A Love Like This (Book 1) (42 page)

“
Get back to work and stop
 
watchin
 
that boy.
”
 
 
Her boss an overstuffed white man yelled from behind the
 
counter.
 
She jumped
 
and rushed towards
 
the soda fountain
 
smiling
 
while pouring their drinks.

*****

My mother stops her story and gets a far off look in her eyes.
 
“So daddy was pretty cocky back in the day,” I say breaking her concentration.

“He was the most arrogant boy I’d ever met.
 
It was that confidence that made him so attractive.
 
And you know I’m an only child so once I met his family I was in love.
 
They were the most loving, kind insane people I’d ever met.
 
They instantly embraced me and you know the rest of the story.
 
I got pregnant with Keisha before he left for the army.
 
I turned eighteen.
 
We got married and we’ve been together ever since.”
 
She frowns and a deep wrinkle appears on her otherwise smooth forehead.
 
“It hasn’t been easy.
 
I’ve had to deal with things that could have destroyed our marriage but thank God we made it.”

There’s another knock on my door and grandma Bess, Keisha,
 
Nickie
 
and Sarah walk in.

“Where have you been all day,” I ask Sarah. “I thought for sure you’d come back here with your hair braided.”

“I’ve been talking to Lawrence.
 
He’s such a nice guy.”

“Sarah he’s not a nice guy.
 
We call him
 
Nogood
 
for a reason.”

“Leave that girl alone,” grandma Bess says plopping down on the foot of the bed. “Sometimes it takes the right woman to find the good in a man.”

“I must be the wrong woman for every man,”
 
Nickie
 
says.
 
“I’m thinking about switching teams.”

“Girl
 
stop
 
feeling sorry for yourself,” Keisha says.
 
“I saw how Mike’s been following you around like a little lost puppy.”

“He is way too handsome.
 
He probably has about a million girls hanging around.”

“Maybe he just hasn’t met the right girl like grandma Bess said,” Sarah says.
 
“Speaking of the wrong guy Riley asked about you.”

“I’m not interested in him either,”
 
Nickie
 
says.

“I think we all need a night out,” Keisha says.
 
“Tomorrow is lady’s night at Club Vanguard in Hollywood.”

“I’ll sit this one out,” I say.

“You’re so old and boring,” Keisha says.
 
“Tomorrow is your twenty-first birthday and we’re going to celebrate.
 
So everybody come to the shop in the morning.
 
I’ll do your hair and we’ll spend the day together.”

“Alright,” I say knowing that’s the only answer she’ll accept.
 
I roll over and fall asleep with everyone talking around me.
 
I wake up around 7 AM the next morning to the smell of fresh cut flowers.
 
The attached card says, ‘You’re beautiful even though you fart in your sleep, happy birthday from Tuck.’
 
I shake my head climb out of bed and leave the
room.
 
Tucker and Mike are standing in the kitchen wearing work out gear.
 
I think about turning around and going back to my room to brush my teeth and comb my hair but they both spot me.

“I was waiting for you to wake up,” Tucker says walking towards me.
 
I put a hand over my mouth.
 

“You might not want to get too close.
 
I haven’t brushed.”

“I don’t care,” he says lifting me off my feet and kissing me, “Happy birthday.”

“Thank you,” I say hugging him tightly. “I do not fart in my sleep,” I whisper in his ear.

“You so do and I love you in spite of it or maybe because of it.
 
As far as I can see it’s your only flaw.”
 
Hearing him say this makes me nervous.
 
I am so far from perfect that it’s scary.
 
I’ve come to terms with the fact that I’m a little neurotic.

“Are you two serious,” Mike says.
 
“You saw each other a few hours ago.”
 
We turn to look at him.
 
“Leila
 
go
 
brush your teeth and fix your lopsided afro,” He says with a chuckle.
 
Tucker puts me down and
smacks my butt as I walk past
him.

“Shut up,” Mike I say laughing.
 
“Where did you guys stay last night?”

“Mike and Sarah checked into hotel
 
rooms
 
downtown.
 
I stayed here in
 
Nickie’s
 
old room.”

“You should have wakened me.
 
I missed having you next to me last night,” I say even though that’s not completely true.
 
I slept like a baby in my bed alone.
 
What I missed was good morning sex.

“Your father told me in no uncertain terms that I am not allowed to touch you.”
 
I pick an apple from a bowl on the counter and bite into it.

“That’s just a suggestion,” I say flipping my hand.
 
“Why are you guys up so early?”

“We’re all going to play basketball.
 
Keisha said you guys are having a girl’s day and we’ll all meet up later tonight.”

My dad walks in wearing basketball shorts and a graphic t-shirt.
 
If it wasn’t for a few smile lines around his eyes I would swear that he was the same age as Mike and Tucker.
 
“Hey daddy,” I say walking over and standing on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek.

“Happy birthday baby,” he says patting my fluffy hair.
 

“You guys have fun.
 
I’m going to change.”
 
Tucker follows me.

“Keep that door open,” my dad yells as we walk towards the room.

Tucker sits on my bed and I plop down on his lap.
 
This was the first night we’ve spent apart since we got married.
 
I kiss his neck and he rubs my back.
 
“I have something for you.”

“Good let me close the door,” I say standing.
 
“I’m still on the rag but I’ll give it a go if you’re up for it.”
 

“No come here,” he says pulling me back onto his lap.
 
“It’s not the rag that scares me it’s your father.
 
I’m not having sex in his house.”
 
He reaches into his pocket and pulls out three credit cards.

“Are these my birthday presents?”

“Of course not I added your name to my account.
 
This is your check card,” he says handing me a platinum card from a bank I’ve never heard of.
 
He hands me an American Express Black, “This card is for major purchases.”
 
The last one is a Masters card.

“What’s this one for?”

“Just to complete the set,” he says smiling.
 
I look at the cards for a long time.
 
“You don’t have to do this,” I say.
 
“I don’t need your money.”

He frowns, “Why do you do that?
 
Why won’t you let me give you anything?”
 

“Everyone thinks I’m a gold digger.”

He sighs, “We’re married. You can’t be a gold digger if you’re spending your own money.”
 
He stands up sliding me off his lap and kisses the top of my head.
 
“I have to get out of here before your father comes in with his shot gun.
 
You’re driver will be here in an hour.
 
Take your sisters shopping and enjoy your day.”
 

I sit down on the bed and look down at the cards.
 
They all say Leila Bradley but my driver’s license still says Leila Peterson.
 
I guess that’s one way to make me change my last name.
 
“What’s my spending limit?”
 
I say to Tucker as he heads towards the door.
 
He pulls two pieces of paper out of his pocket and hands them to me.
 
“Your names on everything and you have no limit baby.
 
I love you,” He says and walks out the room.
 
I open the papers.
 
The first one is a copy of our marriage license.
 
The second is a print out of all his assets.
 
I read the combined total of Tucker’s accounts and nearly black out.

Chapter 21

 
 
 
 
 
Giving a girl a credit card
 
with no spending limit probably isn’t the best idea no matter how rich you are.
 
After Tucker leaves my room I place all three cards and the papers he gave me in my wallet.
 
I shower quickly then slip into a yellow sun dress with
 
a plunging neckline and a pair of flip flops.
 
Visions of Jimmy
 
Choo, Roberto
 
Cavalli,
 
Christian
 
Louboutin, and Alexander McQueen shoes dance around in my head while I dress.

The call comes in from the dispatch office while I’m putting on make-up.
 
I grab my purse and head for the front door without making my bed or doing my hair and it feels strangely liberating.
 
I’m twenty-one today and I feel like
 
its
 
ok not to be perfect.
 
I step out of my room into the warm dimly lit living room.
 
This house is almost always filled with energy and movement but today it’s perfectly still.
 
I haven’t seen or heard from my mother all morning but I assume she’s somewhere around. I creep out the front door so that she doesn’t see the chauffer driven town car waiting in front of the house.
 
I tread down the walkway with the hot sun beaming on my shoulders
 
and my fluffy hair flowing behind me. There’s nothing like LA weather.
 
It’s only 9 in the morning and already nearly eighty degrees.
 

Our neighbor Mr. Clayton is outside watering his lawn.
 
He is probably the meanest man I’ve ever met.
 
I remember when I was younger a troop of neighborhood girl scouts knocked on his door to sell cookies.
 
Mr. Clayton looked out his second story window and saw them approaching but he refused to answer the door.
 
Once they finally gave
up and started walking away he opened his window and dumped out a huge bucket of what I hope was water onto their heads.
 
I was around ten at the time and remember watching him look down and laugh at the girls like an evil gnome.
 
I smile and wave hello when he looks my way.
 
He frowns and turns his back as if he’s never seen me before in his life.
 

The driver is standing near the rear door with his large hands clasped in front of him.
 
I approach the car hesitantly.
 
He looks extremely menacing; more like a body guard than a chauffeur.
 
He’s tall with jet black skin and his head appears to be sitting directly on his shoulders.
 
 
“Hello Mrs. Bradley,” he says.
 
His voice is quite a few octaves higher than I expect.
 
He sounds a little like a twelve year old boy in the middle of puberty. I extend a hand and his meaty fingers enfold around mine. “I’m Charles,” he says looking at my breasts as he speaks.
 
 
He has on the standard chauffeur’s attire, black pants, jacket and tie with a white button down shirt.
 
“I’ve been instructed to take care of you today.”
 
Something about how he says ‘Take care of you,’ gives me the
 
hibbie
jibbies.
 
But I smile politely and wait for him to stop ogling my boobs long enough to open the car door.