Free 3 Weeks 'Til Forever by Yuwanda Black Page A

was served with a warm beverage.
     
    Letting out a loud burp, Janey apologized profusely for her bad
manners.
     
    “No sense in apologizing for doing what the body needs to relieve
itself,” Clayton winked at her merrily.
     
    Laughing out loud at that piece of common-sense advice, Janey
thought, I’m lucky we’re leaving Hill Country tomorrow; I’ll be fat as a
country rat if I spend a few more days up here with everybody insisting that I
eat and drink when I visit them .
     
    At that moment, Redmond pulled up and got out, calling to Janey.
     
    She immediately knew something was wrong.
     
    “That one’s got hell in ‘im today,” he said to Janey about
Redmond.
     
    “Watch yo’ self.”
     
    “Redmond, what’s wrong?” she asked.
     
    “Nothing. Are you finished? We should be getting back if you want
to have some time to rest before going out tonight,” he responded tightly.
     
    “There’s obviously something wrong, so don’t tell me nothing,” she
persisted.
     
    “You gonna have to explain it sooner or later, Reddie. You might
as well tell’er sooner than later. Later almost always makes things worse.”
     
    With those words, Clayton turned and walked towards the back of
his cabin. He had always referred to Redmond as Reddie. Even though Redmond
wasn’t crazy about the nickname, he respected the older gentleman and let him
get away with it.
     
    Janey caught up to Clayton, thanked him for his time, pressed
payment for the interview in his hand and kissed him on the cheek. If she
wasn’t mistaken, he blushed.
     
    It was almost always a surprise to her interviewees when she paid
them for their time. Almost all would have done it for free. And even though
she realized this, she knew that she was profiting from their time, so she felt
it only fair that she pay them.
     
    Redmond waited by her side of the van, waiting to open the door
for her so they could leave.
     
    Approaching him, Janey said, “I’m not going anywhere until you
tell me what’s going on.”
     
    “I saw my so-called wife today,” was all he said.
     
    Stunned, Janey wasn’t sure how her numb legs got into the van.

Chapter
13: A Wife
     
    Redmond pulled up to J-Ron’s house. They’d been friends ever since
he could remember and didn’t get to see each other that often. So when Redmond
was in the area, he did his best to stop by and catch up.
     
    He found him in his back yard playing a loud game of dominoes – as
if there were any other way to play dominoes – with a few other long-time
friends.
     
    This was another reason Redmond always stopped by J-Ron’s place
first – he knew he’d be able to find at least a few of his childhood buddies
there.
     
    After much back slapping and teasing, J-Ron grabbed Redmond a beer
and a chair, and Redmond settled into the game of dominoes with his buddies.
     
    J-Ron and Cedric had been exchanging what he thought were weird
looks all afternoon. His three other friends hadn’t been acting right either.
     
    Finally, unable to ignore it any longer, Redmond slammed down a
domino louder than usual and said, “Alright fellas, what’s up? And don’t tell
me nothing. I’ve known you guys all my life and know when something’s up, so out
with it.”
     
    J-Ron looked at Cedric again. Cedric nodded his head as if to say,
“Go on, tell ‘im.”
     
    “Look man,” Cedric said, “you know you’re my boy and all, but I
don’t like to get up in other people’s business. But I think you should know, I
saw Layla the other day. I started to call you, but I didn’t know if she had
contacted you or what was going on.”
     
    “That’s it; that’s what’s up.”
     
    Redmond’s heart stood still. He wasn’t sure he’d heard J-Ron
right. All he said was, “Are you sure it was her?”
     
    “Man we all grew up together; I’d know her face as good as you.
I’m sorry if you didn’t know. I know how messed up you were when she left.”
     
    “I see,” was all Redmond