All I Want for Christmas Page 6

  “He came in for coffee and sweet potato bread pudding. They give you huge portions of the stuff, but it’s so delicious. Have y’all tried it?” Nedra picked up her mug and drank deeply.

  “Errol keeps promising to take me to Don’s downtown, but he’s always working.” Imani frowned for a few seconds and then looked at Nedra again. “So you let him into your apartment?”

  “How long was he there?” Maida seemed to hold her breath.

  Nedra let a few seconds of suspenseful silence stretch. She sighed. “Okay, Carlos stayed for hours.”

  “You broke the rule,” Imani whispered, her eyes wide. She looked at Maida. “She broke the rule, girl.”

  “We’re grown women,” Nedra snapped. “We make our own rules if it feels right. At some point I have to trust my own judgment again. So, I made a few mistakes. That doesn’t mean I can’t tell a bum from a gem.”

  Maida looked at Imani and then back at Nedra. “If you say so. I’ve heard that Carlos has been a major player on the dating scene for a while. In fact, they say the reason he broke up with his baby’s mother is because she caught him cheating. Word is he went to a friend’s wedding in Atlanta one weekend and…”

  “Are you seriously going to spread third-hand gossip from something that allegedly happened hundreds of miles away?” Nedra put down her mug and crossed her arms.

  “Duh, hell, yeah! I’m tryin’ ta help you.” Maida looked at Imani, who nodded in agreement.

  “How long ago was this supposed incident?” Nedra broke in before Maida could continue.

  “Let’s see, the baby was six months old, so that’s been...”

  “Quite a long time ago, since his daughter is five now,” Nedra said.

  Imani chewed her lip for a few seconds. “Okay, Maida, but let’s tell it all. I also heard that his baby’s mama hooked up with an old boyfriend at a high-school reunion.”

  “Let’s be in solidarity with our sister. Maybe she was still in pain after what Carlos did and needed a little tenderness from a man who understood her.” Maida looked at her friend.

  “Nah, I heard some other stuff about her. They say there was plenty of drama between them.”

  “Okay, just stop.” Nedra held up one palm as though she was a school crossing guard. “Do I need to remind you of our own dramatic stories from back in the day? Do you really want me to take it there?”

  “Well, everybody had missteps and mistakes.” Maida shrugged. “Okay, you make a good point.”

  “Exactly. What Carlos did then is in the past. I sure can’t judge him.” Nedra gave a shudder at the thought of some of her relationship failures.

  “So you’re having a good time, taking it light and easy?” Maida blinked at Nedra.

  “Or is he the one?” Imani finished.

  Nedra stared into her mug for a few minutes as though seeking the answer in the dark, still hot liquid. “Light and easy, definitely. I’m not on some safari, hunting down Mr. Right.”

  “Liar,” Maida wisecracked. “Every single woman I know is looking for Mr. Good Thing, who will stick around.”

  “And how is that desperate woman thing working out for most of us?” Nedra countered. When her friends didn’t answer, she nodded. “Exactly. Look, I don’t want to be alone, but most of all I don’t want to grab at someone just so I won’t be alone. I need someone who honestly values me as a person; as a human being with ideas, goals and dreams.”

  “I’d settle for honesty, period. Men who lie and conceal the whole story just make me so damn mad,” Imani replied, slapping the arm of her chair.

  “You need to calm the hell down, girl. Trying to control Errol even when y’all are apart may drive him away. Besides, if he’s going to cheat, playing detective won’t stop him. Believe me; a determined cheater has his game tight.” Maida gave a snort. “Ask me how I know.”

  “Have you heard something about him?” Imani blurted out and stared at Maida intently. You have?”

  “No, there is no word on the street about Errol,” Maida replied firmly. “I’m just telling you that stalking the man won’t work if he’s into someone else.”

  “Thanks for the encouraging words.” Imani’s frown deepened and she chewed on her fingernails.

  “Just talk to Errol, Imani. Be direct, no games,” Nedra said. “And stop gnawing on those fake nails before you get some kind of chemical poisoning.”

  Imani snatched her hand away from her mouth. “You’re right. I’m going to confront him tonight. No more of this crap about him being too tired to talk.”

  “No, I think you just tell him you feel like y’all are getting distant and try to get him to open up about how he feels.” Nedra sipped from her mug.

  “When did you become a couples’ therapist?” asked Maida, wearing a crooked grin.

  “Umm, I read that in an article on relationships, written by an expert. Makes a lot of sense, too,” Nedra added.

  “I’ll get him to ‘fess up,” Imani said and stood.

  “No, Imani, I didn’t say...” Nedra glanced at Maida.

  “My boss has a meeting in an hour, and naturally I have to get her some talking points. Thanks for the great advice.” Imani waved goodbye and walked out, wearing a preoccupied expression.

  “Oh, Lord, poor Errol. Imani is making the same mistake; smothering the guy and trying to control him, and he seems so nice,” Nedra said and sighed.

  “The sad part is he really seems to care for her. She’s so consumed with watching his every move and trying to play games that she’s missing that part.” Maida shook her head.

  “I tried to talk to her about it. You see how far I’ve gotten,” Nedra replied.

  “So did I. Well, we gave it a shot. Now back to you.” Maida pointed a forefinger at Nedra.

  “Carlos is wonderful, really down to earth. I like that he’s been open about his baby mama drama. We did have a wonderful night together, Saturday.” Nedra sighed and leaned back in her chair.

  “Hmm, I see, and what about his mother?” Maida raised an eyebrow.

  “She wasn’t there,” Nedra wisecracked and laughed. “That would have put a huge strain on the good times, for sure.”

  “Speaking of women who like control, Judge Jacobs supposedly rules her family with an iron fist. Grown children or not, I hear she’s a big-time meddler. Look up ‘control freak’ in the dictionary and they’ve got her photo next to the definition.” Maida nodded.

  “You’re as bad as Dwayne Grover. How do you collect all this ‘he says, she says’ news anyway?” Nedra looked at her friend in wonder.

  “Working in the clerk of courts office puts me in the hub of all kinds of activity. Lawyers come in to file papers. Folks come in to pay fines or court costs. They all like to unburden themselves.” Maida winked at Nedra mischievously.

  “In other words, you’re a committed gossip. Like I said, just like Dwayne.” Nedra rolled her eyes.

  “Mr. Happy Hands,” her friend quipped.

  “You got that right, but one day he’s going to grope the wrong one.” Nedra grimaced with distaste.

  “Nope,” said Maida, waving a hand. “He’s slimy, but Dwayne isn’t stupid. He picks women who want male attention. His wife likes her social position and the money, so she’s not squawking.”

  “You know his wife?” Nedra blinked, amazed at the depth of her knowledge.

  “Nope, but I’ve met people who have known her family for years. They’re wannabes.” Maida lifted her nose in the air.

  “Oh yeah, eager to be part of the whole black upper-class nonsense,” Nedra said.

  “Right. Oh, and here’s something you should know: Judge Jacobs and the mayor despise your boss. It goes back to before she ran for office. I hear she’s still pissed that Rod and his social circle snubbed the Jacobs family back in the day. And, of course, our esteemed mayor is so proud of his ‘blue-collar’ roots.”

  Nedra felt a stab of unease in her mid-section. “Their feud has nothing to do with me.”

&nb
sp; “Judge Jacobs may see you as part of the enemy camp, girlfriend, and she’s known for holding grudges. What’s going to happen when Rod and his crew run for office? You know the Judge and her posse are going to oppose him.”

  “Girl, please. The election is in November of next year,” Nedra protested.

  Maida shook her head. “The behind-the-scenes campaign started this year. By February, Rod and the mayor will ramp up politicking. You’ll be in a tight spot if Carlos has to tow his mama’s party line.”

  “Carlos is not into politics. Even he was, his mother wouldn’t dictate to him. He’s a grown man. But more than that, we might not be dating past Christmas for all I know.” Nedra’s body thrummed at the memory of being in his arms. Nothing about what they shared felt temporary.

  Maida stood, leaned across the desk, and snapped her fingers inches away from Nedra’s nose. “Yoo-hoo! Wake up. You fell into a mesmerizing daze just thinking about Saturday night. From the look on your face, I’d say you better start thinking of ways you can co-exist with Judge Monster Mama. You ain’t planning on leaving that fine man behind. Uh-uh.”

  Nedra tried to laugh off her suggestion. “Trust me, we’re not even near the stage where we try to figure out family issues. For now it’s just the two of us. I’m going to keep it that way for a good while; months at least.”

  “Okay. You just keep saying that to yourself,” said Maida, glancing at her smartphone. “Dang, better get back to the office. Let’s have lunch?”

  “Sorry, but I have a meeting. I don’t know when we’ll finish up. Tomorrow is better for me. We’ll call Imani in the morning and see if she can make it.” Nedra glanced at a file on her desk with sticky notes on the outside.

  Maida’s eyes lit up with interest. “Great idea. We can get the story on how her ‘talk’ with Errol turns out.”

  “I wasn’t thinking of that,” replied Nedra, giving her a scolding expression. “If she wants to tell us, it’s fine. If not then that’s okay, too.

  “We both know Imani will spill it.” Maida touched the screen of her smartphone. “I’m going to make sure my calendar is free for lunch. Talk to you later.”

  Nedra shook her head at Maida. “You’re too much. Goodbye girl.”

  For the rest of the day, as she took calls for her boss and sat next to him in meetings, Nedra thought about politics. Maybe she should take her own advice and bring up the subject with Carlos. At two o’clock that afternoon, sat at her desk eating a late lunch, Nedra decided that Maida was dead wrong on all counts. She pushed aside any thoughts of her personal and professional lives becoming complicated.

  ****

  A few blocks away, Carlos sat across a table from his mother in her spacious office. They shared some take-out Greek food that he’d picked up for their lunch together. The scent of roasted lamb, garlic and onions filled the room as though they were in the downtown restaurant where the food had been prepared. Carlos tried to steer the conversation to his mother’s day in the courtroom.

  “I don’t understand why you’re hiding the Wallace woman,” said Yvonne as she took out two bottles of green tea from a compact refrigerator in the corner of the room.

  “We’re not hiding,” Carlos replied for the second time. He sighed deeply for the third time. The effort to keep his temper would most likely give him heartburn soon, if he didn’t lose his appetite altogether.

  Yvonne found a pack of napkins. She poured some tea into two tall, styrofoam cups and placed them on the table. “Here you go. You always want extra napkins. I hope you have extra cucumber sauce – you love that on your gyros more than I do. Well, it sure looks like you’re hiding this relationship to me. Even your father is wondering about it.”

  Carlos tried not to get annoyed at his mother’s fussing and sighed yet again. “Nedra and I are in the ‘getting to know each other’ process. We may not even be dating after the holidays.”

  “You’re already having problems, huh? Well, I’m not at all surprised. She’s from one of those old Baton Rouge families. Her mother lives in Thompson Heights. They don’t have as much money as us, but they still think they’re superior.” Yvonne sniffed and went back to putting cucumber sauce on her gryos.

  Carlos had no desire to stoke the smoldering fires of his mother’s resentment of Baton Rouge and old, black moneyed families. He carefully picked at the food before him and warily considered his next words. “Nedra and I aren’t having any problems. She’s sweet and caring, and we haven’t talked about her family history. She’s not like that,” he replied in a calm tone with no hint of defensiveness. His mother was trying to push his buttons.

  “Humph,” Yvonne replied, and ate some more of her lunch in silence. After a few minutes, she sipped her tea and patted her lips with a napkin. “You know she’s going to be campaigning for that boss of hers.”

  “We haven’t discussed politics, so I don’t think it matters.” Carlos continued to concentrate on his food.

  “It will come up, Carlos. I’m supporting Mayor Bates in the state senatorial race, as you well know,” his mother replied, her tone insistent. She had attended law school with Kevin Bates and they shared a deep dislike for Constable Davidson.

  Carlos gave up pretending that he wanted to eat. “That is months in the future, and it won’t be a topic of conversation between Nedra and I. Look, where Nedra’s mother lives and Rod Davidson’s political ambitions have nothing to do with us. Please don’t try to insert yourself into my love life again. I’ll give you the ‘I’m a grown man’ speech if necessary.”

  “Excuse me. I was trying to have a reasonable discussion with you. I’m not getting into your personal business.” Yvonne sipped some more tea and cleared her throat. “You don’t have to throw a hissy fit about your latest fling. I’m sure there will be many others, as you said.”

  “I didn’t say anything about...” Carlos stopped, counted to five and closed the top of the plastic box containing his lunch. “Nedra is not some fling. She’s not a woman I plan to throw away later.”

  “So this is serious?” Yvonne latched onto his words, raising both eyebrows. “Well, well, well.”

  “I also didn’t mean to imply that we’re making wedding plans. We like each other and we’re dating; that’s it. She’s smart, funny and has good common sense. I can talk to her. She’s...” Carlos tried to put into words how Nedra made him feel. “She’s not looking to get something out of me.”

  Yvonne gazed at him. “I see.”

  He held up his hands, palms out. “Nothing complicated, Mother. We’re having fun, getting closer to see if... where we’re going. Which could mean going our separate ways,” Carlos added quickly.

  Yvonne tilted her head to one side. “Let me say one last thing and then I’ll drop the subject.”

  Carlos didn’t believe her, but couldn’t be bothered to argue. “Fine,” he replied.

  “Rod Davidson is a two-fisted campaigner. Don’t let that jolly, teddy bear facade fool you. He’ll look for any scrap of mud to throw at Kevin. If he gets wind of that little incident and the fact that the mayor helped us out...” Her voice trailed off.

  Carlos did not return her gaze. “I wasn’t charged with a felony. The district attorney and police didn’t break any laws or rules.”

  “No one will care; not if they hear that you got caught up in an investigation of drug dealers,” Yvonne argued. “Thank God they had no proof that you helped conceal cocaine and marijuana in those SUVs you detailed. Why in the world you opened a business in the hood...”

  “Pop wanted me to stand on my own, so he didn’t loan me the money for a better location. Besides, not all of my customers turned out to be drug dealers. There are a lot of good people in Easy Town,” added Carlos referred to the high crime area of the city.

  “So, Ms. Wallace knows you were doing the last few hours of your community service at the Thanksgiving dinner?” Yvonne asked mildly.

  Carlos swallowed past the lump in his throat. “No. I mean not yet.” />
  His mother leaned forward. “Not ever, Carlos. This isn’t just about you. I have an election, too.”

  Silence stretched several beats before he sighed and muttered, “Fine.”

  Chapter 6

  Nedra looked at the lights downtown with a wide grin, feeling like a little girl again. The second weekend in December brought on the first city-sponsored celebration. A band played on the square in front of city hall.

  After a short speech, Mayor Bates and several other officials flipped the switches to light a huge Christmas tree. Holiday lights strung up in the huge old trees graced the boulevard and hung from street lamps. Sparkling LED bulbs in the shape of stars dangled from street signs as well. A cheer went up and the local band went back to playing jazzy holiday tunes.

  “You’re really into Christmas lights, I see,” said Carlos, squeezing Nedra’s hand as he spoke into her ear.

  “Since the first time I saw them. My daddy would put up our tree the Saturday after Thanksgiving. We had treats and sang songs. Then he’d let us turn on the lights.” Nedra blinked at the happy memory of a warm, loving man. “Those were good times.”

  Carlos pulled her closer to him. “Sounds like a great guy, your daddy.”

  “He was,” Nedra replied and cleared her throat. She pushed against the heartache that came from knowing she wouldn’t see him again.

  “So when do we put up your tree?” Carlos asked.

  “I don’t usually bother, not since... Besides, it’s just me. What’s the point?” Nedra shrugged.

  “Hey, I’m sorry for bringing up a sad subject.” Carlos squeezed her hand again.

  “No, no,” she replied. She swiped at her eyes quickly and smiled at him. “I should be apologizing for ruining our fun night.”

  “It’s nowhere near ruined. Let’s get some hot chocolate and then we can shake our booties to some swamp rock Christmas tunes.” Carlos tugged her arm towards one of several food vendors.

  Nedra burst out laughing. “Did you just say we’d shake our booties? Seriously, Carlos?”