Trouble Loves Company

by Angie Daniels

  Another tear rolled down her cheek as she remembered that shortly after Leroy had left, Kenya had come down the stairs. She had been balled up beside the coffee table, too weak and humiliated to move. The last thing she had wanted was for her daughter to see her that way. The room had been destroyed. The table overturned. Her shirt ripped. Her panties gone. At the sight of her mother’s bruised face, Kenya screamed. All Kayla could do was hold out her arms to her daughter. She’d sat on the floor holding her for almost an hour before she had finally found the strength to pull herself together long enough to get her girls away from that madness. Kayla drove to her mother’s house and didn’t even bother to get out. As soon as she answered the door, Kayla peeled off. She was certain Kenya had already revealed all the horrid details. As soon as her cell phone started ringing, Kayla answered long enough to assure her mother she was okay. The minute she got home, she had called a locksmith to come and change all the locks, adding two additional ones, and paid the ridiculous weekend rate.

  The phone rang, startling Kayla from her thoughts. She took a deep breath, leaned out of the tub, and reached down for the cordless phone on the rug. She looked down at the Caller ID and paused. Private. She pressed Talk and brought the phone to her ear.

  “Hello?”

  “Kayla? Kayla, honey... I’m so sorry.” Her stomach churned. It was Leroy. He was crying loudly into the receiver. “I’m so sorry. The devil made me do it. The devil made me. Please forgive me, for I have sinned.”

  Lips quivering, she couldn’t bear to hear any more and ended the call. Immediately, the phone started ringing again. She turned the volume down and sank lower into the water. Somehow, she had to find a way to make Leroy understand it was over.

  Chapter 16

  Renee

  “Damn, I shouldn’t have eaten those tacos,” Danielle said with a groan.

  I gave her a sympathetic look. “Me neither, but they sure were good,” I added as I made a right at the next comer.

  “Maybe we need to swing by my house for a few minutes so I can use the bathroom.”

  “Uh-uh. We don’t have time for that. Reverend Brown is picking up Peaches in less than an hour. We’ve got to get to his house before they do.”

  “If you say so.” She went quiet for a minute. I could feel her brain working and gave her the time she needed to think. “You sure you want to go through with this?”

  “Damn straight.” It was time someone taught Reverend Brown a lesson. He had fucked-over a lot of women through the years, but this time he had messed with the wrong one. Kayla was one of the most committed people I knew, even to dogs who didn’t deserve it. She ended friendships over that fool when all Leroy had to do was love her. Instead, he wanted to put his hands on her. I just didn’t get it. Several years back, I had warned his ass to leave her alone, otherwise, I was going to expose his infidelities.

  We were in Jamaica, and Nadine had spilled the beans that Leroy’s wife was pregnant with another baby. Kayla was upset. Me, Nadine, and my sister Lisa all tried to convince her to kick up her heels and get over that fool. Anyway, I was in our hotel room alone when the phone rang.

  “May I please speak to Kayla?”

  My brow rose with curiosity. “May I ask who’s calling?”

  “Yes, a good friend.”

  I sucked my teeth. “Uh-huh. This must be Reverend Leroy Brown.”

  “Uh, no. You’ve got me confused with someone else. My name is Clarence.”

  “Clarence, my ass,” I spat as I lowered onto the bed. “Reverend Brown, I know this is yo’ trifling ass. You need to be ashamed of yourself.”

  “Who is this?” he inquired.

  “Don’t worry about who this is,” I barked in the telephone. “What you need to be worrying about is me telling your pregnant wife about your latest escapade.”

  “You wouldn’t do that,” he said, trying to sound all bold and shit.

  “The hell I won’t. I love Kayla and don’t want to see her hurt. So, I’ll tell you what. You stay the fuck away from her and I won’t let the church know where you spend your Wednesday afternoons.”

  “Now, sister, you don’t—”

  “I ain’t your sistah. I know all about you sleeping with them Campbell twins and about you going to the motel with Bonnie, only to find out she was a he, so if I was you, I wouldn’t fuck with me, ’cause I play for keeps.”

  He hesitated for a long moment. “So, what is it that you want?”

  “For you to stay the fuck away from Kayla and I mean it. Let her have a chance to find someone who truly loves her, not the games you be playing.”

  He started laughing. “You can’t stop me from seeing her.”

  “Oh, yes I can. Personally, I don’t know what she sees in you. Now, what I should be asking is what the hell she wants with you and your little-ass dick. Oh yes, I’ve seen the pictures.”

  “Pictures?”

  I giggled inwardly before continuing. “Didn’t you know? See, you used to mess with Shanika Martin, who is really John-John from over on Eighth Street. One afternoon when he—oops—I mean she, had your arms tied to the bedpost, she had her older sister, Ursula, in the closet taking pictures. You should be ashamed of yourself. Does your wife know you’re on the DL?”

  “I’m n-not on the d-down low,” he stuttered nervously.

  “That’s what they all say.”

  I laughed in his face and finally I heard him sigh and say, “I do love, Kayla.”

  “Then if you truly love her, you ’ll leave her alone.”

  “What will I tell her?”

  “The truth. You never had any intention of leaving your wife.”

  “That’s not true. I did. It’s just hard when you have so many people looking up to you and then Darlene got pregnant and everything changed.”

  “Yeah, yeah, save that sappy-ass story for someone who cares.” I heard the knob turn, so I spoke quickly. “Don’t call her again or else.” I hung up the phone.

  Of course, Kayla found out and went off on me for butting my nose in her love life. Whatever. She needs me to fight her battles for her, and I’m more than happy to, especially since Leroy didn’t take my threat seriously. Now he was going to have to pay the piper. Kayla wasn’t strong enough to stand up to him, but I was.

  In a way I guess I can say I owed Kayla one. I’m gonna quit faking the funk and tell you the truth. While in Jamaica, I did sort of fuck her man. He wasn’t actually her man, he was someone she was dating, but when she dropped him like a hot skillet, I was there to scoop him up. I didn’t even know she really cared about the man until she walked in while we were in mid-stroke. I’ve never seen her so hurt before. Well, I guess it’s time to pay my dues.

  I pulled onto Rock Quarry Road and started searching for the house. “Alright, help me find it. Kayla says it’s at the end of the picket fence with red shutters.” I slowed the car to a crawl while we scanned both sides of the street. The dozen or so houses on the road were definitely off the beaten path.

  “There it is.” Danielle pointed to a small ranch-style house on the left. The yard was in serious need of work. Weeds had taken over the flower beds. The screen door was swinging back and forth in the wind. “No wonder this place isn’t rented.”

  “I think that’s just an excuse so he can justify keeping it for his own nasty pleasures.” I turned my nose up just thinking how stupid his wife was to put up with his mess. If it was John, I would have put a stop to this kind of shit a long time ago. The part that gets me is that everybody knows what’s going on at this house—and I do mean everybody. So why does Darlene just sit back and allow that mess to happen? I guess that’s the million-dollar question.

  “I’m gonna park over here.” I pulled up in front of a house at the end of the street that was in the midst of construction and climbed out. The house looked to be recently framed, lumber was scattered everywhere. I would have to watch where I stepped because the last thing, I needed was mud on the bottoms of my new canvas sand
als. “Okay, we need to hurry and go set up.” Danielle got out and we put our purses in the trunk, then I reached for a small camcorder.

  “All right, let’s get into position.” I handed Danielle a digital camera and shut my trunk. As we moved down the street I glanced around to see if anyone was watching. Luckily, the street was relatively quiet.

  Danielle’s eyes were sparkling with amusement. “I can’t believe we’re doing this.”

  “Well, believe it,” I mumbled. I looked left to right, then zipped up the driveway. I ain’t gonna lie, my heart was beating hard. “Where’s the key?”

  Danielle reached into the back pocket of her jeans and removed the key to his front door that we had to pry from Kayla’s hands. Can you believe she didn’t even want to give us access to Leroy’s house? I told you her ass is stuck on stupid.

  Hands shaking, Danielle struggled with the door. While she fumbled with the lock, I glanced around and made sure no one was watching. “Hurry, girl.”

  “I’m hurrying,” she replied in a shaky voice.

  The last thing we needed was for Leroy to pull up while we were breaking into his house. Finally, the door opened, and we quickly slipped inside and turned the lock behind us. We took a deep breath and tried to get our hearts to stop racing. Breaking into someone’s home was some crazy shit. Thank goodness the crime rate in the area was low and folks in this neighborhood didn’t feel the need to install security systems.

  I clicked on the light, then glanced around the living room. Nothing special, but definitely nicer looking than the outside. Worn brown leather furniture. Beige carpeting. Big-screen television and an entertainment center, which included a complete stereo system. Pornographic magazines were spread out on the coffee table. “Look at this shit,” I said with a hint of disgust.

  ‘What do you expect from a sleazeball?”

  “I guess.” I clicked off the light and followed Danielle down the hall. The only room with a bed was the last room on the end. Queen-size bed. Dresser with television on top. A private bathroom to the right, directly across from a closet with two folding doors. I pulled back the doors and stepped inside, then pointed the camcorder toward the bed. Filming would require keeping the door slightly ajar, but other than that, we had a clear shot. Danielle and I took a seat on the bed while we got our equipment ready.

  “Girl, he’s gonna die when he finds out what we’ve done,” Danielle said as she put film inside the camera.

  “Well, let’s hope he doesn’t find out.”

  The plan was to video Reverend Brown fucking Peaches, then pass the tape around to all the church members. He humiliated Kayla, and in turn, we planned to destroy his entire world. That would teach him to fuck with me and mine.

  Danielle turned to me and paused before saying, “You know I’m down for whateva you want to do, but you sure you want to take it to the extreme? The church ain’t gonna take lightly to him being on the DL.”

  I scowled. “Then he should have thought about that.”

  I have never been considered a Christian woman— goodness, no, not with my nasty mouth and track record. But I believe there is a God in heaven watching over us. Truth be told, He needs to do something about all these hypocrite pastors, preaching in the pulpit on Sunday and fornicating all the other days.

  I took the camera from her. “You should have made Kayla come with us.”

  Danielle pursed her lips. “You know as well as I do, she doesn’t like confrontation. That’s why she stood there and let that man beat her ass.”

  I removed the cap from the camera and handed it back to her. “Make sure you use this button here to zoom in real close to his face. I don’t want there to be any question as to who is in that bed with Peaches.”

  “All right,” she replied. “Ooops! Excuse me.”

  “Excuse you for what?” And then the smell hit me. “Damn, Danny! Ugh!” I moved over toward the bathroom and tried to gulp as much fresh air as I could.

  “Sorry.” She fell onto the bed, laughing her ass off.

  “Damn, girl, you can’t be doing that shit!” I yelled even though I had laughter in my voice.

  “I told you I shouldn’t have had those tacos.”

  “No, you shouldn’t have. Stanky ass.” I was still laughing and holding my nose while I moved over to the closet “Come on. Let’s get in position before they get here.” Other than a few clothes hanging in the closet it was relatively empty. Danielle rose and slid in on the right side of the closet and I was on the left. “Don’t even think about farting up in here,” I warned.

  “I’m good now.”

  I lowered onto the floor, turned on the camcorder and decided I’d better practice recording before they got here. While gazing down at the screen, I pressed the red button, then said, “We are here in the closet of Reverend Leroy Brown’s house on Rock Quarry Road where he meets all his freaks. In a few minutes he will be arriving with his Monday night flavor.” I pressed Pause and Danielle and I died laughing. “You’re crazy!”

  I had tears in my eyes. “I was trying to keep from laughing. Can you just imagine them church folks’ faces when they get this tape?”

  “I wish I could be a fly on that wall.”

  “So do I.” I lowered the camcorder to the floor and pulled my knees to my chest. Danielle crossed her legs Indian-style and slid farther in the corner. There was a long silence while we waited and listened. My phone was on vibrate, awaiting Peaches’ call. “So, tell me, what’s up with you and Calvin?”

  “Like what?”

  I could tell she was trying not to laugh. “You know what I’m talking about. Did you give him some?” Danielle slid her sandaled foot over to my side of the closet and nudged me playfully in the leg. “You nosey.”

  “Damn right. I want to know what’s going on. So, did you give him some or what?” I wasn’t ashamed about asking because like we always say, “Inquiring minds want to know.”

  Danielle clicked her tongue. “Ain’t you nothing. I would have gotten me some if you didn’t come bangin’ on the door Saturday night like a damn fool.”

  “My bad.” I shrugged and tried to appear nonchalant about the whole thing. “Hey, I can’t help but feel some type of way. I mean, come on, I think you should have been woman enough to have at least told me first,” I said with a little hurt in my voice. I wasn’t really hurt, just wanted to make Danielle feel bad about fucking around with one of my exes.

  “True. And if I had told you, would that have made it okay?”

  “No,” I said after a long moment “But at least I wouldn’t have been surprised.”

  She nodded, understanding where I was coming from. “Actually, I don’t know how I hooked up with Calvin in the first place because even though he’s fine, you know he isn’t my type. But after that shit went down at the club with Ron, he followed me home to make sure everything was okay. Then while he was there, Ron started bangin’ on the door and actin’ a damn fool, and I thought to myself, why do I need this drama in my life when I’ve got this nice man sitting in my living room? One thing led to another and Nae-Nae girl, the next thing I knew we were up in my bed.”

  I couldn’t resist a grin. “Did you get a chance to see what he was working with?”

  Her eyes sparkled, the way they do when you’ve got a secret you’re dying to tell. “Shit, yeah. He’s got a nice dick, but Ron’s got him beat.”

  My eyes grew large. “What?” She was nodding and grinning at the same time. All I could do was shake my head. “Damn, I guess so, since you put the negro’s name on your car. Is he on your house, too?”

  She stuck her middle finger up at me. “Forget you. I ain’t that stupid.”

  “I hope not.”

  “Nah, I ain’t that crazy. Although Ron could patent that thang and make a lot of money.”

  “And my ass would be at the front of the line,” I joked.

  Laughing, Danielle reached over and gave me a high five. “I know that’s right.” She added, “Ron’s bee
n calling for the last two days, driving me crazy.” “He’s fine, but that negro’s psycho. What’s he goin’ to do about scratching up your car?”

  “He said he’ll have it painted if I take him back.” Danielle rolled her eyes. “Girl, I’m not taking that fool back no matter how good he is in bed. All I want is my car.”

  “Is he going to give it back?”

  “Nope.”

  I shook my head. “You sure know how to pick ’em.”

  “Yeah,” she admitted around a frustrated breath. “I don’t know why, but that type of man turns me on.”

  “Yes, they turn me on, too. But you fuck ’em and send ’em back home to Mama.”

  She rested her chin on her knees. “I know. I just keep hoping that one of these days I’ll be able to change one of them.”

  “When you’re competing with the streets, you can’t change them mothafuckas.”

  “You right.”

  My cell phone vibrated. “Ooh! That’s Peaches letting us know they’re here!” I hurried and shut off the light, then moved back into the closet and closed the folding door. “It’s showtime.” We waited for what felt like forever. Danielle was breathing so hard, I leaned over and tapped her arm. “Girl, quit breathing so hard or he’ll hear us.”

  She cupped her mouth with one hand. I was starting to get nervous, so I had to make myself breathe deeply through my nose and out my mouth. As soon as I heard the key turn in the lock, my pulse jumped, and I felt like something was lodged in my throat. Relax, I kept telling myself. I was doing this for Kayla and there was no way I could fuck this shit up. I slowly reached over for the camcorder and held it up, pointing it through the small space between the two folding doors. Danielle grabbed her camera and pointed it through a corner at the other end. We were both ready. Voices drew closer and I knew they were coming down the hall toward the room.

  Reverend Brown stepped into the room and turned on the light. He then paused, sniffed, and said, “What’s that smell?” I held my breath; certain we’d been caught. Dang, had Danielle’s fart lingered that long?