Time and Unforeseen Occurrences

I need to press the rewind button in my head to listen to the conversation that I just had with my niece Quincy. She said that my only child is lying in the hospital in Danville because she tried to commit suicide. But that can't be because MY child, wouldn't do anything like that. Only quitters take the easy way out of things, and taking your own life definitely fits into the category of being a quitter. I want to say that I didn't raise my child to be a quitter, but that would only be half truth, because I did not raise my child, at all...my mother did. But Monique or no one else can say that I wasn't there for my child, because she never needed for anything: 5000 for braces, 2500 for dancing and gymnastic lessons, $7000 for a nice car, not to mention the clothes, doctor bills, two and half years of college. I gave her the best things money could buy. Did she ever appreciate anything that I ever did, NO! There was never enough, she always wanted more, more of me that I could give at the time. All mother would have to do is pick up the phone and say Monique needed, and within hours or days she got. But there was always drama between Monique and I, always drama!

How do I handle telling the boys that their mother is in the hospital, should I explain everything? No that's too much for their little minds to comprehend. I will just tell them that their mom isn't feeling well.

When I called Monique last night to remind her that I was taking the boys shopping she didn't sound no more down than usual. Seems like she's always depressed about one thing or another, even as a child she was the same way. Being married to Miles can't help matters, just make them worse. Now that I think about it she sounded a little relieved that I had made plans with the boys and she told me that instead of picking them up at home to pick them up at school, and to be a little early. Now what could have happened between last night and today that would shake her up so bad. I wondered why when I got to her apartment she wasn't there, and why I had to wait in the car for the boys to come home from school, when I could have picked them up there. No telling with Monique, well let me go tell the boys that they will be staying with me tonight.

Wait, first things first, I climb down from my bed and smooth out all the wrinkles from my wine and beige Jacquard bed set.

I need to see how my hair looks, I find my hands are shaking as I push falling hair out of my eyes. I make sure my eyeliner is visible, everything is in place. Not a perfume bottle, fingernail polish, body or hand lotion out of place.

I step out of my bedroom and I walk down my highly polished wood hallway and head toward my husband's game room. He loves this room and when the grand boys are in there with him it seems to make the room even brighter. He decorated the whole room himself. The carpet he chose was a dark brown. He has a leather couch and two leather recliners to sit on, a huge bar with four stools that have thick leather padding. Behind the bar is a mirrored wall with a Manhattan Bridge and backdrop of Manhattan and the twin towers stenciled in gold. He has a huge pool table, a ping pong table, a pin ball machine, a big floor model television, with two or three of those play game things that you attach to your television. Men and their toys, and then there is a picture of sports players on the wall, but the only one I recognize is Micheal Jordan. This room is every man's dream room and he's every woman's dream and he's mine all mine.

I walk into the room and there is Jacob in his recliner watching the boys who are laying on the floor, one on each side of his chair playing one of those game things that's connected to the television. It appears to be football. I walk over and kiss Jacob on his bald head. "You men having fun?" I ask them. Jonathan answers "Yes Grandma, I just beat Grandpa and now I am working on Marcus."

"Boys can I have your attention for a few minutes?" All three turn their full attention to me. "Your mother doesn't feel too well and she wants you guys to stay with me for a couple of days, how do you feel about that?" They look at each other with full grins and say, "yeah."

"What if I order us pizza for dinner would you guys like that?'

"Yeah" they both yell once again.

"Yes," I correct them.

"Zee why don't you make that two I feel like I could eat a whole pizza by myself., " Jacob says and turns and winks at me. What he really meant was the boys could eat a whole pizza by themselves, but they don't ask for seconds or really anything. We have to offer them anything we want them to have, their mother taught them that they shouldn't beg for anything and be grateful and thankful when people give them things. Anything I want them to have, I would have to have a debate with Monique about it, because of pride makes it hard for her to accept anything for them, even from me, her own mother. Which now when I think about it is funny, because she didn't put up an argument when I brought up the subject to take them shopping, she was highly agreeable. As I turned to walk out the room, I glanced back at my three men and I realized just how much all of them meant to me.

I went in the kitchen and dialed Pizza Hut. I ordered one medium supreme and a medium meat lovers. I didn't want to think about Monique at the moment so I started thinking about Jacob my husband, how we met, our friendship, his proposal.

Flashback*****

Some people think I married Jacob for his money, not true I had my own, I didn't need his, but I didn't mind the perks our money together could buy. I met him back in the late sixties at a factory he and I both worked at. It was a big deal when the factory moved to Martinsville, because Martinsville, Virginia is a small town and needed all the economy help they could receive and this brought in good money. Anyone who worked at this plant was considered a high roller because you could make a lot of money here, and they paid well. The plant was divided into three, eight hour shifts. The hours were eight to four, four to twelve, twelve to eight, and the plant was set up so that it never closed. The money was great and I was blowing it as fast as I got it.

The people I worked with became my second family, because I would see more of them than I did my real family. We would do lots of things together. We had bowling teams, took vacations together, partied together, you name it and we did it. Jacob worked down the line from me and so we communicated a lot.

When I first began working at the plant I was living with my mother and Monique, but she lived in the country and that was little commute going back and forth. But eventually the commute became a pain. I mentioned to Jacob one day at lunch that I was thinking about moving to the city and I was looking for somewhere to live. He told me that he was investing his money into realty and that he had a house that if I was interested I could rent. I checked it out and I loved it. It was a two bedroom, one bath, living room and kitchen with a cute little yard. After announcing to mother that I was moving and asking her if she would let Monique stay here, I started packing. She told me that Monique could stay with her but that I would have to be the one to tell her my intentions. When Monique got the news she was very upset and she cried for days. When it was time for me to leave she didn't even say goodbye. I told her I would call twice a week and I would come to see her at least once a week on my day off. I tried to keep my word but the phone calls and the visits both would always end in drama. Thinking that if I had someone with me she wouldn't get dramatic, I took Jacob with me several times and I even took Jacob's niece Quincy hoping that they would become friends. Well that was the one smart thing I did in my life because they became closer than friends, they became like sisters. Yet still times I went by myself to visit, Monique would cry hysterically every time I would leave. To avoid the scene I started working overtime on my day off and buying her lots of extras. Since the times were good, the people I worked with threw lots of parties and I partied a lot to overcome the guilt, at times I partied too hard.

I had a lot of friends but I also had a reputation as being a perfectionist and saying whatever was on my mind. I had made supervisor and it was my reputation and hard work that helped get me there. Trying to live up to my reputation made it hard for people to get real close to me, it was hard for me to show my vulnerable side. But with Jacob that was different, since renting a home from him, he and I had become real close friends, I thought like brothers and sisters. We saw each other at home, at lunch, the bowling alley, and well everywhere. We would set each other up on dates and then compare how the date went and at the end of the date, we somehow would always end up together laughing. I didn't see him as attractive, he was too tall and too dark and he was losing his hair. He was always there for me, if I was upset about Monique. If he was at a party where I had partied too much he would drive me home and stay with me, he even escorted mt head to the toilet, holding back my hair, he was my best friend.

One day when Jacob came over to the house to fix a leak he asked me if he could ask me a personal question. "Sure," I replied. "Zee how are you handling your finances?"

"Excuse me," I replied, "Jacob I don't think that's any of your business."

"I'm sorry, but I just don't understand with all the money that you are making, why it is that you are still renting from me. You should be investing your money, and take it from me real estate pays off."

"Buying a house means responsibility, I equate buying a house with having a husband, children and settling down. I'm not quite ready for that." Jacob scratched the top of his balding head and looked at me as if he was surprised at what I just said.

"It sounds like you're not ready to become rich, do you think good times and money are going to last forever? One day you are going to be a senior citizen, social security looks shaky from what I've been hearing. Why do you like working for your money, instead of your money working for you? By the time I walk out of that plant to retire, I am going to be a millionaire, and you are helping me get there every time you pay me rent. Now when that times comes and I forget to thank you for helping me to become a millionaire, let me do it now by saying thank you."

I had to step back and take a look at this man, I had never heard him or anyone else speak about becoming a millionaire and not with such confidence and I knew that he meant every word! From that day on I started respecting money and myself more. I stopped the party life and the problems that came with it, and I have the ten step plan to prove it. I started saving for the future, with Jacob's help I bought me a house. It was a three bedroom, two bath, living room with a nice big kitchen and dining room attached. I turned one of the bedrooms into a den with a sofa bed for Monique when she stayed over. I turned another bedroom into a office and that's where I paid my bills and kept account of my own realty. Monique was hoping that a house meant that she could finally come and live with me, but I explained to her that my work schedule was hectic and the thought of her being there alone so much didn't thrill me. Besides I really didn't like the idea of her moving to the city after staying in the country most of her life, and my mother would be hurt if she left her. Monique took this bad, and my conscience was getting the better of me, so to help me deal with mt feelings I cried on Jacob's shoulders a lot.

With Jacob's guidance I eventually ended up buying and selling or renting over 35 houses and owning two apartment complexes. Jacob taught me about buying and holding which meant I buy a house and hold it, and the renter pays for it and rehabilitation which means I buy a piece of run down property, fix it up and then sell it. I tried it all, and had fun doing it. He helped me with my taxes until I learned how to do them alone. Jacob owned four times more property than I did, but I wouldn't have traded my houses or financial Independence for nothing in the world. I was able to do so much for my mother and daughter. We both continued working at the plant and like all good things that come to an end so did the factory. The closing of the factory hurt a lot of people and it would have hurt me too if it wasn't for Jacob.

Jacob and my friendship had blossomed into something deep. I thought it was better than marriage (at least that's what I used to think). Once the plant was closed I missed not seeing him every day. We would talk on the phone and he would come by and visit but it wasn't the same. I no longer needed his help when it came to buying and selling homes, I had even helped one of my uncles who had retired from the Navy to invest in real estate.

One day Jacob called me and asked me if I would go to dinner with him and after wards a drive in the country. I couldn't believe how fast my heart was beating and I blurted out yes before he could get the question out. We went to the old Dutch Restaurant located on 220 in North in Collinsville, Virginia. We talked as if we hadn't seen each other in months and it had only been a week or so since his last visit. That night I thought he was looking especially handsome and I was glad to be with him. After dinner we took a ride and ended up on the east side of Martinsville going in the direction of Danville. After heading 58 we rode the highway for about 5 miles until we got to a new housing development that was located on the right side of the highway. This subdivision had some of the most beautiful and largest homes that I had ever seen, it made the subdivision Laurel Park look middle class instead of what it was meant to be for people with money.

We rode around until he pulled into the largest house in the subdivision. It was white a brick with beautiful light fixtures at the beginning of the driveway cemented into brick moldings that were the same color as the house. It was so beautiful, Jacob shut the motor off his Lexus and we both got out of the car. We walked towards the house and attached to his car keys was the key to this beautiful house. He put the key into the door and the latch made the sound it does when it's been unlocked. I walked in first and I was surrounded by this beautiful foyer where the floor was made out of pure cream white marble, and there was this huge beautiful crystal chandelier above our heads, I lost my breath.

The main floor had three bedrooms and two baths on the top floor. The main floor had a master bedroom with a huge bathroom and huge walk in closet, that could have been a bedroom itself. There was also the living room, the dining room, a game room, a den that was off the side of the biggest kitchen I had ever seen with cabinets that were pure cherry with a kitchen nook that had a large deck that was connected to the den. There was also a third floor or I guess the basement that had two bedrooms, one bath and a living area, with a small kitchen. I put my hand over my mouth, so that I couldn't yell out, because I had never seen nothing like this except on television and I was actually standing inside one.

Jacob then took me back to the foyer, and got on one knee, here this man over fifty on one knee, my heart was in my throat. The light from the chandelier almost had his bald head blinding me.

"Zee I have known you for a long time and we have been through a lot together. I think I know you better than you know yourself. I love you, I've been in love with you for as long as I can remember. With us being friends I just never knew how to approach the subject of us possibly being together. Not only do I love you, but I love Monique too. I asked your mother a long time ago that if the time was ever right could I have your hand in marriage and she gave me her approval. Monique helped me picked this out."

Jacob reaches in his pocket and brings out a blue ring box. "Zee I once told you I would be a millionaire one day, well I reached that a couple of years ago, but like they say, what good is money if you do not have someone to share it with. I bought this house hoping you'd be the one to share it with me and make it a home."

I'm speechless, utterly speechless, I think I'm going to faint. My knees are like rubber now and just when this couldn't get no better he opens the blue box and in it shinning was the biggest diamond ring that I have ever seen!

"Zabeta Iman Wilson will you marry me?"

I whisper "yes," as I fall into his arms and kiss him for the very first time. He had the most softest lips and the sweetest tongue I have ever tasted.
"What took you so long to do this?" I found I was asking myself.

Present*******

The doorbell rings and bring me back to the present, my heart is now pounding exactly the way it did when Jacob proposed. I pay for the pizzas and I give the young driver a nice tip, the memories made me feel real happy.

I grab a serving tray, four paper plates, one beer for Jacob, and three sodas, and the pizzas, I pile them on the serving tray and head for the game room. I am in a good mood and I want to keep that feeling, so I will put Monique in the back of my mind until tomorrow. This moment I will just enjoy being with my three favorite guys.