Chapter 18
Chapter 18
One Year Later
“ Y ou gave them my grandmother’s Baltimore houses, the one in the city and the one in the suburbs, along with a car,” his cousin Taylor laughed as she sat in her suite at the Brooks’ estate. “So, their con worked?” She raised an eyebrow.
Taylor was always sharp. As children the two of them would share ideas and play them out before presenting them to the family. James sat across from her as he gave her the rundown on her newfound cousins.
“Yes, it worked, however, here’s my take. They were in a desperate situation. Partially of their own making, but mostly due to their economic status and they needed a helping hand. If you had met them under different circumstances, you would have probably done more.”
Taylor laughed. “Just so I understand, take me through all of what transpired.”
James sat up ready to defend his actions. When he graduated from law school and joined the Brooks Law Firm, his cousin Taylor requested he be put in charge of all of her affairs. This was no surprise to the family and Nick, their uncle who was handling everything, took no offense at the request. The family knew how close the two cousins were and trusted both of them with decisions. Taylor, who had graduated law school and passed the bar two years prior, was very supportive of James doing the same. He hadn’t passed the bar yet, but that was coming down the road. The moment he did, he would be added as a partner in the family law firm. In the meantime, he was working there as an associate handling some of the smaller caseloads. Taylor’s portfolio was one of the more substantial with the firm. After all, she was Lil Tay, the teenage singing sensation and had now grown into Taylor, R&B superstar.
“The moment I read the complaint against you I knew it was a scheme to extort money from you. When I checked out the attorney listed on the complaint, I knew for sure what he was about. After I spoke with you, I took your advice and checked out the sisters for myself. They were strapped for cash. I mean both of them work in the cafeteria at the school making less than minimum wage. They both had been through a lot and were staying afloat the best way they knew how. Sean is quick with a come-up scheme, and Cilla is the one who is on the straight and narrow. The two together are hilarious. They got behind on their taxes and some utilities. The utilities were behind because they were trying to save the money to pay the tax bill. If they paid the tax bill and not the utilities, the city would disconnect the utilities. After a period of time, if they did not get the utilities turned back on the city would condemn the building. The whole system is rigged,” James stated. “I’ll get to that later. The two were desperate with no way out. When I researched everything connected with your mother, it turned out that the house in the suburbs was vacant. So, I took a ride out to look at both properties. The house in the city is in a bad location that is in the line for gentrification. That’s the reason for the high tax bill, but that’s another issue. Once I got a full look at their situation, I came up with the idea to move them out of the city house and into the house in the suburbs. Despite her craftiness, Sean has a suspicious nature and was reluctant to make the move because there was no public transportation to get from the suburbs to the city for work. Which, was a legit concern, so I bought them a vehicle.”
“I’m okay with that, but now what?” Taylor asked. “They are still making less than a minimum wage, though I don’t see how that is legal.”
“Hour wise, they are being paid the minimum wage,” James explained, “however, they work less than forty hours a week. On days when the school is out or only open for half days, they do not get paid. If the school is not open during the summer months, they do not get paid.”
“Wow,” Taylor exclaimed. “There will be maintenance costs to the property in the suburbs. How are they going to keep the house up and what about the house in the city?”
“To ensure the funds were available to keep the property up I…I mean you, are only charging them a dollar a month for rent. That way the little that they earn can be used for utilities and the upkeep of the property. For the long run, I have a plan, at least for the house in the city. I’m thinking about buying the entire row of houses and having them renovated.”
“You’re getting into real estate?” She raised an eyebrow.
“Yes, and no,” James sat forward happy to have his cousin back to bounce ideas off of. “I want to have a conversation with Xavier and Aunt Nikki before I jump in. But I’m thinking about leveling the playing field.”
“How?”
“A lot of areas in the country are going through gentrification. Most of the neighborhoods that are being targeted are occupied by Black families. Some have rich histories just like our family, but they are losing it from lack of funds to keep the property up and pay the taxes. It’s all a scheme.” He said frustratedly. “It’s a way to take property from the poor and sell to the rich to make them richer. I want to find a way to give people the opportunity to keep their homes. Do you know for a lot of families those houses were the first real property they have ever owned. Can you imagine the pride their ancestors had when they purchased those houses. And it was not easy to do. Back during that time, Black families were not getting loans to buy homes at the same interest rate that White families were. It’s time for the playing field to level out and I want to be the one who starts the process. At least in my small part of the world.”
“You sound like Pop. He is always finding ways to uplift people’s circumstances.”
James smiled. “I like the way that sounds. Pop understands how some of the laws from the fifties and sixties have an adverse effect on Black communities.”
She smiled. “Now, you sound like Jason’s cousin Demarcus. He is a community activist in Atlanta. He is very heavy into preserving neighborhoods that developers are trying to take over for one reason or another.”
“Jason mentioned his cousins in Atlanta. What can you tell me about them?”
“Jason has a lot of cousins, but his closest are Kingston, Ulysses, and Demarcus. They all went to college together and seem pretty tight. They all believe in community and do what they can to keep the neighborhoods united with different activities. Demarcus, who has a degree in community development, works for a non-profit. He thinks the city targets certain neighborhoods and institutes laws and regulations to the point of harassment. Ulysses who has a degree in architecture, is working with a construction firm drawing up blueprints for homes. Then there is Kingston, who is an accountant keeping the books for a law firm, I think. But they are all cool brothers and I like them a lot.”
“Sounds like good people.” James nodded.
“They are,” Taylor nodded. “You should come to our new house and meet them. They are there as much as we are,” she laughed. “But I have to say I was surprised at their knowledge and commitment to their communities.”
“I’ll do that,” he agreed. “Looks like you and Jason are really on your way to happily ever after with the new house and everything.”
Taylor beamed. “Closer than you know. We’re getting married.”
“Hell, we all know that Taylor,” James chuckled.
“No, I mean we are getting married this weekend, here at the estate.”
“What?” James jumped from his seat, grabbed her up and swung her around. “Is this why you came home?”
“Yes,” she clapped her hands. “We are not telling anyone other than the people who need to know so we can make it happen.”
“You told me, so you need me to do something. What do you need?” James asked, thrilled that Jason had finally locked her down.
“We are inviting all of Jason’s family here. They don’t know why, so I need you to set up something to keep some of them busy and out of the way. Then when we are ready, I need you to get them to the gazebo.”
“You are going to marry Jason at the gazebo where he and Reggie got into a fight over you? That’s cold.”
“They were not fighting over me.” Taylor chuckled as she punched him in the arm.
“Like hell, they weren’t,” James laughed then pulled her into his arms. “I am so happy for you cuz.”
“You’re next,” Taylor hugged him back. “You are the last single Brooks standing.”