“That’s right, Whilice. I do. Someone in this house has to, right?”
He stopped with his fondling. “What do you mean by that?”
I groaned and pulled the stopper up so the water could drain. “Nothing, Whilice. I didn’t mean a thing.” I stood up and kept my parts covered as I grabbed my towel. I was uncomfortable as he stared at me.
“I work damn hard too, you know.”
Damn! He just wouldn’t give up. And I couldn’t take it.
“Work hard? You mean settling is hard work?”
“What do you mean by settling?”
“Settling. S . . . E . . . T . . . T . . . L . . . I . . . N . . . G. That means that you are content to sit on your ass and do the bare minimum, while striving for nothing else.”
“Nothing else? Do you know how hard my job is? Do you know how hard it is to sell cars now with the way the economy is?”
“Then find another job that’s going to pay you some money.”
“I make money.”
“No, Whilice. You used to make money. Now you just bring home slightly more than what a manager in a damn fast-food restaurant does!”
“Why are you talking bullshit?”
I stepped out of the tub and threw on my silk robe. He had me fuming. I needed to take a shower this time, just to cool off. “I’m not talking bullshit, dear. I’m just talking truth. When I first met you, you were making almost double what you make now.”
“Like I said, the economy’s changed. People don’t buy cars like that anymore.”
“And like I said, get a different fucking job!”
“I don’t need this shit, Taki. I bust my ass everyday, and I take care of our girls, which is more than you do.”
“Don’t you even start that shit again!”
“Why? Because you don’t want to hear the truth? Face it, Taki, you devote more time and energy to your job than you do your family. I mean damn, if you don’t want to pay attention to me, that’s fine, but at least give your girls some time.”
“Whatever, Whilice. I give them time.”
“No you don’t, and you damn well know it!”
“That is bullshit!”
“Yeah, right.”
“Damn it, I take care of them too, just like you do.”
“Then why the hell are they missing their mother?”
I stepped past him and grabbed my brush from the sink. I felt like throwing it at him. Instead I said, “Will you please get the fuck out and let me have some privacy.”
Whilice looked at me with some kind of evil in his eyes. I thought he was going to snap out and hit me. I gripped the brush just a little tighter just in case I needed to use it as a weapon. But rather than hit me, he just nodded his head and looked at me with the most black-hearted smile.
“Yeah, I’ll get out,” he said slowly. He turned and opened the door, but before stepping out, he stopped and with his back to me said, “Abraham Lincoln. I sold him a car once. This was before I met you. I remember him because of his name. I also remember him because of the license plate he said he was going to have made specifically for the convertible Benz that I sold him. HnstAbe. That’s the same license plate that was on the back of the Escalade I saw parked next to your car earlier today.”
He didn’t say another word as he walked out and closed the door.
Abe
“What do you mean ‘He knows’?”
I hadn’t spoken or seen Taki for a little over a week since our last rendezvous because I had to go away to Dallas for a business conference. We were initially going to hook up there, but she changed her mind and said she needed time to think, which was cool with me, because after our last conversation, space was the one thing I wanted. Her talk of having deeper feelings for me freaked me out. Pissed me off, actually. We had talked too many times about keeping it strictly physical. Love and romance were never supposed to be part of the equation. But instead of following the game plan, she was getting wrapped up in the worst way.
Falling in love with me?
That was the one thing I didn’t want to hear. My only hope was after having made it perfectly clear that I wasn’t on the same page, she would get her head back on straight, and everything could go back to being business as usual.
When I got back from Dallas, I called her once to test the waters and see what her mind-set was going to be like. I had to know what I was or wasn’t going to walk into when I went back to the office. She never answered her phone though, and she never called me back, which worried me a little. When it came to their emotions and not getting what they wanted, women could be vindictive as all hell. Shit, I’ve known brothers who’ve had their cars keyed up, clothes burned, cash spent, or worse, I’ve known women who have flipped out and become psycho like Lynn Whitfield did in Thin Line Between Love and Hate.
So when Taki stopped by my office and said she wanted to see me after hours, I was a little apprehensive about it. But I never walk away when the music’s on, so I agreed to stay. I didn’t quite know what to expect, but I was damn sure not expecting to hear what she told me when I walked in and closed her door.
“What do you mean ‘He knows’?” I asked her again.
We were alone in her office. Lights on—bright; door closed, but not locked. This was not the kind of meeting I’d been hoping for.
“He saw your truck.”
“How’d he know it was mine?”
“Your license plate.”
“What about it?”
“Before he met me, he sold you a Mercedes-Benz. I guess in your conversation with him, you told him about getting personal plates.”
I scratched my goatee and thought for a moment. Then I remembered. “That’s your husband? He looked different back then.”
Taki curled her lips and said, “Yeah, he’s changed a lot since then.”
I let that go because I wasn’t trying to step into her personal space. “So he saw my car. So what? I work here too. If he didn’t see anything, then what’s the problem?”
Taki got out of her chair and walked to the window. She was looking stressed. Her hair was wild and unkempt; she hardly had any makeup on, and looked like she hadn’t been sleeping much. “I told him I was here alone.”
“Okay, so why did he have an issue with that? So we were both here, that doesn’t mean we saw each other.”
“Abe, he knows we work together. Come on. He’s not stupid.”
I was frustrated. The last thing I wanted to do was deal with a jealous husband.
“Why didn’t you just say that we were doing work? Why lie to him?”
“How was I supposed to know he was going to come here?”
“Doesn’t matter. I told Nakyia I had to get information for you. I never said I would be alone. Cover all your bases, Taki . . . that’s what you’re supposed to do. The more you lie, the less you can cover.”
She turned away from the window and glared at me. I could tell she wasn’t happy with what I was saying, but shit, it was the truth. I always made it a point to be as truthful as I could with Nakyia. I may bend the truth a little here or there, or forget to mention certain things, but I never fabricated an entire lie. My philosophy was that the truth, oftentimes, made the best lies. Too bad Taki didn’t realize that.
“I am not stupid,” she said with a finger in the air and a twist of her neck.
“I never implied that you were. I just said to cover your back.”
“You don’t have to give me any lessons. I know how to cover my back.”
I groaned and massaged my dome. She was giving me a headache. “Whatever,” I said. “So what else did your husband say?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?”
“Did I stutter? He said nothing. He just mentioned that he saw your car, and then left. We haven’t spoken much since.”
“We should cool things for a little while,” I said. “Take a break before anything else can happen.”
“Take a break? Why?”
“Some ass?”
Damn. My thoughts slipped out before I could close my mouth.
“Is that all I am to you? A piece of ass?”
“You know I didn’t mean it that way. Don’t act a fool.”
“Oh, so now I’m a fool?”
“Taki, let’s not go there, okay. What I said didn’t come out the right way.”
“Oh, I think everything sounded just fine. You said I was a piece of ass, and a fool.”
“Damn Taki, let’s chill with the attitude, all right.”
She threw her hands up in the air. “Now I have an attitude?”
“I’m out of here,” I said, turning around. My blood was starting to boil, and my head was getting warm. I had to leave before things got any worse; before I said more things I meant. Of course, that wasn’t happening, because before I could open the door, she Demi Moore’d me.
“You’re fired!”
My hand paused on the knob and I stood immobile. I just knew I didn’t hear what she said. I turned and faced her. “What did you just say?”
“You heard me. I said you’re fired.”
It was my turn to snap.
“What the fuck do you mean fired? Why are you playing games?”
“Who’s playing games? You are F . . . I . . . R . . . E . . . D . . . fired. You can move on to the next piece of ass.”
“You can’t do this shit.”
“Can and just did. Maybe you forgot, but I am the boss. I can do and say whatever the fuck I feel like.”
I watched her intensely, waiting for some indication that she was twisting my balls for a laugh. When she gave none, I said, “This is bullshit and you know it. You don’t mean that.”
“Oh, so now you’re telling me what I do and don’t mean?”
“Come on, Taki. Think about what we have going on. Why are you going to go and fuck with that?”
“You said you wanted a break; well, I’m giving you one. A nice long one.”
“And your feelings for me?”
“Don’t mean shit.”
“That’s a lie.”
“No, Abe. That’s not a lie. You told me to tell the truth, remember.”
“After all of the shit I helped you do, how are you going to do that to me? Why? Just because I wanted to be careful?”
“No, it’s not because of that. You love your wife, remember? Besides, I am nobody’s piece of ass. I have more respect for myself than that. I thought you did too. Obviously I was wrong.”
I slammed my hand against the door, causing plaques on her wall to slant. She jumped like she thought I was about to hit her. I slammed the door again. And then I made the dummy move. I said the one thing I shouldn’t have.
“Why are you being a fucking bitch about things?”
She arched her eyebrows. “So now I’m a bitch? Security is still here. I think you better leave before I have them come and escort your ass out of here.”
I was too mad to watch what I was saying or doing at this point. I couldn’t believe I had gotten caught up like that. I flipped out and kicked her desk, causing her family photo to fall and shatter. I didn’t give a shit. I kicked it again.
“That’s it, I’m calling security.”
Before she could start dialing, I snatched the receiver from her hand. I only wanted to talk, but she thought otherwise, and screamed and slapped me in my face. I reacted on instinct and pushed her away from me. Damn if she didn’t fall right onto her broken frame.
“You son of a bitch!” she screamed. “Look at what you did to me. My hand is bleeding. Look at what you did!”
Shit.
I dropped the receiver and immediately knelt down beside her. I hadn’t meant for that to happen. “Taki, are you okay? Shit, I didn’t mean—”
“Didn’t mean? You fucking pushed me down! Get the fuck away from me! Don’t you dare put your hands on me again.”
“Taki, I’m sorry. You hit me and I reacted. It was an accident. Let me help you.”
“Abe, you better keep your hands off of me. I don’t need or want your help.”
I exhaled, stood up, and watched her as she held up her hand, which was barely bleeding. Damn, women could blow shit out of proportion.
I wanted to get the hell out of there so bad, but I couldn’t leave without trying to change the course of the tidal wave that was hitting me. I counted backward from ten and then waited until she stood up before saying anything. When she did, I did the best thing I could think of doing: I kept my voice low and apologized.
“Taki, I’m sorry about your hand. I truly didn’t mean for that to happen.”
She looked at me with violent eyes and shook her head. There was obviously no avoiding the wipeout. She licked a small trail of blood from her palm and then reached for her purse. From the inside, she removed a stun gun.
“What’s up with that?” I asked.
“Fuck you and your apology. I want you out of here now.”
“I could fight this, you know,” I said quietly. “I could say you sexually harassed me.”
She held up her palm and smiled. “And I would turn that shit around and just tell them how you came on to me, and then knocked me down because I wouldn’t have sex with you.”
I nodded and bit down on my lip. It didn’t surprise me that she had been willing to go there. I walked out of her office without a reply, refusing to lower myself any more than I already had.
After leaving the office, I drove down Collins Avenue with A Tribe Called Quest rapping from my stereo about how they knew how it felt to be stressed-out. I turned the volume up until it couldn’t go anymore, and then I rapped right above their voices. I definitely knew how it felt. I’d fallen face-first into the pit that I had worked hard to avoid. The sad thing was that I had been digging it from day one, and knew it. Now I was out of a job, and to make matters worse, in the frame of mind that she was in, there was no telling what Taki would do. If she could pull a stun gun on me, which still tripped me out, and was willing to lie about what went down, then she could just as easily call my house and speak to Nakyia.
Women.
I grabbed my cell and called the house to test the waters. Thankfully they were still calm. I had woken her.
“When are you coming home, baby?” she asked with sleep heavy in her speech.
“Soon. I have to make a quick run to the store. You need anything?”
“Just you.”
“How’s the pain?”
“Never ending. But I’ll live. I miss you.”
“I miss you too.”
“Baby, I want to talk to you when you get here. I have something I want to discuss with you.”
My heart stuttered. Maybe a hurricane had blown through my home after the wave crashed, after all?
“What’s up, lady?”
“We’ll talk after you get here, sexy. We’ll talk after we make love. Hurry home.”
“I’ll be there soon.”
I hung up the phone and breathed a long sigh of relief. She wanted to make love. That meant that Taki hadn’t completely bugged out and called her. I was safe for the time being. But I still had the issue of my employment status to deal with. How was I going to tell Nakyia that I’d lost my job? More importantly, what was my reason going to be?
The Tribe CD over, the changer switched to a CD I had in there for moments just like the one I was having. As Linkin Park raged, I vented right along with them about trying so hard, but only managing to get but so far. And how in the end, nothing I did really mattered.
I started the song over and screamed out again. With Taki firing me, I had definitely fallen; I just hoped that my talk with Nakyia wasn’t going to be the start of my losing it all. I was about to start the song over again, when my cell vibrated in my lap. I checked the caller ID, and when I saw who it was, I lowered the music and answered.
“What’s up, big brother?”
“Not much, Abe. What’s up with you?”
“Not much. Just driving, releasing some stress.”
“Oh yeah? You stressed-out too?”
“Sounds like you’re having as good a time as I am,” I said.
“Man, I’m having a great time,” Randy answered sarcastically.
“What’s up, man? I know you didn’t call just to bullshit.”
Randy sighed heavily into the phone. “No, I didn’t call to BS. I called for a couple of reasons.”
Stopping at a red light, I said, “‘Sup, man.”
“I need some advice. I fucked up big time.”
“What happened?”
Another sigh. “Monique caught me with Tina last night.”
“What! Get the fuck outta here! You fucked Tina? Why the hell would you go and do that?”
“Hold on, hold on. It really wasn’t how it seemed. Tina and I didn’t do anything. Well, not all that we could have.”
I hit the gas as the light turned green. “Okay, back up. You have me confused.”
As I took the long way home, I listened to all of the drama my big brother had been dealing with. It actually made me feel good to hear that I wasn’t the only one going through some shit. I pulled into my driveway just as he was finishing his recap.
“Randy,” I said, killing the engine. “I know you’ve heard this from me before, but why the hell don’t you tell Tina to back the fuck off? Most women wouldn’t put up with any of the shit that Tina pulls. Monique obviously loved your ass. Honestly, big brother, you’re lucky she didn’t break out sooner.”
“I know, man. I just wanted to avoid having Jalisa go through the bullshit with parents who can’t get along.”
“Sometimes that’s not always possible.”
“I know.”
“So what are you going to do about Monique and Tina?”
“I don’t know what I’m gonna do about Monique. Shit, if I would have seen what she did, I wouldn’t want to have anything to do with me, either. I’ve been trying to call her all day, but of course she’s not answering. All I can do is hope that she’ll eventually cool off enough to let me really explain what happened, and give me another chance.”
In Too Deep Page 8
