by KP, Miss
“Not yet. Where are you?”
“I’m at the hospital. I don’t know what to do. I’ve always been strong and been able to deal with anything thrown my way, but this is something I just can’t handle. Where’s my husband?” she cried. “I just pray that he’s alive!”
“Yeah I know. I hate to think the worst,” I replied.
“Oh my God, please don’t. I don’t wanna think that way either.”
“Look, Marisol, you shouldn’t be alone at a time like this. I’m here for you. I’ll fly back by the weekend okay? In the meantime be strong and give those babies a kiss for me. Oh, and if Carlos calls, call me right away.”
“Okay, Rich. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
“Oh, Rich if you talk to Lisa, please tell her to call me. She won’t return any of my calls. Maybe she has a clue that’ll help us find Carlos?”
I got extremely quiet for a moment. “Will do.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Lisa
I woke up with an upset stomach, feeling like I had to throw up. Back and forth to the bathroom all morning, finally I let it all out. It was just clear mucus, no food at all. I had Denie bring me some toast and ginger ale to settle my stomach. As I laid in bed trying to get myself together, I began to have so many evil thoughts, and my head and heart both were heavy. My mind had been working overtime on different ways to destroy Rich’s life the way he’d destroyed mine. The divorce was obviously something mild and not enough to destroy Rich for good. Besides, we had to wait too long for the actual court date, so after much consideration I thought I’d hit him where it would hurt the most; with his pride and joy…Denie.
She’d been in heaven ever since I allowed her to see Nelson; something I knew Rich would never approve of. I gave Denie and Nelson my word, that it would be our secret. That was all a part of my plan to keep Denie at my house so Rich could continue to pay the bills. He’d made it very clear that Denie would be eighteen this year and as soon as she left for college, he wouldn’t have to worry about doing anything else for me. Little did he know, I had a plan that was gonna change his life forever. He was gonna pay for all of the pain that he’d put me through over the years, especially taking Carlos away from me.
My phone rang and at first I thought it was Marisol. She still continued to call daily. I knew she was just calling to see if I knew anything about Carlos, so to avoid interrogation I ignored her completely. When I looked at the caller ID, I sighed. It was Rich.
“Yes.”
“Why haven’t you returned any of Marisol’s calls?”
“What do you think, Rich? Unless you want me to tell her where her husband really is thanks to you?”
“Stop talkin’ reckless on this phone, you stupid bitch. Your Goddaughter Mia is in the hospital, so that’s why she’s callin’. Didn’t you get any of her messages?”
“I didn’t listen to them. What’s wrong with Mia?”
“She was diagnosed with Leukemia. I’m flyin’ back to L.A in a couple of days. I don’t expect you to fly out there, but Marisol really needs you right now.”
“Oh my God. I didn’t know.”
“Well, if you answered the damn phone you would know.”
“Listen, you need to calm the fuck down.”
“Just call her back!” Rich yelled then hung up.
He obviously still hated me, but the feelings were mutual. Thinking about the devastating news, I felt really bad for Mia. I loved those kids and I knew it was extremely hard for Marisol since Carlos wasn’t there by her side. Putting our differences aside, I decided to give her a call once I got in my car to go see my lawyer.
“Hello.”
“Marisol, it’s me. I just talked to Rich. How’s Mia doing?”
“Lisa, she’s in really bad shape. She’s gonna go through her first round of chemo next week.”
I could tell she’d been crying. “Damn, I really hate to hear that. How are you holding up?”
“It’s a lot on me. I’ve lost twenty-five pounds since she first got sick. It’s been tough, especially since Carlos is missing.” She sounded miserable. “Have you talked to him?”
“No, I haven’t. Give Mia a kiss for me and keep me posted on her condition.”
“Thanks for calling me Lisa, it means a lot.”
“Well, you’ve been there for me all these years, through my troublesome marriage. Now, it’s time for me to be there for you.”
“Lisa, I’m really sorry about Jade and Rich. Please believe me, I didn’t know they were together,” Lisa said.
“It’s cool,” I lied. I was still bitter about that shit, and had no plans to forgive Marisol for not telling me about the happy couple.
“Take care, and try to visit your Goddaughter whenever you get a chance.”
“Okay and I’ll keep her in my prayers.”
I hung up the phone really feeling sorry for Mia and not really giving a damn about Marisol. If Carlos were here, he definitely would’ve been by her side every step of the way. I loved Mia and wished her no harm, but this would’ve certainly made Marisol and Carlos’ marriage even stronger, so in a way I’m glad he wasn’t around. We might not have been together if he’d known that night his daughter was sick. Suddenly, my evil side kicked in when I thought, would I rather Carlos be dead without me or alive with Marisol.
Nursing my upset stomach, I snacked on some saltine crackers and a Canada Dry, which seemed to help a bit. As I was getting in the car, Jermaine sent me a text to let me know the owner of the shop he worked in was having a huge party at Club Layla. I instantly contemplated about not going because I wasn’t in the mood to be around anybody.
Then again maybe I should have a night out on the town with Jermaine. I thought about how he really knew how to cheer me up, especially Jermaine’s friend Dike. I laughed to myself thinking about how much fun I had with them the last time I got my hair done. After thinking for a few more minutes, I finally replied back to Jermaine telling him that I would let him know if I was going by eight. Even though I couldn’t tell him, my decision really depended on how much I got done for the big showdown, Operation Destroy Rich.
My lawyer’s office was on K Street in downtown D.C. which didn’t take me long to get to at all. The only thing that was annoying was trying to find parking. All of the lots were full, so I had to get change at the hot dog stand and park on the street. After feeding my meter, I entered the office building’s revolving doors and headed toward the elevators. However, I decided to take the stairs since the elevator was taking so long.
When I walked into the office, I was greeted by the receptionist, Ginger, who was such a dingy blond white girl. She was originally from Houston and had a sweet southern personality as well as an accent.
“Hello, Mrs. Sanchez, Mr. Leach is expecting you. I’ll buzz him right now and let him know you’re here.”
“Thanks, Ginger. How’s your daughter doing?”
“She’s fine, getting tall. Did your son get released yet?”
“No, that’s one of the reasons I’m here.”
“Well, I’m praying for you.”
I smiled. “Thanks. I need all the prayer I can get.”
When she called Mr. Leach, he was ready for me to come inside. His office was small, but ran professionally. There were two other lawyers who practiced at his law firm, his sister Sherise and another lawyer Evelyn Sharpe. All of the hustlers kept Evelyn on retainer if they couldn’t afford Mr. Leach because she was known for getting all of them off. When I walked in, Mr. Leach greeted me with a hug as usual.
“Hi, Mr. Leach,” I greeted.
“Lisa, how many times do I have to tell you to call me John?” he asked after sitting down at his desk. “So, where are we with everything? Are you still going through with the divorce?”
I thought about what Rich said about not trying to give him one, but I wasn’t about to give up. “Yes, I am. Is there anyway we could rush things along? I really need to get on with
my life.”
“Well, D.C. law requires that you all be separated at least six months before you file. You know the whole reason for the separation is so couples can determine how assets will be split, who will get custody of the children, who’s responsible for what debt, things like that.”
“I don’t care about any of that. He can have everything, and Denie can go live with him. I just want my divorce. Hell, we’ve been separated for more than six months.” It didn’t matter to me if John knew I was lying. I had to get rid of Rich...fast.
John pushed up his glasses. “Why didn’t you tell me that in the beginning? We could’ve taken another route.”
“Okay, so now that you know, I need you to file for my divorce asap,” I replied.
“You know, Mr. Sanchez didn’t sound too happy about this divorce when we spoke over the phone,” John informed.
“I don’t care about that. Just do what I asked!”
John quickly wrote something down on a piece of paper. “Okay. I’ll see what I can do. Is that all you needed today?”
“No, I need you to get my son out of jail.”
“Well, I’ve been working on that, but your son is facing some serious charges. We might have to look at a plea deal.”
“I don’t want him to spend another day in jail, so how much do I have to pay to make this go away.”
“Lisa, I would do anything for you, but it’s a little more complicated.”
When John went on to explain the details of the case, it didn’t sound good. With his charges, Juan was gonna have to take a five year plea deal at the minimum. I tried over and over to explain to Juan that his only route was to turn against Rich, but he still hadn’t given me an answer. I even wrote him a letter the other day letting him know how much I needed him. Maybe the more I pressed him, he would eventually see that giving Rich up, was the best answer.
After we laid out Juan’s options, I thanked John for his time and told him I would be in touch. Walking back to my car, I began to think about the paperwork from all the life insurance policies that I’d reviewed the day before. Hopefully Rich hadn’t stopped paying the premiums because I was the beneficiary for him, Juan and Denie’s polices. With the plan I had in mind, even if Rich didn’t give me any money, I was going to be straight.
On my way home, I stopped by Home Depot off of Rhode Island Avenue to pick up some items I was going to need for my big project. Even though I wasn’t feeling well, a sudden adrenaline rush came over me. I was finally standing up for myself and doing this not only for me, but for Carlos, too.
Pulling up into the Home Depot parking lot, I found a great parking spot right in front. I pulled my list out and went in the store with a huge smile. I hadn’t even made it down the first aisle before some guy in a bright, orange apron walked up to me and started to flirt. However, instead of brushing him off, I used him to my advantage to let him help me with my mission.
“Okay, what’s your name again?” I asked.
“Willis, and yours?”
“Lisa. I’m so happy you’re helping me because I would’ve been lost in this huge store. Now, here’s my list. I need some gray duct tape, 100 feet of rope, two razor blades, some very sturdy nails, screws, an electric drill, and a good screwdriver.”
“Gosh, pretty lady. What are you planning on doing with all this?”
“My husband and I have a huge project at home.”
“Well, if you weren’t such a beautiful lady, I would assume you and your husband were going on some type of caper, or something.”
I laughed. “You’re funny. So, which way do we go?”
Willis was a great help. He helped me pick out all of my tools, but I had to listen to him flirting with me the entire time. After the cashier rang me up, Willis helped me load my car and I was off.
Nobody was ready for what was about to go down. Rich wanted to fuck with me and think he was going to ruin my life, but that shit wasn’t about to happen. With what I had up my sleeve, it was definitely going to destroy his life forever. I was a scorned woman out for revenge and I planned to do whatever it took to let Rich feel all the years of pain that I felt. There was no time for playing victim. I was ready to settle the score once and for all.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Lisa
When I got home, I left all of the stuff that I’d bought at Home Depot in the trunk. I then checked the mailbox, and smiled when I realized that Juan had written me back. I couldn’t wait to read his letter. Walking in the house, Denie and Nelson were in the family room playing Wii. They were scared shitless when I walked in. I guess living on edge and dodging Rich was quite stressful. After teasing them, I started up the stairs toward my room. I wanted to be alone when I read the letter, but as soon as I hopped on the bed, Denie walked in.
“Ma, do you mind if I go to Atlantic City with Nelson?”
“Are you crazy…no. It’s bad enough that I let you see him behind Rich’s back.”
“Ma, it’s spring break and we want to do something fun without my father catching us.”
I shook my head. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Denie. Your father has a lot of business partners in A.C. and they might see you.”
“But they don’t know me. Please, Ma,” Denie pleaded.
I let out a heavy sigh. “You better be back in the morning. We have somewhere important to go tomorrow.”
The smile Denie displayed instantly lit up the room. “Thanks, Ma. You’re the best.” She quickly kissed me on the cheek before running out of the room. “Nelson, she said yes!” I heard her yell out.
She was packed and out the door in less than twenty minutes. It killed me to be so nice to her after she’d snooped through my room and told Jaun I’d been using, but it was all part of the plan. I had to play her close in order for everything to work out. I didn’t give a damn about what Denie did anymore. It was all about me and my son. As I laid on my bed, I turned on the T.V. and got comfortable before opening the letter.
Hello Ma,
I’m not gonna talk a hole in your head. I just wanted to tell you that I love you and whatever you’re going through out there nothing is worth you stressing yourself. It hurt me when Denie told me you had a problem. I’ve always known you to be strong, so I’ve been in here wondering what finally pushed you to this point. Ma, you’ve been through so much more and have overcome the worse. I want you to be happy so I’ve been doing some thinking about what you said, and I’m just gonna say, everything is gonna work out. I’ll be home sooner than you think to take care of you. I might be home before you get this letter. Those people don’t play. They work fast. I’m going against everything I believe in, to be there because you need me. I love you. Give my sister a hug for me.
Juan
A huge smile spread across my face when I realized Juan had finally listened. Now, I was ready to celebrate. After texting Jermaine to tell him I was on board and to come pick me up, I decided to take a power nap to get over my nausea so I could be energized. Not having to worry about Rich’s controlling ways was a good feeling. I needed to get my mind off things especially missing Carlos.
When I woke up a few hours later, I did a few lines then hopped in the shower, ready for a night out on the town. This was the first time since Carlos died that I wanted to look sexy, even though I really wasn’t the partying type. I’d gone to the Black Hole back in the day to see Rare Essence perform, but was escorted out by Rich once he found out I was there. Another time I went to a C-Bone Cabaret and before I could really begin to enjoy myself, someone had called Rich and I was embarrassed in less than thirty minutes, with him causing a scene.
I laid out my Lamb short, black dress and decided that the exposed side detailing was exactly the look I was going for. Now, it was time to pick out the right shoes to complement my look. I decided on my blue, studded Jimmy Choo peep-toe, pumps. Right when I was about to put my dress on, I felt the sudden urge to vomit again; something I’d been doing off and on for two days. The one n
ight I was ready to go out, I was trying to get sick, which pissed me off.
Running to the toilet, I placed my head in the bowl, and let out everything I’d put in my mouth that day. I knew Jermaine was on his way to pick me up and I didn’t want him to think that I was faking, so I had to hurry up. Trying to figure out what the problem was, I thought back to the seafood I had two days ago, but quickly dismissed that because I never got sick when Jerry’s Seafood famous Crab Bomb was involved. Maybe it’s from the powder, I thought to myself. After all, I had stepped up my usage ever since the incident with Carlos. I even had to go out and find my own supply. Since Rich sold the shit, I tore the house up looking for a possible stash one day, but couldn’t find anything.
After I cleaned myself up, I attempted to try and straighten my hair with my Chi flat iron, then put on my clothes. I was determined to work through the sickness. Using my MAC cosmetics, I gave myself a smoky eye with a hint of purple then applied my Viva La Glam gloss. It was time to have fun, even though I still felt like shit.
When the doorbell rang minutes later, I ran downstairs. “One second!” I yelled.
“What’s up, Jermaine?” I asked opening the door.
“Wow, Miss Thang, you look good…from the neck down. What’s wrong? You look like a hot mess.”
“I feel awful. I’ve been vomiting for days.”
“Girl, you might want to call it a night. You know that damn Swine Flu stuff is coming back around. I seen it on the news. I can’t believe them Mexicans dun brought that stuff over here. You sure you ain’t been around Rich’s family?”
“No, boy, you’re crazy. And Rich’s family is not Mexican.”
“Well, maybe you and Rich are about to have a baby or something,”
“No, me and Rich aren’t having shit. Oh my gosh. I hope I don’t have that Swine Flu mess.”
“Well, it’s contagious,” Jermaine said with concern, but made it clear he wasn’t trying to stay around and catch anything. “So, Sista I love you and everything but I’m about to go. You need to stay in the house and take care of whatever it is you got. Call me tomorrow.”
