Ties That Bind Read online

  As she walked she thought about the first time she had seen Randolph last year at a birthday party given for A. Philip Randolph. Her mother had explained that Julia Fuller was looking for debutantes from good families as potential future wives for her two grandsons.

  Angela had known that matches between well-known African-American families were often made. She had also known that if such a match was made between her parents and the Fullers, she much preferred Randolph over Ross. But her mother and Julia Fuller got the notion in their heads that she and Ross were a perfect fit. So she played the part of the prim and proper woman around him, often extending her role to act like a total prude who didn’t like sex. She had hoped that would turn him off but so far it hadn’t. The man had the patience of Job.

  “What are you doing out here this time of night with your bedclothes on?”

  Angela turned to the sound of the deep, husky voice. It was Mr. Adams, the security guard. He was short, stocky and a good fifty years old. But he was a man and that’s what she needed right now. And from what she’d heard, some of the girls had slept with him and in return he kept his lips zipped when they sneaked off campus.

  Her lips quivered into a smile when she looked at him. “I couldn’t sleep. I got restless.”

  He frowned. “Well, it’s not safe being out here this time of night by yourself. You need to go back inside.”

  She knew he was being cautious with her since it was well known that her family was close friends with the Hightowers. She forced tears into her eyes, something she had learned to perfect as a child. “But I don’t want to go back inside. I need to think. I’m not doing so well in one of my classes, and I’m afraid I’m going to get kicked out of school.”

  As she’d known they would, her tears got to him. He walked over to her. “There, there,” he murmured, trying to stop her from crying. “Nobody is going to kick you out of school. All you have to do is study a little harder and things will be fine.”

  “You think so?” she asked, sniffing.

  “Yeah. Your family is friends with Dean Hightower. So I doubt you’re going anywhere.”

  I doubt so, too, but not for that reason. The dean likes poking me too much , Angela thought, deciding not to waste any time talking to Mr. Adams. They were standing under a huge oak tree and couldn’t be seen. Without warning she dropped to her knees in front of him.

  “Hey! What’s the matter with you? What are you doing!” he asked as she snapped the button off his pants and tore at his zipper. He tried pushing her away but she was intent on getting just what she wanted. Before he could push her back she had taken the man-tool out of his pants and had it in her mouth. The hair covering his stomach tickled her nose but she ignored it as she nearly swallowed him whole—the way Mr. Morgan had taught her to do during the week he had stayed with the Hightowers. In that one week he had shown her a lot, and she was glad to use her newfound knowledge on someone and see the results. She wished it was Randolph, but again she could fantasize.

  Locking her mouth firmly on Mr. Adams, she began purring and saw that he was no longer fighting her. In fact he had grabbed the back of her head to push himself deeper inside her mouth. She knew the way she was working her mouth, as well as the kissing and sucking sounds she was making, were driving him insane.

  Knowing he was about to come, she pulled back and quickly stood up. “Stick it in me now!”

  Wasting no time, he shoved her back against the tree and rammed deep inside of her, tearing the top of her robe in the process. She closed her eyes and began fantasizing while he was pumping into her like a madman.

  That’s it, Randolph, take it all. Take it all, baby. Take it all!

  She didn’t open her eyes when he ripped the rest of her robe and the top part of her gown. She felt his hands all over her breasts. In her mind they were Randolph’s hands, big and strong. The thought that this was Randolph touching her and thrusting back and forth inside of her made her desperate.

  Holding onto his shoulders for support, she wrapped her legs around his waist as he held her against the tree trunk, pumping into her at every angle he could.

  When she heard him let out a loud, harsh grunt, just seconds before he ejaculated, she almost wept with intense pleasure, loving the feel of Randolph exploding inside of her. As Mr. Adams continued to rock against her, enjoying her to the end, she slowly opened her eyes. She had fantasized about Randolph all the while he had taken her and she had enjoyed it. She smiled. Her dreams and fantasies would serve their purpose until she got the real thing.

  And one day she intended to have Randolph Fuller.

  Five

  October turned into November and with it came cooler weather in the nation’s capital. The Vietnam War was still being fought and more and more American troops were being sent to Saigon each day. The bloodiest battle to date had been fought a few weeks ago, and in one engagement the North Vietnamese ambushed a battalion, nearly wiping out an entire company and killing close to two thousand American soldiers. Around the country, more and more people had begun protesting the war.

  On the home front, now that the Voting Rights Act had been passed, Martin Luther King, Jr. had begun focusing on poverty and racial inequality in the North. Out West and in other parts of the country, the Black Panther Party began challenging King’s leadership of the civil rights movement as well as his policy of nonviolence.

  Everyone at Howard University left campus the day before Thanksgiving, heading home. Because they had the farthest to travel, Leigh and Noah left a day earlier than the others, catching the train to Miami. Ellie’s parents arrived to pick her up at noon on that Wednesday.

  Ross, who owned a late-model Chevrolet that his grandfather had given him, offered to take Jenna as far as Richmond, Virginia where she could purchase a ticket with a lower bus fare to Knoxville. Both Randolph and Ross had entertained her along the way with stories of their childhood and all the trouble they had gotten into.

  When they reached the Greyhound bus station, Randolph walked her inside. He then sat with her and waited for her bus to come, refusing to leave her alone.

  “I miss you already,” he said before she boarded the bus. They had seen a lot of each other during the past six weeks and the thought of not seeing her for four straight days had him in a state of misery.

  She had given him her parents’ phone number and he had promised to call. “I’ll understand if you don’t get around to calling,” she told him, smiling up at him, knowing how much she would be missing him as well.

  “Don’t even entertain that thought, baby,” he said, holding her tight in his arms. He kissed her and then released her to get on the bus before the driver closed the door.

  “You really like her a lot, don’t you?” Ross asked him when he made it back to the car. Randolph had appreciated his brother waiting patiently while he had stayed with Jenna.

  “Yes, I like her a lot, Ross. She means a lot to me.”

  Ross nodded, smiling. “I can tell and I’m really happy for you, Rand.”

  Hearing Ross give his blessings on his and Jenna’s relationship meant a lot to Randolph. “Thanks, Ross, I’m glad to hear that you feel that way.”

  Randolph was not surprised that his grandmother knew he was seeing a girl around school. He wasn’t even surprised that she knew Jenna’s name. But he had been surprised to discover within minutes of arriving that she had taken the time to find out everything she could about Jenna, including her family history.

  When he and Ross arrived she was sitting on a burgundy leather couch in the living room. Like the rest of the house, everything in this room spoke of elegance, from the huge crystal chandelier that hung overhead to the huge gold sconces that graced the marble fireplace. Then there were several framed pictures that hung on the walls by renowned African-American artists Romare Bearden, Jacob Lawrence and Clementine Hunter.

  His grandmother stood when he and Ross entered the room, along with their grandfather who had opened the door. She didn�
��t bother with a greeting but lit right into him.

  “I ordered a report on that girl you’ve been seeing at school, Jenna Haywood, and I can’t believe you would even think to associate yourself with someone who is clearly out of your class, Randolph,” she said in a huff. A dignified huff but a huff nonetheless.

  He gave his grandmother the same stare she was giving him. If she wanted a showdown she would get one. As she continued talking, expounding on all the reasons he should be paying more attention to developing a relationship with Lena Weaver, he took the time to study the older woman who for some reason felt she had the right to interfere in his life.

  He couldn’t help but think his grandmother was a beautiful woman. And as she always did, on today she looked refined, sophisticated and pampered. And of course she was impeccably dressed, a model of elegance from her head to her toes. Dressed in a beige linen suit, she was the epitome of a Southern-bred black woman whose educated family, as well as the family she had married into, had somehow managed to have a little more than others, a fact she relished and took pride in. And she was determined to make sure the young women her grandsons selected as future wives had her same breeding.

  “Are you listening to me, Randolph?”

  Her question drew his attention back to what she’d been saying. He crossed his arms over his chest. “Not really. This is my life we’re talking about and the woman I decide will share it will be of my choosing and not yours, Grandmother Julia. We’ve discussed this numerous times. Why are you so determined to saddle me with Lena Weaver?”

  “Saddle? You should be honored that her parents think you’re worthy enough for their daughter. Do you know the connections she will bring to this family?”

  Randolph rolled his eyes toward the ceiling. “When will you realize that connections and family ties are only important to you? They mean nothing to me.”

  “And I guess that little chit from Tennessee who has no family ties or connections does?”

  “Yes.”

  Julia Fuller waved an elegant hand in the air, letting him know his response meant nothing. “Of course you would think that way. Don’t you think it’s time to return to reality and remember your place in life, Randolph? Your playtime with that girl has gone on long enough, and Lena has graciously tolerated your foolishness. At the risk of sounding crass, I would think after two months you would have gotten just what you wanted from her by now and moved on.”

  Randolph’s jaw twitched in anger. “And just what do you think I want from her?”

  Julia glanced at her husband and Ross. Both were used to her and Randolph’s arguments but for some reason the expression on their faces, as well as the looks they were giving her, indicated they felt she may have gone too far this time. But she had no intentions of backing down.

  “Since you have pushed me to be totally frank with you, Randolph, then I will, although I’m uncomfortable with what I’m about to say.” She hesitated briefly. “I do understand that you’re a young man with certain needs; needs you wouldn’t ask a well-bred lady like Lena to take care of. So quite naturally you would want to seek out another woman to take care of those needs for you.”

  Randolph had listened to his grandmother’s words quietly, all the while fuming inside. He decided to state his feelings for Jenna once and for all. “You evidently misunderstood my relationship with Jenna, Grandmother. So I think I better set you straight on the matter.”

  A smile suddenly came to his lips when he thought of Jenna, who in his opinion was the best thing to happen to him. “I love Jenna and if I marry anyone, it will be her.”

  He saw the anger flare in his grandmother’s eyes. “You’re bewitched. She’s bewitched you the same way that Denison girl bewitched your father.”

  Randolph’s smile widened. “Yeah, and it’s a good thing that Denison girl bewitched my father, or Ross and I wouldn’t be here today, now would we? Now if you will excuse me, I’ve suddenly lost my appetite to eat anything, so don’t expect me at the table to partake in Thanksgiving dinner.” Without giving her a chance to say anything, he turned and walked out of the room.

  Randolph ate his dinner in his room, refusing to sit at the same table with his grandmother. Later that night his grandfather came to visit with him. After asking him how school was going, the older man sat on the bed and began talking to him. “Your grandmother loves you,” he said wearily.

  “She has a strange way of showing it,” Randolph muttered, still upset. “She has no right to try and dictate who I should be involved with. No right at all.”

  “She only wants what’s best for you.”

  “Then she has nothing to worry about because Jenna is the best thing to ever happen to me. I refuse to become involved with a girl who will make me miserable for the rest of my life, just for the sake of making Grandma Julia happy. Ross may be willing to do it but I won’t.”

  His grandfather looked at him, slightly surprised. “Are you saying Ross isn’t happy dating Angela?”

  Randolph raised his eyes to the ceiling. Was his grandfather really that unobservant? “What do you think, Grandfather? When do they ever see each other with her going to school in Boston? And she is so prim and proper it’s downright sickening. Next time you see them together take a real good look at them. Then take a real good look at Ross and you’ll see just how miserable he is. I have no intentions of being miserable. Jenna makes me happy and nothing is going to make me change my mind about her. Nothing and no one.”

  Julia Fuller angrily paced the confines of her bedroom. Every so often she would take a puff off her cigarette. Randolph had defied her for the very last time. She had just spoken to Maureen Weaver and had assured the woman Randolph would start paying more attention to her daughter. Now it seemed that would not be the case.

  She took a huge puff off her cigarette thinking of a plan. There was no way Randolph would make Jenna Haywood a member of their family. How could he even consider such a thing? Why couldn’t he be like Ross and happily accept the woman she had picked out for him?

  She smiled. Angela Douglass was such a well-bred young lady and the fact that she was a descendant of Frederick Douglass and came from an impeccable family made her perfect. The same held true for Lena being a relative of Robert C. Weaver.

  In addition to their family and social connections there was another reason she wanted Angela and Lena for granddaughters-in-law. They were both light skinned, just like her. Any smart African-American man knew to choose a light-skinned woman for a wife, especially if he wanted to move up in the world. In this day and time, the color of a person’s skin mattered.

  Sighing, she picked up the phone. A few minutes later when the party on the other end answered she said, “There’s something I want you to do.”

  Howard University

  Randolph was thrilled when he returned back to school and saw Jenna. Over the following weeks they grew closer and their relationship became stronger. During the weekdays they spent a lot of time together studying and then on the weekend they did a number of activities together. She even went with a group that followed the football team out of town to a game.

  One night after they had gone to a movie, Randolph asked her if she planned on going home for Christmas. “Yes, I can’t imagine not being with my family on Christmas. Why?”

  He looked at her tenderly. “Because I plan to spend Christmas in South Carolina with my maternal grandparents and was wondering if you could come and spend some time with me there for a few days.”

  Uncertainty tugged at her heart. “I don’t know if my parents will allow it,” she said to him. She knew they would frown at the thought that she was going somewhere to spend some time with a boy, especially one they hadn’t met yet.

  “Would it help if I come up and meet them first and have my grandmother call with an invitation?”

  Jenna nodded. She figured that might work. It wasn’t that her parents were overly strict or anything, they just had a certain set of moral values they had es
tablished for her and she had always abided by them. “Would your grandmother do that?”

  “Yes, she’s dying to meet you anyway. I’ve told her a lot about you.”

  Jenna smiled. “You have?”

  “Sure I have. I’m very close to Gramma Mattie and I want her to meet the woman I plan to marry one day.”

  Jenna’s breath caught. That had been the first time either of them had ever mentioned marriage. “You want us to get married one day?” she asked him shyly.

  He smiled. “Yes, that’s what usually happens to people who fall in love. They eventually marry, have babies and live happily ever after. And that’s what I want for us, Jenna. I know it won’t be any time soon since I plan to go on to law school after I graduate, but I want you to know my intentions are honorable. One day I intend to make you my wife.”

  Tears clouded her eyes. “Oh, Randolph. More than anything I want to marry you one day, too.”

  Later that night Jenna shared her good news with Leigh. “Oh, Jen, I just knew Randolph had marriage on his mind. It’s plain to see that he simply adores you. Even his brother knows how much he cares for you and has mentioned it to Noah on several occasions. Ross really likes you.”

  Jenna then told Leigh about Randolph’s invitation to spend a few days with him and his grandparents in South Carolina over the Christmas holidays.

  “Are you going to do it?” Leigh asked her excitedly.

  “It’s up to my parents. Randolph said his grandmother would be calling to invite me personally. I’m hoping my parents will agree.”

  Leigh nodded. “Does Randolph ever talk about his paternal grandmother? The one who lives in Virginia. The one Noah refers to as the Society Queen.”

  Jenna smiled. “No, not often. I don’t think the two of them get along.”

  Leigh nodded, deciding not to mention to Jenna what Noah had shared with her regarding Randolph and his grandmother’s huge fight over Thanksgiving regarding her. Ross had told Noah about it. At that moment Leigh decided to change the subject. “So what’s going on with Ellie? She’s been acting pretty weird lately.”