JD paused for a moment. “Brenda, I have bad news. Britney was killed a few minutes ago. Services will be held in New Albany and her body sent to California to be buried next to Stanley Thomas. I will let you know about the arrangements as soon as I do. That is all I can say.”
His hand trembled as he hung up the phone. He lifted her body and laid it in the back of the truck. He stood looking at Britney. Holding her hand, he said, “I started to walk when I first started to fall for you. Now I wish to god I would have. You would still be alive. My god in heaven, why did I fail you? How could I have been so blind?”
Brenda sat down at the bench in her camper with an old address book. Her body was numb, her expression blank. She didn’t know what to feel, what to think, what to do. Her hand trembled as she flipped the pages in the book. She found the number and started dialing. A young woman answered the phone. “Hello.”
Brenda thought, ‘My god, they even sound a lot alike.’ Holding back the tears that were demanding to be released, she said with an even tone, “This is an old number. I do not know if it is still the right number or not. But I am trying to reach Grant Malian.”
The young woman said, “Yes, you have the right number. But he is not in at the moment. He is out of town on business. He won’t be back for a couple weeks. I am his daughter; can I take a message?”
“No, I am sorry, Brianna, but this is an emergency and I need to talk to him. Can you give me his cellphone number?”
“Sorry, he has told me never to give out his cellphone number to anyone. How do you know my name?”
Brenda sighed. “Can you call him and tell him to call me, please? It is urgent.”
“He has been tricked before. I am sorry, but unless your name is on the list of people, I am not to call him. I am sorry.”
“My name is Brenda Farley. I do not know if he wants to know or even cares. But could you tell him that his daughter Britney was killed? Her funeral will be in New Albany, Mississippi. That is all I know for now. If he wants to know about the arrangements, he can call me. If he doesn’t, I won’t bother any of you again.”
“My father only has one child,” Brianna said with confusion in her voice.
“Briana Jolene Malian, your father has two children, you and your twin sister Britney Nicole. I did everything I could not to tell you. But he has the right to know his daughter is dead. It was nice hearing your voice, Brianna,” Brenda said, pain starting to show in her voice. She hung up the phone sat there and cried. She was about to call Patrick when her phone rang. She answered it. “Hello.”
A man’s voice. “Brenda.”
Brenda said with a mournful voice, “Grant, I will skip the pleasantries and say I am sorry. I did everything I could not to tell her. I would hope that you would have done everything in your power to contact me if anything should have happened to Brianna.”
“I would. What happened to Britney?” Regret showed in his voice
“I do not know. She married Jake Coleman. Her services will be held in New Albany. Her body is going to buried in California. That is all I know at the moment.”
“I don’t want a lot of attention drawn to us. But I would like to see my daughter.”
“I will see what I can do. But this is not up to me. I am being told what is going to happen.”
“This is my cellphone number. When you find out, let me know. I will be on a flight tonight or first thing in the morning to Memphis. I can’t leave right now or I would. Brenda, I guess this is more or less to comfort my soul. But there hasn’t been a day I didn’t think about her.”
Brenda held back tears. “She was a very beautiful woman. She had a heart of gold and her father’s eyes. She had become a dancer, a very good dancer. She has a daughter named Delana that looks identical to her. I got to go. Patrick still doesn’t know. I figured I should call you first.”
“Thank you, Brenda.” Brenda ended the call.
Gloria looked down at her phone as it rang. “I told you, Gordon, I’m not coming back to the retreat,” she said as she answered it.
“Gloria.” His voice was laced with sorrow.
“What’s wrong?” she said with a tone of urgency.
“William contacted me. He wanted me to let you know. His family had nothing to do with what happened. His quarrel is with you and you alone.”
Her voice was now laced with fear. “What do you mean?”
“He then informed me Ashley, Bobby, Britney, and Dumas were killed today by an attack. He said Dumas died protecting Bobby’s kids. Britney’s daughter was in the house when it happened, taking a nap. JD has her. She is safe.”
Gloria stood in silence and she couldn’t say anything for a long moment. “Do they know who did this?”
“It is believed the ones that kidnapped the dancers were behind this. But no facts support the theory.”
“Thank you,” she said as she ended the call. Her body felt numb as tears started to well in her eyes. “It’s a trap designed to draw you out,” the voice said from behind.
The sound startled her, and she spun. “I wish you wouldn’t do that,” she said as he stood leaning next to the wall.
“So this is what you are reduced to, jumping at the faintest of sounds? Hiding from the world and yourself? In a way, there is some good behind this. You can now tell William the truth. Not that he would believe you.”
“You are not real,” she said low, more to herself.
“Once again, what would it matter if I was or not? The fact of the truth will not change no matter what form of messenger brings it.”
He stood from the wall and approached her. “The Right of Wrong.”
She looked at him curiously. “The right of wrong. What is that? A riddle?”
“A dance that only I know. There is a reason for the could have and would have realms. If it was meant to be, then nothing will prevent it unless you alter time and very few have the skills to do such a thing without making things worse than they truly are. But it also alters if the Fates did do something to aid you as well. Unfortunately, the only thing I truly know for certain is the Fates did have a part in what took place. You only know what you think you know. I know much more than you. This isn’t the first time they have all died. But at the pace things are changing, it could be the last chance you have to save them. From the moment you altered the kidnapping situation, you have altered other things that would be useless for you to know.”
His hand touched her cheek. “I wish you wouldn’t do that.”
“I can give you everything you want. Fulfill your body’s every desire,” he said soft and low with a lustful look in his eyes.
Gloria took a step back. “Something tells me that is what you want from me. You have made it plain that you would have me. I want you to know, dead is the only way I will ever allow you to have me.”
He smiled. “You can try and fool yourself if you wish. But I can scent your arousal and your body also reflects your desires.” He turned and started to walk away.
“I’ll fuck you here and now if you will tell me what is going on. What is happening to me?” she said flatly.
He stopped, his head lowered as if he was looking down. “The truth of the matter is, Gloriana, that knowledge wouldn’t do anything but make you focus on what can’t be stopped or changed. Fate has you going in one direction. Destiny pulls you towards a different direction. You are on the path that is best for you. I have helped you with that. You may not see the importance of this fucked-up life, as you call it. But seldom do people understand the reasons why something happens or takes place until much later.” He faced her. “One time I cared for people with a compassion much like you. I discovered a truth that made me the way that I am. Life is not fair, if you do not put yourself first in all things, then you cannot help anyone. People, Gods, Fates, and Destiny will trample you, break you until you have nothing, not eve
n the desire to live. The only person that can or will ever change that fact is you. No matter how much you suffer, you are the one that feels the pain. And you are the one that can end it. That isn’t saying it is the easiest thing to do. But you don’t do anything to change the facts of your life.”
“I’ve heard that before.”
“You have also heard ‘be the woman you were born to be.’ Stop fighting what you are and accept it. That is the greatest challenge you face, Gloriana.” He walked away.
Chapter 33
The Battle Within.
Arrangements were made, and they were viewed in the same room side by side. JD made sure of that. Visitation was to start at five that afternoon. Immediate family would get to come in at three. Many people were expected to come. Bobby’s mother, father, and Aunt Gina were present at the viewing when it started. Britney’s mother, father, aunts, and uncles were there. A man walked in with a woman. Brenda walked over to him and they walked to the casket together. Many asked who they were, but no one knew, and they didn’t say. Most of the people were looking at them when they heard Delana start screaming and crying out, “Momma, Momma.”
She was reaching for a young woman that just walked through the door. A lot of people gasped as they saw her. And the only sound that could be heard was Delana crying for the woman. She didn’t say a word; she walked over to Delana and took her. She stopped crying and smiled as the woman kissed the baby on the cheek. Delana hugged her. She looked at the man and the woman standing beside the casket. With an angry, demanding tone, she said, “What gave you the right to keep this from me?” Her voice shook as she said, “From us! You think we didn’t want to know? One hell of a way to discover that you have a twin sister and a niece. When it is too late.” She shook her head and said, “What the two of you did is unforgivable.
“As bad as I wanted a brother or sister, I can deal with the four of you getting drunk. I can understand the woman I call Mother couldn’t have a child. That the man the woman that gave birth to me couldn’t father a child. The four of you were friends until you get drunk, and swapped wives and husbands for a night. That I can understand and deal with. Fighting over the child that was going to be born, I guess that would screw up any friendship. But then all the problems were solved. You found out that you are having twins. Each of you get a child. Worked out for every one of you. So what do the four of you do? You don’t tell anyone at all about us. You live where you have no friends, no family, no one to know the truth. You have court papers drawn up. Sole custody. One child goes with the mother. One child goes with the father. No one knows about this but the four of you.”
She laughed slightly. “Look at the two of you now. Standing next to a corpse. Cold words, I know. But as cold as those words are, what the four of you did was even colder.” The people started looking back and forth at Patrick, Brenda, Grant, and the woman beside him, and the woman that looked like Britney.
Looking at her and listening to what she said, no one said anything, not even Patrick, Brenda, Grant, or his wife Stacia. She stood right in front of them and said, “You are lucky that we are not like the two of you. Because if I was, I would make sure you never heard from me ever again.
“You betrayed everything I wanted. Since I can’t speak for my sister because I do not know her, thanks to the four of you, I am going to assume she wanted a big family and felt a lot like the way I do now and would say what you did was betray us and say it is in the name of love. Sorry, don’t see love that way. So I assume neither of you ever wondered about your other child.”
She paused, taking in a deep breath. No one knew what to say. “Because that would be the only way of me asking? Can you have another baby when I was smaller because I wanted a brother of sister? Oh, I might have said that. I guess the two of you still don’t understand what it is to have a brother or sister. Why should you care about being an only child? Let us be like you. The only children in your family. I suppose your brother and sister are adopted, Dad. Or just showed up one day and you said, hey I have a brother or sister. As for you,” looking at Brenda now, “you didn’t care to reach out to me.”
“That’s not true. I couldn’t,” Brenda said.
She nodded. “Oh, I forgot, the court order that forbade it. Yeah, well, I will never talk to you ever again. Don’t want to mess up the arrangements the two of you had. Cause you could go to jail. As for you, Dad, it is going to take a long time for me to forgive you and Mother for what you’ve done.”
Grant finally spoke up. “You didn’t have to make a show like this, Brianna.”
Brianna pressed her lips together. “You are right. I should had known I had a sister.”
Gloria thought, ‘The damned have been released,’ and said, “She would have done the exact same thing, Brianna. The man beside her was someone she loved very much. She called him her partner in crime.”
Brianna walked up to the casket and looked inside. A tear came to her eye as she looked at Britney. She said softly, “Identical.”
“Only one thing different about you two is your voices. But they are very similar. The other, she had blue eyes and you have green. I do not know if you have plans on staying for a while. But if you do, you are welcome to stay with me and I can tell you all I know about her,” Gloria said.
Brianna gave her a curious look. “Are we related?”
“No, but Britney and I were many things.”
“I would love to stay with you. Get to know the sister I didn’t know I had.”
Later that day, Gruban and Natasha met with Brianna and explained the last dance and asked if she would sit on stage with her sister’s family. Gloria collapsed when she walked into the house where she and Bobby lived. JD and Crown took all her clothes and some personal things out of the house and had them sent to the mobile home where he and Britney stayed.
That night after everyone had left, JD stood between the two caskets. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a wedding band set and held it in one hand. He reached and pulled her wedding ring and engagement ring off that he bought her. He placed the wedding ring set that Stanley bought her on her finger.
“I am not good at this sort of thing. But here goes. He loved you, I know he did. You loved him, I know you did. You might ask what the hell am I doing. Something stupid, baby. Reminiscing about the many things we did. You once asked me a question at the time I thought was stupid as hell. I have often thought about that night we made love on the couch. You asked me what I would do if I woke up and everything that we had done was just a dream and I could make it real. I never understood why you asked that question. But playing along with it was worth the ignorance, I guess.
“None of this seems real anymore. I am sending you to California for two reasons. They are investigating what happened in Holland. Most likely, we all will get an order of termination. Because of what happened. Most likely, my body will never be returned. Shit happens. I am starting preparations for our daughter. I am giving custody to Gloria. I am putting everything we have in her named care of Delana.
“Then I am going hunting. Everyone that had anything to do with this, I am going to kill. They took everything from me and I will do the same to them. I know, take the baby and run. Baby, I love you. I let you down and I failed my mother. I can’t let this go. Let’s continue that evening, shall we.”
Tears started rolling down his cheeks. “If you wake up and this was all a dream, you roll over and make love to him. I know right now you are dancing with him in heaven. I will never make it to that place. I will never see you dance again. It is not that he loves you more or better than me. It is just that you deserved much better than me. Don’t think twice about me. I will see that our daughter gets these rings on her sixteenth birthday. Maybe someday, she will pass it on to her daughter.”
He knelt down and kissed her. “I love you.” He touched her face. He said, “The better man has you now. Wake up, bab
y, please wake up. Send me an email telling me what happened. Call me, do something.
“I will make sure that no one gets close to the two of you. I said I would walk when someone better came along. That is what I will do. Baby, there won’t be any complications at all. I have never felt this much pain in all my life. Good bye, baby. You will live in my heart for as long as I breathe.”
He lowered the lid to the casket. He walked over and kissed Bobby on the forehead. “Tell your grandmother I failed her. But it will not go unavenged. I know she will say he should forgive. But I will let her god forgive them. I am going to arrange the meeting.” He wiped tears from his eyes, sniffled, and said, “It’s too late now, boy. That day at the hospital your father looked at you. The memory of your Uncle Donny came to his mind. I named my son after him. But anyway, he told your mother he wanted you to hate him. You were like Donny in so many ways. He had the same medical condition as you. Y’all even favored a lot. I was fifteen back then, we found him lying on the ground. He won the match but died after it was over. I went crazy, hit a man, and took his gun, started shooting everyone in sight. Dan made it to the guy that talked Don into fighting. He beat him to death. We never told you because we didn’t want you to get any ideas.”
He closed the casket down, dropped down to his knees, and said, “You are supposed to be all powerful. Nothing is impossible for you. Let her wake up, let me know, and that old woman’s prayers will come true. I give you my word on that. I am not sure how this forgiveness thing works. But I beg you for forgiveness of the things I done for the things I am about to do. I have never broken my word to anyone. Let her wake up and I swear to you, I will make this right.” As he prayed at a private gravesite, the tombstone that had Patricia May Coleman written on. It started to glow. ‘Lord, watch after my boy JD. Please my lord, them babies going to need him, lord. I don’t understand, lord my god. Hear me, lord. Use him, lord, please my god. Please Jesus, hear my plea. I beg of you. Them babies will need him, lord,’ rose softly from the ground.
Love and Beyond Part 3 Page 35