by Chunichi
I haven’t seen her for some time now,” Tionna answered.
“Do you know the names of some of Tonya’s friends? What about some other family members who may have seen her?”
Tionna answered each question to the best of her ability while she waited patiently for a chance to ask her questions.
“What is this investigation about?” she asked once they allowed her the opportunity. She wondered if Tonya had gotten into trouble again or if she was missing or something. Before they could answer, there was another knock on the door. This time it was a social worker.
“This is Mrs. White from Virginia Beach’s Department of Social Services,” one detective explained. “She will be speaking with you as well.”
Now Tionna was very confused and demanded some answers. “Exactly what the hell is going on?”
After suggesting that Tionna have a seat, the detective explained. “Tonya was recently murdered. We suspect Tonya’s boyfriend and plan to charge him with the murder.”
“Ahhhhhhh!” Tionna screamed out in pain.
Over the wail of her cry, the detectives continued to tell her the story of Tonya’s death. “Once Tonya’s boyfriend found out Tonya had been unfaithful he was infuriated. He called her constantly, demanding answers. Your sister eventually changed her number and he was no longer able to reach her. Our reports show at that point he began to stalk her.”
“No!”
“There are numerous police reports filed by Tonya. There are reports about him following her from her friend’s house, sitting outside the laundromat as she washed clothes, and even him sleeping in his car as she spent the night over her girlfriend’s house. Things became more violent as Tonya’s stomach grew and she became afraid for her life. She knew once her boyfriend found out she was pregnant by another man he would kill her.”
“Oh, God! Nooo!”
“She eventually filed a restraining order with the Virginia Beach Magistrate. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop the harassment. We learned from witnesses that a man named Shawn picked Tonya up from her doctor’s appointment and they headed to his house. After a few hours, Tonya decided to go for a walk. As she closed the door behind her and turned around, her boyfriend stood there staring her in the face. He grabbed her by the arm, put a 9 mm to her back and instructed her to get into his car. They drove off and approximately three hours later, her body was found.”
“Why?”
“He tied her to a park bench, molested her, and then shot her in the head. She did not die instantly. She died slowly as she struggled for her life.”
As Tionna listened to the gruesome details of her sister’s death, she felt like someone had just stabbed her in her heart. Her little sister was dead. She couldn’t help but think that if she hadn’t told Tonya’s boyfriend what had happened that night, Tonya might still be alive.
The reason for the social worker’s presence was that she wanted to speak to Tionna about taking custody of the baby.
“We were able to save the baby, but there are a few problems,” Mrs. White said. “The father has disappeared and the baby may be infected with HIV.” This was when Tionna knew for sure that the baby was Shawn’s. They must have continued sleeping together even after she’d caught them and kicked Tonya out.
“There are currently no traces of the virus in the baby,” Mrs. White continued, “but Tonya was diagnosed with the virus during her pregnancy. We would like to know if you would be willing to care for the child since you are the next of kin.”
With all the things that were going on, Tionna asked for time to think things over. This was entirely too much to digest at one time. Honoring her wishes, they agreed to leave her alone and give her time to think through her decision.
Tionna drifted into another deep depression. She was not eating, sleeping, bathing or talking. She just lay in bed and wept. It was as if her whole world caved in on her. After three days of showing no improvement, we decided it was time to have Tionna admitted to the hospital. She had lost five pounds during those few days. Her eyes had huge, dark rings around them, and her body was fragile. Her hair fell out strand by strand as we combed it. This was the worst we had ever seen Tionna.
When we arrived at the hospital emergency room, they asked her a series of questions regarding her health. She answered yes or no as they asked if she ever had a number of diseases. When they reached the question concerning HIV or AIDS, Tionna began to go crazy. She started yelling weird things, throwing things, and became very combative. Right when the doctors rushed in to control her, she began to have a seizure. They rushed her off through the double doors labeled TRAUMA and left us standing there in total disbelief.
We later found out Tionna had a nervous breakdown. The events in her life had finally taken a toll on her body. It was a struggle for her from the beginning. Her parents were absent during her entire life, and she had to take on adult responsibilities at a very young age. Then, the two people that she had invested so much love and time in betrayed her. A combination of those events, plus her fear of the possibility that she may have contracted HIV, her sister’s death, and the guilt she felt for telling Tonya’s boyfriend of her infidelity, was just too much for her body to handle. So, as a defense for the body, a nervous breakdown was triggered.
After a few weeks in the hospital, it was time for her to come home. We went to her home and cleaned it from top to bottom. We brought in fresh flowers, opened the windows, and made it bright and refreshing. We even purchased her a new bathroom and bedroom set. We turned her room and connecting bathroom into a tropical paradise. There were palm tree prints, plenty of plants, a relaxation fountain, and aromatherapy candles everywhere. It was beautiful. We felt that was just the atmosphere Tionna needed.
As we gathered her mail, we noticed a letter from the health department. We weren’t sure if she needed to see it right away, especially since she was just recovering from her breakdown. We didn’t open it because we were afraid that if the results were bad it would be hard to keep the secret from Tionna, who was so fragile right now. Therefore, we decided it would be best to hide the letter and give it to her when we felt she was capable of handling what could possibly be bad news. There was a letter from social services as well. We figured we would encourage her to read that letter just in case she decided to take custody of the baby.
Tionna was glad to get home. She was happy to see the house in such great condition. We all ate and laughed and enjoyed each other’s company. Tionna was happier, but she still wasn’t quite her self. After we ate dinner, she inquired about the mail. We handed it to her and she glanced at each envelope quickly.
“Is this all the mail?” she asked.
“What? That’s not enough bills for you?” I said jokingly, and we all laughed—all except Tionna.
“Yeah, I was just expecting my test results from the health department,” she responded disappointedly.
“We hid it, girl. We thought that maybe you shouldn’t read it right away,” India admitted, hating to see her in such misery. Then, she went to retrieve the envelope and handed it to her.
Tionna hesitantly opened the letter. After what seemed like an hour, Tionna began to cry. But this wasn’t her ordinary cry.
“What does it say? What does it say?” Carmin asked impatiently.
Tionna responded very slowly. “Well it says . . . that . . . that . . . all my tests, well . . . they were . . . negative. There are currently no traces of HIV or STDs in my system.”
For the first time in a long time, we were all happy. This situation brought us all together as one. It even brought Meikell back into the group.
“Guys, after all that we have been through, I have realized life is too short and that I need to make some changes. I’m going to give up escorting and dancing,” Meikell vowed.
“You’re making the right decision, Mickie. If you need anything, let me know. We’re here for you,” I said while smiling at Mickie to show my appreciation.
We all began to
hug and cry. At that moment, we all realized anything could happen to any of us at any time. Life is too short and we should cherish those we have, because they might be gone tomorrow.
“One . . . two . . . three,” Mickie counted.
“Friendship is forever!” we all shouted in unison.
Chapter 7
What Goes on in Cancun, Stays in Cancun
Two years had passed since Vegas and I first got together, so we decided to celebrate by taking a trip for two to Cancun, Mexico. The flight there was great. It was Vegas’ first time flying and he was terrified. It was funny to watch the terror in his face as we loaded the plane and took off. I never saw him so afraid.
“Will you be having dinner and drinks?” the airline attendant asked once we were in the air.
Vegas shook his head vehemently. “No dinner for me. I don’t think I can hold it. But I will take a Remy and Baileys.” After his first drink, we began to drink shots of Quervo 1800. Before I knew it, Vegas was tore up and began yelling, “Shots for everyone.”
His ass ended up buying the whole plane shots of 1800. Once we landed at the airport, things were chaotic. People were everywhere, yelling and reaching for our bags. We allowed one of the overly zealous guys to take our bags and lead us to the loading area. There were cabs, vans and limos waiting for passengers. We decided to go with the limo. On the way to the hotel, Vegas drank a Corona. The Coronas there were huge! They were in black bottles the size of champagne bottles.
Once at the hotel, we checked in and headed directly to our room. The room resembled a small apartment. There was a separate area for the living room and kitchen, and through the French doors was the bedroom. Attached to the bedroom was an enormous balcony that overlooked the ocean. We could see everything on the beach. The balcony was equipped with a table, two chairs and even a blind we could pull down to block out the sun and add privacy. The bathroom had a standing shower and a whirlpool tub. There was even a telephone on the wall beside the toilet.
As soon as we finished a tour of the room, we stripped naked and got into the Jacuzzi. We relaxed and sipped on the complimentary bottle of Dom P that was placed in the room prior to our arrival. Thirty minutes later, we heard a knock. It was room service with our order. We indulged in a seafood feast. The dinner consisted of everything from mussels to octopus. It was delicious.
By nightfall, we were at the pool. The pool was quite unique. It was like a miniature tropical rain forest. It had a waterfall pouring over a cave, palm trees scattered about, and a bar at the poolside. We didn’t even have to get out of the pool to get a drink. Beside the bar, there were cement stools built into the pool bottom. We decided to have a few more shots of 1800. This would bring us to a total of seven for the day, not counting the champagne we drank with dinner.
As we sat at the bar, I noticed a young woman dropping her bikini top and teasing a few men at the bar. When Vegas looked over, she began to lick her lips and jiggle her breasts at him. I became infuriated! Oh no the hell this bitch ain’t! I guess she could tell by the look on my face that I was not pleased with her actions.
“Perdona me. I did not know he was tu hombre,” she said in broken English while looking at me.
I did not respond. Instead, I just rolled my eyes at the hussy as I turned my attention back to Vegas and we downed the shot that sat before us. After another, we both became quite frisky. We were in a hurry to finish our drinks so we could return to our room for some passionate lovemaking. Right before we drank what we said would be our final drink, Miss Titty Jiggler came strutting over.
“May I join in your next shot? The next one will be on me.”
Of course we accepted the free round, and we all drank up. After the shots, we all became more relaxed and began to chat. We learned that the young lady’s name was Arizelli and she was from Brazil. Her skin was like a rich, creamy caramel, and her hair was long, black and silky. She had a tall, slim build. The Quervo must have gotten her frisky as well because she began to get very friendly with Vegas and me. She was constantly playing in my hair and rubbing my back as we talked. She eventually directed us to a secluded area next to the pool.
“Your breasts are so beautiful,” she complimented me. At that point, she untied my bikini top as well as hers. The alcohol must have been having a bigger effect on me than I realized, because no way under normal circumstances would I have allowed another woman so much control over my body, not to mention my man.
She motioned to Vegas. “Go ahead, touch them. What do you think?” Arizelli invited.
He touched them and compared firmness.
“They’re both nice and firm,” he said.
“Well, don’t you want to compare taste?”
Vegas took her up on the invitation and began to caress and lick our nipples. He massaged our nipples until they rose and then licked each one until they were covered in the wetness of his tongue.
“Do you guys smoke ganja?” she asked. We both nodded our heads in the affirmative. “Well then, let’s go through the waterfall to the cave and smoke a blunt,” Arizelli suggested.
We followed her in there, and sat and smoked until we were super nice. The weed and tequila mix had us horny as hell. Vegas and I began to kiss and undress, forgetting Arizelli was even there. She helped undress us both and caressed our bodies as we kissed. As Vegas went down on me, she licked and caressed my nipples tenderly. Then Vegas lay down and I began sucking him madly. She grabbed my waist and started grinding against me gently. Next, she got on her knees and licked my womanhood from behind. After a while of this, I yearned to feel Vegas’ manhood deep inside me, so I mounted Vegas slowly. The whole time, Arizelli was right behind me, squeezing and moving along with me as I rode him into ecstasy. He moaned and grabbed Arizelli’s ass as we exploded together.
The next morning, we woke up bright and early and headed for the booze cruise. It was a small cruise ship with an all-you-can-eat buffet and an open bar. The ship was to take us to a private island, which had more food and drinks. Everyone was wilding out! It was so wild that they did not allow cameras or camcorders on the boat. As we passed an area on the way to the private island, the tour guide told everyone to throw money into the water and make a wish and it would come true. Many of the people were throwing coins and a few people threw dollars, but Vegas was so drunk that he started throwing fives, then tens, and then twenties. Soon, he was throwing fifties and people began to jump off the boat after the money. We were weak with laughter watching those crazy ass drunks. The captain stopped the boat, fished out the dummies, and then asked that no one else throw money.
Once we got to the island, Vegas and I decided to partake in some of the available activities. We rode Jet Skis, went horseback riding and parasailing. Parasailing was the worst! Vegas threw up everywhere. After we took a moment for him to compose himself, we went snorkeling. I hated it. In fact, I didn’t even want to get in the water. There were fish everywhere. I hated the feeling of them flapping all over me. After a few minutes of panicking, I finally got it together. We followed as the guide pointed out all sorts of colorful fish and coral.
“Don’t get too close to the coral,” he warned. Unfortunately, his warning came a bit too late.
“Oh shit! I’m cut!” I had gotten a little too close to the coral and ended up with a number of cuts and scrapes. I was bleeding everywhere. Then I heard someone yell something about a shark. I almost shit in my thong.
“Vegas! Help! There’s a shark and I’m bleeding. Don’t let me die,” I cried hysterically as I swam toward him. I could see the shark at the bottom of the ocean. I thought for sure that I was going to die.
“Calm down, everyone,” the guide shouted. “There is no need to panic. This type of shark only eats from the bottom of the ocean.”
Vegas looked at me. “I know this nigga don’t think we buying that shit. That’s why their asses always the first ones to be eaten. Come on, baby, let’s go.”
With those words, Vegas and I hauled ass bac
k to the Jet Ski so that we could head toward shore.
Beating Vegas to the Jet Ski, I said, “I want to drive, baby.”
“Girl, you know damn well you don’t know how to drive a Jet Ski.”
“But I never tried. Please, baby?” I begged.
“Go ahead, but be careful.”
We climbed on the Jet Ski and I started it up. I decided I would ride around a little while before going to shore. I didn’t do well at first. I was afraid to go too fast, but I knew I had to give it more gas in order for it to move. However, I was still hesitant.
“Give it some gas! Go!” Vegas yelled, getting frustrated.
Starting to get pissed at all his damn yelling, I ended up giving it too much gas, and we shot off toward the ocean going at least 50 miles per hour.
“Slow the fuck down, girl!” Vegas yelled as water splashed in our faces from the waves. I was just starting to get the hang of things when I hit a wave.
“Ooohhhhh shiiiiiiit!” is all I heard as Vegas went flying off the back of the Jet Ski. The engine was smoking and I couldn’t start it back up. I sat there laughing as he floated in the middle of the ocean with a terrible grimace on his face. He didn’t find a damn thing funny at all. Within a few minutes, the guide came over and pulled Vegas out of the water. Then they came to get me, and took us back to the shore. Once on shore we occupied one of the small huts and blessed it. We laid down our beach towel and rolled up a fat one. After a few puffs, my bikini was off and sand was everywhere as we had hot, sticky sex. A few moments later, it was time to load the boat and head back to the hotel. Once back at the hotel, we decided to call it a night, exhausted from the day’s activities.
The next morning, a little Mexican lady awakened us. “Buenos dias, senorita! Housekeeping!” she yelled from behind the door.
I sat up and my head was spinning. There was no way I could make it to the door, so I just yelled back. “No, thank you! No housekeeping!”
I was praying she would understand. Evidently, she did, because she placed a tray at the door and left. After a few more hours of sleep and a morning’s dose of Alka Seltzer, I was able to get up. I got the tray from the door. It consisted of a newspaper, towels, fresh flowers, and a breakfast menu. We ordered brunch and ate on the balcony as we watched the various activities on the beach. There was volleyball, and a beach party thrown by the hotel. We decided to go and check out the beach party. I wore a gorgeous, tropical print string bikini. As the finishing touch, I wore a small wrap around my waist. Vegas wore Versace swimming trunks and black, Italian leather Versace flip-flops.
