The Devil Is a Lie

by ReShonda Tate Billingsley

  Nina chuckled. So her grandmother wasn’t the only one who passed out homespun wisdom.

  “So that was problem number one,” Todd’s mother continued. “Number two was you stopped being friends. And number three, which really should’ve been number one, is you didn’t take your problems to God.”

  “Mama, please,” Todd said, eyeing Nina like he was scared that she was going to get up and walk away.

  “Okay, fine. I’ll hush,” she said. “But mark my words, your story together isn’t over. In fact, a whole new chapter is beginning.” She looked around for the waiter. “Now, where’s that cute waiter? I want some cheesecake.”

  Nina glanced sideways at Todd and saw him in a different light. Who would’ve ever thought that a never-finalized divorce would lead them here? Maybe her grandmother was right. God had a master plan after all.

  46

  “I know you didn’t think this was over.”

  Todd stepped back at the sight of Pam blocking his front door. His hand instinctively went to Nina’s. For some reason, Nina knew this day would come. She took in Pam’s appearance. The girl looked the worst she’d ever seen. Her weave looked like it was long overdue for a wash. She wore some gray sweats and a white tank top. And she wasn’t wearing any makeup.

  “Pam, what are you doing here? And how did you get in the building, let alone inside my place?” Todd’s new condo was in a gated community. How did Pam make it past the security guard and inside his condo?

  Pam slowly fingered a brass door decoration that sat on his coffee table. It read, “Welcome to our home.” The previous owner had left it. Todd had just got around to removing the ugly sign off the door yesterday.

  “Hmph, ‘welcome to our home,’” she said, reading the words on the brass plaque. “Isn’t that sweet? You’re welcoming me to your home.”

  “Pam, what do you want?” he asked, looking around nervously. Nina knew he was thinking the same thing she was. The crazed look in Pam’s eyes was unnerving. Nina silently cursed. Why had she even come over here? She was meeting her grandmother at Todd’s place because Odessa wanted to go with her to visit Todd’s grandmother. Since Yvonne was coming into the city, she offered to drop Odessa off at Todd’s place.

  “I wanted this,” Pam answered, motioning around the three-thousand-square-foot high-rise. “This is the life you promised me. This is the life I deserved.” She stepped toward him. “This is the life you wouldn’t have had if it weren’t for me.”

  “And I appreciate that. Now, if you will excuse me…” He reached out to push her toward the door.

  Pam jumped in front of him again. “Oh, no, we’re just getting started.”

  Todd inhaled slowly. “Pam, if you don’t get out of my house…”

  “You’ll what?” she taunted. “You don’t have the ba—” She stopped as she noticed his watch. “Is that a Rolex?”

  He sighed as he moved his hand behind his back. Besides the new condo, the gold Rolex had been the only luxury item he’d allowed himself, and right about now he was wishing he hadn’t.

  The watch set Pam off. “No, you didn’t buy a Rolex,” she snapped. “Your cheap ass didn’t want to give me a thousand freaking dollars and you bought a Rolex?”

  “Pam, you need to go.” Todd was about to say something else when a big, burly man walked out of the kitchen.

  “Yo, Pam, you were right. This place is off the chain. I…” His voice trailed off as he took in Todd, every inch of him. “Is this the con artist?”

  “That’s him,” Pam snarled. “Todd, meet my friend Big Rob.”

  Big Rob was every bit his name. Undaunted, Todd asked, “Why is Big Rob in my kitchen?” He looked down at the beer in Big Rob’s hand. “Drinking my beer?”

  Pam’s lips tightened. She had been so focused on Todd, she was just now realizing Nina was with him.

  “Pam, you need to leave,” Todd said again.

  Pam sat down in the chair in the living room, her long legs crossed, a look of pure hatred distorting her face. “I’m not going anywhere.” She looked at Nina with disdain. “I guess you think you won?”

  The menacing look made Nina nervous. But more than that, she feared Big Rob standing behind them, pistol in clear view in his waistband.

  “I don’t like being played. And you played me,” Pam said to Todd.

  Todd eyed the pistol as well. “So what you gon’ do, Pam, shoot me?”

  “And get my nails dirty? I don’t think so. Big Rob, on the other hand, there’s no telling what he might do.”

  “Pam…”

  “Shhhh, I’m gonna get to you in a minute. You feeling victorious?” she asked Nina. When Nina didn’t answer, she added, “If you think I’m gonna let you have your money and our money, you have lost your mind.”

  “There is no ‘our,’” Nina said. “Remember, Todd’s my husband.”

  That wiped the smile off Pam’s face.

  “And I guess I should thank you for that,” Nina said, “especially because we’re working things out.”

  Todd’s eyes grew wide. Nina knew she shouldn’t have gone there, especially since they hadn’t talked about working things out. But she wanted to wipe the smug look off Pam’s face, and her words had done just that.

  Pam stood up, enraged. “What do you mean, y’all working things out?”

  Todd looked to Nina for an explanation. Nina ignored him, enjoying the pleasure she was taking plunging the knife deeper into Pam’s heart.

  “Just what I said,” Nina replied. “Thanks to you, we’re not divorced, and I think that’s a sign that you should’ve never split us up in the first place.”

  She knew she shouldn’t be saying that, but Nina had waited a long time to pay Pam back, and she absolutely loved the look on Pam’s face right then. Pam’s bottom lip started trembling in anger.

  “It’s like you said,” Nina continued lightly. “Any pretty woman can seduce a man, but it takes a special woman to steal his heart, and, sweetie, I’ve always had his heart.” Nina knew she was shocking Todd with everything she was saying, but at the same time, a big smile was spreading across his face. “I was in his heart all the time. When he had sex with you, it’s my face he saw. He was thinking about me—his wife.”

  “Is that true?” Pam said, jerking around toward Todd.

  “I, ahhh, I, uh,” Todd stuttered.

  “Oh, hell to the no.” Pam stomped over toward Big Rob. “These fools don’t know who they messing with.” Before Rob could blink, she had pulled his gun from his waistband. She pointed it straight at Nina’s head.

  “You ain’t so confident now, are you?” Pam said.

  Pam was right. All of Nina’s confidence had fled out the window. She no longer wanted to play this game.

  “Pam, what are you doing?” Todd exclaimed.

  Even Big Rob looked shocked.

  Pam waved the gun. “Y’all got me messed up. You gon’ try to cheat me out of money that you wouldn’t have had if it wasn’t for me. And you, you want to act all big and bad. Who’s big and bad now?” she said, shaking the gun at Nina.

  Tears built up in Nina’s eyes as her whole body trembled. “Pam, I didn’t mean…”

  “You didn’t what? Speak up! You was talking all loud a minute ago,” she said, nudging Nina’s head with the gun barrel. “Talk loud now.”

  Nina’s cell phone rang, momentarily stopping Pam’s rant. “I…I…” Nina’s eyes glanced down at the phone clipped to her purse. “I need to get that. It’s probably my sister. She’s downstairs with my grandmother.”

  “And?”

  “And…if…if I don’t answer, she’s just gonna come on up.”

  Pam huffed in frustration.

  Rob walked over to her and touched her arm. “Pam, look here, you know I’m on probation. You said we was just coming here to scare them. I can’t get caught up in no drama.”

  “Shut up, Rob,” Pam snapped. “You’re the sorriest criminal I’ve ever seen.”

  “Whateve
r, I don’t want to go back to jail, so I’m not down with this.”

  “Waste of a big ol’ man,” she grumbled.

  “Whatever.” He sat down at the bar. “You on your own.” He pointed to Nina and Todd. “Y’all my witnesses. I ain’t have nothing to do with this.”

  The phone rang again.

  “Answer the stupid phone!” Pam screeched. “And get rid of her.”

  “Okay,” Nina said quietly. Her hands were shaking as she opened the phone and pushed the Talk button.

  “Hey, baby,” her grandmother said. “We’re downstairs. I couldn’t remember which unit you said is Todd’s.”

  “Oh, okay,” Nina said carefully. “So you haven’t made it here yet?”

  “What you talking about, we haven’t made it? I told you we’re downstairs.”

  “No, well, don’t come then,” Nina continued. “Todd and I will just meet you.”

  “Why are you talking crazy, gal? I told you we’re already here. I’m tired and my feet hurt, and I’m just ready to go see ’bout Hattie.”

  Nina grimaced as Pam pushed her head again with the gun and mouthed, “Hurry up.”

  “Grandma,” Nina said, taking a deep breath. If ever there was a time she needed her grandmother to just be quiet and listen, this was it. “We’ll just meet you later, okay? That way you don’t have to come all the way over here. You can just stay at home and feed the pigs.”

  Her grandmother fell silent. “Oh, my God. What’s going on, Nina?” she said in a panic.

  “Yeah, okay, I have to go,” Nina said, trying her best to stay calm.

  “Jesus, is somebody there?”

  “Yes, but we’ll be there soon.”

  “Okay, baby. I’m about to get help. There’s a security guard right here. You hang tight.”

  “Okay, I love you, too.” Nina hung up the phone.

  “Are you through with the whole ‘family matters’ crap? And what kind of country-bumpkin relatives you got? Feeding pigs? Whatever, it don’t even matter.” She scowled as she started waving the gun back and forth between the two of them. “Now, where were we?”

  “Pam, this is between me and you,” Todd said.

  “Shut up. Shut up right now,” she replied. “I’m sick and tired of always being left out. I try to do right, but men like you just won’t let me. ‘Don’t go after someone for their money, Pam,’” she said mockingly. “‘You should love a person for who they are, not what they have, Pam.’ I loved your broke behind, and what did it get me? When you did get some money, you try to cut me out.”

  “Pam, I’m sorry, okay? It’s not even that serious. I can write you a check right now.” He reached in his back pocket for his checkbook.

  She cackled. “You must think I’m a fool. So you can stop payment on it?”

  “I don’t have any cash on me.” He sighed in frustration. “Are you gon’ rob me? Shoot me? What you gon’ do, Pam?”

  “I don’t know what I’m gon’ do!” she yelled. “Just let me think. Shut up all this noise.”

  “Yo, Pam, I told you I ain’t with this,” Rob said as he bit into an apple.

  “Shut up, Rob!” Pam was becoming totally unhinged. “Sit down!” she demanded. Todd and Nina both quickly complied. Pam began pacing back and forth across the living room floor, using the handle of the gun to scratch her head. She was like a crazed woman. “Okay, all right, cool,” she said, more to herself than anyone else. “Here’s what we’re gonna do.” She stopped in front of Todd and Nina. “Rob is going to go with you to the bank. I’m gonna sit here with your precious little wife. If you’re not back here in thirty minutes, you might as well get your black suit ready.” She once again pointed the gun at Nina’s head.

  Nina closed her eyes, unable to hold back the tears. Lord, please don’t let me die, she thought. She remembered Pastor Ellis’s words about going to God when times were good, not just when they were bad. I’m sorry, God. Just get me through this and I’ll do better, I promise.

  “Pam, you are not a killer,” Todd said slowly.

  “You don’t know nothing about me!” Pam screamed, causing Nina to pop her eyes open. “You don’t know what I’m capable of, or you wouldn’t have thrown me out on the street like a piece of garbage. You wanna know what I am? I’m tired. And I deserve some satisfaction!”

  “Okay, fine,” Todd replied. “But this is between you and I. Let Nina go and we’ll work this out.”

  She pointed the gun at Nina’s head. “Thirty minutes, Todd. The bank is right down the street. Go! The clock is ticking!”

  “Pam—”

  “Don’t try me, because I’m pissed off, and you know I’m not pretty when I’m pissed.”

  “Okay.” Todd stood. “I’m going.”

  “Go on with him, Rob,” Pam said. Rob looked up from the Jet magazine he was reading.

  “What?” he asked.

  “Rob, just go.”

  Rob stood up, grumbling, “I told you, I ain’t tryin’ to get caught up in no drama.” He stomped toward the door. “And you got my piece anyway.” He pointed toward the gun. “So how you think I’m gonna keep him under control?”

  Pam groaned. “You’re three hundred and fifty-two pounds. If you can’t keep him under control, something is wrong.”

  “Whatever. All I know is I didn’t count on all of this. I’m just here for appearances.”

  “I will reward you for your time.” She hissed. “Okay?”

  The prospect of payment reordered his priorities. He grabbed Todd’s arm and pushed him to the door. “Don’t try no funny stuff, man. I don’t want to have to snap your neck.”

  Todd stumbled as he looked at Nina. “Pam, don’t hurt her.”

  “Hurry back and your precious Nina will be fine.”

  As Nina watched Todd head toward the door, a feeling in her gut told her this would be her last time seeing him. Yet when Rob swung the door open, Nina wanted to shout for joy at the sight of the security guards standing with their guns drawn.

  “Drop your weapon!” they shouted.

  “Whoa,” Rob said, holding his hands up and stepping out of the way.

  Pam’s eyes darted in horror between the guards and Nina.

  “Ma’am, drop the gun. It’s not worth it!” one of the guards said.

  The reality of what she was doing set in at last. Pam let out a sob, dropped the gun, and sank to the floor as the uniformed guards rushed in.

  Epilogue

  Moonlight danced across the crashing waves as a soft breeze sent ripples across the water. Nina leaned back in the beach chair, savoring the salty tang of the ocean.

  “Hey, baby.”

  “Hey yourself,” Nina replied as she took the strawberry daiquiri out of Todd’s hand.

  “Where is everybody?”

  She ticked off her fingers as she answered. “Shari, Michelle, Rene, and Shavonne went to the club. Your mom, Yvonne, and Grandma are at the casino.”

  Todd laughed as he sat down on the beach chair next to Nina.

  “You didn’t want to go with any of them?”

  “Nope. I’m right where I want to be.” She gazed at him and smiled. She couldn’t believe her life. She was actually vacationing in the Bahamas with Todd. A year ago, if anyone had even dared to suggest such a thing, she would’ve told them they were crazy.

  This past year since Nina had decided to give Todd a second chance had proven that was the best decision she had ever made.

  “Come here,” Todd said, gently pulling her chin toward him. “Did I tell you how much I love you today?”

  “You did, but I’d love to hear it again.”

  “I love you with all of my heart.”

  “I love you more,” she said as their lips met.

  “Awww, isn’t that sweet?” Yvonne said, interrupting their kiss.

  Nina looked up at her sister and grandmother standing over them, grinning like Cheshire cats.

  “What are you guys doing?” Nina asked. “I thought you went to the
casino.”

  “We left Miss Gloria in there gambling. We had to go up to the room because Grandma wanted to change her shoes,” Yvonne said.

  “Yeah, I had to change into my house shoes,” she said, holding up a foot to reveal a pink fuzzy slipper.

  “Grandma!” Nina exclaimed. “You can’t walk around here in house shoes.”

  Her grandmother lowered her foot. “Chile, please. I ain’t studying these people. I don’t know them and will never see them again. Plus, I’m on the first real vacation of my seventy-five years. I’m gonna be comfortable.”

  Todd laughed. “Are you enjoying yourself, Miss Odessa?”

  “It’s Grandma Odessa,” she replied lovingly.

  “Are you enjoying yourself, Grandma Odessa?”

  “I sure am, baby. I still can’t believe I’m in the Bahamas. I can’t wait to get back and tell the ladies from the auxiliary about this.”

  “I still can’t believe Todd got you to come,” Nina said. “Especially considering you had to fly.”

  This whole trip had been a surprise. First she was stunned when he whisked her away for a weekend trip to the Bahamas, and she almost fell over backward when she arrived and saw first Michelle, Rene, and Shavonne, and then Shari, Yvonne, Gloria, and her grandmother.

  “That had to be the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” Todd quipped. “Your grandmother wasn’t trying to hear anything about a plane.”

  “Well, Hattie urged me to come so I could tell her what it was like.” Todd smiled at the mention of his grandmother. Having fully recovered, she was living in another, smaller assisted-living center. But her doctors had nixed the idea of her traveling.

  “Besides,” Odessa continued, “I figured I would try something new before I left this earth. And I wanted to watch you two renew your vows. I wanted to see firsthand the magnitude of what God can do.” She flashed a smile.

  “Not to mention, brother-in-law was paying,” Yvonne sang.

  Nina shook her head at her sister. If not for Todd, she didn’t know what she would’ve done. He had put his four million dollars into a special account, and then he’d invested some of the money and within one year had already made another 1.3 million dollars.