CHAPTER 25 - TURNING OF THE SHREW AND HE COMES UP WITH A BAD IDEA!
MEL AND LINDSAY’S HOUSE - SUNDAY AFTERNOON, A WEEK LATER
JENNY’S BEDROOM
JENNY
So a week has passed. Mom should be convinced of Momma’s good intentions to do as she wants. I can’t wait for her to go on her trip tomorrow. Then Mommy and I can get back to being the Peterson Women we are!
“Jenny, come down!” Our jailer demands and, rolling my eyes, I go to see what the fuck she wants now. I don’t look at Mommy. She’s been playing her part to the hilt even when she’s not been here. “Sit down.”
“Yes, Mom.” I say sweetly.
“As you know, I am going to Chicago for my conference this week, so you are coming too.” She looks at me in a way I’m really not sure about. “Your Momma has two openings that she must attend, so can’t be with you on Tuesday and Thursday.”
I frown. “So I am going to Chicago with you?” I’m trying to work out the punishment part of this.
“Yes. So go and pack and make sure to bring your schoolbooks with you. You don’t want to get bored, listening to attorneys drone on and on.”
“Schoolbooks?” I repeat confused, but with a sense of dread.
“Yes, you can call it a summer camp for one...if you like. I have a lot of assignments for you to do.”
“But I’m on vacation. I...”
“No, you are being punished. This is part of it!” Mommy interrupts sharply. “Your Mom and I have discussed this. I shall explain it to you as I help you to pack. Go on up and I will be there in a minute. Mel, may I have the assignments that were prepared for her?”
MEL
I hand them over with a smile of encouragement. She nods and then follows Jenny upstairs. I wait for few minutes before heading up after her and going into our bedroom closet. It has rather good acoustics as I have found out this week while I overheard Jenny bitching to herself about how unfair I am...no mention of Lindsay, of course!
“So Chicago, that’s going to be fun, isn’t it?” Jenny laughs. “Stuffy and dull old attorneys and the like. I have to say you are doing very well…”
“You are supposed to be packing!” Lindsay snaps.
“Mommy, it’s just us here. You don’t need to go overboard. I get that you have to do it when we’re downstairs with Mom, but in my sanctuary there’s no need.”
Much to my surprise Lindsay bursts out laughing. “Oh good God, you really don’t get it, do you? I am not acting! Mel told me to do it, then Jennifer said it and I finally did... I watched you, Jenny! Your mother, for you are a Marcus-Peterson and don’t you ever fucking forget it, was completely right. You were, and are, an embarrassment to the family name...again, Marcus-Peterson. I didn’t think anything of it at first, but then I remembered the look on Mel’s face when we, for I am taking my share of the hurt here, said Peterson Women. Remembering that, and watching the video of you, well that was a turning point for me and something that Kemi said…”
“Oh, what did the wise and wonderful fucking princess say?!” She sneers.
“Some people don’t know their luck.”
“She’s a fine one to talk! She’s one of the luckiest girls on the planet!” Jenny scoffs, her voice laced with bitterness.
“You were almost never born.” Lindsay tells her quietly. “If it wasn’t for the clinic, you would not be here. Do you know how much we prayed for the sample to take?”
“Well I wish she fucking wasn’t!” The words are bad enough, but she’s said it a second time and sober... It’s that what shakes me to my core and appears to have the same effect on Lindsay.
“Your Mom is right. You truly are a monstrous child! How could you wish somebody wasn’t born because they are a better person than you?!”
“Better…?” Jenny gasps. “A-are you saying you prefer her to me?”
“No, of course not! I just wish now you could be kinder sometimes, in your words, thoughts and deeds. Now come on, just pack. Let’s not have any more unpleasantness!” Lindsay slams out of the room and leans against the door. I can’t do anything but watch.
“You don’t mean that, Mommy! You don’t!” I can hear her screaming. “I will never be like Kemi the fucking Princess, never! And I am not fucking packing…!”
Lindsay whirls around and virtually kicks the door in. I rush to stop her from doing whatever it is she’s about to do! Jenny’s attempt to step back as Lindsay gets right in her personal space ends up with her sprawled on the bed with Lindsay towering above her, her face furious. “Either pack, or you go in what you are wearing! And that’s it!”
“Mom!” Jenny bawls.
“Do as your Momma said. And I think it’s best that you stay up here until dinner. Work on your apology letter to Kemi...again!”
“And if I don’t?”
“How bad do you want to know?” Lindsay growls. “Remember, I have an itching to spank hand waiting for you!”
BRITIN
LOUNGE
JUSTIN
I look across at Brian, who is holding onto his glass of Beam very tightly and looking at a perfectly serious in his world, Michael. “Can you say that again, please?”
“Ted and Blake have invested in my store, when you wouldn’t, but they want my collection as collateral against the loan. They say that they won’t call in the loan, but I don’t want to take that chance. So since you gave Mel, who is not even the birth mother of either child, a pair of diamond earrings - how did Lindsay feel about that, by the way? - I don’t see what the issue is with giv...I mean lending me $15,000 to pay Ted back and then I owe you the money instead of him and keep my collection...”
“No.” Brian manages to growl out.
“…I’m your best friend after all and I’ve always been supportive of you all of your life and...wait, did you say no?”
“Yes, I said no.”
“But...but I’m your best friend and…”
“A bad credit risk, which I’m not prepared to take now that I have more responsibilities.”
“What responsibilities?!”
“Kendi…”
“She’s Justin’s responsibility! He’s her father!”
“We’re her fathers!” I snap and want to throw him out the window.
“What does this conversation have to do with you?! I don’t know what you are doing in here anyway!”
“My partner is in here because he’s my partner. So what I do with our money is a decision we both have to make and the answer from both of us is no.”
“Your partner? Partner?! Don’t be ridiculous, Brian. This has gone way too far now!
“What has?” He looks at me in confusion, and I shrug as I have no idea what the batshit dumbass is talking about either!
“This happy families shit! Take your head out of his ass and be the man you are supposed to be!”
“Get out. Get out of our home!” I snarl, standing up with my fists balled.
“Sit down, Justin.” The tone is ice cold and brooks no argument. It’s not often that Nya uses it on me but when she does, I listen very carefully! “Now you heard the man you branleur illusoire. Take your feeble ass and even feebler mind and get the hell out.”
Now, she doesn’t look like much does Nya, and anyone who thinks that makes a grave error of judgement, but she does give good face and Michael takes the hint.
“Brian, you and I need to talk alone about the direction your life is taking! I am not happy about this; not happy at all!”
As he storms out with Nya close behind, we exchange astonished looks. Nya is shaking her head as she comes back in.
“What did you call him? Bran…something?” Brian asks as I sit in his lap and he wraps his arms around me. “What the fuck was that about though?”
“Oh French for deluded wanker. Do not tell the kids!” She grins before her smile slowly slips and she sighs. “As for what that was, I have no idea! But be careful.”
“Michael is many things, but dangerous is not one of them.” Brian snorts, but Nya still looks wary and I feel the same.
MICHAEL’S APARTMENT - EARLY EVENING
LOUNGE
MICHAEL
The more I think of the dismissive and quite frankly, abusive attitude of Brian since he took up with that bastard, angrier I get! I was here first and I should come first after his children, well two of them! I flick idly through the channels until I come across the classic Dirty Harry movie and settle down to watch that. By the time it is finished, I have the perfect idea to get rid of him and get Brian back by my side where he belongs. Now that I have the plan, I have to call the man.
“Reed, it’s me, Michael Novotny. I have a question for you…”
TED AND BLAKE’S HOUSE - 2 HOURS LATER
LOUNGE
BLAKE
“He’s not actually serious?!” I look at Reed and then at Debs, Ted and Ems.
“That’s what he said he wants.” Reed just shakes his head. “Has said he’s always wanted to explore that side of him and asked if I knew anyone that could help. That’s why I came straight here so you could hear it for yourselves.”
“How have you left this?” Debs looks nauseated and terrified.
“I told him to really think this through. He sounded a bit drunk, to be honest.”
“Drunk. That explains it.” She heaves a sigh of relief. “There is no way he wants that, no way!”
MICHAEL’S STORE - FOUR DAYS LATER
MICHAEL
First, he came with him and secondly, he still said it was their money and their answer is still no! Well that settles it...I am done and he is gone! I grab my phone and call the familiar number. “So, Reed, is this guy trustworthy? He will stop when I tell him to?”