entertainment lawyer.
She was really hurt when she found out that her NFL ballplayer boy-
friend had impregnated a stripper from Atlanta’s infamous strip club, ‘Magic City.’ She went on and on about how the broad was nothing more than a stripper, and that she was a lawyer. She just couldn’t believe her boyfriend would stoop so low. Phaedra had spoken to me several times about this particular football player, and by her conversation she had high hopes for this relationship. Phaedra had mentioned to me previously that she assumed he was messing around. I found out about him when she brought him up in a telephone
conversation we were having one day. I considered myself to be a true friend.
“Look Phaedra you might be an intelligent, and successful super
lawyer and all that, but that man has money too. Sometimes men like submissive and dependent women. They need to reinforce their power and domi-
nance,” I said to her, straight up.
Just because she had money and a name did not give her the right to
handle a grown man any kind of way. Especially a man with his own money
plus having his own name. It doesn’t work like that.
Eventually, she began to realize that my input was invaluable when
it came to love and relationships. I was amazed by the fact that my friend, an accomplished attorney, would call me for advice. I received a sense of validation from giving Phaedra advice because it made me feel needed. To top it off, I was usually right. Then it slowly dawned on me that because one had
money, did not guarantee that one would have happiness.
From the NFL player, Phaedra moved on to dating a popular Atlanta
radio personality. He was DJ Nabs of Atlanta’s popular show, ‘In the Lab with DJ Nabs’. She stalked this man. Please believe that! I promise you she
did.
She would call him back to back, constantly trying to control him
and his every move. She was a very demanding individual. I would ride with her by his house several times. She would just drive by to see if he was home. Then she would check out whose car was in his driveway, and if his lights were on, and peeped in to see if the TV in his room was playing. These ac-
tions would amount to stalking.
One night, it had to be during the summer of 2000, or around that
time, I know it was warm outside, Phaedra and I rode over to his house. She had been calling him several times throughout that day and the evening. He hadn’t responded or returned any of her calls. It was so obvious that he was avoiding her. So we drove by his house, only to find his car in the driveway.
She immediately jumped out of the car, and started peeping through his car
window.
I felt like a fool, acting like a damn private investigator right along
with her. But she was my friend, and I was down. Phaedra had good instincts because she was Phaedra Parks, the smart one. The big time lawyer noticed an umbrella in the back seat of his car. Of course, it was not just any old umbrella, she would later point out that it was decorative, with fancy carvings on
the handle. No doubt, belonging to a woman.
I sat in the car and laughed like hell as she repeatedly kicked and
banged on DJ Nabs’ door. He refused to answer the door. It was at that moment when the realization hit me. Just because you are an attorney does not mean that everybody will kiss your ass. This was truly funny to me because I knew there had to be something else we could be doing. Besides, she didn’t even like DJ Nabs! It was no secret that her relationship with him was for the benefit of her clients, which would in turn lead to profit for her business. DJ Nabs would be sure to keep her clients’ songs in constant rotation. And that
was cool, but right now she was just doing too much.
“Let’s go get some money, Phae,” I suggested with a smile written
on my face. “You’re tripping girl, and hard! It ain’t that serious boo!”
She moved on, albeit with questionable choices. Even with all the
various male conquests Phaedra had, I could not for the life of me understand where or how Apollo fit into her plans. Apollo was soon to become Phaedra’s husband, but what was important here was that he was soon to be my future partner-in-crime!
Chapter Three
The Ties that Bind
“Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy…” Proverbs 27:6 (NIV)
Our criminal activities began blossoming in 2000. It had been over
a year of us feeling each other out. Phaedra was now comfortable enough to bring me into her illegal activities. She had gathered a lot of information about me—where I lived, where my mother and grandmother lived. She was familiar with all my hangout spots. I never perceived this as threatening because I was getting to know her better, as well. I knew where she lived, where
she worked, and most, if not all, the people moving in her circle.
At first glance, Phaedra seemed completely concerned about my
well-being. In retrospect, I can see how she brainwashed me. She told me that she wanted me to be her business partner because she liked the way I carried myself. Plus, the fact that I could hold an intelligent conversation would be a key in the success of Phaedra Parks Empire. She would tell me that I was the only person capable of handling things in her absence. This business partnership was perfect. I was a hustler. I needed the money. I had three children, and
all three were fatherless.
It seemed as if all my children were the results of a girl who was
lost. I was trapped, looking for love in all the wrong places. Aleea, my first child was born in 1992. I was fifteen years old. Her father was sixteen years of age. He signed over all of his parental rights. We were just two kids having
sex, and had no idea what being a parent meant.
Lekwaun was born in 1996 when I was nineteen years old. His fa-
ther, a drug dealer, lived in and out of prison for most of his life. It was a
quick romance and I thought it was real love, but turned out to be just lust.
Leontae was born in 1998. I was twenty-one years old. His father
wanted to have unprotected sex but didn’t want the child. I refused to have an abortion. He refused to be a part of the child’s life. I was utterly confused and thought that if I had sex with a man, he would somehow care or love me in return. Being molested at five years old caused untold devastation. It took twenty-seven years for me to fully comprehend the difference between sex,
lust, and love.
At that particular moment in time, all I wanted to know was what I had to do to get put on. I asked, “How do I benefit from our partnership, and how quickly can I get started?” Phaedra loved my ‘go get them’ attitude. Everybody did!
I was eager to get on board because I was struggling with financial hardship. There were limited options and I wanted my children to have the best of everything. I was a hustler and I didn’t ask for handouts because I despised rejection. So no, I wasn’t going to beg their fathers to be a part of my children’s life. I wasn’t going to hunt them down and fight them in court for twenty-five to the hundred dollars a week given in child support cases. That money was nothing! I would take care of them myself. You know the saying, “Mama’s baby, daddy’s maybe…”
It seemed like the perfect setup. I couldn’t see how I would lose. I’d
be making thousands of dollars working for my friend. She was one of the area’s best attorneys who knew, and was the law as far as I was concerned. It was a no-brainer — the perfect opportunity. I was anxious to show and prove what an asset I could be to the team. In return, I would get my just rewards,
of course.
Phaedra made a promise to me that I would make thousands of dol-
lars. She told me that my kids would have a better life, and that I would never have to look back. The only thing I had to do was follow directions, and ke
ep my mouth shut if ever I was questioned by the authorities. She knew about
my past, and my troubled childhood.
She was aware that I was not afraid of anything. She also knew I had
been to jail before. I knew what time it was, and was conscious of the inner workings of the system. Therefore Phaedra did not have to worry about me implicating her. I recognized when I should stay quiet. Being involved with the penal system in the past had left me thoroughly briefed.
When I was twelve years old, I was arrested for shoplifting. It oc-
curred at the Main Place Mall in Buffalo, NY. The store was on the second level of the mall near the escalators. I took a white shirt, a navy blue and white polka dot skirt then left the store. I thought for sure that I had gotten
away scot-free.
The skirt and the shirt were in my bag, and a hundred and fifty dol-
lars was inside my pants pocket. Then as I rode the escalator down, I noticed the security guard at the bottom of the escalator. He was eagerly waiting, looking up at me. I turned around to run back up, and I spotted his partner. “Sh**!” I breathed under my breath. I was caught red-handed.
The total of the outfit was fifty-five dollars. My mother was so mad, I had the money, I just wanted to see if I could get away with the crime, but didn’t. I got caught and they took me to the station and called my mother to pick me up. She couldn’t understand why I would take the chance of shoplifting when I had money. I blew her wig back when I told her it was the thrill
that I got out of doing it.
Before I met Phaedra I had been hustling and I have had several ar-
rests for petty crimes. Including shoplifting, theft by receiving, giving false information, driving on suspended license, to plainly put it, I was a petty
hustler and thief until I got on board with Phaedra.
She made a promise to me that if I ever got into any trouble, she
would represent me. That was my security blanket. She told me that there was a secret society among lawyers and judges. Basically she made me believe, if I ever got busted for anything, she would be able to get me off. This was due to her affiliations and influences. It was all I needed to hear. I was ready to go!
It started out very simple. Every morning, Phaedra and I had a meet-
ing at either her home or her office she shared with another attorney at 1069 Spring Street in Atlanta, Georgia. Phaedra would provide computer printouts, fake identification cards, and fraudulent checks. The computer printouts contained brand names and the model numbers of specific electronic items. These included lap top computers, palm pilots, and DVD players, jewelry,
home furnishings and televisions.
I always assumed she had money and couldn’t quite understand why
she needed such a large quantity of hot items. She never paid me for these types of jobs, but that was fine with me. My payment came in the form of additional checks she provided for my own use. There were no complaints coming from me. I had everything I wanted as well as a prepaid attorney on my side if things went bad. In this business venture, Phaedra provided her
family, and friends with the latest in electronics for half the retail price.
I found out how superior Phaedra’s operation was by the people
she dealt with. When she called and told me to meet her at an office over on Northside Drive. I didn’t know what to expect when I got there.
It was sunny out that day, but the wind had a strong force behind it. I
arrived at around eleven o’clock that morning and hopped out of my favorite car, a 1982 Box Chevy Caprice Classic. It was all white with navy blue interior, wood grain steering wheel, super clean, everything original, beating the block down with four twelve’s in the trunk.
The heavy wind was blowing away everything that wasn’t tied
down. I was a six-foot tall, good-looking, young woman, and the wind was kicking so hard, I had to use my hand to hold my weave tracks in place. Phaedra waited on the other side of the parking lot holding the door open for me. The wind was threatening to close the door, and blow Phae’s petite, almost five-seven frame back.
The inside of the building looked more like a warehouse than an
office. The place was just a big empty space with one desk, three chairs, and dust. Phaedra introduced me as Dane, a nickname I had been given on the streets because of my height. It was short for Great Dane. I was introduced to the man sitting behind the desk, he was Alex. His face already looked familiar, but when she said his name it brought two and two together. Alex was the man! Alex Gidewon was the owner of Atlanta’s hottest nightspot at
the time, Club 112.
You didn’t have to be from Atlanta to know about Alex or Club 112. It was a guarantee that you heard about him or read about him. Alex was a very well respected Atlanta businessman. I had seen him several times before when I visited the club. His tall slim build along with his caramel brown skin made him easy to remember. Every time I saw Alex, he was standing in front of the club making sure his business was operating smoothly, he never hid
behind his desk.
He took a seat in a chair next to me, and listened as Phaedra gave
me my instructions. My job for that day was to procure seven Dell laptop computers. She had given me the time frame. The merchandise was needed by eight that evening. I already knew that this would be a difficult task to accomplish. I could have easily gone to one store and purchased all seven of the computers, but that would’ve made things too hot. I didn’t like drawing
attention and preferred to remain all the way under the radar.
‘Blend-in or bond-out’ was my motto. By nine-thirty that evening,
and five stores later, I had the order filled. Then I was on my way to see Pha-
edra to let her know that the mission was accomplished.
I was learning the ropes, and I had a damn good teacher. My mother
always told me that I reminded her of a sponge because I was a quick-study. I
had a photographic memory, and soaked up everything around me.
It amazed me that any person with any kind of government ID could
write a check on a business account. I always thought it had to be that particular business owner. But to my surprise, I wrote checks well over ten-thousand dollars which were never verified or even questioned. Damn! Phaedra was one smart broad. I kept that bit of information under my hat because it was
good to know for future references.
The game was set up like this, if I stole one of your business checks, I can make an exact duplicate of that said check. I can next go on a spree. Name or identification didn’t have to match what was on the card. It could be any Jane or John Doe the check would still be approved as long as it was the same business account. If inquiries were made then I could easily report that I was your associate in charge of whatever part of the business, secretary,
or partner.
I treated my hustle just like a regular job. Rising at the same time ev-
eryday on go, I was just like the energizer bunny. In the end, my persistence paid off, and I was regimented. The job that I performed was considered to be business to business. I ran into and came across a lot of different people. One such person was a local rapper named, Slim. I fell in love with Slim the instant I saw him. Falling in love easily and immediately after meeting someone was a weakness I developed after being molested. It didn’t take too much
for me. I had developed a real need to be loved.
Of course I thought that Slim and I would be together forever. Ev-
erybody thought this way in the beginning of a relationship, and I was no exception. Slim was handsome. He was built just the way I liked my men, tall, dark and handsome. His skin was milk-chocolate brown and his body
was a work of art. He had tattoos in all the right places. In addition, he was a hustler by nature. But it was his ambition and drive that really had me going. Ever since I can remember, I
’d always been attracted to bad boys. Maybe because I was a bad girl, but I was ride or die type, without question. Slim was feeling me just as much as I was feeling him. From there, our romance
continued to bloom.
January 2001, I became very ill. Throwing up, and the smell of cer-
tain types of foods made me really sick. I could barely stay awake and was always exhausted. Phaedra wanted me to pull a couple of stunts for her. The duties entailed going out, and writing some checks for electronic items. We had orders placed by her family, friends, and or associates to fill. I could
hardly get out of bed and couldn’t perform like I usually do.
I knew exactly what was causing my illness, but was in denial. Pha-
edra kept calling back to back. Until finally, I realized she just wasn’t going to let me rest. I got up, dressed, and drove to her home. The moment she saw me, Phaedra could tell there was something wrong. I mentioned that I may be pregnant. She shook her head, grabbed her purse, and drove to the nearest drug store while I went to sleep in her bed. A trash can was strategically
placed near the bed for any upheavals. I knew that I was pregnant again.
Phaedra returned with a pregnancy test kit and the test confirmed
what I suspected. Phaedra immediately began pleading her case to the court. Of course, it wasn’t a real court. I was being sarcastic, but she was pleading
to me about why I didn’t need more children.
She went on and on talking about how her criminal enterprise was in
full force. The money was rolling in really good, and I was her MVP. She told me that if I had another baby it would slow down the entire business. Phaedra was right. I did not really want another child, and economically, I couldn’t
afford another child.
Phaedra made a telephone call, and after speaking for about ten min-
utes she hung up. I wondered what it was Phaedra had written down on her note pad. Then I found out that the person she had spoken to had given her some type of potion for me to drink. This concoction would cause me to have a miscarriage. Phaedra and I headed to the grocery store where she purchased some kind of large red root. I had no idea what that sh** was. Honestly, I really didn’t, but I trusted Phaedra. We immediately returned to Phaedra’s home, and she boiled it along with some other ingredients. I drank the brew then waited for a reaction. We waited! We waited longer…! Still nothing hap-
Lies of a Real Housewife: Tell the Truth and Shame the Devil Page 4
