Wifey

by Tosha Damaya

  "Just a breakfast casserole.”

  He took another bite. "Since when do we buy spinach?"

  "Since I took over the shopping," she said with a smile.

  Jonathan knew she loved to cook and felt comfortable in the kitchen. She could have her own restaurant. "You should run a restaurant.”

  "I like working with Syd."

  "I know you do, but you have so much potential, Jo. Syd has always talked about having a small café connected to her store; maybe you could run it and be part owner."

  Johari finished eating and took her plate to the sink. She leaned back against the counter and stared at Jonathan. "You make it sound so easy." She didn't even have money saved up to start a business.

  "I never said it was going to be easy. When Syd started her store, I helped with deliveries and you know Sierra was working there too. We all come together as a family."

  "That's different."

  "It's not. You’re a part of our family, too."

  She loved cooking, but thinking of owning a small restaurant was too much to contemplate.

  Jonathan noticed that she was in deep thought. He put his empty plate in the sink and approached Johari. Grabbing her hands, he led her to the living room and sat her on his lap.

  "It was just a suggestion. I'm not going to make you do anything that you don't feel comfortable doing."

  "Okay."

  Feeling content to hold her in his arms, Jon grabbed the remote control and turned the television on and they listened to the morning news.

  "Have you called Sean yet?"

  She froze. "Umm, not yet. It’s only ten in the morning."

  He turned her in his arms so that she was facing him. "Are you stalling?"

  "No."

  Seemed like it. Sean was a doctor and familiar with early hours. "If you're having second thoughts, just tell me."

  "I'm not. I just don't want to hurt him," she explained.

  "I understand, but I don't want to hide our relationship. If he finds out from anyone else, it'll hurt him a lot more."

  Johari agreed, so she went and grabbed her cell phone. Sitting back on the couch beside Jonathan, she called Sean. It went to voicemail, so she left a message. "Sean, its Johari. Give me a call; we need to talk."

  "I'll try him again in a few hours," she said to Jonathan.

  Why not call his house phone? Is what Jonathan wanted to say but held his tongue. "Okay."

  ↔

  Sean was busy searching through Destiny's phone records. The police weren't any help, so he woke up and drove down to Verizon wireless and requested the documents.

  Destiny was still using the phone that he purchased but refused to answer his phone calls. The last call she made was to a number Sean recognized. It was one of her best friends. He tried to call Tonya, but she didn't answer, so he went to her home instead.

  Tonya lived a few houses down from him, so he walked and arrived within a few minutes. After he knocked, she answered.

  "Hello Mr. Garrison," she said with a grin. Sean kept his eyes on her face, because Tonya was only dressed in a bra and shorts.

  "Hi Tonya, are your parents' home?" He felt odd talking to the young girl alone.

  "No, they're at church. Do you want to come in?"

  Sean took a step back. He preferred to stay outside. "No thanks." He cleared his throat. "As you know, Destiny ran away, and I was wondering if she's been in contact with you recently."

  "She has."

  "Do you know where she's at?"

  "I do, and she told me not to tell, but I would be willing to for a certain price."

  Sean took his wallet out. "How much?"

  She stopped him by placing her hand on his arm. "I'm not asking for money, Mr. Garrison."

  Sean realized Tonya was flirting with him. He couldn't believe that she was being so bold towards him. "Tonya, that's not going to happen. You're a child and I'm a man," he replied while removing her hand from his arm.

  "I'm eighteen. According to the world, I'm an adult. I won't say anything to anyone."

  Sean wasn't interested. "Have a good day, Tonya." He stepped away from the door with the intent to head home.

  "Wait!" Tonya yelled. "She's going to the Washington area."

  "Washington State?" Sean questioned.

  "No, Washington D.C." Tonya clarified.

  Sean was confused. "Why?"

  Tonya put her hand out.

  Sean shook his head and placed a $50 bill in her hand. "I thought you didn't want money."

  She put the money in her bra making sure to pull it down enough so that Sean could see her breast. "Well, you won't give me sex, so I’ll take the money," she replied with a shrug. "Destiny's looking for her mom. She was angry that you were getting back together with your ex."

  Sean exhaled. He and Destiny had gotten into an argument about Johari, but he never expected her to leave. What worried him the most was that Destiny didn't take her car. He hoped she wasn't hitch hiking her way there.

  "Thank you." He was grateful for the information, even though he had to pay for it. He needed to get to D.C. to find his daughter.

  "Are you sure that I can't tempt you for a little while?" she asked pulling the straps of her bra down.

  Sean dragged his hand down his face in frustration. "Please tell me my daughter isn't like you."

  Tonya laughed. "I'm sorry Mr. Garrison, but I'm an angel compared to Destiny."

  ↔

  Sean ran home and went to his office. He kept old contact numbers in his desk. This number was locked away, so Destiny couldn't find it. A number he hoped was still the same after six years.

  He sat in his chair and dialed it. The call went to voicemail.

  He got on the phone with the airport and learned that the next flight for the D.C. area was leaving in a couple of hours. Sean immediately left the office and went to his bedroom and started packing a suitcase.

  Once he was in the car his cell phone started ringing. He looked at the screen and saw that it was his ex-wife.

  "Yolanda," he said without preamble. Sean waited for her response. It was the longest minute of his life. Was it the right number? He lifted the phone to make sure that someone was still there. "Hello?"

  "Hi Sean. Long time no hear," she replied in a soft voice. "I had to make sure it was you. I don't think you ever called me Yolanda before. What happened to Yoyo?"

  Sean refused to call her by the nickname he gave her when they first met. A lot had changed since then. "Yolanda, we need to talk. It's about Destiny."

  Chapter 14

  "Ma'am, one of your employees was extremely rude to me."

  Johari was not in the mood to deal with an aggravating customer. "I apologize for that, sir. How about we give you a refund on your purchase and then a discount on your next one."

  The customer seemed pleased by it. "That would be the least you can do."

  Johari went over to the register and gave the older gentleman his money back. "Next time you come in, just ask for me and I'll give you a 20% discount."

  "Thank you."

  Johari was happy when he left the store. She searched until she saw Jazmin watering some plants. "Jazz, I need to talk to you."

  Jazmin followed Johari to the back office. "What happened with that customer? He said you were rude." Johari asked once they were in private. She never reprimanded her employees in front of one another.

  "Jo, I wasn't rude at all. He got upset when I didn't give him a senior citizen discount. I asked for his ID and he refused to show me. It's policy," Jazmin explained.

  She was technically right, but they needed every customer they had. "If he just wanted the 10% I would've given it to him. Now, he's getting free flowers and a 20% discount next time. We're losing more money. He most likely was a senior citizen, Jazz. The man was walking with a cane."

  The seventeen-year-old sighed. "I'm sorry. I just thought that if they didn't have ID we didn't give them the discount."

  "It's not that big o
f a deal. He was a cranky old man; next time I'll handle it.

  Jazmin left the office. Johari stayed inside and documented the customer complaint. Jazmin was a good employee, but it was still important to keep track of any incidents concerning her. After she was finished, Johari relaxed into the chair and closed her eyes.

  She was frustrated.

  Johari was trying her best to get in touch with Sean, but he wasn't returning her phone calls. She was starting to get worried.

  ↔

  Sean was leaving the police department in Washington D.C. He reported Destiny missing and informed them that she was possibly in the area. He provided them with all his contact information including the hotel he was staying in while he was in D.C. After leaving, he went downtown to the restaurant where he was meeting Yolanda. He saw her sitting outside on the terrace as he got out of the taxi cab.

  "Yolanda," he stated as he sat down across from her.

  "Sean." She studied him. "The last six years have been good to you. Still the handsome man I married. You look great."

  "And you look different. You cut your hair." The last time he saw her it was flowing down her back. She was still beautiful, but he wasn't going to voice it. The shorter style allowed her facial features to show. One thing he loved about her face was her high cheek bones.

  "I had short hair when we met eighteen years ago. I only grew it out for you."

  “Listen, I'm only here to talk about Destiny."

  "Likewise."

  "Good. So, how did she know to come to D.C. to find you? Have you been talking with her?" Sean asked.

  Yolanda snorted. "No, I haven't had contact with her. You made sure of that years ago. She must have googled me. Last year, I was teacher of the year, and an article was written about me and placed on the school website."

  Sean laughed. "I think it's funny that a woman who abandoned her child was voted teacher of the year. Does your staff know you left your eleven-year-old daughter?"

  Yolanda placed both hands on the table and leaned towards Sean. "Let's get something straight. I did not leave my child, I left you. I tried to communicate with my child and you wouldn't let me. I sent letters, cards and gifts, and I bet you never gave them to her. When I went to the police, they wouldn't help me because it was a civil matter."

  "You could've took me to court."

  "With what money, Sean? You knew what you were doing. This is all your fault. I figured when she was old enough she would come looking for me. So, I blame you, Sean," she said pointing at him. "Our child is somewhere out there looking for me because you kept her away."

  Yolanda sat back down and waved the waiter over. "I'm ready to eat," she said without looking at Sean.

  After Yolanda placed her order, the waiter turned to Sean. "What can I get you, sir?"

  Sean was still in shock from Yolanda's accusation.

  Yolanda smiled. "He'll have the same dish I ordered." The waiter walked away. "What's the matter, Sean? Cat got your tongue?"

  At that moment, Sean's cell phone started to ring. It was on top of the table, and Yolanda saw Johari's picture come up on the screen.

  "Is that your girlfriend? She seems young," she commented looking at the photo.

  Sean ignored the call. "It's none of your business."

  "Did I touch a nerve? There must be trouble in paradise."

  "You're a bitch."

  "You made me this way," she replied.

  ↔

  Johari frowned at her phone when the call went to voicemail. It was the third time she had tried to call Sean and didn’t get an answer. She was getting impatient and annoyed by it now. She hoped he was doing something important and not just ignoring her phone calls.

  She worked for the next eight hours and helped closed the store down at nine. To prevent getting robbed or hurt, at least three employees closed, and they left at the same time and parked their cars near each other. Johari wasn't too eager to get home to see Jonathan. They didn't leave the house that morning on a good note.

  She arrived at an empty house. After walking in and taking her shirt off to shower, there was a knock on the door.

  "Just a minute," Johari yelled. She put her shirt back on and went to the door.

  There was no one there but placed on the doorstep was a dozen roses. It was a multi-colored bouquet. Red, pink, yellow, and orange roses wrapped in white tissue paper. Johari picked up the bouquet and took them inside.

  Johari thought it was sweet of Jonathan to have flowers delivered to the house. She found a vase and placed the flowers in water and put it on the dining room table. She felt relieved that Jonathan was no longer upset with her.

  Jonathan didn't get home until after his shift ended at 11 p.m. He felt horrible about how he treated Johari and wanted to apologize. As soon as he walked into the door, he called her name.

  "Jo!"

  She came out of the second bedroom. "Yeah?"

  Jonathan walked to where she was located and picked her up. He held Johari in his arms and apologized. "I'm sorry for being such a dick earlier and yesterday. I just want you all to myself."

  "You have me," Jo whispered in his ear.

  Jonathan placed Jo on her feet but kept his arms secured around her waist. "And I'm the luckiest guy in the world," he said before kissing her.

  "Thank you for the flowers," she whispered afterwards. "How did you order them without me knowing?"

  Jonathan was confused. "What flowers?"

  Johari pointed to the kitchen table.

  He observed the roses. "Baby, I didn't get you any flowers. You should know me better than that. It's like buying honey for a bee. You're around flowers 24/7."

  "You signed the card with a J." Johari went and got it. "Look!" she said holding it up without looking at it again.

  Jon took the card. "Baby this is a T. I didn't get the flowers."

  Johari froze. "T?"

  Jonathan noticed her reaction. All the color drained her face and she was now trembling. "Jo, what’s wrong?"

  She held the card and stared at it. Before, she barely noticed that handwriting. She was familiar to it. The owner was left handed and had the tendency to curve his letters.

  "Baby, you're making me worried. What's wrong?"

  Tears was streaming down her face now. Jonathan picked her up and sat her on the couch. He placed his hands on her face. "You're scaring me, Jo. Whatever it is I'll fix it."

  There was no way to fix it. "It’s Trenton; he sent the flowers. He knows where we live."

  Johari started crying profusely. Jonathan held her in his arms hoping to ease her fears. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I promise."

  Chapter 15

  Johari didn't feel comfortable staying in the townhouse. No matter how much Jonathan tried to calm her nerves, she didn't feel safe. She felt sick to her stomach realizing that Trenton was out there somewhere in Austin stalking her.

  To ease her fears, Jonathan packed a suitcase of clothing and drove them to a hotel. On the drive over, she was looking out the window at the cars following them and passing by. She couldn't help but feel that her husband was in one of the vehicles. No matter how many times Jonathan voiced that he would protect her, she didn't believe it 100%. Trenton would find a way to get her.

  Jonathan held her hand as he registered for their room and continued to stay physically connected to Johari as they walked to the elevators. He smiled slightly when she squeezed his hand as the elevator went up to the 3rd floor. "I got you," he whispered before placing a chaste kiss to her forehead. "Always," he added.

  Jonathan led her to the room and opened the door. He noticed the way she was looking around, and he searched the contents to prove that they were alone. Johari's paranoia was to the max and he wanted to do any and everything to help her calm down.

  "Jo, let's get some sleep. You're safe," he comforted her.

  She nodded her head and got into bed with him. He laid on his back and opened his arms wide. She immediately fell onto him
and rested her head on his chest.

  "You're amazing."

  Jonathan slipped his hand under her shirt and rubbed her lower back. "Only with you. I'm an asshole to everyone else."

  "Not true. You're the son that helps his dad on the farm after working and the brother that helps one sister build baby furniture and works at his other sister's store when she needs an extra hand." Johari lifted her head and placed her lips on his. "And you're trying to save me. You're a-mazing," she repeated.

  That night Johari slept in his arms for security and reassurance. Jonathan didn't mind it because he needed physical contact with her. As she buried herself into his chest, he held her tight. She needed the reassurance that she was safe while he needed it to make sure that she wasn't trying to leave him. He was afraid that if he let go, she would disappear.

  ↔

  The next morning, Jonathan called his family.

  Before he could stop them, his sisters and brother in laws were making plans to come to the hotel. He didn't want them to uproot their lives, but they wouldn't listen. By 10 a.m., he was opening the door to let the four of them in.

  "Where are the babies?" he asked when he noticed that Teddy and Sammie weren't present.

  Sydney answered him. "Mama has them. Her and Daddy are at the house babysitting."

  There wasn't much space in the room, so Zeke and Ethan decided to stand while Sierra and Sydney sat on the couch. Jonathan went and sat next to Johari on the bed.

  "So, your crazy ass husband finally popped up?" Sierra asked breaking the silence.

  Sydney hit her on the shoulder. "Sierra!"

  "What? I'm not the only one thinking it. Jo knows how I am. I'm not holding my tongue."

  Jonathan was the one that answered her. "Yeah, he's here."

  "You're sure?" Zeke asked.

  "I'm positive," Johari confirmed. She tightened her grip around Jonathan's hand as she spoke. "I thought it was Jonathan's handwriting on the card until I examined it closely. It's Trenton. Jon wouldn't have gotten me flowers and then leave them on our doorstep. I feel stupid.”

  "And, he came to the store?" Sydney questioned. The thought of someone like Trenton gave her the creeps.