Southern Gossip: A Complicated Love Story (3 page)

Mr. Gray gently fell across the bed trying to get comfortable. “I couldn’t agree more.”

Mrs. Gray looked over at the clock. It was only ten o’clock a.m. “What time is your meeting?”

“It’s at three today.”

“Okay, well I have a few errands to run today myself. No clients, but I definitely have a couple places I need to go. Call me after your meeting and we can do a later lunch.” She said grabbing her leather, exclusively designed Dooney and Burke handbag. Just that quickly she heard her husband snoring. “Did you hear me, Ian?” She asked loudly.

“Yes dear, I heard you. I’ll call after my meeting and be careful.” He said drifting back to sleep.

“I will,” she softly smiled. Jada’s homecoming played heavily on her mind. Just when it seemed her boys were moving on, she had to return. Hopefully, it was just to visit and then she’d be gone again, but her gut feeling told her differently. She could sense disorder and confusion heading their way, but she was determined to stop it. As she neared the bottom of the staircase she realized that it was only one source that she could get some clarity from, but that was all depending on her
mood.
I guess I’ll find out soon enough,
she thought while exiting the house.

Chapter 2

“What took you so long to get here? You must’ve been up to your old tricks?” Mama Gray questioned with a hoarse cackle as she slowly made her way down the staircase of her modest three story family estate. Marlon was already reclined back on the plush leather sectional with the remote in his hand. He waited patiently for the interrogation to begin, already knowing that he wasn’t caving in no matter how hard she probed him.

Settling on ESPN, he looked over at his loving grandmother as she rounded the corner. She was beautiful at the ripe age of seventy-two. Her smooth, caramel colored skin tone with hardly any wrinkles at all made her look nearly half that age. She had her long, thick hair pulled up in a bun and was wearing an ankle length pink, silk house coat tied in the front. “Well good morning to you too, Mama Gray.” He spoke as she entered the room.

“I heard you riding on that 4-wheeler.” She started as Marlon shook his head. “So, did you stop by the Kent’s residence on your way here?” she asked while making her way around the sectional then sitting down beside him.

Marlon looked over at her almost wanting to laugh. She was relentless in trying to find something out. “And she doesn’t waste any time,” he whispered then leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “I said good morning, Mama Gray.”

She smiled. “Good morning, baby.” His handsome face always brought her joy. He was her oldest and most responsible grandson of the three. He would stop everything at the drop of a dime to come if she needed him. He’d always take her to her appointments if she needed him to and because of that, plus his charming smile, she adored him immensely. He was her favorite, she’d always tell him. “Baby, would you fix me something to drink.”

He looked at her shaking his head. “I thought you weren’t feeling well.”

“I’m not, but that’ll help me feel better.” She said sounding a bit enthused.

“I should’ve known that you’d say something like that.” He lazily got up to go fix her a drink. Once entering the immaculate, traditional style kitchen, he grabbed a glass out of the cabinet.

“So, what did you say took you so long, Marlon?” Mama Gray nosily asked from the adjoining family room.

“I didn’t say, Mama Gray.” He uttered, ignoring the question already knowing that she was too smart not to know what he’d been up too. “What did you want to drink?”

“You know what I want.” She quickly answered.

Marlon shook his head again as he grabbed the bottle of Bordeaux blended red wine sitting on the granite countertop in front of him. “Mama Gray, you know it’s too early for this.” He stated as he poured her a drink. He then walked back inside the family room, handing her the half filled glass then plopped back down beside her.

Mama Gray frowned at his comment about her drinking. “No, it’s not too early as long as I’ve eaten breakfast.” She said as if she’d made a great point.

“If you say so,” he dryly commented.

Mama Gray sipped her wine then looked back over at her Grandson. “So, did you make a stop at the Kent’s house on your way over here?”

Marlon grinned at his nosey grandmother. “Maybe I did.” Mama Gray smiled. “Or, maybe I didn’t.” He teased.

She strangely looked at him. “Hm,” she said as the lingering sound of the word meant that she’d let it go for now, but it wasn’t over. “So have you spoken to your Father this morning?”

“No ma’am, why?” he asked.

“Well when we spoke on the phone earlier he said that he was headed to the jailhouse.”

“For what?” he questioned.

“Seems your brother got in some trouble last night,” she informed him. “Have you spoken to him yet, your brother? I hope he’s okay.” She stood up. “Let me check the caller ID and make sure he hadn’t called while I was in the shower.”

“Mama Gray, chill. Sit back down and relax.” Marlon insisted. “Keem is alright. I’m sure Dad has taken care of it. Plus, Unc is the Sheriff of this city. When has Keem ever had to do time for anything mischievous that he’s done?”

“Yeah I know, but I’m gonna have a talk with him when I see him. He’s been doing so good by staying out of trouble.” She heaved a heavy sigh. “Lord, no telling what he’s done.”

Out of nowhere Mrs. Gray’s voice could be heard entering the kitchen as she was ear hustling on her way in. Quickly she thought she’d ease her mother-n-law’s mind. “He was caught driving with a suspended license, Mama Gray. That’s it.” Immediately she sat her handbag on the granite countertop and grabbed a glass out of the cabinet. She’d already spotted the bottle of wine the minute she entered the kitchen. She held the wine bottle in her hand and read the label. “Clos Fourtet Saint-Emilion 2009,” she raised a concerned eyebrow. “This is a three-hundred dollar bottle of wine. What are we celebrating?” she questioned knowing that Mama Gray was content on drinking the cheaper red wines for the simple reason that she felt they got her tipsy quicker.

Marlon got up from the sectional and joined his mother in the kitchen. “Mom, you didn’t tell me about that before I left the house earlier.” He said as he watched her pour a half glass of wine.

“I didn’t know until your father made it home which was after you left.” She said sitting down on one of the bar stools that was pulled up to the counter.

Marlon sat down beside her and watched how quickly she drank her wine. “You and Mama Gray and that wine,” he said shaking his head. “Are you okay drinking like that?”

“Yes I’m fine, son.” She said as Mama Gray entered the kitchen and gave her daughter-n-law a light peck her on the cheek.

“Good Morning, Celeste.”

“Good Morning, Mama Gray.” Mrs. Gray spoke back. “How are you feeling?” She said looking down at her watch to time A’keem’s arrival.

“Oh pretty good,” she said reaching for the bottle of wine. “Pretty good.”

Mrs. Gray slid her bare glass over to her mother-n-law for a refill. “I guess if I have just a bit more I’ll be feeling just as good as you.”

Mama Gray quickly poured a little more for herself then slid Mrs. Gray’s empty glass back over to her. “Here, pour your own troubles.” She hoarsely said handing her the bottle.

“Even asking that you pour me a glass of wine is too much, huh?” Mrs. Gray questioned.

“It’s not just a glass of wine,” Mama Gray said with sarcasm thinking about how expensive it was.

“I already know that, but three-hundred dollars to you is like three American dollars. Don’t play Mama Gray. It’s too early for this,” Mrs. Gray told her. She and Mama Gray had a bitter, sweet relationship. Mama Gray learned to like her, because her son loved and married her, but it took a long time for her to see some good in the woman.

“I’ll pour my own, anyway.” Mrs. Gray uttered while purposely filling her glass and emptying the bottle. For as long as she’d been in the Gray family, Mama Gray still didn’t fully embrace her the way that she’d wished she had. In return, their relationship was about as iffy and rocky as the city they lived in.

Mama Gray ignored her smart remark for the simple fact that she was right. That was asking a bit much of her and at the moment all she was concerned about was grandson. “How’s A’keem? I know you’ve spoken to him.”

“As a matter fact, I have and he’s on his way here once he gets his license straight.”

“Good, I need to lay my eyes on him.” Mama Gray said. She was a firm believer that her prayer and the laying of her eyes on her family kept them safe. It was even known to some that anytime the men were having hard luck it was because they’d slacked up on visiting her.

“I told him that you were gonna get on his butt, too. So don’t be all sweet on him when you do lay your eyes on him.” Mrs. Gray stated.

Mama Gray smacked her lips. “I know how I talk to my boys. You don’t have to worry about that.”

“Trust me, I’m not worried about that, because if it’s anything we do have in common it would be the love we have for our Gray men. I just want you to be stern with A’keem and let him know that he’s getting too old to still be getting in trouble for things that should’ve been behind him years ago.”

Marlon had sat there listening to the two women going back and forth long enough and decided to ease back into the family room. Before he could make his exit, Mrs. Gray called him out.

“Uh Marlon, come back in here.”

Marlon shook his head with regret of not leaving when she first walked in. He knew exactly where this conversation was about to head. “Yes mom.” He dry responded.

“Your dad was fussing about you taking the path this morning. You did take the path didn’t you?”

“I did take the path, but I was hoping that he wouldn’t find out.” He said with a nonchalant attitude.

“So,” Mrs. Gray said looking him directly in his eyes. She studied him over as she watched for any signs that would tell her if anything was off about him.

“So what, mom?” he pondered. He was well aware of her degree and how manipulative she could be, but he maintained his composure while directly staring back at her.

“Did you see her?” She asked without hesitation.

Even though he didn’t want them in his business or trying to figure things out, he decided to tell the truth. “Yes I saw her, BUT we only spoke briefly.”

“I knew it,” Mama Gray expressed with a low chuckle.

Mrs. Gray looked over at her mother-n-law with an irritated shake of the head. “Let’s be serious here, Mama Gray. Don’t act like you don’t know how this could turn out.”

Mama Gray eyeballed Mrs. Gray for a moment. “Seems it turned out just fine looking at you,” she commented.

“You should know,” Mrs. Gray shot back.

Marlon cut in. “Don’t y’all start this mess about a hex, a loveless legend, this bittersweet history and all that crazy stuff.” He looked over at Mama Gray. “It’s just a coincidence that granddad and his brother couldn’t come to terms with loving the same woman.”

“A Kent woman,” Mrs. Gray mentioned with a frown on her face.

“Yes, a Kent woman, but so what.” Marlon said an annoyed roll of his eyes. “Mom, you ended up with dad and Mama Gray you ended up with granddad. Neither one of them ended up with a Kent woman.”

“That’s true, but there were many years that I had to compete with Eleanor Kent for your grandfather’s affection. Strangely, she couldn’t decide if her love was stronger for your granddad or your great-uncle, Gray. Too bad for her, she ended up choosing neither and got knocked up by some other white man. And even though your grandfather denied it, I’ve always believed that that’s the reason why he asked me to marry him, not because I’d gotten pregnant with your Uncle Evan.”

“I know a familiar story,” Mrs. Gray chimed in thinking that Denise Kent, Eleanor’s youngest daughter, pulled the same stunt which resulted in Mr. Gray choosing her. From the looks of things Jada was playing the same old Kent women games. Hopefully, her sons would realize it and move on too.

Mama Gray continued. She wanted to make things crystal clear for her grandson. “I didn’t like being your grandfather’s runner up, but he knew that just like Eleanor, I had mad love for him too. So, he kept me close, because Eleanor was unpredictable.” She said taking in a deep breath as she thought back. “Your great uncle Gray, that old bastard loved drama and wanted nothing more than to know that even after his death, drama would still be going on as long as Eleanor Kent was close by this family. Even though he’s taking great care of her from the dead, he still knows that she’s suffering in her own way too. If you ask me he was just a fool for love.”

“He may have been a fool in love, but he had to be seriously in love with the woman to leave her all of that money. Not to mention that big house he left her. I mean what wealthy white man do you know that would’ve done something of that nature for a black woman back in those days that was feeling him and his brother? So, you can’t tell me that he didn’t really love her. Or hey,” he said deciding to lighten the subject. “Maybe he was infatuated or probably lusting over her if she had given him some of that wet, wet,” he grinned.