June 6, 1997
Clouds. They never seem to be moving as fast as they are until they do. Once noticed, you're caught up in a potential dizzy spin. Nature's psychedelia. The most beautiful in Roger's eyes; sights that have seen all that any psychedelic could offer. It's all gray to him compared to southern French skies.
It's warm out. Soft breezes flying now and then balance out the heat, making it the comforting kind.
Grass. Blades green as money cushion his lay. Admiring the wonderwhirl above, he's never felt more synced with the universe than he does now.
Heaven.
On his way down afterlife's memory lane, earth's kaleidoscope becomes three dimensional. His lids shut a second too slow. Flower petals multi in color drop onto his face. Hed swear one touched his eyeball, the way it stung said so. Rubbing at it, it's no matter. He's all amused chuckles.
"Here nudda fowa," says Brie the garden bandit.
"Thank you, princess."
She's been bringing him flowers for a little while now. Roger gathered them into a mini bouquet on his chest where she'd set them. This is the first time she's brought only petals.
"Where's the rest of it?" Showing the skinny green end, "Where is the stem?"
Thinking apparent on her cute face, her young mind puts together an answer. She points near direction of the bushes, giving her version of 'there'.
"Dere in it." Running closer to the flowers, she points again, See.
Roger nods. "Oh, it's in the bush?"
"Yeah, buss." She returns to picking.
"Okay. Are you bringing more?"
"Yeah."
Watching her at task, Roger sees her method. Rather than yanking all an any that she sees, Brie chooses with intent. Making sure to pull the stem as well. Her fondness for the yellows makes him wonder if that'll be her favorite hue. He hopes so. No better color fits her being.
His happy girl. He's doing all he can to keep her that way.
The more he cleaned house the easier it became to do so. It's all still a pleasant surprise to him. Sure he's imagined it, but never did he think it could be this simple. All he had to do was stop fighting the tide and swim.
The peace that he has now proved worthy the risk. A conversation that nearly derailed his tomorrow.
April 1997
"I want us to get a divorce."
Roger's heart thumps. A thudding chug that his ears can hear. He waits. And waits.
The silent play, his internal muses.
He's certain that more than a minute must've passed. Jody hasn't responded a thing. He wonders if her heart is pounding too. He sure as hell can't tell. He's went over this scenario twenty times while in the back of that limo and none of the outcomes looked like this.
Stoic. Brown sugar irises stab into his own pupils.
Looking on at the definition of composed irritation, Roger can't ignore how extra fuckable she looks when she gets this way. When her cheeks redden a touch and her mouth purses prettily, making it's pout even lusher. When the soft peak in her brows climb, angling like delicate boomerangs ready to cut his head off.
There's a smirk begging to be let out. Gently, Roger allows it to play. Jody doesn't take too kind to the action. He doesn't realize, he's too busy thinking about her skirt. About how the olive green material wouldn't be too much of a hike.
"If there weren't security cameras in here, I'd slap the hell outta you."
Her voice? It sounded exactly how she looked. With eyes a slight widened, his amusement dries up as his elevator fantasy dies. His brow ticks now at the unexpected. Those words weren't in any of his scenarios either.
"Do it," he dares in serious.
"Don't tempt me."
Jody means it. Roger knows it.
"You got two seconds to explain," she commands coolly. "One..."
"I've been thinking about it for a while now."
The two second count is represented by the doors sliding open. Perfect timing. She's heard enough anyway.
Out she goes, down to their suite. Once there she realizes she'll have to wait on him. Her clutch purse doesn't hold what she needs. The key forgotten on the nightstand. Such minor inconvenience made her calm exterior slip completely.
Taking his sweet time, Roger finally waltzes up. His expectant stare annoys Jody more.
"Why aren't you opening the door?"
"Does it look like I can?"
Huffing to himself, he unlocks it for her. Moving a bit forward, he intended to let her through first. The gesture is ruined when Jody pushes his back, making him stumble step into the room. Turning he sees her serious eyes but only briefly. He's left to watch her walk past possessing the air of a badass with no care.
Octave dipped and volume down enough so Danielle wouldn't hear, "Aye," he called after the brazen woman who snips back.
"Don't aye me."
"I just did. Com'ere." He caught up with her. In conjunction with his last word, Roger snatched Jody to a halt, gripping on to the bend of her arm.
Her angering is inevitable. Given the things said, he knew he had it coming. But no amount of anger should result in the physical. To him, that push was beyond uncalled for.
Their sights locked. Hers taunted him to do something about it. Though hardened at first, his gaze eased as it searched her face over. Wrong is wrong, but two of them don't make a right. Snatching free, Jody went for the bedroom.
Standing there realigning his flared temper, Roger felt another person's presence in the air. View to the left, he sees a blonde trying to discreetly duck away as if she hadn't walked in on their disagreement.
"Danielle."
The utterance stopped her cold. Facing him the Latina wore a look that said I won't ask if you don't.
"We're in for the night," he said.
"Okay. I'll head out."
"Goodnight."
"'Night."
After seeing her out and checking on Brie, Roger went to face his current wife.
She's half out of her clothes and half into her pajamas. Her hair's gathered atop her head in a quick ponytail. Four inches worth of hangtime bounced and swayed along with her every move. And judging by the sharp way in which she does move, he can tell she's full of things to say.
"You're going to make that woman think I'm beating you. That's the third time she's walked in on something like that."
"There's a last time for everything, right?" Jody cuts.
Dropping his head back, "Ah here we go."
Pulling her shirt off overhead, she stuffs it into her luggage. "You damn right here we go!" After snatching out a tank top from the bag, she carelessly stuffs everything down and zips it shut. "Did you think we weren't gonna fucking go?"
"Do you see this? Woman told me to explain but ain't letting me get in a word edgewise."
Ignoring Roger's conversation with the ceiling, Jody changed her voice to mock his.
"You can do whatever you set your mind to, baby."
"That's not what I said."
Still ignoring, she went on further exaggerating his voice. "You got wings, use them."
View on her, Roger sucks his teeth. "That's what I sound like to you?"
Pinning a look, "Yes."
Childish. Despite her fury, that's what he sees. When she walks away to the bathroom, he follows; standing in the doorway watching as she removes her makeup.
"You're not really mad at me."
"Tuh!" Quickly she changes, "No, you know what, I'm not. I'm thankful."
His arms crossed. "Oh really?"
"Mhm. Because you said what I was gonna say anyway." Done with her task, she wants out of the door but Roger won't let her through. "Now I can do whatever the hell I want. This whole Nelson shit is getting tiring."
"Stop it."
"There's nothing to stop. I hate it here. It's so stuffy."
He's unaffected. He knows she's only talking big to hurt him. And, truly, it would have had she not already put up such a fuss in the beginning. She showed her hand too early. About this she cares. So nonchalantly he asks,
"Are you done yet?"
"Yes. Now move so I can go to bed."
He doesn't. Her body tenses with the impulse to hit. It's time to close this out before it gets ugly.
"We're going to get divorced—" Jody's mouth readied to open. Roger isn't having it. Hand clamping it shut, he finishes. "And remarry. Start the entire thing over brand new."
Those boomerangs are ready to fly again. His hand drops away. Hers fix on her hips.
"What?" Incredulous? Yes.
"It's part two of your Christmas present."
"What?" Incredulous, yes.
"I intended for it to happen then but...situations. The petitions waiting for the mail."
"What?"
By the third utterance he couldn't help a little laugh. "This is the purge you wanted. Everything we used to know—"
Her common sense opposes, "Changing styles is purging. Dyeing our hair is purging. Moving coasts is purging. Ending a marriage—"
"Neither of us are who we were so what does it matter?"
"Because it's not like a name. You can't go changing it every time you feel like a different person."
Face fall, his sights fixed steadily on her. He saw the three second long process of Jody realizing her words could offend. She backtracks.
"You were led to do that, I understand. But—"
"And you accepted it with no questions asked. Why then won't you do the same for this?"
A response dulled by skepticism, "God told you to sign those papers?"
"He's leading me to become a better man and to do whatever makes that possible."
Cinnamon eyes are no longer fire filled but not yet empty of annoyance. Seeing this, Roger softens in an effort to mellow her out.
"A new man needs a new woman, and both of them require a new union." Taking her hand, he's earnest, "Will you give me that?"
June 1997
She did not. Jody refused. Roger persisted well into the night. She fell asleep. The following day, 2,441 miles between them didn't change her mind. Jody remained set in stone.
"I understand your obedience to faith, but it's not worth the time and misunderstanding."
That's what she had said. Misunderstanding meaning the media. Roger didn't give two cares about what they'd say.
"Neither of us needs the bad press right now."
He easily saw though that comment too. Us meant she herself; for the sake of her own comeback. There's nothing more he could do that would put him in any worse light than he's in right now as far as the press is concerned. In one report he's a brave pioneer ahead of his time. In another he's still an entitled self-sabotaging illusive mystery. Despite that split there's a general consensus: he's crazy.
They're the least of his cares.
"Everything youre trying to accomplish with Love For One Another would be completely overshadowed."
The charity. Another step to right himself, by doing that which the Lord commanded: Love one another as I have loved you. Roger's aiming to reach new heights with said outreach. It would be reduced to nothing but a five second sidenote should the rumor mill start up again, Jody thinks.
But once more he gives it no mind. He doesn't need some magazine's grace to put him over.
His wife placing business over faith offended him, and he told her so. That resulted in another hour long "arguesation" where she complained about his recent tunnel vision.
"There's still reality under that ladder you're climbing. You can't ignore that."
Reality, a thing she insinuated him to be running from. During that heated hour of speech she questioned if perhaps hes using faith as another out.
"You dove into it so fast and fell so heavy, what am I supposed to think? Do you know what this looks like from the outside?"
Like a rushed cleanup job. Like a falling man desperately grabbing for the nearest window ledge. Like a sinner sprinting to rectify lest his monsters return sevenfold. A sinner that wouldn't admit to himself that he's afraid of such.
Exactly like that.
But no, Roger isn't running. He told Jody so, explaining that this ladder is his reality.
A serial killer turned saint. A man with no past.
A man frustrated with a wife just as stubborn as he.
For five days they warred until on the sixth. That's when Roger realized he'd have to surrender. Not because he saw it her way, but because he learned he couldn't quickly get his no matter how much he planned to pull rank.
The time it would take to finalize a divorce plus the time it would take to legally be able to marry again equaled a couple of months he was much too impatient to endure.
It was on the fly that he mentioned his mind change to Jody. She didn't gloat but he saw in her body language that she wanted to. Just like she wanted to call one track mind again. He felt it in his soul.
Whatever. They're here now.
Brie screams. Without delay Roger bolts upright. "What's wrong?"
She whines, shaking her arm, "Daddy bug on me!" Abandoning her flowers, she runs to him with tears in her eyes. "It bug!"
"This little ol thing? It won't hurt you."
Roger makes light, relived that it's only that. Picking off the black beetle he drops it to the ground.
"You're alright, see. It's just a little bug."
And Brie wastes no time stomping on it. An action her father didn't expect.
"Well it was..."
Poor bug.
Another stump, her face dissatisfied. "Yucky!"
"I guess that means you're done with flowers," he summed while wiping her tears. "Com'on. How about those up there?" he points skyward. "Clouds. Can you say that?"
Head up, Brie mimics his pointing and repeats, "Cows."
Roger corrects her, saying the word slower. What he gets in return is "cowds".
"Close enough," he approves. Legs parted, he sat her between. Resting back on his hands, "Look up," he tells her. She does. "Those are daddy's favorite."
"Cowds pwetty."
"Sure are. Very pretty."
"But not as pretty as my little girl."
And just like that, daddy time is over.
"Hi mommy!" Brie excited, getting up and running to meet Jody.
Crouching down, "Hi, baby!" she returns the girls enthusiasm while catching her hug. "Kiss?"
Brie grants, planting a big one with mwah included. Taking her mother's hand, she pulls her toward Roger.
"What you two up to?"
"Heaven," he says. To the white puffs above his head motions. "Ask her what those are."
Sitting beside her husband, Jody quizzes, "Brie, what's that up there?"
"Clows!" she proudly announces.
Mouth agape. Roger complains, "Ohh, she gives you the L."
"What'd you get?"
"A pasture," he dejects.
Jody's amused and soon gifted by little miss show and tell.
"Mommy I get fowas!"
"I see." Accepting a pile of regifted plants, "Thank you, cutie." Jody smiles.
Next comes a flinch. The cause Roger. His finger tips grazed a tickled sensation against her neck as he swept her hair back. His examining makes her ask,
"What?"
He's given her a twice over thoroughly, not finding what hes searching for. Catching onto the unspoken, Jody waves him off.
"I don't see it on you. I'm checking for a headset."
Cellphone. Telephone. Whichever, it be. Two days they've been here and not once has she been without it. At least, in his possibly overdramatic mind she hasn't.
"I'm off for the rest of today."
She's been on since this morning. It's a funny thing, Roger thinks. To get Jody going is a task for the most part. Once she does get going, it would take a million somethings to stop her.
Robbing her time is Coty. The perfume deal is sealed. Love 2 Me by Jody is a go. She's been hands on as much as possible in the development process. A scent was curated in no time. The bottles design phase is now, but she's already started with teaser promotions.
Yaris set up a few interviews for today, all conducted over the phone. A photo session was set for tomorrow but Roger pulled say over that venture. Tomorrow will be press worthy enough on its own, and his own photogs will take care of it.
"That means Brie and I have you all to ourselves?"
"Yup. So what's the plan, Nature Boy?"
"Don't really have one. She's been content right out here. So am I."
"You're in the grass, you must be." The back of hand against his forehead, Jody checks his temperature.
"You say it like I've never been before."
"Yeah but before's been a while ago."
Wearing a bit of a grin, his shoulders hunch humbly. "It's because I'm happy."
Winds pick up. Brie's at a battle with her hair. The long tresses blowing into her face, hindering her flower task. Jody notices her failed attempts at brushing the curls away.
"You want mommy to fix it for you?" she offers.
Brie skips an answer but comes near for assistance. With the elastic band from around her own wrist, Jody makes a ponytail.
Roger reminds of manners, "What do you say? Thank..."
Brie picks up on his lead off, "Dank you."
"You're welcome."
Off she goes. Tired of flowers, she sets her eyes on the toys she had abandoned earlier.
Father watches daughter. Wife watches husband. "You are different," she says remembering his words about happiness.
"In what way?"
"Good now. I wasn't sure at first."
That drew his immediate attention. Jody knew it would. Which is why she lowered her head, taking interest in the flower petals on her lap.
"Despite what you might be thinking, I'm glad you found your faith. Even if it felt like another thing I was gonna have to compete with."
It's the first time Roger's heard that worry outright, but it isn't the first time she's tipped around the complaint.
"That's contrary to the process," he dismissed.
"I know." Her emphasis indicating that he possibly wouldn't have thought so.
"And I've done enough of that. Competition means on has to lose. Letting you slip away again would make me another contradiction. An ignorant fool."
Unexpecting those words, Jody spreads an honest smile making Roger's heart pitter patter. Those pearly whites are a truth serum that he doesn't fight.
Eyes on he, "Why's that?" she asks.
"Cause I'd be hard pressed to find another. Who's gonna understand me? I know I got some ways."
Jody gasps at an admittance that she doesn't hear too often. So, naturally, she milks it. Hair brushed aside, her hand cuffed behind her ear.
"You've got some what?" she says.
Laughing a little chuckle, the kind that his wife always claims to like, "You heard me," he replies.
"Mm. You are a changed man."
Putting focus back on Brie, Roger's monotoned, "Funny."
Jody's amused. Leaning in she puts a kiss on his cheek. A loving little smooch once, twice... On the third she pauses short, pulling back. His reasoning caught up with her.
"That's not good enough for me. You only want me because nobody else wants to put up with your ass. Like you have no other choice."
"I do. But why would I want them when I've already programmed you so well?"
"Go ahead. Stick your foot further down your throat."
Head titled to the side, saccharine eyes peering over at her through mascara lashes. Stale voiced, he sucks up, "I can't breathe without my baby."
Jody shrugs. Smugly, "It's a start."
Even staler, "She completes me."
"Slow down, you won't have any vows left for tomorrow."
That's why they've tripped European. Their vow renewal.
Since they couldn't completely dismantle and rejoin like Roger preferred, Jody suggested they have the birthday wedding that he wanted the first time around. At the mark of his 39th year, a new born man will take up his reborn woman amongst the lavender fields of Provence.
"Oh, that ain't no thing. I'm not saying any. I'm just gon stare at you. You'll tell me what I'm saying."
A laugh, "What?"
He nods in a sure way. "See our bodies did it already. Tomorrow's a soul union."
"Okay so lets practice. What's mine saying right now?"
"Something smart."
A short innocent smile. "Not this time," she denies. "Feed me. My stomachs been icky all morning, I didn't even try to eat. And now I'm starving."
His eyes pan her over, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah. It was interview nerves, I'm fine."
"What am I supposed to feed you?"
Jody gives that decision to their daughter. "Brie, baby." She calls and she comes. When asked about food, she gave a quick answer.
"I wan' pissa!"
"That's my girl." Jody cheered. Taking Roger's hang she tugs, "Let's go."
............
June 7, 1997
7:18 am. Roger was pulled from the sweetest dream by two angelic voices serenading Happy Birthday. The dream didn't matter so much once his sleepy eyes set on his girls.
Brie peppered his face with enthusiastic kisses before showing him the picture she made for him.
Jody kept her kiss simple before gifting him little red booklet. "Anytime, Anyplace" engraved in gold on its cover. Inside are six coupons, each one held a different fantasy or favor and one wild card. A 72 hour expiration stamp included.
Yes in his mind, whatever that dream was didn't mean shit.
A leisurely breakfast down, the trio lounged as long as possible before the afternoon bustle began.
1:18 pm. While the venue was being prepped, the trio got dressed for pictures. Jody figured there were enough stills taken to fill two books. Roger had decided for at least three of them to hit glossy pages; the ones without Brie of course. A few of the others would find a temporary home on a section of Love4OneAnother's website.
Roger couldn't be more proud of this day and wanted the world to know so. He'd skywrite his joys if he could.
5:18 pm. Backdropped by a sea of purple blooms, surrounded by 60 close friends and family, George Clinton oversaw the reunion of two new souls.
Roger spoke his own vows.
A short reception later, an afterparty commenced back at their rented place. Once all the fun was done and the guests left, the trio wound down. Roger and Jody treated Brie to a bedtime story. Completely tired out, she barely held on for the end. The couple then relocated to the living room after Jody expressed a strong want to watch Dirty Dancing.
It was during Johnny and Baby's first time that Roger disappeared to the bedroom. Returning, he plopped back on his sofa spot with the coupon book in hand. Beside him Jody snickered watching him flip through and read each with gleeful eyes.
"Hmm, I didn't know you liked that."
Glancing at the ticket, she shrugged. "I don't hate it."
"In other words..." he trailed off knowingly. "I don't want to make you do something you don't like."
"Babe, if it was that bad it wouldn't be in there. You like it, so enjoy it. The whole point of it is to please you."
Skipping to the last sheet, he knocked his knee against hers, "I like this one best." He showed her the wild card which he could fill out on his own.
"I'm not surprised. But I am looking forward to it."
"Shoot, girl you saying that makes me wanna cash it in right now." He grins dropping the booklet aside and pulling her close.
"Why don't you?" she flirts.
"Mm-mm. I'm saving the best for last." A kiss. "I suppose I'm gonna have to do this for you on your day too, huh?"
"Sorta kinda. You always give me what I desire, I couldn't ask for more in that way. All my coupons would be Brie related and saying the same thing. Parent swap."
Roger's sweetness dampens a bit cautious at that, "Do you really feel like that? You don't feel overwhelmed, do you?"
Jody's eases his genuine concern. "I'm okay, I swear. It's still a learning process, that's all. You're busy, I get it. I'm not gonna ask you to step away from everything."
"Sometimes I'd swear you're the most selfless creature on this planet. Sometimes it drives me crazy and sometimes it makes me want to wrap you up."
"What's it doing to you right now?"
"A little of both."
"Fine." Seduction tints her tone, "You can strip for me slowly. Then dance. And then after that I wanna see you get off on your own. So I can touch myself while I watch you spill all over the place." She grins, "How's that?"
He swallows hard as another part of him becomes the same. "Five more to go. I'm sure you can think of second one," he eggs her on dying to hear more.
Her hand caressing up his thigh, "I could...go to the kitchen and get some more grapes." She laughs teasingly, slipping out of his arms and standing to her feet.
Before she could get far, Roger fails at capturing her hand. Watching her leave he sighs, "You're an evil woman."
Getting the grapes, Jody delays on purpose. Upon returning, she finds an empty room. The tapes been stopped and the tv shut off. Left behind on the couch is a coupon. Slip in hand, fruit too, she searches him out, landing in the bedroom.
One fantasy fulfilled later, the two lazed in bed. 3:18 moonlight beamed through French windows, glowing on their linen draped bodies.
"I like the way we are," Jody said as if she'd been asked. She'd been thinking on it just now, unaware that the one beside her is doing the same. "Everything that made us, I'm thankful for it."
"Everything?"
"Mhm." She's honest. Even about the things she tried to flee from not long ago. "Growth means you gotta take it all."
Though Roger isn't aboard the 'appreciate all' train, he does agree, "I wouldn't change us either."
Locking her pinky finger to his, "Lets make a promise to each other," she suggests. "I promise to be open to everything."
"Everything?"
Each syllable in that word is colored scampish this time and Jody laughs because of it.
"Within reason. I can't give you that much freedom," she corrects. "Now you gotta make one."
"Umm...I," he drug out harmoniously while he quickly thought. "Promise to always be here. No matter where we are, I promise to be here in the moment. And work on that parent swap thing."
Giving a smiley kiss, "I love you," Jody coos.
"Can't be as much as I love you."
She nods, "Even more. I promise to love you forever."
Roger's hum disapproves, "Forever's too short."
"Okay, I'll love you for two of them."
Her temple gets a kiss. Carding through her hair, he wonders, "Where do we go from here?"
"Why not stay here? Let's be Europeans."
He's surprised and pleasantly so. "Really? If we got our own place here, you'd be cool?"
"Of course. I mean how often do you get to say 'I got a house in France'?"
He grins into a tease, "You just wanna brag."
She's shameless, "Oh of course! Besides that, we agreed to give Brie the life we never had. What better flex than this?"
"Until she start cussin' us out in a different language."
Snuggling close, Jody yawns, "At least she'll be trilingual." Sharing his pillow, her eyes shut. A doze is near.
Cozy in a mellow content, Roger's been flirting with his own sleepiness. In the realm between awake and Z's he's cradled. Memories reside there. Recallings from previous lives. The kind that he used to shun.
Wintertime in Chicago. Two people – near strangers – in a fractured love, sitting in a car trying to hold their dishonest trust together.
"Who names their kid Prince anyway?"
"A man trying to spite his wife."
"Do you think you'll ever go by it again?"
"I've come to find that when it's spoken by you, I don't mind it so much. It doesn't feel so foreign." Later on he shrugged. "Still, I'm not ready for it yet. I don't deserve it right now."
The kind of past life memories that bring him to revelation now.
California backseat driving. Orange lollipops and record deals. An angel solving ancient riddles and granting wishes.
"You say you don't feel worthy of it yet. Well what if that's because you were waiting for this moment to happen? Using it now would be like starting with a clean slate. You can make the name what you want it to be."
He tried to do that once and set forth a disaster.
But this isn't 1993.
He's no longer obstructed from the light. He's never felt any brighter than he does now.
He hasn't felt this alone since 1978.
Nobody but myself.
And yes, though his spirit has made him a symbol – a decision that will stand – his heart has finally found a home in who he truly is.
The timing is perfect. Jody repositions amid her shallow resting.
"Hey, baby?"
Groggy eyes peek open, "Hm?"
"You think you can do something for me from here on out? For those two forevers?"
"What's that?"
"Call me Prince."
It feels right now. He deserves it.
AN: Awwwwwwwwwwwwww