Ace was number three on the hit list. As customary on Sunday evenings, Sandra called and spoke with her daughter-in-law first, and then Kidd.
Since he hadn’t heard an official word from Talise, he concluded the pregnancy thing had been a bluff. He took a sigh of relief and then became agitated that he’d left Beantown in vain.
After her preliminary questions about his new job, health, and general adjustments, Sandra ruined the conversation with a recap of her pastor’s sermon. It was becoming another Sunday tradition. Before she started in on him, he had been lounging on the deck without a care in the world.
“I hope you’ll go to church with your brother and Eva, since I couldn’t get you to go with me. God has a plan that includes you, Aaron.”
How many times had Ace heard his mother say that? When Jesus saved her when he was a little boy, Sandra always said God bestowed on her every blessing and gift He promised. Ace was never sure what that meant and how it was supposed to affect him.
“I’ve got my Bible right here. I’ll read it to you from Acts 2:8–40.” He heard Sandra flipping some pages. “It was so soul-stirring,” she added.
Slowly exhaling, Ace braced himself for her sermonette. One thing he did not do or like to see was a mother being disrespected, so he begrudgingly listened. While waiting for Sandra to begin, he remembered a time when he was barely a teenager. Growing up, he was tall and thick enough to intimidate anyone. Ace had gotten into a fight with his best friend, Quinton Sage, over a girl.
When his friend’s mother intervened and broke up the fight, Quinton cursed her out until she cried. Up until that point, Ace didn’t know that Black women took such disrespect from their children. His mother didn’t. She put the fear of God in him and a belt on his behind at an early age.
Ace would have won the fight had Mrs. Sage let it continue. After that, she banned him from her house because he bloodied her son’s nose.
“Are you listening?” Sandra broke into his reverie. She had the sweetest voice, even when she was stern.
“Yes.”
One son down, one more to go … She read all forty verses, ending with “‘And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’”
Sandra paused a moment to reflect on what she had just read and then addressed him. “I’m proud of you, son. You’re a late bloomer, but you’ve matured over the past …”
Tuning out his mother again, Ace could thank his brother for this torture. With Kidd surrendering to Jesus, Ace had practically become a marked man in his family.
Just then his cell phone vibrated, indicating a ringtone was moments away. The sound quickly made him grin, literally saving him from further recap of his mom’s Bible lesson. Although he didn’t recognize the 617 area code number, it gave him an out. For good measure, he made sure his mother could hear it.
“I’ve got to take this, Mom. Talk to you later.”
“I love you, Aaron,” Sandra said, hurrying off the phone before her son could reply.
He answered just before the call went to voice mail. “Hello.”
“Ace, it’s Talise.”
His body tensed. Ace’s heart pounded and his deodorant failed. It took three seconds for Talise to discombobulate him. Cleverly, she had used an unrecognizable number to get to him. He should have known she would pull something like that since she was so conniving.
Maybe he should call his mother back and let her finish the sermonette … anything but talk to a former girlfriend who mercilessly broke his heart.
Act calm. No matter what, don’t let her make you feel guilty about not calling, he coaxed himself.
“Hey, how are you?”
“You mean, before I told you I might be pregnant, or after I found out that I’m having a baby?”
Amused by the challenge in her voice, Ace stood from his perch on Kidd’s patio and began to pace the backyard.
“Are you going to say something?”
Not really. He cleared his voice. “Are you sure?” When she repeated what the doctor had said, he asked, “So what are you going to do?”
“Don’t you mean us?”
“Tay, I did not sign up to be a father.”
He felt obligated to give it to her straight. That’s when the name calling began. Ace knew she was smart, but he had to commend her on her use of adjectives. Still, he wouldn’t be deterred.
“Listen, if you’re really pregnant …” He paused. It was on the tip of his tongue to ask if it was his. But that would be a low blow, even if she did try to set a trap. “I’m sure you’ll make the right decision.”
How could he have thought she was different from the others?
“Well, I guess this is a courtesy call.” Talise’s voice trembled, as she muffled a sniff. “Just know this, Aaron Jamieson: I think you’re a coward. But I was the stupid one to think that we loved each other, even if we never said it.”
Love? Now that was priceless. His mother drilled into him and Kidd not to swear because no man has the power to fulfill it. But Jesus was his witness. He never loved any of the women he slept with. Well, maybe he shouldn’t bring God into this. Still, he had to admit that somehow the word love coming from her lips touched him.
Don’t fall for it! He warned himself and tuned her out again.
A few times, he had almost been taken by the best of them. There was Janice Dilworth in a top management position. She was also slick. The woman was actually willing to pay him to marry her when, all of a sudden, Janice found out she was pregnant. Unmarried, it could ruin her career.
Ace didn’t buy her story either. Nine months after that, he heard through mutual friends, there was no story to tell. As tempting as $50,000 a year would be to become Mr. Dilworth, “The Husband,” it wasn’t worth it. Ace didn’t walk away; rather, he jumped on his motorcycle and sped away.
Talise broke the lull. “I won’t bother you again. I won’t ask you for a penny,” she screamed. Then attempting to calm her voice, she repeated, “Like I said, this was a courtesy call.” She whispered a goodbye and hung up.
“Whew. Drama. Why couldn’t Tay have been different?” Her tirade was almost enough to make him lock up his libido. Turning around, he headed back into the house, chuckling. “That will never happen.”