September, 1924
"Tee! I'm happy to see you, we haven't seen each other in two whole months!" exclaimed Eugenia as she and Tiana walked into the candy shop.
Tiana shrugged her shoulders "I know, I wish we could see each other more ya know?"
"I know why we haven't been seeing each other, its because you and Vincent have been inseparable since ya'll met! Who knew?" she cut her green eyes at her friend "Are ya'll sleepin' together?"
"Genie!" she couldn't believe her friend "You know I've been workin'..."
Eugenia snorted "Mmhm, that's not all ya been doing either Tee...you can tell me! I'm ya best friend!"
Tiana rolled her eyes "Yeah.." she said under her breath
"Huh?"
"I said yes I am sleeping with him!" she said almost too loud as a few customers turned their heads towards her
.Eugenia's mouth was wide open "Really? You know Ms. Eudora is very big on waiting until marriage and all that right…"
"I know what my Mama says…" she said as she picked up a jar of jellybeans "What she doesn't know won't hurt her."
The sandy brown haired girl shook her head "I didn't think ya had it in ya Tee, you were always avoiding boys when we were in school."
"We went to an all girl's school Genie." she reminded her
"So?" Eugenia glanced up at the rows of taffy "I still met Theodore."
"He's your neighbor!" Tiana laughed
"Anyway…" she walked closer to her friend "How was it? Was he good for a white man?"
Tiana thought for a moment "I'm not gonna lie, it's better than I expected."
"Ooooh Tee! Are ya'll gonna get married? You are so lucky to be dating a well off man like him." they both walked out of the store "Even if he is ten years older than you."
'"I hope so. It'll most definitely get my Mama off my back about it. She is always trying to pair me up with Franklin Smith."
"Ew isn't he that creep who sells newspapers on 5th and Main?"
"Yep!"
"My Mama would never do that to me! She is always forcing me to attend debutante balls and set me up with other wealthy Creole boys….but I love Theodore! They are just gonna hafta accept it!"
Tiana understood her friend. She could never tell Eudora about Vincent, especially since her father was killed by the Black Legion. It would be insensitive to bring home a white man who was much older than she was.
"I love Vincent too, I just hope that it all works out in the end...for the both of us."
Eugenia smiled "So do I, Tee."
Tiana tossed and turned in her sleep all night as it was difficult due to the old hard mattress that she and Vincent were sleeping on. It felt like laying on a cold flat stone. For some reason, her estranged friend Eugenia was on her mind for the third night in a row.
"Ugh!" she crawled out of bed and headed for the bathroom to splash water on her face, attempting to refresh herself from the lack of sleep. She could hear Vincent snoring in the room.
"How is he comfortable?" she thought aloud as placed her hand on her growing tummy. Tiana found herself to be hungry so she made her way to the kitchen for a quick snack that easily turned into a full meal. She ended up making rotisserie chicken, roasted potatoes, and creamed spinach and even found the energy to bake a pie.
She had just fixed her plate, when Vincent straggled his way into the kitchen confused. "What are you doing? Do you know what time it is?"
She didn't look up from her plate as she took a bite of her food. "I was hungry." she simply replied
He looked over at the food "I told you that I don't want you to cook anymore…."
"I made cherry pie...ya favorite."
"You are forbidden-"
"We are not in New Orleans anymore Vincent." she was fed up with his antics
"Why do you always find a way to disrespect me? What is it Tiana? What is it about me that you hate so much? I have given you everything you ever wanted!"
She looked up into his sleepy blue eyes and smirked "I could ask you the same damn questions."
Vincent went over to the table and threw her plate from the table causing it to fall unto the floor. "Run that by me again?" he said now furious
Tiana slowly glanced down at her spoiled food that she wanted and instantly grew angry. She stood up quickly and looked him in his eyes "I could ask you the same damn questions you unimaginable bastard!" she yelled her hormones now kicking in "I hate you! Ever since we got engaged you have turned bitter! What happened to the man I met a year ago? Did he die along with your down spiraling career?" she shot at him
Without warning, Vincent slapped Tiana across her face "That's what you get for talking too much about the wrong things." he said
But in one swift move, Tiana rose up and backhand smacked him with all her might causing him to step back a little. She was scared for a moment as he just stood there, his face still in the same position when she slapped him, she wanted him to say something. His silence was scarier than his wrath at times. "Vincent? Say something!"
Without saying a word, he picked her up and threw her on the table, as he began to rip her nightgown from her body groping her, as he pulled his shirt off. Tiana desperately kicked her legs at him, flailing her arms as she tried to push him off of her. "You will learn your place in this relationship, once and for all after I'm done with you." he breathed as he positioned himself between her legs.
"Stop…" Tiana continued to yell as his hot breath blew onto her neck, as he kicked his pants off. She knew what she had to do in order for him to stop, but it was something that she wanted to keep from him forever if she could.
"I'm pregnant!" she cried looking at him into his blue eyes
Vincent stopped as he looked down at her in disbelief, still between her legs breathing heavily "What?"
She swallowed before repeating herself, tears streaming down her face "I'm pregnant."
()()()
"I just don't understand why I had to travel all da way from Brooklyn, just to check out some pretty boy who stole all of my fucking liquor, this is Bugs' job."
"Sorry Al, but he's just not some pretty boy, he stole over three thousand dollars worth of fine, premium hooch. That isn't quite easy to make or hide from the cops."
"Have ya even asked him about the shit? Or ya just going around kidnapping guys from weddings all day?"
"Well, I thought that Sonny had already figured out before we-"
"Fah get about it! Just go and interrigate 'em so that I don't hafta blow his brains out. Capisce?"
"Caposh."
Two men entered the dark basement turning on the light bulb that dangled eerily in the dampness. One man kicked Naveen in the back to wake him up from his hunger driven slumber.
"Get up ya piece of shit."
Naveen groaned as he turned over tiredly to sit up against the wall. His vision was slightly blurred from hunger.
"Where's the fucking hooch?" said Sylvester as he ran his hands through his hair, impatient as he already wanted to beat him into smithereens
"Frank gave it to me to keep in my condo for a month, until someone from Brooklyn came down to get it." he said clearing his throat
"Ya said that it was in ya condo?" said Tony now intrigued
Naveen nodded his head but quickly regretted it as his head was now throbbing
"Get up, we headin to ya place now."
The two men walked out, but turned around to see a dehydrated Naveen sprawled out on the hard concrete floor.
"Dammit it Tony! Get his ass something to eat and drink...I don't have time for Al to be on my ass if this mothafucker dies on us!"
()()()
Metairie, Louisiana - Marguerite's Estate
Vivienne was in the living room finishing up the last of the her story that she had been writing for quite some time now. With Simeon at his father's and her other responsibilities fulfilled, she now had ample time to spend in solitude doing what she loved. Writing. She was ecstatic that it was almost finished, but at the same time still worried about Tiana. She was all the way across the sea with her maniac for a brother.
She smiled as she closed her journal, satisfied with her work. "Seventy chapters...finally."
Marguerite walked in through the front door and frowned when she saw her daughter sitting comfortably on the couch with a book in her hand. "What are you doing?"
The brunette looked up at her mother "Nothing. How was your afternoon tea with Rachel Sanders?"
"Don't change the subject. You were writing those filthy erotic stories weren't you!"
"My stories are no such thing!" she defended "If you would just take the time to read them, then maybe-"
"I have no desire to read that trash!" she glanced over at the stack of books on the coffee table "Are you going to sit on your behind all day reading while your chores await you?"
Vivienne frowned "But I already fulfilled my duties as always. The kitchen is cleaned, the floors are mopped, all of the rooms are absolutely spotless…"
"You didn't dust the furniture." she raised an eyebrow
Vivienne stood and ran her hand across the fireplace mantle, and showed it to her without a trace of dust on her fingers "Already done!"
But the old woman wasn't satisfied "I want everything in this house, from the ceilings to the floors to be cleaned...again!"
"Everything is already cleaned!" she exclaimed "I got up at five this morning and spent two hours on cleaning your bathroom alone!"
"I'll believe it when I see it." she snapped
"You're beyond belief." she said as she left began to gather the cleaning supplies
Marguerite chuckled "Oh believe it. Once you start paying half of the bills that come in every month, then maybe you and that whiny bastard can leave."
"I will not stand here and let you call your own grandson something other than his name!" she was now furious
"What else can I call him? It seems fitting to me." she smirked as she walked up the stairs into her room
Vivienne balled her fists as she watched her mother leave, as tears welled in her eyes as she fell onto the couch and cried into the cushions.
I have to find a way out here fast she thought