to become a professional? You haven’t been out of L.A. that long, have you? Besides”—he tucked the gun in his pants—“it’s not a
gun.
It’s a chrome Desert Eagle, and I’m licensed.”

Daisy didn’t approve, but she had to admit that there was a good chance they’d need it. She reminded herself that her upbringing had been easier and more predictable than his. Her neighborhood had been safe, and his had been known for gang rivalry. She’d never walked in his shoes, and she didn’t have the right to judge him. She stole a glance at him and was thankful that he’d made it. He had beaten the odds. Adonis was definitely not a product of his environment, but had learned a thing or two from it.

Daisy got out of the car and softly closed the door. Although the street was busy, she felt as though she needed to sneak. She didn’t want to attract too much attention, as if her closing a car door would be the highlight of somebody’s day. She tucked her necklace into her shirt, stretched her hat over her earrings, and slipped off her rings and put them into her pocket. “This is crazy,” she mumbled, unable to recall the last time she’d had to be so cautious. She’d felt safer on the New York subways.

Adonis grabbed her hand and squeezed it. “It’s okay. I’m here.”

Daisy wrapped her arm tightly around his as they crossed the street. Tried to meld with him. Holding hands wasn’t enough. She needed to feel as close to him as possible.

Adonis’s face had gone blank and hard. She’d seen that look before, the look that made it perfectly clear he was not to be messed with. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

She made a conscious effort to walk heel-toe, having once read that the highest percent of mugging victims walk on their toes. No way would she allow herself to look vulnerable. She couldn’t look as hard as Adonis, but she tried her best to imitate his confidence. Silently, she counted down the addresses until she came to the one she was searching for.

The building looked exactly the way she’d imagined it—ragged. Several of its windows were broken, and loose pieces of brick jutted out from a wall of lewd graffiti. The cement crumbled underfoot as she stepped onto the stoop. The intercom system was missing, and the front door was barely hanging on its hinges. “Yuck,” she said, and pulled her sleeve over her hand to keep from touching the handle.

Daisy opened the door and the overwhelming stench of old piss stung her nostrils. Deep moans and a smacking noise assaulted her ears. She peeked around the banister to the back of the hall. A woman was bent over with her palms pressed against the disgusting wall. She was being screwed doggy style.
Great! First urine and now nasty ass in the air.
She held her breath and blinked quickly, eyes stinging, then headed up the stairwell with Adonis on her heels.

She glanced at the slip of paper again. She was right in front of Peaches’ apartment. “We’re here,” she said nervously to Adonis, and knocked on the door.

“Who the fuck is it?” a voice bellowed from inside.

Daisy didn’t answer.

Adonis moved her to one side and pounded his fist on the door.

“Goddamnit! I said, who the fuck is it? Don’t be banging on my door like the motherfuckin’ po-lice.” The door flew open.

The woman was a mess. An ugly mess. Her brown skin was blotchy, with light spots and terrible acne. Her shriveled hair lay flat on her head, and her breasts drooped braless, her nipples peeking out through her shabby robe. She looked directly at Adonis and licked her lips. “
Goddamn,
it must be Christmas, and you must be my gift. Mmm, mmm, mmm. You must be the new delivery boy. ’Bout time Ray Lee got someone that looks good. After all the rock I buy from him. Come on in here with your fine ass and let me unwrap you. I ain’t got a tree, but, baby, I got a bed.”

Daisy pushed Adonis aside and stepped forward. “Are you Peaches?”

The woman narrowed her eyes. “Who the fuck wants to know?”

“A friend of your nephew’s.”

“Oh, bitch, you got the wrong place. I ain’t got a nephew—”

“So you’re not Desiree’s sister?”

“You knew Des? Come on in.” Peaches stepped to the side, allowing Daisy access. “Ain’t you coming?” Peaches asked Adonis.

Adonis shook his head.

“What’s the matter, you scared of good pussy? Mine purrs, it don’t bite. But you can nibble it. Just don’t chew.” She laughed.

It took everything Daisy had not to grab the woman by her hair and wrestle her to the floor. “Take it down a notch or two. He’s with me.”

“Well, if he ain’t coming, I ain’t talking. That’s what you’re here for, right? To pick my brain?”

Daisy waved Adonis in. She didn’t want him to know Jay’s business; it wasn’t hers to share. But apparently, she had no choice.

“Y’all come on in and have a seat.” Peaches plopped down on the sofa.

Daisy and Adonis remained standing. The apartment was filthy with clutter and old plates covered in mold. Empty forty-ounce beer bottles lined the table and the windowsill. A pint of Wild Irish Rose stood on the floor in front of the broken-down plaid sofa.

“What the fuck you expect, Buckingham Palace? Sit down.” Peaches gestured in the direction of a scuffed folding chair and a pleather one sitting opposite it.

Daisy sat on the edge of one chair. Adonis refused.

“Well, I guess you can do what you want. I don’t give a damn if you sit, stand, or crawl. I just want to look at you. What are you, ’bout six-two, six-three? ’Bout two forty, two fifty?”

“Are you Peaches or not?” Daisy snapped impatiently.

“Yep, dat be me. And you are?”

“Daisy.”

“That figures. A flower, huh? That man right there know how to pluck, or what?” Peaches laughed again. “So, you here ’bout Des? What about her?”

“I need to know about her son.”

Peaches nodded slowly and removed a small packet from her pocket. She opened it and poured its white contents on the back of her hand. She held it to her nose and snorted it into one nostril, then the other. She held her head back and closed her eyes in rapture. “I’m sorry, y’all wanted some?” she asked, rubbed the rest on her gums, then sat back with eyes closed, obviously waiting for her hit to hit her.

“No, thanks,” Daisy said.

Adonis said nothing.

“Well, whatcha wanna know ’bout Jay?” Peaches was calm now, her whole demeanor changed.

“I want to know about his father.”

Peaches giggled. “Shit, I wanna know too. Which one?”

Daisy sat up. “You don’t know who his father is?”

Peaches looked at Daisy as if she were crazy. “Oh, so you didn’t know Des, hunh? Des was a hot bitch. Couldn’t tell that wench nothin’. She thought she was the cutest thing that God gave breath to. Thought she was better than everybody—the whole family. Just ’cause she went to college. Well, if you ask me, the only thing she learned at college was how to fuck. Everybody. They could’ve gave her a Ph.D. in fuckology. Know what I’m saying?”

“I guess,” Daisy said. “But what about Jay’s father?”

“Who the fuck you rushin’? Damn, give a bitch a minute to think. You got somewhere to be or somethin’? ’Cause I don’t go by the clock, ’less I’m gettin’ paid.”

Daisy didn’t like Peaches’ tone and looked at Adonis, who nodded. They both realized that they’d have to put up with Peaches’ nasty mouth and matching attitude.

“Well,
Daisy,
all that fuckin’ caught up to Des. You know she died from AIDS, right? Anyway, before she caught the monster, she got caught up with them Stevens twins. Them was some fine muthafuckas for your ass too, I’m tellin’ you. Des ain’t know if she was coming or going. See, one of them had her body, but the other one had her heart. One of them loved the shit outta my sister, because he didn’t know that his brother had fucked her. Fucked her good too. That’s what Des told me. That Jasper had whipped it on her and dicked her down like never before. She ended up with Jonathan, though. He was the one she loved—the one that believed he was the father of her child. But truth be told, Des didn’t know which one she was pregnant by because she fucked ’em both in one week. She met Jasper first and fucked him just ’bout every day that week. Then she met Jonathan, fucked him the same day, and he fell head over heels for her. I guess Jasper saw how much his brother liked Des and didn’t tell him that he’d had her. He stepped off.” Peaches sat back. “So there you go. Now you know.”

Daisy was stunned. “So you don’t know.”

Peaches laughed. “You a little slow, hunh? That’s what I just said. Think about it. Why do you think the boy’s named the way he is—Jonathan Jasper Stevens? She gave him both of his daddies’ names.”

Daisy awoke the next morning to a fresh start. After her conversation with Peaches the night before, she felt a new sense of freedom; liberty from ignorance. She finally knew the truth about Jasper. About the past. More importantly, about Jay. She hoped that Peaches’ revelation would give her the sharp edge she needed to cut through the red tape and the Stevenses’ suit for custody.

Daisy watched the clock, mentally urging time to pass faster. She needed to talk to Kenneth. Tapping her foot, she dialed his number. As soon as her watch’s minute hand struck twelve, she pressed the talk button.

“Kenneth, good news!” she said, excitement pouring from her mouth.

“Peaches Pleasant?”

“Yes. Thank God for Peaches!”

Daisy related the events of the night before, interrupted by an occasional laugh from Kenneth.

“Unbelievable,” Kenneth said, sounding as human and friendly as Daisy remembered him being when Jasper was alive. “Well, looks like wa have just about all we need.”

Daisy crumpled her brow. “About all? Peaches isn’t enough?”

“Oh, Peaches was more than enough, I’m sure. But we still need someone that the court—the state—will take seriously. While Peaches gave us the information that we need regarding paternity, we can’t allow her in the courtroom. Not on our behalf. But all the other information that you’ve gathered will certainly help us. It’s a good start—”

Daisy held her smile behind a smirk. “So we need someone upstanding? A good citizen who pays taxes and doesn’t have a record?”

“Exactly. That’d be great.”

“Kenneth, I know exactly who we need.”