“Now Kennedi, you know that I try to mind my business and let you and Dominic handle things on your own, but you have crossed the line this time. This is my grandson’s party, and you shouldn’t have come here with all this mess,” Mrs. Liz said.
“I know that, and I apologize, but he left me no other choice. I’m tired of him ignoring my calls and texts. Brooklyn is not the only one that’s having his baby. I have three more months before my baby gets here, and Dominic hasn’t done anything to help me. I don’t have anything for when my baby arrives,” I said as I fought back the volcano of tears that threatened to erupt.
“Kennedi you know my son and you know how he feels about kids. Dominic is going to take care of his baby and my husband, and I are going to help just like we do with DJ. It’s hard for us to even start shopping when you’re refusing to tell us the sex of the baby.”
“It’s a girl okay? I don’t know why that’s even important, but I’m having a girl,” I snapped.
“You can lose the attitude honey. I’m only trying to help you.”
“I’m sorry Mrs. Liz. I’m just stressed out, and that can’t be good for her,” I replied while rubbing my small baby bump.
“No, it’s not good for her, so you need to relax. There’s no need to stress over something that you can’t change. I’ll talk to Dominic. Maybe you and I can go shopping for her next weekend if you’re free,” she suggested.
“Thank you so much, Mrs. Liz,” I said giving her a tight hug. “I’ll let you know if I’m free or not.”
“Okay, you know my number if you need anything,” she replied right before walking away.
I felt a little better after talking to her. I would have rather it be Dominic saying those things instead of her, but at least it’s a start. As soon as I got in my car my phone rang, displaying my father’s number. He’d been calling me non-stop for the past few weeks, and I’m over it.
“Yes,” I yelled once I connected the call.
“Hey sweetheart, how are you”? He asked sounding happy. It sickened me that he and everybody else could be so happy while I am feeling like I’m living in hell on earth.
“I’m fine,” I answered with ice dripping from my voice.
“I was calling to see if we could meet up for lunch or dinner one day this week.”
“No, we can’t. I have too much on my plate right now.”
“Kennedi we really need to sit down and talk. It’s time for us to put the past behind us and move forward. You’re about to give me my first grandchild, and I want to be in his or her life. I truly apologize for whatever I did to make you angry,” he said.
“Don’t try to downplay what you did. You told Dominic things that he should have never known about,” I yelled.
“I’m not downplaying anything. I’m trying to apologize if you’ll just let me.”
“No, I won’t let you. Because of you, my husband almost called off our wedding.”
“Why does that even matter now? Y’all are about to be divorced in a few weeks anyway,” he bellowed.
I sat there staring at my phone in stunned silence, wondering how he knew about my impending divorce. The last thing I wanted him to do was gloat about how right he was.
“Who told you that?” I asked angrily.
“It doesn’t matter who told me Kennedi. I just want you to know that I’m here for you. Whatever you and the baby need I’ll be happy to provide. Please don’t shut me out. I want to help you as much as I can,” he replied almost begging.
“I’m fine and I don’t need your help. My mama will help me just like she’s been doing since you abandoned me to go play house with your new wife and kids,” I snapped.
“I don’t know what Karen has been telling you, but I never abandoned you. I’ve always wanted to be a part of your life, but she wouldn’t let me. Everything had to be done on her terms or not at all. My money was always good enough, but I never was. I damn near had to wait until you were an adult to have a relationship with you thanks to your mother,” he ranted.
“Well, it’s a little too late for all of that now don’t you think?”
“You’re absolutely right and I’m done trying. I’m tired of kissing your ass and begging you to let me be a part of your life. I feel bad that your mother has turned you into a younger version of herself. God knows I never wanted that for you.”
“Are you done?” I asked impatiently.
“More than you know,” he said before hanging up. It really didn’t matter to me how he feels at the moment. I tried to let him into my world, and he almost had it crashing down around me. I’m good on him and anybody else who has a problem with what I do.
****
Three weeks later, Tiffany and I were coming from my doctor’s office before going into work. Today marks the seventh month of my pregnancy, and everything is perfect. Since I’m considered a high-risk patient, I have to start seeing the doctor twice every week until my princess is born. Mrs. Liz called me to go shopping with her a few times, but I always turned her down. Although I appreciate the gesture, it’s not her job. She’s doing everything that her son should have been doing. I hadn’t seen or heard from him since DJ’s party. I did find out through Tiffany and her social media stalking that he and Brooklyn had moved into their new house. They posted pictures of how each room was decorated, and it’s absolutely beautiful. It’s also how I found out that she too is having a girl. I don’t know her exact date, but she should be due to have her baby any day now. I just can’t win for losing with her. It wasn’t enough that she gave Dominic his first and only son now she’s giving him his first daughter as well.
“You want to get something to eat before we go to the office?” Tiffany asked me.
“Yeah, and I need to go check my P.O. Box. I know it’s piled high with junk mail,” I replied. I looked down and smiled at the text message that I’d just received from Scott. I’m so happy that he didn’t blame me for causing him to lose his job. I helped him put together a resume for a few jobs that he expressed interest in. He’d just informed me that he was offered a job as a driver for Budweiser. It doesn’t pay as much as he made when he worked for Dominic, but it’s enough to get him back on his feet. He’s been collecting unemployment, and that’s barely enough to pay his rent.
“What are you smiling so hard for?” Tiffany asked when she pulled up to the post office.
“None of your business nosey,” I replied while getting out of her car and responding to Scott’s message. I opened my P.O. Box and instantly started throwing away most of the junk that was stuffed in there. While shifting through everything, a bright green card caught my attention. It informed me that I needed to go into the office and sign for a package. Being seven months pregnant made me lazier than I’ve ever been, but curiosity got the best of me. Since I’m not having an actual baby shower, a few of my mother’s friends had started sending me gifts for my daughter. I got excited about the thought of getting something else and hurried to see just what it was. I told Dominic and Mrs. Liz that I didn’t have anything, but that’s none of their business anyway. If I have to lie to get my baby girl everything that she needs then so be it.
“Can I help you?” The clerk asked me. I handed her the card and watched her walk to the back to get my package. She was only gone for a few minutes before she came back with a big brown envelope and handed it to me.
“Is this all?” I asked with an obvious attitude.
“Yes, that’s all we have for you,” she replied matching my tone. I snatched the envelope from her hand and walked away.
“Let’s go get something to eat,” I told Tiffany went I got back in the car.
“Okay, I want some chicken,” she replied. As soon as she pulled off, I tore open the envelope and pulled out the contents. My heart skipped a beat when I read “Dissolution of Marriage” in big bold letters at the top of the page. Tears immediately started to fill my eyes.
“Kennedi did you hear me?” Tiffany asked.
I had
completely zoned out as I read over the paperwork that confirmed the end of my marriage. Tiffany pulled her car to the side of the road when my hands started shaking, and my breathing became irregular. She jumped out of the car and rushed over to me.
“Kennedi are you alright?” She asked in a panic filled voice. I handed her the papers to read as silent tears crept from my eyes.
“I can’t believe it’s really over,” I mumbled sadly.
“Oh Kennedi, I’m so sorry about all of this,” my cousin said while embracing me. I welcomed her hug and held on to her as tightly as I could.
“I should have been celebrating my one year anniversary around this time, but I’m not even married anymore,” I cried harder.
Tiffany held me and rubbed my back while I cried until I didn’t have any more tears left. I thought back to all the drama that I took Nadia through to get Dominic and I ended up losing him the exact same way.
“We don’t have to go to work if you don’t want to. I’m sure your mama will understand,” Tiffany said.
“No, I need to do something to get my mind off of all of this. I’ll go crazy if I sit inside and think about it all day.”
“You don’t have to go home either. You know you can stay with me for as long as you want to,” she suggested.
“Thanks, Tiffany. I’ll get some clothes and come over after work. You can still go get your food, but I’m not hungry anymore.”
“My goddaughter is probably starving so I’m getting you something too,” she said as she pulled up to the drive-thru at Popeye’s. My stomach was growling so I didn’t protest when she shoved a box full of chicken and biscuits in my hands. We sat in the parking lot of the restaurant and ate before heading back to work.
“You feel better?” Tiffany asked when we were almost to our office. “You know you don’t have to do this if you don’t feel up to it.”
“I know, but I’m…” I started talking, but my words got lodged in my throat when we pulled up to our office building. There were about five marked and three unmarked police cars in front of the building, blocking us from getting into the parking lot. Tiffany stopped her car, and both of us jumped out in a hurry. We ran over, trying to see what happened until a police officer stopped us from going too far.
“What’s going on? We work here,” Tiffany yelled while pulling away from the officer.
“Oh God Tiffany! My mama’s truck is here. Did something happen to my mother?” I yelled out to anyone who was listening.
“Calm down ladies. I’ll get somebody out here to talk to you,” the masculine looking female officer said to us. She walked away right as she summoned another officer over to make sure we didn’t try to go in.
“What if somebody tried to rob us? They probably did something to my mama,” I cried out in fear.
“Stop thinking like that Kennedi. They don’t have any yellow tape out here, so nobody is dead,” Tiffany rationalized.
“I don’t care about any of that Tiffany. Something must have happened. Look at all of these police cars out here. I just need to know if my mother is okay.” Just as I finished talking the police lady who restrained us before came back out of the building with another man. He wore a suit and tie, but I didn’t miss the badge that rested on his side.
“Which one of you ladies work here?” He asked while looking at me and Tiffany.
“Both of us do. My mother owns this place. Is she alright?” I spoke up.
“She’s fine, but the place is closed indefinitely,” he replied.
“What! Why?” Tiffany yelled.
“Just stay right here. We might need to ask both of you a few questions before you leave,” he said before walking away.
“Something’s not right. I can feel it. I just need to see her to make sure she’s alright,” I said to Tiffany through teary eyes.
Right when the words left my mouth, I watched as two police officers escorted my mother out of the building. A sense of relief washed over me until I noticed that her hands were cuffed behind her back. Despite the circumstances, she still held her head high like she didn’t have a care in the world. I rushed through the crowd of police officers and headed straight to her. I didn’t care that I was told to stay back.
“Kennedi come back here,” Tiffany yelled as she raced after me. Her yelling caused a group of officers to turn around and stop me just as I made it to my mother.
“Calm down before you hurt yourself and your baby ma’am,” one of the officers who held me back instructed. I tried to break free to see what was going on.
“It’s okay Kennedi. This is all a misunderstanding that will be over very soon,” my mother said as she was placed in the back of an unmarked car. Seeing her in that position took all of the fight out of me. I broke down and cried like a baby.
“I feel sick,” I said right before I relieved my stomach of the lunch that I’d just eaten. Tiffany was right at my side while I threw up all over the grass where we stood. The same plain clothes officer that came out and talked to us before came back and handed me a bottle of water and some paper towels. Tiffany poured some water on the napkins and gave me the rest to drink.
“Here you go, have a seat,” another officer said, sitting a folding chair down in the grass for me.
“Can somebody please tell me what’s going on?” I begged while taking a seat.
“This is still an ongoing investigation, but your mother has been arrested for embezzlement and fraud. We were alerted by the bank a few months ago about the possible misappropriation of funds on several accounts that belong to her. After investigating a little further, we noticed that it was much deeper than we originally thought. This whole loan and finance company seems like nothing more than a cover-up. As of right now she’s in federal custody, and there is no bond,” he said all in one breath.
I felt lightheaded after he had finished talking. Not only were my cousin and I out of a job, but my mother was now a federal inmate. Without my mother’s financial help and no job, I’ll be broke in a matter of months.
“I need to talk to her. Will she be able to call me?” I asked.
“Yes, she’ll be given the opportunity to make a few calls. Here’s my card. Call me if I can be of any further assistance. I’m sure your mother will let you know about her court dates or anything else of importance,” the detective said before handing Tiffany and I a card and walking away.
“Come on Kennedi, let’s go get you some clothes so you can stay with me for a while,” Tiffany said while helping me stand to my feet. I followed behind her like a zombie. Aside from Tiffany and my soon to be new addition, my mother was all that I had. Dominic left me, and I had basically pushed my father away.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do Tiffany. I can’t afford to pay bills and take care of this baby without a job. I’ll have to use my all of my savings, and then I’ll be broke,” I cried to my cousin.
“The first thing you need to do is talk to Dominic about helping you. If he still refuses, take his ass to court, and they’ll make him pay. You know your father will help you if you need him to,” she replied.
I never told her about the last conversation I had with my father a few weeks ago. He told me that he was done trying with me, and he meant it. He hasn’t tried to call me again since then. Knowing him, he’ll probably be happy when he finds out that my mother has been locked up. I’m not about to give him anything else to throw in my face. I’m still wondering how he found out about me and Dominic divorcing. My pride will never allow me to call him and beg for help. I would never make him think that I needed him even though I really did.
DOMINIC
“Come on baby, just one more time around and we can leave,” I begged Brooklyn. We’re at the park doing a few laps around the walking trail. Co-Co is doing a few laps with us while Candace played on the slide with DJ. Since Brook is nine months pregnant, I try to make her walk for at least an hour every day. Most days we barely get in thirty minutes and today is most likely going to be one
of those days. She’s due to have our baby girl any day now, and I’m too excited. I’m also excited about our new house. Brooklyn was supposed to wait until after she had the baby to decorate, but she started on it anyway. With the help of my family and hers, everything was just about done. Brooklyn has good taste, and her decorating skills are something serious. The only thing missing is some patio and pool furniture for outside, but she still hasn’t come across anything that she likes.
“Dominic I’m tired. We already did three laps. I’m ready to sit down,” Brooklyn complained.
“Y’all can go sit down, but I’m going around a few more times. I didn’t get this hour glass figure by being lazy,” Co-Co said as he kept walking. We couldn’t leave right now anyway since we rode to the park with him. Co-Co had just purchased a silver G-Wagon, so he volunteered to drive.
“Come on lazy ass,” I grabbed Brooklyn’s hand and led her over to one of the park benches. We sat down and talked while watching DJ play.
“Have you heard from Kennedi again?” Brooklyn asked.
“No, she’s been in contact with my mama though. I think I’m just going to give my mama some money and let her go with her to shop for the baby. I feel bad for her, but I still don’t want to be around her ass.”
“I feel bad for her too,” Brooklyn replied sadly.
According to my mama, Kennedi’s mother had been arrested, and things aren’t looking too good for her. She finally stopped being a bitch long enough to tell my mama that we’re having a girl. As much as I can’t stand Kennedi’s ass I have to put my feelings to the side and be there for my daughter. Kennedi’s mama is basically all that she knows. Her not being here for the birth of her first child is going to be hard on her.
“It’s crazy how I went from having no kids a few years ago to having three back to back,” I observed.
“It doesn’t matter how many you have as long as you take care of them,” Brooklyn replied.
She’s right, but that’s a given with me. Brook and all of my kids are going to be well taken care of. I make enough money to make sure of that.
You're My Little Secret 3 Page 15
