Johnson Weekend

A Short Before the Story
1. Auflage 2001
ISBN: 978-1-62309-579-6
Verlag: BookBaby
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 55 Seiten

Would you be able to face all of your problems head on in one weekend? For Jacob, Monique, and Houston; that is just what they will have to do.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Johnson, S. D.

Leseproben

Prologue 1 – Houston Cummings The beginning of strife is like releasing water; Therefore stop contention before a quarrel starts. Proverbs 17:14 Thursday – Late Afternoon – The Landing! After the four and a half hour flight, I was ready to get off the plane, see my baby girl…, and of course be cordial to her mother and her husband. I was excited because I had not seen Sophie in about four years I guess, and I wanted to spend as much time with her as I could. When I had called her mother to ask if I could come out for her birthday, I was surprised, she said yes. Although Monique did make it a point to let me know that I had to stay in a hotel. Like always, she came off so rude, I had no desire to stay at her house anyway. One thing she did for me though, she constantly said she would leave the door open for Sophie and I to have a relationship. I just did not understand her moving and taking my daughter away like that and then on top of that she never called me about Sophie. I always have to be the one to call and get updates on what new things are happening in Sophie’s life. That drove me crazy, but Monique was always so stubborn once she set her mind on certain things. They were done her way or no way. Once the plane landed in Nebraska, and could depart, it amazed me how hot and muggy it was outside and even inside, for that matter. To be honest it felt like my slacks had been glued to me. I made it to the baggage claim and then after grabbing my stuff I made my way to the front waiting area where Sophie’s mother said they would be sitting. With all these folks in the crowd, I was still able to spot my little princess. She had grown up so much, with her mother’s brown sugar complexion and long black hair. Sophie had two long ponytails hanging by her shoulders, and she looked super tall for her age and just as skinny as I was as a kid. She came barreling toward me and jumped into my arms. I hugged her so tight, and I did not want to let her go. “I missed you so much.” I said to her, and she said the same back. It felt like we hadn’t missed anytime from one another. Then there was her mother. She stood a few feet away from us, and I could feel her staring at me through her big jet-black sunglasses. Nevertheless, she did look good though, I couldn’t say she didn’t. She looked a lot different from the last time I saw her. I didn’t know exactly what it was, but she seemed brighter, like she had a glow or something about her. Brown skin glowing and she seemed happier even though her attitude took up for every other part of her. In spite of her beauty, she was still bitter for no reason at all. Her hair was longer though, and it hung around her shoulders in jet black waves. She even seemed like she was curvier, maybe she started working out or something. She had on a Jesus Fetish baby-tee on, some tight jeans and sandals. She looked good and yes; the jeans were tight. I guess she had been doing quite well for herself. After I smiled, she faked one back to me and without even speaking; she started walking out of the airport. Oh well, forget her and her little attitude, I was here to spend time with my daughter. I followed the ladies out to a brand new black Cadillac CTS; it was all chromed out with the tan leather seats, wood grain interior, and sitting on some twenty two-inch rims. It even smelled like brand-new car and fresh leather. This had to be her husband’s car, and when she popped the trunk, it was huge and yet still had room for my luggage and two twelve-inch speakers and an amp. Yeah, this had to be his car! Monique got in and sat with her phone stuck to the side of her head talking all quiet. She started the engine, and Sophie hopped in the back seat. I reluctantly slid into the front seat; while Sophie sat in the back seat watching a video in the TV screen in the back of the headrest. She told me that it was a video of her track meet a week ago; she said she liked to study her form and look for things to improve her speed. Wow what an amazing kid! The track program was special because it trained kids her age to be ready for track when they got into middle and high school. Anyway, we engaged ourselves a little more in conversation about her school, her track team, and her church and the whole time Monique stayed on the phone. Well at least for the first ten minutes of our fifteen-minute ride to the hotel in downtown Omaha. How rude! She finally ended her conversation and tossed her cell phone into the center console of the car. It was so quiet in the car for a hot second; I got a little nervous and warmer even though the A/C blew right into my face. “So,” I started trying to make some small talk with Monique, “This is a nice car your husband has. Cadillac CTS right?” She threw me a quick look, but I could not read the expression. Then she said very cool and calm as if she were trying to restrain herself. “This is not Jacob’s car, it’s mine.” “Oh! Well, it’s nice anyhow.” I said, Ugh! Lord give me strength to deal with this woman all weekend. “So how have things been for you?” “Fine Houston.” “Well, I’ve been doing well too…” I said, thinking how impolite of her not to ask how I was doing, even if she didn’t care. She didn’t have to be rude, I’m just saying! “The church is growing; amazing things are happening, we are prospering, and saving souls.” Monique smiled to herself shaking her head, and before I could ask her what the heck was so funny, she points to a sky scrapper. “Here’s your hotel.” She says, and we pulled into the parking lot. The buildings in downtown were a mix of old and modern architecture. My particular hotel stood up tall close to some new stadium, that Sophie said they had just built. Apparently, the stadium had large event going on, because people walked the streets with big smiles and laughter. Different types of vendors selling what seemed to be sports gear sat posted on every corner trying to make money. Sophie told her mother that she wanted to walk in with me while I checked in, and afterwards we could go get something to eat. Monique nodded and then sighed heavy seeming irritated when Sophie insisted that she come along with us. So she grudgingly popped the trunk and walked behind us after I got my bags and headed to the front entrance. Once at the front desk I gave the young clerk my name and credit card for check in. Sophie stood next to me smiling in my face with those big brown eyes sparkling. I couldn’t help but pinch her little cheeks. Monique, on the other hand, stood a few feet behind us preoccupied with her cell she had grabbed from the console before she got out of the car. The clerk typed fast on her keyboard, and looked up at me confused through her thick eye glasses and handed me back my credit card. “I’m sorry Mr. Cummings, but we don’t have a reservation under your name.” “That must be some kind of mistake.” I said, and attempted to hand my card back to her. “I made this reservation a month ago and got a confirmation email back and everything, can you check again?” “Um, no!” The young girl said, and now she seemed to be irritated with me. “I checked twice, but I’m sorry I don’t have anything under your name.” Monique must have been listening, because she walks up from behind and pushes her way in between me and Sophie, and the sweet scent of her perfume flowed up into my face. “Okay, so there was a mix up, we understand that. Can you take his credit card and just check him into a vacant room, please?” Monique asked surprising politeness. “Um, no!” The clerk said again, pushing her big glasses back up on her oily face. “We seem to be sold out for the evening. Most hotels in the downtown area are. Its ‘College World Series’ season right now, so it’ll probably be like this for the next week or so.” “You have got to be kidding me!” Monique said, and all the politeness was out of the window. This was just great! Lord please make a way out of no way! So Monique was obviously frustrated now as we headed back to the car. We tried to find a room at four different hotels and had no luck at all. This college baseball was a major deal out here for the whole downtown area to be full and no vacancies. Then Sophie seemed overjoyed and almost jumped from the backseat with an obvious solution to my problem. “Mom, just let dad stay in the guest room at our house. It’ll be fun.” “Well, that will give me a little time to call around and find a hotel.” I said, when Monique didn’t respond to the idea. So, she shrugged her shoulders with a nod and with obvious anger hopped on the freeway, and we headed towards their house. After a silent twenty-minute ride, because of the traffic, Sophie jumps up from the back seat as we rounded a corner into a neighborhood with big houses and fenced yards. “That one is our house daddy.” Sophie said leaning on the center console and pointing to a house just about the color of gold, and it was fenced in like the others with a big front yard. The house was at the center of a cul-de-sac and we drove up to a large black gate at the bottom of a giant sloped driveway. We drove up the hill to a big house with a three-car garage. The garage door began to go up as Monique hit the remote on her key ring, and a dude stood there smiling and holding two bouquets of flowers. That...