Lies of a Real Housewife

by Angela Stanton

  exactly twenty-thousand dollars in cash. All big faces too!

  It was the first time I had ever held that much money in my hands. I quickly placed the money inside my briefcase, thanked the bank manager, and quickly exited the bank. Apollo was waiting and I hopped into his BMW. Within seconds, we were out of there, putting distance between us and the bank. Apollo was smashing southbound on Interstate 75, doing about a hundred miles per hour.

  This was one of the best feelings I had ever experienced in my life,

  getting away while carrying twenty-thousand dollars cash money. There was still seven-thousand dollars remaining in the account. I started wondering,

  what would become of it?

  Apollo called Phae to inform her that we had scored a touchdown

  for the home team. I smiled when I overheard Phae bragging about me. He told Phae we had another stop, and after that we would link up with her. I was very excited about the money, don’t get me wrong, but I kept thanking God that I had gotten away. I wasn’t all that excited about going into another bank anytime soon. I mean, how many times can a person get away before that

  person is actually caught?

  This was twenty-thousand dollars, and was a good number. I was

  cool with that, but Phaedra was greedy. She always had to have more. She

  wanted it all, and if I didn’t get it all then I wouldn’t be paid. The job had to

  be completed. I had Apollo and Phae on my team, and we were winning! I

  was ready to get it!

  The next stop was the Bank of America on Piedmont Street. I walked

  inside the bank, again pushing any fear to the back of my mind. I walked back out of the bank with seven-thousand dollars cash. I gave Apollo the money to put with the other twenty-thousand dollars. He immediately called Phae and we met up at the Checker’s restaurant downtown on 10th and Spring St. Then I called my baby’s father and told him to meet me. He was already behind us anyway, but they didn’t know that. Phaedra pulled up and hopped in the car with us. She gave me four grand. She and Apollo kept the rest of the money.

  I eventually recognized that the four-thousand dollars was low pay

  for the high risk of my freedom. Being young and naïve, four-thousand dollars seemed like a lot of money to me at that particular time. Besides it was a little too late to start complaining about the money. I had agreed to the pay-

  ment for my service beforehand.

  

  We were at the office one day having one of our girl talks when I

  brought up Apollo’s name. Phaedra seldom talked to me about Apollo. At the time, he was not her love interest and she told me often that he was nothing more than a worker and a plaything to her. When Phaedra told me that Apollo never satisfied her sexually, I knew then that their relationship was nothing more than a game for her. I didn’t ask, she just decided one day, to blurt out

  that Apollo had only one testicle.

  “What the hell? Phae girl, you crazy as hell!” I laughed at the time.

  After working with Apollo, he and I became cool. He was my part-

  ner. While Apollo and I ran the streets, Phaedra was able to sit hidden away behind her desk. Apollo was never disrespectful, and was always about his

  business. I respected that!

  I was being a sh**-starter. So I told Apollo about the conversation

  me and Phae had about him. Phaedra had not mentioned to me that she was serious about him or that she had any intentions on being with him. I felt like she didn’t give a damn, so I didn’t either. I also wanted him to know that I knew his business. I wanted to see his reaction, it may not have been right,

  but it was really hilarious at the time

  I thought he was going to be cool, calm, and collective about it. Turned out, he wasn’t. He called Phae right there on the spot and, oh Lord, did it go down behind her disclosure about his private parts. That was very personal for him. I could tell by the way he handled the situation that it had hurt him deeply. He explained that it was caused from a motorcycle accident. Wow, he really did have one testicle. Phae laughed like hell about it. She even

  called me on a three-way call a day later to let me hear his ranting and raving.

  She wanted to go out of her way to show me that she could care less

  about his feelings, and she didn’t give a damn about me telling him what she said. It was a joke to her. She laughed, I laughed and we both really laughed

  after hearing how he snapped on Phaedra. He was crying like a baby.

  Apollo was absolutely livid. That was so crazy. I knew then never

  to tell him anything. He had gotten too emotional. I figured that he had to be raised by women. Most of the males I knew who were raised by women

  tended to be very emotional.

  Children learn what they see. If every time something goes wrong

  and the reaction they experience were tears and screaming, then they tended to cry and scream. If they see someone standing strong and addressing what actually went wrong without emotional outburst then they would address problems that way. If a child was born in a home where only English was

  spoken, that child would speak only English.

  With the money I made from the bank job, I bought a car from my

  brother. Got everything my children needed, gave my mom some money, and purchased some things for the new baby. Before I knew it, that money was

  gone just as quickly as I had gotten it.

  Chapter Four

  Whispers and Warnings

  “Then whosoever hear the sound of the trumpet, and take not WARNING; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.” Ezekiel 33:4 (NIV)

  In October of 2001, I gave birth to my son, Jayvien. Phae was crazy

  about my baby. My baby’s daddy and I were on the verge of breaking up. Obviously, I was too much for him and quite frankly, this man could not handle me. I will admit that I was being your typical ghetto female. I was plugged in, I was affiliated, and I didn’t need him. As far as I was concerned, he needed me. He would do disrespectful things like have females call my house for him, and that did it. I was not one to tolerate disrespect, so I left him and

  started messing around with Drama again.

  Two months later, my trial date for the forgery charges had come

  and gone. I had several ID’s so it wasn’t my desire to answer the charges or to serve any time. In my little mind, I was balling hard, and never even went to court. At this point, I became a fugitive from justice. The state of Georgia was now looking for my dumbass. However, I wasn’t worried one bit by this. Because of my connections, I felt like I was a made-woman. Slim was very aware of what I was doing, and who I was running with. I was a product of Phaedra Parks, and had several identities. I didn’t believe I would ever be caught. Like a true mafia outfit, we were operating above the law, and I was in an elite network of workers for Phaedra Parks. The only way they would

  catch me was if someone snitched.

  It was the beginning of a cool summer day. The early morning dew

  had just set, and a steady breeze seeped through my upper bedroom window. Drama and I were lying in bed. I had just come back from the store. I was fully clothed, but he was butt naked. My cellphone started ringing back to back. It was Jayvien’s dad, another local rapper known as Decatur Slim. Needless to say, there was already animosity. Drama was a top guy in the music business while other rappers were still trying to get noticed by the industry. The last thing I wanted was a confrontation between the two of them. Decatur Slim was fully aware of my previous dealings with Drama and everybody in Atlanta knew that Drama drove a white Mercedes-Benz truck. I didn’t have a garage so when Drama visited he would always park his truck right in front

  of my door.

  BAM! BAM! BAM! There was a loud banging on my door. I started

  to the door, wondering aloud.

  “What the hell? Who is ban
ging on my door like that?” peeking out

  the peephole. “Oh Lord, it was my baby-daddy! Damn! Okay… Think!” I

  said to myself. Then quickly, I tried to surmise the situation. I couldn’t call the police because I was as hot as a firecracker. I could just ignore the banging on my door. I knew damn well, that I had told this man we were over. Why in

  the world would he be at my door acting like a damn fool?

  By this time, Drama was all in my ear, asking me what was going

  on. So I told him everything was good. Slim would leave in a minute, and the banging would cease. Drama was already agitated and was now screaming

  in my ear.

  “Do you know who I am? Why do you have me in this predica-

  ment?”

  A minute later, my baby-daddy was coming up the stairs. This man

  had climbed straight through my kitchen window. All I could think was I’ll just be damned! There wasn’t enough time to hide. I knew I was going to have to fight this crazy man. He saw Drama lying in my bed, and went berserk.

  Please do not get this twisted. I wasn’t some small, petite, frail type. I wore size twelve shoes and was six feet tall, looking damn good too. Okay? So please don’t get me wrong, I grew up with an older brother, a bunch of boy

  cousins, and fear was something that never gripped me.

  My baby-daddy knew full well that I could handle myself, and so

  did Drama. I mean Slim and I were thumping. Blow for blow, we went tumbling down the stairs. My weave was ripped out and everything was out. This was all out war. He was fighting because his feelings were hurt and I was fighting back because I had no other choice.

  While we were scuffling Drama managed to walk out unnoticed. That sorry-ass-dude didn’t even try to break up the fight. He just broke out! What the fu**! My neighbor heard the commotion and the police were summoned. When the police arrived, my crazy baby-daddy gave them my real name. Of course, when the police ran the requisite background check on me, my outstanding warrant popped up. Then they promptly hauled my dumbass

  off to jail. I served four months in Washington State prison. My light sentence

  was like a slap on the wrist to me.

  I had money put up and Phaedra kept money on my books. She read-

  ily accepted all my phone calls. I also knew that as soon as I touched down, there would be a job waiting for me. With my money up, I called home every single day and made sure money stayed on my books. The trip to prison was

  more like a vacation to me.

  When I touched down, I made one phone call to my big dog, Phae. She was real glad to hear that I had been released. It was already understood that I would meet with her once I had spent some time with my mother and children. I was surprised to see how much my kids had grown in that short time span. My mother told the children I was away at college. She told that lie truly out of motherly love. She never talked badly about me around my

  children, and just like me, she demanded respect.

  Decatur Slim, my baby-daddy, and I were done for good. There was

  no way I could allow myself to be with anyone who would think of selling me into slavery. Oh hell no! Forget that! Baby or not—it was a wrap for his ass! There was no compromising. I was gone with the wind. Everything about me

  was illegal, and that made him a liability.

  Two weeks later, Phaedra and I were back to business. Phaedra in-

  formed me that Apollo would be out of the picture for a while. He had gotten knocked on another case in Newton County while I was temporarily away serving my bid. We agreed to meet at her office later that day. She wanted me

  to meet someone. This person would be Apollo’s replacement.

  “Cool,” I said.

  I couldn’t wait. By any means necessary, I knew that money was a

  necessity. Phaedra’s schemes were clever and elaborate. She never ceased to astound each and every time she approached me with an assignment. On numerous occasions, I often found myself excited about learning her tricks

  of the trade.

  I would like you to think about it for a minute. Please, relax and

  breathe. Now analyze the state of affairs for a moment. Phaedra was this crooked attorney who knew how to commit crimes against the federal government. She also knew how to get away with it. Phaedra Parks studied the law extensively, and learned how to manipulate the cracks in the system.

  Our meeting was scheduled for three in the afternoon at Phae’s of-

  fice. I didn’t think twice about the person she wanted me to meet. If there was one thing I knew about Phae, it was that she was always a business woman first, and she kept her business wrapped tight. She was a consummate master

  of her trade. For that reason alone, I never felt a need to question her tactics.

  She introduced me to a five-foot-ten-inch, pale complexioned man

  known as E. The most intriguing thing about him was his hazel eyes. They were the same color as mine. Actually they were just like my father’s. I took this to be the number one indicator that this dude was a slick one. So was I as well as my father. I didn’t hate on him, especially if Phae brought him

  onboard.

  By the time I left that meeting, whew boy, my mind was racing. Phaedra was witty. Her ideas, her brain, and the way she orchestrated things, so clever. It did not cross my mind that I would or could even get caught. It all just seemed so simple back then. We were above the law. Hell as far as I

  was concerned, we were the law. Thanks to you know who.

  Phaedra was the answer to everything. The only thing I really need-

  ed to know was how to act. All my life I always believed that acting was part of my God-given talent. Along with hustling, acting came natural. I began thinking of myself as this smooth criminal. I had gotten accustomed to the quick money by now, and quite naturally I never turned down any jobs, no matter how high the risk. The next mission would be one of the biggest jobs ever assigned to me by Phae. The assignment was well thought out, strategized, and planned. The factor of time was very important in the execution of this mission. Combine this with patience, and it became very demanding. These types of jobs have to crawl before they mature and start walking. Then

  low and behold, before you even know it, they were off and running.

  The first part of my assignment involved scoping out potential ve-

  hicles at luxury car dealerships. Each day I simply drove around Atlanta, and the surrounding cities looking for potential prey. Every car lot I visited had several luxury cars. I spotted all of the latest models of Porsche, Mercedes Benz, Hummers, Corvettes, and Cadillac.

  After selected luxury dealerships were identified, I would then walk

  around the lots with pen and pad. I casually, but discreetly recorded the VIN numbers, makes, and models of not only the latest, but the hottest whips to

  hit the city.

  Once I had the information recorded, I reported it back to E. We

  rarely discussed business on the phone. So E and I met daily, and swapped information, and fake documents. It seemed like we never stopped. I provided the VIN numbers, and he gave me the fake identification cards, and fraudulent registration cards matching the vehicles I had previously recorded. At this point, I was handling all of the day-to-day operations.

  Phae never had to worry about the illegal side of the operation. She

  was a very busy woman, and spent all of her time managing her thriving law practice. Honestly, everything with me was infallible. Phae knew as long as I was on the assignment, she would get her money, and remained focused on the affairs of her clients.

  With the state issued ID, and proof of ownership, I would be able to

  visit any other luxury car dealership, provide them with the necessary documents as well as a fee, one hundred and eighty dollars at that time. Then just

  like that, they would cut a computerized key to the vehicle.

  The second part of the s
cheme involved a late night visit when the

  dealership closed down. We would return to the dealership and drive away in brand new vehicles, with no disturbances. Even if we did run into a problem such as getting pulled over by the cops, we had all the right paperwork in our possession. The right key and a bill of sale that could be verified by the police. They would never suspect anything because the vehicle hadn’t been

  reported stolen.

  The cars were then sent to a chop shop. The VIN numbers were

  filed down, and replaced with new ones. Once replaced, I was provided with fraudulent certificates of vehicle titles from the state of Ohio. It seemed like I was going back and forth to the Department of Motor Vehicles in Hapeville, Georgia, on a daily basis. The Ohio titles had to be swapped out for Georgia. No ifs, ands or buts about it, which was an important step of the scam.

  There were other areas of the business which required my utmost

  attention. This was a major operation, and I could only be in one place at a time. Phae insisted that I enlisted the help of my cousin, Sheree. She too was a go-getter, and Sheree was about her business as well. Anything having to do with making money, she was with it, and so was I.

  Sheree would now assume the position off title-swapper. Her job

  was to visit the Department of Motor vehicles at least twice a week. Relieving me of that duty, she was giving me time to actually enjoy my private life. As all young women do, I found myself right back in love again. This time, I

  thought for sure it would be different and actually last.

  He was older, more mature, and intelligent. Shaheed was considered

  a boss on the streets of Atlanta. He had money, power, and was well respected wherever he went. This gave me a feeling of superiority. I was caught up in the excitement of being Shaheed’s girl. There were great rewards and major benefits.

  The biggest incentive of being in this relationship was that anyone

  who knew him, and was aware of my ties with him, gave me the highest

  respect possible. In fact, if I even looked as if I had a problem, all I had to do was mention his name, and my problem went away instantly. Love was in the air and my aura of invincibility had suddenly grown way beyond my wildest