Author's Notes:
As I write this it is Easter Sunday. I have been eating the pot roast my queen has made for Easter dinner, while listening to her sing along to gospel music on the radio. 18 years into our relationship, and my love grows stronger for her every day. In these stories, I have tried to convey that love. It is something everyone deserves to experience, a love that does not try to tear a person down, but to build them up in a way that the lovers are much stronger together than they ever could be apart. A love where I still feel the electricity in her touch, where I see her as even more beautiful than the day we met. It hasn't always been easy, but it has been worth it. I sincerely hope that through Jason and Shavonda I have been able to convey that love..... Bwwm4me
*
"Jason," James said, "I know all about Von and that cop. I know he tried to arrest her on false charges, and that he tried to molest her."
"What happened?" Kenny asked.
"Von got detained and accused of prostitution," I explained. "Rose had made a phone call reporting her as a streetwalker. The cop caught us, and detained her. He took a detour on the way to the station and tried to force himself on her. But I had called Ziggy, and he intervened with the station commander. Long story short, they'd been getting complaints about this guy, and transferring him all over the city. But Von was the straw that broke the camel's back. Because of her, they set him up with an undercover cop, Ramona, who was at the party yesterday. She posed as a streetwalker, and when he tried what he did with Von, Ramona was wearing a wire. End result, Von testified against him and he's now in jail."
"Wow," was all Kenny could say.
"How did you find out?" I asked James.
"A package came in the mail yesterday. Inside was a transcript of the trial, and a magazine." James explained, with a pained look on his face.
Shavonda walked over carrying the baby. "What you talking about?" she asked.
"Von, he knows," I said.
Knows what?" Shavonda asked, then froze as the realization hit her. "Oh shit! How much does he know?"
"All of it," I said.
"Daddy?" Shavonda looked at James, tears in her eyes. "We didn't want to hurt you. That's why we didn't tell you."
"It's bad enough to find out my daughter was almost raped by a cop, but to also find out you posed for a magazine....."
"I didn't pose for a magazine," Shavonda tearfully explained. "I was in school and needed money. A friend told me about a photographer who was looking for models. He paid double for exotic models. I shouldn't have posed for him, but I had no idea he sold my photos to a magazine until the trial."
"Jason," James said, "What do you have to say about this?"
"Your daughter made a mistake when she was younger. Tell me you didn't make mistakes at that age. I know I did, and the consequences of my mistake did a lot more to put her in that situation than her mistake did. The important thing is that she learned from that mistake, and she hasn't made it again."
"What do you mean?" James asked. "The magazine doesn't bother you? And what did you do that was worse than what she did?"
"To answer your questions," I said, "First, that photo shoot happened long before I ever met her. If it had happened while we were together, behind my back, I would be livid with her. But it happened many years ago. Honestly, your daughter is the best thing that ever happened to me. She's the smartest person I know, and the most beautiful. On some level, knowing I am married to a centerfold is a huge ego boost. Matter of fact, I wouldn't mind having a copy of that magazine. But I am mad that those photos were sold without her knowledge. As for my mistake, I married a racist woman. Rose did everything in her power to destroy Von and me. She made those phone calls to the police, reporting a prostitute and giving Von's description. That's why the cop was looking for her the night we got engaged. You read the transcript, I take it. Then you should know the history of that man."
James shook his head. "You should have told me about this when it happened."
"We couldn't." Shavonda replied. "You'd have gone after the cop. You'd either be dead or in jail. We have friends on the police force, and they started the sting that got him taken down."
"She's right," I added. "He had a history of picking up prostitutes and forcing them to have sex with him. His mistake was in assuming Von was one as well. Von's reputation as a well-respected businesswoman attracted attention. It gave all the other accusations against him credibility."