CHAPTER ONE #2
But Nikki could also see the pain in Roz’s eyes. She knew she had won the prize so many other ladies were doing all they could to win. And she knew if she left Mick he’d have a thousand ladies to choose from to replace her in his bed. It would be just that easy for him to move on.
But Nikki could see Roz’s resolve too. She wasn’t putting up with his antics anymore.
She didn’t want to leave him. Nikki knew Roz loved herself some Mick.
But she seemed to be at a place where she felt she had to love herself more.
Mick and Roz’s marriage, unlike any time Nikki had ever seen before, appeared to be in serious danger of collapsing toward a tragic end.
“You may as well let me out, Ma,” said Teddy who was seated beside Roz, “because Pop’s gonna make me move.”
“I doubt that,” said Roz.
Nikki looked at Roz. Teddy did too. “What do you mean you doubt it? He always makes me move.”
“Yeah well, things they are a-changing,” said Roz cryptically and Teddy and Nikki glanced at each other.
And Roz meant it. Sometimes she wondered if that man gave a damn about her.
And when Mick arrived at their booth and sat beside Nikki as if he never ordered people to move whenever they were seated beside Roz so that he could sit beside her, Teddy’s heart began to squeeze. It was real to him now.
“What would you like to drink, sir?” the waitress asked Mick.
“Nothing. I won’t be here long.”
Roz looked at him as the waitress left. “Really Mick?”
“I told you I was busy.”
“And I told you we need to talk.”
“Here, at a restaurant? Here, in front of Ted and Nikki?”
“Yes!” Roz wasn’t backing down. “It’s that serious, yes.”
Mick looked at Roz. She was already getting hot under the collar he could tell.
And unlike any other woman on earth, whenever Roz got angry like that, she always looked as sexy as sexy could look to him.
He always wanted to fuck her on the spot whenever she got that hot.
He couldn’t help it, but he was getting hard.
Roz could see the lust in his eyes. And that only made her angrier.
It was as if he wasn’t taking her seriously anymore.
And that made her wonder if he was just that out to lunch, or if he just didn’t give a damn.
“I don’t know if y’all know this,” she said to Teddy and Nikki, “but this is the first time I’ve seen Mick in three days. ”
That sounded odd to them. “You’ve been out of town, Pop?” Teddy asked him.
“No, he hasn’t been out of town. He’s been right here in town. He just haven’t bothered to come home.”
That was new to Teddy and Nikki. “Damn, Pop,” Teddy said.
“Listen to her if you want to,” said Mick.
“I know your ass ain’t calling me no liar,” Roz said with fire in her voice. “I know better than that.”
Mick gave her a hard look. “What’s this about, Roz? Just tell me what’s this about.”
“The twins haven’t had breakfast, lunch, or dinner with their own father in three whole days,” Roz said. “That’s what it’s about!”
“I told your ass I was working. Didn’t I tell you that?”
“But Pop,” asked Teddy, “what kind of work you’re doing that you can’t go home at night? It may be late at night,” he added, “but you still can go home at night.”
“Thank you!” said Roz.
This was a very bad idea, thought Nikki, as she could feel the rage growing inside of Mick. He didn’t like to be called out. He just didn’t. And normally people were too fearful to call him out.
But Roz was always fearless. “And you don’t just stay out all night,” she added, “you don’t even bother to call to let me know shit when you do stay out all night.” Then she leaned toward him. “Where your ass sleeping? Cause you gotta get some sleep.”
Mick looked at her. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You know what it means. It means who are you sleeping with? That’s what it means!”
“Get the fuck out of here,” Mick said as he rose to his feet and, to their shock, he began leaving.
“I’m not done yet, Mick. Mick?”
People were watching their table as Mick ignored her and began leaving.
When he walked away, something inside of Roz snapped. She had had it up to here with that man. And she jumped up from that table, her scarf sailing to the floor, and she hurried out of that restaurant behind Mick.
Teddy hurried behind her, knowing what his father was capable of if you pushed him. He felt he had to protect Roz.
Nikki grabbed Roz’s purse and then her scarf from the floor, grabbed her own purse, threw a hundred-dollar bill on the table, and hurried out behind them.
Nikki knew it looked bad: She and Roz were the only two black people in that entire section of the restaurant and those rich white folks were looking at her as if it was typical behavior for them to cause a ruckus.
But they could kiss Nikki’s ass. Mick’s decision to leave rather than hear what his own wife had to say was what caused that ruckus.
And if they couldn’t see that, then tough. She took off.
Outside, Roz had rushed up to Mick and hit him in the back as hard as she could, causing him to flinch from the pain and to turn around and grab her wrists violently. But when he saw the pain in Roz’s eyes, his look softened.
But Roz was still enraged. “How dare you walk away from me!” she yelled angrily as Teddy hurried out of the restaurant. “How dare you!”
Teddy was about to get in between his parents, because he knew his father was not the one. But Mick’s rage never materialized. He knew he was responsible for that searing pain that was all over Roz’s anguished face.
When Nikki hurried outside, she saw Mick holding Roz’s wrists, but neither one of them were lashing out.
The valet arrived with Mick’s big, black Cadillac Escalade and handed him the key fob.
By now, Roz was more sad than angry and Mick knew it.
He placed his arm around her waist and instead of waiting for her car, he placed her onto the passenger seat of his SUV.
As another valet drove up behind them with Roz’s Mercedes-Maybach, Nikki went to the passenger door and handed Roz her purse and her scarf.
Roz was so emotionally spent that she couldn’t even say thank you. She just nodded and leaned her head against the leather backrest of Mick’s Escalade. Mick closed the door as the valet hurried over and handed him Roz’s key fob too.
Mick handed it to Nikki. “Drive her car to my house,” he ordered.
“Yes sir,” Nikki said. She could see the pain in his eyes too.
Then he walked around and got in on the driver side of his SUV. They could see a singular tear streaming down Roz’s face as Mick drove her away.
Nikki looked at Teddy with tears welling in her own eyes. Teddy pulled her into his arms. “They’ll be okay,” he said. “They always are.”
But even he was gravely concerned.