The Last Boyfriend (19 page)

“That’s not fair,” Zane
interrupted again.

“There was no housing laws
then.” Sidney shook his head. “When we said we wouldn’t pay more
than the white folks, we got evicted. My parents, they tried to
find another apartment in that part of town, but no one would show
them any. Said we weren’t qualified. Well, we knew that what they
meant was that we weren’t white.”

“It happened all over
Chicago, and New York, and Boston.” I nodded. “Residential
segregation was rampant after The Great Migration.”

“The Great Migration?”
Zane frowned.

“That’s what they called
the time period when a huge mass of blacks moved up North from the
South. At first, the whites didn’t mind, they didn’t have the same
institutionalized racism as they did in the South. I mean, there
was still racism, but that was towards anyone new really: the
Irish, the Italians—they were all met with skepticism. But the big
cities, they grew too big too fast, and as jobs were lost, the new
migrants were the ones that the hostilities were taken out
on.”

“They lost jobs due to the
migration?”

“No, do you know about The
Great Depression?”

“Not really?”

“Oh.” I frowned suddenly
confused. Why was Zane making a documentary on a subject he knew so
little about?

“You’re very
knowledgeable, Lucky.” Sidney smiled. “Unfortunately, there was a
lot of corruption in Chicago and a lot of politics going on. They
created a ghetto in the South side and basically all the blacks
were forced to live there.”

“Forced?” Zane
interjected. “How did they force you?”

“I’ll explain it, Zane.” I
laid my hand on his arm and stared into his eyes. “Let’s let Mr.
Johnson finish his story.”

“My pops eventually left
the family.” Sidney looked at us with intense eyes. “He thought he
was a failure. Momma was still washing clothes. He never got a job.
My brother got recruited by the mob and became a smalltime drug
dealer, and me and my other brothers, we didn’t really get no
education.”

“But you got a good job?”
I interjected. “How did that happen?”

“They say everyone has a
Guardian Angel, don’t they?” He smiled suddenly. “One day I was
walking down the street, getting up to no good, and I saw Betty
running after a bag.”

“I was helping my momma
and she had sent me to go pick up some shoes.” Betty interjected,
rubbing Sidney’s back.

“And she looked so pretty
and sweet, and she completely snubbed me.” He laughed. “She was too
good for the likes of me, and she knew it.”

“I was from a good family.
He was just a street boy.” Betty smiled. “It wouldn’t do for me to
associate with a street boy.”

“I fell in love with her
at first site. I knew I had to do whatever I could to win her
heart. I went to a school one of my neighbors had set up. He was
self-educated and I was able to get a job as a delivery boy for a
local store.”

“He made it to college.”
Betty beamed proudly. “He only started getting a real education at
14, and he made it to college.”

“Only because I knew you
wouldn’t marry an uneducated man.” Sidney laughed.

“You mean date?” She shook
her head, but her eyes were beaming.

“I mean marry, my love. I
knew from the beginning that I wanted to marry you.”

“So you changed your life
around for love?” I felt tears well up in my eyes again. We had
completely veered from the residential segregation conversation,
but I was caught up in their obvious love for each other. “What a
wonderful love story, this is.”

“Now you’ll be telling me
you want to focus the documentary on love, and not the move.”
Sidney laughed and I saw him squeeze his wife’s hand.

“I love a good love
story.” I smiled, and avoided Zane’s stare. “Especially when it has
a happy ending.”

“Well, we have four kids
and seven grandbabies, so I think it worked out pretty nicely.”
Sidney chuckled and stood up. “Excuse me, I have to stand up and
stretch before my old bones get locked in one position.”

“No worries.” I stood up
as well. “Do you want us to reconvene next week? We can pick up
where we left off.”

“You don’t have to leave.”
Sidney stretched his arms, and I motioned to Zane.

“I think we have all we
need right now.” I paused. “Do you have a list of names and numbers
for the other people you told us about from your
neighborhood?”

“Yes, Betty wrote it down
for you.” Sidney nodded. “Some of them may be dead now, we’re
getting on in age.”

“We understand. And thank
you, Mr. Johnson.” Zane stood up and took Mr. Johnson’s
hand.

“No problem, son. You be
nice to this young lady here. She’s a good catch.” He winked at me.
“And take it from someone that knows. don’t let her get
away.”

I blushed furiously at his
words, and I could sense that Zane was staring at me. “Thanks for
everything, Mr. Johnson.” Zane’s voice was light, but I knew he
must be feeling annoyed.

“And Ms. Lucky, I look
forward to seeing you again. Let me get a hug.” Sidney gave me a
huge hug, and whispered in my ear. “Your young man will come
around. Don’t give up on him.”

“I
what?” I looked at him in shock, and he winked.

“Just let me know when you
want to come by again. Betty and I will be here.”

“Thank you, Mr. and Mrs.
Johnson.” I smiled at them as we exited the house. I got into
Zane’s car in a much happier mood than when I had gotten
out.

“They were nice.” Zane
looked at me before he started the ignition. “And you were
great.”

“Thanks. They were
amazing.” I sighed. “What a perfect couple they are. And man, that
story. How sad. But yet, so sweet.”

“It’ll make a good
documentary.”

I nodded and took a deep
breath. “I wanted to ask you something.”

“Go on.” His voice was
tense.

“Why are you making a
documentary on the Civil Rights Movement when you obviously don’t
know anything about it?” I looked down at my lap.

“I guess I owe you an
answer, don’t I?” He sighed. I looked up at him, and he was staring
at me with emotional eyes.

“If you don’t
mind.”

“My brother studied
history as well.” He half-smiled. “I still don’t know much about it
though.”

“Noah?”

“Yes.”
He nodded. “When we were younger, we watched a movie called
Imitation of Life
. I thought it was terribly depressing, but he loved it. He
always wanted to make a movie about that time period. Like a look
at race relations during the Civil Rights Era—he was almost
obsessed with it.”

“Oh?”

“I think we were so young
when our mom left. And we had so many unresolved issues. Well, I
think he wanted to displace his hurt. He wanted to understand the
human psyche. Why people treated others the way that they
did.”

“I’ve always wondered that
as well.”

“Yes. I could see that.”
He sighed. “Noah would really like you.”

“Will I get to meet him?”
I asked softly.

Zane looked up at me with
a pained glance. “No.”

“Oh okay.” Why? I wanted
to ask him, but I wanted him to talk about his brother when he was
willing to talk to me about him.

“We should really pull out
of their driveway.” He laughed awkwardly.

“Yeah.” I was
disappointed. Just when we were beginning to get somewhere, he
clams up again.

“Noah died last year.”
Zane’s voice was low as he started the car, and I stilled at his
words. “I found all these notes for this documentary in his stuff.
I wanted to make it to honor him.”

“I’m sorry.” I wanted to
reach out to him, but I didn’t know how he would
respond.

“He was my little
brother.” He clenched the wheel. “He was all that I had. And now
he’s gone. I’m making this for him.”

“That’s a nice way to
honor your brother.” My voice was soft and I reached over and
squeezed his hand.

“He loved soccer. He was
obsessed with it. When he was 18, I flew him to London and we
watched a Chelsea and Tottenham match.”

“Who?”

“They are two British
football teams. He loved it.” His voice cracked. “He said it was
the best present I could have ever given him. Better than taking
him to Amsterdam and getting him some weed and prostitutes.” He
laughed.

“Wow, he really loved
soccer.”

“He wasn’t like me. He
loved everything I didn’t. He was a good kid. His biggest goal in
life was to have a family. He was going to have the kids and I was
going to be the uncle that spoiled them.”

“The single
uncle.”

“Well, you know.” He
sighed. “Want to grab a bite before we go home?”

“We need to get you place
ready for the party tonight.”

“Dang. I forgot about the
party.”

“I can make you something
to eat if you are hungry.” I offered.

“That would be nice. Noah
would have loved you.”

“He sounds like he was a
great guy.”

“I’m sorry I made you
upset, Lucky.” He paused. “I didn’t mean to make you think I don’t
love our time together, or that I don’t want you. Because that is
not true. I just don’t want to end up hurting you. I can’t do
forever. And you’re the sort of girl that needs a
forever.”

“You don’t know that,” I
whispered.

“I don’t know what? That
you deserve a forever, or that I can’t give it?” His voice was
pained. “I know both of those things. But I’m selfish, and I want
you. I don’t want this to end just yet.”

“Neither do I.” I never
want it to end. Never. I stifled a sigh and stared at his side
profile. This man was reaching out to me finally—slowly, but
surely—and I wanted to hold on to him and never let him go. But I
knew there was an expiration date to our relationship. That one
day—maybe in a month, maybe in a year, maybe tomorrow—would be the
day it would be all over, and I would never be the same
again.

“So you’re willing to give
me another chance.”

“I never stopped giving
you a chance.” I laughed.

“I don’t deserve
you.”

“Have you ever been in
love?” I asked quickly, anxiously hoping he would
answer.

“I don’t know if I should
answer that.” His voice trailed off. “Can I plead the
5
^th
?”

“I’m just curious.” Please
say no. Please say no.

“I was in love once. And
she broke my heart.” His voice was light. “And no, it wasn’t worth
it.”

“Are you still in contact
with her?” Please say no. Please say no.

“It’s funny you ask that.
I saw her recently.”

“Oh.” I looked out of the
window. So I guess it was true. Maybe Braydon had been telling the
truth. Maybe Angelique was his ex and she had broken his heart. “So
did Noah know Angelique?” I asked softly.

“I don’t want to talk
about it.” His voice was strained. “I’m sorry, Lucky but I just
can’t talk about it right now. Please don’t take it
personally.”

“Okay.” My voice cracked.
I didn’t know how to not take it personally. “Is there someone else
you’d rather be with?” I couldn’t stop myself. “I don’t want to be
a girl of convenience.”

“Lucky, I can honestly
tell you that right now, there is no one I’d rather have in my
bed.”

“Okay.” I bit my lip and
tried not to let him see how hurt I was by his words. I didn’t want
him to want me just in his bed; I wanted him to value me in his
life.

Chapter 13

“Zane darling, you look so
handsome tonight.” A beautiful redhead kissed him on the lips as
she entered the house. “And your place, just look at it. It’s
marvelous.”

“Gina, so great to see
you. You’re looking as sexy as ever.”

“Well I do try, my dear.”
She twirled around and laughed. “And now a glass of champagne.
Where is the champagne?”

“Follow me.” He laughed,
and I watched as he took her arm and led her to the kitchen. I felt
the stirrings of jealousy erupt in me again, and sighed as I leaned
against the mantelpiece. I looked around the room and smiled at how
cozy it looked, filled with Zane’s friends. They were all laughing
and drinking, and they all looked glamorous and rich. To say I felt
overwhelmed, was an understatement—I recognized half of the room
from TV and movies, and they all looked even more beautiful and
handsome than I remembered from the screen.

“Oh, Zane.” Gina screamed
and came running back into the room. “Such a naughty boy.” She
exclaimed to everyone in the room. I saw a few of the girls rolling
their eyes, and I smiled to myself. It seemed as if Gina was
getting on everyone’s nerves.

“So you’re Lucia?” Gina
walked up to me and looked me up and down. Her green eyes looked at
me with disdain as they surveyed my khaki skirt and black top. I
suppose she realized that my whole outfit cost less than her
manicure.