Margo listened in horror. What was she going to say to Malik? There were no magic words she could summon that would put an end to the catastrophe she had created. Courage to deal with it at this moment was lost on her, so she would have to do her best to keep Malik at bay until the right moment presented itself.
“I can’t talk right now, Malik. Jefferson is in the other room, and I don’t want to risk him overhearing me.”
“Have you decided when you’re going to tell him?”
“Tell him what?”
“Margo, what’s wrong with you? We agreed that Jefferson needs to know how we feel about each other. It’s only a matter of time before he knows for sure because, at this moment, I don’t want to be without you.”
“We’re moving too fast, Malik. I can’t just up and tell him out of the blue.”
“I’ll be there with you when you tell him. There is no way I’d let you do it by yourself. He might get violent.”
“Okay, let’s talk about it later. I need to get off the phone.”
“Can I see you tomorrow? You can come over to the house.”
“Tomorrow is not good. I’ve got houses to show all afternoon.”
“In the morning?”
“I’ve got a business meeting.”
“Margo, if it wasn’t for what happened between us this afternoon, I’d think you were trying to avoid me.”
“No, Malik,” she lied. “Tipping out on Jefferson was new to me. Vengeance isn’t in my blood.”
“You were tipping out on a no-good adulterer who still can’t keep his thing in his pants.”
“So what does that make me-a good adulterer? Malik, you’re not making sense.”
“What I’m trying to say is that Jefferson has hurt you time and time again. Even though he told you he was a different person, he’s still up to his old game. He hasn’t changed. He wants you to think that way because he has nothing left but you. If you weren’t there for him, his sorry ass would be out on the streets. I can’t believe he and I were once best friends.”
“What if Jefferson didn’t meet Angelica for what I thought?”
“You said yourself, you saw them go into the hotel. How much more convincing do you need? Look, sweetheart, I know that today was different and new for you because you’ve been a good and virtuous woman all of your life, but today was special in every way and we could have many more days like this. You would never have to worry about me cheating on you, ever.”
Margo sighed into the phone. “I feel…this was not right.” She wanted to say she felt dirty.
“The first time is always the hardest, but I promise that your second time, third, and on down the line will be nothing but ecstasy. I’ll let you go now. I’ll call you tomorrow. Sweet dreams.”
Margo shut the phone without saying goodbye. The right moment might never come but, for certain, she had to put an end to this nightmare sooner rather than later.
47
She thought there was going to be a reading of the will. All of Hamilton’s relatives had assembled at the funeral home. It appeared that all of the arrangements had been spelled out, down to the casket, services, and final resting place. Even the mark-up of the obituary was laid out regally. One of Hamilton’s nieces had a friend with a great deal of desktop publishing experience who created a fabulous memento of the deceased with fancy fold-out pages and pictures of each stage of his life. All this crew needed was the money to pay for it all.
Scrunching her face, Angelica, with Edward by her side, looked into the sea of greedy piranhas. They looked back at her with disdain but didn’t voice how they felt because they knew she had what they needed to make Hamilton’s home-going celebration one to remember. She could hear the individual whispers and see fingers pointing,
“Hello, Angelica,” Aunt Dot said, approaching Angelica from behind. Aunt Dot was Donna’s mother. Donna looked so much like her, but she had a lot of her father’s features, too. Donna’s and Hamilton’s fathers were brothers, both of whom were now deceased.
Angelica wanted to reach out to her and console her. Living the wild lifestyle as Donna did had probably put her in harm’s way. She wanted to tell Aunt Dot how sorry she was about Donna’s death and how much she appreciated Donna extending the offer for her to come to New York, although it didn’t pan out. Instead, she uttered, “Hello,” and offered a reassuring smile.
Aunt Louise moved in behind Aunt Dot, making sure no additional plans were being made without her knowledge. Aunt Louise was Hamilton’s mother’s sister and was the one who called herself being in charge of Hamilton’s celebration. She was a short woman who dressed to the gills, and in her hand was a lacey handkerchief; Angelica was sure it was for effect. Aunt Louise probably hadn’t cried one tear after finding out Hamilton had been killed.
“Angelica, glad you and your brother could make it. All we need is the insurance policy to make this happen.”
“Good to see you, too,” Angelica said to Aunt Louise in a sarcastic tone of voice.
Aunt Louise paid Angelica no mind and continued on with her instructions. Aunt Dot used the moment as an excuse to mingle. She wasn’t particularly fond of Aunt Louise.
“I know many people in this town, and because they know me, they’ve gone ahead with the arrangements, certain they would receive their money,” Aunt Louise said. “The services will go on as planned day after tomorrow, Saturday, at eleven o’clock, and the wake on tomorrow. It will be held at my church on Raeford Road.”
“I guess there was no need for me to come down tonight!” Angelica exclaimed.
Aunt Louise put a smile on her face. “Yes, dear, you are still part of the family. You and Hamilton seemed to be even closer after your divorce. And we still need to take care of the financial part of this,” she hinted.
Not giving Aunt Louise any satisfaction, Angelica asked to speak to the undertaker. Just as Aunt Louise was about to direct her to the undertaker, Jefferson walked in, looking as fresh as ever. He had always been there for her, and she quickly cancelled the thoughts that began to roam around in her head. Whenever Jefferson was in her presence, Angelica felt a vibration between her legs. He was smart and had been one of the most successful black entrepreneurs in the city of Fayetteville. That had always turned her on, but he was a married man who was devoted to his wife now. Her thoughts momentarily turned to Ari.
Eager to have the business before them completed, Aunt Louise pulled aside the assistant who had helped them make the arrangements. Angelica asked if she could speak with the assistant alone-well, with Edward and Jefferson but minus Aunt Louise. She wanted to get all of the expenses she was going to pay for straight from the horse’s mouth. No hidden agendas were going to get by her.
Aunt Louise huffed and left the room but stood outside, hoping to catch any discrepancies that went against what she had already planned. When the trio filed out, followed by the assistant, Aunt Louise gazed into each person’s eyes, hunting for clues that the funeral wouldn’t go on as planned. Seeing none, she relaxed, following alongside the group. Before they rejoined the rest, Aunt Louise turned and grabbed Angelica’s hand.
“Is everything all right?”
“You darned near depleted his life insurance policy with all of this unnecessary stuff, but since this is what you want, it is done.”
Aunt Louise relaxed. “Good. I’m sure Hamilton had some other assets that should go to the family.”
“I don’t know about that, Aunt Louise. If there are any, they’ll probably be tied up in probate-that is, if he didn’t have a will. Now, I would like to have a look at the obituary, if you don’t mind. After spending all that money, I’d like to know that my name appears somewhere on the program. Also, who will be sitting in the five limos you ordered?”
“For sure, you and your brother will have a spot. I don’t know about that other gentleman. I’ll get the program for you.”
Angelica grinned. I guess she let Aunt Louise know that she wasn’t in charge of her. “Thank you, Aunt Louise, and you don’t have to worry about Jefferson needing a space in the car.”
Aunt Louise looked back at Angelica and gave her a shifty-eyed grin before mumbling something that Angelica could not hear. Within minutes, Aunt Louise returned with the program, which Angelica took and read in its entirety.
