by Donald Welch
“What’s wrong with you? Huh? I thought we had an understanding,” Skylar said, still trying to remain calm.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Storm started toward the bar. Skylar told her how she had been coming in late on her shift, and that customers were complaining about her attitude. She also let her know that some of the employees had mentioned that there were times when they’d smelled liquor on her breath.
Before Skylar had finished the last statement, Storm had already poured herself a drink.
“I just need you to do your job. I know all of this is new, but I need you to be more focused while you’re here, Storm, that’s all.” Skylar seemed exhausted and threw her hands up in the air. Storm refused to comment on anything. She took a seat on one of the bar stools and nursed her drink.
“I’ve tried to stay out of your personal life these last few weeks. But now it’s starting to affect my business, so I need to say something. I thought you had changed. The drinking, the streets, running with your old crowd. Aren’t you tired of all that shit?”
Storm slammed her glass down on the bar. “Crowd? What old crowd? Say what you really mean, Sky. You’re referring to DuBoy.” She stood up.
“Well, I didn’t think I needed to say any names,” Skylar said.
“And yes, I am tired. I’m tired of you bringing up my past,” Storm continued as she began to pace. “I just spent the last three years of my damn life locked up, and I’m trying to get adjusted to my life again on the outside, if you don’t mind.”
“I just want you to get yourself together. In fact, that’s all I’ve ever wanted for you.”
“Save that shit, Sky! You never cared for anyone but yourself. The entire time I was away, you came up to see me twice! Two damn times, Skylar!” she spat.
“I came when I could. You never asked for me, Storm,” Skylar told her.
“Why should I have to ask my own sister to come to a fuckin’ prison to see me?” Storm said, getting angrier.
Skylar defended herself by reminding Storm of all that she had had to deal with back here. “You know, keeping the business up and running and taking care of Daddy when he got ill. Dutch needed me. He could have used your help, too, but yo ass was locked up!” she shrieked.
“Fuck you!” Storm was beside herself with rage.
“No, fuck you!” Skylar returned the sentiment. She couldn’t believe that Storm had gotten her to the point where she was using such language. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d cursed like this.
“You know that shit was not my fault!” Storm stressed.
“When is it ever, Storm? When is it ever your fault? When are you going to grow up and take responsibility for something for a change? You did all that time because of all the crap you were involved with,” Skylar reminded her.
Storm could not believe that Skylar had said this to her. Suggesting she deserved to be wrongly locked up three years. “For what? All I really did was drive a car with a suspended license!”
“It was more than that and you know it!” Skylar said. “They were going to charge you with murder! You pled guilty to manslaughter, Storm!”
“I did what they forced me to do! How the hell was I supposed to know that shit? Huh? I was just driving the damn car!” Storm explained.
Skylar raised her voice. “That’s what you thought. It didn’t matter. You were there. I’ve told you time and time again that Asia and Lenora were no damn good. None of the chicks you used to roll with here were any good!”
Calming down a bit, Storm retorted. “Let me remind you, sister, that I am almost thirty years old. I was twenty-six when I went upstate, okay? To handle a life more real than you’ve ever imagined. I don’t need you telling me who I can and can’t run with. You are not my mother and you sure as hell ain’t my father, so you need to stop.”
“You’re right, I’m not,” Skylar stated. “But Dutch tried to get through to you, too. How many times did Daddy tell the both of us that we would be judged by the company we keep? Even he knew your so-called friends would be your downfall.” Skylar stood and again folded her arms across her chest.
Instead of blowing up any further, Storm sauntered back to the bar and poured another drink. Skylar got a disgusted look on her face and spoke out.
“See, there you go.”
“Bitch, I am grown! And if I want to drink until I pee out yellow vodka it’s my damn business!” Slamming down the bottle, she turned her back on Skylar, but could still see her in the mirror behind the bar. Softly, she began to talk.
“All I did was drive Lenora by her job before she went to the club. She called and said that her and Asia were going out, and if I didn’t mind could we all go in my car because hers was being worked on. I had no idea that those two had other plans, too. On the way to the club was when she said she had to stop by her job because she’d left her wallet there.
“I asked if it could wait until Monday, I did. But she said her ID was in there and if we got all the way down to the club and she got carded that me and Asia would be pissed. She was right, so she had us pull up to this huge house in Chestnut Hill, not the office building on City Line Avenue where I thought she worked. I asked her what we were doing there and she said this was where her last assignment was. That she had been assigned as Ida Tuttle’s home-care companion for the last month.
Skylar hadn’t heard her sister’s story before. Although she was still certain that her sister’s friends were worthless and that nothing good could come of Storm still palling around with them, she knew that she had to let Storm have this moment.
“Asia went inside with her because Lenorea said she didn’t want to go by herself. No one was home and that house could be scary. That’s what she said.” Storm walked over to a table near Skylar and continued.
“I told them to hurry up or I’d leave their asses right there. I spent the next three years, Skylar, three fucking years in a cell, regretting that I didn’t leave. Lenora was going to rob this old woman’s place, because she knew the old lady kept a lot of cash and jewelry just lying around in her room, and since Lenora came and went a lot during the week she not only had a key but she knew the alarm code, too.
“When they went in, they didn’t turn on any lights. Lenora knew exactly which room to go to and went to work. Asia went into the office and started rummaging through Ida’s desk drawers. Lenora was into Ida’s bedroom dresser, grabbing all kinds of stuff, a topaz ring encrusted with diamonds, a gold pocket watch that dated back to the 1800s, diamond rings, pearls, and a money box about the size of a shoe box that was kept in the back of a drawer. That’s where Ida kept loose money, like fifty-and one-hundred-dollar bills. That box had tempted Lenora every time Ida had sent her in there to grab money for groceries or medicine. But Lenora never took anything other than what she was told before, because she knew that no matter how much Ida Tuttle told her she trusted her and she was such a nice girl and all, she doubled-checked everything once Lenora left for the day.”
Skylar just shook her head.
“But when Lenora was ready to leave, the bathroom door suddenly opened and there was frail, frightened Ida Tuttle. Without her glasses, Ida couldn’t see it was Lenora, who pushed past her, knocking her to the ground as she ran down the stairs. It wouldn’t have been so bad, but Ida had a heart attack right then and there and died.”
Storm welled up as she remembered everything about the evening.
“I caught a rap for a damn murder that I didn’t commit!” she cried.
“The tape from the closed-circuit television clearly showed your car, Storm.”
“No! That’s bullshit, Skylar. When they went into the house, I turned the car off, and there was no light in front of the house. Those two bitches turned me in. They had to say that it was me driving the car because how else could anyone know I was even there or think that I’d touched any of that stuff? Nothing in there had my prints on it. Dammit!”
She started to cry uncontrollably.
Skylar watched her with no emotion. A few seconds passed. Skylar got up and took a few steps before speaking softly.
“I remember when Daddy got the call that the police had arrested you for murder. He literally fell down in front of the phone. He never believed that you were involved.”
“You did, though,” Storm said, glaring at her twin.
“What did you expect me to think, Storm? All the time you had gotten into shit!” She threw her hands up and walked away, but continued talking. “Dutch said as long as he had breath in his body, he’d fight for your freedom. Took all his savings and military pension to get the best lawyer he could for you.”
“I had no other choice than to plead. At least that’s what my attorney said. Even though Asia finally admitted that I really didn’t know what was going down. It was too late. The damage was done,” Storm admitted. “They were sentenced to fifteen to life.”
“Dutch even wrote a letter to the judge begging for mercy for you. He was never the same after that,” Skylar remembered.
“Oh, so now you blaming me for Dutch’s death, too? You saying I had a hand in that situation, too?” Storm said.
“You know what, Storm, I’m tired of pretending. Yes, you definitely played a part in what happened to him. There was nothing Dutch wouldn’t do for you. Even put up his restaurant to save your ass. Anything for his Storm.”
“Oh, okay, that’s it. Now we’re getting to the real shit, ain’t we, Sky? Yeah …you couldn’t understand the fact that even though my shit was fucked up at times Daddy still loved and supported me….”
Storm was on a roll now. “Well, I’ll be damned! That’s it. You’ve always been the same since we were kids. Never able to stand it, how I wasn’t half as perfect as you thought you were, but Dutch still loved me more.” Heading back toward the bar, Storm started laughing. This upset Skylar, who lost it and started screaming at Storm.
“Daddy felt sorry for your ass, Storm! That shit ain’t have nothing to do with love. Before he died, he told me that he had resolved in his mind that he was going to take care of your trifling ass for the rest of your life, or his, whichever came first!”
This hit Storm hard, like a blow to the gut. “Dutch would never say anything like that about me. He would never call me out my name that way. That’s all you, Skylar. If he even thought something like that, it was during one of those times when he got pissed at me for not wanting to follow in his footsteps with the business.”
“Wow! You have got to be kidding. Dutch knew you had no business sense,” Skylar ranted. “He never wanted you to be a part of the family business. He told me himself that he prayed to God I would take over when he retired, because leaving it in your hands was a sure disaster!” Skylar tossed a chair to the side and walked over to the bar.
“If what you say is true, Sky, why is my name on the deed of this place as co-owner along with yours? Huh? Yeah, my dear sister, I had it all checked out!” Storm stood and folded her arms across her chest and gave Skylar a piercing look.
Skylar took a moment before she responded to what Storm had said. Turning toward her, she spoke softly.
“I never tried to hide anything from you, Storm. I told Dutch to put your name back on it along with mine because I did not want any trouble with you over this property. After Dutch retired, I offered to buy it from him because I wanted to keep it in the family, and because I had dreams of opening a nightclub. And you know what he said to me? He said, ‘Baby, if anybody can make it work, you can. You have my blessings!’” Skylar patted her chest for emphasis, with tears in her eyes.
Storm walked toward Skylar and, when she got right in front of her, started to applaud.
“Congratulations, sister girl. Is that what you want to hear? Huh? That the good daughter came in to save the day? Well, let me tell you something, sis.” She got right up in her face. “All that bullshit you talkin’ don’t mean shit to me, ’cause I’m just as much a part of this place as you are. Remember that shit! I’m just as responsible for this business as you are. I’m just as entitled to make decisions about it as you are. And I have an executive decision to make right now.”
“What the hell are you talking about, Storm?”
“I want to collect on my inheritance. That’s what this is, right? Dutch left it to both of us?”
Skylar couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
Storm continued. “Yeah, you heard me. I’ve been down for three years, and it’s time for me to collect. So I tell you what. Either you buy me out or we sell this bitch and split the money.”
Stunned at what Storm had just proposed, Skylar needed a moment for all of it to sink in. “Are you crazy? I have no plans to sell Legends, nor are there any plans to buy you out. If you think that I am going to let you ruin what I’ve built in the last two years, you have lost your got damn mind!” Storm could not remember the last time she had seen her sister this angry. It actually surprised her a little. She tried reasoning with Skylar.
“Look, I see what you’ve done to the spot. You’ve made your mark all over this place. But I’m just saying sometimes you gotta look at the bigger picture. Grow bigger, expand til you blow shit up!” Storm’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Just think about the possibilities of what could happen—just hear me out.”
“You have lost your friggin’ mind. I’m not even listening to this.” Skylar started to walk away.
“Wait a minute, sis,” She grabbed Skylar by the arm gently. “I just want to bend your ear about an idea DuBoy and Torch have been talking about—”
Jerking her arm away, Skylar snapped, “Don’t you touch me. I am not interested in any get-rich-quick schemes involving two lowlifes like DuBoy and Torch.”
“There you go, judging people. Torch made shit happen in this town and the brotha is giving us a chance to make bank. I’m talking serious paper, girl! Not this nickel-and-dime shit you got rolling up in here.”
Skylar could literally have killed Storm at that moment. “I’m done,” she said as she started walking toward the kitchen area. Storm followed right behind her. Swinging open the door leading into the kitchen, Skylar abruptly stopped and spun around to confront her sister. “I’ll be damned if I’m going to allow you to downplay what I’ve done here. Now, if you’re not happy, then you can get the hell out!” Standing toe-to-toe, Skylar shouted, “I have had enough of you—and you know what?” She stopped herself from continuing and saying something she would have regretted. Instead, hot tears streamed down down her face and she trembled with anger—and with fear. Was it possible that her sister and her thuggish clowns could ruin all that she’d worked so hard to save?
Witnessing a side of her sister that she had never seen before— and determined to make this business proposal work—Storm softened her approach and apologized.
Tears formed in her eyes—a bit less genuine than her sister’s— and she said, “Look, I know I seem out of hand. It’s just that I am out, sis. I’m free, and I just want a chance. That’s all. I want to succeed and push forward, too.” She paused for a moment before continuing. “And you’re holding me back. It’s almost like you wish I hadn’t come home.”
Skylar didn’t say a word, but the expression on her face showed Storm that she’d hit the nail on the head.
“Wow, that’s really fucked up that you would even think some shit like that, with all I’ve been through,” Storm said, turning away from her sister and wiping away her tears—these as genuine as they come. She was pissed that she’d allowed Skylar to see her so weak at that moment.
“Been through? Girl, what have you been through?” Skylar came from behind her and faced her. “You had three squares, a warm bed to sleep in, and no damn bills, while I worked my ass off to keep my head above water.” Skylar’s voice intensified as she went on, “Sometimes I was not even able to make payroll. With all you been through? Bitch, please! You try waking the hell up every day with that shit on you. Not knowing what state of mind I was going to find Dutch in every day
.” Skylar was becoming more and more upset as she continued getting off her chest what she had obviously been feeling for quite some time.
“Having to bathe him, feeding him like some damn baby! Cleaning him up after he’d shit on himself. I didn’t mind it, because that was my father, but don’t you come in here with ‘All I been through.’ So let me say it again: You ain’t been through shit! Now get the hell out of my face and let me do my work!”
Silence fell over the room. Neither sister knew what to say next. Just then Storm’s cellphone went off. Taking it from the pocket of her sweats, she looked at it then shut it off. Walking up to Skylar, she softly told her that she was sorry that she wasn’t there to help with their father. Sounding a bit more sincere, she admitted, “Look, I know I fucked up, more than once even, but Skylar, don’t you ever say that I haven’t been through shit. Talk about unfair. I think I deserve a chance to do my own thing. You got to do yours. Now it’s my turn.”
Skylar smirked, “It’s easy to say stuff like that now, Storm, now that all the work and effort has already been put in.” Thanks but no thanks was her feeling about Storm’s tearful confession.
Walking away from her sister, Storm went off with her head bowed, rested both hands on the stainless steel counter for balance, and closed her eyes. Tears ran down her face in perfectly straight lines and gathered under her chin before falling onto her top. Not lifting her head she began to recount her time in prison.
“You know the first few weeks weren’t so bad, before the trial. Bitches just chillin’—doing their time. I had heard that as long as you minded your own business, shit would remain cool. But after I had to turn in that plea, reality set in that this was going to be where I would spend the next few years of my life.”
They were led off the bus in pairs. Storm was handcuffed to a hardcore dyke by the name of Trae who tried talking to her the entire ride. When Storm stepped off the bus, shit just got quiet. Even in her loose-fitting jumpsuit Storm looked good. The Bulls—that’s what they called the inmates—hadn’t seen a bitch this bad in a long time. The whole yard suddenly became speechless. “Shit, they ain’t looking at me,” Trae said. “Gotta be you, Shorti. Be strong, ’cause bitches up here are ruthless.”
