I Will Love You Forever Pt. 2 Ch. 10

"This is none of your concern, now send her out here."

"I told you that she isn't here but I hope that wherever she is, that she'll be happy now get off of my porch if you don't want to be arrested for trespassing."

"Trespassing?" Ty snorted as he pushed at the door.

"The sign's over there but go ahead and force your way in... I dare you."

Ty stopped. The last thing that he wanted or needed was the police. He still had work to do for Lawrence and if he were in jail, it wouldn't be done. He slowly backed away but not before giving Susan a warning.

"If I find out that she was here...."

He stopped when he heard the cocking of a shotgun.

"Get off my porch!"

It was the old woman.

He held his hands up, continued backing away, got into the car and drove in the direction of Becca's parents' house. He parked across the street and planned what he was going to say. When he thought that he would be convincing enough, he got out of the car and walked up to the door. He rang the doorbell and waited.

********

Becca woke up from the most peaceful sleep she had in weeks. She could almost convince herself that it had all been a bad dream if it weren't for her belly. She tried to go back to sleep but the smell coming from the kitchen wouldn't let her. She crawled out of bed and made her way to the bathroom. She was brushing her hair when the doorbell rang.

She froze. She knew who it was and was actually surprised that he hadn't come during the night. She could hear Ty's angry voice and her father's quieter by stern one.

"She doesn't care to see you."

"I don't give a damn! She's my wife! Now bring her down here!"

"I can't do that." Her father replied. "I went against my better judgment when I allowed her to marry you. I had my suspicions which as it turned out were right."

"What are you talking about?" Ty asked.

"Becca told us about the murder and that you are a felon. We've already contacted the police."

"You believed her? I made that up!"

"What about the man in prison whose supposed to move into the house with you? Did she make that up as well?" Robert asked.

"She misunderstood, "Ty said scrambling for lies. "I said that he was a prison minister."

"I see and I suppose she misunderstood about the supremacist group as well? Don't forget that I've heard some of your conversations."

Ty had no response.

"There is a way that we can settle the issue." Robert said. "We can call the police back and you can discuss it with them."

"You can't stop me from talking to my wife." Ty said sidestepping the police issue.

"I can keep you from entering my home and let's not forget that Becca was my daughter before she was your wife. If she chooses to talk to you that's one thing but you will not come to my home and make demands. Did you hit her?"

"Did she say that I did?" Ty asked.

"Yes she did- is that another lie?" Robert asked.

"Yes it is." Ty said. "I never laid a hand on her."

"I see but you never answered my question, shall I call the police?"

Ty stood there numb, everything that he had worked for was going down the drain and all because he had underestimated his wife and Lawrence was dead. He wanted to strangle Becca and her father but Lawrence came first.

He gave Robert a chilly smile and turned to walk away.

"Just a moment." Robert said. "I expect you to be out of the house by the end of the week and if there should be any accidents such as a fire I'll know who to send the police to. The same applies if anything should happen to any of us as well. In fact, I wrote a letter to the police after they left and after you leave, I'll be adding to it. Now please leave."

Ty stood staring at the door as it slammed in his face. He shook with anger at the most recent turn of events. Maybe it was time for him to leave. The thought that if he left, he wouldn't see his baby crossed his mind but he decided that he didn't care.

"Probably a fucking girl anyway." he growled as he left the porch.

He pushed Becca and the baby out of his mind deeming them lost causes and focused on visiting people. Tonight was the night that he would sit outside of the house with the Jap in it. He couldn't believe that he hadn't been spotted but he didn't question it. He didn't know if anyone would die yet but it wasn't out of the realm of possibility.

*********

Becca watched Ty leave and breathed a sigh of relief. If she never saw him again, it would be too soon.

"He's gone and I don't think that he'll be back." her father said from behind her.

"Thank-you daddy."

"Now we have to figure out how to get this marriage ended. I already called the bank and put a hold on all of your accounts with the exception of about three-hundred dollars. That's enough money for him to get out of town."

Becca nodded. She knew that Ty had money hidden although she didn't know where. It galled her to think that he was going to get anymore of hers.

"Daddy, he has money and I don't want him to take money that I'll need for the baby."

"Understood." Robert said as he picked up the phone to call the bank back.

"What about the house?" Millie asked.

"We'll keep it and rent it out." Robert replied. "The money can go into Becca's account for the baby."

Becca listened to the conversation between her parents and felt guilty for the things that she had done and for bringing Ty into their midst. She had just learned a valuable lesson the hard way. She realized how easily it could have turned out badly not just for her but also for the baby.

Unable to speak, she hugged her mother and then her father and made a silent vow to never forget the lesson that she had just learned.

**********

Isadora watched the California landscape with growing nervousness and excitement. It had been a long ride and her behind was sore. She hoped that her ride would be waiting for her and that she hadn't come all this way for nothing. Her next question was how would she know who her ride was? She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and wondered how much longer it would be until they reached LA.

She wanted to ask but the same surly conductor was still on duty and his mood hadn't improved. Four hours later, she heard the announcement that she had been waiting to heat.

"Los Angeles in one hour!"

Her heart pounded with excitement and she wished that she could see the city as they approached it. It seemed that once the announcement was made, the train slowed down to a snails pace. Finally the train stopped. The announcement that they had reached Los Angeles thundered over the loudspeaker. Isadora sat in her seat and waited. There was no point in rushing to get off as much as she wanted to. The compartment became chaotic as people scrambled to get their things and to hurry off the train.

Only when the compartment was almost empty did she move. She picked up her small bag that had been between her feet on the floor and slowly made her way to the exit. She carefully stepped off the train and looked around for anyone who looked like they might be there for her. As she turned to her right, she saw a man holding up a sign with her name on it. She ran over to him.

"I'm Isadora Waters." She said.

"I'm Leonard Gray. Mr. Jackson sent me to get you. Is that all of your luggage?"

Suddenly, Isadora felt embarrassed.

"Yes sir."

"Just call me Lenny." he said as he took her bag and smiled at her.

"Thank you, you can call me Isadora or Izzy if you like."

"I like Isadora, it's a nice name." Lenny replied.

"So where are we going?" Isadora asked.

"My house." Lenny replied as he held the car door open for her.

"Your house?" Isadora asked alarmed.

"Don't worry." Lenny said seeing her distress. "My wife Bella and our three children live there as well."

Isadora relaxed slightly. She was beginning to wonder if she should be going anywhere with this man no matter how nice he seemed.

"What's the matter?" Lenny asked.

"How do I know that you're who you say you are?" she asked.

He looked at her shocked and then grinned at her.

"Mr. Jackson was right about you." he said as he pulled out a tattered wallet and handed it to her. "Other than Mr. Jackson, do you know anyone else here?" he asked.

"No. why?" Isadora asked as she read a piece of paper that had his name on it.

"How did I know who to look for?" he asked amused.

"Oh! I'm sorry I just...."

"It's alright and no offense was taken. That really was a wise move on your part." Lenny said. "We'd better get going. Bella is making dinner and I don't know about you but I'm hungry."

Isadora's stomach growled at the thought of food. She had made her meager sack lunch last as long as she could not wanting to touch the money in her pocket. When the food ran out, she reluctantly bought two apples and nibbled on those. She had finished the last apple in the early morning hours and now that food was coming, she was reminded of how hungry she was.

She got into the car and took her first real look around.

"There sure are a lot of people here." she said almost to herself.

"There are but they're like people everywhere, some good and some bad." Lenny replied.

"Will I see Mr. Jackson today?" She asked.

"He's coming for dinner and I think he plans to take you over to the school tomorrow afternoon." Lenny replied.

It wasn't too long before they pulled up in front of a small but well kept house. Isadora's eyes widened when she saw the orange and lemon trees in front of the house.

"Are those edible?" she asked her mouth watering. Oranges were her favorite fruit.

"They sure are and help yourself." Lenny replied as he got out of the car.

The smell of food wafted through the air making Isadora's stomach growl. The scent grew stronger the closer to the house they got. She felt faint when they were finally in the house. The smell of the food made her dizzy and her mouth watered.

"Bella! I'm home!" Lenny called from the living room.

"Daddy! Three voices called out. Three children, all girls ran out of a room somewhere in the back of the house.

Lenny knelt down, held his arms open embracing the girls when they reached him.

"What have you been doing?" he asked.

"School work." They said in unison.

"Good. Girls I want you to meet Miss Isadora. Miss Isadora, this is Mary the oldest, Naomi the middle one and last but not least Deborah."

Isadora watched the greeting and felt a twinge of guilt as her hand drifted toward her belly.

"Hello Miss Isadora." the girls said pulling her away from the painful memory.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you all." Isadora said kneeling in front of the girls.

"Hello." A soft voice said.

Isadora looked up at who had spoken.

"Isadora, this is my wife Bella."

"Hello and thank you for letting me stay with you and I hope that it isn't an imposition." Isadora replied.

"It isn't an imposition and we enjoy houseguests don't we girls?" Bella asked with a smile. "You must be exhausted! Mary, please show Miss Isadora where the bathroom is. After that, you can show her to her room. Dinner won't be for another hour so you can rest if you like."

"I would like that. Thank you."

Isadora followed Mary down a hallway and realized that the house was bigger than it had appeared on the outside. Mary waited for her while she washed her face and smoothed back her hair from her face.

"This is your room." Mary said proudly. "I helped paint it."

Isadora looked around the small bright yellow room. There was a small bed in one corner, a dresser against a wall and a small desk with a chair. On the other side of the room was a small closet. A real one and not a clothesline like the one she used at home to hang her clothes up.

"This is lovely! Thank you." Isadora said.

"You're welcome. I'll come get you when supper is ready." Mary said as she left and closed the door behind her.

Isadora kicked off her shoes, sat down on the bed and looked around the room. To her, if felt as though she was in a palace. Instead of taking a nap, she unpacked her few belongings and changed into clean underclothes and into one of the three dresses that she owned.

She had just finished changing when there was a tap on her door.

"Isadora? Supper in fifteen." Lenny called in.

"Thank you!" she replied.

She looked at the empty desk and wished that she had brought her law books but she had no idea of what the living arrangements would be like. With nothing to do in her room, she went to the kitchen to see if she could help.

"We're just about ready." Bella said as she sat a plate of biscuits on the table. "We're waiting on Mr. Jackson to get here." she added.

"How do you know him?" Isadora asked.

"He found us the same way that he found you." Bella said with a smile. "Only Lenny couldn't read. Mr. Jackson saw something in him and so did I but what could we do? We had no money for school So Mr. Jackson brought us out here, hired someone to teach both of us how to read and sent us to college. Both of us have our teaching degrees."

"Why does he do this? How can he afford it?" Isadora asked.

"All that I can tell you is that he came into some money years ago and I don't know how. I never asked. The why is because he wants us and by us I mean our people to get ahead and to be ready when the change comes so that we can help others."

"Does he want to be paid back?" Isadora asked anxiously.

"No." Bella replied. "The only thing that he's going to ask of you is that you help our people in any way that you can."

Isadora nodded although she didn't completely understand how one man could pay for the education of so many.

She turned when she heard Lenny greeting someone.

"That's Mr. Jackson." Bella said as she opened the oven and brought out a huge platter of baked chicken.

"She's in the kitchen with Bella." she heard Lenny say.

A moment later, Jonah Jackson was in the kitchen.

"Isadora! I'm so glad that you made it! How was your trip?" he asked.

"Long but I made it." Isadora replied.

"Good, after supper, we'll talk about tomorrow." Jonah said. "It won't take long and I'm sure that you're more than ready for a good night's sleep."

When they were all sitting, Lenny said grace. Isadora was all for saying grace but it seemed as if Lenny included every one in the world in on his thanks. She thought that she would go mad if he added one more person to the prayer, which was supposed to be thanks for the meal.

A few minutes later, Isadora took her first bite of real food since early morning. She closed her eyes and savored the taste and texture of the biscuit as it seemed to melt on her tongue. It was every bit as good if not better than her mother's. She felt a little traitorous for thinking it but it was the truth.

An hour later and after a huge slice of pound cake, Isadora was full and sleepy. Her offer to help clean up was declined.

"Another time." Bella said. "Mr. Jackson wants to talk to you."

Jonah was sitting in the back yard smoking a cigarette.

"What do you think of California so far?" he asked putting the cigarette out when she reached him.

"It's beautiful." she replied as she sat across from him.

"That it is but you need to understand something." he said. "It may be easier out here for people of color but there is still racism. They may not call themselves the Klan but the politics and rhetoric is still the same so watch yourself. If you have any concerns come to me and I'll see that it's taken care of."

"What kind of concerns?" Isadora asked.

"Anything and that include instructors who grade you unfairly and there are those who will do that simply because you're black and you're a woman."

"I understand." Isadora said.

"Good. Now about tomorrow, Lenny will bring you over to my office and from there I'll take you on a tour of the school and we'll get your supplies. After that, Bella will take you shopping for clothes and whatever else young ladies need."

Isadora was shocked.

"I can't let you buy me clothes!" she stammered.

Jonah gave her a stern look that made her refrain from saying anything else.

"As I was saying, Bella will take you to buy new clothes and whatever else you need. This isn't Greenville, Mississippi where what you're wearing is acceptable. Changing people's minds about our race is about more than just going to school; it's about appearance as well. If it makes you feel any better, consider it a loan. When you graduate you can pay it back but you will get new clothing."

The thought that she could pay it back was a relief to Isadora. Other than her father, no man had ever bought her clothes or personal items before.

"Good night Isadora and I will see you in my office at nine am."

"Goodnight." Isadora said as he stood, nodded his head, turned and walked away.

As he walked away, Isadora noticed a slight limp and wondered how he had gotten it. She also had the feeling that there was more to Jonah Jackson than met the eye. She stayed in the yard for a few more minutes before going into the house. On the way in, she pulled an orange from a low hanging branch and although she was full, bit into it, spit out the rind and squeezed the juice into her open mouth. She moaned with pleasure as the sweet juice from the orange ran down her throat.

Bella was waiting for her in the kitchen when she came in.

"I put a towel and washcloth on your bed. Do you need anything else?"

"No and Bella, thank you. Dinner was wonderful."

Thirty minutes later, Isadora was in bed. A few minutes after that, she was sound asleep.

********

Andrew pondered the gun situation. He alternated between trying to find ammunition for the gun that he had or to buy another gun. He counted the money in his wallet. Five dollars. He didn't know how much a gun would cost but he was sure that it would be more than five dollars. Then there was the question of where he could get a gun. Mail order was out because of the cost and the package would come to the house. His parents would see it and wonder what it was.

He had some money in the bank but that was for school supplies. It was his private account so his parents wouldn't know unless they ran into someone from the bank. After thinking about it for several minutes, Andrew decided to wait until he found a gun. That way he would know exactly how much money he needed for the gun and ammunition both.

As he sat on the floor thinking about things, he had a horrifying thought. What if his father asked to see the gun? How would he explain the missing clip and ammunition? It was almost as bad as not having the gun at all. After panicking for a few minutes, he calmed down. His father hadn't asked to see the gun after all of this time, why would he ask to see it now? His next plan of action he decided would be to start looking for guns and then to find a place where he could practice undetected.

Once that was decided, he felt himself settle. He was tempted to plan beyond buying the gun and practicing but he had learned that to do so made it harder to control his impulsiveness and he couldn't afford to be impulsive. He had already made too many mistakes.

He only left his room when his mother called him for dinner.

********

"I don't want you to do this." Patricia said for the hundredth time.

"Kirei listen to me." Kenji said patiently. "One threat is gone now we must deal with this one. Nick....."

"Nick isn't the one that Andrew wants to kill!" Patricia interrupted. "Nick isn't going to be the one raising our babies alone!"

Kenji waited until she was quiet before he approached her and put his arms around her.

"No he isn't." Kenji conceded. "But this has to end. We cannot stay here forever and you know this. How do we teach our children to stand up for what is right if we don't?"

"L...Let someone else do it." Patricia said softly.