by Jackie D.
Asia paused realizing that this lady must’ve been new and really had her mixed up with Skye so she played along.
“What paperwork are you talking about?”
“The Power of Attorney paperwork, you know… making you in charge of your husband’s money and estate. Ms Vaughn really needs you to come in A.S.A.P. Since you already have access to all his accounts, we just need you to initial that one final page so we can file the paperwork away correctly.”
Asia’s couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her temper boiled. Here she was struggling while Skye was getting the royal treatment.
“Okay,” was all Asia could say.
“I know you’re glad all the renovations to the house are finished,” the woman continued.
“Yes, I am,” Asia responded.
“I hope you and your family are finally getting settled back in Miami. That cute little girl of yours is so adorable. If you ever need a babysitter just let me know,” the chatter box went on to say.
Asia couldn’t believe how unprofessional the woman was, but was glad she provided her with that bit of information.
“I will defiantly keep that in mind. Is Ms. Vaughn in?” Asia asked.
“No, she’s in court and won’t be in until later.”
“Okay, I’ll stop by to see her tomorrow.”
“Bring my baby with you,” the woman responded.
Asia ended the call thinking, I’ll have a baby alright, but it won’t be Payton. She slammed her phone down on the table beside the lounge chair. After sitting there pissed for a few seconds, Asia started talking to herself.
“This is some bullshit. Here I am broke, eating fucking fast food everyday so Sandino’s son can have pampers and Skye is obviously set for life! What the fuck is taking so long with me getting my damn money?”
Furious, she started pacing the floor and mumbling under her breath. The revelation was a devastating blow as she punched the cheap mirror that was hanging on the wall in frustration. Blood splattered everywhere as several pieces of glass pierced her skin.
“Shiitttt!” she yelled out loud.
Disappointed and pissed, Asia looked at the reporter’s card sitting on her nightstand as she turned around to make her way to the bathroom. She smiled as she grabbed a towel off the rack and wrapped her hand.
She walked out the bathroom, retrieved her phone off the table and picked up the reporter’s card. After looking at it for a few seconds, Asia dialed the number on the card. When the call went to voicemail she left a message.
“Hello, my name is Asia Jones, and I think I have some photographs you might be interested in publishing. Please call me back when you get this,” Asia said, providing her phone number and ending the call.
“It’s time to turn this shit up another notch.”
****
Kareem was slightly irritated as he rode in a cab listening to the African driver talk loudly on his cell phone in his foreign language. Trying to drown out the noise, he reached into his backpack, grabbed his OVO headphones and started listening to Drake’s new album Take Care. He was headed back to Le Le’s after storming out earlier that morning from another one of their huge arguments. Kareem just couldn’t seem to do anything right lately and he was beginning to wonder if moving in with her was such a good idea. He felt bad about yelling at her, but Le Le was starting to get on his nerves by asking so many questions about why his mother left and where she’d gone. It was hard enough for him to deal with his family leaving yet alone getting the third degree about it. He was very close to his family and even though he and his mother didn’t get along at times, she was his rock and truth be told he was lost without her.
They shared a very emotional conversation before she left about his feelings towards his father. She’d even held him tight as they both cried together. He felt a burden had been lifted and both of them telling each other their true feelings was the best therapy he could’ve ever had. It was a major breakthrough, and truth be told Kareem missed his family desperately. He couldn’t wait to see them again. But until he could go to Miami and pay them a visit, Le Le was his family. Kareem knew he’d put up a shield and needed to open up more, so he was on his way to apologize for being so cold towards her.
When the cab pulled onto her street, Kareem noticed a car backing out of her drive way. Instead of stopping, he told the cabbie to keep driving past the house. When the car passed them, Kareem glanced over at the man who didn’t see him. He looked familiar and so did the car. After instructing the driver to turn around and pull in her driveway, Kareem paid the fare, headed to the door, inserted the key, and walked inside.
When Kareem didn’t see Le Le in the living room, he walked towards her bedroom, but stopped once he realized she was inside her closet talking. It was something he’d heard her do in the past, which had him wondering if that’s where she liked to talk on the phone. As soon as he walked up behind her, she turned around completely startled.
“Who are you talking to?” Kareem asked, looking around like he expected to see someone. “And why are you always talking in the closet?”
“How did you get in the house?” Le Le asked ignoring his questions. “I didn’t hear you ring the doorbell.”
“I took your key, is that a problem?”
“Yes it is…a big problem. If I wanted you to have a key I would’ve given you one,” she said. “Just like it’s a problem with you being in my closet. You know this area is off limits.” After Kareem made his way out, Le Le quickly turned the light off, and locked the door only wearing a thin, silk robe.
Kareem looked at her up and down furious, then wondered why she wasn’t dressed.
“Who the fuck was that nigga I just saw leaving here? And why don’t you have any clothes on?” he asked pissed off.
Le Le immediately rolled her eyes. “I know you’re not coming back in here asking me fifty thousand questions after the way you acted this morning. If you must know, that was my cousin. He’s in town visiting and stopped by to see me. Why, what’s the big deal?”
Kareem looked at her funny, squinting his eyes.
“Why you looking at me like that? You don’t believe me? Do you want me to call him back and introduce him to you?” she questioned with an attitude.
“No, if you say it was your cousin then that’s who it was,” Kareem said, following her into the living room.
They both went over and sat on the couch.
“Look, I need to apologize to you about storming out earlier, but seeing that nigga pulling out your driveway got me all fired up again.”
“Well, I’ll accept your apology this time, but don’t make that shit a habit. Just because your mother let’s you talk to her any kind of way doesn’t mean I’m going to.” When Kareem shook his head, Le Le finally smiled. “Now, come here and give me a hug.”
Being in Le Le’s arms always seemed to make things right, Kareem thought as they embraced. He then planted a huge kiss on her lips.
“I love to make up,” she continued. “It’s the best part about fighting.”
“Me too. You know my mother’s ex-boyfriend used to have a car just like the one your cousin was driving,” Kareem added.
“Oh really. So, who was your mom’s ex boyfriend?”
“Nobody important. Just a low life muthafucka named Justice who double crossed us.”
“Double crossed you? How?”
“He claimed to be so in love with my mom, but called my father and told him where to find us just to collect money because he was in debt.”
This information took Le Le by surprise. “Hold up, he called your father? What happened once he called him?” Le Le couldn’t believe Kareem was finally being so open. The anticipation of him answering her questions was almost too much to handle.
“Look, I don’t want to keep talking about that shit,” Kareem said trying to change the subject.
Le Le stomped her foot in frustration. “Why do you get so damn defensive and shut me out when I ask you q
uestions about your family?”
“I just don’t like people asking me a lot of questions,” Kareem responded.
Le Le took a deep breath. “So, I’m just people now? You know what, since you obviously don’t think I’m trustworthy enough to learn a little about your precious family, but I trust you enough to stay in my fucking house, you should think about moving out,” she said, walking off with an attitude.
CHAPTER 15
Le Le circled the block several times looking for a parking space before she finally found one. After checking her cell phone and realizing there were ten missed calls from Kareem, she finally got out and walked toward the building. When she entered the coffee shop, the aroma of several different types of gourmet coffee lingered in the air.
“Welcome to The Singing Bean, can I interest you in one of our homemade deserts?” a lady behind the counter asked.
“No thanks, maybe later,” Le Le said, looking around. The place wasn’t very big, but the relaxed atmosphere was nice and cozy. She made her way past several people who all had their laptop computers out and walked toward the back.
“Why the hell did I have to call you so many times today before I finally got a call back?” she asked the person she was there to meet.
“Well hello to you, too, my wonderful sister-in-law,” Dre said sarcastically. She hadn’t even given herself time to sit down before going off.
After noticing that he’d already ordered her a cup of coffee, Le Le sat down, grabbed the cream and a spoon, then started stirring it into the cup. At that moment, she realized Dre was wearing one of her husband’s Polo shirts, which instantly sent a cold chill over her body. Other then the fact that Dre was 6’4, two-hundred and eighty pounds with a tattooed body, compared to Justice who was 5’10 with a smaller build they looked so much alike.
“What’s up Felicia?”
“It’s so good to hear you call me Felicia. I’m so tired of going by that ghetto ass Le Le. This hood shit is definitely not for me,” she stated, sipping her coffee.
“How could I forget, Ms. Bougie.”
“I’m not bougie. I grew up in the projects like everybody else. I just don’t go around acting like a damn fool. Besides, it’s not my fault that I went to school instead of a strip club.”
“Okay, Dr. Mitchell. Calm down,” Dre said.
“Well, don’t go there with me then. I’m proud to be a plastic surgeon. I worked hard to get where I am,” Felicia boasted.
Dre quickly changed the subject so she wouldn’t go on and on. “So, why did you want to meet me again after I just saw you?”
“Because I told you coming to my house was a bad idea, that’s why. You almost fucked up everything. Kareem saw you leaving.”
“So what. He doesn’t know who I am. Besides, I already told you him livin’ there was a bad idea anyway. I’m tired of stayin’ at that fuckin’ hotel,” Dre responded with an attitude.
At that moment, Felicia reached inside her purse. “Well, how else would I have continued to get information if I’d let him move to Miami? Speaking of hotels here’s some cash to hold you off for a couple more days. I forgot to give it to you earlier,” she said, handing him some money.
Dre grabbed the four hundred dollar bills and looked at her long and hard, before throwing the money back across the table.
“That’s the problem. It doesn’t seem like you’re gettin’ any information. It seems like you’re actually enjoyin’ him bein’ around. I hope you didn’t forget that you got a fuckin’ job to do. You better not be fallin’ for that nigga. I went through too much trouble trackin’ him down to have you fuck things up.”
“Dre, please. I only love one man and it damn sure ain’t Kareem. Don’t try to play me. You did your part, now let me do mine,” Felicia demanded.
“When I found his name on those papers Justice had at the shelter from the day he bailed him out of jail, I had to go to his court date, hide in the back of the court room and follow his ass to work. That’s when I sent you after him. So, you better not fuck up this plan. My brother has been missin’ for eight fuckin’ months. I know he’s dead and the police ain’t doin’ shit to help solve his case, so we have to find out if they had something to do wit’ his disappearance,” Dre protested.
“Don’t you think I know all that? Do you know how hard it is to know that my husband is more than likely dead? I refuse to even have a memorial service until his body is found. Justice and I had plans on getting back together, and now that’s never going to happen.” Felicia could feel herself about to tear up. “Justice told me that he’d found a way to pay me back for all my money that he’d gambled away. He told me he’d changed, and I believed him.”
Dre couldn’t help but wonder if the money Justice was referring to had anything to do with Sandino.
“Do you know how hard it was for me to see that bitch Skye for the first time? I wanted to kill her with my bare hands, especially when I found that journal with her talking about how much she loved Justice. Since I’m convinced that she’s responsible for Justice’s disappearance seeing her makes my blood boil. I know what I’m doing, Dre. It’s been a struggle, but Kareem is starting to open up. He even got so angry after an argument with his mother one day that he started mumbling something about a murder. I kept asking him what he was talking about, but he caught himself and tried to play it off. He’s definitely hiding something, so it’s only a matter of time before he tells me what happened,” she informed.
“Alright, but just remember you’re supposed to be gettin’ information from him not fuckin’ him,” Dre responded.
Felicia caught a serious attitude. She didn’t appreciate him trying to tell her how to handle her business. “I know what I’m supposed to be doing, and even if I am fucking him, it’s none of your business.”
“I’m just sayin’, why you got the young nigga up in your crib now when you could be fuckin’ me, a real man?”
Felicia sighed. “Listen Dre, what happened with us that one night was a mistake. I was just vulnerable. Shit, we were both vulnerable. Let’s just forget it ever happened. I’ll always love Justice and you’re his brother, so it’s wrong. Also, I gave you permission to drive his car, but I didn’t give you permission to wear his clothes. That’s very disrespectful by the way.”
Felicia’s mind suddenly drifted back to when the police found Justice’s car outside of an abandoned warehouse in Alpharetta one month after they reported him missing. As hard as it was to come to terms with it, finding his car was confirmation that her husband was more than likely dead. He loved his BMW more than life itself and never liked anyone to drive it. Felicia also remembered when she went to Justice’s apartment to gather all his belongings. She was devastated when she found a picture of Skye next to his computer, and fought back tears while packing up all of his clothes. Felicia took a deep breath before getting up to use the bathroom. As she walked away, Dre couldn’t help but look at her plump ass when she stood up in her body hugging Miss Me jeans and embellished tunic. Felicia was a bad bitch and he never understood why his brother cheated on her.
Dre remembered the night Felicia came to bail him out of jail after he tried to reach Justice for over a week. She was upset about not being able to find Justice and he was upset that Mercedes had gotten him locked up for raping Skye. The two of them rode around for hours trying to find Justice. After coming up empty handed, they ended up comforting one another followed by some drinks and eventually one thing lead to another. At first Dre felt bad about sleeping with his brother’s wife, but he felt a sense of revenge at the same time for Justice sleeping with Mercedes.
I was so pissed with Mercedes for what she did to me. Shortly after my brother went missing, her body was found down in that embankment. I felt bad that she’d been murdered and left by the side of the road like that. I know she snuck and contacted Sandino behind my back to try and get money for telling him where Skye was, but I just hope that wasn’t what cost Mercedes her life, he thought.
> When Felicia walked back to the table a few minutes later and sat down, Dre started asking her questions about Skye.
“So, any up to date information about Skye?”
“No. All I know is that she moved from Lawrenceville back to their house in Miami. Kareem hasn’t talked to her much since she moved, but I’m sure that’ll change. I think he misses his family.”
“So, where does he think you’re going when you leave for work, Dr. Mitchell? I know you took a vacation when he first moved in, but what about now?” Dre questioned.
“Well, I told him I was a real estate agent, and luckily he hasn’t asked me too many questions about it.”
“Questions or not, you need to hurry up and rap this shit up before I have to get involved. This shit it takin’ way too long.”
“I told you don’t rush me,” Felicia countered.
Dre shook his head. “Don’t forget I gotta go back to court in the mornin’ for that bogus ass rape charge. My lawyer said it looks good for me and that the case will probably be thrown out for lack of evidence.”
“Yeah, you have one of the best lawyers in Georgia,” Felicia reminded him.
“By the way, I never thanked you for hookin’ me up with this lawyer.”
“You’re welcome. But once this is all over I think we need to go our separate ways,” Felicia said, getting up. She grabbed her Chanel messenger bag and placed it over her body. “Since we already crossed the line once it’s only right. I’ll let you keep your key until then.”
“If that’s what you want. In the meantime, just get movin’ wit’ Kareem’s ass!”
When Felicia got outside, she headed towards the parking lot but stopped to glance at her husband’s car. Happy memories of the day she purchased the BMW 760 LI for his birthday years ago instantly floated through her mind. Felicia began to tear up as she stood in a daze picturing them riding in his car while listening to his favorite Jay-Z CD. Justice was more than likely gone and she needed to try and move on with her life, but it was gonna be hard. The tears started flowing as she headed to her truck. Once inside Felicia completely lost it. She missed Justice so much. She layed her head on the steering wheel and wailed like a baby.
