We Take this Man (8 page)

“Hey, baby, you look tired,” I said as he got in the car and placed his luggage in the backseat.

“I am. Where are my princesses?”

“With Mama Dee. I thought you would want to relax and get some rest. I wanted us to spend some time together and then we can go and pick them up.” On the ride home we caught up on our week. My week was all about dance class and bake sales. His was about his programs and his new coworkers. I was in the middle of telling him about Jordan’s and Destiny’s antics and Dwight kept saying uh-huh to everything I said.

“Did you hear me, Dwight?”

“Yeah yeah, I heard you.” He was staring at his BlackBerry.

“What did I say?” I asked him.

“You said, um . . . you said something about Jordan,” Dwight said, still staring at his phone and typing into it. Annoyed, I said, “Dwight, why are you texting? What’s that about? You are home and this is family time.”

“I’m the boss now and . . . I have to make sure everything is moving smoothly.”

“Well, I’m sure they wouldn’t have the job if they were incompetent,” I said, clasping my hands together and becoming more impatient. It was bad enough our time was limited.

“She is competent, but she is a little inexperienced and I have to coach her.”

Then Dwight’s phone started ringing. He had the audacity to pick it up and start discussing business. I looked at him like
get the hell off the phone
. He stayed on the phone for twenty minutes. He just ignored me and every time I attempted to say something, he waved his hand at me to tell me to shut up. I was heated. I was beginning to get fed up with him being out of town. Now he was trying to carry his week into the weekend, and I wasn’t having it. I instantly had an attitude.

After his call was done, we rode home in almost complete silence. He tried to turn the radio station to sports radio. As soon as he did, I popped in a Mary J. Blige CD and turned the volume up as far as it would go. Dwight turned the music down and yelled, “So you just going to ignore me?” When I didn’t respond, he said under his breath, “This is what I get for trying to take care of my family.” I didn’t give him a response. I blocked him out.

“I told you to get off the phone and you told me to be quiet. So now that you are free to talk, I don’t have anything to say.”

“See, Tracey, this is your damn problem. Every time you don’t get your way you go into this baby mode.” I looked over at him, rolled my eyes, and kept driving home.

Once we were home we were greeted by Raven’s weak barking. Dwight looked at me like
what the hell is that
. I just turned my key in the lock and Raven jumped up on my leg.

“Come here, girl. Don’t bark at Daddy, you want him to like you,” I said as I stroked her white coat.

“When did you get a dog?” Dwight asked, still trying to be my friend.

“The other day. Jeff at the office couldn’t keep her. And you know we need protection. Now that me and the girls are here alone.”

“Tracey, you know that little dog is not going to protect y’all.”

“Yes, she will,” I said as I rubbed Raven and took her into the garage.

“I’m sorry for taking the call. It won’t happen again,” Dwight said, pulling me into him.

“I forgive you, but please leave work up there.”

“You’re right,” he said as he gave my whole body another squeeze. “I’m so happy to be home.” He then wrapped his arms around my waist. His body was so warm. I felt so weak. We just sat in the dark. I felt like an animal. My insides were so wet. I was about to show him why he shouldn’t be in Maryland. We had never been apart this long. I began kissing him and our bodies fell into the cushion of the sofa. We caressed and massaged each other’s bodies until we were ready. My body snaked vigorously all over his body in a quest to climax.

“Baby, I need you so bad,” I moaned as I opened my legs for his entrance. He flexed himself into mine, entering the deep tight region that missed him. He continued loving me until we both were fulfilled. I missed my man and was so glad he was home. The rest of the evening we sat snuggled on the sofa flipping TV stations.

Sunday morning came too soon. I had already washed and folded Dwight’s clothes for the week. We were so busy squeezing in our time and family time, we didn’t get a chance to argue about him being in Maryland. I was hoping that if I can tolerate another week or two he will come home on his own. As he looked around the room to make sure he wasn’t forgetting anything, I playfully asked, “Is this when you tell me how much you love me, but it is time for me to drop you off at the airport?”

“Baby girl, don’t do this,” he said as he scrunched his face.

“I’m not doing anything. I just want you to quit.”

“I can’t do that. This week will go by fast, like last week,” he said as he pulled me into him and looked me in my eyes. I looked away and my eyes began tearing.

“I know, but I don’t know how much I can take.”

“Listen, I have to go, but we will discuss this later. Okay?”

“Yes.” He was back off to Maryland and I was back to playing superwoman again.

CHAPTER 9

Alicia

M
y BlackBerry buzzed just as I walked into Bob Evans for breakfast. It was a text from Dwight. The subject was what happened?

My heart sank as I reached out to hug my mother. “Hey, Ma.”

“Hey, baby.”

I read the message and wondered why he was up on a Saturday morning thinking about work after reassuring me a million times that he trusted me. He wanted to know why I hadn’t forwarded the presentation to him. I responded: i thought you trusted me.

My phone rang almost immediately after I pressed
SEND
. My mother rolled her eyes and sighed. “You’re always on that thing.”

I raised my finger and walked to the front of the waiting area to talk in private. “Hey, Dwight. What’s up?”

“Don’t send those kinds of elusive messages.”

“What?”

He laughed. “That could have easily been read wrong.”

“By who?”

“Who do you think?”

“Dwight, you’re trippin’.”

“Didn’t we just talk yesterday about how crazy y’all are?”

He confirmed what I was already thinking. His wife had begun to grow insecure about their arrangement. I asked, “Are you at home?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, why are you calling me from your house?”

“To ask you why you didn’t send that document.”

I was slightly baffled because when I offered he acted as if he didn’t need it. “I’ll send it when I get home.”

“Where are you?”

I huffed. “I’m at breakfast.”

“Oh.” He paused. “Well, don’t forget to send that document when you get home.”

“Okay, Dwight. I’ll see you Monday morning.”

“If I see any room for correction, is it okay to call you later?”

“Yes, Dwight.”

I walked over to where my mother had been seated. She looked inquisitively. “Why are you smiling?”

I quickly scrunched my face. “I’m not smiling.”

“Who was that?”

“My new manager. He had a question about work.”

“Never seen that look on your face when you talk about work.”

“Whatever, Ma. How was bingo last night?”

That question always took her mind away from anything else. Bingo had been her other man for as long as I could remember. After my father died, bingo finally had her full heart. When I’d successfully diverted her attention away from me and onto how much money she almost won, I began to regret it.

“So, how’s your diet coming along?” I said, trying to switch topics.

She laughed. “I quit.”

“Ma.”

“I’m not trying to be cute for anyone. I’m at the age now that I can just let it go.”

“It’s not about being cute. It’s about living longer.”

Her eyes rolled and a piece of me knew what she thought. She was at the point in life that living didn’t matter. She’d rather be in heaven with the love of her life. Maybe they could be in marital bliss in the next lifetime, because since he died twelve years ago, she’s been eating herself to death. It was quite alarming watching her go from a size six to a size twenty in a matter of a few years. Her rapid weight gain was the wake-up call that made me start working out. I love food and if I had that same fat gene, I needed to get it under control early, and I figured my mother’s weight-management method,
worrying about a man
, wasn’t an option.

I added, “Do you realize how much you have to live for?”

“I’m not saying I don’t want to live. I’m just saying that I’m too old to worry about what I eat.”

The waitress came to take our order. I ordered an omelet with egg whites and she ordered a pound of grease: bacon and sausage, fried potatoes, and pancakes. I turned my face up.

“I don’t know who raised you.”

“I raised myself, remember?”

She huffed. “Alicia, don’t say that.”

“It’s okay, because I raised you, too.”

She always laughed when I said that because we both knew it was partially true.

“Whatever. You don’t know anything about being a mother.”

“You’re right, but that still don’t mean I didn’t raise you.”

She waved her hand at me. “Whatever. So tell me about this new manager that had you blushing.”

“Ma, please.”

“See, that’s a mother’s gift. I know how to read my child’s emotions.”

“Obviously, not because I wasn’t blushing. He is married. He’s a male chauvinist, and I don’t find him the least bit attractive.”

She pulled her neck back. “You don’t have to lie to me, sweetie. You spend more time defending yourself than you do listening.”

“Ma, whatever. Let’s talk about something else.”

Who the hell would be calling me at midnight on a Sunday? I reached for my phone buzzing on the nightstand. I rubbed my eyes and tried to refocus before I answered. dwight wilson.

Why was he calling me and what made him think it was okay? I snapped, “Hello.”

He sounded like he was running. “Hey, Alicia.”

“Yes?”

“I know it’s late.”

“Yeah. What’s going on?”

“I’m just leaving Jacksonville. I actually missed my flight and I’m flying standby. Been here since nine. Not sure if I’ll get one tonight.”

Suddenly my frustration turned into concern. “What time does the earliest flight leave?”

He chuckled. “At six. Then there’s another one at seven.”

“I hope you can get on one of those. You might miss the meeting.”

“I know, that’s why I’m calling.”

I turned my television on so that I’d have some light on my way to the bathroom. “What do you want me to do?”

“I just wanted to give you a heads-up. I didn’t want you to find out that I’d be late at seven in the morning. At least you’d have a few hours to brush up on anything you didn’t feel comfortable with.”

“A few hours in the middle of the night, Dwight? Thanks for your consideration.”

He laughed. “I’m sorry, but I know it would have been worse if I called you in the morning.”

“It would have helped if you called this morning, but it doesn’t make much of a difference now. I’m going back to sleep.”

“You don’t have any questions?”

“No . . . what I don’t know I won’t know. I’ll see you in the morning.”

He hesitated. “So . . .”

“So . . . I’ll see you when you get in.”

“Ah . . .”

“I’m going to bed now, Dwight. Have a safe trip.”

“I enjoyed talking to you on the way down.”

“I’m glad you did, but I’m going to go now.”

“So you’re going to let me sit in the airport, lonely without a friend to talk to?”

“Call your wife, Dwight. I have a presentation in the morning.”

He sighed. “Man, my wife is upset with me.”

“You know, that’s too bad, because I am, too, at twelve o’clock at night. I’ll see you when you get in.”

For some reason, I felt Dwight was playing games. He seemed to be slightly more aggressive after his night out with me and my friends. This entire transaction had me vexed. And more baffling was that I was smiling from ear to ear while taking a piss in the middle of the night.

CHAPTER 10

Tracey

M
y life has become hectic. I’m trying, but the longer Dwight is gone the harder it is becoming. I had an appointment at seven, and it was six-thirty. I was waiting for Wade to come and get the girls. I looked down at my watch ten minutes later and still no Wade. It was getting late. I should have known better than to trust his irresponsible ass. I called his cell phone one more time and he didn’t pick up. Mama Dee was out of town. Danielle was at work and I couldn’t leave them home alone. I didn’t have any other choice, I had to take them with me everywhere I went. I called Wade one more time and when he didn’t pick up I just made the girls get in the car.

“Where we going?” Jordan asked.

“With me to my job. And I need you both to be big girls.”

“Mommy, why?” Destiny asked, looking up with puppy eyes.

“Because I have to do my job. And if you let me do my job I’m going to take you to the toy store.”

On the way to show the property, I stopped at McDonald’s, got them Happy Meals, made them go to the restroom, and turned on a movie. I called to tell the couple I was on my way.

We pulled up in front of the property and my clients were in front of the house waiting. I felt so unprofessional meeting up with a potential buyer with my daughters in the car. It was bad enough I was late and I didn’t know how I was going to recover, but I tried my best. I greeted the Sanders and tried to explain my situation.

“Sorry, my nanny took the day off.” The husband looked annoyed, but said okay. But he definitely seemed mad. We entered the house and I noticed a musty smell. If I smelled it, I knew they did, too. Then I noticed spots all over the carpet. The carpet cleaner had done a horrible job. I tried to hurry them past all the imperfections and show them the backyard and the pool. They were warming up to me and the house. The husband asked why the owner was selling as he stared at the water marks on the ceiling.

“They are moving to the west coast. I know it needs to be updated a little, but it is a great deal and this school district is one of the best in the state.” He agreed and was about to ask me another question when I heard my car horn beeping. I excused myself and walked back to the car.