A Love of Her Own (24 page)

“
Aunt Ava, let me take him.”

She hesitated
. “You’ll have to use the Pooper Scooper.”

“
I know how. I’ve seen you do it a bunch of times.”

“
Well…only because I’m kind of tired.”

“
I’ll get his leash.”

Ava smiled at Marcus
’s enthusiasm. It was infectious. She felt a burst of energy herself just from being with him. She watched as he snapped Khufu’s leash into place. “Don’t take too long. I’ll be right here when you come back.” She wanted to take a shower and change clothes before Hilton returned, but she wanted Marcus back in the house before she got started.

She slipped out of her heels and walked to the fireplace
. It was a cool night, and she thought a fire would be nice. She wrapped a heavy log in newspaper and lit it with a long kitchen match. Within moments the fire was blazing orange sparks.

Ava examined the living room, but everything met her scrutiny except for an oak tag folder on one of the end tables
. She picked it up as she sank into the sofa. It was Marcus’s schoolwork.

His intelligence was not limited to just street smarts, she
realized as she took in the A and B+ marks. If he kept up these grades his future would be unlimited. Thank God she’d gotten him off the streets.

She was reading an essay he had written when he returned
. She put the folder on the coffee table. “I’m going to take a quick shower. You’re not to open the door until you make sure it’s Hilton. Don’t go by voice alone; look through the window so there’s no doubt.”

She changed into jeans and a loose-fitting crew neck sweater, slipping her Bullwinkle slippers on her feet for warmth
. As she was dressing she heard the doorbell ring and, after a few moments, the sound of Hilton’s and Max’s voices downstairs. She applied a subtle rust-colored lipstick to give her face some color, but the phone rang before she could join them.

“
Hello,” she said breathlessly into the receiver. She planned to rush whoever it was off the line, but found herself listening with growing excitement as Linda launched into recounting the conversation she’d had with Neil. “Oh, Linda; I’m soooo happy for you! Yes, of
course
I think it’s a good sign. He wants to see you. Did he say when he’s coming? Okay, but you let me know when he calls back, okay? And aren’t you glad you poured out your heart to him in that letter?” She laughed as Linda agreed.

“
Hilton just got here, Linda, so I’ll have to call you tomorrow. All right. And keep smilin’, honey!” She made the sound of a smacking kiss into the receiver.

Ava
hung up the phone, delighted for her friend. Then she rushed to the stairs but carefully paused at the landing to saunter down like she was a presenter at the Academy Awards so she wouldn’t look too eager.

As she expected, all three of them howled at the sight of her oversized slippers
. She playfully preened under the arched doorway of the living room. Instinctively she went to give Max a hug, but when he went limp in her arms she wished she hadn’t. What had she done to make him dislike her, she wondered.

Ava was glad Hilton was seated at an angle where he could not see his
son’s unfriendly reaction toward her.

Or so she thought
. When she turned to face him he was staring at Max through narrowed eyes, his handsome features set in a mask of fury.

“
Why don’t you boys go up to Marcus’s room?” he suggested tightly. “Ava and I want to watch something else.”

He leaned forward, his forearms resting on his knees and his head bowed, as Marcus and Max complied, Khufu trotting at their heels
. He remained in that position even after they were gone.

“
Hilton? Are you all right?”

“
No.” Then he straightened, leaning back into the couch and blowing out his breath. “I’m sorry, Ava. I’ve noticed the change in Max’s behavior toward you, and I talked to him about it. He insists there’s no problem, but after what I just saw there clearly is.”

Sitting in the chair closes to him, s
he tried to be diplomatic. “I think you might be making too much of it, Hilton. I’ll bet it’s nothing more than him missing his mother and being a little upset because I’m here and she’s not.”

“
I thought about that, too, but he behaved rudely, and there’s no excuse for that, Ava. I’m not going to tolerate it.”

“I don’t want to come between you and your son—”

“You’re not to worry about it, sweetheart. I’ll get to the bottom of it.” He muttered unintelligible words of frustration under his breath. She went and sat beside him, leaned to the side and picked up Marcus’s folder from the coffee table, then leaned toward him, settling her head against his broad chest. She longed as well as needed to be close to him, but by not facing him directly she could also give him the space he needed to think about this latest problem as well.

“
This is Marcus’s schoolwork,” she remarked. “He gets fabulous grades, all As and Bs.”

Hilton remained quiet, but the feel of his long fingers stroking her arm was enough.

She continued looking at the papers. It didn’t appear that Marcus had a weak subject. He excelled in math, science, English and social studies.

His artwork was on the bottom of the pile
. Ava glanced at the typical childhood drawings of landscapes and animals. Then she saw one with people, four figures whose faces and awkwardly straight arms and legs had been filled in with brown crayon. There was a large, tall man, a shorter woman with reddish-brown hair and two boys. “My family,” was written in neat print below.

She sat up with a start
. “Hilton! Look at this.”

He studied the drawing
. “I’d guess this is supposed to be you, me, Marcus and Max.”

“
But do you see what he wrote?”

“
He considers us his family. That’s not surprising, all things considered. When we’re together it’s like we belong in one of those old sitcoms he watches on Nickelodeon, Beaver and those other shows with no black people,” he said dryly.

“
Well, I think it’s sweet. I’m actually getting all choked up.”

“
If childhood wishes shape our adulthood, family will be at or near the top of Marcus’s list, provided he doesn’t get hardened or decide he doesn’t care.”

“
That won’t happen if I’ve got anything to say about it.” Her voice had a fierce tone to it.

“
I think he’s going to be just fine with you. Now, you come here.” He shifted so he was sitting lengthwise on the couch, then pulled her so she was comfortably wedged between his legs. “Mmm. That’s more like it.”

She
returned the folder to the coffee table. “Ooh, that’s nice.”

One of Hilton
’s arms was casually but possessively draped over her middle; with his other hand he reached for the remote control.

“
Hey, looks like
The Godfather’s
on,” he said, stopping at a scene with a young Al Pacino in period clothing. “And it’s a premium cable channel. That means the good stuff is left in.”

“
Yeah, but the movie’s half over, so if you were expecting to see a horse’s head you can forget it.”

They watched in silence as Al Pacino
’s character tried to convince Diane Keaton to marry him after his disappearance from her life for a period of several years. “It’s important that we have children; our children,” he was saying.

Ava
’s jaw stiffened. “If she really wanted to be rid of him, she should have told him she couldn’t have kids. I’ll bet he would have left her alone in a hurry if he knew he couldn’t expect to have an heir.”

Hilton nuzzled her neck
. “Relax,” he whispered. “It’s not important. Not to me.”

She had an instant recollection of her mother’s words…
‘It’s become the focus of your life, and it shouldn’t be.’ She reluctantly acknowledged to herself that she had years and years worth of resentment to deal with, and that getting through it all would be quite challenging.

Ava squealed when Hilton
’s hand made its way under her sweater and up to her caress her breasts through the thin nylon of her bra. “Hilton!” she hissed.

“I’ve missed touching you, Ava.”

“I’ve missed having your hands on me,” she replied simply. “But what if the boys see us?”

“
I banished them upstairs, remember?”

They watched the rest of the movie, and when it ended they learned it was being followed by Part II of the series
. “I’d better check the boys,” Ava said, gently breaking away from Hilton’s firm hand.

“
I’ve got an idea. Let Max spend the night.”

Ava immediately opened her mouth to respond, then closed it
. This situation called for delicacy and carefully chosen words. “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea, what with Max so obviously not fond of me. The moment you’re gone he’s likely to defy me, which would put me in a bad spot.” Sometimes she didn’t understand Hilton at all. How could he even make a suggestion like that? If anything she’d think he would want to bring Max home and insist on getting to the bottom of the problem he just acknowledged existed. Once again she wondered what she had done to the child to make him dislike her so. The first time she met Max he was a sweet, shy kid; but after that he acted like he wished she was invisible. And Hilton’s lazy smile while she struggled to come up with an inoffensive response only increased her annoyance.

“
Trust me,” he said. “It’ll be fine. I’ll even go up and give them the good news.”

She
heard the joyful whoops coming from upstairs. It made her smile, but she was filled with apprehension. She was terrified of what would happen if Max acted up in Hilton’s absence. She could picture him running to his dad with some trumped-up tale about how mean she’d been to him. She and Hilton would exchange unkind words that would lead to heaven only knew where. Couldn’t he see this was only asking for trouble?

He came back down within five minutes
. “They’re putting on their pajamas. Marcus lent Max a pair of his. I told them they could come down for a snack after they were ready for bed, even though they don’t have to go to sleep yet.”

“
I usually let Marcus stay up on Saturdays. It’s not even nine-thirty yet.”

“
I like the idea of a snack. What’ve you got?”

She shrugged.
“Not a whole lot, I’m afraid. Half a bag of barbecue chips, some baloney and cheese, part of a roast chicken…”

“
A chicken sandwich and chips sounds good. I’ll make it; you just stay there and relax. Can I make one for you, too?”

“
Yes, but make mine toast. And I like those banana pepper rings on my chicken sandwiches. They’re on the door of the fridge.”

Ava enjoyed being curled up on the couch with Hilton as they watched the intricate flash
-forward, flash-back plotline of
The Godfather, Part II.
During intermission they climbed the stairs and found that both boys had fallen asleep. “I guess I’ll have to get a bed for Marcus,” Ava said as she adjusted the covers. “This foldout isn’t really meant for everyday use.” They quietly left the room, and she flicked off the light switch, leaving only a night light on. After she closed the door Hilton asked her a question.

“
Ava, have Marcus’s grandparents filled out some kind of papers making you his guardian? You’re essentially providing his support, and I think you’re entitled to take a tax deduction for it. I wouldn’t recommend you take it unless it’s all legal, though, or else you risk trouble with the IRS.”

“
We talked about it. I’m not so much concerned about a tax deduction as I am about having some kind of legal document. I told them I’d have something prepared for all of us to sign, but I haven’t gotten around to doing it yet. I will, though.”

“
Maybe you
should
be concerned about getting that deduction. I’m growing a little concerned about you, sweetheart. Legal fees can be expensive. I noticed Marcus had on new clothes today, and now you’re talking about buying him a bed.”

“
I’m certainly no Oprah, but I’ll be fine. Thanks for asking.” She led him to the landing.

“
I remember I bought Max a real nice bed when he was outgrowing his crib,” Hilton recalled as they descended the stairs. “It was the kind of bed that had guardrails on it that could be removed and could bring him all the way through his teen years. Janelle let him keep sleeping in his crib, and she gave the bed to her sister to use for one of her kids. I was p.o.’d big time.”

“
That’s too bad. Did he ever get to use it?”

“
Yeah, after maybe three years or so.” He grew quiet, and she could tell he had something on his mind. “Ava, I’m going to ask you to promise me something,” he finally said.