Poisoned Petals Read online

  “I’m glad they work for you and not me.” He shook his head. “They’d drive me crazy.”

  “You may have to hire an assistant, as busy as you’ve been,” Peggy joked. “Selena has a younger sister looking for a summer job.”

  “Troublemaker. Are we taking my Vue or your truck?”

  PEGGY ALMOST LOST HER NERVE when they finally got to Asheville.

  It wasn’t hard to find the reflexology clinic. There were colorful patterns painted everywhere on the building walls. It reminded her of the Volkswagen van Rosie used to drive in college. Then she and Steve followed the signs to the apartment above the clinic, and now Peggy faced the door.

  There was a large sign showing the important parts of the foot right next to the green door that led into the apartment. Peggy stared at it like it was fascinating, hoping Steve would think she was too enthralled with it to notice she hadn’t knocked on the door. She continued to look at it while she considered what she would say after almost twenty-five years of neglecting her friend.

  Of course, the person behind that door might not be Rosie. Maybe she should have called first. It was a long trip to find a stranger looking back at her.

  But she felt sure Rosie would be there. They were so close in college, always finishing each other’s sentences and knowing each other’s thoughts. People joked that they must be psychic. Peggy felt like that now. It was as if she knew Rosie was there from the moment she first saw her name online.

  “Cold feet?” Steve guessed accurately from behind her. “No sign can be that fascinating.”

  “Yes.” It was amazing how well he knew her after such a short time. Almost scary.

  “We’ve come all this way. I think you should at least see her. Maybe it won’t even be her. Of course, if you’d rather, we can just leave and drive back the way we came.”

  “I know. But that would be too easy. I’m not a coward, but I hate trying to come up with a reason for not calling until I could tell her Darmus was dead.”

  “I know you’re not a coward.” He grimaced. “Too well. It might be better if you were more afraid of some things.”

  “What kind of things? How can being a coward ever be good?”

  “Well, you wouldn’t be standing here right now.”

  She supposed he was right but didn’t say so. She faced the door, lifted her hand, and knocked. Her heart was beating fast, and her palms were sweaty. The green door slowly opened and the smell of patchouli wafted out. A young man, not much older than Paul, smiled at them. He was wearing a gold and red African robe. “Yes?”

  Could it be? She stared at him, certain he would think she’d lost her mind. Was it possible? There was no question about it. The eyes were the same and there was something about the expression on his face. The tiny dimple in his left cheek as he smiled. It was like looking at a ghost from the past. This had to be Darmus’s son.

  Then Peggy knew. She knew what Darmus was talking about that day when he’d come to Charlotte to see her all those years ago. She knew why he’d been afraid she might not speak to him. She understood why Rosie disappeared so suddenly and never came back to school. Stupid! Why didn’t I see it then? The timing was there. Why didn’t I think of Rosie being pregnant?

  “I’d like to see Rosie.” She extended her hand, feeling she knew him. She could see so much of Rosie in him, too. “You must be her son.”

  He frowned. “Who are you?”

  “I’m an old friend of hers.” She put her hand down when he didn’t try to take it. “Peggy Lee.”

  “Who is it, Abekeni? Does someone want treatment?”

  “Rosie?” Peggy called out, ignoring Abekeni’s defensive stance in the doorway. “It’s me, Peggy.”

  A tall, slender woman with skin the color of dark chocolate came to the door. There was gray in her black hair and some wrinkles around her unusual green/gray eyes. But Peggy would have known her anywhere.

  “I can’t believe it! Peggy! Is it really you?”

  “It’s me, Rosie. It’s been so long.”

  Rosie rushed past her son and hugged her old friend. “Oh my God, it’s been so long! How did you find me?”

  “I saw your name on the Internet with your business. I probably should have called first, but I decided to take a chance. How have you been?”

  “You knew, didn’t you? The way we always knew about each other. I’m fine. Wonderful.” She glanced at Steve. “I don’t think this can be John! If it is, I want his secret!”

  “No.” Peggy explained briefly what happened to John and introduced Steve. They shook hands, and Rosie invited them into her home.

  “Would you like some hibiscus tea?” Rosie asked. “I think the kettle is ready to boil.”

  “That would be wonderful. We’d love some.” Peggy accepted for Steve as well. “I feel so bad about not contacting you before this.”

  Rosie showed them into her purple and green living room. The look was straight from the 1960s. Colored beads hung from the doorways, and psychedelic paintings hung on the walls. The furniture was all giant bean bag chairs and papasans. Incense burned in a moon-shaped lantern over the fireplace.

  “Don’t feel bad at all. I chose this way. I didn’t want anyone to know about Abekeni. I didn’t really go home when I found out I was pregnant with him. My parents would never have understood. Things were much different back then! I came here to stay with some friends. I planned to give him up and to continue my schooling. Then I saw his sweet face. I knew I’d have to find another way. And I did.”

  “He’s a wonderful combination of both of you.” Peggy noticed that Abekeni withdrew from their conversation. He seemed a little old to be so sulky.

  “In looks.” Rosie shrugged. “But he’s not like either of us in personality. He plays African music with a tribal band. They’ve even made a CD.”

  “That’s wonderful!” Peggy praised him. He stood up and left the room, going behind a purple bead curtain. “And you became a reflexologist.”

  “Yes. It’s been very satisfying. Helping people in their pain and sorrow was something I wanted to do as a nurse. But this has been better. It’s made me happy, and I make a good living. I love it here in Asheville. The air is so clean, and the people are very supportive.”

  “The Mecca of New Age in the South,” Steve quoted, grimacing after a taste of the hibiscus tea.

  “Exactly!” Rosie smiled, not minding the tag the press attached to the city.

  Peggy put her cup on the purple tabletop that was embossed with astrological signs. “Did Darmus know you were pregnant? Did he know he was a father?”

  “No.” Rosie tossed her head. “Why would I tell him? He was quite clear about not wanting to be with me anymore. Zimbabwe was more important to him. The call of the wild. I have my pride. And I’ve raised my son without him.”

  “That was a hard road.”

  “But worth it! Darmus was always so superior anyway. I know the saying is “older and wiser,” but he took advantage of that. He was older than us, Peggy, but not wiser. Just greedier for attention and power.”

  “He’s dead,” Peggy blurted out, caught between her loyalty to Darmus and her surprise in learning that Rosie had his child. “He died Monday.”

  “What happened?” Rosie demanded, startled. “I just read about him and his Feed America group last week. Was he ill?”

  Peggy explained the whole situation. She could tell by the growing look of horror on her friend’s face that she didn’t mean her harsher words.

  Rosie leaned forward, almost spilling her tea. “Darmus was a good man at one point. He was selfish in his quest for glory, but I know he was a good man at heart. It was a terrible way for him to die.”

  “How can you say that?” Abekeni yelled.

  Peggy figured he must have been listening at the door.

  “Abekeni,” his mother said his name softly. “You don’t understand.”

  “You’re right! This man abandoned you. He never checked on you. You could ha
ve been dead for all he knew. Why should you mourn someone like that?”

  “He was your father! He deserves your respect!”

  Abekeni glared at her, then slammed the green door on his way out of the apartment.

  “I apologize for my son. He’s young and wants the world to be a perfect place.”

  Peggy explained about Rebecca’s death and Luther’s illness. “It hit Darmus very hard. You know how close he was to her.”

  “Darmus always cared more about other people than he did about himself. He probably didn’t take a moment to get back in balance, either. He never did. Remember when his best friend, Julian, died? He fell apart, but he never let anyone know. He went out every night, prowling the streets. He acted like it didn’t affect him. He never wanted anyone to see his weakness.”

  Peggy knew that. Darmus wanted to present a certain picture of himself to the world. He didn’t want anyone to see he wasn’t strong all the time. “I think inside he was always afraid people would think he wasn’t capable of doing whatever he was doing at that moment He spent his whole life trying to be worthy. It was hard for him to be real.”

  Rosie agreed. “But he was such a gentle soul. It’s such a shame. Though he gave so much to the world and to others, he never gave anything to himself. I shared everything I was with him. He never shared himself with me. In that way, he was selfish. I hated him for that.”

  Peggy sighed, and they sipped their tea in silence.

  “I appreciate you taking the time and trouble to come up and tell me about Darmus.” Rosie sat back and shook her head. “It was a long time ago in some ways, but when I look at Abekeni, it’s like yesterday. Those were good days. I was careless, but I’m not sorry. I’m sorry Darmus never found happiness like I did.”

  “So am I,” Peggy agreed. “Darmus never saved anything for himself. I think that’s why it hit him so hard when Rebecca died.”

  They talked about their lives over lunch at a café that served food in an outdoor garden. Abekeni didn’t come with them, but Peggy thought it was just as well. However, it was unfortunate he would never know Darmus. Now he might hate him forever without realizing who his father was.

  Eventually it was time for the long trip back to Charlotte. Peggy said her good-byes, and she and Rosie promised to keep in touch. After the door closed behind her, she looked at Steve. “I suppose all of that sounded a little old and maudlin to you?”

  “No.” He followed her down the stairs. “It sounded like two old friends who don’t have anything in common but the past. It happens to everyone.”

  Peggy was quiet on the two-hour drive back home. Steve was right. It was easy to talk to Rosie as long as they talked about the past. They both had sons. That was the only thing they had in common in the present day.

  “It’s too bad she never told Darmus about their child,” Steve remarked. “A man has the right to know. I don’t know if it would have changed anything for them, but she doesn’t know, either. It could have been the turning point for him. Fatherhood changes a man.”

  She glanced at him as he drove. “You sound like you have a child.”

  He smiled. “And you want to worm the information out of me? No, I don’t have a child. But I’ve known friends who changed their lives to accommodate their children. No one knows what an experience like that can do to someone. She should have told him.”

  In most ways, Peggy agreed. But she didn’t know what she’d have done if John was determined to leave her and she was carrying that kind of secret. In some ways she could understand Rosie’s choice.

  They were silent again for a while as the SUV tires whirred softly on the road. The mountains were distant shapes against the sky behind them as they left Asheville and sped down the interstate toward Charlotte.

  Steve finally broke the brooding silence that hung between them. “So what’s up for tomorrow?”

  “I have to be at the Potting Shed in the morning for a delivery. My family should be here by lunch.”

  “What are they planning to do while they’re here?”

  “I don’t know yet. Paul has a few days off. They’ll probably come to the Potting Shed with me a few times. You don’t have to do anything. They’re capable of amusing themselves.”

  He glanced at her. “Ouch! What was that for?”

  She didn’t realize how sharp she’d been with him. “Sorry. I’m just feeling overwhelmed with all of this. It isn’t a good time for them to visit.”

  “I have some free time tomorrow afternoon. I could help you take them somewhere.”

  “I don’t expect you to entertain them. I appreciate you offering though.”

  “I’d like to get to know them, Peggy. I may not be a teenage boyfriend, but I’d still like them to approve of me. They have to get to know me to do that.”

  She laughed. “I understand. And if you want to do something with us, that’s fine. I just don’t want you to feel obligated to do it.”

  “I don’t feel obligated.” He reached to put one arm around her and draw her to him, then kissed the top of her head. “I want to help my favorite person not feel so stressed. I’m sure she’d help me out if I needed it.”

  She smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder. “You’re better than I deserve.”

  “How can you say that? How many people would have done what you did today for a woman they hadn’t seen in twenty-five years? Not many.”

  “How many women come all the way to Asheville without calling first?”

  “Exactly. Crazy and self-sacrificing. That’s what I love about you.”

  “Always there and very dear. That’s what I love about you.”

  “Thanks. I’m like an old bathrobe.”

  “A very nice, sexy, good-looking, irresistible bathrobe.”

  “That makes me feel so much better.”

  Peggy laughed. “What can you expect from a woman who’s crazy?”

  “I suppose that’s true.” He sighed. “I never know what to expect from you next.”

  “I like the way that sounds.”

  “You wouldn’t if it was me. I worry about you all the time.”

  “You worry too much.”

  “I doubt it. Don’t forget, I’ve seen you do some really crazy things that make this look like a visit to the petting zoo.”

  THE AFTERNOON WAS BUSY at the Potting Shed. Deliveries of new plants, potting soil, and other garden necessities came and went. The after-work crowd was bigger than usual. Everyone was getting out in their gardens or thinking about having a garden. Once the warm spring breezes started calling, few could resist.

  Of course, later, many would neglect what they diligently planted in the spring. Peggy always tried to tell those gardeners from the more committed. If she sold the sometimes gardener the right plants, they would practically take care of themselves. That way, sometimes the gardener wouldn’t be disappointed.

  They sold three Charleston benches and a large light kit for a walkway in an hour. “You wouldn’t be interested in designing and creating walkways, would you?” Peggy asked Sam when he came in to get supplies for the next day.

  She secretly wished he’d change his mind about becoming a surgeon and be her partner in the business when he finished school. She didn’t know what she was going to do without him when he was gone.

  Sam laughed, perfect white teeth flashing. His sky-colored eyes met hers. “Have you finally figured out how to clone me?”

  “I’m working on it.”

  “Seriously, Peggy, you’re going to have to hire at least one other person to help with the landscaping end of this. Keeley and I are swamped this year. It keeps growing, which is good. But we need help.”

  “I know. And I think I’ve figured out a plan.”

  “Okay.” He hefted another bag of fertilizer into the back of the truck.

  “I’ll start another crew and hire someone to work with me.”

  “You’re kidding, right?”

  “Why?”

  He p
aused and took both her hands in his larger gloved ones. “I don’t see a callus on either of these. You wouldn’t last a day.”

  “I always wear gloves. And I think I could manage.”

  “All right. It’s your business.” He shrugged and started loading the truck again. “What are you going to do about another truck?”

  She gulped. “Get a loan?”

  “Wow! We must be doing great for you to say those words. I know how much you hate getting loans.”

  “Sometimes when you want to move forward, you have to be willing to take a chance.”

  “Nicely said.” He flicked his hair out of his eyes. “By the way, what happened up in Asheville? Did you find your friend?”

  She told him about Rosie and the reason she left school so suddenly.

  “Did Darmus know?”

  “She said he didn’t. I don’t know. I guess we never will.”

  Sam closed the tailgate. “My family doesn’t know I’m gay. My dad would flip out if he knew. You know that. Sometimes, you can’t share some parts of your lives with people you love.”

  “Don’t they ask you questions about girlfriends and getting married?”

  He shrugged. “Sometimes my mom asks me about those things. But mostly, they’re both hoping I won’t think too much about girls or getting married until I finish school. That’s a big deal with them. Once I’m a doctor, it might be another story. I don’t know.”

  She touched his arm. “They love you, Sam. They won’t care when they know the truth.”

  “I don’t know. I really don’t know how they’d take it.”

  “You’ll see. Sometimes a parent might not like what their son or daughter does, but that doesn’t mean they don’t love them anyway and accept it.”

  “Like you and Paul with him being a cop? I agree. But you’re a different person. Anyway, I don’t plan on ever telling my parents. They might figure it out someday, but they won’t ask. It will be a stalemate.”

  As she watched him drive away to the next job, Peggy felt bad about Sam not being able to talk to his parents. Anthony waved from his Caribbean café next door, wondering when she was coming by again for lunch. Cars moved sluggishly up College Street as the afternoon waned.