Insatiable Revenge

by Cynthia Freeman Gibbs

  “Okay.” Olivia extended the phone in front of them as they positioned their faces cheek to cheek. “Alright. We look cute. On three. One, two, three.” The two of them giggled and maneuvered into glam poses for several shots.

  “Here. I’ll post it on my social media page. I’ll add the pictures we have of Christian playing too.” Savvy retrieved the phone from Olivia and loaded the pictures onto her timeline.

  “Cool.” Olivia noticed one of the player’s parents sitting a few rows ahead of them looking in her direction. She stood and waved, calling out, “Hey, Bill and Dianne.”

  They gazed at her with a blank stare before turning around without returning the gesture. Olivia frowned and lowered her hand as she sat on the bleacher. She turned to Savvy. “Did you see what the Olzacks did to me?”

  “No. What happened? Who are the Olzacks?” Savvy asked.

  “Their son is on the team. We used to meet up at the games. A nice family who I’ve known for years. I waved at them and they didn’t wave back,” Olivia said between clenched teeth. “They know they saw me.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Of course, they did. I’m not hard to miss.” Olivia waved her hand around the gym. “How many Black women do you see in here?”

  Savvy glanced through the crowd. “Not many. We’re in the minority at this game for sure. You can count us on one hand.”

  “Plus, I called out their names. They heard me,” Olivia said in frustration. She jutted her chin out and stood. “I’m going to give them a piece of my mind.”

  Savvy grabbed Olivia’s arm and yanked her to her seat. “Olivia. Sit your butt down. Quit trippin’. Are you trying to cause a scene in here?”

  “No. This is what I’m talking about. I can’t go anywhere without someone acting funny toward me. I get tired of putting up with this nonsense,” Olivia snarled.

  Savvy got in front of Olivia’s face. “Hey. Calm down,” she hissed. “Look at me. Everyone is not against you. Okay? Some people don’t know how to handle what they heard about your case. Don’t focus on them. They weren’t your real friends anyway.”

  Olivia’s face relaxed and she nodded. “I know. It’s hard sometimes. I wish I could change what I did. If I’d known the impact it would have on the kids and my relationships, I never would have done it.”

  “You can’t go back in time. Let’s keep focusing on what you’ll change as you move forward.”

  “Thank you for holding me back. I would’ve made a complete fool out of myself if I’d gone to them.”

  “Yup. You don’t need to give people anything new to wag their tongues about,” Savvy warned.

  “Alright. I’m good.” Olivia settled onto the bleacher.

  “Hey. Here’s a new topic. Guess who invited me to dinner at his house?” Savvy asked with giddiness.

  Olivia perked up with a sly smile. “Who?” They turned their legs sideways to let a few people pass by on their row.

  “Pharrell.” Savvy smiled and danced in her seat from excitement. “He wants to cook for me.”

  “Cooking? He cooks?” Olivia sounded doubtful. She picked up her cup and took a sip of lemonade through the straw.

  “He claims he’s the best chef on this side of Heaven.”

  “Hmm. You’d better pack anti-diarrheal pills in case you need them. He doesn’t look like the cooking type.”

  “Whatever. I bet he’s fabulous in the kitchen. He already impressed me with taking me to a Spurs game the other night.”

  “That’s right. How were the seats?”

  “We were in the courtside box seats. He surprised me. He’s the kind of guy who likes only the best of everything.”

  “Did you kiss him?” Olivia teased and made smooching noises with her lips.

  “Are you kidding me?” Savvy raised her eyebrows. “No way. I’m glad he didn’t try either. It’s way too soon.”

  “What do you mean by it being too soon? What are you waiting for? You like him, don’t you?”

  “I like him a lot. We’ve talked almost every day since we met. I don’t want to rush into anything too serious yet. We’re learning different things about each other, which is good.”

  “You sound hesitant. What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing is wrong. Why are you asking?” Savvy dropped her eyes to her hands.

  “Savvy. I know you as well as I know myself. I know you’re holding back on something. Spit it out.”

  “Okay. There’s one thing. Pharrell talks a lot, for a guy. He goes on and on about every topic he thinks of. There’s never any silence in our conversation.”

  “Can you even call it conversation if he’s the only one having it?”

  Savvy laughed. “I get to interject a few things. He’s told me everything about how great he was in the military and sports, how amazing his family is, and yada-yada. Everything in his world is great, great, great according to him.”

  “Wow. He sounds self-absorbed, doesn’t he? Does he ever ask you anything about yourself?”

  “Now and then, he’ll have a second thought and ask me a question. As soon as I respond, he turns the conversation back to talking about himself.”

  “And why are you going out with him again?” Olivia asked with an incredulous stare.

  “Despite it all, he’s a sweet guy and is handsome. Come on, Olivia. You know what he looks like. Perfect hair, teeth, no blemishes on his skin, smells good, dresses like a model, and to top it off, he’s intelligent. Everything a woman wants in a man. I can’t stop thinking about him.” Savvy’s cheeks warmed. She twirled three of her braids around her finger like a child.

  “Oh boy. You’re in too deep. I wouldn’t bother dating him anymore if it were me. Don’t let me discourage you. I’m just sayin’.” Olivia waved her hand to dismiss the idea. “If you’re fine with Sir Talk-A-Lot, who am I to suggest you should drop him?”

  “Since we’ll be at his house for dinner, I’ll observe how he acts in a comfortable setting. I think he’ll be fine.”

  “Yeah. Okay.” Olivia sounded doubtful. She jumped from her seat as the basketball teams emerged from the locker room. “Go, Alamo Armadillos,” she hollered.

  Savvy cupped her hands around her mouth to yell, “Come on Christian. Let’s win, Armadillos.”

  The boys began the second half. The crowd stayed on their feet for the majority of the high energy game.

  Savvy’s phone buzzed. She removed it from her cross-over purse and read the text message which popped onto the screen.

  Hey, darlin’. Are you still mad at me for wakin’ you up? I’ll call you later. I hope you’ll answer this time and talk to me. Kolby.

  “Oh, shoot. It’s him again.”

  “Who? What are you talking about?”

  “Oh. I forgot to tell you. Remember the guy I met at the gas station?”

  Olivia nodded. “You mean the one who lured you in to buy breakfast for him?”

  “Yeah. Him. Well, the night you and I met up with Pharrell and Durbin, he sent me a whole bunch of text messages. He wanted me to call him when I got home. Since I didn’t, he called me around four-thirty in the morning.”

  “For what?”

  Savvy sucked her teeth with disapproval. “He claimed he wanted to make sure I made it home safe. He couldn’t stop thinking about me. This man said he wanted me to talk to him as he drives at frickin’ o’clock in the morning.”

  “Unh-uh. No, he didn’t.”

  “He’s been texting me all day.” Savvy passed Olivia her phone. “Here. Check out all of these messages. I’ve been ignoring him. Looks like I gave my number out to the wrong guy.”

  “Dang. He’s persistent.” Olivia finished scrolling through the string of text messages from Kolby and handed Savvy the phone. “He has stalker tendencies.”

  “I believe the same thing. He’s getting on my nerves. I’m trying to be nice.” Savvy tucked the phone into her purse.

  “If you ignore him
long enough, he’ll disappear. At least, I hope he will. Sounds like you picked a winner.”

  “Ugh. If only I could turn back the hands of time. I would’ve gone to a different gas station.”

  “Or, you would’ve ignored him instead of being mesmerized by a man paying attention to you. So much for being with the Idris look-a-like. You might have to change your number. From what I see in his messages, he’s thirsty and may be hard to shake off,” Olivia warned. “Great shot, Christian.” Olivia clapped her hands.

  Savvy sprang from the bleacher. “Woohoo. Go, Christian. Let’s win this game,” she yelled. Her phone buzzed in her purse. She paused to retrieve it. Another text from Kolby popped onto the screen.

  I see you and your friend are at a basketball game. I didn’t know you were hanging out again. Call me when you get home.

  Astonished, Savvy tapped Olivia on the arm and elevated the phone in front of her face. “Do you see this? He’s already seen the pictures I posted of us. It hasn’t even been five minutes since I put them on there,” she exclaimed.

  “Girl. Watch out for him. I don’t like the way he’s keeping tabs on you.” Olivia shook her head.

  Without responding to Kolby’s text, Savvy put the phone away.

  Olivia’s phone rang. “Hi Malcolm,” she yelled into the phone above the noise of the arena. She made a face at Savvy to show her distaste for him calling. “Yes, they’re winning. Christian is playing great tonight. Whassup?”

  Savvy’s cellphone buzzed again. She reached in her purse and peeked at the screen and noticed Kolby’s name again. “Does he ever stop?” she groaned.

  Olivia remained on the phone with Malcolm. “Sure. I’ll check on Simone when I bring Christian back to your place. Are you sure the dogs won’t be out when I get there?” Olivia paused and listened. “Okay. I’m warning you. I’m not going through that craziness again.”

  Savvy jumped to cheer for the Armadillos. “Great shot, Gavin.”

  Olivia ended her call. “Girl. Malcolm dropped Simone off at their place after her counseling session. He said Mariah isn’t doing well. He needs to get her to urgent care. Something about a sinus infection.” Olivia nonchalantly raised her eyebrows. “He wants me to go inside their filthy home to check on Simone. She had a major attitude at the counseling appointment. He thinks it would be good for me to try to have a conversation with her. This child. Lord, help me.”

  “Do you want me to follow you there?” Savvy suggested. “I don’t have anything else going on this evening.”

  “Naw. It’ll be good for me to have a moment alone with her. Thanks for offering though.”

  Half of the audience rose to their feet in a simultaneous cheer as the final game buzzer blared. Olivia and Savvy shouted in joy at the Armadillo’s victory.

  Christian beamed with joy from the floor as he and his teammates hugged in celebration. He glanced into the stands where Olivia and Savvy pumped their fists in the air for him.

  “They are still undefeated,” Olivia yelled as another parent high-fived with her and Savvy.

  “Great game. Thanks for inviting me.” Savvy followed Olivia down the bleachers.

  Christian darted in their direction and wrapped his sweaty arms around them. “We did it. We won,” he yelled and jumped around.

  “You guys did it,” Olivia exclaimed. “We’re proud of you.”

  “Awesome job, Nephew,” Savvy chimed in.

  “Hurry and get showered. We need to check on your sister,” Olivia instructed before Christian rushed off to join his team in the locker room.

  “Boy, he sure is an excellent basketball player. He’s getting so tall,” Savvy said.

  “He’s great in pretty much everything he competes in,” Olivia boasted. “Hey, no need to wait around. I appreciate you coming with me. We’ll catch up later.”

  “Cool. Good luck with Simone.”

  Savvy checked her phone as she walked to her car. She cringed when she noticed six additional messages from Kolby.

  FIFTEEN

  Olivia

  “Mom. Did you see when I got the rebound on my shot?” Christian bubbled with excitement after they were in the car heading to Malcolm’s apartment.

  “I sure did. You rebounded the ball and still made the basket. That’s what I’m talkin’ about. Dennis Rodman has nothing on you,” Olivia cheered.

  “Who is Dennis Rodman?” Christian asked with sincere curiosity.

  Olivia forgot her son’s era of LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. Her all-time favorite remained to be, Ervin “Magic” Johnson. “Rodman, nicknamed, The Worm, played for the Spurs, Lakers, Pistons, Mavericks, and the Bulls. He had fierce rebounding skills.”

  Christian cracked up laughing. “The Worm? That’s funny, Mom. Who wants to be called a worm?” Christian wiggled his head around.

  “Now that I think about it, it is a hilarious name,” Olivia laughed. Christian continued to wiggle around like a worm to keep them entertained.

  An NBA player’s excitement after winning a championship couldn’t match Christian’s giddiness after the Armadillo’s victory. Olivia soaked in his joy. A moment of sadness clouded her mind from thinking about them moving away. She swiped the thought out to keep from killing the mood.

  “I’m starving, Mom. Can I get a pizza?” Christian begged.

  “You mean, may I have a pizza?” Olivia corrected and gave him a stern look. “You know I’m not a fan of junk food. But since you played well tonight, we’ll swing by a pizza place and get one.”

  “Yay. Thanks, Mom,” Christian said. “Can I have a large one all to myself? Puh-leaze?”

  “Boy, you know you need to share it with your sister. Stop being greedy.”

  “But I’m hungry.” Christian emphasized the word ‘hungry’ to make his point.

  “Tell you what. I’ll get you an order of chicken wings, too, only if you agree to eat a salad as well. Deal?”

  “Deal. Thanks, Mom,” Christian responded with glee.

  After making the run to the pizza place, they made it to the apartment complex. Christian bounded from the car as soon as Olivia parked. He grabbed the food and dashed toward the building.

  “Christian,” Olivia yelled. “Come get your duffle bag.” Her words fell on deaf ears since he’d already rounded the corner.

  Olivia shook her head and gathered his things from the car before strolling to the apartment door. She knocked and listened for the dogs. Hearing none, her heart rate slowed to its normal pace. Christian opened the door and greeted her with pizza sauce smeared on his face. “Hey, Mom.”

  “Boy. I can’t believe you started eating already,” Olivia laughed. “Did you wash your hands and say grace?” She gazed around the apartment with disgust. The living room appeared as unkempt as it had been on her last visit.

  “Yes, Mom.” Christian sat on the sofa and stuffed a huge bite of pizza into his mouth and reached for another piece from the box on the coffee table.

  “Boy, slow down,” Olivia chastised. “Did you tell your sister to come out to eat?”

  Christian talked with his mouth full. “She didn’t say anything when I told her we had pizza.”

  “I’ll go get her.” Olivia started toward the hallway to the bedrooms. She stopped in her tracks. “Wait a minute. Where are the dogs?”

  Christian pointed with his thumb to the back patio. Olivia heard whimpering and scratching on the door. She breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Make sure you don’t open the back door as long as I’m here. Do you understand me?” Olivia gave him a stern look.

  Christian nodded his head multiple times and continued to eat as if he hadn’t had food in days.

  Olivia walked to Simone’s bedroom door and paused. Malcolm’s comments about their daughter’s bad attitude flashed through her mind. Olivia prayed she wouldn’t get the cold shoulder treatment today. After taking a deep breath, she knocked and called out, “Simone. Hey, it’s Mom.”

>   No response. Olivia knocked again and pressed her ear to the door. She heard scuffling.

  “Simone? Are you in there?” Olivia turned the unlocked knob and opened the door into the darkened room. After flipping on the light switch, she noticed her daughter hunched on the side of the bed.

  “Mom,” Simone cried out. She slid something beneath her covers and yanked the sleeve of her hoodie across her arm. A bewildered look spread across her face.

  “Why didn’t you answer me when I called your name?” Olivia questioned. She scanned the room for a boy who may be hiding somewhere. Despite Simone’s age of eleven, Olivia didn’t let the fact kids were experimenting with sex earlier in life these days slide by. She’d counseled pregnant children in the past. “What are you doing?”

  “Nothing. I…I was taking a nap.” Olivia’s instincts alerted her as always when her daughter wasn’t telling the truth. Whenever she lied, her eyebrows raised into her hairline and she scratched her neck with her middle finger, which is what Simone did at this moment.

  “Simone. You’re lying to me.” Olivia entered the room and focused on her daughter. Simone held the sleeve of her hoodie with one hand as if she were hiding something. A few red spots seeped through the pink fabric.

  “No, Mom.” Simone’s eyes shifted back and forth. She continued to scratch her neck. “I’m not lying.”

  Olivia’s radar sounded off in her head. “Is that blood on your shirt? Roll your sleeve up and show me your arm.”

  Simone’s eyes widened in fear. Her body shuddered. “Why?” Simone wound her arms together in an attempt at defiance.

  “Simone. Don’t make me tell you again. Now.” Olivia and Simone engaged in a staring match. She caught sight of a reflection of herself when Simone tightened her jaw and shook her head.

  “You have three seconds before you’ll regret disobeying me,” Olivia warned. “One. Two.”

  One would think a concrete block held Simone’s arm as she jutted it toward Olivia before she finished counting to three.

  Olivia bent and lifted Simone’s arm to where she could see better. She slid the sleeve up to her elbow and gasped at the revelation.