“Don’t touch me!” I screamed. “Aunt Luchie, I’m asking you to move out of my way. I have to leave here now.”
“Kerry,” she tried again.
“I need to get out of here,” I said furiously.
After she moved, I made my way down the stairs and fo
und that most everyone, except for my mother and Jamison’s mother, had left. And they were still arguing. I walked into the kitchen with everyone trailing behind me and picked up my car keys.
“Where’s she going?” Jamison’s mother asked. “It’s too cold to take that baby out.”
“Maybe we’re going to Coreen’s house,” I said. And if words could cause a heart attack, I’d swear she was on her way to cardiac arrest. She didn’t even respond. She just stood there with her mouth open, and her hand over her heart. “That’s right,” I added. “I know about her and what you tried to do, you old cow.”
“What?” my mother said.
“What are you talking about?” Jamison asked.
“Oh, now you don’t know? Your mother was the one who tried to hook you up with Coreen.”
“Ridiculous,” Jamison said. “She doesn’t even know her.”
I opened the kitchen door to head out to the car.
“She doesn’t know about Coreen,” Jamison said.
“I saw her.” I slid Tyrian into his seat and closed the car door.
“Saw who?”
“Coreen. I saw her at the church today. And she told me everything, Jamison. About your fucking e-mails.”
“It’s over between us. I told you that.”
“Really? Well, then why did you e-mail her yesterday?”
“Because she’s sick. She really needs help.”
“No, Jamison, I need your help. Your family needs your help.” I climbed into the driver’s seat. “And you weren’t there for us. And then you go and see my father behind my back!”
“I was trying to protect you,” he said.
“See, that’s the thing you can’t get, Jamison. I’m a grown woman. I don’t need your protection anymore. I’m your wife. I’m your wife! How could you share all these things with your mother and not with me? Go behind my back for all these years? That’s crazy. You’re supposed to love me.” I cried.
“That’s what I’ve been doing all of these years, loving you.”
“If you loved me you wouldn’t have lied to me. I feel like a damn fool for trusting you and then going back to you only to have you do the same thing again. I feel so humiliated. I really resent you right now.”
“You don’t understand what’s happening, Kerry,” he said, holding on to the door.
“No, I don’t care what’s happening,” I said. “The only thing I care about is my baby and my life, and that’s it from now on.”
“Jamison, I’m so sorry,” his mother said, rushing up behind him. “I didn’t know she was pregnant then. I thought I was doing what was best for us.”
“Us, Mama?” Jamison said, turning away from me. “How could you even think of such a thing?”
“I’m sorry,” she cried.
Jamison exhaled deeply and turned back to me.