Surprisingly, I didn’t have to request that my student, Jesse, be transferred to another classroom. In a shocking turn of events, his mother, Nicole, emailed me the same night. She apologized for her actions and asked if we could have coffee one day soon. I accepted the offer and told her to just let me know when and where. Relationships with the parents of my students wasn’t something I made a habit of, but if the offer was extended to sit and talk, I was open. Especially, if she needed to discuss her child and felt there were things I needed to know.
For my weekend, the only plans I had was going home to check on my house. With Trevor in the clear, and no other suspicious activity going on in my neighborhood, I felt safe enough to go back. Of course, Zane had insisted on going with me. But I talked him out of that, and showed him that he was on speed dial. With that reassurance, he had taken off for golf with Julian and another of his new colleagues. As much as I didn’t want it to be, I missed the man already. He had become such a plus for my life. And being at his house, coming home to him, just felt right. Not to mention, the house was amazing!
When Zane told me that the architects were a husband and wife team, I wasn’t surprised. There was so much thought that went into the home’s design, it couldn’t have just been one or the other. Had to be both. All the little nooks were definitely based on both masculinity and femininity. The house bled a perfect balance.
Of course, the stainless-steel gourmet kitchen was my favorite place. A double stove, two entertainment islands and space galore. And, oh man, the way the home was situated, the natural light coming in blessed the décor. My highlight, and the most thoughtful gesture that Zane could have made, was giving me the in-law suite on the lower level! He said it could be my own little home office. It had its own bathroom, and a space for a refrigerator. There was a full bathroom with a glass shower. The floating vanity in the bathroom took me out, and almost had me in tears. And the lights underneath the float were beautiful. That had to be the wife’s idea. No doubt!
I loved my home, but going there now had my nerves on edge. Flashing back on hearing gunshots, I had slight shivers crawling up my arms. Driving past Trevor’s shook me up a bit thinking back to seeing him being wheeled out on a stretcher and not knowing whether he was dead or alive. Knowing that somebody had come into his home with the intent to kill him. Into his home! Crazy couldn’t be locked out, it seemed.
The decision was made right then and there to not stay for long.
Being extra cautious, I opted to pull into the garage and enter through the kitchen.
Inside, I sorted through the mail, tossing the junk mail into a recycle pile that I’d take around to the blue bin.
There really wasn’t much to do after I finished sifting through paper. The house was clean. There was no old food in the fridge that needed to be thrown out. Thank God, because that meant no dishes to wash.
I was on my way upstairs when my house phone rang out loudly. I smiled, knowing who it was. Only one person called the house, and she did it to irritate me.
“Hello, Mama,” I greeted when I pressed the speaker button. “You think you’re so funny.”
“Not trying to be funny. It’s definitely not a time for jokes when I haven’t heard from you.”
“Mama, it’s been a few days. I called you the other day on my way to work and you rushed me off the phone. Stop with the dramatics.”
“On your way to work. Pfft. Wonder why it was on your way to work, and not when you got home from work…”
“Lord, here we go,” I chuckled knowingly.
“I’m glad you see the humor. I don’t.”
“Okay,” I said, sitting on the bench at the foot of my bed. “Let’s get to the bottom of whatever has your panties all in a bunch, Miss Cicely McCall.”
“When am I meeting this man you’re living with, Giselle?”
“Damn. You just jumped right on in there.”
“Well?”
“Well, what? Did you not call me at my home, Mama?”
“Yeah, shocked you answered seeing that you’ve been living with a man. A man that I have yet to meet. What’s up with that?”
“Mama, do you introduce me to every single man that you—”
“Girl, don’t go there. You know damn well that those men are here today and gone tomorrow. That none of them are being claimed as ‘my man’. You, on the other hand, have a man. Don’t bother denying it because my baby already told me.”
“Well then, your baby should’ve told you that I don’t live there. I’ve just been staying there.”
“About a month and some change. And all the times we talked, you just conveniently forgot to mention that, huh?”
“Because we’re taking things slow, Mama.”
“And that means what, Giselle? You’re still staying at his house. You don’t think I should at least meet him? The fact that you’re staying there says that you’re feeling some type of way for the man. What’s the issue with me seeing his face?”
I grew quiet on my mother. Truthfully, I didn’t know why the meeting hadn’t happened. I liked Zane a lot. Growing to love him, actually. I had no logical reason why I hadn’t initiated the introduction.
“I’m sorry, Mama. You’re right. You should meet Zane. I guess…” I paused again, coming to a realization that I didn’t even know was there. “I guess I wanted to make sure I wouldn’t mess anything up before pulling y’all into each other’s lives.”
“Baby, you can’t think like that. You’re foreseeing the downfall of your own relationship. A relationship, that from what I heard, is nothing but good. I hate that Galen’s dumb ass has you thinking that type of thing. You need to own and embrace your happiness. And I need to meet my future son-in-law.”
“Uhhh, that’s way too presumptuous, Ma. We’re not there.”
“Y’all will be. Set it up, and I’ll be there. I gotta go get ready for this date.”
“Lord. You lady, are something else.”
“I love you, honey.”
“Love you too, Ma. And thank you for that nudge.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll talk to you later.”
I felt lighter when my mother and I got off the phone. I had been planning, inside my head, to make that meeting happen. But something always held me back. Now, there was no excuse. And I was actually happy about it. Relieved. I hadn’t said it out loud yet, but I was almost sure that I already loved Zane. And I was almost sure that he felt the same. So, it was long overdue for him and my mother to meet.
I rose from my bench, and headed to the stairway to leave, when I heard my doorbell ring. The first person I thought of was Zane. He had sent me a text while I was talking to my mother, and I hadn’t responded yet. I wouldn’t be surprised if that was him at the door.
“Comiiing!” I yelled out.
I jotted to the door, smiling, ready to explain. But the smile faded when I opened the door, for it wasn’t Zane at all…
Shit.
20 | Giselle
“I already see it in your eyes. But please don’t close the door on me, Giselle.”
“What do you want, Kameelah?”
There was nothing nice in my tone when I spoke to her. Yes, I have been known to hold a grudge. And in this case, I would continue doing so. I felt justified because the situation with her was different; I considered her a friend. She didn’t need to be confrontational with her man in a way that he felt was disrespectful to him, but saying something… anything… that night might have put me in a totally different place with her. But she didn’t, and so I wasn’t.
“I know you don’t want me around, Giselle.”
“So then why are you here?”
“I’m just asking for a minute of your time. Just a minute. It’s important. I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t. I really wouldn’t.”
I stared at her for a few moments, not realizing that I was slowly nodding my head until I stopped. “Giselle, please.”
The softie in me saw the tears she held at bay. Along with the for
ming dew, there was something else there too. I didn’t know what it was, but I let her in so that I could find out.
“Come on in the kitchen. Do you want something to drink?” I asked her from the other side of my island, where I was pouring me a glass of water.
“Umm, no. But thank you,” she said, running a hand along the small hook of her blonde cut.
I opened the vertical blinds to the patio door, then turned on the ceiling fan. I pulled out a seat and placed my glass on the table. “I’m listening, Kameelah.”
I don’t know how long I sat there waiting for her to speak. I just knew that there was an emptiness that had swallowed her up. It showed on her entire form. She could barely hold eye contact, and her shoulders held no signs of pride. Studying her, I didn’t see the same Kameelah that I’d hung out with. Gone was the fun, outspoken woman that I knew. In her place was a shell of something… somebody broken. The anger I felt toward her began to slowly dissipate. To hold onto it, made me feel like I was kicking her when she was down.
Reaching across the table, I rubbed her hand. “Kameelah, look at me.”
“I don’t know if I can, Giselle. I’m ashamed. Trying to find the right words to say to you. Sorry it’s taking me so long.”
“It’s okay. I have a couple of hours.”
She chuckled. “To get to your man?” she asked.
I leaned back in my seat and smiled. “Yeah, that.”
She finally looked up at me. “He seems nice. He sure is fine as hell.”
“He is very nice. And fine. I agree.”
“When I saw him, I could see how he got you out your thong on the first night.”
I threw my hand against my mouth, as we fell into familiar laughter for a few minutes. It felt like old times between friends.
“I forgot you knew about that!” I yelled out.
“We shared a lot,” Kameelah said quietly.
“We did. So, let’s share now. What’s going on?”
“I met him on Tinder…” she blurted out. “Reggie. I met him online.”
“Okay. I don’t know why that surprises me, but it does.”
“Why?” she questioned.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Just doesn’t seem like you have to be online, is all.”
“Online isn’t that bad, girl. I was goin’ to suggest it to you before you went and met your Prince Charming. It’s rough out here with these men. Couple that, with it being Las Vegas, where a big chunk of these dudes are scammers and cheaters… the pickin’s are slim.”
“Well, I hear that Trevor’s in the clear. What about him?”
Kameelah’s eyes popped wider than I’d ever seen them, and her mouth fell open. I wagged my finger at her. “Umm-hmm, thought I didn’t know, huh?”
“Oh my God.” She shook her head side to side and flashed a crooked smile. “Ohhh my God.”
“So, I creep, yeahhh, just creepin’ on the down low, ‘cept nobody’s supposed to knowww…” I sang. A belly-laugh echoed loudly into the room.
“Stop!” she shouted, laughing along with me. “That’s not funny!”
“Whew, the hell it’s not. You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting to bust that out into the open.”
“Whatever. That was… that was… nothing. It was nothing. And not only that, it won’t be happening ever again. Not even after he’s a 100%.”
“Oh, because you got your pro-black militant man. The one with the anger issues, and no class.”
“I’m not with him anymore,” she slid in. “That’s over.” Sadness crept over her face, and soon the mood in the room had tightened again.
“Oh… wow. Okay.”
“Yeah. It never should’ve begun. I knew it. The signs were there. But I especially knew it when he flipped out on you that night at dinner. I was mortified. But more than that, I was… scared. Really scared, Giselle. He couldn’t even contain himself. No self-control. His soul is dark. And by the time I realized exactly who I was dealing with, it was too late.”
“Oh shit, Kameelah. Was he hitting you?”
“A lot. And he cost me big. I lost my job. I—”
“What?! You lost… your fucking job?! Behind him?! What are you going to—”
“I’ve decided to leave Vegas. But… I need a little money. I want to go home. To regroup, reset. I just don’t have it right now. But staying—”
“How much, Kameelah? What do you need to get home?”
She looked at me and tears began to cascade down her face. “Really, Giselle?” she sniffled. “I’m not sure when I can pay—”
“What do you need to get home? Bakersfield, right?”
“Y-y-yes.”
“How much, Kameelah? I can write you a check.”
“I think a thousand? If that’s too much—”
“No. You’re good. I got you. If this man is as dangerous and unpredictable as I believe he is… I got you. Let me get my checkbook.”
A couple of hours later.
“You make sure to keep in touch. Call me as soon as you make it home and keep me abreast of what’s happening with you. You’re my girl. I want to see you win again. Promise me you’ll keep in touch, Kameelah.
“I promise…I will…”
“What the hell are you crying for? I should slap the shit out yo’ ass again for comin’ back up in this bitch with a thousand dollars! This bitch with a white man and all she can front you is a band?!”
“B-b-but th-that’s all y-y-you told—”
“If the bitch could give you a thousand, she coulda gave you two! Why you go so damn low?! Is you dumb or is you stupid?!”
“I promise, Giselle. As soon as I get on my feet—”
“Not as soon as you get on your feet. As soon as you get to Bakersfield. I want to make sure you made it safely. That you’re with your family. Even if it’s a simple text. But when you get on your feet… and I know you will, it needs to be a phone call, girlfriend. You hear me?”
“I do. You’re the best.”
“You’re the best. And you’re brave. Girl’s trip when you get back good again?”
Kameela smiled. “Girl’s trip when I get back good. Promise.”
However, with each blow of Reggie’s hate-filled punches, to the parts of her body hidden by clothes, Kameelah knew that a text, a call… a girl’s trip… would never happen. Not in her lifetime. Because life as she knew it, was over…
21 | Trevor
“Look at who it is,” Trevor said into the screen of his iPhone.
“Hey!” Skai exclaimed, smiling at her friend. “It’s good to see your face, punk!” she kidded.
“Good to see yours too. Those cute-ass little freckles. What’s up? You calling to tell me that you’re coming to get me and take me home with you?”
“Look at you. Not even out the hospital bed good, and already acting up.”
“I’ll be out this bed today,” Trevor boasted, panning the phone to show his full body in True Religion jeans, a grey Gap t-shirt and pair of Tommy Hilfiger Moxley’s. “Just waiting for the folks to get here.”
“Oh! Your parents are there?”
“Yeah, they’ve been here, along with private security. Overboard, I know.”
“Overboard? Did they find out who shot you yet?”
“Nah, they’re still working on it.”
“Then it’s not overboard, Trevor. They just want you protected.”
“Yeah, I get it. But I have a life to live without some yoked-up security dude following me everywhere I go. You know I only need protection from you.”
“Trevor. Stop it.”
“What? My heart can’t take you. And even with that, I’m not scared. Why are you?”
“I’m not scared of you. I just don’t listen to what you’re talking about. You have way too much of a lifestyle for me. You can have all that.”
“And I’d leave the lifestyle alone… if I could have you. You know it’s all a distraction, anyway.”
“Walk away from a six-figu
re ‘salary’ to be with me? Yeah, okay I don’t think so. And especially, not with all the sex that comes with it. Boy, please. They got your medication dosage too high.”
“The only thing I’m high off of, is you, Skai. You’re just too scared to realize it.”
Skai sighed. “Again, I’m not—”
“You are. But it’s cool. What’s going on with you out there?” Trevor asked, changing the subject. “You have some goofy guy that you call a boyfriend yet?”
“No, I don’t.” Skai laughed. “I call him my man.”
“Ohhh, excuse me!” Trevor belted out. “Your man. Okay. Well, I hope he treats you good. You deserve it. Even though you’re bossy and can be a pain in the ass.”
“That’s not true!”
“Shit is true as hell. Bossy and a pain in the ass. Both true. Both you.”
“And what are you?”
“The male version.”
They both fell into laughter. Trevor wanted to push the issue of them being together, but never did. He only let Skai know that he was there if she ever decided to come around. The truth was, he liked her. The fact that they’d formed a friendship, without him ever even touching her, had him wrapped up in what could be. She had long ago mind fucked him—orgasm and all—just being her. Just being real. Just being beautiful. He admired her more than any woman that he knew. He hated that she knew about what he did for a living, because he was aware that it was the only thing standing in their way.
What Skai didn’t know, was that Trevor didn’t need that lifestyle, to have the living he was accustomed to. And if she ever gave him a chance, he would let her know that. Until then, friends it was.
After their laughter died down, Skai asked, “Trevor, did you know the person that shot you?”
“Never saw him in my life.”
“Would you know him if you saw him again?”
Trevor cackled. “What’s with the interrogation, lady?”
“I-I… I’m just concerned.”
“Don’t be. I’m good. I gave them all the information I could remember. I’m sure they’re on it. They sent a sketch artist and so all that’s done. It’s gonna be cool. Don’t worry about me. You just hurry home for a visit. Or I may have to make a trip and make your man mad with my presence.”
Risqué 2 (Love in Sin City) Page 9