Army of One

by A. K. Henderson

  * * *

  It was just before two o’clock when Shamar pulled into the parking lot of a local bread-making company. As he sat in the parking lot next to the modest factory building, his mind raced as he anticipated the outcome of this encounter. Lord, please don’t let this girl act up out here. I ain’t trying to go to jail.

  Shortly after two o’clock, people began to emerge from the building. He didn’t know what Chrissy was driving so he got out and leaned back on the hood of his car. He spotted her coming across the lot, laughing it up with one of her coworkers. She looked as if she didn’t have a care in the world. Seeing that burned Shamar; the nerve of her prancing around like she had everything together. She knew what she had done by refusing to discuss their possible child with him. It was as if she didn’t feel like she had any explaining to do. His face frowned slightly as she proceeded across the lot.

  Chrissy’s face went blank as their eyes met and her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach. Her first thought was to ignore him, but she knew he wouldn’t stand for that. She lowered her head and slowed her pace down to a halt. “What are you doing here, Shamar? I thought I told you to leave me alone. We don’t have anything to talk about. Are you serious?” she protested, pouting with her hand on her hip.

  Shamar pushed himself off of the hood, stuffing his keys in his pocket. He stepped closer until he was only inches away, towering over her. “Chrissy, do I look serious? Stop playing with me. Now, we need to talk, and we can handle this between the two of us, or it can get as messy as you want it to. I’m trying to be nice about the situation because your dude had nothing to do with this.”

  Chrissy was puzzled. “What are you talking about? Don’t bring my man into this. That’s why I keep telling you to let it go. He doesn’t know anything about us, and it needs to stay that way. Why are you trying to ruin my life?” Chrissy began to get loud, attracting stares from her coworkers.

  “Chrissy, lower your voice. Don’t forget who the hell you’re talking to right now. I’m not in the mood to be playing around with you. You can pop off all you want in those messages because I can’t reach you. I wish you would try that mess with me now. Whether you like it or not, we’re going to deal with this. Now, are you going to give me a DNA test or do I need to get that paperwork started?”

  Shamar had determination written all over his face, and Chrissy knew he wasn’t going to let up. She had pleaded with him to leave it alone. If it came out that she had a kid with Shamar, the whole city would soon know, and her reputation would be ruined. She made one final attempt at changing his mind.

  “Look, Shamar, I know how you are about your family and I’m sorry you feel like there’s a possibility; but, I swear on everything I love, my daughter is not yours. She doesn’t even look like you or your daughter. Hell, she don’t even look like she has a black father. Frankly, I’m glad she doesn’t, which is why I’m begging you not to do this to me. You’re going ruin my life over nothing. Leave it alone, Shamar; just leave it alone, please.” Chrissy’s eyes welled up as she backed away from him, heading toward her car.

  Seeing the look on her face made him start having second thoughts. He watched helplessly as she walked away, not knowing what he should do next. Man, she really ain’t budging. What if I am wrong? I mean, there is a good chance I could be. I don’t want to be the reason her family is torn apart. The more he thought about it, the more doubt invaded his conscience. Things had just gotten more complicated; and, from this point on, he had to play it safe. He got back in his car and drove back over to Jelisa’s apartment, stopping by Jo Jo’s to grab something to eat.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Jelisa and Mya made it home around noon. There was an awkwardly parked black Cadillac in front of her apartment. She knew pretty much every one of her neighbors and their vehicles, but this one was not familiar. She held Mya close to her, surveying her surroundings as she made her way up to her door. Cautiously going inside, Jelisa could feel something was wrong; there was a strange scent in the air. It was strange but familiar, and her heart began to beat rapidly.

  “My-My, come here. Come sit down on the couch for Mommy. Don’t move.”

  Jelisa maneuvered through the apartment, investigating every corner of every room. When she had completed the search of her room, she went to her dresser drawer to retrieve the .38 she kept for self-defense. Although she hadn’t found anything, something still didn’t feel right. Jelisa made her way back toward the front, and there was an eerie silence. It was quiet, a little too quiet.

  “Mya! What are you doing, baby? My . . .” Jelisa was suddenly overcome with panic and rage. Oh my God, no! she screamed inside. “What are you doing in my house, Reggie? You’ve got a lot of nerve. Put my daughter down right now before I blow your head off!” Jelisa was terrified and pissed, and Mya sitting in his lap was the only thing stopping her from blowing his head off.

  Reggie chuckled with a sinister grin. “Now, now, we don’t want to take it there, do we? She is so precious; she looks just like you.” Reggie stroked Mya’s long, curly hair, never taking his eyes off of Jelisa. She cringed, and her heart sank deeper with every stroke of his hand. “Now why don’t you take your finger off that trigger before you piss me off and things get really messy in here?” Reggie stated firmly.

  Jelisa submitted, tucking the pistol in her back pocket. She took a deep breath and asked, “What do you want, Reggie?”

  “I just came by to check on my baby girl. You know I’ve waited a long time to see you, and you’re just as beautiful as I remembered. How is your mother doing, still hanging tough with Jack Daniels?” Jelisa was beginning to grow restless, and it was all over her face. Picking up on her impatience, Reggie cut through all of the small talk. “Look, angel, I know you haven’t told your brave little soldier boy about your little secret, have you?”

  Jelisa dropped her head. She couldn’t believe she was standing in the presence of the man who had robbed her of her innocence. Having to face him was torture, but it was past time for this little reunion to be over.

  “What do you want from me, Reggie? I’m over this right now. You need to put my daughter down and get the hell out of my house.”

  Reggie stood up with a grin on his face. Still holding Mya in his arms, he walked toward Jelisa, backing her into a wall. As he invaded her personal space, her heart beat faster. She could barely breathe as he caressed her cheek. “You know exactly what I want, and if you don’t want your precious little toy soldier to find out about your secret—”

  Jelisa took this opportunity to snatch Mya out of his arms. She put the pistol to Reggie’s chest. “Get out! Reggie, I swear to God if you come near me or my family again I will kill you! If we cross paths again, the only thing you’re going to get from me is a bullet.” Jelisa’s parental instincts were in full force; and, as terrified as she was, she was willing to die to protect the people she loved.

  Reggie seemed unfazed. He nodded and grinned, backing away. “All right, angel, I’ll be seeing you. You stay pretty, you hear me? Don’t hurt nobody now.”

  When Reggie closed the door behind him, Jelisa took another deep breath. As she exhaled, she held Mya as tight as she could. She tucked the pistol back into her pocket, slid down the wall, and sat on the floor crying. She wished at that moment that Shamar had been there to protect her. As devoted as he was to the Army and Kaduwey, she never seemed to be as important to him. She was growing tired of being left alone when she needed to feel safe, and this was the last straw.

  She sat there for the next fifteen minutes trying to regain her composure. Suddenly, she heard a tugging at the door. The knob turned left and right repeatedly. Panic set in and the thought that Reggie might have come back to finish what he started struck fear in her heart. She reasoned within herself whether she was actually willing to follow through with her previous threats.

  Jelisa jumped up and ran into Mya’s room. She sat her on her bed and told her to stay put. Locking the door behind her, Jelisa re
turned to the living room and stood off to the side of the door, hoping to catch the intruder by surprise. Her heart raced as the visitor struggled to get the door to open. When the door finally opened, Jelisa panicked, and her finger pulled the trigger.

  Pow!

  Shamar was grazed on the shoulder. He fell over, rolling onto the couch. “What the hell? Ah! Jelisa, what is wrong with you?”

  “Oh, my God, Shamar! I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

  “What you mean you didn’t mean to?” Shamar said, recovering and standing to his feet. He snatched the gun away from her, grabbing her by the throat and forcing her back to the wall. Slamming the door shut behind him, he looked at her with rage in his eyes. “Jelisa, have you lost your mind? First of all, what are you doing with this?” he questioned, displaying the pistol. “Secondly, what happened to you to make you feel like you needed to use it now?”

  Jelisa hesitated as she tried to quickly come up with a lie. “Baby, I swear nothing happened. I was just trying to load it. When you came in the door, you surprised me, and it just went off. I swear, Shamar, that’s what happened. My dad gave me this gun.”

  Seeing that the bullet had barely grazed him, Shamar shook it off. “Go get me a bandage. I can’t believe you, girl. You are not allowed to play with guns no more. Matter of fact, where is Mya before you mess around and hurt somebody?”

  “She’s in her room, playing, baby. I swear I didn’t mean it. I’m so sorry. Are you okay?” Jelisa couldn’t believe what had just happened. Her adrenaline was still pumping and she felt a sense of both fear and excitement. On one hand, she could have killed Shamar; however, all anxiety concerning pulling the trigger was now gone.

  Jelisa walked into the bathroom and grabbed her first aid kit from the medicine cabinet. As she turned and made her way back into the living room, she stopped to listen for Mya playing on the other side of her bedroom door. It was unusually quiet. Being by herself for this amount of time Jelisa would have expected at least a little bit of banging. Suddenly, her eyes got big as she noticed a bullet hole in the center of Mya’s bedroom door.

  She dropped the first aid kit and slowly reached for the door handle. Her hand shaking rapidly she could hardly force herself to turn it. No, no, no. God, no, please don’t let her be hurt, she pleaded in her mind.

  Jelisa opened the door slowly, revealing her baby lying on the bed, motionless. Her heart sank. She gasped for air, holding her stomach with one hand and covering her mouth with the other. She began to fear the worst as she stepped closer to the bed.

  “Mya, baby, are you okay? Come on, baby, wake up. Wake up for Mommy.” Her voice trembled.

  “What’s taking so long, Jelisa? Come on, man, I’m bleeding all over myself,” Shamar shouted. Shamar stood up and walked to the hallway and discovered Jelisa standing next to Mya’s bed looking like she’d seen a ghost.

  “Baby, what’s wrong? What are you doing?” he asked. Just then he noticed the hole in the door. “Jelisa, what happened?” Shamar ran over to the bedroom door. “Oh my God, Mya, baby, no! Please no!”

  Shamar froze, fearing the worst. He cautiously approached the bed and touched her seemingly lifeless body as Jelisa stood unable to move. His heart pounded, and his stomach twisted in knots. He placed his hand on her back, using his other hand to turn her over. Jelisa, still in the background, watched in agony, also fearing the worst.

  When Shamar turned her over, much to his relief, she was breathing. When he called out to her, she slowly opened her eyes. She smiled, and her face lit up when she realized it was him. They both breathed a sigh of relief and they were thankful she was okay. Shamar grabbed Mya from the bed, holding her tightly and kissing her repeatedly on her face and cheeks. Jelisa watched as he interacted with his daughter. She nervously reached out to touch her.

  “Jelisa, don’t you ever do anything like that again. You hear me? I don’t know what I would do if something were to happen to one of y’all,” he said, pulling her close.

  “Yes, baby, I know. It’s entirely my fault. I promise it won’t happen again,” she said, hugging them.

  * * *

  That Wednesday turned out to be one of the most difficult days of Shamar’s trip home. In just one day he would have to head to Chicago to prepare to go back to Iraq, and he felt like he hadn’t accomplished anything at all. His wife was an emotional wreck, and he couldn’t help but feel like she was keeping something from him. He intended to find out exactly what it was. Chrissy was still resisting him, claiming that her daughter wasn’t his and giving him no reasonable proof that she wasn’t. Kaduwey’s life hung in the balance as he struggled to live, and he had no idea how that was going to turn out.

  This young soldier had seen more death and destruction in the little time he had been at home than he had seen in the few months he was in Iraq. It pained him to have to leave with things in Michigan City in the condition they were in. There were questions that still needed to be answered; and, the day before he was to fly out, Shamar sat on Ashley’s porch while on the phone with his commander, explaining the recent events to him.

  “Sir, I understand it’s been two weeks but I really need an extension. I can’t leave just yet,” Shamar pleaded with him.

  Captain Miller tried to understand his plight, but there was only so much he could do. “Look, Sergeant, I’m sorry to hear about your friend, but you know the Army’s policy. If they aren’t immediate family, there is no way I can approve you staying any longer. You need to be on that plane tomorrow, or you’re going to force my hand,” Captain Miller explained.

  Shamar sat there speechless with his head down and the phone barely touching his cheek. Ashley stood in the doorway behind him with the door partially open, listening to the whole conversation. Suddenly, her phone rang. It was her mother on the phone calling from the hospital. “What? Okay. I’ll be right there,” she said in a panic just as Shamar was hanging up the phone. “Shamar, we have to go now! Something’s wrong with my baby. Please get me to the hospital!”

  “What you mean something’s wrong? Ashely, what happened? Tell me what’s going on,” he demanded.

  “I don’t . . . I don’t know. Just get me to the hospital now! We have to go now!” she pleaded.

  “Okay, okay, come on. Let’s go.” Shamar didn’t know what to think. He just hoped his friend was going to be okay.

  As they raced down the boulevard, all he could think about was being there for his friend. He had nobody besides him and Jelisa. He couldn’t bear the thought of losing him. Ashley couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

  When they arrived at the hospital, Kaduwey’s whole family filled the waiting area. His mother and Ashley’s mother were consoling each other as Shamar and Ashley walked in. By the looks on everyone’s faces, Shamar knew the worst had happened, but it didn’t register completely.

  “No! Mama, please tell me he’s all right,” Ashley begged her mother.

  Shamar collapsed in the middle of the floor, falling to his knees. He began sobbing in disbelief. Jelisa was blowing his phone up trying to reach him. Everyone was devastated. Kaduwey was gone. They were too late, and Shamar was alone again.

  When he got home several hours later, Jelisa sat on the couch, her face covered with traces of dried-up tears. She wanted to be with him, but by the time she’d gotten the news, it was too late, and he’d texted her asking her to wait for him at home.

  Things with Jelisa were better but still questionable, and he didn’t want to take his pain and frustration out on her. He knew she wanted to be there, but it was just too much for him to handle at once. Shamar just wanted to have some time by himself before he faced her.

  Before leaving the hospital, he had to break the news to Ashley that he had to leave the next morning or face a court-martial. He would’ve have risked it if it were for Jelisa and Mya.

  Driving from Michigan City to Chicago seemed like the longest trip ever. It was a heartbreaking scene at the airport terminal as Shamar bid his wife and
daughter farewell. Mya was visually bothered as she could tell something was about to change. As he held her in his arms, she wouldn’t let him put her down. Jelisa didn’t bother holding back her tears. It wouldn’t be until fall that they would be able to see him again. Jelisa questioned if she would be able to hold it together until he returned.

  “You know I love you, right?” Shamar asked, then kissing Jelisa on the forehead.

  “Yeah, I know. I love you more. I don’t want you to go,” she answered.

  “Come on, Jelisa. Don’t do this, baby. We only have a few more months, and I’ll be home for good. Just hold me down. Okay?”

  “Yeah, I guess. You better call me as soon as you land. You hear me?” Jelisa said, poking her lip out in protest.

  Once they began to call for passengers to begin boarding, Shamar gave his family one last hug and kiss before walking down the hall, heading for the plane.

  Shamar boarded his plane, and it took off heading to Kuwait, where he’d have to drive from there back to Iraq. As the plane settled at its cruising altitude, three questions weighed heavy on his heart: What was Jelisa hiding? What was Kaduwey trying to tell him? And why was Chrissy trying so hard to keep him from finding out the truth about her daughter? Helpless but determined, Shamar was prepared to get answers, even if he had to get them from halfway across the world.

  * * *

  Jelisa had trouble sleeping the first couple of days after Shamar went back. She missed him terribly, and she was starting to think the Army life wasn’t all that it was cracked up to be. It took a few weeks but eventually Jelisa fell back into her normal routine. It became easier for her to sleep and even Donny began to back off some from his usual flirting. She hadn’t heard anything from Reggie, and it seemed as if her life was finally in order.

  Yet and still she felt like she needed to get away. Jelisa decided she would take a week’s vacation from the shop to go to Indianapolis to spend some time with Shawnie. This was much-needed time away, and she had some things to discuss with her that couldn’t be talked about at home.