by Tracy Brown
The day of Ishmael’s funeral in Brooklyn was a solemn one for all who attended. Even members of rival crews came out to show their respect for one of the last Brooklyn dons in the game. Rah-lo paid all of the expenses, and he hosted the funeral repast at Akwaaba Mansion in Stuyvesant Heights. No expense was spared and Ishmael was given a send-off fit for royalty. Despite their differences, Ishmael had been one of Rah-lo’s lifelong friends. Instead of focusing on their differences at the end of Ishmael’s life, Rah-lo remembered the good times. And there had been a ton of them.
For the first time, Rah-lo, Asia, and Celeste were present at an event simultaneously. But Asia behaved and kept her distance from Celeste. Celeste was respectful and kept her distance from Rah-lo, focusing instead on grieving for Ishmael for herself. Robin sat in pained silence, rocking Hezekiah in her arms for much of the night. Charly came decked out in a curve-hugging black suit with a big dramatic hat atop her head. At first glance, anyone would have assumed that she was Ishmael’s widow. She cried and carried on the loudest and sat up front in the family pew as if she belonged there. The shock and sadness among all those present was palpable. Ishmael hadn’t deserved what had happened to him, and the tragedy made them all appreciate life a little bit more.
Celeste sat behind Rah-lo during the funeral. At the repast she watched him from across the room. He stood with his daughters and he looked so powerful, so in control. The way he directed the caterers and the staff to keep everything running smoothly, even the way he held his youngest daughter’s chin in his hand—he exuded power and strength. Celeste loved him more than ever. Along with Ishmael, she and Rah-lo had buried their past, and now they looked forward to forging ahead once again—together.
She had gone to talk to Bryson soon after Ishmael’s death. It was one of the hardest conversations she had ever had. As she walked into Bryson’s house and sat down, she wondered if she had completely lost her mind. He was a single heterosexual man with a great job, no kids, and no crazed ex wreaking havoc in his life. He had no felony convictions, no lengthy rap sheets, and no beef in the streets. He was handsome, his sex was utterly amazing, and she still couldn’t make herself feel more for him than the love that she felt for Rah-lo. She felt like such a fucking idiot.
Bryson noticed that she seemed upset. She wasn’t her usually happy and seductive self. Bryson had really begun to care for Celeste. He liked having her around and was wondering if they could build something together. “What’s the matter?” he asked. “Looks like you have something on your mind.”
Celeste sat forward in her chair and played with her hands. This wasn’t going to be easy. “Bryson, I think we need to fall back,” she said.
He frowned. He wanted the opposite. “Why?” he asked. “Did I do something wrong?”
She shook her head. “No. You did everything right.” She sighed. “I mean that. You have been perfect!” She shook her head, again wondering what kind of spell Rah-lo had cast on her to make her walk away from this man. “But I have some unfinished business in a past relationship. And I don’t want to keep seeing you while I try to sift through whatever’s left of my past. I just think you’re a great man and I could really be with you … but right now I have to fall back and sort things out with my ex before this goes any further.”
Bryson nodded. He appreciated her honesty. At least she wasn’t the type of woman to carry on two full-fledged relationships simultaneously the way that his ex had. “Okay,” he said, the disappointment palpable in his voice. “I respect that.”
She hated that he was making it easy. But she also appreciated it. She did love Rah-lo, whether it was smart to do so or not. She couldn’t help it. As hard as it was to walk away from a man as good as Bryson, she had to follow her heart. She stood and kissed Bryson good-bye, and he hugged her tightly.
“I can’t kiss these lips anymore?” he asked.
Celeste smiled. “Don’t tempt me,” she said. She picked up her purse and walked to the door. Turning around to look at him one last time, she winked at him and waved. As she walked to her car, she wondered how long she would continue to second-guess the decision she had just made.
EPILOGUE
Life After Death …
Rah-lo had been eager to get out of the game for years, and now was the perfect chance for him to do that. All of his crew was gone. Ishmael, Pappy, and J-Shawn were dead and Harry was in jail. It was over. Celeste had been right. Rah-lo was getting too old for that lifestyle now. Plus, Asia would love nothing more than to see him go back to jail. He knew that he couldn’t trust her since he’d walked out on her. He was sick of looking over his shoulder, waiting for some past wrong to come back and haunt him. He had to do the right thing in order to maintain both his freedom and his status as a role model for his daughters and as the man in Celeste’s life. So Rah-lo took a portion of the money he had managed to save over the years despite all of Asia’s lavish spending and wasting, and he started a moving company with Asia’s brother. Rah-lo didn’t do any of the day-to-day work for the company. He had no interest in that. Instead he financed the whole thing and left Asia’s brother in charge while he moved down to Atlanta to be with Celeste. Asia didn’t appreciate it one bit. Not only had Rah-lo gone legit, but he also had given her newly paroled brother a reason to like him. What Asia had wanted was for her family to shun Rah-lo because he had left her. Instead, they seemed to be rallying around him in support. Rah-lo mused that he had gotten the second chance he had been looking for. With Celeste, he had the chance to be happy on his own terms for the first time since before his children were born. And he was going to give it his all.
Asia eventually got her act together. She went back to school (at Rah-lo’s expense) and became a nurse’s aide, working part-time in an adult-care facility. She felt better with her newfound independence, and her daughters were extremely proud of her. Rah-lo sent for his daughters every summer and school holiday and they spent time with him and Celeste in Atlanta. They loved Celeste. She was so opposite their mother—calm, fun, happy. They all hit it off beautifully. Despite Asia’s attempts to poison her daughters’ young minds against Rah-lo’s new love, the girls were old enough and smart enough to make up their own minds. And they adored her. They simply never mentioned that when their mother was within earshot so as not to hurt her feelings. Rah-lo flew to New York for every recital, every play, every game, and they loved him for it. Asia was served with the divorce papers six weeks after Ishmael’s funeral. To Rah-lo’s surprise, she signed them without putting up a fight.
Asia continued her affair with Neo and actually accepted his unexpected marriage proposal. This surprised everyone involved until it was revealed that Neo had taken over the business that Rah-lo and Ishmael had forfeited. Asia had gotten herself another boss, and all of her family and friends were happy for her. But Neo was swooped down on by the Feds and was facing decades of jail time for drug crimes. Asia left him before the ink was dry on his arrest warrant. Soon, Asia was back on the prowl looking for another sucker.
Charly continued her search for her own baller. She sparred with the stylists in her shop daily and continued to create confusion wherever she went. She wondered what might have been had Ishmael never gone down to Atlanta in search of Celeste. And from time to time Charly wondered if her own instigating had inadvertently led Nina to go over the edge. But Charly pushed those thoughts aside when they invaded her mind. After all, Nina was the psycho, not Charly. She went on with her life and didn’t change one bit. She was fine just as she was!
Robin graduated from college and quit her job at Charly’s. She went to work as a social worker for wayward teens at a local group home. She loved her job and the lifestyle it allowed her to give her son. Hezekiah was growing up to be a wonderful young man. She was extremely proud of that. She often thought about Ishmael, wondering what might have been had he never gone to Atlanta. Unfortunately, she would never have the pleasure of knowing that deep inside he really did care for her.
Cel
este accompanied Rah-lo to New York one summer to pick up the girls. When they got to Staten Island and picked up the girls, Celeste convinced Rah-lo to stop at the mall so that she could run a quick errand. The girls were thrilled at the thought of a shopping spree, and Rah-lo was outnumbered. As they drove around Staten Island, Celeste looked around at the borough she had once called home. In the years since she had last been there, things had changed drastically. Town houses now stood in places where once only woods had been. Traffic was bumper-to-bumper, and new stores had opened up all over the borough. The borough that had once been known as a small suburban community now looked like all the others, overcrowded and bustling with activity. So much had changed in so little time. Including her relationship with the man she loved.
Celeste, Rah-lo, and the girls arrived at the mall and headed inside. While Rasheeda dragged her father into Forever 21, Celeste ducked into CVS. She hadn’t been feeling well lately and she needed to find out what the problem was. Not wanting to trouble Rah-lo, she didn’t tell him what was wrong. She decided to confirm her suspicions first and made her purchase, then headed into the food court bathroom nearby.
Celeste came out of the ladies’ room with a huge smile plastered on her face. Rah-lo now sat on a bench, waiting for his daughters to finish shopping for cell phone accessories. Celeste came and sat beside him. “Baby,” she said. “I have something to tell you.”
Rah-lo looked at her and smiled back. “What’s the matter?” he asked.
“Rah, I’m pregnant.”
He stopped talking and stood up with his mouth open in shock. “What did you say?” he asked.
Celeste repeated herself. “I’m pregnant. I missed my period. I thought my cycle might just be changing or whatever, but deep inside I knew that I was pregnant. I just took a pregnancy test and it turned blue!” She smiled so hard her jaw began to ache.
Rah-lo smiled as he listened in stunned silence. Celeste misinterpreted his speechlessness for disappointment. Maybe Rah-lo didn’t want another child.
“Are you happy?”
Rah-lo laughed. “Of course I’m happy!” he said. He kissed her and hugged her tightly. Then suddenly he jumped up and said, “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”
Celeste sat there looking confused as Rah-lo ran up the escalator. She had no idea where he was going or if he was really happy about her announcement. When he came back, he had a pair of blue baby Jordans in his hand. Celeste laughed as he approached her with a Kool-Aid smile on his face. “These are for the baby,” he said.
She shook her head. “How do you know it’s gonna be a boy?” She motioned to his three daughters headed their way. “You don’t really do boys.”
“I know I made one this time. I can feel it.” The girls approached and saw Celeste holding the baby sneakers. They frowned, confused.
“Who are those for?” Raleigh asked.
Rah-lo smiled and rubbed Celeste’s flat belly. “Your new little brother,” he announced proudly. It took the girls a few moments to catch his meaning. When they finally did, the three of them jumped up and down excitedly, yelling happily. Celeste smiled as they headed out to the parking lot.
On the way to the bridge, Rah-lo told Celeste that he had to make a detour through Park Hill. “I have to run in this store real quick to see my boy. I’ll be right back.” Before she could protest, Rah-lo sprang out of the car and into the variety store. Celeste sat in the car with the girls parked in front of the pay phone, wondering why he had to stop here of all places. She looked around at all of Park Hill, bustling with activity. She glanced at her watch, growing impatient as she waited for Rah-lo to come out. As she looked up, she spotted him coming across the street in her direction. He glided toward her and it struck her how eerily reminiscent the whole scene was of the day they’d met. Rah-lo walked toward the car smiling. He motioned for her to get out of the car and she did. Celeste couldn’t help smile, although she was still confused about what was going on.
Rah-lo reached the spot where she stood and towered over her. “What’s going on?” she asked.
Rah-lo smiled. “Don’t worry about all these people out here. They’re not used to seeing someone as fine as you are standing on the block like this.”
Celeste frowned, smiling at the same time. This was like déjà vu. She recalled the night back in 1992 when she had met Rah-lo on this very spot and he had said something to her that was very similar.
“I don’t understand,” she said.
Rah-lo grinned, the same sexy grin she’d fallen in love with. Then he got down on one knee and pulled a ring box out of his pocket. It was the real reason he had run upstairs in the mall. The baby sneakers had only been a clever distraction from what he had really gone to buy. Celeste gasped and covered her mouth with her hands.
Rah-lo smiled at her. “I love you, Celeste. I wanted you to come back here where we met ’cause I think we’ve come full circle. It’s been a long time since the day I came across the street and fell in love with you, and as I came across the street just now I fell in love with you all over again.” He took the ring out of the box and held it up for her to see. The diamond gleamed in the sunlight. “Will you marry me?”
Celeste began to cry, and Rah-lo’s daughters jumped around excitedly inside the car. “Say yes!” they yelled.
Rah-lo smiled at Celeste as she managed to say, “Yes,” and he hugged her tightly. “I love you,” she said.
Rah-lo kissed her softly. “I love you, too.” He rubbed her still-flat belly and smiled broadly. “Finally!” he yelled. He picked Celeste up off her feet and swung her around with pure joy. He felt like the luckiest man alive. He had changed his life and gotten the girl and now she was having his baby. He knew that all the trials and tribulations they’d had to endure to get to this point had been worth it. It was the happiest moment of his life.
They welcomed a ten-pound, four-ounce baby eight months later. They named him Raheem after his father. Asia, in turn, took Rah-lo to court for child support. He happily paid it each month, knowing that she was bitter only because Celeste had given him the son that had eluded Asia three times. Rah-lo and Celeste flew to Negril and got married on the beach the following summer in a quiet ceremony attended by only close family and friends. Rah-lo and Celeste beamed with joy the entire time. It was as close as they could come to happily ever after and it was about damned time.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Monique Patterson, I just can’t say enough about you. Thanks for your support, your honest critiques, your patience and understanding. You are the absolute best there is and I am so honored to work with you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything you do.
Kareem Moody, you always support me and you constantly include me in your latest ventures. You are always quick to offer your help, and you never let me down. You are a true friend and I thank you for all you’ve done.
Tanara Brown, Paulette Wilson, T’wana Denard, Jessica Forrest, Ayana Ellis, Angelique Poole, and Deidre Woodley: A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words. A friend is one who believes in you when you have ceased to believe in yourself. A friend is someone who knows all about you and loves you anyway. A friend remembers what we were and sees what we can be. Friends are the angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly. Thank you for being my friends. I love you.
Also by Tracy Brown
Dime Piece
Black
Criminal Minded
White Lines
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
TWISTED. Copyright © 2008 by Tracy Brown. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y 10010.
www.stmartins.com
eISBN 9781429993401
First eBook Edition : March 2011
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Brown, Tracy 1974–
Twisted / Tracy Brown.—1st ed.
p. cm.
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-33650-9
ISBN-10: 0-312-33650-0
1. African American women—Fiction. 2. Atlanta (Ga.)—Fiction. 3. Adultery—Fiction. 4. Revenge—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3602.R723T86 2008
813'.6—dc22
2008003151
