Troublemaker

by Trice Hickman

  She was grateful for the much-needed and unexpected getaway that couldn’t have come at a more perfect time, and she saw this trip as an opportunity to help her solve her family’s growing problems. Last week when she’d heard Victoria speak in detail about the purpose behind going to Nedine, after dropping by to deliver her world-famous chocolate cocoa cake, Samantha had known right away that the small Southern town was where she, Tyler, and Chase needed to be as well. She smiled to herself, thinking about how that evening had unfolded.

  “At first I was a little nervous with the whole idea,” Victoria had said as she handed Samantha a large slice of cake. “But after Alexandria explained that this trip will be a way for us to put the past behind us so we can start new beginnings, I knew I had to go to Nedine, and now I can’t wait.”

  Samantha had never been one to believe in spirits or people who possessed so-called supernatural powers. She’d seen psychics on late-night TV infomercials and hustlers in the streets of D.C. who tried to make a quick buck with tarot cards and mindreading tricks, none of which she’d given a second thought. But the moment she’d met Alexandria, her opinion had changed.

  Samantha still remembered the night many years ago when Tyler had brought her over to Victoria’s house to share their good news right after they’d gotten engaged. Victoria and Ted had been happy for them and they’d all toasted with champagne, having a joyous time. As she and Tyler were about to leave, an eleven-year-old Alexandria had come up to her and told her something that still haunted her to this day.

  With a face and tone more serious than any adult Samantha knew, Alexandria had stared into her eyes and said she was sorry that Samantha’s younger sister had died. It had startled Samantha, especially since her only sibling was an estranged brother whom she hadn’t heard from in years. A short time later, she’d found out that her best friend, Emily, had been carrying her father’s child and had suffered a miscarriage. It had been a baby girl.

  From that moment forward, Samantha had been a true believer. She banked on whatever Alexandria said, so if this trip was supposed to help with burying the past she was all for it.

  “It’s going to be a great getaway,” Victoria had continued. “Nedine is actually celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of its annual Flower Festival next weekend, so there will be lots to do. We’re going to stay at my family homestead, which is a treat in itself because the place is like a Southern inn. We’re going to have a great time, and most of all, I know this will be a healing experience that we all need.”

  After cutting her second slice of cake, Samantha was working her fork toward her mouth as she spoke. “Victoria, I have a really huge favor to ask you.”

  “No, I already made you a cake, I’m not making you my homemade ice cream, too. I have to draw the line somewhere.”

  “Actually, that does sound good.” She smiled between bites. “But that’s not what I was going to ask. Would you mind if Tyler, Chase, and I joined you guys on your trip?”

  “You want to come to Nedine?” Victoria said with surprise.

  “Yes, it sounds like fun. I’ve never been to South Carolina, and . . .”

  “Samantha, I’m not sure that Nedine’s your cup of tea. The anchor store at their mall is Target.”

  Samantha could see the wheels turning inside Victoria’s head. One of the things she’d learned about her friend over the years was that Victoria was one of the most analytical people she knew, and the woman asked more questions than a police detective. Samantha could feel Victoria about to launch into an interrogation so she answered before she could be asked. “As you know, Tyler and I are under a tremendous amount of stress with this whole pregnancy thing. Hell, that’s why you’re over here now with a cake I know I’ll finish by breakfast.”

  “Goodness!”

  “Girl, you know I can eat. Anyway, I’m so stressed lately I can barely think.”

  “I know. I had lunch with Tyler earlier today and he told me everything.”

  “Both of us are frustrated and I think it’ll be good for us to get away for a few days. We definitely need to put things in our past so we can start new. For us, that means Chase’s behavior. With what we’re about to go through as a family, we can’t move forward if we don’t put some things behind us.” Samantha was sincere, but she was also hiding the fact that she hoped she could bury her long-held secret once and for all.

  Victoria nodded. “I completely understand. I want the same thing.” She paused and cleared her throat. “I’m hoping Ted and I can put the mistake I made with Parker in our past where it belongs.”

  Samantha could hear the strain in Victoria’s voice at the mention of Parker’s name. Samantha loved Parker, but she knew how he was. He could be relentless when he wanted something, and he’d always had his sights set on Victoria. He’d dated a number of women over the years, and to everyone’s surprise and chagrin, he’d been with his current bitch of a girlfriend for quite some time. But he would never make a commitment, and Samantha knew it was because his heart had never gotten what it truly wanted. She understood that feeling because she’d been the same way until she’d reunited with Tyler. “I’m gonna pray for you on that one,” she said.

  “Thanks, I need it.”

  “I know it’s going to be awkward for you and Ted having Parker as an in-law, but trust me, my cousin is going to behave himself. PJ is his world, and he loves that boy way too much to cause any trouble.”

  Victoria nodded. “Honestly, I’m more worried about Ted than Parker. We had a conversation last night and even after all these years he’s still suspicious when it comes to Parker and me. Can you believe that?”

  Samantha wanted to say she didn’t blame him, because again, she knew how her cousin was. But at the moment she needed to refocus on the trip to Nedine. “Like I said, I’ll pray for you, my friend. Now . . . what do you think about us tagging along? After listening to what you’ve said, I really believe this is exactly what we need.”

  Victoria smiled. “Alexandria said this trip was for our family, and you guys are definitely a part of it. Sure, come on and join us. The more the merrier.”

  Now it was midafternoon and Samantha was relaxed in her cute, hot-pink loungewear tank top and shorts as she sat on her bed with pillows propped behind her back and her laptop perched across her thighs. She stared at the illuminated screen and let out a deep sigh. She was more than ready for her getaway because at the moment she was annoyed to the point of feeling pissed.

  “Shit!” Samantha hissed as she looked at the Facebook friend request that had popped up in her notifications last week. For the past seven days she’d been debating whether to click CONFIRM, click NOT NOW, or simply pretend that her past hadn’t come back to haunt her.

  But time had taught her that you couldn’t outrun trouble if it was waiting to find you. She let out a deep breath as she thought about how complicated and downright contradictory life could be, especially hers.

  She prided herself on being an open, up-front person. She wasn’t the type to beat around the bush and she always told the truth, even when it was difficult to say. That was why being in the situation she now found herself in was so frustrating. She knew that sometimes not only could the truth hurt, it could devastate the people you loved, and when it came to her family she was willing to do whatever it took to protect them—in this case, from the truth.

  “This bastard has some nerve,” she seethed as she continued to look at her computer screen. Even with the disguised name he was hiding behind, which had pissed her off just reading it, and the profile picture he was using of a lady holding a sword in one hand while balancing a scale in the other, representing the universal symbol for justice, Samantha knew exactly who had sent her the request. It made her sick, mad, and a little afraid all at once.

  “If that asshole thinks I’m gonna play his game, he’s got another thing coming,” Samantha whispered aloud. “He’s the one who should be sitting in bed, worried about the truth coming out, not me.” />
  She’d been plagued with anxiety ever since last week when she’d realized that LaMonica’s father was David Carpenter, and now she was unsettled by the fact that he was contacting her through Facebook. She wanted to snap her fingers and make him go away, but she knew that was impossible. At the very least, if his daughter was indeed carrying Chase’s baby, David would once again be entwined in her life, much like Parker was in Victoria’s.

  Samantha had been nervous when Tyler had told her that he and David had spoken by phone and that David had suggested they have a conference call last weekend to discuss their children’s predicament. She’d been on pins and needles all last Saturday, waiting for David to call Tyler’s cell, but he never did. Tyler had been pissed that the man hadn’t followed through as he’d said he would, but his negligence had felt like a wave of relief over Samantha’s burdened mind.

  Now, sitting on her bed, worried out of her mind, the longer she stared at David’s friend request, the angrier she got. “He’s still a punk,” she said aloud. “He’ll dodge my husband, but his sneaky ass will send me a friend request. He’s still the same fucking snake I remember. Well, I’m gonna get to the bottom of this shit right now.”

  Samantha took a deep breath and clicked CONFIRM.

  She immediately went on his page and started looking around for information. She was disappointed that it took all of two minutes to search through his photos, timeline, about section, and his events. David hadn’t provided much beyond his stock photo profile picture and his phony name, Tic Tac Toe. Every time Samantha saw that name, she wanted to scream. He’d used it on purpose to make sure she knew it was him.

  She was about to check out Chase’s page to see if he’d posted any crazy or inappropriate messages since last night, when the alert sound dinged, notifying her that she had a message waiting in her inbox. Her heart started pounding when she saw that it was from Tic Tac Toe. She clicked on the message, opened it, and started reading.

  Sam,

  It’s been a long time. I know when you saw my screen name you knew it was me. Who would’ve thought we’d be reunited after all these years, especially under these circumstances? I won’t burden you with small talk.You know I was never good at that. So here’s the deal. My daughter and your son have made a terrible mistake. LaMonica waited until it was too late for her mother and me to do anything about this pregnancy, because apparently she wants this baby. So here we are. If you’re anything like I remember, you’re just as disappointed about this as I am. I’m reaching out to you to make sure we still have an understanding. As long as you’re quiet, I’ll be quiet. Don’t do something that we’ll both regret.

  TicTacToe

  Samantha hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath until she finished reading his message and gasped for air. “I know his ass didn’t just threaten me?!” she yelled directly at the screen.

  She was livid. Her first thought was to go down to the kitchen drawer where Tyler had written David’s cell phone number on a sticky note, dial him up, and curse him out. But after taking a few deep breaths, which Tyler had taught her to do over the years as a way to help center her temper and calm her emotions, she decided against taking that action. “I can’t let that bastard get to me.”

  She put her laptop to the side, got out of bed, and walked downstairs. If it weren’t for the fact that it had been raining day and night for two weeks straight, she would have laced up her running shoes and gone outside to clear her head. But she didn’t do rain, and she didn’t want to ruin her hairdo after having had it styled early this morning, so instead she headed to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of wine.

  This time, instead of bringing the bottle upstairs and drinking the whole thing as she’d done last week, she poured a modest glass and stood at the sink as she drank. She was sorry that she’d ever started down a road of deceit. It was long, rough, and bumpy, and she’d never thought she’d still be on the journey all these years later. She thought back to when her secret had started and why, and it made her feel like crying.

  Looking back on things, Samantha knew she should’ve let the truth come out a long time ago. It would’ve been painful, but she was also sure that time would’ve healed the wound. Now, twenty-seven years later, everyone’s lives had changed in such complex ways that the truth held more hurtful consequences today than if she’d just come clean from the very beginning.

  As she sipped the last of her wine, she thought about the secret that David was keeping, too. She used to believe that his dirt was far worse than hers. But then she realized that after everything was said and done, they were neck and neck. Her secret required lies, pretense, and deceit, just like his. “How did I get myself into this mess?” she said aloud. She gulped down the last of the wine in her glass. “It’s time for me to take some action.”

  Samantha charged back upstairs, reclaimed her spot on her bed, and started typing away on her laptop.

  Hello Asshole,

  I’m not good at small talk either, so I’ll get right down to business. We’ve never had an understanding. What we have is secrets. Motherfucker, don’t you ever threaten me again. If you do, your punk ass will be the one who’ll regret it.

  Samantha pressed reply and then jumped when her cell phone rang. She looked at the name on her screen and saw that it was Tyler.

  “Hey, baby,” she said, trying to sound as though everything were fine.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. Why?”

  “You sound funny. Like when you’re upset. What happened?”

  “Tyler, I’m fine.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yes, I was trying to pack and get a few things ready for our trip tomorrow.” She hated lying to her husband, so she threw in a sliver of truth for good measure. “I guess I’m still a little stressed about this situation with Chase. It’s all I can think about these days.”

  “Me too. But like you were saying the other day, maybe this weekend will help ease some of our worries.”

  Samantha sighed. “I pray it will.”

  “We’ve gotta have faith, Sam. Besides, I’ve never known Alexandria to be wrong about anything with her visions.”

  “You’re right about that.” She had to agree with Tyler. Alexandria’s prediction was the only reason she was going to Nedine in the first place, and she knew her family’s future was resting on the hope that Alexandria’s words would ring true. “Are you still coming home early?” she asked.

  “Yeah, that’s why I’m calling. I’m gonna pick up Chase from Brad’s so you won’t have to, and then we’ll stop by Spring Garden and get takeout for dinner before we head home. Just sit back, relax, and ease your pretty mind.”

  Samantha smiled. “A man who’ll take care of my child, bring me food, and ease my mind . . . baby, you’re a keeper.”

  Tyler laughed. “I better be because you’re not getting rid of me. Even if you tried.”

  After they ended their conversation, Samantha walked back over to her laptop to see if Tic Tac Toe had left her another message. She was glad to see that he hadn’t. But her relief was only temporary because two seconds later she heard the familiar ding that let her know she had another message waiting. When she looked, sure enough it was David.

  Sam,

  I see you haven’t changed after all these years, or maybe you have and you just reserved those words in your previous message especially for me. You need to know that I don’t make threats. I give warnings, and that was yours. Don’t push me. All it takes is one stamped envelope to the law offices of Bailey, Bernstein, and Baldwin.

  Tic Tac Toe

  The calmness that Samantha had managed to muster after hearing Tyler’s protective, caring voice was now gone. She reread David’s message two times and felt the rock that had been in her stomach last week return. “This is what I get for lying down with a dog,” she sighed. “Fleas and even ticks all over me.”

  Samantha shook her head and closed her eyes as her mind took her back
to the past.

  The second Samantha laid eyes on David Carpenter, she knew she had to have him. His handsome face, tall athletic body, and smooth caramel-colored skin had drawn her in. They were both in their junior year of college, she at Spelman, he at Georgetown, when they’d met. She was home in D.C. on Christmas break and spotted David at a mutual friend’s holiday party. Samantha immediately got the 411 on him.

  She found out that David was a good ol’ boy from Tennessee, a dean’s list student, a track star, and the president of the Black Student Alliance. His look definitely fit her MO, but his seemingly clean-cut image didn’t. Samantha liked men with an edge who’d been around the block a few times. But when she found out about the other side of David, her interest was piqued. Her girlfriend, who was throwing the party, told her the real deal.

  “Stay away from David Carpenter unless you want some drama,” Samantha’s friend had warned. “He’s a really nice guy. Smart, funny, and will probably go places in life. But when it comes to women, he’s one of the biggest whores on campus. He’s been dating the same girl, Millie, since freshman year, and that relationship is a joke because every weekend he’s in some other girl’s bed. And Millie . . . let’s just say she’s a few screws shy of coming undone. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll keep your distance from the both of them.”

  That night at the party, Samantha found out that David’s girlfriend was indeed a little unstable. Millie busted in, created a loud scene, started a fistfight with a girl whom David had been talking to, and then stormed out, practically dragging him with her, but not before David slipped Samantha his number. She and David hooked up a few nights later. Over the next three weeks of Samantha’s holiday break, David carried on with her behind his girlfriend’s back, as well as with another woman who found Samantha’s number in David’s address book, called her, and threatened her life. The adrenaline rush of drama mixed with a hint of danger made Samantha want David even more. Their love making was hot and steamy, bordering on hedonistic.