by Shan
***
Upon entering the courtroom, I noticed that there were a lot of people there. On one side of the room, there were a bunch of familiar faces such as friends and co-workers of Tomeka and others I'd seen around the neighborhood. On the other side, I spotted Honey's mother and other relatives. Of course, I choose the side that was designated for the prosecution and the victim's family. No matter how close Honey and I once were, I was there for Tomeka. I was there to see to it that Honey got everything she deserved and more for the crime she had committed against Tomeka and me.
Just as I was about to take my seat, two guards walked inside with Honey directly in between them. Her hair was slicked back in a ponytail and stress lines were clearly visible across her face. She was wearing a black pin stripe dress and a pair of black sandals. With a courtroom full of people, Honey's eyes cut directly at me. Together, we shot each other deadly looks. The last time she saw me, I was beat down, barely standing, and just tore up. Now, I looked as good as I always had. My weight was down, but I damn sure looked better than she did at that very moment. I flashed her a smile that cost Imran a pretty penny and winked my eye at her. All that shit she had screamed when I last visited her about making sure the whole world knew that I killed Tomeka didn't seem to be working out for her.
Finally, Honey sent her stare to the little family she had there for her. Then, she took her seat at the defendant's table. Moments later, the judge was escorted to the bench, and the hearing began directly after.
"Your Honor, the state is currently bringing charges against Honey Mendez. She allegedly murdered her best friend Tomeka Childs and stuffed her in the truck of her car and then tried to flee the states," the prosecuting attorney stated.
My mind suddenly became stuck on Tomeka being thrown into the trunk of Honey's car. This bitch was crazier than I thought, and, even more so, she was ruthless. Tomeka was our sister. How could she do that to her?
The prosecuting attorney continued to lay out the preliminary evidence that they had against Honey. While listening to the gruesome details, faint little cries came from across the room. Honey's mother dabbed at her face to stop the continuous outpouring of tears. I wondered if she was really hurting behind what her daughter had done. According to Honey, her mother was somewhat the root of her problem. She knew about the abuse had Honey suffered and did nothing to stop it.
"How does the defendant plead against the charges that have been brought against her?" the judge asked. Immediately, I brought my attention back to the front of the courtroom. Honey and her attorney stood at attention. My heart beat rapidly in my chest, anticipating their response. I wanted this to be over with, as quickly as possible, and I hoped that Honey would be a woman about hers.
"Not guilty, Your Honor," Honey pleaded.
I shook my head and caught the mist of tears before they could even drip down my face.
"Your Honor, Ms. Mendez is pleading self-defense. This is a case of a robbery gone bad. Also, let the court be aware that the defendant’s rights were never read to her, and a warrant was not produced to search the car," the defense attorney stated with a deep southern drawl.
He looked back and forth between the judge and his paperwork that sat on the table in front of him.
"Self-defense?" I questioned a little louder than what I meant to. Everyone in the courtroom including the judge turned their eyes on me. The fury I felt burned deep inside, causing my palms to become very sweaty. I rubbed my hands against the Donna Karan pantsuit and rose from my seat. Honey and I shared one last look before I exited the courtroom.
"Jah!"
I looked over my shoulder to see DeMarcus walking in my direction. Nigga is looking mighty GQ. I thought as I sauntered to him.
"I heard about what happened to you from Cedric. Just wanted to say that I was sorry."
"Did you know what Honey was planning that night? Did y’all talk about it after a night of passionate fucking?" I asked as I crossed my arms over my chest.
"No, no, I didn't know, but I warned Tomeka to stay away from Honey after I started noticing that some shit wasn't right about her. Honest to God, I didn't know any of what Honey planned." DeMarcus shook his head in shame. "Apparently, I showed up at Honey's after everything went down. When I went inside, there was blood everywhere, but no one was home, so I left. I ran into your dude… umm… Imran…outside the house. He was looking for you, said you called him about a meeting with Honey and Meka. I told him about what I'd just seen inside and told him about the few places I knew of."
"That's how he knew to find me at my parent's. He never mentioned how he knew where my parents lived. Anyway, look. I gotta go. I don't know how much more of your girlfriend's lies I can take."
"Respect… I did…"
"Jahzara Simmons?" I looked up and saw two suited and booted men standing directly behind DeMarcus. Once DeMarcus stepped to the side, I was flashed with badges and really wished I had listened to Imran when he told me not to go there.
"Yes?" I rolled my eyes and shifted all my weight to my left side.
"You are a hard woman to find. We've been trying to track you down for a lil' while now. I'm Detective Harding, and this is my partner Detective Duggan."
Detective Harding held his hand out for me to shake, but I refused and kept my arms crossed over my chest. I look at Detective Duggan and noticed him from a few episodes of The First 48.
"We would like to ask you a few questions concerning the murder of Tomeka Childs. Can you come down to the station?" Detective Duggan asked.
"For what? I don't know anything about her murder," I lied.
I didn't want to be a witness or, even worse, a damn accessory to Tomeka's murder. After all, I didn't report what I witnessed to the police after I made it out alive. They could have easily tried to pin some type of heinous charges on me and that I couldn't allow to happen. Nah, not happening.
"Honey Mendez's defense is wrapped solely around the fact that you and Tomeka Child's robbed her, things went wrong, and Tomeka was shot during a struggle between you and Honey," Detective Harding said. He closed his note pad and looked me in my face.
"Bullshit," was all I could muster up. "Like I said, I don't know anything about a murder."
"Those are some pretty interesting scars around your eye. They look a few weeks old," Detective Harding said, examined my face and opened his little note pad back up.
"I have somewhere that I have to be," I said as I turned to walk away, leaving the detectives and DeMarcus just standing there. Somehow, I knew this wasn't going to be the last time I saw their faces.
8 Imran
Last night I, I saw you standing, and I started, started pretending
That I knew you and you knew me too. And just like a woman you were
Too shy, but you weren't the only cause so was I.
And I dreamed of you ever since. Now, I built up my confidence
Girl next time you come my way I'll know just what to say
I bobbed my head to my boy Tevin Campbell's “Can We Talk” and worked my way through the kitchen. Pasta noodles were boiling on the stove and a pot of Alfredo sauce was simmering right next to it. No matter how hard I was in the streets, I got a kind heart, and I was a bit of a romantic. Every chance I got, I liked to cook for my woman, serenade her with some nice music, and make love to her, have her cumming in more ways than one. Jahzara and I had been on rocky terms for weeks now, and, tonight, I felt as if it was time to get back to us. Get back to where we were before this shit happened with Honey, before Quin came home. The feelings I had for Jahzara were undeniable, and I wanted to make sure that she was aware of that. No matter the bullshit we went through, the lies she thought I told, the secrets I kept, and even the faults on her part, we could and would work past this. I was not the type to play on a woman's heartstrings. I was real about my shit. What I said, I meant.
"Hello!" I yelled into the phone. I picked the remote up to the stereo and pressed pause as I listened to the somber voi
ce on the other side.
"Why do you keep avoiding me? I need to talk to you, Imran. Please listen to me!" she yelled into the receiver.
"Why the fuck do you keep calling me? I told you I have nothing to say to you. I have a woman, and you need to respect that!"
"I just need your help Imran, please?" she begged.
"I can't help you," I pressed the end button and slid the phone across the counter. I took in a deep breath and turned the music back on. "Gotta get my number changed ASAP."
It took me all of thirty minutes to finish the meal, set the table, and find some new music before Jahzara walked in. I could see the stress written clearly across her face and hoped that tonight would take care of all of that.
"Damn! What's the occasion?" Jahzara asked as she looked around. The table had lit candles, wine glasses, and the meal that I had prepared.
"Did we ever need one before?" I questioned while walking over to her. I pulled her chair out and waited until she was seated before I pushed the chair back in.
"No. Things have been super crazy, though. Just wasn't expecting to come home to this."
"I'm listening. How did everything go today?" I poured Jahzara a glass of her favorite Moscato D'Asti and then filled my glass with Hennessy. I'm not much of a wine drinker.
"Did you know that Honey stuffed Tomeka's body in the trunk?"
I shook my head and sipped on the Hen before making my plate.
"Then, this bitch pleaded self-defense and had the nerve to say that me and Tomeka tried to rob her. Detectives have questioned me. Then, they followed me to my parent's house, and then to here."
I looked up at the mention of detectives following her to my spot. I could feel the worry lines forming on my forehead.
"Here?" I asked just to be clear.
"Yeah. They're sitting outside now."
I jumped up from the table and walked over to the front door, pulled it open, and immediately spot the unmarked vehicle across the street from my house.
"Fuck!" I yelled and, then, slammed the door shut. I wished that I had offed that bitch Honey the night she shot at me, Cedric, and his chick. She might have thought she got away unnoticed, but I knew that raggedy Impala she drove from anywhere.
I walked back to the dining area and shrugged off our unwanted company. Tonight, I had plans to get Jahzara and I back into a space that felt good.
I sat back down and listened to Jahzara vent over Honey and her continued betrayal and, also, listened as she spoke about her parent's wish for her to return to school. I barely gave an opinion on anything. After all, a woman liked when a man just listened. After I was done eating, I poured myself another glass and, also, filled Jahzara's glass back up. I ignored the vibration of my cell phone in my pocket and proceeded to walk over to Jahzara. While she was still seated, I pulled her hair away from her neck and began to massage her body.
"You were right. I should've stayed the fuck home," Jahzara sighed and further relaxed her shoulders.
"Baby, it's cool. I actually should've been there to offer my support. I just hate that that bitch is still fucking with you," I said as I turned her around in her chair to face me.
I reached out for her to grab her hand, and, when she accepted, I led her to our bedroom, a place that we hadn't shared in a long time. The tension had been so strong between the two of us that Jahzara had continued to occupy the guest room, and I barely came home at night. Once we made it into the bedroom, the sound system immediately began to play Keith Sweat’s “I'll Give All My Love To You”.
"Woo, nigga! You got plans to get you some tonight, huh?" Jahzara looked at me and flashed a beautiful smile. For the first time in a long time, she was showing some sort of excitement. I went closer to her and began to mouth the lyrics to the song:
I will never do anything to hurt you
I'll give all my love to you
And if you need me, baby, I'll come runnin'
Only to you
"Is it working?" I asked as I raised my brow.
Jahzara cracked up. She laughed so hard that she doubled over as if she was in pain. I stood back and stared at her, waiting for her to finish her insult.
"I'm so sorry… I'm sorry. Imran… I can't…" she laughed some more as she walked over to me.
"The fuck is so funny?" I asked. I looked around the room, and I was totally impressed with everything. Candles, roses, music. Fuck she laughing at? I wondered.
"I'm sorry. It's cute. You've never gone this far. I honestly didn't know you had it in you. Rose petals and shit?"
I placed a soft kiss on her lips and pulled her into my body. We looked into each other’s eyes before interlocking our tongues into a more passionate kiss. Jahzara pulled my shirt over my head and rubbed her hands over the solidity of my chest. She then came out of her pants, and unbuttoned the jacket to her suit. I licked my lips and continued to watch her strip down to just her bra and panties.
I backed her up to the bed and quickly dropped down to my knees, where my tongue began to moisten her inner thighs. Slowly, I kissed from thigh to thigh before parting her legs and grazed my finger over her clit. I watched as she jumped from the excitement but continued to tease her with small, light kisses all over her legs.
After rolling her over onto her stomach, I kissed the back of her calves and worked my way up to her butt. I slowly slid her thong down, spread her legs apart, and dipped my tongue into the center of her sweetness. Lightly licking around the opening, I glided my tongue down the slit of her backside and penetrated her anal opening. I worked my tongue in and out and slid a finger inside of her pussy. Immediately, she trapped my finger by tightening her walls around it.
"Mmmhhhh!" Jahzara moaned in pleasure.
Because of the anal pleasure— the pressure I was putting down on her swollen love button and the magic of my index finger—Jahzara was going crazy. Her body trembled erotically, while the confusion of pleasure and stimulation took over. I rolled her over onto her back, pulled her to the edge of the bed, and slid two fingers inside, this time, while my tongue played with her clitoris.
"Im… Im… Imran, I'm commmingggg!" she sang aloud.
My head was suddenly wrapped in between her legs, and her body was frozen while she rode the orgasmic wave. Gently, I kissed her pussy until she loosened her grip and set me free. Once I stood to my feet, Jahzara sat up and reached to unbutton my pants. I stepped back and just stared at her beauty, mesmerized by her chocolate, smooth, and radiant skin.
"Come here. Come here," she cooed slowly.
I shook my head and just continued to watch her. She was a true rider, a trooper, a bad chick. I deserved a woman like her, and she deserved a man like me to show her the meaning of real, to show her how a husband should treat his wife.
I slid my hand into my pocket and pulled a small red box out and clutched it deep into my palm. Jahzara's eyes became big and round as she gazed from me to what I was holding. Slowly, I walked closer to her. Then, I dropped down to one knee.
"Oh, my God! Imran, what are you doing?"
"I love you, Jah. These past few months that we've been together have been rocky, but I'm thankful for the day you walked into my life. I love everything about you, and I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you." I opened the box and pulled out the three-stone diamond ring that was encrusted with eighteen karats of white gold. "Will you…"
"Imran. No…get up. I can't."
Jahzara refused my proposal before I could completely get it out. I placed the ring back inside the box and slammed it shut. I dropped my head in defeat, and I stared at the floor in confusion. Is she just not ready or does she not want this? I wondered.
"I'm sorry, Imran. I just can't marry you. I love you, but—"
"But not enough to marry me? I get it," I surmised.
"It's not that. It’s just all that's been going on. My husband… Quin coming home."
"Why are you here, Jah? That night when he came and shoved that gun in your fuckin
’ face, ready to kill you over them birds… why the fuck did you come with me? Why didn’t you just go with your ‘husband,’ as you keep calling him?"
"Because I wanted to be with you, but now I just… I just need some time to think. Everything happened so fast with us, and I'm just confused right now."
"Confused?" I rattle out. I grabbed my shirt from the floor and pulled it over my body. Then, I tossed the ring box across the room and walked out.
"Imran! Imran!" Jahzara yelled.
"Hello!" I yelled into the phone. "Why the fuck do you keep calling me, you thieving, conniving bitch?"
