CHRISTMASSY

“Santa, Baby” pumped through the speakers. Though muffled, the notes still rang out through the air. Heavy wooden doors blocked the sound from emitting fully in the space. Then, the doors swung wide open. The sound, crystalline, punctured from a tiny frame. Her voice reverberated nevertheless. She wore a skimpy little elf outfit. Trimmed in red and wearing a skintight gold leotard, Healitha Vanguard shimmied and swayed her way through the song. With absolute confidence and a bit of verve, she used her four foot eleven inch tall self against the six foot three inch tall man relaxed in a huge, comfy leather chair the color of cognac. Men in double-breasted suits and tuxedos chomped on cigars and sipped Scotch. They applauded when Healitha had finished singing.

She planted a kiss on thirty-four-year-old cement mogul Redreaux Jones’ forehead. Her crimson lipstick smacked a giant mark where his hair line met with his face. Jones had sat in the middle of the WIlmington, Delaware room.

***One Hour Earlier***

Bessie Cordon announced, “You’re going to get hum away from everyone. Let him touch you inappropriately.” She was tall and a prime example of a big beautiful woman, except she lacked the beauty. She possessed dark skin like Healitha.

“I can’t do that.”

“You will. It’s our only way of getting some millions out of this guy. He’ll catch a case, lose in court, and we’ll speed of with the wealth.”

“What do I need to do?”

She scurried away.

*****

“And that, boys, is Christmas!”

They all cheered and egg nog and rum poured into other glasses near the bar. The room looked untouched. Dimly lit, a golden glow bounced off the leather chairs and the marble floors. Gold nobs accented the place. And a huge tree sat in the corner of the room hung with truffles and diamonds. The fire crackled. It was December 19.

Healitha ran to the back to change into clothes befitting the frostiness outdoors. Her hair and makeup team chased her. Costume designers tracked her down as well. She discarded the leotard in exchange for some blue jeans and a green sweater. One of her staff rushed over to her and she finally stopped. Her lipstick, slightly smudged, vanished from her face. Eyelashes plucked from her eyes like they had wings. Healitha continued on her course despite her professionals vying to put on her coat. She sent a text message to Jones.

In moments, she had met him in one of the many hallways to the mansion. He fell on her neck. With little pecks, he then kissed her face amid the sound of the rather inebriated host of club members chanting “Deck the Halls.”

He gripped her up and kept pecking at her ear and tousled her brown locks. Her sunkissed brown skin glistened under the lamplights. They continued as the sound of pots and pans being washed chimed all around them. No one seemed to notice or care about their impromptu rendezvous.

In complete rapture, the two of them explored each other’s frames with precision and grace. Hands met with each other and the feeling of lightness pervaded both of their bodies. Jones broke from his engagement and motioned for Healitha to come his way. She protested. He edged nearer to her, closer than when he was chewing on her earlobe. He kissed her cheek.

In a moment, they locked eyes and then she turned and ran away to her staff.

Jones stood there in the hallway. Her gait seemed to be at a fast clip when she turned away from him.

“Is everything alright, Heal’?” her manager “What happened? Did he touch you?”

“He did more than that.”

“Did he violate you?”

“No, no. Nothing of the––”

“Okay, we have a ‘Me Too’ moment going on here. That bastard has gone too far. We’re breaking up this party.” Bessie gathered her team still holding curling irons, rouge makeup, changes of clothing, and bits of jewelry in their palms. She burst through the gathering with her small militia to safeguard the star singer. A digital piano playing a clear rendition of Liszt’s “Christmas Song” rang out through the room.

“Listen up! Your entertainment for the night will not be making an encore. She was groped in all the wrong places.” Jones sat at the bar and ordered a gin and soda. Bessie pointed at him with venom.

“Your host is a predator. When no one dared to lay eyes on him, he took advantage of Healitha.”

Healitha sat backstage. Her silent sobs could not be heard.

Among the many men in the room, some had been doctors, entrepreneurs, and also lawyers and judges. Filled to the gills with lobster and steak with butter atop; the caviar and cigar smoke all commingled and produced laughter in the space.

“Oh, it’s funny to you? This menace must be brought up on charges.”

Commissioner Xavier Cleet, of the Wilmington Police Department decked out in a tuxedo, proved to be incognito. His dark skin and short Afro glistened in the light. He waltzed over to Bessie.

“As the highest ranking law enforcement official here, I am prompted to hold a trial right now, in this place.”

The lawyers and judges in the room didn’t budge. They had to be coaxed into participating.

“Commissioner Cleet,” a Piedmont Exel, spoke up right after the announcement. He had sage eyes which contrasted with his medium brown skin. “I have a juris doctorate as you well know and have been a presiding judge in this town for close to twenty years. Let’s hold this session, then.”

A defense attorney named Lionel Luxton called his witness to the chair.

“Where’s the prosecution, the judge?” Bessie demanded.

Another attorney, Morris Bryant then appeared and convened with Bessie.

“Alright, I’ll take on the case.”

“Mr. Jones, please take a seat.” In the same chair where he experienced the pleasure of Healitha’s company, he now sat with a face that looked like a cut from the marble floor.

“Mr. Jones,” Bryant began, “Did you do anything untoward to the young lady in question this evening?”

“No.” Jones intoned with some solemnity in his voice.

“The prosecution rests.”

“Now, Red, I mean Mr, Jones,” Luxton started. “Is there any truth to what has been said about the allegations to you breaching any sort of personal interactions with Miss Vanguard?”

“No.”

“Did you know she is twenty-two-years-old?”

“Yes.”

“Did you have any engagement with her besides the show she put on tonight?” whistles and howls and a few claps went up amidst the cigar smoke.

“Yes.”

“Was this a tryst?”

“Yes.”

“What was the nature of this tryst?”

“It was completely consensual.”

“Objection your Honor,” Bryant exclaimed.

Judge Exel puffed on a cigar. “Overruled. I’d like to hear more of what Mr. Jones has to say.”

“We met up with both our clothes on. She had just changed into something more comfortable. I didn’t do anything she didn’t want me to do.”

“No further questions, your Honor.”

Bessie crossed her arms as the team appeared to face off with the men in the room. It looked like a football game about to break out at any moment.

“Your witness, counsel,” Judge Exel encouraged Bryant.

“I call to the stand Miss Vanguard.”

Though a bit puffy, her ebony eyes showed through with an intensity and a profundity but also a softness. She sat in the cozy seat.

“Miss Vanguard, you never actually claimed to be subjected to any impropriety this evening, is that right?”

“Yes.”

“Yet, your manager has proclaimed that you were somehow touched inappropriately. Is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“What I want to know, what everyone in this room wants to know is if Mr. Jones touch you in any way that you felt uncomfortable?”

“No!” a shout from the men in tuxedos yelled. It was Ullman Bolt. Judge Exel banged his palm on the bar, producing a warped rap.

“There will be no shouts from the peanut gallery, Mr. Bolt. We’re deciding this session with sincerity and order. Now, proceed please, Mr. Bryant.”

“Thank you, your Honor. Now, Miss Vanguard, did you know Mr. Jones prior to this evening?”

“We met a few times.”

“And in those times, did he prove to be a gentleman?”

“Objection, your Honor. Leading the witness,” Luxton announced.

“Sustained.” Judge Exel slurred his words some.

“Alright, Miss Vanguard. What did you do tonight?”

“What did she do? What did he do to her is the question!” Bessie blurted out.

Another fist banging session ensued.

“Miss Bessie, I know you want your friend to have a fair trial. If I hear an outburst from either side, I’m canceling this whole proceeding and actually looking at taking this to actual court.”

“He took me in his arms and kissed me.”

Bryant looked at the woman in the chair. “Did he do anything that would lead you to feel less than a person and more like a piece of meat?”

“Sidebar, your honor. Y’know beside the bar, at least.”

Bryant and Luxton approached the bar where Judge Exel sat.

“We’re not going anywhere with this. I say we take Red to court like you said,” Bryant almost pleaded.

Luxton breathed. “That isn’t necessary. The young lady is clearly shaken by the presence of the men in this room and is only floating along and prolonging this court to score points. She obviously wasn’t violated because she has never indicated the notion of Red’s alleged transgressions.”

“It’s almost three o’clock in the morning. We picked the right day for this as it is of course a Friday. Now, Saturday. We, however, must see that justice is served. We’re all professionals here. Let reason guide us to all truths. Morris, continue with your witness please,” Judge Exel commanded with utter politeness.

Healitha sat with her palms on her thighs upright like a sculpture. She had brushed away a tear under the lights of the smoky room. Bryant returned to his perch just adjacent to the leather chair.

“Now, what was the nature of tonight’s events?”

“I just came out here to sing for y’all. I thank Mr. Jones for the deposit.”

Bessie folded her arms in an act of defiance.

“No further questions, your Honor,” Bryant intoned.

“Defense, your crossexamination,” Judge Exel recommended.

Luxton walked past Bryant almost knocking into his shoulder.

“Hi, Miss Vanguard. That was a beautiful performance you gave earlier. From the time you finished your act, what happened?”

“Mr. Jones and I met up and that was it.”

“So, he didn’t grope you?”

“No.”

“He didn’t fondle you?”

“No.”

“He didn’t in any circumstances bother you?”

“No.”

“Did you want him to?”

“Yes!”

Roars from both sides arose like crashing waves.

“Order! Order!” Judge Exel slammed his hand on the counter until he noticed numbness in his hand.

“The defense rests, your Honor,” Luxor lit a cigar and started puffing.

The room did not turn violent with fists or weapons. The ruckus slowly died down and the judge finally commanded the place.

“There are no jurors in this case because that would be even more ridiculous than this already is. Given the evidence that in the time it took for Miss Vanguard to change and then meet with Mr. Jones, there would’ve been no time for him to have frisked her up at all. She would’ve come running back to her personnel in tears. And by her testimony, she wasn’t asking for it, she demanded more aggression out of Mr. Jones. So, I say to the defendant,” He motioned for Jones to rise from one of the lounge chairs. “Please rise.”

“In the case of Jones v Vanguard, I find the defendant not guilty.”

Applause arose and Even Healitha walked over to Jones and hugged him.

“Thank you for telling the truth,” Jones looked down at her.

“Merry Christmas, Mr. Redreaux Jones,” Healitha whispered and kissed his right cheek. Bessie cursed and ordered her crew to leave the mansion. In all of the commotion of men in suits shooting huge plumes of vapor into the air, Bessie pulled out a pistol and shot at Jones three times. Each blast missed the mark. Commissioner Cleet tackled her to the ground and everyone sobered up quickly.

“Now, we will have a real trial. Only this will be attempted murder charges,” Miss Cordon,” Cleet mentioned to her as she writhed about against the marble. “Merry Christmas,” he mentioned with sardonic relish.

“I want a lawyer!” Bessie shrieked. A had dizen men offered her their cards.

“You’re going to the women’s jail and spend tho holiday there.” He brought her to her feet as police officers carted her away.

“Party’s over, gents,” Jones announced. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Healitha’s team file out of the space. She looked up and winked at him. She blew him a kiss and he caught it with some tenderness.