"Tomorrow"
Ch. 3
Jarrell sat in the chair opposite of Druex and Talia, listening to Jennifer yell at him through tears in Spanish. Lucky he was fluent in it or he wouldn't know a word she was saying, but unluckily Druex and Talia were fluent too. Learning Spanish was something Advertising asked you too learn so you could understand Spanish costumers.
"¡hijo apesadumbrado de la perra! ¡Usted no puede jugarme y conseguir una manera con ella! Usted pagará, usted pagará!"
( "Sorry son of bitch! You can't play me and get a way with it! You will pay, you will pay!") Jennifer yelled through her phone her voice traveling out of Jarrell's cell phone and to his partners ears.
"¡Jennifer calma abajo, yo está apesadumbrado, yo está apesadumbrado!"
(Jennifer calm down, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!) Jarrell replied trying to calm her down but only making her angrier, Jennifer was fluent in English and Spanish but only spoke Spanish when she was angry.
¡"Usted, usted, es un diablo puro! ¡Le espero putrefacción en infierno, consigo el golpe por un coche, tiro para el motivo de Jesús! ¡La esperanza de Jarrell Damonte Houston I el su momento pasado de la vida es un momento solo! Espero que cada uno usted ame las hojas usted, porque usted es enfermo, apesadumbrado, bueno para nada hombre!"
("You, you, are a pure devil! I hope you rot in hell, get hit by a car, shot for Jesus' sake! Jarrell Damonte Houston I hope your last moment of life is a lonely moment! I hope everyone you love leaves you, because you are sick, sorry, good for nothing man!") She yelled not letting up on the assault on his ear, she didn't know he was playing her until it was too late.
"Mirada le conozco odio, yo y es comprensibles, pero estoy apesadumbrado. Y deseo disculparme por todo el dolor que le he traído, y no le deseo nada sino felicidad. Adiós."
("Look I know you hate, me and it's understandable, but I am sorry. And I want to apologize for all the pain I've brought you, and I wish you nothing but happiness. Good-Bye.") He said quickly hanging up the phone before she could get a word in edge wise.
Talia whispered to Druex in spanish so not to break the feel, "Veo que nada allí ha cambiado. Ridículo, jugador, pimp, wannabe, es algo triste."
("I see nothing there has changed. Ridiculous, player, pimp, wannabe, it's rather sad.")
Druex laughed out loud looking at Talia, "It never has changed."
"True, true, so what happened last night?" She asked turning toward him throwing some papers on her desk.
"Nothing, I took Evone home, and then I went to a friends." Druex replied putting his jacket on a chair, and unbuttoned the top of hit shirt.
Talia rolled her eyes smiling, ignoring Jarrell who was staring at her, "You mean you went to Kiara's house."
"Yea, but I tried to tell her I couldn't do anymore and we ended up like we always do...in her bed." Druex sighed standing up excusing himself to the men's bathroom, leaving Jarrell and Talia alone in the office.
He was straight out eyeing her, while Talia tried to patiently count to 10 in her mind. But every move she made she either could see him, or she could feel him, and she ready to smack him. After a moment Jarrell stood up, walked over to the window and just stared out like he was hoping for an immediate epiphany. She knew that look, she knew it all too well, he had something on his mind.
Talia exhaled loudly turning her chair towards him, "OK, Jarrell what's on your mind?"
Jarrell turned to her, and almost smiled but then he remembered he had nothing to smile about, but he could tell from the look in her eye that she regretted asking him, "Nothing Talia, nothing just wondering whether the Jive account will go through."
"Now, Jarrell DaMonte Houston, give me more credit. I've known you to damn long not to know when you have something on your mind, so spill it." She replied with mock offense, it was a moment she didn't expect to feel so comfortable with.
Jarrell turned his brown eyes to met hers and this time he did smile, "I was just wishing that I could start all over."
"Why?" Talia flinched when she heard that come out of her mouth, she actually didn't want to hear it.
Jarrell noticed her flinch and his heart kind of fell deeper into his stomach knowing that how she felt was how Telisha felt, "You remember what yesterday was?"
Talia did remember, her mind raced remembering the dream that was plagued with the deceased woman the night before, "How could I forget? That was the sweetest woman to have as a mother away from your own, she could do no wrong."
"It's just I know she wouldn't be proud of who I've let myself become, or the mistakes that I could have avoided making." Jarrell said sitting on the chair that Mr. Parker had sat in the day before.
Talia understood what he meant, after first she had an urge to say something mean but a feeling she knew all too well over took her, just like it used to, "But Jarrell you're just 26, it's not like you don't have your whole life to make up for past mistakes."
Jarrell looked up at her, he had been staring his fingers ever since he had sat down, and both their minds went back to a day more than 5 years ago. When Talia had remember what she had felt when she had first kissed Jarrell, a need to take care of him, and it would never go away.
They sat on the hard cold ground, wishing that the rain would fall from the big, dark gray clouds that were sitting in the sky above them. The earth they sat on was still kind of high since it was only put there a day earlier. Jarrell was in Talia's arms while he cried tears of sorrow. He had lost his mother, his reason for going to college, his reason for happiness, his reason for living.
Talia only tried to ease his pain as he sobbed softly into her black T-shirt, he was his mothers youngest, the most loved, the most doted on. And now the woman that held his heart for his whole entire life was laying lifeless in the ground, she could say nothing but just quietly wipe her own tears.
"She didn't deserve to die Lia." He cried softly looking at the sherry colored tombstone in front of him, he was gripping her so tightly she almost couldn't breathe.
"No, of all people she didn't Rell, but you know she is always gonna be with you." Talia whispered wiping his tears away as his manly pride came back, his amber colored eyes were red from the nonstop tears that he had cried, and the lack of sleep.
Jarrell wanted to smiled at her for a moment but he couldn't, it just wouldn't come, he knew she loved taking care of him and that's why he loved her, "But I want to hug and kiss her, tell her everything, and listen to her stories of life. Things I didn't think I would ever have the chance to miss...like telling her I love her."
Talia kissed his forehead as he laid it on her chest sighing as tell fell quietly, "Rell, you know Ms. Brenda knew you loved her, you her everyday you spoke to her, and you being who you are just your voice can a person how much you care."
This time it came, and in full force, "I miss Lia, is that wrong? To miss her? When she would have said it's not fair to miss a person when God had called them to him."
"Rell, she's your mother, it's always gonna be OK to miss her, you know she's already asked God to save you a seat beside her up there." Talia smiled as Jarrell moved so that his head was in her lap, and he was staring at the dark sky still wishing it would rain on him.
"Mama, always did have a way making all situations seem as though they had a silver lining, you've been around her too much." Jarrell said with a small smirk on his lips, he loved this woman as much as he loved his mother and the thought of possible losing her was as bad as the feeling he had now.
Talia bent down and kissed him softly, "No, Rell no one could ever be around Ms. Brenda too much. I love making you feel better, I don't think I've ever felt anything better when I can change your whole mood."
Jarrell stared up at her, he studied the deep brown eyes that looked at him with such love, and the beautiful lips that he loved, and the thick hair she always wore down letting the wind blow it just like he liked. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it, "Don't ever leave me Lia, I don't think I would ever be right if you did."
"I won't Rell, I won't." Talia replied squeezing his hand back smiling at the man she loved, moments like these make all the pain he was feeling ease just a little.
They both looked away as the memory brought them back to where they were now, she had left him, and he told the truth, he wasn't right at all. Maybe her dream was right, maybe they would always be thrown together. Maybe he was her Mr. Forever, Talia looked at him biting her lip, how this be? She hoped it wasn't true, she wished it wasn't true, but like Jarrell had said in her dream, 'run all you want, but you will always end up with me'. Jarrell stared at her, his body in a different state, while his mind was on the same train as Talia's, except he knew no one but Talia was his Mrs. Forever, but how could he make up for all he had did to her?
---- Mario's Office ----
Mario laid his head back on his chair sighing loudly not remembering why his best friend was sitting there staring at him like she waiting on something. He sat their a minute trying to remember what she had just asked him, but his mind couldn't shake the memory that his mind kept flying back too.
"I'm sorry." Danielle said quickly backing away from him, she looked at him like they had just committed a crime.
Mario caught her arm as she was about to leave, he looked into her dark beautiful eyes and said, "Why are you apologizing? I'm the one who kissed you."
Danielle became a little flustered as the feeling of his lips came running back to her, "Yes I know that Mario, but what I'm not comfortable with is that YOU kissed me. You have a girlfriend, and she is a friend of mine too."
Mario shook his head looking at her like, 'you think I have forgotten', "I know all that, Dani I wouldn't have kissed you if I didn't really want to."
Danielle didn't say anything as she looked at him, thinking of a conversation they had, had in high school about his feelings for her, "Mario don't...we can't...I can't go back there."
"But I need you too, please." Mario whispered coming closer to her, his hand caressing her face as he felt his best friend tremble. He had always been in love with her, just something kept him from being with her all the time. There were moments like these where he couldn't stop the temptation of being with her.
Danielle tried to move as he moved her somehow to the couch in his office, his eager hands running all over her body. She closed her eyes and her wall broke she met this kiss with his same urgency. She had went back, she had always loved him, but never knew how to go about showing him, "Mario, it's OK."
As she whispered the words that they had decided was avow of yes back in high school were spoken into his ear, his need for her only increased, he couldn't remember a moment with Talia being like this.
Danielle's voice broke into his thoughts of that moment not that long ago, "Is that what you want?"
Mario was kind of lost as to what she was asking him about, "Huh?"
"Lunch, nigga, lunch is that what you want? A burger from Brother's BBQ, and a lemonade." Danielle asked her hands on her hips waiting impatiently.
"Yea, yea that's what I want." Mario replied trying to shake that memory from his head.
He stood up to give her the money and she shook her head no, she kissed his cheek and walked toward the door saying, "I'll be back in a minute."
"OK." He replied as her movement spread her prefume everywhere and he swore he would die. Mario's body longed for her touch, his lips longed for her kiss, and somehow he longed to be with her always.
---- Druex ----
Druex walked out of the bathroom looking around the building at the beautiful women who walked by him, but his mind wouldn't leave Evone.
"Morning Druex, Kiara told me about last night, what is wrong with you? What about Evone?" His friend ReKelia Robertson said coming up to him, she was his friend, Kiara's friend, and Talia's friend. Except she always told Kiara she didn't like the way she was with Druex, and she told Druex the same.
Druex knew that was coming, he knew what happened last night could have been avoided, "Evone was the whole reason I went over there, I wanted to tell her that we couldn't do that anymore."
ReKelia looked at Druex her green eyes screaming 'dummy that was stupid', "Come on Druex, you were at Kiara's house! Trying to breakup with Kiara on her on turf is like trying to get a snake to bite itself."
Druex looked her over, her words held quite a bit of truth to them. ReKelia was a beauty, her long brownish goldish hair was making her light brown skin glow, and her outfit was fitting every curve but in a professional way. He would try to spit game to her but she liked Evone, "True, true Kelia, but I'm try to today before I leave here. Cause you and everybody else are killing me with this 'you're gonna lose Evone if you don't quit', so Ima try again today."
"Good, you have a lot of smart friends, you and I both know that Kiara is only looking at your massive back account. And we all know you're not screwing her for her mind." ReKelia smiled as Druex started to walk off, he laughed shaking her is head.
"Ha, you that's true too, see you at lunch eh?" Druex asked before she walked out of his earshot.
"You know it D." She replied not turning back to even glance at him.
Druex only got a few steps down the hall when he saw her, she was standing with some papers in her hand. Her red suit skirt was to short and to tight, her white shirt was opened to show her Carmel colored skin, her long hair was in a bun, and he prayed that he could do this. Druex slowly walked to her and tried to smile, "Hey Kiara."
Kiara turned her brown eyes to him and smiled, "Well, good morning Druex. How are we feeling this morning?"
"Fine, I need to talk to you." Druex replied pulling her into a corner, moving her hand from his chest as she tried to undo the remaining buttons on his shirt.
Kiara tried to kiss him but he was rejecting her every move, "No, no, Dru Dru we can talk later."
Druex hated when she called him that, he literally pushed her back and held her by her shoulders against the wall, "OK, Kiara you are trying to make this hard. We can't do this anymore, not what we did last night. Never again do you hear me? Ever, I'm not losing someone I love over you."
Kiara's beautiful face twisted in a hateful frown, "You mean over that little trick Evone?"
Druex sighed trying to remember not to ever hit a woman, "Yes, Evone, I love her and I can't fuck you anymore. Do You understand that?"
"But we have so much fun Druex, you can't love her more than me! She's so plain Dru Dru, I'm all you'll ever need." Kiara begged as he started to walk away.
Druex turned back to her, the spite and hostility clear in his dark eyes, "That's just it, what I feel for you is no where close to love Kiara, I just love to fuck you that's all."
Kiara shook, the malice in his voice chilled her spine, she just had to have him, even if it meant harassing his one and only Evone. She had to have Druex Fredricks. Why? Because not only was his job bringing in good money, but he was to inherit more than 3 million dollars from his grandfather the day he got married.
---- Marques & Brittany Wedding Planning ----
Brittany stood wringing her hands, Michelle, and Jerome's wife Sheena sat in front of her trying to help her make up her mind.
"OK, Marq chose his brother for best-man, now my sister is my Maid Of Honor. But Bridesmaids, I already agreed to let Mario and Danielle walked down together, you know who that leaves Talia with? Jarrell, Marq is gonna flip da script when he hears, that not only did invite him but he's in the wedding." Brittany replied worriedly, trying to forget the argument that ensued breakfast that morning as she told him that she intended to invite Jarrell.
Michelle thought a moment before looking at her friend who was becoming increasingly nervous, "Do you want me to tell Omari, and he could tell Marq?"
"After all that's happened do you really think O is gonna be any happier about it?" Brittany asked sitting in a chair in front of Michelle and Sheena.
"No, you have a point. Why are you inviting him anyway?" Michelle asked as Sheena continued looking at wedding dresses.
"Because I promised him years before that he would be invited to my wedding. It was the day he introduced me to Marq, and I would never break my promise to him, look at the happiness he brought me. And plus that's my second cousin he's family." Brittany replied opening and closing a bridal magazine.
Sheena inhaled and exhaled loudly throwing he magazine on top of the others, "Are you forgetting the tension he brought to my wedding?"
The other two women looked at her shaking their heads, you couldn't forget the tension that everyone had felt that day.
It was a warm June day, bright skies, warm weather, full of happy friends and family. They were all gathered to see Jerome marry the woman of his dreams, Sheena. Most laughed at the thought of the tall woman announcing she would not be wearing heels today, most tried to envision her in her wedding dress.
It was moments before the bride would walk down the aisle, everyone stopped speaking instantly as they could hear the groom's best man, Marques, start sucking his teeth in anger. His eyes wouldn't leave the door as Jarrell and his sister Talia walk in, it was just a little under six months beforet hey would break up.
Jerome tried to calm his friends anger as Jarrell and Talia sat in the row behind Jerome's parents. As they music started and the maid of honor, Brittany, walked down the aisle she followed Marques eyes, as he stared Jarrell down. At this moment, friends who knew the situation started telling the people who didn't know the whole story and the tension began to rise and the voices began to circle.
'He slept with the bride's sister.' People whispered to one another, and Marques began steaming.
'Does she know?' Other appalled people would whisper back their hands on their chest surprised.
People would laugh at the question, 'It's not the first time he's done it.'
'She ought to leave his sorry ass.' The appalled would reply turning a hateful eye Jarrell.
Bridesmaids were still going down the aisle when Marques couldn't take anymore, he stood up and stormed over to Jarrell, getting a surprised gasp out of the guests and the groom. What he snarled at Jarrell was not heard, but eventually Jerome got him off of Jarrell, dragging him back to his spot at the alter. Sheena & her father walked down the aisle just as Jarrell got up and excused himself, her eyes were wide as she felt the tension that couldn't cut with a knife.
For a moment Talia sat uncomfortable, looking at her feet, but Omari moved beside her, intertwining their fingers trying to calm her. He could tell she was nervous, he wanted ask what did Marq say but he also knew that was the last thing she wanted to hear. The rest of the wedding was quiet, the guests barely spoke, and the 'I Do's' were less than happy. It took most of the guests to consume 2 glasses of alcohol before the reception became a real celebration.
They all sat remembering the moment that almost ruined Sheena's big day, "But that's the problem I told Marques that he had to forget him being there, or just ignore him. And in the end he promised to try, but you both know that something's going to happen."
Sheena shook her head and listened to the baby monitor for a second, "It's like having Shug Knight, Dre, Snoop Dogg, Tupac, Biggie, and Puffy in one building back in 1996. Something's bound to happen!"
They agreed laughing at the way she put it, Brittany asked, "So what can I do?"
"I dunno but whatever it is, it may have to be a threat of some kind, cause we all know the sight of Jarrell is the last thing Marq needs to go off." Michelle replied taking a drink of her ice tea.
Brittany thought a moment before she spoke, "And I know just what to say too."
"And what is that?" Sheena asked wondering how Brittany could keep a repeat of her own wedding from occurring.
"Telling him I will cancel the wedding if he even attempts to assault Jarrell, saying that he is my cousin and all I ask is today he just ignores his presence." Brittany said hoping her plan wouldn't back fire.
Michelle looked at her strangely, "You think that's going to work?"
Brittany looked out the window, "I'm sure of it, if there is one thing Marq wants it's this wedding."
"That's true." Sheena replied understanding that's exactly what Jerome felt before they got married.
"Well, then it's worth a try." Michelle replied shrugging her shoulders, reminding to tell Omari about Jarrell being invited, no use of having one brother make a fool of himself at his brothers wedding.