by Joy, E. n.
"Okay, okay, I won't. Can we go home now?" Dinky pleaded to his mother.
"Boy, are you listening? This is our home now!"
"This ain't where we live. What about Auntie? Where is she?"
"She had to go away for a while, and don't you be worrying about all that. She'll be okay. She's a big girl. Now go back to sleep." She kissed Dinky on the forehead and then hustled out of the room, leaving her son to himself in a ball of confusion left within his impression- able young mind.
Dinky made sure his mother was out of sight before he got out of the bed. He then kneeled down on the floor and placed his hands in prayer. "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, if I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take. God Bless my mama. Please get her out of whatever trouble she's in. Bless my sisters and all of my friends, my daddy too, wherever he is. And oh yeah, Lord, please help my Auntie Dee. I can feel her. She's in a lot of trouble. Amen."
Chapter One
MY SISTER'S KEEPER
Dina and Denise Stewart were identical twin sisters, Denise being older than Dina by a mere two minutes. These two very attractive ladies were identical in appearance. Their skin was chestnut brown. They were not that tall, but standing at five feet and six inches, they were not considered short either. Both ladies had a head of thick, dark brown hair that fell to the middle of their backs. Dina and Denise's slanted cocoa brown eyes held a hint of mystery, which added to their sensuality. That, however, is where the similarities ended. At twenty-nine years of age, internally, the twins were complete opposites.
Denise, the conservative one of the two sisters, always wore her hair in a ponytail. She was a straight- laced paralegal attending law school to pursue a career as a lawyer in criminal justice. She had an inner passion to help individuals who were falsely accused and incarcerated for crimes they didn't commit. In addition, she longed to help those who she felt had the ability to be rehabilitated. It physically sickened her to witness the atrocities that occurred in the penal system. Denise was also in the process of forming a nonprofit organization to help steer the youth in her community in a positive direction. She had an upstanding career and a very bright future ahead of her.
Her fiancé, Cannon Matthews, was soon to be named District Attorney in the City of Richmond, and that was not a position to be taken lightly. It held a lot of prestige in elite circles.
Although she had been with Cannon for five years, Denise was in no rush to get married. Living together suited her just fine, but Cannon was set on getting married before he made District Attorney. In his eyes, it would be better for appearance sake. He wanted everything to look right.
Dina could only dream that she would end up with a man like Cannon. She was a full time drug dealer with three children; two girls and one boy. She served pleasure and pain to an array of fiends in the dirty south. Dina was known in the hood as "Queen D", the "D" being short for "dough and dope." As for men, the drama with her children's father was enough for Dina to know that no one man would ever rule her world. So the last thing she would ever want was a man like Cannon.
Dina had a stable of one hundred toes, which meant ten men that she chose to spread her time out to. She was content with her harem of honeys. What true freak wouldn't be? It was a terrible example to set for her children, but Dina felt her needs came first. If she wasn't happy, her children wouldn't be happy. And that was mainly due to the fact that if Dina wasn't happy, no one around her was permitted to be happy. She made sure of that.
Denise constantly warned her twin about the probable repercussions of her actions, but there was no reasoning with Dina. She was a wild child, stubborn in her ways, opinionated and very strong-minded. It was her way or the highway. And most people chose to give Dina her way.
It was Saturday afternoon on a cold day in December. The holiday season was in full swing with Christmas approaching in a few days. Downtown Richmond, Virginia was illuminated with lights. It was a spectacular sight to behold. The major businesses competed for the public's attention with one beautiful Christmas display after another. The snow outside was more than Richmond, Virginia was used to.
When Denise's pager went off, she had been at her office pulling briefs for a very important trial that had the senior partners', in the Law Firm of Blake and Headley, britches in a bunch. Denise checked her pager and saw that it was her sister. Although Denise wanted to call her sister back, she had been working overtime on weekends for the past month. She still had a lot of work to do, important work, and the last thing she had time for was to be chit-chatting on the phone. But she was afraid of what wild and crazy predicament Dina had going on this time, because with her twin, it was always something. Then she thought, maybe Dina just needs to talk. Even with their separate lives and the dislike for her sister's choices, they were twins, they had an inner connection. So, Denise dialed her sister's cell phone.
"Hey, what's up?" Denise asked after Dina picked up. "Sis, I need your help!" Dina was frantic.
"What's the matter?" Denise could sense the urgency in her sister's voice.
"I need you to watch the kids for me. I have to make a very important run and I can't take them with me. Kima has a bad cold and I can't find my babysitter right now. I don't trust anyone else. I really need you, Denise, please."
"Dina, I'm working on something extremely important. I'm at work on a Saturday afternoon as we speak, so that should tell you something. I just can't leave. Call Mama and ask her to watch them."
"She's probably busy entertaining somebody. It's late! You know that she's jealous as I don't know what of me, and always trying to compete with me. Well, now she's trying to out do me on the amount of men I have too. I'm not trying to have my kids around her," Dina explained.
"Okay, let me play this back. You don't want your kids around their grandmother because she has men friends, not as many as you have, but almost as many? Not to mention the fact that you don't have a problem with them witnessing your drug transactions? Do I have all of this correct?" Denise asked, sarcastically.
"Listen, I don't have time to get into it with you right now. I have to take care of something. It's a matter of life or death; my life. Don't you care about your nieces and nephew?" Dina asked.
"Don't go there, Dina. You have a lot of nerve. Do I care? You should be asking yourself the same thing. You've got to get your priorities straight. Listen to me, this is from me to you, sister to sister. You need to leave the streets alone. They offer nothing but trouble. We'll be thirty years old at the end of the month and you're still acting like some teenager. You have three kids, for God's sake." Denise let loose on her.
"I knew I couldn't count on you. Thanks, for nothing." Dina hung up.
Denise's evening was ruined. This was a familiar routine that had more than worn out its welcome. Those poor children. Denise couldn't imagine what kind of mess Dina was about to get them into now. She had thought many times about calling the authorities to report her one and only sibling, but always quickly decided against it. She loved her sister, but something, or someone, had to stop her from her harmful ways. And someone had to protect those children.
Denise finished up her work and had began to gather her things to leave when her office phone rang. "Blake and Headley, this is Denise Stewart," she answered.
"Hey, honey, what you know good?" Cannon asked with his smooth, baritone voice.
"I know that I love you, and I can't wait to be in your arms," she replied, feeling her spirits lift from the sound of his deep, warm voice.
"I like the sound of that."
"I'm just finishing up here. I was actually heading out of the office to come home."
"I like the sound of that too," he teased.
"Baby, Dina called. She's in some sort of trouble. She said it was a matter of life or death. She asked me to watch the kids. I told her no, but now I feel terrible."
"Don't feel bad, baby. You can't keep enabling her to do wrong. You keep the kids so much, that th
ey even have beds at our place. If you watch the kids, she'll be free to run the streets. The last time you watched them, two hours turned into two days," Cannon reminded her.
"I know, but they're my family. I can't help being concerned. I think I'm going to call her back and tell her that I've changed my mind. If something were to happen to those kids, I would never be able to forgive myself."
"Come on, babe, it's the weekend. I was hoping we could have a quiet evening, you know, just the two of us, some good food, some good wine, some good you know what." Cannon wanted her all to himself.
"We can still have a quiet evening together. I will simply go get the kids, come home, put them to bed, and then I'll be all yours," Denise said, feeling better already. She knew she had to go get those kids.
Cannon agreed to her plan before ending their call. He felt as if he had no choice as Denise's mind sounded like it was made up.
Denise called Dina back on her cell phone, but Dina didn't answer. Denise left her a message telling her that she had changed her mind and was going to be there to pick up the kids in fifteen minutes. She then called Dina's apartment. An unknown voice answered the phone.
"Hi, this is Denise, Dina's sister. Is she there?" "No," the person on the other end confirmed. "Who's this?" Denise asked. "Angie," the girl replied.
The innocence of Angie's voice gave Denise the impression that she was too young to be left alone to baby-sit one child, let alone three. She couldn't believe the stupidity and selfishness of her twin.
"Angie, I'm on my way over there to pick up my nieces and nephew. Have them ready please." Denise hung up the phone and rushed to her sister's apartment.
Denise used her spare key to open the door. She wasn't prepared for such a visual disaster. Dina's place was in shambles. Angie, the pre-teen that was left in charge, was surprised to see that the woman who came to get the kids looked exactly like the woman who found her playing in the snow just a few minutes ago and asked her to watch the kids. Denise probed Angie to find out how the place got in its present condition, but she said she had no idea. Denise gave the girl twenty dollars and told her to go home. She hollered for the children to get some things together because they were going with her. The kids knew the routine; no questions were asked. After doing what they were told, they all headed for the door. Dina's house phone rang just as they were about to walk out. Denise answered, thinking it might have been her sister.
"Hello."
"You got my money?" A voice spat through the receiver.
"Who is this?" Denise questioned.
"Don't play stupid with me, trick! Are you ready to die? You see, I've been to your apartment. I know where you live. Do you want your children to be without their precious mother?"
"This is not Dina. She's not here. Would you like to leave a message?"
"You stupid trick, I just did!" The line went dead.
Denise stood frozen with fear. She couldn't imagine what Dina had gotten herself into this time. The voice on the phone was far from friendly. She wasn't wasting anymore time in that apartment. "Y'all kids come on, let's go!"
"I forgot my Xbox," Dinky said. At nine years of age, he was the oldest of the three children.
Dinky, we don't have time for that right now," Denise yelled, but it was too late. He had already dashed into his bedroom to get his game system.
"Kayla, you wrap up real good. Where's your hat, Kima? Dinky get your sister's hat, a scarf, and some gloves." Denise didn't want Kima's cold to get any worse. At three years of age, she was the baby, the baby with a runny nose.
"Auntie, where's my mama?" Kayla, Dina's seven year old daughter, asked.
"Sweetie, that's a question I really wish I could answer," Denise said.
Kayla gave her a puzzling look. Denise left a note by the telephone telling her sister that she had taken the kids and to call her as soon as possible.
With the children in tow, Denise made it to her car and got them all buckled up. Once behind the wheel, Denise closed her eyes and said a small prayer to God that He would guide and protect her sister and her nieces and nephew. She felt at this point, only God could help them now.
***
Denise arrived at her home in the historical neighborhood of Ginter Park. This was an area that was surprisingly considered upscale. The least expensive property went for about four hundred thou'. A lot of the houses were modest at best, but the upkeep on them was immaculate. There were a few homes that resembled miniature mansions, which stood out with amazing character. Funny thing was, right across the street, there were apartment buildings that looked as though one had entered the slums of Richmond.
Cannon greeted Denise at the door with a kiss and a chilled glass of White Zinfandel. He said hello to the children and told them it was always good to see them. Denise then ordered the kids to go on upstairs and get settled. She had stopped at a McDonald's drive-thru on the way home, so their stomachs were full.
As the couple sat nestled in each other's arms on the living room couch, Denise sipped on the pink liquid as she went on to tell Cannon what condition Dina's apartment had been in. She also told him about the frightening phone call. Denise downed the last of the wine and held her glass out. Cannon grabbed the bottle out of the chrome wine chiller that rested on the end table and re- filled her glass. Denise took a few more sips then sighed heavily as he kneaded the knots in her shoulders.
"You're incredibly tense, Denise. You can't keep put- ting yourself through this," Cannon told her.
Denise said nothing. She just picked up her phone and proceeded to dial Dina's cell phone. Again, there was still no answer. She then dialed her apartment and got no answer there either. She abruptly lifted herself from the couch. It was going on nine o'clock. Where in the world was her sister?
Denise wanted to make sure the kids were okay, so she went upstairs to check on them. She told Dinky to take a break from his game and to get in the shower. Kayla was instructed by her aunt that once Dinky was finished it would be her turn to take a shower. Kayla told her aunt that she preferred to take a bath. Denise chuckled to herself seeing Dina all up in her little niece. Kima wouldn't be hitting the tub until after her cold had subsided.
After giving Kima a bird bath, and getting her settled in bed, Denise returned to her man. Cannon had pre- pared her favorite meal, Fettuccine Alfredo. They sat at the dining room table in silence. Denise picked over her food. She couldn't eat because she didn't seem to have an appetite. She had a terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. She could sense that Dina was in serious trouble and wanted to find out what was really going on.
Cannon cleared their plates. It was obvious that they were not going to spend the quality time he had hoped for, but he understood. Every time he witnessed the affect Dina's actions had on Denise, he wished that Dina would change her ways, but he saw Dina for who she truly was and doubted that was ever going to hap- pen.
Eventually, Cannon suggested that they retire for the evening. Maybe a new day would bring some news.
Denise tossed and turned all night. She was jolted from a nightmare of something bad happening to Dina. She knew something terrible was about to go down; she just knew. It was then that Denise decided that there was only one true way to find out what was going on with her sister, and that was to become her sister.
She waited until Cannon was in a deep sleep to put on an Apple Bottoms outfit that Dina had given her the previous year for a Christmas gift. It wasn't her taste. She had planned to rewrap it and give it back to her sis- ter. Dina had so many garments, Denise thought she wouldn't be the wiser.
Denise slipped out of their bedroom and went to make sure the children were all asleep. She discovered Dinky still up playing his game.
"Dinky, turn that thing off and get in the bed. You need to stop sitting so close to the television. You're going to need glasses," his aunt said lovingly and gave him a light pluck to the side of his head.
"Auntie Dee?" Dinky had his own nickname for his aunt. "Are
you going to look for our mama?"
"Yes, but it will be our secret, so promise me you will not say a word to anyone."
"I promise. You promise you're gonna' bring her back with you?" he asked.
"Sweetheart, I can't make a promise that I'm not sure I can keep, but I will do my very best. I can promise you that," Denise said.
"Yeah, I know. I understand," Dinky said. He was very mature for his age, he had to be. Even at only nine years old, he was the man of the house. He loved his mother, but he hated what she was doing to their lives.
There were times when he was left alone, in charge of his younger sisters. One time an overly concerned neighbor reported Dina to Child Protective Services and she nearly lost custody of the kids, but her sister pulled a few strings and the charges disappeared.
Denise tucked the little man in. She kissed him on his cheek and felt the moisture from his tears. She held him tight. He released his cries into her chest. Denise was now very determined to make a change in their lives. Dina was grown. Denise couldn't control her twin's actions, but these children were totally innocent. Her mind was made up. Denise wasn't sending them back to a life of drug deals, fear and uncertainty. She waited until Dinky cried himself to sleep and then she wiped his face dry, crept out of the room, and then out of the house.
Where she was to begin looking for her sister was a mystery, so she decided to go back to Dina's apartment. She thought there had to be something there that would give her a clue.
Denise walked in, finding the apartment in more of a wreck than when she had arrived previously. That meant someone had been there. The note Denise left had been torn to pieces. She went into her sister's bed- room. She was taken aback by the blood on the walls. She wondered whose blood was it. Was it her sister's? Her head began to fill with possible scenarios, but none of them were good. She quickly regained her composure. Now was not the time for her to lose control.
