console him.
I had never been one to judge people, but this was one situation that made me uncomfortable. Though I had no proof that Bully and Rhoda were fooling around again, it was enough for me to know that they’d already done it, producing a child.
“I’d rather deal with anybody else today,” I told Jade as she escorted me to the kitchen, leading me through a back room so I’d bypass Otis and his company in the living room.
Just like Rhoda and Jade, Rhoda’s house was spectacular. Large green plants filled almost every corner in every room. Expensive black-leather furniture and smoked-glass tables dominated the living room. The television in Rhoda’s living room took up almost half of one wall by itself. Rhoda had recently replaced the white shag carpets that she’d had on every floor for over ten years. Now, with the carpets being maroon, she didn’t insist that her guests remove their shoes at the door. I was so disoriented and I stumbled so much that my flip-flops kept sliding off my feet anyway. I was barefoot by the time I made it to the kitchen.
Rhoda was already in her cute little kitchen, where the walls, and almost everything else, were either yellow or white. She had a large glass of white wine waiting for me when I got there. I gulped it down in one swallow. Not because I was that thirsty, but because I was at a point now where alcohol was the only thing that I could think of that would dull my senses. It would give me the buzz I needed that I hoped would ease my pain. I let out a great belch and handed the glass back to Rhoda.
“I’ll fix you a hot toddy after you get settled in the guestroom,” Rhoda said, lightly touching the side of my sweaty face. I dabbed at my lips with the tail of my dress.
“I really appreciate you letting me stay here tonight,” I sniffed.
Rhoda looked at Jade and they both gave me incredulous looks.
“Annette, you are family. If you can’t count on family, who can you count on?” Rhoda asked. “Have I ever let you down?”
I could not remember the last time I’d seen so much compassion on her face. I shook my head and glanced around the kitchen.
“I just wish we knew who that cow was who’s messing with you so we could straighten out this mess tonight, huh, Mama?” Jade asked with a furrowed brow. “Do you think she’s going to call you up again, Auntie? When you find out who she is, I hope you punch her in the nose and get it over with.”
I knew that Jade was way too young to know better, but she was more anxious to confront my adversary than I was! I looked at the freshly waxed kitchen floor and shook my head. “I don’t know.” I gave Rhoda a pleading look. “I sure hope she does not call me again. I don’t need some shit like this in my life. I don’t deserve this,” I said angrily. “And I won’t put up with it. If she calls me again and if I ever find out who she is, she’s going to be sorry,” I declared, shaking my fist. This was such a bold gesture for me to make, Jade and Rhoda looked like they didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
“That’s right, Auntie. And I don’t care who she is, or how tough she is, I know a great big woman like you could beat the crap out of her,” Jade said, nodding. “Let’s hope she’s not real big and fat, too,” she added with a wide-eyed look.
Like a lot of people I knew, Jade often made being big sound as critical as cancer. But I had to learn to look beyond this type of ignorance. Ignorance was like a cow that a lot of people couldn’t stop milking. And some of the smartest people I knew, like Jade, were also some of the most ignorant.
“I didn’t say anything about beating anybody up,” I clarified, sucking in my stomach, which did me no good. There was nowhere for the thick roll around my middle to go. Jade looked at my stomach and shook her head, her mouth twisted like she was in pain. I refused to think about what she was thinking.
Just then Otis stuck his head in the doorway. He still had a full head of hair, but a lot of it was gray. His strong features had weakened over the years, giving him a jowly, fish-eyed look. I didn’t know if they made girdles for men, but he sure could have used one. His unbuttoned shirt revealed a belly that hung over the top of his pants like a bloated apron.
“Annette, Annette, you look…You look…You don’t look your best on this day,” Otis yelled, looking at my ashy bare feet. One of my shabby flip-flops was by the stove, the other was on its side on the floor in front of the refrigerator. “To be honest, you look like some kind of hell. Ow! Everything all right for you?” Otis padded across the floor with his long, flat feet covered in a pair of beige socks, and gave me a quick hug anyway, looking me up and down.
“She’s fine,” Rhoda insisted, pulling me toward the door.
Otis frowned for a brief moment, then gave me such a wide smile, I could see every tooth in his mouth. I could also smell the whiskey on his breath.
“How about something to drink or some food or some conversation? Come! Come and join me and Bully in de living room and see if we can put a smile on that face of yours,” Otis invited with a reckless grin and his hand held out in my direction.
“Maybe later. She needs to get some rest now. She’s had a rough day,” Rhoda said, guiding me out of the room.
Otis shook his head, slid his hands into his pants pockets, and shrugged. He was clearly disappointed and confused.
Before I could get out of the kitchen, Bully darted out of nowhere with a can of beer in each hand. Unlike Otis, he still had a firm, youthful body. Even with his plain blue shirt buttoned up to his neck, I could see a large, well-developed chest. He had rolled up his shirtsleeves, revealing thick arms with blue veins popping out, top and bottom. His smooth skin, rust colored on his body, his face and hands a shade darker, looked just as youthful as the rest of him. The only thing that gave away his age was the fact that he had several patches of gray hair, too. But he was still a very handsome man, and if Rhoda was still fooling around with him, I could see why.
“Ahhhhh, I think I met de lady before,” Bully leered, looking at me in a way that made me feel even more uncomfortable.
“You are not a dry, sparse lady and that’s a good thing!” Bully hollered. “Lots of you for a man to grab a hold to!” His eyes roamed over me like he was inspecting a side of beef.
Otis was the first person who had told me that large women like me were revered in Jamaica. And he had also told me that his friends and family had made fun of him when he’d chosen to marry a slim woman like Rhoda.
Jade giggled under her breath. Rhoda rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated groan. “Come on, Annette, before you get eaten alive. All the sharks aren’t in the ocean.”
I stumbled along between Rhoda and Jade, glancing back to see that Otis’s frisky friend was still giving me admiring looks. If for no other reason, I was glad for the additional distraction. I had something else to think about other than the nasty note, the blacksnake, and the disturbing telephone call.
“Rhoda, I hope this is not an imposition. I feel better now and it might be best if I go on back home. You have enough company in your house,” I said. If Rhoda still had feelings for Bully, the last thing I needed was for him to pay too much attention to me.
“Don’t even think about it. You are not goin’ anywhere tonight. You are stayin’ here with us tonight,” Rhoda insisted, giving my arm a mild pinch. “Like I said, we are family. I can’t speak for that man of mine, but I plan to be right with you throughout this mess. All the way, until it’s over.”
“And so do I,” Jade said through clenched teeth.
CHAPTER 11
I hadn’t brought any sleepwear with me to Rhoda’s house. Spending the night had not been my original plan. But Rhoda found an old nightshirt that had once belonged to her big, husky son. Even though the boy was gay, he looked like a football player. His huge nightshirt was still tight on me when I put it on. And by the time I slid into bed, bloated from the two beers and the glass of wine that Otis had insisted I drink, the nightshirt felt like a cocoon.