The Graffiti Effect

by Forrest, Perri

  But it was a scream more at herself, than towards me. I felt it in every word. Every emotion. She was hurting. My heart went out to her in that moment. I moved from the spot I was in with my boxes and went to stand by the window. There, I found a peaceful spot in my heart that spoke to me. That told me to hear her out without the lingering animosity.

  “Kass, I’m so sorry for the outburst. I didn’t mean to go there. I’ve been sitting on the fear of calling since before you left. I thought it would be easier when you left because I wouldn’t have to face you. When in actuality, I should’ve faced you. Thing is, when I said that your predicament was all my fault was because it was Michael that told Jamie . . .”

  I let her last sentence marinate for a few minutes. “Michael? Your husband?”

  “My soon-to-be ex-husband. Yes, him.”

  “Wait, Brianna. We need to take this from the top.”

  She breathed hard into the phone. Releasing the stress, she was holding.

  “From the top. Alright, well . . . so, me and Michael have been having problems for the past two years. He’s been having an affair. I just kind of brushed it all under the carpet because he was the breadwinner. He literally had me by the balls. All the bills paid, big beautiful home. I wanted for nothing—until I did. I wanted me back. I wanted to not be a dumb whore who was allowing her man to lube his dick up with another woman’s pussy. I allowed it when I found out two years ago and stayed. I allowed it when he even brought a goddamn baby into the situation—two weeks before our getaway to Vegas.”

  “Damn, Bri. Shit.”

  “Even when I let Sebastian fuck the shit outta me, and well . . . I had the nerve to feel guilty! Cheating was never my thing, Kass. I loved that muthafucka’s dirty draws. Loved them! And you know how he repaid me? By having a private eye on me. He’s the one having the affair, and having babies, but I was the one being watched. Crazy, right? It was ammunition that he needed for court. He wanted to prove that I was “loose” and that I was the reason that he was with another woman. Tried to paint me out to be the person who started it all, when that couldn’t be further from the truth.”

  “Oh my . . . God. I’m so, so, sooo, sorry, Bri.”

  “It’s okay. In the end I realized that it didn’t happen to me, it happened for me. I was living a lie that I had no business living. I just hate that you got caught in the crossfire. And that’s why I stayed away so long. I knew on the way home that he knew. That’s why I had nothing to say on the flight that day. He’d sent me video of me being super flirty with Sebastian, with a cryptic, taunting text along with it. But, it wasn’t until I got home that he showed me everything else—from the club, and up until I knocked on your door hours after having sex.” She paused for a few seconds and then continued. “I guess, as a courtesy, he decided to send Jamie the same information and let him make of it what he wanted. I was just beyond devastated that he dragged you in. I felt so responsible.”

  “Don’t. Not ever again. I had no business taking things as far as I did with Jamie. I really didn’t. It was for all the wrong reasons. Do I regret hurting him? If he was even hurt. Yes, always will because I’m not a vindictive person. But it’s water under the bridge.”

  When my situation was over, I was able to take my stuff and go back to my apartment. But for Brianna, there had been so much more at stake.

  “I mean, it just—”

  “Bri, I’m good. I wouldn’t lie to you about that.”

  “You sure?”

  “I’m sure. I just needed y’all back then . . . badly.”

  “I know. And I’m—”

  “It’s okay. Let’s move past that. Just tell me what your plans are now. What are you gonna do?”

  “This divorce will be final soon and his ass has to pay me alimony, so I’m good. Tried to prove me as the person at fault for divorce.” She chuckled a little bit, so I knew something funny was coming behind it. “But when my lawyer got in that ass about the fact that only one of us brought a child into the situation, it cracked his entire dumb-ass plan. I don’t know who schooled that fool, but he’ll see now, that it was cheaper to keep her. So, I won!”

  I started laughing. Brianna was funny as hell and her humor made me realize that I had missed her ass.

  “You got the better end of the deal sounds like.”

  “Our marriage house, which I was ecstatic about. You know I love my house and have put a lot into it. 30% of his income since he was the earner in the family. Winning! $6,250 a month, since big shot earns in excess of 250k a year. So, I’m making $75,000 a year, thanks to slaughtered beef.”

  “Girl! Stop it! You did nooottt call that man’s penis . . . slaughtered beef!”

  “I did,” she said, calmly.

  I hollered into the phone and couldn’t stop. I think Brianna and I were on the phone for another two hours after, and I couldn’t have been happier that we’d reconnected. I missed her crazy, sexy, cool-ass in my life.

  “Since I’m ballin’ outta control now, I’ll be out there in December to kick it with you since I heard it don’t really even get that cold.”

  “I would love that, Bri. And I have four bedrooms. Well, three because my office is in one. But you got two to choose from . . . whenever you need.”

  “Thank you, friend. And I promise to never leave your side again. I love you, girl.”

  “I love you too, Bri. I’m glad we got this chance to talk. We’ll chat soon.”

  -40-

  KAIA

  Cyn City Lounge

  “Kaia!”

  Kaia heard her uncle yelling sharply into the phone, but she refused to entertain him. She was thousands of miles away from him now, and he couldn’t control her as he’d done for most of her life. At thirty-one years old, it had been a pain in her ass the way he dictated her life. From where she lived, to who she dated, to her choice of profession. She didn’t realize that she could slip away as she’d done when she left Florida. She needed to explore the world. And not just anywhere in the world—Las Vegas. She had serious business there. Serious business that she had been putting on hold for way too long.

  “Yes, Uncle? I’m here.”

  “Well?! Answer the goddamn question, if you’re there.”

  “What’s to answer? You asked when I was coming back home and I told you that I didn’t know, but that it would be soon. I can’t give you an exact date or exact—”

  “Don’t be a smart-ass, Kaia. You know how much that pisses me off.”

  “And you know that treating me like a child . . . pisses me off.”

  Kaia couldn’t see her uncle’s face on the other end of the phone, but she knew that he was angry. He didn’t have too many people in his life that talked back to him. The reason that it didn’t happen, was because people in his world knew that he was no-nonsense, and that he had a dark soul when provoked. But Kaia, wasn’t afraid of him. He’d raised her to be headstrong, and under his tutelage, that’s what she was—unapologetically.

  “Kaia. Get your ass back to Florida. Wherever you are, you need to be here. Make that happen. I’m done with the conversation.”

  Kaia shrugged her shoulders, no fucks given. “I’ll be back when I’m ready. That could be soon, or that could be later.”

  “You know that I could ping your phone and be at the fuckin’ door to where you are, before you could count to ten.”

  “I do know that. And that’s why when we end this call, I’ll be turning it off. I’m smarter than you give me credit for.”

  “Clearly, you’re not.”

  “You keep thinking that, Uncle. Underestimate me from now until the end, and I’ll just prove you wrong.”

  “Don’t be a fool, Kaia,” her uncle warned. “You have no idea about the ways of the world, and without your family to protect you—”

  “I’m hanging up now, Uncle. I love you.”

  “I heard an ‘I love you’,” Kaia heard from behind her, then snatched around to see who had been in her business. “Uhh-huhh,
girl. Talking about you’re single.”

  “I am single,” Kaia snapped at her fellow bartender, Mink. “Why are you sneaking up on me like that?”

  “You seem pressed, girl . . . panini pressed. What’s up with that?” Mink started laughing her annoying laugh, that Kaia hated.

  Kaia shook it off. What she wanted to do was grab Mink by her extra-long ponytail and smash her pretty little head against the bar until her skull cracked, but she had to play it safe until her work there was done. So, she set about disabling her phone and then regrouped.

  “You just scared me, that’s all.” Kaia smiled, her pretty face opening up in a more inviting way. The long, dark hair that stopped just short of the arch of her petite ass, drove men crazy. Her svelte frame drove them even crazier. She was model beautiful. Not as tall as models, but the flawless olive skin, and the light-brown eyes were alluring. She grabbed two fancy glasses from behind the bar and poured a mixture into both, then extended one to Mink. “I just get spooked about people walking up on me. Throws me off my game.”

  Mink chuckled as she brought her peace offering to her lips, and took a sip. “You don’t even seem like you can be thrown off your game, girl,” she complimented. “You got your shit all together, it seems. And don’t worry, I didn’t hear shit you were talking about. I just heard the, ‘I love you’, and decided to fuck with you about it.”

  Kaia downed the rest of her drink and began to feel the edge coming off. “Well, the crowd is about to start coming in. Guess we should get in mode, right?”

  “Yep!” Mink shrieked, placing her empty glass on top of the bar. “I guess we sh—”

  Mink paused mid-sentence prompting Kaia to turn her way. “Sh . . . what?” she asked, wondering why the end of her statement had been chopped.

  But it took Kaia two seconds to realize what the issue was—or rather who the issue was. She knew him anywhere. Even from a distance, his looks were striking. He was hard to mistake. He was the reason that she was even there to begin with. He was the reason that she had unplugged from her life in Miami for the time being. No distractions. From anybody. Not even family. She was going to make contact with Marco, if it was the last thing she did.

  “Even if it’s literally the last thing that I do.”

  “Huh . . .?” Mink asked, making Kaia realize she’d spoken out loud. “The last thing you do about what?”

  Kaia waved her hand in the air. “Oh, it’s nothing,” Kaia lied, doing a final wipe of the fancy granite countertop. “I was, just uhh . . . singing a song.”

  -41-

  MARCO

  I noticed that my Uber driver periodically looking through her rearview mirror. “Aye, you’re that Graffiti guy, aren’t you?” At the light, we had to come to a stop and she literally turned all the way around. Her eyes came alive. “It’s you! I’ll be damned! I came to see you dance before! Man, you are sooo talented! And what’s the other guys’ names?!”

  I smiled at her, as she turned back around to focus on the road.

  “You mean the Wolf Pack?”

  “Yes! Oh my God! They are hot! Especially, that Majesty or whatever his name is! And you’re hot! Oh my God! When it said that I’d be dropping you off at Cyn City, I didn’t think that much of it!” She turned around for a few seconds. “But then! The hoodie gave it away! I still . . . can’t believe it! Are you dancing tonight?”

  “I am. Goin’ on first tonight.”

  I reached into my pocket. I always kept at least two tickets on me for when I came across fans of the show. I waited until we caught another light and then reached up front.

  “Here you go. Two tickets for you and a guest whenever you—”

  “Nuh-uhh! You’re not serious!” she shouted, excitedly grabbing the tickets from me and inspecting them. “You’re not serious! Thank youuu! You’re so sweet!”

  “You’re welcome. Good for any of the shows, through December.”

  “Damn. I’ve never, ever won anything in my life. This is awesome. Thanks again.”

  “You’re welcome.” We pulled up to Cyn’s and I removed my seatbelt, preparing my exit. “Enjoy the rest of your day. It was nice chatting with you.”

  “You too, Graffiti Effect!”

  After I walked away from the car, I started laughing to myself. It was funny as hell that people actually referred to me by my stage name. I wasn’t an actual person to them in those moments. I was the character on stage. It had always tripped me out, and probably always would.

  I entered Cyn City, and the flurry was already happening with everyone getting set up. The music was playing too, which put my mood in an even better place. When I got to the top of the stairs, I spotted Mink waving at the same time that my cell phone rang. I shot Mink a head, checked the caller ID, then proceeded to take my call.

  “Hey, what’s up, man?”

  “We still on for tonight?” Zo asked me from the other end of the line.

  He and I were meeting up later to talk Black Ice business. I wanted to see how smart it was for me to try entertaining more opportunities, and even expanding the moving company, right now. Business was booming. The contracts were coming left and right, with no end in sight. I thought it would be a good time to build up some more. However, checking in with my lawyer was a must, before I just jumped off the deep end.

  “Yup, still on.”

  “Cool. You driving?”

  “Nah, you know that. I park at the Mandarin and then just Uber down here, and back at the end. Way easier.”

  “So, you gonna Uber?”

  “I might actually walk.”

  “Walk?! For what?!” Lonzo yelled out.

  “Just for the fuck of it and because it’ll be nice out. Get some air. Got shit on my mind about all this business stuff. I’m goin’ on first and I’m not doin’ the after party, so I’ll be there early. It’s what? Fifteen minutes? Probably quicker than that.”

  “You’re better than me walking that damn strip. I don’t do well with that many people. Fuck that. Shit is too unpredictable.”

  “They can’t be any crazier than those damn sharks you work with everyday at your law firm, my friend. The real crazy fuckers are wearing suits and ties. These damn kooks on the strip are just tryin’ to have a good time.”

  “Yeah, okay. If you say so.”

  “I do say so, my friend. Tell you what, if it takes me longer than fifteen minutes . . . twenty at the most, then you call in a search party!” I said, laughing.

  -42-

  Las Vegas strip

  Kaia couldn’t believe her luck! She had been in Las Vegas going on five months and she was ready to get back to her life. She had been playing a little cat and mouse with her uncle, so she already knew that once she got home, he’d be livid. She had kept in touch with him while away, but made sure to always call him from a burner. Earlier, when she called him from her phone, it was to annoy him. When she disabled her wi-fi and then cut the phone, she knew that he was seething! But, oh well.

  She could never understand why it was so hard for him to just let her live! She was cautious, calculated, in all her actions. She had done plenty of shit that could have her in any of the women’s maximum-security prisons across the country, but she was free. Why? Because of how she effectively handled her business.

  But even with her uncle’s micro-managing, Kaia really did just want to get home. This was the longest she had ever been away. She was usually able to slide into whatever city, get into whatever trouble, and then scoot right back to the safety of home. So, she qualified as homesick this time around. She had definitely taken a hit in the sex department, and craved more than anything, getting back to dick she was familiar with. Vegas men didn’t know how to fuck. They were so used to weak-ass bitches that hung on their every word, that when it came time to lay the pipe, their game was rusty as fuck. Kaia was over it and couldn’t wait to be fucked the way she deserved.

  The sex was going to be even better after she finished what she came to Vegas for. She wo
uld be able to put her whole mind and body into it, without distractions. After tonight, her heart would be free of any congestion.

  A feeling of victory washed over Kaia, causing her to smile to herself. Tonight, he would lose at her hands. He had probably never lost anything in his life. That would change soon. She hated him. Loathed him. He thought he was God’s gift to women. He cared about nothing and nobody! Not even the babies he left in his wake.

  Kaia’s smile faded, and her heart started to hurt. You don’t care about anybody but yourself! she screamed inside her head. Nobody fucking matters but you and that venomous snake in your fucking pants!

  She quickly regrouped by inhaling for twenty seconds, and then releasing for twenty. Iyanla had taught her that. She continued with the breathing exercise for four sets. After that, she was back to herself. She had regained her composure.

  Now, is not the time to lose it, Kaia! Get your shit together! Keep your head in the game.

  “Okay,” she said aloud.

  He’s so oblivious, she thought to herself on his heel, but with a safe distance. The best kind of victim.

  She watched him turn up the volume on his Bose earbuds. They’d been in his ears since he left Cyn City. Dummy. A beautiful dummy. He was so busy trying to shut out the noises from the outside world, that he didn’t realize that somebody was trying to make sure he never heard another noise again.

  The time had come. The foot traffic picked up the closer they got to the Hard Rock Café. It was perfect. There were so many people, that some had to step aside to let others pass. It’s what Kaia needed. And she went for it.