Chapter
Three: Out of Place
If
she could have shot him right then and there on the spot with the guarantee that
all of the witnesses around them wouldn’t have breathed a word she would have
located a gun and pulled the trigger. Ever since laying eyes on Christine Baker
things had gone downhill. They had walked in together, Camille, Justin, and
their family, but once they were inside the classroom everyone seemed to go
their separate ways.
All
of the fathers in the room seemed to have broken off into their own sector,
which Camille had silently ordained the Chronic Christine Chasers Committee
on account of their pointless babbling and winks thrown in the young teacher’s
direction. All of the mothers were stationed around the snack table gossiping
about a thing that had taken place in the country club and whom was cheating on
whom with the gardener. Lastly there were the children that were all in the play
area pretending to get along when in all reality they had their own cliques and
sub-divisions that the adults couldn’t pick up on due to their own dramas.
Taking
in a deep breath Camille tried to stay calm and not scream out at the top of her
lungs. All of this time she had been worried about what the other parents would
think of her but now she was worried about how the offspring of these
self-centered bastards would influence her children. She wanted to grab Justin
by the arm and snatch him out of the door along with their sprouts but she was
afraid to make a scene. She didn’t want to be the next topic of discussion
like poor Mrs. Vanderbilt whom walked in on her husband of ten years diddling
two of the maids. Any rumors conspired about Camille was likely to end up in the
tabloids.
“You’re
little Nicole’s mother, aren’t you? The singer, Camille, that just went into
an early retirement to become a housewife?” one of the snooty mothers, that
appeared as if she had just came from getting an injection of Botox, questioned
the moment she realized that the young black woman was the only one not adding
to the gossip.
“Um,
yes,” Camille forced a smile toward the platinum blonde that was dressed in a
Gucci dress suit and peering nosily at the baby girl in her arms, “I’m
Nicole’s mother.”
“Well
aren’t you just the most darling thing.” She commented on Erykah before
returning her focus to the singer. “You don’t look a day over nineteen,
honey. What’s your secret?”
“No
secrets,” she shrugged. “Personal trainer…”
“Dietitian?”
“No,”
Camille shook her head.
“Don’t
mind her,” one of the other ladies whom had her long brunette hair spun up
into a French Twist excused. “Valerie is always trying to pump someone for
their secrets to the fountain of youth. The woman’s obsessed with her
looks.”
“I
am not obsessed.” Valerie disagreed. “Unlike Sylvia here I just think that
looking your best is a requirement. Don’t you agree Camille?”
“Yes,
I suppose so…” she swallowed internally asking herself when it would all
end.
Justin
licked his bottom lip and nodded his head in agreement with the current
conversation going on between the fathers and Ms. Baker. Like all of the rest he
found her incredibly attractive but he was no fool. He’d had enough of all the
drama that women outside of his marriage could bring and he wasn’t looking to
start a raucous. Still, no one could get upset if there was a pack, right? It
wasn’t as if he had pulled Christine to the side to fondle her!
“What
do I do outside of teaching?” The young teacher scratched the side of her head
in wonderment. “Well, I water ski…”
“I
have a yacht!” One of the fathers shouted causing the rest of them to laugh.
The women on the other side of the room all rolled their eyes and began to
whisper.
“A
little overzealous there, man?” Justin shook his head with a grin.
“Just
thought I’d beat you to the punch.” The older man replied. “You’re the
youngest one here. You’d be the first to catch her eye.”
“Nah,
I don’t think so.”
“I’d
have to agree with Mr. Timberlake,” Christine placed her hand on his forearm,
“he’s married to a beautiful woman. I couldn’t tear him away from her even
if I tried.”
Justin
took in a deep breath feeling his face growing hot. “If you all would excuse
me, I think I’d like to go ravage my beautiful wife right now.”
Not
even trying to hide her disappointment Christine threw on a pout and watched
longingly as the superstar walked away and joined his wife on the other side of
the room. Usually she was pretty composed but this was different. She was used
to the old men that came in throwing her seductive glances but none of them
interested her. This guy, Justin Timberlake, was different all together.
“Hey,
babe, can we go now? This meeting doesn’t seem to be about anything anyway.”
Justin whispered into his wife’s ear and ran his hand over her back.
Immediately her eyes flew to the other side of the room just in time to catch
the end of Christine’s ogling.
“Is
the big bad teacher making you uncomfortable, sweetheart?” she asked
scathingly.
“Don’t
be upset. Its not worth it.”
“Baby,
she was just checking out your ass.” Camille whispered to him under her breath
as she turned to stare at him.
“Really?”
he wiggled his eyebrows causing her to roll her eyes at him. “What do you want
me to do about it? You used to check out my ass too.”
“Unless
she’s your next wife, Justin…” her words came to an abrupt end the second
that his lips covered hers.
“Any
questions?” he reached behind her and smacked her ass loudly causing everyone
in the room to take notice.
“None
thank you.”
“You
ready to go?”
“As
you wish.” Camille shook her head to get herself back together and then
signaled for her kids to come along after her out of the door.
“It
was nice to meet you all!” Justin waved goodbye and followed suit.
“Well,”
Valerie took a deep breath, “we certainly know what her fountain of youth
is.”
“Load
up, chil’rens!” Justin shouted after unlocking the car doors from his key
chain and strolled along leisurely after his wife. “Damn, baby, you look fine
as hell from the back.”
“Whatever,
man.” Camille called back over her shoulder while fidgeting with her cell
phone. “When did I miss a call?”
“Who
was it?”
“I
got a 9-1-1 from Nastassia…”
***
“All
you ever fucking do is run out that door and leave me behind! That’s all you
do!” Nastassia shouted at the top of her lungs at her husband while their son
sat on the stairs peeking through the banister with tears streaming down his
face. “Its like I don’t even fucking know you anymore, Nelly! I’m more
accustomed to seeing the back of your head than to seeing your face!”
“Calm
that noise up, Nastassia! I’m sick of this shit!” He yelled back irately.
“I work my ass off to support you and our family but all you do is bitch and
moan about the shit like I’m not doing nothing! We’re not in need of
anything!”
“That’s
a mother-fucking lie and you know it!” she pointed at him accusingly.
“What?
What the hell don’t you have that you want, Nastassia? You wanted a new car so
I got it. You needed a new personal trainer to keep your ass in shape so I paid
for it…” He began listing things off on his fingers just further frustrating
his wife.
“Jesus,
are you blind? The only thing I want and need is you!”
“Don’t
give me that bullshit! When I’m here you don’t even want me around. All you
do is yell and scream and throw these fucking temper tantrums like a child!”
“Don’t
call me a child!”
“Then
stop acting like one, aight?”
“No,
not alright! When was the last time you brought your black ass home just to lay
in bed with me? There isn’t even any affection between us anymore!”
“Nastassia,
please?” he scoffed, tugging on the bill of his red cap in frustration. “I
tried to get up on you last night and what did you do? ‘Nah, I’m not in the
mood. Use your hand, nigga.’ That was you right? Huh? I can’t hear your loud
ass mouth now!”
“Go
to hell, alright? I’m sick of your shit!” she screamed out just as the
doorbell sounded throughout the house. Before either her or Nelly could make a
move Cory shot down the stairs and threw open the door. Both Justin and Camille
stood in the doorway with concerned looks on their faces.
“Oh,
c’mere, baby.” Camille immediately lifted the crying boy into her arms as
his parents continued ranting and raving as if she and her husband weren’t
there.
“If
you want me to leave, bitch, then say it ‘cuz I’m not putting up with it
anymore!” Nelly raised his hands up in the air as if she could take it or
leave it.
“Hey,
man, chill. There’s no need to call her out her name like that.” Justin
stepped in on the situation.
“I’m
a bitch now, Nelly?” Nastassia looked passed Justin and dead at her husband.
“Huh? I’m a bitch now?”
“If
I just called you a bitch, boo, then you were acting like a bitch, right?”
“I’ve
got your bitch, nigga. I’ve got your bitch right here!” she started to come
at him but was thwarted when Justin caught her in his arms and backed her away,
screaming, into the den.
“Hey,
Cory?” Camille set the young child down on his feet. “I want you to go out
to the car and sit with the other kids, okay? I’m going to get you some
clothes so you can spend the night at my house tonight. Is that okay with
you?”
“Yes,
TT.” He nodded quickly and pressed a kiss to her cheek before fleeing the
house.
Taking
in a deep breath, Camille stood to her feet and caught the attention of her mock
brother-in-law. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”
“Cam,
I’m not in the mood for all of that fix-it bullshit. She shouldn’t have come
at me the way that she did.”
“Honestly,
right now I don’t care what you’re in the mood for because now you’ve
pissed me off. You want to do this in the kitchen or upstairs…?”
“Damn,
man!” he shook his head and moved around her while tugging up his oversized
black jeans. “Lets go upstairs. Fuck it.”
“What
happened?” Camille questioned as they took each step two at a time.
“I
came home and your girl just jumped all down my throat, man. It was all this and
that about Cory and I’m not a good father cuz I’m not around enough and that
I’m neglecting her. Then she comes with some I’m a punk bitch and shit.”
He rattled off the information quickly. “I tried to be civil about it and not
come back at her on that level but she wouldn’t ease up, shorty. She just kept
dropping bombs.”
“So
do you think you’re around enough?”
“I’m
here as much as I fucking can be, Camille. You know how this business works.”
Nelly answered as they walked into the bedroom and closed the door behind.
“You would think that Stassia would understand since she was in it too but
she’s on a whole other thing.”
“Speaking
from personal experience its hard as hell to go from being on the road all the
time to sitting your ass down at home and being a mother.” She sat down on the
bed as he went to stand at the window. “Don’t kid yourself. Cory is a
handful and he’s ten times worse the second you walk out of that door.”
“I
know Jr. is on some shit when I leave but I can’t help that. When I’m here
he acts like he got some sense.”
“Well,
have you ever considered just taking the two of them with you some of the time
just so y’all can be together? I know it gets hectic but if Justin hadn’t
been tagging along with me and the kids some of the time we’d be at each
other’s throats.”
“I’ve
brought that shit up but its like she doesn’t respond to it.” He scratched
the side of his face in frustration. “I asked her a while ago if she wanted to
pack some things and just let it be us for a minute but you know how your girl
is.”
“You
only asked her that one time?”
“Why
waste my breath?”
“I’ll
talk to her about that but we’re talking about you right now. You know
you’re going to have to apologize for that bitch thing?”
“I
know that, shorty.”
“I’m
just saying…” she shrugged her shoulders and pursed her lips together.
“Look,
I love my wife, alright? I want her to be happy with me but she ain’t. I
can’t change that.”
“You
can try.”
Justin
sighed heavily and rocked his wife’s best friend back and forth in his arms as
she cried. “Babe, you know he didn’t mean that. He was just upset with you
is all.”
“He’s
never called me a bitch, Justin! He’s never…” she cried into his shoulder
painfully. “I just…”
“Pull
yourself together, sweetheart.” He smoothed away her tears with the pad of his
thumb after finally getting her to sit up. “Y’all can’t be doing each
other like this. Its not healthy.”
“All
I fucking wanted him to do was sit here for a second. He can’t ever just be
here!” she coughed and used the sleeve of her shirt to wipe her face. “I
just don’t know what to do anymore. I’m here all the time going crazy and
shit ‘cuz I don’t know what to do. I’m just tired.”
“Nani,
how long have you been feeling like this girl?”
“I
don’t know.” She shrugged. “I’m just depressed you know? I’m not used
to this.”
“You
ever just tell Nelly that?”
“Tell
him what Justin? He doesn’t fucking listen to me.”
“Tell
him how you feel without coming at him with all the hostility. I know how you
are and I’m not knocking you but you tend to bottle shit up and not say
anything till you’re about to rip somebody’s head off.” Justin explained
seriously and though Nastassia wanted to rebuttal she knew that he was telling
the truth. “Maybe y’all need to try couple’s counseling or something.”
“We
don’t need that.” She disagreed.
“Baby
girl, you need something.”