Narrowing his gaze slightly, Carlton responded, “I know that I won’t.”
After she and Cicely convinced Pamela to allow them to tuck the boys in and read them good-night stories, Latonya sat in the study with her sister.
Cicely was dressed in a classy designer pantsuit and wore her brown hair in a stylish up-do. She appeared happy and successful, all of the things Latonya had dreamed of for her sister.
“I’m so pleased with the woman you’ve become, Cicely.” Latonya hugged Cicely close. “Look at you, Miss Career Woman living in her own apartment!”
“Well, I had the best role model anyone could ask for,” Cicely offered.
“Please, your success is your own. I’m just glad that you are living your dreams.” Latonya thought back briefly to when she was Cicely’s age, fresh out of graduate school and in her first job. Latonya’s life took a detour when she married Carlton and had her children. But she didn’t regret any of it. She simply had to find a way to put her life back on track, get her children and move on. “So, I can’t wait to see this hot new place of yours. Do you think they have any openings in your apartment complex?”
Perplexed, Cicely responded, “They have openings all the time. Why?”
“I’m thinking it might be best for me to get my own place and set up a secure environment for me and the boys. Hopefully Carlton and I will be able to figure out some sort of shared custody agreement.”
“So you don’t think that you two will be able to work it out?”
Shaking her head, Latonya replied, “I think that too much has happened and it would be impossible to make our way back from that. He hasn’t even apologized yet.”
“Peanut, anyone with eyes can see how sorry he is. As irritated as I was with him when he broke his promise to me and hurt you, I could see that he loved you and he was hurt the entire time you were gone. I can see that he still loves you and he hopes that you two will be able to work it out.” The sincerity in Cicely’s voice made Latonya do a double take.
Latonya started to ask her sister when Carlton promised he wouldn’t hurt her. But Cee Cee’s seemingly earnest pleas on Carlton’s behalf sidetracked her. “Whose side are you on, anyway?”
“Always yours, Peanut. That’s why I don’t want you to make any rash decisions.” Cicely hugged her. “I knew the man was trouble the day he showed up on Gran’s doorstep with flowers. I also knew just from looking at you that you had given him your heart. I’m just hoping that my role model will fight for her heart, fight for her family and fight for her love.” Cicely broke out into a wide grin. “Just think about what a bad impression you’d make on your devoted baby sister if you didn’t.”
Latonya shook her head and laughed. “You are so lucky I haven’t seen you in a while. That’s the only reason why I’m letting you get away with that crap.” Even as she said the words, a part of her let Cicely’s words seep in. She realized that she should wait before rushing off to get her own place. She should at least give living under the same roof with Carlton a try.
Cicely joined Latonya in laughter and hugged her. “Besides, what’s our favorite line?”
Puzzled, Latonya stared at Cicely.
“Oh, don’t act like you don’t remember, Lady in Blue!” Cicely put her had on her hip and struck a pose of mock defiance.
Latonya closed her eyes and smiled. She traveled back to one of those typical summer days when she was in high school and Cee Cee was finishing up the eighth grade. They didn’t have any money to go out and do anything, not even catch a matinee. They’d flipped through the channels of the cableless television bored, until they landed on a PBS airing of Ntozake Shange’s For Colored Girls. They sat glued to the television and the play became a favorite of theirs. Latonya even got tickets to a live version of the play that the University of Miami theater put on and took Cee Cee as a present for her seventeenth birthday. They would often recite lines from the play whenever the mood struck them. But the Lady in Blue’s monologue on apologies had been their favorite.
“I remember the Lady in Blue,” Latonya responded with a sassy grin.
“Well, then you know that the one thing you don’t need is anymore apologies.…” Cicely started.
“I got sorry greeting me at my front door. You can keep yours!” They finished in unison and busted out laughing.
Cicely wiped the laugh tears out of her eyes. “Seriously, Peanut. It’s not what he says. At the end of the day it’s what he does that counts.”
If it had been anyone else, Latonya would have been inclined to agree with Cicely. She new that words were often empty. However, Carlton Harrington III needed to own up to his part in this and she wanted to hear an apology!
Realizing that she probably wouldn’t be able to influence Latonya, Cicely stood. “I’m going to find Gran and take her home.” She paused. “Hey, I was thinking that I would surprise her with a vacation, a Caribbean cruise or something. Do you realize that she has never really had a vacation?”
Latonya smiled. It was wonderful to see her sister taking such good care of Gran. Cicely really had turned out just fine. “I think that’s a lovely idea, Cee Cee. But do you really think you’re going to be able to get Evelyn Stevens on a boat?”
“I know, right. I can hear her now. ‘Child, I’m not getting on no boat. If God wanted me to be in the water he would have made me a fish.’” Cicely did a pretty good impersonation of Gran. “But I’m going to get the tickets, anyway. You can help me convince her. Oh, I’m so glad you’re home, Peanut. Let’s get together later this week. Okay?” Cicely asked before walking out of the room.
“You bet, Cee Cee.” Latonya watched her sister leave.
“Whoa! Oh, snap. You scared me! What are you doing standing out here, Mr. Harrington?” Cicely’s startled gasp from outside the door caused Latonya to look up.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you,” the old man apologized gruffly.
“It’s okay,” Cicely replied.
The elder Harrington walked into the room and Latonya narrowed her eyes.
“Can I talk to you for a moment?” he asked hesitantly.
Latonya pursed her lips. They needed to do more than talk. He had to be made to understand once and for all that she wasn’t going to allow him to threaten her family anymore.
Chapter 20
The elder Harrington couldn’t believe what he had just heard. The girl was already plotting to leave Carlton. It was the same thing all over again. She might not be an unfaithful, cheating slut. But she clearly didn’t love Carlton as much as the man loved her. Not if she were plotting to leave while he was busy planning reconciliation.
Clearing his throat, the elder Harrington took a seat in the sofa across from the one Latonya sat in. “So, you’re planning to leave him already, girl.”
Her eyes narrowed. “It’s rude to eavesdrop, old man. And I would think that you would be happy and helping me pack up my things after all the trouble you went through to get rid of me the last time.”
Taken aback, the elder Harrington paused for a moment. While the girl had never been particularly malleable, she hadn’t been this angry and aggressive before. She had at least tried to show respect to him as an elder. He didn’t care for the changes in her personality one bit. “I still don’t want you here. But clearly my grandson and my great-grandsons do.”
The girl rolled her eyes and shrugged as she spat out, “Well you should have thought of that before you told lies that poisoned my marriage, tried to buy me off so that I would leave and threatened the lives of my grandmother and sister.”
Yes, he had been right. The girl was definitely on a warpath with him as her main enemy and target. It would only be a matter of time before she dropped her bomb. “Why haven’t you told Carlton yet? What are you waiting for? I know you’re going to use that to turn him against me. You should know I was only trying to protect him.”
