He smiled. “Yes, but hopefully you'll see me before that. My relatives on Glendale Shores always have a big feast on the Fourth of July. If possible I'd like for you to come up for that and stay a few days.”
“I'd like that, Randolph, and now after getting to know your Gramma Denison, I doubt if my parents will have a problem with it.” After a few moments of silence, Jenna asked, “Will Ross be joining your grandfather at his law firm now that he's finished with law school?”
Something in Randolph's expression told Jenna that would not be the case. She snuggled closer to him when she saw deep concern etched in his features. “Randolph, what is it?”
Randolph sighed deeply before saying, “Ross has decided to enlist in the marines.”
“What! Why?”
“Because he knows it will only be a matter of time before he gets drafted and since he has a college education, a law degree at that, he can enter the services as an officer.”
Jenna nodded. “How your grandparents feel about him enlisting?”
“Of course no one wants him to go but we can't put our heads in the sand and ignore the fact that there's a war going on.”
“And how does Angela feel about it?”
Randolph shook his head. “I have no idea but my thoughts are that she could care less. I don't know if you noticed but they aren't your ordinary couple. They are operating under the premise of an arranged courtship and there's no doubt in my mind that within the next year or so, there will be an arranged marriage as well.”
“Ross will marry someone he doesn't love?”
“Yes. He really doesn't think he needs love and passion in his life. I'm hoping that one day he will wake up and smell the coffee before it's too late. Angela Douglass is not the woman for him.”
Jenna had to agree. She met Randolph's gaze. “And how do you feel about Ross enlisting?”
Randolph didn't say anything for the longest moment. Then he bent his head close to hers and began speaking in a low, quiet voice. “I don't feel good about him doing it, Jenna, because chances are he'll have to serve time in Vietnam and I don't want him there. You hear all the stories about what's happening over there like I do. Those âCongs are crazy and will use anything and anyone to be victorious, even their women and children. Ross is a person who'd want to do the right thing. He's not tough and rough enough to handle what he's going to find over there. I'm going to be worried sick about him if he has to go to 'Nam.”
“Then let's hope that he doesn't have to go over there. Maybe he'll get to do a tour of duty in some other country.”
“Yeah, right. Our government needs to send all the soldiers over there they can. I'm not going to fool myself into thinking he won't have to go.”
“Then we'll pray for him each and every night, Randolph.” After a few moments she asked, “What about Noah? You don't think he's planning to enlist as well, do you?”
“According to Ross he is. Noah plans to go into the air force in the fall.”
Jenna pulled back just far enough to look into Randolph's eyes. “Leigh doesn't know that.”
“No, he hasn't told her yet. That's the reason he wants them to marry by mid-August. He wants to make her his wife before he leaves and to make sure she is taken care of. From what Ross said, Noah is going to rent a house for her somewhere near campus. They will live there until he leaves and he'll come back there whenever he's on leave. He's going to make sure she doesn't want for anything while he's gone.”
Jenna nodded. Noah and Leigh had caught the train back to Miami that morning. “When will he tell her?”
“Sometime before he leaves to join me and Ross in Atlanta for the voter drive. He didn't want to say anything to her just yet because he knew she would get upset about it. At least when he tells her she'll be surrounded by family and will be able to handle the news better.”
Jenna doubted it. She knew that no matter where Leigh was when
Noah told her, she would not be able to handle the news of him enlisting.
Randolph kissed Jenna's forehead lightly. “Can we stop talking now?”
Jenna smiled. “Does that mean you have other ideas of things we can do?”
He rose up and braced his hands on either side of her. The eyes looking down at her were filled with breathless sensuality. “Yes, I have other ideas.”
He then proceeded to share them with her.
June 1966
It took Jenna a while to get back into the swing of things at home in Knoxville with her family. She enjoyed her summer job at the day camp working with the children and got frequent letters from Randolph telling her how things were going with the voter registration drive. He ended each letter by letting her know how much he missed her and loved her.
She also received letters from Leigh, telling her how the wedding plans were going. She knew from one of Leigh's letters that Noah had finally broken the news to her about his plans to enlist and as expected, Leigh had not taken the news well. Even surrounded by family she had cried for an entire week. But from the most recent letter Jenna received, Leigh seemed to have accepted his enlistment and was looking forward to her wedding day. She'd explained how she had prayed and asked God to please return Noah back to her safely if he did go to Vietnam. In her heart she felt God would answer her prayer.
At the end of June Jenna received a letter from Randolph, giving her some disturbing news. Tyrone Wells had gotten married, but not to Ellie. He had married some woman he had met in Los Angeles.
Jenna's heart went out to Ellie who had written her just last week to say that she was pregnant and planned a trip to Los Angeles to surprise Tyrone with the news. Ellie had felt certain he would marry her as soon as she told him, and didn't anticipate returning to Howard in the fall. Instead, she had plans to transfer to UCLA to attend school while Tyrone established a promising professional football career with the Los Angeles Rams.
Jenna couldn't help wondering if Ellie had told Tyrone about her pregnancy before he had married the other woman. And regardless, now that he was married to someone else, what were Ellie's plans regarding the baby?
Jenna was counting off the days until she would see Randolph again for the Fourth of July celebration on Glendale Shores. Her parents felt comfortable with her spending the two days with Randolph and his grandparents. According to Jenna's mother, Gramma Mattie called occasionally and it seemed the two women had become good friends.
Randolph and Ross would go to Glendale Shores from Louisville, Kentucky, where they were working in the voter registration drive, and had offered to swing by Knoxville to pick Jenna up. She was packed and ready to go when they arrived.
Randolph's grandparents gave Jenna a warm welcome when she arrived on Glendale Shores. She was surprised that Ross had not invited Angela. When she asked him about Angela he had shrugged and said she and her parents were visiting relatives in Texas.
At the end of the two days Randolph took her back home, but hours before they reached Knoxville, Jenna wasn't surprised when he pulled into a motel off the interstate and got them a room, not caring that it was the daytime.
When Jenna arrived home later that evening she wondered if her parents noticed anything different about her like the satisfied smile that extended to the depths of her eyes. Randolph left, promising to write and call. They wouldn't see each other again until Noah and Leigh's wedding. Her parents had agreed to let her catch a ride to the wedding with Randolph. Ross would be going to Miami a few days early by bus since he was the best man. They figured it would take at
least a full day and some of the next for Randolph to drive from Knoxville all the way to Miami, but neither of her parents asked where they would stay for the night. A part of Jenna felt her parents suspected she and Randolph had become intimate although the subject was never discussed. She knew for certain that her mother knew when she approached her the day before the trip and talked to her about birth control. At first Jenna felt sort of embarrassed, but soon she became thankful for the mother-daughter talk.
Randolph arrived on time to pick her up. After saying good-bye to her parents she walked with him down the walkway as he carried her luggage to the car. “Where are we spending the night?” she asked him happily as he placed her things into the trunk.
He smiled at her. “You'll see.”
After driving for approximately seven hours Randolph pulled the car into a gorgeous six-story hotel. However, from the hostile looks they received from the all-white patrons when they walked into the lobby, they knew they would not be welcomed there. Instead of enduring any hassles from the prejudiced individuals, they decided to find somewhere else to spend the night. Driving another hour they finally crossed the border into Florida and spent the night at a very nice motel off the interstate.
Jenna loved waking up in Randolph's arms after a night of mind-blowing passion. They dressed and after eating breakfast were back on the road again. It was another seven hours before they finally made it to Miami. Jenna would be staying with Leigh's parents and Randolph with Noah's parents.
The wedding was beautiful and so was the bride. Noah had tears in his eyes as he watched Leigh walk down the aisle to him. Before God and everyone present, they exchanged the vows that joined them as man and wife.
The reception was held at Leigh's parents' church. Later than night Randolph took Jenna for a drive on the beach. She was totally speechless. She had heard about the beauty of Miami Beach and was able to see it for herself. They sat in the car and watched as the moon kissed the waves that rolled back and forth in the ocean. Randolph pulled her
into his arms and kissed her until neither of them could think straight. All Jenna cared about was being with him, spending time with him and being loved by him.
“Leigh asked me to move in with her while Noah is away,” Jenna said to Randolph as he drove her back to Leigh's parents' home. “Noah found out that he has to report to training camp the middle of next month.”
Randolph frowned. He wondered if Ross knew how soon he would have to leave. “Uncle Sam isn't wasting any time, is he?”
“No, it doesn't seem so. The house Noah has found for them has three bedrooms so I can stay there even during the time he's home on leave. The amount I'll be paying them for rent is less than what I'd pay for the dorm and it's within walking distance to school.” When she told Randolph where the house was located he smiled and told her it was only a few blocks from where he would live.
Leigh and Noah left the next morning to spend a three-day honeymoon in Daytona Beach. By midday Ross, Randolph and Jenna left to return home. At first Jenna was somewhat embarrassed when they stopped for the night and instead of Ross and Randolph sharing a room, Randolph shared a room with her. She wondered if Ross thought less of her, knowing she and Randolph were sleeping together. She expressed her concerns to Randolph that night while he held her in his arms.
“Ross understands,” he told her, holding her gently, although deep down he wasn't sure if his brother actually did. Since Ross had never truly loved and desired a woman it was doubtful he understood the deep desire and passion a man had for the woman he loved. But Randolph knew Ross would not think anything negative about Jenna, nor would he think she was less than the wonderful and beautiful person she was.
When Jenna arrived back home she knew the nights she and Randolph had shared would have to sustain her until they saw each other again in September. She became concerned that she hadn't received a letter from Ellie while she'd been away, and decided to call Ellie's parents.
She was stunned when Ellie's mother told her that Ellie had disgraced the family with her pregnancy and they had asked her to leave.
When Jenna asked where Ellie was staying, Mrs. Stanhope indicated she did not know but assumed she was still somewhere in Los Angeles. Jenna could not believe the Stanhopes had actually turned their backs on Ellie because she had gotten pregnant out of wedlock. She knew not having her family's support was probably pretty hard on Ellie right now and on top of that she had to deal with Tyrone's betrayal. Jenna said a prayer for Ellie each night. Although she had not been the easiest person to get along with, Jenna felt Ellie didn't deserve what she was going through.
On the other hand, Leigh, who was still bitter over the way Ellie had treated her the three years they'd been roommates, felt Ellie was getting just what she deserved and was being taught a lesson. Jenna hoped that one day Leigh would find it in her heart to forgive Ellie.
A few weeks after returning from Leigh's wedding Jenna received a letter from Johnny. He apologized for the infrequency of his letters but said he had been extremely busy for the past six months. He told her about the free breakfast program and free health clinic the Panthers had set up in inner Oakland and how Fred Hampton had organized a coalition of black, white and Hispanic youth gangs in the area to assist with the two programs. From his words, she could feel his excitement in being a part of the positive things they were doing. He had ended the letter by asking her not to believe anything negative she heard about the party. The FBI was trying to discredit the organization because of its growing popularity.
Jenna had immediately written Johnny back. Again she pleaded with him to take care of himself, and that if he ever needed anything to write and ask. She knew from his last letter he was still on bad terms with his parents and was bothered by their lack of support in what he was doing. She also included in the letter a picture taken of Leigh and Noah on their wedding day. Johnny had been invited but both she and Leigh had known not to expect him to come.
She received another letter from Johnny, less than a week later. In
this letter he told her that he had run into Ellie, and that she had looked so bad he had hardly recognized her. His letter said:
I could not believe it was really her. She was working at a McDonalds, and would you believe that she was actually happy to see me
?
And it wasn't one of her phony acts. In fact, she has changed. I think what Tyrone did to her broke her spirit and made her see things in a whole different light. I took her back to a friend's place and fed her something to eat and we talked. She said she was living at the Y and that she goes to a health clinic each month to make sure her baby is fine. She's due to deliver in February and you can hardly tell she's expecting since she has lost so much weight. She told me how her parents turned their backs on her when Tyrone refused to acknowledge the baby was his, and then up and married someone else. I told her I knew how she felt about her parents because mine had turned their backs on me as well. I asked how she got to Oakland from Los Angeles and she said Tyrone bought her a one-way ticket and told her that was as far as he would send her. She called her parents and they refused to pay the rest of her way home so she ended up staying. Unfortunately, she doesn't have any relatives she can turn to. But I assured her she has me. In a way we're like two lost souls in a sea of confusion. Although we weren't the best of friends at Howardâand you and Leigh know more than anyone just how much I disliked her at timesâI can't turn my back on her because I can actually feel her pain. She needs me and I promise that I'll check on her often and let you know how she's doing.
That night before she went to sleep Jenna said a prayer for both Ellie and Johnny.
Â
Angela smiled as she walked around the house she would be sharing with Kathy while attending Howard Law School. Now that Ross had told her about his plans to enlist she was elated that he wouldn't be in Washington making a pest of himself. However, she knew she still had
to be on her best behavior since Julia Fuller might pop up to visit her at any time.
Her smile slowly faded when she thought about how things weren't going as she had planned. First of all, Ross hadn't bothered to invite her to attend Noah's wedding with him, although she had heard through the grapevine that Randolph had taken Jenna with him to Miami. When she had asked Ross about it, he made it seem as if the only reason Jenna had gone was because she had been a part of the bridal party.
The other thing that had Angela upset was the disappointing news that Julia Fuller's plan to break up Randolph and Jenna had backfired. The sight of them together at Ross's graduation had nearly been too much. She had heard from her parents that Julia had decided to leave them alone after Old Man Fuller had threatened his wife with dire consequences if she continued to meddle in Randolph's affairs.
Now Julia was concentrating all of her efforts to bring about a wedding between Angela and Ross now that Ross had finished college. Her parents were thrilled with the idea, and of course she was pretending to be thrilled with the idea as well. However, he hadn't asked her to marry him and deep down she was hoping that he wouldn't.
She was tired of being the nice girl standing on the sidelines. To not give away how she felt about Randolph, she had kept her distance, making a decision to say as little to him as possible whenever they were at the same affairs. Not too much got past Julia Fuller. And heaven forbid if Randolph had shown the least bit of a sign that he was interested in her. She would have been tempted to blow her cover. It was important that everyone assume that she was devoted to Ross, even if it meant alienating Randolph for a while. Gaining Julia Fuller's trust and confidence was a must-do for now. In due time she intended to come up with some kind of plan to snare Randolph.
The two of them would be sharing classes together while attending Howard Law School. She felt confident that she would be able to make him see her in a whole new light and forget all about Jenna Haywood.