CHAPTER THIRTEEN
We’ll Understand it Better, By and By…
Tapestry held the microphone and slowly closed her eyes…
She tapped her foot as she heard the instruments playing around her and smelled the smoke in the room. Soon, she fell into the groove. Tonight, she had a multitude of musicians behind her.
Clad in a long black gown, her hair slicked back into a ponytail with a red rose in her tresses, she swayed her hips, feeding off of the energy in the crowd at Buffa’s Bar and Restaurant. She began to belt out, “Tears Dry on Their Own,” by Amy Winehouse. The audience began to sway and wave their hands in the air, singing along with her. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted her boyfriend standing there, his long hair half draped over his face. He was cradling his guitar and fingering it as if trying to make it cum. She smirked and kept tapping her foot, patting her thigh to the tones that webbed within her very soul. Once she was finished, the place was jumping with applause.
“Thank you, everybody!” she spoke into the microphone, smiling wide, grinning through the pain of it all. Yes… pain. But he didn’t want to talk about it…
Something had happened at the studio, but he kept the shit bottled up. Instead, her baby poured it all into his music. He’d been up practically three days straight practicing, making what was already great even more wonderful. She’d found a few cigarette butts smashed into one of his ceramic bowls, and a bottle of empty Jack Daniels in the trash. His apartment smelled of marijuana, and his appetite for her body had made her almost unable to walk into the place that night and perform. The sex was animalistic—a depraved creature was trying to suck the life out of her like a stray cat stealin’ a baby’s breath. He clawed and pinned her down, bit and sucked and licked, and his stamina was unfathomable… like that of a sex fiend possessed.
On a swallow, she shoved the thoughts out of her mind and took five—a little break before she sang the next tune. Sauntering over to the bar, she got herself a small glass of red wine and fiddled around a bit on her phone. Her man was so close but so far. He remained up there on that little stage during the break, moving about like some worker bee.
I know you feel me lookin’ at you, boy…
But he wouldn’t meet eyes with her. Soon, it was time to get back to work. Up she went, grabbing the microphone to croon, “Fade into You” by Mazzy Star. She looked at that man with the long black hair far too long as the lyrics rolled off her tongue…
Finally, he returned her gaze with those big, bold, blue of his eyes shining like two sapphire crystal balls, telling her past, present, and future. He rocked back and forth in slow motion, the black corded necklace around his neck swinging back and forth, the diamonds in the large skull pendant catching the twirling lights just so.
When it was all said and done, he mouthed, “I love you.” She smiled at him and took a bow as the crowd wolf whistled and clapped. They performed a few more songs that night, and when it was over, while they packed up, he was offered drink after drink. Much to her surprise, Cain refused them all. Sitting on the seat next to her, he removed the half-smoked pack of cigarettes from his pocket and cast it away in the trashcan.
She didn’t ask him anymore what the issue was, what was eating him up inside. He’d clammed up, but in some special way, he was allowing her to see bits and pieces of his darkness, until he found fragments of light to wrap himself around and hold on to. Loving Cain wasn’t easy…
He was complicated, moody, temperamental, and at times withdrawn. But once he told her that his heart was hers, she never doubted him. He was loyal. She didn’t wonder who he was screwing besides her—she knew the man only had eyes for her. He was kind, sensitive to her needs, and still a man’s man all in one. He fought hard, but loved harder. He was a naturally born empath, feeling the pain of others, as well as their joys. It twisted him up inside; all of that art and wonder, that humor to mask hurt, and that love for a good song made him who he was.
It’s almost a curse for one man to have all of that talent…
He reached over to her and wrapped his hand around her neck. Drawing her close, he kissed her, so passionately. The heat of his mouth sent lusty waves flowing through her body, from her head to her feet. She knew this was his way of telling her he was all right… and everything would be just fine, by and by…
…One week later
I brought that blue-eyed, White Creole man home to my Daddy…
Tapestry hadn’t taken Cain to her parents’ home. She’d considered it, but knowing her daddy the way she did, her consideration was short-lived. Daddy was a hardworking man, now retired, who wanted nothing more than to be left the hell alone. His words… not hers. He’d had a hard time in life and had a low tolerance for bullshit.
Cain insisted on breakin’ bread with the man, stating that they’d been together far too long at this point for him to have never set eyes on them. So she begrudgingly agreed to it, still feeling it was perhaps a bit premature. Not because she had any concerns regarding her and Cain’s future, but she hadn’t warmed her father up enough to the idea. In reality though, that toasting of the idea could take a whole ’nother lifetime.
They pulled up and she eyed the place, wondering what lay behind front door number one of the 2,080 sq. ft. house on Winners Circle. Cain got out of the car like a jolly bastard, his eyes shining bright, teeth showing from a confident smile, and eagerness in his step. He marched right up to the door like some delivery man with a birthday cake, leaving her behind as if she were some afterthought. She looked at him from behind as he rapped on the door. He was wearing a denim button down shirt which revealed peeks of his chest tattoos.
Lord have mercy… Mama is surely gonna have something to say about that…
Daddy snatched the door open as if he was about to give whoever stood on the other end of it a piece of his mind. He looked at the two of them for a spell, then offered a half smile as he stepped aside.
“Hello.”
“Hello, Mr. LeBlanc. I’m Cain… thank you for—”
“Come on in here…”
“Thank you, sir. It’s real nice to finally meet you!” Cain stated as Daddy closed and locked the door behind them.
When it slammed shut, the sound shook her a bit. Cain jetted out his hand but Daddy looked him over a time or two, then shook it with suspicion in his eyes.
Let me break the tension up…
“Daddy, Mama must be cookin’. Smells good!” She grinned a bit too hard, but she was barely keeping it together as it was.
“She is. She in tha kitchen. Go on in.” Daddy grunted.
She removed her shrug from around her shoulders, looped it over her purse, and headed down the short hall to the kitchen, with Daddy and Cain following close behind. There Mama was with her skinny, tall self, stirring a pot of something that smelled just right. She threw a look at them from over her shoulder. With her gold-rimmed glasses, she studied them, her gaze hopping from one to the other.
“How you doin’, baby?” she asked with a smile.
“Oh, I’m just fine, Mrs. LeBlanc!” Cain said with a grin.
Tapestry jabbed him in the side. “She was talkin’ to me!”
“Oh!” He chuckled. Mama giggled, too.
“I know I said I wasn’t cookin’, but I changed my mind. I was gettin’ a little light headed. You’re more than welcome to have some. It’s just some dirty rice and fish, nothin’ big.”
“I wouldn’t mind a plate.” Cain pulled a chair out and plopped down in it, still grinning like a big ass greedy feline that had swallowed a canary.
“That’s just fine. I got some cornbread and sweet tea, too. Want some?” Mama walked across the kitchen and opened the refrigerator, removing a big old jug of tea with what looked like a hundred slices of lemons, oranges, and limes swimming in it.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Cain clasped his hands together, still looking as eager and pleased as ever… It was driving Tapestry plum crazy. Boy, was he laying it on thick.
“Tapestry tells me that you’re a singer, and a guitarist… and a painter… and an artist… and a carpenter, too.” Mama laughed as she set the plate of freshly fried cornbread cakes in the middle of the kitchen table.
“Yes, ma’am, I am!” Mama turned back to her cooking and he reached over to grab a piece of cornbread. Tapestry slapped his hand. “Oww!”
“We gotta say grace first!” she whispered. “You act like you’ve just been let outta some cage!”
He smirked and withdrew his hand, resting it on his lap.
“Sounds like you keep busy.”
“I most certainly do.”
Daddy cleared his throat, filled a glass with tap water, and sat down next to Cain. He was still frowning, but of course, Daddy always looked that way so Tapestry struggled to read the old man’s mind.
“Daddy and Mama, guess what? Remember I told you some guys were interested in him? Well, now it’s official. Cain’s got a signed and delivered record deal!”
“Didn’t you say they were checkin’ you out, too?” Mama’s eyes lit up with joy.
“Yes ma’am, but his is already in the works!”
“Cain, Tapestry has always been superstitious about things like that,” Mama added. “She never wants to brag on herself or say anything.”
“Mama, I just don’t want to count my chickens before they’re hatched. Anyway, he’s been recordin’ at the studio. I am so proud of him!”
She leaned over and hugged the man, then kissed his cheek.
“That’s just wonderful!” Mama smiled as she filled up bowls with the dirty rice, then laid a piece of fried fish over each portion. She joined them at the table and they all held hands and bowed their heads.
“Father, we just wanna thank ya for all that you’ve done for us. Thank you for this dinner to nourish our bodies. Thank ya for family, friends, and fellowship. Thank ya for good health and good intentions and grantin’ me one mo’ day to be with my family. Amen.”
“Amen!” everyone said in unison. Moments later, the clatter of spoons and glasses filled the room. Tapestry calmed a bit as she watched Daddy eat, and his facial muscles relaxed ever so slightly.
“What do you play?” Daddy asked around a mouthful of food.
“Guitar. Electric, acoustic and bass… know how to play double neck, too, but don’t do that too often.”
Daddy nodded as if he were duly impressed. He even smiled.
“I play a lil bit of acoustic.”
“Do you? That’s great… See? We got somethin’ in common. How long have you been playin’?”
“Since I was ’bout ten… self-taught.”
“Well, shoot, we should jam together one day. In fact, I have an old one I always keep in my truck, just in case.”
“Isiah is good, but he ain’t played in years,” Mama cut in. “It’s been at least ten years, right?”
Daddy nodded as he worked his gums around a big piece of cornbread, then he reached into the bowl and bit off a piece of fish.
“It’s back there in the garage.” Daddy hitched his crumb-covered thumb in that direction. “I could dig it out.”
“I’d love to hear you play.”
“I would’ve liked to have met you earlier, Mr. LeBlanc but Tapestry was concerned you might not be so accepting of me bein’ White ’nd all.”
Tapestry shoved him as hard as she could! He almost toppled out the chair.
“Now why’d you go and say somethin’ like that, Cain?!” She couldn’t believe her ears. All Mama did was smile and shake her head, while Daddy grabbed a napkin, wiped his hands real meticulous like, and glared at Cain.
“Yes. My daughter is a Black woman.” Daddy pointed at her like it was a news flash of some sort. “I’d prefer her to be wit’ a Black man… I ain’t goin’ tuh even play around wit’ that, but at the end of the day, Cain, I honestly just want ’er to be happy. If you make her happy, and don’t do no stupid shit, den we’ll be just fine.”
Mama rolled her eyes, reached for her glass of tea, and took a big gulp. Cain smiled and nodded so vigorously, the necklace around his neck swung to and fro.
“I promise to try my best to not mess up… I love your daughter very much, Mr. LeBlanc. And that’s just a fact.”
Daddy looked at him long and hard. At last breaking the gaze, he took a big spoonful of dirty rice and jammed it in his mouth.
“We’ll see… I don’t trust you mothafuckas.”
“Daddy!”
“Isiah, you know betta than to say some mess like that!” Mama chastised. “Cain, don’t pay my husband any attention.”
“Hell, I don’t blame ’im! I wouldn’t trust us none either, wit’ the history ’nd all. But we ain’t all the same, Mr. LeBlanc. I promise you that. My mama, daddy, brothers and sister is good people… they accepted Tapestry wit’ open arms.” Cain finished off his cornbread and dropped his spoon back in his bowl.
“Good people can still be racist, son… best of intentions…” Mama sighed as she got to her feet and took a big half eaten cake out of the glass domed pedestal that set on the counter. “But I know what you mean. Your people from Sulphur, right?”
“Yes, ma’am. Got family in Ashland and Columbia, too.”
“Ashland?” Daddy grimaced then rolled his little, dark brown eyes. “Tha KKK stay busy up in there! Lawd!” He chuckled.
Tapestry slumped down in her seat… it was over. Once they got wind of some of Cain’s crazy family members, the ones who’d tried to make her squirm, Daddy would have a full out conniption fit.
“Yes, sir, I says you right…” Cain agreed, shaking his head. “We got some of dem, too.”
Oh Lord Jesus! Cain, please shut up! SHUT! UP! Daddy is gonna give me the blues after this… I ain’t gonna never live it down.
She wanted to just jump out of her skin and go somewhere far and hide.
“You got Klan folks?” Now Mama was all ears, and the frown on her face and the raised brow proved she was none too excited about it.
“Yes, but we don’t deal with them and now that their mama dead, my aunt, we have no reason to even look in their general direction. They say blood is thicker than water, but I say family got little to do wit’ blood, and more to do wit’ love and respect. My Aunt Frieda wasn’t Klan, though.” He grabbed his iced tea and chugged it, the ice clomping about before he slammed it down on the table.
“Must be your cousins then,” Daddy muttered, as if he’d solved a mystery.
“Yes, sir… and their daddy. Anyway, I believe in bein’ honest about matters like that, ’cause ain’t no need to hide it… It’ll all come out in the wash sooner or later. Mrs. LeBlanc, this is some of tha best dirty rice I ever had! Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome, baby… and I appreciate your honesty, too.”
“I’mma go out and get that guitar.” Daddy shoved himself away from the table and stood, running his hand up and down his protruding stomach.
Daddy was only five foot five. He had short legs and a long torso, but acted like he was some sort of giant in the world. Tapestry and her brother used to call him Shortie when they were teenagers, but he didn’t appreciate it none, so Mama made ’em stop.
Daddy disappeared, leaving just the three of them to their devices. Suddenly, Cain’s cellphone rang. He knocked his napkin out of the way and looked down at it.
“Mmm, pardon me. I need to get this. Mind if I excuse myself?”
“Not at all. Go on,” Mama said as she took out some dessert plates. Tapestry observed Cain walk out of the kitchen, then heard the front door open and close.
I wonder who that was? He left awfully fast…
When she turned back towards Mama, the woman was staring at her and smiling.
“You like him, Mama?” Tapestry asked with a big smile on her face.
“I think I do! He seems real nice… He cute, too!” Mama winked in her direction, took the knife to that big ol’ chocolate cake, and began to slice deep into it…
“What do you mean you can’t do nothin’ about it, Spinely?!” Cain put his hand on his hip, his patience thinner than a penny.
“Cain, I know you’re upset, but he owns half the company. I can’t go over Steven’s head. He invested in my studio years ago when I was a fledgling producer. With his help, I’ve been able to produce and record again, full speed ahead. But our deal was that I had to do a split ownership with him. I disagree with him on this matter. He knows it, I told him several times that Tapestry is a cash cow, pardon my choice of words… but you know what I mean. However, he and I are fifty-fifty on the ownership so my hands are tied.”
“I want outta this deal, ya hear me?! It’s over. I’m not workin’ with him, even if he was the last producer on Earth. That motherfucker can go straight to Hell! I’m gettin’ out this contract. You two better cut me loose or I’ll find my own exit.”
“You can’t do that.”
“Oh, I can’t? There’s three things at this point that you can’t tell me: Nothing. Shit. And not a Goddamn thang!”
“Jesus Christ! Cain, please just listen. I am saying this to you as not only your producer, but your friend. The legal ramifications of you tryin’ to back out would be astonishing. Your first single is already scheduled to drop in two months, the PR and marketing costs alone would blow your mind. You’d have to pay everything back along with interest and not only that—if you pull the plug it could ruin your reputation for future deals.”
“This ain’t right, Spinely! It ain’t right at all! I ain’t givin’ that son of uh bitch one lousy cent off of my hard work, my blood, sweat and tears. You just got back in town. I been waitin’ weeks to talk to you and this is the news you come back with?! What tha hell am I supposed to tell Tapestry, huh? ‘Oh, baby, they think you can sing real good, but you too damn big so no deal!’ I been sittin’ on this shit, tryna pretend everything was fine… certain you was gonna work it out and this is what you doin’ to me, man?! I trusted you!”
Cain looked back at his girlfriend’s Mama’s house and just wanted to scream his damn head off…
“Cain… I know… I wish there was something else I could do but he is not budgin’ on this. He and I got into it about her, all right? At the end of the day, this is about money. We invest in people, and he feels like she’s too much of a risk. Look, I’m gonna try to talk to another company who might be interested in Tapestry, okay? I will tell you this a million times. I want her, okay? Please believe me. Tapestry is going to do well, I have no doubts about that. It just might take a bit longer because she obviously won’t be doin’ it here, at Nola Studios. I have full faith in her, you know I do, but—”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, that fucker got tha other fifty percent…” he hissed, itching for a cigarette.
“I’m sorry, Cain… so, I expect to see you back here Monday mornin’, all right? We’re a bit behind schedule because you only showed up three out of the six times you were scheduled.”
“Because of this situation! I wanted to speak to you first.”
“I know… but it’s settled now. I’m gonna make some calls. I can’t make any promises, but believe me, I am going to shop her around. I have her demo tape. I’ll work it. All right?”
Cain gripped the phone and spun around, not sure where to rest his eyes.
“All right… I’ll talk to you later.” He disconnected the call, hauled ass to his truck, and took out his old guitar that he kept inside for impromptu performances. Moments later he was back in the kitchen. Tapestry’s father stood with an old wooden guitar, and a big smile on his face.
“Well, would you lookie there! You found ’er!”
“I sure did!”
“All right! I’m excited! Before we get started though, Tapestry, can I speak to you for a minute?” The woman, who sat at that table eating a piece of rich looking chocolate cake, looked downright confused.
“Uh, okay.” She swallowed and gingerly placed her fork down. “What is it?”
Minutes later, they were standing in the front yard, and the look on her face pulled his heart out of his damn chest and stomped on it.
“So… they… they don’t want me ’cause I’m not skinny?” Her eyes sheened over. Cain grabbed her hands and squeezed.
“Baby, not they, just Alexander… Spinely said he’s gonna talk to some other folks though, said he’s gonna work it out, all right?” He tried to smile and sound optimistic, but he knew the woman could see right through him. He might as well have been a window. She slowly freed herself from his grip and turned away. Placing his chin along her shoulder, he held her close to him. “I’m sorry, baby… I’m so damn sorry…”
“Ain’t your fault, Cain.” She sniffed, wiped her eye and moved away from him, back towards the house. “Ain’t your fault at all. I’m happy for you though… glad you got what you’ve worked so hard for. It’s okay,” She tossed him a sad smile. “Let’s go on back inside. Daddy is waitin’…”
…But it wasn’t okay… and somehow, some way, he had to make this right…