Another Man Will (30 page)

C
HAPTER
62

Yvette

S
ince I've been managing Lena's, the business has picked up. I made all the changes Dana had suggested. The menu has a broader selection and is not all soul food anymore. Plus we have a new Caribbean chef and he is very creative. He added seafood macaroni and cheese to our menu and it is delicious. It has lobster, shrimp, crabmeat, sweet cream and five different cheeses. I had a couple last night who purchased extra orders to take home and freeze. I added before-4:00 p.m. specials and after-10:00 p.m. specials. But what really is driving in our patrons is that Daily Deals Web site. Because of that site we have reservations booked all the way into next month.

And it's also the simple changes I've made, like I notice a lot of customers receiving tickets, so I got the church across the street to let us rent their parking lot on busy nights. I also brought in promoters and made Mondays comedy night and Tuesdays karaoke competitions. Wednesdays were still buffalo shrimp and chicken night. Everything had been falling into place. I just had to find another apartment. I'd been looking all over the city, and I hadn't found anything that I liked. I spoke to the new owner of my building, and she was willing to give me a new six months' lease, but I wasn't sure I wanted to sign anything. I was in the middle of another busy night at Lena's and every table was filled and we had about ten more parties still waiting to be seated. I had even pitched in to clear tables. After I placed napkins and silverware on the table William grabbed my waist and kissed me on my cheek. “You don't have to do that, that's why we have a staff.”

“I know, but I don't just want to stand around giving orders. I'm hands on.”

“You do enough. We are having another great night, thanks to you, sweetheart.”

“No, it's thanks to that website and the write-up in the paper.”

“No, you are the change. By the way, I need to see you in the back office for a moment. I have something to discuss with you.”

“Give me a second, babe.” Instead of following William, I grabbed two menus and seated the next guest. I returned to see another table that needed to be cleared off. “Corrine, how long before that table is available? Can you get Joey out here?” Then I saw the bus boy, Joey, slowly walking towards the messy table. “Joey, come on, we have to turn these tables around faster. We have guests waiting to be seated. Pick up your pace okay?”

“I'm sorry. They had a spill in the back. I was helping them get it up,” Joey explained.

“No problem, let's just get it done.”

After I seated more guests, I went in the back to check on what William wanted. He was sitting in his chair and told me to close the door and have a seat.

Oh boy what did I do?
I thought. I had a seat and asked William what was going on.

“Okay, first, let me say that you have really been a joy to have in my life. Yvette, I'm older, and I know what I want and what's missing. I say all that to say, why sign another lease at an apartment you hate? You have a man with a big house and a bunch of extra bedrooms. What I'm trying to say is, I want you and the kids to move in with me and Jalena.”

“William, we are in the middle of an extremely busy night. Let's talk about this later.”

“No, I need you listen now. At least consider it, Yvette. The children can go to better schools. We can be together, and it would make everything much easier.”

“William, I care about you a lot, but I'm not sure if I'm ready to move in together. Let me go back out there, and we will discuss this later, okay?”

“Yvette, seriously think about what I'm saying. I don't want you struggling anymore. I don't want you in a crammed-up apartment. I want to take care of you and provide you with the best. I'm going home to pick up Jalena. Please think it over.” He put his jacket on, grabbed his keys, gave me a peck on the cheek, and told me to call him once we had closed up.

Back out front I didn't know what to make of the conversation I had just had with William. I felt cold hands cover my eyes and heard a voice say, “Is the boss lady available?” I took off the hands covering my eyes and turned around to see Geneva standing there with Eric.

“Hey, girl. What are you doing here?”

“Date night. We are hungry. How long do we have to wait for a table?”

“You don't have to wait for a table. Follow me.” I grabbed menus and seated them at the same table Geneva and I had sat at when we first had dinner here. “How you been, Eric? I haven't seen you in a long time.”

He greeted me.

“This table looks familiar,” said Geneva.

“It should.” I laughed.

“Where is the man?” she asked, looking around.

“I gave him the night off,” I joked. “He went home to pick up Jalena. The nights I'm here late, he gets to spend more time with her and to have just a night or two for himself.”

“That's nice of you.”

“Yeah anyway, let me get you guys some bread and something to drink.” I walked over to the kitchen and I grabbed Geneva dinner rolls, and then I had the waitress send them over a bottle of wine. Between running around, serving, I managed to take a break and pull a chair up to Geneva and Eric's table.

“You're working. You can't sit down with us,” Geneva said.

“What? Remember, I run this place. I can do whatever I want to.”

Eric got up from the table.

“Where are you going, baby?” Geneva asked.

“Have your girl talk for a moment. I'm going to take this call,” Eric said and excused himself. With Eric gone from the table, I took full advantage of the chance to catch up with my best friend.

“So have you found a place yet?” Geneva asked.

“I still haven't found a place. Everything is so expensive. I might as well wait until I can buy a house again. But you will never guess what William asked me tonight. He wants me to move in with him and Jalena. He gave me a speech about how he knows what he wants. He is getting older and wants to build a future, and he doesn't want me struggling anymore. I just don't want to feel like I need or am using someone. Then I think he needs help with Jalena.”

“Didn't you say he had a nanny for her? And you aren't using him. Hell, you are using each other. Everyone needs something from someone. He needs you just as much as you need him.”

“I suppose. But what I'm most afraid of is turning control of my life over again to someone. After everything I've been through with Phil, it makes it a little hard to trust anyone.”

“He's not anything like Phil. Phil took and William gives.”

“I know, but what if I move in with him and then we break up and then me and the kids are homeless and I have to find another place?”

“Only you know what you are ready for. Do you love him? I think he is a good man. He has already proven himself. Look how your life has changed since you met him.”

“I don't know about love, but I care for him deeply and, yes, my life has changed drastically. Girl, I was thinking about that yesterday—how hard of a time I was having. I'm so glad I'm out of it.”

“I know. I'm happy to see you smile again, Vette, and I think it is win-win and win. You'll have security again, because he'll be an excellent provider. The kids will be in good schools, and he has someone to help him with his granddaughter.”

“I know. That's all the things I thought of.”

“Just pray on it.”

“I will, because there isn't any way I'm moving in with him
and
working for him. It's one or the other.”

C
HAPTER
63

Crystal

 

“H
appy Mother's Day, Mommy. We made you breakfast,” Nasir said as he ran into my new spacious bedroom and jumped on the bed.

“Mom, I made you that,” Jewel said, pointing at the cereal and toast that she set on the side of the nightstand.

“Mommy, you like your surprise breakfast?” Nasir asked.

“Yes, I love it. Thank you so much.” I sat up and munched on a piece of toast and gave both of them hugs.

“Where are we going for Mother's Day today, Mommy?” Jewel asked.

“I want to go to the indoor water park. No. Dave and Buster's,” Nasir declared. Rell walked in and leaned over and kissed my forehead and said, “Okay, let Mommy enjoy her breakfast, and go get ready.” The children left the room racing towards the bathroom arguing about who was going to take a shower first.

“Jewel, let Nasir in the shower first.” Rell called out. “And go pick out what you are going to wear.”

“Okay,” Jewel answered back.

“Is Kori still asleep?”

“Yeah, she is.”

“Thanks for my breakfast.”

“You're welcome. They tried to make you pancakes. I said, ‘No Mommy likes cereal.' Oh I forgot to give you this. Happy Mother's Day.” Rell pulled out a red square box.

“What's this?” I said, opening the box and seeing a necklace with all five of our birth stones dangling down in a clump and at the bottom in cursive it read
family
.

“It's beautiful—thank you, Rell.”

“You're welcome; didn't I tell you I was always going to upgrade you?” he playfully said as he wrapped the necklace around my neck. I got out of the bed to see how it looked. Staring in the mirror I began to clam up.

“And you know it's more room for our son that we'll have one day and oh and the kids' doggie.”

“Our son, yes, one day; the doggie never,” I smiled trying not to cry as Rell stood behind me in the mirror.

“Are you okay, Crystal? You like it.”

“Yeah, I love it. It's just sometimes I get scared.”

“Scared of what?”

“Scared of what life would be like without you.”

He hugged me then, turned me around, gently grabbed my face, and said, “What did I tell you when I first married you?”

“To never doubt you and that you weren't going anywhere.”

“And I'm not. I'm never leaving you. I love you, Crystal Glover, and I'm always going to be here for you. You understand?”

“Yes, I do.”

Rell exited the room, and I fell back in the bed under the covers for a moment. I began reflecting on how happy I was with my life and how far I had come. I thanked God daily for my new life, my children, and my husband.

When I first met Rell, I was scared to give up control or surrender to a man. But in reality I wasn't surrendering to him. I was instead becoming his partner, and there is a difference. Rell stepped in and took the heavy bricks off of my back and now he is carrying them for me. I know it's not always going to be easy or perfect, but to know Rell is by my side makes me the happiest woman in the world. Rell was my boo bear, my friend, my protector, and my husband. I wished I had noticed him in sixth grade and had avoided Jason, Maurice and Kenneth, but then, I thought, I wouldn't have my children and I had to go through all of that drama to appreciate the man I was married to now. All the mistakes, all the heartbreak were all worth it, and I would do it all over again if Rell was my prize.

C
HAPTER
64

Yvette

I
heard a truck backing up. I peeked out the window to see a moving truck. I opened the door and told the movers that they could take the stacked boxes on the porch and that more were coming.

“Brandon, Mercedes, the truck is here. Start bringing the rest of the boxes out here.”

“Mommy, I'm so happy we are finally moving,” Mercedes exclaimed.

“Yeah, I am too!” Brandon huffed, carrying the remainder of the big brown boxes to the door.

Seeing the movers load the boxes onto the truck gave me a sense of satisfaction. I knew I wasn't going to live here forever, but I didn't know when I would be able to move and get things together again. I was just so happy that they were. I felt like I was getting another chance at life and this time I'm going to live it right.

I had to choose between working with William or living with him. I couldn't do both, so I was going to continue to manage the restaurant.

I was moving to a town house I was renting in my old neighborhood. I had thought long and hard about moving in with William, and I realized I didn't know him well enough and our relationship was too new. And, more importantly, I didn't want to put myself back in a situation I would later regret. And before I move in or marry again, I want to work on me some more. I signed a one year lease. Everything has truly come full circle, and in a year maybe I will move in with William, but right now that's not for me.

One thing is for sure: God made you go through some things sometimes so you could realize how blessed you were. I'd learned so many lessons from this whole experience, like I would never take anything for granted. I would always put something up for a rainy day. And I thought I was going to be a one-woman man. I was not going to mess up this relationship with William. I've also learned you can't pray against your enemy, you must pray for them. God takes care of people when he is ready and not when you are. For months I had waited, hoping and wishing that Phillip got his. All I had to do was sit back and wait. When I stopped worrying about Phillip, my dad called me and told me to get the paper, because Phil was in it. I grabbed the paper and read the headline:
TEXTING AND DRIVING SEPTA CRASH
. My heart sank. Karma had finally slapped Phillip in his ass. He was texting while driving his route and ran into three parked cars and a convenience store. He injured five people and was in the hospital with a broken pelvis and leg. The accident was under investigation, and he was out on leave. That meant he was getting fired. Which further proved to me that what goes around always comes back around. The one thing that amazed me about all of this was that, if Phil hadn't stolen my money and got me fired, I would never have worked at Service Air, walked into Lena's, and met William. I just didn't understand it. I hated to say it, but maybe it was a blessing in disguise.

As the movers loaded the last of the boxes onto the truck, I took a mental picture of the apartment that I'd called home for almost the last year and then happily closed the door and that chapter of my life.