Chapter 2: The Door That Wouldn't Open
Jalen read the message twice.
Then a third time.
“What does she mean, your father knows about the wedding?”” he asked.
Imani pulled her phone back, her fingers trembling around the edges.
“My dad hasn't spoken to me in almost a year.””
“Why?””
“Because he didn't like the way you were treating me.””
Jalen's face hardened.
“I treated you badly?””
“That's not what I said.””
“Then what are you saying, Imani?””
She glanced toward the closed front door of his parents' house. Through the glass panel beside it, she could see Denise moving across the kitchen, gathering the cups left on the counter.
Imani lowered her voice.
“My dad thinks people should finish school before getting married. He said if I rushed into something I couldn't handle, he wouldn't keep rescuing me.””
Jalen let out a short, disbelieving laugh.
“Great. So both our families decided to teach us a lesson on the same day.””
“Maybe they're scared.””
“Scared?”” He pointed at the door.
“My own mother packed my clothes into suitcases.””
“Jalen, please.””
“What?””
“I don't want our first day of marriage to be about fighting with everyone.””
He looked at her, and for a moment the anger in his expression weakened.
Then his phone vibrated.
A notification appeared from his bank.
*Available balance: $186.42.*
He opened the account and stared at the number.
His parents had not merely stopped his allowance. They had canceled the automatic transfer he expected to receive that morning. A pending payment for his car insurance had also been rejected.
He rubbed a hand over his face.
“Okay,” he muttered.
“Fine. We can work with this.””
“With a hundred and eighty-six dollars?””
“I'm going to get a job.””
“You already have a job.””
“Part-time, Imani. I'm talking about full-time.””
She looked down at her ring.
“What about college?””
Jalen didn't answer immediately.
He had been planning to attend community college in January, with his parents covering tuition. His father had helped him fill out the application. His mother had even bought him a backpack and notebooks during a shopping trip.
At the time, Jalen had assumed everything would work out because everything always had.
Now even the word college felt expensive.
“I'll figure that out later,” he said.
Imani's eyes lifted.
“Later keeps getting smaller.””
He looked away.
A car passed the house, sunlight flashing across its windshield.
Jalen set the suitcases down beside the porch railing and opened his contacts.
His best friend, Terrence, answered on the fourth ring.
“Bro, what's up?””
“Can we stay at your place for a couple nights?””
There was a pause.
“Why?””
“Long story.””
“Jalen, I'm serious. What's going on?””
Jalen glanced at Imani.
“My parents kicked us out.””
Terrence fell silent.
Then he said, “You got married yesterday, didn't you?””
“Yeah.””
“And now you're homeless?””
“We're not homeless. We just need somewhere to stay.””
“That's what homeless means, man.””
Jalen closed his eyes.
“Can you help or not?””
“I can ask my mom. But you know my stepdad's strict. He doesn't even like me having people over during the week.””
“Just ask.””
After another pause, Terrence agreed to call back.
Jalen ended the call and shoved his phone into his pocket.
Imani was staring at the house across the street.
A woman about Denise's age stood on her porch holding a watering can. She had clearly noticed the suitcases.
Imani looked embarrassed.
Jalen followed her gaze.
“Don't worry about her.””
“I'm not worried about her.””
“Then what?””
Imani took a breath.
“I'm worried that we did this because we wanted to prove something.””
Jalen's eyebrows pulled together.
“Prove what?””
“That we could make our own decisions. That we didn't need permission. That being in love was enough.””
He stared at her.
“Are you saying you regret marrying me?””
“No.””
“Then don't make it sound like that.””
“I said I don't regret marrying you.””
“But?””
She looked at him with exhausted eyes.
“But I wish we'd talked about what would happen if our families said no.””
Jalen wanted to argue. He wanted to remind her that she had been the one who suggested a courthouse ceremony after their parents refused to approve a large wedding.
He wanted to say that she'd held his hand while they signed the papers, smiled when the clerk congratulated them, and kissed him outside the courthouse.
All of that was true.
But so was the fact that he had never asked her where they would live if his parents stopped paying for everything.
His phone rang.
Terrence.
“Man, I'm sorry,” his friend said.
“My stepdad said no. My mom offered to send you fifty dollars, but that's all I can do.””
Jalen thanked him and hung up.
Imani sat down on the porch step.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then she said, “I have a little money saved.””
He turned toward her.
“How much?””
“About six hundred dollars.””
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Because I was saving it for school.””
Jalen looked ashamed.
“I'm not asking you to spend that.””
“Then what are we going to do?””
He glanced down the street.
“I'll find us a motel. Somewhere cheap. Tomorrow I'll start looking for a better job.””
Imani nodded slowly, though neither of them believed a cheap motel would solve anything.
They walked to a nearby bus stop, dragging their suitcases over the uneven sidewalk. The wheels caught on cracks. Cars splashed through a puddle left by the morning sprinklers.
At the stop, Jalen opened a motel booking website.
The cheapest room he found was still more than he wanted to spend.
Imani leaned over his shoulder.
“Maybe we should call my aunt.””
“Didn't your mom just tell you not to come home?””
“She said not to come home while my father was there. My aunt lives across town.””
“Then call her.””
Imani dialed.
The conversation lasted less than two minutes.
Her aunt listened quietly, asked whether they had money, and then explained that she was leaving for work and couldn't let them stay in her apartment without speaking to Imani's mother first.
When Imani ended the call, she didn't look at Jalen.
He sat beside her on the bench.
“I'm sorry,” he said.
She nodded.
“I know.””
“No, I mean it. I thought getting married would make everything feel real. Like we'd finally be able to build something that belonged to us.””
Imani turned toward him.
“And now?””
He looked at their hands.
“Now I feel like I got you into something I can't handle.””
Her eyes softened.
“We got ourselves into it.””
The distinction hurt, but he knew she was right.
His phone buzzed again.
This time, it was a text from Denise.
Your father and I will not be funding your marriage. If you need your personal documents, they are in the envelope on the hallway table. Arrange a time to collect anything else.
Jalen stared at the message.
No apology.
No offer to talk.
Just instructions.
He typed a reply, erased it, and finally put the phone away.
Across the street, a city bus approached.
Imani stood and pulled her suitcase upright.
“Where are we going?”” she asked.
Jalen looked at the bus, then at the money in his account.
“I don't know yet.””
They climbed aboard and sat near the back.
For the next twenty minutes, they watched the neighborhood change from quiet suburban streets to crowded commercial blocks. They passed grocery stores, gas stations, apartment buildings, and a laundromat with a faded sign promising WASH AND FOLD—SAME DAY.
Jalen was staring out the window when Imani's phone rang.
The caller ID displayed her father's name.
She froze.
“Answer it,” Jalen said.
“What if he just wants to yell at me?””
“Then we hang up.””
Imani pressed the screen.
“Hello?””
A man's voice came through, low and controlled.
“Imani, where are you?””
She swallowed.
“I'm on a bus.””
“Where are you going?””
“I don't know.””
There was a long silence.
Then her father said, “Are you with Jalen?””
“Yes.””
“Good. I need you both to listen carefully.””
Imani looked at Jalen.
Her father continued.
“I know you got married yesterday. I also know what happened at the Carter house this morning.””
Jalen sat up straight.
“How do you know that?”” he asked loudly.
Imani held out the phone so he could speak.
Her father ignored the question.
“My name is Andre Williams. I am not calling to congratulate either of you.””
Jalen's jaw tightened.
“Then why are you calling?””
“Because the decision you made yesterday may have put you in a situation neither of you understands.””
Imani gripped the phone.
“Dad, what are you talking about?””
Andre took a slow breath.
“Your mother told you not to come home because she was afraid I would tell you the truth.””
Jalen leaned closer.
“What truth?””
Andre's voice dropped.
“Jalen, before you make another decision about your marriage, you need to find out why your parents were so desperate to stop this wedding.””
The bus rattled over a pothole.
Imani looked at Jalen.
“What does that mean?”” she whispered.
Before Andre could answer, the call abruptly disconnected.
And a second later, a message appeared on Imani's screen.
It contained a photograph of a document.
At the top were the words:
*CARTER FAMILY TRUST — BENEFICIARY AGREEMENT.*
Beneath them were two names.
May you like
Jalen Carter.
Imani Williams.
