Relapse: A Novel

by Nikki Turner

  It was the next morning and already half past noon when Beijing turned on her side to look at the clock on the night table. For a brief moment she didn’t know where she was. This is why I don’t get drunk, she thought to herself. Then she made out the familiar decorations of the Tabby’s suite.

  “Now I know why Seville insisted that we get two rooms,” she said.

  Lootchee was under the covers of the king-sized bed next to her with a smile on his face.

  “You had it all figured out, didn’t you? Down to the final detail,” she said to him.

  “I just wanted you to have a good time,” he said sheepishly. “Did I at least succeed in doing that?”

  “You did okay,” she said. If she was to be honest, she had to admit the entire weekend was thoughtful since he had missed her birthday. The party on the boat was fabulous and the sex they shared afterward was amazing. “But now you have some explaining to do, mister.” As emotionally famished as she had been without him around, she had no intention of being played for anybody’s sucker. Not again.

  “I promised I would, didn’t I?”

  Although she loved the way she felt when they were together, she was prepared to move on and never see him again if his explanation was bullshit. What could he possibly say that could justify acting so callous and cruel?

  “I’m ready to hear it, then,” she said, sitting up in bed, giving Lootchee her undivided attention. “No time like the present.” She gazed into his eyes.

  “Okay.” He sighed before continuing. “Remember when I told you that both my parents were dead?”

  “Of course,” she said. She reflected on how he sounded so cold when he told her. How could she forget something like that?

  “Well,” he said. He seemed to be trying to come up with the right words. “That wasn’t the truth. Not exactly anyway.”

  “Then what exactly is the truth?” There goes the neighborhood, she thought. If he would lie about something like that, then the truth isn’t in him.

  “It’s not like it sounds.”

  It never is, let you tell it, Beijing thought and was about to tell him so, but he put his hand up and stopped her.

  “My father loved my mother unconditionally. He worked twelve to sixteen hours a day, six days a week, sometimes seven, in order to afford all the clothes, jewelry, and other material things my mother insisted she had to have.” His eyes saddened like a little child who had just witnessed his first puppy getting crushed by a speeding car.

  “But she could never get enough,” he went on. “She never really loved my father. She was only there for the ride. However far it would take her. Even as a little boy I used to see the heartless looks she gave him when his back was turned. After a while she started giving him that look to his face. My father thought her unhappiness was due to him. He wasn’t working hard enough, wasn’t giving her enough of the things she said she deserved to have.”

  Beijing knew that this must be really hard for him to talk about and was grateful that he was opening up to her. She reached out to put her arm around him for support.

  “Things got so bad,” he said, “my mother started rejecting him totally. She wouldn’t cook or clean, and she barely talked to the man. They even started sleeping in separate bedrooms.” Lootchee closed his eyes for a moment. “The only woman, besides his own mother, that my father ever loved didn’t care if he was dead or alive. I know for a fact she wished that he would die. I think that’s what my father thought too. Heartbroken and depressed, my father decided to do the only thing he knew how to do when it came to my mother. He gave her what she wanted. They found him with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. He was slumped over in the car in the driveway of our house.”

  “Oh my God, Lootchee.”

  With tears in his eyes, he continued, “There was a note left on the passenger seat. Six words: I hope you are happy now!

  “He gave her his life, and her only concern was whether or not he had the kind of insurance that would pay off the house. Though she did not pull the trigger, my mother murdered my father by being selfish and greedy. As far as I was concerned,” Lootchee muttered with steely eyes, “my mother died that day, too.”

  “Wow, baby, that’s deep. I’m so sorry you had to live through that.” Beijing kissed him on the top of his head. “That’s such a sad thing to witness.”

  Lootchee didn’t speak; he just stared off into space.

  “Thanks, baby, for sharing such an intimate part of your life with me.”

  “You know I’ve never told anyone about that.”

  “I’m glad you chose to share it with me. I feel closer to you.”

  There was silence, and though it felt awkward to ask at this moment, curiosity was killing Beijing. “I don’t want to seem selfish but I still don’t understand what any of this has to do with you not calling me for months at a time?”

  “When you said you thought it was too soon for us to be engaged it reminded me of my mother … rejecting my father,” he said. “Whether it was wrong or right, the only thing I knew how to do was fall back. But I couldn’t stay away. I want to make you happy, the way you make me happy.”

  All of the built-up animosity she’d harbored toward him over the past months was wiped away by the time he finished. How could she stay mad after he opened his heart to her, pouring out its contents?

  She wrapped her arms around his strong upper body. Truthfully she was so happy just to be back in his arms that she wasn’t sure she would have cared no matter what his reason was. At least he had a good story. She could save a little bit of her pride.

  “So, let’s live happily ever after.”

  CHAPTER 28

  My Troubles Are Yours

  Six weeks of romance had sped by since Lootchee’s heart-wrenching confession to Beijing. Since that time their relationship had taken on a life of its own and they had grown even closer. Beijing felt that same rush she had at the beginning, every time they were together.

  The two lovebirds were doing a little shopping, and Lootchee even picked out a few outfits for her.

  “How do you like this one, baby?” Beijing held a low-cut black cocktail dress under her chin, posing for him.

  Lootchee studied her for a few seconds. “I think the dress is beautiful,” he finally said. “But with you rocking it, I think it would be drop-dead gorgeous.”

  “I agree,” she said with a smile. “Now all we have to do is to find you something to complement it and I’ll wear it next week when we go to the NBA All-Star Game. My friend Teflon the Don is opening the event with a performance. I want us to be there together, to show support.”

  “I’m going to pass on that one. I’ve been consuming too much of your time. Between your working and spending time with me, you’ve been out of the loop with your girls. This is something I think you should do with them,” he suggested.

  She raised an eyebrow.

  “But you love sports,” she said. “You’re not going to the All-Star Game at all?”

  “Naw, baby, I’m going to pass.”

  “But I really want you to go with me.”

  “I think I’m going to stay here or shoot over to Atlanta. I need to make the money to pay for my boo’s dream wedding,” he said, pulling her closer to give her a soft kiss on the lips.

  “But you know you don’t have to do that. My dad will pay for the wedding. He’s been putting money away for that day since I can remember.”

  “Whatever you want, baby girl.” He smiled. “You think you got enough stuff yet?” He changed to an easier subject.

  “Just about,” she said.

  While she was picking out a few more things, Beijing’s cell phone went off. It was Dennard. He told her he was coming to town for a few days.

  “Are you staying at the Tabby?”

  “If I can get a room,” he hinted.

  “Stop it, I will make sure that you get all squared away. What’s the date that you arrive?”

  After noting the d
ate of the arrival, she told him that she would make sure he was taken care of while he was in town for his convention.

  In the car, on the way back to their condo in Charlotte, Lootchee was unusually quiet.

  “A dime for what’s on your mind,” Beijing said. “It seems like something heavy is on your mind.”

  He never took his eyes off the road. “Nothing to trouble you with, just my own problems.”

  “Your troubles are mine too.”

  “I’m just trying to come up with a proper solution to a small inconvenience.”

  “Tell me about it,” she said, turning in to face him. “Maybe I can help.”

  “Thanks, babe, but it’s not your problem. I’ll figure it out.”

  “You don’t have to always be Superman with me. I love you just the way you are,” she told him. “If you got a problem, then I have one too.”

  “If you insist,” he sighed. “I got some money that I need cleaned up.”

  Beijing knew exactly what he meant by cleaned up. Making dirty money clean.

  “How much?”

  “Three, maybe four million.”

  “Dollars?”

  “No, pesos,” he joked. “Of course I’m talking about dollars. I live in America, don’t I?”

  “That’s a lot of money, but I can make some phone calls and check to see if I know of someone who can take care of it.”

  “Really?”

  She nodded. And at the end of the day Beijing always made it happen, didn’t she?

  CHAPTER 29

  Spaghetti for Dinner

  Houston was bubbling with energy and it was only two thirty in the afternoon. Some folks on the sidewalks were taking advantage of capitalism, selling everything from sports memorabilia to accessories to sexual favors. You could scoop up almost anything your heart desired for the right price if you knew where to look.

  The All-Star Game festivities weren’t scheduled to take flight until six thirty, but the restaurant and lobby of the hotel were filled to maximum capacity.

  Beijing was in the midst of it all, having a ball. It was the first time she, Paris, Seville, and Rayna had all been out together; neither Paris nor Seville had ever met Beijing’s newest friend.

  Beijing noticed that Rayna and Seville seemed to hit it off right away, but Paris was cold and indifferent to Rayna.

  “I’ve been meaning to tell you, B,” Rayna said, “you looking too good in those jeans and pumps.”

  Beijing was rocking a pair of figure-hugging jeans, four-inch purple pumps, and a fitted top.

  “Just a lil somethin’-somethin’ I threw together,” she said. “It don’t look like you slummin’ none either.”

  Rayna had put on a few pounds since the last time they were together, but she was tall and carried her weight well.

  “I relapsed to my bad eating habits and slacked on my workout for a minute, but I’m trying to get back on track,” Rayna confessed. “That ordeal in Atlanta kind of threw me off point,” meaning the robbery.

  “I wouldn’t even have noticed it, if you hadn’t said anything,” Beijing lied.

  “I wish I would’ve brought Jack with me,” Seville said as she checked the fellas out. “All these fine brothers are gonna push my temptation to the limit.” She chuckled.

  The four girls definitely were not going unnoticed as they waltzed around the star-studded lobby. They looked like money. Even in a room filled with various industry people, actors, musicians, professional athletes, and models, Beijing, Seville, Paris, and Rayna turned heads.

  “I don’t like that bitch,” Paris told her sister as she looked Rayna over. Rayna was talking to some rapper who was way too short for her. But what the entertainer lacked in height, he made up for in bank.

  Beijing asked, “Why? What did she do to you?”

  Paris shook her head, “The bitch ain’t do nothing to me. I just don’t like her vibe. I’ve rolled in the grass long enough to know a snake when I see one. I can be got, but not too often.” She then added, “Just don’t give that bitch your full trust.”

  A few months ago Beijing would have dismissed Paris’s ramblings as drug talk, but she’d been drug-free for a minute; had gone to the drug treatment program was going to the outpatient meetings, doing well for herself, the whole nine. Beijing heard the warning but didn’t take heed because she thought her sister might be a little jealous of her and Rayna’s relationship.

  “Beijing?” a voice called out from behind. “Is that you?”

  She turned around; the voice belonged to Jeff, Lootchee’s friend, the one she’d met at the New Edition show.

  “Where’s my man?” he asked, kissing her on the cheek. Jeff scanned the area like he was looking for someone.

  “He couldn’t make it. We’re having a girls’ weekend,” she told him. “You remember my sister”—she nodded to Paris, then pointed to Seville—“and my cousin, from my birthday party, don’t you?”

  “How could I forget Miss Seville?” He smiled. “She shot me down at least twice that night.”

  “Over there, getting her mack on, is my girlfriend Rayna.”

  Beijing saw him admiring Rayna’s backside. There was no denying Rayna had booty for days. When Jeff realized he was busted, he pulled his attention away from Rayna’s ample rear. “I’m surprised my man ain’t here, ya heard?”

  “Me too,” she said honestly, “but you know how it goes.”

  “Yeah, I know how it goes but I would’ve definitely been here, ya heard.”

  Beijing eyed Don across the room. He was obviously trying to go incognito, wearing dark sunglasses and a hoodie over his head and most of his face. She couldn’t be fooled; she knew that walk anywhere.

  “Well, I’ll probably see you somewhere later,” she said, happy for the distraction. “I need to go say hello to someone.”

  Jeff tracked the path of her vision. “I didn’t know you were a fan of Teflon the Don, but who isn’t? I tried to book ’im at my spot before he blew up.”

  Beijing wasn’t sure if he was asking a question or making a statement, or both.

  “He’s an old friend, I actually used to work with him.” She explained to Jeff the nature of her and Don’s business relationship before walking away. She didn’t want it to be a mix-up whenever the conversation came up between him and Lootchee that Jeff had seen her with Don. And she knew that it probably would one day. She knew they were close and they kicked it a lot.

  “Well, hook a brother up, ya heard.”

  She nodded as she hurried to catch up with Don before he got on the elevator. Beijing called out, “Hey you! Slow down.”

  By the look on his face, she knew that Don had been trying to avoid her.

  “Hey, sweets, when did you get in?” He gave her a hug after being cornered.

  As soon as the first word came out of his mouth, she knew that something wasn’t right.

  She pulled him away from his mob. “You okay?” she asked out of concern. “You look a little funny.”

  “Yeah, I’m aight,” he said unconvincingly. “Just a lil tired.” He rubbed his eyes. “That’s all.”

  He’s more than a lil tired, she thought. She was about to comment when her phone went off.

  It was a 212 area code. New York, she thought.

  “Hold on a second, let me get this,” she said, thumbing the green TALK button. She could see the relief on Don’s face for the temporary interruption. Beijing knew that he wasn’t feeling where their conversation was headed anyway.

  “Beijing, it’s Seth.”

  Please not this Natalia bullshit today. She’s supposed to be in Hawaii. She turned her back to Don after giving him a one-fingered Wait signal, but he took it as his cue to flee. She did not feel like or want to deal with Natalia’s drama today but she put a smile in her voice and said, “Yes, Seth, is everything okay with Natalia?”

  “Besides being off in Hawaii, spending my money recklessly, and trying hard to send me into bankruptcy?” he joked.

 
; “You’re way too smart for that to happen,” Beijing shot back.

  “I would hope so.” He shifted the conversation. “This time it’s a friend of mine who could really use your help.”

  “How can I be of service?” she asked as she noticed Don getting on the elevator. She walked into the bathroom so she could hear Seth.

  He began to tell her about a friend of his named Amir, a prince from somewhere in the Middle East. They were traveling in a Gulfstream IV and scheduled to touch down in Miami on a private landing strip at nine thirty. If it was at all possible, Seth asked, could she manage to have someone deliver to them about a pound or so of the sticky-icky!

  “Of course.”

  “Since you are in Miami,” he said. “Do you think you’ll be able to make this happen for me?”

  “I’m actually in Houston, but it shouldn’t be a problem at all. I will take care of it for you.”

  “Of course you know this needs to be done with the utmost discretion,” he said.

  “Of course. Give me a couple of minutes and I will call you back.”

  In less than five minutes, Beijing had cut a deal with another one of her clients who distributed large quantities of marijuana in his spare time and was passing on the particulars to Seth, who was so grateful to her.

  In the meantime she received a call from Lootchee. “I’m lonely and I miss you.”

  “I miss you too, baby.”

  “I hear you down there looking good, smelling good, and having lots of fun.” She knew that Jeff had already run and called Lootchee and told him only God knew what.

  “The girls and I are having a ball. You should’ve come.”

  “Well, I miss you and want to see you.”

  “You will see me the day after tomorrow.”

  “But I want to see you now. Book a limo to Dallas, stay a few hours and then you can be back by morning.”

  Beijing thought that was rather selfish and that he should’ve been there with her. She said “Okay,” slowly, but she didn’t want to say it to make him mad.