by La Jill Hunt
“Why the hell are you playing on my phone?”
“Whoa! Kayla, it’s me. What is going on? Are you okay?” Geno asked. Kayla was relieved. She was almost in a panic.
“I’m okay, G. Somebody keeps calling here playing on my phone.”
“I thought this was your new number. I had to beg Roni to give it to me.”
“It is. I was gonna call you and give it to you myself, but everything has been so hectic around here.”
“I know. I heard what happened. How are you holding up?”
“I’m okay.”
“Thank God you and Roni weren’t hurt. Your mom still has Day?”
“Yeah. She’s gonna be there another week and then I’m going to get her. You still out of town?”
“Yeah, I’ll be back next week. I still want to talk to you. I need to explain a few things.”
“Look, Geno. I keep telling you that you don’t owe me an explanation.” Kayla saw that she only had half an hour to get to work. “I gotta get outta here. I have to be at work by twelve thirty. I’ll call you later.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.” She hung up the phone and finished getting dressed.
“Well, look who finally decided to join the realms of the working class.” Terrell grinned when she made it to her desk.
“Ha-ha.” She stuck her tongue at him.
“Naw, dawg. I don’t even wanna go there with you. I should’ve known that was your car in the parking lot. Who else would have ‘Kay&Day’ on their tag? You got personalized plates. Bad idea.”
“Why? You got ’em.” Kayla looked at him smugly.
“I ain’t got the kinda drama you got, either,” he answered.
“No, but you got drama of your own though.” She winked at him.
“Don’t go there.”
“I didn’t, you did.” She smirked as he rolled his eyes at her. She sat at her desk and looked at him innocently and he could not help but laugh.
Kayla’s first week back was a light one. Her supervisor told her to take it easy and she did. She would leave work every day and go visit Craig, although it was way past visiting hours. He seemed to enjoy her visits and they would laugh and talk like they were at her house instead of the hospital.
“Have they told you when you can leave yet?” she asked him Friday evening.
“No, not yet. I think the doctor is juicing me for my insurance money.” He smiled.
“You’d better be glad you have insurance,” Kayla told him. She wondered who he got it through, The Dealers’ Union? She figured that now was as good a time as any to ask him what she wanted to know. She had waited long enough. “Craig, are you selling drugs?”
“What? How am I gonna be dealing from a hospital bed, huh? Yeah, after everybody leaves I go and stand on the corner and sell anesthesia.” He tried to make her laugh.
“Before you got shot, were you dealing?” She was not gonna break. She needed to know the truth.
“I was dabbling. I wouldn’t call the little bit of business I was doing dealing.”
“Why, Craig?”
“I mean, after Day was born and I left Avis, things got real tight. I had not only one daycare bill. I had two. Avis was always crying about money for her and Nigel. And then you were so cool that I really wanted to do right by you. I wanted to make you and Day happy.” He looked at her and reached for her hand.
“Don’t put this on me, Craig. I did not tell you to start selling drugs. I would never tell you to do that. You could’ve gotten a second job at McDonald’s if it was that bad, and I would have been fine with that. Please don’t try to make me feel like you did this for me. You can’t make no money for me and Day from a coffin or from jail, which is where you’re gonna end up if you don’t stop.”
“Kayla, believe me. I just wanted us to be a family. I love you and Day, Kayla. I am so sorry that I messed up this bad. Please forgive me.”
Kayla looked at his beautiful eyes and they were pleading along with his mouth. She did not know what to do or say.
“You gotta promise to stop, Craig. I don’t do hustlers. I don’t care how much money they have. I don’t do jails and I don’t do funerals. Now, the choice is yours.”
“I’ll quit, Kayla. I promise.”
The word “promise” reminded her that she had promised to meet Geno at the Deck. He had finally convinced her that she needed to see him so they could talk.
“I’ll be back tomorrow.” She bent over him and kissed him gently.
“What time?” he asked.
“Around ten.”
“I’ll see you then, beautiful. I love you.”
“I love you too, Craig,” she said as she left. She thought about him as she drove to the restaurant. If he was willing to give up that lifestyle then she was willing to give him another chance. As she pulled into the crowded parking lot, her cell phone rang. She didn’t recognize the number.
“Hello.”
“Kayla, where are you?”
“Geno, I’m at the Deck. Where are you?” She looked at the clock to make sure she wasn’t late. The numbers read ten forty. They were scheduled to meet at ten forty-five.
“I’m gonna have to meet you a little later. Uh, I left my phone and I gotta swing back and get it. Is that okay?” he asked her. She could hear someone laughing in the background.
“Look, Geno, I don’t have time for your games, okay? You go and handle your business and I’ll check you some other time.”
“Kayla, wait. I gotta talk to you.”
“Good-bye, Geno.” She clicked her phone off and drove home. Pulling into her driveway, she realized that she had left her purse in Craig’s hospital room. I’ll just leave it until in the morning, she thought, but then decided to go and get it.
She quietly got off the elevator and sneaked past the nurses’ station. Luckily, there was no one there. She proceeded down the hall and when she got to his door, she heard him talking to someone.
“I know, boo. I’m sorry that happened, really I am. I know she had no right and I’ma check her on it. Look, I’m just tryin’ to do and say whatever so she won’t take me for child support. You know we don’t need that shit right now. Let me handle Kayla. I know what to do. As a matter of fact, baby, I already got her thinking I’m quitting the game. Hell no, you know I got too much invested in the streets to do that shit. But if she think I ain’t hustling, she ain’t gon’ be having her hand out for no money. I’m gonna do everything outside of killing her ass to keep her from taking me to court. Trust me. Yeah, I told you I got this. Avis, baby, I know. I do love you. You’re my wife and nobody can take that from you. You the mother of my firstborn son. You’re my queen. I just want us to be a family again. I just want to make you and Nigel happy. I love you, too.” She heard him hang up the phone and turned, accidentally bumping into a nurse.
“Can I help you?” she asked, startled.
“I, I left my purse in his room and I need it. Can you get it for me?” Kayla asked, still stunned.
“Sure. Be right back,” she smiled and said.
“Don’t tell him I’m out here. I don’t want to go in.”
“No problem,” she said. The nurse returned with the purse in hand and gave it to Kayla.
“Thank you,” she said and rushed out the hospital. She sat behind the wheel of her car and could not move. She didn’t know what to do. She picked her cell phone up and dialed Geno’s number.
“Hello.” A female answered.
“I’m sorry. I must have dialed the wrong number. I was trying to reach Geno.”
“You dialed the right number. He accidentally left his phone on my bed a little while ago. I’ll let him know you called,” she said and hung up in Kayla’s face. Again, Kayla was dumbfounded. She felt as if her life were falling into pieces. She quickly dialed another set of numbers into the phone.
“Hey.”
“I need to talk to you,” she told Terrell.
“What’s wrong, yo?” he asked
. “You a’ight?”
“Can you please meet me at my house, Terrell?”
“I’m in the middle of something right now. Can I call you back?”
“Yeah, that’s cool,” she said.
“You sure you a’ight?” he asked her again.
“Yeah, I’m cool. I’ll talk to you later.” She quickly hung up the phone and her bottom lip began to quiver. She started to cry. She had no one to talk to. She knew that her girlfriends were probably tired of her and all of her problems, and she definitely could not call her mother. Kayla called the only other person she knew could help her. She closed her eyes and prayed to God.
“Lord, please help me. I am at my wits’ end and don’t know what to do. I am tired of putting my trust into these men and they are dogging me every time. I have no one else to turn to. Please help me.”
She wiped her face and drove herself home. She took a quick shower and got into the bed.
As she began to dream, she felt a spirit of peace come over her as God told her, “That’s your problem. You are trusting man when you should be trusting Me.”
“Thank you, God,” she said and entered into a deep slumber. She thought she was dreaming when she heard the sound of glass breaking from outside her house. She sat up in the bed and rubbed her eyes. There was another loud crash and she rushed to the front of her dark house, peeking out the front window. At first she could not find the source of the commotion and then her attention was drawn to her car. She knew she was dreaming when she saw it. She ran to the front door and flung it open.
“No!” she yelled as she looked at the vandalized mess. Her windshield and all of her windows had been broken. Her lights were smashed and the hood was dented in, her tires flattened. She scurried into the house to call the police, but when she picked up the phone there was no dial tone. She reached for the light switch but when she flicked it, it was still dark. She could make out a shadow going into the nursery. She crept into the kitchen and unexpectedly felt someone behind her.
“Avis!” She turned and screamed.
“Guess again, bitch!” the figure said, lunging at her. She grabbed the attacker’s arms as they reached for her and flung them away. She tried to run toward the bedroom but felt hands around her neck. They were strong and forceful. Kayla knew that this was not the same person she had fought with a week ago. She struggled to get out of the grip, but couldn’t. She reached for the knife set that she kept on the counter, but her assailant flung her the other way. “Trust me.” God’s words rang in her head. Thinking quickly, Kayla kneed her perpetrator in the groin. The attacker bent over in pain and Kayla grabbed the butcher knife. Her enemy grabbed another weapon and they charged at each other. Kayla felt the piercing heat of the blade as it penetrated her chest. But she was not to be outdone. She forced the knife into the attacker’s body as hard as she could. They screamed simultaneously and Kayla began kicking and stabbing at the same time. As her knee connected with the body, she realized that it was a woman. She fought with everything she had until the shadow fell before her. As she realized who had attempted to take her life, Kayla passed out on the floor.
35
“Dawg, you gonna be all right. Hold on.” Kayla could hear Terrell in the distance. He seemed so far away. Kayla could not breathe. She tried and tried, but she could not get any air into her body.
“Her lung has collapsed,” she heard someone saying. “Get her to the hospital, now!”
Kayla decided not to struggle to breathe any more. God, I am trusting You. I need You to breathe for me because I can’t. She closed her eyes and suddenly she could breathe. She thought about her beautiful daughter and her parents, she thought about her friends and coworkers. She thought about Craig and Avis and Geno. All the things in life she had accomplished and the goals she still had. She reflected on her drama-filled life and the lives of those around her. She was grateful. Grateful for the strength and tenacity to stand when others couldn’t, and to try again when she failed. Come what may, Kayla loved her life and wasn’t ready to give it up. Okay God, I think I’m ready to breathe now. She opened her eyes and focused on where she was. She knew she was in the hospital, that was a given. She looked over and saw her mother sleeping in the chair.
“Ma . . .” She tried to speak but there was a tube down her throat. She hit the side of the bed rail to wake her mother.
“Oh my God, Kayla. Wait a minute, I’ll get the nurse.” Her mother rushed out of the room and returned with the nurse. The nurse took her vitals and then told her to blow so the tube could come out. Kayla obeyed and blew as the nurse pulled the long, plastic tubing out of her mouth. She went into a coughing frenzy and they gave her some water.
“Are you okay?” the nurse asked after Kayla was calm.
“Yeah,” she whispered. “What happened?”
“You were attacked, baby. But you’re gonna be okay,” her mother said with tears in her eyes.
“Day?”
“Day is fine. She’s with your father. I need to call him.”
“Tired.” Kayla shook her head and closed her eyes again. This time when she woke up, Terrell was sitting where her mother last was.
“Yo, you finally up?” He smiled. She nodded at him. Her memory was much clearer now. She remembered hearing his voice in her kitchen and him picking her up off the floor. She could hear him calling 911 and giving her address.
“Thank you. How did you find me?”
“I rode by your house after I finished handling my business. I saw your car was all messed up and your door was open. Your neighbors were standing outside like they were scared to come in, so I did. I found you and old girl on the floor.” He gave her the details from his viewpoint. “You got her pretty good, yo. I’m proud of you.”
“Where is she?”
“Still in ICU. They’re gonna transport her to county jail soon as she’s well enough.”
“I still don’t understand why she did it.” Kayla told him.
“Well, from what I understand, your boy told her he didn’t love her and broke off the engagement. He admitted he was still in love and wanted to be with you and Day. She flipped.”
Kayla tried to figure out what Terrell was telling her. “Janice? Janice did this?”
“Yep. But get this. Remember your prank calls?”
“Her?”
“Yep.” He nodded.
“But how did she get my number or even my address?”
“Anjelica. She gave up everything to her. She set you up,” he said. As much as Kayla disliked her sister, she was still hurt by Anjelica’s vindictiveness. “I’m sorry, dawg.”
“Not your fault,” Kayla said with tears in her eyes. “Thank you. Have you seen Day?”
“Yeah, she’s out there with her father. Let me get her.” He winked at Kayla and left before she could stop him. She still had not told him about what she overheard on the phone and she didn’t want to see Craig.
“Hey, beautiful,” the deep voice said, and Kayla closed her eyes. As she opened them, she smiled. She saw Geno standing next to her bed, holding her beautiful daughter. “You ready to come home?”
“Geno. Terrell told me Craig was out there.”
“Would you rather see him than me? ’Cause me and Day can leave.” He smiled as he walked over to her bed. Kayla pushed the button and the bed raised to a sitting position.
“Quit playing. Bring my baby here. Hi, sweetheart.” Kayla took Day into her arms and lay her across her chest, disregarding the pain she felt from her stitches. She kissed and nuzzled the infant against her cheeks.
“She missed you, Kay. How’re you feeling?”
“All right. I still can’t believe what happened. I hate Anjelica. I don’t care if she is my sister. The sad part is that as much as I hate her, I would never do to her what she has done to me.” Kayla felt the tears as they ran down her cheek.
“It’s okay, Kayla. Please don’t cry, baby. This is as much my fault as it is hers. I should have been up front with Ja
nice from the jump. I knew I was still in love with you and couldn’t marry her.”
Kayla was still stunned by the fact that Janice tried to kill her.
“Then why did you buy her a ring, Geno?” Kayla looked at him, waiting for an explanation.
“I didn’t buy her a ring, Kayla. She started talking about getting married after Thanksgiving and then began wearing her grandmother’s wedding ring. I never even asked her to marry me. But I never told her I wasn’t gonna marry her, either. I just let her think I would because I didn’t want the confrontation.”
“You never proposed?” Kayla was secretly pleased.
She wanted to be the only one Geno ever asked to marry. “I’ve only proposed to one woman, Kayla. The one I’m in love with.” He touched her forehead and she closed her eyes. She could smell his cologne and wanted to be in his arms again, but she knew this wasn’t the time.
“Am I interrupting?”
Kayla opened her eyes and looked over in the doorway. Craig was sitting in a wheelchair.
“What do you want?” she asked him. After all she had been through, she still remembered overhearing his telephone conversation with Avis. He was the last person she wanted to see. Geno stood protectively by her side.
“They told me you were conscious. I had to make sure you were okay.” He proceeded to roll into her room.
“I’m fine. Geno, can you excuse us for a moment?”
“Sure thing, Kay. You want me to take Day?” he asked her, rubbing the baby’s back. Craig did not look thrilled.
“No, she’s fine. This’ll only take a few moments.” Her eyes never left Craig. She was ready to set his lying ass straight. She was never one to be made a fool of.
“I’ll be right outside.” He nodded.
“Kayla, I’m so glad you’re okay, baby. I can’t believe that nigga. His girl stabbed you and he got the nerve to be up in here, wit’ my baby? He better be glad I’m in this wheelchair.” Craig rolled over to her bed and grabbed her hand. Kayla snatched it away quickly.