by Tina J
I carefully, lifted her up and placed her in my cousins’ car. I didn’t wanna use mine, because someone may have seen my plates. I drove over to her grandmother’s house and rode down the street a few times, before pulling over to drop her off. I parked down the street, took her out the car and laid her on the ground. Anything, that happened from here on out, was on her.
I drove over to my cousins’ house, switched cars and headed back to Connecticut. A new plan had to be devised and it couldn’t happen here. I’d be too paranoid he’d find me, before I found him. I’m gonna make sure, my plan is airtight, unlike my brother because Marco’s time, will up, soon enough.
Rakia
I woke up on the damn sidewalk and unsure, how I got here. Granted, Zaire held me hostage for a few days but why did he let me go? I thought people who kidnapped you, kept you around until they received money or something. But then again, Marco hung up on him, when he mentioned having me. I smirked because it was funny; however, when I thought about it, it wasn’t because he wasn’t coming to save me. Was I not worth, him saving? I thought he said, he’d protect me at all times. Whatever the case; at least I’m home.
I crept onto my grandmothers’ porch and used the key under the rug, to get in. I knew, she’d be sleep because it was so late. I made me a plate of food, hoping she wouldn’t hear the microwave go off and took it and a water bottle, to my room. I had no cell phone, so I couldn’t call Ang and tell her I was ok. I ended up getting in the shower and going to sleep. Being with Zaire, those few days; he wouldn’t let me shower and only made sure I ate and used the bathroom. Shit, I felt like a filthy animal. I thought about waking my grandparents up and let them know, I’m here but its late. I would speak to them tomorrow. Right now, I was too exhausted and tired, to speak to anyone.
****
“GET OUT OF MY HOUSE CARA! YOU’VE DONE NOTHING BUT CAUSE PROBLEMS WITHIN THIS FAMILY.” I heard my grandmother yelling downstairs. I sat up and listened.
“Why are you always protecting her? I’m your granddaughter too.” I made my way to the top of the steps by now, to listen.
“Cara, you’ve been nothing but horrible to her, since you were kids.”
“Grandma, you and grandpa, were mean to her too.”
“See it how you want but it was for her own good.”
“Her own good, huh?”
“Yes, because we knew being a baby addicted to drugs, would have an effect on her in the future. I don’t expect you to understand because you had your mother around and didn’t have to deal with the trials and tribulations, she did. Rakia, isn’t retarded or special because she has anxiety issues but you made her feel like she was and for what? To be the popular girl, or embarrass her to get laughs. The sad part is, you’ve been mean to her for so long, I doubt you would even know how to stop, if you tried.” I could hear her suck her teeth.
“I don’t know why you treated her differently, when you’re as beautiful as, she is. Honey, you and Rakia, were both blessed with bodies and faces to die for. You had every opportunity as her, to go to school and do whatever she did. What is about her, that you hate so much?” It was silence.
“Then you go and try to cash a check, I’d been saving for her since birth and got caught.” My mouth hit the floor. I knew the check was missing but had no idea, she was the reason why.
“Whatever grandma.”
“Don’t whatever me. I called her over here that day, to have you all get along and the first thing you do is, cause a scene over a truck, her man purchased for her.”
“That’s not her man. He’s mine. Why does everyone keep saying that?”
“Child, you’re crazy.” I could picture my grandmother walking away from her.
“I saw him first.” I shook my head, listening to her lie.
“No, you didn’t. That man came over here and told us, everything that really happened at the bodega.”
“So, he mentioned New York.”
“Yes, he did. He told me, it was nothing more than you giving him oral sex and whatever happened the night of his party, is because you crept into his home, with some other chick he was sleeping with. He kicked you out and then beat you up for trying to hurt Rakia. Honey, what is it about the man, that has you going crazy over him?”
The night of his party? What was she doing at his house? I thought he left with Bobbi. Cara said, he beat her up again but never why he did it. Whatever happened, is the reason my aunt attacked me. I had to find out what went down because maybe it’ll explain a lot.
“I’m in love with him grandma.”
“And he’s in love with Rakia.” I smiled, listening to her say he loved me but it vanished quickly with her next statement.
“He won’t be for long. I’m gonna make sure, she suffers a horrible fate.”
SMACK! SMACK! I heard and my grandfather started yelling at Cara.
“How dare you wish death on her?” He yelled and I ran in my room, to look out the window. My grandfather was going off on her, on the porch. Instead of listening any longer, I hopped in the shower, got dressed and went downstairs.
“RAKIA! When did you get here?” My grandfather yelled and my grandmother turned around with tears in her eyes. I ran to the front door, locked it and then put the window down in the kitchen.
“Why are you locking everything up?”
“I don’t want anyone to find me, not even him.”
“Honey, he was going crazy last night trying to figure out who had taken you.” I grabbed a bowl and poured me some cereal.
“I’ll give you the money for eating the food.” She waved me off.
“Grandma, he doesn’t care about me like he says.” I explained everything and she shook her head.
“I really liked him for you Rak. I’m not saying, throw away whatever you had but you should see him and find out why he hung up on the guy. The phone could’ve been disconnected because he lost service, or maybe he was gonna find you on his own.” I thought about what she said and it could be possible. I’m not gonna worry myself over it right now.
“Grandma, please don’t tell anyone I’m here. I’ll pay you for food and to stay here.”
“Rakia, I don’t wanna lie.”
“Grandma, just don’t tell him or anyone else, anything.” She finally agreed and I asked her to call my cousin Rahmel over. I know he wouldn’t say anything and I needed him to grab me a few things. My clothes and other things were here, so that wasn’t gonna be an issue.
****
“What up grandma?” I heard and went downstairs.
“Oh shit. Yo, that nigga looking hard as hell for you. Let me call him and get my reward.”
“Reward?”
“Yea, he offered 25k to anyone who saw you.” He lifted his phone up.
“Don’t.” I grabbed his hand and took him upstairs but not without noticing my grandmother, giving me a hateful look. As you can tell, she loves Marco but in my eyes, he was no longer my savior.
“Why you hiding out?”
“Look Rahmel, I need you to do me a favor.” He sat on the bed and flipped through the channels.
“What?”
“Grandma, isn’t happy about me staying here?”
“Why?”
“She doesn’t wanna lie to him, if he comes here to search again. Can I stay at your place, pleaseeeeeeeee?” I whined and pouted.
“Mannnnn.”
“Come on, Rahmel. You have a two bedroom and live out in the boondocks. No one even knows where you live. I won’t bother you and I’ll pay you.”
“How the hell you gonna pay me?” I pulled out the rest of the money, I had left over from Marco. I was going to give it to my grandma but she wasn’t beat to have me there. He blew his breath out.
“Fine, but I don’t want your money.”
“Why not?”
“Because you’re family and I know, if the tables were turned, you’d do it for me. However, we have to play this off, to get you out the house.”
“
What you mean?”
“Make a plan because grandma won’t lie for you. We both know that. I’m gonna leave and yell up the steps, how I’m gonna tell him where you are. Tonight, I’ll throw a rock at the window, to let you know to come outside and we’ll go from there. I don’t wanna take any chances of the nigga and his goons, seeing us. I love you to death but I’m not tryna die over you either.” I agreed and understood.
He left a few minutes later, yelling up the steps, about how he was telling where I was and I better not leave this house. My grandma must’ve believed him because she sure came up and asked, why won’t I call him on my own. I tried to explain my reasons but she kept yelling and slammed my door on the way out.
I stayed in my room all day and packed two duffle bags. One had clothes in them and the other had my underclothes and pajamas. I placed a pair of sneakers and slippers in a shopping bag and tied it to one of the duffles. It wasn’t until after midnight, when Rahmel came to get me. I left my grandma a note, saying I was leaving because no one wanted to help me and its time to figure it out on my own. I left it on the bed, tiptoed down the steps and out the back door. At this moment, I loved that my grandparents slept with the fan and AC on. They couldn’t hear a thing and its exactly, what I needed.
Rahmel and I walked through the backyard and ended up on the other street. His car was still running. He helped me put the bags in the car and we drove off. I laid the seat all the way back, so no one would see me as his passenger and fell asleep on the way. He shook me when we got there and helped me take my stuff out. Thank goodness, there were only a few houses on his street and every light in their homes were out. My cousin loved to live in peace, which is why, he left my aunt years ago. We walked up the steps and as he unlocked the door, I kept looking behind me, thinking Marco or someone would pop out.
I followed him in the house and smiled. He had a bachelor’s pad and I noticed all the grocery bags on the table, full of boxed and canned food. He told me, he put the cold stuff away before he came. I went to the room he had for me and noticed a brand-new comforter set on the side of the bed, new towels, feminine hygiene stuff and morning hygiene products. I asked who got all this, he said, his chick works at target and he told her, his twelve-year-old cousin, was coming to stay for a while. He couldn’t have her sleeping in a guy, type of room, which explains the pink comforter set. I wasn’t complaining because it was the thought that counts.
“I left some chicken out so after you’re done, I expect something to eat.”
“Boy!”
“Nah, man. You had me paranoid all day getting this spot ready for you. The least you can do, is cook your favorite cousin a meal.” He walked away and left me standing there.
Instead of unpacking, I took the comforter set out the bag and placed it in the washer. I hated the smell of new items from the store and always had to clean them first. I went in the kitchen, took the chicken out, cleaned, seasoned it and turned the oil on to get ready, to cook. My grandmother may have been mean but she taught me how to cook and damn good, I may add. I put the rest of the groceries away and waited for the grease to get hot. Once it did, I dipped the chicken in flour and let it fry.
By the time, I finished cooking, it was almost two in the morning. We were both starving and making our plates, when his phone rang. It scared the daylights outta me. He told me, that’s why I needed to let Marco, know where I was because I wouldn’t be so jumpy. It must’ve been his girl because he told her, he loved her and would see her tomorrow. He hung up and sat down with me in the kitchen.
“You know, you’ll eventually have to show your face.” He said and grabbed the hot sauce.
“I know. Right now, I want a break from everything and everybody.”
“Listen cuz. I understand why you feel the way you do but you’re almost twenty years old. This running away shit, is for teenagers. It may hurt but it’s time to be a grown up and deal with shit, like one.”
“I don’t know how. Rahmel, I’ve never been with a man and the first one, I fall in love with, cheats on me, or should I say, actually listened, when I said stay away from me, and had sex with another woman. Then he saved me from your mom’s attack, only to leave me hanging, when someone kidnaps me. Love isn’t my expertise and I keep messing up because I don’t know what I’m doing.” I dropped the fork and broke down crying. He rubbed my back and slid my hair behind my ear.
“No one is an expertise in this love game. Rak, everyone messes up and it happens a lot, until they get it right. He knows the type of person you are and still loves you.” I looked up.
“I don’t know why he hung up, or didn’t come to your rescue but the fact is; you’re safe and won’t call him.”
“Why would I? He obviously doesn’t wanna see me.” I picked my fork up and started playing with my macaroni and cheese.
“Ugh, because he has a damn reward out for you.”
“It could be to kill me. You do know he’s dangerous.”
“Rak, he’s not the type of nigga to make people think, he wants to kill them. He just does it. No one is to touch you, if they found you. He told everyone to call him and he’d handle it from there.” I sipped on my soda.
“I’ll call him in a few days. Can you give me that?”
“I’m not gonna pressure you to do anything. If you love him like you claim, you’ll start missing him and want to on your own.”
“I already do.”
“Well then, you know what to do.” He handed me his phone and I took it in the room.
“RAHMEL!” I screamed and he came running.
“WHAT?” I started laughing at how nervous he was.
“I’m sorry. How do you block the number to call someone? I don’t want him to see where I’m calling from and come after you.”
“Good idea.” He did it for me and left out the room. I heard the phone ring and got nervous, each time it kept ringing. Just as I was about to hang up, he answered. It sounded like he was asleep. I blew my breath. Here goes nothing.
Marco
“Hello.” The number was blocked, which let me know it was Rak. I only know that because, I had word the dude, Z was back in Connecticut and he had no need to contact me, if they weren’t together.
I found out he was the one who had her, when he sent me the video of them fucking. I’m still not sure, what the affiliation between the two of them were but I will soon. Then his dumb ass, had the nerve to contact me about having her. I hung up because if he was fucking her, why would he try and pretend he would hurt her? It obvious, he was enjoying himself. Any ransom he was asking for, would be for them to live off of and I’ll be damned if she lived her days with some other nigga, off my dime. I don’t care how anyone looks at it.
“Marco.”
“What Rak?” I sat up in the bed.
“I miss you.”
“Is that all you called me for?”
“Ugh ok. Why do you have a reward out for me, if you hung the phone up on the guy who called to get a ransom?” See, this the shit I’m talking about. Why ask me about not paying, instead of telling me why, the two of them thought they would scam me?
“Because I’m gonna kill you, for tryna play me.”
“Whyyyy. Wouldddddd. You kill me, Marco?” I smiled. Not because of her being nervous but the way she stuttered. She was scared and I could still hear the love, she had for me in her voice.
“Why not? You fucked that nigga Rak. After all the shit you talked, you go and cheat on me. What the fuck is going on? You weren’t happy? What was it?” Hell yea, I was in my feelings a little. I was in love with her and she went out and allowed another nigga to touch her. And before anyone talks shit, we weren’t a couple the two times, I slept with those women. She told me to leave her alone, each time.
“Marco, he.-”
“He sent me the video Rakia, so don’t deny it.” I was standing up, pacing the floor in my room because of how mad, she got me.
“I wasn’t.”
“WHAT?�
�� I was enraged, that she admitted to it.
“It’s not what you think and I’m sorry, you had to see me with another man but that’s what you get.” When the hell did she become bold?
“What the fuck you say?” I started putting my clothes on. Rak, had me ready to go out and find her.
“I said, it’s what you get. Now you see, how I felt opening the car door and witnessing you, plunge your dick, in another woman.” I couldn’t say shit.
“You know, the type of person I am, when it comes to my privacy. It wasn’t intentional to hurt you but now that you’ve seen it, there’s nothing I can do about it.”
“So, you tough now? That nigga got you talking out the side of your neck, huh?”
“No, I’m not tough and he’s nowhere around. However, I don’t appreciate you wanting to kill me, for seeing me do, what you did. The situations were totally different and if you asked, I would’ve told you, he taped me in school not too long ago without my knowledge. He did a lot of other things to me too Marco, that I didn’t consent to but you could care less, right?” Is she telling me he raped her?
“As long as, you can kill me for hurting you, nothing else matters. Forget how many times you hurt me.” I heard so much anger and hurt in her voice and the shit was killing me. We may not have been an official couple but the things I did, hurt her and I’ve been tryna make up for them, ever since. Unfortunately, the nigga snatched her up and sent me this so-called, old video. Old or not, I’m still pissed she slept with someone else.
“Rak.”
“No Marco. I left school to get away from him. He sends you an old video and you automatically believe, I’d do you dirty. You did the same thing, when the Bobbi girl told you about our baby. You always jump to conclusions; never giving me the chance to explain and then find a way to hurt me. He called for you to save me and you hung up because you were mad. Well guess what? Maybe, if you kill me, he won’t be able to find me again and call you, to save me, just to hang up. I hate you Marco.” She said and the phone disconnected. I couldn’t even call her back because the number was blocked. In order for me to get it, I needed her to stay on the phone for another forty seconds. FUCK!!!