pounding. And I didn’t even have a drink, being the DD sucked. Jesse was right though; I couldn’t hang like I use to. I almost didn’t want to come this morning, but being married to the pastor’s daughter made that decision impossible. “Joe baby, daddy’s talking to you. Did you hear him?”
“Oh, I’m sorry Pastor Jameson I didn’t hear you. I’m a little distracted, what was that?”
“I said, with Deacon Shepard leaving, we have a spot open on the deacon board and I would like for you to fill it.”
There was no way I was doing that. We were already here every time the doors opened and Cat had the kids in every church related activity available, it was just too much. Especially for Baby Joe. Yeah, it kept him busy, but he was fifteen he didn’t need or want to spend all his time in church. “Pastor Jameson that is a really good offer and I’m honored. But with everything that is going on with my practice I don’t think I would have the time to do the job to your standards.” I figured that sounded better than hell no.
“Are you telling me you’re too busy to do the lord’s work?”
This is why I couldn’t stand this man. I swear if it wasn’t for Cat and the kids, I wouldn’t have anything to do with them. “Daddy, that is not what he means. As much as he wants to do it, he can’t fully commit to it and you know how high your standards are. You should get Brother Morris to do it. He doesn’t have a life.”
“Catherine hush now. If your father wanted Brother Morris to do it, he would’ve asked him.” Mrs. Jameson stood behind pastor massaging his shoulders. She had on the same blue dress as Cat. While Cat’s dress was, short and hugged her curves, Mrs. Jameson’s dress was long and hung loose.
I didn’t mind that Cat showed off her goods, nor did I mind when other men looked at her. I took it as a compliment. I had a gorgeous wife and I was proud of that. “Hush, woman. Actually, I think Brother Morris would make a better choice.” I mouthed thank you and Cat winked at me. “Ok, enough with church business. On to family business. We need to discuss Noah. He’ll be getting out on Tuesday. Someone needs to be there to pick him up and he needs a place to stay.”
The room got quiet. “I refuse to talk about that abomination, let alone let it in my house.”
“Dad, Noah is not an abomination. He’s your son.”
“Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. He’s an abomination and I will have nothing to do with him.”
“Daddy, the bible also speaks tolerance and forgiveness.”
“Catherine your father just got done delivering a sermon, he doesn’t need you stressing him out.” Mrs. Jameson took the whole, obedient wife thing to another level. She agreed with everything pastor said. In twenty years, I had never once seen her argue with him. On the few occasions, she did open her mouth to voice her opinion he was quick to shut her down.
“Mom, Noah is your son.”
Pastor Jameson stood. “My son died a long time ago. Now I’m through with this discussion.” He walked out of the office with Mrs. Jameson hot on his tail.
“I don’t care what they say. Noah is my brother and I will not turn my back on him. He can stay with us.”
“NO! That is not a good idea. NO.”
She looked at me with a shocked expression on her face. I didn’t care though, Noah staying with us was not an option. “Excuse me. So now you agree with my parents?”
“Ok first off I’m going to forgive you for that insult. No, I don’t agree with your parents. I just don’t understand the total loyalty you have to him. Lord knows he doesn’t deserve it.”
Hell, I didn’t deserve her loyalty either, but that was a discussion for another day. “Joe, he’s my brother. I’m all he’s got. If one of your brothers needed a place to stay would you turn your back on them?” She knew I wouldn’t. I would stop the earth and make time reverse for my brothers.
“No. But Noah still can’t stay with us. He can stay at our old condo until he finds something else. And I’ll pick him up from jail on Tuesday.”
She wrapped her arms around my hips. “Thank you.”
I kissed her lips, “anything for you.”
“Oh God, please not in the pastor’s office.” We didn’t even notice Dorothy walk in.
Dorothy, please, we know better.”
She looked at us and backed out. “Come on Joe, we got a little time before the children’s choir rehearsal let out. There’s something I want to show you in the car.”
“In the car? Right now?”
“Come on.”
That night after church I was in the living room helping Nyla with her homework. Cat had to finish a project for work so I was stuck doing this. In a way, I didn’t mind, I enjoyed spending time with my baby girl. She was growing up so fast, she was already ten. She was her mother’s daughter. With her round face and deep set eyes. I could already tell she was going to have Cat’s figure; hell, she was already wearing a training bra. That is why I kept my shotgun cocked and loaded.
Soon, she wouldn’t need my help anymore. “Daddy, what did you get for number three? I can’t figure it out.” I looked at this question backwards, forwards, sideways, and I still had no idea what it was saying. I swear I am reading Japanese.
“Nyla, I’m not going to tell you the answer. Skip it, and go to the next one. Once you’re done, we’ll go over it together.” I couldn’t help her with number three because I was still struggling with number one.
“Dad, look at this,” Baby Joe said running out of his room.
“Well, looks who’s up from his hibernation.”
He had been held up in his room since we got home from church. “Dad look,” he said, shoving a piece of paper in my face. Baby Joe looked a lot like Jordan, he even had those LL Cool J lips. It wasn’t surprising, though. Jordan and Cat argued and fought the whole time she was pregnant with Baby Joe. I looked at the paper and it was a drawing of a Phoenix. Baby Joe was one hell of an artist. “That looks good son.”
He took the paper back and stared at it. “Yeah. Now I just need to figure out where I want to put it.”
“Put it on your bedroom wall with the rest of them.”
“Dad no. I mean, where to put it on my body. This is going to be my new tattoo.”
My head jerked up from Nyla’s homework. “Excuse you?”
“Terrell’s brother just got his tattoo kit and he said he’ll do me for half price. I was thinking about getting it on my back or chest.”
“Boy, if you bring your ass in my house with a tattoo I’ll break your damn neck.”
He looked at me and shook his head. Maybe I was a little rough, but he caught me off guard. “Why can’t I get a tattoo? Terrell already has two.”
“I don’t care how many Terrell has. You’re not getting a tattoo as long as you are in my house.”
“But…”
I stood up. I was done with this conversation. Sometimes I didn’t know what the hell was wrong with my kids. “But nothing. Now help your sister with her homework before I knock some sense into you.”
Cat was sitting at the kitchen table typing away on her computer. I opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle water. “How is your project coming along?”
“Slow and I have to get this finished. This is a make or break.”
“You say that about all your projects.”
She looked up from the computer. “Baby when you are the only black female executive, everything you do is make or break. Did you and Nyla get her homework done?”
“No. That’s that new math. I can’t believe I just said that. Jesse is right, I am getting old.”
I sat down at the table across from her. “Actually, you’re both right. That is new math. It’s called the common core method. But you’re still old, though.”
“Well, you’re two years older than me so what does that say about you?”
Her mouth dropped open a little bit. “Wow, you must not plan on having sex for a while.”
“Ouch. Why do you women always have to go there?”
“Because it works.”
She rubbed her temples. “Babe you know Baby Joe actually thinks he’s getting a tattoo.”
She shrugged, “I’m fine with it.”
“You’re fine with it?”
“Yes. As long as it is tastefully done, and can be hidden by his clothes, I see nothing wrong with him getting a tattoo.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. She was just a crazy as Baby Joe. “Cat, you can’t be serious. He’s fifteen and about to do something that will be stuck with him for the rest of his life.”
“The same can be said about your dreads but Joseph still let you get those.”
She was comparing apple and oranges right now. Dreads could be easily cut off, but tattoos were permanent. “First off pops didn’t let me get dreads, I came home with them. And as soon as he saw them, he cut them off himself. Secondly, I was seventeen.”
“Wow, a whole two years.”
“Cat, we need to talk about this later because I can tell this is about to turn into an argument.” I walked away from the table.
That night putting Nyla to bed was a breeze. Church must have really worn her out because she was sleep before I could even turn her nightlight on. Baby Joe went straight to his room after helping Nyla do her homework. I guess he was mad at me, he’ll be ok. As pops use to say, if your kid likes you all the time, you were doing something wrong. I wanted to slap myself every time I quoted pops.
When I walked into our bedroom Cat was on her side of the bed oiling her skin. I went into the bathroom and turn on the