“I agree one hundred percent. But Kayla is the one who holds the key. She needs to deal with him fast.”
Maybe she would, and if it was true about him putting his hands on her, I was sure that Kayla had something in store for him.
15
Kayla
I had been so drunk that I could barely see straight. All I remembered was stumbling and then falling on the floor and almost hitting my head. Jacoby had said something to me, but I hadn’t been able to make out what it was. I hadn’t cared. At this point, I didn’t care about anything. I hated my life, and I had to figure out a way to escape from it.
What Cedric did to me had left me bitter and angry. It had got me to a point where I wanted to remove him from this earth and this time get it right. With him being gone, Jacoby wouldn’t have to worry anymore about going to jail. I wouldn’t have to worry anymore, and he would be out of our lives for good. The more I looked at my face in the mirror, the angrier I got. I had to do this, and if it meant jail time for me, so be it. I already felt as if I was living in hell. All the money in the world wasn’t enough to take away this pain, and it sure the hell didn’t make me happy.
Now, hours later, I crawled on the floor, removing myself from the vomit I lay in. It felt like someone was beating a hammer against my head, so I sluggishly walked toward the bathroom to take some aspirin. Afterward, I removed my soiled clothes, then took a hot shower. Once I was done, I changed into some clean clothes and made my way back into the living room area to clean up my mess. As I was on my knees, scrubbing the carpet with a towel, Jacoby walked up to me.
“What happened to your face?” he said. “How did it get like that?”
“Do you have to ask? I was so drunk that I can’t remember. All I know is I had a hard fall last night and I hurt myself.”
“Did you go see Cedric?”
Yet again, I found myself lying, because I didn’t want Jacoby to know that Cedric had done this to me. The last thing I needed was for him to go over to Cedric’s place. I was sure—no, positive—that Cedric would do the same thing to Jacoby as he had done to me and Justin.
“No. I called him, but he refused to talk to me. I guess when things settle down, we’ll talk.”
“Or I’ll go talk to him myself.”
“No!” I shouted, then calmed my voice. “I don’t want you to do that now. You saw how Cedric acted the other day. He knows something, and I fear that he may hurt you.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not afraid of him anymore. He and I need to have a talk, and it’s time that you moved out of the way and let that happen.”
I was getting frustrated with Jacoby. He just didn’t know when to listen. If he thought for one minute that Cedric was going to embrace him with open arms, he was sadly mistaken. That simply wasn’t going to happen.
I threw the dirty towel on the carpet, then looked at him. “I’ve been in the way because I’m your mother, and you’re all that I have. I can’t just sit back and do nothing, Jacoby. I do hope that you understand that, and if you do, please listen to me and forget about going to see Cedric.”
“I do understand, but you’re losing yourself. Look at you, Mama. You’re a mess. I get tired of coming in here almost every night and seeing you passed out on the floor and laying in your vomit. When are you going to stop this?”
I stood up and put my hands on my hips. “If you get tired of coming in here and seeing me like this every night, then your solution is simple. Don’t come home. If it’s that bad, Jacoby, you really don’t have to be here.”
“I agree. That’s why I’m moving in with Adrianne and her mother for a while. I get way more peace there than I do here.”
He had just pissed me off without even knowing it. Sometimes kids said the wrong things when they should have just kept their mouths shut.
“Fine, Jacoby. Go ahead and run your tail to your girlfriend’s house. They have the perfect life over there, and you’ll fit right in.”
He shrugged his shoulders, then walked away from me. Minutes later, he came back downstairs. I was in the kitchen, drinking water. A heavy duffel bag was on his shoulder, and a pair of his tennis shoes was in his hands.
“I’ll check in with you later,” he said.
I rolled my eyes and tried my best not to show how hurt I was. Funny how when he needed me, I was there for him. But when I needed him, he walked.
“Don’t bother, Jacoby. No need to bother.”
He walked away, and when the door slammed, I was crushed. I went right over to the liquor cabinet and snatched a whole bottle of whiskey from the shelf. I opened it, and as I started to guzzle it down, the liquid ran down my chin and spilled all over my clothes. I gagged and then threw the bottle so hard that it cracked on my kitchen floor. Shards of glass were everywhere.
I went into the living room and fell back on the sofa, wondering how in the hell a woman like me had got here. The first thing that came into my head was, Lies. Maybe, just maybe, if I had told Cedric the truth about Jacoby not being his son, we wouldn’t even be here. Maybe if I had told him about Jacoby trying to kill him, we wouldn’t even be here. While I didn’t take responsibility for him cheating on me, I had to know that some of this was on me too. Still, it was too late to fix it. I had helped to create that monster. I sat for a while, thinking about how to disable it. I got a little help when Cedric called with some more of what he called “breaking news.”
“I slept on what happened over here, and I called to say I’m sorry. Sorry for not taking action sooner. Before the end of the week, your son will be arrested. I’m gathering all the information Evelyn and Paula have provided me with. Once I have my ducks in a row, lives will change.”
He hung up, leaving it right there. That was the last straw. I stumbled into my bedroom, changed my wet shirt, which reeked of alcohol, and then reached for the gun underneath my bed. In that moment, I was so mad at Paula for not doing away with Cedric when she had the chance to. Damn her. Why did she leave it up to me to finish the job? I had to be the one to finish this, and no matter what, I would get it right.
I stood up straight, with no fear in me whatsoever. I tucked the gun in my purse, then took one last swig of alcohol from a bottle in the liquor cabinet before heading out the door. I rushed to get into my car and headed to Cedric’s place, which was only several minutes away. I was speeding so fast through my neighborhood that I could hear my tires making a whooshing sound. And just as I was about to make a right onto the main street, I saw a little girl run into the street to go after her ball.
I gasped, then slammed on the brakes. My tires screeched loudly, and my whole body jerked forward. I looked up and saw that the front of my car was within inches—only inches—of the little girl’s body. She cried loudly as her mother charged out into the street and let me have it. With her daughter clinging to her, she pounded the hood of my car with her fists, overcome by much rage and anger.
“You stupid bitch!” she yelled. “Didn’t you see her? Why in the hell were you driving so fast! Slow the hell down! Nothing is that damn important where you have to almost kill my freaking child!”
She was so right. I dropped my head on the steering wheel and broke down. This was definitely God’s way of trying to save me. He had put a little girl in my way to stop me. I needed help, and I needed it now.
16
Evelyn
In my world, everything seemed to be going well. My financial adviser had shared some good ideas with me about increasing my wealth, and I had taken heed of everything he said. I had left an enormous amount of money in the bank, and I had also given Trina a few thousand dollars to help get her back on her feet. She was a total mess. I had never seen her this emotional, and it was kind of strange to see her crying all the time. I wanted her and Keith to work things out, and even though he would never, ever listen to me, I decided to stop by his house and tell him exactly what Trina had been going through. Maybe he would understand and decide to give her another chance.
I
arrived at Keith’s house at a little after four that afternoon. Lord knows, I hated the cold weather, and it was starting to turn cold. A gusty wind blew my hair all over my head as I headed up the sidewalk to his front door, and I could see just a little snow starting to fall. This was crazy because it was only early October. Winter hadn’t officially arrived yet, but St. Louis weather was always tricky like that.
I rang the doorbell, and minutes later, through the window I could see Keith coming down the stairs in jeans and a T-shirt. Unfortunately for Trina, a female trailed right behind him. She looked okay, but quite frankly, she didn’t have anything on Trina. I wasn’t sure who she was, but when he opened the door, she made an exit.
“Thanks, Keith,” she said. “You are totally the bomb. I’ll keep in mind what you said.”
“You do that, and I’ll see you again tomorrow.”
The nappy-headed bitch didn’t even speak to me. Just walked right past me as if I wasn’t even standing there. I swore that some people were just so rude. Either way, I flashed a smile at Keith, but his expression was flat.
“Why are you here, Evelyn?”
“Trina is at my place, and I need to talk to you about her. May I come in?”
“Talking to me about Trina will do you no good. I don’t want you to waste your time.”
“Aw, come on, Keith. People get cheated on all the time, and they learn to forgive. You know Trina loves you. She just made a mistake, and the last time I checked, we all make them.”
“Yeah, we do. And you should know all about those mistakes, Evelyn. Especially since you keep on making them. I honestly can’t wait until you get yours. You are so deserving of all that you have coming, and you’re too blind to see that an earthquake is coming your way. The last thing you need to concern yourself with is my relationship with Trina. What you need to concern yourself with is your relationship with my father. I hear it’s been fun, but all good things do come to an end.”
I guessed Trina must have told him about me seeing his father, even though she’d said she wouldn’t. I suspected that it would just be a matter of time before I heard from his mother, or maybe he hadn’t said anything to her yet. He was probably on Team Dad, and this was their little secret too.
“I am having a lot of fun with him, and during the process, I am still concerned about my friend. Don’t let a good woman pass you by, Keith. All she did was kiss the darn girl and exchange a few feels with her. You act like she went all the way with her. And when it comes to lies, we have all had to fib a little. You’re not perfect, and you shouldn’t expect her to be perfect, either.”
“Evelyn, talking to you is a waste of time. I have work to do, so good-bye.”
“Yeah, whatever. But what am I supposed to tell Trina in the meantime? I at least want to give her some hope. Is there anything you would like for me to say to her?”
He stroked his chin, as if he was in thought, then snapped his fingers. “As a matter of fact, there is. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking over these past few days, thinking about what I would say to her if I saw her. That would be . . . to go to hell. You can go there too.”
Well, damn, I thought when he slammed the door in my face. Through the window I saw him jog back up the stairs. Vicious and nasty. He was beyond mad at Trina. I hadn’t known he was that serious. If Trina was ever going to call this place home again, she had her work cut out for her.
I returned home, only to find Trina weeping as she lay in the guest bedroom. I guessed when you realized how badly you had fucked up, it was a hard pill to swallow. I sat next to her on the bed, then pulled her to me.
“Stop this, okay?” I said. “I know it hurts, but you have to know that what is meant to be will be. Keith isn’t the only good man out there, and you are not a bad person. Still a little confused, though.” I laughed. “But certainly not a bad person. Stop beating yourself up about what you did.”
Trina dabbed her eyes with a tissue and then sat up straight. “I miss him,” she said. “I miss him so much, Evelyn. I don’t know what I’m going to say or do to get him back.”
I didn’t want to go there, but I had to get Trina up and out of this bed and energized to get her man back.
“Well, you won’t get him back by staying in bed all day, crying. If you don’t get up, there are plenty of women out there, ready to make a move. I ran into one chick as I went by his house today to talk to him. I was only trying to help, but there was someone else there with him.”
Trina cocked her head back. “Who?” she said. “What did she look like?”
“She was kind of tall, had short hair and some really wide hips. She mentioned something about him helping her, and he told her that he would see her again tomorrow.”
“That must have been Latisha. She comes by sometimes so that he can help her with her paintings. I have never trusted that hoochie, though, and if she knows I’m out of the picture, she will definitely do whatever to slide right in.”
“Hell, who wouldn’t? On a scale from one to ten, it ain’t like Keith a five. That man is ten all the way, and I’m not just talking about his looks.”
“Ten and then some,” Trina said softly. “It’s funny how you see a clear picture when you’ve broken up with somebody. All I can think about is where I went wrong.”
“Yes, wrong, wrong, wrong. And you were also wrong for telling Keith about me and his father. I wanted you to do so, but I didn’t expect for Keith to mention it today.”
Trina had a puzzled look on her face. “He knows? I didn’t say one word to him about you messing with his father. I was going to, but I decided against it.”
Now we both looked puzzled. “If he does know, who told him?” I said. “I just can’t see his father telling him anything like that, especially since he made it clear that I’d better not open my mouth.”
“I don’t know. I can’t see him telling Keith, either.”
I got off the bed and headed to the door. “The only way to find out is for me to call Mr. Washington and see who’s been talking.”
I went into the kitchen to get my purse and cell phone. When I punched in his number, he answered on the third ring. I didn’t even get a chance to say hello.
“Evelyn, this is the last call you will ever make to me. Good-bye.”
“But wait!” I shouted. “Why did you tell Keith about us? You know he knows, don’t you? I’m just trying to warn you.”
The call ended. I called back but didn’t get through, and after I tried several more times to reach him, with no success, I spoke with the operator, who said the phone number had been disconnected. I couldn’t believe it had been disconnected that fast. I was so curious, and I needed some answers. He could stop me from calling him, but he couldn’t stop me from being face-to-face with him. I rushed to the guest bedroom and told Trina I was leaving.
“Where are you going?” she said.
“I’ll be right back. I need to go see someone.”
“Who? Mr. Washington?”
“Yes.”
“I want to go. I’ll stay in the car or whatever, but I just need to get out of here.”
I was hesitant. After all, I didn’t want Trina around, just in case he wanted me to crawl for him again. But I also knew that Charles was a late-night lover. He liked to wait until business hours were over to do his dirt. Then again, so did I.
“Come on, Trina. Hurry up and put on some clothes. I’ll wait for you in the car.”
Trina got out of the bed, and I went to my car. I even called Charles’s phone one more time, just to be sure that it was disconnected. It was.
Minutes later, Trina came outside, looking like a slouchy bum in an oversized shirt and pants. It was a good thing that we weren’t going to see Keith, with her looking like that. And wherever we ultimately wound up going, I had to be sure that she stayed in the car.
I drove to Charles’s office, and after I parked, I told Trina that I would be right back. She yawned, then laid her head back on the headrest.
“Me too, but be patient. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
I closed the car door and then went inside the building. Something about this day felt really strange to me, and when I got off the elevator, went up to the receptionist, and asked to speak with Charles, she told me he didn’t work there.
“Excuse me,” I said to the receptionist, whom I had never seen before today. “I know he works here. I’ve come here to see him many times before.”
“I’m sorry, ma’am. You must have the wrong floor. There is no Charles Washington in this office.”
“Do you mind if I go back to the office where I normally meet him at? I can go get him for you. I think that since you’re new, you don’t know who he is.”
“No, I’ve been working here for almost four years. I was on vacation for a few weeks, but I can assure you that no Mr. Charles Washington has ever worked here.”
I scratched my head, and a look of anger washed over my face. I wasn’t sure if I would get myself in trouble or not, but I rushed away from the desk and stormed down the hallway. I could see Charles’s office from a distance, and as the receptionist called after me, I kept going. I quickly opened the door and stepped inside the room. There were four white men in suits standing in the office, talking business. Three were sitting in chairs, while the other one was standing and pointing to a diagram on the wall.
“May I help you?” said the one who was standing.
“I—I’m looking for Mr. Charles Washington. This is his office, isn’t it? Is he here?”
“Charles who?” the man asked, with a disturbing look on his face. “No, this is my office, and I don’t know him.”
I thought I was going crazy. I walked out the door, and when I slowly walked past the receptionist, with a bewildered look on my face, I barely heard what she said.
“Leave now, or I’ll call security.”
I walked to the elevator, feeling numb. What in the hell was going on? Surely, I was at the right building and on the right floor. There was no way that they didn’t know Charles. Instead of going back to the car, I got on the elevator and hit the button for the lower level, where the bunker was located. But as I made my exit, I discovered that there was a wall to my left and a wall to my right. Short hallways were on both sides, but that was it. I could go no farther, and in that moment, I truly felt as if I had lost my mind. Just to confirm that I hadn’t, I went back to the car to question Trina.
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