CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED and NINETY
(part five)
“The truth…” he started.
“Yeah, that would be nice for a change,” the woman in front of them said.
“I don’t know if I’ll cheat again and break Miss T’s heart,” Jeraine said. “I’m an addict. I have a problem. I can tell you that today, I woke up and wanted only to stand next to this woman, right here, for as long as I could. So I got up, went for a run, and, except for my excursion to the ice cream aisle, spent the entire day at her side. Now, I can tell you that for the last few months, I have wanted this very thing and only this very thing. But I can’t tell you about tomorrow.”
“Are you going to therapy, son?” an elderly woman from two lines over yelled.
“Yes, ma’am,” Jeraine said. “I have a personal therapist who I see at least once a week. Miss T and I go to therapy as well so we can work on things.”
“We’re on a break because we’re doing so well,” Tanesha said.
“But we can always go back,” Jeraine said.
“And why should we believe you?” The woman in front of them stepped forward to set her groceries on the black conveyer belt.
“You can believe what you’d like,” Jeraine said. “But that’s my truth today.”
“Cheaters never change,” a voice yelled from somewhere in the back. The heads around them began their bobble-head impersonations.
“I can’t speak for cheaters,” Jeraine said. “I can only speak for myself and this moment. I’ve been a cheater and I’ve changed. Look at my life. A year ago, my father wasn’t speaking to me, my wife didn’t realize we were still married, my mother… I…”
Tanesha squeezed his arm to steady him. He smiled at her.
“Today, Miss T and I are back together and building a life together. I’m spending time with my parents. La Tonya had lunch with me yesterday. And I like it this way. I’m not saying I’m fixed; but I’m saying I want to change and so I am changing.”
“I believe in you, son,” Mr. Stone said. The woman behind him groaned.
“I believe in him too,” Tanesha smiled at Jeraine and he blushed.
She pointed the woman in front of her to the grocery clerk ready to check her groceries. The rush of putting their groceries on the belt and getting ready to pay took their attention. Jeraine was standing in front of the grocery clerk while Tanesha bagged their groceries in reusable bags. The clerk was passing Jeraine their receipt when she smiled.
“I saw your interview,” the clerk said. “I just wanted to say…”
Tanesha held her breath.
“Good luck,” the clerk nodded. “It takes a lot of courage to change your life. I’ve got ten years sober. My husband stayed with me. Talk about stubborn. It was hard, but we fought it together and… it was worth it.”
“Thanks,” Jeraine said.
“I think you’ll be fine,” the clerk said.
“Me too,” Jeraine smiled, picked up the last bag of groceries, and followed Tanesha out of the store. They pushed the cart to his Expedition, loaded the groceries, and got in before he asked, “Anything you need to say?”
“When are you getting rid of this pimp mobile?” Tanesha asked.
“I meant about…”
“You made your money off those very people,” Tanesha said. “They feel like they know you through your music. After that interview, they feel like they have a stake in our lives. We’re going to have to either avoid contact with them all together or get used to it.Denver is a small town with a lot of mouthy nosey people. If we want to live here, we’re going to deal with that.”
“And you? Are you all right dealing with it?”
“I’ve been dealing with those nosey so and so’s all my life,” Tanesha said. “My Daddy was in prison for murdering some white girl. My Momma is a hooker. My Gran, well…. Let’s just say that I don’t care what anyone says.”
“Except Jill, Sandy, and Heather,” Jeraine said.
“My Gran, Dad, and maybe even you,” she smiled. “Sometimes.”
He smiled and started the car.
“What?”
“I’m just happy to be here with you,” he said.
Denver Cereal continues tomorrow…
