Ivy's Twisted Vine Redux (3 page)

“Well, nothing has changed.” Mattock still did not understand.

“You know Ivy was a virgin when I started dating her?” To Grey that was one of the highlights of their relationship. He had been the first, the only man that she had ever known.

“You’ve mentioned it,” Mattock said. “But she was only a senior in high school. That’s pretty common. You were a junior in college. It’s a different league.”

“I just remember seeing her with her family at one of my father’s dinners, and I fell head over heals for her. I had no idea how young she was.” Grey’s thoughts exhausted him, and he lay back down and gazed at the ceiling again. “Since the day we started dating, I knew that I would marry her. My family approved of her, my friends approved her, and Memphis will approve of us.”

“So, why are you so torn about marrying this perfect woman, by your own standards?” Mattock waited patiently.

“I don’t know. But I did know that if I let her get out there after college with no strings attached going to meetings, traveling, meeting new people and discovering new things, that I wouldn’t seem so fascinating and marriage to me wouldn’t be either.”

“So let me get this straight, you asked her to marry you to keep her off the market and you in the race for Congress?” Mattock asked.

“Basically.” Grey replied reluctantly. He sat up. “But as crude as it sounds it’s not unheard of, you know. I’m marrying for purpose.”

“You don’t think that you could swing the seat without being married?” Mattock was always surprised by his best friend’s constant antics over love and lust.

“Hey, I’m no expert. But the experts tell me that I can’t. So, if I have to marry, then I might as well marry Ivy.” Grey’s forehead wrinkled as he tried to make sense of it all. “Do you see where I’m going with this?”

“Yes, I see where you’re headed, but the question is, do you? More important, you still haven’t answered one important question.” Mattock shook his head. Grey was amazingly confused to be such an intelligent man.

“What question haven’t I answered?” Grey asked curious of his friend’s apparent infinite wisdom on the subject.

“Do you love her?” Mattock sat down his apple and picked up his writing pad.

“Yes, I love her, but I know what’s out there. I didn’t even start to think about cheating on her until I graduated from undergrad. Then it was like all of these successful beautiful women came out of the woodwork offering to do what ever I wanted.” He smiled proudly even in the midst his dilemma. “They couldn’t get enough of me.”

“And you couldn’t get enough of them.” Mattock scribbled down something on his pad and reached for a small book on his table.

“My point is that just like I was turned out before I could get my degree good, Ivy would’ve been if I hadn’t stepped in first.” Grey sighed heavily. Mattock was stressing him out further, instead of helping him.

“So you asked her to marry you,” Mattock said astonished. “What can I say? You had it all figured out, except one part.”

“What’s that?” Grey asked.

“You’re not ready for marriage even if Ivy is ready. You’re still going to cheat on her and lie to her and misuse her. Only now you’ll be doing it in the sacred covenant of marriage. And eventually, Ivy is still going to be exposed and possibly turned out, as you call it. Plus, you could marry this girl and still loose the election, heaven forbid for Ivy’s sake. Nothing is promised.”

“So what do you think that I should do, Doc?” Grey looked at his watch. It was time to head to city hall for his father’s press conference.

Mattock set his book down. “Well, I think you should search your heart for some real answers before you ruin this girl’s life trying to have your cake and eat it too.”

*

Grey pondered his friend’s suggestions as he drove recklessly through the bad weather in his silver BMW Z4 M Roadster to get downtown to his father’s office. It never sounded good to have a friend tell him that it was apparent that he
used
the woman that would one day be the mother of his children. But in hindsight, it was the truth. Plus, Mattock’s point about possibly still loosing the election, hit him hardest. .

Passing the long line of wrecks on the interstate, Grey drew his attention back to the weather. Something wasn’t right in Memphis. Something wasn’t right in the world. For as many years as he could remember, there had never been such severe weather. Normally, it wasn’t even cold yet. Now, fender benders lined the streets, because drivers weren’t used the roads being slick. The shelters were full of displaced veterans and other homeless; the government had to give emergency funds to clear out storm beaten communities, and his father had to be on top of his game to make Memphians feel safe. Juggling unpredictable situations was supposed to be the Henderson family’s strongest trait. Now, only time would tell.

*

“Looks like hell finally froze over, boys,” Mayor Henderson said as he walked briskly in front of his large entourage out to the iced-over front steps of City Hall where an eager group of reporters waited impatiently in the snow. As the doors swung open, his million-dollar smile appeared and his political face was on. Politicking was such fickle business, but he was consistent and unchangeable. They had labeled him Hard Ass Henderson, and he had stayed true to his name for eighteen years.

Standing behind the podium in front of the masses and below the American and Tennessee flags, Mayor Henderson cleared his throat and began in a powerful baritone voice, “Thank you for coming this afternoon. Today is the new beginning of a new era for the citizens of Memphis. We have fought long and hard in this city for equality and justice. We have been victims of prejudice and hatred. But we have in the past and will continue in the future… to prevail. It is our conviction to achieve greatness not only as individuals but as a cohesive city, state and country, which will make us an awesome force.”

Mayor Henderson took a deep breath and continued. “This cohesiveness will once again prove to be a weapon against unjust actions. I have not come before you today to celebrate a winning basketball team, a new architectural muse or even a new business venture. I have come before you today to announce that Memphis will once again be free from the strong hold of sadistic bloodsucking drug dealers and able to see a brighter day with a better purpose very soon.”

Henderson’s gallant voice faded for a moment while he made sure to pose where the cameras would get his good side. “If it is the last thing that I do as your mayor, I have taken on the charge to rid Memphis of drug infestation with the sincerest of passion, and I will make it happen.” The crowd behind the reporters cheered briefly interrupting his speech and allowing a few good shots with the other major players present for the press conference.

“Today, Director Billings, Major Hamilton, Lt. Agosto of the Special Units-Narcotics Division, Lt. Brooks of the COBRA SWAT Unit, and I concluded the last of eight meetings that have taken place over the last two weeks. The fruit of our labor will be evident in the new specialized unit that has already hit the streets of Memphis to fight head on the war on drugs. We have taken twenty-three of our finest narcotics and SWAT officers and combined them into one unit with the skill, expertise and Intel that will send a message nationwide. The Citizens of Memphis want drugs, drug dealers and drug abusers the hell out of Memphis. And so this is the final warning for those who mean to disrupt the lives of Memphis further with drugs. Twenty-three expertly trained officers of high rank specializing in everything from high-risk search and seizure to lie detection along with the entire Memphis Police Department at their beckoning call are ready with the backing of a $18.5 million budget allocated through tax payers, and the seizure of drug dealer’s undeserved wealth have equipped us in a manner that has never been seen in the city of Memphis. We are taking back our streets one house, one corner, and one person at a time through a citywide effort called Operation Check Book. The reason that this operation has been dubbed check book is because each drug dealer has written a check in this city that has cost us our children, mothers, fathers, brothers, wives, best friends, teachers, preachers and leaders. And it’s time to cash in on what you owe us.”

As Mayor Henderson ended his powerful speech, he felt an overwhelming calm in his heart. Yes, he had been politicking for a long time, but this was something different. This would bring real change. Turning around, he caught a glimpse of the pride in his son Grey who nodded approvingly.

Standing behind his father, Grey smiled into the cameras as he listened to both Lieutenants and the director of the Memphis Police Department give praise to his father and his administration for their hard work and due diligence. This was just the kind of exposure his father needed in his fourth term. And this new unit would be just the vehicle to drive their family into a new arena of political monopoly, as he prepared for his own race in the approaching mid-term election.

*

It was almost ten thirty that night before Ivy was finished at the library with her report for class and her research for a client. Determined not to be out of the loop too much at the office, she volunteered to take on smaller projects from home. It was pride that made her push herself to new heights. Not the pride in herself, but the pride of having a wonderful job and a loving family. Her mother had always said to her “to whom much is given, much is expected.” So, it was obvious that her family expected a lot from her.

Drudging through the ice and snow that had accumulated on the well-manicured lawn of her little campus, Ivy held on tightly to her black wool sailor coat and made her way anxiously to the dorms kicking herself with every stride for leaving her car parked inside the parking lot. It felt like hours of torture by the time she had finished her ten-minute hike and quickly entered into her dorm to shake off the excess snow and peal out of her clothes that seemed to be frozen to her body.

Awakened by the turn of the doorknob, Trina sat up in her bed. “Ivy, is that you?” she said turning on her lamp.

“Yeah, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you,” Ivy said taking her pajamas out of her drawer.

“It’s cool. Grey called you. He said call him back as soon as you get in. It sounded urgent.” Trina sniffed slightly.

“Yeah, I forgot my cell phone earlier. I figured he had called by now.” Silence. “Why are you in the bed so early?” Ivy asked noticing Trina’s red eyes.

“Kylan and I got into a fight, and I guess I just cried myself to sleep.”

“What are y’all into it over now?” They had only been dating one month and this had been their fourth argument at least.

“He was at the Mu mixer all over some other girl tonight. I thought that he and I were starting to get serious, especially after the other day at his place. You should have heard him going on about how fine I was then. But all he was trying to do was get in my pants, and I was too blind to see it.” Tears start to form in the sides of Trina’s eyes again.

“Oh, T. Don’t cry over him. He isn’t worth it, and you know it.” Ivy grabbed a napkin from her dresser and passed it to Trina.

“Easy for you to say…I slept with him that night at his house,” Trina said interrupting. She was sure that the news would stun Ivy since she had lied earlier in the week and said that she had turned him down cold.

Ivy paused. “Well, I see what all the tears are for.” She sat down on the side of Trina’ bed to try to comfort her. “It’ll be okay though. You just have to learn from this and move on.” In actuality she wanted to scold her friend for being so careless with her body, but she knew that this wasn’t the time. Besides, who was she to judge?

“I feel so stupid,” Trina said crying. “Truthfully, I wanted…no, I needed to hear the things he was saying the other night. Looking in his eyes, you would have sworn that he was sincere, but tonight, he was all over that freshman. I was so pissed off, girl. I just went over and threw punch all over him.”

Ivy laughed. “He deserved it, and you deserve better. But I don’t have to tell you that, do I?” There was a brief awkward silence.

“No, you don’t have to tell me.” Trina tried to smile for her friend. “Go and call Grey. I’ll be fine. I just realized that I really want to be back with Brooks. When we were together things were different.” Trina wiped her eyes.

“Brooks? You hated him. If you two weren’t fighting, you were about to.” Ivy liked Brooks as a person, but as a couple the two hadn’t made a good match.

“Say what you will, but I was happy,” Trina was content with her decision and had already made plans to reunite with her old flame.

“Alright. If you like, then I love it.” Ivy picked up her phone. “I’m going to go and call Grey.” She wondered if her advice had only made things worse.

The phone rang several times before Grey finally answered in a deep somber voice, “Hello,” he said looking down at his caller I.D. to see Ivy’s number.

“Hey, Trina said that you called earlier. I didn’t have my phone with me. What’s up?” Ivy said sitting back down on the couch in the common area.

“A lot.” He sighed heavily into the phone. “I really need to talk to you.” Grey tried to choose his words carefully. “I was hoping maybe that you could come over tonight. I know that it’s late, so if you don’t feel up to it, I’ll come to you.”

“What’s wrong?” Ivy sat up.
“What I need to say doesn’t need to be said over the phone.”

Ivy could sense the stress in his voice and stopped her questions. “Okay, I’ll be right over,” she said hanging up the phone.

*

Half an hour later, Ivy pulled up to River Estates Luxury Condo Community and buzzed Grey. Hundreds of thoughts flooded her mind as she drove to his place. Now she was about to get closure. The gates opened, and she drove silently through the streets until she arrived at his driveway. Hesitantly parking her car, she tried to fight the fatigue that overwhelmed her. Grey came to the front door and turned on his porch light signaling for her to come inside.