“Didn’t I tell you not to reach out to me again? I guess that ass kicking you got wasn’t enough! If—”
Evelyn hit the end button and looked at me with more sadness. “See? I told you he beat me.”
Damn. Why did I feel so bad for her? I tried my best not to let her know it. “He never should have put his hands on you. Maybe you need to press charges against him.”
“I’m afraid to. He threatened me and said that he’d tell the police that I came over there to kill him, especially since this incident took place at his house. Considering what had happened with Paula, he assured me that the police would believe him. I just don’t want any more trouble.”
“Then stay away from there. If you needed companionship, friendship, or a conversation, why didn’t you contact Bryson? Aren’t you still kicking it with him? If not, what happened to y’all’s relationship?”
Evelyn looked down and shook her head. She fumbled with the tissue then blew her nose again. This time, she stood and walked over to the picture window to look outside.
“I’ll tell you what happened, but you have to promise me that you won’t say anything to Keith. Is he here?”
“No, he’s not. I can’t promise you that I’ll be keeping any secrets from him, though. We’re striving to have a trustworthy and honest relationship.”
“I get that, but this is something that you can’t tell him. If you do, it will hurt him, and it could hurt me too. It involves Bryson and it’s really, really bad. As for the two of us, I am so over him. It pains me to be around him every day at work, and I’m thinking about quitting.”
Whatever it was sounded pretty darn juicy. I wasn’t sure if I would tell Keith, especially if it was something that would hurt him. Regardless, I told Evelyn that I wouldn’t say a word, just to get her to spill the beans.
“Promise me,” she said, walking away from the window. “You have to promise me that you won’t say anything. If you do, Bryson may hurt me even worse than Cedric did.”
I was eager to hear what was up. “Okay, I promise. I won’t say a word to Keith or anyone else.”
Evelyn sat back down and went into great details about what she discovered with Bryson. The whole time she spoke, my eyes were bugged and my mouth was stuck wide open. When Evelyn was done, I flat out told her that she was a damn liar. That was when she told me about the money and showed me the deposit into her bank account.
“He begged me not to say a word to anyone. I don’t even know if I should have told you about this, but it gives you an idea about how fucked up my life has been. I fell for a nigga on the down low, Trina. If I shared with you all of the things that I allowed him to do to me, or all of the things that I’d done to him, you’d throw up.”
This was bad. Real bad. I couldn’t believe that Bryson was on the DL. He had so many women in his circle, beautiful women, too. I’d seen him with chicks who looked as if they were Hollywood made. They loved Bryson’s dirty underwear and would do anything to be with him. I was outdone by this news. I figured Keith didn’t have a clue about his brother. He and Bryson were very close, but I was almost positive that something like this wouldn’t sit right with Keith.
Evelyn interrupted my thoughts. “I don’t need any more trouble, Trina, so again, keep this between us. I get that you’ve been mad at me and you may not care what Bryson will do to me, if this gets out. But, please, have some concern for my wellbeing.”
This time, I stood and paced the floor. Evelyn had put me on the spot. Maybe I needed to speak to Bryson first, before I decided what to do with this information. There was still a chance that Evelyn was being untruthful.
“Girl, if you’re lying about this, shame on you. You need to seek help and—”
Evelyn pounded her leg with her fist. “I’m not lying! The truth is, I do believe that I need to talk to a professional who may be able to help me deal with all of this pain. I’ve been dealing with it for a long time, and I’ve never sought help from when I experienced my father beating me and my mother, him making us homeless or for having sex with me. I should have gotten help years ago, but I never did. Maybe all of this craziness wouldn’t be happening, and maybe I could’ve figured out how to be a better friend.”
Evelyn’s words made me reflect to when she used to come to school with black eyes and with bruises on her arms and legs, compliments of her father. Kayla and I felt so bad for her. My mother even pitched in to help when Evelyn’s father threw her and her mother out of the house. They stayed with us for a few months then went to live in a shelter. The people at the shelter found them a place to live, but it wasn’t long before her mother let her dad back in. The abuse continued and the rest was history. I guess that a part of me couldn’t blame Evelyn for being so screwed up. She wasn’t lying when she said she needed some help.
“I applaud you for wanting to get some counseling, and it’s not exactly a bad thing. I’ve had my issues too, and I just realized what was holding me back when it came to Keith. I talked to him about it, and I feel much better.”
“That’s the thing. You have somebody to talk to. I don’t. I keep all of this stuff bottled up inside of me, and I haven’t said much to you or Kayla about my issues because I don’t want to be judged. Just know that I’m sorry for everything. No matter if you decide to forgive me or not, I’m sorry and please tell Keith I’m sorry too.”
Right at that moment, the front door opened. Keith walked in with a smile, but it vanished when he saw Evelyn sitting on the couch.
“What is she doing here?” he asked with a frown on his face.
I didn’t like his tone, but I understood where it was coming from. “She came over to apologize to us about what happened.”
“Apologize? I don’t need an apology and neither do you. What I need is for Evelyn to get off my couch and leave. Right now.”
Evelyn blinked tears from her eyes and stood up. No words could express how bad I felt. She was so unstable. I didn’t want her to leave here, feeling as if everyone was against her. I tried to settle this with Keith, but he wasn’t trying to hear it.
“Keith, calm down. Let me finish talking to her, and then we’ll—”
“I am calm, and I will remain calm, as long as she exits.” He walked to the door and opened it. “Peace.”
Evelyn blinked away her tears and her breath staggered. She was fighting back all that was inside of her. I wanted to tell her not to leave, but I didn’t want to argue with Keith. Instead, I walked behind her and tapped her shoulder. She turned around.
“Give me a hug before you go. Stay strong and we’ll talk soon enough.”
She threw her arms around me and held me tight. So tight, as if she didn’t want to let go. When she did, she barely looked at Keith who stood at the door with a mean mug. After giving him one last look, she left. I slowly closed the door and turned to him.
“I know what you’re going to say, but she’s going through a lot right now. I tried not to sympathize with her, but you know how I am.”
Keith gave me a dirty look then walked away. He went into the kitchen and I followed. He opened the fridge, pulled out a beer, and popped the cap. The strange gaze in his eyes was still there.
“What is it?” I said. “Why do you keep looking at me like that?”
Keith guzzled down the beer and then wiped across his mouth. “I almost hate to ask you this, but something here ain’t right. Were you and Evelyn ever lovers, or should I say, are the two of you still lovers?”
If there ever was a time when I wanted to smack the shit out of Keith, this was it. How dare he ask me such a question? What a gotdamn insult.
“You can’t be serious,” I snapped.
“I’m very serious. Because I don’t understand how you could’ve let her back into this house. After all that she’s done, her lies and games, you felt a need to open the door and let her in here? I don’t give a rat’s ass what she’s been through. Hell, we all go through things, but we don’t go around manipulating people, tryin
g to screw people’s significant others and telling lies about them, do we?”
“She’s a little off, Keith. I suggested that she gets some help. Hopefully, she’ll take my advice.”
He slammed the bottle of beer on the table. “A little off? No, she is way off and wacky as hell. I don’t ever want her in this house again.”
“Yeah, well, you’re way off too by suggesting that she and I are lovers. I guess you’re a wacko too. And in case you forgot, I live here too. I don’t tell you who is or isn’t allowed in here, and it’s wrong for you to try to tell me.”
“What I say goes. She’s not welcome here, Trina. If you don’t like it, you know what you can do.”
Keith walked past me and left the kitchen. The last thing I wanted was to get into another heated argument with him, so I decided to let him cool off and rethink his position. He went upstairs, and I grabbed my purse and keys from the couch. I looked like a bum in my jeans and half shirt, but I needed to get out of there. I also needed to go talk to Bryson. If what Evelyn said was true, Keith needed to know. I wasn’t about to keep any more secrets from him.
Taking my chances, I went to a worksite where Keith and I had taken Bryson some lunch earlier in the week. It was a big project that he was working on, so I prayed that he was there so we could talk.
I arrived at the location, seeing several construction workers with hard hats on. It was rather noisy, and I started to think that maybe this was a bad idea. My thoughts were quickly washed away when I saw Bryson and another man standing real close to each other. They appeared to be indulged in a deep conversation, and I knew flirting eyes when I saw them. There was too much smiling going on and a bunch of lip licking, too. I parked my car, and as I moved toward them, I saw Bryson back away from the man. The second his eyes shifted in my direction, the man turned around to see who I was. Bryson said something to him, and he walked away.
“What’s up, sis-in-law,” he said with a smile. “You know better than to come out here without any lunch in your hand, and where is my brother at?”
“He’s at home, mad as hell at me.”
“What for?”
“I’ll tell you in a minute. That’s why I’m here. Is there anywhere private where we can talk?”
Bryson nodded and told me to follow him into a construction trailer that was piled with junk, including a desk, several folding chairs, and orange street cones. He invited me to have a seat in one of the chairs.
“Can I get you a bottled water or soda?”
“No, I’m fine.”
Bryson got a bottled water from the fridge then took a seat behind the wooden desk.
“What’s on your mind? Keith’s been causing you some headaches?”
“No, not exactly, but one of my friends have been. That would be Evelyn. She came to see me today, and she said some disturbing things to me about you.”
Bryson almost dropped the bottled water that was close to his lips. It splashed on his shirt and he wiped it. “What did she say that was so disturbing? I could say some disturbing things about her too, but I’m skeptical about going there because she’s your friend.”
“I’ll get straight to the point. She said that you were on the DL. Claimed she caught you having sex with a tranny and showed me the balance of some money you put into her account to keep quiet. I totally do not believe her, but I needed to hear what was up from your mouth. Why would she say something like that about you, if it wasn’t true?”
Bryson leaned back in the chair and scratched his head. “Because she’s fucking crazy, that’s why. I swear I be messing around with some weird-ass chicks. But this here takes the cake. I’ve never heard no shit like this before, and where do these women be getting their stories from? Books?”
I laughed because he had a point. “It’s funny that you say that because I recently read a book by Nikki Michelle, Bi-Satisfied. It was along the same lines as what Evelyn claimed she saw you indulged in, so maybe she read the same book.”
Bryson laughed. “Maybe so. But, uh, just so you know, I don’t get down like that. Not me; never.”
Bryson guzzled down the water, while tapping his fingers on the desk. As we talked, he tapped faster. His leg shook and he had the same shocking look in his eyes that I’d had when Kayla confronted me about what Cedric suspected about me.
When the direction of my eyes traveled to Bryson’s fingers, he stopped tapping them and squeezed his hand.
I let him know what was on my mind. “Let me just say this to you, okay, Bryson? I don’t know if Keith ever mentioned this to you before, but I used to be bisexual. My family disowned me, and until this day, they still do. I had a very difficult time telling anyone what was going on with me, and I kept that secret away from my friends for a very long time. You may already know that the chick who stabbed Keith was my lover. I have to live with that, and it still pains me to know that my lies could have killed him. I don’t care what your sexual preferences are. You know that Keith and I will love you regardless. But do me a favor and please tell him the truth, if indeed you are having sex with men. I say that because hearing this from other people will be damaging. If Evelyn has any proof, or if what she’s saying is factual, it’s just a matter of time when your secret will no longer be a secret. All the money in the world will not keep her mouth closed.”
Bryson looked away, swallowed, and then looked at me with a devious gaze. “Didn’t you hear what I said? I told you that bitch was lying, and I’m not about to confess to something that ain’t true. Keith told me about your little girlfriend, but if that’s how you chose to get down, then don’t come in here trying to push that shit off on me. I got a gang of women who can vouch for me. They know what I stand for. It’s called pussy. That’s what my heart desires, and unfortunately, your friend is only upset because hers wasn’t good enough for me. Now, I have to get back to work. But before I do, you may want to tell your friend that if any of her lies leak elsewhere, well, I can show her better than I can tell her.”
Seeing that Bryson was getting pretty upset with me, I stood to go. “If she is lying, then I guess you have nothing to worry about. If you are, then you’re the one who has to deal with the repercussions. Thanks for listening to me, and you have my word that I will not bring any of this up to Keith.”
“I hope not. And please keep that bullshit to yourself.”
On that note, I left. I knew for a fact that Evelyn wasn’t lying. Bryson was. But at this point, there was nothing that I could do but keep quiet until the shit hit the fan.
Chapter 16
Kayla
Evelyn told Trina what had happened and Trina told me. I wanted to laugh at what Cedric did, but to me, it really wasn’t a laughing matter. Don’t get me wrong. I despised Evelyn to the fullest. I would never be a friend to her again, but Cedric was out of line.
With that being said, I was going to contact him and say something, but I decided against it. I said that Jacoby was my priority and that he was. I’d been making sure that he handled his business at school, I limited his time with Adrianne a little bit, and the two of us spent a lot of quality time together talking, hanging out, and enjoying each other’s company. I made it clear to him that I had his back and he now knew it, more than ever.
Jacoby and I had just gotten back from Froyo, getting some frozen yogurt. The second we got out of the car, Cedric was parking. He hadn’t been over to see our new place, but I’d given him the address and told him all about it. He was in the process of looking for a place too. A few days ago, he mentioned that someone was interested in buying the house. I guess he’d stopped by to tell me all about it and to check out the new place we called home.
“Damn, that’s how I get played?” he said, looking at our yogurt with his hands held out. “Where’s mine at?”
“Jacoby bought this for me,” I said. “Since I didn’t have any money.”
Jacoby said, “What’s up,” to Cedric and walked ahead of us. Since I’d known about the incident, he kind o
f shied away from Cedric. I told him to stop doing that because Cedric would pick up on it and say something, as he’d done before.
“No money,” Cedric shouted. “Woman, please. If your money is gone, you need that ass kicked.”
Jacoby had already opened the door to our apartment, so we followed and went inside. Cedric looked up at the vaulted ceiling in the foyer and checked out the spacious living room area with double bay windows.
“What kind of apartment is this?” he said. “How did you find this place?”
“By driving around. It’s nice, isn’t it? Let me show you the kitchen.”
“I prefer to see the bedroom,” he joked. I rolled my eyes at him. “Not to do anything with you, but just in case I may want to move in another unit around here.”
“Please, no way. I don’t want to be close to you, and I think it’s best that you move waaaay on the other side of town.”
Jacoby was already sitting at the kitchen table when we entered. He was eating his yogurt while watching TV. Cedric spoke about how fabulous the kitchen was, and then he sat at the table with Jacoby.
“What’s up with you, man? Why have you been ignoring me?” Cedric asked.
Jacoby shrugged, looked at Cedric then looked at the TV again. “I’m not ignoring you. I was just looking at TV, trying to see if the game was on.”
“That’s cool, but, uh, how about we get together for the weekend. Go to one of the basketball games in Miami and see who’s really bringing the Heat. A friend of mine got a yacht down there, too. He has a son around your age and we can hang out with them on the high seas and have a good time.”
Jacoby nodded while rubbing his forehead. “Maybe so. I’ll let you know for sure by tomorrow. Adrianne and I had plans, but I’ll see if I can cancel.”
“Adrianne can wait. Besides, she sees you more than I do. You need some space and time to just go do you, if you know what I mean.”
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