After taking photos of my vandalized Jeep, Shavonda and I made our way to the Zone 3 police station. Ziggy had told us somebody had called it that morning, and that if we wanted to read the police report or add anything to the investigation to stop by the station house. I was pissed. Shavonda tried to cheer me up. "Jason, I'm so sorry about your car. We'll find out who did this."
"Why are you sorry, Von? You didn't do it."
"I feel somehow responsible. If you weren't with me, this never would have happened."
"Guess what," I said angrily. "You're stuck with me. I'm not going to give up the best thing in my life because some idiot doesn't like us."
At the station, we were told that a neighbor had heard the brick being thrown through my windshield, and had witnessed the rest of the vandalism. Apparently, the perp was not smart enough to key the paint, and spray paint the car before they threw the brick and attracted attention to themselves. This neighbor also had the presence of mind to take digital pictures of the perp in action.
"Look through the photos and see if you know who this is," said the officer in charge of the investigation. I noticed from the angle the photos were taken from across the street. Mrs. Zucchero anyone? Looking at the sequence of photos the perp was a white woman of stocky build. I'd know that shape anywhere. After all I had lived with her for six years.
"Rose Meredith Waite," I told the officer, and gave him the address. He asked if I wanted to press charges. I asked if I could decline now, but have them filed later if there was more vandalism. It turned out I could, so I opted to do just that. Rose was safe from criminal prosecution...for now. I didn't want to deprive my kids of their mother at this point.
Shavonda was a little angry at me. "If you don't stop this right now, she's going to do it again," she said.
"I have something better in mind. This will not go unpunished. We'll get estimates on the damage, and for the cost of a gate for the backyard so I have a safe place to park the car. Then, we'll file suit. Would you like to serve the papers?" I asked. Shavonda's face lit up when I said that. She was looking forward to knocking on Rose's door and handing her a copy of the suit.
With nothing left to do until Monday morning, we returned to my house, where I spray painted over the 'nigger lover' on my car. I also called off work to take care of things on Monday. We returned to the festival in the midafternoon, and helped Tamika break down the booth and load the unsold stuff into the van. We dropped Tamika at her apartment, then headed for Shavonda's place.
"You can use the Cruze until your car is fixed," she said. "I can use the van to get to the store." She gave me a nice bubble bath and back massage, then held me in bed. I was too upset to do more than run my hands over her body and stroke her hair.
"I'm so lucky to have you," I said sadly.
The next day I drove the Jeep to the adjuster for an estimate, got an estimate for a rolling gate for the parking spot in the back yard, and filed a lawsuit against Rose. That Friday after I picked up the kids, Shavonda served Rose the lawsuit papers, while I watched from across the street. It was ugly. Rose was yelling and screaming at Shavonda, who kept her cool. When she returned to the car, she was smiling. "God, I loved doing that. Payback is a bitch," she said. The kids were wondering why their mommy was so upset, so we had to tell them about my car.
The new gate was installed within a week. I had to get a rolling chain link type, similar to what you see in industrial facilities, because there was no room for anything else. A swing gate would have blocked the alley every time I opened it, and one half would have prevented me from moving the car into my parking space. The gate cost a lot more than I had wanted to spend, but in the end, it would be worth it. Luckily the cost of the gate and repairs to the car was less than $5k, so I could keep the case in small claims court.
We met Tamika, who'd driven to the motel in the van, and we all had dinner at McDonalds. None of us adults were thrilled, but the kids liked it. I stayed in the room while Shavonda and Tamika went to karaoke to say goodbye to Darren and Minnie, the djs. This would be our last weekend here. They exchanged numbers and promised to keep in touch. Darren and Minnie would prove to be very good friends, and were extra special because they were the first new friends we'd made as a couple.
The weather was turning colder, and Shavonda's wardrobe had undergone a major change. She'd straightened her hair for the winter. Gone were the sundresses and sandals, and the booty shorts. They were replaced by tight jeans and long sleeved shirts. Watching her struggling to get into her jeans one morning, I asked her, "Why don't you buy something in your size?"
Her response surprised me. "Because they don't make pants that fit me. If they fit my legs, they don't fit my big ass. If they fit my ass, they are like tents on my legs. That's why I like shorts. I can actually buy them and have them fit."
With the Ren Fests over, we had two weekends off before the Bedford fall festival. Shavonda had found a place for the new store. The original was on Ellsworth avenue, in a street full of antique dealers, art shops, and a couple of gay bars. It was a good fit. The new store would be on Carson street on the South Side, not far from Zone 3. It was in the heart of one of the busiest bar districts in the city. The clientele would be much different, but traffic would be much higher. She decided to concentrate more on the jewelry than anything else, though the store would sell the same items as the original store there would be fewer non-jewelry items. Shavonda had signed the lease and was shooting for a November grand opening.
Nykole had been trained and was working with Velma regularly. She was working out well, and it was time to hire and train two more employees. We ended up hiring the other two from the original interviews, Ebony and Andre. We put them to work helping get the new store ready, sending them one at a time to work with Velma for a week at the original store. Shavonda and Tamika did most of the work in the new store, with me helping out on the weekends I didn't have the kids.
Andre in particular proved to be a good fit. Not only was he good with his hands, he also worked with stained glass as a hobby. Sun catchers were his specialty. When Shavonda found out she was pleased. We had one more artist/craftsman who could supply product.
