In My Rearview Mirror Page 6

  “Hey, Dad,” Winston greeted Jefferson, hitting him with a fist bump. “New suit?” he whispered, running his fingers along the lapel of Jefferson’s jacket. “Looking sharp.”

  “Hey, son. You’re looking and smelling pretty good yourself, if a father can say so.” Winston laughed.

  “Are we ready?” the maître d’ asked. Jefferson and Winston nodded. “Follow me.”

  Light dinner music played throughout the restaurant. There weren’t many diners seated, although the night was still young. Jefferson and Winston were seated and accepted menus from the maître d.

  “You’ve been here before, Dad? Looks expensive.”

  “Yeah, I’ve taken your mother here on several occasions. Those were special times.”

  “You still love her, don’t you?”

  Jefferson looked thoughtfully at his son. “Winston, how can you stop loving someone who has been your whole life? Sometimes life throws us a curve ball or we make a mess of it, and I’ve paid for my sins. But to answer your question, no, I’ve never stopped loving Margo. When I saw her the other day . . .”

  “You saw Mom?”

  “Leave it to your sister to drag me over there. It was hard. I wanted to go to your mother, pick her up, kiss her, and hold her forever. I don’t think she’s as happy as she pretends to be.”

  “Well, why don’t you tell her, Dad? Man up, swallow your pride and tell her what you just told me.”

  “Hold that thought. Here comes Dr. Wright and his family.”

  Jefferson and Winston stood up as Dr. Wright, Mrs. Wright, and their son, Phillip, joined them at the table. Dr. Wright shook Jefferson and Winston’s hands and sat down.

  “Good evening, Jefferson . . . Winston,” Shelton Wright said, unbuttoning the jacket to his suit.

  “Dr. Wright,” both Jefferson and Winston said.

  “This is my wife, Betty, and my son, Phillip,” Dr. Wright said by way of introduction. “Baby, this is Jefferson Myles and his son, Winston. I met Winston today. He’s a fine young man, Jefferson.”

  “Thank you,” Jefferson replied.

  “My son, Phillip, is a student of medicine at Duke. He’s going to be a fine doctor one day.”

  “That’s great,” Jefferson said. “We need more fine doctors, especially African-American doctors.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Myles . . .,” Phillip began but stopped mid-sentence. Everyone followed his gaze.

  “Oh, here’s my daughter, Winter . . . Winston’s twin sister,” Jefferson offered, standing up to wait for Winter to be seated.

  “She’s very attractive,” Phillip said as he watched Winter approach the table.

  “Good evening, everyone,” Winter said with a bright smile. She stopped at Jefferson and gave him a peck on the cheek and tapped Winston on the shoulder.

  “Sexy dress you’ve got on, sis,” Winston whispered in Winter’s ear. “You’ve got an admirer.”

  “Mom said black looked wicked on me; so it’s doing its job.”

  “Winter,” Jefferson began, “this is Dr. Shelton Wright, our choice for North Carolina state senator, his wife, Betty, and their son, Phillip, who by the way is studying to be a medical doctor at Duke.

  “Nice to meet you all,” Winter said, holding her gaze much longer than the rest as she acknowledged Phillip. Winter smiled, and Phillip’s eyes met hers.

  The waiter approached the table. “Would you like a Cabernet or another wine of your choice?”

  “What do you recommend?” Dr. Wright asked.

  “I recommend a Pinot Grigio.”

  “Sounds good. How about you, Jefferson?”

  “That sounds good to me as well.”

  “I’d like a glass of water with lemon, please,” Winter said. The waiter nodded his head.

  Jefferson looked at his watch. It was fifteen after six. Just as he was about to make an excuse for J.R., he strolled in with a very attractive lady on his arms.

  “Here’s J.R.,” Winston said. He and Winter glanced at each other with amazement in their eyes.

  “Sorry I’m late,” J.R. said. “We were held up by a train. I’m Jefferson Jr., better known as J.R., and this is my friend, Elaine.” J.R. and Elaine sat down.

  “Glad to meet you,” Dr. Wright said. He introduced his wife and son. “I’ve got to tell you the website is awesome. I was telling your brother this afternoon that you did a top-notch job on it. The ads are outstanding. The Web Connection is going to be getting a lot of referrals.”

  J.R. smiled, as well as Jefferson and Winston. “Thank you, sir,” J.R. said. “I pride myself on my work, and most of all, I believe in your campaign as do the rest of my family.”

  “That’s right,” Jefferson said. “We will be campaigning right along with you, and whatever you need, we’ll be there for you.”

  For the first time Betty Wright broke her silence. “I appreciate your vision for my husband.” Dr. Wright’s smile was long and endearing. “My husband is a wonderful man, and I believe he is the best man for the senate seat. He’s devoted his whole life to serving people, whether in the doctor’s office, hospital, the community, or church. He has the heart for people, and I want him to win.”

  “That was so sweet,” Winter said. “You have such a warm and loving mother, Phillip.”

  Winston hit Winter. She was going overboard.

  “It’s all right.” Betty Wright laughed. “I see my son making goo-goo eyes at Winter.”

  “Okay, Mom,” Phillip said. “I’m not making goo-goo eyes at the gorgeous woman sitting across from me.”

  Everyone broke out in laughter.

  “Okay, let’s loosen this party up,” Dr. Wright said. “Oh great, the wine is here. Let’s celebrate.”

  “Dear, we can celebrate as soon as we give our dinner order to the waiter,” Betty Wright interjected.

  “I agree with you, Mrs. Wright,” Winston said, fumbling with his menu. “This place is filling up fast, and I’m famished.”

  Everyone laughed again. After the orders were given, everyone picked up their glasses of wine or water upon the request of Dr. Wright.

  “I’d like to make a toast,” Dr. Wright began. “To a bright and successful campaign.”

  “Here, here,” the group said in unison before taking sips of their drinks.

  “I’d like to make a toast, also,” Jefferson said. Everyone held their glasses up once more. “To one of the next senators of the State of North Carolina.”

  “Here, here,” the group said again.

  “I’m grateful to all of you,” Dr. Wright said. “Thank you for being a part of my journey.”

  • • •

  The night was progressing well. The Wrights and the Myles were getting along fine. The food was divine, and the wine was still going around.

  “J.R., you’re looking good in that navy blue suit and white silk turtleneck you’re wearing,” Winter said, pushing J.R.’s elbows with hers. “I like your dreads pulled back like that on the back of your head. You’ve got the look of a well-accomplished man . . . a man who’s going places.”

  “What are you talking about, sis? You need to talk to the man sitting across from you whose eyes have been hanging out in your cleavage the whole night.”

  Winter hit J.R., who laughed. “Mom said I look good.”

  “I can’t believe she let you leave the house like that. I’ll admit that if I weren’t your brother, I’d try to hit on you, too, but as you can see, I’ve got a fine sister with me already.”

  “Elaine,” Winter said, reaching over J.R., “how did you get my brother to suit up? I don’t remember the last time I’ve seen him look this good.”

  “Well, you’ve got to come to our church more often. Most Sundays, but not all, J.R. does wear a suit.”

  “Shut up. A regular church member; I’ve got to get my life right with God.”

  “Elaine, don’t pay my sister any mind,” J.R. said. “She is the number one drama queen, although I’ll say she’s a smart drama queen. Girlf
riend has a good job and makes good money. She needs a significant other to spice up her life.”

  “I don’t need a man to complete me,” Winter said, taking a peek at Phillip. “Watch this, J.R.” Winter turned to Phillip. “Phillip, would you like to get some air . . .”

  “Damn, Winter,” J.R. whispered. “You sound like you’re trying to pick up somebody.”

  Winter frowned. “I’m only being sociable.”

  Phillip tried to keep from laughing. “Hey, J.R., since I couldn’t help but hear what you said, I love a girl who’s forward.”

  J.R. wrinkled his face. “Okay, my man. My sister is a handful.”

  Jefferson, Winston, Dr. and Mrs. Wright, J.R. and Elaine watched as Winter and Phillip both stood up and preceded to leave the table. Jefferson smiled, as did the Wrights. No one said a word. Before Winter could move into the aisle, she stopped cold.

  “What’s the matter?” Phillip asked.

  “Isn’t that Malik Mason?” Dr. Wright asked Jefferson.

  Jefferson turned in the direction Dr. Wright was looking. Winter was blocking his view and he couldn’t get a good look.

  “It is him,” Dr. Wright said before Jefferson could reply. “He has a woman with him.”

  “I didn’t know he had a girlfriend,” Mrs. Wright said, studying the couple.

  Winter turned to look at her brothers with her mouth hanging open just as Phillip came up behind her. She looked at J.R., Winston, and Jefferson. “That’s Ivy with Malik. I didn’t even know she was in North Carolina.”

  “Who’s Ivy?” Phillip asked as he looked from Winter to her brothers.

  J.R.’s mood changed. He looked at Jefferson, whose mood had also changed. No one moved until Winter opened her mouth.

  “What is Ivy doing with Malik?”

  “Who’s Ivy?” Phillip asked again.

  Phillip was getting on Winter’s nerve. This was a Myles family situation and he needed to go and sit down somewhere and mind his own business, regardless of how fine of a specimen he was. But she heard herself say, “She’s my sister.”

  Fourteen

  Ivy hung on Malik’s arm as if it was stuck there with crazy glue. She wore a slate blue taffeta sleeveless dress with ruffles circling the dress at the knees. Malik complemented Ivy by wearing a dark gray suit and sky blue dress shirt with a blue, white and silver patterned tie that brought it all together. They walked to their seats like they were royalty, with ease and without a care in the world, preparing themselves for a romantic dinner as Ivy hung on to Malik’s every word.

  They hadn’t noticed Winter standing a few tables away gawking at them. The Masons were in their own world, unable to keep their eyes from each other, and every now and then reaching for spot kisses on the lips.

  “I love this place,” Ivy began. “It’s so romantic, Malik.”

  “A fitting place for my new bride.” Malik took Ivy’s ring finger and looked at it and then whispered in her ear. “Girl, your lovemaking was on point last night. I didn’t know you were that hot.”

  “I’m a believer if you give all the goodies away up front, there’s nothing left to come back to. My mother used to tell my sister and me that all the time.”

  “Well, Margo was very wise because, honey, I wasn’t in the least bit disappointed. You’ve set the bar high; so you’ve got to deliver.”

  “Listen up, Mr. Malik Mason, the well isn’t dry and I’ve got more tricks than any magician. I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  “Cabernet or another wine of your choosing?” the waiter asked.

  “Yes, we would like one of your good French wines,” Malik said, winking at Ivy. “Something special for the madam.”

  The waiter smiled. “I’ve got the one for you . . . a Sauvignon . . .”

  Malik puckered his lips and answered before the waiter could finish. “Mighty fine choice. Please bring us a bottle.”

  The waiter nodded and left the table.

  “This place is popular,” Ivy observed, glancing around for the first time. Then she stopped and stared. “That can’t be . . .”

  “That can’t be what,” Malik asked, turning around in his seat.

  “Oh my God. It is . . . my family. Damn, Winter is coming over here.”

  “Be calm. We don’t want to make a scene in the restaurant. This is a very nice establishment . . .”

  “Well, hello, Ivy,” Winter said, glaring at her and Malik. “So when did you get into town? When were you going to call someone and tell us you were here? You have a mother who just gave birth to twins who keeps asking about you.”

  Malik looked at Ivy with a puzzled look on her face. “Your mother was pregnant and had twins?”

  “Oh, so Ivy here hasn’t given you the four-one-one about our family, especially since you were so closely connected? Shame on her. Well, just so you know, Dad, Winston, J.R. and his girlfriend, Elaine, and soon to be North Carolina Senator Wright are sitting over there.” Winter pointed. She smiled at Ivy’s irritation.

  “It’s good to see you, too, Winter,” Ivy said with a frown. “My husband and I are trying to have dinner, and you’re interrupting our good mood.” Ivy flashed her wedding ring so Winter could see it. It was Ivy’s turn to smile as Winter’s eyes protruded from their sockets.

  “Let’s keep this civil,” Malik interjected.

  “I’m trying to do just that, honey,” Ivy said, her voice controlled but angry.

  “Well,” Winter said, crossing her chest with her hand. “Sounds like we’re the ones that didn’t get the four-one-one or the wedding invitation. Your mother is going to be deeply disappointed.”

  “Winter, go back to your seat. We can chat another time.”

  “To think we were once very close. All right, sister dear, I’ll leave you two lovebirds. Wait until Daddy hears this. He’s going to go off.” With that, Winter strutted back to her seat in double time.

  “You can be sure Miss CNN has just broadcasted our business across the globe,” Ivy said.

  “After our press conference this afternoon, anyone she tells will have already heard the news. It broadcasted on the evening news. I DVR’d it so we can see it when we get home.”

  “Good,” was all Ivy could say as she stared at the table where her family sat. No one turned around and looked in her direction, although she knew that little Miss-can’t-keep-anything-to-herself had already told everyone at the table. Ivy looked down at her ring and then up at her husband and smiled.

  “Why didn’t you tell me your mother was pregnant and had twins?”

  “I didn’t think it was important, Malik. As I said, my mother and I haven’t been getting along. I only learned a few days ago that she had the babies. Look, I didn’t intentionally forget to tell you. It’s just that I’m estranged from my family. As much as my dad hates you, he hasn’t gotten up from his table to come over here and say something to me.”

  “And if he knows what’s good for him, it would be best that he stay put where he is. I know that you are his daughter, but you are old enough to make your own decisions about who you want to spend the rest of your life with . . . not him.”

  “Thanks, baby.” Ivy grinned. “I appreciate the support. Let’s try to get through our dinner without any more drama.”

  “Good idea.”

  • • •

  Every now and then, Ivy looked toward the table where her family sat while she continued to eat her meal with her husband. Malik’s mood seemed a bit off-kilter as they ate in silence. Ivy peeked again and saw her family glance her way as they prepared to leave. The nerves in her stomach churned as she picked at her salad and prayed that this night would soon be over.

  Ivy saw Malik look up and put his fork down with a severe frown on his face. Then a shadow loomed over their table as Jefferson came into view.

  “Good evening, Ivy,” Jefferson said.

  “Hi, Daddy,” was her response.

  Jefferson’s eyes tore into Malik like a torpedo. “You co
uldn’t have Margo, so you settled for my daughter.” Ivy looked at Jefferson with disgust. “You hurt Ivy and I’ll find you and break every bone in your body.” And then Jefferson walked away without waiting for a response from Malik, followed by the rest of the family who hadn’t bothered to speak.

  Ivy put her fork down and excused herself.

  Malik was seething but he reached out and grabbed Ivy’s hand. “Baby, are you okay? Where are you going?”

  “To the restroom; I won’t be long.” Malik let go of Ivy’s hand and watched her walk away.

  Ivy flew into the restroom and stood over the commode and threw up her dinner. She flushed the toilet, pulled the toilet seat down, and sat on it. She dropped her head into her hands and cried until the tears refused to come. Sighing, Ivy got up from the commode, washed her hands and returned to her dinner table.

  “Are you all right?” Malik asked, truly concerned as she returned to the table.

  “Yes. And I’m ready to go.”

  Ivy looked toward the entrance of the building. Her heart didn’t pass the test. Her father had no right to accost Malik the way he did. She was a grown woman who made her own decisions. J.R.’s rejection surprised her the most; in the last two or three years, they had gotten along well and enjoyed each other’s company. She missed her family, but if they thought she was going to run behind them, they had another thing to think about. They could all kiss her black ass.

  Fifteen

  Margo pranced around the kitchen and fixed her plate. Her chicken was baked to perfection, and she ate until she couldn’t eat any more. When she finished, she took her plate to the sink and placed it in. She’d get the dishes later.

  She listened to the baby monitors as her babies begged for her to come and get them. “I’m coming, Ian and Evan.” Margo took two steps at a time. “Whew,” she said when she reached the top. “I’ve got to exercise more.”

  The babies were crying loudly when Margo entered their room. Their diapers were wet upon examination, and she changed each baby in turn, then tried to decide which of her two sons she’d nurse first.