Love Nows No Color

The long drive back from my parent's farm was made even longer because Edie was miserable. She couldn't take the long-distance relationship with Kenny any longer. And though they'd had a nice Easter weekend with the family, Kenny had hesitated when Edie talked to him about their future. He had a lot to lose, including his pension. But he was on the verge of losing the most important thing, Edie herself. She was convinced he didn't love her, that she was just a fling and that she'd never see him again. I knew better. She was his queen, in the same way Shavonda was mine. But he needed to let her know that, and so far, he hadn't. Shavonda and Shaunice were already plotting on how they were going to emasculate him next time they saw him. Edie was more than just a friend, she was almost family. They'd grown up with her, shared her triumphs, nursed her through the bad times. Now she was hurt, and as far as they were concerned, the man who did it was going to pay dearly.

I knew I had to do something, but it would have to wait until we got home.

We stopped for dinner in late afternoon at Aunt Baby's. It was Shaunice's first time there. The staff remembered us, and remarked that every time we stopped in, there were more of us. It was true. Our little group was now up to 9 people including the kids. After dinner, we hit the road. The food had cheered Edie up a little, and Shaunice was impressed as well.

Arriving back in Pittsburgh just before dark, we quickly unloaded the trailer before dropping Shaunice and Edie off at their homes and picking up the kids from James and Althea. Once we got them tucked into bed, I could put the call off no longer. I dialed Kenny's number.

"Hey man," I said to him, "What did you say to Edie this morning? She's been crying all day."

There was a long pause on the other end of the line. "I, uhhh, told her I couldn't quit my job," he said. "She seemed to understand."

"Kenny, she thinks you don't love her." I was getting angry now. "She thinks you were just using her for sex. You're going to lose her if you don't do something, man!"

"I can't lose her, Jason," he said sadly. "She means the world to me. But I'm in a bind here. Do I give up my friends and family to be with her?"

"How would you give up your family, Kenny?" I was almost yelling at him now. "You know you'd always be welcome in all our houses. And if you did move up here to be with her, you'd have Von and me. You wouldn't be alone. Think of her, Kenny. All she's got is her mother. She can't leave her behind. Her mother has no other living family. And her job prospects are slim to nothing down there."

"She works for a bank, Jason. We have banks here too, you know!" Kenny was making excuses for not making the move he was afraid to make. "It isn't like she can't get a job as a teller."

"And you can get a job pumping gas, Kenny," I said. "That's the equivalent of what you are asking her to do. She works as a supervisor, with several auditors under her. Kenny, that's a headquarters job. Do you have any bank headquarters where you live?"

"No," he sighed.

"You're suggesting she move away from her mother, and give up a position she's worked years to get, just so she can start over at the bottom as a branch teller." I tried to explain the situation as simply as I could. "All this, to move into an unfamiliar area where she knows nobody. She's not going to do that, Kenny. Would you?"

"What do you want me to do, Jason?"

"For starters, call her and apologize. Tell her how much she means to you. Then show her. Start looking for jobs up here. You're a surveyor with eleven years' experience, for god sakes. The city, the county, and Penndot all need people with your qualifications. And that's not counting the jobs in the private sector. Didn't you tell me last year they offered you a buyout?"

"Well, yeah, they did."

"Then find out if the offer still stands. Maybe you can still get a partial pension when the time comes. But that's 30 years away. And you can have enough time for a pension up here. In the meantime, wouldn't they offer you at least a year's salary to leave?" I was starting to see a possible solution to the problem. "You'd have enough money to move and put a down payment on a nice house for your queen and you to live in. You can't lose her, Kenny. Not only will the two of you be miserable without each other, you'll also incur the wrath of Von's family. Don't blow this, Kenny. You have a shot at happiness with a good woman. She wants you, Kenny. She wants you bad. Don't disappoint her."

I hung up the phone, not realizing Shavonda had been listening the whole time. "Do you think you got through to him?" she asked.

"I hope so," I said. "He wasn't trying to hurt her. I know him. He wouldn't have put the time and effort into being with her if she was just a fling. He could get that right where he is, without having to travel. No, Von, he loves her deeply. He's just scared."

"I know that," Shavonda said softly. "But it still hurts to see Edie like that."

I hoped things would turn out well. But in the meantime, I decided to wait and see what Kenny would do. The ball was in his court now. We had a life to live, and the next month was going to be stressful.

First up. The sentencing hearing for Officer Shoemacher. Shavonda was entitled to give a victim's statement, but since he wasn't charged with writing the false tickets and harassment he did on me, all I could do was be there for my wife. She was a very strong woman, and there was no way she would decline to give her statement, even if I weren't there. But I wanted to show my support for what she was doing. To be honest, it was yet another thing to add to the list of things I loved about her. The hearing would be the Friday before Mother's Day. It would be the final court date in a string that we had endured for almost 3/4 of the time we'd been together. Finally, the ordeal with Rose, and all its fallout, would be over. We were looking forward to peace at last.

Mother's Day was going to be a bit lonely. Barbara had asked if we minded her taking the kids to Muncy to see Rose. It was her weekend to see them anyway. We had no objection with them seeing their birth mother, they needed to see and understand who she was, and Rose I am sure needed to see them as well. Ironically, the kids had taken to calling Shavonda 'Mama Von' some time ago. That pleased her to no end. "They really do love me," she said.

"Why wouldn't they?" I asked. "You've been their mother since we took custody of them. And they've come to trust you even more than they do me. I know they tell you things they'd never tell me."

On top of all that, we still had a party to plan. Our first anniversary, and the family reunion we'd promised to start, was less than a month away. Darren and Minnie had agreed to DJ the party, as they had our wedding reception. We also had hoped to have the instruments set up outside so we could play a few songs for the guests. But the Kenny and Edie situation was going to complicate things. If they didn't patch things up, we might be without a guitar player. As a contingency plan, Shavonda and I decided to learn a few more songs, ones that could reasonably be performed with just bass and keyboards.

After that, in June, we had both Brittany's seventh birthday, and Shavonda's class reunion. Maybe after all that was over, we could take a week or so off and go camping somewhere. I know I needed a break. Luckily, I still had a few days' vacation time left, and the first of July, I'd get two more weeks added to that. No, make that three weeks. I'd have been on the job for five years, and qualified for an extra week.

Back at work, the runs were getting heavy with the summer season fast approaching. Since I delivered builder's supplies to lumber yards, the summer season was always busy, with the truck loaded to capacity and up to 12 stops a day. That meant I would be working longer hours, and as a result I was extra tired.

Thursday, I did my normal run to State College, but this year a twist had been added. During the slow time of the winter, Lewistown had been added to my run. With only six or seven stops, the added mileage was no problem. But now that things were getting busier, the run over the Seven Mountains to Lewistown could be a problem. As it turned out, the added stop pushed me to the very limits of my hours of service.

Arriving home from work after 14 hours on the road, plus the commute home, I walked into a crisis. Edie was there when I arrived, and she was not well. She sat at the kitchen table with Shavonda, Tamika, and Shaunice, tearfully babbling incoherently, an almost finished bottle of E&J on the table in front of her. I felt bad for her. She was mourning the apparent loss of Kenny. He had tried to call her several times, but she wasn't answering either his calls or his texts.

In utter frustration, I whipped out my phone, and video recorded Edie without her knowledge. Shavonda caught me in the act after I'd gotten a couple minutes of footage, and angrily pulled me by the arm into the living room. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" she hissed.

"Somebody has got to show Kenny what he's done to that poor girl," I said. "He needs to see with his own eyes what he's done to her." Before she could stop me, I'd sent a text to Kenny and attached the video. Shavonda glared at me.

"Why would you embarrass her like that?" she hissed angrily. "Hasn't she been through enough?"

Back in the kitchen, Shaunice and Tamika were plotting revenge on Kenny if he dared show up at our anniversary/reunion party. I told them to let things shake out over the next couple weeks before they took action.

It didn't take long to get a response from Kenny. As I answered the phone, I handed it to Edie. "Talk to the man," I said. "He's been trying to talk to you for days." We all left the kitchen so Edie could have some privacy.

We'd just sat down when we heard the crash from the kitchen. Rushing into the room, I found Edie sobbing hysterically, a broken window in the back door, and what was left of my phone outside on the back patio. Edie had thrown it through the window.

"You don't need him," Shaunice said to Edie angrily. "You know all he wanted was a taste of chocolate. Now that he's had it, he's probably replaced you with some white girl."

I was tired. Exhausted from work, I was being dragged in the middle of something I didn't want to be in. And for some reason, they were all ganging up on Kenny, when all he wanted to do was talk to Edie. On top of that, I was now out a cell phone.

"Shut the hell up!" I snapped at Shaunice. "All you've done is stir up some bullshit!"

The four women all gave me a deadly stare. "Jason!" yelled Shavonda, "That's my sister!"

"I know that," I snapped back. "She's also the ringleader of the kill Kenny club. That's the last thing we need here. Now I have something to say to each of you. This has gone on long enough."

"Von," I continued. "How would you feel if I asked you to give up your shop and move to Lower Bugtussel?"

"I wouldn't do it!" Shavonda replied.

"And I'd never ask you to. But that's what Edie is asking Kenny to do, give up everything he's worked for his whole life. Next to Edie and me, you're the one who knows him best. Have you ever known him to willingly hurt anybody?"

"No." she said. "The worst I've ever seen him do was tease you. And we do that ourselves."

"Right," I said. I turned to Tamika. "Would you ever ask Brian to quit what he loves doing, to move across the country?"

"No," Tamika replied, "but everything we need is right here. We don't need to do that."

"So what you're telling me is that you never asked him to make a sacrifice to be with you?"

"Other than dealing with his family, no," Tamika seemed embarrassed.

"And you, Shaunice," I asked. "What the fuck has gotten into you? Don't get me wrong, I love you like my sister, but you're being a total ass right now." I watched as her jaw dropped. She started to say something. I cut her off. "What do you have against Kenny and Edie? Are you jealous of what they had? Is that why you're trying to destroy it? Why don't you try to find your own loving man, instead of trying to wreck somebody else's relationship?"

"He's just using her," Shaunice said.

"And you know that how?" I asked. "I've never seen you date anybody. What makes you such an expert on relationships? How do you know what Kenny wants?"

"What makes you think you know?" she fired back.

"I know because he's like a brother to me. We come from the same background. In many ways, Kenny is me. That's how I know."

"But you never did my sister like that," Shaunice said. "If you had I'd have cut your balls off."

"I wasn't asked to give up anything to be with Von," I pointed out. "I'd already sacrificed my education for Rose."

"He does have a point," Shavonda said quietly.

"Good," I said. "Now we're getting somewhere." I turned to Edie. "What is it you want, Edie?"

"I want Kenny," she sobbed.

"And how are you going to get him back if you won't talk to him?" I asked. "How the fuck did breaking my phone and the window help you get him back?" Edie gave me a dumb look. I hoped I was getting through to her. "Edie, you are asking him to give up everything he's ever known to come here to be with you. That's a big decision to make. If it were me, I'd want to know if I sacrificed everything for my queen, that it wasn't for nothing. I'd want to know she'd be there for me. Instead, you are giving him a reason to doubt you. He needs to know that if he makes the move for you, that you'll be together permanently. He loves you, Edie. Give him some love back, and I bet he gives it all up for you."

"Are you done yet?" Shaunice said.

"Matter of fact I am."

"I'll have you know I can get a man any time I want," Shaunice continued. She was on the defensive. "I just don't want one right now."

"Then how come you spend a fortune getting your hair done all the time?" I asked. "Pull your claws in. You'll never get anybody if you're angry."

"Jason," Shavonda said. "Are you sure about Kenny?"

"Sure, as I am that Edie owes me a new phone," I said. "He's been blowing up Edie's phone all week. You haven't answered him at all have you, Edie?"

"No," Edie said softly. "I haven't. I didn't want to hear any more excuses."

"How do you know what he wants to tell you if you won't even talk to him?" I said. I walked away, shaking my head. I'll never understand why people will destroy the best thing they have in their life, then cry for years about what they lost. I hadn't even eaten yet, and now I wasn't even hungry. All I wanted to do was take my shower and go to bed.

Later, Shavonda woke me when she came to bed. "If you didn't want to be caught in the middle," she asked, "why did you defend Kenny?"

"Because y'all were so busy trashing him that none of you saw what Edie was asking of him." I said. "You should know that I try to play fair. And if nobody else is going to defend him, I will. Shaunice had y'all believing that he had a case of jungle fever and got bored. Von, did he look bored with Edie when we hung out with them last weekend?"

"No, he didn't," she said. "In fact, he looked happy to be with her."

"Well, he talked to me alone, and told me Edie wanted him to move to Pittsburgh. That's how I know how conflicted he is. But since he didn't tell anybody else, nobody else knows. And y'all wanted to jump to conclusions about his intentions. I told y'all that I know him better than any of you do. He's getting ready to make the jump. But Edie wanted to push him before he was ready."

"Do you really think he'll quit his job and move up here?" Shavonda asked.

"I'd bet on it, unless Shaunice destroys it for both of them," I replied. "By the way, what the hell is her problem? The way she's been acting it's almost like she's jealous of them. She is actively trying to get Edie to doubt Kenny."

"I don't know," Shavonda answered, "But I don't like the way you treated her tonight."

"I said what had to be said. It's like she doesn't want them to be happy. I wonder if she thinks she'll get a crack at Kenny if they break up for good. If that's the case, I can tell you now he won't give her the time of day. All I want her to do is butt out so they can solve their problems. I can also tell you that if she doesn't leave Edie alone, your sister and me are going to have major problems."

"Jason, you put me in the middle of it! Don't ask me to choose between you and my sister," Shavonda was getting angry now. I hoped this wasn't going to turn into a fight. While our relationship wasn't perfect, and we'd had our small spats before, this would be different. And I didn't want my relatively tranquil marriage to go up in flames over Shaunice and Edie.

"Von, I ain't the one asking you to choose. Maybe you better have a long talk with your sister and try to find out what's REALLY going on with her. Oh, and, by the way, I promised Kenny if he does make the move, he could stay with us if he needs to."

"Why wouldn't he move in with Edie?"

"I didn't say he would move in here, just that the offer was made if he needed it."

We talked some more before I fell back asleep. I guess Shavonda was pissed with me, because I noticed she made no attempt to curl up to me like she normally did. And even though she was in the same bed with me, the lack of contact made for a lonely night.

Since the kids were home that weekend, I took Ethan to the lumber yard, where we bought wood for the tree house we were going to build. We started construction Saturday afternoon, with Ethan helping me cut the wood. I climbed up in the oak tree, and notched the branches where the beams for the treehouse would sit. I also added a pulley higher up in the branches, and threaded it with rope. It would come in handy once we got the floor built. Brian also came over to help out with the design. As a demolition and salvage carpenter, he had a lot of exposure to how things were put together, and his input helped me avoid some major design flaws.

We resumed construction after church on Sunday, and by the end of the day, I had a makeshift ladder assembled, and had started to lay planking across the beams. Ethan and Brittany were able to sit on the floor of the treehouse by the end of the day Sunday.

That evening, Shavonda had some news for me. "We're losing Beth," she said. "She graduates the day of our anniversary party." That would mean the shops were down one person. We'd have to look for somebody to fill the position. Even worse, Beth was the only person who'd shown an interest in making the pendants, by far the most exacting and difficult task in the company. Once she left, Shavonda would be the only one capable of making them, which meant we'd be selling them faster than she could make them.

Other than that, the business was doing well. My photographs were selling well, especially the Love Knows No Color series. The latest one, of me and Shavonda, with a smiling Miracle on my lap, was particularly popular. But the scenery and railroad pictures sold as well. Shavonda had come up with the idea of printing a bunch of the train photos and renting a table at the next train show, in July in Monroeville. Since it was only a few miles from the house, we wouldn't have to rent a motel room for the weekend.

But, back to the Beth situation. After some discussion, we knew we wanted to do something special for her. We ended up inviting her and her family to the anniversary party. We could celebrate both our love and her milestone at the same time.

The Friday before Mother's Day was the sentencing hearing for Officer Shoemacher. Shavonda was going to be there to make her victim's statement. In light of that, we let Barbara have the kids a day early. She'd wanted to take them to see their mother Rose for Mother's Day, and Shavonda had agreed. She even wrote a letter for Barbara to take to Rose. We didn't send letters through the mail, figuring that they'd be censored or at the very least read by prying eyes before Rose received them. By passing letters through Barbara, we could avoid that.