Ties That Bind Read online

  Randolph arrived on time to pick her up. After saying good-bye to her parents she walked with him down the walkway as he carried her luggage to the car. “Where are we spending the night?” she asked him happily as he placed her things into the trunk.

  He smiled at her. “You’ll see.”

  After driving for approximately seven hours Randolph pulled the car into a gorgeous six-story hotel. However, from the hostile looks they received from the all-white patrons when they walked into the lobby, they knew they would not be welcomed there. Instead of enduring any hassles from the prejudiced individuals, they decided to find somewhere else to spend the night. Driving another hour they finally crossed the border into Florida and spent the night at a very nice motel off the interstate.

  Jenna loved waking up in Randolph’s arms after a night of mind-blowing passion. They dressed and after eating breakfast were back on the road again. It was another seven hours before they finally made it to Miami. Jenna would be staying with Leigh’s parents and Randolph with Noah’s parents.

  The wedding was beautiful and so was the bride. Noah had tears in his eyes as he watched Leigh walk down the aisle to him. Before God and everyone present, they exchanged the vows that joined them as man and wife.

  The reception was held at Leigh’s parents’ church. Later than night Randolph took Jenna for a drive on the beach. She was totally speechless. She had heard about the beauty of Miami Beach and was able to see it for herself. They sat in the car and watched as the moon kissed the waves that rolled back and forth in the ocean. Randolph pulled her into his arms and kissed her until neither of them could think straight. All Jenna cared about was being with him, spending time with him and being loved by him.

  “Leigh asked me to move in with her while Noah is away,” Jenna said to Randolph as he drove her back to Leigh’s parents’ home. “Noah found out that he has to report to training camp the middle of next month.”

  Randolph frowned. He wondered if Ross knew how soon he would have to leave. “Uncle Sam isn’t wasting any time, is he?”

  “No, it doesn’t seem so. The house Noah has found for them has three bedrooms so I can stay there even during the time he’s home on leave. The amount I’ll be paying them for rent is less than what I’d pay for the dorm and it’s within walking distance to school.” When she told Randolph where the house was located he smiled and told her it was only a few blocks from where he would live.

  Leigh and Noah left the next morning to spend a three-day honeymoon in Daytona Beach. By midday Ross, Randolph and Jenna left to return home. At first Jenna was somewhat embarrassed when they stopped for the night and instead of Ross and Randolph sharing a room, Randolph shared a room with her. She wondered if Ross thought less of her, knowing she and Randolph were sleeping together. She expressed her concerns to Randolph that night while he held her in his arms.

  “Ross understands,” he told her, holding her gently, although deep down he wasn’t sure if his brother actually did. Since Ross had never truly loved and desired a woman it was doubtful he understood the deep desire and passion a man had for the woman he loved. But Randolph knew Ross would not think anything negative about Jenna, nor would he think she was less than the wonderful and beautiful person she was.

  When Jenna arrived back home she knew the nights she and Randolph had shared would have to sustain her until they saw each other again in September. She became concerned that she hadn’t received a letter from Ellie while she’d been away, and decided to call Ellie’s parents. She was stunned when Ellie’s mother told her that Ellie had disgraced the family with her pregnancy and they had asked her to leave.

  When Jenna asked where Ellie was staying, Mrs. Stanhope indicated she did not know but assumed she was still somewhere in Los Angeles. Jenna could not believe the Stanhopes had actually turned their backs on Ellie because she had gotten pregnant out of wedlock. She knew not having her family’s support was probably pretty hard on Ellie right now and on top of that she had to deal with Tyrone’s betrayal. Jenna said a prayer for Ellie each night. Although she had not been the easiest person to get along with, Jenna felt Ellie didn’t deserve what she was going through.

  On the other hand, Leigh, who was still bitter over the way Ellie had treated her the three years they’d been roommates, felt Ellie was getting just what she deserved and was being taught a lesson. Jenna hoped that one day Leigh would find it in her heart to forgive Ellie.

  A few weeks after returning from Leigh’s wedding Jenna received a letter from Johnny. He apologized for the infrequency of his letters but said he had been extremely busy for the past six months. He told her about the free breakfast program and free health clinic the Panthers had set up in inner Oakland and how Fred Hampton had organized a coalition of black, white and Hispanic youth gangs in the area to assist with the two programs. From his words, she could feel his excitement in being a part of the positive things they were doing. He had ended the letter by asking her not to believe anything negative she heard about the party. The FBI was trying to discredit the organization because of its growing popularity.

  Jenna had immediately written Johnny back. Again she pleaded with him to take care of himself, and that if he ever needed anything to write and ask. She knew from his last letter he was still on bad terms with his parents and was bothered by their lack of support in what he was doing. She also included in the letter a picture taken of Leigh and Noah on their wedding day. Johnny had been invited but both she and Leigh had known not to expect him to come.

  She received another letter from Johnny, less than a week later. In this letter he told her that he had run into Ellie, and that she had looked so bad he had hardly recognized her. His letter said:

  I could not believe it was really her. She was working at a McDonalds, and would you believe that she was actually happy to see me? And it wasn’t one of her phony acts. In fact, she has changed. I think what Tyrone did to her broke her spirit and made her see things in a whole different light. I took her back to a friend’s place and fed her something to eat and we talked. She said she was living at the Y and that she goes to a health clinic each month to make sure her baby is fine. She’s due to deliver in February and you can hardly tell she’s expecting since she has lost so much weight. She told me how her parents turned their backs on her when Tyrone refused to acknowledge the baby was his, and then up and married someone else. I told her I knew how she felt about her parents because mine had turned their backs on me as well. I asked how she got to Oakland from Los Angeles and she said Tyrone bought her a one-way ticket and told her that was as far as he would send her. She called her parents and they refused to pay the rest of her way home so she ended up staying. Unfortunately, she doesn’t have any relatives she can turn to. But I assured her she has me. In a way we’re like two lost souls in a sea of confusion. Although we weren’t the best of friends at Howard—and you and Leigh know more than anyone just how much I disliked her at times—I can’t turn my back on her because I can actually feel her pain. She needs me and I promise that I’ll check on her often and let you know how she’s doing.

  That night before she went to sleep Jenna said a prayer for both Ellie and Johnny.

  Angela smiled as she walked around the house she would be sharing with Kathy while attending Howard Law School. Now that Ross had told her about his plans to enlist she was elated that he wouldn’t be in Washington making a pest of himself. However, she knew she still had to be on her best behavior since Julia Fuller might pop up to visit her at any time.

  Her smile slowly faded when she thought about how things weren’t going as she had planned. First of all, Ross hadn’t bothered to invite her to attend Noah’s wedding with him, although she had heard through the grapevine that Randolph had taken Jenna with him to Miami. When she had asked Ross about it, he made it seem as if the only reason Jenna had gone was because she had been a part of the bridal party.

  The other thing that had Angela upset was the disappointing news that Julia Fuller
’s plan to break up Randolph and Jenna had backfired. The sight of them together at Ross’s graduation had nearly been too much. She had heard from her parents that Julia had decided to leave them alone after Old Man Fuller had threatened his wife with dire consequences if she continued to meddle in Randolph’s affairs.

  Now Julia was concentrating all of her efforts to bring about a wedding between Angela and Ross now that Ross had finished college. Her parents were thrilled with the idea, and of course she was pretending to be thrilled with the idea as well. However, he hadn’t asked her to marry him and deep down she was hoping that he wouldn’t.

  She was tired of being the nice girl standing on the sidelines. To not give away how she felt about Randolph, she had kept her distance, making a decision to say as little to him as possible whenever they were at the same affairs. Not too much got past Julia Fuller. And heaven forbid if Randolph had shown the least bit of a sign that he was interested in her. She would have been tempted to blow her cover. It was important that everyone assume that she was devoted to Ross, even if it meant alienating Randolph for a while. Gaining Julia Fuller’s trust and confidence was a must-do for now. In due time she intended to come up with some kind of plan to snare Randolph.

  The two of them would be sharing classes together while attending Howard Law School. She felt confident that she would be able to make him see her in a whole new light and forget all about Jenna Haywood.

  Good things came to those who waited and she had waited on Randolph long enough. It was time she made her move.

  Fourteen

  Washington, DC

  The excitement of returning to school was marred with anti-war demonstrations on most college campuses due to several things. One was the United States’ War Mission’s report which indicated that so far more Americans had been killed in Vietnam than South Vietnamese soldiers. Another was CORE, Congress of Racial Equality’s resolution submitted to Congress that urged the withdrawal of U.S. troops in Vietnam, citing the draft was placing a heavy discriminatory burden on minority groups and the poor. A third was French President Charles de Gaulle’s condemnation of the American policy and his arguments that a U.S. troop withdrawal from Vietnam would bring the United States greater world influence than it could achieve by continuing its military commitment. Added to those three was the country’s protest of the court-martials of three army privates at Fort Dix, New Jersey, for disobeying orders to go to Vietnam.

  It was the first week in September. Jenna had spent most of the day unpacking her things. Walking out of the bedroom she looked around the place she would be sharing with Leigh. The older row house had a living room, an eat-in kitchen, two smaller bedrooms and a bathroom on the first floor, and a master bedroom and connecting bath on the second. Leigh had decided to use one of the bedrooms downstairs as a study room.

  Jenna liked the way the bedrooms were situated, since they would provide ample privacy to the newlyweds whenever Noah was home. She’d even had a separate phone line installed in the bedroom she would be using. The house was located in a nice neighborhood of other row houses and was within walking distance to campus. With the lump sum Noah had received for enlisting, he had paid for the rental of the house in advance up to the time Leigh would be graduating in the spring.

  Jenna’s first class was at nine o’clock in the morning. Also on the agenda for tomorrow she had an appointment with the District of Columbia’s largest architectural firm to discuss being a part of their internship program. She had a letter of recommendation from a professor who thought she could benefit greatly from the program.

  She had only seen Randolph once since arriving in town two days ago. She knew he was busy trying to line up his classes as well as move into his own place. His housemate was a medical student by the name of Ben Lowell who Jenna had liked right away.

  Leigh and Noah had left earlier to go to the market. Noah would be in town for another two weeks before leaving for basic training in Warner Robbins, Georgia. Randolph had mentioned that Ross would be leaving the first of October for the marines’ training camp in South Carolina. She could tell the news bothered Randolph although he didn’t say much about it. He really didn’t have to. Since their parents’ death Ross had always been the only real constant in Randolph’s life, which explained their closeness. The two brothers had remained true and loyal to each other, just like their parents would have wanted.

  Jenna decided to take a bath and be ready for bed when the newlyweds returned. She wanted to give them the privacy she felt they still needed and deserved.

  “Aren’t you going to say something about my decision, Randolph?”

  Randolph straightened from leaning against the door and took his hands out of his pockets. “Only if it’s your decision and not Grandmother Julia’s.”

  The two brothers said nothing for a long moment. Ross had just told him of his plans to ask Angela to marry him. Randolph wasn’t stupid. He knew Ross didn’t love Angela and that the only reason he would even think of doing such a thing was because his grandmother was pushing it.

  “Although the wedding won’t take place until Angela finishes law school in two years, Grandmother Julia thinks we should at least become engaged before I leave so others will know she’s spoken for while I’m gone,” Ross said as a way of explanation.

  Randolph nodded. “I’ll support whatever it is you want to do, Ross. I just want you to be happy.”

  “Thanks, Randolph. I appreciate that.”

  Jenna picked up her phone on the first ring. “Hello.”

  “Hey, baby. Did you get moved in okay?”

  Smiling, Jenna tugged on the lapels of her bathrobe. “Yes. Everything is unpacked and my room looks lived in. It’s so nice, Randolph. I’m going to enjoy living here with Leigh.”

  “Sorry, I didn’t get by to help you.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I know you had to get settled into your own place.”

  “Yeah, but I had some help. Ross is still here. He won’t be moving out until this weekend.” Randolph took a deep breath. “He’s decided to ask Angela to marry him.”

  That didn’t surprise Jenna. Julia Fuller was expecting the couple to become engaged now that Ross was no longer in law school. “When will the wedding take place?”

  “Not until Angela finishes law school.”

  Jenna nodded. That was another two years. “I’m surprised your grandmother isn’t pushing for an earlier wedding date.”

  Randolph was surprised as well. “Maybe she just wants them engaged for now and plans to convince Ross to move the date up earlier at some point later. Who knows?” Deciding to change the subject, he asked, “What time is your first class in the morning?”

  “At nine. Why?”

  “So is mine. Do you want to do breakfast?”

  “Yes, that sounds like a winner.”

  “Good. I’ll see you in the morning. I love you.”

  “And I love you, too,” she whispered before hanging up the phone.

  A few weeks later, the night before Noah was to leave for basic training, Leigh tried putting on a brave face but it was hard. To give the couple privacy, Jenna made plans to spend the night over at Randolph’s place.

  “Don’t look so sad, sweetheart,” Noah said to Leigh softly. “It’s not the end of the world, you know. I’m just going to be gone for eight weeks and then I’ll be back. At least we’ll spend Christmas together.”

  She tried smiling but found that she couldn’t. “I know, but I’m going to miss you.”

  Noah pulled her closer into his arms. “And I’m going to miss you, too, sweetheart. I’ve only committed four years to Uncle Sam and then I’ll be home with you each and every night, and then we’ll make all those babies that we want.” He could have done two years as a private, but going in as an officer was a four-year commitment. With an officer’s salary, he and Leigh would be able to save a lot. It would be more than enough to set him up in private practice, which is what he preferred instead of going to work for
a law firm.

  “I’ve asked Randolph to check on you from time to time to make sure you’re okay and have everything you need.” Noah chuckled. “With Jenna staying here with you that shouldn’t be a problem for him.”

  Leigh nodded, knowing that was true. She then decided to mention something to Noah that she had noticed last night at the small going-away party she’d given him. It was something she hadn’t mentioned to anyone. Not even to Jenna. “Noah, did you happen to notice Angela last night?”

  Noah lifted a brow. “What was there to notice about her? I admit I was surprised to see her here. She’s never gone out of her way to get to know any of Ross’s friends. I think the only reason she came was because she’s living in Washington now and it would have looked awkward for her not to have come with Ross.”

  Leigh met her husband’s gaze. “I think she came because she knew Randolph would be here.”

  Noah flashed her a frown. “What do you mean?”

  Leigh sat up in bed. Sitting back on her heels she looked down at Noah. “I think Angela has a thing for Randolph.”