Raven

by Shantel Davis

  Months later, He still refused to tell me. I needed to know why. That was a part of my past I kept holding on to. What had pushed Robert to the point of killing her?

  I was so desperate I had even been tempted to call Mrs. D and ask her if she knew why Robert had killed my mother. Erick had asked around and found out that Mrs. D and Robert had been together even before my mother knew him. However, I knew contacting her would drag me back down. She and her son were toxic.

  I’d also heard from Erick that Mrs. D and Jasmine had already spent most of the money I’d given Lennox. There was also no baby. Jasmine had lied to Lennox, just as she had to Erick. His sports store was closing, and his house was being foreclosed on. I wanted to laugh at his misery, but I couldn’t—no matter what bad had happened between us, he had still saved me from Robert. I would always be grateful to him. I just wasn’t going to deal with him. Once he cashed that check, we were even as far as I was concerned.

  Mrs. Blackwell sighed before speaking to me in what I had come to call her soothing therapist tone. It annoyed me further. “I can tell by your body language that your becoming agitated.”

  She was right. My arms were folded across my chest. My neck stiff. I tried to relax, but I hated when she brought up my father.

  “Just hear me out, Raven,” She said.

  I nodded for her to continue, even though I knew what she was about to say would go in one ear and right out of the other.

  “After what your sister told you about your father, I understand your animosity. But Raven, let me put this forth, then I’ll leave the subject alone. Have you ever thought that your father is hurting just as much as you are?"

  I kept my mouth closed because I really didn’t care. Fuck him. He was a grown-ass man who let his parents run his life and that resulted in my momma being murdered and me being abused by a monster. I was right in the beginning to blame him.

  She stared at me for a monotonous moment, waiting.

  “I have nothing to say.”

  “Ok. Raven, you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want, but you should think about it. Do you have any question for me?”

  I shook my head.

  “Then, I guess were done for the day.”

  With my face neutral I gave her a generic goodbye and left. I bypassed the secretary. I could schedule my next appointment on the phone. I needed to be out of that office ASAP. Pushing open the door I ran smack dab into someone.

  “Wife, you’re in a hurry.”

  My body relaxed. I frowned when I found Erick’s hands empty. I looked behind him toward his truck that was parked at the curb. I just knew he hadn’t left my baby in the fucking car.

  “Where’s Zoe?” I asked referring to my three-month-old daughter.

  A few weeks after I came back from Florida, I found out I was three-months pregnant. Erick and I had made up by then, but we had another big fight after I told him I was pregnant. He was furious at the thought of me letting Lennox inside of me while I was pregnant, as if I done it knowingly. He didn’t shut up until I rightfully accused him of playing a hand in me going back. I believed he wanted me to return so I’d get over the veneration, as Mrs. Blackwell called it, I held for Lennox.

  Leaning down he pressed a sweet kiss to my lips before answering me.

  “She’s with your daddy and her abuela.”

  He had to be lying. I knew darn well he hadn’t left our daughter with my father knowing how I felt about him at the moment.

  I was pissed. “Really, Erick?”

  He sighed. “I’m not doing this with you. She’s their grandchild. They wanted some time alone with her and I wanted some time alone with you.”

  I wanted to choke his big ass, but I exhaled my annoyance.

  We had been going nonstop since I gave birth. We hadn’t even had a honeymoon after our shotgun wedding. Erick came to me about a week after we announced that I was pregnant and gave me an ultimatum.

  He said, “We are getting married and raising our child together or we will be co-parenting and raising her apart. No sex, no affection. It will be hard as hell, but I will move on.”

  I couldn't even be mad that he’d given me an ultimatum. He had needed to do it because if he allowed me to, I would have just remained as we were.

  I could understand his side, but he could have taken her to my sister. Instead of pointing that out, I gave in. I was horny.

  “Let’s go,” I said. “I’m expecting you to make this night worth the trouble you’re causing. “

  He wasn’t slick. I had a feeling he would disappear for half the day and I’d have to go pick up our daughter, which meant I’d have to talk to daddy. Maybe it was time though.

  “I’ll definitely make up for it.” He flicked his tongue at me then grabbed my hand as he pulled me towards his truck.

  “But what about my car?” I asked.

  “It’s at the house already. I took an uber, picked it up, dropped it off and drove back. I knew you wouldn’t want your car sitting in the parking lot all night.”

  “Thank you.”

  I kissed the side of his neck as he helped me into his truck. Then he reached in and buckled my seat belt.

  My phone rang as he was making his way around the truck.

  I answered without looking to see who it was. “Hello?”

  “Rav-raRaven,” a voice on the other end stammered.

  I recognized it immediately.

  I’m sorry for hurting you,” Lennox slurred.

  He was crying. I had never heard Lennox cry

  “I need you. Momma dead. Please come home, I’m sorry.”

  The sound of him sobbing pulled at something in me. He said he needed me. Mentally I started coming up with excuses to tell Erick, but then I remembered Lennox had lied to me. He’d abused me.

  It was hard to do, but I pulled the phone away from my ear, pushed the end button and blocked his number.

  I felt Erick’s eyes on me. I hadn’t even noticed he’d gotten into the car.

  “Who was that?” he asked. `

  I shook off the feeling of anxiety creeping up my spine, before I turned to face my husband. “Nobody.”

  Because that was who Lennox was to me; nobody

  “Ok. Nobody, but by the way. My contacts from the sheriff department back home called and told me they had a Black chick and White man come by looking for you.”

  “For me? That’s odd.”

  “Yeah you. They asked for you by name. I called around town and come to find out she thinks Robert is her father.”

  “What?”

  So, the monster had a spawn?

  “And get this…” He paused. I was sure for dramatic effect. “The people looking for you. Their names were Adam and Eve. “

  A B O U T TH E A U T H O R

  Shantel Davis is a wife and mother who resides in Florida. In her spare time, she reads and writes. Follow her on Amazon to get updates on new books.

  Find out about Adam & Eve and Before "Damon: Son of Adam&Eve" comes out.