Color of Deception

by Khara Campbell

  **KC**

  Carlisha opened the door, forgetting about her grievances with Roger, just complete joy at the moment of having his company. She stood at the door barefoot wearing a knee length, silk black nightgown. Her braids cascaded along her shoulders and back. “Hey,” she said welcoming him in.

  “Mmmm, you look good. Damn! I can’t believe we haven’t seen each other in months.” Roger walked in the apartment carrying a brown paper bag. He closed the door behind him as Carlisha stepped back to let him in. He pulled her to him with his free hand and kissed her on the neck. “You smell good too.”

  “Thank you!” Carlisha blocked him a bit so he didn’t press too much against her belly.

  “I bought some wine – red is your favorite. I remembered.” Roger released her and walked toward the small kitchen.

  “I can’t drink alcohol.”

  “Come on Carlisha, you’re still keeping up with that lie. You don’t even look pregnant.”

  “Well I am.”

  “Okay fine, cool. If that’s your story…” Roger popped open the wine bottle after retrieving two wine glasses from the cupboard.

  Carlisha sat on the couch as she watched him. His caramel colored skin, close shaved haircut and bright smile were the first things she noticed about him when she came into the mechanic shop to have her car brakes changed. They had hit it off right away. He was also from Florida, but had been living in Maryland for eight years. He was five years older than her and was the one to first introduce her to drinking wine. She enjoyed their time together when they were dating, when they would just cuddle up on the couch and watch movies and drink wine and order pizza. She missed that – him. So she pushed aside the fact that she hated him for dumping her after she told him she was pregnant – which apparently he was still denying.

  “Here you go babe,” Roger handed Carlisha a glass of wine.

  “Roger, I told you I can’t.”

  He smiled. “Alright. I’ll rest it here in case you change your mind.” He placed the full wine glass on the coffee table in front of her. He took a sip of wine from his glass after sitting down next to her then he placed it on the coffee table.

  “How have you been?” Carlisha attempted to make small talk. Although she missed him, it was hard to really overlook the elephant in the room.

  “I’ve missed you – a lot.” Roger cupped the back of Carlisha’s neck and gently pulled her to him. He kissed her passionately. Carlisha’s body melted in his kiss. She had missed that too. The intimacy they had. Her body ached for his sexual touch. Roger fondled her breasts, then he slid his hand down to her belly, and felt her bump. “You are pregnant?” he asked in her mouth. He released their kiss and looked down at his hand on her belly.

  “Yes! I’m pregnant.” Carlisha confirmed looking down at his hand on her midsection.

  Roger pulled at her nightgown to lift it over her belly so he could investigate her pregnant bump better. There was no denying it if he wanted to, she was definitely pregnant as he could see. But he was also already very aroused and didn’t want her baby bump to stand between him getting her in bed. I didn’t come over here for nothing. He continued to kiss her as if that didn’t just happen.

  Carlisha took it as his accepting the fact that she was carrying their child. She relinquished her body to him. The comfort of his body against hers made her forget about her attack yesterday. She felt safe, she felt loved, she felt needed.

  **KC**

  “Hey, what are you doing?” Carlisha asked Roger after she woke up and saw him pulling on his jeans then sitting on the edge of her bed to put on his shoes.

  “I’m heading out. It was great hanging out with you last night…”

  Hanging out? Carlisha repeated in her head. “You’re not going to stay? I thought we could go to the movies today.” She sat up in her bed. She didn’t want to be alone the long holiday weekend. Carlisha admired his naked muscular back as he bent over.

  Roger stood up and pulled his shirt over his head. “Come on Carlisha, I thought this was just us hooking up for the night.”

  Carlisha fought the emotion to get upset. Last night was too great, in her mind, to allow their moment together to be ruined this morning. “Please? I don’t want to be alone for the holiday,” she admitted.

  Roger was reluctant. But he admitted to himself that the sex was great last night – like he’d remembered. Even with a pregnant bump. “Okay. Tonight. And let’s go to the theatre in Virginia, the ones down this way sell out quick anyway.”

  “I wanted us to go today, in a couple hours or something. What do you have to do anyway? Isn’t this your Saturday off from the shop?”

  Roger looked at his watch. “I have to run some errands. I can be back in an hour.” He looked down at her exposed full breasts. They were bigger than he had remembered. He hoped to get reacquainted with them again tonight. He grabbed his wallet and keys off the nightstand before giving Carlisha a quick kiss on the forehead.

  Carlisha lay back against the headboard smiling broadly as he walked out of the bedroom.

  **KC**

  “What time does the movie start?” Roger took Carlisha’s car keys from her and started up the car.

  “At one. I think you will like it, it’s a comedy.” Carlisha buckled up her seat belt. She smiled at the fact of being chauffeured. It had been a while since she’d been a passenger in a vehicle.

  They pulled up at the movie theatre at twelve-forty. Carlisha waited a moment in her seat to allow Roger the opportunity to open the car door for her, but he had already made steps toward the building before he realized she wasn’t beside him. Annoyed, she opened her own door and walked toward him as he waited.

  “I have to pick up our tickets from the machine, can you get me some popcorn and Raisinets with a medium Coke.” Carlisha was about to make her way to the kiosk to retrieve their tickets, but stopped when she heard a female voice call out Roger’s name.

  “Roger, Roger, Roger,” a tall, beautiful, heavyset woman said, walking toward them accompanied by another female.

  “Damn!” Roger said under his breath along with a couple cuss words.

  Carlisha stepped closer to Roger to take claim of her man as she watched the women approach. Roger tried to step away from her, but Carlisha caught him by the arm. She was curious as to whom these women were but she wanted them to know that Roger was hers and the father of her unborn child.

  “Does your wife know you’re out on a date?” The heavyset woman roared at Roger then looked at Carlisha suspiciously.

  The world suddenly stop spinning at that moment and it took Carlisha a minute to allow the woman’s words to sink in. “You’re married!?” Carlisha shouted yanking her hand away from Roger. “You’re married?”

  “Look Nicey, this isn’t what it looks like, alright? This is my boy’s girl, he’s already in the movies she and I just walked in together, that’s all...” Roger looked cool and relaxed as ever making Carlisha look like the crazy one ranting and raving about him being married.

  “Really?” Nicey said skeptically then walked off. Her silent friend was right on her heels.

  “Will you calm down, damn!” Roger snatched Carlisha by the arm to get her to stop hollering like a maniac.

  “Calm down! Are you married?” Carlisha snatched her arm back away from him bringing her voice down, they already had people pointing and whispering about them. She couldn’t believe how nonchalant he was about her finding out his big fat lie, she immediately felt like a complete fool.

  “Yes I’m married. But that doesn’t have to come between us–” SLAP! Carlisha swung her hand flat on his left cheek which caught him completely off guard. She dashed away toward the exit not looking back. Nicey and her friend watched the whole scene while in line for their snacks.

  Carlisha dug in her purse for her car key. She was thankful that Roger had given it to her after he drove, because he said it was too bulky for him to keep in his pocket. She sat in the car before allowing the tears
to erupt. I can’t believe he’s married. I was helping him cheat on his wife! Carlisha agonized in her mind. Oh God! I slept with a married man and I’m having his baby. “How did I allow this to happen?” Carlisha buried her face in her hands as she sobbed. That’s it! I’m not going to get caught up again. I’m keeping my cookie to myself until I find my own husband. She brushed the tears from her eyes and started the car. She was done crying over Roger. But she looked toward the movie theatre disappointed that he didn’t even run after her.

  Chapter 14

  Pete was sitting in his car as he stared at the entrance of the grocery store. The car was still running but he had turned down the radio. He contemplated whether or not to go in and… ask Debra to go on a date with him. Pete knew she was working today, he had figured out her working pattern. He had convinced himself of a great approach last night – walk up to her, place his items to purchase on the conveyor and confidently say, “Hi Debra, I would love to take you out on a date, are you interested?” As he thought about it again while he sat anxiously in his car, he thought perhaps it was a stupid adolescent approach. What the hell am I doing? He cut the car off and quickly got out and walked with determined strides toward the grocery store entrance. There she was at her cashier station ringing up a customer. Her long natural red hair cascaded along her back. He surveyed her body from behind and began to get a little excited. He hadn’t felt that for a woman since his wife.

  After he grabbed a basket, he walked down aisle five and got a loaf of bread. Next down aisle three and grabbed some lunch meat and cheese. Making sandwiches was his go to meal now, because he had gotten used to relying on his wife to cook a home cooked meal he didn’t know how to do it himself. All he needed next was some bottled water and soda.

  He threw caution to the wind and walked boldly up to the register where Debra stood waiting for the next customer. When he saw her face it instantly brought a smile to his mouth. It seemed he hadn’t done much of that lately – smile.

  “Good afternoon, did you find everything okay?” Debra asked after Pete approached and began to place his items on the conveyor.

  “Would you go out on a date with me?” Pete blurted out. He felt stupid immediately afterwards and questioned whether that was the right approach or not. Damn! He shook his head in frustration.

  “What?” Debra looked puzzled.

  “Never mind, it was nothing,” Pete retreated. Embarrassment washed over him.

  Debra looked at him questionably. She heard what he had asked, but wanted him to repeat it just so she was certain. She played it off as if it was nothing and started to ring up his groceries. Relief overwhelmed her.

  Pete picked up his grocery bag, after the awkward few minutes it took to price and pay for his items, and like a sad puppy walked out of the store. He couldn’t believe he embarrassed his self like that. After getting married he thought he was done with dating for life, now he was back to square one and he hated it! This made him really miss his wife more and made him resent even more the man that ended her life. His whole life had been flipped upside down since Moriah’s death and a black man was the cause of that.

  Chapter 15

  The police department had given Pete the clear to reopen business but Carlisha still felt leery returning back to work days after the botched robbery. Everything in Pete’s office was cleaned up and had no trace of a person being shot when she apprehensively walked in to retrieve the cash drawer.

  “Hey Carlisha,” Rachel walked quietly into the office then surveyed the area.

  “It’s weird being in here after what happened, huh?”

  “Yes! I wasn’t sure if I wanted to come in today. But Uncle Pete said everything was cleaned up and sure enough it looks like nothing happened.” Rachel walked over to her desk and rested her purse on it.

  “I still can’t stop thinking about it though. I’ve been freaked out all weekend.” Carlisha stood at the door holding the cash drawer.

  “Me too. But that’s why I still went on my trip to New York with my friends – it was a good distraction.”

  “Yeah well I had some drama of my own here…” Carlisha said more so to herself than to Rachel who didn’t hear her.

  “Do you think they’re going to catch the guy that ran away?”

  “I hope so. Plus didn’t the girl rat him out?”

  “I don’t pay either one of you to chit-chat all day!” Pete grumbled. He startled Carlisha when he walked past her after she stepped aside to let him in the office. “You should be getting the retail store ready for business,” Pete continued as he walked toward his desk.

  “Sorry Uncle Pete. We were just talking about what happened on Friday.”

  “All three of those bastards are in jail so no need to worry.” He sat behind his desk after he took his cellphone out of his pocket and placed it on the desk.

  “Let everyone know we’ll be having a brief staff meeting at ten.” Pete said to no one in particular, he still hadn’t looked at either Carlisha or Rachel directly. He wanted to have a meeting to update everyone on the new security measures. He’ll be damned if he got robbed again and if he did he was determined to kill the fools the next time.

  **KC**

  Weeks later, James and Carlisha were stocking the shelves in retail with some office supplies since things were kind of slow and they were caught up with their other duties.

  “I just found out that Kim is pregnant,” James announced with a huge smile on his face. He picked up a few packets of pens and slid them on the hook in front of him for display.

  “Aww, congratulations!” Carlisha turned and faced him.

  “Thanks! When she told me I felt like a million bucks. I’m going to be a dad!”

  Carlisha suddenly wished Roger had expressed those same feelings when she told him she was pregnant. “I’m really happy for you.” Carlisha placed her hand on her belly which was still camouflaged. Even with James telling her his big news, she still didn’t feel inclined to announce her own. Though as much as she thought she was hiding it, perhaps others had already suspected it. She had put on a few pounds, put still maintained her small frame.

  Both Carlisha and James’ attention were suddenly brought to the entrance of the store. A woman aggressively pulled the door open and stomped in heaving excessively with a posse of three other women behind her.

  “Where is that bitch?” She yelled at her girls as she scanned the large retail front.

  James walked toward the front of the store to assist them. “Who exactly are you looking for?” He put on his charm in hope of defusing the anger that obviously raged over the leader of the crew, a woman standing at five feet, four inches. Her natural hair was pulled back in a huge afro puff and she had large gold hoop earrings dangling from her ears.

  “Does Caresha, or whatever the hell her name is work here?” The woman demanded. Her posse started to walk about the store to search for themselves.

  “Uh no! Nobody by that name works here.” James hoped Carlisha heard him and got the hint to go to the back so she won’t be seen.

  “Here she is!” One of the women in the group announced when she caught Carlisha trying to sneak to the back. They cornered her.

  “So are you the homewrecker that’s been sleeping with my husband?” The leader of the crew asked.

  “I’m not a homewrecker, and if you’re talking about Roger I didn’t know he was married,” Carlisha defended.

  “Ladies you have to leave or I will be calling the police,” James warned.

  “Yes I’m talking about Roger. You sleep with so many married men you don’t know which wife is who whore?” Roger’s wife moved swiftly toward Carlisha and punched her in the face sending her hard to ground. Carlisha’s back bumped forcefully against one of the shelves. James quickly grabbed Roger’s wife by the arm preventing her from striking Carlisha again.

  “Get out of here now before I call the police!” James shouted scaring the women off, not before Roger’s wife spat on Carlisha as she
lie on the floor moaning while holding her belly, then moving her hand to her sore back.

  Staff from the back rushed to the front after they heard the commotion.

  “Call the police!” James demanded when he knelt down to assist Carlisha. “Are you all right?”

  “Should we call Pete and let him know what happened?” Someone asked.

  “No!” Carlisha managed to say weakly. “Please don’t call the police either.”

  “What?! Why not, those women just attacked you.” James helped Carlisha to her feet.

  “I just don’t want to deal with any police or anything right now. I want to go home.” Carlisha noticed the concerned faces of her colleagues.

  “Would you at least go to the doctor? You got hit really hard.” James looked at the bruise that had already developed on Carlisha’s face.

  The bruise on her cheek throbbed intensely and talking just made it worse. “I’ll be fine. I’ll put some ice on it.” Pain and embarrassment overwhelmed her as she walked silently, unassisted to the back to retrieve her things to leave. She would deal with Pete’s questions– if he had any – later. But right then she just wanted to be swallowed up by her bed. She was thankful that when she fell from the punch to her face, she didn’t fall on her belly. Her baby was still safe and that was all that mattered to her at that moment.

  Chapter 16

  The room was dark with just a peak of moonlight through the blinds. Carlisha lay motionless on her back. She had prayed for hours for sleep since she woke up at eight that night – but it never came. Now it was twelve midnight and pain radiated her entire body. The aspirin she had taken hours ago to help relieve the pain in her face and back did nothing to help the pain that now grew in her belly. Earlier that evening, her first instinct was to call the ambulance but from what she had read in her prenatal books she assumed she was just having Braxton Hicks contractions. She still had weeks to go before she was due. But the pain was beginning to alarm her now, especially after the incident hours ago at work. Carlisha rolled to her side and pushed herself into a sitting position on the edge of the bed. She rubbed her belly that was suddenly hard followed by a wave of pain in her middle section. She held her breath until the pain subsided. She reached for the cordless phone on the nightstand and dialed 911. She gave the details of her emergency, hung up that call then made another.