If it Aint One Thing it's Another

Renee woke up Darnell and Dante and got them ready for school. Darnell had begun to ask a lot of questions about his father. Renee didn’t really know what to say; she never bad mouthed Petie to the boys and she wasn’t about to start now. They meant the world to him, and that was the only thing she gave him credit for.

”Oh, Renee, I prayed when that epidemic hit that it wouldn’t touch anybody I love. Good God, when did you find out?”

”Not too long ago, Mom. I’m scared. I don’t know what to do or who to turn to. I just wanna die,” Renee said on the verge of tears. She really didn’t know where to begin, so she told her mother everything, starting with meeting Share. Renee and her mother were best friends, so she felt more than comfortable telling her about Petie’s infidelities. There were no secrets with them.

Her mother told her just what she wanted to hear; she told her to pack up and come home. Renee hung up the phone and cried, not only because her secret was safe with her mother, but mainly because she didn’t turn her back on her.

Renee was ready to start a new life. She had only one more secret, but she thought it was best to keep it just that—a secret.

Share’s nurse came and looked in on her. She was getting her stitches out in a couple of days and her body was healing slowly. Will was very supportive in spite of everything that had happened.

Share was lying down when Renee called her to see how she was doing. They talked about her diagnosis and Renee told her that she was also positive. They had bonded in such a short time under strained circumstances, and the way they communicated with one another made it seem like they knew each other much longer than they actually had. Renee told Share she was relocating to Pennsylvania and that she wanted to keep in touch with her.

”If there’s anything I can do for you, please let me know,” Share said. ”Even if you need financial help, feel free to ask me for it.”

Renee thanked Share for her offer and told her she appreciated her being so understanding, considering the circumstances. They talked a little while longer and agreed to stay in contact with each other no matter what. It was all good.

Renee brought Rhonda home with her to get some clothes and other things she needed. Renee wasn’t surprised when she saw the police outside her apartment door. They approached her and asked if she knew her husband’s whereabouts.

”Sure I can. As a matter of fact, I even have a recent picture of the car.” Renee went inside the apartment, came back out and gave the police a picture of the Navigator and the license plate number. They thanked her and got on their merry way. They actually already had a full description of his wheels; they had previously obtained the information from the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Renee and Rhonda put some clothes in a bag, and Renee packed some personal things for herself. She ran across an old picture of her sons with Ladelle and tears came to her eyes. She thought about Dante...the guilt was killing her.

Rhonda called her from the other room, bringing her out of her trance. ”What you wanna do with this nigga’s clothes?” she yelled out. Rhonda hadn’t liked Petie from day one, and if it was up to her she would torch all of his shit.

”Just leave them where they are,” Renee said. Her sister had told her that she would put all of her stuff in storage until she got herself situated.

”As far as his shit goes, I’m gonna throw it down the fucken incinerator,” she said, not minding Renee’s request.

”No, I’m going to give him his clothes. He’s going to need them...eventually,” Renee said. They left in silence and went back to Rhonda’s house.

Renee waited for her sons to come in from school so she could sit down and talk to them. She didn’t know where to start. She wanted to tell them the truth, but she didn’t want to look like the bad guy. However, she knew she needed to have a heart to heart with them so they would understand what was going on. Renee wanted them to know that Petie loved them to death, but they had to move on so they could have a better life. Dante would understand, but Darnell would put up a fight. Renee could hear his mouth already. She called her mother to find out about the schools and the job market in her area.

”Girl, don’t worry about no job. That’s not important right now. You just get out here, and we’ll get the boys in school. Then you’ll have time to get yourself employed. All right, baby?”

”Yes, Mom, you’re right,” Renee said before hanging up the phone. She began to cry like a baby. So much had happened in such a short time. She reflected on her life and realized that she had nothing to show for herself. Maybe Rhonda was right; years ago she had said Petie was the worst thing that ever happened to her.

As if she had been reading her thoughts, Rhonda came and hugged her and told her that everything was going to be all right. Renee held her close, and it was then that she knew everything would in fact be all right.

Venus sat at the kitchen table with a fifth of gin in front of her; she wasn’t dealing well with BJ’s death. She felt a loneliness that she hadn’t felt in years, and she was angry. But she didn’t exactly know with whom. She just knew that she was and the best thing to do was drink at the moment.

She really wanted to get at Annette...that bitch. What really got to Venus was how she came to the funeral and performed. The nerve of her! She couldn’t wait to go to Annette’s next court date, hoping that the judge would hit her in the head. Venus poured herself another drink, this time straight with no chaser. She’d be toasted before the night was up.

Venus called Share, and they spoke on the phone for hours about all the drama they had endured. Share told her to come over and spend the night; they could both use the company. Venus did-n’t really want to be alone, so she took her best friend’s offer and told her she was on her way.