Careful of the Company You Keep

by Angie Daniels

  “Why didn’t you mention this before?”

  “Because I was hoping that it would stop, but it hasn’t,” I replied with feelings of despair.

  “When was the last time you received one?”

  “Last week. Someone came to the nurses’ station and left an envelope with the unit secretary. I ran to the elevator and tried to see who it was, but I missed them. But Janice said it was a black female wearing dark shades.”

  “Damn, you got drama like I do. Someone’s calling my phone and you got messages. Maybe it’s the same person and we can both whup her ass.”

  I had to laugh. Renee does have a way of cheering you up when you need it.

  “When did the notes start?”

  “After I started dating Chance.”

  “Then there is your connection.”

  I inhaled deeply. She was probably right. Somebody was trying to tell me something.

  “You sure you don’t want me to follow you home?” Renee asked when we pulled into the Walgreens parking lot.

  I shook my head. “Nah, I can handle it.” I hopped into my Durango and drove home, ready to confront Chance.

  I made it home around midnight to find him in the living room waiting for me.

  He rose. “Com’ere.”

  I moved over to him thinking he was about to give me a kiss and instead he slid his finger inside the crotch of my underwear and rubbed my pussy. He pulled it out, then sniffed his fingers and released me.

  “Just checking,” he said, then lowered back on the couch. “Where the fuck you been all evening?”

  I can’t believe he just smelled my damn pussy. What the fuck is wrong with this man?

  “Danielle, where the fuck you been?” he repeated.

  I looked at him and rolled my eyes. “Out.”

  “Out? What the hell you mean out? I’ve been calling you for the last hour.”

  “I know. I was too busy talking to Charlise.” His face turned pale. Before he could answer I turned on my heel and headed up to my room.

  He followed. “What lies was she telling you?”

  “She didn’t have to tell me anything. I had a chance to meet your son.”

  “I told you I don’t have a son! I’m so sick of Charlise lying on me.”

  “And I’m tired of your lies.”

  “I’m not lying.”

  “I saw that little boy with my own eyes. You could have given birth to him, he looks so much like you.” I took a deep breath. It was late and I wasn’t in the mood for him. “I need some time alone to think.”

  “What the hell do you mean you need some time alone? I’m yo man. We spend our time together.”

  I lowered on the bed. This was not going as easily as I had planned. “Chance, I can’t take the jealousy and the panty sniffing and the pussy rubbing. This relationship has gotten so out of control and I think we need a break from each other.”

  “We can work this out,” he pleaded.

  I shook my head and couldn’t believe what I was saying. “I don’t think that we can.”

  “What the fuck!” he shouted, then slammed his fist at my mirror, breaking the glass.

  I was so shocked I couldn’t speak. He really was crazy. “What you do that for?” I yelled, then moved over to assess the damage. He pushed me down onto the bed.

  “Listen to me and listen good. Don’t you ever tell me again what we will and will not do! I told you before, you belong to me, and that is never going to change.”

  I looked at the broken mirror and then at the blood on his hand. I had gotten myself into a mess. I moved over to the phone and started dialing.

  “Who the hell are you calling?”

  “The police, and I advise you to be gone before they get here.”

  As soon as he realized I was serious, he changed his tone. “Danielle, baby, I didn’t mean to break the mirror. But we can work this out, I know it.” He pleaded with his eyes.

  I placed the phone to my ear. “There is nothing to work out. Now get out.”

  He was bleeding all over the place but he didn’t notice. He was now crying. Nothing bothered me more than to see a man cry, but with Chance I didn’t feel the slightest bit moved.

  “I need you to send a police car to my house,” I said as soon as someone picked up.

  “Okay, okay, I’ll leave, but just remember I’m never going to be too far away.”

  I didn’t hang up the phone until I was sure he was out of my life for good.

  47

  Renee

  I had just made it back to my desk when my office phone rang. I smiled when the Caller ID showed Kenny’s office phone number. Finally!

  “Hey, boo-boo.”

  There was a short pause. “Who’s this?”

  As soon as I heard the female’s voice, I sat up on my chair. Oh hell nah. Kenny’s fiancée!

  “How you going to ask who this is when you called me?”

  Reese breathed heavily in the receiver, and I could tell I’d pissed her off. So what?

  “This is Reese. I wanted to know who this is calling my fiancé?”

  “As you can see from his phone log, your man calls me.”

  “Why is he calling you?”

  “That’s something you need to ask Kenny.”

  “Bitch, I’m asking you!”

  Oh no, that wench didn’t call me a bitch. I started laughing. “Reese, if you must know, I’m borrowing your man.”

  “Borrowing? Don’t you know we’re getting married this weekend?”

  “I know. Don’t worry. I don’t want him. I’m just borrowing him.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “I’m sorry. That was probably too advanced for a country girl like you, so let me simplify it for you. I’m borrowing your hot dog.”

  “You’re talking a lot of shit on the phone!”

  “Oh, you’re the one who called me.”

  “’Cause I’m trying to find out who the fuck you are.”

  “It’s not that hard.” I reached for my fingernail file. “I don’t know what the big deal is. Don’t worry. I don’t want him because I’ll be damned if a mothafucka is gonna wake my ass up at three a.m. to make him some Kool-Aid and scratch his fuckin’ back.”

  There was a pause. “Then why are you fucking with him?”

  “Shit, because the dick . . . oops, I mean, the hot dog is good.” I started laughing. “Why you care anyway?”

  “ ’Cause I got twelve years invested in our relationship.”

  “Then why you calling me?”

  “Because I want to let you know that I’m here to stay.”

  “So I’ve heard. In other words, I can keep on fucking him because it’s not going to make a difference.”

  “It’s gonna make a big difference.”

  “Big difference how? You gonna stop giving him some? Okay, that’s fine ’cause that just means he’ll be at my house five nights a week instead of three.”

  “Whatever.”

  “Come on, Reese. It is what it is. You might be where he’s at, but I’m where he wants to be.” I had to laugh ’cause I stole that shit from Lil’ Kim. “You live in his house. He supports you and your boys. Kenny’s been messing around on you for years and it hasn’t mattered, so what’s one more time before he ties the knot?”

  “He ain’t leaving me for you.”

  “And you ain’t leaving him? Have some respect for yourself. The mothafucka told me he fucked your baby sister, yet you still plan to marry him. What the fuck’s up with that? That just tells me how stupid you are. You know what, Reese, do me a favor, when Kenny gets up, tell him to call me.” I hung up because I was through talking to her. I couldn’t believe I had almost felt sorry for her stupid ass.

  As I prepared a report I thought about Reese and realized that even as stupid as she was, we were in almost similar situations. I too depended on a man to provide for my needs and was afraid to leave because I didn’t want to get out on my own and try to survive. Only I woke up and had
sense enough to leave when I found out my husband was fucking someone else.

  She didn’t, and the way Reese acted, she never would.

  I called Kenny and told him I needed to see him immediately. By the time I got off work, he was in my driveway. We went inside and he kissed me, then we moved to my room. I hung up my purse while he took a seat on the bed.

  “What’s up?” I could tell the suspense was killing him.

  “Reese called me at work today.”

  That negro looked like he had just seen a ghost. “What did she say?”

  “She called me from the number in your shop, so she must have seen your phone bill.”

  “Shit! What did you say to her?”

  I slipped off my shoes. “The truth. I’m just borrowing her hot dog.” I was joking, but he didn’t see anything funny.

  “Why didn’t you lie?”

  “For what? The bitch is stupid. It ain’t like it’s really going to make a difference. Just threaten to cancel the wedding and she’ll shut up.”

  He scratched his head. “I guess. I just wish you told her I was working on your car or something.”

  He was starting to piss me off. Was he really that worried about her?

  “I don’t want to hurt her. Reese’s a good girl and hasn’t done nothing to me.”

  I took a seat beside him on the bed and put an arm around him. “I’m sure she’ll look past it.”

  His cell phone vibrated and he looked down at it again. I know it was Reese calling him.

  “I better go.”

  “Go? But you just got here.”

  He looked down, avoiding eye contact. “Yeah, I need to get home and talk to my fiancée.”

  Fiancée? “Oh, so it’s like that now?”

  Kenny swiped a hand down his face. “Renee, I was honest with you from the beginning. I’m getting married this weekend. We needed to cool it for a while. At least until after we get married.”

  I pursed my lips with attitude. “I told you I wasn’t messing with you after you tied the knot, but since I love you I guess I’ll have to think about it.”

  Kenny nodded and looked so sad I had to bite my lip to keep from jumping up from the bed and telling him I changed my mind.

  “Well, I’ll call you in a few days.” He turned and walked out of the room.

  “You do that,” I mumbled and listened as the front door closed behind him, crushing my heart in two.

  48

  Danielle

  Chance was stalking me. At work. At home. I was so sick of him and his lies and his excuses. Rumor had it he was now living with some white woman. I thought it would bother me, but I didn’t care. Which told me I never really loved his trifling ass in the first place.

  Friday I went on a shopping spree. I couldn’t help myself. I went to Babies“R”Us and practically bought out the store. Next I went to Baby Gap and bought my granddaughter all kinds of hip outfits. I even found her a pair of Nike tennis shoes at Foot Locker.

  After I maxed out my credit card, I headed over to my mom’s to drop off all my goodies. I stepped inside with my arms loaded down and Portia came down the stairs.

  She gave me a curious look. “Mama, what you been buying?”

  “Stuff for my grandbaby.” I was so excited. “Here, come help me.”

  Together we unloaded my trunk, carried everything up to the baby’s room, and started putting it away.

  “Where’re your grandparents?”

  She turned and looked over at me. “Grandpa had another bowling tournament and Grandma went to cheer him on.”

  I smiled. My parents have been married almost forty-five years and they still loved each other. I hoped to be like them someday.

  Portia picked up a brown teddy bear I’d bought and took a seat over in the rocking chair cradling him to her chest. I looked over and grinned. “That’s going to be your daughter in a few days.”

  She nodded and started crying. “Mama.”

  I stopped folding baby clothes and swung around, leaning against the dresser drawers. “Yes?”

  Her lips quivered. “I’m so . . . so sorry for everything that I did. I-I was wrong for breaking you and Ron up and

  . . . and accusing him of sleeping with me. It was childish and uncalled for. I hope you can forgive me someday.” She wiped her tears with the teddy bear.

  I looked down at my baby girl and my heart flooded with tears. “Sweetheart, you’re already forgiven.”

  She sprang from the chair and wrapped her arms around me, and I hugged her back. My life felt more complete now with her back in my life than it ever had with Chance or Ron. I felt movement and drew back with a look of surprise.

  “Did the baby just move?”

  Portia wiped her eyes and nodded. “Yep, she’s doing a lot of that lately.”

  I placed my hand on her stomach in time to feel her kick again. “Wow! I think we got a fighter on our hands.” I had a feeling she was going to be just like all the other women in our family.

  As we finished putting the baby clothes away, Portia and I really talked. She and Demetrius were back together and trying to do everything they could to make their relationship work. That’s all you can ask of a couple of teenagers.

  I hung around until my parents returned, then headed out the door. I had one more thing I had to do before I could sleep well tonight.

  Fifteen minutes later, I pulled up at Nadine and Jordan’s house. They’d had the two-story home built late last year in an exclusive neighborhood where mostly doctors and lawyers lived.

  I knocked and Jordan came to the door. This beautiful woman with flawless peanut butter skin was a wonderful balance to my workaholic friend.

  “Hey, come on in!” She moved aside so I could enter.

  “Congratulations on the baby,” I said with a hug.

  “Thank you.” Happiness was quite apparent on her face. “Go on back. Nadine’s in her office.”

  I nodded, then moved down the spacious foyer to an office on the other side of a large kitchen.

  “I see you’re still working hard as usual.”

  At the sound of my voice Nadine looked up and scowled. “Yeah, I’m working on a divorce for one of my clients. Her husband has been hiding his assets for years.”

  “Men ain’t shit.”

  She gave me a smirk. “You’re right about that.”

  Nadine closed the file and I took a seat on a leather couch she kept in the corner of the room.

  “I brought a peace offering.” I held up a bottle of Riesling wine.

  “Let me go get some glasses.” Nadine rose. She was dressed comfortably in sweats and furry house shoes. She went into the kitchen and came back holding two flutes that had been engraved with the date of her commitment ceremony with Jordan last winter.

  I waited until she opened the bottle and poured us both a glass before I spoke.

  “Nadine, I am really sorry about the whole mess with Chance,” I said in a low whisper. The last thing I needed was for Jordan to hear.

  She gave a dismissive wave. “Don’t worry about it. Shit happens.”

  I wasn’t letting myself off the hook that easy. “No, it shouldn’t have happened. Not with friends. You and I have been girls for years, and the second you tried to act like he didn’t know you, I should have cut his ass then.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I hope you can forgive me.”

  “Forgiven.” Nadine took a sip. “I’ve been in enough relationships to know that the heart wants what the heart wants and there is nothing that anyone can do about that. I’m just glad you came to your senses. Renee says he’s been acting like a possessive nut.”

  I rolled my eyes, then brought the flute to my lips. “That’s an understatement. He’s been begging and everything. It’s crazy because Calvin is doing the same thing, only with him it doesn’t seem nutty.”

  Her eyes shone with humor. “What you be doing to these men?”

  I had to laugh at that one. “You know what’s crazy? Both of them
have slept with one of my best friends. Now what’s the chances of that?”

  She shook her head. “One in a million.”

  I had to drink to that.

  49

  Renee

  I went out of town the day before Kenny’s wedding. The best way to deal with it was sitting on a beach in Miami where I had a lot of time to think about him and what I was feeling. I loved that man. Can you believe that shit? I had given my heart to a married man. There was no future between us, but that didn’t change what I was feeling at all. I didn’t answer my phone the entire weekend, but Danielle called me Saturday evening to let me know Kenny had gone through with it. Reese was now Mrs. Reese Johnson.

  I got back on Monday, and Kenny must have known because he started calling me. He’s got life fucked up if he thinks he’s about to get some of this that soon. I told him I would think about if I still wanted to fuck with him, and I meant that.

  On my way home from work on Friday, Kayla caught me in the car.

  “Girl, I hope you’re sitting down.”

  “Yep. I’m in the car driving.”

  “Okay, listen to this.”

  “I’m listening,” I replied impatiently.

  “I spoke to Kenny today.”

  “How was the wedding?”

  “Nice. They looked very happy.”

  That wasn’t at all what I wanted to hear. “That’s nice.”

  “Anyway, I called him today because I needed him to look at my car.”

  “Uh-huh.” Hurry up and get to the point.

  “And he told me he didn’t know when he could look at it because he was on vacation.”

  “Vacation? That should give him more time to work in the shop.”

  “Girl, let me finish.”

  Damn, I wished she would hurry up.

  “Anyway, he told me that he wouldn’t be in Columbia no time soon because Reese was tripping.”

  “Why’s she trippin’?”

  “Apparently two weeks before the wedding, she and Christa, that’s her best friend.”

  “Yeah, I know who she is.”

  “Well, she happened to be at the Wal-Mart buying flowers when she mentioned her friend was getting married.”