AllFreeNovel
Share Us
****
Sitting inside Mundan’s Bar and Grill, I told Montie the details of my ‘encounter’ with Justine, when she tricked me into thinking I was making love to Destiny. We sat one seat down from each other at the bar enjoying wings and premium tap beer.
“I know how cunning that woman is first hand, so I believe you, man,” Montie said and looked at me sincerely.
“Well, pray for me, Montie. Pray that I can get through to Destiny, so she will believe me too. I can’t keep doing the hot and cold thing with her.”
“I’ll pray for you, man. No prob,” Montie said, raising his beer mug to mine and giving it a loud clack. “You’re going to need it with Destiny,” he said and laughed.
“Thanks man,” I said and shook my head as his truth sank in.
We sat and watched the game on the TV for a few minutes in silence.
“Can I tell you something, Jacob?” Montie asked.
“Yeah shoot.”
“Now that my heart isn’t in the line of fire of your relationship with Destiny, I can admit that I understand the love you two have for each other. The same burning desire for Lissa lives in me, which has given me a second chance to get love right. I think you should continue to fight for her. Don’t make the mistake I made of thinking things will work themselves out. The fact that I’m having a beer with you is proof that they won’t,” he confided, crooking his neck to the side to amplify his warning.
“I’m happy that you found someone for you, Montie. I’m already following your advice to the letter,” I said, knowing that I had no intention of leaving my relationship with Destiny up to chance. I would spend every day of my life fighting to make sure she remained mine.
“Ex to ex, I hope I’ll be able to congratulate you two for your second anniversary, soon,” Montie said and took a bite of his wing.
“Now, I’ll drink to that,” I said and tossed the rest of my beer back.
Montie and I sat and talked for a while longer before we parted ways. For the first time since I’d known him, we had a genuine conversation where there was no animosity on either end.
Since I was on a roll with getting my feelings out there with the people who mattered to me, I called my father once I got back to the hotel. I confided in him about Mom and Martha’s tampering with Justine and Rick’s relationship led to her standing at the altar alone.
“They were doing underhanded things to get Rick’s ex-wife to reenter the picture. Justine didn’t even know the woman existed or her children, so it shocked her when she found out. When I found out Mom and Martha could be so vindictive, I had to talk to Mom. How could she think Justine being left at the altar alone wouldn’t permanently damage her in some way?”
“Knowing your mother, Son, she probably didn’t even consider the consequences for Justine. She only sees what she wants at the time,” Dad said. “It’s sad, but it’s true.”
“I’m sure they didn’t expect her to kill him. They had to know it would cut her deep,” I said, and the tiniest bit of empathy for Justine snuck inside of me and simmered as I ruminated our long, lost friendship. “While I was busy working hard at Turner, my friend needed me in ways I couldn’t have imagined. She needed me to protect her from my own mother.”
“Son, don’t blame yourself for anything Tammy had her hand in. You had no way of knowing what was happening. I’m her husband and I didn’t know.”
“I could hardly believe it when Rick’s wife told me about it,” I said, and ran my hand through my hair.
“I stopped being surprised by anything Tammy does a long time ago, Son,” Dad said with disdain for Mom. “She can be downright low down and dirty.”
“I’ve reached the point that I’m just disappointed. From this point on, I’m done with her,” I said feeling like a soulless bastard for disowning my mother. “I will not have anything else to do with Mom. I want her out of my life for good, and I have told her that.”
“As your father, I can’t tell you that’s a good decision to make. After all, she is your mother and you know how I feel about family,” Dad said. I could hear the strain in his voice as he reached for reasons I should keep my bond with Mom.
“We’re all we got,” I repeated one of his favorite lines. “That’s how you feel about family. Yet, just because someone is your blood, it doesn’t make them family.”
“We are family,” he said and paused for a beat. “Your mother and I were raised in a different time and by a different breed of people than I am and you are today. Your mother is not a horrible person at her core, but she has allowed the old ways of the south to take root in her spirit. She used to be carefree and loved all people. Until, the money got to her, along with the views of our less palatable friends and family. Add that to what her parents worked so hard to instill in her from the beginning and you have a good woman turned rotten.”
“I’m not willing to spend a lifetime without the woman I love to live up to her standard. She has shown me on too many occasions that she’s not willing to accept my wife and, without that in mind, there’s nothing left for me to say to her.”
“She’s still your mother, though. We’re only blessed with one.”
“My decision is final. I’m never speaking to her again.”
“While I don’t like what I’m hearing, I understand your outrage over what she has done to Destiny, and poor Justine looks up to her and doesn’t know what hit her. Maybe it’s best that you don’t focus on Tammy for a while,
anyway. Continue to fight for what’s important to you, and that’s getting your wife back and keeping her. That’s more than I did back in the Jim Crow days,” he said.
