by Cachet
Once Terry finally makes it in he brings the boys some chips and a soda from the vending machine to keep them occupied during my visit. Thirty minutes later I’m called to the back by one of the nursing assistants. Terry and the boys get up and follow me as I’m lead to the room. Inside she takes my vitals before handing me a paper gown. Once she’s gone, Terry pulls the curtain to the side for me to undress before he assists me in putting on the gown and getting up on the examination table. Once I’m under the white sheet, he opens back up the curtain and takes a seat beside Kendrick and Shad. A few minutes past before my doctor walks in wearing a smile.
“How are you Shanair?” She asks.
“I’m doing okay Doctor White.”
“Well, that’s good to hear.”
“Are you ready for your vacation?”
“Of course,” she beams. “An entire month away on the beach is right up my alley right now. I can’t wait until this day is over because I’m out!”
I laugh at her silliness before coming back with, “I know that’s right.”
Twenty minutes later, Doctor White is finished, and exiting the room. With the curtains closed once again, I stand up and slip my dress over my head. As I step into my underwear, I think about the fact that it won’t be long before I finally get a chance to meet my baby girl. When Doctor White put the Fetal Doppler on my stomach, her heartbeat echoed throughout the room. I smiled, happy that everything sounded good. Her heartbeat was so strong and powerful. We all laughed when we heard a bump sound coming from the Doppler because we knew that she was hitting the machine. This wasn’t new to me at all. In fact, she always hits back whenever one of us rubs my stomach.
Now that my appointment is finished, I gather my things, and we all head for the door. No sooner than my foot hits the pavement, I hear my name being called. I turn to see the receptionist standing in the door waving me over. It’s then that I remember that forgot to schedule my next appointment. Since Terry and the boys are halfway across the street, I yell to them to just go get the car and meet me in the front in a few. As I turn to walk back inside the clinic, I catch a glimpse of a familiar face. I know that ain’t that bitch Brittany. Twisting my neck, I try to get a better look at the female, but it’s no use because whoever she is has already speed walked away. Still not sure if it was her in the first place, I go back inside and schedule my appointment.
Now standing outside, I place my hand over my eyes to see if I can see where Terry is parked. Just that quick there are a bunch of cars parked right in front of the building, and I can’t seem to locate Terry’s. I turn my attention in the direction of the horn, and when I do, I see that Terry is sitting directly across the street. With my arm clutching my purse, I walk over to the sidewalk and look both ways. When I’m satisfied that there are no cars coming, I step into the street and begin to walk toward the car. An engine revving sounde in the distance causes me to quicken my pace.
“Shanair look out!” I hear Terry scream as he fumbles with the door handle trying to get out of the car.
I turn my head in the direction he’s looking at and see a dark colored SUV speeding towards me. My eyes open wide in fear as the truck gets closer. It’s at that moment that time seems to stand still. My entire life flashes before my eyes as I continue to watch this automobile inch closer to me. By the time my mind triggers me to run, it’s too late. The front end of the vehicle slams into me. Pain instantly shoots through my body as it rolls over the hood and flies a few feet into the air. As I spin, I catch a glimpse of Terry. He’s now out of the car. His hands are in the air as he screams looking in my direction. Seconds later, my body hits the pavement with a thud. Through my half-opened eyes, I can see that the truck has kept going. Whoever is behind the wheel has left the scene and left me to die.
Terry rushes over to me and rolls me onto my back. The pain in unbearable.
“It’s going to be okay baby. You just stay with me.” He cries as he holds my upper body in his arms. With his phone in his hand, he’s yelling to what appears to be a 911 operator.
From where I’m lying, I can see Kendrick looking out of the window in the backseat. Tears are streaming out of his eyes as he stares at me. I hate that my baby has to see me like this. All I want to do is go over and console him. Tell him that everything will be okay, even though I’m not so sure it will be. My eyes start to roll into the back of my head, but I shake it off and try my best to focus on Terry’s face. It’s hard, though. I’m in so much pain, and it’s getting harder and harder to breathe. Even though my limbs feel like they are on fire, I move my arms and cradle my stomach. Slowly I rub my hands around my belly, hoping and praying that I can feel her move, but nothing happens.
My baby.
Oh God, please let my baby be alright.
I can see that Terry is saying something, but I can no longer hear him. All I can see is his lips moving. I try to talk and let him know that I can understand him, but nothing comes out. When my eyes attempt to roll back once again, I try to stop them, but it’s no use. My body immediately starts to feel relaxed right before darkness overcomes me.
Chapter 17
Brittany
My adrenaline is pumping as I drive down the street. I can’t believe that I just did that. Well, I guess I can believe it. Looking through the rearview mirror, I check to see if I’m being followed, and when I don’t see anyone behind me, I release a sigh of relief. That’s what the fuck that bitch gets. I think to myself as I merge onto the highway. I hope she’s dead. Her and her fucking bastard ass baby! I continue to drive until I get to the exit I was told to get off at. I make a left and drive down a few more miles before making a right and pulling into this auto body shop. As soon as I see Mike, I hop out and walk over to him.
Mike is the friend that I had when I was away in college. After we both graduated, he went back to doing the same things that he had done before, and it all was illegal. You see Mike only went to school and graduated because it was what his parents wanted him to do. They were upset that he wouldn’t put his engineering degree to use, but he didn’t care. His reasoning was, ‘You can make much more money in the streets, than in an office any day.’ Of course, I thought that logic was bullshit, but I wasn’t going to tell him that. Mike had ways of getting the things done that I needed, so if he wanted to live his life foul that was up to him. I just made sure that he was available whenever I needed him.
“Damn, did you hit somebody?” He asks checking out the front end damage to the truck.
“No questions remember.” I remind him. “Just get rid of it like you promised me.”
He winks before licking his lips. “You got it boss lady.”
After handing Mike the keys, I make my way to the back of the shop and locate my car. Now inside, I crank the engine and pull out into traffic. I need to get to my parents’ house quick. I know that if I’m there, the police won’t really question my alibi. Aggravation sets in because I wouldn’t have to worry about this shit if that bitch hadn’t seen me. I knew going to the bathroom was a bad idea, but I couldn’t hold it any longer. I actually thought I had enough time because I had no clue that her appointment would be over so soon. It’s safe to say that the joke was on me. When I walked out of the building next door, we almost collided. I knew by the expression on Shanair’s face that she remembered me. Now if she knew exactly who I was, I wasn’t sure. Either way I hurried my ass around the corner and hopped back into the truck.
At first, I was going to change my mind and go through with my plan at a later time. Since I wasn’t completely sure that she recognized me, I said fuck it and went for it. I pulled the truck around and sat parked at the edge of the street. When Shanair finally came out of the building, I waited for the perfect time. Once I saw her get close to the middle line of the road, I knew she wouldn’t be able to run either way that fast, so I gunned it. The fear in her eyes made my coochie tingle. I was finally going to get the bitch who thought that she and her baby were better than me and mine.
Terry watched in horror as I closed in the space between the two of us. When I saw him glance my way, I was glad that I decided to wear the niqab over my face, because if not, he would have known that it was me. I hadn’t really seen him since the night that I let my neighbor’s dog loose in Shanair’s house. It wasn’t long after I got her electricity shut off. The lights weren’t shit but a warm up for me. I wanted that dog to tear her funky ass to shreds. I still don’t know how she was able to walk away unscathed. It killed me to see Terry hug that bitch after the police were called. I know she was sucking it up as she cried like she was fucking dying. I wanted to get out of my car right then and crack her ass over the head with my tire iron, but I knew it wasn’t the time. Instead I thought of a foul proof plan. I called my friend Mike up and told him what I needed.
Once the truck was inches away from her, I put the pedal to the metal. I wanted to cause the most damage, and I knew that the faster I went, the harder the impact. I heard a boom noise when the truck collided with her body. The impact brought her feet up to her head, as her body flew in the air. I knew she was fucked up. There was no reason to stick around, so I continued to speed until I was out of sight. Once I got far enough away from the accident scene, I slowed down. I didn’t need the police pulling me over.
Pulling in front of my parent’s house, I climb out of my car and walk up to the door. With my key in hand, I unlock the lock and walk inside. When I hear a vacuum running, I make my way toward the dining room and peek my head inside.
“Hey, Wanda,” I say with a smile.
“Hello Ms. Brittany, I didn’t hear you come in.” She replies turning off the vacuum.
Wanda is our housekeeper. She’s a short Puerto Rican woman who has been working for my parents since I was a little girl.
“I’ve been here for a while. I was upstairs in my room.” I lie.
“Oh,” Wanda looks at me confused. “I was just up there and I didn’t see you.”
“It’s because I was in the bathroom.” I retort thinking quick on my feet. “Are my parents’ home?” I change the subject.
“No, Mr. and Mrs. Gilmore went to brunch with a few of the other judges,” Wanda explains in her thick accent. “They should be back in a few hours.”
“Okay, well let me know when they return. I’m going back upstairs to take a nap.”
“Okay.” I climb the stairs two at a time. I race to my room. Inside I turn on the television and wait to hear all about the pregnant woman who was killed in a hit and run.
As I lay in my bed, I begin to think about Terry. It has been weeks since we’ve spoken. I ain’t even going to sit here and pretend like it doesn’t hurt because it does. It’s hurts bad as hell, and the only person who can make me feel better won’t even acknowledge the fact that I even exist. I’ve dialed his phone number more times than I can count and not once has he answered. Lately, each time I call the only thing that happens is the phone stops ringing. The voicemail doesn’t come on or anything. This makes me wonder if he put me on the blocked list or something. If so, that’s even more fucked up. I could have been calling him about anything.
It took me some time, but it finally hit me that he obviously doesn’t care because if he did he would pick up.
I kind of knew Terry was upset before, but on some real shit, it could have never been that serious to ignore my phone calls for weeks at a time. Especially when I’m pregnant with his fucking child! Damn, he acts like I did something so bad that I couldn’t be forgiven. All I did was send his bitch a picture. If that’s even what he’s mad about. For all I know he could be still pissed about the Daniel situation. Either way, it wasn’t that deep. I find it funny that because the shoe is on the other foot, it’s okay to be made, but when it was him who fucked up he wanted me to just let it go. I’m being honest when I say that finding out about Terry being in a relationship hurt me so much I can’t even explain. Still I sucked it up and let him off the hook. Not only did I love him, but he promised me that it was nothing going on between them.
Nothing my ass.
Since Terry had been dodging my calls, I had no way to contact him. Because of this, I did the only thing I could think of, and that was to follow his ass around. It was cool, though. I didn’t mind a bit because it’s not like I had anything else to do. With me being pregnant, and a daddy’s girl, my father advised me not to look for employment after I had the baby. He gives me an allowance, as well as pays all of my household bills including my car note. So other than sitting in the house bored, or shopping, it’s nothing else for me to do.
Well, it took me a while to track Terry down because for whatever reason he was no longer living at the house with Shanair. I’m not sure if they had broken up, or they needed some time apart, but whenever I rode by I never saw his car. Since I couldn’t find him there, I searched the other places that I knew he frequented. I went to the bar and even hung out in the parking lot of the gym. It was there that I found his ass. After that, I spend most of my time and a lot of gas money trailing his car. Call me crazy if you want, but I needed to know what the hell my future husband was doing.
Apparently, I had been the only person Terry had been snubbing, because from what I saw, he always made more than enough time for all three of his other baby mommas with no problems. That is what confused the hell out of me. Shanair was cool with him fucking around with both Toya and Katrina, but it was a big issue when he dealt with me. She didn’t want him to have any contact with me; even if it pertained to the baby. It was because the ugly bitch knew that I was a threat. I’m almost positive that that was the reason. Even then I already knew that she can’t stop something that is destined to happen. Back then I knew that the break that Terry and I were going through was only temporary, and I knew that eventually he would cut those other three bitches off, who continue to cling to him as if they have a chance in hell at being his number one.
I remember when I followed Terry to his first baby’s mother, Toya’s house. I parked far enough down the street so that he wouldn’t see me, and watched him get out of his car and go inside. I just knew that he would be grabbing his children and coming right back out like he normally does. He didn’t do that at all. Instead, he shocked the hell out of me when he didn’t return out of the house until more than an hour later. The kicker was the fact that he didn’t even take the kids with him when he left. I knew then that I wasn’t tripping when I thought they were messing around. They were. They were just a lot sneakier than I thought. I think it’s trifling as hell as a woman to creep with your baby daddy while your husband—the same man who pays the mortgage on the house—is away working hard to take care of you and your bastard children; but hey that’s me.
That night I called Mike and asked him if he knew anyone that was looking to make some extra money. I knew that he surrounded himself with shady people, so it wouldn’t have been too hard to find someone to handle the job. After I explained what I was looking for Mike told me that he couldn’t’ think of anyone off the top of his head. He promised to call me back once someone came to mind. Not even an hour later he was ringing my phone up with a name and a number.
PJ was a ‘hood’ mechanic that was known to do whatever it took to make a quick buck. When I called him and told him what I needed to be done, he immediately gave me an address to pick him up. After getting dressed, I grabbed my keys, jumped into my car and then drove to the address. As soon as I pulled up, I spotted a short dark skinned man standing in the front of a building. He wore dirty overalls and a jacket even though it was damn near eighty degrees outside. He must have figured it was me because he walked up to the passenger side window and tapped on the glass.
“You looking for PJ?” He asked staring at me.
“Yeah, get in,” I instructed him.
It was after midnight when we pulled up to Toya’s house. I cut the lights and slowed to a stop in front of the house directly next door. When I saw Toya’s car parked at the edge of the driveway beside the hedges, I k
new that what PJ was going to do would be easier than I thought. After I pointed to the car I wanted him to “fix”, he climbed out and quickly made his way over to it. While PJ went to work, I keep an eye out for anyone who would call the police. I wasn’t really worried too much because the hedges blocked the bottom of the car, so unless someone walked right up to it, they wouldn’t even know he was there.
Fifteen minutes later PJ stood up, walked back over to my car and climbed in. Since the car was still started, I pulled away from the curb heading down the street. I didn’t turn my lights back on until I was sure we were out of sight. PJ and I drove back to the address that I picked him up at in silence. I’m sure he wondered whose break line he’d just cut, and I was in deep thought thinking about how Toya would no longer be around. Back at the address, I handed PJ two hundred dollar bills, and he hopped out, but not before he told me to use his number whenever I need it.
I watched the news that entire morning hoping that there would be coverage of a fatal accident, but there wasn’t one. Not satisfied with what I was seeing, I got in my car and paid a visit to Toya’s house to see if maybe her car was still parked, or I had missed something. I don’t know what I was looking for, but I figured going there would tell me something. When I got to her street, I slowed down so I could get a good glimpse of the house. As I road by I smiled when I saw that Toya’s car was no longer parked in the driveway. Whose car I saw instead surprised me. It was Shanair, and she had her arms wrapped around Toya’s body as she rubbed her back.