Chapter 10 True Love
“Hi,” said Brian to their laborer, the very one that resembled Kate. She was plucking some tomatoes and filling into a couple of baskets which were collected by other laborers and assembled into the van. She applied the most of her time and care in plucking the tomatoes because grandma had made them sign to a warning of short payment for any one that destroyed farm produce, and with three kids to cater for short payment wasn’t part of the hustle. It wasn’t that she feigned a deaf ear to Brian but for the attention the job needed and thought of her sick baby needing all the money for hospital bills. Brian had to sound his greeting louder before she was startled and dragged a smile. Brian smiled back and joined her to pluck.
“Oh no, no,” she protested, holding onto his arm and staring around for grandma. “She’s gonna surcharge me for any tomato that spoils.”
Brian scowled at her, processing her speech and arguing within himself if actually grandma could give out such order.
“Your hustle is on me. She wouldn’t surcharge you, ok,” he affirmed and bent to pluck more.
And she shook her head, “You are not supposed to be here. Grandma would bake stones if she gets to see us.”
“Us?” asked Brian “Why us?”
“She loves her men and doesn’t love seeing them with other women,” she stared around, “When her late husband was alive she hated all the women that got familiar with him. I hope I’m not gossiping?”
Smiling, he said, “Heh, that could be true love. True love is jealous.”
She handed a basketful to a laborer and continued to pluck more, “Yes indeed she loves late papa. After his demise many kids your age have been dying to court her and she has been declining. I believe she knows they came for her money and not true love.”
Brian raised his head snappily and stared at her thoughtfully. She knew much about love anyways. She was smarter than her looks. “What do you know about true love?” asked Brian collectively.
“The true love I see is the one I am in now.”
Brian gave a fervent look, “You are in love now?”
She shook her head and started off in a more sullen voice. “I had three children out of wedlock. My ex kicked us out of his life for his greedy ambition of becoming a musician. When I returned to my mom’s house with the children I thought it was end of the road for me and love until he walked into my life.” She pouted her lips in the direction of a young, tall, black Indian man who seemed to have been planting seedlings tirelessly.
Brian glared at him and shook his head for her to continue.
“He wanted to walk me down the aisle my mom out of fright of my experience with my ex wouldn’t give us her blessing. She hated seeing us together and made our love bane. I eloped with him down here. Our children are in Indian. His mom requested we bring them to her so we can focus on our love and hustle and send money home,” she said in an obliging tone and rubbed her body in an exquisite adorable manner which left Brian smiling. “Oh he’s such a nice, dauntless, lovely man. In my next world I will locate him like a vampire and fall in love with him again.” She reached to some tomatoes and plucked.
“You are favored to be in true love. Many women in your picture have become shadows of themselves for the false love that came their way.”
She inched to a wider area of the farm, housing many tomatoes in her basket and Brian collected it from her and advanced with her. “I believe true love is veiled in our conscience and decision. People love pets in a crazy way; they love their names, food, houses and personality they struggled to build. Love is just like one of those things worth dying for. People fall in love with the worst of human beings. It’s not a mark of cowardice or villain..” she caught sight of her man waving at him and she waved back and said in Indian, “I love you, sweet.” She turned to Brian, “Only strong people fall for love.”
Brian became sober and listened keenly as she spoke on. “What about those that fell in love and got spited, what’s in for them?” Brian inquired.
She recounted as she wiped the sweat gathering on her brow, “Like every other ambition, love has hurdles, enemies and contenders. All you need do is to know if your lover is in with you, if she isn’t you have a fight to win but if she is you have a quarrel to settle…”
“Heh, heh, heh,” roared grandma, who had been staring at hem and nagging within herself all along, “Come over here, tiger’s boy, you got a call.” She lied, murmuring about Brian coming over to Miami to have sex with all her female laborers.
Before parting, Brian told her his name and she hastily said hers was Ella and shyly continued her plucking. Grandma stared with disfavor as they shook hands. “You are gonna start school as soon as Jesus wept,” she murmured and when Brian bustled to her she dragged him by the arm into the sitting room, “Hell knows your mom didn’t call you, come on let her be. Ella is hustling. Join me as I teach you business so you too can hustle and become rich like grandma.” She poured coffee for two.
“Are you kidding me, grandma? Why distract my discussion?” queried Brian, falling into the sofa and fighting the urge to yell at her.
She sat beside him, “I know you are gonna say these old people and their troubles.”
“Yes of course,” he thundered, winking and looking away in rage.
“Keep shut, nanny’s boy.” she sipped at her coffee, and adjusted her hair, “You don’t come all the way from wonderland to keep me lonely in Miami. Sit your ass down and pay attention to grandma’s business. As long as you remain under my roof stay off Ella. Her heart is busy.” She sipped again.
“Who told you I have a thing for her?” demanded Brian.
“Your eyes, oh yes your eyes did.”
“I don’t have time for love now,” muttered Brian.
“Every love story said that.” She set her glasses on her beak nose and started flipping through papers. “Have this,” she handed him the papers and he took them in fairly irritable way. “Study them. It has an over view of my empire and what the future holds. See how we started, what we are now and the wonders that await us in the future.”
Brian dropped the papers bluntly. “What the hell. I aint got time for this now,” he bellowed significantly.
“Oh you got to,” she stood up. “The first milestone to cover for a successful business is education and not Ella.” She toddled upstairs, nagging about the pain on her waist.
When Brian peeked through the window he saw Ella and her man assisting each other and walked to other areas of the farm with their hands locked together, gladness hanging over them.
“What’s up dude?” Tony asked over the phone, stroking his hair and saying yet further. “Did you get the picture I sent you? His name is Brian Coleman, try to track him and blackmail him about raping a certain Kate, being his reason for disappearing to Miami. Threaten to leak it to his grandma and request for money in exchange for peace. He is going to pay. His grandma is rich. Heh, don’t flop this deal. You do well you earn well. Now get down to work and stop catching clout.” He hung up and beamed a smile at his three cronies that were seated opposite. He smacked his lips and rubbed his hands.