Chapter 8 P’Nee
The Night To Talk . . .
Thank God it was the summer break, finally. I didn’t think that I would have been able to survive knowing that four of the victims were my current students. Jacob had been busy as hell. His sick sweet spot was between the ages of twelve and fifteen.
I never grasped how much I hated his ass until that cookout. Until then, I hadn’t seen him since I was thirteen. I didn’t realize that he even still lived in Clover.
Two nights after the cookout, the nightmares started.
It was so unexpected since I didn’t have any when I was younger.
Yes, when my father came to pick me up the next summer, there was fear.
I didn’t want to go, and my mother made sure I never had to again if I didn’t want to.
I still never had nightmares. Bolt felt that the sudden interaction with Jacob and what happened at the cookout was a trigger.
Everyone had been by my side during this whole ordeal. I thought that Joshua wouldn’t be supportive. It couldn’t have been easy to hear that your father knew his brother did things to your sister but did nothing. It was clear it wasn’t easy when he beat our father’s ass.
“Baby, you want me to make you some tea? You look like you need a nap.” Mama Sandra hovered over me.
She was right, I did need a nap. I was exhausted. “Please, I am tired. I guess I’ll take a nap before dinner.”
She gave me this weird look with a smirk. “Mmm, okay. Go ahead in the room and I’ll bring it to you.”
I giggled. “Whatever, Mama Sandra. I’m not messing with you.”
“You don’t have to mess with me. Just know that I know what I know.” She sashayed into the kitchen.
I stayed between Bolt’s mama and grandma’s house and his.
It felt like he slick moved me in, but that was another subject altogether.
I loved my house because of its roots, but my baby’s house was the things that dream homes were made of.
If he did tell me that I lived there, I didn’t think I would object.
When I got into the bedroom that Bolt and I stayed in when we were here, I took a shower. Just as I finished getting dressed, there was a light knock on the door. My baby walked into the room with a cup of tea and his sexy smile. “Mama said you wanted some tea.”
“I do, but now I think I want you,” I said with a wink and sexy smirk.
The way this man had taken care of me was top-tier.
Everything about his love was sexy and made me love him more every day.
He set the cup down on the coaster that was on the bedside table.
He stood in front of me. “Is that what you want, baby? You know your ass can’t get this dick without being loud. ”
My nose scrunched. He didn’t have to call me out. “Okay, well, I can take the tongue. I said I wanted to take a nap, so that will definitely put me to sleep.”
He chuckled. “I got you. Your tea is gonna be cold.”
I didn’t give a damn. I slid back on the bed, lay back, and spread my legs to showcase my pretty pussy. When I grabbed a pillow and put it on my chest, he asked why I had the pillow. “Just in case I get loud, I can muffle myself.”
He laughed, but he pulled my leg to put this beautiful pussy in his face. By the time he finished feasting, my eyelids were low. Fuck that tea.
Let’s Talk . . .
It was time for dinner, and it was tense. Jordan arrived about twenty minutes ago. Mama Sandra wasted no time setting the dinner on the table so we could eat.
Her and Granny Cat made a spread that I knew would put me to sleep. There was fried chicken, fried pork chops, collard greens with neckbones, macaroni and cheese, yams, and cornbread. I loved good eating.
As soon as our butts hit the chairs, Granny Cat said grace, and we started to eat. The only other person outside of Mama, Granny, Bolt, Jordan, and me was Joshua. Bolt felt it was important that he was a part of the conversation.
After my second piece of chicken, I was ready to talk. I was tired and ready to go to sleep. My fork clinked on the plate. “So, Jordan, what do you want to talk about?”
He cleared his throat before he set his fork on the plate. “Oh, yes. Um, I wanted to check on you and see how you’re doing. I know a lot is going on.”
Bolt chuckled. “You came over here to ask how she’s doing? That’s a stupid ass question.”
I placed my hand on his leg. “Baby, it’s alright. I can answer the question.” I gave him a warm smile. I kept my attention on my baby, but I answered Jordan. “I am doing as well as I can, considering the circumstance. It’s a messed-up situation, but I’m happy that justice will be served.”
“Yeah, it is a crazy situation. I’m in disbelief about all of this,” Jordan said flatly. He picked his fork back up like that statement was alright.
It wasn’t alright, and it pissed me the hell off.
“Are you serious? Did you really say that you are in disbelief? I’m confused how you could be in disbelief when I told you when I was thirteen years old that your perverted brother tried to rape me but resorted to a lesser tactic. What did you think would happen?”
He glared at me for a beat before he caught himself. “What I thought was that it was a one off. He swore that he would never do it again. I believed my brother. I kept him here close to me so that I could keep an eye on him.”
Josh’s eyes bucked. “You got to be fucking kidding me! What were you trying to do, be with him twenty-four hours a day? I asked you repeatedly why the hell my sister didn’t come anymore. Do you remember what the hell you said?”
My head tilted toward Jordan. I wanted to know that answer from the horse’s mouth. Everyone was tuned in for this answer. “So, you gonna answer that boy’s question, or am I going to have to bop your stupid ass on the head?” Granny Cat’s tone was sharp, jaw was tight, and eyes were tense.
“I told you that her mama was tripping. That wasn’t a lie completely,” he said with urgency. “She wouldn’t let her come for the summers.”
Granny Cat laughed. “Jordan, I’ve known you all your life, and this shit right here ain’t right.
I’ve known you and your pedophile ass brother.
You think Pam was supposed to let her child come back to a place where she wasn’t protected?
See, Nee told me about that nightmare bullshit, and you need your ass whupped.
While you over here eating our good food and asking stupid questions, you need to be apologizing with your whore ass. ”
She extended her hand in Bolt’s direction. He scoffed, reached in his pocket, took out his cash, then gave her two hundred dollars. I wanted to laugh but felt it was inappropriate at the time. She really was on his ass about this whore mention payment as she called it.
Jordan’s stare hadn’t broken from me. There was wetness in the corners of his eyes. His head dropped. With it still lowered, he spoke. “I’m sorry, Nee. I just didn’t want to believe the shit.”
Bolt slammed his hand on the table. “Nah, that doesn’t work for me. First, you need to look her in her eyes if you really mean that shit. Also, putting an excuse in the apology voids the shit. If you don’t mean the shit, then keep the shit.”
I sat there and let Bolt be who he was. My protector. Josh cosigned with him.
Jordan took a deep breath before he made eye contact with me.
“P’Nee, I should have protected you and believed you.
I apologize that I didn’t believe you, and I was dead ass wrong.
I should have kicked Jacob out on his ass.
” He held his hands up. “This is not an excuse. I really thought I could help him.”
He went on to say other things, but I had already zoned out. I zoned back in when he apologized to Josh. Josh didn’t respond to the apology which I could tell disappointed Jordan.
“Jordan, you can’t help people like Jacob. Thank you for your apology, but I don’t need it. I forgave you a long time ago,” I told him.
I was ready for this part of whatever this was to be over. This dinner was for his benefit, not mine, so I hoped that he got what he needed to feel better. I understood that this was his olive branch, which was fine. What I also understood was that forgiveness didn’t equate to access.
A Little Time Later . . .
“They gave that man seventy-two years. What would he have gotten if he didn’t take the deal? Damn!” Josh was in just as much shock as the rest of us.
Yes, we knew that he would get time based on the guilty verdict, but I wasn’t sure if I expected that much time. “The prosecutor said that life was an option,” I responded.
Josh’s eyelids widened. “Sis, seventy-two years is life! He’s fifty years old already. He’s going to die in there, unless God wants him to suffer longer.”
I wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to laugh, but I did. “I didn’t even think about it like that. You’re right! He’s gonna die in there, probably getting raped, since he’s a rapist.”
I slapped my hand over my mouth. My intrusive thoughts came out loud. “I didn’t mean to say that out loud.”
Bolt snickered beside me. “You’re not wrong. That’s my hope. I hope he meets himself in everyone he meets there. He already met one.”
We were at Bolt’s house. Today was the sentencing of Jacob Nichols.
The sentencing hearing had to be rescheduled from the original date because he was assaulted in jail.
He had to be hospitalized for almost three weeks.
I wasn’t sure exactly what happened, but I was informed that the assault was sexual in nature.
Josh told me that Jordan struggled since our dinner.
He knew that I forgave him, but he also knew that I didn’t want anything to do with him.
That on top of his brother being sentenced today after a brutal assault took its toll.
I felt some sympathy for him because he was still my father, but that still was not enough to encourage me to deal with him.
“I heard some of the victims plan to file a civil suit. They were waiting for the guilty verdict. Will that affect the farm?” I asked my brother.