by Elbie Dee
“What Brilese!” I yelled out of nervousness. The way she was moving caused my PTSD to start messing with me.
“That’s how Alynn texts! She’s there and probably killed her… or even your kids!” she concluded. As tears began to approach her eyes, my heart turned into stone. I would kill the bitch by the crack of dawn.
16
Merrisah
Alynn called me around five in the afternoon, and was crying hysterically. Even after calming her down until her cries became sniffles, I still couldn’t quite understand her words. Wanting to be a good new friend, I invited her over to my house. She agreed, and was delighted to accept my offer to come over. She told me she was going to jump in the shower, and it would be about an hour before she would arrive.
“Great! I’ll go get us some wine,” I said before hanging up the phone.
Kash was finished with his dinner, and I had just gotten finished feeding Kayo his Gerber baby food of carrots and butternut squash. Kash washed his hands in the sink, and I cleaned Kayo up with a few of his baby wipes which sat on top of the counter. After Kash was finished towel drying his hands, I requested that he’d go into his room and get his Puma sneakers on.
“You’re getting big, boy!” I told Kayo as I lifted him from his high chair. He was only six months old, but he was a chunky boy.
I let Kayo onto the floor to crawl around for a minute while I cleaned up the kitchen. As always, the moment his body touched the floor, he hauled ass to join his brother in the room. I chuckled as I grabbed a fresh microfiber rag from beneath the sink, as well as the lavender scent, Lysol multi-purpose spray. I sprayed Kayo’s high chair and the counter where Kash ate before wiping the surfaces, and returning the spray to its place in the cabinet.
Once I was finished cleaning, I helped the boys get their shoes on and we headed for the door. We were all locked in as I backed my car from the lot, and headed towards my parents house. Although I didn’t inform them, I knew my parents wouldn’t decline the offer to spend time with their grandboys. I knew they’d probably question why I was bringing them back so soon after picking them up that morning. Once I told them I had a new friend, they’d be delighted for me.
After driving twenty minutes to my parents house, I kissed the boys goodbye before leaving. Just as suspected, my parents didn’t mind. I cranked the music on the Kiss station, and began to dance in my car as I drove down the road toward Harris Teeter. Finally, I was able to spend the first night with Alynn. I don’t know what was wrong with her, but after a few glasses of wine we could begin to laugh with one another… I hoped.
The parking lot to the grocery store was packed when I pulled in, forcing me to park at the furthest end from the store. I grabbed my purse and locked my car, and walked all of the way to the entrance doors. Without wanting to get stuck in the store’s traffic since I didn’t have much time to spare, I dodged through the store until I got to the beer and wine section. I scanned the shelves until I finally found a bottle of Barefoot Moscato. For a moment, I reminisced about the day Bradson left.
Since the situation was accepted and settled, I snapped myself from my daze. I grabbed two bottles of the wine; one for me and one for Alynn. I wasn’t a big drinker, but I didn’t know how much she’d be able to handle. I wanted to be a good host. Besides, maybe it was time for me to get shit faced drunk again. The boys were gone, and I had no responsibilities to worry about.
I rushed through the aisles so I could get in line and cash out. My nerves wracked when I noticed the shortest line still consisted of two customers with full carts. As I waited with my purse around my shoulder and bottles in my hands, I tapped my foot impatiently. I didn’t want Alynn to think I was standing her up if she noticed my car wasn’t home.
Finally after ten minutes of waiting, it was my turn to pay. After the cashier scanned the bottles and confirmed my age from my driver’s license, I pulled my Mastercard from the wallet in my purse. I inserted the card into the machine, and opted for fifty dollars in cash back just in case we decided to order food. I hated using my card over the phone for restaurants; it just made me nervous because of all the scam artists around.
I grabbed my bag, receipt and cash before walking away, and out of the automatic doors of the grocery store. I rushed across the parking lot until I reached my car. I unlocked the door, and threw the bag onto the passenger’s seat before getting in. I reached for my phone in my purse once I had the door closed, and noticed a message from Alynn.
I’m on my way. It read.
The message was sent two minutes prior to me opening it, so we would probably be pulling up
at the same time. I texted her back the gate code, and let her know I was on my way from the grocery store just in case I didn’t make it in time. I started my ignition, and drove out of the parking lot to head toward my place.
When I pulled up to the gate, I let my window down and typed the code into the reader. I rolled the window back up once the gate began to slide open, before driving past it and entering the complex. I reached my building and found a parking spot in front. I grabbed the bag from the passenger’s seat and opened my door to get out, when I noticed the Toyota next to me rolling the window down.
“Hey girl!” Alynn shouted.
I waved to her before getting out of the car, and walking to the sidewalk after locking up. Once she had enough space to get out of hers, she did so. I waited for her to join me, but as she walked my way I noticed her face looked beat up. Her eyes were swollen and discolored, and she had one huge knot on her forehead.
“What happened?” I asked, feeling concerned for her safety.
“I got in a fight. No big deal,” she replied.
She followed me up the stairs, and into the apartment. She complimented the apartment style, and told me how much she loved all of the furniture. I told her she could sleep in my boy’s room if she wanted, but said the couch would be more comfortable for her. So instead of bringing her large purse into Kash’s room, she rested it on the tv stand in the living room.
I poured each of us a glass of wine before we took a seat on the couch. We both caught up on each other’s lives since last seeing one another at the salon. I learned that college was taking its toll on her, but not academically. After the third glass of wine, she opened up about her fight. She said the guy she was talking to had a girlfriend she didn’t know about. Summing things up, the girl found out and came with other friends to jump her. I felt so bad for her.
We finished the two bottles of wine completely at three in the morning. We were both drunk off of our asses, although she carried herself a little better than I did. I slurred my words as I told her I was going to use the bathroom.
“You don’t have to tell me,” she laughed, and I laughed back before I got up from the couch and stumbled down the hallway.
After sliding my hand up and down the wall on the inside of the bathroom, I finally caught the switch in between my fingers and turned the light on. I was so drunk that I didn’t care to even close the door. Instead, I inched my jeans down and plopped onto the toilet seat. I was finished releasing myself, and got up from the toilet to pull my pants up. I placed my hand on the wall behind the toilet to keep my balance, as I pressed the lever on the tank. I watched as the water in the toilet bowl swirled down, before stumbling back down the hall.
“I hope you’re not sleeping! You gotta tell me goodnight!” I yelled, while giggling once I was halfway down the hall.
“Goodnight is right,” Alynn said, after I joined her in the living room. I squinted my eyes to see if my thoughts were right. Once my vision had regained its strength from the blur, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
“What are you doing?” I panted, as I stared back at the gun she had pointed in my direction.
“What my heart says,” she replied, before I watched the bullet leave its barrell in slow motion and head toward me… until everything went pitch black.
Dee, Once Upon a Liar