lies and causing a scene when Desiree arrived.
Once the driver reached the front of the house, Carolyn climbed out of the car. She steeled herself for the questions she knew she’d face when she stepped inside her home. Carolyn immediately began constructing more lies in her head. She had become so good at it that it took her no time to think of what she’d tell everyone, including Ernest, about Donna’s whereabouts. Carolyn exhaled a windstorm before she entered the house. It was the first time she had acknowledged to herself that she was losing the battle on all fronts, but she had made up her mind that it wouldn’t be for long.
Chapter 4
Memories
Desiree’s stomach clenched, and she immediately felt like her modest Honda Accord was out of place on the long winding driveway of her parents’ Idlewild summer home. The four luxury cars parked along the stone driveway were so much bigger and more expensive than hers, and this made Desiree feel like a pizza delivery person pulling up for a five-minute drop-off.
“Whoa,” Tyree exclaimed as they approached the Johnson summer home. “How come this is my first time coming here?” he asked, his eyes stretched wide and his mouth agape. “You’ve been holding out big-time, Mom. Like, big big-time.”
Desiree swallowed hard. “You know I don’t do these family gatherings,” she groaned. “If I don’t come, you don’t come. And none of this is mine, so I haven’t been holding out on anything.”
“I do know you don’t do family gatherings, but I’m still trying to figure out why,” Tyree responded as he continued to scan his surroundings. “With a dope house like this, I’d gather with my family every day! This right here is baller, for real,” he went on, ogling the house and the grounds.
“Boy, just make sure you’re on your best behavior. It’s one week . . . Let’s make it through. Don’t do a lot of talking, so I don’t have to do a lot of explaining. Got it?” Desiree said, twisting her neck to tamp down her nerves.
“There’s a whole lot of stuff you ain’t telling me,” Tyree grumbled under his breath.
Desiree didn’t respond. She knew he had used the word ain’t to get under her skin, and her skin was already crawling bad enough as it was.
They got out of the car almost at the same time. Before Desiree could fully stretch, Rebecca came barreling toward her, with a huge smile on her face.
Desiree’s heart lurched in her chest, and tears immediately sprang to her eyes. The one person she had missed the most all these years was Rebecca.
“Oh my Lord,” Rebecca sang, her arms stretched out in front of her. “I cannot believe my eyes,” she said, her voice cracking. Rebecca pulled Desiree into her and squeezed her so tight, Desiree had no choice but to return the embrace.
Rebecca had been a part of the Johnson family since before Desiree was born. She had served as everything to the family. She had been the nanny, but she had also kept house, kept Carolyn straight, and assisted Ernest in some things as well. Once the kids had become teenagers, Rebecca had taken on the task of making sure Carolyn’s household chores never piled up, especially the cooking. As wealthy as Ernest was, he had never liked to eat out. He preferred Rebecca’s home cooking over a fancy restaurant any day. Rebecca still kept things in the house flowing smoothly. She was just a part of their family, period. And she loved Desiree like Desiree was her own child, and in turn Desiree had confided in Rebecca more than she had her own mother.
“Rebecca,” Desiree whispered, finally letting her tears fall. “I’ve missed you so much,” she gasped, almost choking on her words. “So much.”
Rebecca’s body quaked with sobs. Neither of them had been prepared for the rush of emotions that took over them like a tidal wave. As they stood there, seemingly stuck in one another’s embrace, memories flooded them both.
Back then, Desiree had almost jumped out of her skin when the soft knocks reverberated through her bedroom door.
“It’s me, Desi,” Rebecca had whispered.
Desiree had yanked open the door, her heart slamming against her chest wall.
“Did my mother see you leave the house?” Desiree had asked nervously as her stomach did flip-flops.
“No, Desi, I don’t think that she did. And now she’s gone, I believe, to a hair appointment or something like that. But you know she’ll be back soon, and the first place she is coming is right to this room,” Rebecca answered, her eyebrows furrowed with worry. She had been doing nothing but worrying since Desiree had taken to hiding out in her room. But now this . . .
“Okay. Did you get it?” Desiree asked, then bit her bottom lip. She was squirming like she had to urinate really badly.
“Yes, I did,” Rebecca answered, digging into her pocketbook. “And I didn’t like it one bit. Imagine me buying this stuff at my age . . . the stares I got in that store. This is just too much, Desi. Too much,” she complained as she pulled a small plastic bag from her pocketbook and extended it toward Desiree. Desiree’s hands trembled as she snatched the bag and looked at Rebecca through glassy eyes.
“Oh my God, Rebecca. I can never repay you for this,” Desiree said, her voice cracking.
Rebecca twisted her lips and scrunched her eyebrows. It was an expression that was all too familiar to Desiree. She’d seen it over the years: anytime she’d done something Rebecca didn’t agree with, that had been the facial expression she got. Rebecca wasn’t much on using words to admonish, but her body language, most of the time, said it all.
“Please. Not that face. Not now. Not you,” Desiree grumbled, wrapping her arms around herself. “I’m going through enough. And I don’t need you, of all people, to judge me, Rebecca. Please . . . not right now, of all the times in my life,” Desiree said, tearing up.
Rebecca softened her expression and touched Desiree’s hand gently. She hated to see Desiree cry. Rebecca still thought of Desiree as her little girl. She had basically raised Desiree and all the Johnson children.
“I’m not one to judge you, you know that. God is the only one who can judge you. But if this is so, you can’t hide it. I won’t help you hide it,” Rebecca said softly. “I’ll be here for you, no matter what, but I want you to think about this long and hard. You are not married. You’re a little girl, and you have so much living to do, Desi.”
“It was a mistake. I know everyone will hate me, but I’m not perfect. It was a big mistake,” Desiree sobbed, lowering her eyes. She hated it when Rebecca was disappointed in her. When she was a child, the idea of letting Rebecca down was the one thing that could be used to punish Desiree.
“Oh, Desi, I don’t mean to be hard, but you know right from wrong. You are better than this. I taught you better than this,” Rebecca said sternly, but with the hint of softness only she knew how to master. Desiree looked down at the floor. Rebecca grabbed her into a tight embrace, her ample bosom providing a cushion. She squeezed Desiree close. “I will always love you, no matter how many mistakes you make,” Rebecca whispered in her ear.
Desiree let out more loud sobs. “I hope it comes back negative,” she whimpered into the material of Rebecca’s shirt.
“For the good of everyone involved, I hope it does too,” Rebecca said with
