Family Values Read online

  Robin rubbed her hand across her nose. After looking at her hand she ran into the bathroom.

  MADISON

  Are you alright?

  Suddenly there was a thump that came from the bathroom. Madison ran to the door but could not open it. She took her phone and called E-911.

  38

  Robin lay on her side in a hospital room. She played with the I.V. hose that was inserted into her wrist. The room door crept open. Slow and steady footsteps approached her bed. Robin felt a hand rub her shoulder.

  ROBIN

  Why are you here?

  NOAH

  I was making my rounds and I had to check on you. I must say – this little stunt in the hospital is pretty good. I wished that I had thought of it.

  ROBIN

  This is not a stunt. (Robin rolled over and sat up in her bed.) I am pregnant.

  Noah looked at Robin with confusion on his face. He sucked his teeth and frowned.

  NOAH

  Are you sure?

  ROBIN

  Why would I lie about something like this?

  NOAH

  How far along are you?

  ROBIN

  Three months.

  NOAH

  Great! Just great.

  Noah began to pace the room. He shook his head in disbelief. He stopped at the foot of her bed.

  NOAH

  You are just lucky that I was smart before you went and had sex with him. You are about to blow everything up. First Apollo gets killed for breaking into the office and now you can’t keep your damn legs closed. The only thing that you were supposed to do was marry Dwight. Sometimes I think that mom should have just had me. I am the only one with the damn brain in this family.

  ROBIN

  I worked my ass sitting with that old man. Cooking, cleaning his ass, and putting up with that hellish biddy.

  NOAH

  That was the only thing that you needed to do.

  ROBIN

  Noah why don’t you go to the Westside of hell – where it’s the hottest.

  NOAH

  I have been there already.

  ROBIN

  What if all of this blows up in our face?

  NOAH

  It won’t.

  ROBIN

  But what if it does?

  NOAH

  Now that you are pregnant it might. You love dick don’t you?

  ROBIN

  Just as much as you like it going in your ass and wherever else you put it.

  Noah went and sat on the couch. He crossed his legs at the knee.

  ROBIN

  Do you think that Dwight will hate me once he finds out that I am pregnant?

  NOAH

  Exactly the opposite. At least I have an inside source that I know I can get some money from for the time being.

  ROBIN

  How?

  NOAH

  I am fucking Trenity. I have him about where I want him.

  ROBIN

  Trenity? Isn’t that Madison’s husband?

  NOAH

  Exactly.

  Noah stood and walked over to Robin’s bed. He placed the palm of his hand on Robin’s stomach. She looked down at his hand and back into his eyes. She could see the evil that was in his eyes.

  NOAH

  I put a year into this. I plan on coming out a millionaire. (He begin to squeeze her stomach) So you better pull yourself together and start helping me get this money.

  ROBIN

  You are hurting my stomach.

  Noah looked dead into her eyes. He gave her a devilish smile and took his hand off her stomach. Before Robin could say anything Noah punched her in the stomach – hard. Robin let out a loud scream and grabbed her stomach.

  NOAH

  That baby would mess everything up and I am not the one to share.

  Noah raced to the door but heard footsteps coming. He turned and hid in the closet. Nurses rushed into the room to check on Robin. Tears ran down her face. One nurse pulled the Covers back and saw a puddle of blood. They immediately wheeled the bed out of the room to the operating room.

  Once Noah didn’t hear anything in the room he came out of the closet.

  NOAH

  She better not forget that we are in this together. For the long haul.

  39

  Madison and her grandmother sat on the back porch. Grandmother Ella rocked in her chair sipping on a mimosa. The sun set in high noon. Madison looked over the yard.

  MADISON

  Gran, what do you think about Dwight selling all of this?

  GRANDMOTHER ELLA

  He will have to do it over my cold dead body. That Will that he has has got to be a fake. There is no way that Jefferson Davis would make him executor.

  MADISON

  I thought so also.

  GRANDMOTHER ELLA

  Have you talked to Trenity?

  MADISON

  A few days ago.

  GRANDMOTHER ELLA

  And?

  MADISON

  There is no “and”. He wants a divorce. I told him that I was not going to give him a divorce.

  GRANDMOTHER ELLA

  Great.

  MADISON

  He is blackmailing me.

  GRANDMOTHER ELLA

  Return the favor. I thought that I reared you to be a strong woman. I don’t need a weak bitch on my side.

  MADISON (shocked)

  Grandmother!?

  GRANDMOTHER ELLA

  I am serious. Turn all of this around on him. I have already had the bank to foreclose on his pharmacy.

  MADISON

  You did what?

  GRANDMOTHER ELLA

  I knew that you could not do it. I made a few calls and made things happens. So now that he doesn’t have any money coming in he will have to come to you. That is when you will decide what you are going to do.

  MADISON

  He has already come to me.

  GRANDMOTHER ELLA

  And what did you do?

  MADISON

  I gave him the money.

  GRANDMOTHER ELLA

  Just damn stupid.

  Madison could not believe what her grandmother was saying to her. She rose from her seat to walk into the house.

  GRANDMOTHER ELLA

  Where are you going?

  MADISON

  For a drive.

  GRANDMOTHER ELLA

  Make it a long one. Apparently you can’t think on short ones.

  MADISON

  Tell me gran – how much are you paying Robin to marry Dwight?

  GRANDMOTHER ELLA

  Enough.

  MADISON

  Really, why do you want him here. All of this time you have hated him and now you have him running the company.

  GRANDMOTHER ELLA

  Come here and let me explain something to you.

  Madison walked over to her.

  GRANDMOTHER ELLA

  I know how the people of Waynesboro talk. I sit with them at the country club and listen to the things they say about other families. I don’t want any homosexuals in my family. I don’t want any divorces in my family. I didn’t want any suicides in my family. I will not allow anything to diminish the Cove family name.

  MADISON

  SO this is all about you?

  GRANDMOTHER ELLA

  No it’s not. I know what it feels like to have scandals in your family and everything is taking away from you. I know what it is like to have your father leave one day going for groceries and never coming back and then have your mother leave you in a park alone for days. I know what it’s like to be dirt poor and wonder where your next meal is going to come from.

  MADISON

  I didn’t know.

  Ella rose from her chair and walked up to Madison.

  GRANDMOTHER ELLA

  Get yourself together and get Trenity back into your house.

  MADISON

  I am not sure that I want him back. I caught him fucking someone else. That someon
e else was a man.

  GRANDMOTHER ELLA

  I could give a damn if he had his dick in a man and two dicks in his mouth. YOU MAKE IT WORK!

  I walked onto the porch slowly and staggered. I pulled the cork out of the wine bottle and turned it up to my mouth.

  GRANDMOTHER ELLA

  Have you lost your mind drinking my wine like that?

  I flopped down into a chair and turned the bottle up again and took a long drink.

  MADISON

  I don’t think that I have ever seen you drink like this before. What’s wrong?

  I looked up at Madison. I placed the bottle between my thighs.

  DWIGHT

  Robin…Robin was pregnant.

  MADISON

  What do you mean…was pregnant?

  DWIGHT

  I just left the hospital. She was three months pregnant. She lost them.

  MADISON

  She was having twins?

  DWIGHT

  Yeap.

  GRANDMOTHER ELLA

  Were they yours?

  Madison and I turned and looked at her. Madison kneeled down beside my chair and placed her hand on my knee.

  MADISON

  Dwight I am so sorry. I really am. I need to confess something to you.

  GRANDMOTHER ELLA

  Madison I thought that you were going for a long drive.

  MADISON

  Grandmother is …

  Before she could finish her statement Grandmother Ella took a stick and wrapped Madison across her back. Madison quickly fell to the floor in pain. Dwight rushed down to help her. Madison rolled on the floor holding her back with her left hand. Grandmother Ella just stood there.

  DWIGHT

  What the hell is wrong with you?

  Grandmother Ella dropped the stick on the porch and walked into the house.

  DWIGHT

  Do you want to go to the emergency room?

  Madison could not speak for the pain. As tears flowed from the corners of her eyes Dwight wiped them away.

  SIX MONTHS LATER

  40

  Madison walked into her ex husband, Josh Wiley, office. Madison was married to him, privately while in college. She had the marriage annulled after a year. His secretary announced Madison’s arrival. Madison walked into his office with her purse on her arm.

  MADISON

  Thank you for seeing me Josh.

  JOSH

  I want you to come over here and give me a hug.

  MADISON

  I don’t think that is necessary.

  JOSH (grabbing his manhood)

  I definitely think that it is.

  Madison placed her bag on the couch and began to walk over to him.

  JOSH (placing his hand up to stop her)

  You know – I expected you to sit up on your high horse a few more minutes before you caved. Especially since I remember…I make your skin crawl. But you know that you were always easy.

  MADISON

  I didn’t come here to fight with you.

  JOSH

  That’s pretty obvious. Either you came here for one of two reasons. Either you want to know how our son is doing or you came for a favor. Which one is it? Oh wait let me tell you…you came for a favor. Being that you never ask about our son.

  MADISON

  How he is?

  JOSH (taking a seat behind his desk)

  He is doing great. You know that he graduates from high school in two years.

  Madison let out a sigh. She began to bite her bottom lip as she stood in Red Bottom shoes.

  MADISON

  That’s wonderful.

  JOSH

  Now what favor do you want?

  MADISON

  You have a contract with my brother, Dwight, to transport three thousand barrels a day from his well. I want you to cancel the contract.

  JOSH

  I am the only company with trucks to move that kind of oil in Waynesboro. If Dwight can’t move his oil he’s going to stop drilling. Is that the kind of game you and your grandmother are playing now?

  MADISON

  What are you talking about?

  JOSH

  Everyone knows that Dwight took over your grandfather’s company and someone delivered the updated and correct copy of the “will” to him. You and your grandmother have been messy every since I have known you.

  Madison grabbed her bag off of the couch in a haste.

  MADISON

  I am leaving. I don’t have time for this.

  JOSH

  Please don’t leave.

  Madison stopped in her tracks.

  JOSH

  I will do it. I will pull my trucks…but it’s going to cost you a hug.

  41

  I stormed into Madison’s office with fire in my eyes. I rushed to her desk and snatched the papers out of her hands. Slamming them down, I stared into her face.

  DWIGHT

  Did you have anything to do with Josh Wiley stopping his trucks from servicing my rigs.

  MADISON

  I don’t know what you are talking about.

  DWIGHT

  Bitch don’t play with me.

  MADISON

  I think that maybe you need to talk to him.

  I walked around Madison’s desk. She scurried back from me. I pulled my sister by her Venus neck blouse. Thoughts raced through my mind and my eyes switched from left to right. Finally I released her and she fell back into her chair.

  DWIGHT

  I know that you did.

  MADISON

  Look – I didn’t have anything to do with him stopping his trucks.

  I walked over to the window and looked out.

  DWIGHT

  Does Trenity know that you were once married to Josh.

  MADISON

  Why would you ask me that?

  DWIGHT

  Just curious. I mean after eloping at the age of 17, getting a divorce…

  MADISON

  It was annulled.

  DWIGHT

  Right annulled. You know getting pregnant by another person, and Josh, your then husband, did not know of such pregnancy. True that is grounds for an annulment.

  Madison grabbed the letter opener from her desk and threw it at me. Luckily it missed and became stuck in the wall. I pulled it out and licked the tip of it.

  DWIGHT

  You know behaviors like this can get you fired but since you are my sister I will let it slide this one time.

  MADISON

  Get out of my office.

  DWIGHT

  Call Josh and tell him to start those trucks back to running or it will be hell for you.

  MADISON (screaming)

  Get out!

  When I exited her door she quickly picked up her phone to see if her caller was still there.

  MADISON (sternly)

  Robin are you there?

  ROBIN

  Yes.

  MADISON

  I need you to hurry and marry Dwight.

  ROBIN

  You know that you and your grandmother are some evil bitches. I am tired of being used.

  MADISON

  You will do as we have instructed you. Now collectively we are giving you $1.7 million. Once you have married him you will perform your duties as a wife but make sure that you do not sign a prenup.

  ROBIN

  You know that he is going to have me sign one.

  MADISON

  It is your job to persuade him that one is not needed.

  ROBIN

  He knows that I don’t love him. Dwight and I have had this conversation before. He knows that I know that he is gay. He will figure that I am marring him for his money.

  MADISON

  How much time have you two spent together?

  ROBIN

  I don’t know…almost a year.

  MADISON

  Don’t you think that after all that time feelings could develop?

  Robin was growing old of the conversation. She d
ecided that she was about to end the call.

  ROBIN

  Madison I will get back in touch with you.

  MADISON

  Are you rushing me off the phone?

  ROBIN

  I am…now bye.

  42

  Trenity walked into the living room just as Grandmother Ella put down the phone. He received a phone call from her earlier asking him to come by. Trenity walked over and gave her a hug and a kiss on her brownish caramel cheeks.

  GRANDMOTHER ELLA

  How are you son?

  TRENITY

  I am good. How are you?

  GRANDMOTHER ELLA

  I am as well as to be expected. I know that in a few days that your divorce to Madison will be finalized.

  TRENITY

  Yes ma’am.

  GRANDMOTHER ELLA

  Are you sure that you want to do this?

  TRENITY

  To be honest Mrs. Ella…

  GRANDMOTHER ELLA

  Come on now…call me Gran.

  TRENITY

  Okay…Gran…I never wanted to divorce my wife. I love her to pieces.

  GRANDMOTHER ELLA

  Well call it off. You still have time.

  TRENITY

  No I don’t. Can I be honest with you?

  GRANDMOTHER ELLA

  Please.

  TRENITY

  I think that it is too late. Madison caught me having sex with someone else.

  GRANDMOTHER ELLA

  That is something that she can get over.

  TRENITY

  It was with a man.

  Grandmother placed both hands in her lap and took a deep breath. She looked directly into Trenity’s face.

  GRANDMOTHER ELLA

  Trent let me explain something to you. You and Madison can work it out. It would be best that you work it out. This family has seen its share of ups and down. There were several times that I could have divorced Jefferson but I didn’t.

  TRENITY

  Gran, I don’t know. I love her. The person…well man…that she caught me with…I am still with.

  GRANDMOTHER ELLA

  I know. I have had your trailed several times.

  TRENITY

  Why?

  GRANDMOTHER ELLA

  In order for me to ask you not to divorce my granddaughter…I needed to know what you were doing.

  Do you love this person?

  Trenity lowered his head and shook it slowly. He thought about everything that he was going through with Noah. Trenity didn’t have the heart to tell Grandmother Ella that he lost his pharmacy. He felt tightness in his chest and a lump in his throat.

  TRENITY

  AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!