When the Fairytale Ends

by Dwan Abrams

  Greg swallowed. If this girl was lying, she sure was a good actor. But, hey, she had acted like Little Miss Innocent for this long. Why couldn’t she be acting like Little Miss Victim now? Greg cleared his throat. “Mother Washington never apologized to y’all?”

  “Yeah, she did,” Kaiya said and laughed a humorless laugh. “On her deathbed. She waited until she knew she was dying to finally apologize. We were gonna accept her apology too. Until she pulled that little trick with her will. To make us suffer for that many years and then not even have the decency to leave us her money? Do you think that’s fair to us?”

  Greg shook his head, and he figured Kaiya probably thought that he was agreeing with her, but actually, he was shaking his head at how pathetic she sounded. Going to this extent, refusing to forgive someone, just because she didn’t get enough money?

  “So you agree with me?”

  It took all Greg’s willpower to nod his head. “If I would’ve known this information at the reading of the will,” he said, “I would’ve signed over everything to you two girls. You deserve it.”

  Kaiya looked surprised at his willingness to cooperate. “So . . . you don’t have a problem with signing your money over into my bank account?”

  Greg held his breath when he saw the closet door crack open in his peripheral. Kaiya had her back to the closet, but yet and still, Greg didn’t want Shania to risk putting her life on the line in order to save him. He wished there was a way to tell her to get back in the closet and shut the door, but any signal that he threw Shania would be read by Kaiya. And once Kaiya caught wind of what was going on, it would all be over. They’d all die.

  Greg held up his right hand as though he was swearing to tell the truth. “Just tell me what I need to do, and it’s yours. I don’t need Mother Washington’s money. I didn’t even want it to start with. You can have it all.”

  Kaiya looked at him as though she wasn’t sure if she should believe him or not. “Well . . . you know,” she said carefully, “after you sign everything over to me, I’ll still have to kill you, because you can identify me to the police. Your wife doesn’t know what’s going on, though. She’s with the two Jamaicans, and she has no idea that I’m involved in this. So I’ll kill you, but I’ll let her live. Is that okay? That’s pretty fair, don’t you think?” She sounded as though her rationale made logical sense. She raised a brow, waiting for his response.

  Greg held his breath as he peripherally watched Shania inch her way over to the dresser. If Kaiya turned around, Shania was as good as dead. And with his feet shackled to the bed, what could he do to save her? Absolutely nothing. He sent a prayer up to God to keep his wife shielded and covered with His angels, and then he refocused on Kaiya. As long as he kept Kaiya looking at him, she couldn’t turn around and see his wife moving toward her gun.

  Again, Greg nodded his head. “That’s fine with me. I’m willing to lay down my life for my wife. If I have to die for her to live, then so be it.”

  Still looking a bit unsure about the situation, Kaiya finally nodded, then reached into her pocket and retrieved a cell phone. She dialed a number and tossed the phone over to him, along with a notepad with account numbers scribbled on it. “Talk to them,” she said, “and tell them you want to transfer your funds from your personal account into that new account.”

  Greg put the phone to his ear, then pretended as though the call had dropped. He watched Shania hold her breath as her fingers closed the few spaces between her hand and the butt of the gun. He wondered if Kaiya could see his heart slapping unnaturally hard against his chest cavity.

  “Just press redial,” Kaiya snapped, putting a hand on her hip.

  Greg pretended to press redial a few times. “It’s not working,” he lied.

  “Oh my goodness,” she yelled at him. “How hard can it be to use this little piece of technology?” She walked over to him and held out her hand. “Let me see the phone.”

  Just as she said her last word, a sudden thundering against the door made him and her both gasp. She whipped her head around, and just as her eyes landed on Shania, Shania’s hand wrapped around the gun.

  “Open the door!” a male voice demanded. “It’s the police. Open the door!”

  Greg saw Kaiya running toward the dresser, and he knew that once she got ahold of that gun, she would take it from Shania and kill them both. Shania had too much heart and too much love for God to actually pull the trigger. Greg sent a silent prayer up to God and yelled at the top of his lungs, “She’s gonna kill me! Shoot the locks! Please, shoot the locks!”

  As the police shot the three dead-bolt locks, Greg realized that if they broke into the room while Shania was still holding the gun, they’d probably assume that she was the guilty culprit and blow holes all through her. The thought nearly killed him, and he stared at her hard and yelled, “Shania, baby, throw the gun!”

  She stared at him with wide eyes; then her eyes shifted to Kaiya, who was quickly closing in on her.

  “Throw the gun, babe!” he yelled again.

  But she waited too late and Kaiya slammed into her body, nearly knocking her off her feet. However, she stood her ground while Kaiya elbowed her in the face as she attempted to twist the gun out of her hand. Just as the police kicked the door in and filled the room with their guns aimed at both Kaiya and Shania, demanding that everyone drop their weapons, Shania let go of the gun and shoved Kaiya with all her might. Kaiya stumbled backward until she bumped her head hard on the corner of the dresser.

  Everyone in the room seemed to freeze and time stood still. Kaiya let out a gasp, and all eyes turned and looked at her. She hit the floor with a thud and blood seeped from the back of her head. Was she dead?

  Twenty-one

  Shania and Greg were safe in the confines of their home when Greg asked Franklin to come over so that he could tell him about the trip and the baby. The two stood outside talking, preparing to take a motorcycle ride.

  “Frank, I wanted you to be one of the first to know,” Greg said. “Shania’s pregnant.”

  He smiled. “I see somebody been puttin’ in the work,” he joked.

  They both laughed.

  “For real, though,” Franklin said, “that’s great. I think you and Shania gonna make wonderful parents.” He paused. “I know I’m the godfather, right?”

  “Of course,” Greg assured him. He cleared his throat. Patting the seat on Halle, he changed the subject to the trip. “How did you know Kaiya was up to something?”

  “So what happened was this,” Franklin said. “I kept calling Kaiya’s phone and she never answered, so I got worried. It wasn’t like her not to answer her phone. So I called her sister’s number, and Kristen just flat out told me everything, all of Kaiya’s plans—I mean everything. At first I didn’t believe it, but when I kept calling you and Shania and y’all never answered the phone or returned my calls, I knew something wasn’t right. And when I called the hotel y’all was staying at and they said they hadn’t seen y’all since earlier that day when y’all first checked in, I knew Kristen must’ve been telling the truth. I immediately called the Jamaican authorities to tell them what was going on.”

  “Thanks, man,” Greg said, giving his friend a dap. “I’m a little confused, though.” He scratched his scalp. “As evil as Kristen is, why did she confide in you and throw her sister under the bus?”

  “She said she tried to talk her sister out of doing anything stupid, but when she couldn’t, she became worried that her sister might get hurt in the process. She told me that although she didn’t have anything to do with what Kaiya had planned, she knew that deep down this was really about Kaiya trying to square things with her for all the years she served as her protector.” Franklin sighed deeply. “I lost someone who I thought was very dear to me.”

  “But you know what I’ve come to learn, Franklin?”

  His friend lifted his eyebrows to show that he was listening.

  “The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. If you believe
in God, and you believe in your faith, then you have to believe that nothing that happens in your life is a coincidence, or accidental. There’s a reason why God brought Kaiya in your life, and there’s a reason why he took her out of it. Do you believe that?”

  Franklin nodded. “Yeah, I believe it. But you know what I’ve come to learn?”

  This time Greg lifted his eyebrows.

  “When something seems too good to be true”—Franklin donned his helmet—“it probably is.”

  Greg pointed two fingers at his friend and laughed. “Now, I’m gonna give it you. You right about that one.” Greg donned his helmet and put down his face guard. “You know Shania told me that after she has the baby, she’s going to let me take her for a ride on my bike.”

  Franklin’s smile filled his face. “Yo’, you think she’s serious?”

  Greg nodded his head. “I think she really is. After such a near death experience, she’s finally realized the importance of living life with no limitations and no regrets.”

  “And what have you learned?” Franklin asked, leaning back on his bike.

  Greg stared up at the pillowy clouds in the sky and shielded his eyes against the sun. “That tomorrow isn’t promised to anyone, so live each day as if it’s your last. And that my wife is my teammate, not my competition.”

  Franklin nodded his head while he listened to his friend speak. “I think that’s amazing how your wife invested all that money to start a scholarship program for the kids in the Jamaican ghetto.”

  “Yeah.” Greg nodded and pulled at his chin hair. “I think that’s amazing too. I’m praying to God that that young boy, Ahdale, doesn’t stop until he makes it all the way to the top. Since he hadn’t been in any previous trouble, and he cooperated with the police, he got off with a slap on the wrist.” He exhaled. “His partner in crime wasn’t so lucky. He’s got to serve some time.” Then Greg added, “Come on, man, let’s check out the new building that I plan to purchase. Can’t wait to get in there and start fixing up these vintage cars. Maybe I’ll hire Jonathan when he finishes school. You think that’s a good idea?”

  “Man, the best idea you had was to start your own business. ’Bout time that you started making some decisions that actually make sense. You a thirty-five-year-old, grown behind, rusty behind man, and you just now growing up.”

  “Better late than never, right?”

  “Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Franklin teased.

  The two friends revved up their bikes. Then Franklin said, “Quick question, my man, then I’ll leave you alone.”

  “What’s up?”

  Franklin gnawed at his bottom lip. “You think it’d be wrong if I, uh . . . if I helped Kristen make it through her . . . her time of grief?”

  “And how would you help her through it, Frank?”

  Franklin worked his bottom lip and sucked at his teeth. “By laying hands on her, G. I wanna lay hands on her. She needs these hands laid on her.”

  Greg shook his head at his friend. Then before driving off, he said, “At least one of us grew up.”

  Discussion Questions

  1. Do you think Greg was wrong for not telling Shania about what took place between him and Kristen at the car dealership? Should spouses tell each other about every encounter they have whenever an individual tries to come on to them?

  2. When Greg barges into Mother Washington’s home and finds her on the bathroom floor, Kristen tells him that it was an honest accident. Do you think she was telling the truth, or did you side with Greg’s convictions? Why or why not?

  3. Men are often intimidated by a woman who has a higher income and a higher level of education. Considering the fact that tradition has placed men in the role of being the main breadwinner, how do you feel about Greg’s response to his job loss and his unwillingness to allow his wife to treat him like a “charity case”? Do you think he was wrong for wanting to start up his own business without his wife’s financial funding? Or do you think there was a better way to handle the situation? If so, how?

  4. Kaiya tells Greg something deeply personal about her and Kristen. Did you believe Kaiya was really telling the truth about the situation? If so, did this make you look at Mother Washington differently?

  5. Do you think Mother Washington was wrong in how she left her estate? Do you think Greg was wrong for willingly accepting everything she’d left him?

  6. Did you figure out who Crazy Lady was?

  7. When Shania found out that Jonathan had been shot yet again, she immediately assumed the worst. Can you fault her for believing that Jonathan had returned to his old ways? Do you think she could’ve handled the situation in a better manner?

  8. While reading, did you note some ironies in this story, like the fact that for Franklin to be such a jokester and to not truly understand the heaviness of responsibility, he was still able to give his friend good, sound advice and shed wisdom on quite a few situations? What other ironies did you note?

  9. How do you think watching his father put his passion on the back burner for his wife and kids affected Greg and his decisions in life?

  10. Even though Greg had quite a few flaws within himself concerning marriage, Shania was not a perfect wife, either. What are some examples of ways she handled situations within her marriage that you think she could’ve responded in a more effective way?

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  When the Fairytale Ends Copyright © 2011 Dwan Abrams

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

  ISBN: 978-1-5998-3203-6

  This is a work of fiction. Any references or similarities to actual events, real people, living, or dead, or to real locales are intended to give the novel a sense of reality. Any similarity in other names, characters, places, and incidents is entirely coincidental.

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