One extended tour and an hour and a half later the Realtor left. She’d made a list of things to do to quicken the sale. Feeling particularly good having handled everything all by herself, Tamika checked the list, making sure she correctly commented on items that were the most essential. Satisfied that she’d done a fairly complete job, she grabbed her MP3 player and pocketed some cash, then headed outside again.
The bike her mom mentioned was in the garage behind the house. Of course she found more labeled boxes. She pulled it down off the hooks and got on. More used to stationary ellipticals, she easily adjusted.
A few minutes later she paddled up to the small strip mall. She went into store after store and found exactly what she expected: nothing. Slightly disappointed, she noticed a hardware and paint store across the street. Without thinking she hurried over, went in and started looking around. Finding nothing of interest, she did pick up some paint samples as the Realtor specialist suggested and even grabbed a few decorating brochures, mainly for the photographs of course. Just as she walked out of the store and got back on the bike she heard her name called. She turned.
Jaleesa was riding by on her bicycle. “Hey, Tamika, hi,” she said excitedly. “I was just asking my dad if he knew where you lived. I wanted to know if you could hang out.”
“Hang out?” Tamika asked, looking at her as if she was nuts. There were no way she would be caught dead hanging out with an eighth-grader. They had absolutely nothing in common. She was a kid. But then again, there was no one else around.
“Yeah, you and me. Want to go into town?”
“I thought this was the town.”
“This? Nah, come on, I’ll show you.”
Tamika looked back at the stores she’d just left. She didn’t have much of a choice. “Sure, why not? I just gotta stop at my house first and get my camera.”
“Cool.” Jaleesa nodded and followed as Tamika led the way back home. They parked their bikes out front. “Is this your house?” she asked.
“It’s my mom’s house.”
“It’s big.”
“Yeah, it is.” Tamika hurried inside, grabbed the ledger with the letters and her camera and placed them in her backpack. When she came back out, Jaleesa was looking up at the house. “I’m ready, let’s go,” Tamika said.
“Know what? I know this house. My dad has pictures of it in his office. I remember seeing it. I think somebody he knows in this big company he works with sometimes wants to buy it. He sold it to them already.”
“Really? This house? My house?”
Jaleesa shrugged. “Yeah, he’s got a sold file sticker on it already and everything.”
Tamika presumed that she was mistaken. After all, how could he have already sold the house when he didn’t even own it?
A few minutes later, the two were enjoying their bike ride and Jaleesa was showing Tamika the sights as they laughed and talked while heading into town.
Tamika noticed that the buildings got progressively larger as they got closer. Gone were the small side streets with quiet neighborhoods. They were replaced with what looked like a tiny city—nothing as large as Boston but still nice. “So, this is Fraser?” Tamika said when they stopped and started walking.
“Fraser, no. This is Elwood. It’s right next to Fraser. Fraser is way too small to have any fun. Most of the kids hang here, see?” she said, then waved at a couple of girls about her age crossing the street. Tamika saw that they instantly had an air about themselves. Giggling, they looked at Jaleesa, looked away and just kept walking.
“Were they your friends?” Tamika asked.
“I don’t know. Sometimes, I guess.”
“They don’t seem like it,” Tamika added.
“They just act funny sometimes, that’s all.”
“So, let me guess. They’re your friends when they want something or when it comes to copying homework and doing class assignments, right?”
“Sometimes, yeah,” Jaleesa said sadly.
“And they don’t speak to you?” Tamika asked.
Jaleesa shrugged.
“Jaleesa, you do know that means that they’re not really your friends, right?”
“I guess. But I don’t have anyone else.”
“Sure you do. Who do you talk to when you’re in school? Who do you eat lunch with?”
“Nobody.”
Tamika suddenly felt bad. She’d always been popular with plenty of friends and never thought about those who ate alone. Besides, she’d always had Lisa. But now Lisa would be leaving. She had other friends but Jaleesa had no one. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll be your friend, at least while I’m here. Deal?”
“Okay,” Jaleesa said, brightening instantly.
“And maybe they just need to get to know you and see how cool you are.”
“You think?”
“Of course, you’re definitely cool. I’m sixteen years old, almost seventeen. Do you think I would hang around someone so much younger who wasn’t cool?”
Jaleesa beamed proudly.
They continued walking and talking as Jaleesa showed her the main sights in Elwood—the movie theater, the museums, a couple of well-known clothing stores, schools, grocery stores and the mall. They passed a barber shop and beauty shop, then an antique store. Tamika paused a brief moment to glance at the window. They had all kinds of things, mostly like what she had in the attic and basement. She smiled, remembering what Lisa had said about finding treasure in her attic.
Jaleesa slowed, then stopped. “That’s about it.”
“So, what do you do around here for fun?”
Jaleesa shrugged and began walking her bike back toward the shopping mall area. “Some of the kids hang out over there.”
“But you don’t?”
“No,” she said as she kept walking past the outside eatery.
Tamika checked out the small area beside the mall with the snack bar in front, seeing the girls who ignored them from earlier sitting at a picnic table out front. She noted their curious stares but just kept walking. She smiled to herself, knowing exactly what they were thinking. “Come on, let’s go over and grab a drink or something.”
“No, I can’t,” Jaleesa said.
“Of course you can. Come on, trust me,” Tamika said as she steered her bike across the street. Jaleesa finally followed. They parked their bikes beside a picnic table and ordered a soda. Tamika paid. They went back and sat down as the curious stares continued. With their heads close together they talked about Boston, then laughed and joked about living in a small town.
Tamika pulled out her MP3 player, turned the music up high, which was perfect for the two of them to hear along with anyone else close by. They started talking about high school and boyfriends and parties. It was obvious that Jaleesa was having fun and had completely forgotten the girls at the next table, who of course continued to listen in and stare.
Tamika told her one of the popular Boston witch stories as the table next to them went completely quiet. She knew the girls next to them were listening.
Eventually one of the girls at the next table called to Jaleesa. They started talking and then the other girls joined in. The tables merged as Tamika and Jaleesa took center stage talking about the Fourth of July party, music and high school.
Tamika joked with Jaleesa as though they had been best friends forever. The other girls seemed very impressed that she hung with older teens. One of them even asked Jaleesa to hang out with them at the mall the next day.
After a few more stories and much laughter, Tamika and Jaleesa got back on their bikes and headed back to Fraser.
“Thanks,” Jaleesa said.
“For what?” Tamika asked.
Jaleesa smiled.
Tamika nodded. “You’re welcome.”
“We better get back. We can take a shortcut.”
The shortcut turned out to be along a small river and over an old bridge. They paused and looked over at the water below.
“Guess what? Two people jumped off this bridge and died
.”
Tamika looked at Jaleesa. “When, lately?” she asked.
“No, it was a long time ago, way before I was born.”
Tamika noticed that Jaleesa seemed particularly sad for some reason. “Did your family know them or were they related to you?”
“No, it just makes me sad, that’s all. They just decided to jump. I can’t imagine even thinking about doing something like that.”
“Stay here,” Tamika said, then hurried across the bridge with her camera. She started taking a few shots and realized that the light was perfect as it glistened off the water and reflected onto the bridge. When she finished she went back to where Jaleesa was still standing waiting.
“You like taking pictures?”
“Yeah.”
“You should take pictures for my dad. He has all these pictures in his office. Want to see?”
“Sure,” Tamika said, remembering their conversation about the house already being sold.
So the first stop when they got back to Fraser was Keith Tyler’s office. As soon as they rode up, Tamika recognized the red car parked across the street. It wasn’t too hard to figure out who her mother was having lunch with after that. She’d apparently had her late lunch with Keith Tyler.
Jaleesa and Tamika went into the real estate office, leaving the bikes outside. The place was deserted inside, only empty desks and chairs scattered around. “Come on. We can go into my dad’s office and hang out. I’ll show you his pictures,” Jaleesa said, passing through.
“Where is everybody?”
“What everybody? Oh, you mean the employees?”
“Yeah, are they all out showing houses?”
“No, they’re gone. Nobody works here anymore.”
“But I thought your dad was like a big shot and had all this money and he knows all those rich people.”
“That was before.”
“Before what?”
“You won’t tell him that I told you?” Jaleesa said.
Tamika leaned closer and shook her head.
“I heard my mom and dad talking. I think he’s broke. Something about lawyer fees and court costs. Then my mom said that he bit off more than he could chew.”
Tamika followed her to a large private office in the back. The sign on the door read Keith Tyler, III. Jaleesa barged right in. Tamika followed a bit more hesitantly. It was a typical office with a desk laden with a ton of books, two computers and dozens of rolled-up blueprints and photographs.
Tamika walked over to the photographs on the desk and side conference table. “So, what’s all this for?” she asked, curiously looking at the photos.
“That’s my dad’s stuff. He has all these pictures of buildings and houses here and in Dallas and all over the country. He buys them. He’s got tons. Sometimes he fixes them up and sometimes he just does nothing with them. But mostly he just buys them, at least before.”
“Do you live with your dad?”
“Nah, I live here in town with my mom ’cause my dad mostly lives in Texas still. He comes here sometimes in the summertime. I visit him sometimes too. He used to have this humongous house with a swimming pool and a game room and all this other stuff.”
“So what do you mean he fixes them up? To live in?”
“Nah, he has these people who are all over the place who fix up the houses and buildings so he can sell them again. I saw them doing it on television. I forget what it’s called.”
“You mean flipping?”
She shrugged and started laughing. “Oh, but one time during spring break when I was staying with my dad, he had to go to court ’cause he bought this house and the lady wanted it back.”
“If he bought it, then how did she want it back?”
“I don’t know. My mom told me that there was something in there that was worth a lot of money. He sold it someplace and got for-real cash. That’s when the old owner wanted everything back and then she sued him.”
“What happened?”
“Nothing at first. My dad already owned the house so nothing happened. He got to keep the house and everything in it. That lady was really pissed off. She used to stay over at my dad’s house all the time before. I think she was his girlfriend,” Jaleesa said, then leaned in and whispered, “They were having sex. I even heard them one time in his room. The whole house was rockin’ they were so loud.” She giggled. “So, anyway, after that, she kept calling my dad and yelling at him and cursing him out. She said that my dad used her, then dumped her. I don’t know what happened after that ’cause my mom made me come back home.”
“That’s a shame,” Tamika said, sympathizing with the lady who obviously fell for Keith’s player bull.
“I know I was having a good time out there. Anyway, that was last year. Hopefully I can go visit him again this time without all the drama. But he had to get rid of his big house. Something about back taxes.”
“Back taxes?”
“He owes the government a ton of cash from back when he played football. Here it is,” she said as she handed Tamika a sold file. Tamika went through it. Jaleesa was right. Keith Tyler had sold a house that he didn’t even own. There were inspections, appraisals and even a half-completed contract.
Tamika was just about to ask another question when her cell rang. She checked the number; it was Sean. She let the call go to missed calls, figuring that she’d call him back later. “I better get ready to go,” she said.
“Was that your boyfriend?” Jaleesa asked.
“That was a friend,” she corrected.
“A guy friend, right?” Jaleesa asked.
“Yes, Jaleesa, a guy friend.”
“You like him a lot?”
“I don’t know. Yeah, I guess so,” she said, actually meaning it.
Jaleesa sighed dreamily. “I wish I was old enough to have a guy boyfriend. My mom said that I need to stop worrying about having a boyfriend and that most boys my age are mentally stunted. Do you think that’s true?”
“Yeah, sometimes,” Tamika said, thinking about Justin.
“But that’s not fair. I think she’s just saying that ’cause of my dad. They don’t get along.”
“Maybe, but you should listen to your mom. Believe me, you have plenty of time for all that. You’ll find a guy who’s perfect for you, mature and interesting. You’ll see, just wait,” she said, thinking about Sean.
“Yeah, I guess,” Jaleesa relinquished. “You know, if my dad marries your mom we’d be stepsisters. He likes her.”
“They’re just old high school friends. Besides, my mom is married to my dad.”
“Oh, that’s no big deal. My mom was married to somebody else when she met my dad. She got divorced and they had me.” Jaleesa went on to talk about something else, but Tamika was still focused on their last conversation. The idea of her mom getting divorced, then pregnant and hooking up with somebody like Keith Tyler was too horrible to imagine. It was time for her to get out of there.
After some quick directions from Jaleesa, Tamika was headed back to the house. Distracted, she’d been thinking about what Jaleesa said about her father buying up houses to flip, already selling her mom’s house, and about his back taxes.
By the time she got back to the house she was excited to talk to her mother. The car was still gone but she went in calling out anyway. “Hello, Mom, I’m back.” There was no answer so she headed directly to her laptop. Making the quick connection, she downloaded the bridge pictures. Pleased by what she saw, she began working, tweaking and altering with her filtering program. An hour later she had photos that were exceptional.
Since her mother still hadn’t returned, Tamika decided to go back to Elwood. Remembering how she and Jaleesa had gone earlier, she got her camera and the ledgers with the letters, then went back to the antique shop in Elwood. She walked into the shop and was immediately helped by an older woman who introduced herself as Edna Hayes. Tamika talked to her about the house and showed her some of the digital pictures she’d taken.
�
��Some of these are really quite nice,” Edna said. “And you said these are all in your attic and basement?”
“Yes, mostly.”
“Where do you live in Elwood?”
“No, in Fraser. My name is Tamika Fraser.”
“That’s curious. Historically the man whom the town is named after had a son and his wife was named—”
“Tamika. Yes, I saw the grave in Alexandria.”
“You saw it? How? Were you in Alexandria?”
“My mom, Laura Fraser, and I drove down from Boston and stopped to see it.”
Edna flushed and chuckled. “That is remarkable. You’re a descendent of the original family. You own the old Fraser home.”
“Yes, at least that’s what my mom said. I also brought a ledger and some letters that I thought might be interesting. I found them in an old rolltop desk.” She pulled the book out of her backpack and flipped through several pages to the letters.
Edna read through the ledger and letters quickly. “My, these are very impressive indeed,” she said, scanning the ledger and letters again. “These need to be authenticated.”
“Okay, how do I do that?”
“I would presume your mother would handle that.”
“She’s a little busy at the moment. So I’m taking care of it. Do you do the authenticating here?”
“Yes, in most cases I am authorized to handle these things, but for these I’d like to get another eye.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning, if these are actual letters from that period, and I’m not saying that they are, they could be quite important.”
“How important exactly?”
“The local historical museum burned down a few years ago, taking with it hundreds of original historical documents. They were each irreplaceable from the Fraser family archives. Only a few actually mentioned General Joseph Fraser. He was disowned by the family, so there was very little surviving information on him.”
“Yes, I know the story. How long will it take to get them authenticated?”
“A few days, maybe up to two weeks, according to what we find out about them. I have a friend who works at the Historical Society library. I’m sure he’ll be able to assist.”
“Okay.”
She Said, She Said Page 16
