Sacrifices of the Soul, Chapter 38
 

Kay was sitting in the Book Café, waiting for Simone and Miguel, and then they were going to be off to cooking class. Simone came in, and rushed to the table with Kay. She was smiling, ear to ear.

" So, why are you so happy?", Kay said.

" Because", Simone leaned in to whisper to Kay, " Hakim and I made love last night."

" YOU DID WHAT?!", Kay said.

" Keep your voice down. I’m officially a woman.", Simone said proudly.

" Simone, I can’t believe that you gave your virginity to that scumbag."

" I told you not to talk about Hakim like that. I love him, and I don’t care if you don’t see the great guy that I see."

" Great guy! The guy’s an asshole."

" That’s it! We’re finished!" , Simone gets up from the table, and leaves Kay, but, she bumps into Chad.

" Whoah..where’s the fire. Simone, what’s up? What’s got you so upset? Your Pops still trippin’?"

" No. It’s Kay. She’s not the friend I thought she was."

" Come on, now. Ever since I hit town, you and Kay have been like white on rice.", Chad emphasizes his point by holding up a hand with two tightly crossed fingers.

" Not anymore. "

" Why not?", Chad says, sitting Simone down at a table. He looked over at Kay, who he saw wanted to come over, but, his eyes told her to stay put.

" She doesn’t respect my relationship with Hakim."

" Hakim? You and Kay are on the outs because of THAT Clown?"

" I should have known better than to think I could talk to YOU about my relationship."
Simone begins to get up, but, Chad won’t let her go.

" Relationship? What kind of relationship could YOU have with him?"

" We are COMMITTED to one another…in EVERY WAY."

Chad looked at Simone, and a chill went down his spine. He knew EXACTLY what she meant, and the rage quelled within him; the thought of that animal sleeping with Hakim. Not only didn’t he take the ass whoopin’ Chad had given him to heart – he had no compounded it by taking his little sister’s virginity. But, Chad also could see the look in Simone’s eyes. That look of innocence wrapped in desperate love. Chad knew that if he said the wrong word, he would be chopping off his relationship with Simone, and sending her back into that predator’s arms. The waters were now very testy, and he had to maneuver them smartly, or Simone would be lost to them forever.

" Simone, Kay is your friend. She’s allowed NOT to like him, just as I am. We are not allowed to disrespect your feelings, and I don’t intend to do that anymore. I respect your relationship, just like I would hope that you would respect any of mine.", Chad was amazed at how smoothly the lie rolled off his tongue. The object was to stay in Simone’s life. If he stayed in it, he had a better chance to fight Hakim, whom he had clearly underestimated.

" You mean that, Chad?"

" Sure. You’re not a little girl, anymore. This is an adult relationship, and I have to treat it as such."

" I knew I could count on you, Chad."

" And, you can count on Kay, too. Kay hasn’t had an adult relationship before, so she doesn’t know the emotions and commitment involved in it. You have allow for that."

Simone nodded. " I guess so."

" I know so. Go on over there. You two have been best friends forever. You need one another."

" We’ve known one another for forever."

" Then, don’t let it go."

Simone nods and is on her way over to see Kay, when Chad calls out, " Simone?"

" Yeah."

" You are taking precautions, right?"

" Of course I am, Chad. As a woman, I’m responsible for myself."

" Ok."

Simone walked back over to Kay.

" I guess I overreacted.", Simone says.

" Yes, you did. Simone, when did our friendship become so sensitive that I can’t tell YOU what I’m thinking."

" When you attack the man I love. Would you let me sit here and badmouth Miguel?…would you?"

Kay shakes her head, " I guess you’re right."

" Friends?", Simone asks.

Kay nods. " Friends………so, how was it?", she says in a whisper.

" It was weird. Hakim and I didn’t make love at first. He did other things that made me feel things I didn’t know were possible. He says that it gets better in time."

Kay wanted to throw up when she heard Simone say ‘ better in time’. But, she couldn’t. She had seen enough Afterschool Specials to know that she was now living in one of them, and Simone was playing the part of ‘the friend that I’ll lose to the loser who’s skillfully maninpulating her.’ Kay didn’t think she could hate someone more than she hated Charity, but, Hakim tops the list.

" Hey guys, sorry I’m late."

Kay had never been so happy to see Miguel as she was at that moment. Spared from hearing anymore gushes about Hakim.

They got muffins and left for Cooking Class.
 

Julian was putting his signatures on the paperwork that he was doing this morning, when Chad comes into his office.

" Well, good morning, soon to be afternoon. What is it that I haven’t done this time, my belligerent son?"

" You going to see the Doc today?"

" Yes, as usual."

" I want to come with you."

" Are you sure?"

" Yeah. I think I can help."

" Good. Fine with me."

Julian finishes up, and they leave in Julian’s car. There is silence and they finally arrive at the Sanitarium.  Eve is at her usual place, and Julian and Chad walk over to her.

" Eve, look who came to see you. Our son."

Chad felt a little chill go down his spine. Even though the entire world knew the truth, there was a part of him that was still in shock, and to hear Julian refer to him as his son. To see both his parents in one place, and have them ‘own’ up to his existence, was still a new experience for him.

Chad took up a seat next to Eve, and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

" Hey Doc. I thought I’d come with Julian here to see you." Chad looked up at Julian, " Can you give us some time alone?"

Julian looked at Chad suspiciously. There was something in his demeanor. On the surface, he looked ever so concerned, yet, Julian could almost ‘feel’ something more sinister about him. He didn’t want to leave Eve with him having doubts, but, then, he had to make Chad think that he trusted him.

" Well, I’ll be discussing her case with the doctors inside. You have my cellphone number in case you need something. "

" We’ll be cool, won’t we Doc?", Chad said smiling. Chad’s smile stayed on his face until he saw for sure that Julian was inside of the building.

Once he knew that Julian was out of the way, he took his chair, and placed it in front of Eve. He began his  talk.

He smiled at Eve, " Nice setup you have here, Doc. I mean, real smooth. Bet everything’s done for ya here, ain’t it? Nothing you can’t get in here. Nothing they won’t do for you, especially because of who’s paying the bills.

You know what, I was remembering the old times, Doc. When you and I first met. You rode my ass something  fierce. Remember those times? When you didn’t want me around Whitney and Simone because of my background?

I thought it was because you knew about where I came from, and you wanted your daughters away from that as much as possible.

But, everyone came up with the ‘you were raised in an oh-so-proper home’. Since a lot of what you’ve told was a lie, I’m willing to bet that was a lie too.

So, you KNOW my life. You’ve been there. Done that.  I know it, and I have a feeling dear Jules knows it too. Which is why he’s willing to coddle you like he has. That, on top of however he mistreated you way back when. You’ve got a lot of guilt points where he’s concerned, don’t you. Treating you like you’re a china doll.

You ain’t no china doll.

I survived with nothing for years on my own. Since I didn’t have no schoolin’, it was done on instinct. Instinct that can’t be taught. It has to be inherited.

I doubt ‘Pops Crane’ could last 12 hours without his American Express Platinum Card, that leaves my survival skills to be inherited from you.

You once said that you wanted a relationship with me. If that’s true, then NOW is the time to put up or shut up. I’m a grown-assed man. I can take care of myself.

But, there’s someone else who needs you now. Who can’t take care of herself. You did a good job of raising her, but, the downside to how you raised her was if she met the ‘WRONG’ kind of guy.

I’m here to tell you that she has.

Who?

Simone.

Simone has met up with a lowlife named Hakim. YOU know the type…I know you do. He’s the type who trolls the bus stations looking for girls like Simone, who radiate their innocence. Most people would respect it. People like him don’t. They use it to their advantage. They use it against Simone.

Simone is in TROUBLE. This mutherfucker has his hooks into her. She’s just YOUNG enough for him to ruin completely…and, he will.

The time for you to be able to lollygag up here is over Miss Thing. Time for this White Folks Playtime is UP!

It’s time for you to get your ass back to Harmony, and to help us fight this no-good asshole for Simone’s soul. If you don’t. If you hide up here. If you let that White man take care of you. If you abdicate your responsibilities as that girl’s MAMA – you can count me out. I will wash my hands of you.

She don’t need her Daddy,  or her big sister, who don’t know that world and don’t know how to fight it. She won’t listen to me, even though I know it.

YOU are the one who can save her. If you tell her which way is up. If you tell her the stories as only a woman who survived them can, you MIGHT have a chance against him. I’ve already kicked his ass, and his response to that was to make your little girl ‘ a woman’.

That’s right……he’s gotten Simone into bed with him. Which makes the fight even harder now.

Lady, I don’t give a shit that your marriage has gone belly up. Or that the people at the church think of you differently. Or, your colleagues don’t invite you on their committees. None of that matters to me as much as my teenaged sister getting involved with a no-good lowdown Nigga that WILL ruin her life FOR GOOD if we don’t get her away from him. I KNOW him. I’ve had my life threatened too many times by  sonuvabitches like him. And, I’ve seen too many young girls without dreams and dead in their eyes by the time they’re Whitney’s age BECAUSE of assholes like him.

And, I’m NOT going to have it with MY sister.

Your time is up. No more self-pity. No more whining. No more coddling. Stand up for Simone, or stay your ass  on up  here until hell freezes over, because if Simone gets ruined, there will be NO ONE to blame but YOU. "

Julian, who had been observing the change in Chad’s facial expressions was concerned and left the doctor’s office and came down as fast as he could to Chad and Eve.

" What the hell are you saying to your mother?"

" None of your business."

" The hell it isn’t."

" I’ll walk back if I have to. But, what I said to her is between us. I’ll be in the car when you finish."

Chad walked over to Eve and whispered in her ear. " Remember what I said, Doc. It’s all up to you. Prove that ‘Mother Love’. "

Chad walked away from Eve and towards the parking lot.

Julian took Eve’s hand.

" Eve, I don’t know what he said to you, but, don’t you worry about him. I guess he upset you. I can feel that your pulse is faster. I’m going to go. I won’t bring him again. Be well."

Julian kissed her hand and left.

Julian got in his car, where a sullen Chad was waiting.

" Do you want to tell me what you said to your mother?"

" Nope."

From the harshness, Julian knew it was futile for  him to continue to badger Chad. They were driving along when a sudden rainstorm hit. As Julian turned on his windshield wipers, he comments to Chad: " I hope they moved your mother inside before the storm."

At the Sanitarium, the nurses were moving the patients inside. Eve was helped up to the hospital, and the nurse didn’t realize that the wetness on her face wasn’t solely due to the rain…….she had been shedding tears.