Crossroads

by Nikita Lynnette Nichols

  “Amaryllis?”

  “They lied to us, Bridgette. They lied to us.”

  Date of Birth: November 16th, 1984

  Time of Birth: 10:20 a.m.

  Birth Weight: 5lbs., 2oz.

  Live Siblings: Price, Amaryllis Theresa-Fraternal Twin

  Amaryllis screamed.

  “Make it stop, James!”

  In James’s arms, Michelle was hysterical. He felt chill bumps on her arms as her voice rose. “Make it stop. Please, make it stop.”

  James had never seen Michelle behave in this manner. “Make what stop, baby? What are you talking about?”

  Michelle screamed. “The house is shaking!”

  James pulled Michelle’s head against his chest and wrapped his arms around her tightly. “Peace be still in this house. In the name of Jesus. Satan, I rebuke you right now. God is the head of this house.”

  He began to rub Michelle’s back and arms. “The blood of Jesus, the blood of Jesus. Peace, peace, peace, peace, peace, peace.”

  He felt Michelle’s body go limp against him. Suddenly, the telephone on the kitchen wall rang. At the sound, Michelle jumped. It was the loudest ring she’d ever heard in her life. James didn’t know whether to answer it or continue to shield his wife from whatever was attacking her. Each ring of the telephone screamed louder in her ears. She covered her ears and cried. “It’s too loud. Make it stop, James. Please, make it stop.”

  James let go of his wife and quickly snatched the telephone off the wall. “Bradley residence.”

  He couldn’t make out what the caller was saying. It sounded almost like his wife crying. “Hello? Who is this?”

  James pressed his ear into the telephone. He heard more crying and the name “Michelle.”

  “Amaryllis, is that you?”

  Only crying and yelling came through the telephone line. He held the telephone out for Michelle to take. “Mickey, it’s Amaryllis. She’s crying.”

  Michelle nervously took the telephone from him. “Sis?”

  Because Amaryllis was hysterical, Michelle only made out, “birthday,” “Veronica,” and “twins.”

  “What? Amaryllis, you’re not making sense, and you’re scaring me. Calm down and tell me what happened.”

  James watched his wife’s face turn from dark brown to winter white. He literally saw Michelle’s eyes roll to the back of her head. Just as he was reaching out to her, Michelle dropped the cordless telephone and was on her way down with it. James wasn’t fast enough. Michelle’s face slammed into the kitchen floor.

  Chapter 22

  Half an hour after Amaryllis had called Michelle, Bridgette answered a soft knock on the door. “Charles, thank God you’re here. I can’t calm her down.”

  “Where is she?” he asked frantically.

  Bridgette pointed toward the rear of the apartment. “She’s lying across her bed.”

  On his way to Amaryllis’s bedroom, Charles kissed Bridgette’s cheek. “Thanks for calling me, Bridgette. I appreciate it.”

  Amaryllis’s bedroom door was ajar. Charles poked his head in and saw her lying on the bed in a fetal position, rocking back and forth. He could also hear her moaning and crying. He gently pushed the door open wider and walked in.

  Charles spoke softly to Amaryllis. “Hey, beautiful.”

  Amaryllis didn’t acknowledge his presence. He sat on the bed next to her and rubbed her thigh. “Baby, I’m here. Tell me what I can do for you.”

  Amaryllis’s eyes were red and puffy. Her long, beautiful hair was matted to her head. Her rose-colored satin pillow-cases were stained with black mascara and eyeliner.

  She looked at Charles sitting next to her. “What are you doing here, Charles? I don’t want you to see me like this.”

  “Bridgette called me, and I rushed over.”

  “Did she tell you?”

  “Yeah, baby, she did, and I’m sorry you’re hurting.”

  Amaryllis turned her back to Charles. He saw her shoulders shaking and knew she was crying silently. Charles removed his shoes and lay down behind her and scooted his body next to hers. He pulled her close to him and wrapped his arms tightly around her. With the back of her head pressed against his chest, Amaryllis cried openly. Charles rocked her for twenty minutes until her sobbing turned into sniffles. Finally, she became quiet, and Charles felt her head press onto his bicep; then he knew she was asleep.

  Bridgette came into Amaryllis’s bedroom and stood by the bed. She saw Amaryllis lying peacefully in Charles’s arms, snoring softly. “Thanks for coming, Charles. I’m glad you knew what to do.”

  “Well, you know she’s my baby. Do me a favor, Bridgette. I don’t want to move from this position. Can you come and press the power button on my cell phone? I don’t want anything to disturb her.”

  Bridgette honored his request, then pulled the king-size comforter over them.

  “I’m going to bed, Charles. Knock on my door if you need anything.”

  Charles fell asleep holding Amaryllis in a spoon position. In Las Vegas, Michelle had cried herself to sleep in James’s arms. The two couples, thousands of miles away, slept in the exact same position until morning.

  The next morning, James wrapped Michelle in a huge towel as she stepped from the shower. From so much crying, her eyes were almost swollen shut. He kissed his wife’s cheek. “How are you feeling, baby? Are you hungry?”

  “No. I don’t want anything to eat. I gotta call my sister. She’s the one I’m worried about.”

  James held Michelle by both hands. “I’m all for you calling Amaryllis, but allow me to make you breakfast first. You need your strength to deal with this, Mickey.”

  “Okay, honey. But don’t make a huge breakfast, because I’m really not hungry.”

  “How about a bowl of oatmeal?”

  “That’s fine.” Michelle thought for a moment. “Why aren’t you at the precinct?”

  James frowned at her. “Are you serious? Do you honestly think that I would leave you alone at a time like this? You’ve just insulted me, Michelle. You ought to know me better than that.”

  James had never called her ‘Michelle’ before. She knew he was angry. She went to him and hugged him. “Honey, I’m sorry.”

  “Mickey, let’s not ever have this kind of discussion again. I will always, always be your covering. If you doubt that, then I’m not doing something right. There should never be a question in your mind what you mean to me or the lengths I will go to secure your safety and happiness.”

  “Baby, I don’t question your love and commitment. It was a stupid thing for me to ask.” She looked up at him with a slight smile. “Forgive me?”

  James kissed her lips. “I love my Mickey Mouse.”

  Fresh out of the shower, Amaryllis walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table. She saw Charles was peeking in the cabinets. “Good morning, handsome.”

  Charles looked at her and smiled. “Good morning, sleepy-head. Are you hungry?”

  “Uh-uh.” Amaryllis massaged her temples. “Bridgette’s gone already?”

  “Yeah, and she said not to worry. She’ll make up an excuse to tell your boss why you’re missing work today.”

  “Speaking of work, why aren’t you there?”

  Charles turned from the cabinets to face her. “Amaryllis, I will not leave you alone at a time like this. I’m here for you for as long as you need me to be. Now, with that out of the way, what do you want for breakfast?”

  “Charles, I don’t want anything to eat. I’m worried about my sister. I need to call her.”

  He approached Amaryllis and pulled her up from her chair and held her hands.

  “I encourage you to call your sister, but before you do, please eat something. You need your strength.”

  “I’m not hungry.”

  “Please, Amaryllis, for me. If I make you a bowl of oatmeal, will you eat it?”

  She smiled at Charles. “If you mash a banana in it.”

  Just as Michelle was reaching for the
telephone, it rang. “Hey, sis,” she answered.

  At the sound of Michelle’s voice that sounded so much like her own, Amaryllis’s eyes became teary. “How did you know it was me?”

  “Caller ID, silly. How are you feeling? Did you get any sleep?”

  Amaryllis’s head was lying on Charles’s lap. He soothed her as he raked her long tresses with his fingers. “Yeah, Charles is with me. He’s been beside me all night. How about you? Did you get any sleep?”

  Michelle was lying on the living room sofa with her legs stretched out across James’s lap. She cooed into the telephone as he massaged her toes. “Yeah, I’m okay. I’m glad Charles is with you. I don’t know what I’d do without my husband.”

  Charles ran the back of his hand across Amaryllis’s cheek. She smiled up at him.

  “Have you talked to Daddy, Michelle?”

  “Nope. I really don’t want to. Besides, he and Margaret are on a cruise. They won’t be back until next week.” Michelle unfolded a piece of paper she was holding. “I got my birth certificate that Daddy gave me. It states that I was born in Las Vegas on April eleventh, nineteen eighty-two to Diana and Nicholas Price. It also states that I had no siblings. All these years, Daddy’s been lying to me. He told me that my mother had a hard labor and died shortly after my birth at the hospital. He said she had hemorrhaged to death. And I remember growing up asking Daddy if I had any aunts, uncles, cousins, or grandparents. He told me that my mother was an only child whose parents had died in a car accident when she was a teenager. He said she didn’t have any sisters or brothers.

  And as far as any cousins, Daddy told me that he wasn’t aware of any.”

  “Wow. This is crazy, Michelle. Wait a minute. If Veronica is your mother, then who is the lady in the pictures in your house that you thought was your deceased mother?”

  Michelle looked across the living room at a photo inside a frame that sat on her mantel. “That’s what I wanna know.”

  “Well, all I know is that Daddy needs to hurry his behind home because we need answers. And now that I think about it, Michelle, I had a copy of my birth certificate that Veronica gave me when I was living with Randall, but it got lost when I moved out. I know it stated that I was born in Baton Rouge on November sixteenth, nineteen eighty-four to Nicholas and Veronica Price. The word ‘twin’ was nowhere on the certificate.”

  “Well, have you talked to Veronica?”

  “Nope. And I’m not going to call her, because I don’t wanna have to cuss her out. Besides, if Veronica has been lying all this time, why would she tell the truth now?”

  Michelle let out a loud sigh. “Well, Daddy is on vacation, and you refuse to talk to Veronica, but we need some answers right now. So, what are we gonna do?”

  “Maybe we should leave well enough alone, Michelle.”

  “Oh, heck, no. I wanna know who’s the woman in these pictures that I have all over my house if she’s not my mother.”

  “Well, what do you suggest we do, Michelle? I ain’t calling Veronica.”

  After a long pause, Michelle said, “Let’s go to Baton Rouge.”

  An hour later, Michelle phoned Amaryllis with her and James’s flight information. “We land in Baton Rouge tomorrow morning at seven-fifteen.”

  “Okay, Michelle. I’ll call you back with my information.”

  Amaryllis walked into her bedroom to retrieve her credit card. As she was walking back to the living room, she heard Charles talking on the telephone. “I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone, Mike. You’re my right-hand man; I trust that you’ll keep everything in tact in my absence. You can reach me on my cell phone twenty-four seven.”

  Amaryllis came and sat next to him. “What are you doing?”

  “Taking care of my responsibility.”

  “Charles, you can’t miss work. I don’t know how long we’ll be down there.”

  Charles leaned back on the sofa and crossed his left leg over his right knee.

  “What’s my last name, Amaryllis?”

  She frowned at him. “What?”

  “What’s my last name?”

  “Walker,” she answered.

  “Where do I work?”

  Amaryllis smiled because she knew where Charles was going with this interrogation.

  “Walker Contracting,” she answered.

  “That means I’m the boss and I can do whatever I wanna do.”

  From his wallet, Charles withdrew his Visa gold card. “Put your card away and charge two first-class tickets on mine. I need to run by the company and finalize some things. I also need to go home to pack some clothes, then run a few errands. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  Amaryllis called Michelle fifteen minutes later. “Charles and I will land in Baton Rouge at seven-forty tomorrow morning.”

  “You and Charles?”

  “Yeah, girl. He insists on being my shadow. He refuses to leave my side. I ain’t mad though, because I need him. He paid for us to fly first class.”

  Michelle was impressed. “Wow. The brotha is putting it out there like that, Amaryllis? He’s dropping $500 dinners, buying expensive furs, and now he’s flying you first class. Plus, he’s saved and sanctified. And you ain’t even got to lay with him?

  Da…uh, darn. I can’t wait to meet this jewel.”

  Amaryllis laughed at Michelle’s slip of the tongue. “Oh, yeah. You’re my twin. I knew you had it in you.”

  Chapter 23

  James and Michelle retrieved their luggage from baggage claim and walked to the arrivals section in United Airlines to sit and wait for Amaryllis and Charles’s flight to come in.

  Not far from where they sat, the flight information board listed all of the incoming and outgoing flight times. James searched and found their flight information. “According to the schedule, Mickey, their plane will land on time.”

  Michelle looked at her watch. “That gives us what, about twenty-five minutes?”

  James sat down next to her. “Yep. You want me to get you a cup of coffee or something to eat?”

  “No, honey. I’m too nervous to eat anything. Why are you always trying to feed me? Do you want a fat wife?”

  “I feed you because you don’t eat properly. You’ve been picky about the food you eat. And why do you always have to smell something before you eat it?”

  “Certain things make me queasy, and I can’t keep anything down lately.”

  James held her hand. “I heard you vomiting this morning, Mickey. Are you all right?”

  “Yeah, I’m sure it’s my nerves.” Michelle frowned and placed her hand on her stomach. “Speaking of nerves, I gotta throw up again.” She got up and practically ran toward the nearest restroom.

  A half hour later, James saw Amaryllis and a man walking toward them. Michelle was asleep with her head rested on his shoulder. Amaryllis saw Michelle and placed her index finger on her lips, motioning for James to keep quiet. She gave Charles her carry-on, then stood in front of Michelle and tapped her shoulder. Michelle sleepily opened her eyes. She saw her sister and jumped up. “Hey, twin.”

  Amaryllis embraced Michelle and held her tight. “Hey, twin.”

  James stood up next to Michelle. “What’s up, sis?”

  Amaryllis kissed his cheek. “Hey, brother-in-law. I want you two to meet my guy, Charles.” Amaryllis held Charles’s hand. “Charles, this is my sister, Michelle, and her husband, James.”

  Charles shook James’s hand. “God bless you, brother. It’s a pleasure.”

  James tightened the grip. “It’s nice to meet you too, man.”

  Charles looked at Michelle’s face and was at a loss for words. Amaryllis saw the way he was staring and nudged him. “Charles?”

  Charles blinked twice. “Huh? Oh, uh, I’m sorry. Please forgive me for what I’m about to ask, but I just gotta know. How could you have not known? Except for your skin complexions, you two are identical in every way.”

  James chuckled. “I guess their complexions threw me off.” He recalled a
time when his partner, Alexander Moore, had first met Amaryllis when she was visiting in Las Vegas. James and Alexander had stopped by Michelle’s law firm to visit. Alexander had met Amaryllis for the first time when she was temping for Michelle’s secretary, Chantal. James introduced Amaryllis to Alexander; then the two detectives proceeded to Michelle’s office. Once they were inside, Alexander spoke to James, “Wow, Michelle and her sister can pass for twins. They are identical. A black beauty and a yellow beauty.”

  “We know we’re alike in some ways but—” Amaryllis was saying before Charles cut her off.

  “In some ways?” Charles looked from Amaryllis to Michelle, then from Michelle to Amaryllis. Their faces, hair, bodies, voices, and even their heights matched. “You are alike in every way.”

  Michelle looked at her sister. “Do you really think it’s possible that we’re twins?”

  Amaryllis shrugged her shoulders. “That’s what we’re here to find out.”

  The two couples exited the airport and got into the waiting limousine that Charles had hired.

  Michelle and James checked into suite #2304 of the Marriott, and Amaryllis and Charles shared suite #2305. After Michelle was settled in her room, she went across the hall and knocked on her sister’s door. When Amaryllis opened the door, Michelle asked, “What’s the plan?”

  “I got Nana’s address. I say we just go to her house.”

  Michelle got nervous. “Now? You wanna just show up on her doorstep without calling her first?”

  Amaryllis pulled Michelle into the suite and closed the door. “Ain’t that why we flew down here?”

  “Yeah, but I don’t wanna just drop in unannounced. That’s not proper etiquette.”

  “Etiquette? Was it proper etiquette to withhold life-changing information from us?”

  Michelle got dizzy and sat down on the king-size bed. “Where’s Charles?”

  “He went down to the lobby to get a map. Are you all right?”

  Michelle fanned herself. “Yeah, it’s hot in here, though. I got to be honest with you, Amaryllis. I am so nervous.”