Single Ladies 2

by Blake Karrington

Dear Chris,

  I know you’re probably wondering where I’ve been and why haven’t I tried to reach out and contact you and the kids. Well, I really just needed some time to myself so I could carefully make the decisions that I’m about to explain to you. First, let me say that through everything you put me through, I still have love for you. You’re the father of my children, so how can I not love you? I guess that’s the main reason why I chose not to take your children from you. I know you’re probably thinking, “What the hell is this chick talking about?” Please let me explain. I’m moving far away, Chris. Darious has decided to take me back. He forgave me and offered me a chance to move to China with him. I can’t lie, I’m still in love with this man, and if it takes me moving to the other side of the world to be with him, then that’s what I’m going to do. As far as the kids are concerned, I think that it’s time they get to know their father. So I’m leaving them with you and your family. At first, I thought about taking them with me, but again, I still got love for you, and I know how hurt you would have been if I took Anthony and ya princess away from you. Also, me and my husband need some time to put our life back in order. Once I get my life in array, I’ll make a way to have them come. Believe me when I tell you this, leaving them behind is the hardest thing I ever had to do. But at the same time, I truly think that it was the best choice. I really hope that you find what it is that you’re looking for in life, and I really wish you the best. Know for sure that I will always love you. Take care of yourself and our children.

  Tammy

  Chris found it hard to even stand, taking a seat on the stairwell. For her to leave like this, it was a devastating blow. Chris always thought that he had time to fix everything between them. He thought that the love they had for each other would prevail over all. His thoughts were wrong, and, in fact, he had run clear out of time. Tammy was gone, and she wasn’t coming back. And now it was time for him to step up and be daddy for real.

  * * *

  When the taxicab pulled up to Kim’s house, Brian looked at the driver as though he had made a mistake. A quick check of the address that he got from Tim confirmed that this was indeed Kim’s home. Just in case, he instructed the cabdriver not to leave until he returned.

  “Damn, girl, you really done it this time,” Brian mumbled to himself, walking up the short flight of stairs to the front door. Even the doorbell sounded fancy when he hit the button.

  Kim had just grabbed a pint of butter pecan ice cream from the freezer and was heading back up the stairs when the bell caught her attention. She thought that it was Rebecca stopping by with the brief for her to look over. When she opened the door to see Brian standing there, her heart dropped to her stomach. Her eyes immediately began to water, and after putting the ice cream down, she jumped right into his arms. Brian paused for a moment, placing his hand on her stomach, wanting some confirmation that she was still with child. Unbeknown to him, Kim had already made up her mind on her flight back to California that she was going to keep the baby, with or without Brian being in her life. The thought of going through the whole abortion process again was enough to solidify her reason for keeping it.

  “What made you change ya mind?” Kim asked, leading Brian into the house.

  He almost didn’t hear the question as he looked around the stunning home.

  “Damn, this house is nice,” he said, following behind Kim. “You said this is paid for?”

  Kim walked him into the living room where they sat down on the supersized sectional. “What made you changed ya mind?” she asked again, wanting to know what was going on with his thoughts.

  Brian turned to look at Kim. There were a few life-changing moments that brought him to this stage in his life, but the only real reason that mattered was family. To be more specific, his family, the one he wanted to start with Kim. Dez’s advice also played a crucial role. It made Brian take a look at all the opportunities he had that most men in the city of Philadelphia didn’t have. He had a little money saved up, a good woman that loved him, and a way to get up out of the hood. He couldn’t ask for much more than that, and Kim could have not been any happier than she was at that very moment.

  * * *

  Tammy looked around the airport at all the waves of people walking around trying to make their flights. Darious startled her a little, walking up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist. “I’m not gonna lie. I didn’t think that you was going to come,” he said, turning her around to face him. He looked around with a curious stare, wondering where the kids were.

  “It’s just me. I think we need some time of just you and me. I want to start this off right this time.”

  “Are you sure about that? You know I always understood that you were a package deal, and I would never accept you without accepting them. They are part of our life, a part that I love.” Darious knew how much Tammy cherished her children and didn’t want to burden her with making the type of decision that would separate her from them.

  “You know I’ll take care of them like they were my own.”

  “I know you would, Darious.”

  Boarding for the flight to China was announced over the intercom, prompting them to head for the boarding gate. When they got up to the woman who was taking the tickets, Tammy looked around one last time. Darious stopped too, seeing she was a little hesitant.

  “Are you sure?” Darious asked again, getting her to turn and face him.

  “Are you sure this is what you want? Are you sure that you can honestly forgive me for everything I’ve done to you in the past, and still love me the same?” Tammy asked back. She was moving to the other side of the world, and she wanted to be totally sure that he wouldn’t have any regrets.

  “Baby, I love you, and though you hurt me, I never stopped loving you. The time I took for myself really gave me a perspective on the things that’s most important to me. And you are that thing. I married you for thick and thin, for better or worse till death do us part. I know it’s not gonna be easy, but I’d rather weather the bumps in the road with you than without you,” he explained.

  Tammy stood there, and as the woman asked for her and Darious’s tickets, she looked around the airport one final time. For some crazy reason she thought that Chris was going to pop up out of nowhere with the kids and beg her to stay. A movie-type ending where Chris made a last-ditch effort to try to get her back before she left forever. It never happened. Chris never showed up, and because of that, Tammy knew she was ready to start her new life with Darious for the second time.

  * * *

  Falisha tossed the last duffle bag of clothes in her car, while periodically looking over at Lamar’s house and hoping he didn’t come outside and catch her. Baby Jordan was in the backseat strapped in his car seat, and if Lamar saw that, he wasn’t about to let Falisha leave. Tomorrow was the day of the hearing to see what type of provisions the judge had for Lamar and his partial custody order. Being as evil as she wanted to be, Falisha decided to take Jordan and go on the run. She had some family in New York and was going to try her hand in the Big Apple. She didn’t want Lamar to have any type of custody of Jordan and was willing to move as far away as possible to make sure that it never happened.

  “Falisha, I need to talk to you!” her mother yelled from the porch. Falisha didn’t have time for the speech her mother was about to give her pertaining to her running off like this.

  “Mom, I’ll call you when I get to where I’m going!” Falisha yelled back, opening the car door. Then she noticed a set of headlights turning onto the street. It was a black, older model car she wasn’t familiar with and really didn’t pay it much mind, especially since Lamar’s front door had just started to open up.

  Lamar and Anne stepped out onto the porch, smiling and laughing in a very intimate way. When Falisha saw that, her blood began to boil. Lamar looked over, connecting eye contact with Falisha who was now getting out of the car. He knew that there was about to be some drama, and Falisha didn’t seem to care anything about Jo
rdan who had now awakened.

  The car that turned down the street had cut Falisha off before she could cross the street. It came to a complete stop right in front of her. The tinted driver-side window began to come down, just a couple of feet away from her. A large chrome revolver was pointed out of the window, and the last thing Falisha saw before the first shot was fired was the evil stare Fox had on his face. He had got word from his lawyer that someone had been speaking to the feds about him. First person that popped up in his mind was Falisha, and he was going to make sure that she never became a government witness against him.

  The first bullet hit Falisha in the gut, knocking her backward onto the ground.

  Instinctively, Lamar ran back into the house to retrieve his gun. Anne dropped to the ground and took cover behind the bricks. She could hear several more shots being fired before the car sped off down the street at a high rate of speed. Lamar came back out of the house to the screams of Falisha’s mom who was running across the street to her daughter. The car had just turned the corner and for a moment, Lamar was about to get into his car and chase behind it.

  Seeing Falisha laid out flat on the sidewalk stopped him in his tracks. Her clothes were stained with a lot of blood that came from the multiple bullet wounds to her body. He walked over, looked down at her, and knew that she was dead. One of the bullets hit her in her head, killing her instantly. Little Jordan was in the backseat of the car crying, and it was Anne who rushed to his side. She quickly took Jordan into the house before he could see his mother’s dead body. Lamar was frozen in a state of shock, looking at Falisha’s mom cradle her daughter’s lifeless body.

  There were a lot of mixed thoughts running through his head that were confusing. He watched the mother of his son get murdered right in front of his eyes, and a part of him wished he could have done something about it. But on the other hand, and as bad as it may have seemed, he was relieved that he would no longer have to fight for the right to be in his son’s life.

  Last Chapter

  Final thoughts . . .

  In life, we, as women, carry the weight of the world on our shoulders. We are the gatekeepers of life, and the very vessel that God uses to populate the human race. We hardly ever get credit for that, and that is just a portion of our responsibilities and what we accomplish on a day-to-day basis. Much love and respect for all the Lisas out there who fell in love, then did something stupid, only to lose the best thing that happened to them. We are human, and, yes, we make mistakes, but the mistakes we make shouldn’t be what defines us, but rather what makes us wiser.

  Much love and respect to all the Tammys out there who held it down while their man was locked away in prison. Men don’t understand what we go through when we are left alone to fend for ourselves and our children. Though it is never our intent to hurt our significant other, sometimes things happen and our hearts allow something, or someone, new to come in. It doesn’t make you a bad person; it really just shows that we have a lot of love to give.

  For my Kims who never let a man come in-between them and success, keep doing what you do. Education is paramount, and being independent is important. If a man is not willing to sacrifice something he values or move to the other side of the country to be with you, then being alone is not as bad as it may seem. If he has a morsel of love in his heart for you, he’ll make his way back to you. If not, then it wasn’t meant to be.

  To my Falishas, my money-spending, thug-chasing, hood beauties with an attitude, please know that there is a shortage of men out there who wanna do the right thing by their children. So if you got a baby daddy who wants to do the right thing, by all means, let him. It is better for you and the child.

  To all my single ladies out there who don’t have a man to cuddle up with at night, just remember, you don’t have to go home at night. Do you—live happy—and enjoy ya life to the fullest.