What Family Means Part 13

WILL POUNDED on the steering wheel. He loved this car but hated what it stood for. Another bribe, another insidious tie to his parents' power and control.

He drove slowly and carefully through Debra's neighborhood and over to his own. He kept going past his parents' home. He couldn't go in yet. He still had to think.

He hadn't told Debra the half of it. His mother's hysterics, his father's glowering. He suspected his father had less of a problem with him loving a white woman than upsetting his mother.

Oh, his mother.

Violet had been raised by a strict woman who'd preached the gospel of elitism to her from childhood. Her social and financial status was irrefutable and she'd never be happy with any of her children marrying "below" it.

Violet had never liked Debra, ever since they were kids. She didn't like Debra's upbringing. Even with the promise of an Ivy League degree, Debra simply wasn't good enough for her Will.

Violet had never given up on Will marrying Sarah.

It hadn't helped that Sarah kept herself in the picture, acting as though Will was just going through a phase he'd get over at any moment. That he'd come to his senses, marry her, and all would be well.

He needed to talk to his parents again, more sternly this time. But first he had to talk to Sarah and make it perfectly clear that they had no future together. Period.

"WILL?" SARAH'S FATHER stood in the doorway. Will peered around his stout frame and into the parlor. Sarah sat on the couch with her mother, watching TV.

"Will!" Sarah had heard her father's voice and jumped up behind him. "Daddy, let him in."

"Actually, I just need to talk to you for a minute, Sarah. Can you come out here?"

If Sarah's dad could have leveled Will with his stare he would have.

"I'll be in here, Sarah." He gave Will another withering look before he allowed Sarah past him onto the porch.

Once Will had Sarah in front of him, he got right to the point. He had no doubt Sarah's entire family was listening through the screen windows, but he didn't care. The heat and his frustration made privacy less important than setting the record straight.

"Sarah."

"Will, this is a surprise." She smiled at him, pouting just a little. He might have surprised her, but Sarah was never without an attempt to hook him.

"Look, Sarah, it's clear to me that my mother's been leading you on about my feelings toward you. I have to let you know that while I enjoyed our few dates several years ago, I have no intention of pursuing this. You deserve the truth. You should start looking for someone else."

Sarah's eyes narrowed. "That white girl's got you by the nose, doesn't she, Will?" Her pretty face was twisted with ugly bigotry.

"Debra is my future wife. And I'm in love with her. Of my own free will."

He kept his gaze steady. Sarah had to understand that his mother was out of line. But he wasn't going to be disrespectful to Violet if he didn't have to. Sarah was an adult; she knew the deal.

"What happens when it doesn't work out, Will? When the taboo of loving someone you shouldn't wears off and she leaves you? And how fair are you being to your future children, Will? Have you really thought about this? Do you want some spotted-"

"That's enough, Sarah. I didn't come here to ask your opinion or your permission. I'm just telling you to back off. There's not going to be a 'you and me.' Ever."

"Will, I'm sorry. I got carried away. You know it's only because I care."

"If you care, Sarah, you'll stop talking to my mother and leave me be."

"Fine."

"Thanks again for your time."

"Goodbye, Will." Sarah sniffed, but Will didn't stay around to see her go back into the house. He had one more confrontation tonight.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

Present Day Buffalo, New York WILL'S DRIVE TO THE OFFICE was uneventful, despite the slushy mess on the streets. The skies were growing darker, he noted, and the air was already getting chillier. That storm was definitely on its way. was uneventful, despite the slushy mess on the streets. The skies were growing darker, he noted, and the air was already getting chillier. That storm was definitely on its way.

He turned into his spot in the parking garage and killed the engine. He sat for a moment, gathering his thoughts. His love for Debra and the kids was unquestionable, and he knew Debra understood that. Yet there were times in a marriage when one of them had to speak up, to keep the other on track.

Deb had kept him on track through so much. She'd even bridged the chasm his father's death had created between him and his mother.

But now it was his turn to keep her on track. Some time ago Deb had decided she knew best for everyone in the family. He hadn't paid much attention. He'd been too busy with his career.

Now Debra had a chance to really s.h.i.+ne with her own career accomplishments, but she still distracted herself from her work with the kids' problems and concerns.

She'd seemed crushed last night when he'd told her how he felt-that she'd been ashamed after all these years of their mixed marriage.

He shook his head. Ashamed Ashamed wasn't the right word. wasn't the right word.

Apologetic, maybe?

His watch beeped as it did on the hour, every hour. The teleconference was in thirty minutes.

He'd reopen the discussion with Debra when he got home.

July 1973 Buffalo, New York WILL DROVE UP his parents' driveway, knowing this could be the last time he'd come to their house. After he told his parents his intentions, he knew his father would kick him out for upsetting his mother, and his mother would disown him.

So be it.

He parked in front of the house he'd been raised in. It was a good house. It had been fun when he was younger, with him and his little sister and brother running through the halls, playing hide-and-seek in all the closets and even on the dumbwaiter.

The house was almost two hundred years old. His dad had kept up with renovations and repairs over the years, but in the past while, there'd been more of a strain on the family budget, with his younger siblings in college and now Doreen getting married.

She was getting married at age twenty-one, three days after her graduation from Hampton University. His parents should be more concerned about Doreen marrying that sly dog Thomas than his marriage to Debra. He and Debra were well-suited, emotionally and intellectually. Doreen and Thomas, however, were two spoiled, immature kids who still expected everything to be handed to them. They even expected their parents to help with their first home and, sure enough, Mom and Dad had donated to the cause.

Will growled to himself. He wasn't asking his parents for a dime. He just wanted their love and understanding.

He'd always been the dutiful oldest son, taking care of the younger kids and still getting the best grades, achieving whatever challenge was presented to him.

Yet now it seemed none of that mattered. He should've screwed off and had more fun if it was all going to come to this anyhow. It would've been a lot more entertaining to be the prodigal son.

He found Mom in his parents' room. It was really his mother's room; his dad merely slept there. Purple flowers, Violet's namesake, dotted the wallpaper. His mother sat in her lavender easy chair, reading one of her beloved mystery novels.

"Will! I didn't expect you back so soon." Was that a spark of hope in her eyes that he'd broken off his date with Debra?

"Where's Dad?"

"In the bathroom. His stomach's acting up again." Will's gaze took in the closed bathroom door.

"Dad!"

"In a minute!" The muted response was clear even through the thick oak.

"What's got you all riled up?" Violet Bradley thought she could solve the world's problems, including Will's, with a motherly chat.

"It's time we settled something, Mama. I was at Sarah's tonight-"

"You were?" Antic.i.p.ation flared in Violet's eyes.

"Yes, but it's not for the reason you want, Mom. I don't love Sarah. I don't even like like her all that much. We have nothing in common. It's wrong of you to lead her on and encourage her infatuation. She doesn't even know the real me." her all that much. We have nothing in common. It's wrong of you to lead her on and encourage her infatuation. She doesn't even know the real me."

"But she could learn to." Violet's equanimity stirred his anger to the breaking point.

"No, Mother. No!" He clenched his fists. "You've done nothing but try to control my life, especially my love life, since I was in high school." He took a step toward her. "Well, it's done, Mother. I'm in love with Debra and I'm going to marry her."

As the words came out of his mouth and hung in the air, he watched his mother gasp, pale, then flush with fury. Her gaze drilled daggers into his heart, but Will was prepared. His lifetime happiness depended on it.

"Listen here, son. If it wasn't for your father and me you wouldn't have met this girl you think you're in love with. I should've cut her out of the picture long ago. I never should've let you play together." Violet crossed her arms.

"How, Mom? By locking me in my room every day after school? By not allowing Daddy to hire Deb's mother?"

The bathroom door opened and Will's dad strode out.

"What's going on?"

"Will's crazy, William. He says he's marrying that, that who-"

"Mother! You don't have to like it but I will not have you talking about my future wife like this."

"Hold on a minute." William looked from Will to Violet and his gaze stayed on Violet.

"Since when did your relations.h.i.+p get to such a serious point?"

"It's always been serious, Dad. You two just didn't want to admit it." Will stood in front of both his parents, his hands reaching out to them.

"Ever since Mom scared the h.e.l.l out of Debra when we were together on the front porch, we've all denied the truth-the truth that this is the woman I'm meant to be with, to marry. To have children with."

When Will uttered the word children children Violet cried out and clutched her chest. Violet cried out and clutched her chest.

"Oh, my-G.o.d-sweet-Lord-in-heaven, you don't know what you're doing, Will! You're too young to know the consequences of your actions."

"I'm not a kid anymore. You have to accept that."

"Don't tell your mother what she has to accept or not, Will. I, uh-" William gasped for air and grabbed at his chest. But it wasn't for dramatic effect.

"Dad? Dad!"

"William!"

Will ran the few steps to his father and eased him to the ground.

"I can't, I can't-" William Bradley kept gasping for breath and trying to talk, but wasn't managing to do either.

"It's okay, Dad, we're here." Will undid his dad's pajama top as he spoke.

"Mom, call the operator! Get an ambulance!"

Violet, shocked into a frozen stare, snapped out of it and picked up the white bedroom phone.

"Dad, can you hear me?"

His father looked up at Will.

"...love you...take care of your mother, son." William's face stilled, his expression half pained, half surprised. When his father exhaled a final time, and the foam seeped from his mouth, Will knew his mother's strident call for an ambulance didn't matter anymore.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

July 1973 Buffalo, New York DEBRA HAD DOZED OFF by the time her mother got back from bingo, but Linda woke her up. Debra opened her eyes to the sight of her mother leaning against the doorjamb. by the time her mother got back from bingo, but Linda woke her up. Debra opened her eyes to the sight of her mother leaning against the doorjamb.

"Will's mother called."

"Here?" Deb rubbed her eyelids and forced herself to sit up.

Violet Bradley had never made any attempt to contact Debra or her mother. She'd never even spoken to Debra's mother except in pa.s.sing at the doctor's office, years ago. Linda had worked as a receptionist at a law firm for the past ten years.

Linda eyed her through the haze of her cigarette smoke. Earlier Debra couldn't wait to get out of the restaurant kitchen and the smell of burning oil and garlic. Now she longed for it.