Lovely Lies

by Lashanta Charles

  Chapter 19

  Makynzee

  I’m not sure why, but I need to see my mom. I miss her. Maybe if I see her again I’ll get past this. I don’t see her car in the driveway when I get to the house. The house seems different. Stanley’s car isn’t here either and I wonder if I’ve made the trip for nothing. I haven’t. As KJ and I walk up the steps to the porch the door opens. Something isn’t right. My mom’s smile doesn’t mask her true feelings. She looks sad.

  She hugs me and says, “I’m glad you came. I’ve been thinking about you a lot.”

  I don’t hug her back. She looks down at KJ and he hides behind me.

  She asks, “If I get some cookies and milk would you talk to me then?”

  He’s smiling as he steps around me and shakes his head up and down.

  “How about we go see what we have in the kitchen?”

  She takes his hand and leads him to the kitchen. I follow them and notice a limp to her right leg. The house smells old. It’s as if she’s been locked inside and doesn’t go out. The ceiling fans are on, but the A/C isn’t blowing. I stop following her and KJ and go to the thermostat. It’s 83 degrees in the house. What the hell? I set the temperature to 72 and adjust the ceiling fan speed to try and cool the house off quicker. My mom is watching me. KJ is already starting to sweat. Another trait he picked up from his dad. They both hate being hot, but KJ doesn’t seem to mind as he bites into a chocolate chip cookie. I grab a paper towel and blot the sweat from his forehead then make my way to the laundry room to grab the scented candles my mom keeps stocked there. After placing two in the living room and lighting them I come back to the kitchen where my mom is sitting at the table with KJ. Her sitting there reminds me of the day she threw tea on me, but this time she’s smiling at me. I shouldn’t have come here. I don’t intend to, but I actually say that out loud. Her smile fades and she quickly comes to where I’m standing.

  “I’m so sorry, Mak.”

  I don’t respond. She has tears in her eyes. Why does her sadness transfer to me? I don’t want her to be sad, so I change the subject. “The house smells funny. Why wasn’t the air on? It’s almost 100 degrees outside.” I move away from her and light the rest of the candles. She doesn’t answer me. “Where’s Stanley?” I ask. She still doesn’t answer me, so I look back at her. She looks as though she wants to say something, but decides against it and turns to KJ instead.

  “Are your cookies good?”

  He smiles at her and tells her yes. She smiles back at him as she goes to sit with him at the table. Her shorts rise up as she sits revealing a flash of purple and black on her. When she sees me frowning, she pulls her shorts back down.

  “Clumsiness comes with age,” she says with a smile.

  I move closer to her and ask, “How’d you do that?”

  “I always said I needed to move that end table by the couch, guess I should have listened to myself.”

  I reach for her shorts, but she stops me and gently pushes my hand away.

  “It’s just a little bruise.”

  “It doesn’t look little. You must’ve hit it pretty hard.”

  She doesn’t miss a beat.

  “I was rushing to grab the phone.”

  My hear Kaili’s ringtone, but I ignore it for now. My mom is lying to me. For as long as I can remember she always made it a point to tell me and Riley to watch out for that table. There’s no way she forgot her own words. She beat me enough for me to recognize the signs of a battered person. “Where’s Stanley?” I ask again.

  She looks towards the kitchen door and my eyes follow hers. Stanley is standing there smiling. Where did he come from?

  “Makynzee, what a surprise,” he says.

  Everybody wants to hug me. He doesn’t get one back either. I watch my mom instead. She’s looking at the floor. The same thing I used to do when she’d hit me. “I just stopped by to see if she wanted to go have an early dinner with us.”

  He quickly looks at my mom, who lets out a nervous laugh before looking at me.

  “Maybe you could just stay here for dinner? I was actually about to put a pot roast on before you pulled up.”

  I take the hint. Regardless of what’s going on between us, the last thing I want to do is cause problems for her. I look back at Stanley and say, “I turned the A/C on when I came in. KJ gets overheated quickly. I told Kalil he should get that checked out. What do you think?”

  He looks as though I’ve confused him. My mom always keeps the house cool. I’m guessing Stanley made her turn the A/C off as some sort of control tactic. I mentioned it so he wouldn’t blame her for turning it on and threw KJ in there to move to a different subject. I say, “I was thinking maybe it could be something medical, but it’s just a guess.”

  He’s regained his composure.

  “It could be hereditary. Is his dad the same way?”

  “Yeah, worse though. Ma, I can help you with the pot roast before I go.”

  She looks shocked. “I’d like that.”

  She starts to go towards the refrigerator, but pain is evident in each step she takes. I stop her and get the roast myself. I make small talk with her and Stanley as I season it. Once it’s in the oven I get ready to leave. The lie my mom told about the end table becomes more evident as we head for the door. The table is nowhere in sight. The phone is on a stand on the other side of the room. Even if the table was where it used to be, there’s no way she would have bumped into it while rushing to answer the phone. I look over at Stanley. He’s still smiling. As we walk onto the porch I ask, “Maybe the two of you can come to the competition tomorrow?”

  My mom looks to Stanley for an answer. If Kalil were here I’d ask him to hit him.

  He says, “Sounds like a plan.”

  They both smile. I smile at my mom.

  KJ pulls at my hand and says, “I wanna see Daddy.”

  “We’re going now, okay? Why don’t you be a big boy and go get in your car seat?” I push the auto start for the car and he takes off running. I yell for him to be careful.

  “You’re good with him. I’m so proud of you,” my mom says.

  If I don’t leave now there’s a pretty good chance I’ll say exactly what I’m thinking or start crying, so I walk away. “I’ll call and let you know details for tomorrow.”

  She calls me Makky, my childhood nickname. She’s the only person who ever called me that, even against my protesting. It stops me dead in my tracks. When I was ten I complained to my dad and he made her stop calling me that. I look back and see her walking towards me. She’s in pain. I rush to meet her. She hugs me and repeatedly tells me she’s sorry. She’s begging me to let her make it up to me. How can I not hug her back? I tell her not to worry about it right now. We’ll take it one day at a time. I forget Stanley is there until I hear his voice and he’s hugging us both.

  “This is what I like to see, my two girls.”

  We’re women and did he forget he has two more running around. I pull away from them both. I hurry to the car and say, “Call if you need anything.”

  I call Kalil after I leave. He wants to go out for dinner. I tell him about my mom.

  “What goes around comes around,” he says.

  He’s not as forgiving as I am, so I’m not surprised by his response.

  “I need to stop by the store. I’m going to go to one here.”

  “It can wait. Come home first.”

  He expects me to wait for an escort to do anything I need to do as long as Nyeem is around. I’d never get anything done. If I don’t go to the store now I won’t make it before KJ’s birthday party. “This is the only time I can go, Kalil.”

  “Not by yourself.”

  It’s amazing how quick his temper really is. I can tell he’s struggling to stay calm. “I’m not by myself, KJ is with me.”

  “Come home, Mak. We’ll go when you get here.”

  “Fine, I need to get gas. Am I okay to do that?”

  “Hurry up, call me back when you get on
the road.”

  I tell him okay and hang up. KJ has fell asleep just that quick. I stop at the nearest station and try to pre-pay by card, but keep getting an error message. I hear the attendant over the loud speaker telling me the credit lines are down, so I’ll have to come inside to pay. I contemplate taking my chances on driving home, but decide against it. I have a quarter of a tank of gas, but with my luck anything will happen. I don’t want to wake KJ, so I lock him inside the car, push the auto start and run inside the store. Their ATM is slow. The clerk tries to make small talk, so I entertain him to pass time. I’ve only heard the alarm for Kalil’s car once and even then there was so much going on that I don’t remember how it sounds. When I hear an alarm going off as I pay I don’t even look up.

  “That guy just broke your window,” the clerk says.

  He’s looking past me so I assume he’s not talking to me. It doesn’t even dawn on me that I’m the only one in the store.

  “Your son!”

  He’s yelling as he comes around the counter. I finally look towards the car and my heart drops. Nyeem is pulling KJ from his car seat. I run outside with the clerk, but we both stop short when Nyeem puts his hand around KJ’s neck.

  “No, please don’t! Whatever you want me to do I’ll do it,” I say.

  KJ is looking at me now. He’s still in his “just woke up” phase. He’s not even alarmed until he sees me crying. He starts to squirm and tries to reach for me. His cries are cut off by Nyeem squeezing his neck. I try to get to him, but the store clerk holds me back.

  “He’s a fucking baby, let him go!”

  I yell for Nyeem to stop choking KJ. If it’s anything like it was when he choked me, KJ won’t make it.

  “Let her go and I’ll stop,” he tells the clerk.

  The clerk hesitates, but lets me go and I move closer to KJ and Nyeem. He stops me just before I get close enough to touch them. He actually sticks to what he said and lets KJ’s neck go. I can hear him crying again.

  “Look at me baby. You’re okay. Everything’s okay.”

  Everything’s not okay. Everything’s completely fucked up right now.

  He holds his neck and says, “Mommy I hurt.”

  I feel helpless. He’s so close, but I can’t get to him. I can’t help him. I look at Nyeem. “Please, just give him to me. I promise, I’ll do whatever you want.”

  “You’ll do it anyway. Turn around, go to the Tahoe.”

  Go figure. He drives the same thing Kalil does. I glance behind me and see a white Tahoe is parked in a space behind where the clerk is standing.

  “You can take her. Just give me the baby,” the clerk says.

  I’m glad he’s being logical, but I wish he’d try to save us both. “I’ll go to the truck, just give him to him,” I say as I point to the clerk.

  “You’ll go to the truck first,” he says.

  I grab my phone from my back pocket and look up at Nyeem as I back away.

  “Call him. We’ll be long gone by the time he gets here.”

  I don’t want to call Kalil. I want the clerk to do it so he’ll know where KJ is. I unlock my phone and toss it to him. “His dad is the last number I dialed.” I didn’t intend for him to call immediately. I wanted him to wait until KJ was safe with him, but he’s already tapped Kalil’s name to call him. Calling Kalil right now means giving him bad news doubled. Not good at all.

  “I’m going. You can put him down now,” I say to Nyeem.

  He smiles as he follows me to the truck. “I changed my mind.”

  KJ is squirming again.

  Nyeem grabs his neck and says, “Tell him to be still if you don’t want me to choke him again.”

  I don’t get a chance to respond. Kalil’s Charger is black. The one that pulls into the parking lot next to me and the truck mirrors it. After the other day, Kaeden should be the last person I would want to see, but I’m happy he’s here.

  He gets out and says, “Get in the car. Call Kalil.”

  He doesn’t wait for a response. I don’t move. I can’t move. At least not until I have KJ with me again. Nyeem looks confused. I know what he’s thinking. Kaeden and Kalil could go for twins, but he’s obviously seen Kalil enough times to know this isn’t him. He’s probably trying to figure out who Kaeden is. The clerk is still on my phone. He looks confused too. He’s probably telling Kalil someone else is here now. Kaeden doesn’t say anything to Nyeem. His mannerisms mimic Kalil’s. He looks just as evil as Kalil does when he’s lost it.

  “Another step and I’ll break his fucking neck,” Nyeem says.

  Kaeden stops walking and reaches behind him. I don’t realize he’s pulled a gun out until he shoots it. I think the bullet hits Nyeem in his right leg. He screams. KJ screams. I’m too shocked to scream. I don’t even think I’m breathing. Kaeden is walking again; headed for Nyeem. Nyeem throws KJ. Literally throws him like he’s a damned toy. Kaeden has to jump to his left to catch him. He’s unable to catch his balance and they both crash to the ground. I run to them. Kaeden is up and pushing KJ into my arms. I hear tires squeal as he starts shooting again. Glass shatters as I cover KJ’s ears and turn away from the chaos.

  “Wallet,” Kaeden says.

  I look up and see his gun is pointed at the clerk. He quickly complies. Kaeden yells at me as he goes through the clerk’s wallet.

  “Go inside the store. Call Kalil.”

  “He’s already on his way,” the clerk says as he gives him my phone.

  He reads the guys info from his driver’s license as he gives me my phone. His name is Michael. Kaeden looks up at the corners of the store then tells Michael to show him where the tapes are. I look up to see what he looked for and see cameras mounted on the building. A distant voice reminds me that I’ve only seen people take driver’s licenses and look for cameras in movies. Kalil said him and Kaeden used to be one in the same. I wonder if this counts. I put my phone to my ear and say Kalil’s name.

  “Listen to Kaeden. Do exactly what he tells you, okay?”

  Outside of telling me to call Kalil, Kaeden hasn’t said much to me. I shake my head up and down.

  “You hear me, Mak?”

  Duh, he can’t see me. “Yeah, I hear you.”

  “I’m on my way. You gotta get off the phone and get Kaeden’s keys.”

  Kaeden grabs my arm and pulls me into the store behind him and the clerk. Kalil has hung up. Kaeden puts the gun to Michael’s temple and gets in his face.

  “You don’t know what I look like. You were too busy trying to keep them safe when the shooting started. Anything different and I’ll be back to properly introduce myself. Stay with them until Kalil gets here. Understood?”

  Michael quickly shakes his head in agreement. Kaeden rushes out of the store, but doesn’t go towards his car. I’m supposed to get his keys.

  “Wait!” I go behind him, but he ignores me. He’s too focused on leaving and I don’t blame him. I can hear the sirens in the distance. “I need your keys!”

  He quickly checks his pockets and glances back at me. “In my car,” he says before disappearing behind the building.

  “You need to come back inside. It has to look real,” Michael says.

  He doesn’t seem scared. I wonder if he’s been through anything like this before as I follow him into the building. He makes KJ and I get behind the counter so it looks as though we’ve been hiding there the whole time.

  The next hour and a half go by in a blur. I’m not too far from my mom’s house. I want to call her, but I don’t want her to worry. KJ is glued to me. He hasn’t said a word since Kaeden was here. I’m worried about him. I wonder if he’s in shock. He had a fit when the EMT’s tried to check him for injuries. Michael never leaves my side. I guess he’s taking what Kaeden said extremely serious. I ramble off answers to questions from the cops and they leave me alone. They give Michael the third degree. They go at him hard about the missing tapes. He sticks to his story though. A guy tried to take KJ, by the time he came out the store to hel
p another guy had already showed up. The guy started shooting just as Micheal grabbed us. We hid inside until the cops showed up. I tune them out and look towards the road. My eyes have to be playing tricks on me. Kalil shouldn’t be here by now. It’s a two hour drive on a good day. I don’t even think it’s been an hour and a half yet. Jay and Donte are with him. I watch as he gets out and Donte drives away. It’s impossible to hide anything from Kalil. When he’s around my true feelings emerge. This whole time I’ve been able to keep from crying in my attempt to keep KJ calm. When I see Kalil walking to me it’s like a floodgate is opened. Michael looks worried. He asks if I’m okay and tells me he won’t let anything happen to me. In any other situation I would find that weird. He doesn’t even know me. I tell him Kalil is here.

  “They probably won’t let him over here. I’ll go get him.”

  I don’t have to point him out. He’s looking around trying to find me. He looks calm. I try to wipe my face before he sees me, but the tears flow in a steady stream. KJ tightens his arms around me. “Daddy’s here baby.” KJ looks at him, but doesn’t loosen his grip on me or say anything. Kalil finally spots us and he no longer looks calm. I hate that look. Just as a cop stops him Michael reaches him. Kalil glances down at them then back at us. He always seems a lot taller when he’s around other people. The cop waves him through. My tears don’t really go with the smile I try to give him. He doesn’t say anything as he wraps his arms around me and KJ. An hour later we’re in Kaeden’s car headed home. Kalil doesn’t ask any questions as we ride. I wonder if that means he’s already talked to Kaeden. Highly likely if he’s this calm and quiet while driving the car of the brother he hates. I hope it stays that way. I don’t want to talk about it. When we get home KJ follows me wherever I go. He cries when I try to leave the kitchen while he’s eating. He cries when Kalil tells him he can’t take a shower with me. I don’t want him to cry so I give him a bath. Kalil tries to take over, but KJ doesn’t let him.

  “Not you Daddy.”

  “Why not Daddy?”

  He doesn’t answer. Instead he grabs my hand and stands beside me.

  I squat in front of him and ask, “What’s wrong baby?”

  He yawns and says, “I stay with you.”

  “But you’re tired man, you gotta go to bed,” Kalil says.

  He throws his arms around my neck and says, “Sleep with Mommy and Daddy.”

  “Why do you need to stay with Mak?”

  “The mean man came, he made Makynzee sad.”

  I try to pull him away to make him look at me, but he doesn’t let me go. “Sweetie, you don’t have to be scared, Daddy’s here now.”

  He pulls away from me and frowns as though I’ve insulted him. “I not scares, you scares.”

  Kalil laughs and asks, “You gone stay with Mak and keep her safe?”

  “Yeah, so she not scares.”

  I smile and kiss the top of his head. By the time Kalil gets in bed with us KJ’s asleep. He drapes his arm across us and I say, “Déjà vu.” He doesn’t respond. That means he’s either mad or blaming himself again or maybe both. I look back at him and give him a peck on his lips. “Come closer.”

  He slides as closes as he can and tightens his arm around us.

  “Perfect.”