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Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.


Chapter 10: Living a Lie

The heavy rainfall earlier in the day opened up to clear skies later on in the evening. The stars stood out brightly and appeared like diamonds set in soft black velvet. Sam and Tara arrived five minutes to eight and parked in the parking lot across the club. At the entrance was a line-up. A couple of security guards were at hand, one of them possessed a guest list on a clipboard.

"Sam Merlotte and Tara Thornton." Sam relayed to the guard who looked like a line-backer. The freakishly large man scanned the list then said, "Welcome to Assassin Mr. Merlotte, Ms. Thornton. Please go straight up to the second floor."

The moment they stepped inside, they could feel the energy in the air rise as the music thumped away in the dimly lit spaces. Spot lights of various colors spiraled about casting colored glowing spots upon any surface. A young lady dressed in black standing behind a podium greeted them and put 'Assassin2' bracelets on their wrists then showed them to the stairs that led to the second floor. A good hundred or so people could be seen milling about on the ground floor. Some people were seated with their drinks at tables chatting and laughing away, some were dancing to the music that the dj played from an open concept booth in a loft above them. At the large bar two bar tends served drinks. Both of them were young ladies wearing white short sleeved cotton blouses, black bow ties, and black skinny jeans. Behind the bar was a kitchen.

Sam and Tara held hands as they walked up the stairs to the second floor. Another young lady also dressed in black greeted them and ushered them through the double padded doors. They entered the expanse area and found that it had the same trappings as the first floor. Large bar, a good sized dance floor, a dj loft, tables and chairs, kitchen. In addition, there were three pool tables. Sliding doors led outside to a huge balcony that stretched the entire length of the club.

"Look, there's Marvin." Tara waved at the tall handsome light brown skinned young man standing in a small group across the room, who now looked confused.

"No, that's Martin." Sam corrected her.

"Hold on, you mean Marvin is a .." Tara began.

"Twin, yes." Sam ended.

"They look identical. How can you tell them apart?" Tara wondered.

"Martin has a scar on his left temple." Sam pointed out and thought to himself, that scar. I remember how he got it.

In an instant, Sam was mind was teleported to the past.

Dry twigs snapped under our feet as me and Marvin walked through the woods from school. Then darkness. I woke up, head spinning, arms and feet bound behind me, rope tearing at my skin, a foul taste of dirty rags crammed in my mouth. Shit, Marvin too shared the same fate.

"Watch me cut this nigger's fucking nuts off!" said the slightly built man standing over Martin with a birka knife. The heavy-set one kicked Marvin in his torso.

"Mmmnnnngh." I scream, no one can hear us. We're helpless.

"Shut the fuck up over there 'cause you're next, nigger lover." the slight one glared at me.

Sam finally came to when he saw Tara's hand waving in his face.

"Sam, Sam, are you OK?" Tara's voice beginning to sound anxious. She didn't like the look on his face. Dark and distant.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine...just thought I'd locked the keys in the truck or something." Sam fibbed.

"Oh hey Martin!" Sam perked up as Martin came over and fist pumped him. Meanwhile, while trying not to look obvious Tara quickly glanced at the side of his face and saw the scar, maybe two inches long. Sam thanked him for inviting them.

"Yeah mon, glad yu could mek it. So who dis pretty likkle miss?" Martin smiled broadly then shifted his focus on Tara.

"Martin, meet Tara, Tara, Martin" Sam introduced the two.

Martin, six feet tall, bent down and kissed Tara on the cheek.

"Nice to meet you Tara."

"Nice to meet you too, Martin. Thanks for having us. Nice club you got here." Tara added giving the place a once over.

While Tara and Martin were deep in conversation, someone tugged Sam on his sleeve. He turned around to see who it could be. Before him stood a tiny blue eyed white woman in her early sixties with the warmest smile around.

"Aunt Vie!" Sam wrapped his arms around the waist of the small woman and lifted her clear off the ground.

"Sammy!" The woman laughed out loud as Sam set her safely back down. For such a tiny woman, she had a strong infectious laugh.

"How yu doin' mi son. Yu behavin' yuself?" Aunt Vie pinched his cheek.

"Sometimes." Sam winked. He loved it when she called him son and wished it was really so.

"Sometimes? Yu likkle devil!" She playfully pinched his nose and continued to say, "So what is dis I hear 'bout you and a certain young lady. Where is she?"

Sam led her by the hand to where Tara stood talking up a storm with Martin.

"Valerie meet Tara Thornton, Tara meet Valerie Thompson." Sam introduced the two when he got Tara's attention.

Aunt Vie was a good three inches shorter than Tara and without hesitation gave her a haughty hug nearly causing her to topple over. Tara laughed surprised to receive such a nice greeting.

"Lawd, she pretty! " Aunt Vie exclaimed, holding Tara's hands.

"Wait a minute, cassava cake, Mrs. Thompson? Tara piped up.

"Yes, di same one. Call me Aunt Vie. Ah see Sam introduced you to mi cassava cake. He mus' really like you." Aunt Vie said in her thick Jamaican accent.

Sam blushed when she said this.

"Yes, he does, and I him." Tara winked at Sam at the same time not letting go of Aunt Vie's warm hands.

Tara smiled as she looked down into tiny woman's kind blue eyes. Right away she felt at home in her company. Aunt Vie laughed again, turned to Sam and said, "Sammy, heng on pon dis one yu 'ere!"

"I plan to." Sam replied and hugged her again and whispered something in her ear. Tara noticed all this and wondered what he said to Mrs. Thompson.

"Listen, you two don't be strangers. Come over to my house for lunch this Sunday. Alright?" Aunt Vie smiled at them before she took hold of her son's arm.

"Alright Auntie!" Sam kissed her on the cheek before Martin escorted her away.

"So that's Mrs. Thompson. I like her. She's a lovely woman." Tara remarked.

"Yes she is."

Tara noticed Sam had a far away look as he said this. She couldn't find soothing words to say to him. She weaved her fingers through his and gave him a 'I'm here for you' look. He read her face and it warmed his heart. Smiling he planted a kiss on her forehead.

Sam face brightened up when he caught sight of Marvin standing across the room with his arm around a familiar looking woman.

"Yo, Marvin!" Sam called at him while he and Tara walked over to him.

"Wha' gwaaan Merlat! Hey Tara." Marvin gave Sam a man hug and a peck on Tara's cheek.

"You remember Morgan Chin?" Marvin putting his arm around the petite young woman's waist.

Morgan, an attractive half Chinese, half white woman, wore her brown hair down to her waist, smiled jovially at Sam and Tara. Tiny freckles across her cheeks gave her an exotic, sexy yet innocent look.

"Yes, yes I do. Nice to see you again Morgan" Sam hugged and pecked Morgan on the cheek.

"Hi Sam. Nice to see you too." Morgan smiled brightly and gave Sam a quick hug. She wore a gold sequined sleeveless mini dress and red high heel pumps.

After Sam introduced the ladies to one another, they seemed to hit it off instantly and in no time they exchanged phone numbers. They even stood at the same height and had similar body type. They chattered away as though they were high school mates matching similar tastes in music, clothes, makeup and the like.


The buffet tables were readied and a line-up quickly formed. The couples found themselves a round table and the guys left their jackets on the chairs while they went off to get some food. Tara and Morgan remained behind and ordered drinks.

"You and Marvin look so much in love. Have you know him for a long time?" Tara asked smiling.

"We grew up in the Seaford town in Jamaica. After me and my family moved to Florida, we lost touch. Then on a business trip two years ago, out of the blue I bucked into him here in Louisiana. We dated for over a year."

"After all those years, huh. That's so romantic. You know, from your accent I wouldn't have guessed that you were Jamaican."

"Well, I left home when I was six years old."

Then there was a pause as Tara contemplated making her next move.

"So, how has it been for the two of you so far?"

"Not easy. I left him three months ago and we've just started seeing each other again."

"What happened, why did you two break up?" Tara pried.

"It was mainly my fault. Well, I guess you could call it fear, and ignorance on my part. At first I didn't accept him for what he was, though I loved him for who he was."

"You left him because he's black?" Tara's eyes became livid as wild assumptions swirled about her mind.

"Oh no, nothing so trivial. It's a long complicated story. Now's not a good time to explain." Morgan paused on seeing the guys approach. She then quickly added, "All I can say is that I hope you'll realize the same thing as I have, that no matter what, he is a man, heart and soul." Morgan's eyes bore into hers.

The fuck? "Wha..." Tara was about to say something when the guys returned with plates of food. At the same time, waiters brought their drink orders and set them on the table. Sam placed a plate piled with Jerk Chicken on rice and peas and salad in front of her.

"Hey Tara, look what I've got!" With a fork, Sam held up a piece of treat to her mouth.

"Ah, cassava cake!" Tara chuckled and took the soft tasty morsel into her mouth. With her mind still in overdrive trying to make out Morgan's double-talk, she chewed, swallowed and looked up to see a very much-in-love Morgan and Marvin kissing and giggling. So, she left it at that and pushed it out of her mind, at least for now.


When they were all through eating, the girls excused themselves and went to the ladies room. Moments later they returned to their table. The dj switched from pop to dancehall music. First up was the song 'Girls' by Beenie Man & Akon compelling many to their feet. Tara and Morgan wooed excitedly like teenagers and joined the gyrating masses on the dance floor, leaving Sam and Marvin to chat.

"So, Martin finally opened his club, huh." Sam yelled hoping to be heard above the din of the music.

"Yeah mon. It's a good time to set one up here too seeing how Vanceville is expanding and more young people are moving in." Marvin replied also raising his voice.

"When I saw his scar, it brought back old memories. It seemed like just yesterday when we had taken that short cut home from school."

Marvin and Sam sat silently remembering that day when two escaped prisoners tied them up and beat them within an inch of their lives.

"Rrreeeh!" A loud trumpeting sound blared around them. The earth vibrated beneath them and in the distance the trees limbs thrashed violently. Something large was heading their way, and fast. Sam, tightly bound, gagged and face streaked with tears and blood, craned his neck to see a large African elephant rush past him and pin the scrawny prisoner to a tree. His knife dropped to the ground. The man's arms and legs flayed about as the beast rammed his head repeatedly against him. Martin also hog tied and bloodied, had just time to wriggle out of the way. Then there was a loud bang. The bullet whizzed past the elephant and lodged itself in the tree behind him. He then spun around and left his first victim crumpled at the base of the tree. Then like a freight train, he closed in on his next target holding a Smith and Wesson. Frightened and in disbelief, the square jawed man tripped and fell backwards on the ground. While on his back, he aimed the gun at the beast and squeezed the trigger. His aim was better this time, but alas, not that good. The bullet only grazed the pachyderm's temple. Rearing up on hind legs, the elephant trumpeted once more before it came crashing down on the prisoner's chest.

"Blow wow! If it wasn't for Martin, we'd be dead." Martin slapped his knee then continued, "Dem fuckahs deserved what came to dem!"

"Yeah. Pussy holes." Sam snickered. They had a good laugh before settling down again.

"I see you've made up with Morgan." Sam switched his tone as he happily watched Tara smiling and dancing.

"Yeah. It wasn't easy." The corners of Marvin's lips curled upwards.

"I thought she'd left you for good after she found out." Sam added rocking back in his chair.

"Me too. I thought we were over. I told her I understood and that I will always love her. Then months later she came back into my life and when she did, I felt whole again." Marvin placed one hand on his chest while he took a couple gulps of Red Stripe beer.

"I'm glad she did. I like Morgan. I'm happy for the both of you bro." Sam leaned forward and tapped his bottle against Marvin's.

He understood Marvin perfectly. The only time Sam felt whole was when Tara was with him and he couldn't imagine being without her.

"Sam, you love Tara, I can tell. You have to tell her. You know dat." Marvin looked at Sam unsmiling.

"I know. I don't know how much longer I can hide that part about me. I cannot continue like this, living a lie." Sam conceded and drank some beer.

"Di sooner di better, Sam. Sooner di better." Marvin warned.

Marvin ended his sentence when he noticed their dates returning.












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Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.