My Woman His Wife Saga

by Anna J.

  “I’ll be there Monday. Where am I meeting you?” She sounded defeated, but ask me if I gave a damn.

  “Meet me at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital on the fifth floor. It starts at four o’clock.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  “Of course you will. See you then.”

  After hanging up I made my way to my room. I was always able to think better in there, and now would be the perfect opportunity to have some alone time. Rico had been on my mind lately, and I needed to find out what went down with him. From what I understood, he hung himself in prison, but my gut was telling me otherwise. Maybe I needed to take a trip up to the prison to see what exactly went down. I didn’t want to call the judge again, but who else could get me up there without a problem?

  I went past his house, and when I didn’t see his wife’s car outside I went to ring the bell. His car wasn’t there either, but I was hoping maybe his son had it and he was really home. Pulling my cell phone out of my pocketbook, I dialed the judge’s number, hoping his wife wouldn’t answer. The phone rang five times before the answering machine came on. I didn’t bother to leave a message; I just simply called the courthouse. I didn’t want Sheila in my business, but she just may prove to be useful later on.

  “District Council—”

  “Sheila, put Stenton on the phone.” I cut her off dead in the middle of her sentence.

  “Who may I tell him is calling?”

  “Who’s calling? Girl, put the judge on the phone. You don’t recognize my voice by now?” Sheila didn’t answer; she just clicked over immediately. A minute later the judge’s deep baritone voice came through the other end of the receiver.

  “Monica, long time, no hear. To what do I owe the pleasure of this call today? Do you have the lead on any more drug dealing boyfriends I should know about?” the judge said with a hint of hope under his laughter. Busting Rico put him on the map, and he was rewarded handsomely, despite the money he took up front during the bust.

  “Not today, Judge, I just need some info on Rico’s stay in prison. I just need to know how he came to hang himself.”

  “Well, sweetie, I wasn’t exactly there to witness it, but the guard on duty at the time said she found him hanging there when she was doing her rounds. He was in the cell by himself, so it was just assumed that he did it himself. Why? Do you think there was someone in there who wanted him gone?”

  “He was a damn drug dealer—kingpin to the fullest. Of course there was someone who wanted him dead. Shit, plenty of people were waiting for that. I just need to know who got to him. You and I both know that Rico would never hang himself. Let’s be real.”

  “Okay, so what do you want me to do? Have every man in the entire prison put on a lie detector? Monica, you need to explain yourself better than this.”

  “No, I’ll just talk to a few people if you let me, but first I want to talk to the guard. She was the one on duty, so I’m sure they exchanged some kind of conversation.”

  “Listen, give me a couple of days to set it up for you. I have to clear it with the warden first. I just can’t allow you to waltz up in prison and start questioning people. You act like you work for the D.A. or something.”

  “Do what you have to do, but get back to me by the end of the work day. And don’t let the guard know I’m coming. I don’t want to give her time to get her story together.”

  “As you wish, master,” the Judge responded in a mock genie voice that almost made me laugh. Almost. “I’ll give you a call by six.”

  “Looking forward to hearing from you.”

  “Yeah, I’m looking forward to sleeping with you, too.” He hung up before I had a chance to respond.

  I thought of what I could ask the guard, and not sound like I didn’t know what I was talking about. The information she would be giving me could get a ton of people swept off the streets, and I needed to go about getting it the right way so I could make my next move. I raced home to wait for the package from Stenton. I knew this was my only shot at finding out what really happened with Rico, and I had to do it right.

  The ringing phone woke me up from my sleep. When I looked at the clock it was six on the dot.

  When did I fall asleep? I hurriedly reached for the phone, hoping it was the judge calling.

  “Hello?” I answered, trying to sound alert.

  “Monica, it’s me, Stenton. I set the meeting up for tomorrow at ten thirty in the morning. The warden okay’d it, and the guard will just be starting her shift. She will be told to report to . . .”

  The judge broke everything down for me on where we would meet and how much time I had to question her. He also told me what I should wear, like he really had to. He sent me a badge from the D.A.’s office via FedEx, and it arrived around seven that evening. He tried to get me to commit to seeing him over the weekend, but I rushed his ass off the phone, telling him I would get back to him soon.

  The next morning I was up bright and early and on my way to the prison, stopping like a hundred times to go to the restroom. If being pregnant was like this I swore I would never do it again. I arrived at ten after ten, leaving enough time to go to the restroom once more and be seated in the office before the guard got there. I had a list of questions I would ask her and a small tape recorder.

  At ten thirty the guard walked in looking like a deer caught in headlights. I had to give it to Rico, she was a pretty woman. A little on the shy side, but she was pretty.

  The second thing I noticed when she walked in was her protruding belly. I didn’t know if it was a beer gut or if she was pregnant, but I would find out in time. She said nothing, just sat down in front of me with a scared-ass look on her face and her hands folded across her stomach. She wouldn’t look me in the eye, though. Her eyes shot around the room like she couldn’t focus—nervous energy. The eyes told everything.

  “My name is Samantha, and I just have a few questions for you. I will be recording our conversation, and if necessary this tape will be used in a court of law. Any answers you give need to be accurate to the best of your knowledge. Do you have any questions?” I spoke to her clearly and precisely, opting to use an alias just in case she had heard something about me.

  “No . . . no I don’t.” Her voice was shaky.

  “Okay, there’s no need to be nervous. Just answer the questions to the best of your ability. I will be starting the recording now.”

  She looked like her heart would burst out of her chest and sprint halfway across town. I kept a straight face and questioned her like I was a damn detective.

  “State your name for the record.”

  “Alexis Cook.”

  “How long have you been working in this facility?”

  “Four years.”

  “What did you know about Enrique Casarez?”

  She didn’t answer right away. She sighed and held her breath like she was trying to hold back tears. I didn’t know what all that emotion was about. Rico was only in jail for two months before he was found dead, so what kind of relationship could they have had?

  “We only spoke a couple of times when he needed to use the phone. I would let him use the one in the supervisor’s office. I knew about Rico way before he got here from what people said on the street and from what I saw the few times I saw him on the block. He seemed like a cool guy, so I didn’t see the harm in letting him make a call.”

  “Who did he call? What was he talking about?”

  “Well, it sounded like he was calling friends of his. He said something about being setup, but I really wasn’t paying attention. While Rico would talk on the phone I would ride him backward until I came. That was my payment for me letting him use the phone.”

  “What about the setup? Do you know who was setting him up?”

  “I’m not really sure. He mentioned some woman’s name, and was telling a friend that he thought she was the reason why he got locked up.”

  “When did y’all last talk? Share what you feel comfortable in telling me, I just
need to know the circumstances surrounding his death, and anything too personal will stay between me and you. I just need you to be as honest as possible.”

  “The last time we talked was right before Juan, or the Cage as we call him, gave me a letter to give to Rico. He found out some information and wanted me to pass the letter to Rico. I was going to see Rico anyway because I found out I was pregnant, and I wanted him to know he would be a daddy. When I got there he was hanging from the ceiling.”

  “Do you still have the letter?”

  “Yeah, it’s in my purse in my locker. If you’d like I can go get it for you.”

  “Sure, you can get it after the interview. How many months are you?”

  “I’m sixteen weeks pregnant. I just found out I’m having a boy yesterday.”

  “Okay, thanks for your time, Alexis. You can go get the letter now.”

  I watched her walk out of the room. I was taking notes as we talked, but I would definitely be listening to the tape when I got home. By the time she came back I had already put everything in my bag, and was standing. She gave me the note and her phone number. She said if I needed to know anything else to give her a call.

  When I got out to the car I unfolded the letter and began reading. Apparently, Rico felt I had something to do with his setup and got in contact with Carlos to investigate. I drove home in silence trying to decide what angle I would use to get at Carlos. I would definitely go see the judge to give him the info I had because my ass might need some witness protection after this. For now I was on my way to the Cinque household. If I waited on them they would never talk to me.

  Jasmine

  Truth Be Told

  I was released from the hospital three days later with well wishes from the staff, tons of literature to look at for my pregnancy, and a whole lot of stress and anxiety thinking about what I was gonna do since I was carrying twins from what was literally a late morning quickie with two guys I hardly even knew.

  At three months, I had a ways to go before I would begin buying anything, and I hoped that the time would go by as quickly as possible. I still couldn’t believe I was pregnant with another set of twins, and I couldn’t help but wonder how Jalil and Jaden would feel. But for obvious reasons, that was the least of my worries. Yes, it had just been them for the last four years. They were not accustomed to competing with other kids for our attention, but I was sure that wasn’t the only problems I was facing. My mind was all over the place. I had to plan their birthday party in another two months, and Lord knew I didn’t feel like being around a bunch of kids with a huge belly.

  James had been extra attentive, but I was still not open to him. Yeah, I had now probably fucked up a whole lot worse than he had, but I was still bitter about everything that had went down between Sheila, James, and Monica.

  Truth be told, I was ready to go home, but not to the home I already had. I was ready to start our life in a new place, but we had just bought our house five years ago. Although the events of late were overwhelming, we had so many memories in that house. I didn’t know when, if ever, I’d get past it.

  I still saw the image of Monica, Sheila, and James on my table when I walked in the door, but it was becoming a mere shadow, not as vibrant as my first time back home. The voices were getting quieter, and I truly did think we’d get through this. We had to. We had children to consider. But what was weird is that I had begun to replay the sexual payback stunt that I had pulled with Donnie and Rahmel. Damn! It had felt good getting fucked by two men at the same time, but I knew in many ways I would forever be cursed by that act of revenge.

  James and I weren’t in the house for two minutes before someone was ringing the doorbell. James made sure I was comfortable on the couch before he went to answer the door. I propped my feet up on a few pillows and leaned my head back on the arm rest so I could rest my eyes for a few seconds.

  For a second it sounded like James was arguing with someone at the door, but I wasn’t really sure. I got up off the couch and made my way to the door only to receive the shock of my life.

  “Monica, what are you doing here?” I had to force myself to keep my mouth from hanging wide open. I wanted to see her, but not now. The pain was still too new.

  “Jazz, I came to apologize to both of you, and to talk to you personally. I just figured the longer we waited, the harder it would become to get past this problem. I wanted you to hear my side of the story.”

  Before I could say anything James was pushing me back into the house and closing the door. Monica just stood there like she was about to cry, but I held the door just before it closed shut. I had to hear what she had to say.

  “James, we should at least hear her out.”

  “Baby, I don’t want that woman in my house. She’s the reason why we’re in the shit we’re in.”

  “No, you wanting to be greedy is the reason why we’re in this shit. Open the damn door. We need closure.”

  I knew this could be the biggest mistake I ever made in my life, but I needed to hear what she had to say. Maybe if I looked her in the eye, I could understand how she had so much power over people to make them do things they really didn’t want to do. There was no denying her skills in the bedroom. On that note she was a phenomenal woman. When she was around you couldn’t think rationally. For my own curiosity, I just needed to know.

  “You better make this quick, and make this your last damn visit. You’re not welcome here,” James said to her as I walked away from the door and resumed my position on the sofa. I didn’t offer her a drink or anything because I didn’t want her to get comfortable. She needed to state her purpose and keep it moving.

  “Monica, what brings you here today?” As she made herself comfortable on the loveseat, I noticed the bulge in her shirt. It could easily be overlooked if you weren’t looking for it, but I was dead on it. This bitch was pregnant by my husband, or so we assumed.

  “Jazz, first I want to apologize for all the problems I’ve caused your family. I should have gone about trying to get you in a better manner.”

  James and I looked at each other and back at her. I didn’t think she would come right out and say that she wanted me. I thought for sure she would deny it and take it to her grave, but then again, Monica never failed to amaze me.

  “So, you’re saying what exactly?”

  “I’m saying that I fell in love with you the very first time I saw you, and I thought if I could get close to you maybe I would have a chance. Sheila put it in my head that I could get you if I tried hard enough. She set everything up from the beginning. It was her idea to come here. I would have never thought of it. I could have easily had either of you over at my house.”

  Still speechless, James and I sat wide-eyed and stared at her like she was a television set. I couldn’t believe what she was saying, and if I wasn’t there to hear it, no one could have ever convinced me.

  “So Sheila put it in your head that it was cool to climb your ass up on my table? Better yet, tell me, Monica, how many times did you and James see each other before I became involved?” I had agreed to move past that, but something was telling me that James wasn’t being straight with me. That was our biggest problem, the fact that we were never straight up with each other. But oh well, I still needed to hear it from the horse’s mouth.

  “We started seeing each other maybe six weeks before he finally decided he would ask you, but we slept together at least thirty times before that night. James couldn’t get enough of me.”

  “And since that night?” I don’t think I really wanted to know the answer, but my mouth said it anyway. A part of me did want to know, but another part would rather do without the details.

  “We got together at least twice a week. Sheila had him too.”

  James just put his head down in his hands and shook it from side to side. My breathing felt labored, but I needed to know one more thing.

  “Monica, how many months are you?”

  “About five-and-a-half.”

  Bef
ore I had a chance to react, James jumped up off the couch beside me and knocked Monica backward out of the chair. By the time I got up he had already punched her in her face once, and I had to practically jump on his back to keep him from swinging again. I don’t know where the strength came from, but I was able to pull him up and stand between them so Monica could get up off the floor. She looked stunned, and even though I hated her, I hoped nothing happened to her or her baby. It wasn’t the child’s fault.

  “Get the fuck out of my house! Get the fuck out!” James kept yelling it at the top of his lungs as Monica made her way to the door slowly.

  “Jazz, don’t be mad at James. He was at my house as much as you were.”

  Now it was James’s turn to hold me as I charged at her like a bull. She was able to open and shut the door before I could get to her, and by the time I got the door open I could see her making her way to her car. She turned and looked at me and stopped me dead in my tracks with her words.

  “Oh, Jasmine, I forgot to mention that you really look good since I last saw you. I don’t know what it is, but maybe it’s those private personal training sessions that you’ve been having at your house with the twins Donnie and Rahmel from Bally’s. Girl, whatever you do, keep those personal one-on-one sessions going because they really got your body looking tight!”

  After she said that there was dead silence as I could not believe that those bitch ass twins from the gym had opened up their mouths and gossiped like straight-up bitches!

  I wanted to literally kill Monica for having pulled my card like that. But I had to give it up to her, the bitch was vindictive as hell and she was good at it.

  James looked at me with a confused look on his face.

  I shook my head and asked, “What the hell is she talking about?”

  Then all I could hear was her car screeching down the street. I just fell to my knees in the doorway and cried, not knowing what to do next. I would be paying her ass a visit. That was for sure. I just hoped I could be civil when I saw her again. Yeah, we were all at fault, but this entire situation just pissed me off. I was hoping that James didn’t question me about what Monica had said about the twins training me.