BFF's

by Brenda Hampton

  Jacoby opened the door to go back outside, but I rushed after him. This conniving fool had cost me my damn job and I was anxious to hear about his plans to destroy me. Prior to today, he was the least of my worries. Now all of that had changed. I still had something up my sleeve, though, and I was ready to pull it out like a weapon and use it.

  I ran in front of Jacoby, stopping him dead in his tracks. I pointed my finger in his face and spoke through gritted teeth. “You listen to me, boy. If I find out that you had anything to do with me losing my job, you’re going to be in big trouble. As far as Cedric is concerned, you don’t have what it takes to be like him. The reason why you can’t get along with him is because you’re jealous. You wish that his blood ran through your veins, but your blood comes from a lowlife negro who isn’t shit. So the next time you speak to your precious mother, be sure to inquire about your father. The question you may want to ask her is, which one is he?”

  I stormed away, mad as hell. How dare this kid try to mess with me? After my conversation with Cedric, I’d just about had it with these people. Kayla and her entire family could go to hell. I was over this bullshit, and I had to figure out another way to get my hands on some money.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Kayla

  Jacoby had been blowing up my phone, telling me to come home. I rushed out of the Renaissance Hotel, and as soon as I walked through the door, he was sitting on the couch in the living room, waiting for me. His eyes were puffy; he was roughly massaging his hands together. Fearing that something bad had happened, I hurried into the room and stood in front of him.

  “No more bad news, please,” I said tearfully. “What’s going on now?”

  Jacoby looked up at me. A tear sped down his face and dripped on his trembling knee. “I got a question for you,” he said. “And please do not lie to me, Mother. I want the truth.”

  My stomach was already being squeezed in a tight knot. There was only one thing that could make Jacoby this upset. I hoped my secret was not about to come out.

  “What is it?” I said softly.

  “Who is my damn father? Is Cedric not my real father?”

  “Absolutely, hell fucking no, I’m not,” Cedric said from behind me.

  I swung around and staggered as I saw him standing there. “It’s time to come clean and get all of this shit out in the open. I’m glad you finally asked the question, Jacoby, and for a long time I was very confused myself. I was suckered into believing that your mother really and truly loved me, but then I discovered that it was all a lie. She used me, man, so that she could have all of this. She lied to you, for the sake of keeping her financial situation on lock. Then she turned around and made me out to be the villain in all of this. I’m just a monster that she created. There was no way for me to stay committed to a woman who hurt me as much as she did. I hope you see now, son, why I’ve conducted myself in such a horrible manner. Maybe I was wrong for taking some of this out on you, and all I can do is ask for your forgiveness.”

  My mouth hung wide open. Cedric was so good at manipulating people. I prayed that Jacoby wouldn’t fall for the bullshit. But when I turned my head to look at him, the anger in his eyes had deepened. His stare was cold. He didn’t dare take his eyes off me. I stood there, unprepared. I didn’t know what to say, and I wasn’t even sure if the truth was good enough.

  “Do not believe that mess Cedric just told you. This has nothing to do with my financial situation and—”

  “To hell with your financial situation!” Jacoby yelled. “Who in the fuck is my father?”

  My whole body shivered from his tone. No matter how upset he was, he needed to calm down. “Don’t raise your voice at me. I’ll tell you who your father is, but we need to go somewhere away from Cedric—”

  “Stop beating around the damn bush,” Cedric said. “Tell Jacoby who his father is right now. As a matter of fact, fuck it. I’ll tell him. His name is Arnez Jackson and he was one of my friends in college. He started doing some crazy shit, got himself in a whole lot of trouble, dropped out of school, and got on drugs. He came to me about three years ago, asking for some money and threatened to tell you that he was your biological father, if I didn’t give the money to him. I didn’t give him a damn dime, but someone else paid him a large sum of money to keep his mouth shut. I don’t have to tell you who that person is. I’ll just say that you’re looking right at her.”

  I could barely breathe right now. I held my chest and looked at Jacoby with sorrow and much regret in my eyes. “I lied to protect you,” I confessed. “Arnez had disappointed me so much and I wanted you to be raised by a man who I thought you could look up to and who could show you how to be a real man. I failed you, son. I’m so sorry for—”

  Jacoby hopped up from the couch. He spoke through gritted teeth while looking at me and Cedric both. “Sorry my ass, Mother. I can’t believe how pathetic the two of you are. I have wasted too much of my time, trying to get the two of you to act like grown people who should know better. Is it so damn hard to love and respect each other? Is it so easy to keep secrets from the ones you love? No wonder I’ve been running around here feeling as if I don’t fit in. Cedric not being my biological father explains a lot, especially his ill treatment and his I-don’t-give-a-fuck attitude. I can’t say that I blame him, Mother. Only because you created this mess. I don’t give a damn how you get out of it, but whatever you do, leave me the fuck alone. I’m done.”

  Jacoby rushed past me, and when I grabbed his arm he shoved me backward, almost knocking me on my ass. Cedric jumped in front of him, holding his shoulders and looking directly into his eyes.

  “From the bottom of my heart, you will always be my son. I regret that it has come to this, but I’m delighted that the truth has finally come to the light. Take all the time you need to let this soak in. If you need me, I’ll be right here.”

  Jacoby didn’t respond. He opened the front door and left. I didn’t bother to go after him, only because I knew he wasn’t prepared to listen to my explanation for all of this. Cedric had definitely gotten what he wanted. I was anxious to wash that smug look off his face.

  I smacked away several tears and was seething with anger as I spoke to him.

  “If you knew about Arnez, why didn’t you ever say anything to me? You know darn well that the only reason I didn’t come clean about this was because of the kind of man Arnez was. You were broke back then, Cedric. My decision didn’t have anything to do with money and you know it!”

  “Yes it did, so wipe your tears, cut the drama, and stop acting. That’s all I talked to you about—my plans to be wealthy. You knew I had everything lined up, and you had just as much faith as I did that we would one day have all of this and then some. The bottom line is you lied to Jacoby and you lied to me. Face it and stop trying to justify your actions. From day one I knew Jacoby wasn’t my son. When I looked into his eyes all I saw was Arnez. But I went along with it, because at the time I did love you. For years, I had to live with your fucking lie and pretend that everything was all good. Now, you want to come down on me for the shit that I’ve been doing. You want to run up in my office, kick my ass, embarrass the hell out of me, and pretend that you’ve been the good wife. You can’t pretend anymore, Kay. The shit has hit the fan. I expect for you to be out of my house and out of my life for good. My divorce lawyers will be in touch soon.”

  This time Cedric walked away. I had to admit that I was unprepared for all of this. I feared what was about to happen and it wasn’t like I had anyone in my corner. The only person I was somewhat on good terms with was Evelyn. Maybe I could stay in one of her extra bedrooms for a few weeks, until I worked this out. I had to settle things down, get to my bank account and clear it out fast. I didn’t have money to waste at hotel rooms and I knew Cedric was about to shut my life down. I had to admit my mistakes. Maybe I did break Cedric’s heart. Maybe he was the kind of man he was because of me. The least I could do was apologize.

  I walked slowly up the stairs
and into our bedroom. Cedric was in the sitting area with his feet propped on the table in front of him. His hands were locked behind his head and he looked to be in deep thought.

  “I don’t even know if I should be apologizing or if I should be demanding an apology from you.” I walked further into the room and stood by the fireplace. “We’ve both made some mistakes and you have no right to point the finger at me. In my heart, I still believe that we can somehow work things out. The last thing I want is a divorce. You say that you don’t care anymore, but that’s because you’re angry right now. I will give you all the time you need to think this through, but please do not go rushing off to divorce me.”

  Funny. Just yesterday I couldn’t wait to file for a divorce. I had an appointment scheduled with my lawyer and everything. Today was a new day. I still wondered if my actions had hurt him as much as he proclaimed they did.

  Cedric lowered his arms to his elbows and licked his lips. “The damage is already done, Kay. I’m no good and I’ll never be any good. You hurt me too bad and unfortunately, I’m not as forgiving as you are. Don’t waste your time fighting for something that will never be. I assure you that this marriage will never be what you expect it to be, because the truth is, I don’t love you anymore.”

  His words cut deep. I stood, feeling as if a sharp knife had been stabbed in my stomach. I wanted to drop to my knees as Cedric left the bedroom. And when I heard the door open and his car speed away, I cried my heart out. My husband and son were gone. I had no clue how to piece this all back together. I basically had to start all over, but I didn’t know where to start. I was confused. Not in a million years did I see this day coming.

  The next day, which was Saturday, I went to the bank to withdraw my money. Unfortunately for me, Cedric had transferred all of my money into another account. He was unaware of a small savings account I had for Jacoby that had almost ten grand in it. I took that money out, but I had to be very careful how I spent it. Basically, I had to make it stretch until I could find a way to stabilize my situation.

  Once I left the bank, I checked out of the pricey room at the hotel and drove to Evelyn’s place with my luggage in tow. I had plans to go back home and remove some of my expensive jewelry, but I was so sure that Cedric had changed the locks already.

  A woman was going up on the elevator, so I got on and took it up to Evelyn’s floor. When I knocked on the door, she opened it with a bowl of ice cream in her hand and a spoon was in her mouth. She glanced at my luggage and then she widened the door for me to come in.

  “I need a place to stay,” I said immediately. “Do you mind if I stay in one of your rooms until I can figure out what to do about my situation?”

  “I’ve been trying to find out exactly what is going on with your situation, but you’ve made yourself unavailable.”

  “I know. I needed some time alone to think.”

  I rolled my luggage into the living room and left it there. I plopped down on the couch, along with Evelyn. I told her everything that had happened between me, Jacoby, and Cedric. I also told her about my fallout with Trina, but I didn’t mention that Trina was gay. I worked around that little situation, feeling that if Trina wanted Evelyn to know she would tell her.

  “Wow, Kayla, I—I really don’t know what to say. I’m surprised that you never thought Jacoby would find out who his real father was, and I’m more in awe to know that Cedric knew about it all this time and didn’t say anything.”

  “Not one word. He put me on the spot, and Jacoby now thinks that I’m the worst person on this earth.”

  “I doubt that he thinks that, and like you said, he just needs time. As far as Cedric is concerned, I don’t know what to say about him. It sounds like the marriage is over. Maybe it’s a good thing that you’re moving on.”

  “I never said anything about moving on. I intend to save my marriage and my family will not be torn apart because of this. I’ve been trying to put myself in Cedric’s shoes, and a part of me understands where he’s coming from. My lies may, indeed, have hurt him. It explains why he’s changed so much over the years.”

  Evelyn rolled her eyes and threw her hand back. “Girl, please. Cedric is faking the funk. He’s making excuses for his actions and is trying to justify why he’s been an unfaithful husband. I don’t know why you don’t see that. It’s part of his plan to make you feel like you’re the one who has done wrong, when realistically it’s him.”

  “I thought about that too, but there is no denying that I lied to him, Evelyn. And this wasn’t just any ol’ lie either. It was a lie that I knew would affect us deeply, so here we are.”

  “So, I guess you’ve forgiven him for the whole chlamydia thing, huh? It’s okay that he’s been having sex with other women, and you’re perfectly fine with him taking the money out of the bank and changing the locks on the doors. And then the way Cedric told Jacoby that he wasn’t his father was okay with you too. Forgive me for not understanding your feelings about this. I’m seriously over here scratching my head.”

  “You wouldn’t understand any of this, because you’re not Jacoby’s mother and you’re not the one married to Cedric. You didn’t witness the hurt in their eyes. I did. You don’t know how much damage my lie has done to them. I do. Like Cedric said, some people just aren’t as forgiving and they have their own way of dealing with things. Of course I’m upset about the chlamydia thing. I’m upset about the other women as well, but I have bigger fish to fry than to worry about hoes out here screwing my husband.”

  Evelyn pursed her lips and got off the couch. She put her empty ice cream bowl in the sink then she opened the fridge to get a bottled water. “Would you like something to drink? All I have is water, nothing else.”

  “No, I’m fine. I haven’t forgotten about giving you the money I told you I would give you, but things have changed and I’m unable to help you out like I said I would. Right now, I have about ten grand to my name. The only thing I can afford is about fifty or sixty bucks to help you get some groceries. I’ll be able to give you a few extra dollars for letting me stay in your room, but to be honest, Evelyn, I may need the money that I have to fight Cedric in court. I have a feeling that he’s not going to back down and he’s planning to leave me high and dry.”

  “Possibly, but here’s the problem that I have. Marc is supposed to be moving in with me on Monday. He’s supposed to help me with my finances, so I can’t let you stay here. It wouldn’t look right, but had you come to me sooner, maybe I could have made some different arrangements.”

  After all that I had done for her, I couldn’t believe what she’d just said. “I won’t be in the way. I only need to stay here for—”

  “No,” Evelyn said adamantly. “You would be in the way and I don’t want Marc to be uncomfortable. He already gave me first month’s rent, so I’m not going to renege on him.”

  I was in total disbelief. The expression on my face showed it. “I could stay on the couch and make sure I’m gone all day. Marc wouldn’t even know I lived here and—”

  “No, Kayla, that wouldn’t work.”

  The tone of my voice rose. “So what do you want me to do, Evelyn? Sleep in my car?”

  “Why not? It’s big enough, but I doubt that you’ll have to do that. Why don’t you go make up with Trina? She has an extra bedroom, doesn’t she? It’s unfortunate that I can’t help. Whether you know it or not, I’m deeply sorry that I can’t.”

  This conversation with Evelyn left me speechless. In order for me not to cuss her out, I got off the couch, grabbed my luggage, and decided to go. I didn’t even say good-bye. I proceeded to the door and didn’t bother to close it after I walked out.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Trina

  Whenever I was under pressure I threw myself into work. I had been trying to avoid too many people and it had been a minute since I had worked from the office. I suspected that Keith was eager to finish what we never got started and he’d still been trying to contact me.

  Cynthia
had also been ringing my phone, but I wanted to keep my distance from her. I avoided church altogether. When she came to my apartment last night I didn’t answer the door. Lexi hadn’t been bugging me as much, but she did call last night to inquire about my sudden distance. She said that she would stop by today to see me and when I heard a knock on the door, I was so sure that it was her. I looked through the peephole and saw Kayla standing there with her head lowered. I wasn’t up to arguing with her, so I ignored her.

  “Trina, I already heard you walking to the door. I came here to apologize and to ask you a few things. Please open the door.”

  For whatever reason, I couldn’t stay mad at Kayla if I tried. Ever since we were in elementary school, I always managed to forgive her for all of the hiccups in our friendship along the way. Yes, we’d said some harsh things to each other over the years, we’d done some ugly things, and we’d kept many secrets from each other. But at the end of the day, I still cared for her. I still considered her my best friend—one that I was mad at but still loved with all my heart.

  I opened the door, but refused to smile at her, even though I wanted to. She had a weary look on her face and was dressed in a pair of stonewashed jeans and a T-shirt. Her braids were wrapped in a bun and her gold hoop earrings matched her thong sandals.

  “Apology accepted,” I said to her and said no more.

  Tears welled in Kayla’s eyes and she reached out to embrace me. She wasn’t what I considered an emotional woman, and whenever she cried I knew something deep was going on inside of her. “I’m so sorry for what I said to you,” she said. “I—I don’t know what got into me and I never should have treated you that way.”

  Seeing her cry made me cry, but I hurried to blink away my tears. “I’m sorry too. I was wrong for saying what I said to you as well. I knew you were going through some things and I apologize for not understanding your situation.”