“Don’t ‘aww’ me. Babe, I’m tired,” Russell laughed. “Sasha never called you back to say that she wasn’t picking up Tia, did she?” Russell asked.
“Nope! You know how she is. I guess we’ll just have to take Tia to church with us,” Randi pointed out. “You know that I don’t mind my Boo Boo Tia staying overnight, but Sasha has to do better. I called her four times last night and got no answer.”
“I can’t stand it when she does that. She’s so inconsiderate,” Russell said.
“Yes, I agree she’s very inconsiderate. I understand that she’s young and likes to party, but doing stuff like this is just disrespectful and irresponsible. Now I have to get five kids ready for church, stop by the store to get Tia some diapers, and figure out how everyone is going to fit into the van. Besides that, I don’t have a car seat for Tia,” said Randi.
“Babe, calm down. Go ahead and get ready for church. I’ll cook breakfast for the kids and run to the store. I also think we still have Carter’s car seat up in the attic,” Russell reassured her.
“Sounds like a plan,” Randi stated and jumped up to get dressed.
“Before you wake up all the kids and get dressed, Mrs. Russell Wright, why don’t you join me for some fellowship in the bathroom,” Russell suggested with a seductive grin plastered on his face.
“You don’t have to ask me twice,” Randi exclaimed.
Stacey the Money Hungry Sister
At the same time, Stacey and her controlling husband, Larry, were not seeing eye-to-eye, and she had become emotionally drained by his alpha male, dominating, and selfish presence. After receiving numerous congratulations at her Grand Opening, she still yearned for Larry to acknowledge her accomplishment.
“Stacey, you’re too soft. This is our money you’re talking about. If that woman doesn’t pay her rent by tomorrow, you need to evict her and that’s the end of it. I don’t care how saved she claims to be,” Larry said sternly.
“You think that I enjoy people owing me money?” Stacey asked, but only further annoyed Larry, who often lost his cool when he was in his business mode.
“Well, then you need to do something about it. And now you’ve started another business. I’m trying to calculate how much money that’s going to end up costing me. I want you to do well, but you have to get a backbone, Stacey. You can’t allow people to take advantage of you. I can’t stand being around weak people,” he added.
“Are you serious? So, I’m weak now? And you actually think my business is going to fail before it has a chance to start. My real estate firm will not cost you a dime, I promise you that,” Stacey replied, her heart dropping from his lack of support.
“Yeah, Ok. Let’s see. You have your little sister owing you money cause she can’t keep a job to pay you back. You rent a property to a member of the church and she’s two months behind. But instead of accepting their money, you accept their excuses, Stacey! That spells weak to me,” he said as he waited for Stacey’s reply, but she remained quiet to try to defuse the tension.
“I understand Larry, and you’re right. There are some things that need to change, but I need your support, not your criticism,” she pleaded while she finished getting dressed for church. As she put together the final pieces of her outfit, she stepped into her walk-in closet to retrieve her favorite red bottom pumps, instantly adding five inches to her height.
“I hear you, darling. Actions speak louder than words and frankly, I’m done talking about this. Money is money. You either have it or you don’t. And it remains obvious that you come from a family that doesn’t. I’m not about to allow your bad money management to break me. That’s why we have separate accounts. You’ll learn sooner or later. Jerks get paid, nice guys soon fade,” Larry added as he put on his custom made cuff links.
Stacey rolled her eyes discreetly in disagreement with Larry’s comments.
“Are you ready for church?” she asked softly, hoping to change the subject.
“Go ahead, I’ll be there if I can,” Larry replied, as if he had other plans that did not include Sunday morning worship.
“Where are you going then?” Stacey asked, her forehead wrinkled with concern.
“I’m going to make my money. I’ll be at my office finishing up a proposal for a new contract,” Larry claimed without making eye contact with her, then laughed to himself.
“But you never go to the office on Sundays,” Stacey stated.
“I do now,” Larry replied as he kissed Stacey on the forehead and walked out their bedroom door. She stood in disbelief at how miserable she had become in her marriage. The reason why she had married Larry was the same reason that she had grown to resent him: money.
Stacey’s vision blurred as she fought her tears. While tortured by Larry’s words, which continued to replay in her thoughts, she heard the garage door open as he left their “home,” which was no more than a place of shelter.
Chapter Three
The spirit of God was in the building and the whole church was overwhelmed. The pastor did not have a chance to deliver the Word because the Holy Spirit had done all of the work. Randi and Russell stood side by side, hand in hand, giving all honor and praise to God. It was only a matter of time before Russell would understand how broken she actually was. Feeling rejected and alone, Randi let go of Russell’s hand and walked up to the altar for prayer. Russell’s eyes filled with tears watching the back of Randi’s head as she approached the aisle. Randi did not normally go up for prayer. She was in rotation as an alter worker and it was not her Sunday to work. The timing could not have been better because she was the one standing in need of prayer. Russell continued to stand and watched all five children as they began to nod off.
Just as Randi returned to her seat, she noticed Sasha sneaking in the double doors wearing her dark shades. Randi ignored her feelings towards and disappointment with Sasha and continued towards her seat. Russell noticed Sasha too. He grabbed Randi’s hand to assist her back to her seat. Walking past the pews, she seemed to annoy others around her and Russell knew how uncomfortable it made her. Feeling relieved and encouraged, Randi reached for Russell’s hand for additional comfort.
Forty-five minutes later, church was finally dismissed. Without hesitation, Sasha raced over towards Randi to pick up Tia.
“I didn’t think that ya’ll were going to be here,” Sasha exclaimed.
“Well, hello to you too, Sasha, and why would you think that?” Randi asked flatly, not interested in any of Sasha’s excuses.
“I just thought that since you had Tia last night you would have stayed home. Hey, baby girl,” Sasha said as she hugged Tia and avoided eye contact with Randi. Russell said nothing. He packed up the other children, not wanting to interfere with their conversation.
“Babe, I’m going to take the kids to the van,” he said as he noticed that Randi was about to address her concerns. He then walked away rapidly with the children.
“Ok, babe,” Randi replied.
“Ugh, what’s wrong with him?” Sasha asked, pushing her sunglasses on top of her head.
“What’s wrong with him? Sasha, what’s wrong with you? Why do you think that it’s ok to leave Tia with me like that? You didn’t answer your phone after I called you four times, you didn’t leave Tia any clothes or diapers, and you’re simply undeniably irresponsible. Do you realize how hard it is to get five kids ready for church?” Randi asked irritably.
“Why are you tripping? You decided to bring her to church with you. I came by your house this morning to pick her up and ya’ll were already gone. Besides, what’s one more kid? You and Russell have a whole team of kids. If you don’t want Tia to come over, then she won’t. Also, about last night, my cell phone died, so I couldn’t call you,” Sasha replied, extremely annoyed.
“Of course I don’t mind Tia coming over, but where were you last night? I’m sure that Stacey’s Grand Opening didn’t last all night,” Randi said as her anger turned to concern. Sasha rolled her bloodshot eyes a
nd refused to answer.
“Sasha, where were you?” Randi persisted.
“First of all, I’m a grownup, Randi. The last time I checked, our mother died three years ago,” Sasha retorted.
“And the last time I checked, grown women inform their child’s caregiver of their whereabouts just in case they’re needed. Being twenty-eight does not make you a grownup,” Randi stated.
“I went out,” Sasha answered promptly. “Look, I have a hangover and I don’t feel like being interrogated. I just came here to pick up Tia.”
“Of course,” Randi replied as she noticed Stacey walking towards them in her custom fitted suit and five inch heels.
“Excuse me. Sasha, can I speak with you when you get done here?” Stacey asked.
“Good morning, Stacey,” Randi added.
“Really?” replied Stacey, as Sasha smirked.
“Randi, you did all those theatrics for what? To not even come to my Grand Opening anyway? Please get over your pity party, because that’s something that you better not invite me to again,” Stacey advised.
“Pity party? Sasha made a big deal out of nothing by calling you yesterday. I’m fine, Stacey,” Randi reassured her.
“Whatever, Randi. I’m tired of your drama. You’re always the victim and I don’t have anything to say to you,” Stacey replied.
“I understand,” Randi said as she reached for her purse to get out a greeting card for Stacey. Sasha stood patiently. She watched Randi hand the card to Stacey and then felt bad as she watched her walk away.
“Don’t feel sorry for her,” Stacey said as she looked down at her manicured nails.
“I was just trying to help when I called. Stacey, she was exactly not the one who was upset, it was Russell and I. I thought that it was pretty messed up and that’s why I called.
“Well, whatever. That’s why I don’t fool with y’all. It’s always something and I don’t have time to invest in matters that don’t make me money. By the way, when are you going to get a job and start paying me back?” Stacey asked as the lights began to go off in the sanctuary.
“I have a job interview this week, so I’ll be able to pay you back soon. I can’t remember how much I even owe you,” Sasha giggled, taking the matter lightly.
“Three thousand, eight hundred and seventy-five dollars, to be exact,” Stacey replied with a straight face, reminding Sasha that her debt had not been forgotten.
Sasha was embarrassed. She did not realize that she owed her sister so much. She bit her bottom lip and looked worried.
“Look, I know it’s a lot of money, but you need to make a payment arrangement or something. Larry was questioning me and you know how he is about money. I refuse to have my husband upset with me because you’re irresponsible,” Stacey said sternly.
“If I’m so irresponsible, why did you give me all that money?” asked Sasha.
“I’M LOCKING UP,” one of the deacons yelled from the hallway.
“I’m still trying to figure that out,” Stacey replied as she turned from Sasha and began to walk towards the lit EXIT sign, ending the conversation without even saying good bye to Sasha or her niece Tia.
Chapter Four
The sound of Sasha’s keys echoed through her apartment hallway as she unlocked her door. Annoyed that Tia had dropped her sippy cup, she sucked her teeth and gave her a death stare. At times she forgot how young Tia was and lost her patience easily due to her unrealistic expectations of a toddler. She knelt down to pick up the cup when she noticed a cell phone laying on the ground. It did not take long for her to realize that it was Lance’s. She rushed Tia inside the house. Handing her the set of keys to occupy her, she sat her on the sofa. Sasha began to contemplate whether she was going to go through the phone. She turned the idea over and over in her mind. Her curiosity was growing, but she feared how Lance would react if he knew that she had snooped through his phone. As much as Sasha wanted to be nosey, she laid the cell phone down on the coffee table to suppress the temptation.
Suddenly realizing that it was time for Tia’s snack, Sasha could not have been more overjoyed to get her mind off of Lance’s phone. She placed Tia in her high chair, when out of the blue, the cell phone began to vibrate. The vibration magnified as it rattled against the glass coffee table. Sasha did not waste any time checking to see who was calling. A million thoughts ran through her mind. As she walked towards the phone, she wondered if it could be Lance calling to locate his phone. The phone stopped vibrating just as Sasha got to it. Disappointed that she missed the call, she paused and started to question whether she would have answered the phone anyway. With the thought that Lance could have called, she convinced herself that it was not unethical to look at his call log. As she began to maneuver her way through the abandoned cell phone, she could not help but notice that he had nineteen missed calls from someone named Tamera. Jealousy boiled throughout her body and Tia’s hungry cries began to fade. She did not think that she and Lance were exclusive. However, she did assume that she had seen him enough that he would not need to deal with any other women.
Lance had always been so dominant over Sasha that she never felt comfortable enough to question him. Sasha keeping a tight lip was the norm, until Tamera popped up from out of nowhere. Now there was no holding back. Sasha began to initiate a full investigation to find out who Tamera was and why she felt comfortable enough to call Lance so many times. Although Sasha was angry, she felt relieved to know that Lance had chosen to spend the night with her instead of Tamera. Searching boldly through the cell phone, she went directly to Lance’s text messages. Prepared to read his whole text history, she became frustrated when she discovered that all the messages had previously been deleted. Furious and hurt, she was determined to have her competition revealed. She was ready to size her up and do whatever she needed to do to in order to keep Lance’s attention. Sasha could not seem to find anything relating specifically to Tamera and was running out of options. The last resort was to call Tamera to find out all of the facts. Sasha continued to search through his phone and her stomach dropped when she noticed a picture of a woman in his gallery. She was pretty but in a plain way. The woman’s style was the opposite of hers and she had small breasts. Sasha felt a bit insecure because she had always wanted a breast reduction, although Lance claimed to love her 36DD cup size. Seeing the pictures in the phone made Sasha want to discover Tamera’s relationship with Lance even more. She wanted to intimidate the woman for her own satisfaction. She knew that calling Tamera might ruin everything between her and Lance, but decided that the truth was more important.
Tia was screaming now, which brought Sasha’s investigation to a halt. The last thing that she wanted was to have a crying baby in the background when she made a call to another woman. Since she had made up her mind to call this Tamera, she memorized the number just in case Lance showed up to retrieve his phone. Minutes went by and it felt like an eternity as Sasha rushed to make Tia’s lunch. With nothing prepared, Sasha dived into the pantry to get a loaf of bread. She could not undo the knot that she had tied previously, so she decided to rip the bag wide open. Just as she was about to make Tia a sandwich, she looked over and noticed that Tia had cried herself to sleep. Relieved, she tiptoed past the baby and grabbed the phone. Her palms began to sweat as she held the phone tensely. Sasha was barely in her bedroom when the cell phone began to vibrate again. She swallowed her spit and cleared her throat.
“Hello,” Sasha answered.
“Um, who is this? Put Lance on the phone,” Tamera commanded in a rage.
“You don’t need to know who I am and why are you calling for Lance?” Sasha asked boldly.
“Look, I don’t know who you are and I really don’t care. I’m looking for my husband and I assume that you’re the broad that he’s been with all night.
“Your husband? Broad? You must be out of your mind. Lance isn’t married and I don’t have time to play these games with you,” Sasha replied, but she was becoming confused.
“I don’t know what Lance has told you, but he’s a married man. A VERY MARRIED MAN. We have been married for nine years and we have three daughters together and a son on the way,” the woman explained as she broke down and began to weep.
Sasha was speechless. She could tell from the conversation that the woman was telling the truth. Her legs started to shake uncontrollably as she stared at her unmade bed. The sheets were heavily scented with the aroma of sinful sex. Dried semen stains were smeared across her bed, making her nauseated. The woman continued to talk and pour out her heart, but Sasha could no longer hear her. The guilt was sucking the life out of her and she was struggling spiritually to breathe. She had to redeem herself and before the woman could stop talking, Sasha interrupted.
“Look lady, I’m terribly sorry. I had no idea that Lance was married,” Sasha said as she massaged her temple.
“He’s cheated on me before and women like you are a dime a dozen,” replied the Tamera woman.
“Excuse me?” replied Sasha defensively. “Women like me? Look, Tamera, or whatever your name is. First of all, you don’t know me. Don’t blame your dysfunctional marriage on me. Lance has made a vow to you and he’s to blame,” Sasha said candidly.
“Well, if you actually knew who you were sleeping with, then maybe you would have known that he was indeed married. Just like I said. Women like you,” the woman stated.
“Lady, you don’t know me,” Sasha repeated, her eyes filled with tears.
“You’re wrong, I do know you. I may not know your name, but I know the spirit that operates in you. That’s why all you women are the same. You’ll lay down with anyone and don’t know anything about them. Do you even know my husband’s last name?” asked the woman.
Sasha sat and pondered the woman’s statements. The more she reflected on the hurtful, yet true words that she spoke, the more she became offended.
“Women like me, huh. It’s funny how women like me can take your man and not even know it. I didn’t know that he was married and that’s not my style. You don’t have to be worried about him coming over here again. He’s your problem, not mine,” she said, bold again.
Sasha: African American Romance Page 2
