A Sister's Survival

Burgundy was on a mission. She was in her car trembling with anger when she decided to place a phone call.

The phone rang three times then went into voice mail.

“Alita is avoiding me,” Burgundy said. She placed another call, this time to Dru.

“Nothing much. Doing some research regarding my thesis.”

“Good girl. I know you’ll earn that master’s anytime now.” Burgundy continued to make small talk then changed the subject. “Um, did you plan on picking up Elyse today from work?”

“Yes.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Burgundy told her. “In fact, Alita volunteered to come get her.”

“Really? Because I’ve already talked to Lita. She never told me she’d be going to get Elyse.”

“Well, she must have forgotten. She’s been doing a lot of that lately.”

“What do you mean? Like how?”

“Like she will tell me she’s going to do something. Of course, it will involve Elyse, but then she’ll forget. Like our big sister has a lot on her mind.” Burgundy paused. “Do you know what’s going on with Lita? Has she discussed anything that she’s involved with these days?”

“Not really. I know she’s been applying for jobs and going on interviews. Other than that, nothing.”

“Hmm, well, anyway, Dru Boo, you keep studying. I’ll contact Lita and remind her to come pick up Elyse.”

“All right. Thanks. Bye.”

Burgundy sent a text telling her that Dru was studying so she shouldn’t forget to come and get Elyse.

A few seconds after Burgundy sent the text, her phone rang. It was Alita.

“Hello. I knew you’d call me after I texted you. Why are you playing games?”

“B, I was busy when you called. And now I’m not.”

“Good, because we need to talk. Why did you file against Nate?”

“W-what?”

“You filed a complaint against my husband. Why?”

“I did not do anything like that, B. I don’t know what the hell you talkin’ ’bout. You got me confused with someone else.”

“Alita, don’t even try it. I talked to the DA and he told me what happened. He even got a statement from you.”

“DAs lie.”

“Oh, c’mon, Sis. You need to do better than that. Just go on and admit you filed on him.”

Alita wanted to tell her that she did and why she did it. She wished she could explain how Jerrod Dawson was still shaking her down for money. But she couldn’t.

“I ain’t admitting shit. Ain’t that how Nate does things. He won’t admit to anything.”

“Okay, it’s clear you’re being petty and you want payback.” Burgundy felt so betrayed that she found it difficult to think clearly. All she could do was feel angry . . . and disillusioned.

“Lita, you know when you do things like that, you aren’t just hurting my husband. You’re hurting me . . . your nieces. . . the family.”

“Did he think about my . . .” She wanted to claim her daughter so bad but couldn’t. Not yet. “He hurt Elyse. And he hurt me. So what about us, or are you and your daughters the only ones that really count?”

“We’re hurting too, Lita, don’t you get it? But this thing goes way even beyond the family. Nate is an icon in the city. You had to know that filing on him would harm his reputation.”

“I’m not thinking about his stupid-ass rep, B. Don’t you get it?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Look I’m not trying to start any trouble, but you gotta hear me out.” Alita paused, trying to find the words that she’d been holding in for weeks. “When we went to NYC it was the first time in a long time that I felt good, that I felt free. I needed that, B. I needed to get away and to find a little bit of happiness and to know that my heart could do something besides feel hurt, and stress, and regret and anger.”

Burgundy listened to Alita, but it was hard.

“And I wanted those happy feelings to stay with me long after we got back to H-town. At first things were cool. But then I lost one of my jobs.”

“I hope you aren’t blaming that on my husband.”

“No, it ain’t like that. But it reminded me that shit will happen even when you’re feeling the best you’ve ever felt.” She paused. “Even though I was good and Baby Sis seemed like she was improving her life too, I was still scared, B. She has a man now. A solid man that she’s really feeling. I haven’t seen Elyse this happy in I don’t know when. And I wanted her to stay happy. And I knew that as long as Nate is walking around acting like nothing ever happened, then her healing won’t be complete. See, it’s like this. One day when you stepped away from Morning Glory for a bank run or wherever you went, I showed up because Elyse will text me every time you pull that shit. Every time you leave her at that restaurant with him, hey, I’m dropping everything to come swing by and check on things. And I got there. I saw your iconic husband laughing and talking to the customers like he did not have a care on this earth. And it made me angry, B. And I pulled him to the side. And I said to him, I said ‘You think you gone ever give Elyse an apology for touching her without her permission?’ Now, of course I cleaned it up for him. I could have said ‘for raping her’ but I didn’t. And this man acted like he didn’t know what the hell I was talkin’ ’bout. And for him to not even have it in his heart to tell the girl he was sorry. That he overstepped his boundaries and made a mistake. Well, I knew right then that this would be a matter for the courts. I thought about how he did not want to give that girl a Christmas bonus last year. He gave his other employees a financial gift but not her? And I thought about how he has gone on with his life and he’s still making millions.”

“Alita, shut up. I’ve heard enough. The fact that you brought up how much money he earns tells me everything I need to know. You are a fucking extortionist. That’s what you are. You are willing to ruin my husband’s reputation and possibly make us lose our jobs, our income, so we can stoop to your level.”

“Really? Is that what you think, B?”

In reality Burgundy did not believe every single thing she was saying. But pride has an ugly habit of lying to anyone who’s in denial.

“Yeah, I do think that. Because Nate is looked up to by young entrepreneurs, others in the restaurant industry. They see how he’s managing multiple businesses and they are inspired. But his entire reputation will get ruined if you continue pursuing the complaint.”

“Well, Jiminy Cricket. God knows I don’t want to hurt his pearly white rep. I want to . . .” Alita wanted to reach through the phone and shake some sense into her sister. “If everything that Elyse has said about him is true, that on many days he stuck his dick into that girl’s vagina when she did not want him to, then icon or not, you’re married to a rapist. And I figured to let him get off with no punishment, no nothing, is to say his behavior is okay. And it’s not okay. I don’t care if he’s black, white, purple, young or old, family or an alien from outer space. Nobody should be molesting anybody. It’s sick. It’s demonic. There is no excuse.”

“Wow, Alita.” Even though Burgundy felt her sister was entitled to some of her feelings, the words she spoke still stung like she’d been pinched. That was still her husband, and it was difficult to accept all that was happening to them.

“Remember how you used to praise my husband just last year? And the year before that?”

“That’s because I didn’t really know him, B. I only knew his reputation.”

“Okay. Fine. We could have talked about this, though, Alita. But it seems like there is no forgiveness for him. Like you want to take him completely down,” Burgundy bitterly complained. “If it’s not a white person trying to take a black man down, it’s his own family. Why is that?”

“If that isn’t calling the kettle black. B, you need to be throwing these serious questions at your own husband. Stop putting the blame on your sisters. But to be honest, some people don’t give a damn about family.”

“Does that include you?”

“This ain’t about me and you know it. It’s about other people. People that don’t even respect their own selves so how the hell they about to respect anyone else? That’s why folks getting killed out here on these streets every single day. Because people don’t respect themselves enough to do the right thing. B, you just don’t understand. I have sat back and let the wrong thing happen over and over again. Well, I’m tired. I just am. And you may not like it but—” Unexpectedly Alita started sniffling. The sniffles turned into squiggly lines of water that soon rolled across her cheeks. She tried to keep herself from wailing. God knows she never wanted to break down like this. She wished that she hadn’t gotten Dru to help her file the paperwork. But due to a clerical error, Alita was named as the person initiating the complaint instead of Dru. It was too late now. And she was no longer willing to act like everything would return to normal. But she believed that black people were notorious for sweeping family secrets under a rug. You’d be considered a traitor, or a snitch, if you aired your family’s dirty laundry.

“I’m damned if I do, damned if I don’t. Someone is going to hurt and it might as well be the perpetrator and not the victim.”

In reality Burgundy could understand how Alita felt. But her first obligation was to support her husband. Yet part of her was terrified that what Elyse claimed she had gone through had actually happened, and she felt bad about it all. But there had to be another solution.

“Tell you what, why can’t we dismiss this and just get everybody involved the help they need? We could seek intense counseling. We could do that. It’ll be a lot cheaper.”

“Ahh, you don’t want to set up the trust fund?”

“I think this is just your way of getting money from somewhere else since your former bread and butter didn’t pan out. Leno got kicked off the high school team over something stupid. Cheating on his exams with his buddies was so unnecessary. A scandal that was so embarrassing for his coach and the high school. And I guess he’s now screwed up his chances to make it to the NBA. And it makes sense that you had to come up with a new game plan to score some cash. I swear, Alita, with you, it never seems to be enough. No matter how much you’re given, you want more, more, more.”

Alita was stunned. How dare she bring her son into this matter! And Burgundy had never been this blunt before when it came to her money problems. She felt dizzy and angry with surprise. Would a settlement help to put this entire tragedy behind them? Alita wasn’t sure how much the trust fund would be, but the amount had to be better than nothing, which is the perfect description of what Elyse had gotten so far.

“Look, B. Let me fess up. I filed.”

“Why, Alita?”

“Remember at our last Sister Day? The assignment was and I quote: ‘Make a decision to do something you’ve been putting off.’ Boom! Blame yourself for coming up with these wack-ass assignments that you want us to do.”

Burgundy gasped in horror.

“Look, B. I’m not gonna totally blame Sister Day for what I did. But it had to be done. I’m sorry, all right?”

“No, you are not sorry or else you’d drop the whole thing. I mean, this is very awkward. I feel like I’ve been stabbed—”

“You feel stabbed?”

“It’s just that you’ve put me in an uncomfortable position. That’s my husband we’re talking about. What affects him affects me. And besides, I doubt you have all the facts. Elyse isn’t the best communicator in the world. She has trouble expressing herself, and maybe you’ve misinterpreted her.”

“Nice try, B. I won’t side with you on this one. My gut feeling tells me she is not lying. So I’m riding with Elyse.”

Burgundy never liked being blindsided. She was the type of woman who was a meticulous planner and not one for surprises. Especially ones that had adverse effects that she could not control.

Burgundy said in a calm voice, “You do remember that the girl still lives under our roof?” She felt as if her stability, her entire world as she’d known it, was collapsing.

“Of course, I know she lives there. I’m not stupid. And I am working on finding another living place for Elyse. But it’s gonna have to be rent-free ’cause I have no money right now to pay anybody. You think you can help a sista out?”

“You are really screwed up, you know that, don’t you?” Burgundy said.

“B, quiet as it’s kept, we are all screwed up in one way or another.”

They hung up on each other. And instead of Alita coming to pick up Elyse from work, Burgundy informed her that she’d be driving her back to her house.

Burgundy telephoned Nate with clear instructions.

“Don’t come home.”

“Why not?”

“Go and check into a nearby hotel. At least for the time being.”

“Why? What for?”

“It’s for your own good. Things are way too tense around the house. And it might just get worse.”

“But I don’t bother anybody. I stay out of the way—”

“You have no option, you hear me? People like you don’t get a choice.”

He was silent, then said, “Okay, I will make a reservation. For how long, though?”

She thought about it and how tense life was becoming. “For as long as possible, Nate. Grab as much of your personal belongings as you can so you won’t have to come back soon.”

“I’m not welcome in my own house anymore?”

“We have to fix things first. We must wait for things to calm down then we’ll see what happens.”

“I don’t like how this sounds,” Nate protested.

“This is critical. And I need to handle some important business regarding the family. It’ll really help all of us out if you stay low-key for a minute.”

“All right.”

Burgundy got off work and drove Elyse with her to The Woodlands. Liz was at the house with Natalia and Sid. The girls screamed in delight when they saw Elyse.

“C’mon, Elyse, let’s go swimming.”

“Okay, let me go and change. I’ll be out in a bit.” Elyse actually didn’t mind hanging out with the kids. And she wanted to practice her swimming.

Burgundy fiddled around the house working on some chores. But after a while, she received an unexpected call from a Baller Cutz employee. He informed her that she needed to handle a problem they were having with a distributor.

“This is a bad time. Can you get Nate to help?”

“His phone is off. That’s why I called you, Mrs. Taylor.”

Burgundy thought about it. Her husband must have gone to his hotel room and fallen asleep. Since Liz was there with the kids, it should be no problem to rush out and handle that little bit of business.

“If it’s not one thing, it’s another. Tell you what. I’m on the way.”

Burgundy always loved when she could get away from everybody. She told Liz to watch the girls and that she’d return as soon as she could.

It was late afternoon. One half of the sky was clear, the other filled with slow-moving, dark clouds. The clouds threatened to release some rain so the girls had to hurry if they wanted to get in a good swim.

Elyse reclined on a cushioned chair and watched her beautiful nieces. The Taylors had an in-ground pool, but they also had space enough for an aboveground kiddie pool. Sidnee and Natalia laughed and played as they splashed water on each other. Then they jumped up and ran to leap into the larger, in-ground pool.

Elyse thoughtfully observed the girls. She wondered how it felt to be carefree and joyous without any worries.

“C’mon, Elyse. Get in.” Natalia encouraged Elyse to join them.

She stood up and held her arms as she shivered.

“I can’t swim that well. Gamba is supposed to give me some lessons. But I don’t know when he’s coming back.”

“Don’t wait on him. Swim!”

Natalia splashed around some more.

Elyse thought about it. How long could she wait for someone else in order to have fun, feel good, get some loving? She removed her cover-up and was wearing a bikini.

She knew she looked good and wished Gamba could see her.

Elyse walked over to the edge of the pool and dipped her toe in the water.

“Cold, too cold.”

“No, it’s not. C’mon.”

“Okay, Nat. Hold on a sec.” Elyse decided to muster up some courage. She walked backward, stopped, then raced toward the pool. She closed her eyes, pinched her nose, and hurled herself into the water. A loud splash could be heard.

Soon her entire body was covered in wetness. The sound of water rushed over her head. Elyse violently kicked her legs until she rose to the top. She let out a breath and an exhilarating shout.

“Woo, baby,” she said with a laugh.

“Yay. You did it.”

“I can’t believe it, but yes. I did it,” Elyse said to Natalia.

She awkwardly moved her arms about in the water but it felt like she was drowning. As if the water was pulling and holding her down; like she was fighting to get free. Elyse did not like how that felt. Plus, it had just started to sprinkle. Gamba always warned her to get out of the water if it should ever begin to rain.

“Lightning is unpredictable,” he had told her. “And you never know when a bolt of lightning will flash down from the sky. You don’t know where it may strike.”

It was as if her mentor were there with her, a guardian angel who never left her side. Elyse felt his presence and began to miss him.

Elyse hung around a bit longer as she felt raindrops fall on her head. She waded through the water and lifted herself out of the pool.

“I can’t swim in the rain,” she told the girls, who whined when they saw her get out.

“Why not?” Sid asked.

“Too dangerous. And both of you need to get out.”

Liz was busy talking on her cell phone and wasn’t completely aware of what the girls were doing. So they ignored Elyse and continued to play.

Elyse dried herself off and went to sit in a lounge chair that was inside the covered patio. Once she was done, she sat there with her mind on Gamba. Suddenly, she felt a hand touch her shoulder. She jumped. The girls were so busy playing that they never noticed their dad enter the backyard.

Elyse looked into his eyes, which loudly spoke to her. She shook her head. Nate bobbed his head and pointed to the door that led to the house.

Suddenly all the lessons that Dru and Gamba taught her rapidly disappeared. She couldn’t think of one thing to say to him.

“I’ll help you feel better.”

Elyse quietly moaned as if her stomach was aching. She was glad Natalia and Sidnee were too preoccupied to see what was going on. Nate gave her an impatient look. She slowly got up. She glanced back at the girls, then quietly followed her brother-in-law into the house.

“Where is Liz?” he asked.

“She was there before. I dunno.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Elyse shrugged, but then she saw through the kitchen window when Liz emerged from the pool house. She must have briefly gone to the bathroom to talk on the phone.

Nate told Elyse, “Wait here.”

When he returned he had a body camera attached to his shirt. He turned it on.

He asked her, “Elyse, so you say you don’t feel well? What on you hurts?”

“Stomach.”

He told her, “We have medicine for that. Follow me.”

He walked to the powder room and opened up a medicine cabinet. He found something to relieve acid indigestion and belly aches. He ripped off two sheets of chewable tablets.

“Here you go. Eat a couple of these. It’ll make you feel better.”

She did as she was told and noticed that the camera was rolling.

He also gave her some other pills that had to be taken with water.

As he stood and watched Elyse, large dots of sweat covered his forehead, and his armpits were damp.

“Do you see what I’m doing?” he said.

She gave him a blank look.

“I’m being good to you. I’m watching out for you, for your well-being. That’s what I do.”

“That’s what you do now.”

Nate got Elyse a cold bottle of water to wash down all the drugs then he went to put the medicine back in the powder room. When he returned, he heard voices coming from the kitchen area.

A voice was saying, “Where’s Elyse?”

He strained his ears to listen.

“I dunno. We looked up and she was gone,” Natalia said.

Then Sidnee asked, “Aunt Coco, can you make us a cheeseburger and some Kool-Aid? And some baked ’tato wedges?”

Coco laughed. “Y’all love my cooking, huh? Okay, baby girl. I need to find my sister first. Go upstairs and change into some play clothes. And don’t get the carpet wet. Put on your flip-flops.”

The girls said okay. The pitter-patter of their little feet could be heard as they pounded up the back stairs. Nate quickly escaped to the master bedroom before his daughters could see him. He locked his door and his mind began to race.

What’s Coco doing here all of a sudden? Did she notice my car in the driveway? Shit, why didn’t I pull the car into the garage?

His cell phone began to ring. It was Coco. But he did not answer. He decided to ignore his nosy sister-in-law and head for the shower. To try and clean himself off with lots of water.