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Acknowledgements
I’d like to thank my family and friends for their
love, support, and kindness. Even though they don’t
always understand me—very few of you ‘get me,’ but
you’ve been there when I needed you and I can’t thank
you enough. I’d also like to thank one of my writing
professors, Miss Cassandra Wynn. She always said that
my writing had a voice and because of that, I kept
pushing until that voice was heard. Thank you for seeing
my ability and my potential and reminding me of all the
great things I could do with my writing.
I’d also like to thank everyone who has ever
read anything that I’ve ever written and has said, ‘I
cannot wait to read your book someday.’ Words cannot
express the gratitude that I have for seeing in me and my
writing what I may not have been able to see. Thank you
for supporting me and being loyal and patient. I truly
appreciate it.
To Candice Risper and Nicole Clark, y’all have
been the cheering section for my writing for years and I
thank you from the bottom of my heart for every
comment, critique, criticism, and word of endearment.
People like you help me see the good in the world and
again, I cannot thank you enough! This is for y’all!
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Dedication
This book is dedicated to my mama, Mrs. Ethel L. Grant.
Her love and nagging and belief that I could do anything
I ever wanted as long as I tried have been
overwhelming! I thank her for pushing so hard to make
sure that I had every opportunity that she could afford. I
just thank her for loving me and doing the best she
could. I am the person that I am because of her and there
is no word in any language that can describe just how
much I love my mama!
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~~~~
“Vivien-Leigh Lattimore! Woman, we are going to be
late! Get your face on and grab those stilts you call shoes
so we can get the hell outta here!”
“I am coming, Frank! Calm down!”
“I declare; you ladies love to take your sweet
time for everything! You’re going to make me late and
you know how damn important this thing is.”
“Honey, I need ten more minutes! Can I have
that or are we going to waste it arguing? I know this is
important to you and I want to look my best.”
“Fine.”
I’m sorry. That’s my husband, Franklin, and
he’s just a little stressed out. He’s actually an absolute
gentleman, I swear. I spent an extra ten minutes in the
bathroom and that’s what’s slowing me down—I
couldn’t help it. Alright, my face is done, my lashes are
good… just a little gloss on top of the lipstick and I’m
ready to go.
“MMMMOOOOMMMYYY!” My son,
Christopher, is in tears. He’s bursting into my dressing
room and coming straight for my lap. My babies keep
me pretty busy and they’re usually the reason why I’m
always pressed for time.
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“What’s the matter, Chris? Huh? Why’s Mama’s
big boy so sad?”
“It hurt, Mommy! Jordie pushed me! See?” He’s
pointing at his knees and giving me the most pained look
he can muster.
“Oh, he did, did he? I’m gonna get that Jordie. I
told you boys ‘no pushing.’ You want Mommy to kiss
your boo-boo?”
Christopher’s nodding his curly little head and
mustering a smile. I love to see those smiles in
admittance that mama makes it all better. I’m pulling
him up on my lap, pulling up his pant leg, and gently
kissing his knee.
“Is that better, Christopher Charles-Franklin
Lattimore?”
“Yes, Mommy.”
“How did I know that would do the trick?
Alright, Big Boy, let’s get out of here before Daddy
comes in here and carries us both out.”
I’m closing up my makeup bag and slipping it into my
Michael Kors clutch. My son’s sliding off my lap and
reaching for my hand; I’m letting him take it and letting
him lead me out of the dressing room. His father is
insistent that his boys learn the traditional roles of men
early—this child is two. Chris and I are finally exiting
the bedroom and making our way to the stairs. He’s tall
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for his age, so sometimes it’s amazing to watch him
walk down the stairs with such ease; though, he does
brace himself with one hand on the wall as he does it.
“FINALLY! Damn, Bay, you sure lookin’
good!” Frank’s leaning in to kiss me on the lips and even
though I just glossed them, I’ll let him. I can’t help but
be suckered in by those dimples and those big brown
eyes. It also doesn’t hurt that he has this irresistible
southern accent.
“Now, would you have been able to confidently
say that had you kept rushing me like a madman?”
“I would indeed be able to say that, but that’s
because I don’t care whether you’re wearing makeup or
not. My woman is gorgeous.”
“Thank you, Honey. Look, I know it doesn’t
bother you that I gain a few inches over you when I wear
heels, but are you sure that you want me to wear the five
inch ones on your big day?”
“Damn right I do! I like my Glamazon to stand
out! I’ve got a super model type on my arm; what man
wouldn’t want that? You wearin’ the last pair I bought
you? The spiked red bottomed ones?”
“Yes I am, Honey. Thank you for appreciating
my height. You know what I’d appreciate?”
“What’s that, Darlin’?”
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I lift Chris and sit him in a chair next to his
guilty twin brother. These bookends of mine love to get
into all kinds of mischief.
“If you would have another talk with your twin
boys about rough-housing with each other. Chris came
to me in tears about how Jordan pushed him down and
he hurt his knee.”
Frank was stern with the children—especially
with the boys. He’s very southern and believes boys
should be rough and stoic, while girls should be
pampered and comfortable little princesses. I tend to
agree with the pampered princess business, but I think
he’s too hard on the boys. Without a doubt, I’m the good
cop and he’s the bad cop.
“Christopher, how many times have I told you to
take things like a man? If your brother pushes you down,
you get up, brush yourself off, and push him back. You
don’t go crying over it.”
“Frankie, he’s two years old. It’s fine if he
cries.”
“VL, you told me to handle this—“
“Fine.” I throw my hands up and walk over to
the center island of the kitchen where our other children
are sitting quietly.
“Mommy, look! I wrote my name—Claire
Vivienne Lattimore!”
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“I wrote my name, too, Mommy! Ruby AnnaMaria Lattimore!”
“I see that, Angels! Very good job!”
Claire and Ruby are four-year-old twins and are
their daddy’s pride and joy! Not just them, but their
beautiful older sister Renada as well. My husband loves
all of his children, but he just loves to spoil and pamper
his princesses. Frank is the father of seven—two from
his first marriage, one from a failed relationship, and our
four—and he’s the most amazing father you’d ever meet.
He may be stern, but our children love him more than
words can describe.
“Alright, Bay, I talked to ‘em; now we gotta go!
C’mon y’all, Daddy can’t be late today!”
“Let’s go get in the car, Babies, it’s a very
important day for Daddy!”
I’m rallying the kids out to the car and Frank’s
behind me, making sure nothing is left behind. I know
I’ve spoken to you about my children and my husband,
but I have yet to introduce you to us. I think we’ll be a
lot easier to understand us when I tell you how we met.
#
It was a wonderfully easy Sunday afternoon in
Beverly Hills. I was just on my way out of my favorite
local restaurant after having brunch with my sister,
Veronique, when we ran into this terribly handsome
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older man. He was about six feet tall with dimples, wavy
salt and pepper hair, and gold toned glasses—which
perfectly complimented his beautifully sun kissed
complexion. He was on his way in, but he stopped and
held the door for us like an absolute gentleman.
“Don’t worry about it, Ladies, I’ve got the
door.”
Casual eye contact turned into nearly intense
gazing as I found myself being charmed by his gorgeous
facial features and his sexy southern accent.
“Thank you, so much.” I felt drawn to him, but I
immediately pulled myself together when I noticed him
trying to casually give me the once over.
“Why, it’s no problem at all…it’s definitely my
pleasure.”
I caught up to my sister and we continued on our
trek to her car. We were only a few feet away from the
restaurant, but something compelled me to look back. He
was still standing there, holding the door, and wearing a
very impressed smile on his face. I smiled back and tried
to ignore the thoughts milling around in my head.
“Someone seems interested.” Ronnie has always
been terribly sarcastic, but her sarcasm in this instance
was a premonition.
“What?”
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“That man back there with the accent—I think
you like him and I know he’s impressed by you.”
“Why would you say that?” I tried to play coy,
but he had definitely piqued my interest.
“You haven’t realized this, Little Sister, but you
haven’t stopped smiling since we’ve passed him. Also,
he let out a little impressed whistle when you came out
of that restaurant, breasts first. I know we’re an
impressive pair, being Amazons and all, but you’ve got
an impressive pair up top and you know he noticed.”
“Shut up, Ronnie! Really?”
“You flaunt those breasts and those legs and I
know he was watching those, too. You’ve got to stop
with that insecure act just because you’re tall. You’re
beautiful and it’s about time that you let the past go and
start dating again.”
“You’re right, but he didn’t ask me.”
“Then go ask him!”
“I can’t do that! A lady should not have to
pursue a man.”
“Well, Miss Upper East Side, Manhattan
Socialite, you could be missing out on the man of your
dreams. You would look good together and I bet you’d
make gorgeous babies.”
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“He’s missing out on the woman of his dreams.
If he wants to meet me, he needs to chase me.”
Ronnie rolled her eyes as she unlocked the doors
to her BMW. We were en route to The Grove to
complete our Sunday ritual of brunch and power
shopping; we hadn’t been in the car a good five minutes
before my cell phone began to ring. The number seemed
familiar, but foreign all at the same time.
“Hello?”
“Yes, Ms. Valentine?”
“This is she.”
“This is Carrie from The Waterford, you just left
here.”
“Yes, did I leave something behind?”
“Uh, no. We normally don’t do this, but we have
a patron here who is adamant in meeting you and is
wondering if you’d mind coming back?”
“Hold on a second.” I took the phone away from
my ear and placed my hand over the speaker. This had
never happened to me before and I had no idea what to
do.
“Ronnie, somebody wants to meet me back at
The Waterford.”
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“Well, well, well. I do believe that the chase is
on. That man wants to meet you!”
“You think so?”
“With the way he was staring you down, I
guarantee you it’s him.”
“Do you think I should go back?”
“What kind of question is that? What did I say to
you before we got in this car? You wanted him to chase
you and you’ve got your wish.”
I picked the phone up again and decided to give
in.
“I’ll be there in a few.”
“Thank you. I’m positive that you will not be
disappointed.”
I closed up the phone and put it back in my
purse. A man had certainly never approached me in this
manner. Ever…and I became anxious. Not nervous,
anxious. I don’t do nervous.
“Ronnie, can you drop me here, please?”
“You’re making a good decision, Little Sister.
I’ve got a good feeling about this one.” She leaned over
and kissed me on the cheek in her protective big sister
fashion.
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“I hope you’re right.”
“I am! I bet you’re going to make such pretty
babies together. You know you’re not getting any
younger!”
“Thanks a lot.” It was comforting to hear her say
that she had a good feeling about this man. She stopped
the car in front of the restaurant and I started to open the
door, but the mystery man was there, opening it for me.
He gave me his hand and seemed to be in awe as my
long, bronzed legs made their way out of the BMW. He
closed the door behind me and held my hand in his; he
made direct eye contact and I felt myself being drawn in
again. Everything about him just seemed so gentle and
sweet.
“How are you today, Ma’am?”
“I’m well, thank you.”
“Yes…my name is Charles Franklin
Lattimore—my friends all call me Frank—and I’d love
for you to become one of my friends.”
“You want me to be your friend?”
“I’d love to start out that way, yes. Now, I know
you’ve already had brunch, but I am absolutely
famished. I would just appreciate your company as I ate.
You can order dessert or whatever you’d like, but I just
can’t let this day go by without being in your presence.
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Would you mind blessing me with your beauty for
awhile?”
I was stunned. No man had ever been that
gentlemanly to me before. His strong southern accent
seemed to mesmerize me, and he was so eloquent and
confident in his speech, and that alone was extremely
sexy. I was wearing stilettos that day, and stood about
five inches over him. He didn’t seem to be at all
threatened by my height. I knew that if I were to take my
shoes off, I’d be eye-to-eye with him and most men
didn’t like that, but he seemed different. Frank just stood
strong on his position. I had already taken the chance on
being there, so I decided to go all the way.
“I think I have no reason to disappoint a new
friend after you’ve made such an eloquent request.”
“Thank you, my dear.” Franklin escorted me
into the restaurant and was nothing less than a complete
gentleman. He held doors and pulled out chairs; he was
already a pleasure to be around.
“You know, Darlin,’ I have yet to be honored
with knowing your name.”
“I’m sorry. My name is Vivien-Leigh
Valentine.”
“Vivien Leigh Valentine—what a beautiful
name for such a beautiful creature.”
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“Thank you, but it’s actually Vivien-Leigh. It’s
my first and middle names, but my mother hyphenated it
to read as just my first.”
“Well, it’s beautiful nonetheless. Your mother’s
a Vivien Leigh fan, I take it. A lover of Gone With the
Wind”?
“Very much so; it’s her favorite book and her
favorite film. I don’t want to be too frank, but why aren’t
you taken?” It was just unfathomable to me that
someone like him was single.
“That’s not too frank at all. I’m twice divorced,
actually. My first wife has some personal mental health
issues that neither she nor I could deal with; and my
second wife and I just couldn’t make it work. She felt
that I was ‘too controlling,’ but I don’t think it’s
controlling when a man’s just doing all the good old
fashioned things he’s supposed to do for a woman.”
“Oh. That’s too bad. You know what’s so crazy?
I feel like I’ve seen you before. It’s like I know you from
somewhere.”
Frank chuckled to himself and looked up at me.
I swear at that moment in time, looking into his eyes, I
could see my future. My husband was sitting right in
front of me and I couldn’t let him get away.
“I have my own television show. Judge
Lattimore.”
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“Oh my God, that’s where I know you from!
Okay, I feel a little silly now.”
“Oh stop it, Miss Vivien-Leigh. You should
never feel that way when you’re with me.”
“It’s just that I watch your show when I have the
chance to and for some reason I just couldn’t put
together the face and the accent. I almost mistook you
for that other judge. What’s his name?”
“I believe you’re referring to the good Judge Joe
Brown.”
“That’s him! I guess it’s because I’ve never seen
you without the robe.”
“The judge and I get confused quite often, but
it’s okay. We’re old friends. We go way back. You
know, I don’t wear that robe everywhere; I like to leave
it at work. I think I clean up pretty nice on my own,
though. What do you think?”
“You sure do…my word, did I just say that out
loud?” I started to blush and quickly put my head in my
hands. I’m never nervous, but he definitely had me on
edge. He gave me this strange feeling in my stomach, an
unexplainable feeling. Ronnie told me that she felt the
exact same way when she met her husband, Armand.
She said it was love, but I just couldn’t believe it at the
time. I barely knew the man! I never believed in love at
first sight, that is, until I met Frank. He took my hands
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and removed them from my head and with one finger; he
lifted my chin and looked deeply into my eyes.
“Don’t do that, Darlin.’ It’s alright.”
Why was he so damn smooth?
“You know what? Sitting here with you has
surely been a most humbling experience, Miss VivienLeigh. Your beauty and honesty are just like a breath of
fresh air. Would you mind taking a little walk with me? I
feel a little bad for ruining your afternoon with your
girlfriend.”
“It’s perfectly fine; my sister didn’t mind at all.
I’d really enjoy a nice walk with you.”
We left the restaurant and walked around the
nearby blocks of Beverly Hills for a little while before
stopping to sit and talk at a local park.
“Frank, although I could’ve bought them myself,
I have to thank you for the Manolo Blahniks. You know
you didn’t have to buy me anything, right?”
“I felt like it was the least I could do for tearing
you away from spending time with your sister. I know
how important time with your siblings can be; besides, I
knew I had to buy them for you when I saw how divine
your legs looked when you tried them on. I think they’ll
make good dancing shoes.”
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“Thank you, Frank. Thank you for everything
today.”
“You don’t have to keep thanking me, Miss
Vivien-Leigh.” He gently patted my knee with his giant
hands. I felt so at ease with him; the feeling was
uncanny.
“But, speaking of those never-ending legs, I do
have a question for you—actually, I just need a
confirmation on something.”
“Ok, what do you need to have confirmed?”
“You’re about what? 6’0” maybe 6’1”?”
“I’m 6’0”, but in these heels, about 6’4”. Is there
something wrong with that?”
“Oh, no, Ma’am! I don’t want to embarrass you,
but I just think that it’s sexy. It’s sexy that you’re so
confidently tall and still wear those sky-high heels. I just
enjoy the curves of a woman’s calf muscles—not
muscular, but firm and the perfect curve. It’s a thing of
pure beauty.”
Everything from his mouth was just right, and at
the right time. I couldn’t help but blush at his confession.
“That’s a relief to hear. It’s just that some men
don’t like dating a woman as tall as I am. I’ve dated a lot
of men who’ve always felt the need to overcompensate
their masculinity for what they lacked in height. I
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usually don’t like dating shorter men…I get so tired of
dealing with the ‘Napoleon Complex.’ It drives me
crazy.”
“We’re the same height and I can assure you, I
have no qualms. It’ll be different dating a woman who’s
right up there with me, but I’m up for it—well, that is, if
you’d be interested in dating me.”
“I would be very interested in dating you,
Frank.”
“Good. I just want you to know that a real man
never feels the need to compete with his woman. A real
man is confident in himself and never represses his
woman or makes her feel any less than her worth. If he
does that mess, then he’s not a real man.”
“Wow. I’ve honestly never heard any of these
things before. You’re letting me in on all the things I
wish I would’ve known so many years ago. If I’d known
back then all the things that you’re telling me now—“
“Then you wouldn’t be here with me and we
wouldn’t be having this opportunity. I wouldn’t trade
this moment or this day for anything in the world.”
“I just mean, no man has ever appreciated me
for all that I am. I’ve either been wanted for the
fulfillment of some weird fetish or because I was pretty
and tall, but more so for being pretty and not really for
being tall.”
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“I just don’t understand what kind of man would
exploit you in such a way. It disgusts me just thinking
about it.”
“Typically, it’s the kind of men who get a kick
out of being wrapped up in a pair of long legs or who
enjoy having their heads scissor locked between my firm
thighs. They have tried so hard to convince me that it’s
for the betterment of our relationship, but it was just to
play out their freaky fantasies.” I will admit that I was
definitely trying to reel him in.
“Darlin,’ I could see how any man would want
to have his head locked between those pretty brown
thighs, but to use you is just low down. As a man, I
apologize for those ignorant members of my sex.”
I had to have that man. I knew he was running
an old school game on me, but I didn’t care. He was just
so smooth! He held my right hand in his left and placed
his right hand on my knee. The only thoughts in my head
at that time were to just wrap my legs around him. He
would feel so good between my long limbs and I would
never let him go.
“Thank you.” Those words flowed from my
voluptuous lips in a whisper. He knew just what to say to
make me feel at ease. Frank made me feel like an
absolute princess. Tears started to roll down my cheeks
and he quickly did what he could to make me feel better.
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“Don’t do that. Don’t cry, Miss Vivien-Leigh.
You’re much too pretty.” Frank gently wiped away my
tears and I placed my hand over his as he did it. There
was a brief silence between us and all I knew was that I
wanted to see this man again…and every day for the rest
of my life.
“You know what I would love, Miss VivienLeigh?”
“The opportunity to have me wrap my legs
around you and make you feel warm and wanted?”
This time, Frank was the one blushing. I knew it
was terribly forward of me, but it just felt like the right
thing to say. I did feel a bit embarrassed after I’d
realized what I put on the table.
“No—“
“That was too forward, wasn’t it?”
“Oh, no Ma’am, it was alright; however, I was
going to ask you if I could see you in those new dancing
shoes I bought you this Saturday night.”
“Oh. Well, that sounds fine, too.”
“But, I would love to try your idea out, as well.”
We shared a laugh and stared into each other’s eyes for a
little while more. I never wanted to leave that man’s
side.
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“Frank, you make me feel so comfortable—so at
ease. I’m actually very pleased with myself for spending
this day with you.”
“Thank you. It feels so great to hear that. Miss
Vivien-Leigh, will you do me a favor?”
“What’s that, Frank?”
“Dance with me. Let’s put those retired
Broadway dancing legs to good use.”
“Do you want me to take my heels off?”
“What for? I’ve got no problem with your
height, but if you don’t mind me being up close and
personal with your girls, there…” He gestured at my
breasts and smiled coyly. I wanted to hold his head
against my breasts so badly, but I had to restrain myself
from moving too fast.
“Actually, my feet hurt. I wasn’t going to say
anything in an attempt to seem like this ultra-chic
woman who doesn’t mind flouncing around in four-inch
heels all day. “
“I’m sorry to hear that. How about I rub your
feet for awhile and then you owe me a dance when the
next song plays?”
“I think that will work.”
Frank took my leg and ran his hands down my
calf to my foot. He took off my shoe and rubbed my foot
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so firmly and so gently at the same time. His touch was
heavenly. I was so taken by him and it almost frightened
me how quickly it happened. We sat on a bench that
faced a stage holding a full orchestra and vocalist that
sang and played into the night as we talked even more. I
asked Frank a few questions that my father armed me
with to gage the intentions of a possible suitor. I’m
pretty sure there’s a radio DJ who tried to give women
the same advice, but it’s all common sense.
I asked Frank what his short-term goals were.
He said he’d already achieved most of the goals he’d set
for himself when he was younger, but at this time he was
very interested in changing lives in Los Angeles. He
loved working on his television show, but that wouldn’t
last forever. Frank said that he had been really playing
with the idea of running for mayor of LA because he
loved being in public office.
Then I asked him about his long terms goals. Frank said
that he wanted to make sure that his sons were able to
carry on what he started. He made sure that they were
able to be college educated and would support their
career ventures when they were ready. He also said that
he was working on building a mentoring program for
boys that would turn them into real men. It would
include a center for them to meet afterschool and would
offer different programs that would prepare them for
college and the workforce.
I asked him about his family—the women in his
life, his children, if he had any spiritual beliefs. He said
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he lost his mother nearly three years prior and it still
bothered him to his soul. He’d done all he could to show
his parents that they did a great job with him and to
make them proud. Frank was named for his father,
Charles Franklin Lattimore, who was a brick mason. His
mother, Anna Maria, was a schoolteacher in the
Memphis, Tennessee public school system for nearly
forty years. Charles Sr. and Anna Maria had plans for
their three children—Chauncey Sterling, Charles Jr., and
Charlene Elise—to become doctors, lawyers, and
teachers.
Chauncey, or Sterling, as he’s commonly
referred to as, became the best neurologist in Tennessee;
of course, Frank became a lawyer-turned-judge, but
Charlene was considered the disappointment. She had a
very promising career as a teacher, but she fell in love
with the wrong man and spiraled down a wicked slope of
alcohol and drugs. Frank and his brother tried many
times to get her back on track, but she didn’t want the
help. Eventually, they disowned her. He said that they’d
be interested in having a relationship with her again if
she could pull herself together and stay straight, but as it
stood, he and Sterling did not have a sister.
Frank remains in constant contact with his first
wife, Sylvia, because she is the mother of his two sons.
He tries to help her on her road to leading a functional
life, despite being bipolar and having severe depression.
He still loves her, but they could no longer be together;
she lost the ability to realize that she was pushing him
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away. He was still on fairly good terms with his last
wife, Angela, whom he described as one of “today’s
modern women” who always fought him on the roles
they should play. She worked in retail and had her sights
set on the corporate side of it when they got together,
and she always held a bit of resentment towards him for
not wanting her to work. She also got caught up listening
to her single friends saying that he was too controlling.
They eventually divorced after four years of dating and
only one year of marriage.
His sons are most important to him; he felt that
he was building the perfect foundation for them. His
goal with his boys is to make sure they have access to
education and financial stability, but he took pride in
grooming them to be real men. Frank and Sylvia had an
agreement that when the boys were to begin high school,
they would move to LA so that he could give them the
proper training. He spared no expense to go home to
Memphis to visit his children, but he was looking
forward to the day he would have them on a full-time
basis. His oldest boy, Charles III—or Tres—had turned
recently turned fourteen and would be moving to LA to
be with his father later that year. His younger boy,
Julian, was nine and already had hopes of being a
surgeon.
Frank loved his sons—he beamed with pride
whenever he spoke of them, but he always pondered on
having more kids. He thought it would be nice to have a
daughter, to love, protect, and spoil. As much as he
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loved being a parent, he’d gotten to a point in his life
where he’d acquired many hobbies, like horseback
riding, yachting, fishing, and hunting. He knew he’d
have to cut back on them when he got his boys on a fulltime basis, but for the present time, he just wanted to
have fun.
Most importantly, his relationship with God was
one that was intact. He loves God, but he is a man of
logical thinking—he can separate God from the things
that people claim that are of God. Even still, he is a man
with faults; we are all sinners and he's no exception.
I asked him what he thought of me. He said that
he thought that I was beautiful and that I seemed to be
very interesting, intelligent, and graceful. He thought
that I’d be a wonderful person to get to know more about
and spend his time with. He added that he didn’t think
he’d be disappointed once he got to know more about
me.
I almost asked him what he felt about me, but I
decided to wait until we got to know each other better.
(When I finally did, it warmed my heart to hear that he
thought I was perfect for him and he wouldn’t dare do
anything to ruin what we had. He went on to say that
going a certain period of time without being around me
or speaking to me made him feel lost. I filled a void in
his life, and he’d never do anything to lose me.)
“I think it's about time for that dance you promised me.”
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Frank put my feet on the ground and stood up as
he held his hand out for mine. He took me in his arms
and held me close. He felt so good against my chest. It
was the first time that I stood eye-to-eye with a man and
it just felt like I’d met my match. I put my cheek close to
his and softly brushed it against his stubble. It felt so
good—and he smelled like heaven. My mind began to
recount all the things I wanted to do to him, and I tensed
up at the thought of having him between my thighs. I
clenched them together for a few seconds and he, feeling
the tension, immediately began to rub my back. I knew I
was in love with him.
“You know something, Franklin?”
“What’s that, Miss Vivien-Leigh?”
“We're dancing to Etta James' ‘Sunday Kind of
Love,' and I think that's exactly what we may have.”
“Well, Darlin,’ I think you just might be right
about that. A Sunday kind of love…I like the sound of
that.”
We danced into the night before going our
separate ways. He wanted to take me home with him, but
I wanted to leave some kind of mystery between us. I
wanted the old fashioned courting; I didn't want him to
know where I lived at the time, and I didn't want to kiss
him so quickly. I made him wait a whole two weeks
before I would actually kiss him and when it happened,
it was well worth the wait. My father consistently says
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that you should wait three months before being intimate;
benefits on a job don't kick in until after that ninety-day
probationary period, so why should you give away your
benefits so quickly? Now, when we finally did become
intimate…well, it was another one of those things that
was well worth the wait.
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~~~~
Frankie and I have been together ever since. It
took a little while for him to deal with the fact that there
was a twenty-two year age gap between us, but we went
through the 'cradle robbing' talk and came to the
conclusion that as long as we loved each other and, they
simply wouldn’t matter. I had my experiences and he
had his; we stated our intentions up front and remained
honest with each other. He knew every detail of every
relationship I’d been in while in New York and in
California, and I knew everything he'd been through in
Memphis and in California. We knew that we would
have to adjust to the needs of one another from a
different generation, but our common interests and our
desire for each other held us together.
“Bay, do me a favor.”
“What’s that, Honey?”
“Call those kids and make sure they’re on their
way to the event site.”
“I’ll do that. I really wish Tres, Julez, and Nadi
had stayed at the house with us, that way we could arrive
as a family.”
“You know Tres is just enjoying that bachelor’s
pad and wouldn’t give it up to stay with his parents and
his busy body baby siblings for anything in the world.
Julian likes to go over there as often as he can and with
Nadi in town; I know they just wanted to show their
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Southern beauty queen of a sister off. That’s why Tres
had that party last night.”
“Well, I know that they’re as overprotective as
you are of her, so their little friends probably didn’t even
have the chance to shake Miss America’s hand.”
“Damn right. They know better than to let their
little sister go unguarded. I sure hope Tres was smart
enough to make sure there was no alcohol with his
teenage siblings present. If my minor children had been
drinking, I’ll kill ‘em.”
“Oh, Frank, please.”
“Vivie, I’ve got this. My teenagers are coming
home tonight and that’s for damn sure.”
He’s absolutely the most overprotective father I
know! It’s usually just of Nadi and the little ones,
because he knows he brought the older boys up right.
They know how to handle and protect themselves, but
Daddy is always picking apart their course of action for
everything. It’s stressful to think about, so I know it’s
stressful to deal with. But because they’re his boys, they
generally seem to handle it with ease.
“Honey, I’m sure Big Brother Tres didn’t let
them get into anything if they did have alcohol. I know
Julez is almost eighteen and he’ll be going off to college
soon, but there are times when I can’t help but worry
about him.”
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“He’s almost a full grown man, Vivie; you gotta
let him fly on his own. I know you’ve had a hand in
raising him for five years on a daily basis, but you’ve
gotta let go of those reigns. Let him keep proving to us
that we did a good job getting him ready for adulthood.”
“You’re so proud of them.”
“Yes, the hell, I am!”
Frankie’s beaming with pride because he loves
his kids so much. Tres and Julez are so smart, strong,
and responsible that it’s just amazing to be a part of their
lives—and Nadi? She is an incredible young woman!
She’s extremely intelligent, poised, proper, well spoken,
and drop dead gorgeous. Ever since Frank found out that
she was his daughter, you’d never seen a man swell with
such love and pride. I’ll never forget that morning…
It was one of his days off from his show and
he’d already dropped Tres off at school, so we were
excited to spend the majority of the day together,
completely uninterrupted. We didn’t spend nights
together during the school weeks, although occasionally,
we would have the very late night/early morning
rendezvous.
“You know how much I love having you for
breakfast, Bay? Your –“
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“Are you about to use a vulgar word right now,
Franklin?”
“Stuff is the breakfast of champions. When are
you gonna start letting me use some of the words I want
to use around here?”
“Well, that depends on what those words are.”
“I’m a grown ass man and I’m lettin’ little ol’
you stop me from saying ‘pussy.’”
“Frankie! I hate that word!”
“That’s what it is! Pussy! Pussy! Pussy! Pussy
and titties, and that big thing you rode on fifteen minutes
ago is my dick!”
“Ugh, Honey. Please stop.”
“Bay, in proper company I know the right words
to use if I have to use them at all; but in private
company—with the woman I love—I reserve the right to
be my damn self.”
“And who, pray tell, is your ‘damn self?’”
“A fifty-year-old man from the great state of
Tennessee, who loves himself some soul food, a good
beer, some down home blues, and the feeling of being
between his woman’s thighs with his dick deep in her
pussy while watching her titties bounce up and down as
he hears her scream his name like he invented the
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pleasure she was receiving. That’s who my damn self
is.”
A slight smile formed on his lips as he watched
me begin to lust for him. I mean, if you’d heard it the
way I heard it, I’m sure you’re about as turned on as I
was! I slid closer to him and began to intertwine our legs
while I kissed his neck and rub his bare chest. I needed
him to take me again. Frank tried to act cool about my
less than subtle invitation into my pleasure zone. He sat
there, picking at the horribly made breakfast I prepared
for him. My heart seemed to pound out of my chest and I
knew he could feel it against his arm. My throbbing
became nearly unbearable.
“Honey?”
“Yes, Darlin?””
“I think I’m going to have to burn some more
French toast for you.”
“And why is that?” Frank had taken his free
hand and ran his fingers through my wild curly hair
before holding my face and planting small kisses.
“Because you’re going to need it after your
penis enters my vagina and—”
“What? What’s that, Baby? I don’t think I
understand what you’re saying?” His early sarcasm
never failed to heighten my discomfort.
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“I’m going to lie back and spread my legs; in
less than one second, I’m going to feel that painfully
familiar, yet pleasurable thrust of your dick inside my
pussy. I’m going to bear your weight on top of me and
I’m going to scream your name until my body quakes
underneath you and you collapse from satisfaction and
pride on top of me.”
“…ah hell, Woman, I like the way you say that
shit.” Frank kissed me hard on the lips before putting the
lap tray over on the chaise lounge at the foot of the bed. I
untied my robe and lay back on my bed, I spread my
legs and waited to feel his girth squeeze its way into me.
I felt his hands slide up my thighs to my hips and
watched him position himself on top of me. The tip of
him made contact with me, and right before he could
make full entry, his phone began to ring.
“Daddy, don’t answer that. Please?”
“VL, when you say it like that, you make me not
want to.”
“Well, don’t. It’s our time to be together and I
need you.” I pulled him down on top of me and held him
tight. I kissed his face as I reached down and tried to
push him inside of me.
“Darlin,’ you know I want to, but I gotta get that
phone. You know my situation and that could be an
emergency with my boys. Now, I’ll let you have the dick
again, just as soon as I handle this.”
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“I want you to handle me.”
“I always do, Bay.” He pulled out and rolled
over to his side of the bed to answer his phone. I lay
there, holding my knees together, and hoping it would be
a quick call.
“Hey, Bubba.” It was his brother, Sterling.
“Hey, Chill; did I wake you?”
“Hell no, I’m always up at this time; you know
that. You’re only ahead by an hour.”
“Yeah. You busy, bruh?”
“Not anymore.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were doing
something. I didn’t mean to interrupt—“
“I was just about to do Vivien-Leigh again, but
we could stand the break. What’s up?”
“Uh huh, well, I gotta tell you this before she
wears your face for the rest of the day. I don’t know if
you want her around for this.”
“I assure you, she’s gonna take a ride on this
tongue either way it goes. Go on and tell me.” Frank
gently took me by the arm and pulled me over to him
and allowed me to get on top. I lay against his chest and
kissed his neck as he rubbed on my backside.
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“Well, you know, Kandy went over and checked
up on the house for you yesterday and you got some
mail. Damn sure I wish I had seen this yesterday.”
“What is it? It should’ve been forwarded in the
first damn place—especially if it’s something
important.”
“You remember a girl you used to mess with?
Lisa Hendrix?”
“Hendrix? I don’t know if I remember a
Hendrix.”
“You used to have sex with her after you
divorced Syl. The one you didn’t have to say but two
words to before she would give up the pussy. She used
to stay around the corner from Mama’s house—right
over there off Morrison.”
“Oh yeah, I remember her now. The Creole girl
with all that sandy brown hair! What about her?”
“She hit you with a paternity suit, Chill.”
“What?” Frank sat up beneath me and patted my
butt firmly, signaling me to get off of him. I gave him
room to get up and sit on the edge of the bed, and
although I had no idea what was making him upset, I just
wanted to comfort him. I crawled up behind him and put
my arms around his neck. He kissed my hands and
patted them—signaling once again, to give him space. I
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backed away and crawled under the covers, hoping he
would find a way to let me know what was going on.
“She filed a case in family court, naming you the
father of her six year old daughter. It demands you take a
paternity test and she’s seeking support.”
“Shit…what’s her name?”
“Renada Chanel Lattimore.”
“Stop fucking with me, Bubba.”
“I wish I was. I seriously wish that I was just
fuckin’ around with you. I know how you are about your
kids—I’m the same way. This shit’s got me mad, so I
know you ain’t fairin’ much better. What you wanna do
about this?”
“Fax all that shit they sent you over here to VL’s
place. You still got her fax number?”
“I got it. I’m gon’ try and have this to you in a
few minutes before I go into surgery. I sure as hell don’t
want them nosy ass nurses doin’ it.”
“Thanks, Bubba.”
“I got you. You okay?”
“I don’t know how I feel right now, to be
honest.”
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“Look, bruh, you got this. I know you do. You
know the law inside and out, so you just keep cool and
do your legal thing. We don’t call you ‘Chill’ for
nothing.”
“I know, Man.”
“Good. You keep your head up, you hear me? I
love you, Chill.”
“I love you, too, Bubba.” He hung up his phone
and never lifted his head. His body language just
screamed that he was hurting and I could only give him
the space that he wanted.
“…Frankie?”
He held his hand up to stop me before motioning
for me to come over to him. I crawled across my bed and
put my arms around his neck and got good and tight
against him. I kissed his face a few times.
“What’s the matter, Daddy?”
“I’m a little ashamed to tell you this.”
“You don’t have to be. I love you and I’ll
support you, no matter what it is.”
“Baby, you just don’t know how much I needed
to hear that. See, this is one of those things that you may
not be ready to deal with.”
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“Honey, you keep saying that, but I can handle
it. I can handle anything.”
“I know you can, Darlin,’ but this…this is some
shit that just came up out the blue. I never in a million
years would’ve thought this would happen to me.”
“Well, what is it?”
“Vivien-Leigh, there is a possibility that I could
have another child.”
I relaxed against him and tried to wrap my mind
around the idea of another child. Frank’s the type of man
who took pride in protecting himself sexually when not
in a committed relationship. He believes in babies being
born only in wedlock and it had to be doing something
to him to know that he had an “outside baby.” That’s
what they call it in Memphis. I had no qualms with
babies being born outside of marriage, though I’d prefer
to be committed first, but he was adamant that the next
child he had—if he had any at all—would only be with
his wife.
“Is that gonna be a problem for you?”
“No, Frankie! Of course not! You had no idea
that you could possibly have another child and I know
that if you knew, you’d be taking care of him or her.”
“I don’t even remember being with that woman
long enough, but it only takes one damn time. I know I
used a rubber! If Mama and Daddy told us anything—
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even if it was vain as shit—it was to use a rubber cause
we had good genes and little girls in Memphis don’t
want shit else but to have a baby by a man with good
genes. The only times I’ve not wrapped it up was with
Syl and Angie. Shit!”
He put his head in his hands and I just hugged
him tighter. His disappointment in himself had made me
extremely emotional. My tears slowly rolled down my
face to his neck.
“Oh, now, hold on. What are you crying for?”
“Because you’re so angry with yourself! I don’t
like seeing you upset!”
“Baby, we’re gonna deal with this. I know
you’re going to stay in my corner and I need that right
now. Now, what I don’t need is you getting overly
emotional. I don’t like when you’re upset either, so what
I’m gonna do is start working this thing out right damn
now. I’m gonna check the fax machine and start calling
these numbers, so I want you to get under these covers
and be comfortable.”
“I think you should be the one lying down. You
have a lot going on, Honey. Let me cater to you.”
“My Darlin,’ you’ve done enough for me. You
loving me, having my back, and even making me that
god-awful breakfast is more than enough for me. I just
want you to lie here and get yourself together and I’ll go
make you a decent breakfast.”
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“You didn’t like my cooking?”
“I wish I could answer that with a straight face. I
love you, Woman, that’s for damn sure, but you can’t
cook to save your own life. One of these days, I’m
gonna teach you how to prepare an edible meal.”
“I’d like that. I also appreciate you eating it,
even though it’s burnt and terrible.”
“If that doesn’t prove how much I love you, I
don’t know what the hell will.” Frank kissed my hand
and patted it. He was trying to get himself into a good
mood so he could deal with his legal woes. I kissed his
neck and hugged him tightly again before scooting back
and getting under the covers. I sat there and watched him
put on his underwear, get his paper work, and diligently
call each number he received. He paced around the room
and tried to remain calm and stern as he spoke. His body
told another story—he was angry and frustrated and
even hurt. Frank always thought he could hide his
feelings from me, but in this instance, he was doing a
terrible job.
“Bay?”
“Is everything okay, Frankie?”
“I’m gonna have to fly out to Memphis
tomorrow, so I need a favor from you.”
“Anything, Honey.”
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Grant/A Sunday Kind of Love/
“Can you get Tres up for school? Get him
breakfast, pick him up after football practice, and give
him dinner? I’ll try to be home before he goes to bed.”
“Of course, I will, Honey. Whatever you need.”
“Vivian-Leigh, you are a damn fine woman and
I love the hell out of you.”
“Oh, I love you too, Daddy.” As Frank lay
across my bed, gently stroking my face and gazing
deeply into my eyes, he found a little more security in
me. He knew that I would support him, no matter what
the situation. He could trust in me.
“I’m going to take a paternity test tomorrow,
VL.”
“Are you hoping he or she is yours?”
“She—and I don’t know. If she is, I’ll be
embarrassed that I’ve got this outside baby that I haven’t
taken care of, and if she isn’t, I’ll feel terrible that there’s
another child in the world without a father.”
“You are so empathetic. I just want you to know
that if she is your daughter, I will do all I can to make
her feel special with us. I know we aren’t married yet
and it’s not something we’re discussing right now, but if
you choose to let me meet her I’ll do my very best to
treat her just like I do Tres and Julez—when you have
him.”
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“I know you will, Baby. Not many women
would want to be caught up in a situation like this and I
thank you for stickin’ by me.”
“Well, Honey, I assure you, I’m not like most
women.”
“That’s for damn sure.” Frankie took my hand
and kissed it before stroking it with his thumb. He
needed to be taken care of and asking for it wasn’t his
way.
“Honey, come on under the covers and lay
between my legs and let Mama take care of you.”
He laughed to himself, but he needed it and he
knew it.
“My mama passed away three years ago and I
don’t need another one to take care of me.”
“I know you had a mama, just like I have a
daddy and don’t need another one—but I let you have
your fun. Now, come on and lay between Mama’s legs
and let me take care of you. I’ll let you in my warm
spot.” I gave him a sexy glare and he raised his eyebrow
at me, intrigued by my offer. He immediately took off
his boxers and slid under the covers, on top of me, and
between my legs. I held him in my arms and against my
chest and did my best to make him feel comforted.
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That paternity test proved that Frank was
Renada’s father after all. He’s done everything in his
power to be the best father to her; when he got the
positive results, he immediately wanted to meet her.
He’d already told Tres and Julez that they could possibly
have a baby sister and explained that he’d never cheated
on their mother—Renada was completely unexpected.
Tres thought nothing of it, but Julez was a little upset. At
only nine years old, he was used to being his father’s
main priority, and to have to share that with a new
sibling—a sibling three years his junior—was
disheartening.
Frank got Lisa’s phone number and discussed
how Renada—or Nadi, as they began to call her— came
to be and why she never told him. Lisa explained that
she didn’t realize she was pregnant until she reached her
second trimester, long after she and Frank stopped
talking. He had moved on with Angela, so she never
quite knew how to break the news without making him
feel trapped. She was fine raising Renada on her own
until she had an unemployment set back and could no
longer afford Nadi’s private school tuition. Frank took
offense to the fact that she thought he wouldn’t want to
know his baby.
What bothered him even more was that she gave Nadi
his last name without even bothering to let him know she
existed. He would’ve wanted nothing more than to be
present to witness her firsts—her first day on this earth,
her first steps, first words, and her first day of school.
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Lisa took those things away from him. He wasn’t
interested in holding grudges, but he was hurt and
wanted her to know. Fortunately, they arranged a time
for Frank to meet Renada. It was my first trip to
Memphis and Frank was both nervous and excited to
have me meet “his people” -–including his daughter.
#
“Are you sure you want me here, Frankie?”
“Of course I do. You’re a part of my package
and I want her to know that she’ll be in good hands
when she’s with me.”
He was nervous. He fixed his tie a million times
and kept messing with his hair—running his fingers
through it, combing it back. I tried to help ease some of
his tension by fixing his tie one last time and
straightening his hair.
“You look handsome.”
“Thank you. Bay, what if she doesn’t want to
see me? What if she hates me?”
“Honey, I think it’ll be a situation that you both
will have to get used to, but I doubt she’ll hate you.
She’s only six! Just calm down, Honey; you’ll have me
there with you. I’ll hold your hand.”
Frank leaned in and kissed me softly on the lips.
He didn’t want to break our kiss because he knew that he
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was only minutes away from meeting his daughter for
the first time. I slipped away from him and wiped the
lipstick from his lips. I held his cheek in my hand and
caressed it.
“I support you, Franklin, and I love you.
Besides, nobody can make my man sweat.”
“That’s for damn sure. Let’s go meet my baby
girl.” He got out of the car, grabbed his jacket, and
slipped it on before opening the door for me and helping
me out of the car. We held hands as we walked up the
stairs to the quaint townhouse and rung the bell.
“Frank?”
“Lisa?”
Lisa was a woman of average height, fair
complexion, and sandy brown hair pulled back into a
ponytail. She was a nice looking woman who seemed to
fit into Frank’s type—at one point in time.
“Frank, it’s been so long. How are you?”
“My dear, I’m doin just fine. Lisa, this is my
significant other, Miss Vivien-Leigh Valentine. VivienLeigh, this is Lisa Hendrix.” We shook hands as she let
us into her home.
“It is very nice to meet you, Lisa.”
“Same here, Vivien-Leigh.” She was astonished
and intimidated by my height, which certainly stroked
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my ego. It was obvious she was slightly disappointed by
my presence; she probably thought they had a shot of
getting together.
“Well, I guess I should call Nadi down. You can
have a seat in the living room if you’d like.”
“Thank you.” She showed us to the living room
and Frank and I had a seat on the sofa. I gave him a
quick peck on the cheek and rubbed his arm. He rested
his hand on my knee and squeezed it gently. We looked
around at the family pictures that adorned the walls.
Baby pictures, professional pictures—it really hurt his
heart to have not been with her for six years.
“Oh, Honey, she is absolutely beautiful.”
“Yes she is. I’m just upset I missed all these
moments.”
“I know you are, Honey, but you’ll be able to
make new ones now. She looks just like you.”
“She does…and that hurts even more.” Frank
and I stopped when we heard footsteps approaching the
room. Lisa held Renada by the shoulders and Frank’s
heart began to race. Before him stood the most gorgeous
little image of himself and he was at a loss for words.
Lisa walked Renada into the living room and stopped
her a few feet in front of Frankie. She was brown
skinned with the most ridiculous head full of curls and
the prettiest blue eyes I’d ever seen in my life! And
freckles! She had all her mother’s recessive traits on all
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of Frank’s features. We stood up to greet her and it was
rather ironic how they conveyed the same body
language.
“Renada Chanel, this is your father, Charles Lattimore.”
“Hi.”
“Hi, Sweetheart.”
God, they were both so anxious it was heartbreaking.
“Nadi, don’t you wanna give your daddy a hug?”
Lisa nudged Nadi forward and I gave Frankie a
little push until they finally met in the middle. He gave
her a tight squeeze. Tears welled in his eyes, but his
pride wouldn’t let them fall; it’s just not his style. He
held her for what seemed like an eternity before letting
her go, and then took her face in his hands and held it as
he looked deep into her eyes.
“Where’d a pretty little girl like you get those
big blue eyes and all those cute freckles?”
“I don’t know.”
“She got them from my grandmother, but she
got everything else from you—if you hadn’t noticed.”
“Oh, I did. Renada, this is my significant other,
Miss Vivien-Leigh.” That poor pretty little girl looked at
me in awe as she stretched her neck to look up at me.
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“You’re tall.”
“Yes she is. VL, she’s got hair just like yours.”
“Yes she does! Well, mine aren’t perfect
ringlets, but I just adore curls on little girls! Renada, you
are absolutely gorgeous.”
“Thank you.”
“Let’s have a seat—Nadi, don’t you want to
show your daddy all your pictures and your awards?
She’s so smart, Frank. I think that’s something else she
gets from you.”
“Well, I wouldn’t be surprised at all.” He took
Renada’s hand and sat her next to him on the sofa. She
sat between him and Lisa and I sat on the outside next to
him. He rested one hand on my knee and used his other
hand to run his fingers through his daughter’s hair. She
showed him albums full of baby pictures and ribbons
and awards that she’d gotten from kindergarten,
pageants, and modeling. I caught him sneaking glances
of her as Lisa explained what she had received the
awards for.
“Frank, we put together one of these albums to take back
to California with you. Nadi, give your daddy the album
we made.” Nadi handed him the photo album; if he
wasn’t moved by the gesture, I sure was. I dabbed at my
eyes and tried not to make a scene. I loved that they were
already in the beginning stages of building a real daddydaughter relationship.
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“Thank you, Baby.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Miss Renada, Miss Vivien-Leigh and I brought
something for you, too. VL, Baby, you got that thing?”
“I sure do.” I pulled the Tiffany box from my
purse and handed it to him.
“Go on and open that, Baby.”
“Tiffany? What is that?” Frank turned his head
quickly to look at me and I started to laugh.
“Am I wrong?”
“Of course not, Sweetheart, I just thought Miss
Vivien-Leigh would die of shock if she’d ever heard
those words. Tiffany is a very nice jewelry store.”
“Oh, a very, very nice jewelry store. Miss
Renada, your daddy and I picked that out especially for
you.”
“It’s a necklace.”
“Actually, Baby Girl, it’s a locket. Open it up.”
Frank helped her open it and inside sat a picture of him
and two empty slots.
“See, there’s already a picture of your daddy
inside. The two empty spaces are for pictures of you and
your mama.”
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“And I put something special on the back for
you, Baby.” Frank was so eager to show her all his gift
had to offer.
She turned the necklace over and he read the
inscription to her—‘Renada, I love you so much. Daddy’
“Isn’t that nice, Nadi? Tell your daddy and his
friend, ‘Thank you.’”
“Thank you, Daddy.”
“Miss Renada, you just don’t know how good it
makes me feel to hear you call me that.”
“You are my daddy, right?”
“Of course I am. I just didn’t know if you’d
want to call me that.” Frank kissed her on the head while
I really tried my best to keep it together. I knew if I
didn’t, he’d tell me to step outside until I regrouped.
“You wanna wear it now?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“I like the sound of that! You want Daddy to
help you put it on?” She nodded at Frank and he took so
much pride in helping her with the locket. I think the
pride came mostly from her readily wanting to wear
such a symbol of his love.
“Thank you.”
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“You are certainly welcome, Baby.” He kissed
her head again as she played around with her new
necklace.
“Oh, Frankie, Honey, don’t forget about the
reservations.”
“That’s right. Is it about that time, VL?”
“Thirty minutes ‘til.”
“Are you leaving already?” It was obvious Lisa
didn’t want this precious moment to end, with good
reason.
“Well, Lisa, I made dinner reservations for the
four of us tonight—that is, if you want to come. I wanted
to take Miss Renada out and wasn’t sure if you wanted
to join us.”
“Nadi Doll, you want Mommy to come with you
and your daddy?”
“Mommy has to come.” Renada clung to Lisa’s
side.
“That’s just fine. If you ladies want to freshen
up before we leave, that’s fine, too. VL, do you need to
use the restroom?”
“No, Honey, I’m fine.”
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“Nadi and I need to go prepare ourselves, so
excuse us.” Frank stood as they left the room and by this
time, he’d started to ease into the situation.
“Frankie, she’s amazing.”
“I know. Did you hear when she called me
‘daddy?’ VL, it touched me…”
“I know it did, Honey.”
“And did you hear how well she read? She’s six
years old! That remarkably gorgeous little girl—the one
with all the honors in kindergarten and with the
modeling trophies and pageant sashes, crowns, and
trophies—is my baby girl!”
“Surreal, isn’t it?”
“Six years she’s been without me…shit.” I
rubbed his back as he worked on keeping his emotions in
check. My man is a man who loves his babies. I placed
my arms around his neck and kissed his cheek,
comforting him as best as I could.
“You’re a good daddy and she’ll see that soon enough. I
know she will.”
“God, I hope so. VL, you know when we get
home I’m gonna need to release this tension.”
“I already knew it. And you know I’m ready,
willing, and able to do whatever it is you want me to do.
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Mama’s prepared to do all she can to make her baby feel
good.” Frank chuckled to himself as he kissed my hands.
That night was one of the most magical nights that we’d
ever spent together. I got to watch my man and his
daughter build their relationship from the ground up. At
the restaurant, they started to let down barriers and we
all realized that they share the same ‘motor mouth’ gene.
Frankie and Nadi talked and talked and talked from the
time we reached the restaurant until the time that we
brought her and Lisa home. We even stayed so Frank
could help tuck her in and kiss her goodnight.
We told her about our life in California and about her
brothers and how she and her doggie sister shared the
same middle name. In turn she divulged about her love
of puzzles, computer games, and books and how she’d
just started reading ‘big kid’ books. She’d already made
the honors list at her Christian school, and was only a
month into the first grade. Her father’s daughter, she
was. The one thing that wasn’t Frank, though, was her
ambition—at just six years old—to be Miss America one
day.
Frank wasn’t too into looks, but he knew he
looked good and always dressed well. And the man
made pretty babies, that was for sure; his little girl was a
total knockout. Miss America material, for sure. We’ve
been calling her that ever since.
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~~~~
“Besides, if Tres’ anything like his father, he’s
having a ball with all the women coming in and out of
that place.”
“Like his father, huh?”
“In his father’s day—you know, I was a player.”
“You were a player, you say?”
“That’s right. They learned from the best.”
“That's what you taught them, huh?”
“And I taught them well, too. Blue had better
know that he ain’t movin’ in with his brother ‘til at least
his second year of college. First year, he keeps his butt
on campus and we’ll see how well he handles those
college-level classes. If he wants to be a plastic surgeon,
he’d better think about that.” Frankie's got one hand on
my thigh, rubbing it gently, as he drives. I'm dialing
Julian's number and waiting on him to answer.
“Hey Viv.”
“Hello, Sweetheart; Daddy wants to know if
you, Tres, and Nadi are on your way down.”
“We just got here. We're waiting for y'all. Are
you close? Yo, what are the kids doing in there?”
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“They're about to make your daddy yell, I know
that much. Hold on—”
I'm turning around in my seat and popping
Christopher and Jordan's legs. “Stop kicking at these
seats and each other! I don't want to have to make Daddy
spank you. Cookie and Bebe, stop with all that noise!”
I'm turning back around and the tension in Frankie's
shoulders just went away. He doesn't like having to yell
at them, but believe me—he will spank and yell. I'm the
Good Cop.
“Okay, Julez, we're almost there. We'll see you
kids in a few.”
“Alright, Viv.”
“What did he say, Bunny?”
“They're already there and they're waiting on
us.”
“I figured as much. You know I'm gonna spank
somebody’s behind the minute I put this car in park,
right?”
“I know it, Honey. I tried to stop them.” See,
he's the disciplinarian and I'm the mediator. Uh oh, here
goes Claire, trying to make her daddy forget about
handing out punishment.
“Daddy, how come Etienne could not come with
us?”
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“Cookie, we couldn't bring the dog. Mama and I
have enough problems trying to keep up with the four of
you.”
“But Mommy could have put her in her bag like
always.”
“Cookie, we couldn't bring the dog, okay? Ettie
had to stay home for a little while; she will be there
when we get back. You know your sister doesn’t like
being around the dog so much anymore.”
Etienne's our second dog. She’s an adorable
Yorkshire Terrier and probably one of my favorite gifts
from Frank. I've actually had her longer than we've had
the kids. Our first baby was a toy poodle named was
Coco Chanel Lattimore; I loved that little angel to death.
I remember when Frank gave her to me.
It was the end of Frankie's ninety-day
probationary boyfriend period. He'd been the best thing
to come into my life since I ended that La Jolla
Playhouse run of Duke Ellington's “Sophisticated
Ladies” where I took on Phyllis Hyman's role. That night
would be the night he would officially make me his
woman, and I patiently waited on his arrival. I didn't
know if he realized it, but after dinner, he wouldn’t be
going home.
I ordered in dinner and had the red wine
breathing. The first dinner that we had at my place, I was
determined to make the best of it. I planned to feed him
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steak and slowly get him out of his clothes. My heart
raced when I heard the knock at my door, but
disappointment and confusion set in when I looked
around and saw no one. Suddenly, I glanced down and
saw the chocolate brown puppy with pink bows in her
hair and a note attached to her collar.
“Ooh, hello there, Sweetheart. Who are you?” I
closed the door after picking up that precious little
puppy, and removed the note.
I can’t find my daddy and I don't have a mommy.
Will you help me?
“Awe, Angel, I'll help you find your daddy. I
can’t believe someone would leave you all alone—a
precious little baby like you. Let's go down to the
doorman and see if he knows where your daddy is.” I
took the puppy and opened my front door. Frank was
standing there, looking breathtaking and smelling even
better.
“You found him.”
“Frankie—you?”
“Happy three month anniversary, Baby.”
“This puppy is for me?” I squealed.
“Of course she is. I think she will make good
practice for us. Now, she already has a daddy; all she
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needs is a mommy. Will you be her mommy, Miss
Vivien-Leigh Valentine?”
“I sure will! I’ve always wanted a little puppy!
Does she have a name?”
“She's waiting on you to give her a name,
Mama.”
“Well, Sweetheart, I think I'll name you Coco:
Coco Chanel Lattimore. You like that, Honey?”
“I just think it’s beautiful, Darlin’.’ I also took
the liberty of having these papers drawn up for the
welfare of Miss Coco Chanel Lattimore.”
Frank pulled papers from his pocket and walked
me over to the sofa before he placed them on the coffee
table.
“Go on and look those over.”
“We, Vivien-Leigh Valentine and C. Franklin
Lattimore, Jr. hereby do solemnly swear to do what is
best and right by—I have to write her name in—Coco
Chanel Lattimore. We will feed her, clothe her, take her
for walks, and make sure she is very well taken care of
in any and all circumstances. If by any chance, Mommy
and Daddy should part, Mommy will retain custody of
Coco Chanel, allowing Daddy visitation or every other
weekend custody if she sees fit, and Daddy will pay
Mommy doggy support to make sure Coco Chanel
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maintains all proper care and the lifestyle she has
become accustomed to.”
I looked at Frank with beaming eyes. Only he
could think of something like that—something so sweet
and sincere and romantic.
“So, you gonna sign it or what?”
“Of course I will.” I penned my name as quickly
as possible before kissing Frank as Coco wiggled her
way in between us, licking our chins.
“Frankie, why did you really buy me this
puppy?”
“I told you, I wanted to do something special for
our three month anniversary.”
“Come on, now...”
“Well, I know that you're at that age where your
biological clock is ticking and you're gonna want babies.
Honestly, I'm not at that point anymore. I figure this
little one will hold you over for awhile and give me
some time to process all that baby stuff again—
especially since we haven't had any baby making
practice going on over here.”
“Well I think you'll be rather content when we
do, so you just keep being the good boyfriend that you
are and good things will happen. Maybe even sooner
than you think.”
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“Is that so?” Wide-eyed and smiling ear-to-ear,
he pulled me closer to him, slid his hands down to my
butt, and pressed his lips in random spots on my face. I
was a sucker for his cute little kisses.
“So, you know if you start this three month
anniversary business, you're gonna have to top it every
three months, right?”
“I think I can manage that. What's for dinner?”
“Steak—just the way you like it—jambalaya,
those little red potatoes, and a nice bottle of red wine.”
“I love you, Viv.”
“What?”
“I said I love you, Vivien-Leigh.”
“I love you, too, Franklin. It just sounded so nice
I had to hear it again.” I kissed him one last time and I
got up from the couch to prepare dinner. At that
moment, my entire approach to our relationship
changed. I decided to give him my all, to bring my A
game and give myself completely. He deserved a woman
who would appreciate all that he was and all that he had
to offer. I was that woman, and I was going to stick by
him until the end.
“Come on, Baby; let's go put Daddy's food on
the table! Come on...come with Mama.” Coco and I
went and put dinner out and the rest of the night, Frank
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and I sat and drank and kissed like teenagers. It was so
nice spending this kind of time with him. It was always a
once or twice a week kind of thing because he was
always so busy, but he always made time for me, each
and every day, in some way or another. His emails and
handwritten letters were my favorites, along with his
witty voicemails.
What a magical first three months it was, even
despite the fact that we weren't doing anything. Of
course we kissed, and he always got the urge explore. I
let him kiss my face, my lips, my neck, my chest, and
my cleavage, and each time he’d try to go a lot further.
Frank has always been fresh, and even after just a few
months together, he'd feel me up and try to stick his
hands up my skirt or down my shirt, but that's about it.
He did it playfully, but overall, he has always been
respectful. It was time to finally treat my man.
Frank let me give him a pedicure; he thought it
was kind of girly, but I pushed it, so he finally let me. He
knew I had qualms about my bed and my furniture: no
one was allowed to eat on it, put their shoes on it, and if
you were sleeping in it, you could only wear lace, silk,
satin, pure cotton, or nothing at all. And most
importantly, your feet had to be manageable.
“What are you doing to me? Are you trying to
get me drunk?”
“No, we're just loosening up, Baby.”
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“I let you touch my feet and you've been all over
me, so now I feel like you're trying to get me out of my
clothes.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“No, not if you'd let me in on the things that
you've got going on.”
“It's our three month anniversary right?”
“Right.”
“You bought me a puppy, right?”
“Right.”
“Well, you got me a gift and I have to give you
one in return. The probationary period is over and it's
time for your benefits to kick in, Judge.”
“Oooohhhhh.”
“Remember my bed rules, Judge Lattimore?”
“Silk, lace, satin, pure cotton, or nothing at all.”
“Nothing at all...”
His eyebrows rose as he sat his wine glass down.
I slid off his lap and put Coco on the floor to give him
some room to do what he was about to do. Frank
grabbed me, pulled me close, put me on my back, and
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crawled on top of me. We kissed as we stripped each
other.
“This is why you touched my feet?”
“Unkempt feet keep you out of Vivien-Leigh's
bed. Would you want that?”
“No ma'am.”
“I didn’t think so! Go get your clothes off and
I'll meet you in bed in fifteen minutes. I have something
for you.”
“Something for me?”
“Yes. Something for my man.”
“That's what I like to hear. Go do your lady
thing and I'll see you in a few.”
“Alright.” I got up and went to my bedroom as
Coco trailed behind me. After such a short time together,
she had already attached herself tightly to us.
“Coco, come on back here with Daddy. We need
to give Mama a few minutes to get her thing together.”
Coco scampered back to her daddy and I was amazed at
how even our new puppy responded to his command.
While Frank waited, I turned my bedroom into a
romantic oasis. I lit candles, put down rose petals, and
played Gladys Knight & the Pips' version of “The
Makings of You.” I slipped on my black lace La Perla
lingerie and pulled back my beautiful imported white
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cashmere duvet. Perfectly positioned on the bed, I called
out to my man.
“Frankie,”
“You ready, Baby?”
“I need you!”
“And I’m damn sure in need of you.” He came
into my room in his underwear with the widest grin
plastered across his face. I admired his toned caramel
body as he made his way over to me. Frank definitely
kept himself in shape; his muscle tone was amazing. He
was just the way I liked my men—big and thick—not
just below the waist, either. I knelt on the bed with my
arms outstretched for him to wrap himself up in.
“You like it?”
“I love it, Viv. You are drop dead gorgeous,
Darlin’.”
“Thank you. Where's the baby?”
“Out in the hall; she doesn't need to be in here
for this.”
“She’s going to cry out there all alone.”
“She'll be alright, Viv.”
“Go crack the door, Honey.”
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“Call me 'Daddy,' Baby.” I looked into his eyes
and he dared me to defy him. I broke out into a smile
and he slowly softened.
“Go crack the door, Daddy.” He kissed me hard
on the lips before getting up to crack the door. When he
returned, he pulled me off the bed and held me in his
arms. He turned me around and wrapped his arms
around my waist as he planted kisses on my neck and
back.
“Now, I’ve seen it covered up like this many a
time, but I’m ready to see it unveiled. May I do the
honors?”
“Of course you may.” Franklin continued to kiss
my back as he gently ran his fingertips up my torso. His
touch made me tingle and I fought hard to remain cool
and calm, not revealing that my knees were buckling
underneath me. He slowly unhooked my bra and tossed
it aside before holding my breasts in his giant hands.
They fit perfectly.
“…Frankie…”
“Get used to calling my name, Baby, ‘cause it’s
gonna be the only thing you’ll remember for the next
couple of hours.” He tantalized my nipples between his
fingers before wrapping an arm across my breasts and
sliding his other down my stomach and inside of my
panties. As he eased his fingers in and out of me, hitting
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my sensitive spot, I lost my composure and my knees
grew weaker.
“It’s alright, Baby; Daddy’s got you. You
remember the first time I did this to you? Butter.” He
pulled his hand from my panties and put his fingers in
his mouth. “You melt like butter, but you taste like
brown sugar—I love it.”
We kissed passionately as he slowly slid my panties off.
Frank picked me up, and my legs wrapped around him
like second nature. Before I knew it, we were on my bed
and between my sheets. He fit my body like a glove.
I’d let him lay on top of me before, but never
like this. There we were, him on top, kissing whatever
exposed flesh he could, and teasing me as I tried to
disrobe him from the waist down. Frank decided to
continue his tease-fest and go further down my body and
stopping under the covers.
“Daddy, the baby's whimpering! She wants to
get on the bed.”
“No.” He didn’t break his concentration at all.
“But she's crying!”
“You want that baby with paws and fur on this
bed that you have a million and one rules about?”
“Sorry, Angel, Mommy has to break you in on
the rules first. Daddy and Mommy will be done soon.”
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“No we won’t, either. I can go all night.” At that
moment, his actions took over my body and I had—like
a horrible mother—forgotten all about my whimpering
baby down on the floor. My body began to writhe in
ecstasy as he continued to pleasure me in a manner that
I'm too much of a lady to go into detail about. He could
sense my body's reactions and before having a major
climax, he came back up from under the covers,
continuing to kiss my body.
“That felt so good, Frankie.”
“I could tell. I had to hold you down; you just
kept bucking out of my grasp.”
“I couldn't help it...I've never had it that good
before.”
“Really? Well, Daddy wants to know if you give
as good as you get.”
“You want me to go down on you?”
“Seems only fair, but if you don't want to, I'll
understand. You're not ready to go as far with me as I
am with you. It's okay.”
“Honey, don't put that guilt trip on me. You
know I love you and I want to please you.”
“I'm not putting any guilt trips on you. I just
know that I want to go that extra mile with you and
you're not ready. You don't realize that you won’t get
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what I just gave you from those younger men. They’re
too immature. I've been there and done that and I do
what keeps you satisfied.”
“Don't start that. You're ruining the mood up in
here. Now look; I want you and I need what you've got
in my life. Don't get me to the point where I'm so in need
of it that I start tackling you down. I've done it before
and I'm not ashamed to do it again. So just come on over
here to the edge of this bed and let me pleasure my
man.”
I slid down on the floor and he positioned
himself directly in front of me. I took him in my hands,
and as soon as I started to fulfill his wishes, Coco came
from under the bed and crawled up on my lap. I moved
her and proceeded to give Frank what he wanted, but she
just wouldn't stop crawling on me.
“Honey, I cannot do this.”
“Yes you can, Darlin’; you’re doin’ alright!”
“Coco keeps looking at me!”
“She will be fine. You just focus back on what
you’re doing over here with me.”
“I can’t. I know she’s looking at me and
thinking ‘my mommy’s a slut.’”
“Giving your man a little oral gratification does
not make you a slut, Viv.”
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“I know that and you know that, but she doesn’t.
I can see the disappointment in her eyes.”
“Do you want me to put her in the bathroom?”
“No. I know she’ll cry in there.”
“You can’t have your cake and eat it too, Viv.
She's either gonna watch you down there on your knees
and think ill, or she's gonna watch you up here on your
back and think ill. So do you want to get our bodies
stuck together and have a little fun, or do you want to sit
here and watch the damn dog?”
“Frankie…”
“No, Viv; make a damn decision.”
“Can I do this for you tomorrow? You know,
after you get home from a hard day of work? I swear, I’ll
make it more than worth your while.”
“Whatever, Vivien-Leigh.” I knew he was angry
the minute he spoke my whole name. I didn’t want the
evening to go any further south than it had already
started. I had to win him back over.
“Franklin Lattimore, when Vivien-Leigh
Valentine gets on her knees to please you orally, I assure
you, it’s a religious experience. I’m talking stomping,
shouting, tears, euphoria, light headedness, and a whole
lot of praising.” He tried to appear indifferent to my
words, but he couldn’t contain the smirk that crept
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across his face. I just knew he felt like he was dating a
little girl, and that’s the exact opposite of how I wanted
him to feel. I knew I needed to make it up to him, so I
shot up off the floor and tackled him.
I gave myself to him and he took all of me.
Frank got me between the covers and taught me how to
make love to him the way he liked it. Everything that I'd
done previously had become a thing of the past, and I let
him take complete control. I think that in those hours
that passed, I actually became a bona fide woman and it
was simply because a bona fide man put in serious work
on my ass. I know it's not ladylike to use such language,
but that's the only way I could describe it.
As we made love into the early hours of the
morning, Coco whimpered so much that she put herself
to sleep. I felt bad for ignoring her, but her daddy took
my mind to a completely different level of
consciousness. After hours of passion, he held me in his
arms and reveled in his work.
“Daddy?”
“Yes, Ma’am?”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
“Honey, what are you thinking about right
now?”
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“I’m thinking about how I put it on you pretty
damn good, so now I deserve a good night’s rest where I
can snore as loudly as I want. Damn; I have to get up in
a few hours to take my ass to work.”
“Oh, you put something on me tonight, alright.
After we’ve shared each other for the very first time,
don’t you want to share how you feel? I mean, there are
so many feelings racing through me right now—I just
feel like a brand new person.”
“Daddy’s got you sprung, huh? Whipped it on
you right!”
“Maybe…” Frank laughed to himself as he
raised his arm to shade his eyes from the newly risen
sun.
“I know I do. Look, Baby Girl, I’ve got cases
and I have to shoot promos today. I need to get some rest
so I can deal with all that. Trust me; we will have plenty
of time to share all of our flowery ass feelings later.”
“Well, Frank, I don’t want to talk anymore,” I
slid on top of him and he held me by the waist until I
was in my proper position. His hands moved over to my
backside. “I want to take this ride all over again.”
“Little Lady, you can have me as many times
and you can take me tonight—when I get home from
work. Right now, I really need to go to sleep and I need
you in my arms with those big breasts pressed up against
me. Come lie down here, Viv.”
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Frank rubbed my butt before running his
gigantic hands up my back and helped me position
myself on top of him. He wrapped his arms around my
back good and tight before kissing me on the cheek.
“You feel so good in my arms, Viv.”
“I like the way you hold me. I feel so protected.”
“That’s what a man’s supposed to do. He’s
supposed to protect and provide for his woman. If I ever
stop holding you like this, it means I don’t care and I
can’t foresee a day that I’ll stop doing that.”
“I most certainly like hearing you talk like that.
Honey, where’s Coco?”
“Down on the floor. Viv, I really wanna get
some shut eye now.”
“I know, but I want to hold her.”
“Vivien-Leigh, you can hold her all day
tomorrow. I’m tired, so I’m going to sleep. I’m not
letting you go, and we’re not moving from this spot.
Good night, Darlin’.”
“Good night, Honey. I love you.”
“Mmmhmm.” Frank closed his eyes and I gently
rubbed my face against the slight stubble of his cheek. I
listened to the sound of the dog snoring gently from the
floor before Frank’s gentle breathing turned into
hardcore lumber sawing. It didn’t bother me one bit; I
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enjoyed the sound of a man relaxing after working so
very hard.
When we began our lives with Coco, she was just there
to keep me from asking Frank for babies every time I got
the itch. She actually taught us a lot about ourselves and
helped us realize how well we worked as a cohesive
parental unit. Coco would whine for little things, I would
give in, and Frank would fuss. We’d bicker, but Daddy
always let Mommy win. As the months went by, we
learned how to work together to give her what she
needed and not everything that she wanted. We got
better at being her parents, which, in hindsight, helped
prepare us for becoming parents to our real babies in the
future.
Coco Chanel was my life. She was my pride and
joy and I treated that baby like a queen, so anyone can
imagine my dismay to learn that my baby was not a well
puppy. She was born with a health defect that caused
constant kidney failure and an immune system unable to
fight off the constant illnesses that plagued her. She got
to a point where she constantly threw up and lost control
of her bowels.
The first time she did it, I got so scared that I
called Frank and just bawled. He came over and cleaned
her up before taking her to the vet. There really was
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nothing more we could do, other than give her
prescription pills. I just couldn’t put her to sleep at that
time; I truly thought she could live with the pain. It was
selfish of me and I beat myself up every day that I let her
suffer. Every time her body went through this change, I
would just cry as I struggled to comfort her. We were
told that it was just a matter of time before we lost her,
and were given the ultimatum of putting her to sleep or
letting her die in pain.
As often as I tried to process this information, I
just couldn't force it. I had to stop letting her live in such
chronic pain. We decided to put her to sleep so she
wouldn’t have to endure any more suffering. After she’d
been euthanized, I held her in my arms and cried
uncontrollably. Frank had to pry her away from me, and
I was inconsolable for days afterwards. We gave her a
beautiful funeral and buried her in a pet cemetery. Her
headstone read: “Coco Chanel Lattimore. There are no
words to express just how much Mommy and Daddy
loved you, but it's best that you went home with God,
who loved you most of all.”
After that heart-breaking ordeal, I couldn’t lay
my eyes on a puppy without bursting into tears. It took
me a year and a half to get over Coco, but Frank had
been completely supportive during that time. We took
things a little slower when it came to the baby talk, but
we'd gotten to a point where we knew that we were done
looking for life partners. We were in a hardcore
monogamous relationship.
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~~~~
Frank had a key to my apartment, closet space, a drawer,
and a permanent toothbrush in my bathroom. His voice
appeared on my answering machine, and he owned the
left side of my bed. And the best part of this whole set
up was that it was mutual. We had become one hundred
percent exclusive. He’d met my family and I’d met his.
We were at a point where his kids understood that we
were in a very loving and committed relationship and
knew that we were as good as married—or as close to
married as we would be for a while. They understood
that Daddy and I slept in the same bed—sometimes at
his house in California, but all the time in Memphis and
on vacations—and one day we would be married and I
would be their step-mom. I could never replace their
mothers, but I would be step-mom and love them like
my own.
One morning, Frank woke up around 5 a.m. to get in a
workout before work, so I decided to get up, make his
breakfast, and iron his clothes.
“Baby Girl, you don’t have to get up. Just get on
back to sleep, I’ll be alright.”
“I want to make you breakfast, Honey.”
“You mean, you want to burn me some
breakfast? No thank you, Darlin’. I just want you to stay
right here.”
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“Are you sure? I need to get Tres up and
running, too.”
“It’s alright, Bunny; you just stay here and
recharge your battery. He can manage getting himself up
for school—he’s sixteen, let him fix his own damn
cereal. Besides, I am in love with the image of all six
feet of you, lying naked in my bed. You wear those
sheets, well.”
“You are so good to me, Frank.”
“I’m supposed to be.” Frank kissed me on the
forehead and slipped from underneath me to go to the
bathroom. I got comfortable under the covers again and
finally drifted back to sleep before I felt somebody
licking my face and chest.
“Daddy, stop.” The licking continued and I
giggled while trying to move my face away from the
action.
“Stop it! You're gonna be late for work.” I
opened my eyes, only to find an adorable brown and
white Yorkshire Terrier sitting on my chest. She wore a
ruby red collar and red bow in her hair.
“Frankie!” I looked down and found him
crouched next to my side of the bed with a mischievous
grin plastered on his face.
“Another puppy?” I shouted.
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“Yeah, Daddy bought you another puppy. Go
ahead and check her out.”
“Can I name her?”
“Of course you can. She's yours.”
“I think I’ll name her...Etienne. Ooh! Etienne
Aigner Lattimore! You like that?”
“I love that. I think she has something special
for you on her collar.” I tried to hold my rambunctious
new puppy still as I examined her collar. She wouldn't
keep still! Frank held her as I felt around her neck for his
surprise.
“Is her collar the surprise?”
“No, Baby, keep looking.” I felt around her neck
again before I stopped at something questionable. I
unhooked the collar, slid the object off, and to my
surprise, there lay a breathtaking diamond ring. The
stunned expression didn’t leave my face. Frank moved
the puppy and put her on his lap as he sat on the bed and
gazed at me. He took my hand in his.
“Frankie—”
“Shhh. Baby, listen to me, please. Miss VivienLeigh, we've spent quite a bit of time together, and I can
honestly say that I’ve enjoyed every moment with you.
You were twenty-eight when we first started dating, and
now you’re thirty-one—time has really flown. We’ve
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been together for three of the most wonderful years, and
although we’ve had our share of ups and downs, you’ve
stuck by me through them all.
“Vivien-Leigh, I can’t even remember the last time I felt
this way about someone. Honest to God, I never
believed in love at first sight ‘til I laid my eyes on all six
feet of you. I usually like to take things pretty slow when
it comes to relationships and going to that next level, but
with you, everything just felt right.”
Frank smoothly slipped from the bed down to
the floor next to me where he positioned himself on one
knee. He continued to hold my hand and the ring as I
tried not to hyperventilate.
“Going into year number four, Bunny, I want to
be more than your ‘significant other.’ I want to be the
man you call your husband. I want to make babies with
you. I want to be the man you go to bed with at night
and the man you wake up to every morning. I just…I
just love you something terrible, woman, and I can’t
imagine not having you as my companion and my best
friend for the rest of my life. So, Miss Vivien-Leigh
Valentine, will you do me the honor of becoming my
wife?”
I was so overwhelmed with emotion that I
wanted to speak, but I couldn't find the words. I wanted
to scream “YES!” at the top of my lungs, but I just
couldn’t. He continued to kneel next to me and put on a
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tough façade, but I know that deep inside, part of him
feared that I’d say no.
“Charles Franklin Lattimore, Jr., I would love to
spend my life with you. There's nothing I want more
than to become your wife. Yes, Honey Bunny; of course
I’ll marry you!”
“I love you, Vivie.”
“And I love you, Frankie.” I reveled in the fact
that I was finally going to be a bride. I'd been a
bridesmaid for so long, but it was finally my turn!
“Vivie, give me fifteen minutes before I go to
work.”
“Honey, for this ring, I'll give you twenty.”
I saw Frank in a different light after his
proposal. There’s such a difference in the “this is my
man and we’re comfortable with the way things are” and
“this is my man, my husband-to-be, and we’re going to
spend the rest of our lives together.” We'd talked about
the possibility of marriage and starting a family, and he
said he didn't like to move fast when it came to that.
He'd dated his last wife for almost four years before
proposing to her, a waited another year before marrying
her, and they were divorced nearly a year after that. He
was taking a chance with me. He put himself right out
there and he really wanted to start his life over, with me.
My love for him, at that moment, was just indescribable.
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~~~~
“Frankie, you ever think about all the things that
we’ve been through just to get to where we are now?
Remember when we told the kids we were getting
married? Julez did not like that idea—and Tres? He had
every thought in the world about me that night. They did
not want us to get married. They were so adamant about
that.”
“They could’ve been as adamant as they wanted,
but they couldn’t stop me from putting that rock on your
finger. And they damn sure weren’t supplying me with
what you were.”
“That’s very nice, Honey—right in front of the
babies. Thank you for that.”
“I’m just saying, you know, first time I got
some—case closed. You were my wife then and there.”
“And that’s exactly why Tres didn’t want us
getting married.”
“Baby, my sons are logical thinking men, but
they know how to accept and understand the things that I
do. I love you, and they understand that and they love
you, too. They know that Daddy's gonna do this thing
with his woman. They got over it—hell, Nadi was
excited about it.”
“I’m glad she was, but that's not the point.”
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“Then what is? Are you really trying to get
something started up in here before my thing happens
today? That's really all I need right now on top of the
screaming kids behind me and the two kicking my seat
and each other. Boys, I said stop! Leave Daddy alone
and leave each other alone. Everybody, just be quiet!”
The kids are calming down and the only sound
in the car at this moment is the radio. I know Frank
thinks I'm crazy for harping on about the boys not
wanting us to get married, but they weren't too taken
with the idea. I basically helped raise Tres and Julian, so
it hurt when they protested. It hurt Frankie more, though.
He was so excited about our engagement that he told
everyone. I remember hearing him on the phone with
one of his friends from Memphis saying, “Yeah, I went
ahead and put a ring on that finger. Getting married
again, that's right. You've never seen my lady; she’s
beautiful. Trust me, she’s a tree that's well worth the
climb every night. I call her my Glamazon...”
Frank had decided that we should celebrate our
engagement over dinner with Tres that night, and he
called Nadi and Julez to have them on speaker as he
broke the news. I’d gone shopping nearly all day for a
new dress to wear; Frank just thought the occasion was a
tremendous one and I needed to look the part. He
demanded that I take pictures of dresses and send them
to him at work so he could make the final decision. Of
course he picked the shortest, most form fitting dress I
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sent him! That night, he beamed as he held me on his
arm. Such a southern old man, he is.
“There’s my boy!” Tres met us at the restaurant
after football practice and I was growing more and more
nervous about how he would react. He and his brother
were so used to their dad being single that this type of
change this could cause another upset. Tres didn’t get
upset over finding out that he had a little sister, but
instead, he welcomed her and became as overprotective
of her as their father was. Julez had a fit and didn’t
understand how Nadi came to be. If there was going to
be any resistance to this engagement, it would come
from Julez.
“Tres.”
“Hey Daddy.” They hugged and did their cute
little signature hand shake. I sat smiling, struggling to
contain my anxiety.
“How was practice today, Son?”
“Tough. I got piled on and tackled from
behind—I feel like I got hit by a bus.”
“You still feelin’ it? What hurts?”
“A little, but the team doctor said to ice my
shoulder down.”
“You want some ice now? I don’t want that to
swell up on you.”
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“I’m gonna milk it with the girls at school
tomorrow. I wanna strap, like, a whole bag of ice to my
shoulder and act like it’s nothing.”
The things that man and his son could come up
with! It only made me wonder what underhanded things
he’d done to get me hooked.
“Son, you better not be studying those young
ladies too hard. Books come first, girls come
later…except in the bedroom—”
“Ahem.” Frank and Tres shared a laugh, and
although I knew it was their normal father-son banter, I
felt terribly awkward and left out.
“But not for you—you shouldn’t be having sex
at all! I’m sorry, Baby. Tres, speak to Miss VivienLeigh.”
“Hey Miss Vivien-Leigh.”
“Hello, Tres.” I hugged him as Frank stood next
to me with his hand on my lower back, gently caressing
me and slowly letting his hand creep down to my
backside.
“Doesn't Vivie look gorgeous?”
“Yeah, you look really nice, Miss Viv.”
“Thank you, Tres,” I smiled shyly. “It's pretty
short, though.”
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“There’s nothing wrong with that!”
I couldn’t help but laugh at his flirty comment.
“But you know your father, Tres, he likes things the way
he likes them. I wanted to get something a little less
showy, but he said he already had in mind what he
wanted. Ten stores later, this is what he told me to buy.”
“Those legs are the Eighth Wonder of the world.
It's a damn crime to keep them covered. Come on, Baby,
sit down right here.” He pulled out my chair and pushed
it in as I sat down. He took his seat next to mine and
rested his arm around me. I think that was the happiest
I’d ever seen him. He ordered a bottle of Merlot for us
and kept Tres on edge about the whole evening.
“What did you call me here for, Daddy?”
“Wait, let me get your sister and brother on the
phone.” Frankie pulled out his phone and called Nadi
and Julez as we all sat in a bit of silence. He continued to
rub my back as he waited.
“Hey Daddy!”
“Hey Baby Girl! How you doin’, Princess?”
“I’m fine, Daddy. Guess what?”
“What’s that, Baby?”
“I passed my math test!”
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“That’s great! I’m proud of you, Princess! I told
you that studying would pay off!”
“Thank you for making me smart, Daddy.”
“Baby Girl, Daddy’s just glad that you got more
than good looks from him. Listen, I’m here with your
brother and Miss Vivien-Leigh and I’m gonna have to
put you on speaker for a bit, okay?”
“Okay.”
“There we go. Everybody, say hey to Nadi.”
“Hey Nadi,” we spoke in unison.
“Hold on, Nadi. I’m gonna find a way to get
Blue on the phone so he can hear this, too. Tres, get your
brother on the phone.”
“Daddy, all you have to do is put Nadi on hold,
call Mama and get Blue, then hit conference.”
“Here, you do it for me. That’s what I’ve got
you for.”
“Hey Nadi, hold on, okay? I’m gonna get Blue,
so don’t hang up.”
“Okay, Tres.”
Frank kissed and rubbed my hand as we waited
on Tres to do work his technological powers and get his
brother on the phone.
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“And what do you want?”
“Mama?”
“Oh, hey, Tres; I thought you were that old
stubborn daddy of yours. Everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine. Are you okay?”
“I’m doing fine; I told you not to worry about
me.”
“I can’t help it. You’re my mama and you’re so
far away.”
“I know, but I’m doing fine. Your brother and
the whole family helps me out. I’m fine. How’s your
father?”
“He’s good.”
“What about that Vivien-Leigh? She put on any
more weight?”
“Mama—”
“I know you don’t like me talkin’ about her, but
it is what it is. That girl got fat. I just knew she had the
fat gene in her! All the crap your father gave me about
staying in shape and he hooked up with a fatty. Just
thought she was so fine—a ballet dancer—well I could
see why she ain’t dancing no more. I guess he must love
her to stay with her after she blew up—”
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“Mama, seriously—”
Talk about your hurt feelings! I knew I’d put on
weight, but she just cut right through to my heart. I’d
been working on my weight—Frank and I both had—but
Sylvia just tore me apart. Frank and I really put on
weight in that second year, and when I say we packed on
the pounds, I’m not exaggerating.
“But your Daddy put on some weight too—they
got fat together. Guess they must’ve gotten to that
comfortable stage. Although, your father could carry
weight and still look fine, but that woman of
his…Honey, she needs to push away from the table.”
Frank took notice of the hurt in my eyes and that
I was nearly on the verge of tears. It wasn’t like I hadn’t
been working on losing weight! I would’ve loved to be
in a single digit dress size again. Frank decided to end
his ex-wife’s verbal onslaught.
“Thank you for the advice, Sylvia, but I think
Miss Vivien-Leigh and I can worry about our own
issues.”
“Frank? Dammit, Tres; am I on speaker?”
“I tried to tell you, Mama!”
“Since you talked about her so badly when you
thought she wasn’t listening, you have anything else to
say while she’s right here?”
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“Hello, Vivien-Leigh.”
“Hello, Sylvia.”
“Vivie, you got anything you wanna say to Syl?”
“No thank you, I respectfully decline.”
“Sylvia, can you please put my son on the
phone?”
“Fine. Blue! Your daddy wants to talk to you!”
I tried to gather my emotions again as we waited
for him to come to the phone. I’d already decided that I
would have nothing more than a salad for dinner that
night, but Frank talked me into a steak and we shared a
dessert.
“Hey Daddy!”
“Hey Son! How are you?”
“Good. Football is good, too.”
“I’m glad to hear that! I didn’t think you’d like it
very much.”
“I mean, at first I didn’t, but I do now.”
“Hey Blue.”
“Hey Tres—you have football practice today
too?”
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“Yeah and I hurt my shoulder, too, but it’ll be
okay.”
“Hello, Julian.”
“Hi, Miss Vivien-Leigh.”
“Are you doing okay? How’s school?”
“It’s okay.”
“That’s good.” He was still warming up to me;
for some reason he wasn’t happy with my dating his
father.
“Blue, hold on, Son. Your sister’s on hold and
we gotta get her on the line. Tres, do that conference
thing.” Tres brought his sister on the line and it was time
to get back to the matter at hand.
“Alright. Baby Girl, Tres, Blue, as you know,
Miss Vivien-Leigh and I have been dating for three years
now and we've gotten to a point in our relationship that I
didn't think we'd get to in this amount of time. Tres,
Blue, you know that Angela and I dated for four years
before getting to the point where I decided to settle down
with her.”
“Oh boy...”
“'Oh boy,' what, Tres?”
“Nothing, go ahead.” He shot a stern look to his
son before deciding to continue with his announcement.
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It was the first he’d wore anything but a smile on his
face that day. He never thought his kids would object.
“Anyway, this morning, I asked for Miss
Vivien-Leigh's hand in marriage and she wholeheartedly
accepted my offer. Vivien-Leigh is going to be my wife.
Go ahead and show off your ring, Baby.”
“You’re going to marry Miss Vivie, Daddy?”
Nadi asked.
“I sure am, Princess. Miss Viv’s gonna be your
step-mama. How do you like that?”
“I like it a lot! I love Miss Vivie!”
“I most certainly love you, Sweetness!” I was all
smiles.
“Can I be in the wedding?”
“Of course you can, Baby Girl.”
“Wait ‘til I tell my mama!” Frank and I quickly
met eyes, imagining the problems Lisa would find with
that.
“Ok, Princess Nadi, but when you do tell her just
make sure she knows that I’ll call her later so she
doesn’t have to bother you with a bunch of questions.
Okay, Baby? You, too, Blue.”
“Okay Daddy.”
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“Alright, Little Lady, we’re gonna have to go
now. Daddy loves you.”
“I love my daddy.”
“That’s my girl. I’m gonna let your brothers and
Miss Viv bid you a good night.”
“Bye Nadi. Love you, Princess.”
“Love you too, Tres.”
“Bye Nadi.”
“Bye Julez.”
“Blue, don’t you wanna tell your baby sister that
you love her?”
“I love you, Nadi.” I tell you, that kid was a hard
nut to crack! His father was so determined to have his
children grow up with each other and Julian was
determined to do otherwise. Frank had to push him into
everything when it came to Nadi.
“I love you too, Julez.”
“Good bye, Princess Nadi. I love you so very
much. You be a good girl, okay?”
“Okay, Miss Vivie. I love you too.”
As soon as Nadi cleared the line the drama started to
unfold.
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“How you boys feel about that?” Frank asked.
Tres shrugged his shoulders and then began Julez’s
discontent.
“Julian, Sweetheart, is everything okay?”
“You aren’t my mama! You can’t replace my
mama!”
“I’m sorry, Sweetie. I didn’t mean—”
“Don’t call me that! You’ll never be my mama!”
“Blue, Son, just calm down a minute here. Vivie
didn’t mean any harm. You need to remember that a
man’s not supposed to act like this. You’re supposed to
be what?”
He hesitated before mumbling what his father
had always instilled in him. “Cool, calm, collected, and
under self-control.”
“Exactly. Now, you need to articulate yourself in
the manner in which you were taught. Calm down and
talk. First, you apologize to Miss Viv for yelling at her.”
“I’m sorry, Miss Viv.”
“It’s okay, Julian.”
“Good. Now, Son, what’s the matter?”
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“You just want to replace my mama and it’s not
fair. Mama’s crazy because you keep trying to replace
her.”
“Blue, Mama’s not crazy!”
“Yes she is! She has to take all these pills and
she’s always sad and mad because Daddy doesn’t want
her. He keeps taking things away from her.”
“Okay, Blue.”
Blue is Julez’s nickname. Frankie told me that
when Julian was a baby he would cry uncontrollably and
the only thing that would calm him down would be
anything blue. Frank would have to put on a blue shirt to
rock him and quiet him down. They had to buy him blue
teddy bears and blankets to help him go to sleep without
crying, and nearly every article of clothing he wore for
eight years was blue. ‘Til this day, it’s still Julian’s
favorite color. Perhaps we all should’ve worn blue for
this occasion.
“I have nothing to do with your mother being
bipolar. I didn’t take anything away from Sylvia—
especially not you or your brother. Your mother and I
agreed that when you boys were to start high school, you
would live with me because she can’t teach you how to
be a man. That’s my job. When she found out she was
bipolar and when it started getting the best of her, she
didn’t want you to feel that it was your obligation to take
care of her when her attitude started changing. I’ve done
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nothing but try to help your mama through this lifealtering situation. I love Sylvia in a way that I could
never love another person. She brought the two of you
into this world and I will always love her for that. We’ve
had good times and bad times, but at the end of the day,
I still love her.”
“Then why do you have to keep getting
married?”
“My life has to go on! I’ve found a woman that I
love and I never want to be without. I’m not marrying
Vivien-Leigh because I want her to replace your mama;
I’m marrying her because I want her to be a member of
our family. She can’t replace your mama, but she can
help you and your brother with things that your mama
may not be able to. You know she’s done nothing but
love you.”
I figured it was time for me to stick up for
myself. “Julez, I know I can’t replace your mama and
I’m not trying to, but I love your daddy and I love you
guys. I would never try to get between you and your
mother.”
“You okay with that, Blue?” Frank was beaming
with pride at my willingness to address Juelz directly.
“I guess.”
“Tres?” He shrugged his shoulders and it was
obvious that their talks would continue on later. I felt
that Tres was too old to feel the way he felt—he was
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sixteen years old. I knew Frankie cared about his
children, but a sixteen-year-old man should have other
things to worry about other than his father’s intimate
life. I have always tried to respect the feelings of those
boys, but I couldn’t live my life around the fact that they
didn’t want their father to move on.
“Alright, now, Blue, I want you to know that I
love you.”
“I love you too, Daddy.”
“Good. Nothing will ever change that—I’d
never let anything change that. Remember to tell your
mama that I’ll call her later to talk about this.”
“Okay.”
“I love you, Blue.”
“I love you, Tres.”
“Julez, I know you don’t believe me, but I really
do love you.”
“I guess.”
“Blue!”
“…I love you, too, Miss Viv.”
“Good, Son, now have a good night. I’ll talk to
you later.”
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“Okay.” Frank hung up his phone and placed it
back in the holster. He stopped for a moment and we all
sat in an uncomfortable silence.
“Tres, you sure you okay?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Alright.” There was an odd vibe at the table
and I knew something was going to give pretty soon.
“Hey, Baby? I'm gonna make a quick run to the
facilities. I will be right back at your side in a few
minutes. Is that alright, Mrs. Lattimore?”
“Of course it is. Hurry back, Honey.”
Frank and I kissed and when he left that table;
the gauntlet was thrown down and I had soon entered
into a barrage of questions.
“Vivien-Leigh, what are your intentions with my
father?”
“Excuse me?”
“What are your intentions with my father,
Vivien-Leigh?”
“Well, I intend to marry your father and love
him for the rest of my life.”
“Like Daddy said—it took him four years to
completely love and feel comfortable with Angie before
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he married her. He even took months off from her to
date someone else. I know you are both grown, but I
maintain a high interest in my parents’ lives. I don't want
to see my father hurt, so if this is just the result of some
bedroom whip appeal, I think it shouldn't go any further
than that.”
“Not that it's any of your business, Tres, but if
you're inquiring as to whether or not your father and I
have sex, the answer is no. Your father and I make love
and he makes it quite well. If you're thinking that this
engagement is a result of your father being wrapped
between my legs and immersed deeply in the magic of
my vagina, I ask you to think a little more highly of the
both of us. Thank you.”
Yes, he was sixteen, but after I’d done my best
to be a mother figure to him for two years, him using the
tone of a man had to be reciprocated.
“Okay, so Daddy's not whipped. He loves you;
do you love him just as much in return?”
“Of course I do, Tres.”
“Do you love him because he's a good man or
because he's a good man who buys you designer
dresses?”
“I really cannot believe you’re sitting here
insulting me like this.”
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“It's nothing personal; I’m just looking out for
my father. I do the same for my mother.”
“Let's get real. I understand that you love your
father and want the best of everything for him. He wants
the same in return for you. He brags about you
consistently and he loves you dearly. I believe that he
wants nothing more than for you to be happy for us—for
him—and I don't think that could be possible when you
place these accusations at my front door. And I can buy
my own designer everything, thank you.”
“I’m just looking out for my daddy.”
“I understand that. You said that I shouldn't take
it personally, but I find that rather outlandish. I think
what's really bothering you is the fact that there's about
twenty-two years lying between your father and me. You
didn't think so much of the smaller age gap between your
father and his ex because he gave you four years to get
used to it.”
“I’m a bit appalled by this my damn self.” Frank
crept up on us, and by the tone of his voice, he’d heard
enough.
“Daddy, I just want what’s best for you, that’s
all. I don’t think rushing into marriage is good for you
right now.”
“Last time I checked, Charles Franklin
Lattimore, III, I was your father. I know what’s best for
you and me. I don’t remember raising you to be rude to
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adults and I damn sure don’t remember ever telling you
that you can talk to my fiancée like she’s your equal—“
“She might as well be—“
“Look-a-here, boy. I didn’t ask you for your
blessing in the matter. I wanted to share this monumental
part of my life with you—now if you object, that’s your
business. Ain’t nothing you can say that’s gonna change
what’s gonna happen between Miss Vivien-Leigh and
myself. You’ve got some damn nerve talking to me—of
all people—like you are. An ass whoopin’ could soon
come your way—I don’t care how big you are.”
“Hey, come on, Frankie. Tres don’t argue. Let’s
just finish dinner and this debate at home. Please, just
stop this.”
“Vivie, baby, lets us work this out.” Frankie and
Tres got into a small argument and I sat there, feeling
extremely awkward and left out. They talked about how
Daddy can’t live alone; he needs someone to spend his
time with. He says he loves his kids, but it’s not the
same. Tres asserted his gold digger ideas and Frank
stopped him dead in his tracks.
“Vivien-Leigh don’t need me to take care of her;
she can take care of herself. She don’t need me to spend
a dime, but I want to and she lets me. That’s why I love
her. She lets me take the lead when necessary and she
doesn’t complain. She supports me and I support her and
there is nothing she wouldn’t do for you or your brother
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and sister. That’s the most important thing. She loves my
kids unconditionally—even when you’re rude to her.
Even when your brother is rude to her—she still loves
you all. When I raise hell about the way you act towards
her, she calms me down and asks me to take it easy on
you. Whose car do you think you’ve been driving around
in lately?”
“Miss Viv’s.”
“You’re driving her sole means of transportation
while she’s paying for a car service and bumming rides.
Yet, you’re being obnoxious and completely
disrespectful to the woman I love. How do you think that
makes me feel? How do you think that makes me look?”
“Like you didn’t teach me good manners.”
“Exactly! I know I taught you better, so why
can’t you act better?”
“I’m sorry, Miss Viv.”
“It’s okay, Tres.”
“No it’s not. I’m not being fair to you and I’m
sorry. You do a lot for me and I’ve never thanked you
for that. I appreciate you and I do love you.”
“What about you, Vivie?” Frankie put his hand
on my knee and rubbed my thigh gently.
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“Thank you, Tres. I love you, too. I love you and
your brother and sister and I’m just glad that you’ve
finally come to see that.”
“Now, that’s what I want to hear. Is everyone
okay?” Tres nodded his head as things finally started to
sink in for him.
“Everything’s just fine, Daddy.”
“So, I see you're bringing that out in public?” He
flashed this giant smile at me that forced me to
reciprocate.
“I just felt it was appropriate seeing as how we
have something else to discuss with your son.”
“Like what, Daddy?”
“Well, Vivie and I have decided that we're going
to work on getting pregnant on our wedding night.
We’re telling you first because you’re the oldest and
you’d probably take it with the least amount of drama. I
already know Blue’s gonna have a fit—like he did when
he found out about Nadi—and Nadi’s just getting used
to being my baby, so I have no idea how she’ll handle it.
I just figured that you’d be the most mature about the
situation.”
“You’re having more kids? At your age?” Tres
was slowly beginning to bother me with his pettiness
and immaturity. He knew that we loved him and nothing
would change that. Having babies of our own would not
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have any impact on how he would be loved, treated, or
cared for. I guess I was expecting too much from a
sixteen year old.
“As long as she wants them and I can crank
them out for her to carry, yes. At my age—which there
is nothing wrong with, might I add—I want more kids
with my soon-to-be wife.”
“And I want them with you, Honey. You're a
good daddy. We've been practicing our parenting on the
dog.”
“We've been pretty good at it, too. We only lost
one, but that wasn't our fault, so I think we're okay.”
“I think it's crazy that a man your age would still
want to have kids.”
“I'm almost fifty-three and it ain't that old.”
“It's too old to still be making babies.”
“As long as I'm not dead, I can do two things:
look at women and make babies. Neither one of those
should concern you.”
“The former concerns me. Why do you have to
look at other women?”
“I don't have to, but I can’t help it if one turns
my head. Baby, my eyes can be on anybody, but my
heart and my mind are always on you. They may turn
my head, but only you can turn me on.” Frank put his
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hand on my thigh and slowly slid it up my dress and
between my legs, causing me to jump in my seat. He
flashed that big smile of his at me and I melted inside. I
could never stay angry with him.
“So, that’s the way it is, Judge Lattimore?”
“Oh, that’s exactly the way it is, Ms. Valentine.
You know what, Tres? You sit there and think about all
of that. I want to take my Glamazon for a spin on the
dance floor. Come on, Baby.” Frank and I got up to
dance, leaving his son to figure out his position with the
changes that were soon to occur in all of our lives.
We spent the rest of that night talking things out. We
heard his perspective, and he heard ours. We came to our
conclusions: his father and I were getting married, and
there wasn't anything he could do about it. He’d have to
get used to the fact that I was not going anywhere. Frank
broke the news to Julez and Nadi, and as we thought,
Julez had a fit. He just could not understand why his
father wanted to have more kids and edge him out. Frank
had to fly to Memphis to take him out and explain the
situation to him and again to his sister—who was beside
herself with joy at the thought of having a new brother
or sister. Julez eventually got used to the idea. It took
some time, but he got used to it.
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~~~~
Before Frank and I even seriously discussed
having children and a life together, we needed to have an
in depth discussion about my previous relationship. We
always talked about his two failed marriages and his
relationship with Nadi’s mother because they were
always a very present part of our relationship, but we
rarely discussed mine. That was, until a very tall
reminder of it found himself in my living room one day.
“Well, I never thought I’d be sitting here again.”
“Neither did I. How are you, Ricky?”
“I’m good…not as good as you look, though. You look
happy.”
“Thank you. I am happy. My man makes sure I keep this
smile on my face.”
“I’m glad someone’s taking better care of you than I
did.”
“So am I. What can I help you with? Frankie
will be here soon and I need to unwind with him.”
My ex-fiancé and I sat on my couch, and an awkward
silence filled the room. I never thought I’d ever see him
again. I didn’t hate him, but as badly as things ended
with us, you’d be surprised that I even bothered to open
the door for him. The year before I met Frank, I was
pregnant and engaged to an LA Laker. We were in a
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relationship of convenience for two years: the first year
we were in disgusting lust with each other, and by the
start of the second year, we were bored to death with
each other. We were starting to drift apart, but I didn’t
want to admit it. I wanted to stick with it and make it
work and he really wasn’t interested. My mother
convinced me to get pregnant to make him stay, because
in her mind, the baby would keep the money coming and
she’d get a grandchild with the perfect genes.
Needless to say, I stopped taking my birth control
without his knowledge and became pregnant shortly
after. He decided to propose, even though he knew he
had been trapped. I was still in my first trimester when
my dad decided to visit and check up on us. We brought
him to a game with us and on the way out, through the
back of the Staples Center, I tripped and fell down a
flight of stairs. On top of spraining my foot, ankle, and
wrist, I lost my baby. It was gone long before Daddy and
I got to the hospital, but by the time Ricky got there, I
knew the relationship died right along with our unborn
child. I never even spoke to him. He came into my room,
and my dad took him aside and told him what happened.
Ricky stroked my hand and planted his lips on my
forehead as tears streamed down my face. He turned and
walked away, and that was the last I’d see of him. To
him, my tears were mourning for the loss of our unborn
child, but in actuality, they were tears of joy. I was
completely done with him. There laid no more ties
binding us and I was free, no longer having to turn a
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blind eye to his infidelity. I was overjoyed, but could
never tell my father that. He took me home to
recuperate, but the moment he left me alone, I hobbled
out of bed, grabbed my finest, most expensive bottle of
wine, my Waterford wine glass, and a Montecristo New
York Connoisseur Edition cigar. I played Angela
Bofill’s I Try over and over all night and into the
morning as I sat out on my balcony, crying, smoking,
and drinking to my freedom.
“Do you remember that house we bought out in Marina
del Rey?” He continued. “I was thinking we should sell
it. I don’t need it and I didn’t know if you did—“
“Bay? Daddy’s home!”
“Hi, Daddy!”
The largest smile formed on my face at the sound of my
man’s voice. Ricky and I turned and watched as he set
his briefcase in the foyer before removing his key from
the door. I got up and trotted over to him, wrapping my
arms around his neck. He reciprocated by wrapping his
arms around my waist and lifting me up gently. We
greeted each other with a passionate kiss before he set
me down on my feet.
“How are you, Darlin?”
“Very well, thank you. How are you?”
“Just fine. I didn’t know we had company.”
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Ricky stood and came around the couch to meet Frank
and shake his hand. My ex may stand at 6’7”, but he had
nothing on Frank.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Rick—”
“No need, I know who you are.” Frank shook his hand
and sized him up. He knew me better than to assume that
something dishonest was happening between the two of
us, but we had a routine that was being disrupted. Frank
moved his hand down to my backside and stroked it
firmly; I was tempted to end Ricky’s visit as quickly as
possible.
“Miss Vivian-Leigh, you’re still dressed. You just
getting in?”
“I am— I was with Veronique all day. You know she’s
redecorating and she drug me from store to store with
her crazy ideas. I kept telling her that I had to get home
to cook for my man.”
“Cook? You mean, pull what Mia made from the oven
and plate it like you made it?”
“That’s exactly what I meant.” We all shared a laugh; it
was a known fact that I wasn’t much of a cook at that
time. My housekeeper not only cleaned, but she also
cooked amazingly.
“You’ve still got Mia? Does she still make those
amazing carne asada burritos?” Ricky asked.
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“She certainly does. Uh, Ricky, can we get back to
business? Frankie and I have to dress down and get
ready for dinner.”
“Right, I’m sorry—”
“Don’t be! Hey, man, go on and have a seat. I definitely
need to have a seat, myself, baby; I’m tired.” Frank
escorted us back over to the couch and I let him sit
between Ricky and myself. I cuddled up to my man and
got comfortable under his arm.
“I was just reminding V that we had a house out in
Marina del Rey that we could stand to get rid of. I don’t
need it and I wasn’t sure if she wanted to take it. I spoke
with a real estate agent today and she thinks if we put the
house on the market soon, we shouldn’t have a problem
moving it.”
“Ah, waterfront property! This is a nice little investment
here.” Frank took the paperwork and pictures that Ricky
handed him and thumbed through them. I didn’t want
that house. Frank and I didn’t need any reminders of
Ricky in our lives.
“Yeah, it was what we needed at one point. Did you
guys wanna take it and maybe buy me out?”
“Vivie?” I sat up from underneath Frank’s arm and
glanced at the pictures. It was a beautiful house, but I
didn’t want anything to do with it.
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“I’m not interested in keeping it. I’m really okay with
selling it.”
“Let me ask y’all something. How much did you pay for
this place? And was it fifty-fifty?”
“Uh, about twenty-five million. I think I paid about
seventy percent and V put in thirty percent.”
“That sounds about right,” I agreed.
“And how much of a percentage of this sale does the real
estate agent want?”
“She’s asking for forty percent”
“What? There’s no way in the world I’d give her no
more than twenty-five percent and that’s being polite.
Vivie, you wanna sell this place with Rick or do you
wanna sell it to him?”
You’d think after a full day of adjudicating other
people’s contractual matters, he would want to come
home and think of everything but work, but that’s not
how Frank is. He saw a chance to protect his woman’s
financial interest and dove in headfirst. I was glad he did
because I’d stopped paying attention to everything Ricky
had to say. I concentrated on undressing my man, and by
this time, I’d already taken off his tie and unscrewed his
cufflinks.
“I don’t know, Frankie. You just do what’s best. I’m
gonna go get changed.” I got up and left them alone. I
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could care less about that house; I just wanted to spend
time with my man. As I closed my bedroom doors, I
could still hear my ex and my current debate the fate of
something I considered a distant memory.
“What you want to do is, you want to find a good real
estate agent who’s going to work hard for this sale
because they know that no matter what their percentage
is, they’ll still be able to have a successful pay day and
boast that they made this sale for you. Look, I’m gonna
write up some terms to protect both interests in this
matter. I’ll send it over to you tomorrow and you can
take it with you when you check out real estate agents. If
they can’t agree to these terms, you keep looking for one
who will. That sound good?”
“That definitely sounds good. Thanks, Frank.”
I walked in on them shaking hands and actually making
polite small talk.
“What did we decide on, honey?” I went into the kitchen
to check the oven for dinner. Frank came towards me as
I pulled the pan from the oven and sat it on the stove. He
put his arms around my waist and kissed my face softly.
“You’re going to sell the property together and split the
purchase price the same way you split the cost. I’m
gonna write up some terms for Rick to take when he
checks out a few more agents tomorrow.”
“Is that right?”
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“It’s damn right. God, that smells good. Rick, I think
you maybe in luck. Looks like Mia made her famous
burritos.”
“Did she? Man, Mia should write a cookbook. There’s
nothing she can’t make!”
“Baby, go on and fix Rick a plate. I’m gonna get
changed, alright?”
“Alright, honey; don’t take too long.”
“With the way your ass is looking in those tights, I’m
not gonna be away from you for long.”
“Just my butt today? You did realize that I’ve forgone
the harness for the rest of the night, haven’t you?” Frank
slid his hands up my shirt and squeezed my bare breasts
as he kissed my neck. Ricky had to go!
“Damn, baby, I’ll be right back…get rid of the company,
will you please?”
“Most certainly.” Frank slapped me on the backside
before he left for the bedroom. I grabbed a roll of
aluminum foil and began to pack Ricky’s burrito to go.
“I didn’t mean to disturb your evening with your man.”
“That’s okay.” I handed him the burrito and patted him
on the shoulder, nonchalantly leading him to the door.
“He’s a good man…for someone in his sixties.”
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“You’re funny. He’s in his fifties and he’s an amazing
man. I love him.”
“I can tell that you do. You can’t wait to get me out of
here, can you?”
“Pardon my French, Dear, but I damn sure can’t.
You have to go. I have to feed Big Daddy and then Big
Daddy has to lay pipe. We’ll speak again tomorrow.
Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, V.”
I finally got Ricky out of the house and rushed to make
Frank’s plate and find a wine he liked.
“He’s gone?” Frank emerged from the bedroom wearing
sweats and a t-shirt and as much as we enjoyed the sight
of each other all dressed up and ready for a night on the
town, nothing was sexier than being relaxed and
comfortable with each other.
“Yes, honey, he’s gone.”
“Thank God. Where’d he come from?”
“I saw him in the lobby when I came in. I’m glad he’s
gone, though. I’m ready to spend the night with Big
Daddy.”
“Big Daddy’s damn sure ready for you.” We kissed hard
on the lips as we stood outside of my bedroom doors. I
could not care less whether or not we shared a single
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word that evening, just being with him was more than
enough.
“Tell me something, VL. You’re not thinkin’ about him,
are you?” He put an arm around me and tilted my chin
upward so he could look into my eyes.
“Of course not, Frank. I hadn’t thought of him since the
day he walked out of that hospital.”
“I just wanted to make sure that he was a very distant
memory for you because I take what you and I have very
seriously.”
“As do I, Honey Bunny. There is nothing in my mind or
my heart that wants or needs for anyone but you.”
“You know I’m not a jealous man, nor am I insecure, but
you’re a young and fine thing and I’m serious about you.
I’ve got my kids serious about you, too. I can handle you
hurting me, but I know they can’t.”
“I don’t plan on hurting you or them and I promise you
that every desire that I’ve had to explore opportunities
with other men left me the moment that I looked into
your eyes and saw my entire future with you. My fire
burns for one man. So how was your day, Honey?”
“It was just fine. You know what I did all day, Darlin’?”
“What’s that?”
“I could not stop thinking about you; about
being with you uninterruptedly for a whole weekend.
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Thank God my nephews have Tres over at their place!
This is the last weekend where it’ll be just you and me.
You know we gotta take the boy back to Memphis for
summer break and then there’s two weeks with the three
of them.”
“Daddy loves his babies. We get two weeks with all
three kids, one month with Julez and Nadi, and Nadi for
the rest of the summer. I can’t wait!”
“You know my girl loves you something awful, don’t
you? She asked me if I loved her Mama and I told her
that I did, but I don’t love her the same way that I love
you.”
“Aww!”
“And then she asked when we were going to get
married. I damn near choked.”
I put down my fork and rested my chin on a gently made
fist. Frank put down his glass of wine and cracked a
smile. Any talk of marriage always put him on edge.
“Why are you giving me that look?”
“Well? What did you tell her?”
“I told her what I tell you: when it’s right, it will
happen.”
“This isn’t right?”
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“This is amazing, but you’re not gonna pressure me. I
know what I want to do and I am reassured that you
definitely want this, too. You just have to wait and see
what happens.”
“I see. I’m guessing you’d like to change the
subject now.”
“I damn sure would.”
“Okay, why can’t we work on having our own
baby right now?”
“Dammit, Vivie!” I just liked to push his
buttons. I knew his stance on babies at that point in our
relationship: If we aren’t married, we’re not making any
babies. Funny how we had had that conversation a
thousand times, but we actually had a miscarriage
shortly before this episode.
Birth control isn’t 100% effective, and the chances are
even slimmer when you’re a woman of a certain height
and weight. I used to switch up my pills every six
months—for three months I’d be on the pill and we’d
make love without a condom; for the next three months,
I’d be off the pill and we’d use a condom or a
diaphragm, so on and so forth. There were times when
Frank would get comfortable and not use a condom on
our “off the pill” months because nothing seemed to
happen. That caught up to him one day. He and I were at
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my condo, lying on the couch and watching a movie
when I slowly escaped his grasp and began to sit up.
“You alright, Darlin’?”
Bewildered, I looked back at him. “I think I’m
late.”
“For what?” He began to look as bewildered as I
did.
“I don’t think I’ve had my cycle this month.”
“Aw, hell. Baby, I need you to be sure about
this. You’re absolutely positive that your monthly friend
didn’t stop in?”
“Honey, the month’s almost over and I don’t
remember having it.”
“You think you’re pregnant?” Frank began to
run his hand through his hair, as he did whenever he felt
stressed out. He sat back and held his head. I didn’t
know what to think; I knew he didn’t want a baby and as
much as I bugged him about having one of our own. I
didn’t even know if I wanted one at that time, either.
“I don’t know…it could be stress. It’s happened
before. I’m doing a lot of dancing right now. It might
just be stress. I…I don’t know.”
“God, I hope it is just stress. God, please let it be
stress.” I nestled against him and he held me protectively
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in his arms. He kissed me on the forehead before moving
one hand down to my backside to pat it.
“Everything’ll be alright, Vivie. We’ll get you to
the doctor to get this all figured out.”
Days later, while Frank was at work, my sister
accompanied me to the doctor. I left with results that I
didn’t know how to break to him. I had no clue what to
say or how he would react. I made Veronique stay with
me until he came over because if I didn’t know how to
say it, I knew she would. She and her husband had been
trying for years to have a baby and had been quite
unsuccessful. I felt a little bad for involving her when I
was carrying a baby that I wasn’t sure I wanted when she
wanted one so badly.
“Ronnie, do you hate me?”
“I could never hate you, V. I’m a little envious,
though.”
“You know you’re the auntie/godmother, right?”
“I know. Are you ready for this?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know about any of this.
Frank’s not going to be happy. I know he won’t.”
“Well, then he shouldn’t have done what he did
to get you pregnant. Stop worrying yourself. Relax.”
“I can’t; he’s going to be here any minute,
Ronnie. I don’t know what to say!”
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“Stop worrying! If you don’t stop, you’re gonna
hurt that baby. Trust me; calm down, because I’ll be here
with you.”
The moment Frank came home, I became a deer
in headlights. All words escaped me and I just wanted to
cry.
“Good evening, ladies.”
“Hi Frank,” Ronnie gave a smile and waved at
him before politely accepting his kiss on the cheek. He
sat down next to me, putting his arm around me and
kissing me on the cheek, too.
“Hey, Mama.”
Ronnie gave a snide chuckle and I shot her the
meanest look I could put together.
“Hi, Honey.”
“How are you?”
“I’m doing well, thank you.”
I lied. I was a bundle of nerves and stomach
cramps.
“You go to the doctor today?”
“Yes, I went.”
“And?”
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“Well, Honey, I have some news.”
“Alright, what? It was stress, right?”
I held my stomach and rubbed it gently; I began
to feel a dull cramp on my right side.
“My stomach hurts.”
“Still, V? You need to lie down.”
“You went to the doctor and now you’ve got
stomach cramps—what the hell is wrong with you,
woman?”
“If you’re not going to say it, I will,” Ronnie
blurted out. “It’s time to welcome baby Lattimore
number four. She’s pregnant, Frank; look at her!”
Ronnie began to pull me up from the couch and Frank
finally started to notice my burgeoning baby bump. I
wasn’t stick thin with amazing abs, but he could see that
my slightly fluffy midsection was becoming housing for
another human being. I was more than a month late; I
was nearly ten weeks into my pregnancy.
“Shit! This cannot be happening—”
“What do you mean? Frank, we’re pregnant. Our
baby is nearly ten weeks along and we heard a heartbeat
today. This is real!”
“Vivie, you know we agreed that we wouldn’t
have a baby until we were settled down and married.”
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“And you keep dragging that out! When, Frank?
When are we going to settle down? You keep stringing
me along! I want to be with you forever, can’t you see
that?”
“Oh, I can see it alright. You want to be with me
forever, so you turn up pregnant after I’ve expressed to
you over and over again that I don’t want any more
babies being born out of wedlock. You’re rushing me
and I’m starting to feel like you’re doing me like you did
your last one.”
“Frank, don’t be a jackass. V would never do
that! That’s not the kind of woman she is.”
“No, Ronnie, I can handle this,” I interrupted.
“You think I’m trapping you? Why would I do that? I’m
honest with you and I’m not the child I was when I was
with Ricky. I find it a little insulting that you think I’d
try to trap you, when you’re the one who insists on not
wearing a condom.”
Things had gotten messy and I knew it was only going to
get worse. He didn’t like us arguing or airing out our
dirty laundry in front of company. Frank was pissed, for
lack of better words. He’d gotten up off the couch and
we found ourselves in a three-person standoff.
“Vivian-Leigh, we need to take this to the
bedroom.”
“What for? What you did in there is what you’re
out here arguing about.”
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“We need to go to the bedroom before I say
something to your sister that hurts her feelings.” Frank
took me by the arm and escorted me into the bedroom.
He closed the door behind him and closed the curtains. I
rubbed my stomach and just stood before him, struggling
to keep it together. Even though I’d witnessed first hand
his devotion to his children and knew he’d never turn his
back on his children, I felt like that was going to be the
last time I’d see him.
“Look, I know I don’t always wear a rubber
when I say I am, so I’m sure you think I’m an asshole
for even bringing the other thing up. I like making love
to you, I like the feeling of not wearing a rubber, but you
need to keep yourself protected.”
“I need to keep myself protected? What are you
supposed to do? Just hump me and use me as a human
Kleenex to dispose of your sperm after you’ve pleasured
yourself? I’m not a trash receptacle, Frank; I’m a
woman. I thought I was the woman you loved.”
“I do love you!”
“That’s not how it feels right now. I feel like you
don’t even respect me. You don’t want a baby? Fine. But
you helped put this baby here. It’s too late to change
your mind.”
“How the hell can you say that I don’t respect
you? Can’t you see how well I take care of you—even
though you don’t need me to? I love you and want to be
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with you for as long as I’m allowed to remain on this
earth, but I just want to enjoy you. I want to enjoy being
with you—without kids. I already have three, one of
which I didn’t know existed until not long ago. It would
be amazing to spend uninterrupted time with you.
There’s always something happening with my kids. I
love them, but dammit, I wish they were grown. We
can’t go anywhere without one of them! Don’t you think
it’d be nice to spend an evening alone?”
“We spend lots of evenings alone; that’s part of
how we got in this mess. I love your kids. I think you’re
a great father. I don’t mind that they need things or need
your attention. That’s what kids need. I like being with
you and I like seeing how quickly you respond when
they need you. It’s lovely to be alone—I enjoy that time;
it’s been a major change being with someone who has
children and I think I’ve handled it very well. I’ve never
met a man with whom I’ve wanted to have kids with
until I met you. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”
“It does mean something to me and I would love
to make you a mother, but I’d rather you be my wife
first. I don’t want any more ‘baby mamas;’ I don’t even
like that I have one.”
“So when are you going to make me your wife?”
Tears streamed down my cheek as I ignored the
cramping and worried about our future. I didn’t want
him to feel sorry for me. I didn’t want a shotgun
wedding. I wanted him to marry me because he wanted
to. I wanted him to want our baby.
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“Dammit, Woman! I had plans for us and now
it’s all shot to hell. This is all going the wrong way!” I
took his hand and put it on my stomach. I made him rub
my bump—our bump, hoping he would feel something. I
hoped it would help him change his mind. Tears
continued to coat my face and I could see that he
couldn’t even stand to look at me.
“Frank?”
“…Is it too late to get rid of this?”
“What?” I pushed his hand away and stepped
back. I searched for the right words, but nothing could
convey how disappointed I was in his insensitivity to our
situation.
“We don’t have this worked out. Vivie, you
know I’m right and you know you want me to take
control of this. Nobody has to know. We can go down to
a clinic and make this go away.”
“Get out.” I sat on the edge of my bed, holding
my stomach and crying hysterically. I just couldn’t
believe Frank—my Frank, the man I love—responded
this way to the woman he loved carrying his child.
“What?”
“You heard me, Frank. Leave my house.”
“You don’t mean that, Baby.”
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“Like hell I don’t. Your child and I don’t need
you. Leave.”
“Listen, Vivie, just—”
“Get out!” I curled up in a ball while a puddle of
tears soaked my bedspread. In the corner of my eye, I
saw Frank standing there, trying to decide if this was
worth the fight. It wasn’t. I heard the front door slam and
that was the end of it.
I cried myself sick that night, Veronique stayed to take
care of me. She held me in her arms until I fell asleep. I
woke up around midnight, when the cramps had gotten
stronger. I managed to slip out of Ronnie’s grasp and
hobble to the bathroom. I don’t think I’d ever screamed
so much in my life. I screamed until I’d become hoarse.
Ronnie called the paramedics and by the time I’d gotten
to the hospital, I was distraught to hear that the stress of
this pregnancy actually caused me to miscarry our baby.
I didn’t care to say much of anything to anybody after
that. Ronnie’s husband, Armand, took us to an all night
pharmacy to get the medication the doctor on call
prescribed to remove anything that hadn’t been expelled
with the miscarriage. After that, they took me home.
Ronnie stayed with me.
She held my hand the entire time, never leaving
my side. She took care of me and made sure I was okay,
filling shoes I’d always imagined be Frank’s.
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“Alright, Big Girl, we’re home. Can you make it
to bed on your own? I’m gonna make you some tea.” I
nodded at her as she helped me down the few stairs that
led into the living space. She watched me shuffle off to
my room. I didn’t bother to ask her about Frank,
although I knew she called him more than a dozen times
with no response. When I entered my room, I was
shocked to find him sitting on the edge of the bed,
holding a teddy bear. I tried my hardest to keep my
composure.
“I’m sorry I didn’t answer. I needed to think.”
I wouldn’t speak to him. I took off my sweater
and gently stepped out of my shoes in preparation to get
in bed and spend the next few days in mourning. Frank
gently took my hand and I snatched it away. He started
to fidget around with the teddy bear.
“I got this for our baby.” He handed me the bear
and I began to cry uncontrollably before flinging it
across the room. I crawled into bed and pulled the covers
up around me. I didn’t want any reminders of the child
I’d briefly loved and lost.
“Dammit, Vivie! I’m sorry, okay?”
“Frank, what the hell are you doing here?”
Ronnie came into the bedroom, concerned after hearing
him raise his voice.
“I came to talk to my woman,” he answered.
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“Come here!” She grabbed him by the arm and
pulled him over to a corner. She broke the news of the
miscarriage and I heard the hurt in his voice. She opened
the bathroom door and showed him the trail of blood; I
heard his heart break. I thought he would be happy, but
the bond that we have let me know that he was hurting,
too. I felt his weight on the bed as he crawled over to
me.
“Oh my God, Baby Bunny; I’m so sorry. I’m
sorry you had to endure that. I’m sorry you had to
endure that without me. I’m sorry, Baby. I’m sorry.”
Frank put his arms around me and kissed me on the
cheek repetitively. I knew he was sincere. He held me
protectively and I felt safe in his arms again. I just
wanted to lie there with him and mourn the loss of our
baby.
“Baby Girl, that tea’s almost ready, okay?
Frank, you want some tea?” I felt him nod against me as
he buried his face in my hair. I was so thankful that I
didn’t have to deal with the loss alone. My sister and my
love were there with me, and for that, I was grateful.
“Okay, I’ll have that tea out soon. Then, I’m
gonna scrub the bathroom. You two should just rest.”
Ronnie kissed me on the forehead and stroked my hair
before patting Frank on the hand.
“I’m sorry, Little One. Daddy let you down.”
Frank kissed the back of my hand before resting his hand
on my stomach.
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A week passed before I could really open up to Frank
about everything I felt. He couldn’t stop apologizing for
all the stress he’d caused me and for allowing me to
stress myself out over how he would react. He felt awful
about suggesting that we abort our child, and finding out
that I’d miscarried made him feel even worse. One day, I
walked into my bathroom and noticed a spot of blood on
the floor near the toilet. It was such a tiny spec, but it felt
like a large blemish. I sat on the floor and scrubbed, but
the harder I scrubbed, the larger it seemed, and the
harder I cried. Frank pulled me out of the bathroom and
out to the balcony for air. He brought out a bottle of
wine and did his best to make me feel better.
We decided that we had to let the miscarriage go; we
were both mourning the baby’s loss and were incapable
of hiding it. Frank and I sat on the balcony and wrote
down everything that was bothering us. The next day,
we bought three-dozen balloons, crammed them into
Frank’s car, went down to the beach, and let them go.
We tied our problems to the balloons and just watched
them float away. The hardest ones to let go were Riley
Erin Lattimore—what I would’ve named our little girl,
and Andrew Michael Lattimore—what he would’ve
named our little boy. It was a hard thing to deal with, but
we managed to survive it and come out even stronger in
the end.
Frank and I were still haunted by the
miscarriage. As badly as we wanted Grace and Ruby,
when we found out we were pregnant with them, we
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started to think the worse. After my doctor confirmed the
pregnancy, she confined me to bed for three months. I
spent three torturous months of lying on my back,
urinating into a bedpan, and praying to God that our
baby wouldn’t leave us. Thank God they survived the
first trimester and we had a relatively easy pregnancy;
we couldn’t help but feel the fear again when I spent the
first three months of carrying Jordan and Christopher,
vomiting violently. That was one of the hardest ordeals
I’ve had to endure, but holding them in my arms after an
unexpected C-Section made it all worth it.
I knew in the back of my mind that I was pregnant, but I
didn't want to jinx our efforts. The man had been going
nonstop on top of me every chance he could get and I
didn't want to disappoint him and be wrong. I had,
however, been getting these random bouts of queasiness
that would keep me glued to the toilet for hours.
One morning, during one of my vomiting fits, Frank was
holding my hair back and wiping my face.
“You know this has been going on for almost two weeks
now.”
“I know.”
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“I figured that after week one, you'd make a
doctor's appointment and get to the root of this thing, but
I guess I have to step in and get that done for you.”
“No, Honey Bunny, I'm fine.”
“No you are not. Vivie, you've been running in
here and throwing up almost every morning for two
weeks. This is why we had to cut our honeymoon short.
I was having a good time out in Italy.” He cleaned me up
and put the lid down on the toilet seat before sitting on
it. I crawled over between his legs and put my head
down on his thigh.
“I know you were and I'm sorry.”
“You think you're pregnant?”
“I don't know...possibly.”
Frank ran his fingers through my hair and let out
a big sigh. “Baby, look…I don't have to be back at work
until tomorrow, so I'll try and get you a doctor's
appointment soon. I'll go with you, but in the meantime,
let's go down to the drug store and get you one of those
pee-on-the-stick tests.”
“Frankie, I don't feel like going out for
anything...can’t we just wait until I can get a doctor's
appointment?”
“Vivie, I'd feel a lot better about leaving you
home alone if I knew what was going on with you now.
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I'm gonna put on some clothes and go get you an early
detection test and some other things for your stomach.
I'll put you back to bed and we'll spend the rest of the
day together uninterrupted.”
“I'm not going to argue with you, Honey.”
We came up positive on the home test and the test given
by the doctor. Frank was so proud; I can’t even explain
it. Tres and Julez took it rather well—a lot better than
they took the news of our engagement. I guess that was
because they were prepared beforehand of the possibility
of having a new brother or sister. Nadi was just
overjoyed to be a big sister! She hoped for a little sister
to dress up and adore.
Twelve weeks into my pregnancy, we had to go
to Memphis for Thanksgiving. Frankie wanted to spend
our first holiday together as husband and wife with his
family because he hadn’t been home in months. Since
we’d gotten married and found out about the baby, Tres
had been dying to come home and be with his mama. He
was still becoming adjusted to the new family situation
and it wasn’t my place to force anything on him. I just
let his father take care of things and if he needed or
asked for my assistance, then I stepped up and stepped
in.
I always enjoyed our visits to Memphis because Frankie
had such a close knit and casual family; they were polar
opposites of my family in New York. Frankie’s older
brother Sterling is a cardiologist who was on his second
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marriage and his eighth child. He and his first wife
Marian had been together since they were fifteen, got
married at eighteen, and divorced at thirty-eight. They
had six children together—four boys and two girls. He
met his second wife, Kandis, on a ski trip in Aspen. He
was forty-one and she was twenty-seven.
“I hope we catch my brother at home. He said
he’s got the day off and he doesn’t get many of those.
Knowing him, he’s gonna make a beeline for the golf
course. You nervous?”
“A little.”
“Don’t be, Viv. Damn, this is just like last night
when we met Nadi, isn’t it?”
“In a way, yes it is. Honey, I hope your brother
likes me. I know how much his opinion means to you.”
“His opinion means a lot, yes, but I’m a grown
man and I make all my own decisions whether Big
Brother Sterling agrees with them or not. Baby,
Sterling’s a lot like me; everything will be okay. He’s
got a wife a few years older than you and a precious
little girl running around that house.”
“This is his second wife, right?”
“Second wife, seventh baby. You’ll be okay.
You want a good luck kiss?”
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“Of course I do.” Frank parked the car in his
brother’s driveway and leaned over to kiss me.
“Hey! Y’all could’ve stayed home and did all
that!” Sterling’s knock on the window interrupted our
kiss. Frank smiled from ear to ear when he saw his
brother—I’d never in my life witnessed a brotherly bond
as tight as the Lattimore Brothers’ bond. It’s a thing that
spans generations. Frank could hardly contain himself as
he got out of the car to hug him.
“Hey, Bubba!” Sterling is Bubba. Apparently in
the South, brothers were referred to as “bubba.” That
was one southern tradition that we left in Memphis. My
sons are brothers and not “bubbas.”
“Damn, Chill, look at you! You look good,
man.”
“Well, you know, I got this pretty young thing keeping
me right.”
“I can see that. You gon help your lady out the car or
what?”
“She’s a little nervous, so you take it easy on
her.” He came around, opened my door, and helped me
from the car.
“Baby, this is my big brother, Dr. Chauncey Sterling
Lattimore—you just call him Sterling. Bubba, this is my
glamazon, Miss Vivien-Leigh.”
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“Well, Miss Vivien-Leigh, it sure is a pleasure to finally
meet you. Definitely six feet of fine.” Sterling was just
as charming as his brother, and had the same affinity for
velour jogging suits and Michael Jordan apparel.
“Isn’t that what I told you?”
“Thank you. It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Sterling.
Frank just speaks so highly of you.”
“Baby, don’t you make his head any bigger than it
already is, now.”
“Don’t you mind him at all, Miss Vivien-Leigh. How
about we go on inside and I introduce you to my wife
and my wiry little girl?”
“I would appreciate that. Thank you, Sterling.”
“It’s my pleasure.” Sterling offered his arm and escorted
me inside as Frankie trailed behind, muttering under his
breath.
“Did this negro just walk away with my woman? Ain’t
that bout a bitch?”
“Chill, there’s a lady present!”
“I know it! My lady!”
“Miss Vivien-Leigh, you just have to excuse my little
brother. He’s not living up to his nickname right now.
You do know why we call him ‘Chill,’ don’t you?”
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“Actually, no. I didn’t even know anyone called him
that.”
“Oh, well, you see, my little brother was always the
coolest dude you’d ever meet. Nobody ever saw him
sweat despite the fact that he never walked away from a
challenge. You couldn’t break him…you just couldn’t.
Even up on that bench he could quote the Constitution
and every law in the state if challenged and did it with a
smile and nary a bead of sweat. The man was always
cool.”
“Still am.” We were standing in the foyer of the house as
Sterling and Frankie playfully bantered with each other.
“Well, Sterling, I’d like to go on record as saying that
I’ve seen your brother sweat. Many a time, actually.”
“Is that so?” Sterling raised his eyebrows and Frank
smiled mischievously.
“That’s right. Every night for about an hour to
an hour and a half, he sweats all over me.” The men
enjoyed a laugh and I stood firm, wearing a smirk on my
face.
“Hell, you see all this? Turn around, Baby.” Frank spun
me around in an effort to show off my positive and
always enticing attributes. “That’s a toned and tight
twenty-eight-year-old body; I’ve gotta work hard to keep
all this satisfied.”
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“You don’t have to work hard, Honey, but I like the fact
that you do.”
“That’s my baby.”
“Frankie! It’s so good to see you!” Kandis made her way
towards us.
“Hey, Kandy! How are you?”
“I’m great. Are you staying for dinner?”
“Well that depends on what you’re making.”
“Collards and fried chicken was your favorite, but I bet
LA changed you.”
“It’s still my favorite, but the lady here is allergic to
poultry, so I couldn’t tell you the last time I had some
good old down home fried chicken! Oh, Vivien-Leigh,
this is Kandy. Kandy, this is Vivien-Leigh.”
“It is very nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, too. Frankie talks about you a lot.”
We shook hands and I could feel it in her handshake that
she was sizing me up. I grew increasingly nervous, and
nervous is something that I don’t do well.
“Uncle Chill!”
“Hey, Baby! VL, this is Maya.” As he reached down to
pick up Maya, I kept forcing my smile and hiding my
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nervousness. I waved at the baby and thought of an
excuse to get outside.
“Baby, I need to step outside and make a call.”
“Who you callin’?” I cut my eyes at him and he backed
off immediately.
“I mean, are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Honey. I just need to make a call.”
“Ok, then.” I gave him a quick peck on the lips and
exited the house as Sterling held the door for me. A
weight fell from my shoulders when I got out into the
fresh air alone. I opened the car door and set my purse in
the passenger’s seat as I searched for my cigarette case.
I smoked for five years when I did ballet. It kept me
partially sane and kept me at a good performance
weight. It wasn’t until I quit smoking the darn things that
I got up to a healthy weight for a six-foot tall woman. I
only kept cigarettes on me to remind me how filthy of a
habit it was. They were little nicotine filled coffin nails,
but at that time I really needed one to calm my nerves. I
found my silver monogrammed case and the matching
lighter and in no time I was sparked up and dragging
away.
I think I was nervous around his friends and family
because they didn’t care about breeding and social
standing and anything else that was normally important
where I came from. They were all down to earth people
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who were all very protective of themselves and those
they loved. I love Frankie, but I just felt like they were
looking for more from me. Maybe they were trying to
figure out why we were together—what he saw in me. I
took another drag and exhaled out into space. I didn’t
need any more stress.
“Now how did I figure this was what you were out here
doing?” Frankie snuck up behind me and wrapped his
arms around my waist.
“Sorry, Honey. I know I’m not supposed to be smoking
anymore, but I needed this one.”
“Uh huh. Pass that back this way.” I held up the cigarette
and he took a long drag before taking it from my fingers.
He used to be a smoker nearly 20 years ago. He has
moments, like I do, where you just need one.
“So what’s got you out here?”
“Nerves. I just feel like none of your friends or family
feel like I’m good enough for you—except Sterling. I
know we share a vast age difference, but we’re right for
each other. They don’t see that.” I took the cigarette
back and took another drag, this time releasing the
smoke through my nose. I scratched my head and
thought on it some more.
“Now, tell me something. Who’s in this relationship?”
“We are.”
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“The two people out here who aren’t supposed to be
smoking and nobody else. What we’ve got going on is
between us and it doesn’t make one lick of difference
who disagrees with what we’ve got. Jean just got on you
yesterday cause you got what she could never have.”
His friend Jean verbally attacked everything she could
about me because she was jealous that he said that with
me, he was happy and didn’t feel the need to look
anymore. She revealed that she felt he needed to be with
her—a woman with experience and his own age. Frankie
politely declined and she snapped on me, causing his
reflexes of protecting me to kick in. They are no longer
friends.
“I know…”
“You worried about getting between me and my
people?”
“Something like that.” He took another drag and handed
the cigarette back to me. Frankie stood in front of me
and put both hands on my hips, holding me still. I took a
few drags without bothering to look up at him.
“How about tonight instead of eating dinner with Bubba
and Kandy, I take you someplace special?”
“That would be nice.” I put one arm around his neck and
held the cigarette between my fingers as I dragged on.
“Look-a-here; you ain’t never gotta worry about ruining
anything I got happening. I chose you and I love you and
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that’s all that matters. They care about me, but I care
about you. They’ve just gotta get used to caring about
you, too. I know you’re a good woman and that’s all that
matters.”
“That’s about the most country thing I’ve ever heard you
say. Being home does something to you, doesn’t it?”
Frankie and I shared a laugh before he took another turn
on the cigarette.
“Sure does.”
“Baby, make that your last drag, please. You’re far too
fine to be smoking.”
“I was about to tell you the same thing, VL.” He passed
it back and I took the absolute last drag before flicking
the cigarette across the driveway.
“Baby, you know you’re my lucky charm, right?”
“That’s what you say.”
“You know your man doesn’t lie. I’m about to go on and
get in this golf game with my brother and the boys and I
need you to lay a little of that voodoo on me before I
go.”
“You’re leaving me?”
“It’s only for a little while, you know I gotta figure out
something to do with my daughter—you wanna come?”
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“No. No, go on and spend time with your brother. I
know this doesn’t happen often and he hardly gets any
free time. Go ahead and go.”
“You sure?”
“Yes, Honey, I’m sure.”
“So you gon come home and help me get changed or
you wanna stay here with Kandy? I’d like for her to get
to know you, but then again, I need you and all that
luck.”
“How do I make you lucky?” At this point he’d moved
his hands down to my backside and had begun rubbing
in his firm and gentle manner.
“You know, I get you up there on top of me, hips start
working, hands become intertwined and pinned to the
mattress, and those pretty round brown titties start
bouncing and I go into a trance. You work some kind of
magic on me and by the time we’re done, the rest of my
day is just perfect. Nothing ever goes wrong after my
baby lays that voodoo on me.”
“Ooh, I love a man who knows how to paint a picture
with words. You just make it sound so erotically poetic
and I love when you do that. You can talk me into and
out of anything.”
“Your man was a damn fine attorney; I could talk a jury
into anything.”
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“I bet you could.”
“So, you gonna come on home with me and get me
changed?”
“You know I am.”
“You teeing off with me today, Chill, or what?” Sterling
stopped us before our lips could meet. He was holding
Maya on his hip as he packed his clubs into the back of
his Mercedes.
“Tee time is in two hours and you know I like to get
there at least a half hour early.”
“Bubba, we’re in a gated community—the club is on the
other side of this commune. We got plenty of time.”
“Yeah, well I’m on surgeon time—not judge time—so
get it moving!”
“Surgeon time and judge time is the same—we set times
we don’t always meet and the fate of the client is in our
hands.”
“Whatever. You teeing off or what?”
“Yeah, we’re gonna go get changed right now.” Frankie
patted by backside firmly and gave me a quick peck on
the lips.
“Uh huh. You live two blocks over, don’t let it take you
two hours to get two blocks and dressed.”
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“Don’t worry about that. Come on, Baby.”
“I’m going to have so much fun getting you out of that
tie and these suspenders.”
“And I’m gon’ let you have all that fun all over that new
mattress I just got, too.” We rushed over to the car and
before Frank could get the door closed behind me,
Sterling and Maya had distracted him with their pointing
and whispering.
“What you two over there gossiping about?”
“Pooh said Miss Vivien-Leigh was pretty and I told her
she was right and that the pretty lady with Uncle Chill is
gonna be her auntie pretty soon.”
“You gotta give Uncle Chill some time on that one,
Pooh. But, uh, who knows? You just might be
right…some years from now.” Frankie got in the car and
as soon as he got the car in the correct gears, he put his
hand up my skirt. When we got those two blocks over to
his house, we began our casual, lust filled routine. We
kissed hard and passionately in the foyer before he
smiled to himself and stared down in my cleavage for a
few minutes.
“Baby, how bout you go on up and get my clothes out
for this afternoon?”
“Okay, Honey.”
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“I’m gonna get something to drink. You want
something?”
“A glass of wine would be nice.”
“Damn sure would. Red or white?”
“White. I just got my teeth cleaned.”
“Yes. Well, I’ll be up behind you in a minute.”
“You must mean upstairs because you’re already up,
Honey.” I rested my hand on his erection and he smiled
even harder. He enjoyed my forwardness.
“Fresh, aren’t we?”
“Just a little.”
“I see. Well, you know I’m up, but how ‘bout you give
me a little more motivation?”
“And how can I go about doing that?” Frank gently
pulled on a few of my curls before letting his index
finger trace my jaw line, down my neck, and over my
cleavage before tapping the tip of his finger against my
breast.
“Let me watch you sashay up those stairs. I want to see
those hips swinging from left to right. Can you do that
for me, Sweetness?” He placed soft kisses along my jaw
and tantalized me with his warm breath against my skin
as he exhaled ever so slightly after each kiss. I nodded
robotically before barely whispering my answer.
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“I…I can do that.”
“Thank you.” Frank lifted me straight up, spun me
around, and set me back down on my feet.
“Didn’t think your man could still do that, did you?”
“You can do whatever you want, Daddy.”
“You’d better damn well know it, too.” We kissed again
before he smacked my butt and sent me on my way
upstairs. As I sauntered away, per his request, he stood
back and enjoyed the view. I glanced back at him before
I reached the top and he was still standing there, biting
his bottom lip.
“I’m gon’ be right up with that drink, VL.”
“I’ll be waiting, Honey.” Waiting for Frankie to join me
upstairs, I went through his closet looking for something
to dress him in. My man is a sharp dresser—color
coordination and little details are important to him. His
suspenders are mostly solid colored, but on the
occasions that he wears printed ones, they have to match
his tie and his pocket square. His shirtsleeves don’t
button, he still believes in the art of cufflinks and having
his initials monogrammed right near the edge of his
sleeves. He doesn’t mind color in his shirts, but he stays
in a range of soft blues, lavenders, yellows, and pale
greens—pinks are not allowed. Pinks are okay in ties,
pocket squares, and suspenders, but not for his shirts.
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“You doin alright in here? Here you go.” He kissed me
gently on the neck before handing me a glass of wine.
“Of course I am. Thank you. You know that I’m right at
home in a closet full of clothes.”
“Yes, I know. What have you found?”
“I just put together a pair of your khakis and a pink Polo
golf shirt—”
“A pink what? You must be color blind, Baby, cause
ain’t not a pink shirt in here.”
“I know, Honey, I was just pushing your buttons. White
Polo golf shirt, tan and white golf shoes, this white straw
hat and I pulled out some fresh underclothes for you
right here.”
“You know how to do your man justice. What about a
belt?”
“Brown leather belt with the gold buckle and even your
argyle socks.”
“Good girl. You keep your bases covered—you tryna get
me to put a ring on you?”
“It’s a nice thought, isn’t it?”
“Key word there: thought. Come on now, help me get
undressed.”
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“Okay…okay. I know you’ve got some business you
need to take care of, I’ll hurry.” I gently brushed up
against his crotch to see if his erection was still there. It
didn’t take long for him to catch on to my ploy.
“Oh, it’s still there just waiting on you. You get these
clothes off and you can get it any way you want it.”
“Is that so?” He stood strong in front of me, raising an
eyebrow slightly. We always play on our obvious sexual
tension—something that’s been apparent since the first
time we met. The way we tend to gaze at each other like
we’re seconds away from tearing each other’s clothes
off...it leads to the most amazing love making sessions
that two people could ever have. I was trying to build
one of those moments. I slipped his suspenders from his
shoulders and unbuckled his belt. I lingered around the
button and zipper on his pants, running my finger along
both, slightly stroking his erect penis, before going up to
his tie and untying his thick Windsor knot.
“You think you’re pretty slick, don’t you?”
“I have my moments.” I put his tie around my neck
before unbuttoning his shirt and rubbing his chest over
his crewneck undershirt. We maintained eye contact as I
continued to undress him—unscrewing his cufflinks and
placing them on a watch tray on a shelf. I pulled off his
shirt and tossed it on a lounging chair before going back
to pull his undershirt from his pants and slide it up his
muscular torso and tossing it next to his shirt. Frankie
and I stood eye to eye, gazing at each other as I let my
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fingers walk up his chest and across his shoulders. I took
a lap around him, still walking my fingers across his
shoulders, deciding what article of clothing to remove
next. When we met eye to eye again, I quickly turned
around and bent over in front of him; brushing my
backside against his penis. He slightly jumped back in
shock at what had just occurred. We’d been together for
seven months and I was still finding ways to surprise
him.
“Honey, I can’t untie your shoes from all the way over
there. Come back.” From between my legs I could see
him holding his penis and slowly walking up to me. He
grabbed me by the hips and pulled me back against his
crotch and held me there. My first instinct after he’d
showed me so much force was to grind against him
seductively, but I refrained from doing the obvious. You
have to keep a man guessing. I untied one shoe, and
before I could get to the other, Frankie smacked me hard
on the butt. It was his way of hurrying me along, but he
knew that a smack like that would usually cause me
to…well, become prime for penetration.
“You can step out of your shoes now.” Between my legs,
I watched him step out of his shoes and felt him grip my
hips even tighter. He let me pull off his socks and as I
tried to become vertical again, Frank held me down in
his favorite sexual position.
“Frankie!”
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“Baby, you’re prime and I’m damn ready to go! You
know this is the way I like to get you.”
“Yes, Honey, but I’m still dressed and you’re not
covered.”
“Ain’t no thing for me to go get a condom real quick.
Come on, Baby, just like this.”
“No! You chose to wait until we got you undressed
properly, so you have to wait. Now, let me up.” He
slowly let me back up, wrapping his arm around my
waist and holding me close. He kissed me hard on the
cheek and I reveled in his love.
“You know I could handle you just like this, don’t you?”
“All too well, Frankie.”
“Good. Now, hurry up. I’m about to bust and I still need
to get those clothes off you.” He smacked me on the butt
again before letting me loose. I turned around and
grabbed the front of his pants, pulling him in to me close
and tight. We gazed into each other’s eyes as I
unbuttoned and unzipped his pants. I ran my hands over
his erection before sliding both hands inside his boxers
and pulling them down along with his pants. I crouched
in front of him, helping him out of his pants and
underwear; I came face to face with his beautiful
erection. It took everything I had to not do the one useful
thing my mother taught me—how to please a man orally.
Details on that matter are far too uncomfortable to go
into. Let’s just say that the skill I learned from Susan St.
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Croix-Valentine made me the first woman in history to
make Charles Franklin Lattimore, Jr. go from sexy and
seductive baritone to full-fledged falsetto.
“What you gon do down there?”
“Come back up and meet you here.” I stood up and
casually tossed his pants and boxers over to the sitting
chair. Again, we stared deep into each other’s eyes and
stood nose to nose and lips inches apart—teasing the
other with the promise of a passionate kiss.
“Now what, Charles?”
“Put this up for me. You know I don’t like being called
that.” He handed me his watch and pinky rings and I put
it on the watch tray with the others next to his cufflinks
on a shelf. I loved to pluck at his strings in an effort to
heighten the passion between us.
“Yes, and so what? It is your legal name, is it not?”
“It is.”
“And is it or is it not the name that I will someday
carry?”
“I plead the fifth.”
“I see.”
“It’s not that I can’t see a future with you, but I just like
to take these things slow. It’s only been seven months,
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VL. I love you, but we need to see how long this can
sustain.”
“So, you don’t think you’ll be in love with me a year
from now?”
“I don’t know. I do know that I love you now and I want
to be in love with you forever. A year from now I want
to be in love with you and over being in lust with you.
Right now, we’ve got a good thing going and I do love
you and I also love the feeling of being inside you as
often as you’ll let me. I’ve got Tres around all the time
and now I’ve got a daughter that I’m just finding out
about and you’re only twenty-eight. Do you want to be
with an old twice-married man with kids? One in high
school and two in elementary school, a teenage boy and
an adolescent boy and girl—VL, that’s a lot to deal with.
I’m gonna be back and forth between LA and Memphis
for my babies all the time. You don’t have any kids and I
don’t want you taking on the burden of being with me
and dealing with mine when you don’t have to. I want
you there, in my family, and able to deal with all the shit
that may come with it. I need to know that I’ll be able to
count on you and depend on you in a year from now.
That’s why I need to take things slow with this
relationship.”
“Frankie, a year before I met you I was engaged and
pregnant. I was preparing myself to be then, what you
want me to be now. I will admit that at the time, I was
immature and unprepared for what was going to be
thrown my way, but I’m a different person now. A
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tumble down the stairs and a miscarriage can put a lot of
things in perspective for someone.”
“It sure can. What were you doing wearing five inch
heels to a basketball game, anyway?” I put my finger
over his lips to hush him as I continued with my
feelings.
“Frank, Honey, back then I was only pregnant for the
promise of marriage and I’m not in that mindset
anymore. I want to be in a relationship with someone I
love and love being with. I believe I have that with you.
Since we’ve been together, I’ve not wanted to be with
anyone else.”
“I’ve not wanted anyone else, either.”
“So, that’s why three months ago, you were still going
out with other women? Making dates and taking calls at
my condo?”
“I stopped doing that, VL! I stopped. I don’t want that
anymore. I like what we have going. I love you. And just
so you know, I wasn’t making dates per se; I was
arranging meetings to tell them that I wasn’t going to be
available anymore because I’d found the woman I
loved.”
“I love you too and I want to be with you and I see us
together ten, twenty, even thirty years from now. You
don’t see the same.”
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“I want to see the same, but I just haven’t been sure you
do! I’m settled in my life. I don’t have to rip and run
anymore! I want one special woman and I really think
that woman is you, but you’re twenty-eight years old and
I’m fifty. I want so badly to be with you but I’m a little
worried about having my heart broken.”
I was stunned. He gently patted my butt as I tried to
gather my words.
“I said it; are you happy?”
“Why would I be happy? You think that I could hurt you
and I can’t do that.”
“Vivien-Leigh, you’re an intelligent woman and you got
a body that just won’t quit. You’re sophisticated and
refined and worldly and such a damn lady—and you’re
only twenty-eight. What if someone younger comes
along and that’s what you want? What if you decide that
you don’t want this hard old man anymore?”
“When did you start referring to yourself as old? You’re
only fifty and you have the bearings and strength of a
man half your age. I don’t know what you think I could
possibly want with someone younger. Someone younger
couldn’t do the things that you do to make me happy.
Honey, I appreciate the little things—the classic
things—that you do with me and for me.”
“You mean that?”
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“Of course I do, Frankie. You bring me fresh flowers
every week because you think a woman’s house should
have a fresh centerpiece somewhere. You still write love
notes and I even like that you leave them on my face in
the mornings before you leave for work. You stand when
I enter a room. You never let me lift a finger when we go
out and you aren’t afraid of public displays of affection.
You hold my hand and kiss my shoulder and rub my
knee and you kiss me passionately. I love the way you
kiss me.”
“I don’t mind doing those things with you and for you
because I really do love you, Baby. And my daddy
taught me to be a gentleman, so I wouldn’t be worth a
damn if I didn’t do them.”
“And I love the gentleman that Charles and Anna Maria
raised. Honey, why can’t you look beyond our age
difference? I really want this to work.”
“I want it to work too, Baby. You’re at a stage in life
where you can do so much and I don’t want you to look
at me ten years from now and think that I held you back
because I’m already settled in my life.”
“Frankie, I am still learning and growing, but I want to
learn and grow with you. I want you to be there when I
do find or figure out what to do with all my free time. I
guess you forgot we had that in common.”
“You’re retired, and I’m still working. I may not be
sitting on a bench, but I’m still working my ass off.”
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“Three days a week.”
“Still workin’ hard to keep you happy.”
“You’re working hard to keep me happy?”
“Damn right. I wouldn’t have been doin my job if I gave
you less. Look here, I’m finna go with Bubba down to
the club to play golf, so when you get up I want you to
get washed up for our outing tonight. Okay?”
“Okay, Honey.”
“Good. Oh and when I mean get dressed, I don’t mean
get all decked out. I love when you do that, but not for
this place. No heels, no fur… nothing nice.”
“What kind of place is this? If I can’t wear heels or
anything nice—not even a fur—I don’t know if I want to
go!”
“Calm down, it’s just a down home place. Don’t put on a
skirt or a dress and put on flats, but not sandals—we
may have to run at some point in time.”
“You’re scaring me.”
“Don’t be scared. I put a little something together for
you, and I know you won’t like it, but just keep that in
mind. I don’t know if Kandy’ll call you and ask you to
go somewhere with her, but I left you some money down
on the table next to the keys by the front door. I’ll call
you soon.”
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“I love you.”
“I love you, too. Now get back to sleep.” Frank kissed
me on the forehead and left.
I slept a bit more before getting up, showering, washing
my hair, and debating on what to wear. He’d picked out
my backup flight wear—a full on cat suit—but I thought
about what he’d described to me earlier and I didn’t
want to go to this terrible place and deal with the
struggle of wearing a one-piece in a tiny bathroom. I
picked a simple tank, leggings, cardigan, and ballet flats.
I wanted to dress it up with jewelry, but again, with his
description, I opted against it.
My first day home alone in Memphis was an extremely
colorful one. Frank’s alcoholic sister showed up and
stole the money he’d left for me. He called me about
three hours after he’d left to tell me that Lisa needed to
go to work and thought it’d be a great idea to drop Nadi
off with him and since he wasn’t home, that meant she
had to stay with me. I got robbed and had to entertain a
six year old all in the same day. Very interesting time.
“Hello, Lisa. Hello, Miss Renada.”
“Hello, Vivien-Leigh. Thank you for watching Nadi.”
“It’s no problem at all.” I let them inside and watched as
Lisa took off Renada’s coat, hat, and backpack.
“Okay, Nadi Doll, I want you to be on your best
behavior for your daddy’s friend, alright?”
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“Okay, Mommy.”
“Good girl. I love you.”
“I love you, too.” They kissed and hugged and Lisa and I
said our goodbyes before I was left alone with a small
child. I had no idea what to do and neither did she.
“Well, Miss Renada, is there anything that you would
like? Are you hungry? I’m not a very good cook, but I
can make you something.”
“Um, can I have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich,
please?”
“Of course you can, Sugar. Let’s go see what your
daddy’s got in the fridge.” I took her hand and led her to
the kitchen where we looked in the fridge and found
peach jam but no grape jelly. I picked her up and sat her
on the counter and it just tore me up inside to see her sad
little face.
“Daddy has no jelly.”
“No, but he has this jam; would you like that?”
“I can’t eat that, Miss Vivie. Peaches make me itchy and
puffy and I don’t know what jam is. I just like jelly.”
“I will call your Aunt Kandy—she lives two blocks
away—and ask if she has any jelly. She has a little girl,
maybe she’ll have some.” I found Sterling’s house
number on the fridge and called over to Kandy. She
came right over with the jelly. I picked Nadi up from the
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counter and carried her over to the door—I just didn’t
like seeing her so sad.
“Miss Renada, this is your Aunt Kandy.”
“Are you my daddy’s sister?”
“Oh, no, Baby, your daddy’s sister is…something else.
I’m your Uncle Bubba’s wife and this is your little
cousin, Maya.”
“Wasn’t it awfully nice of Aunt Kandy to bring the jelly
for your sandwich?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“Oh, you’re perfectly welcome. Gosh, you look JUST
like your daddy! Where did you get such pretty blue
eyes? Your daddy doesn’t have blue eyes or freckles!
Does your mommy have them?”
“No, Ma’am. Mommy’s eyes are brown, but she has
freckles. She says her grandma had blue eyes just like
mine.”
“They’re just so pretty.”
“Thank you.”
“Aww, and you’re missing your two front teeth! Look at
that—Honey, do you know what color your hair is?”
“My mommy says it’s red and brown.”
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“My goodness, you couldn’t be any more adorable!”
“Thank you.”
“Miss Nadi, I have to talk to Aunt Kandy about
something. Can you make your sandwich all by
yourself?”
“I can do it.”
“Okay, well, I’m going to take you back to the kitchen
and put out everything you’ll need.” I carried her back to
the kitchen and sat her on the counter before pulling
down the bread and peanut butter and a butter knife. I
slipped back out into the foyer to talk to Kandy.
“Has security brought your money back yet?”
“No, I’m still waiting on them.”
“I’m sorry Charlie stole from you—that woman just
refuses to get it together. We normally deny her entry
when the guards at the gate call and let us know she’s
there, but I had some clothes and things to give her. I
had no idea she’d stop over here. I don’t even know how
she knew Chill was in town.”
“Well, I didn’t know that she wasn’t allowed in the
community. I just happened to answer the door and she
said she was his sister. I know that they aren’t
necessarily on good terms and now I see why.”
“So what did she do? Just snatch the money and run?”
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“It was on the table right there by the door and I was
going to put it away, but I got distracted when she rang
the bell. She talked herself into a frenzy and I was trying
to calm her down. She asked for a glass of water and by
the time I came back from the kitchen with the glass, she
was gone. The front door was wide open. I remembered
about the money at that moment and it was gone, too.”
“How much was it?”
“Knowing Frank, it had to be six or seven hundred. I
called the guards at the gate and she was pulling up right
as I’d called them. They said they’d bring the money
back as soon as possible. It’s been nearly forty-five
minutes.”
“She must be putting up a big fight, but they’ll get it to
you. This community has the best security in all of
Memphis. You usually have to be on an entrance list to
even visit the residents here.”
“If she needed the money all she had to do was ask—”
“Don’t tell her that; she’ll try to suck you dry. She takes
that money and funds her habit of whatever she’s on that
day. You’ve got to say no to her and mean it.”
Kandy and I finished our talk and the security guards
finally returned my money. Charlene did put up quite a
fuss about it, but she’d just given them the money and
they let her leave. Renada and I spent our time watching
cartoons, coloring, and reading books. Frank called
every hour on the hour to check on us—I told him about
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his sister and he was furious. He said he’d deal with it
and not to worry—she’d never bother me again. By the
time Frank had gotten home from golfing, Renada and I
were passed out on the couch.
“Hello, Darlin.’”
“Hey, Honey, how was golf?”
“I had a good time, even though my brother cheats. How
was my little angel? She wasn’t too much trouble was
she?” Frank stroked her face gently as she slept on top of
me.
“No, she was perfect. She made peanut butter and jelly
sandwiches, but we had to call Kandy for jelly.”
“There’s jelly in the fridge.”
“That’s peach jam and she says peaches make her itchy
and puffy and she doesn’t know what jam is. She just
likes jelly.” He chuckled to himself after realizing how
picky his little girl was.
“…That’s right. Lisa told me that she’s allergic to
peaches. I meant to tell you.”
“She made us sandwiches, we watched cartoons,
colored, and the last thing I remember is her crawling on
top of me and wanting to read me a few stories.”
“I can see that—looks like y’all went through a whole
stack of ‘em.”
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“Yep!”
“Well, I’m gonna take my little girl and put her in our
bed—did you change the sheets?”
“I did. I’ve never been alone with a small child
before…it’s a lot of work.”
“Don’t I know it, but I think you did a good job.”
“Frank kissed me on the lips as he lifted his angelic little
girl from my chest. She slept so peacefully, and as I
watched, I began to want a little girl of my own.
“Frank, Honey, you should’ve seen her eating those
sandwiches without her two front teeth. Ugh, just
adorable!”
“She’s my baby, everything she does is adorable. VL,
I’m gon lay down and take a nap. You wanna lay down
or what?”
“I’m going to finish my nap and appreciate the space to
move around in.”
“You sleep like a small child—just all over the bed, legs
and arms and hair everywhere. I guess I’ll keep my baby
on my chest so you don’t roll over on her.”
“I’m not that bad!” I smacked him on the arm before
grabbing a blanket to cover us all with.
“And you snore, VL.”
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“You snore, too!”
“I’m a man!”
“Well, I guess that’s why we fit together so well—we
snore together.”
“That’s not the only way we fit well together, either.
You know what? Don’t think I forgot, but when we get
in tonight from where we’re going, I’m gonna…” He
flickered his tongue at me, to assure me that he’d give
me the oral satisfaction that I loved and he loved giving.
We crawled into bed and got comfortable.
“And I can’t wait.”
“I’m gon do you good, too.”
“You always do.”
“Damn right.” We kissed on the lips and instead of
letting me sleep freely, he pulled me up close to him and
held me tight with his arm. I do sleep terribly and I don’t
blame him for holding me still night after night. When
he doesn’t hold me still, I’m literally everywhere—I’ve
found myself being awaken by him picking me up from
the floor a few times.
“Daddy? Daaaaadddddyyyyy…”
“Huh? What? What’s the matter?”
“Hi.”
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“Hi, Baby. You okay?”
“Yes, Sir.” She laid on top of him, running her fingers
across his face. I swear, it was the cutest thing. He
stroked her back with one hand and tried to move her
hair away from his face.
“Daddy, do I have a room at your house?”
“Of course you do. You have a room here and a room at
my house in California and you can fix it up any way
you want it. Big brother Tres has a room, older brother
Blue has a room, and baby girl Nadi has a room.”
“And Daddy has a room!”
“That’s right.”
“Does Miss Vivie have a room, Daddy?”
“Well, this is Miss Vivie’s room.”
“But this is your room, Daddy.”
“Yes it is, but I share it with Miss Vivie.”
“Where does she sleep?”
“Right where she’s sleep now.” He pulled his arm from
underneath me and smacked my butt hard. I elbowed
him in his side and rolled over to watch their interaction
more closely.
“You have to share a bed with Miss Vivie?”
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“I like sharing a bed with Miss Vivie. Daddy doesn’t
like sleeping alone very much, Baby.”
“I can sleep with you if you are scared, Daddy.”
“Thank you, Baby Girl, but you can’t make a habit of
sleeping with Daddy. Sometimes if you want to sleep
between me and Miss Vivie, that’s okay, but you can’t
sleep with Daddy all the time.”
“Why not?”
“Because you’re a little girl and Daddy’s a man and it’s
not always right.”
“Why?”
“You don’t know what makes you different from little
boys?” Frank was stunned as she shook her head.
“Hair?”
“Sometimes girls and boys have different hair, but that’s
not all.”
“Frank, she’s just a little girl.”
“I know she is, but she won’t be forever and I don’t want
her to end up with one of these inside of her, talkin about
she didn’t know any better cause he just wanted her to
see what it looked like.”
“What does what looks like?”
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“Baby Girl, I think your daddy will have to explain that
to you when you get a little bit older.”
“Older like when, Miss Vivie?” I sat up and took her
little face in my hands and pressed my forehead against
hers.
“Older like when you get your two front teeth back!” I
kissed her on the nose and she giggled uncontrollably.
“Honey, I’m gonna get freshened up.”
“Alright, Baby.” I leaned in to kiss him on the lips and
Renada lay on his chest, smiling her toothless smile. I
ventured to the bathroom, but I made sure to sneak peeks
and listen in on their conversation. You could see how
much my man loved his baby. She lay on his chest,
pulling at her curls as he rubbed her back and clung to
her every word.
“Daddy, who is that lady?”
“This lady?” Frank reached over to grab the picture from
his nightstand. He held it for a moment, staring at it
longingly, before turning it around for her to see.
“This is my mama. This is your grandmamma, Anna
Maria Lattimore.”
“I know her.”
“You know her?” I continued to brush my teeth, but
leaned back to actually see this interaction.
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“Yes Sir. Mommy used to take me to her house. She was
nice to me. I don’t know where she is now.” Frank
looked over at me and I stared at him. We were both in
shock. His mother passed away three years before. She
wouldn’t have been old enough to remember her and if
she had actually met his mother, why didn’t his mother
tell him that he had a daughter?
“Baby Girl, my mama passed away when you were
about three…how could you remember her?”
“I remember her here.” She patted her chest, right over
her heart. It nearly tore Frank apart. He pulled Nadi
further up on his chest and held her tightly. He kissed
her on the head before putting his arm over his eyes to
shield his pain. I quickly rinsed and ran out to get in bed
and cuddle with him. I kissed his face and he slowly let
me in. His eyes were red.
“She told me that I was pretty and that she loved me
always, no matter what. Last time I saw her, she was
sleep in a box in this big room with lots of people. I
asked Mommy why and she said it was because she was
going to a special place that was better and far away
where she would be happy again. Is that true, Daddy? Is
that where she went?”
“Yeah, Baby Girl, that’s where she went.”
“Oh.”
This little girl was loved and accepted by his mother and
was even in his presence, but was held from him for so
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many years. He was torn up inside all over again. Maybe
Anna Maria didn’t tell him in order to protect him. To
protect his heart, his family situation, and his career—
there were so many questions that could be asked, but
we’d never get an answer as to why. With him feeling
the way he did, I knew he’d be drinking that night to
ease his pain and wanting to forget it all with an orgasm.
I was ready to help him feel better any way I could.
That night, we took Nadi home, went to an oldfashioned hole in the wall where I broke some sort of
catfish and white bread eating record. We drank, we
danced to the blues, and enjoyed ourselves. Frank and I
danced as close to and as hard as we could against each
other. After we left that frighteningly dirty, yet
delightfully fun place, we stopped for more beer, picked
Renada up, and went home.
We put her back to bed, went to the bedroom and got
intimate. Frank drank some more and unloaded on me.
He talked about his mother and how he was angry, but
she had to have done it because she loved him and
wanted to protect him. He drank some more before
pulling me onto his face and giving me much
appreciated oral gratification. We ended the night with
hard and well-deserved orgasms. It was heartbreaking to
have to watch him torture himself with his thoughts, but
I knew he needed to get that all out of his system.
My first trip to Memphis was indeed a memorable one,
but for the first few years we were together, I always had
it in the back of my mind that this whole city probably
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knew he had this child and never bothered to tell him. It
was like he was being mocked and ridiculed behind his
back and it made me angry. I grew to love spending time
in Memphis, but it was hard to get the bitter taste of
disdain for catty southern gossipers out of my mouth.
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~~~~
For this particular trip, Frank and I drove all the
way from Los Angeles to Memphis—it was not a fun
ride. I was abnormally big for twelve weeks of
pregnancy and grew crankier as the days passed. I tried
to sleep for most of the ride, but I was highly restless.
Before going to dinner, we stopped and picked up Nadi
so she could enjoy a holiday with her brothers. We
arrived at Sylvia's house an hour before her proposed
dinner time and I felt really odd about it because she
didn't want me to bring anything and I hate to come
empty handed. I had Frank get her a bottle of wine. Even
if I wasn't able to drink it, it was a nice gesture.
“Happy Thanksgiving!”
“Well, if it isn’t my ex-husband, his third wife,
and his outside baby.” Frank pulled Nadi close to him
and held her tight. I knew she was hurt by Sylvia’s
bluntness, so I just ran my fingers through her curls and
kissed her head as her daddy held her. I took her hand
and held it tight. Sylvia got on my nerves, too.
“Sylvia, you can say anything in the world you
want about me, but you’d better watch what you say to
my wife and my daughter.”
“Uh huh. Wait, I don't want that dog in here.”
“Ettie's just a baby, she's fine.”
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“Maybe you should put a diaper on that baby
because there will be no dog mess in my house.”
“Sylvia, I just walked the baby when we stopped
in Arkansas. She won’t have to go again until after
dinner some time.”
“Fine. I just don't understand how some people
can baby a dog so much. I sure hope you know you ain't
having puppies...unless Franklin's gone back to his old
dog ways.”
“Syl, please. We just got here from a long ride
over the past few days and my wife is pregnant and
tired; can we have one peaceful holiday? Damn.”
“It's okay, Frankie. Sylvia, I'll make sure she's
good. If Etienne does anything, I'll clean it up. I'm her
mama; I'm responsible for what she does, alright?”
“Fine then.”
“Syl, Vivie's got it; you can lose the attitude.”
“Don't tell me what I can and cannot do in my
own home.”
“Hey...guys, it's alright, let's drop it. Sylvia, is
there anything I can do to help?”
“Stay out of my kitchen. Dinner will be done in
an hour.”
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Frank, Nadi, and I walked into the den and I
continued to hope that things would go a lot smoother
than they'd gotten off to. The boys were in the den with
other relatives watching a football game, and all I could
do from that point was think about sleep. They
introduced Nadi and me to the rest of their family as
Frank helped me sit down on the couch.
“Frankie, Honey, I'm tired and my back hurts.”
“You wanna go in a room and lie down?”
“No, Daddy. I wanna stay here with you.”
“Vivie, the game's on, Baby.”
“I know and I don't want to take you away from
your game, Honey. I just want to lay on you and take a
nap.”
“Alright, Baby, go on and get yourself
comfortable and Princess Nadi and I will keep an eye on
Miss Ettie, here. Right, Baby Girl?”
“Right, Daddy.”
“Thank you, Frankie. Nadi, Baby Girl, you are
amazing.” As I napped, I dreamed about my baby. I
dreamed that I was holding two babies—both carbon
copies of each other. Although the babies looked just
alike, one was red and the other was pink and they
screamed in my arms. I tried to comfort them as much as
possible, and before I knew it, they looked like little
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combinations of Frank and me. Their crying morphed
into them screaming, “Mama!” over and over, and I
called them by their names as I comforted them. The red
baby was Ruby and the pink baby was Claire, and I
started to understand why I was as big as I was so early
on even though the ultrasounds only showed one baby.
“Hey, Baby...it's time for dinner. Wake up,
Darlin.’”
“Frankie?”
“I'm right here, Baby.”
“Where's Nadi and Ettie?”
“Nadi’s with her brothers and Ettie slept right on
your lap while you napped. I just put her down on the
floor. You okay? You kept tossing in your sleep.”
“Frankie, I had a dream about the baby.”
“You did? Was it good or bad?” Frank helped
me up off the couch and slowly escorted me to the
dining room.
“I dreamed that there are two babies in here and
they're both girls.”
“Twins? Really? We only see one baby every
time we go to the doctor, Vivie. Do you really believe
you’re having twins?”
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“Baby, I know we only see one baby, but I know
we’re having twins; the pink one's Claire and the red
one's Ruby.”
“Vivien-Leigh Lattimore, what did you eat on
the way over here?”
“I know you think that I'm crazy, but I'm telling
you, we're having twins. I bet you didn’t know that twins
run in my family.”
“No, I didn’t know that. Vivie, you picked a fine
time to drop that bomb on me.”
“Are you upset with me?”
“Of course not, Darlin,’ I just would’ve liked to
know the odds of what I put in there beforehand. I
banked on a return of one when I made that deposit. I
never thought my return would be doubled.”
“Oh, Honey, how classy. My mother was a twin
and most of her siblings are twins. It skips a generation.
I never thought I’d have twins, but then again, I never
thought I’d ever have a successful pregnancy. After
Clark’s kids were all born as singles, I just started to get
this feeling. It’s twins, Frankie.”
“Uh, huh. I still say that whatever junk you ate
on that long ride here has you thinkin’ like this.” We
walked into the dining room where everyone was
already seated and ready to eat.
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“It's about time.” Even Sylvia’s terrible attitude
couldn’t shake the good mood I was in at that time.
“I just woke Bunny up from her nap.”
“Wife number three...the one that just had to be
better than the first two. Guess you felt the need to
upgrade, huh, Frank?”
“Syl, did you take your meds today? Don’t start
this.”
“That's not for you to worry about. Look at her,
just had to outdo the first two. I had more in the back
than the second one and the second one had more up top
than I did, but he finds a way to get a third one that's got
both areas covered.”
“Mama, don't do this...can’t we just eat in
peace?” Julez practically begged his mother to stop, but
typical Sylvia never knew when to stop. I tried never to
let it get to me because of her illness, but she could get
pretty nasty.
“So I guess you gotta upgrade on heights, too,
huh? Three inches on each woman—I'm 5'6'', the second
one was 5'9'', and that one's 6'0”. You always did have a
thing for Amazons, didn't you?”
“Come on, Mama, stop. Blue's upset and Viv
didn't do anything.”
“Mama, please!”
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“Syl, our boys are asking you to stop!”
“Our boys, and yet, you find a way to outdo that
as well. I give you two boys, like you want, and up pops
this little girl—”
“I’m not going to tell you again; don’t you say a
thing about my daughter. I understand you’ve got a lot to
deal with, but don’t you dare take that out on my
daughter who has absolutely nothing to do with you.” I
stood behind Nadi’s chair with my hands on her
shoulders, kissing her head, and telling her not to let
Sylvia bother her.
“And then the third wife finds a way to give you
twin girls.”
“Oh, you just heard her say that in the hallway.”
“I didn't have to hear her say anything! I knew I
was having boys from the minute I started to show. You
can just look at her and tell—ain't nobody that pregnant
in the first few weeks and she's carrying all her weight
up top. Those are girls and you're in for something
serious, having kids at your age.”
“I only came here because Julez and Tres
wanted to spend Thanksgiving with their entire family.
As much as it's killing you to know, Sylvia, Renada and
I are now a part of their family. If you don't want us
here, that’s fine. I have no problem with leaving.
Frankie, give me the keys; I'll take Nadi and Ettie and
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we will find our way home. We shouldn’t have to deal
with this.”
“Bunny, I'm not letting you or Nadi go
anywhere. Especially, not in a city you’re still learning
the ropes about and pregnant with my child.”
“No, Frankie, I don't want to be in the midst of
any family drama. I can’t take it—I'm sorry, Julez and
Tres. Boys, I'm so sorry about this whole situation. I
know you just wanted to have a big family meal and
we're ruining it.”
“It's okay, Viv. I just want this to be done so we
can just eat like a real family.” Tres tried to comfort his
visibly upset brother and I was just ashamed of myself
for reacting the way that I did. I try to conduct myself
with the class and grace that I was raised with, but
Sylvia had a way of bringing out my undesirable side.
“No, Sweetheart, it's not OK. I just feel so bad
about this entire thing.” My hormones were crazy, and
all I could do was stand there and cry. Frank tried his
best to comfort me and calm me down, but his efforts
were to no avail.
“Dammit, Syl, why do you do this? You did this
with Angela and now you're just picking on Vivie
because you feel some sort of entitlement.”
“Look, boys, Mama's sorry. You know that this
time of the year is a little difficult for me. There is a part
of me that can’t necessarily get over your father. Even
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the medication can’t ease that pain of having been with
someone so long and having lost them.”
“Syl, we tried, but we grew apart. I don't want to
fight with you, baby, I want to help you as much as
possible. You just have to understand that I have moved
on and I'm happy. I want the same for you.”
“I know and I'm sorry. Viv, I'm sorry. Little
girl—”
“Syl, my daughter’s name is Renada.”
“Renada, I’m sorry.”
Renada remained silent.
“It's alright, Sylvia.” I kissed Nadi again and
Frank rubbed my back in an effort to alleviate some of
the newly formed tension.
“No, Vivien-Leigh, I mean it. I don't have
anything against you; I just have to deal with things
going on with myself.”
“I understand.” I quickly changed the subject.
“So, you really think I'm having twins? I just had this
dream...”
Dinner went as well as expected for a newly
combined family. It was just a little cementing to me
when Sylvia confirmed her thoughts about my having
twin girls. She said it was an old Southern thing; women
could just tell by looking at a pregnant woman and
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determine the sex of her baby and even if the egg had
split. Sylvia had even warmed up to Etienne, but she
couldn't understand how a person could treat a dog so
much like a child. She let me feed Ettie, but just not
from the table. She hadn't warmed up that much.
“FRANK! FFFRRRAAANNNKKKIIIEEEE!” I
was a bit disappointed when Tres came responding to
my call. I wanted his daddy and I had this boy come
sprinting in the room like somebody died.
“What's up, Viv?”
“Oh, Baby, I was calling your daddy. I wanted
him to help me change my shoes so I can take Ettie for
her walk.”
“I can help you.”
“Are you sure? I just wanted him because he
knocked me up, the least he can do is change my shoes.”
“It's cool, I'll do it.”
“Thank you, Sweetheart.”
“Give me your feet.” Tres took a seat down on
the floor in front of me and helped me change from my
trusty pumps and into the stylish new tennis shoes Frank
bought me. As he tied my shoes, I couldn’t help but
admire how much he reminded me of his father.
“You are a godsend. You know, you're so much
like your father? Tres, you're an excellent young man
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and I know you're going to be a good big brother to my
girls.”
“Thank you. You already know what you're
having?”
“It's just a feeling that I have, Honey. I had a
dream about it, and your mama said she could see it...”
“Okay, so you know my mama's not all there,
right? Don't get me wrong, I love her more than anything
and I won’t let nobody say nothing bad about her, but
she's got some serious issues and you can’t always take
everything she says seriously.”
“I know, but I know she's right. Honey, even if
your mama may have mental issues, she's still a woman
and a mother and she has the type of insight that no man
can deny or necessarily understand. She's right about
this.” Tres finished tying my sneakers and put my feet
down. He looked at my belly for a while before rubbing
it.
“Twin sisters, huh?”
“Uh huh. Keep rubbing, Sweetie, I want them to
know that you're their big brother and you're gonna
protect them when their daddy can’t.”
“That's right, I'm your big brother Tres and I’m
gonna be whopping some major butt when you need me
to. My baby sisters will be well taken care of, believe
me.”
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“What's going on in here?” Frank and Nadi
came in and saw Tres and I having a very intimate
moment. We've always been very cordial towards each
other—especially after dinner at the Ivy—but this was
clear progress being shown.
“Viv needed some help, so I came in and helped
her.”
“I've been calling you to come help me change
my shoes and you never showed up.”
“I'm sorry, Baby, I was a little wrapped up in the
game.”
“You ignore your wife for a game? I know you
heard me.”
“I wasn't ignoring you, Bunny.”
“But you didn't show up when I needed you.”
“I'm sorry. I was coming.”
“Sure you were. Ettie, Baby, come to Mama.
Come on, Baby. You see how your daddy is, Nadi?
Daddy's over there showing off, acting like he can’t
come and help Mama change her shoes so she can take
the baby for a walk.” Etienne hopped up on my lap and
put her front paws up on my belly...almost like she was
digging her little claws into my skin on purpose. I think
everybody in the room sensed Ettie's jealously.
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“Ow! Frankie, get her off! Frankie!” Frank
grabbed Ettie and popped her on both her paws and her
little backside. She let out a whimper.
“Etienne Aigner Lattimore, you don't do that to
Mama. That's bad. Bad girl!”
“Frank, she's jealous.”
“I see that, Darlin.’”
“What are we gonna do?”
“I don't know, Baby. We spoiled her like this.”
“I know...I just never thought she'd get jealous.
Maybe she'll lighten up when the babies come.”
“You still on that whole twins thing?”
“I am having twins! Even Tres knows it.”
“Son, you fell into that nonsense, too?”
“Viv says she knows...I can’t doubt her, Daddy.”
“I see. What about you, Nadi? You think Vivie’s
gonna have twin girls too?”
“I don’t know, but she is really big, though.”
“But you’d want twin sisters, wouldn’t you,
Nadi? I think you’d be an excellent big sister to these
girls.”
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“Vivie, don’t you bribe my child!”
“I don’t have to bribe her! She wants little
sisters—she’s said it a million times. You want sisters,
don’t you, Nadi?
“I do! I want to dress them up and do their hair!”
“Oh Lord. Vivien-Leigh, let's go take this brat
for a walk and we can discuss this twins thing. Where's
her leash?”
“Here.”
“Thanks, Son. Alright, big girl, let's go. Baby
Girl, you coming, too?”
“Yes. Daddy, if you and Vivie have girls does
that mean you’ll stop calling me ‘baby girl?’”
“Well, Princess, you technically won’t be the
baby girl anymore, but you’ll always be my Baby Girl.”
Frank helped me up on my feet and we took Ettie out for
her walk. We held hands and paced the neighborhood
with our overly spoiled puppy poking her nose in
everything she could find as Nadi held her leash.
“I'm surprised she's even walking. Dog's so spoiled, she's
afraid to use the bathroom on anything other than the
Arts & Entertainment section of the New York Times—
and we live in Los Angeles.”
“Don't act like you didn't contribute to it. I know
you're going to spoil the girls when they come.”
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“Bunny, I don't know if it's good for you to be
saying that you're having twins when you don't really
know. I don't want you to get your hopes up about this
and then become disappointed in the end.”
“I can’t be disappointed about it. As long as I'm
having your baby and she's healthy and strong, that's all
that I really care about.”
“You’re still saying it's a girl...”
“It's my maternal instinct, Frankie. I know I'm
having girls. Twin girls. They are going to change our
lives for the better, Honey.”
“Maternal instinct, huh? Well, I'm on record as
putting out some strong manly genes. I got two big boys
back there; so, what if what you're carrying around
happens to be Baby Boy Lattimore number three?”
“Hey! What about me, Daddy?!”
“I’m sorry, Nadi, but you were a long shot.
You’re the best long shot Daddy ever took, but I think
we gon’ be bringin’ another boy into this family.”
“If we have a boy, then, I will be proud of my
son and I will love him with everything I have, but I'll
keep working you for a girl until I get one. You're lucky
that I won’t have to do that because we're having twin
girls.”
“Persistent, we are.”
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“Indeed we are, Judge.”
“Look, Darlin’, I'm not saying that I don't want
the baby to be a girl or even twins. I'm going to love our
child despite its sex; however, these things can’t always
be determined. We just need to be content with the fact
that we're having a baby and it’s going to change our
lives drastically.”
“I know and it's what I've always wanted. I take
good care of your babies when they were in our care—
right, Nadi?”
“I’m still alive.”
“See! You see how I treat the dog, so imagine
how good I'm going to be to our kids.”
“I know, Bunny.” Frank pulled me into him and
kissed me on the forehead. He was so patient and so
good with me that it was almost unbelievable that a man
could be so far left and right at the same time. He's three
steps away from chauvinist, but at the same time, he'll sit
me down and bring me tea and rub my feet and watch
me while I sleep.
“I can’t wait to get home so I can take a
shower.”
“Let's make that a shower for two. I'll rub cocoa
butter on your belly afterwards.”
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“On my belly, my butt, and my thighs. I'm
stretching out ten ways from Sunday.”
“I like that little extra weight on you, Baby. It
looks good.”
“Ew!” Nadi covered her ears with her hands and
let out a few sounds of disgust.
“Renada Chanel Lattimore, you just keep
walkin’ that dog and Vivie and I will try to keep you
outta our personals.”
“Go on and walk Ettie, Nadi. Daddy and I will
catch up to you.”
“Kay.” Frank smacked her on the butt before she
ran a few feet ahead with Etienne.
“Frankie, before we got married, we lost weight
together. We had put on all that weight and I was tipping
scales at 220 before I got down to 170. I seem to be
putting it back on.”
“But I liked that 220— you wore it well all in
your chest and your behind. I damn sure love to watch it
come at me and walk away.”
“I'm being serious, Honey; we got you down
from 275 to 215 and you seem to be putting it right back
on along with me. Will you promise me that after the
babies are born we're going to lose it all again together?”
“Whatever you say, Dear.”
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“Yeah...I know. Honey! You haven't held me
close and kissed me like you usually do at all today! I'm
starting to feel like Daddy doesn't love Baby Bunny
anymore!”
“Baby, I've been driving all day and the times
that we have gotten out of the car, you didn't want to be
bothered or touched. Daddy's been giving you your
space, but here, here's what you've been missing.”
Frank pulled my hands away from my hips and
pulled me in close to him. He put his arms around me
and moved them down to my butt. He kissed me on the
forehead and on the nose. Frank lingered awhile, looking
into my eyes before moving in to kiss me hard and
passionately. Ooh, Honey, let me tell you that when my
husband kisses me, my knees get weak and I never want
it to end.
“I got you, Bunny...regain your strength.”
“I think you should regain your strength because
when we get home, I want you to lay down the law in
the bed.”
“Oh yes Ma'am, I can do that for you. After
sleeping in those hotels between here and LA and not
being able to touch you the way I want to, I'm ready to
give it all to you.”
“Frankie, I'm ready to go home and get to bed
now.” I gave him a coy look and he grew red in the face.
He knew what I wanted and he was ready to fulfill my
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needs. We’d caught up to Nadi and Ettie and it was
rather apparent that we needed to get home. Quickly.
“Miss Etienne, are you done yet? We gotta go
on back and get Mama's things so we can get her home
to bed. Daddy has some work to put in on Mama; we're
gonna see about possibly making your twin sisters a
trio.”
“You are just so fresh, Frankie.”
“You damn right I am.”
“I don’t think I should be hearing this! I’m only
nine and a half!”
“We’re sorry, Sweetie. Sometimes Daddy and I
get a little carried away. It’s only because we really love
each other.”
“You know that, don’t you, Baby Girl?”
“I know…but it’s nasty!” Renada turned up her
face in disgust and I couldn’t help but chuckle. She
would get so bothered at any reference of her father and
I doing anything other than hugging and kissing.
“And why is that?”
“Because you’re old!”
“I am not old! Nadi, I’m thirty-one—but Daddy?
Daddy’s old.”
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“Now wait a minute! Daddy’s not old, Daddy’s
distinguished. You ladies had better remember that.
Ain’t nothing old about me.” His phone started to ring
and I tussled with him for a little while before reaching
into his pocket.
“I got it, Honey.”
“That's not it...”
“I assure you, Honey, I know what I've got my
hand on. Hello, my husband's pants...”
Frank kissed my head and stroked my hair as I handed
his phone over. I took Nadi’s hand and swung it as Ettie
tried to pull ahead on her leash. Frank’s call was from
one of his old friends and it was a rare occasion that he'd
actually have his phone on. He hates cell phones and he
rarely keeps his on or on his person.
“Hey there, Robert. No, we're not doing
anything like that. I had to take the ladies and the puppy
out for a walk around the block so the wife could stretch
her legs, Miss America could run around, and the puppy
could relieve herself. We're still at Syl's house, about to
go home for the night. Uh...I don't know, VL's been real
tired with this pregnancy and she likes me to go to bed
with her to keep her comfortable...”
Every time we came to Memphis, someone
wanted to come over for something. It was like he was
no longer my husband— he was everybody's husband.
Everybody wanted a piece of Judge Lattimore and
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wanted to leave nothing for me. Sylvia and I had
actually had a pretty decent conversation once and she
told me that when he was a sitting judge, they had no
real private life. Officers would come to the house in the
middle of the night and ask for his signature on
emergency warrants and all kinds of things.
I understand that being a sitting judge is a full
time job—even when your day is over—but I would
have to be fully prepared to make sacrifices like that.
You just think that you’re married to a man with a nice
private career and it turns into a public spectacle. It's just
hard to adjust to the fact that you no longer have a
private life. That everywhere you went, someone would
want you for something. It's like that even though he's no
longer a sitting judge. Just by him being on television,
everywhere we go, we're the center of some kind of
attention.
“Alright, but I can only help you look over that
for a little while tonight. I'll see you at the house in about
twenty minutes.” Frank put his phone back in his pocket
and I just held his hand tighter as we watched Nadi pull
back on Ettie's leash while we walked back around the
block to Sylvia's house.
“Company, I see.”
“Only for a little while, Baby. When you're
ready for bed, I'll be up.”
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“I'm just worried about you. People want so
much of you and you just give it all and leave little for
yourself or me sometimes.”
“Is that how you feel?”
“Sometimes. I know you're a very important
man and I respect that and I admire that and I'm
tremendously glad that you're mine, but you put so many
people ahead of us and it worries me. It worries me that
the kids and I might not have time with you.”
“You know what? Starting right now, I'm gonna
give you more of myself. Damn, Vivie, I already told
Robert to meet me at the house. He's divorcing his wife
and he wants me to help him with the papers.”
“Does he not have a lawyer?”
“Of course, but you know, we're old friends.”
“That's fine, Honey. Spend time with your
friend.”
“I'm sorry.”
“Honey, please. I just want you to stop
spreading yourself so thin.”
“This is the last time, I promise. As a matter of
fact, for Christmas, how about we go to the condo in
Aspen? Just me and you, enjoying ourselves out in the
snow. Lock ourselves in for a few days and get real
cozy?”
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“I like the sound of that.”
“I knew you would.”
“But Daddy is expecting to see us for Christmas
in New York and what about Nadi? It’s her birthday!”
“Darlin,’ we can see your daddy for New Years
and Nadi can come with us. It’ll be her first time in
Aspen! I wanted Tres and Julian with us, but their mama
wants them this holiday. Since it’s just the three of us,
we could lock in and have a cozy intimate thing. I'm
making efforts here, Big Girl.”
“I know and I appreciate it, but I haven't seen
my daddy and my brother and my nieces and nephew in
awhile. They're important to me, too. You know your
best friend Dexter needs to see you.”
“You know I value my friendship with your
daddy, but we need some time for ourselves. Besides, I
don't feel like dealing with your damn brother.”
“Clark is a good person—”
“He's a bum. Clark Gable Valentine is a poor
excuse for a man—I know he's your brother and you
love him, but as a man, he's one of the worst. I just don't
understand how a man his age has gotten by in life by
doing nothing.”
“My brother is an artist. It takes time to sell
paintings.”
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“Well it seems like we're the only ones buying
his artwork. In his downtime, he needs to get a job and
stop asking us and your mama to pay his way. How are
his kids supposed to say with a straight face that their
thirty-something year old father has to ask Auntie V and
Uncle Chill and Grandma for his rent and grocery
money? Your father is a hell of a man and I’ll never
understand how your brother got to be so damn trifling.”
“When Daddy and Mama divorced, Clark
became bitter. You know Daddy tried to make him into a
good man.”
“I know your brother and father are estranged,
but with all that aside, he was the man of the house with
you and your mother and he let you down in terms of
handling his man business and taking care of you. You
and your mama enable it by giving in every time he asks
for something. He's supposed to be giving to you, not the
other way around.”
“Hold on there, Buddy. I don't know how you're
standing here talking this stuff about my family and you
expect me to go home and open the cookie jar for you.”
“Because you love me and it's good to you.”
“Right now, I don't know how I feel about you.”
He grabbed me by the waist and pulled me close to him
and held me tight. I tried to get out of his grasp, but he
refused to let me go. We struggled against each other for
a while before the tussling began to slow down.
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“Watch the bump.”
“That's mine, I put that there.”
“I remember the encounter fondly.” I looked up
into his eyes but our intimate moment was over almost
as quickly as it started.
“Daddy? Vivie? Ettie’s losing her mind!” Nadi
pulled back on Ettie's chain and tried to calm her down.
She kept pulling and being rambunctious and I definitely
knew that it was time to get her home so her daddy could
get down to business.
“Nadi, Baby, she’s getting sleepy. Go ahead and
pick her up.”
“So, Christmas in New York City and New
Year's in Aspen, Vivie?”
“Sounds good, Frankie. Nadi can spend some
time with my family.”
“You know what else sounds good? Me and you
at home in bed, wrinkling the sheets and working up a
sweat.”
“That's a plan because we need to work off this
meal.” Frank kissed me hard and we hurried back to
Sylvia's house to get our things together and go to the
house. As soon as we got there, his friend called him and
said he was on his way in. Frank apologized and I let it
go and went on with getting ready for bed alone. He's
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such a caring and helpful man that it starts to wear thin. I
love that side of him, but I just wish it would be more for
me and selfishly, a little less for others.
I went on to take my shower and cocoa butter
myself up for bed. I put on a new chemise from
Victoria's Secret and waited for almost another hour for
him to finish and come up to bed. I tried to keep myself
occupied, but it failed to work. After getting Nadi
situated, tucking her in, and kissing her goodnight, I was
ready for my man to come on to bed.
“Knock, knock. I'm not interrupting, am I?” I
stood in the doorway to his office and when his eyes met
mine, his demeanor began to change. The effect that we
have on each other is just unexplainable. We light up
when we see each other.
“Not at all, come on in here, Baby. Robert, you
remember my glamazon of a wife, Vivien-Leigh?”
“Of course I do. Definitely six feet of fine.”
“And she's all mine. Don't be hitting on my
woman, Rob.”
“I got enough women to deal with in my life, I
couldn't take on another one.” I went to shake his hand
and he pulled me in for a hug. It wasn't anything fresh at
all, but it was almost a little too close for comfort.
“Okay, now, watch the baby bump.”
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“I'm sorry. Well, when did this happen?”
“Some twelve and a half weeks ago and I must
have done a damn fine job cause she thinks she's having
twins.”
“Twins? You must have put the ‘ooh wee’ on
her!”
“Oh, you damn right I did! Hell, I almost had to
top that and put that Memphis Mojo on her.” They
laughed and went through some kind of manly sexual
bragging routine right in front of me. I had to cut that
nonsense short.
“Hey! I'm standing right here.”
`
“Well, you, who's standing right there, come
here.” He pointed to his lap and I went over to him, put
my knee down on his chair, and leaned all my weight on
it.
“When did you get this?”
“I got it before we left California. You like it?
It's from Victoria's Secret.”
“Yes ma'am, but it would look a lot nicer on the
floor next to the bed. What kind of material is that?”
Frank felt the hemline of my chemise and worked his
hands up under it to places it ought not be in the
presence of company.
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“It's chenille, nasty.” I smacked his hands down
and he rubbed them before holding me by the hips in
front of him. I tried my hardest to be the civil and
understanding wife in front of his friend, but I couldn't
hold up the charade.
“Baby, you didn't help me shower and
moisturize for bed or anything.”
“I'm sorry, Bunny, I didn't forget, I just thought
you'd want to do that much later.” He pulled me in closer
to him and kissed my baby bump. I ran my fingers
through his wavy hair and started to think of a way to get
him upstairs with me.
“I had to do it all by myself when you said that
you would help me, Frankie. Even Nadi got tired of
waiting for you and I had to tuck her in. Now I'm sleepy
and I can’t sleep without you. Will you come to bed with
me? Now?” I straddled him in the chair and put my arms
around his neck and held him tight. I was prepared to cry
if he didn't get up and tell his friend to go home.
“Please, Frankie?”
“Hey Rob...”
“You don't even have to tell me, Frank. I'll see
you tomorrow.” Frank got up with me attached to him
and walked his friend to the door. He shifted me in his
arms and hoisted me up on his hip with his hand right
under my butt; my belly was right up against that
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stomach of his. He didn’t have a gut, but he did love his
beer.
“Goodnight, Rob.”
“Alright, Frank. Miss Vivien-Leigh.”
“Goodnight.” I know he wanted to shake my
hand, but I refused to let my husband go. I know it was
rude, but I had to claim what was mine. He'd already
taken away enough of his time and I was going to spend
what was left alone with Frank.
Before we went to bed that night, we discussed
going out to Oak Court Mall the next day to kick off the
first official shopping day for the holiday season. I told
him that I wanted to take him and the boys to Neiman
Marcus to get them some nice new oxfords and to get
Nadi some dresses and he put up a fight. Apparently, his
ex-wife moved back to Memphis and was rehired as the
store manager. He didn't want us to meet and have me
deal with Angela's mess. We decided that I was a strong
enough woman to not care what his ex had to say—he
was my man and if she didn't like it, well that’s just too
bad.
After we had our squabble about where I could
and could not shop, he made love to me. We went
through many different positions before ending up in our
most comfortable one. Our sleep position was one that
was aptly coined; it was the one that after he'd handled
his business with me, I'd end up asleep on top of him.
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By the time we would both climax, we'd be too
tired to do anything other than sleep. I'd always be the
first one to pass out and Frank would have to clean up
what he could and pull the covers up around us.
Whenever I couldn't sleep or we'd make love and
couldn't get into a comfortable position, we'd always end
up in the sleep position and the next morning, we'd be
rejuvenated and on cloud nine. But even the sleep
position couldn't work its magic when we went shopping
and ran into Angela at Neiman Marcus.
Neiman Marcus was the first place we went
when we got to Oak Court because the boys wanted to
go their own way. I was on a mission, and just wanted to
have them try on what I wanted to buy them so they
could go and be mall rats without their parents hanging
around.
“Is this going to take long?”
“Boy, I'm buying you clothes; you could at least
be patient.”
“Viv, we're appreciative, but, it's not that cool to
be with your parents in the mall.”
“Son, I don't want to try it on either, but I'm not
complaining, so shut up.”
“You guys are the worst. A woman likes a
nicely dressed man. Tres, you should know that as a high
school man and you should be teaching your brother.
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Now, Honey, I like this red shirt for you. What do you
think about that?”
“It's wonderful, Dear.”
“Nadi, don’t you think Daddy looks nice in
red?”
“It’s the same color his face turns when he gets
really mad!” She and her brothers began to giggle and
Frank just rolled his eyes and tried not to crack a smile.
Well, she was right.
“Do we really have to try it on?”
“Blue, I’ve told you a million times that patience
is a great virtue and you’d better start exercising it.”
“You know what? You guys won’t cooperate, so
we'll do it my way. Here, the three of you need to try on
these red shirts; it's a good color for your complexions.
Uh...I like this French blue for you, Honey...and this
royal blue, too. Princess Nadi, will you help me pull
some nice colors for your daddy and brothers?”
“Okay, Vivie. Ooh, I like this pink one for
Daddy.”
“Oh, no.”
“Sweetness, Daddy doesn’t wear pink shirts.
Look for some lavenders.” Nadi and I started pulling out
the shirts I wanted for them and they just stood there
holding them all. We moved on to the pants and started
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finding sizes, and we'd pulled so much that I had three
sales people running back and forth for sizes and starting
dressing rooms. Nadi and I sat outside the dressing
rooms, waiting on someone to show us an outfit or two.
“I wish there was another chair to sit in.”
“It’s okay, Vivie, you sit in it. I can sit on the
floor.”
“No, Baby, it’s not fair and I don’t want you
sitting on the floor.”
“You have babies in your tummy, Vivie! Sit
down.” She was nine years old, mind you.
“Fine, we’ll do it like this.” I sat in the chair and
pulled her over on my lap. She laid back against my
chest and I put my arms around her, holding her tight.
“There.”
“Vivie, can I get some makeup stuff for my
pageant?”
“Of course you can, Princess Nadi. That reminds
me, we have to put in the order for your dress and
outfits.”
“Thank you.”
“It’s my pleasure, Baby Girl. I have to get with
your mommy to see what she has in mind. I’ll put in the
order, and of course Daddy will pay. I wish someone
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would show us something soon!” Nadi patted my
stomach firmly as we waited on one of the boys to
finally emerge.
“Vivie, can I call you ‘mama?’”
“Of course you can, but do you want to discuss
that with your real mama or Daddy first? You don’t have
to call me that, you know. Vivie is just fine.”
“I know, but you’re like my mama. You take
care of me and love me. I love you.”
“Sweetheart, I just love you so much. You are
my baby—no matter what anyone says. You can call me
whatever you want.”
“I’m going to call you my mama.” I kissed her
face and held her as close to me as I possibly could. I
rocked her in my arms as we waited on our men. Frank
was the first to peek out of his dressing room.
“You don't look too happy about this one.”
“I just don't know about this...this isn't exactly
my style.”
“You look good, Daddy.”
“You think so?”
“Uh huh.”
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“Your style? Frankie, your style is looking good
and if I know how to do anything, it's how to keep a man
looking good. You know what I'd like with that? I like
the red shirt and the black pin striped pant, but I'd like a
thin black sweater over that and a tie would be great. I'm
gonna go look. Come on, Nadi.”
Nadi and I stopped over at the boys' rooms and
had them come out and show us what they looked like.
I'd picked out really great things for them and they
actually liked the way that I'd put them together. Before
Nadi and I could go look for some things for Frank, a
sales associate came over to us to see how we were
doing. To my surprise, the manager with her was
Angela.
“So, how is everything going over here? Tres?
Julez?” She looked shocked and stunned to see them and
I felt neither when I saw her. I held Nadi’s hand and
rubbed my belly gently.
“Hey, Miss Angie.”
“What are you guys doing here? I haven't seen
you in forever.”
“Uh...we're shopping with Daddy and Viv...” I
put a big smile on my face and turned around to face her.
I was wearing heels and so was she, but I still had height
advantage.
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“Vivien-Leigh Lattimore. It's nice to meet you.”
I reached out to shake her hand and she sheepishly
reciprocated.
“Angela Dennis, the former Mrs. Lattimore. Oh,
I see you're with child.”
“Yes. Actually, we’re having twins.” I rubbed
my belly and the boys stood there completely lost.
“Well, congratulations.”
“Thank you. Oh, this is Renada, Frank’s
daughter. Nadi, Baby Girl, this is your father’s last
wife.”
“You must be the child I’ve heard so many
rumors about before I married your father. Speaking of
Frank, Julez, where is your father?” Just as she said that,
Frank came poking his head out of the fitting room, but
wasn't able to see Angela because the boys were
blocking her.
“Baby, did you find that stuff yet?”
“No, I haven’t. Actually, Honey, I found
something else.”
“What's going on out here?” The boys went back
to their fitting rooms and he came face to face with his
ex-wife for the first time in quite a while.
“Oh boy...”
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“Frank, it's nice to see you again. I just met your
new wife, found out that you’re having twins, and met
the child you were rumored to have before we got
married. Congratulations.”
“Thank you, Angie.”
“I'm guessing she's complacent with sitting at
home and being your secretary.”
“Excuse me, Dear, I’m complacent with staying
at home and taking care of my husband because it’s what
a good wife does and a good husband deserves.” I
smiled at her and held my ground. I didn’t like her
talking to my husband like that, nor did I appreciate her
taking pot shots at me.
“Whoa, hold on, Bunny, calm down. Be cool
and calm for my babies. Look Angie, this is not the time
or the place for this. Can we please conduct ourselves
like adults? Damn.”
“You know, it's just nice to know that you can
so easily go off and get remarried and plant babies in
some Amazonian heifer.”
“I think it’s rather obvious that he enjoys being
in the company of a beautiful Amazon as opposed to
such a ‘Plain Jane.’ Or maybe he chose to be with and
reproduce with the Amazonian heifer because the Plain
Jane wouldn’t have time to take care of her plain
offspring…maybe Plain Jane would have her girlfriends
dictate when and how Plain Jane should conceive the
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offspring.” It was on. I never dropped a smile or eye
contact and she knew that she could never gain the upper
hand.
“Vivie, Baby, I don't want you making things
worse. Look, Angie, we don't need this nonsense. Let us
shop and if there's something that you want to talk about
and work out later, we can do that. We just need to let
this go and move on. And you should know a lot better
than anyone, that you don’t insult my kids. The next
time you have anything to say about Nadi or my twin
girls, you say it to me.”
Frank was angry…with me. He put his arm
around my waist—or what was left of it—and ushered
me away from a dumbfounded Angela Dennis.
“Blue, Tres, you stay with your sister. I need to
talk to your step-mama for a minute.” We went inside
his dressing room and he sat me down on the bench full
of clothes. I was prepared for the lecture, I just wasn’t in
the mood.
“Honey, I am not a child.”
“I know you're not, but this was the exact reason
I did not want to come here today.”
“Frank, you know that I’m far too much of a
lady to get into it the way she wanted to. I think it went
rather well.”
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“Well? You think that went rather well? Look, I
know you’re such a damn lady and you weren’t ‘bout to
start cussin’ and neck rollin,’ but I did not want that to
happen and I don't want it to happen again. Let's just buy
this stuff and get out of here. I'm not in the mood for this
drama. Ignore her. You got me?”
“Yes.”
“Yes what?”
“Yes, Daddy. Honey, she said that you were
rumored to have had Nadi when you were married to
her. How didn’t you know?”
“Vivie, I don’t deal with gossip. I don’t know!
Shit, for all I know, it was beauty salon gossip. You
know how you women get to talkin’ in the beauty salon.
It makes sense now. She would say little stupid things
about how I probably had outside kids, but she would
only say that when she was mad at me. I always believed
that I was protecting myself when I was out dating, so I
could never believe I had another kid. Vivie, you know
I’d never lie to you.”
“I know you wouldn’t, Honey. I just think it was
silly of her to not tell you if she knew. That girl could’ve
had her father so much earlier.”
“She was probably doing what she does best,
worrying about herself. Look, I’m sick of talkin about
her. Hell, I’m sick of thinking about her. I have a good
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woman now and we’re getting ready to birth us some
babies and that’s all that matters.”
“Birth us some babies?”
“That’s right, I’m gon’ get my woman home and
keep her barefoot in the kitchen and the bedroom ‘til it’s
time to birth these here babies.” He rubbed my stomach
and tried not to laugh at the look of death I gave him for
speaking to me in such a manner. God knows, I love that
southern man of mine.
“Right…Honey, don’t pass any of that off to the
babies.”
We talked a lot more—more so, him talking and
me just agreeing to get him to stop talking. He told me
that he actually kind of liked seeing me stepping up and
getting in front of him and his kids the way I did. It
apparently made him catch some feelings that he wanted
to unleash upon me when we got home. I watched him
undress and caught some feelings of my own. One of us
got to relieve some built up tension in that dressing room
and one of us was just happy to please her husband.
I let Nadi and the boys pick what they wanted
and I pulled together Frank's things to pay for them. I
had no problems with the store manager from there on
out. My stepsons went their way and my husband,
daughter, and I walked the mall and continued to shop.
We had to talk out the issues that seemed to keep arising
with his ex-wives and his daughter’s mother. They
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weren't going to necessarily be beside themselves to see
him happy and moved on with another woman or having
Nadi in his life and there was no way we could make
them be. We just had to realize that at the end of the day,
we were what mattered and our relationship had to come
first. He wanted me to be the bigger woman and let their
words roll off my back and let him handle Sylvia, Lisa,
and Angela.
I was pretty proud when we were able to leave
Memphis without any more interruption from either of
his ex-wives. We didn't see Angela again after the mall
fiasco and Sylvia actually gave us a pretty nice send off.
Frank and I went on with the rest of our holiday plans
and spent Christmas with Nadi, my daddy, and family in
New York and we rung in the new year in Aspen all
alone and cozy in our condo. He handled me and my
ever-changing moods and hormones for my first five
months of pregnancy and made me feel like the queen
that he'd always promised to treat me as.
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~~~~
The novelty of pregnancy started to wear off
towards the end of my second trimester. I had to follow
him everywhere he went because I could not be left
home alone. We'd had the sex of the baby determined,
and to Frank's surprise, I was right. We were having twin
girls and he said that since my dream had been right up
to that point, we'd might as well name them Claire and
Ruby. He didn't show it at first, but he was so excited to
be having twins. The night after we'd found out about
the twins, I had to look around the house for him
because he didn't come up to bed when he said he would.
I found him in his study with a bottle of Wild Turkey
and listening to James Brown's “A Man's World”
extremely loud.
“So this is where you're hiding out?”
“I'm not hiding.”
“Then whatcha doing?”
“Thinking.”
“With a bottle of bourbon and James Brown as
loud as the boys blast the Notorious B.I.G.?” He clicked
off the stereo and finished his drink before setting the
glass down hard on the table. He sat up in his recliner
and stared off in a distance as he spoke to me.
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“Come here.” I walked over to him and he
pulled me down on his lap and put his arms around me.
He smelled like he'd been drinking and I hate that.
“You just haven't been the same since we left
the obstetrician today, Honey. What's wrong?”
“Baby, I just didn't think that this was as real as
you were making it.” He rubbed my belly and rocked me
as I felt his face and ran my fingers over his beautiful
cheekbones.
“What? The babies? What did you think this
was? Gas?”
“No, Bunny; I know you had this thing in your
head about twins and you were so serious about it, but I
didn't really pay it no mind because I just thought you
were a little crazy like all women are. But now it's
confirmed and instead of the one daughter, I'm getting
two. I didn't feel old when I thought we'd be dealing
with the midnight crying of one baby, but now there are
two.”
“So all of this is because you're feeling old?
Well you're not. You're almost fifty-four and you should
feel really good about yourself right about now. You've
got a gorgeous young wife, you're successful, and you've
got twins on the way. I don't understand how that could
make you feel old.”
“I'm just concerned that I won’t be around for
my kids when they need me.”
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“Daddy, I thought we discussed this quite some
time ago?”
“What's that supposed to mean? We're talking
about it now.”
“Frankie, I don't want you to be upset about
anything. Honey, you've been drinking and you're out of
your normal mind frame and I just want us to kiss and
make up and go sleep on it.”
“The alcohol has nothing to do with it. The point
of the matter is that I'm feeling that this is all wrong
now.”
“Wrong? What's wrong? Our marriage? Our
babies? What?!”
“I'm thinking that having two babies at one time
in this point in my life is a little wrong. You wanted
babies and I gave them to you and now I'm realizing that
I'm giving up a hell of a lot of my leisure time to be a
parent to infants and I'm gonna have to raise kids all
over again. Tres just turned eighteen last month and he’ll
be out of here and in college in August, but Blue’ll be
movin’ right in here behind him to start high school.
Nadi just turned ten—I’m dealing with the ones I’ve
already busted hard nuts for, potty trained, and taught
right from wrong. This “from scratch” thing just isn’t
sitting well with me right now.”
I quickly broke away from him. He got up and it
struck the both of us: we were getting into a knockdown,
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drag out argument and someone was going to be
extremely hurt by the end of this thing.
“So I held you by the penis and pumped the
semen out of you and inseminated my damn self, huh? I
made you get me pregnant and I made you marry me,
right? Frankie, you're really full of something right about
now.”
“What? Full of shit? Go on and say it! What I
am full of right about now, is you. I'm getting tired of
dealing with this and catering to you all the time. Hell,
sometimes, I feel like I'm not even running my own
damn house! You get to feeling like you're the boss
when I’m the one taking care of all the business up and
through here.”
“I take care of this house and I take care of you,
but I see that means nothing to you. I've given up a lot to
be with you and you think that having me means that I
do nothing but cook and clean and answer your phones
and secure your appearances and book your flights and
organize your awards. And now that we're having
babies—something that's going to take me away from
catering to your every need—you start with this midlife
crisis nonsense.”
“Oh please. And don’t act like your cooking’s so
damn good, either. If it wasn’t for the sex being so damn
amazing—”
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I slapped him. He was being just rude. We stood there in
silence for a while—him rubbing his jaw and me on the
verge of tears. Eventually, I started to cry—not just
because I was big and emotional, but because I felt that
his inebriation was bringing forth some major truths. I
wiped my eyes and turned my back to him, completely
breaking down.
“Don't start all that damn crying; I'm getting
pretty tired of hearing it cause that's all you seem to do
these days.”
“How can you be so insensitive?!”
“That's all you ladies complain about. I give you
the world and then some and all you can say is that I'm
too insensitive and I don't listen and I don't care and I
talk too much.”
“How can you stand there and tell me when I'm
twenty-four weeks pregnant with your kids that you feel
they're a mistake? You don't want them and you don't
want me—my God, what do you want? Why are you
doing this to us?”
“I don't have to listen to this. You go on to bed;
I'm getting out of here for a while.” He didn't even try to
comfort me. I heard his keys jingling and I couldn't let
him leave the house in his frame of mind. He was drunk.
“No! Frankie, you can’t leave now!”
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“Woman, have you lost your damn mind?” We
tussled over his keys for a few minutes before he
overpowered me and snatched them away. I lost my
balance and came down hard on my left side. I tried to
protect my stomach as much as possible on the way
down. I could see him stop and show a little concern, but
he continued on out the door. I laid on the floor and
cried. It's all I could do, given everything that had
transpired. Aside from the emotional pain I was
experiencing, the only thing that bothered me after the
fall was my wrist.
I stayed on the floor for all of fifteen minutes,
screaming and crying my heart out. The only thing I
could think of at that time was what I normally do when
we have arguments. When I'm wrong, I agree to sing
Anita Baker's “I Apologize,” and when he's wrong, he
has to do everything I do as a homemaker and top it off
with something pretty. I was so confused and wrapped
up in so many emotions that I didn't care who was
wrong; I just laid there and sang.
My man ran off under the influence and he could
possibly kill himself or some innocent person, leaving
me a widow and our kids fatherless. I'd never loved any
man other than my father and brother, and the only other
man that I did love was regretting being in love with me.
I had no idea how to deal with that. I just sang.
“Hey, Bunny...Bunny, it's me. It's Daddy. I'm
right here.” Franklin tried to touch me and I stopped
singing and slid away from him. I had no idea what he
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had in mind, but if it were anything like what he’d said
before he left, he could just save it.
“Don't touch me!”
“Listen, I know you're upset, and I'm sorry. I
didn't go anywhere. I sat outside and just thought about
everything. I didn't go anywhere, Baby. I didn't leave
and put myself or anyone else in danger.” I let him get
down next to me and he pulled me close to him and put
his arms around me.
“You left me here, Baby. You screamed at me
and said you didn't want me and the babies.”
“Vivie, first, let me say that I drank tonight in a
way that’s not like me. I don’t regret marrying you;
you've become the best thing that I've ever done since
having my babies. I feel like finding all of those hobbies
of mine were just a way to get me to ignore this possible
midlife crisis that I'm kind of going through.”
“Why don't you tell me these things, Honey? We
could talk through them and find a way to deal with
them instead of ending up like this.”
“Because men don't 'talk it out.' We either deal
with it or we don't. It's just a little complicated.”
“I know, but Honey, I'm your confidant and your
helpmate and that's what I'm here for. I'm more than just
dinner making, cleaning, organizing, and being available
for you to roll over in the middle of the night. I'm here to
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listen to your problems and help solve them. Just like
you do with me, Daddy.”
“Vivien-Leigh, God couldn't have blessed me
with a better wife and mother for my children.” Frank
kissed me on the forehead and on the lips. He rubbed my
belly and kissed it before putting his ear to it and
listening to the serene silence of our sleeping babies.
“They're asleep, Frankie. They fell asleep when
I started singing.”
“You can tell?”
“Yeah, I know when they wake up and when
they're playing and when they're sleeping. Claire and
Ruby have started kicking a whole lot more, too.”
“Claire and Ruby Lattimore. I like those names.
I want one of them to have the middle name “Vivien,”
and the other to have the middle name “Anna Maria.” ”
“After your mama? Honey, that’s so sweet. But
why Vivien?”
“Because I want my girls named after two of the
most amazing women I know—my mama and my wife.”
“You want to name one after me?”
“Of course I do. You don’t want to?”
“No…but, how do you feel about Vivienne?”
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“I like that, too. You know, it would've been
great to name one of them Memphis.”
“Maybe the second time around, Frankie; I got a
feeling this won’t be the last pregnancy for us.” He
smiled at me before kissing my belly one last time. I was
glad that we were fixing these newly formed holes in our
relationship before they got bigger. We were going to
work on communicating a lot more for our sake and for
the sake of our babies.
“Baby Bunny, what happened to your wrist?”
“I hurt it when I fell down.”
“I'm so sorry about that, Baby. Let me see it.”
He took my wrist and gently kissed it before resting it on
top of my belly. I enjoyed the times that we spent
together like this and wanted it to be a permanent fixture
in our marriage, but that was hoping for too much.
“I'll wrap that up when we get upstairs. I'm
gonna make this up to you, Bunny. We'll spend the
entire day together. You know how I have to do the
Waymon Hill Morning Show tomorrow, right?”
“Of course I do. I confirmed it, Frankie.”
“I want you there with me. We can get up early,
have some breakfast, go over to the studio, and then we
can take the rest of the day from there. Would you like
that?”
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“Of course I would.”
“Great. Now, Miss Vivien-Leigh, may I take
you to bed?”
“Is this taking me to bed business anything like
when you asked to bed me on our wedding night and I
ended up pregnant?”
“No Ma'am, I just want to take my wife up those
stairs, wrap up her wrist, and lay next to her and comfort
her.”
“Then that would be just fine. Besides, if we
were intimate and Tres came home, he’d have a fit.”
“That boy just needs to deal with the fact that his
daddy likes to get it on with his step-mama as often as
possible and ain’t a damn thing he can do about it.” We
kissed and spent a few moments holding each other.
“I’m sorry about insulting your cooking, Bunny.
You’ve gotten a lot better over the years.”
“Well, I try, Honey. I’ve really been trying.”
“Bunny, it is part of how you pay your way
around here. I’m not complaining about it. You’re good
at what you do, that’s for damn sure. And the sex—”
“Frank!”
“I’m just saying! You keep a skip in your man’s
step. Now, let’s go on upstairs and get some of that
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bedroom magic working.” Frank picked me up off the
floor and carried me upstairs, and just as he’d promised,
he wrapped up my wrist and we went to bed. We talked
a lot more and he promised to never do what he did
again. He said that instead of keeping to himself and
trying to seem like he has everything together in front of
me, he'd start talking to me again. He wanted to let me in
more and we could handle things together and not just
seem like he has his own problems and we have mine.
We went to sleep that night feeling a lot more
confident in our relationship. It was a little rocky and we
knew it wouldn't be the last time we hit a bump in the
road, but at least we found a way to deal with it for the
future. The next morning, we got up and he made
breakfast for us, saw Tres off to school, and we got to
the radio station at 8 AM. I was a little nervous, but it
ended up being an experience that I would never forget.
“Hey, Judge.”
“Good morning, Waymon. How are you?”
“I'm just fine.”
“I want you to meet my wife. Vivien-Leigh, this
is my friend Waymon Hill. Waymon, my wife, Mrs.
Vivien-Leigh Lattimore.”
“How are you, Sweetheart?”
“I'm fabulous, Sugar, and how are you?”
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“Oh, I’m good! I see you are gonna be, uh,
expanding the family soon.”
“That's right, we're having twins.” Waymon and
Frank started going through that man thing—what
exactly is that about, anyway? Bragging rights?
Whatever.
“Judge, I see you went ahead and knocked that
one right on out the park!”
“I think I did a pretty good number on her.
We’re gonna have these girls and then see about putting
some more in the oven.”
“Franklin, let’s finish baking the two we’ve got
in here before we start preparing any others, okay?” He
and I kissed briefly on the lips before he started to rub
my belly to feel his little angels kick.
“Twin girls? Damn Judge, I’mma say a few
prayers for you on that one. I got one girl and I keep a
shotgun under the bed.”
“I think I'll be able to manage, Way. I got one
girl already and I keep a pistol on my person and couple
more in the closet, and I got two big boys—my girls
don’t have to worry about protection. Hell, the wife
usually keeps a little pink and pearl pistol strapped to her
thigh.”
“…to her thigh? Oh, I’m scared of you!”
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“Don’t be! I can’t carry like that anymore,
anyway—I can’t see my thighs and they’re probably too
big for the holster now.”
“Now, Baby, you know I love those thighs.
That’s why I like to keep you barefoot and in that
kitchen in these tiny little dresses. You know, Way,
that’s exactly how I like my women—barefoot, half
dressed, pregnant, and in the kitchen.”
“I hear that!” I smacked Frank in the arm and
they shared another laugh. They continued to talk and
Waymon introduced us to his co-hosts, Carrie Lane and
Bobby Richards. They were coming back from a
commercial break and putting together a microphone and
an extra set of headphones for Frank. He sat me down in
a chair across the table from them where he could keep
an eye on me.
“Alright, Judge, what we we’re gonna do is have
you give some legal advice, but since the segment we
had after you fell apart, we’re just gonna change it up.
You mind us just giving the two hours to you and your
wife? Talk, take questions, all that shit?”
“That sounds good. What's the matter, Bunny?
Why you lookin’ so sad?”
“Cause Ettie and I wanna be near you, Honey.”
“Come on over here, I got a good seat for you
and the baby right on my lap until they can get things
arranged for you.” Frank slapped his thighs and I got up
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and waddled over to him. He sat me down on his lap,
kissed my neck, and tried to hold on to me.
“If y’all just give us a few more minutes, we’re
gonna finish having everything set up. Play on, Playa.”
Waymon tossed Frank a smile and I knew they were
doing that male bragging thing again, but I didn’t let it
bother me. Nothing seems to bother me when I’m in my
husband’s arms. A chair was finally brought over for me
and Frank helped Ettie and me get comfortable again
next to him. He helped me with the headphones and
pulled my chair close to his and rested his arm around
my shoulders.
“Alright, we're back from commercial. Hey, LA,
welcome back! Y’all, we got a treat in place this
morning! In the studio today we’ve got my friend, Judge
C. Franklin Lattimore and his gorgeous and very
pregnant wife, Mrs. Vivien-Leigh Lattimore and
we…well, we just gon kick it cause we ain’t got nothing
else planned. What’s up, Judge?”
“Ain’t nothing, Way. Good morning, LA.”
“How you doin’, Miss Vivien-Leigh?”
“I’m doing very well, thank you.”
“Damn, y’all hear that? That’s class. And that’s
kinda sexy, too. No disrespect, Judge, cause you my
partner and all, but your woman is fine.”
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“Thank you. That's six feet of fine and she's all
mine and God broke the mold after this here design.”
“Alright, Judge, I hear that! Wait...damn, six
feet? You’re six feet tall?”
“Six feet even and 6’4” in heels, but I'm wearing
flats today. I'm too big to wear those four inchers; they
think I'll lose my balance and hurt myself.”
“Baby, you know wearing heels like that messes
with your back and if you lost your balance, I wouldn’t
want you to hurt yourself or the babies. Normally, I love
to keep her in those heels, though. My wife has the most
gorgeous legs ever known to man. Those legs are the
eighth wonders of the world, Way.”
“I bet they are. So, Miss Vivien-Leigh, this is
my first time meeting you and I've known the judge for
quite awhile. What did you do before you met your
husband?”
“Before I met Frankie, I lived in New York and I
was a ballet dancer, modeled, did makeup, and even
danced on Broadway. I moved to California and did
some off Broadway shows, some movies, and a little bit
of modeling. I still do makeup. Right now, I'm his office
manager. I run the house and am getting it prepared for
our little newcomers.”
“For those of you that didn't know, the judge and
his wife are expecting their first and second child.
They're having twins.”
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“Twin girls—two more princesses to add to the
kingdom. ”
“You gon’ be in for it, man. One girl is hard
enough, but two? I don’t even wanna imagine that.”
“Well, I already have two boys—Charles
Franklin III, who’s eighteen, and Julian, who’s
thirteen—and I have a little princess, Miss Renada,
who’s ten. That’s my Nadi Doll, Daddy’s Christmas
baby. But, listen, when I tell you that this woman of
mine has done a phenomenal job stepping in and
stepping up to taking care of three kids that aren’t hers.
She does a damn fine job being step-mama, and I knew
she’d have no problems with a few of her own.”
“Thank you, Honey, but they’re mine whether I
gave birth to them or not. I love those kids so much and
there’s nothing that I wouldn’t do for them. I know
people will wonder why, if I feel so strongly about your
babies that I need to have some of my own, but it’s
because I’ve always wanted babies of my own. I just felt
that with the man I love, I would give him children and
we would be able to see little pieces of ourselves in the
world.”
“That’s my baby—I love you, Vivie.”
“I love you, Frankie.” He and I kissed and
everyone in the studio awed unison.
“L.A.—y’all need to sit and study the judge! So,
how pregnant are you, Miss Vivien-Leigh?”
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“Six months and a day. I’m almost at the end of
my second trimester.”
Waymon and Frank kept talking about the
babies and comparing fatherhood stories before talking
about Frank's show and going into the questions from
callers.
“We got Sandra on the line, y’all. Sandra, you
got a question for Judge and Mrs. Lattimore?”
“Yes. Good morning, Judge Lattimore.”
“Well, good morning, Sandra.” I let that roll off
my back. It’s his normal flirty tone and I don’t mind it.
Women always flirt with him and he’s allowed to flirt
back—to a degree. It goes both ways; I am just as guilty
as he is.
“Judge Lattimore, I just wanted to let you know
that I love your show and I watch every day. You’re the
sexiest judge on TV.”
“Thank you, Sweetheart.” Waymon was in
shock at the banter that had occurred. I just sat there and
adjusted my breasts in my top to keep them from spilling
over.
“Stop playin’ with those big things, Mama, you
gon break my concentration, now.” I gave Frank a sideglance before finally adjusting my cleavage.
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“Hold up—how you gon call here and flirt with
the man and his wife is sitting right next to him?! Some
women have no boundaries! Miss Vivien-Leigh, you
okay with that?”
“Waymon, Sweetheart, disrespectful women
approach him every day in the same way—whether I’m
standing there or not. Women have interrupted our
meals, tried to cut in as we dance, over at the doctor’s
office, shopping with the kids, and even at school
functions for our kids. Do I mind? Not really. I know the
man I married and I know his profession. He keeps up
appearances and he’s charming and intelligent and all
that and women are drawn to him. Frank can’t help that,
but he always puts them in their place and it goes no
further than that. I’m not jealous and I’m not worried.”
“Now, Way, don’t think I just disrespect my
wife. I do the polite and charming thing for the female
fans, but they always know that right next to me is my
Baby Bunny and she’s where my heart and soul is. I do
have to let them know that I appreciate the love for my
show and what I’m trying to do, but at dinner with my
woman or with my kids, “give me fifty feet,” as my
oldest one says.”
“Alright, Judge, I hear that!”
“And don’t think that I’m the only flirt, ‘cause
the little woman here can lay it on thick—even have a
room full of men under her spell.”
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“I can definitely see that…” Waymon’s co-host
piped in, but was quickly shut down.
“Bobby, now, you gon’ mess around and say
something wrong. I know you. You bet not get outta line
with the Judge’s wife. He may be a judge, but he could
kick your ass, too. I’ve seen him.”
“Hell, Way, you’d better let them know! Don’t
let that black robe fool you! I’m from Memphis,
Tennessee—I know how to handle mine. Now, since
we’ve been here she’s subtly flirted with every man
she’s come in contact with. She’s batted those big false
lashes and flirted up a storm. Does that bother me?
Nope. I only get upset when a so-called man mistakes
harmless flirting and oversteps his bounds by putting my
woman in an uncomfortable situation.”
“Frankie, don’t be upset about that. Not every
man in a robe is as honorable as you are.”
“Y’all, our next caller wanted to ask about that
very thing. We got John from Malibu on line one.
What’s up, John?”
“Hey, Way. Good morning, Judge and Mrs.
Lattimore.”
“Morning, John.”
“Good morning, John!”
“See that inflection in her voice? Flirting.”
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“Frankie, hush. Go ahead, John.”
“I just wanted to know if any of the other TV
judges were as cool as you were.”
“Hell no.”
“Well damn, Judge! Who got on your bad side?”
“I’m not callin’ no names.”
“Frank had been officially rubbed the wrong
way by another man in a robe at a sort of ‘meet and greet
of TV judges.’ Well, of the three black male judges on
television…let’s just say that Frank and one of the other
two don’t quite see eye to eye.”
Larry King Live had a show about the fascination of
televised arbitration and the hosts. Since the shows are
taped all over the country, a few were remote and the
rest were in the studio—the three black male judges
were in studio.
“Oh…well, let’s do it like this. Of the three
black male judges on TV—two are from the south and
one is from the north. Now, we know Judge Lattimore is
one of the two from the south, so of the two left which
one is the judge having problems with?”
“I’ll tell you it for damn sure ain’t the one from
the south. I’ve known that man for nearly thirty years
and we’ve gone head to head and have been side by
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side—he’s like a brother to me. I don’t even like to make
mention of the other one.”
“Oooohhhhhh…” The crew was just interested
in hearing the drama and I didn’t mind dishing. My
husband’s a good man and I like to out those who are
less than reputable. Anyway, to sum it all up, the judges
and their companions were all waiting in the green room
for the show to start. I stepped out to use the facilities
and was greeted with an unwarranted advance by the
judge from the north. He actually came in the bathroom,
cornered me, and propositioned me for sex.
I begged him to leave me alone and he wouldn’t.
I had to knee him in the groin, just to get out of the
bathroom. I couldn’t stand being in his presence any
longer. I found my way back to the green room and tried
to collect myself along the way. I didn’t want to appear
angry or upset because I didn’t want Frank to react the
way that I knew he would. I did a horrible job of hiding
my feelings. I told Frank everything and he immediately
wanted to do harm to the other judge.
His best friend and I had to calm him down and
he did his best to control himself during the show, but as
soon as it was over, he quickly took the other judge aside
and promised to do far more harm to him than I’d done
if he ever even looked at me with lust in his eyes. I think
Frank put the fear of God in him stronger than any other
fear he’d faced during his days on the streets before
becoming a judge.
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“We got another call—y’all, Karen from South
Central’s on line four. What’s up Karen?”
“Good morning, Waymon. Good morning,
Judge and Mrs. Lattimore.”
“How you doin, Karen?”
“Good morning, Karen. What’s your question?”
“I just wanted to know what y’all thought the
secret to a good relationship or a happy marriage is.”
“Frankie, you wanna go first?”
“Yeah, Bunny, I’ll take this. Karen, I think the
most important thing is trust—if you’ve got somebody
you can’t trust, you’re just wasting your time. I’m gon’
tell you that right out. If you can’t trust your woman or
your man to go out and act right and come home every
night and be faithful, cut your losses right now. You
know what else? You’ve gotta listen. Shut your mouth
and open your ears—even if your significant other has
nothing worth listening to, hell, especially if they’ve got
nothing worth listening to. Just take some time to listen.
You’ve gotta communicate, too. Men, we have a
problem with that. We like to keep our problems to
ourselves because we’re supposed to be strong, but if
you can’t tell your woman what’s wrong, you gon’ end
up in a world of hurt.”
“We just had a little blow out over the
communication thing. He’s so used to hearing my
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problems and making sure that I’m okay that he just lets
his issues fester until he explodes. You know what’s
important that you missed, Daddy?”
“What’s that, Darlin’?”
“Love. If you don’t love the person you’re with,
why are you together? Sometimes you choose to be with
a person to avoid being lonely, but in the long run,
someone’s going to get hurt. You may not love the
person, but they may end up in love with you. It’s so
selfish and sad. Make sure you love your partner, please.
That’s truly important.”
“That’s right. I know I love my Baby Bunny.”
“And only God could understand how much I
love you.” We kissed again quickly before Frank pulled
away like he’d forgotten something.
“Oh, you know what else is important? Men,
you gotta take care of business. Take care of your house,
your business, your family, and most importantly, your
woman. Do all you can to make your woman happy.
Older men may understand this more than the young
ones, but you gotta…uh, you gotta eat the cookie.”
“What you say about that cookie, Judge?!”
“Way, you gotta take your woman, open the
cookie jar, and eat the cookie. Now, she may put up a
fuss, but you hold that jar open and eat that cookie ‘til
she quiets down. You gotta eat every bit of it; pick up
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every crumb until she’s just speechless. You do that—
and you do that right—you ain’t gotta worry about your
woman goin’ anywhere else. She’s gon’ have every meal
on that table, she’s gon’ meet you at the door with your
slippers and a cold beer when you get in from work—
hell, she’ll even take your shoes off and rub your feet.
She’s gon’ start beggin’ Daddy to come to bed early.”
“L.A., I hope y’all are takin notes! The judge is
on fire right now! If you don’t know nothing ‘bout eatin’
that cookie, you just got schooled!”
“Wait a minute—I don’t ever recall a time
where Daddy was begged to come to bed early.”
“Oh, really? Well, what about that time when…”
Frank leaned in and whispered in my ear, reminding me
of a time when he loved me so good the night before that
the following night when he’d gotten home from work
and I begged him to skip dinner and come upstairs with
me. When he protested against my advances, I dropped
to my knees and devoured his penis right there in our
foyer. He skipped dinner that night.
“Ok…I do recall that instance.”
“You hear that, Way? You eat that cookie and
she’ll be good to you.”
“I need y’all to know that Judge Lattimore is the
man right now! Hey y’all, we’re gonna hit a commercial
break. We’ll still be with the judge and his Mrs. after the
break.” When the commercial breaks came in Waymon
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had his chef bring me in breakfast. The thing that I loved
best about it was being with my husband. My hand on
his thigh or him taking my feet in his lap and rubbing
them made me feel a lot better about being a big
pregnant tag-along.
“We're back from commercial break, y'all, and
let me tell you something, Miss Vivien-Leigh is up in
here throwing down. We're still kicking it with Judge C.
Franklin Lattimore and his wife, Miss Vivien-Leigh.”
“I can’t help it, Waymon; my children and I are
hungry.”
“Daddy likes to keep those babies of his fed.”
Frank rubbed my belly.
“She put a hurting on her steak and eggs the
minute the plate hit the table in front of her.”
“I told you I was hungry! I'm allowed to be a
little gluttonous; I'm swollen with life.”
“In case y'all missed the introductions earlier,
Miss Vivien-Leigh and the judge are expecting twins
this year.”
“Waymon, Viv or VL is fine.”
“Alright, Viv; you used to be a model, right?”
“That's right, I started as an Ebony Fashion Fair
model, just like Diahann Carroll.”
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“And you used to do Broadway?”
“Yep! I did reprises of 'Hallelujah, Baby,' 'Jelly's
Last Jam,' 'Cats,' 'Chicago,' and the most special to me
was the reprise of 'No Strings'—which originally starred
Diahann Carroll and was written especially for her—and
a whole lot more.”
“So you’re just one of those cultured types,
huh?”
“Those are your words—not mine. It's just that I
love the art form and it's a beautiful thing to be a part of.
I'm especially proud of doing 'No Strings' because I'm a
great admirer of Diahann Carroll. Off Broadway, I got to
do 'Sophisticated Ladies' where I took on Phyllis
Hyman's role and I heard that there's going to be a
reprise of 'Blues in the Night' and I would love to play
Freda Payne's part—The Woman. I loved that show. I'm
dying to wrap my vocals around the brassy tune, 'Rough
and Ready Man'...just like I like to wrap my legs around
my husband.”
Everyone in the booth started cat calling and I
put my left leg up as far as I could before placing it over
Frank's and intertwining them. Frank whispered to me
that I'd better slow down before I started something I
wasn't ready for.
“So, you're a pretty good singer, huh?”
“I'd like to think so.”
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“Way, she's got a voice that makes you stop
everything and give her your undivided attention. I think
the best thing you'd ever sang, Baby, was my name.”
“That's my favorite thing to sing, Honey.”
“Judge, you killing me over here, man! I'd really
like to thank y'all for spending this time with us and I'm
gonna give the listeners a chance to call in and ask y'all
some more questions, but Viv, would you mind singing
something for us? Just a snippet.”
“When Frankie and I get into arguments, we
have this thing—when I'm wrong, I have to sing Anita
Baker's 'I Apologize,' so I'm gonna do a little bit of that.”
The look on Waymon's face read anticipation as he told
me that this was one of his favorites. The pressure was
on to do Anita Baker justice. Frank told him that he'd
start arguments with me just so I could sing. He gave me
a good luck kiss before I started and held my hand. I'm
by no means shy about belting out a tune, but having
him support me like that was really great.
I closed my eyes and started to sing. Being bred
in a performance arts high school and being on
Broadway, you have to sing loudly. As I sang, I could
hear Waymon and his crew complimenting me and
pushing me to take it further. I sang that song to the
point where tears fell from my face. I'd let go of Frank's
hand, pulled off my false eyelashes, and had to push the
microphone back to belt out the perfect tune.
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They started hooping and hollering in the booth
like they were having church. I did what came
naturally— I just sang. I guess all of the emotions from
last night had forced themselves out when I sang
because it was the best rendition I'd ever done. I went on
to sing two more songs before they had opened up the
phone lines for the listeners to call and ask more
questions about Frank and me. I sang Vesta Williams'
“Congratulations,” and the last song I sang was Angela
Winbush's “Smile.” I felt so good about all the praise I'd
received and started to get thoughts of going back to
work.
“If y'all could just be in this studio to witness
this woman sing—I swear, it'd bring tears to your eyes.
Judge, when she pulled off the eyelashes, I was gone!
And Viv pushed the microphone back and walked across
the room and sang the hell out of that damn song like she
was sitting right in front of it.”
“Thank you.”
“Bunny, I've heard you sing a million and one
times, but I've never seen what you've done here this
morning.”
“Yes you have, remember? I did that play at the
Stella Adler Theatre that Andre wrote about the old
blues singer still trying to hold on to those last bits of
fame. He had me rolling on the floor and straddling the
microphone stand and giving you lap dances in the
middle of the show.”
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“Trust me, Darlin,’ I can’t forget that show, but
you just topped that here today. I'm proud of you, Vivie,
and I don't know if I say that enough.” He kissed me on
the forehead and ran his fingers through my hair.
We got closer to each other and Ettie crawled
over to her daddy's lap and curled up as he stroked her
gently. He was really trying to make up with me for the
day before and it was indeed working.
“L.A., if only y'all could be up in here to check
out the judge's mack!”
“Way, I don't have to mack; you know as well as
I do—the best game is no game at all.”
“I hear that. OK, we have a call on line 5. Jackie,
you got something to ask Mr. & Mrs. Judge Frank
Lattimore?”
“Good morning, Judge Lattimore.”
“Good morning, Jackie.” I smacked Frank in the
chest faster than he finished greeting that caller. I wasn't
jealous, but his voice was just too sexy for the morning.
I’d had a hormone flip—that’s my story and I’m sticking
to it.
“Damn, the wife’s reflexes kicked in! Before he
even finished saying her name, the wife's hand went up
and she got him dead in the chest.”
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“You're just being a little too sexy so early in the
morning, Frankie.”
“I'm being polite.” She went on to ask him
something or another and it didn't really matter to me.
“Alright, on line one we have Bobby from Long
Beach. You got a question for the judge and his wife?”
“Good morning, Mrs. Lattimore. I'm sorry; I
couldn't remember your name.”
“That's alright, Honey, I'll take that over 'that
Amazonian heifer who stole my man' any day. What's
your question, Baby?”
“Is the judge anything at home like he is on TV?
Does he do anything that really gets on your nerves?”
“What you see on TV from my husband is what
you get. He is a very straightforward and no-nonsense
kind of man and he handles his business in all aspects. I
love him dearly, but he is the same. You know what I
can’t stand that he does? It makes me angry when he
does nothing.”
“I don't ever do just nothing, Vivie.”
“Honey, I say this a million times—just because
you go to work and sit and listen to folks talk and talk all
day doesn't mean you have to do the same thing at
home! I run the house and he just sits around on his butt
talking; when I clean the house and I get to the room he's
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in and he's in there reading a book or reading the paper.
He doesn't lift a finger to help.”
“That's not an everyday thing, Bunny.”
“Yes it is and it drives me crazy! I can’t stand it!
You can do a lot of things that I can get past—you can
take your clothes off and throw them on the floor and I
don't mind...except for now because I'm too big to bend
over and pick them up; you can even leave the toilet seat
up and I can get past that, but not helping me clean when
you're at home doing nothing really takes the cake.”
“That's your interpretation of it; I do a lot around
the house. I clean up behind the baby.”
“That's only because I can’t bend down.”
“Sometimes I make breakfast and dinner—”
“Honey, I just want you to pick up your feet and
straighten up behind yourself when I'm cleaning a room
you happen to be in. Don't make any more messes for
me to clean; just helping would be great.”
“Well, Judge, here's your chance to say what
bothers you about Viv.”
“First of all, let me say that I don’t make my
pregnant wife clean the whole house—let’s cut that right
now. Vivie may straighten up, but the housekeeper does
all the major work. Hell, she had a housekeeper when
she lived alone. Now, with that said, Vivien-Leigh has
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the worst sense of direction ever. She gets lost coming
from everywhere and she calls me every time just to ask
how to get back home or back to point A. I have to drop
her off at the hair salon just so I don't have to hear her on
the phone going 'Frankie, do I take a left at Vine?
Honey, is it on Avalon? How do I get back from this?'”
“I do not have a bad sense of direction! I just
like to make you feel needed.”
“Yeah, and that's exactly why you slept the
majority of the way to Memphis? Because you were just
so in tune with the map.”
“You know how to get there; you didn't need me
side seat driving.”
“That's another thing. For someone who always
gets lost, why are you always shouting out directions?”
“I try to help, Frankie.”
“That's not helpful, that's why I ask you to be
quiet.”
“Okay, hold up before this all gets out of hand
and the judge ends up sleeping on the couch.”
“Not in my house—”
“Look, what is it that you love about each
other?”
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“I love his honesty. Some people may think that
the things he just said were offensive to me, but they
weren't. He tells me what most people won’t and I love
that. He never lies to me and he treats me like a queen.
He is all that I want and all that I need in a man.”
“That's one of the most important things that we
have—that trust thing. She's not afraid to say what she
feels, but she has tact and does it in a very ladylike
manner. My wife's a lady and that's rare in women these
days. She takes care of me and she doesn't complain and
she gives me that extra boost of confidence that a man
needs every now and again.”
Frank and I kissed like we do at home and didn't
care who watched. Every time I hear him express his
love for me, it's always something new and touching.
The rest of the time that we spent in the studio
was filled with answering questions about Claire and
Ruby and how we make time for each other and few
other couple-related questions.
Waymon brought up the fact that I was a dancer and he
thought I was too refined to be a stepper. Little did he
know! He got some Chicago stepping music going and
he stepped with me and I showed him up, despite being a
gigantic pregnant lady.
Frankie cut in and we showed them how we do things
when we dance. He asked the engineer to play “Try Me”
by James Brown and we did our signature step from our
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wedding, but we had to alter it because I was so big. We
couldn’t do the full speed spins, but Frank did his best to
hold me as close as he could. Our little routine was
caught on video and afterwards we took pictures with
the morning show crew before parting ways.
We left the studio and went to the parking
garage and Frank propped himself up against the trunk
of my Cadillac as I set Etienne's pet carrier down on it.
The parking garage was full of people coming and going
in and out of the studio, but he paused to have an
intimate moment with me. I rubbed his stomach and he
started to laugh to himself.
“So, uh...when are you gonna have this baby,
Daddy? When are you gonna drop this load?”
“As soon as you drop yours; I'm gonna start
getting it back together so I can help take care of my
wife and my newborns.”
“Aww, just for us, Honey?”
“Just for you, Bunny.”
“That's good, ‘cause it seemed like the minute I
started putting it on, you started putting it on, too. I
know a lot of men go through sympathy pregnancies
with their wives, but you're taking it to the extreme.”
“Pound for pound, I'm right there with you,
Vivie.”
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“Don't do that, Frankie. ‘Cause we can’t both be
too big to mount when the mood hits. Sex is going to be
very important in the process of inducing labor and if
we're both too big to do it, it's going to be a long and
miserable road to delivery.”
“Hell, that's all you had to say, Baby. I'll be in
the gym tomorrow.”
“Good, because I'm gonna need you to stay in
shape to keep tossing me around the way you do.
Carrying me from room to room, scooping me up, and
having your way with me.”
“I'm always gonna be able to do that, Baby.”
“I know, ’cause you're my big strong man.”
Frank pulled me into his arms and held me close as we
kissed. We broke our kiss session and he helped me into
the car so we could prepare to leave.
“Daddy, before we go see that matinee, can we
stop for a Fatburger?”
“Fatburger? What happened to my prim and
proper Manhattan socialite? Bunny, don't you want to
have a nice sit down lunch?”
“Of course I do, but your babies and I are
hungry now. You introduced me and my babies to
Fatburger and we are craving one with lots of pickles.”
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“Alright, we'll get you a burger and a shake
before the movie.”
“You know we haven't gotten much of anything
set up for the babies yet. We haven't decided on cribs,
what color we want the walls, or how we want things set
up. The only things we have are that great big changing
table and the rocking chair and some undershirts.”
“How ‘bout this, Baby—we get a nursery
decorator in there and let them do all the work? The last
thing I want is to have you stressed out over decorating
the nursery.”
“But I want to help with making sure my babies
have a warm and welcoming environment.”
“I know you do and I think it's fine for you to
help, but let someone else do the stressing. They can
show you what they have and you make the final
decisions. You can help put it all together if you want.”
“We can help put it together.”
“Right.”
“Daddy, you know what we need? We have to
get this teddy bear that records the sounds in my tummy
so we can put it next to them when they sleep so they
can be lulled by the sounds of their familiar place.”
“How does that work?”
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“We just sit it on my belly and let it record for
however long it takes. We have to get two.”
“Alright. If you want it, we'll get it.”
“We have to get a monitor and I need a breast
pump. Dr. Reese said that if I want to breastfeed, I have
to keep my milk up, so I need a pump and to work with
it for a little while each day. Hopefully, if I do that, my
milk will drop after they're born and they can work on
latching on and not be disappointed when nothing comes
out.”
“Miss Vivien-Leigh, we'll get those for you
today. How about you start with the breast pump
tomorrow and tonight, and you let me fill in for the
babies?”
“You want to suck at my breasts, Frankie? You
want Mama to feed you?”
“Oh most certainly. It's one of the things I love
most about foreplay. I get to lie on top of you and get my
mouth nice and tight around those nipples and then I
play with them when they're hard. I could do that all
night.”
“You're so flattering. How about you do that all
night tonight? I know this is probably gonna be the last
time my breasts sit up all high and perky. They're
already starting to head south.”
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“Bunny, you are going to be beautiful whether
you have sagging breasts or not. You are my wife and
even though I've had a couple before you, none of them
can compare to you or your beauty. Most importantly,
you’re gonna look damn good naked either way.”
“Even with the stretch marks?”
“Especially with the stretch marks.”
“Ooh, they're kicking again! Feel, Frankie.” I let
him feel his children kicking around in my belly and if
only you could have seen the way his face lit up. Frank
was the proudest father in the world. He already had two
big, smart, and handsome boys and a gorgeous and
insanely smart daughter, and soon, he was going to have
two more beautiful and intelligent little girls.
My nesting instincts were in full effect after that day. I
spent a lot of time getting things ready for the babies.
We had hired a person for the nursery décor and I'd been
shopping for clothes and bottles and everything else my
angels would need. I knew that I would have a baby
shower, but I had this undying need to make sure my
girls would be heavily influenced by my sense of style.
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~~~~
At the end of my thirty-third week of pregnancy, my
friend Jay and my sister Veronique threw me a baby
shower. Veronique isn’t my biological sister, but when I
made the move to Broadway, she was the first person I
met. She took me under her wing and we’ve been like
peas in a pod ever since. They rented out this ballroom
and it was completely pink! There were millions of pink
balloons and banners welcoming Princesses Grace and
Ruby into our lives; there were several tables of hors
d'oeuvres, a chocolate fountain, and the prettiest 7-layer
cake I'd ever seen. The gift table was overflowing and I
was so overwhelmed with the fact that people were
doing this all for us.
I wore a pretty new strapless pink dress with a
gold bow and gold stilettos that caused me to cling to
Frank every time I had to stand or walk—I was so afraid
of falling over. I had my hair pressed out and my
makeup done by another professional makeup artist
because I was fat and my arms were not in the mood to
reach for anything other than food. Frank wore a suit and
the kids dressed up in the things I'd gotten them for
Christmas. Ronnie and Jay had gone out of their way to
make us feel like royalty. Frank beamed the entire time
we were there; his arms stayed wrapped around my belly
and me. He had his hand on it every chance he could get.
“You having a good time, Princess Nadi?”
“Uh huh.”
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“You sure? I don’t want you to feel left out. You
know that Daddy and I will continue to love you and
make a fuss over you after the babies are born. Nothing
will change.”
“I know, Mama.”
“That’s my big girl! You want Auntie Ronnie or
Miss Jay to get you anything else? You want some more
fruit from the chocolate fountain?”
“Maybe.” I kissed her head and ran my fingers
through her straight hair. It’s weird when she has her
hair straight—she doesn’t look like our baby. We only
let her do it because I had my hair straightened. I love
her with her pretty natural curls.
“Mama, which baby is this?” She rubbed the right side
of my belly, trying to get around her father’s giant
hand—which covered the entire middle.
“I think right is Ruby and left is Claire. I’m
starting to get them mixed up, myself.”
“Hi, Baby Sister. I hope you and your twin are
being good for Mama in there. You can’t make her hurt
anymore, okay?”
“Aww, Angel Face, you keep talking some sense
into your baby sisters! You girls hear that? Big Sister
Nadi is giving you a good lesson. Frank, move your
hand and let Nadi bond with her sisters.”
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“I’m sorry, Darlin’. Princess, help me rub
Mama’s belly.” That entire day was an emotional one for
me, but having my husband and my daughter rub my
belly and bond with those babies was almost
overwhelming. I was glad when Jay came over to
distract me from my emotions for a few seconds.
“How you doin’, Big Girl?”
“You see all this love I’m getting from my
babies? How do you think I’m feeling?”
“Like the luckiest woman alive.”
“I am! Oh, Jay, could you get Miss America
some more fruit from the chocolate fountain?”
“Sure thing, Honey.”
“Oh, and no peaches. She’s allergic.”
“I will do that, but first—here, Viv, open this
one.”
“Thank you, Jay. Who's this from? Oh, it's from
your production crew, Daddy.”
“Really? Go ahead and open that up, I need to
see this.” I opened the box and pulled out a big black tshirt that had his logo print on the front that said ‘Judge
Lattimore Laid Down The Law.' We all had a good
laugh and Frank was adamant about letting everyone
know how it went down.
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“Damn right! I laid it down good, too! Didn’t I,
Baby?”
“It was a memorable time, Honey.” I tried to humor him.
“From what I hear, it was only five minutes worth of
remembering.” Ronnie chimed in and everyone started
to laugh. Frank was in a rather festive mood, so he didn’t
even feel the need to feed into their typical playful
banter.
“It might have been only five minutes, but I assure you, I
did some damage in those five minutes! I knocked her
smooth out, too.”
“Frankie, don't downplay your abilities like that.
I say it was eight and a half minutes and to be fair, I was
half asleep anyway. Okay, next gift.”
“You have to open this one; it's from me.”
“Aww, Jay; you threw me this party! You didn't
have to get me anything.”
“Of course I do. You're my best friend—my
sister—and you're having my nieces! Auntie Jay is going
to make sure they have the best.” I opened Jay's gift and
pulled out the cutest velour baby bag ever!
“A Juicy Couture baby bag! Thank you, Jay!”
“You're welcome! It’s fresh from the new baby
accessory line and look what it's got in it—a changing
pad, a burping pad, and a matching bib. I had to get
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another one because I don't want one to feel left out. I
got them a lot of cute baby Dior shirts and undershirts,
skirts, and socks. Those little princesses are going to be
in style!”
“These are just what I wanted. Thank you so
much, Sweetheart.”
“No problem.”
“Look what you're going to have to carry around
when you're with the kids, Honey.”
“I'm not carrying around a red terry cloth bag
that has some logo blasted on the front. Especially not
one that says 'Juicy' on it.”
“Well, it's velour and this is their official bag, so
get used to it. You’ll be spending alone time with your
girls and this goes where they go. You'll learn to love it.”
“Yeah, whatever.”
“I know.”
“Viv, come take a short walk with me over to
this table and tell me how much you love these
centerpieces.”
“Alright, but I'm gonna have to hold on to you,
Jay.”
“Bunny, you need me to walk you over there?”
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“No, Frankie, it's alright. I need to try and make
it without you for a little while. You can help me up,
though.” He got up and pulled me out of my chair and
helped me down from the platform where we sat, over to
Jay at the bottom. I know she was pulling me aside so
she and Ronnie could tell me what Frank had gotten me
as a shower gift. He was keeping it a secret and they
were my spies, seeing as how she managed my favorite
boutique and knew just about all the insiders at the other
major retail establishments. I took Jay by the arm and
held her tight as she walked me far enough away from
Frank's earshot. Ronnie met us over near one of the gift
tables.
“Alright Jay, what did he get me?”
“See, that's what I was going to tell you. I don't
know.”
“What do you mean, you don't know?”
“I don't! I knew he came in the shop, but I was
in the back. I told the girls that if they saw him to stick
to him and make sure to show him all the good things.
The one girl that helped him when he came in said that
all he said was that he was 'just looking for something
for the wife' and left shortly after.”
“Darn! What about all the other shops in
Beverly Hills? He didn't get anything from anyone
around there?”
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“I talked to all of my insiders and they said that
they saw him looking, but he didn't get anything.”
“What do you know, Ronnie?”
“Your guess is as good as mine. I offered to go
to the Beverly Center with him, just to see what he had
in mind. We went to one store and left. Just left! Who
does that? Did you know your husband was such a
terrible shopper?”
“Yes, I did. He’s an old man and he doesn’t like
to be bothered with shopping unless it’s for himself and
he knows exactly what he wants. Frank only shops with
me because it keeps me happy. I must admit—he is a
crafty one, that Judge Lattimore.”
“That's your man.”
“I know, Ronnie, and I think that for once, he's
outsmarted me.”
“As much as it kills me to say it, I think you're
right about that.” I could not believe that he had finally
been able to buy something for me in this city and
successfully hide it from me. I was starting to get antsy
about the entire situation because if he'd gone out of his
way to keep it this much of a secret, then it had to be big
and good.
“Hey Bunny, you’ve been on your feet long
enough. Don't you wanna come on back and sit down?”
Jay, Ronnie, and I turned around and he was shouting at
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me from across the room. I knew he wanted to give me
his present and I was ready to receive it.
“Let’s get you back to your crazy man before he
comes down here picking you up and lugging you back
up to that throne he's got you on.”
“That sounds really good ‘cause these shoes are
a killer.”
“But you look cute, though, with your big old
pregnant self. You so damn pregnant, you're country
pregnant. You look like you should be barefoot and
waddling around in the kitchen.”
“What do you think I've been doing since I got
pregnant, Jay? Ask Ronnie—my husband just loves the
sight of me barefoot and big in his bed and in his
kitchen.”
“Oh yeah, he goes into overdrive when he comes
home and she’s in the kitchen burning dinner. He starts
rubbing up on her and against her and then he ends up
talking her right out of her shoes and over on his lap.”
“You're serious?”
“Yes! I bet you—as a matter of fact, how much
money do you have on you right now?”
“I got a $50 in my pocket, why?”
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“I bet you that $50 that the minute I get back up
there, he's gonna ask me if I want my shoes off and take
them off anyway.”
“You're on. Ronnie, you in?”
“No thank you. I already know how this is going
to play out.” Jay and Ronnie helped me waddle back
over to the platform set up and they pushed me up as
Frank got up and pulled me to the top. He sat me down
and kissed me as he rubbed my belly.
“Everything alright?”
“Uh huh, everything is fine. I think I want to
take all the centerpieces home.”
“Well, that's just fine. You want me to take your
shoes off, Bunny? Let your feet breathe for a little bit?”
Frank went and took my leg in his hands; he rubbed it
and slid my shoe off. Jay reached in her pocket and
handed me the $50 that we we'd agreed upon.
“Dammit!” Ronnie and I laughed as I held the
bill in my fingers, thinking of where to put it.
“Put that in your pocket for me, Daddy.”
“What's that about?”
“Nothing important—just a little bet we had
going on. Never mind, I'm just gonna put it in my bra
and hope it doesn't get lost in there.”
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“You know without doubt, hesitation, or
question, I’ll fish it out for you, Baby.”
“I know you will.”
“Alright, a couple more gifts and then we can
get down to eating and you guys can cut the cake.”
“Daddy's got something for you, Big Girl.”
“Frank, I’m not in the mood right now, okay?
I’d have to take my shoes off and I’m way too big for
you to hold up right now. I’m also not interested in
having my back pressed up against anything.”
“No, woman. I got you a gift.”
“I’m sorry, Honey! What is it?”
“...Wait, homegirl's got something else for you
to open first.”
“I don't care about that! What did you get me?”
“Just wait and see, Baby. Be patient and open
this one first.” I snatched my leg out of his grasp and he
laughed to himself as I straightened up in my seat and let
Jay sit the box on my lap. I ripped off the paper and
pulled out a shirt…more pregnancy shirts. I really
wondered if a lot of people didn't realize that in a few
weeks, I'd no longer be pregnant.
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“Isn't that cute? 'Judge Lattimore’s Babies’
Mama'! There's one for you, too, Daddy. 'Vivien-Leigh's
Babies Daddy.'”
“That's real nice, Baby. Look, I got something
for you.”
“Yay! What did Daddy get me? Feel that—the
babies are excited, too.”
“I can see your hand moving from where they're
kicking. You're giving me some strong legged little girls
and if they're anything like you, they're gonna be eight
feet tall. They'd better be athletes, too; it’ll save us a
little college money.”
“Frankie, stop it. They'll decide what they do; all
we have to do is unfold the world and show them the
options that they have. Now, where's my present?”
“Alright, Big Girl. Buying gifts for you is
usually really hard because you've got your spies there to
find out what I'm getting and report it back to you. I'm
proud to say that this is one that neither one of them
could crack the case on.”
Tres and Julez came out with a large box and I
started to get nervous. They set the gift in front of me,
but angled it so all the guests could see. Frank and Nadi
pulled me up from my seat and he put an arm around me
as I held Nadi’s hand and marveled at the gift. I was so
anxious to see it!
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“Well, they’re my best friends; they have to
make sure I'm taken care of.”
“That's my job, too, Bunny. I got you something
that I know you'd love and never think about in a million
years. Go ahead and open it.” I ripped the paper off and
it was a giant portrait of us from a few months ago.
We were sitting up in bed—him against the headboard in
his pajamas, me between his legs in a lilac colored short
silk nightie. He was reading to the babies and me, so he
was wearing his glasses, looking distinguished and fine
as ever. He had the book in one hand and was holding
his other hand on my belly. We had taken a kiss break
when Tres came in and took that picture. It completely
picked up on the intimacy of the moment and the shine
from the diamonds on my ears, neck, and ring were
magnified in the blow up that sat in front of me.
“Frankie, Honey, this is beautiful.”
“I just knew you'd like it. I had it blown up and
framed and I was thinking we could put it in the girls'
room. There they can be reminded of when Mommy
carried them and one of Daddy's many attempts to
educate them pre-birth.”
“That's a wonderful place to put this. I can’t
believe you did this! I love it and I love you—I can’t
wait to carry more babies for you.”
“I hope you remember this after labor.” I kissed
him and he took over me, taking control of it and my
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body. He rubbed my back and made me weak in the
knees.
“I love you.”
“I love you, and thank you for bearing my
babies. You're a strong woman to be putting up with me
and carrying twins for me.”
“I'm strong and patient. Thank you for giving
me the babies to carry. It's always been my dream to be a
mother, but I had to wait for the right person to come
around and make me one. I couldn't have been sent a
better man than you.”
“I know that's right. Alright, my Glamazon, let's
get back to this party. I think we've spent enough time all
huddled together up here.” He separated us and held my
hand as he and Nadi helped me back over to my seat.
Frank kissed me once again as he sat next to me and
beamed like the proud papa that he was soon to be again.
I took pictures with my guys and my precious Nadi Doll;
there were so many that ranged between them all putting
their hands on my belly or them all kissing my fat face. I
was happy to have Nadi with us for the baby shower,
despite her mother’s attempts to try and keep her away
from us even though Frank and I had joint custody. Lisa
and I really weren’t on the best of terms, but I always
tried to put my best foot forward with her and be
friendly—for Nadi.
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Lisa didn’t care for the fact that Frank and I were going
to be together and there was no possible way for her to
be with him like they were when Nadi was conceived.
She noticed that the feelings that he had for me were
nothing like the feelings that he had when he was with
her. Frank told me that he only spent time with Lisa
when he wasn’t in the mood to eat alone and needed
sexual release. She wasn’t extremely interesting and her
bland outlook on life left very little else to be desired. He
also said that she wasn’t very good in bed, but when he
really needed to have some he didn’t have to do much to
get it from her.
Lisa had no idea he felt that way about her, so she
thought she’d have no problems slipping back into a
relationship—until she met all six feet of me. I was
always nice to her, but we began having issues when
Frank would call to speak with Nadi and she would get
on the phone and try to sweet talk him. She’d even try to
send messages through Nadi. Her story of only
contacting him just to get help with Nadi was a lie and a
half.
Once, Frank told me that she’d told him about all the
sexually explicit things she would do for him if he’d
come home to Memphis to be with her and make a real
family for Nadi. She’d made the mistake of calling him
again when he’d left me in charge of his cell phone as
we waited in line for movie tickets. I told her that he and
I were both flattered by her proposition, but we were in a
very solid relationship and she needed to respect that and
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adhere to those boundaries, ultimately showing respect
for herself and Nadi, if not for me. I passed the phone to
Frank after speaking with her and by then, a war had
been started.
She loved to threaten Frankie about keeping Nadi away
since he’d missed six and a half years. I believe the
world knows how much my man loves and cares about
his babies. If you really want to piss him off, you mess
with his babies. He had to tell her that he’d already filed
for joint custody of his daughter and he would’ve loved
to see her test him and his standing with the law.
On one of our summer vacations to Memphis, our first
week there she started dropping nuclear bombs. Frank
and I had been out visiting most of the day because Nadi
was still in school, but he had made specific plans to
spend time with her in the evening. He’d planned to go
over, help with homework, make it a movie night, tuck
her into bed, and stay with her until she fell asleep. Lisa
loved that idea because it allowed her to spend time with
him and put her plan in motion. Frank came home to me
that night, upset, confused, and out of his normal frame
of mind.
“Baby…Baby; I need to talk to you. Baby, please.”
“Huh? What’s the matter, Honey? Is Nadi okay?” Frank
was crouched down on the floor next to me; he was
visibly flustered and upset.
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“Nadi’s fine, VL. VL, Baby, you not gon’ like what I’m
about to tell you.”
“What’s wrong, Frank?” I sat up in our bed as he tried
holding my hand to brace me for something serious.
“VL, Baby, I cheated on you.”
“…You what?” The tears welled up in my eyes,
but I couldn’t let them flow. My heart pounded in my
chest and he could see it. He could see the hurt in my
body, but I could also see the hurt in his eyes. I could see
that he wasn’t all there. I pulled my hand away from him
and refused to let him touch me, despite his attempts to
take my hand or rest his hand on my thigh.
“I cheated on you, Vivien-Leigh, but I swear to
God I don’t know how it happened.”
“What do you mean you don’t know how it
happened? Frank, how could you do this to us? I love
you so much and this is what you do? Was it with Lisa?”
“Yes, it was, and I’m so sorry, Baby. I know you
love me and I love you, too, VL. Baby, I don’t know
how it happened. I swear—”
“What did you do with her?”
“You wanna know?”
“If I’m going to leave you, I want to know the
full extent of what you did. You promised to always be
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completely honest with me and I think I deserve that
much right now.”
“…You wanna leave me? Baby, why? I’m
sorry—I don’t even know how it happened! VL, think
about this.”
“I need to know what you did before I choose to
leave you. You promised to be honest, did you not?”
“I did.”
“Start now.” He searched his brain and I could
tell it was hard for him. My first instinct was to think
that he’d been drinking, but even with alcohol in his
system he was never that confused.
“You want to know what I remember or what
happened?”
“I want to know everything.” I sat up and stared
into his semi vacant eyes. My heart continued to pound
in my chest as I waited to hear about his infidelity.
“Well, when I got there I remember helping
Nadi with her homework. We did math and science and I
read a chapter from her English assignment with her.
When we finished homework, she wanted to watch a
movie so we popped some popcorn and settled on the
couch with Lisa to watch the Wizard of Oz. After the
movie, Nadi went to get washed up for bed and I sat
downstairs with Lisa. We sat, made small talk, and
watched television. Nadi came downstairs to get me so I
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could tuck her in. I got her in bed, held her in my arms,
told her how much I loved her and would always be
around for her. I held her like that until she fell asleep.”
How could he remember all of this, but not his
indiscretion? I held my tongue and tried to hear him out
before making any decisions. His eyes were telling me
something, but I just couldn’t figure it out.
“When she was out cold, I slipped from under
her and kissed her one last time. I headed down the stairs
and there was Lisa. She had a drink in her hand and was
telling me how she knew she talked a lot of shit but she’s
glad that I had joint custody and how she loved watching
me with Nadi…how Nadi loved having her daddy
around and how good that made her feel. She asked me
if I wanted a drink and I remember telling her that I
needed to leave and she asked if I was leaving to get
back to my Amazon. I told her that I was. She said that I
could have one little drink with her; it’s the least I could
do since she’d been in labor with my baby for thirteen
hours. I gave in.”
He didn’t know what to do with his hands.
Normally, his hands helped him tell his story, but at this
moment he had no idea what to do with them. I’d never
seen him that distraught before, but I held on to my
emotions.
“She insisted I have a seat in the living room
while she made it for me. When she finally brought it
out, I couldn’t recognize the taste. It was vodka but I
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couldn’t tell what it was mixed with. She said it was
ginger ale and Sprite, but I only took a few sips. It’s
hazy from there, VL. Baby, I just remember feeling out
of it and maybe falling asleep. I opened my eyes and
caught her with her mouth on my dick. I tried to move
my arms to push her away, but they just felt so heavy. I
tried moving my body, but I just couldn’t. She gave me
head ‘til I came and by then, I could lift my arms and
move my body. I shoved her away, got myself together,
and left. I don’t even know how I got home. I just got in
the car and then I was home.”
“Did you enjoy it? I hope you did. I hope it was
worth breaking my heart over.” A few tears fell from his
eyes as a river flowed from mine. “I remember you
being concerned about me being the heart breaker, but I
guess the shoe’s on the other foot now.”
“Baby, I never wanted to hurt you. I promised
you that I wouldn’t and I’m sorry for breaking that
promise. To think that I could break your heart—it
breaks mine. VL, I don’t know what else to say or to do.
I would never hurt you on purpose; I love you so damn
much. I just don’t know how this happened. I swear to
God, Baby, I don’t know.”
“I don’t know what to say to you…I don’t know
what to think of you right now, Franklin. I just—I don’t
know.” I broke down into hysterics and he tried to put
his arms around me, but I fought him. Frank finally got
his arms around me and held me. He got up on the bed
and tried to comfort me and a part of me let him. His
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eyes began to corroborate his story towards the end and
it’s a visual I couldn’t get out of my head.
“I’m sorry, VL. I’m so sorry. Baby, don’t leave
me. I know I did a bad thing; I admit that and I
apologize. I mean it. I really want to make this up to
you. I want you to forgive me so we can work things out
and get on with our thing. I’m sorry.”
Frank consoled me and repeated himself over
and over until I fell asleep. Or, at least until he thought
I’d fallen asleep. When he thought I was asleep, he
gently laid me down and slipped off to the shower to get
washed up for bed. I got up and got dressed. He’d told
me a whole story that only got hazy after he’d sat down
to have a drink with that scheming woman. I was going
to find out what happened to my man. I got in the car
and called the On-Star representative to get directions to
the last place Frank had been. They led me straight to
Lisa. I went up to her door and rang the bell; I’m sure
she thought I was Frankie and didn’t even bother to
inquire as to who was at her door that time of morning.
“I had a feeling you’d be back—”
“Oh you did, did you?” Before she could lock
her screen door, I’d pulled it open. She quickly began
backing away because she knew that I wasn’t there to be
cordial.
“Get away from me before I call the police!”
“What did you do to Franklin?”
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“I gave him a reason to come back home to
Memphis and be with his baby—where he needs to be.
Not with some six foot Amazonian child.”
“I don’t know what you think you did, but let me
clarify for you. What you did do was make this Amazon
very, very angry. Now, when this Amazon gets angry,
usually Frank steps in. But since this concerns Frank, the
Amazon is more than ready to handle this pesky old
problem. You keep throwing yourself at my man and he
and I have told you many times that it’s unappreciated.
He came home to me, upset and bewildered tonight,
telling me that he cheated on me. I’d normally leave a
man where he stood for infidelity, but I will not let you
have the satisfaction.”
“So he told you that we had sex?”
“No, he told me that you gave him oral
gratification against his will. I know Franklin and I know
his levels of endurance and I know that with me, sex
lasts for quite some time. I doubt that he could even give
you a few minutes—his stamina doesn’t allow that. He
could go on for hours. You say he had sex with you
because you think it’ll anger me. It angers me that you’re
a dirty liar who drugged my man and performed oral sex
on him. It angers me that you use his baby as a pawn in
your nasty little scheme. What you’re going to do is
show me what you used on him so I can get it out of his
system and make sure it doesn’t harm him.”
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“I don’t have to do anything.” I began walking
toward her and she quickly began walking away. She
and I both knew she was afraid of me and that’s the way
I liked to keep things.
“You don’t?” I grabbed her by the hair and
nearly had her on her knees cowering in front of me in
fear of her life.
“Lisa, you don’t know me. I may be very refined
and polite and proper, but you’d better know that I am a
New Yorker. Don’t let my Manhattan upbringing fool
you. I will fuck you up if I have to. Don’t make me
prove that. What you’re going to do is get me the drug
you used on Franklin. Understand me?”
She nodded at me as she made her way to her
feet. We began walking towards the kitchen, but were
interrupted along the way.
“Miss Vivie?”
“Hello, Sweetheart! How are you?” I let go of
Lisa’s hair and shoved her towards the kitchen. Lisa
knew I wasn’t playing games, and with Nadi awake, she
needed to get me what I wanted and out of her house
without another scene.
“I’m fine.”
“Well, come here and give me a big hug! I
haven’t seen you all day, Miss America. You get more
gorgeous each time I see you.”
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“Thank you.” I hugged Nadi and gave Lisa a
hard glare at the same time. She was quickly putting
together the things she used.
“Is my daddy okay?”
“Oh, Honey, Daddy’s just fine. He’s feeling a
little funny, but he’ll be okay in the morning. I hope
you’re ready to spend the rest of the summer with us.
We’re going to have a good time!”
“I am! Daddy said he would teach me to ride his
horse!”
“I know, and I know you’ll enjoy it.”
“Miss Vivie, will I be rude if I ask why you’re
here?”
“Not at all, Sweetness. I just stopped by to see if
your mommy knew what was making Daddy’s head feel
a little dizzy.”
“Daddy was not feeling bad when he was with
me.”
“I know he wasn’t, Darling, and that’s because
your daddy just loves you and loves being with you. You
make Daddy feel so good, but he stayed to talk with your
mommy for a little while when you were asleep and
that’s when he started feeling a little bad.”
“Mommy did you make Daddy sick?”
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“No, Nadi Doll. It must’ve been something
Daddy drank. Here you go, Viv. I hope that helps you.”
“It actually saves you. Thank you, Lisa. Well,
Miss Nadi, I must get back to Daddy. I want you to get
right back to sleep, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Good girl. I love you, Angel Face.”
“I love you too, Miss Vivie.”
“Alright, good night.” I took the bag from Lisa
before hugging Nadi tightly one last time.
“Lisa, would you mind walking me to the front
door please?”
“Of course, Viv.” As she walked me to the door,
Nadi continued to stand in the hall and watch us. I
grabbed Lisa quickly and pulled her close to me and
hugged her.
“I hope you enjoyed the taste of my vagina when
you gave Frank oral. We made love right before he came
over this evening and he loves to revel in the feeling and
to reminisce about the encounter—especially when he
brings his Glamazon to full orgasm three times all over
him. Now, I know how I taste, but I was just wondering
how you enjoyed it? Frank says I taste like brown sugar.
What do you think? Maybe you two should compare
notes one day.”
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I let her go and put on another big smile for
Nadi.
“Good night, Lisa. Sleep tight, Pretty Girl.” I
blew Nadi a kiss before giving Lisa another glare. The
look on her face said everything I needed it to say and a
whole lot more. I knew that Lisa would find a way to
fight back, I just didn’t know when. I’m usually not
good with directions, but I managed to remember the
right route home and on the way there, I found three
missed calls from Frank.
When we get into a serious fight, he usually
calls twice and then shuts his phone off and leaves it up
to me to contact him. When things escalate into
something terrible, he calls three times and on the third
call, he leaves a message saying it would be the last time
he bothered so if I wanted to deal with things, I would
have to find him. If it’s a one sided argument and he
thinks I’m making too much of things, he’ll call me
every day until I give in and talk to him. This was an
extremely serious situation we were in—he didn’t even
bother to leave any messages and I didn’t return his
calls. I got back to the house to find him sitting on the
couch, in the dark with a drink in hand.
“I wasn’t expecting to see you again tonight.”
“Normally, you wouldn’t.”
“I got a call from Lisa about you kicking in her
door and attacking her.”
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“That’s what she told you?”
“That’s what she said, but I didn’t believe her. I
know you pretty well and I’m going to believe that the
most you could’ve done was get in her face and make a
threat or two.”
“That’s an interesting assumption.” He put his
glass down and I put down the bag I’d received from
Lisa.
“Frank, I wish you wouldn’t drink right now.”
“Considering the night I’ve had, I think I’m
owed one. But this is water, though. I take your presence
here tonight as a sign that you’ve reconsidered your
proposition to sever ties.”
“Charles Franklin Lattimore, Jr., I care about
you in a way that I’ve never cared about any man. I’ve
been cheated on before and it has always been my policy
to sever ties and move on with my life. I’ve learned the
hard way that cheaters don’t stop at one incident; the
first time just makes it easier for all the encounters to
follow. One thing that I’ve gotten from you that I’ve
never gotten from any of the others is the truth. You told
me everything that I wanted to know and you were as
hurt—if not more—than I was.”
Frank stood as I spoke and slowly made his way
to me. He stood in front of me, but several feet away to
give me space. He reached for my hand and I slowly let
him have it.
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“You told me the truth and I saw your hurt and
felt your pain. I wondered to myself how he could
remember so well the events that led to his indiscretion
but not the actual act itself. Then, I saw it in your eyes.
You were disoriented—your body was doing one thing,
but your mind was somewhere else. I went to Lisa to
find out what she had done to my baby.”
“Your baby?”
“Mama’s baby. I did get in her face, I did
threaten her, and this may surprise you, but I even
grabbed a handful of her hair and brought her to her
knees just to get answers about what she had done to
you.” Frank looked impressed and shocked all at the
same time. I’d given him my other hand and he’d taken a
few steps closer to me.
“And what did you find out?”
“That she drugged you. Nadi came downstairs
and saved her mother from any physical harm. She made
use of her distraction and rounded up the contents of
your drink and gave them to me before I could do
anything else to her.” He held me in his arms and we
stood nose to nose in the living room, slowly putting our
relationship back together.
“You did all of that for me?”
“It was done for our relationship. She’s not
going to break us apart, no matter how hard she tries.
God put us together for a reason and she can’t ruin that.”
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“I’m sorry I broke your heart, Vivien-Leigh.”
“I know you’ll do everything you can to mend
it.”
“You’re damn right I will. You still love me,
Baby?” He had a look of anticipation in his eyes that just
tugged on my heartstrings. God only knows how much I
love that man of mine.
“Of course I do, Franklin. I love you so much.”
“I love you more than anything, VL.” We kissed
and held each other.
“And Lisa thinks you taste like brown sugar,
too. Stale brown sugar, but I told her that she should’ve
caught me when you were fresh off my dick.” He and I
shared a laugh before I broke away to do some research
on the drug that witch used on Frankie. It turned out to
be a stronger mix of a date rape drug, Viagra, and
muscle relaxers. It was an illegal street drug and the only
way to fully remove it from his system was to keep him
hydrated with water and have him urinate it out—
depending on the amount he was given.
I wanted Frank to press charges against her, but
he refused. He explained that he wasn’t going to do it
because he was just getting to know Nadi and he
couldn’t take her mother away from her. He didn’t want
his baby to hate him, so he was going to put her on
notice and try to not be alone with her. I may not have
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liked his decision, but I certainly understood it. I was
placed in a similar situation weeks later.
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~~~~
Frank and I decided to have a barbeque for the
family and some friends and since Nadi was with us, she
wanted her mama to come. Well, we couldn’t object to
the baby’s request. Lisa was a part of the family—until
Nadi turns eighteen, anyway. At the time, I wasn’t very
good in the cooking department, so everyone was asked
to bring a dish and I ordered in a few things from a local
restaurant. Frank and Sterling did all of the grilling,
cooking everything from handmade sausage links to beef
and pork ribs to rib eye steaks. I felt a badly about there
not being any chicken, but I’m allergic to nearly
everything related to poultry and couldn’t afford to take
any risks. While Frank and his brother did the grilling
outside, his sister-in-law and I stayed inside, preparing
the table and keeping the guests happy.
“Thank you so much for helping me, Kandy.”
“It’s nothing, Viv. I know you just want
everything to be nice.”
“I also want to thank you for cooking most of
this food. I feel bad for adding more things to your
already hectic schedule.”
“Viv, it’s okay. I had to cook dinner anyway!
So, Syl isn’t coming is she?”
“No, she told Frank that she had better things to
do than to spend time with us.”
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“Well, damn!”
“That’s just fine by me. I’ve got enough to
worry about with Lisa en route.”
“I forgot about her! It would be an absolute mess
if she and Syl were here—thank God for small blessings.
Viv, you’re doing a wonderful job with the boys, and
especially Nadi.”
“Why, thank you. I try my hardest to do the best
by them.”
“I can tell. Not many women would willingly
embrace a man with a teenager, a young kid, ex-wives,
and a baby he didn’t even know he had. Frank did a
good job picking you.”
“He did, didn’t he?” Kandy and I shared a quick
laugh as Nadi made her way into the kitchen with us.
“Miss Vivie, Aunt Kandy?”
“Yes, Sweetness?”
“Daddy and Uncle Bubba ask that you bring
some more beers, please.”
“Oh, I will get right on that, Sweetie. Thank
you.” I immediately went into the fridge and grabbed a
couple bottles of beer and removed the tops.
“Wow, Viv.”
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“What’s wrong?”
“…Nothing…you just dropped everything and
went for their drinks? I’m impressed…cause I damn sure
don’t do that.”
“Well, they asked.”
“I guess. Miss Renada, you are just so pretty!”
“Thank you, Aunt Kandy.”
“I didn’t notice that you and Viv are dressed
alike! How cute!”
“Thank you! Frank got these for us a few days
ago and Miss Nadi insisted that we wear them today.
Nadi, let’s model our outfits for Aunt Kandy.” Nadi and
I posed and twirled in our matching pink jumpsuits.
“You really like our outfits, Aunt Kandy?”
“Of course I do! You’re both so cute.”
“Nadi’s the cute one! You are absolutely
beautiful, Baby.” I held her cheek in one hand and
planted a kiss on her forehead.
“Thank you. I can’t wait for my mommy to see
us!”
“Well, Honey, I’m sure she’ll love it.” Kandy
and I quickly exchanged hard glances. I already knew
that upon Lisa’s arrival, she’d find a million faults.
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“Hey, Miss Nadi? Aunt Kandy needs you to do
her a really big favor. I know you’re a big girl and
Maya’s just a baby, so would you mind going upstairs
and checking on her for me?”
“Okay, Aunt Kandy.”
“Thank you, Ma’am.”
“Miss Nadi, I’m gonna take these out to Daddy
so if you need me, I’ll be right outside.”
“Okay!” Nadi ran off to the stairs. I was so
proud to be an influence in her life, and enjoying being
around her.
“Viv, you’re going to be a great mama.”
“You think so?”
“I can tell—you beam when that girl’s around
you.”
“Well you can you do me a favor and tell Frank?
I’m not getting any younger and neither is he.” I left the
kitchen and went out to the yard where all the men were.
I slapped on a smile and prepared myself to deal with
Frank and my hormones. Seeing him all manly over a
grill made me want to tackle him to the ground and have
my way with him.
“I’ve got a couple of ice cold beers, per your
request.”
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“Thank you, Miss Vivien-Leigh.”
“You’re absolutely welcome, Sterling.”
“Thank you, Baby.”
“You’re welcome, Daddy.” He and I kissed
briefly on the lips. He put his arm around my waist,
pulled me up close to him, and rested his hand on my
backside.
“Hold that bottle for me, Bunny.”
“Ok. There’s beer out here already, Honey.
Why’d you ask Nadi for more?”
“I didn’t buy that beer for us, I bought it for
them. Bubba and I got a brand we like and they didn’t
put in on it.”
“I see. Are you making sure Tres doesn’t
drink?”
“Baby, he knows what he’s supposed to do; he’s
with family. I wouldn’t blame ‘em for sipping.’”
“That’s how Chill and I started—we got passed
a bottle or two at family cookouts. No harm in that.”
“If you think it’s okay, it’s okay, I guess!”
“Long as I don’t see it he’s fine. And speakin’ of
fine, look at my baby! Go on and turn around so I can
see all that fineness!” Frank twirled me around slowly
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and let out a whistle of approval. He pulled me in close
again and rested his hand on my backside as he turned
the meat on the grill.
“You see that, Bubba? Six feet of fine.”
“Yes indeed. Now am I mistaken or is Nadi
wearing the same thing?”
“You’re not mistaken. Miss Nadi and I are
wearing mother-daughter ensembles; God only knows
what Lisa will say when she sees us.”
“The hell with Lisa. I’m not in the mood for her
shit today. I’m trying to enjoy my family and time with
my fine ass lady.” He rubbed my backside firmly before
gripping and holding it.
“When you two gonna go ahead and get married
already? Hell, you might as well be.” Frank nearly
choked on his beer when he heard his brother say that. I
patted his back and tried to calm him down. Sterling was
only saying the same thing that I’d been saying for
months.
“You okay, Daddy?”
“I’m fine, Vivie.” He tossed Sterling a quick
look, as if to tell him not to give me any more ideas. His
brother knew that we needed to go ahead and make it
legal. We weren’t going to leave each other any time
soon. Sterling and I high fived when Frank turned his
attention back to the grill.
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“Don’t think I didn’t see that.”
“Ooh, wait, you got little beer right there.” I
licked the beer that ran down his face back up to his lips
and he leaned in for a kiss. He kissed me so passionately
that he slipped his forearm underneath my butt and lifted
me up. I wrapped my legs around his waist and held on
tightly. While we carried on like horny teenagers, Lisa
made her grand entrance to our home.
“There goes the bell! I wonder who that could
be, Nadi?”
“It’s my mommy, Aunt Kandy!”
“I see that. Let’s go let her in.” Kandy let Lisa in
and they automatically exchanged hard glances.
“Mommy!”
“Hi Nadi Doll!”
“Hey Lisa.”
“Kandy...”
“Well, come in.”
Nadi didn’t realize at the time that her mother
was at war with her father’s family. She would come to
Sterling and Kandy’s house to try and unload her
displeasure with Frank and myself on them. She thought
she could get Sterling on her side because she knew that
Frank and Sterling had an extremely tight bond. She
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thought complaining and carrying on with him would
garner some kind of sympathy that would make Sterling
talk to Frank about leaving me. Lisa knew she couldn’t
go public with her petty problems because Frank is an
excellent father. Frank tried to keep Lisa happy so she
would be quiet, but he wasn’t going to separate from me
to please her.
“Mommy, do you like my outfit?”
“I think it’s cute, Nadi Doll. Who bought you
that?”
“Daddy bought it.”
“Oh, well, you look very pretty. I like the little
straps.”
“But Miss Vivie picked it out.”
“She did, did she?”
“Uh huh and she has one, too!”
“Well, you’re showing absolutely too much skin for
someone so young. Who leaves your hair out like that?”
“Miss Vivie. Mommy, she does this thing with
this creamy stuff and some kind of oil and it comes out
all pretty! She pulls it up at night and she bought me this
special pillow to sleep on so when I wake up my hair
isn’t flat and it’s all soft.”
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“I see. Nadi, go put on a sweater and get a hair
bow. I don’t like your hair out like that. You’re not old
enough to look like this.”
“…Okay, Mommy.” Nadi sulked away and
Kandy just shook her head in dismay.
“How old do you think that girl is?”
“Excuse me?”
“You treat her like she’s a baby. She’s seven
years old now and she finally looks like a seven year old.
What is wrong with you?”
“I choose to raise my child with good Christian
values and self respect. If you want that baby of yours to
look and dress like a hoochie mama, then that’s your
business.”
“My baby won’t have all the issues yours has,
that’s for sure. Just because you hate Viv doesn’t mean
that she has to. She loves Vivien-Leigh and she’s been a
better mother to your baby than you’ve been. Get over
yourself, Lisa.”
“Go to hell, Kandy.”
“That’s not good Christian woman speak! Lisa,
you’re pathetic. Frank and Viv are in the backyard. I’m
already tired of you.” She left Lisa in the living room
and went back to the kitchen as Nadi made her way back
downstairs.
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“Here, Mommy.”
“Thank you, Nadi for doing what I asked.
Alright, let’s go see your daddy.” Nadi held her mother’s
hand and led her out to the backyard where Frank was
still showing off his strength and holding me up in his
arms.
“Darlin,’ you’re not wearing a bra, are you?”
“Per your request, I’ve forgone the harness for
the day.”
“Good, ‘cause I need the motivation for when
this thing is over. I’m gonna take you upstairs, lay you
down, and be all over ‘em.”
“You mean after this get together is over and we
make that little stop over at Tiffany?” I gently pressed
my nose against his and looked into his pretty brown
eyes.
“After we stop at Tiffany. I promised to get you
something nice, but only if you’re pleasant with Lisa.”
“And I will be very pleasant.” Frank and I kissed
before I pulled away and rested my forehead against his.
“Well, I guess the party’s over.”
“What you talkin’ about, Bubba?”
“Baby mama at ten o’clock.”
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“Honey, you can put me down now.”
“Says who?”
“Says me. You know how she’s going to act. Put
me down.”
“Tell me you love me.” His grip got tighter
underneath my butt and I knew that he wouldn’t stop
until he got what he wanted. I also know that he was
gunning for pissing Lisa off.
“Fine. I love you, Frankie.” He kissed me
between words and gave me a hard and long kiss at the
end. Frank carried me over to Lisa and Nadi despite my
protests.
“Hello, Frank. Viv.”
“Hello, Lisa.”
“Hey, Lisa. Hey, Baby Girl! Nadi, why you
wearin’ that sweater? It’s too hot out here for that. What
happened to your hair? Baby Girl, take that sweater off
and show off that outfit I just bought you.”
“But Mommy told me to put it on.”
“It’s too much skin for a child her age to be
showing.”
“Nadi, you’re in Daddy’s care, so you can take
off the sweater and put your hair back down. I know
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your mama did that too.” I tried to diffuse the situation
before things got too out of hand.
“Frank, Honey, put me down, please. Lisa, it
was nice of you to bring a dish. What is that?”
“It’s macaroni and tuna salad.”
“Well, it just looks delicious.”
“It is.”
“Frank, please put me down! I want to take
Lisa’s dish to the kitchen.”
“I don’t want to put you down. Princess, you
wanna see how strong your daddy is? Come here.” Nadi
handed her sweater to her mother and allowed her daddy
to pick her up and hold her on his other hip.
“Nadi, isn’t Daddy big and strong?” I didn’t
intend to further irritate Lisa, but my man displaying his
strength just does something to me.
“My daddy is strong! Daddy, aren’t we heavy?”
“My girls will never be too heavy. You hear me?
You will never be too heavy for your daddy.” Frank
kissed her on the forehead before deciding to let us
down.
“Alright, now; go on and visit with your cousins
until the food’s all ready.”
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“Ok, Daddy.”
“Well, that was just awkward for everyone.”
Lisa’s biting sarcasm was indicator that the day would
get even worse from that moment on. Frank put his arms
around my waist and pulled me close to him,
occasionally kissing on my neck. She continued to look
uncomfortable and disgusted.
“Maybe for you it was, but my princess sees two
people who love each other interacting every day that
she’s with us.”
“She sees two people living in sin every day.”
“But I bet you’d be okay with two people living
in sin every day if I was with you, huh?”
“Okay, now it’s awkward for everybody. Lisa,
I’ll take your dish to the kitchen. Frankie, is the meat
done yet?”
“Soon as Bubba gets through with the steaks—
damn, I forgot to tell him to have two medium-well
steaks for you.”
“Can you please hurry and do that, Honey? I
don’t like them any other way.”
“Daddy knows you don’t, Vivie. I’ll take care of
it.”
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“Thank you. Lisa, you’re welcomed to have a
seat at the table as we put everything out. You don’t
have to stay out here if you don’t want to.”
“That is very nice of you, Vivien-Leigh; thank
you.” I tried to give her a friendly smile as Frank’s arm
migrated from my waist to my shoulders. He continued
with his blatant displays of affection, just to annoy Lisa.
I pulled away from him just as he managed to get in one
last kiss and butt smack.
“You know I just love to touch it.”
“Yes, I know. Please start bringing the meat in.”
“I’m on it.”
“Thank you. Lisa, the dining room is right
through here. Make yourself comfortable.”
“I will do just that, thank you. Did anyone make
fried chicken? Barbeque chicken?”
“No. I know lots of people would have loved to
have some, but with my allergies I can’t take any
chances.”
“Oh, that’s right; you’re allergic to poultry.”
“Very allergic. Even if it comes in contact with
my skin, I have an episode. The smell even makes me
sick.”
“That’s terrible. What happens if you eat it?”
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“I break out into terrible hives all over, my
throat will swell, and I won’t be able to breathe—that’s
the least of it, anyway.”
“How unfortunate! I guess it’s a good thing that
you protect yourself.”
“Yeah. I’m going to get Kandy and we’re going
to start bringing the food out, so you just get
comfortable.”
“Oh, I will.” I went to the kitchen where Kandy
was putting the peas and rice into a serving bowl.
“What is that, Viv?”
“This is Lisa’s macaroni and tuna salad.” I
placed the casserole dish on the counter and Kandy
quickly pulled off the top to examine it.
“What’s that for, Kandy?”
“I just wanna see what it looks like up close. Are
you sure this is tuna? It doesn’t smell like tuna.”
“You’re right, it doesn’t. She says its tuna.”
Kandy shrugged.
“It’s up to you to serve it, Viv. It’s your gettogether and your house.”
“Not my house yet, but I’m working on him.”
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“I saw the two of you out there. Frank just loves
to show off for you. Anna and Maria were just in here
saying how they’ve never seen Uncle Chill so happy.”
“Really? Sterling asked Frank when he was
going to make us legal and my man nearly choked on his
beer. I don’t want to rush him into anything, but I know
he’s the only man for me. I love just being with him, but
I don’t want to be forty and still his ‘significant other.’”
“Frank ain’t gonna keep you around that long
and not give you a raise and a new title. I know he likes
to work his way into his relationships, but he’s not
gonna shack up with you. Besides, I heard him talk to
Sterling about wanting to meet your daddy and
something else about making an honest woman out of
you. Don’t tell him I told you that.”
I placed a serving spoon in Lisa’s dish and went
into deep thought about being Mrs. Charles Franklin
Lattimore, Jr. Kandy just gave me more pieces to that
puzzle and I couldn’t stop smiling.
“See, that’s the kind of smile that tells Frank that
Kandy opened her big mouth and told information she’d
heard second hand.” She grabbed a couple bowls and I
grabbed Lisa’s dish and the paper plates. We continued
our conversation as we walked to the dining room.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t help it. I will tone it
down.”
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“You’d better because I will deny everything if
interrogated.” We placed the bowls and plates on the
table and tried to change the conversation around Lisa.
“Lisa, Viv said you made macaroni and tuna
salad.”
“I did.”
“How do you make it? You can’t even smell the
tuna.”
“I like to mince the tuna finely and I use lemon
juice to cut the scent.”
“I think it smells really good. I can’t wait to try
it. I think I should call everyone in so we can eat. I’m
starving.”
“I just can’t wait for you to taste it, Viv.” I
called the family all in and we sat around the table and
enjoyed a wonderful meal. We had everything from
collard greens to gumbo to potato salad—I mean, just
the absolute works.
Frank sat at the head of table and Nadi and I sat
on the sides of him. Lisa sat next to Nadi and I didn’t
think much of it at the time, but she kept taking sly
glances at me. I also didn’t think much of how after one
bite of her salad, the back of my hand began to itch. I
stopped to rub it, but Frank stopped me and kissed it. We
continued to eat and the more I ate, the more I continued
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to itch. My throat became scratchy and it wasn’t long
before we all knew what was really in that salad.
“Who made this macaroni salad?”
“Lisa made that salad, Bubba. How is it?”
“It’s pretty good, but what else is in it?”
“Tuna…its macaroni and tuna.”
“You sure? ‘Cause it doesn’t taste like tuna.”
“It’s tuna.”
“Miss Viv, what’s wrong with your skin?” Tres
nearly jumped out of his seat and by that time, all eyes
were on me. My throat was starting to swell and tears
started to roll from my hive covered eyes.
“Mommy, this isn’t tuna!”
“Aw, shit! Vivie! Baby, it’s okay, I’m right
here.” Frank tried not to panic, but he struggled to think
of what to do without causing a scene. His eyes were
cutting holes through Lisa. He took my fork and took a
few bites of the salad.
“Lisa, this is chicken salad.” He was pissed off,
but he tried not to raise his voice and show out in front
of Nadi.
“Oh…Nadi Doll, you’re right. It’s not tuna! It’s
chicken. Sorry.” I was covered in hives and choking.
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Frank had discretely found a way to dispose of the food
that I had in my mouth and thought that holding my jaws
open would help me get air. An argument commenced
between Lisa and Frank’s nieces and in the midst of it
all, I could only think of two things—my life and Nadi’s
sad face. I wished that things had turned out differently.
“Tres, run upstairs and get Vivie’s purse—
quick! Blue, take your sister upstairs. I don’t want her
seeing this.” Tres flew up the stairs as fast as lightening
and Julez took Nadi by the hand to take her to her room.
I was in absolute pain, gasping for air and dealing with
the mass of hives that covered my body. They were
everywhere at that point and were starting to appear on
top of each other. Lisa continued to sit smugly. I swear,
if I were in a better condition, I would’ve kicked her
Creole ass.
“Lisa, what the hell is your problem? You gon’ come up
in my house and try to kill my woman? I had Nadi leave
the room because I didn’t want her to see all this bullshit
you caused! Lisa, get your ass outta my house before my
nieces fuck you up or I do something even worse. Y’all
get her outta here now!”
Lisa was roughly escorted out as I continued to
gasp for air. Tres came flying back down the stairs and
handed my purse to his daddy. Frank quickly found my
Epipen, stood me up, and injected my thigh with its
contents. My hives itched and stung simultaneously.
Torture was only a polite way of describing the pain I
felt.
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“How’s that, Baby? You okay now? That make
it better?” I couldn’t speak because my throat, mouth,
and tongue were filled with itching and stinging hives. I
could only shake my head, which was also very painful
to do.
“No? Can you breathe now, Vivie?” I nodded at
him and he tried his hardest to take care of me.
“Open your mouth, Baby; let Daddy see.” Frank
gently opened my mouth and tried not to react to what
he saw.
“Oh, good Lord, Baby Bunny, you got ‘em all
on your lips, in your mouth, and on your tongue. I’m so
sorry, Vivie.”
I appreciated him for doing his best to comfort
me and console me, but his touch made the stinging
sensation feel even worse. I couldn’t get out a scream,
but in my head I was screaming bloody murder.
“Chill, you gotta get her to the emergency room
to have that dealt with. We can get her to Baptist in five
minutes.”
“You’re right. Bubba, go get the car. Kandy—”
“Don’t worry about it, Frank; I’ll clean up and
keep an eye on the kids.”
“Thank you. Come on, Bunny.” Frank tried to
hold me gently in his arms and I’d like to think that my
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eyes did a great job of describing my pain. Frank got me
to the car and held me in the backseat and Sterling drove
us to the emergency room of Baptist Hospital. I felt a
little bad that I could be seen before everyone in the ER
because of Sterling’s position there, but my pain was just
unbearable.
A very young doctor prescribed a type of
cortisone cream to be rubbed on my hives for as long as
they remained on my body. Frank was in awe of this
doctor’s age and even more in awe of the young male
nurse who was sent in to rub down my naked body.
Frank didn’t let that happen. He stopped the male nurse
and told him that he was not allowed to go between the
legs, near the breasts, or the backside. Frank did those
areas and the male nurse did arms, legs, and the like.
When we got home from the hospital a few
hours later, I felt like I was placed in an awkward
situation. God knows that I loved Frank, but I couldn’t
do that scene again. His scorned ex-lover tried to kill
me—all the love in the world couldn’t overcome
attempted murder. I was getting sick of the drama. I just
wanted to give up and let Lisa win. I couldn’t do that
again. I kept silent as Frank carried me up the stairs and
to our bedroom. He laid me on the bed and started
pulling off my clothes.
“You okay, Vivie?” I looked at him for a brief
second before turning my head to stare off at the wall. I
didn’t even know where to begin with my feelings.
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“Frank, I—”
“Can I come in?” Nadi always managed to save
her parents from an uncomfortable situation.
“Vivie?”
“Come on in, Sweetness.” She walked slowly to
the bed and began to climb on. “Slowly, Baby.”
“Be careful, Baby Girl, Miss Vivie still hurts.”
“Miss Vivie, are you okay?”
“I’ll be fine, Baby. Everything’s still sore,
though. Thank you for asking.”
“You’re welcome. I’m sorry my mommy did
that.”
“Nadi, it’s not your fault. I don’t want you to
feel that it is. This is an issue between your mother,
father, and myself. You’ve done nothing wrong, okay?”
“Okay. You won’t send me home, will you?”
“Baby Girl, why would you think that? You’re
my baby and anytime I can have you with me, I will.
Nobody’s sending you anywhere.”
“Baby, you belong right here with us. You’re
not going anywhere.”
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“Good. Can I lay here with you and watch TV,
Miss Vivie?”
“Of course you can, Sweetness.” By then, Frank
had slipped his pajama top on me and had me under the
covers. Nadi got in bed and snuggled as close as she
could without actually lying on me. By the time Frank
got in bed, I’d already put my thoughts together for the
conversation I wanted to have with him after Nadi went
to sleep.
“Well, Baby Girl is asleep in her own bed and I
can only hope that she doesn’t have another night fit.”
“That’s good.”
“Now, to get next to my baby.”
“Frank, we need to talk.”
“Three words no man likes to hear. What’s
wrong?”
“Frank, I can’t keep doing this.”
“Doing what?”
“This fighting with Lisa. I can’t keep doing this.
She tried to kill me today. I don’t want to go through
that again.”
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“Darling, I know what she did was extreme, but
I don’t like where I think you’re about to go with this.”
“I think we need to spend some time apart.”
“That’s exactly where the hell I thought this was
going. Baby, I will handle Lisa, okay? Shit, why is it that
every time something with Lisa goes down you wanna
break this up?”
“I got over the first time, but my life is
something I will not lose for a jealous woman. If we stay
together all she’ll do is continue to find ways to get
between us. I just think that before one of us actually
becomes a victim of one of her successful attempts on
our lives, we should just end it here. I love you,
Franklin. You just don’t know how much this hurts me.”
“How much this hurts you? Woman, you think I
don’t love you, too? I don’t wanna be with anybody else
and I’d do anything and everything for you—to be with
you, to have you. I don’t accept this.”
“What do you mean you don’t accept this?”
“I don’t accept this. You can’t quit me.”
“Oh, you’re being immature.”
“I’m not letting this relationship end over some
crazy woman that I never wanted to be with in the first
damn place. What do you want me to do? What? You
wanna press charges on her? Nadi’ll be upset for a while,
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and we’d have her on a more full time basis, but I’ll do
it. What?”
“Frank, I want you to accept the fact that as long
as we are together, she’s going to find a way to get
between us. Now, we can keep up appearances until I’m
over these hives and then we can tell people that we split
amicably. We can tell Nadi that I just had to go home to
take care of some personal business and later we can tell
her the truth.” He got in bed and got under the covers,
but sat up against the headboard before turning off his
lamp.
“This ain’t over, Vivien-Leigh.”
“Yes it is. Honey, please turn down the TV if
you’re going to stay up. Goodnight.”
“I love you, Woman.”
“I love you too, but we can’t be together
anymore. Goodnight.”
I thought I’d made myself crystal clear, but I’d
forgotten that when Franklin wants something, he gets it.
While I was asleep, he slipped out of bed and went over
to Lisa’s to talk to her about where they stood. When he
said that he wouldn’t let her get between us, he meant
every single word of it.
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“I guess you’re here about the Amazon. I won’t
waste time inviting you in; I know you’d break it down
if you had to.” Frank entered her home and she slowly
began an attempt to make herself sexually appealing.
“My Glamazon is just fine. You can put your
hair back up and close your robe; ain’t no way in hell I’d
ever touch you again.”
“You don’t have to touch me. I’m fine with
doing all the touching.” She put her hands on his chest
and he quickly grabbed her by the wrists and backed her
against a wall forcefully.
“Lisa, my patience with you is very limited. I’ve
been fighting the urge to wrap my hands around your
neck and squeeze the life out of you for the absolute
longest.”
“I don’t mind using a little force, Frank. You
know I’d do anything you wanted to do whenever you
wanted to do it.”
“Ok. That’s it. I’ve been trying to not hurt your
feelings since you’ve started this shit with my woman
and me, but you refuse to take the hint. Lisa, I do not
love you. I’ve never loved you. I’ve never wanted you.
When I divorced Sylvia and ran into you, I just wanted
some pussy. I had to be a gentleman about it—wine you
and dine you and make you feel good before I got what I
wanted. I only spent time with you when I didn’t feel
like hearing silence and it was too late to call anybody
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else. Hell, you weren’t any damn good in bed and you
just slobbered all over my dick every chance you got. I’ll
be honest; you’re pretty, but just not enough.”
“Shut up, Frank.” Lisa was on the verge of tears
and Frank just wanted to make sure she knew exactly
how he felt. He held her wrists tighter.
“See, the difference between you and Vivie is
simple. Vivie’s a lady. My lady. My Glamazon. When
I’m with her, I feel complete. You roll your eyes when I
hold her hand, but did you ever recall a time when I held
your hand? I never held your hand. I never loved you. I
love Vivie. See, Vivie may be a lady and she may be
very diplomatic and poised, but she has an opinion. She
doesn’t let me run all over her. She respects me as a man
and lets me take the lead, but she has a say. You never
opened your mouth to say one damn thing. I could’ve
told you I got off by taking a giant shit on you and you’d
just let me.”
“Shut up, Frank! Shut up!”
“You wanna know something else about Vivie?
She satisfies me in ways that you can never imagine. In
the mental, intellectual, cultural, and spiritual sense, she
completes me. In the physical way, she’s on a level that
you can’t even begin to conceive. She can do things that
you could never fathom and when she cums—usually
three or four times—she makes me feel like I climbed
Mt. Everest and moved that motherfucker ten feet with
each step. Vivie does to me what no woman—especially
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not you—could ever do. So, you need to get it through
your head that I don’t want you and if you ever harm her
again in any way, I will kill you.”
Lisa sobbed uncontrollably in his grasp. It
wasn’t his way to be so forceful with a woman, but she
needed to know that he was serious. You don’t mess
with Charles Franklin Lattimore, Jr.’s family.
“This ain’t even what I wanted to do. You can’t
listen for shit, Lisa! This could’ve been simple. I wanted
to come here and talk to you. I wanted to tell you in the
most plain and precise way that I could that I am in love
with Vivien-Leigh Valentine. I’m gonna marry that
woman some day. You can’t get between us or destroy
what we have. You try too damn hard. I wanted to tell
you that you had a special place in my heart because you
gave me the most beautiful little girl on the face of this
planet—that much I do mean. I may not love you like
you want me to love you and I damn sure don’t want to
be with you, but you gave me my baby girl and for that
much, I thank you.”
Frank had begun to let her out of his grasp and
she started to pull herself together.
“You’re welcome.”
“She may not have been planned, but she’s the
only good thing you and I ever did.”
“I wanted you to know about her and to know
her a lot earlier…but you moved on to that last wife.”
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“It doesn’t matter if I moved on; you knew you
were carrying my baby, so you should’ve said
something. You told my mama! You took her around her
grandmother and nobody told me!”
“I know and I’m sorry. I just thought, when I
found out I was pregnant, that we would be together. I
guess that wouldn’t have happened anyway. I had to tell
Miss Anna Maria. I had to. I couldn’t hide it from her.
The first time she saw Nadi, she knew she was yours. I
wanted to tell you, I really did. Miss Anna Maria said
she didn’t want this situation to ruin your family or your
career. She said she would figure out a way to tell you.
When she died and I still hadn’t heard from you, I just
put it out of my mind.”
“You know what? My mama had her reasons
and we can’t question her about it. I…I didn’t even
wanna go there tonight. That whole thing with us—I’m
sure you thought that we’d be an item and it’s partly my
fault for leading you on. Look, I’m sorry for roughing
you up—you know that’s not my style. You pushed me.
You harmed the woman I love and you know I have to
protect her.”
“I know. Tell the Amazon I’m sorry. She is
okay, isn’t she?”
“She’s getting better. You know that as long as
she’s in my life, she’s gonna be in our daughter’s life.”
“…I guess.”
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“No, you know. So, you have to back off. Let
me raise my daughter. I wouldn’t have a woman who
wasn’t a woman—who I was ashamed of and didn’t
think highly of—around my babies.”
“You can do your part in raising our daughter,
but I have the right to raise her with strong Christian
morals.”
“Yes, you do, but you’ve gotta give a little and
let her grow. Besides, if she’s gonna be Miss America,
I’ve got the right influence around her now.”
“Don’t tell me the Amazon was a beauty queen.”
“No, but she damn sure carries herself like one.
Look, we ain’t gon’ steer her wrong. We gotta find a
way to function as a family. It’s gonna take some give
and take, here, Lisa.”
“I know. It’s just hard to see you after all this
time and not want to be with you. You know, you’re the
only man I’ve ever loved. How delusional was I?”
“We were just on different pages, but we gotta
get on the same one now. Look, I gotta get back home.”
“Back to the Amazon.”
“My Glamazon, yes. Goodnight, Lisa.”
“Goodnight, Frank. Kiss my baby for me.”
“I will.”
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That night, Frank settled most of the divide
between us. When I woke up the next morning, I had a
written letter of reconciliation from Charles Franklin
Lattimore, Jr. Again, he refused to believe that we were
going to part ways, but in order to improve our situation
and keep things together he said he’d gotten things
straight with Lisa and would never let an ex hurt me or
get between us. He had listed several options of how he
planned to do this; all I had to do was choose the method
I agreed with. The man was brilliant.
By the way, I opted for the choice of him just letting me
loose to “kick ass and take names.” It all just boiled
down to him handling those crazy women he once
procreated with and trusting that he would make things
alright. My husband has always managed to make things
right for us and with us. God, I love the man I made a
small army of babies with.
Oh. I still got the “something pretty” he promised me
from Tiffany’s the very next day.
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~~~~
As much fun as I had the day of my shower, I was
thankful that it was all over. Frank and I gave our
remarks and thanked everyone for coming out and
giving us all of the wonderful gifts we'd received. We
appreciated all the love and support that we were being
shown and acknowledged the fact that there will be lots
of caring people in our daughters' lives. Jay loaded up
her car and ours so that we could quickly make our exits.
“I'm glad that's all over, Frankie. I'm too tired.”
“Too tired, huh? I hope that's not the case when
we get home ‘cause I’ve got something there for you that
I know you'll want to keep me up all night over.”
“Whatever you say, Honey. I think I'm gonna go
straight upstairs and lie down, so I'm gonna need you to
push me up the stairs. Jay is coming over to bring the
rest of the gifts and the food. I swear, Frankie; we need a
bigger car for these kids. You've got your Lexus and I've
got the Cadillac, but they're not big enough for twin
infants and all their stuff.”
“I know. I'm working on getting you that
minivan.”
“Minivan? Honey, I think not. I am not the
minivan type of mama. I hate those things; they're so
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ugly! Kids, you wouldn't want to cart your sisters around
in one of those things, would you?”
“Uh...no. My baby sisters should not take their
first trip home in a minivan.”
“See, Frankie, Julez doesn't like it either.”
“Blue's not paying for it, either. I'm thinking one
of those minivans with the doors that slide open on both
sides—
“Frankie, noooooo!”
“It's either that or a station wagon.”
“A station wagon? Ew! Frankie, please don't do
that to me.”
“Bunny, we need to think about what's best for
the kids and ourselves. Those SUVs are unsafe and I
don't need to be worried about you every time you go
out with the kids.”
“There are safe ones, Daddy! Please?”
“Yeah, Daddy, please?” The kids pleaded with
me and Frank sat there enjoying the sight of us
groveling. He frustrated me and made me even more
cranky and irritable.
“They're unsafe and I don't want anything
happening to you.”
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“The girls and I don't like you right now. Don't
touch me!” He tried to put his hand on my belly, but I
slapped it away and tried to turn away from him. I
started to cry and the boys started to sigh in the backseat.
“Now look what you did, Daddy! You made her
cry! Do you know how long it's been since she hasn't
cried? It's been five hours and it was counting, but now
look what you did!”
“Daddy, make her stop! Why couldn't you just get her a
truck so we could avoid all this?”
“Great, Daddy, now Nadi’s crying!” Tres and
Julez simultaneously scolded their daddy as their sister
and I wailed in unison.
“Vivien-Leigh, Baby, come on, now. You got
the princess in tears and Daddy doesn’t like it when his
girls cry! Hey...Bunny, look what Daddy's got for you
right in the armrest. Daddy's got an oatmeal pie right
here for his Baby Bunny. Here, Baby, don't you want
it?” I snatched it away from him and I continued to cry
as I ate it. He continued to laugh and I saw nothing
hilarious about the matter.
“Bunny, come on...I told you I had something
for you at the house that's gonna cheer you up.”
“You want me to drive my babies around in a
minivan!”
“What's wrong with that?”
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“They're ugly! You think I'm ugly!”
“No I don't, Baby! Look, look—we're almost
home. Go ahead and look out the window at the house.
What's that in the driveway?”
“What's what?” I stopped mid-cry and looked
out of the window, up at the house. A white truck sat in
the driveway next to my Cadillac, Tres’ BMW, and my
sadness quickly switched to excitement.
“What is that?”
“I don't know—you tell me.” As we got closer to
the house, the truck started to become clearer. A white
Range Rover with a big red bow on it! I wrapped my
arms around Frank's neck and kissed him repeatedly.
“Calm down, Bunny; I'm still driving.”
“Is that mine?”
“Maybe.” I turned into a completely different
woman when he made the turn into the driveway behind
the truck. I yanked off my seatbelt and waited for him to
open my door. He took his precious time making his
way over to my side of the car, so I started getting antsy
and yelling for him to open the door for me. When he let
me out, I went straight for the SUV.
“This is beautiful!”
“I didn't say it was yours, Bunny.”
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“What do you mean it's not mine? I worked hard
for this car!”
“You worked hard for this car? With that
attitude, you don't deserve anything.” We stared each
other down for a while before I broke out in tears all
over again. The kids tried to comfort me, so they scolded
their daddy again for making me cry.
“Again? Daddy, why would you make her cry
again? She gets started and then Nadi starts! Why do you
do this?”
“I don't like her attitude right now!” Nadi put
her arms around my belly and held me tight.
“Why do you do this to me? I'm a good wife! I
do what you ask! I'm having your babies and you're
always being mean to me!”
“Julian, Franklin, go on and take your sister
inside and leave me and your step-mama alone for a
minute.”
“She'd better not be crying when she gets in the
house, or you're in big trouble, Mister.”
“Boy, you'd better—”
The boys took Nadi and went inside and I
continued to wail like the newborns I’d be having soon.
“Vivie, come here.”
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“No.”
“Vivien-Leigh, I said come here.”
“No!”
“Vivien-Leigh Lattimore, I said come here and I
mean it. Don't make me cause a scene out here.” His
stern tone was a little frightening. He didn't normally use
it at me, but this time I knew he meant business. I sucked
up my crying and waddled over to him. Frank put his
arms around me and held me, but not before he gave me
his infamous glare.
“Have I ever done wrong by you?”
“No.”
“Then you need to lose the attitude.”
“I don't have an attitude; you can’t tell me to not
be emotional when I'm this pregnant.”
“Don't you think I know that? I'm half pregnant
with you, but you don't act like you realize that.”
“You're ¼ pregnant with me—I'm doing most
of the work.”
“Baby, half of that you're carrying around is me.
I love you, and although it's a struggle at times, I
worship the ground you walk on. I knew we needed
more space for the babies and you'd been dropping hints
about an SUV for the longest. I did my research and got
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the best one for the family. Not just for you, but for the
family. You can’t let me surprise you for nothing,
woman.”
“I'm sorry.”
“Who am I?”
“You're Frankie.”
“Who am I, Vivien-Leigh?”
“My husband.”
“And that makes me what?”
“My man.”
“Exactly, and you need to realize that I am not
only your man, but the man of this house and this
relationship. You need to let me get you things and
surprise you with things and stop acting like you had to
strategically get me to get them for you.”
“I'm spoiled, huh?”
“Too damn spoiled, ‘cause you throw these
tantrums and show out and you know how it bothers me
to see you upset. Then you get my baby girl all caught
up in it.”
“I do, and I'm sorry for acting like a brat.”
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“Apology accepted.” Frank kissed me on the lips
and quickly broke away.
“Are you going to stop spoiling me, now?”
“I'm thinking about it, but no.”
“Well, then, I've got something for you.”
“What's that?” I took him by the hand and pulled
him behind me up the front stairs and into the house. I
headed for the staircase and noticed the boys in the
kitchen.
“Hey Tres?”
“What's up, Viv?”
“Would you mind waiting for Jay to get here so
you can put away the stuff she brings over?”
“Yeah, that's cool.”
“Good and then after that, you can take your
brother and sister out for a long while. Your father and I
are going to make love.”
“Vivien-Leigh!”
“Well, it's the truth.”
“We didn't need to know all that, but you don't
have to tell us twice.”
“Thank you.”
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“Oh, uh, ‘stay out for a long while?’ Your
curfew is 11:30; I want you back by then.”
“Daddy! Why can’t I stay out ‘til midnight?”
“Because you’re eighteen, but you’re not grown
yet.”
“Daddy, come on! I’m eighteen! I’ll be in
college this year and you don’t trust me to be
responsible? Why can’t I stay out just thirty minutes
later?”
“Frank, Honey, is thirty minutes really gonna do
any harm?”
“Yes it will. I said 11:30 and I mean it.” As the
boys started back towards the kitchen with disgusted
looks on their faces, Nadi ran up the stairs and put her
arms around her daddy.
“I’m sorry Tres made you mad, Daddy.”
“Don’t worry about me, Princess Nadi. I know
you’re a good girl and you would never disobey Daddy.”
Frank picked her up, kissed her on the face, and held her
close as he rocked her back and forth.
“Angel Face, I hope your baby sisters are as
good and sweet as you are.”
“Thank you, Mama.”
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“Frank, Honey, let Tres take his brother and
sister to a late movie. We need all the time alone we can
get.” I took Frank’s cheek in my hand and gently stroked
it. He slowly started to let Renada out of his grasp. We
really did need the time alone. I leaned in and whispered
gently in his ear.
“Let them stay out, Honey. With them gone, you
can make me scream as loud as you’d like. There’d also
be lots of oral gratification in it for you since I haven’t
felt nauseous all day.” I gently traced the inside of his
ear with my tongue. He exhaled softly.
“Here, Baby Girl, tell your brother to take you to
the movies. Get the biggest box of whatever you want.
Hell, tell him to take you to two movies. He can take my
car. Just go.”
“Love you, Daddy!”
“Love you too, Baby. Now go!” He pulled the
giant knot of rubber banded bills from his pocket and put
it in her hands before smacking her butt and sending her
downstairs. We waited until she was completely out of
sight before he continued to push me up the stairs.
“We’d better hurry up…you have no idea how
good I’m about to dick you down. You think I put it on
you when I got you pregnant? I’m about to send you into
labor, Baby.”
“Honey, what positions do you want to try? I
bought a book about sexual positions for pregnant
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women and I was thinking about this one where I lay on
my side and I keep my legs together and you penetrate
just like you would if I were on my back—
“Hey! Hey! We can still hear you!”
“Ain’t even gotta be fancy, Baby. You just open
your legs and I’ll get the job done.”
“Dude! Seriously?”
Frank and I had a good time that night; we made
love repeatedly. The first few times were just a 'thank
you' for the new truck, but the other times were highly
unexpected. The next day I thought I was going into
labor, so he rushed me to the hospital where they told us
that all the screwing around we did the night before had
induced it a bit. It was a slow and steady process, but
just like he promised, he sent me into labor. What can I
say? My man gets the job done each and every time.
Thanks to my husband and his magnificent lovemaking
prowess, I was placed on bed rest until my due date.
The day that I did in fact go into full-on labor
was one of Frank's off days from the show. By then, he
had become a fixture on Waymon Hill's morning show
and once a week, he'd call in and give legal advice to
callers. We had this routine where he'd wake up, roll
over, make love to me, then slip out of bed to go
downstairs and call into the radio show. This particular
morning, his routine gave him something more than he
had bargained for.
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Frank had left the radio on for me to listen to the
show while I lay in bed, but a little while into his
segment, I started to feel like I'd urinated on myself.
Cramps soon followed, but they weren't like menstrual
cramps; they were ten times worse! The girls were on
their way and I had to get to the hospital fast. Frank and
I had agreed on trying the natural birthing process where
we'd give birth in a pool and he'd be an active part of the
entire ordeal. I started to get nervous and tense up in
between crying through the horrible contractions.
I'd gotten my cashmere wrap on and had finally
made it downstairs, much to Frank's surprise. He asked
me if I was okay and I shook my head slowly. His face
went completely blank and he almost lost the cool and
collected attitude that he was always encouraging others
to maintain. I could hear the radio from upstairs—
Waymon was calling him and he wasn't answering. I'd
made it over to Frank and took the phone from his
hands.
“Hello, Waymon?”
“Hey! Y'all, it's the judge's wife, Vivien-Leigh.
How you doin’, Girl?”
“Oh, I’m just fabulous, despite the fact that I've
just gone into labor. So, Frankie's gonna have to go now.
He has to drive me to the hospital.” A contraction hit me
as Waymon tried to deliver a few kind words, but I'd quit
listening. I couldn't take it. I started screaming at Frank,
who had been running around the house getting his
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clothes on and pulling my packed bag from the closet
near the door.
“FRANKLIN! GET YOUR DAMN PANTS ON
AND TAKE ME TO THE HOSPITAL!” I hung up his
phone and put it in my purse and waddled over to the
door. He'd already loaded up my stuff in the truck and
was about to leave for the hospital without me!
“Oh my goodness...Frankie! Honey, you forgot
me!” Frank got out of the car and came back to help me
out of the house and into the car.
“I'm sorry, Baby! I'm so sorry.” I couldn't blame
him for being all over the place—he hadn't had babies in
a long time and he was nervous. I was nervous, too.
These were my first babies and I had no real idea of
what I was in store for. We'd taken Lamaze classes and
watched the birthing video and it gave me an idea, but I
figured my level of pain would differ significantly from
the woman we watched; I somehow thought it wouldn’t
hurt that much.
While Frank drove, he rubbed my belly and
helped to keep me calm by breathing with me through
my contractions. He was very good about making sure
he kept it together so that I could do the same, and it
worked until we got to the hospital. He walked me in, sat
me down, and tried to check me in and get the insurance
paper work, but I started to flip out. I started screaming
and crying and he had to run back over to me to calm me
down all over again.
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“Oh God...Frankie, I'm scared! Honey, I'm so
scared.”
“Look, Baby, we took all the classes and you
have nothing to fear. I'm here with you. I'm here for you
and I'm going to be there with you every step of the way.
Everything will be alright.”
“Daddy, we left Etienne home! I'm already a
horrible mother!”
“I'll have your sister go get her, alright? She'll be
fine; just relax.”
“Did you bring my bag?”
“It's in the car; I'll bring it in later.”
“Baby, we need it for when they're born. I have
receiving blankets and little knit caps that my
grandmother made so we can tell them apart. The pink
one's for Claire and the red one's for Ruby.”
“I know and I'll get it, Baby, just as soon as
we're in a room and the doctor comes to check you.”
“You called her, right?”
“Of course I did. She was already here when I
talked to her.”
Another contraction hit me and I squeezed his
hand and tried my hardest not to scream so loudly, but I
couldn't help it. A nurse came over with a wheelchair
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and told us that my room was ready and that Dr. Reese
would be with me shortly. The room that I'd had
reserved had two parts: one part contained the birthing
pool and the other had the recovery bed—big enough for
me and Frankie—and adjacent bassinets for the babies.
My girls were going to stay with me no matter what. I'd
read and seen too many stories about hospitals mixing
up babies or babies being abducted and I couldn’t let that
happen to my children.
“Big Girl, I'm gonna go get your bag from the
car. I'll be right back. You think you can manage without
me for a few minutes?”
“No! No, Baby, don't leave me alone. I need
you!”
“Just a few minutes, Vivie. Baby, I might not be
with you physically for a few minutes, I'm always there
with you. Just keep breathing and I'll be right back.”
“I need you to hold my hand! Frankie!”
“You trust me, don't you?”
“Of course I do, Honey.”
“I know you do. I just want to get you
comfortable so we can go ahead and bring these children
of ours into the world. Give me a few minutes and I'll be
right back. OK?”
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After he left the room, I tried to remain calm.
The nurses came in and tried to hook me up to
something that monitored the length of my contractions,
but I wouldn't let them do it until my husband came
back. I wouldn't even let the doctor explain anything to
me until Frank got back and I was adamantly stubborn
about it. They all thanked him when he returned because
I was being so mean to everyone. He got me changed
and as comfortable as possible and Dr. Reese had
checked my contractions and my cervix, informing us
that I wasn't ready for labor. The water bag broke
partially and I was progressing slowly. I'd have to wait it
out until I dilated enough to push.
It was torture. Frank took me for walks up and
down the halls of the hospital and every time someone
came close to coming up to him and asking him for his
autograph, I shot an evil glare and screamed. It was a bit
much, but that just wasn't the time to be approaching us.
When a contraction would hit, I'd stop and he'd hold me
and I'd cry and scream through it. Frank would kiss me
and clean up my face and we'd start our walk all over
again.
It wasn't until that night that I went into active
labor. We moved into the birthing pool and I had never
done anything that hard before in my life! I had no
medication or anything, just Frank and me in that pool,
pushing and screaming and sweating and crying. I had
become so exhausted from trying to push that I was
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completely ready to give up. He was the best coach I
could’ve asked for.
“I can’t do this anymore...I want to stop.”
“Vivien-Leigh, you can’t stop now, you're doing
fine.”
“I'm tired. I'm too tired. I can’t do this!”
“Bunny, you're doing a wonderful job. I know
you're tired; you've been uncomfortable all day and it's
taking a toll on you, but you have to keep pushing. I
know in a few more pushes, you can get Claire up outta
there.”
“No! I can’t! I'm tired!”
“I know you are, but you came a whole fortyfour weeks and it's a little too late to turn back now.”
“Leave me alone! It's your fault I have to go
through this! You're never touching me again! We will
never have sex again!”
“Bunny, I know you're just saying things
because you're in a lot of pain. It's ok, get all that
frustration and pain out.”
Ronnie brought some more things from the
house for us. Her job was to keep all family members
updated with the progress of our princesses’ arrival. She
spent the majority of the birth on the phone with Nadi,
white washing my pain and making the birth seem as
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pretty as a picture. She also brought Ettie and when she
heard her mama screaming and hollering, she spent most
of the time in her carrier. The boys showed up after
school and although they didn’t want to watch, Tres and
Julez sat in the room with us through the delivery.
“I mean it! Don’t touch me! DO NOT TOUCH
ME! There will be no more rolling over in the middle of
the night! No more sucking on anything! Not my lips,
not my chest, definitely not my breasts, and most
certainly not my—
“VIVIEN-LEIGH! Not in front of the kids!”
“Hey Viv, you can do this, okay? Tres and I
know how much you wanted Claire and Ruby and we're
gonna help you get them out.”
“That's right, Viv. We know that you're going to
be a great mother and you want nothing more than to
hold those girls in your arms, so we're going to hold your
hands. When you want to push, squeeze as hard as you
want and we'll all push with you.”
“All of you?”
“Me, Blue, and Daddy—we'll all push with
you.”
“You boys are so sweet. You're going to be such
good big brothers for my angels.”
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“Alright, Vivien-Leigh, you've got Claire right
there ready to come out. Keep breathing so that her
oxygen levels stay up. One more big push and we can
get her head out.” The boys came over to me and held
my hands. Every time I had to push I squeezed on their
hands and everybody pushed and screamed with me.
Frank would push me forward and the boys would put a
hand on my belly and help me push. On May 12th, 2002
at 11:58 PM, Claire Vivienne-Leigh Lattimore was born.
On May 13th, 2002 at 12 AM, Ruby Anna-Maria
Lattimore followed.
“They’re here! Do you hear that? Oh, Renada,
you have two of the most beautiful little sisters!” I was
so overwhelmed with joy and was excited to finally meet
my babies. Dr. Reese allowed Frank to pull them out and
sit them on my chest. I think he started to tear up when
he heard them cry. I couldn't see his face, but I knew he
was extremely happy. I had the boys follow the nurses
with the babies just to make sure that they had the
receiving blankets, the caps, and to make sure that we
got the right ones back.
“Those are our daughters, Bunny.”
“I know...aren't they beautiful?”
“They're the most gorgeous baby girls that I've
ever seen. We made those, Bunny.”
“They look a lot like you, Frankie.”
“It's those strong Lattimore genes, Darlin’.”
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“Thank you for my babies, Honey.”
“Big Girl, I thank you for doing all the work. I
wouldn't have those gorgeous angels without you.”
Frank leaned over and kissed me as the doctor
did what was necessary to get me out of the pool and
into the recovery bed in the other room where the boys
sat watching the twins.
“Oh, VL, they are perfect! My girls are perfect!”
“Your girls? I’m sorry, Ronnie, did you just
push them out after nearly seventeen hours of labor?”
“Oh hush. You know I love my nieces and
nephews. And I claimed them as mine from the time you
told me you were pregnant.”
“How’d you like to be the Godmother and
Auntie?”
“Frank! You want me to be the godmother?”
She already knew that she would be the godmother of
my kids—we’d made that pact years ago. I just liked to
humor her with making Frank present the offer to her.
They play around and make it seem like they have a
love/hate relationship, but they really do like each other.
“Your sister and I thought about it and we
decided that you and Armand would be good
godparents. Besides, Vy already told us no.” Vy, short
for Viola, is Ronnie’s older sister. We may not be sisters
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by blood, but our sisterly bond could never be broken.
We became a massive triple-sister threat on Broadway.
“Oh hush, Frank.”
“Hey Mom, Daddy, look what Blue and I have
for you.” They came in holding their brand new sisters;
seeing them together was such an amazing sight,
especially for Frank. All of his children were happily
together in spite of his fears that the guys wouldn’t warm
up to the new kids.
“Tres, you called me mom?”
“I mean, yeah. You take care of us just like
we're yours.”
“Sometimes, we're gonna call you mom and all
you can really do is deal with it.”
“I like that a lot, guys. I really do.”
“Alright girls, meet your parents. Claire, this is
your daddy. He's our daddy, too, but I'm sure he'll be
nicer to you because you're a girl. He’s way nicer to your
big sister, Renada, than he is to me and Blue.”
“Son, if you don't stop. Hand my daughter here.
Hey there, Princess Claire. I'm Daddy.” Frank looked so
at peace holding his baby girl. She was at ease in his
arms and he fawned all over her.
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“Princess Ruby, this is your Mommy. She's not
our mommy, but she does a good job with us and I'm
sure she'll do even better with you and your sister.”
“Julian, Sweetheart, please don't make me cry
again.” My stepson—my bonus baby—put my daughter
in my arms and I can’t even explain how I felt. Finally
being able to hold her and meet her and love her face-toface was surreal. Frank slid closer to me on the bed and
stroked her little face with his finger.
“Hey there, Miss Ruby. You really are a jewel,
aren't you? You're Daddy's jewel. Did you girls know
that I helped deliver you? That's right, I pulled you on
out and cut your cords—”
“Daddy, they were there. It was but a few
minutes ago.”
“Even though you're being smart on your damn
mouth right now, I love you.”
“I love you, too. I said some things back there
that I didn't mean to say and I'm sorry. I like having sex
with you.”
“I like having sex with you, too. A lot. A whole
lot.”
“Hey! Little ears, people! And bigger ears who
also find that disgusting.” The boys frowned up their
faces and tried to cover their sisters’ little ears. Frank
and I laughed, but meant every word we said. We enjoy
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making love to each other and I would go through the
pains of labor every time if it was the result of giving
myself physically to the man I loved.
“We're sorry.”
“So, Mom, Dad, how are you guys making out
with your new girls?”
“Wonderfully. Thank you so much for your
help, Dr. Reese.”
“It's my job. You wanna know what they came
in at?”
“Of course we do. My wife was a true
Amazon—strong and fearless—giving birth to such big
girls.”
“Yes she was, and I think I can say that between
the two of you, you're going to have two very tall little
girls. Alright, Miss Claire came in weighing five pounds,
eight ounces and twenty inches long, and Miss Ruby
came in weighing five pounds, ten ounces and twentyone inches ling. I’m guessing that they're hungry and
tired after their long journey into the world. VivienLeigh, do you think your milk has dropped yet?”
“I'm not sure. Is it something I'm just supposed
to feel?”
“A lot of women do, but some don't. You can
start trying to get them to latch on if you want. I advise
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ten minutes on each nipple and if they don't latch on, you
can try again later. We can always get a lactation
specialist to come in and help. I'll be back to check on
you.”
I tried with Ruby first and she was almost
completely latched on, but her bottom lip dropped, so
she couldn't suck. Frank tried to help her by sticking his
finger under her bottom lip, pushing it up to my nipple,
and holding it for a few minutes. When he would let go,
so would she. It was frustrating for the both of us, so
Frank took her from my arms, gave her the pacifier and
distracted her while I attempted to feed Claire. It took
Claire a few minutes before she got the hang of it and
wouldn't let go. I was so emotional while I fed her that I
cried the entire time. Ruby didn't get the hang of it until
a few hours later. The entire time she tried, her daddy
kept volunteering to show her how to do it.
Frank would say, “Hey Princess, you want
Daddy to show you how to do it?” I had to keep pushing
him away from my breasts because he was more than
fascinated with my new advancements. We stayed in the
hospital for two days before being released home. Dr.
Reese's only instructions were to take it easy: no
housework, and six and a half weeks before sex. That
meant that we really wouldn't be doing anything fun
together again until his birthday in August.
I was quite nervous taking them home for the
first time. I just kept thinking that I wouldn't know what
to do if they cried or what to do if they didn't like being
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home with me. They were at ease with Frank, but
sometimes when I would hold them, they would cry. No,
they would wail unmercifully. That really made me sad,
which concerned Frank because he was terribly worried
about me having a bad case of Postpartum Depression.
The worst thing I did was cry uncontrollably for several
minutes on end, but when the girls needed me, I found a
way to pull it together and take care of them.
The only thing that made me comfortable was the fact
that he knew what he was doing as a parent. I thought it
was wonderful to see Veronique with them; she loves
them so much. When I would get frustrated, she would
step in and help. To see her holding and rocking and
consoling them always made me just a bit sad inside
because she would never know that joy for herself.
Ronnie couldn’t have babies and it tore her up every
day, so making her the godmother was a no-brainer.
I learned how to deal with having two babies
who screamed through the night. If one would cry then
the other would feel left out and start hollering right
along with her sister. Frank and I came up with a system
where I would pump bottles at night so that we could
alternate with the late night feedings. We used to have
those Baby...Baby, wake up...the girls are crying. It's
your turn! I just changed them debates all the time. It
was mostly his job to deal with them at night while I
dealt with them during the day and evening. I was
grateful that he agreed to go along with that because I
wasn't able to be the wife I used to be.
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I would always make breakfast and see him off
to work, have something prepared for him if he came
home for lunch, and by the time he'd get home I'd have
dinner done or almost done. Ettie and I would meet him
at the door and I'd take off his jacket and have his
slippers there waiting on him. I'd lead him into the den
and give him a beer and make him comfortable, but
since I was trying to heal and dealing with the girls, he
didn't really expect that any more.
I am completely grateful to him for taking on as much
responsibility as he did with making breakfast, lunch,
and dinner for himself and for me. He didn't want me in
the kitchen—there is an old Southern myth that women
are considered unclean after giving birth and they
weren't allowed to cook or lounge around in the kitchen.
It didn't bother me in the least; I was too tired to do
much of anything anyway.
Frank couldn't be happier for that six-week
period to come because even though he was a patient
man, he could only take so much. His libido is
extraordinary, so he thrives on sex. He didn’t complain
and pester me about it—he knew I needed that time to
heal. So, as a reward for his patience and his wonderful
work around the house, I told him that we could rent a
hotel room and get away from the kids for a weekend. I
was ready to get back to my duties around the house and
I was ready to let Judge Lattimore lay down his bedroom
law!
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We got Ronnie and her husband, Armand, to watch the
girls while we went out of town. We had an amazing
suite with the most breath taking view of the Pacific
Ocean! On our first night, we had a nice, romantic
dinner, we danced, and we drowned ourselves in wine.
He was a little on edge about me breastfeeding and
drinking, but the doctor assured him that it was alright as
long as I expressed the milk that I'd made while I'd been
drinking and disposed it from my system within fortyeight hours before feeding my girls again.
The first time leaving the kids alone was
stressful, so Frank wasn't upset about me calling the
house every hour to check up on them. I missed my
babies, but I was so excited about having my man to
myself for a weekend. Frank had gotten me the shortest
and the tightest black dress he could find and I had my
support garments right underneath it because I was not
pleased with my midsection after giving birth. We were
doing well together—dancing, kissing, and drinking
before my breasts became engorged with milk and I had
to pump.
We went upstairs and he was antsy because he
knew that once the breasts came out, he'd have his
opportunity to pounce on me. “Frankie, Honey, I can’t
find my pump.”
“Where'd you have it last?”
“I packed it—at least, I remembered packing it.
Oh my God, Frankie, I left it on the counter!”
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“Baby, I’ve told you a thousand times to check
behind yourself when you pack.”
“I did, but I started pumping right before the last
makeup consult I did. I started to clean the parts and was
getting ready to pack it after booking that wedding party,
but Ruby started to cry and I ran to feed her and I
must've just left it there.”
“Well, what are you gonna do?”
“Honey...”
“What...?”
“You know how there's a five year ban on
sucking on my breasts?”
“I'm aware of it. Why?”
“I'm going to need you to break that ban. Honey,
please...they hurt!”
“You really had to ask me?” Frank disrobed me
and laid me down before getting on top of me and
relieving my breasts from their strain. You should’ve
seen the awe in his eyes as a set of engorged, DDD
breasts were set free right in front of him. He didn’t
hesitate to latch himself on to the first nipple he saw.
“Damn, Baby, your milk tastes just like red
wine.”
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“That's why the doctor said to drain it from my
system before feeding the girls. Honey, you don't know
how good it feels to have you do this.”
“Whatever pleases you, Bunny, I'll do. It's just
wonderful to spend time with you without hollering
infants, shit-filled diapers, and vomit everywhere. I got
my wife back today...just the way I remember you—in a
sexy little black dress, legs for days, and high heels.”
“And you can finally lie on top of me and not
have my belly in the way.”
“No more awkward sex, that's for sure. Hell, I'm
gonna have to put it in now, Baby. I'm starting to get
tight and I don't wanna pop through my zipper.”
“Go right ahead, Honey. I'm here for your
pleasure this weekend. Anything you want to do is what
we'll do. If you just want me to lie here, I'll do it. If you
want me to do all the work, I'll do it. If you want special
attention, then my head is in your lap. Even if you want
me to be a little kinky and wear the shoes—I brought
them.”
“You brought the heels, Baby? The seven inch
ones?”
“The seven inch ones, Daddy.”
“We can play with those later. I don't think I'll
be able to hold on to what I've got for you.” I unzipped
his pants and pulled them down, helped him into a
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condom, and then helped him insert himself in me. It
was a little uncomfortable at first, but my vagina
conformed to him again. I slowly rocked my hips against
him as he handled his business with my other engorged
breast.
“You don't have to drink it, Honey. We can
move to the bathroom and you can spit it out. I know it's
rather awkward.”
“Woman, you just let me be. I've wanted to do
this since these things ballooned up to a DDD cup.
Breasts have always been secondary to me, but I ain't
never got to play with a pair this big. I think I might start
spending more time up here on these big girls, Big Girl.”
When he was done with his new toys, he got to work
between my thighs. Frank took my legs and put them up
over his shoulders and got as far into me as he could. I
let out a squeal of delight and my husband got excited.
Frank got down to work with me and I followed his lead.
Everything I learned about love making, I
learned from him. He was and is the best teacher I could
ever have and the only man to ever give me an orgasm
each and every time. I never have to fake with Frank; he
knows my body better than I do and no man has ever
taken the time to do that.
Frank and I spent the rest of our getaway
weekend shopping, eating, drinking, sucking, and
making love. It was bliss being with my husband and
doing grownup things without having to cater to the
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twins, but I was still a new mother, so every chance I
got, I called them. Even to this day, whenever Frank and
I go out without them, I still have to call. It may not
exactly be every hour on the hour, now, but I call. I'm
overprotective and so is my husband.
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~~~~
“It's about time you got here, Boy. I was worried
about you.”
“I'm sorry, Daddy, the lines for the bathrooms
are long. Y'all took too long to get here.”
“Blame the wife.”
“I spent a little more time in the bathroom this
morning than I should have. I couldn't help it. Hey,
Julez.”
“Hey Mom.”
I'm admiring my bonus babies, my biological babies, and
their father, and I swear Frank has strong genes! These
kids all look just like him in some way.
“Hi Julezie!”
“Hi Bebe. How's my baby sister?”
“Fine.”
“You gonna let me hold you?”
“No, I want to stay with my daddy.” Ruby's
clinging to Frank's neck and he's patting her butt and
kissing on her. She's the youngest girl and is determined
to stay the baby. Ruby just loves being up under Frank
and will have a fit if she can’t be.
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“Here, Blue, you can take Cookie and I'll just
hang on to Jordie.” They shifted their younger siblings
and Frank beamed as he watched his kids. He's not one
to be overly emotional and crying really isn't his thing,
but having all of his kids together and having the honor
of this day was all taking its toll on him. Ugh...I feel
sick. I have to find a bathroom.
“Someone take Chris; I have to go to the
bathroom.”
“Baby, now?”
“Yes, now! Here, Tres, take your baby brother!”
“No! Mommy!” Chris is putting up a fight as I
try to peel him off of me and hand him to his brother.
“Boy, let go of me. I'll be back. Nadi, come with
me please.”
“Okay, Mama.” Tres is taking his little brother
and Nadi and I are on our way to the bathroom. I don't
know where it is, but I’ll find it; I just have to go.
“You okay, Mama?”
“Not really, Nadi. Did you hear the fit my baby
boy just threw back there? I can’t believe he's as clingy
as he is and I know Frank hopes he grows out of it. That
man is the most determined father that I've ever met.”
“I know Daddy hopes he grows out of it! Chris
is the baby, so I guess it’s hard for him. Everybody does
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everything for him. I know he won’t be acting that way
when he gets bigger—Daddy will not have that. He’s
gonna have him trying to be the man in kindergarten.”
Nadi’s laughing and that’s just how Frank is.
He’ll start telling them, at five, what their manly duties
are and how to do them. Not even my dad was as
focused as he is to make a man out of his son—that’s
probably why my brother is as disappointing as he is.
Frank takes the boys everywhere he can, even if it's just
changing the oil in the cars or changing the tires on the
kids’ bikes; he has them with him, watching and
learning.
Shortly, before the girls turned two, Frank told
me I was pregnant with the boys. It sounds strange, I
know, but it’s true. I was rehearsing with Ronnie for her
debut show at a local dinner club. We were dancing and
singing background vocals and she was pushing me
beyond belief. I was always tired, falling asleep, and
lagging behind her.
“VL, can you move your fat ass, please? You’re
slipping!”
“Look here, you got one more time to call me
fat!”
“Your husband has you sounding just as country
as he is. This has to be perfect—no time for slip ups. I
need this to be clean and precise. Let’s go again, from
the top.”
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“Are you serious? I’m tired. I need a break. I’m
hungry and thirsty. You’re trying to kill me.”
“No, you sitting at home with two kids and a
husband is what’s killing you. You need to get back to
the theater. Stop being lazy; let’s go.”
“I used to like you, I really did. You’re an evil
woman.”
“Fine, you get ten minutes.”
“Oh, wow; ten whole minutes. Gee, thanks,
Warden.” I sat on the edge of the stage and lay back as I
tried to catch my breath. My phone started to ring and
Ronnie started running her mouth again.
“Tell your husband that you’re working. You
don’t bother him at work and he sure can’t bother you
when you’re on my time.”
“Evil wench…”
“What did you call me?”
“Nothing! Hey, Honey. I miss you.”
“I miss you, too, Baby. The girls have been
asking where Mommy was all day.”
“My angels…kiss them for me.”
“I will. Hey, Bunny, lemme ask you something.
You had your cycle last week, right?”
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“Are you really asking about my period? Are
you keeping track of my reproductive system now?”
“I told you he was crazy,” Ronnie chimed in.
“Tell your sister to shut her mouth. Baby, I don’t
keep track, I just know. Who takes care of you when
you’re cramping?”
“You do.”
“That’s right…did you forget that I’ve inserted
and removed tampons for you? A man just don’t forget
shit like that.”
“I know you have and I am thankful that I have a
husband who doesn’t mind taking care of me and going
the extra mile to make sure I feel comforted and loved.”
“Good, now, did you have your cycle last
week?”
“I don’t remember, Honey; why?”
“Vivie, you’re pregnant again.”
“Frank, stop it. I can’t be pregnant.”
“You’d better not be pregnant! If you ruin my
show, VL, I’ll kill you!”
“Can you tell your sister to shut her overly
dramatic ass up? I like her better when she doesn’t do
those damn shows.”
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“Everyone likes her better when she doesn’t do
the shows. You know how she is, Honey; she’s just
trying to be difficult. She’s not serious.”
“The hell I’m not! If you would fight him off
every night, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
“You’re not having this conversation, so hush
up, Veronique! I’m sorry, Honey. I can’t be pregnant. I
maybe a little late, but I can’t be pregnant.”
“Maybe you are pregnant…at least that would
explain why you keep dragging your big butt behind me
while performing simple choreography.”
“Veronique Patterson-Blanca, shut up. Shut up!
Can I have this conversation with my husband, please?”
“Hey, Baby Bunny? I’m sick of being in this
damn three-way conversation. I called to talk to you and
tell you that I’ve got a feeling you’re carrying my baby
again. It’s just a feeling and I’m always right, but I want
you to take a test. Hell, I’ll go get you a test. The girls
and I will be there in thirty minutes.”
“Alright, Honey. I’ll take the test.”
“Good. I love you, Darlin’.”
“I love you, too.”
“He had better not come up in here
monopolizing my rehearsal time!”
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“Ronnie, my love, when was the last time you
rode Armand’s dick hard and extremely fast and just
went off to sleep? I think that would do you a whole
world of good.”
“Oh my God, Frank is rubbing off on you! I
don’t like this new you.”
Frank came down with the girls, I took the test,
and he was as right as rain—pregnant. Four weeks along
at that time. The hardest thing was explaining to Cookie
and Bebe that they were going to have a baby brother or
sister. Cookie warmed up to the idea, but not that Ruby.
Ruby kicked and screamed and cried and clung to her
daddy. Daddy told her that she couldn't do anything
about the new baby other than deal with it because the
baby wasn't going away.
There was a lot more press for Frank during this
pregnancy and I started to feel a little sad being left
alone at home all day with the girls and the house work.
When he had to be away, he would call all the time and
it would turn into all day phone conversations between
him, the girls, and me. In LA, he took the girls and me
with him and he tried not to spoil us, but he couldn't help
himself. He made sure he was home when I had my
twenty fourth week check up to determine the sex of the
babies. From our first ultrasound, we knew we were
having twins.
“Mr. and Mrs. Lattimore? Dr. Reese is ready for
you now.”
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“Thank you.”
“Come on, Big Girl. I got you.”
“Thank you, Honey. I'm glad you're here with
me to hold my hand.”
“I'd never miss this, Darlin’. I want to be at
every doctor's appointment.”
“You should be, you knocked me up.”
“Damn right and I damn sure knocked you up
good, too.” We walked into the exam room and Frank
helped me up on the table.
“Are you two still arguing?”
“It's all we have between his work and twin
girls.”
“We manage to sneak sex in every once and a
while.”
“I can see. How are you today, Vivien-Leigh?”
“I'm really good today. I know I’m having two
more busy bodies. They rarely keep still in here!”
“You should see them kicking in there, Doc—
just nonstop action.”
“Really? That's a good sign! Smart and alert is a
good sign at this stage. Judge Lattimore, can you help
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Viv get undressed from the waist down for me? I want to
do a vaginal exam to make sure things are going well. I'll
be back in when you're done.”
“Yes Ma'am.”
“Lord, I didn't expect one of those today. It's so
uncomfortable.”
“Baby, you should be used to having an arm up
there.”
“What are you talking about?”
“How do you think you got pregnant?” He
raised his eyebrows and gestured slyly at his manhood
and Dr. Reese started to laugh.
“So, you put your semen in your hand and stuck
it up there?”
“...So damn smart...” Frank helped me change
and get settled on the table with the sheet over me. Dr.
Reese came back in and performed the examination. She
made a lot of inquisitive noises, but told us nothing. She
took off her glove and put my legs down from the
stirrups. Dr. Reese went on and started with the
ultrasound and I squeezed Frank's hand as he tried to
comfort me and stay strong for the both of us.
“It's just what I thought.”
“What?”
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“Is there something wrong with our babies?”
“Look at this—there's the spinal column and it's
long, so you're gonna get another tall child. Alright, legs,
let's hope these kids wants to open them for us so we can
see—oh, there it is! Look at that!”
“Another son!”
“Judge Lattimore, that's the umbilical cord, but
you're right, you're having a baby boy.”
“My first son!”
“And to his left would be his baby brother.”
“Twin boys! Told you the Lattimore genes
carried boys!”
“Twin boys. Frankie...you knocked me up
good.”
“I told you!”
“I think you guys should tell Claire and Ruby
that they've got to get ready for two baby brothers soon.”
“Bunny, Ruby will not take this well. She's
adamant about being the baby; she's not going to like
this at all.”
“Well, she's got you to blame for it. So you have
to break this news to your baby girl.” Frank and I went
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out to lunch and did some prep for the babies,
contemplating a way to break the news to the girls.
The day after the appointment, Frank had to go
to work and he decided to take the girls with him. Tres
was going to keep an eye on them while he went through
his caseload. He wanted me to be able to have some time
to myself and feel pampered while I have some free
time. Frank wanted me to get myself all pretty and show
up on set so we could break the news to the twins over
dinner.
“Daddy!”
“Daddy! The girls ran out onto the set as they
were wrapping up the case and Tres came out right
behind them.
“Hi Daddy!”
“Daddy, what you doin’?”
“What are you two doing out here? Where's your
brother?”
“I'm sorry Daddy, they got away from me.
They're smart!”
“That’s because they're my babies.”
“I'll take them back, Daddy, I'm sorry.”
“We stay wif Daddy!”
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“No! I want Daddy!” The girls fought away
from Tres as Frank came down off the bench.
“How are my babies? Have you been good for
your big brother?” Cookie and Bebe grabbed onto his
legs and began hugging them tightly.
“Yes, Daddy!”
“We good girls, Daddy!”
“Daddy, they lying! Those little girls are bad!”
“They aren't bad, they're just busy.” He sat down
on the defendant's table and dragged a chair over to prop
his leg up on it.
“Judge Lattimore, those are your twins?”
“Yeah, these are my little carbon copies; the
wife and I have a problem telling them apart, so we keep
a red string on Ruby's wrist and a pink one on Claire's
wrist.”
The girls were vying for his attention, just like
they always did. To our girls, all three of them, their
daddy is the moon and the stars. Frank picked them up
and stood them in the chair in front of him while the
crew cleaned up the set. A few of the staffers stopped to
admire our beautiful angels.
“How hard is it to deal with twins?”
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“Oh you just wouldn't believe how hard it is.
And they've hit the 'terrible twos’ so it drives me crazy.
It's worse for the wife because she's six months pregnant
with another baby and she's with them more than I am.
Vivien-Leigh does a great job being a homemaker.”
“Daddy!” began having a royal fit because she'd
been trying to crawl up on Daddy and he wasn’t paying
attention to her. Claire saw her sister in pain and started
crying and wailing, too.
“Little Girls, you cut that out this minute!” She
fell straight down on her butt in the chair before she
started kicking at Frank. The staffers looked on, smiling,
but Frank was angry; he wasn’t going to have anyone
believe he raised kids who behaved in a manner like
this..
“Don't do that for her, she's just so spoiled. The
last thing my brats need is an audience.” He picked her
up and held her in his arms. She clung to him and he
whispered in her ear, warning her about him giving her a
whooping as soon as he got the chance. Claire held on to
his leg and he realized he was in over his head with the
both of them.
“See, Daddy, I told you they were bad.”
“Stop calling your sisters bad—they're busy. I've
got this.” They started to quiet down and Claire went
back to playing and hugging on her daddy's leg. Ruby
continued to be babied.
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“Miss Vivien-Leigh must be so excited to be
having another baby.”
“You know something I don't know? Vivie loves
being a mother and she's dealing with this unexpected
pregnancy. My woman is phenomenal.”
“Why, Judge Lattimore, I am awfully flattered.
How you do go on!”
“Mommy!” I came in from the side of the set
and Frank's entire face lit up; I've been told that he had
the same effect on me. Tres got up and came over to help
escort me over to his dad and sisters.
“Hey Ma.”
“Hey, Tres. How were your sisters?”
“They were wonderful.”
“Really? I'm surprised to hear that.”
“Mommy! Hi Mommy! Mommy!”
“Hey Vivie.”
“Hey Honey. I missed you so much today.” I
kissed him in between the words of my greeting and
kissed him hard, open mouthed, and tongued right
between 'much' and 'today.'
“Mommy!”
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“Hi Bug-a-Boo!”
“Hi.” Cookie hugged my belly and held on
tightly. I held her and rubbed her back as I kissed her
head. She put up her arms and hopped up and down,
signaling for me to pick her up and I obliged.
“You sure are looking good today, Baby. I see
you have on that new dress I just bought you. I thought
your man didn't have great taste?”
“Well, you did a good job picking this out. It's a
little too low cut to wear during the day so I put this
camisole on under it. If we go out for dinner tonight, I
might take it off...or wear that other dress you bought
me. What's wrong with Bebe?”
“She had a fit cause I wouldn’t bend to her will.
Here...come sit next to Daddy.” The staff started to
catcall as I sat next to Frank. I leaned around him to see
my youngest twin as he kissed me on the face and neck.
I kissed her on the cheek and stroked her hair.
“It's alright, Baby Girl.”
“Mommy gotta big tummy.”
“Yes, Princess Claire, we talked about
Mommy’s tummy being big. Mommy has a baby in her
tummy.”
“Baby be good, Mommy?”
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“Yes, Cookie, the baby is being very good. Just
like you and Bebe try your hardest to be.”
“Bebe sad, Mommy.”
“I can see that. Are you sad, too?”
“Uh huh.” She nodded her little head. I pulled
her up on my belly and held her close, rubbing her back
and comforting her.
“Everyone remembers my wife, Mrs. VivienLeigh?” We all got reacquainted and as usual, but my
girls couldn't help but interject. Ruby sat up in her
daddy's arms and tapped me on the shoulder.
“Mommy?”
“Yes, Baby Girl?” Ruby pointed at my tummy
before she patted it. Claire started to look up at me and I
could tell from the look in their eyes that it was time to
break the news to them.
“Daddy, it’s time to tell your baby girls the good
news.”
“You know what, Angels? Daddy and Mommy
have something to tell you about the new baby.” I sat
Claire up on what was left of my lap so she could hear
and see everything we had to say.
“You girls know how you were both in
Mommy’s tummy at the same time?” They nodded;
things were going well…
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“Well, Mommy has two boys in her tummy, just
like you two were in Mommy’s tummy. They’re your
baby brothers.” They looked at each other and then back
up at us. That’s when it started to sink in.
“Like me and Cookie?”
“Just like you and Cookie, but when they get
here, they’re gonna need a lot of love and attention.
Mommy and I are gonna love you and take care of you,
but you have to share all that love and care with your
new brothers.”
“Why, Daddy?” They were beginning the twin
thing—simultaneous questioning.
“Now, you girls are getting bigger and it's time
that you both learned how to share. Share your toys and
share things with not just each other, but with others. In
three more months, you're going to have to share Daddy
and Mommy with your new brothers. I know you have
big brothers Tres and Julez and big sister Nadi, but
you're going to have two new baby brothers to love and
play with and share with your Mama and Daddy.”
“But Daddy, I'm baby!”
“Bebe, you'll still be the baby of you and Claire,
but you're getting baby brothers.”
“Why, Daddy?”
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“Because Mama and Daddy are having more
babies, that’s why.”
“Why, Daddy?”
“Look Ruby Anna-Maria, we are not going to
love you any less or treat you differently; you're just
going to have to learn how to share. That's the end of
that.”
They started to pout and I knew the water works
were soon to follow. My girls are masters of the
dramatic water works. They poke out their bottom lips,
twist slowly back and forth, the eyes get big, and the
tears follow shortly after. The floodgates hadn’t yet
opened, but they were slowly starting to release.
“Good, now that that’s out of the way, Tres,
come get these girls. Go round up their stuff and get
them ready to go. We'll be done out here soon.”
“Yes, Sir.” Tres started to reach for them and the
floodgates were open! They cried and held us tight. I
can’t even begin to explain just how frustrated my
husband became.
“No, Daddy! Daddy, I stay wif you!”
“Bebe, you can’t do that right now. Daddy will
see you in a few.”
“Mommy! No, Mommy! I stay wif you!” They
were screaming and hollering in our ears and I knew he
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was frustrated and going to discipline them. Claire
started crying initially because Ruby did and it's a part of
their twin thing—one cries, and the other cries just
because. If one falls down and hurts herself, the other
one starts crying and feels like she hurts herself, too.
“Hand Cookie to me.”
“Frank, don’t be too upset with them.”
“Let me discipline my twin girls, Vivie. Hand Cookie
here.” Frank excused himself and took Ruby and Grace
back to his personal dressing room and he spanked them.
He knows that I hate to hear them in pain, so he has to
take them to another room when he spanks. I had tears in
my eyes as I tried to pull myself together in front of the
staffers. I failed. I didn't calm down until I saw Frank
coming back out.
“Frankie, was that necessary?”
“Yes it was.” Frank took me in his arms and
tried to comfort me as best he could. I dabbed at my eyes
with tissue and tried to get my face back together.
“Aww, Mrs. Vivien-Leigh, are you alright?”
“Sweetheart, I'm fine. I'm just so connected to
them that it hurts to hear them cry or be in pain. I know
they need discipline and I'm just not the one to do that.
It’s funny. My brother and I were rarely disciplined—we
were spoiled rotten, but I remember my Daddy being the
one wanting to spare us from my mother.”
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“That’s because your mama’s crazy. The woman
made you kneel in raw rice in a corner with your hands
behind your head. That’s torture. Spanking is fine—what
she did was wrong.”
“She didn’t make us do it all the time. Just once,
when Clark threw me into the glass end table and we
broke it.”
“You’re bleeding and instead of her taking you
to the hospital, she makes you kneel on rice. She’s
crazy.”
“She’s Cruzan! And a little crazy, Honey, stop
it!”
“Look, they’re fine. You so damn sensitive.”
“They’re my children! You know I don't like
hearing or seeing them in pain.”
“The kids need discipline and we have to do it
now before it's too late.” I didn't say anything; I just put
my makeup bag away and sat there quietly because I
knew he was right. He turned to me and kissed me on
the cheek.
“So now you're not talking to me?”
“No, Honey...I just know that you're right.”
Frank sat next to me on the table and put his arm around
me, trying to comfort me. I slid off the table and he held
on to me as I tried to get my big butt up on his lap.
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“Wait a minute, Big Girl, Daddy's got you.
There you go.”
“Thank you.”
“Awww!” The staffers all reacted to this hard
old man being sensitive and intimate with his big
pregnant wife. He blushed as I put my head back on his
shoulder and kissed his jaw line.
“Judge, your twins are precious! They look so
much like you.”
“Don't they, though? They have his chubby
jaws, his high cheekbones, and his nose, oh my God. I
just hope that one day they start to look a little like me.
All they got from me is the eye shape, those big lips, and
that hair is the both of us.”
“You wear your hair natural, don't you, Miss
Vivien-Leigh?”
“I sure do. I've never had a relaxer; my mama
used to press it out until I was about thirteen and then
she started letting me decide what I wanted to do with it.
I've been doing the wash and go ever since, and
sometimes I'll go get something else done with it. I'm
doing the same with them. When they're older, I'll let
them decide what they want to do with their hair.”
“And they have a lot of it. I tried to do
something with it this morning and all they could do was
cry. I tried to comb one and they both cried.”
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“I told you not to comb their hair! You don't
comb dry hair, Frankie, you put that Shea Butter mixture
I made on it and you work it through. No wonder my
poor babies were hollering so much this morning.”
“You didn't tell me that.”
“I tell you that all the time, but you don't listen.
Well, who did their hair since it looks so decent?”
“When I got here this morning, the ladies in the
hair and makeup department did it cause they felt sorry
for them. Came all in with their little pitiful faces and
those big bottom lips hanging and had everybody
wrapped around their fingers.”
Everyone laughed and he tried not to chuckle
about it because he knew he was wrong for hurting my
babies’ heads. Frank rubbed my belly and left his hand
on top of it, observing the moving patterns of his babies
in progress.
“Those little girls are something else, I tell you.
They're in this phase where they just learned how to
open doors. They never want anything in particular; they
just like to know what's on the other side. They always
seem to do that when I'm in the bathroom. I'm just sitting
there and here comes the door opening and they're
standing there giggling.”
“Oh yes, my girls are quite inquisitive. They've
walked in on me quite a few times as well—I'm sitting
there reading the paper and then the door opens. Instead
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of it being you, it's Frick and Frack standing there going,
'Hi Daddy! What you doing?'”
“They'll ask you a few questions and then giggle
and run off, leaving the door wide open. Thank God they
can’t figure out how the main doors or that patio door
work. I'm so afraid they'd go outside or let in Godknows-who.”
“They're too smart for their own good. That
damn Ruby Anna-Maria is just so spoiled and she gets to
me; she makes me feel bad for spanking her.”
“Daddy loves his babies and the minute they
pout, you start to feel sad. Ruby loves her daddy, that's
for sure. Every time you go away, she wakes up in the
morning and all I hear is 'Where is my daddy?' 'When is
Daddy coming home?' 'I miss my daddy.' Poor child
could care less about me.”
“Yeah...my baby's first word was 'Daddy' and
Claire's first word was 'Mama' and their first word
together was 'cookie!' I think my girls are making me
soft, Baby.”
“Little girls always do that to their daddies. You
wanted them and now you've got them and it hurts your
heart to hear them cry, but you act like it doesn't. You're
a good daddy who's going to buy his babies ponies.”
“Not ponies. A pony. Hell, Nadi got one, and
they should, too.”
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“How lucky are your kids? You're going to buy
them a pony?”
“We’re thinking about it. We decided to teach
the girls how to ride and it's going pretty well. They're
just getting the hang of being on the horse alone.”
“They love to ride with Daddy. He gets up on
the horsey and I hand him the babies and they ride for
hours.”
“I love hearing them have so much fun up there
with me. First time I put them on the horse by
themselves they just screamed the entire time; however,
I think they're starting to warm up to it. I'm gonna take
them out this weekend and get them on a pony to see
how that goes.”
“Do your girls know how lucky they are? A lot
more parents need to expose their kids to things like that,
especially at a young age.”
“Of course not, they're two, they think
everybody lives like we do. I keep telling them to stop
taking those toys and things for granted. For every
morning I step on something, it's one more thing that I
want to take away and donate to kids who'd appreciate
them.”
“They're babies, Honey; they don't know any
better about it. That's why we have to keep teaching
those little busy bees.”
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“I think we’re done here, Guys. It was good
talking with you again, Miss Vivien-Leigh. Judge, we’ll
see you tomorrow.”
“Same here. Everyone have a good night and be
safe.”
“Alright, y’all—bright and early, we’re back at
it!” Frank and I continued to enjoy the moment alone as
everyone left. We knew we would have to go back to
reality with those spoiled girls of ours in a matter of
minutes. We had to make the best of it.
“Baby, I’ve been meaning to tell you just how
angelic you are when you’re with child.”
“Thank you, Honey.”
“I mean it. When I got up this morning, I had to
tear myself away from watching you. You were just
lying there in your bra, with your belly exposed, those
long limbs wrapped up in the sheets, and just snoring
your heart out. You were beautiful. You are beautiful.”
I took his face and pulled it down to mine and I
kissed him. I kissed Frank hard and passionately,
forgetting my surroundings and my manners.
“You’re trying to get some of this cookie before
we leave here, aren’t you?”
“It would be nice if I could, but I’m serious. I
don’t think I tell you enough just how much I enjoy
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you—being with you and loving you. I’d just never felt
this peace that I feel with you in my past marriages. I
know we said we wouldn’t bring those up, but it’s true.
God sent me an angel; I had to go through hell to get
you, but it was worth it.”
You know my husband had me a teary mess in
his arms. I know I sound just as country as he does, but
it’s true. I was a big emotional mess.
“Oh, don’t start all that right now.”
“I can’t help it. I love you so much and here you
come complimenting me and being so sweet like you are
and I get emotional. It’s nice to be loved and
appreciated—especially by my chauvinist husband.”
“Because you know ‘they’ can’t possibly think
that I love and cherish my wife. You stay at home with
the girls and all I want you to do is take care of them and
have a meal or two for me when I get home. You don’t
have to clean and fetch like a chauvinist would expect
his wife to. You live a pampered life, ‘cause your man
makes sure you have the best of everything.”
“I know, Honey.”
“You why I take care of you the way I do?”
“Why’s that?”
“Because the sex is so goddamn good. Baby, I
don’t know what kinda Cruzan roots you put on me, but
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I swear, getting up in your cookie jar makes me twitch! I
feign to get between them pretty bronzed thighs. Shit.”
I reached up and put my hand over his mouth.
He meant well, but as he tends to do, he ran out. I
couldn’t help but laugh.
“Honey, don't make me laugh, the boys get
going in there and I end up having to go to the
bathroom.”
“I'm sorry, Baby. I need to ask you now before I
forget; I might need you on the show as an expert
witness next week.”
“For what?”
“I think I got something about a makeup artist
and then something again about dancers.”
“The only dancers that come on your show are
the kind that take their clothes off. I am not and nor have
I ever been that kind of dancer.”
“I know that, VL. I don't know how I put up
with you.”
“I guess I can do that. It's the least I can do.”
“Yeah, right. You know what's the least you can
do? Let me have some dessert after dinner tonight.” He
whispered in my ear about wanting a little personal
attention since he gives so much to me.
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“You know what, Honey? I may let you get a little bit of
that dessert before dinner.” I have no qualms with
adhering to his personal requests and I know he needed
it seeing as how we weren't having that much sex. We
went back to his dressing room and after Tres took the
girls home for the evening, I gave Daddy what he
wanted.
We had a more altered sexual routine than we'd
had when we were pregnant with the girls. We tried to
be as intimate as possible when we could, but it didn’t
always work out. This pregnancy kept me tired. One of
the few times we were in the mood to make love, all hell
broke loose. Right when we were in the midst of the act,
the labor pains came. What Frank thought were screams
in praise of his lovemaking prowess were actually
building contractions.
“Frank...Frank...Frankie...oh my God!” I let out
the loudest and most intense scream I could and he kept
right on behind me, humping and pumping away.
“That's right, Bunny, say my name...but tone it
down, we don't want to wake the girls.”
“Honey, stop.”
“What's the matter, Vivie? I know it's good to
you.”
“Frankie, please—I think I'm going into labor.”
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“Oh my God.” He dismounted me and moved
over to his side of the bed, trying to roll me on my side.
“Damn, it seems like a baby pops up every time
a lay a hand on you. Baby, I want you to just lie still and
I'm going to start timing these contractions. In the mean
time, I'm going to clean you up and get you dressed—
hell, I gotta get the kids up and put clothes on them,
too.”
“Frankie, it hurts.”
“I know it does, Baby.”
“You don't know how bad it does.”
“I can only imagine, Bunny. Just bear with me,
Darlin.’ Have I ever done wrong by you?”
“No.”
“We've done this before, right?”
“Uh huh.”
“We're going to do it again and I'm going to be
with you every step of the way. You trust your man,
don't you, Baby?”
“Of course I do, Frankie.”
“Then don't worry.” He kissed me on the
forehead and held my hand as I struggled through
another contraction. They started getting closer and
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closer together and by the time he had gotten all of us
dressed and out to the car, the contractions were 4 ½
minutes apart.
My doctor met us at the hospital and when she
checked me out, she said that one of the boys had his
foot wrapped up in the umbilical cord and the other had
it around his neck. Oxygen wasn't getting through to
them fast enough and I had to go in for an emergency CSection.
This was a life or death surgery. I kept praying
for my babies. Frank was strong as usual and we prayed
with the kids to prepare for surgery. This time around,
we let the older kids come up with the names for the new
babies. The baby that was always on my right was
named Jordan because Tres and Julez said that in one of
the ultrasounds he had his arm up like Michael Jordan.
Nadi named the baby on my left Christopher because,
according to her, Christopher’s are always fine. Frank
gave them middle names—Jordan Memphis and
Christopher Charles Franklin. He gave Christopher his
name just because he wanted at least one of our sons to
have that piece of him and his father just like Tres did.
My boys were born on November 14th, 2004 at
5:06 and 5:09 AM, just some three hours after I'd been
rushed to the hospital. Jordan was born first and he came
in weighing 8 ½ lbs. and was twenty inches, while
Christopher weighed 8 lbs. 11 oz. and was also twenty
inches long.
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“Here's our youngest son, Bunny. Look at
Christopher Charles Franklin Lattimore.”
“He's beautiful, Honey. My baby...Frankie,
where's Jordan? Where are they taking my baby?”
“Calm down, Vivie, I'm sure there's an
explanation for it.”
“I need to know where my baby is going! Where
are you taking my son?”
“Vivien-Leigh, Frank, I have to be honest with
you. Jordan suffered a lot having that umbilical cord
around his neck. He came out blue and can’t breathe
very well on his own, so we have to take him down to
the Neonatal Unit and get him hooked up on a breathing
machine so he can build up strength in his lungs again. I
promise you, he will be fine.”
“I need to be near my son. I don't want him
down there alone. He needs to know that his mommy
loves him.”
“I can’t let you do that right now, Vivien-Leigh.
We’ve got you stitched and bandaged up and we have to
get you down to your room; I'll have Christopher meet
you there and in a little while you can go down and see
Jordan.”
“Doc, if Vivie can’t go see him now, can I at
least go down there to check on him so I can let her
know he's alright?”
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“That will be fine.” Frank stroked my hair and
kissed me on the forehead as I cried. I can’t even explain
the feeling I had of not being able to see my new baby
and hold him and let him know that I was his mommy
and I loved him. It was upsetting and confusing and
Frank and the boys tried calming me down. When I was
finally able to see him, I sat next to him and watched
him breathe along with the machine. I gently stroked the
back of his hand and out of nowhere, he wrapped his
little finger around mine. I cried.
All the kids came down with their father to see
their new brother. We held a small prayer circle for him
and Frank tried to keep me calm during his stay there.
He was finally able to breathe on his own after a three
day stay on the breathing machine in the NNU. I was
overjoyed to finally take my boys home and spoil them,
despite the fact that they used me for food and peed and
spit up all over me all the time. Dr. James Aubrey, the
girls' pediatrician, quickly took on the boys as patients
since Jordan needed immediate care for his breathing
issues.
Once, Frank went out of town for a speaking
engagement and left me alone with all the kids. Thank
God for Julian. That boy held me together as best he
could when he wasn’t dealing with his extracurricular
activities and his friends. There were times when I
couldn't deal with the crying and the fussing between
Claire and Ruby and I would just cry, causing them all to
stop. The girls would get so scared that they would call
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their daddy and he would spend twenty minutes or so
just to talk me down.
One night, Frank was on his way home and I
was tired of the boys crying to be fed every half hour, so
I brought them in the bed with me. I fell asleep off and
on feeding them, so I'd just lie on my side and let them
nurse. I'd fed Jordan and burped him and got him back to
sleep in the middle of Frank's side of the bed. I fed
Christopher and was in the process of burping him
before I fell asleep again with him on my chest. I was
woken up when I heard Claire and Ruby scurrying into
my room.
“Mommy sleeping, Cookie.”
“We need Mommy, Bebe! The monster!”
“Sshhh! Be quiet, your brothers are asleep.”
“Mommy, we sleep wif you?”
“A monster in me and Cookie's room, Mommy.”
“Come on and get in. Be careful, your brothers
are in here.” They started to crawl up on the bed using
the footstool and once Claire got on, I started to make
room for Ruby. Before I could get Jordan out of the way,
Ruby had crawled on top of him. She pressed all of her
weight on his chest and he started to scream this bloodcurdling cry that was masked in wheezing.
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“RUBY, GET OFF OF HIM! WHY DID YOU
DO THAT?”
“Sorry, Mommy. I not mean to.”
She began to cry, her sister joined in, and once
both boys started to scream, and I began to panic. My
daughter could have killed my son, and even though it
was an accident, I was just so upset with her. I started to
scream at her and cry out of frustration. I had to get
Jordan to the ER and it was all too much for me to deal
with.
“Dammit, Ruby! Look, Ruby, Claire, go to your
room, get your shoes on and get your coats. I have to
take your brother to the hospital.” I yanked them off the
bed and put them down, pushing them to go to their
rooms. We’d woken Julian, who’d stumbled blindly into
my bedroom.
“Hurry!”
“What’s all the noise about? What’s wrong?”
Julian was still in a sleepy daze. He wiped the sleep from
his eyes to get an understanding of what was happening.
“Julez, I have to take your brother to the
hospital. Bebe crawled across his chest and he’s in a lot
of pain.”
“Viv, you sure you can do that? You’re shaking
real hard right now. You want me to call Daddy? I mean,
I could drive you if you wanted.”
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I bundled up the boys as best I could while I
held Jordan and tried to comfort him. I knew Frank was
on his way home, so I didn’t really want to bother Julian,
but I needed assistance getting these kids to the hospital.
I was starting to crack under the weight of the pressure
from being a mom.
“Your father should be home soon and I didn’t
want to bother you. I just need to get this boy to the
hospital before anything gets worse. Julez, Baby, I need
help.”
“Don’t worry about it; I’ll help you. I’ll get
Chris dressed. Just calm down and hold J.”
I was so glad that his father had instilled him
with dignity and pride and gentlemanly qualities. I
needed someone strong to step in, because I was literally
falling apart. Frank has a way of knowing when I need
him, too. He called at the right moment.
“Hey Baby, what's all that screaming about?”
“Honey, where are you?”
“Just got in the limo, I'm on my way home.
What's the matter? Calm down, Darlin.’”
“I had the babies in the bed with me and the girls
came in and Ruby crawled across Jordan's chest and I
know he's hurt and I have to get him to the ER now! I
need you to meet me there, Honey. Please!”
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“That's fine, Vivie. Baby Girl, I need you to
calm down. You're no good to getting the kids there
safely if you are all worked up like that. Matter of fact,
where’s my boy? Go get him up and let him take you.” I
started to cry uncontrollably while Frank kept it calm
and tried to ease my angst.
“What’s the matter, Bunny?”
“My baby is in pain!”
“I know, but I want you to take three deep
breaths with me. Come on Baby Bunny, breathe with
Daddy.” We started to breathe together and he told me to
think about what's best for Jordan and what was best was
me being calm and letting Julian drive us safely to the
hospital so he could be checked out.
“All better?”
“A little.”
“I will see you at the hospital, Bunny. I love
you.”
“I love you, too.” Julian and I finally got the
kids in the car and I got Chris to calm down, but Jordie
was still upset, with good reason. We got to the hospital
and Frank was there waiting on us. He took Jordie
straight from my arms and held me with his free arm as
he kissed and comforted us both.
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A doctor got to see him and I told him what
happened. By the grace of God, my baby was fine. His
ribs were going to be soft for a little while and his
wheezing would endure because he was diagnosed with
asthma. They gave him infant painkillers and wrapped
him up and sent him home. We went to bed that night,
both Jordie and I wrapped in Frank’s arms.
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~~~~
“You back, Baby?”
“Yeah, I'm back.”
“You alright?”
“I'm fine, Honey.” Frank's shifting Ruby in his
arms and pulling me close, trying to kiss me on the lips.
I'm turning my head and he's getting my cheek. I'm
brushing off his shoulder and drumming my fingers on it
as I think about what’s lying ahead of us. I know he's
probably upset with the fact that I just did that, but I
don't want to kiss him right now.
“Vivie?”
“Anybody have any gum? Mints? Something?”
“Here Mama, I got some gum.”
“Thank you, Julez.” I'm taking the gum and
Frank's patting me on the butt and studying me. I know
my man well; he's trying to figure out what's going on
with me. I guarantee you he won’t get it. He's kissing me
on the neck and resting his hand on my butt.
“Baby, you gon’ tell me what's wrong?”
“No, because there is nothing wrong, Frankie.”
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“Judge Lattimore? We're ready for you and your
family now.”
“Alright, we'll be right there.” I'm turning my
head and Frank landed a kiss on the lips. I'm kissing him
back and straightening up Ruby in his arms.
“Everybody ready?”
“Yes, Daddy.” The kids and I are giving our
collective response and Frank's just beaming with pride.
“Mommy!”
“Oh alright, Boy, come here.” I'm reaching back
for Christopher and trying to straighten up his shirt.
Frank's leading me next to him and we're pressing on to
the stage set up. We're all taking our seats and I'm
reaching over for Frank's hand.
“This is it, Honey.” I'm crossing my legs and
sitting Chris down on my lap and holding him back
against my chest. I'm getting closer to Frank and
gradually growing nervous. There's a speaker and he's
going on and on about something and all I can think
about is how good of a man I have.
We've had our ups and downs, but in the end
we've always stood by each other and supported each
other. I have the type of man who is rather old
fashioned: he wants his stay at home wife to take care of
his babies and always have a cold beer and dinner
prepared from scratch on Sundays through Thursdays.
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On Fridays and Saturdays, he wants his woman to put on
the little black dress and the four-inch heels and go out
on the town with him.
He has always said that I was the greatest
housewife and stay at home mother that he'd ever
encountered. He was adamant about me not working
because he's seen his mother work and she worked hard
to better her community by teaching in the public school
districts of Memphis. Frank didn't want me to have to
work that hard, but he didn't mind me having outside
projects. If I got offered a part in a stage play or
production, he encouraged me to go for it—just as long
as it wasn't too far away and didn't take too much of my
time away from home.
The only conflict that actually arose as it
pertained to my career was my wanting to focus on inhome makeup consultations. I wanted to do classes and
professional work for fashion shows and weddings and
other things, and Frank was not happy with that
decision. We argued for months; sometimes we'd scream
so loud, we'd wake up the kids. I finally got tired of
arguing with him and just gave in and gave up. He said
his final no and I left it at that.
“Frankie, why can’t I do this? I know the
amount of work that goes into it and I can balance it! I
know you think it's going to keep me away from my
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duties at home, but I can do it. Honey, just give me the
chance to prove myself!”
“Vivien-Leigh, I'm tired of talking about this! I
said no! You don't know what goes into running a
business and taking care of an entire household. I don't
think this is a good idea and I'm done with it.”
“Frankie, please?”
“No.”
“Fine, I won’t do it. Dinner will be ready in an
hour and a half.”
“Thank you, Ma'am.” He kissed me on the cheek
and I got up from the coffee table, picked up the laundry
basket and went back to my housework. I'd done all of
the girls' clothes and I was on my way to wash Frank’s
and mine.
I couldn't take the constant arguing with him
anymore. If he didn't want me to try my hand at
something that I knew I could do with no problems, then
I just wouldn't do it. I was tired of being unhappy
because we had gotten into yet another argument and I
would rather be unfulfilled with my work than unhappy
with my husband.
We went on with the rest of the day like nothing
happened. I did the laundry, put out dinner, and took
care of him and the girls. After we'd given them their
baths and put them to bed, I went back downstairs to
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finish cleaning the kitchen and their playroom. When I
went upstairs to get ready for bed, I ran into my husband
sneaking his way from the girls' room.
“Are they alright?”
“They're fine. I just wanted to get another look
at my sleeping beauties. Vivie, come on in this room, I
want to talk to you.” He took me by the hand as he led
me into the bedroom and sat down on the leopard print
chaise lounge at the foot of the bed. I stood in front of
him and crossed my arms and stared at the floor while he
looked at me and moved his head around, trying to get
me to make eye contact. Frank put his hand on my hip
and rubbed it gently.
“Bunny, what's wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“It doesn't look like nothing, Baby Bunny. Tell
Daddy what's wrong.”
“I said it's nothing, Frankie.”
“It's about you starting your own business, isn't
it?”
“You said no, so that's the end of it.” He nodded
his head and I felt tears of anger well up in my eyes.
“Aw, now, why are you crying?”
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“Because you said no! You always say no when
I want to do something outside of this house other than
shopping and running errands! And don't call me 'Baby
Bunny!' It only reminds me of good and intimate times
together on the beach in Aruba! You don't want me to be
anything other than your shadow!”
“Have a sit down on Daddy's lap.” He slapped
his thighs and helped me down on his lap and held me
close.
“You think I just want you to be my shadow? To
be there ASAP when I spill my beer? Just to run behind
the girls all day? I'm not a chauvinist, Vivie—this much
I know you understand. I want you to live comfortably
and that means not having to have a career because your
man takes damn good care of you. Yet, I understand that
that's not enough for the women today.”
“I'm happy with you, Honey. I'm happy with our
children, but every once and a while I'd like to be able to
get out and do something that's just for me, something
that I love and something I'm good at and if I can make
some money from it, then that makes it even more
fulfilling.”
“I understand that. I also understand that we've
been fighting about this for three months now and we
haven't made love ever since. Look, Vivie, I know you
want to get out of the house and do your own thing for a
little while, but I just don't want you to get overwhelmed
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by doing so many things at once. I just want you to be
comfortable and happy.”
“I know you do, but like I've been telling you, I
can handle doing it all. I just want the chance to try. I
just want the chance to just show you how tough I am.”
“I'm too overprotective of you, Vivien-Leigh.”
“I know you are, and it's not a bad thing. I just
want to try, Frankie. Give me six months to try and work
it out and if you think it's taking me away from home, I'll
stop. Please, Honey? Please, Daddy? Baby Bunny just
wants to try.”
“Now you want to be Baby Bunny?” I wrapped
my arms around his neck and pushed my cleavage up
under his chin while I nibbled on his ear.
“Please, Daddy?”
“I’ll give you six months, Vivien-Leigh. You
know what Daddy did for you?”
“What?”
“Daddy took the time to put together some
legally binding contracts for you and this new business. I
want you to read over it and we can change it if you
want and tomorrow we can go down to the bank and set
up an account for this new limited liability corporation
of yours.”
“Are you serious?”
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“Yes I am. You are adamant about this and I
shouldn't have ignored your pleas. I should have listened
and I'm sorry. You are very good at your makeup thing
and you deserve the chance to show the world.”
“Thank you, Frankie. Thank you so much,
Honey.” We kissed hard before breaking apart and
looking deep into each other’s eyes. I got up from his lap
and made my way over to the bathroom. Frank sat there
with a smirk on his face while he rubbed his chin.
“What?”
“I mean, three months and we haven't done as
much as peck on the lips. I just thought there would be
some reconciliatory humping in my future.”
“You let me have my business just so we would
make love?”
“Partly. Hell, a man has his needs.” I stood there
and looked at him in absolute shock and awe as he
started to roll his eyes and mentally prepare for another
argument. Frank stood up and looked like he was ready
to step into another war with me. I charged at him and
hopped up in his arms.
“You're lucky you weren't standing next to the
bed. That TV saved your life.”
“Why is that?”
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“Because I was ready to tackle you and you
know that when I tackle you, you end up sore and
wearing a neck brace to work.”
“I see. You want me to put you down and take a
few steps to the side of the bed? Cause you give me the
type of pain that hurts so good and I don't mind wearing
the brace.”
“No! Baby Bunny wants to stay here.”
“What does Baby Bunny want to do?”
“Baby Bunny wants to ride Daddy really, really
hard, then Baby Bunny wants Daddy to flip her over on
her back, throw her legs over his shoulders, slide in even
deeper than before and proceed to hump her into total
submission as she screams his name and thanks God for
the fact that he knows how to please her like no other.”
“Daddy is ready to oblige and satisfy Baby
Bunny and fulfill her every need and desire. Three
months and I haven’t had a piece of this pussy? Woman,
I’m gon’ make you see stars!”
That was the night that we conceived Jordan and
Christopher, and he realized that I was able to handle
several projects at one time. He let me have my
business—Faces of Beauty by Vivien-Leigh, LLC—and
in return, I continued to run his house, his office, take
care of him and his babies, and in the end give him two
more little Lattimores.
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~~~~
“Judge Lattimore, Lattimore family, would you
please stand? Mrs. Lattimore, can you stand right next to
your husband?”
“I can certainly do that; that's where I look my
absolute best.” Everyone's laughing as they try to get us
arranged next to Frank.
“Judge, you think you can hand the baby to your
wife?” Frank's trying to hand over Ruby and I know
there's no way I can hold her and Chris at the same time.
She's clinging to his neck and not letting go.
“Bebe, you want to go with Mama for a few?”
“I want to stay with Daddy.”
“I'm guessing that would be a no. You're fine,
just as long as you can raise your right hand.” Frank's
shuffling Ruby around in his arms and beaming with
pride right now. When I tell you that my man sets his
sights on a goal, he accomplishes it. Right now, he's
reaping the benefits of his harvest.
“Ladies and gentleman, citizens of Los Angeles,
California, I give you, our 52nd mayor, Judge Charles
Franklin Lattimore, Jr.!”
There is a standing ovation for my husband and I
am officially married to the most powerful man in Los
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Angeles at this moment. What? You didn't know he was
running for mayor? Well, remember when I told you that
I asked him those five important questions that every
woman should ask a man who's showing interest in her?
Remember when I asked him what his long term and
short-term goals were? He said that he possibly wanted
to run for mayor of LA because he wanted to change
lives—and that wasn't just talk. When my man says he
wants to do something, he does it.
“We will actually have a few words from the
new first lady of Los Angeles, Mrs. Vivien-Leigh
Lattimore.”
“Good morning, Los Angeles. I don't think I've
ever been big on titles, but I’m very sure that I'd be lying
if I said being the first lady wasn’t an amazing feeling. I
would just like to thank the entire city for the love and
support that you all have shown our family this election
year. Now, what can I say about my husband?”
“What can you say, Baby?” The crowd is
hooping and hollering and it feels so good to be in the
midst of all of this.
“What can I say about my hardworking man? I
am so proud of my husband for being all that he claims
to be. He entered this election as a Southern judge turned
TV personality and he swept this election like it was
nothing! One news anchor said the way Frankie won this
election, it were as if he had run unopposed! That's
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because people know that my man means business and
when he stands, he delivers!”
There's more applause and cheering and the kids
are all excited and hyping up their father. I know he feels
good to hear me brag about him the way that I am. He
always says it makes a man feel good to hear his woman
brag about how well he does his job.
“Aside from thanking you, Los Angeles, I have
some things to say to my husband. Frankie, Honey—I'm
sorry, Mr. Mayor—could you step forward, please?”
Frank's rising and coming over to the podium to stand
next to me, putting his arm around my waist and holding
me close.
“When I met you some seven years ago, one of
the things you told me was that you were thinking about
running for mayor of Los Angeles. Look what you've
done. You've achieved so much in your career and I am
so proud to call you mine. You gave me four beautiful
babies and three big handsome and gorgeous bonus
babies and you've enriched my life in a way that I cannot
explain. I wouldn't change any of it for the world. I love
you, Honey.”
“I love you, more, Bunny.”
“I'm so proud of you. I know I've been saying
that since you've won the election, but I mean it. I really
do, Honey. I just feel like the luckiest woman alive every
day that I’m with you. And to keep in line with this
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celebration, I think it’s safe to say that you and our
children need to make room for another baby
Lattimore.”
“Bunny, you're pregnant?”
“That's right, Honey!” The crowd cheered, and
my husband’s face beamed.
“Thank you, Vivie, I think that's the best gift I
could've gotten for this.”
I hold on to my hat and lean down to kiss him.
The crowd's oohs and ahhs caused Frank to become
flushed. He's heated and ready to get to his mayoral
duties. I kiss him one last time and step back from the
podium to let him make his remarks while he’s officially
introduced again.
“Los Angeles, I won’t hold him back any longer.
You know who he is, you voted for him. You know what
this man can do, so I present to some and introduce to
others, our great mayor, Judge C. Franklin Lattimore,
Jr.”
“Los Angeles?” The vibe here is like church! It's
like a mass revival and everyone's feeling the spirit.
Frank's speeches can turn into sermons, but I think this
one will be a great fit for the atmosphere.
“I said, Los Angeles, are you ready for a
change? I know you are and I'm ready to bring it in. My
wife kicked this off in one of the greatest ways possible.
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First, I'm sworn in as mayor and now I'm having another
baby—I don't think things could be any better right now.
I think I knew something was up; she normally wakes
me up at the crack of dawn to force a thirty minute jog
with the babies down my throat every morning.”
There's laughter and applause and I'm standing
here with Christopher holding my leg and Ruby holding
my hand.
“This is a big change that I'm prepared for and I
believe Los Angeles is ready for a major change as well.
I think you want a man that's not going to just talk about
it, but a man that's going to be about it and that's what I
am.”
Frank's motioning for me to come over to him
and I'm sitting the kids down and fixing myself up again.
“You all have met my wife, you've met me, and
you see my family at the community centers working
with the kids when I don't take my trip back to Memphis
to spend time with my daughter and follow up on old
cases. My wife and I have started an initiative to help
women get back into the work force and teach them how
to budget, how to dress for success, and how to look for
success. I work with young men and teach them
leadership qualities and how to be men. That's what we
need more of in Los Angeles. We need more responsible
citizens, willing to work with these young people and
bring up a generation of more aware and prepared young
people.
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“I know how hard it is to raise kids; I have seven
and another one or two on the way. I want my children
to be able to see the progress that we're making now and
want to continue making a different kind of progress in
the city. We need more concerned parents in the schools,
participating with the teachers and making sure that their
kids are getting the best possible education. I know what
the school systems are like. I lecture in these schools, I
volunteer in these schools, and even though my I have
one college grad, one entering college, one in high
school, and my younger kids aren't in a school yet, I
know what I have to look forward to with this
educational system and I want to work to have it
changed.”
I'm applauding and I know I keep saying this,
but you just can’t imagine how proud I am of my
husband. I knew from the moment that I looked into his
eyes that he was going to change lives. Listening to him
speak gives me chills because he speaks nothing but the
absolute truth and it drives me wild.
“Los Angeles, I know I'm putting a lot to you
right now and I can go on for hours, but I just want to
make it crystal clear to you that you picked the right man
for the job. I want nothing more for this city but a
change for the better. My wife will tell you that when I
stand, I deliver. I cannot be moved or intimidated. When
I take a stand, things get done. I want to lead this city
into the future and I believe the first place to start is with
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our children. We can do it, LA, and I thank you for
putting your trust in me to get it done.”
“Ladies and gentleman of Los Angeles, our
fifty-second mayor, Judge C. Franklin Lattimore! Did he
move you or what?” The crowd is in an absolute frenzy!
They're all chanting his name and going wild. I'm
grabbing him by the face and kissing him passionately,
just as we do at home, showing him again that I don't
care who knows or who sees just how much I love him.
He's done nothing other than take my already
full and interesting life and turn it into a loving and
lavishly imperfect fairy tale. I know it’s never perfect,
but I’ve loved every twist and turn that’s come my way.
I’m looking forward to the plot twists that lie ahead of
us. I know some people may think that I'm just a rich
and spoiled housewife with a chauvinist husband, but I
don't care; my chauvinist husband is a real man and he is
the real man that's going to change Los Angeles for the
better.
“Now, I know that we're supposed to save the
music and the dancing for the reception, but I have to do
this. The first time I met my wife, it was a few blocks
from here at the Waterford on a Sunday afternoon just
like today and we ended up in this very park where we
shared our first dance to Etta James' 'Sunday Kind of
Love.' Now, unbeknownst to her, I found the same band
and the same vocalist and brought them here today. I
want to share a moment with my first lady.”
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He's leading me to the center of the stage and
holding me; the band is playing and the vocalist is
belting out our song. I'm in the mood for a little
nostalgia.
“You know something, Franklin?”
“What’s that, Miss Vivien-Leigh?”
“We're dancing to Etta James' 'A Sunday Kind
of Love' and I think that's exactly what we may have.”
“Well, Darlin,’ I think you just might be right
about that. ‘A Sunday kind of love’…I like the way you
put that.”
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About The Author
Necolia Grant is a pure southern girl, born in raised in
Charleston, SC. She is a graduate of Johnson C. Smith
University’s class of 2005. At JCSU, Necolia majored in
Liberal Arts with English and Writing concentrations
and was the assistant editor of the university’s student
newspaper, JCSU Student News. Writing is Necolia’s
first love and true passion; she started writing at the age
of 13 and always dreamed of becoming a published
author. Although this is her first published work, she
aspires to create many more classic novels and has hopes
to adapt them for the silver screen. To learn more about
this GRITS—that’s Girl Raised In The South, for you
Yankees—follow her on Twitter @MissGAWorld1976.
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