Chapter Eleven
“Carson,” she exclaimed as her eyes widened. Her hand fluttered to her throat. Truthfully she was happy to see him.
“Hello, Mariah.” He smiled, showing his bright white teeth. “Alex and I”âhe gestured behind himâ“came by to see if we could do anything to help with your move.”
“Hi, Alex. Well, come on in.” Mariah waved the men inside.
When they entered the house, Mariah introduced Carson to her grandmother first. “Granny, this is Carson Palmer.” She pointed at Carson. “He was the man who helped me when my car stopped. And this is his friend Alex. He towed my car here.”
“Pleased to meet you both,” Rosemary greeted the men. She looked at Carson and said, “Thank you for taking care of my girl the other night. God bless you.”
“The pleasure was all mine.” Carson smiled at Rosemary, then at Mariah.
Sonyell and Raquel came out of the kitchen when they heard male voices.
Mariah introduced them. “These are my best friends, Sonni and Rocki. That's Sonni's daughter Sasha on the couch.” Sasha looked up and waved at the men. Then she returned her attention to the television.
The men and women shook hands. Then Carson and Alex sat at the table.
“We just finished eating. Would you like something to eat or drink?” Mariah offered.
“Water if you have it,” Carson requested. Alex asked for tea.
Mariah led everyone to the dining room. Raquel went into the kitchen to get the drinks. She returned shortly and sat across the table from Alex, so she could get her look-see on.
“The house really looks different,” Carson commented. “Different in a good way, I always thought it was too dark in here.”
“So, you knew Mariah's father?” Rosemary asked Carson casually. Her body tensed.
“Yes, ma'am. I did.” Carson nodded. “Mr. Ellison was a good guy. I've known him since I was a teenager. I told Mariah that he was my mentor.”
While Carson and Rosemary conversed, Raquel and Alex were giving each other the eyes. They both liked what they saw. Raquel tore her eyes away from Alex and looked at Carson. “So, Carson, tell us a little about yourself.”
“I was born and raised in Hammond. My parents live here. I have three older sisters, and a younger sister. Two of my sisters live in Indiana, and the other two live in South Holland. They didn't venture too far from the family fold. I have two daughters and I own a construction company.”
Mariah was surprised to hear Carson say that he had children. As a rule, she avoided dating men with children. She shunned baby momma drama.
“Two daughters?” Raquel's perfectly arched eyebrows rose. “You aren't married are you?”
Everyone's head swiveled toward Carson.
He took a sip of water, set the glass back on the table, and answered easily, “No, I'm divorced. I married my high school sweetheart too young, and things didn't work out. “
“Does she live in Hammond too?” Sonyell chimed in. She looked at Mariah and could tell by her friend's expression she wasn't happy about Carson's revelation.
“No, she lives in Whiting. It's located north of here, closer to the east side of the city.”
“How old are your daughters?” Rosemary asked.
“My oldest, Aaliyah, is twelve, and my baby girl, Ashanti, will be ten in two months.” A bead of sweat broke out on Carson's brow. He felt like he was on the hot seat. Carson didn't miss the chagrin that filled Mariah's face.
“Are you a good father? Do you take care of them the way a daddy should?” Rosemary asked the young man curiously. She didn't miss the look of pleasure in his eyes when he observed her granddaughter. Rosemary also caught Mariah peeking at Carson when someone at the table held his attention.
“I do.” Carson nodded. “My ex-wife and I share joint custody. That's one of the reasons we live near each other. The girls spend a month with me then the following month with their mother. I take them to school when they're with me. I am a member of the PTA. They are close to my family, too. I have nieces and nephews around their ages.” His eyes lit up when he talked about his girls.
“You have to give him big props for that. There are way too many deadbeat dads out there not taking care of their kids.” Sonyell voiced her opinion. She wished she could say the same for Michael.
Raquel's onyx eyes swept over Alex. “What about you, big guy? Are you married? Do you have children.”
Alex held up his big, meaty hands. “I plead no to both of the above. I've never been married and I don't have any children. I can vouch for Carson. He is an excellent father and his girls are crazy about him.” Alex tried to help a brother out. He didn't envy his buddy at that moment, having to answer all those questions.
Rosemary's cell phone chimed. She clicked it on, rose from her seat, and walked to the hallway to answer the call. When she was done, she returned to the room. Rosemary said to Mariah, “That was Alma. I'm going to go outside to wait for her. It was nice meeting both of you.” She went outdoors.
“You don't have no baby momma drama going on, do you? Your ex isn't a psycho is she?” Raquel asked Carson bluntly.
Mariah held her breath waiting for Carson's answer.
His lips turned downward into a slash. “We did initially on her part. We've worked through it though.” He looked at Mariah pleadingly.
The young people talked. Ten minutes later Rosemary came back inside with her friend Alma. Rosemary started the tour in the living room. Alma squinted at the picture of Harold and his wife. “He looks familiar. Don't you think he looks likeâ”
“Shh,” Rosemary hissed at Alma as Mariah walked into the room.
Alma's mouth dropped open. She then recovered and said, “Hey, baby. Give me some love.” She held her arms out.
Alma hugged Mariah. She gushed, “This house is huge. I'm so happy for your blessings from your father.”
“Thank you, Miss Alma. I'm sure Granny can't wait to show you the whole house.”
“I can't,” Rosemary said, relieved. “Come on, Alma.” The women walked to the kitchen. Mariah returned to the dining room. Her friends and the men were deep in conversation. Apparently Raquel had completed her interrogation of Carson.
“Do you know how Mari's father was able to acquire all the property he owned? I find it amazing that a black man would own so many diverse businesses,” Sonyell said.
Carson nodded. “I can answer that. He and an army buddy settled here after they completed their stint in 'Nam. They were able to tap into the G.I. Bill. He and his friend Walter went into business together. Walter never married and didn't have any children, so all the business holdings reverted to Mr. Ellison after Walter's death. He was able to capitalize on the extra assets and expanded his empire. The rest, as they say, is history. He always felt real estate was the best form of asset to have.”
Mariah soaked up the information. Rosemary and Alma returned from the tour, and took their leave. Mariah walked them to Alma's car. “Granny, I promise to be a big girl.” Her nose crinkled. “I'm going to miss you, and especially your excellent cooking.” She looked forlornly at her grandmother.
“Maybe I can hook you up with a few meals. Let me know when you're coming, and I'll prepare a care package for you,” Rosemary said.
Grandmother and granddaughter hugged. Then Rosemary and Alma were on their way back to Chicago. Mariah went back inside the house and sat at the dining room table.
“Rocki, I need your car keys. I want to make a Wal-Mart run before it gets too late.” Sonyell held out her hand.
“I could drive you,” Alex volunteered. “I mean all of you.”
“Sure, let's go. We probably need to stop at the grocery store and get food for breakfast in the morning,” Sonyell said.
“There is a Wal-Mart store next to the Food 4 Less grocery store on 169th Street,” Alex informed the group. He and the ladies stood up, collected Sasha, and left Mariah alone with Carson.
“Why don't we go to the living room?” Mariah suggested. Carson followed her to the living room and sat on the butter-colored leather recliner, while Mariah sat on the matching sofa.
“You'll have to take me on a tour. It sure looks different, at least down here,” Carson observed as his eyes roamed the room.
“I forgot you said that you'd been to this house before. Did you visit here often?” Mariah couldn't stop herself from asking Carson. She leaned forward in her seat.
“Yes. Mr. and Mrs. Ellison hosted an annual barbeque in the backyard for the kids at the Boys & Girls Club.”
“That's good.” Mariah settled back against the back of the sofa.
“I hope you don't hold it against me, Mariah, that I have children. They are a big part of my life.”
“I don't know, Carson. I haven't had much luck dating men with children. In fact I've crossed daddies off my list.” Mariah crossed one shapely leg over the other one.
“Really, it's no different from daddy drama, at least that's what me and my buddies call it. I certainly wouldn't hold it against you if you had a child.”
“But, I don't,” Mariah whispered softly. “How long have you been divorced?”
Carson closed his eyes and then opened them. “Five years. Lola and I married when I was eighteen and she was seventeen. We got pregnant her junior year of high school. I loved her and did the right thing by marrying her. As we grew older, we grew apart, and found out we didn't have much in common. We separated for a while, got back together, and tried having another baby to save the marriage, but that didn't work.”
“It usually doesn't. Anyway, who am I to judge you? It's just not my preference to date a baby daddy.”
“You just weren't hanging with the right brother. I promise you that,” Carson proclaimed.
“We'll see about that,” Mariah said seriously.
“Oh, come on, lighten up on a brother,” Carson said as he held up his hands. “So tell me a little about yourself. What makes Ms. Mariah happy? What makes you tick?”
“I'm twenty-nine years old, my birthday was in April. I've never been married, I don't have any children, and I've never been in a serious relationship.”
“What do you do for a living?” Carson asked.
“Well, I wear a number of hats. I run a nonprofit organization for women and teen girls in Altgeld Garden. Up until today, I've lived with my grandmother,” Mariah answered. She looked downward to avoid Carson's probing eyes. Her hands trembled so she tucked them at her side.
“Is your mother deceased?”
“No, not really.” Mariah became flustered. “I didn't mean that the way it sounded. My mother lives in Chicago, and she has been a drug addict for most of my life.”
“That had to be tough. I'm sorry.”
“You don't have anything to be sorry about; my mother made her own choices. She just didn't think about the consequences it would have on me,” Mariah said bitterly.
“Most addicts don't. It's part of the illness,” Carson opined.
“That's what I lot of people say and I disagree. An addiction is just pure selfishness, and if a person really wanted to beat that addiction, they would do everything in their power to do just that.”
“I don't think it's that easy, but you're entitled to your opinion, like I am.”
“Unless you've walked in my shoes, which I'm sure you haven't, then it's just an opinion and not reality. Trust me, I've been there and done that.”
“You're not the only one who has had to endure the rigors of being the child of an addict,” Carson said. “I've walked in those shoes too.”
Mariah's eyes widened. “Really? Who?”
“My dad, he developed an alcoholic addiction after losing his job. That was years ago and luckily he was able to get help and eventually get himself clean.”
Mariah felt foolish. Her eyes dropped. “I'm sorry for coming off sounding so sanctimonious. I do tend to forget I'm not the only one who has experienced the lows of being a child of an addicted parent.”
“Apology accepted. I think we have more in common than you think,” Carson added.
The couple continued to talk, and before long, Sonyell, Raquel, Sasha, and Alex returned.
“I thought you had gotten lost,” Mariah commented when they were inside the house.
“No, Alex took us on a tour of sorts in Hammond. We got him to take us by our houses, and, of course, Wal-Mart. The grocery store was crowded with it being Saturday evening,” Raquel said.
“I guess we're going to head out.” Carson stood up. “Ladies, it was nice meeting you. Mariah, I'll see you tomorrow at seven.”