Never Again Once More by Mary B. Morrison Page B

promised Darius I’d take him to see the Christmas tree.”
    “One more hour won’t hurt me, but Robert needs to eat a little something now,” Mama said.
    Darius pulled Jada’s hand until they were out of the house. As they drove, he shared how his My Dear let him bake a cake and how it had sunk in the middle because he kept opening the oven door. Parking in Jack London Square’s garage, Jada realized she was so preoccupied with her own thoughts, she hadn’t listened very well to Darius. The giant tree near Barnes and Noble Bookstore stood so high all Darius said was, “Wow!” Then he raced, circling the pine branches until he was breathless. Catching his second wind, Darius pointed and said, “Mommy, look, there’s Daddy.”
    Darius scurried over to Wellington and whom Jada presumed to be Simone. Wellington was giving the valet attendant in front of Scott’s Restaurant a claim check for his car.
    Jada’s body felt weaker than it had the day she gave birth to Darius. This was the first time she’d seen Wellington with a date. Oh, no, he was not bringing her over. Divas didn’t duck, dodge, run, or hide, so Jada instantly masked a phony smile.
    Extending her hand, Jada said, “Darius, honey. Come to Mommy.”
    When Wellington embraced Jada, she lovingly rubbed her hand up and down the back of his trench coat. She even held on a little longer than usual. “It’s so good to see you. Darius asked about you earlier.”
    Wellington nervously stepped back and said, “Jada, this is Simone Smith. Simone, this is Jada.”
    Introduction of the last name was a dead giveaway. Good. Wellington had no intentions of marrying Simone. She was cute and all, but it wouldn’t hurt her to shed fifty pounds or more. What did Wellington see in Simone?
    “Hi.” Jada gave her best Colgate smile and extended her hand.
    Simone stared at Jada from head to feet and back to her face, then said, “Ba, we’d better get going. I haven’t given you your surprise yet.” Simone slipped her arm inside Wellington’s and turned away.
    No she did not just call him ba!
    “Yeah.” Wellington bit his bottom lip, and puckered a kiss at Jada. Then he turned to Darius and said, “Daddy will see you tomorrow morning, fella. Take care of your mommy for me.”
    “Okay, Daddy. Love you,” Darius said.
    Wellington smiled at Darius, “I love you, too, son.”
    Whistling like Grandpa Robert had taught him, Darius spread his arms like a bird as he glided back to the tree.
    Wellington looked at Jada and mouthed, “I love you, ba.”
    Oh, no. She was not going to be the joke of the day. Jada responded, “I love you, too,” loud enough for Simone to know Jada could easily take Wellington away from her if she wanted. For the first time Jada realized she didn’t have an endearing name for Wellington. As Simone turned around, Jada walked away. Her breath short-circuited like one of the bulbs on the pine tree, but who had noticed? Who cared? Ol’ Saint Nick had dumped twelve tons of coal in her heart.

Chapter 7
    A night plagued by insomnia and filled with sex left Wellington restless. Unlike Jada, Simone constantly tossed and turned in her sleep. Maybe she was still upset about him saying, “I love you, ba,” to Jada. He’d never make that inconsiderate mistake again. Wellington gave up on tugging the king-sized covers, slipped into his pajamas, and made his way to Simone’s couch. It was three o’clock in the morning. If he masturbated, that would knock him out for sure. After rubbing and stroking for ten minutes, he realized Simone had extracted all of his sap. The next four hours the flat-screen television watched him while he gazed at the ceiling, counting backward from a thousand and creating stock portfolios in his head.
    Making his way to the shower, Wellington tiptoed, trying not to awaken Simone. The steamy water relaxed his muscles so much he wanted to tuck himself inside the comforter as if it were a sleeping blanket and take a nap,