Twisted

by Tracy Brown

  “Don’t worry about it. We ain’t together no more, right?” Asia’s attempt to make Rah-lo jealous fell flat.

  “Right. I’ll call you when I get back.” Rah-lo hung up the phone and made his way to his departure gate.

  Flight 1121 for Atlanta, Georgia, is now boarding at Gate 8A.

  Rah-lo walked over to the desk and gave his ticket and ID to the airline employee. She smiled at him, in a manner that was clearly forced, and he walked past her without returning the gesture. Once aboard the plane, he took out a folded-up piece of paper he had been carrying in his pocket. He opened it up and read the note Celeste had scrawled for him when she’d left.

  “Life is short and I don’t want to look back on mine with any regrets.” Rah-lo folded the note and stuck it back inside his pocket. He had read it a million times over the past few years, and he still couldn’t believe that Celeste had walked away from him. He thought about all the memories they’d made over the years. The trips, the dinner dates, the rainy nights they spent making love to the rhythm of the drops on the windowpane. He thought about how she looked in the morning when the sunlight caressed her face, and how she looked at him with her eyes so full of love. These were all things he missed about her, things he hadn’t found in his wife. Celeste’s words rang in his head. Life is short, he thought, and he was tired of living a life full of regret. He regretted letting her walk out of his life, regretted sacrificing his own happiness for the sake of everyone else’s. But he didn’t regret leaving Asia. Not for one second.

  He glanced out the window on the plane and looked into the clouds that surrounded him. In about forty minutes, his flight would be landing in Atlanta. He intended to find Celeste and to win her back. This time, he was playing for keeps.

  Nina walked into Charly’s and headed straight for Robin. Robin looked up just in time to see Nina swinging at her, fists balled up and ready for war.

  “You thought I was playing, bitch? You wanna fuck my man?” Nina was out of control. Robin ducked and dodged Nina’s blows and then jumped on her, knocking her to the floor. Nina kept swinging, catching Robin a few times. But Robin was surprisingly strong and she was soon straddling Nina, punching her again and again. The two women fought like cats as the patrons in Charly’s shop looked on in amazement.

  The man whose hair Robin had been braiding tried to intervene and separate the women. But he was afraid that he would be hit by one of the many blows thrown between them. Finally, he managed to pry Robin away from Nina and Charly stepped in and held Nina back.

  “Calm the fuck down!” Charly yelled at Nina as she tried to get free. “Coming in here with this bullshit. You two should be embarrassed, fighting over Ishmael like this!”

  Robin shot Charly an incredulous glance since she herself had fought over Ishmael at one time. As Robin turned her attention back to Nina, Robin’s chest heaved with anger. “You’re crazy!” she yelled. “He don’t want you, bitch. Leave it alone.”

  “Fuck you!” Nina said. “He definitely doesn’t want you! He’s only fucking your dumb ass!” Nina tried to charge at Robin again, but Charly held her tightly. “Stay away from him, Robin!”

  Robin smirked. “He told me it’s over with you and him, Nina. He told you, too. So as far as I’m concerned, he’s a single man. I’m gonna keep fucking him for as long as I want. And I’m gonna keep letting him eat my pussy, too, you stupid bitch!”

  Robin knew that she was stooping to Nina’s level by antagonizing her with the details of her and Ishmael’s sex life. But she was heated. This bitch had charged into Robin’s place of work and tried to kick her ass. At that moment, rationality went out the window.

  Hearing Robin describe Ishmael going down on her was enough to make Charly want to cry. Damn, she missed Ishmael’s oral expertise! She was so jealous that she was tempted to let Nina go and let the two women fight all over again. But Nina would probably kill Robin if Charly let her go. And then who would Charly get to braid hair as well as Robin did?

  “Nina, get out of my shop,” Charly said as calmly as she could. “I don’t come in your shop starting shit, so don’t come in mine with that bullshit, either.” Charly half-dragged Nina to the door. Nina was far from done.

  “This ain’t over, bitch! I swear to God I will kill you if you ever go near him again!”

  Charly ushered Nina outside and she stormed off toward her car. Nina could not stop crying. To her, all of this was Robin’s fault. If she hadn’t been fucking with Ishmael, he might still be in Nina’s life. As of now, Nina hadn’t heard a word from him since he stormed out of her shop. She feared that this time he meant business and that it really was over for good. She got into her car and called Ishmael once more. Again, she got his voice mail and she hung up fuming with anger. She dialed Asia’s number and was relieved when she answered. Nina needed desperately to commiserate.

  “Have you found Rah-lo yet?” Nina asked.

  Asia told Nina about her conversation with Rah-lo when he was at the airport. “I’m gonna go down there,” she said. “I’m not gonna just let another bitch have my husband.”

  Nina knew exactly what Asia meant. She wasn’t about to let Robin have Ishmael, either. Nina filled Asia in on her fight with Robin and what Robin had said about Ishmael going down on her.

  Asia was flabbergasted. “See?” she said, amping it up. “I would have to kill that bitch for saying some shit like that to me.”

  What Asia didn’t know was that Nina had threatened Robin’s child as well. Nina had conveniently left that part out. “Have you heard from Ishmael?” Asia asked.

  Nina closed her eyes and shook her head. “No,” she said. “He won’t answer any of my calls.”

  “Mine, either,” Asia said. “Him and Rah-lo are both ignoring my calls and messages.”

  Nina tried not to cry. “But that’s okay,” she said. “Ishmael can’t ignore me forever.” Even as she said it, Nina wasn’t so sure. She felt that this was really the end as far as Ishmael was concerned. And it tore her heart into a thousand pieces.

  “I’m not letting another bitch just take my husband without a fight,” Asia said.

  Nina nodded. “I know exactly what you mean,” she said. She would do whatever it took to get Ishmael back.

  Asia called her mother and explained the situation to her. “I know you’ve had the kids all week, but I need you to keep them just a little while longer.” Asia asked her mother to watch the kids for her while she went and tried to salvage her marriage. “Ma, I know how you feel about him,” Asia said.

  “Like hell you know. You don’t have a clue how much I can’t stand that miserable bastard. What do you need him for, Asia? He’s not making money the way he used to make it. He’s no longer an asset. Now he’s a liability. He got arrested with his mistress in a house you didn’t even know he owned. What more do you need to see before you make up your mind and walk away from this bullshit? What you need to do is divorce his broke ass and take him to child support court for all them kids you done laid there and had with him. Make that muthafucka pay for leaving you by yourself. And then you go and find you a man who can really provide.”

  Asia rolled her eyes. She hadn’t expected her mother to understand that it wasn’t so simple for her. Asia didn’t really love Rah-lo anymore. She cared about him. But love had gone away a long time ago. Still, she would be damned if another bitch would have him. All the years Asia had put in with Rah-lo were not going to be wasted. She would not allow Celeste to win, to take the man she had invested so many years in and make him her own. No. Asia was going to fight tooth and nail to ensure that her husband came back home to her and their children, no matter how unhappy that home was. “I’m going after him, Ma. Now if you don’t want to watch the girls, it’s all right. I will ask somebody else. But I don’t need the lecture right now. I’m going to Atlanta in the morning.”

  Mrs. Hudson shook her head. “You don’t even know if he went to Atlanta. What if he went to Chicago or Charlotte? For all you know
, he could have a chick in every state.”

  “I know he went to Atlantá because I checked his checking account statement and he put a one-way ticket on his debit card. So I’m not just running around the country looking for him.”

  “And you just gon’ go on down there and chase after that fucker like he has a golden dick swinging between his legs—”

  “Ma!”

  “Ma, my ass, Asia! I raised you better than that. If a man don’t want you, he don’t want you. I told you that when you came crying to me about him having that chick on the side. I told you that when you kept getting pregnant trying to hold on to him.”

  “I wasn’t trying to hold on to Rah-lo by getting pregnant,” Asia protested, wiping tears out of the corners of her eyes.

  “Yes, you were, and you know it. Every time shit got bad between you two and Raheem started spending more time away from home, miraculously you got pregnant. Like clockwork. You don’t fool me.”

  Asia sat silent, knowing her mother spoke the truth.

  Mrs. Hudson knew that her daughter was still on the line because she could hear her breathing. She decided to ease up just a little. “You can leave my granddaughters over here so I can make sure they’re okay while you’re gone. I’ll take them to school every day and to dance class and all that shit you got them signed up for. Bring some money by here before you leave, too! But let me tell you one thing. You have to let him go if he don’t want to be with you, Asia. If a man don’t love you, there’s nothing you can do but let him go. It hurts like hell. I know it does. But you gotta bow out gracefully and let him go so that you can move on with your life and he can move on with his. All this foolishness is affecting your kids. You can go and try and save your marriage if you want to. But you and I both know it’s been over for a very long time. If this doesn’t work and Rah-lo doesn’t come back to you, I want you to pick yourself up and start over again on your own. There’s a man out there who will love you for you. Trust me.”

  Asia felt the tears rolling down her cheeks because what her mother was telling her was truer than she probably knew. But Asia was stubborn. She was hurt that Rah-lo wanted to end their marriage, hurt that he had walked out on her. But what hurt more was the thought that another woman might actually love him the way that Asia knew he really deserved. She also couldn’t bear the thought of having to support herself and having to give up the lavish, lackadaisical lifestyle she had grown accustomed to. There was no way Asia was giving all that up without a fight.

  She dried her eyes, said, “Thanks, Ma,” and hung up the phone. Asia took a deep breath and began to pack her clothes.

  Ishmael stepped off the plane and walked into the airport terminal. Almost immediately he spotted Celeste waiting for him at the gate. Beside her stood another lovely young lady whom Ishmael didn’t recognize. He smiled, seeing Celeste for the first time in so long. Despite the fact that they had never even shared a kiss, he felt a strong emotional and physical connection to her. The chemistry between them had been undeniable once. He wondered if that had changed.

  Celeste couldn’t stop staring at him. He was still so damn fine! Keisha all but jumped out of her panties at the sight of him.

  “Hello, stranger.” Ishmael dropped his bags and grabbed Celeste in a big bear hug, scooping her off her feet. She squealed in delight and hugged him back tightly. When he finally put her down she was smiling so hard that she was blushing.

  “Aren’t you gonna introduce us?” Keisha asked, looking Ishmael up and down. She liked what she saw.

  Celeste shook her head in amazement. “This is my friend Ishmael,” she said, unable to stop smiling. “Ishmael, this is my friend Keisha.”

  Keisha smiled. “Is he a single friend?” Ishmael was a beautiful man! He looked even better in person than he did on his MySpace page. He was tall, had a nice build and a smile that made her want to slip into something more comfortable.

  Celeste shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know,” she said, looking at Ishmael. “Are you?”

  Ishmael smiled and nodded. “Yeah, absolutely.” He wondered why seeing Celeste smiling at him was such a thrill. She looked better than she had the last time he’d seen her. Which was saying a lot, because to Ishmael Celeste always looked flawless. “I like your haircut,” he told her.

  She smiled. “Thanks.”

  An awkward silence enveloped them and Keisha filled it. “So, are we gonna stand here all day smiling and staring or should we go get something to eat? I’m starving.” She had come along with Celeste because Celeste was nervous about seeing Ishmael again after so long. Now that Keisha saw the two of them together she could understand why. Their connection was unmistakable.

  Celeste nodded. “Come on,” she said, taking Ishmael by the arm. “Let’s go feed you some real southern cooking.”

  They headed to Keisha’s favorite soul food restaurant and got comfortable at a corner table.

  “So, Ishmael,” Keisha said, batting her eyelashes. “What brings you to Atlanta?”

  He looked at Celeste and was tempted to tell Keisha that her friend had brought him there. That was the truth. That and the fact that Nina and Rah-lo’s bullshit had gotten to be too much for him. But he didn’t need to divulge all of that right now. “I had some business to handle down here and I was gonna come in another week or so,” he said instead. “But after I talked to Celeste the other day, I felt like I should come down here a little early and get reacquainted with an old friend.” He sipped his drink.

  Celeste said nothing. She couldn’t help noticing that the years hadn’t changed him much. He looked good, smelled good, and Celeste was momentarily distracted. She snapped out of it when the waitress came to take their orders. They made small talk until their food arrived. Biting into her salmon, Celeste looked across the table at Ishmael. “I’m glad to see you again, Ish. It’s been a long time.”

  Keisha wasn’t letting them off the hook with pleasantries. She wanted to know the real deal. “So, Ishmael, tell the truth. Are you here doing Rah-lo’s dirty work or what? Did he send you down here to find Celeste and get her to take him back?” To Keisha, this was better than All My Children.

  Ishmael shook his head. “Rah-lo don’t even know that I’m here.”

  Celeste was relieved to hear that. Seeing Ishmael again was enough of a distraction from her new life. She didn’t need to see Rah-lo and lose her focus completely. “Good,” she said. “I came down here to get away from all that bullshit. I got tired of being Rah-lo’s secret. And I got sick of all the fighting between me, Charly, Nina, and Robin and Asia. I needed to get away from that.”

  Ishmael laughed. “I know exactly what you mean.” Ishmael explained about Nina and their breakup, Robin and his unexpected feelings for her and how she broke up with him, and Charly and her thirst for drama. He recounted the fight at Rah-lo’s house and how their friendship had ended. Celeste listened attentively and so did Keisha. For Keisha, all of this was extremely exhilarating, and she hoped that sexy Ishmael liked Atlanta enough to stay for a long time. She hadn’t had this much excitement in years.

  They finished their meal and headed out to Celeste’s car. Along the way, Keisha and Celeste pointed out Atlanta’s hot spots. Ishmael soaked it all up. Celeste drove Keisha home and dropped her off. She felt comfortable enough with Ishmael now and she no longer needed the third party.

  Keisha bid them both good-bye and climbed out of the car. “See you soon, Ishmael,” she said, winking at him. “Celeste, I’ll call you later.” Keisha sashayed inside of her house as Celeste drove away.

  Now that they were alone, Ishmael couldn’t keep his eyes off of Celeste. He remembered when he would’ve given everything to be with her. But her love for Rah-lo had always prevented that. “Celeste, do you still love him?”

  She was caught off guard by Ishmael’s question. “Who? Rah-lo?” She took her eyes off the road and looked at him briefly before refocusing on her driving. She sighed, shook her head. But she couldn’t deny the truth.
“I do love him, Ishmael. I do. I’m just at a different point in my life now. I don’t want to deal with all that drama anymore, Asia and all that. I don’t want to be involved with a drug dealer, worrying that he’s not coming home at night because he could be dead or locked up. Who still hustles at our age?” When she had met Rah-lo, Celeste was infatuated by the lifestyle he lived. The money, the power and respect, the drama, the intrigue, and even the violence were exciting to Celeste in the beginning. She had never been with a guy like Rah-lo. But as she got older and matured, she began to realize what an ignorant mentality she had adopted as a result of the life she was living. The money was intoxicating and the lifestyle was one that most women would envy. But she began to feel empty despite all of that. She began to question whether it was wise for her to be involved in such a serious relationship with a man who was not only married but also deeply rooted in the drug game. Celeste wanted more. She wanted her own success, her own money, and her own man.

  Ishmael looked at her blankly. He wondered what she thought of him, since he also hustled. “Well, you know that’s what we do, Celeste. So what? That’s not good enough for you now that you came to Atlanta?”

  Celeste hadn’t meant to offend Ishmael. Even though he had worked with Rah-lo, she had never seen Ishmael as just a drug dealer. He had a day job—or at least he did at one time—so she thought of him as a workingman who hustled a little here and there. “It’s not that I’m too good for anything. I’m just tired of all of that shit, Ishmael.”

  He understood. “Well, I can’t speak about baggage because my baggage just fucked up my friendship and my sex life.”

  Celeste laughed. “Well, at least you were smart enough not to get married or have a whole bunch of kids. I dealt with more than some jealous ex-girlfriends. I had a wife, kids, a whole other life that he was living apart from me to contend with.”