The lunch crowd at Precious Cargo was a different clientele from the evenings and weekends. The restaurant presented a relaxing aura, with delicious food.
Envy walked inside with bold steps. She was professionally dressed in a dark-navy-and-white short-sleeved boatneck blouse with contrasting stripes, a dark navy pencil skirt, finished off with a pair of dark navy patent pumps.
Much like always, Envy made a statement wherever she went, and today was no different. She knew it when she looked toward the bar and caught Tyreek’s eyes fixated on her. For a moment, he stopped staring like he was a deer caught in headlights. A smile of conquest formed on her perfectly polished lips.
Envy walked past several tables already filled with customers. She did not stop until she was leaning on the bar with both elbows; her hands cupped her head.
“When are you going to realize that you cannot avoid me, Tyreek? Did you honestly think that wasting valuable money to change your number, would keep me away?”
“Look, Envy, I don’t understand you. We don’t have anything together, so why are you here? I need you to leave me alone. You know what I’m saying?” Tyreek continued to serve customers and supervise the wait staff too.
The restaurant was busy, like Envy knew it would be. It was the perfect time for her to make him uneasy. While he didn’t have time to spend talking to her, she forced him to. Envy could put on a show if she wanted, if that’s what it took to get her point across, something she was sure Tyreek wouldn’t want her to do.
“Why don’t you leave. You see I’m busy. This is the rush crowd. I don’t have time to waste trying to get you to—”
Envy put a polished finger up to his kissable lips. “I don’t think you want to go there,” she said. “Not here.” She looked around the restaurant and then looked back at him. “Do you?”
“All I’m saying to you, Envy, is that I’ve moved on. I’m looking for something serious, you know. You.” He pointed at her, “and me, it was all good while it lasted, but it’s over. So before you start trying to clown up in here, I suggest you take your finger out of my face.” He used his hand and gently removed her finger aside. “And go find yourself another toy.”
Envy turned a shade darker. “Do you think that Layla is serious about you? Is that what you think? Well, I have news for you. She may be my best friend but she’s still a wannabe version of moi.”
“What did you say?” He quickly told one of the wait staff to do something for him, so he could turn back to hear what Envy knew about his and Layla’s relationship.
Envy laughed rather loudly. “See, that’s what I mean about men like you. You have no idea about women. You think that just because you have the goods to pleasure a woman physically, that it’s all good.”
“Irrespective of what you say, and what I’ve shown you in the past, I’m not the guy you want to make me out to be.”
“I can’t tell. You come every time I call for how long?” Tyreek’s cream-colored face turned pale. “Let’s see—two, two and a half, three years?” Envy chuckled and watched the play of emotions on his face.
“Look,” Tyreek leaned in toward her until he was mere inches from her face. “I don’t care how long it’s been; it’s over,” he said with brute force. “Now tell me what you know about Layla,” he demanded.
Envy didn’t move back one bit. “So Layla hasn’t told you that we’re best friends, huh?”
“You are really a piece of work. You’ve gone so far as to track down someone I’m seeing? What are you? A psycho?”
“Didn’t you hear what I said? Layla is one of my best friends. I can’t believe she hasn’t talked about me and Kacie. You see, that’s where your weakness lies. You don’t think, Tyreek. You don’t know how to think. Maybe I need to write a book, Act Like A Man, Think Like a Woman.”
“You and Layla?” His voice lost its steely edge.
“Now you get it. Makes you wonder why she hasn’t mentioned me, doesn’t it? Well, she’s been asking me how she can step up her game on this player’s field. I told her you would be the perfect practice target, and I have to give you your props, Tyreek. You’re living up to everything I told her about you.”
“What did you tell her? I know you aren’t telling me that the two of you been messing with my head. Don’t be a fool, girl. You need to stay up out of my business.”
“The fool is gonna be played by you, boy. You don’t mess me around. You and no other man will ever have that kind of power.” Envy looked at the fashionable timepiece she wore. “I guess I might as well have a bite to eat while I’m here. Fix me a turkey club with a Caesar salad on the side. You know how I like it. Oh, and I will eat it here at the bar. I haven’t seen you in a while. And you know how much I like watching you.”
Tyreek turned and said something to one of the servers going into the kitchen. He came back, waited on two other customers seated at the bar, and then did a quick walk through the restaurant to make small talk with the customers. The people who came to Precious Cargo loved Tyreek’s charm and personality.
“I don’t believe what you said about Layla. I don’t trust anything you say,” he told Envy when he returned to the bar.
“You better trust me if you don’t trust anybody else,” Envy responded without cracking so much as a smile.
Tyreek snapped back, but in a low voice to make sure the customers could not hear, “I don’t trust anybody but the man upstairs.”
Envy laughed again. This time she laughed so hard, her head bobbled back and forth. She pointed at Tyreek. “You are really, really funny.” She touched a man who was seated two stools down from her. “Did you know this guy is really funny?” she asked the stranger.
“No, I didn’t know that. Must be true what they say: ‘You learn something new every day.’” He returned to nursing his drink.
“You—and the man upstairs? I know you are not talking about God.”
“That’s exactly who I’m talking about.”
“Hold on, there. You mean to tell me that you”—she stopped talking and started laughing again—“are a church boy? Now that’s something serious you got going on there, Tyreek. You might have a little something-something after all.” She continued to mock him.
The server presented her plate of food and Caesar salad. “Thank you,” she said.
“You’re welcome,” he said, and then winked at Envy.
“Not in your wildest dreams,” she replied.
The server turned and left with a look of total embarrassment on his face.
“Be gone now, Tyreek. I want to enjoy my lunch. I’ll watch you from afar. I’ll be sure to give Layla a few extra pointers about you.”
“You can tell Layla whatever you want. If she’s anything like you, then I’m glad I found out now. I’m telling you for the last time, Envy, leave me alone, and you can tell that to your little protégée too.”
Tyreek walked away and disappeared in the back of the restaurant. The server who had waited on her took his place. Envy took a couple of bites of her sandwich, then pushed it away, got up, and left the restaurant without bothering to pay. Let him take up my slack. She strolled out of the restaurant furious, but she would never give Tyreek an opportunity to see her sweat.
Envy got in her car and headed back to work. Once she arrived and parked in her designated parking space, she sat in the car for a few minutes. She called Layla. Layla didn’t work on Mondays, so either she was at home or at the Y working out.
After several rings, Layla’s voice mail came on. “Hi, this is Layla. If you’re calling to schedule an appointment for beauty services, please call 901-555-5555, and the receptionist will be able to assist you. If this is personal, leave a message and I’ll return your call as time permits.”
“Layla, girl, I went to Precious Cargo for lunch. Guess who I happened to run into? Give me a call as soon as you can. Bye.” Envy ended the call and stepped out of her car with a look of satisfaction on her face. “I bet she’ll be calling me as soon
as she hears my message.”
Envy got on the elevator and punched the button for the eighth floor. She got off and walked down the corridor to Regulatory Affairs.
Darcy approached Envy with a wide, open smile. “Miss Wilson.”
“Darcy, what is it? I’ve barely stepped in the office and you’re calling my name.”
“I’m sorry, but you have a call on line one.”
“Take a message.” Envy waved her off and walked into her office. She was still plotting and planning in her head payback for Tyreek. Darcy followed right behind her footsteps. “What is it?”
“I’m sorry, Miss Wilson, but I think you might want to take this call. It’s an attorney, Casper Step—”
Envy’s head snapped around and she gave Darcy an evil look. “Why didn’t you just come out and say that?” She shooed Darcy off. “Go, and close the door behind you. I do not want to be disturbed by anyone. I don’t care if President Barack Obama calls. Do you understand?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Darcy hurried out of Envy’s office and closed the door behind her.
She picked up the phone. “Casper, I’m sorry to keep you holding. I have a new administrative assistant and, well, let’s just say she’s still in the learning stages of what calls need screening. I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.”
“She actually sounded professional and handled my call efficiently.”
Envy quickly changed her opinion. “Oh yes. She is a great assistant. I’m glad she was able to keep you on the line. I had a meeting and I was just coming back to my office, so your timing is perfect. I hope you’re calling with some good news.”
“When can you come to my office?” asked Casper. “We need to talk.” He sounded serious.
Envy’s sensual voice changed to an empty tone. “Please tell me if it’s good news or not, Casper.”
“How soon can you get here?” he asked without acknowledging her request.
“I’m on my way.” Envy hung up the phone and then gathered her purse and jacket. “Darcy, I have an outside appointment that I have to go to unexpectedly. I may or may not be back this afternoon; it depends on what evolves during this meeting.”
“You look a little on edge, Miss Wilson. Is everything all right?”
“Yes. Everything is fine. I’ll be in touch with you as soon as possible. Good afternoon.”
“Okay, good afternoon, Miss Wilson.”
Envy zoomed past her assistant’s cubicle and dashed to the elevator. What could it be? Casper sounded far too serious. Maybe I’m going to be charged after all. The elevator stopped on the next floor, and Envy huddled closer to the back corner after nodding to the three men who stepped inside. They were chatting about politics. Each one of them carried black leather cases and their suits matched their cases. If she hadn’t been familiar with most of the departments in her building, and people’s faces, she would have pegged them for Secret Service agents. Envy half-smiled at the thought.
The elevator didn’t stop until it reached the main lobby. One of the men stepped aside and allowed Envy to walk out of the elevator ahead of them.
“Thank you,” she said to the man.
“My pleasure,” he replied.
The drive to Casper’s downtown office was long and exasperating. The streets seemed stockpiled with cars. Where could all of you be going? She maneuvered down several side streets so she could avoid the traffic on Union Avenue. Arriving at Casper’s office twenty-two minutes later was a relief. She parked in the underground garage and hurried to the elevator.
“Miss Wilson,” his gray-haired assistant said when Envy walked into his office. “Attorney Stephens stepped out for a moment. He’d like you to wait in his office.”
Envy nodded slowly. “Oh, okay. Do you know how long he’ll be gone?”
“Not long, ma’am.” The assistant walked in front of Envy and opened the door to Casper’s inviting office. “Please have a seat on the sofa, or”—the assistant pointed to the round mahogany table and chairs—“you may sit here.”
“Thank you.”
“Would you care for coffee, soda, water?” the assistant offered.
“Yes, may I have a cup of coffee with two packets of artificial sweetener and three packets of cream?”
“Of course. I’ll be back shortly,” the stout, broad-shouldered woman told Envy.
Envy looked around nervously at the various art pieces that hung on Casper’s wall. She chose to sit at the table. Several magazines were neatly arranged on a nearby table, and Envy got up to retrieve one. Without taking a moment to read any of the articles, she nervously flipped page after page; then she stopped and began to twiddle her fingers.
“Here you go,” the assistant said, startling Envy, who had not heard her return.
She placed a hand over her racing heart. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. If there’s anything else you need, please just peek your head out the door.”
“Thank you.” Envy added the artificial sweeteners and all three packets of cream to her coffee and stirred the mixture. “Ahhh,” she said after taking the first sip of the piping hot, strong brew.
Ten minutes, then fifteen minutes passed, and Casper had not returned. Envy was becoming fidgety. She walked to the door and stuck her head out, but there was no sign of his assistant. Rubbing both of her hands together and then using them to press down her skirt, she retreated to the table, pulled out her cell phone, and called Kacie, but there was no answer.
After her confrontation with Tyreek, she was not about to call Layla again. She would handle that unnecessary problem later on. The last person who came to her mind was Leonard. Maybe he’ll come and sit with me. No, I can’t have him looking at me like I’m evil, especially when he knows nothing about my past. But, Lord, I need someone here. I can’t go through this alone. Nikkei, I can call Nikkei, but I haven’t told her about any of this. It’ll be too much for her to take.
Casper Stephens walked in. “I’m so sorry, Envy. I had to go back to the courthouse and meet with the judge about a case. I didn’t expect it to take this long.” He walked over to where Envy sat and extended his hand for her to shake. “How are you?”
She reciprocated by shaking his hand. “Not good,” she said. She put her phone on vibrate and tucked it away. “I’m terrified.”
“There’s no need to be. Excuse me for a moment while I get your file folder.”
“Okay.”
Casper walked to a two-drawer black file cabinet located next to his desk. He retrieved the file folder from the cabinet and went to sit across from Envy at the table.
“I’ve spoken to law enforcement, several lawyers in my group, and one of the criminal court judges. I don’t have to tell you how surprised everyone was when I told them that the mother has turned herself in—only she’s no teenager anymore.
I listened to everything you told me that took place that day and compared it with the evidence that was in the file. You probably aren’t aware of this, but the police always hold back some essential facts and information about a case so that they can check out the stories of suspects or confessors.”
“I don’t understand. I told you everything. Everything I can remember.”
“I believe you did. You also gave me some missing pieces that were needed to solve this case, which gave me additional cause to believe you. Since I have been investigating this case, I have, thanks to you coming forth, been able to fill in the missing blanks.”
“What missing blanks?” asked Envy.
“For instance,” said Casper, “what was used to cut the baby’s umbilical cord? What happened before and immediately after the birth? What happened to the placenta, and the fact that no one suspected you were pregnant, not even your mother? I was also able to locate the baby’s reported father, Stanton Hall.”
“You what?” Alarm filled Envy’s voice. “Why didn’t you let me know? Where is he?”
“Hold up, remain calm.” Casper reached over and patted her o
n the shoulder. “He lives in D.C. with his wife and two kids. At first, he refused to cooperate with the DCPD, but after I told them to mention that he could either talk to them or come to Memphis and talk to me, he opened up. He corroborated what you told him, which was, you lost the baby. He denied any prior knowledge of you giving birth or saying that you were about to give birth. He also said when he heard about the deceased infant, he thought about you, but he didn’t want to believe you could do something like that; yet part of him was relieved because he was not ready for a child.”
“How could he be so heartless? He’s still the same selfish, self-centered dog he was back then.”
“Envy, I do not have a reason, nor do I have evidence that you planned the events that followed the birth of your child. The medical examiner ruled it as a stillbirth, not a homicide. And, like I told you previously, the only possible charges they may have considered placing against you back then would have been desecration of a corpse, or possibly failure to report the incident.”
Envy leaned over on the table. She felt a mixture of joy and sadness. “What happens next?”
“The DA analyzed the evidence and determined there were no grounds to prosecute. You’re free.”
The bottom of Envy’s stomach felt like it was about to burst.
“Envy, this is great news for you. But I want to share some statistics with you that might help you to understand that what happened with you is not all that uncommon.”
“Okay,” she responded.
“First of all, research shows mothers who suffer a stillbirth don’t even receive recognition in thirty-nine out of fifty states. There is no certificate of birth, which makes these births ‘invisible.’ So what would be the need in bringing charges against, in your case, a fifteen-year-old child, who was frightened and terribly alone? Add to that, you had an older boyfriend, who could have been charged with statutory rape. You had no prenatal care and no knowledge that when you went to the bathroom that day, you were going to deliver a child.”
True Beauty Page 17
