Losing It

by Zaria Garrison

  Sharmaine rushed to the door as soon as she heard the doorbell. Flinging it open, her heart skipped a beat as she laid eyes on Leon for the first time since he’d been shot. He was even more handsome than she’d remembered, and she had to fight the urge to attack him with hugs and kisses.

  “Hey, Mommy,” Rodney said. His voice was filled with excitement and joy.

  Sharmaine bent down and hugged him tightly. He went inside as she greeted Jeanna with a warm hug also. Jeanna kissed her mother’s cheek then went inside the apartment.

  Then there was Camille. Sharmaine put her arms around her, and Camille immediately tensed up. She stood there with her arms hanging to her side, until Sharmaine accepted the fact that she wasn’t going to hug her back. Releasing her, she stepped away from the door so that Camille could enter and join the other children inside.

  Sharmaine looked up at Leon still standing in the doorway. She tried to think of something clever or witty to say, but nothing came out. The two of them just stood staring at each other. Neither of them said a word.

  After becoming lost in her eyes, his feet would not move Leon from the spot they were in. He wanted to hug her and kiss her and love her as if nothing had ever happened between them. Instead, he stood frozen like an iceberg, unable to budge.

  Irritated by the obviously intimate moment they were sharing, Keisha stepped to the doorway and gently pushed Sharmaine aside. “I think you’d better go now, Leon. It’s not good for Sharmaine’s case for you to be here. I can bring the children home later.”

  “No, that’s not necessary. But you are right. I’ll send my security officer, Otis, to pick them up. He’ll be here at six sharp.” Without another word, Leon turned and walked down the hallway.

  As Keisha returned back inside her apartment, Jeanna was excitedly telling Sharmaine about the movie she’d brought with her.

  “It’s about these genetically altered rabbits who take over the world. The scientist who bred them has to work with the government to stop them,” she said.

  “Wow, that sounds exciting,” Sharmaine answered.

  “Not to me it doesn’t. Can we play a game instead?” Rodney asked.

  “I’m sorry, honey. I don’t have the Wii game here,” Sharmaine answered. “But I have a bunch of other games. I have Operation, Monopoly, Connect Four and Scrabble. I bet I could beat you,” Sharmaine teased.

  Rodney, Jeanna, and Sharmaine all agreed to play Monopoly. While Sharmaine went to the bedroom to retrieve the games, Jeanna turned to her sister. “What’s the matter with you, Camille? Come on and play the game with us. It will be fun.”

  “Look, I’m here. That should be enough.” Camille rolled her eyes.

  “Well, it’s not enough. You heard what Dad said in the car. We need Mom, but most of all she needs us. You can’t just sit here ignoring her all day.”

  “I can and I will.”

  “No, you won’t,” Rodney said. He wagged his finger at Camille. “We lied for you so that you could see Danté. Now you owe us.”

  Camille was surprised. Her little brother had never stood up to her before. “We got caught, so it doesn’t matter,” she answered.

  “So? We did what you asked, Camille. It’s only fair that you do this for us,” Rodney shot back.

  Jeanna nodded her head in agreement.

  “Fine. I’ll play one game; then my debt is paid. You li’l rug rats will not blackmail me anymore,” Camille huffed.

  “Would you like to play too, Ms. Keisha?” Jeanna asked.

  Keisha was sitting in the chair by the window, ignoring them as she gazed outside, appearing to be in a daze. She looked startled as she heard her name. “What did you say, sweetie?”

  “We’re all going to play Monopoly. Do you want to join us?”

  Unable to think up a good excuse fast enough, Keisha nodded her head in agreement. She followed the children into the dining room, where Sharmaine was setting up the board game.

  “I want to be the shoe,” Rodney squealed. He sat down next to Sharmaine.

  “You are always the shoe,” Jeanna replied. “I want to be the race car.”

  “Give me the thimble,” Keisha said. She’d suddenly decided playing games with Sharmaine’s kids might be fun. “I’m the Monopoly champ. You all are going down.”

  Sharmaine looked over at Camille, who’d taken a seat, but was still obviously unhappy. “Here you are, Camille. I saved the top hat for you,” she said and smiled at her.

  Camille took her board piece without a word.

  The five of them began playing, and before long, Camille was enthused and actually enjoying the game. They laughed when Keisha ended up in jail for three rounds. Then they were in hysterics when Rodney made Sharmaine pay out almost all of her money to him for his hotel on Boardwalk.

  Jeanna picked up the dice for her next turn just as the front doorbell rang.

  “I wonder who that is,” Keisha said. She left the dining room and went to the front door.

  “I’m thirsty. May I have something to drink?” Rodney asked.

  “Sure. Go to the kitchen and help yourself, Sharmaine said. “We’ll take a break until you and Keisha get back.”

  Rodney sauntered into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. He was just about to take out a soda when he noticed a pitcher of thick pink stuff sitting on the shelf. He stuck his finger in and tasted it. Excited, he realized it was a strawberry banana smoothie, his favorite. Momentarily closing the refrigerator door, he went to the cabinet and took out a tall glass. Then he returned to the refrigerator and poured the smoothie into it. He took a long sip, drinking half of it. Rodney licked his lips, and then poured more. Rodney stood in the kitchen and drank another full glass of smoothie. When he was satisfied, he placed the pitcher back in the refrigerator and returned to the game.

  Camille, Sharmaine, and Jeanna were talking idly as they waited for Keisha to return. Rodney joined them at the table.

  “Who was at the door?” Sharmaine asked when Keisha returned almost twenty minutes later.

  “A delivery guy, but he had the wrong address. I walked him down the hallway to Mrs. Forrester’s apartment. You know that woman loves to talk. Whose turn is it?” Keisha asked.

  “Mommy, I don’t feel so good,” Rodney said.

  Back home at his estate, Leon went to the phone to call Jackson.

  “Hello.”

  “Jack, I need your help,” Leon said.

  “What’s going on?” Jackson asked.

  “I need you to help me find a high resolution copy of ... of the video with Sharmaine in it.”

  Jackson sighed. “Not that again. I told you that you don’t need to torture yourself with that video. You know it’s her; now let it go.”

  “You don’t understand, Jack. I know it’s Sharmaine in the video, but, um, I think I recognize the man she’s with. There’s something familiar about the whole thing, but the copy I have is too distorted.”

  “Leon, let it go! Why does it matter who the man was?” he yelled.

  “Never mind, Jackson. If you won’t help me, I’ll find someone else who will.” Leon hung up the phone and immediately dialed another number.

  “Shawn Reeves,” he said when he answered.

  “Hello, Shawn, it’s Leon Cleveland. I need your help.”

  Shawn glanced over at Brenetta sitting a few feet away from him on the sofa with their pet Pekingese resting comfortably in her lap. The two of them were wearing matching leopard print jackets. Brenetta gently stroked the dog’s head and made funny faces at her.

  “This is a business call, baby. I’m going to take it in my office.”

  “Sure, baby,” she answered without turning her attention from the dog.

  Shawn walked out of the den and up the huge winding staircase to his home office on the second floor of their home. He took a seat behind his desk then put the phone back up to his ear. “Leon, are you still there?”

  “Yes. Thank you for speaking to me in private.”

&n
bsp; “No problem. What’s up?”

  Leon sat down on a bar stool in his kitchen while he gathered the nerve to speak. “I was wondering if you could help me get a high resolution copy of the video featuring Sharmaine.”

  Shawn was taken aback. “What makes you think I have access to anything like that?”

  “I was going through some paperwork in Sharmaine’s office and I found the offer you made her for distribution of the videos.”

  “Yeah, the offer she turned down flat. That deal could have made us all a lot of money, but I’ve since come to realize why she said no.”

  “Can you get me a copy, Shawn? It’s imperative that I get it as soon as possible. I can’t explain it all now, but I promise if you help me, I will tell you everything.”

  Shawn thought for a moment. He still had the videos locked in the vault at his downtown office. After Sharmaine turned him down, he’d had several offers to sell them, but he’d declined. They continued to sit gathering dust, and he’d seriously considered destroying them. Now her husband was asking for access. Momentarily, he wondered if Leon had a sales offer, but he quickly dismissed it. He’d known Leon a long time. If he needed the video, there was a logical reason for it.

  After several moments of silence, he finally answered. “Sure. I’ll get back to you in a couple of days.”

  Leon hung up the phone feeling a slight tinge of relief. His cell phone rang again, and he casually picked it up.

  “Dad, Rodney’s sick. We’re on our way to the hospital,” Camille said.

  “What happened?” he frantically asked.

  “I don’t know. He just suddenly started vomiting, and then his eyes rolled back in his head and he passed out.” Camille began sobbing. “It looked like he wasn’t breathing, Dad. Mom called nine-one-one and they just took him away in the ambulance.”

  “I’ll be right there.”

  When he arrived at the hospital, Leon rushed into the emergency entrance, anxiously searching for anyone he recognized. Jeanna ran to him as he rushed down the corridor.

  “Dad!” she yelled.

  “Where’s Rodney? How is he?”

  “The doctors took him in the back. Mom and Camille are over there.”

  Leon ran over and embraced the two of them. He held Sharmaine tightly as they all forgot everything else that had transpired. The only thing that mattered at that moment was the health of their son.

  When they finally broke the embrace, Leon began asking questions. “He seemed fine when we left home today. Did he eat anything at your house, Sharmaine?” he asked.

  “No. None of us had eaten anything. We were all sitting in the dining room playing Monopoly,” she answered.

  “Rodney had something to drink,” Jeanna suddenly remembered.

  Camille nodded her head. “That’s right. He went into the kitchen for a soda right before he got sick.”

  The family sat for several hours, waiting for news on Rodney’s condition. Leon alternated between pacing back and forth in the hallway and talking on the phone. He’d called Jackson and advised him to alert the rest of their family. As his parents and each of his brothers learned the news, they called. Leon felt helpless, as he was unable to give them any updates on Rodney’s condition.

  On the other end of the hallway, Sharmaine stood praying and crying. It seemed that something terrible happened whenever she was with her children, and it was tearing her apart inside. She pleaded with God to heal Rodney. As she waited and prayed, she also struggled with her own health. Her head was aching, and she’d gone to the bathroom as least three times with diarrhea.

  Please, God, don’t let me black out now, she prayed.

  Jeanna found a television and retreated into her usual escape of watching movies, while Camille sat in a corner emotionless.

  Finally, when they all felt they could not wait any longer, a young black doctor approached Leon as he was pacing up and down the corridor. Jeanna, Camille, and Sharmaine ran to his side as soon as they saw the doctor.

  “Mr. Cleveland,” he said as he extended his hand to Leon. Suddenly, he recognized Sharmaine. “Um, wow ... I didn’t realize I was treating your son. I’m a fan of your work,” he said.

  “Thank you. I appreciate that, but can you please just tell us how he is?” she asked

  “Of course,” he said and opened his chart. “We were finally able to stabilize him. The next few hours are going to be very critical for him. We will have to watch him closely to make sure that no significant damage has been done to any of his internal organs.”

  “I don’t understand. He was fine one minute and the next he was violently vomiting. What happened to him?” Sharmaine asked.

  The doctor looked at them all solemnly before responding. “Your son has been poisoned,” he said.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Keisha sat in complete darkness in her apartment, trying desperately to think of her next move. As she sat moping, she deeply regretted the decision to allow Sharmaine’s children into her apartment. I knew I should never have let them come over.

  The moment Rodney began vomiting, Keisha realized that she had missed something important when she left to deal with the delivery man. While Sharmaine was dialing 911, Keisha had run into the kitchen. Just as she suspected, Rodney had gulped down half a pitcher of the special smoothies she’d been serving Sharmaine. Prior to this glitch, Keisha believed her plan was foolproof, and the smoothies were the last nail in Sharmaine’s proverbial coffin. She was certain it would have worked—if Rodney had not drunk it instead.

  A smile spread across Keisha’s face as she thought about how easy it had been to bring down the great Sharmaine Cleveland. In Keisha’s opinion, Sharmaine was lazy and stupid. From the moment she took over managing Sharmaine’s career, Keisha discovered that if left to her own devices, Sharmaine would fail miserably.

  At first she’d taken the job out of loyalty and friendship. For more than ten years, she’d worked diligently for Sharmaine out of sheer love, and sincerely considered her to be family. She reveled in her best friend’s happiness and success. But then, Sharmaine betrayed her.

  After that, Keisha’s whole outlook changed. As hard as she tried, she could not get over it, and eventually, she vowed that she would do whatever it took in order to put Sharmaine in her place. It’s true what they say: There’s a thin line between love and hate. The depths of Keisha’s hatred for Sharmaine were as deep as the love she’d once felt for her. For all of the things she’d done to help Sharmaine’s career succeed, she vowed to do equal amounts to ensure that it failed.

  The fact that Sharmaine had put her absolute trust in Keisha acted as gasoline for the fire she was building. It was all very comical to Keisha as she made up stories to feed Sharmaine that she swallowed hook, line, and sinker. Keisha felt it was much easier than fishing in a barrel. Keisha giggled when she’d tell Sharmaine she’d signed papers that didn’t exist. The fact that it never occurred to her that Keisha had been signing her name for several years was hysterical.

  It took all of her restraint not to guffaw like a donkey right in her face each time she handed her a pill and Sharmaine popped it into her mouth without a second glance. Even with it sitting on her nightstand, Keisha believed Sharmaine was too lazy and incompetent to take the time to read the label. Accepting every word that Keisha said to her, Sharmaine believed she’d been places she had never been, and done things she’d never done. What a freaking idiot.

  Keisha’s cell phone rang loudly, disturbing her thoughts. Annoyed, she flipped on the lamp and answered. A sobbing Sharmaine was on the other end.

  “Is Rodney okay?” Keisha asked.

  “The doctors have him stabilized, but he’s still unconscious. Oh, Keisha, I don’t know what I’ll do if I lose my baby.”

  “You won’t lose him, Sharmaine. I’m sure he’s going to be fine.”

  Keisha held the line as Sharmaine cried in her ear for several minutes. Unable to stand it any longer, she spoke. “Listen. Do you want me to c
ome to the hospital? Is there anything I can do?”

  Of course there is. I do everything for your precious family, Keisha thought after asking the question.

  “No, it’s late. You go ahead and get some rest. Leon called Jackson to pick up Jeanna and Camille. He’s going to take them home and stay with them. I’m going to spend the night here with Leon. I just called to give you an update.”

  “Is that a good idea? What about your case, and the stipulations of your bail?”

  “That is the last thing on my mind right now, Keisha. If they want to arrest me for being near Leon, then they can just come up here and do it, but I am not leaving this hospital.”

  “Okay, if that’s what you want. I’ll bring you some fresh clothes in the morning.” Keisha waited for Sharmaine to continue, but all she heard was the sound of her sniffling and blowing her nose.

  She was positive of the answer, but she had to ask. “Um, did the doctor say what’s wrong with him? I mean, he just got sick so fast.”

  “Keisha, you won’t believe this. They say that he’s been poisoned.” Sharmaine cried harder and louder.

  The phone hit the floor as Keisha could no longer hold it in her hand. She’d hoped it would take the doctors much longer to figure it out. She stared at her phone lying on the floor for several seconds before picking it up again. Grateful that Sharmaine was too consumed in tears to have noticed, she gathered her composure. “Do they know how?”

  “No ... They are still running tests.”

  “I’ll see you in the morning,” Keisha said.

  Quickly, she hung up the phone and rushed to her kitchen. She had poured the remainder of the smoothie down the garbage disposal as soon as everyone left for the hospital. Now she realized she had to be sure to cover her tracks. Under the sink, she found some bleach and poured it down the drain, then mixed in hot water. That would get rid of any smoothie residue, she reasoned. Next, she went out the back door to her storage closet to get rid of the boxes of rat poison she’d been storing.

  Each day since Sharmaine had moved in, Keisha had ground up a few pellets of poison in her blender along with a strawberry banana smoothie for Sharmaine. The small doses made Sharmaine sick, but Keisha knew they would not kill her. It had never occurred to her that Rodney would get his hands on it. His small size, combined with the amount he drank, was potentially deadly.