The Graffiti Effect

by Forrest, Perri

  “You called me in here for tea and still didn’t give yours up. Not even on the way to your house. If we’re sharing, then you for sure better be telling me how you know Marco.” She rolled her neck and smacked her lips. “For real. If we got a deal, then I’ll start talking right now.”

  I thought long and hard about it, with the seconds I had, before somebody either called or came knocking.

  I finally caved. “Deal.”

  She dropped her arms, and her pretty face lit up. “Okay, so, first of all. He is everything. The man is . . . literally everything.”

  “Well, I saw how fine he was, dipped in all that Hershey’s chocolate. Y’all complemented each other well. Two chocolate drops making midnight magic and all that.”

  “Whatever,” she blushed. She lowered her head and then looked back up at me again. “We did look good together, didn’t we?”

  “Y’all did. I can’t even lie.”

  “Well, so, I didn’t call you this weekend because I was with him—the whole weekend. I came from his house to work this morning.”

  “Wait. Did I hear that right? Here, I thought you were at home and just recovering. I was like, ‘Let me just let her live, and I’ll bug her bright and early on Monday’. But now you’re telling me that you were somewhere boo’d up.” I nodded my approval. “I’m not mad at you, girl.” My curiosity was killing me, so I had to ask. “I’m major nosy right now. But, umm, you wouldn’t have been there as long as you were, if the ‘D’—”

  Kandice sighed out loud. “He’s packing, for sure. The sex, though, it wasn’t mind-blowing. But it definitely wasn’t horrible. You know?” She shrugged her shoulders. “Him being perfect in so many other ways: attentive, successful, model looks, made me overlook that part of it.” She leaned her head back animatedly and sighed into the air. “I’m trying to do things differently, Kassidi. I don’t even know why I’m admitting this to you, but . . . it’s out now.”

  I leaned back in my chair in surprise, not realizing until that moment that I’d been hanging on Kandi’s every word.

  “Wow. Wow.” That was all I had right then as far as a response. “Whew . . . okay. I . . . damn. Well, no judgment from me. You said you want to try something different. You must think you’ve based your relationships on the sex. Is that what you’re saying?”

  “Yeah, pretty much. I mean, they’ve been men that I was attracted to, on some level. It was mostly looks. And then the sex was good. Not that they had much substance, the sex was just satisfying. But Alonzo has everything going for him. And he’s just a man’s man and . . . yeah.”

  “I say go with your heart. If it felt right then go with that. You said it wasn’t horrible, right?”

  “Yeah, I did say that, didn’t I?”

  “Yeah, you did. So, if it’s not horrible, invest in the man. And if you are going to invest in him, then there’s nothing wrong with having the conversation with him. They say you teach people how to treat you. Same with sex. Teach him how you like it. If your satisfaction matters to him, trust me, he’ll listen. He’ll get it right. Don’t sit there unsatisfied, girl. That’s like settling.”

  “Yeah, you’re right,” she said, playing with the tip of her gel set. “And I think it’s going to go somewhere because in just the little bit of time that we spent, there was so much chemistry. We talked about everything. Our dreams, family, love and—”

  “Love?”

  Kandice laughed out loud. “Yeah, love. As in what we wanted in love and that kinda thing. It was just amazingly candid, you know?”

  “Seems like it was.”

  “But anyway, enough about that. You know what I wanna talk about. You had all week to tell me that you knew that man.”

  “Nooo, I didn’t even know that it was his party until we go there. Remember?”

  Kandice squinted her eyes reflecting back. “Okay, I’ll give you that. But you had all night once we got to Cyn City to tell me that you knew that man. So, what am I missing? You just moved to Vegas for this job. Oh wait! You know him from California, huh?!”

  I shook my head in response, still debating with myself about what small piece I’d tell her to satisfy my end of the deal.

  “No, it wasn’t Cali.”

  The moment the words fell out of my mouth, was the moment I realized I could’ve just lied and said yes and been done with it. It was too late to retract now, though.

  “Well . . . then I’m confused. If you didn’t meet him there, and you’ve only been to Vegas once since you moved—”

  “Right . . . well—”

  My statement was cut off by a knock on my office door. Right after the knock, the door opened and there stood my boss.

  “Good,” he remarked. The man’s cologne filled the whole office, tickling each and every one of my senses. Shit was probably imported. I had never smelled anything like it. “I got you in the same place. Came to scout you both out since you’re MIA from the 8AM staff meeting.”

  “Oh shi . . . I mean, shoot!” I said, scrambling quickly, and grabbing my tablet and cell phone.

  Kandice stood from her chair and whispered to me, “This is not your way out, girl. You owe me some tea.”

  “I got you,” I said to her as we both scurried behind Clyde, and to our in-progress meeting.

  -67-

  MARCO

  “What the fuck did you just say?”

  “I said that your sister is the one responsible for the attack on you.”

  I shook my head. I was trying to figure out what the hell was happening. “I don’t . . . I . . . don’t. What?! Nah. I don’t have a sister.”

  I probably sounded like a little kid in that moment, my voice lower than usual. I felt weird. Didn’t understand what was happening, or who this man had me mixed up with. No. I couldn’t wrap my brain around any of this. Could it be that he had a special key to a compartment of my life I never knew about?

  “Marco, I know this is difficult to process. Especially, coming from a total stranger. But, you have a sister. You have a whole family. A family that you don’t know about. I’m a part of that family.”

  “Is this some kind of sick joke?”

  “I don’t joke around. And trust me, this isn’t the way I envisioned having this conversation with you. But the situation called for it.”

  All I could do was shake my head.

  “This shit is crazy! I’m not doing this. I don’t . . . this is crazy.”

  “I realize that it’s a lot for you to take in. Trust me, I do. I wish I could’ve come to you sooner—years sooner. But—”

  “Nooo. Fuuuck no. This shit is not real.”

  “It’s real. I’m your uncle. Your father is my brother.”

  Father. The word echoed off the walls in surround sound and engulfed me. That was a word that wasn’t actively used in my life, ever. I’d asked about who this person was all the way up to about the age of five. But it stopped when I realized that not only would I not hear from my mother’s mouth who he was, but that he wouldn’t be making any appearances. So, I left it alone. As difficult as it was, I left it alone. And now . . .

  “I know that your mother never told you about us. I wish she had, but it was something that her and my brother agreed upon. I’m not saying it was right, but they were your parents and so there was nothing that I could say or do. I was the younger brother, but even as young as I was, I’ve always been about family. Family is first with me. I planned to meet you before now, but wanted it to be right. However, when Kaia did what she did, I didn’t have a choice but to do it now.”

  “I’m thirty-fuckin’ years old. If you didn’t make your presence known to me before, you didn’t need to do it now. And now that I know who the fuck did—”

  “That’s why I came so that we could talk, man to man about that—about family.”

  “There’s no family for me and you to discuss! I don’t know you! You don’t know me! And clearly, I’m not somebody that was important enough for any of your family to get
to know! And for all I know you could be lying!”

  “Call your mother. Call her with me here and I promise you that she won’t deny it.”

  I was shaking so bad on the inside that I wanted to punch a goddamn wall! Or better yet, his goddamn face! And the bitch who stabbed me . . . man! A goddamn woman tried to end my fuckin’ life! Somebody that he’s claiming is my sister!

  “I’m not calling my mother about shit.”

  “Why not? I’m offering you the source of the truth. Why won’t you do it? I want you to. That way you might be more open to hearing me out.”

  “I don’t need my mother to hear you out. Say what the fuck you gotta say and I’ll deal with my mother later, if there’s a need.”

  “Your father was married when they got together—to Kaia’s mother. He had an affair with your mother and . . . let’s just say that everything spiraled.”

  “What do you mean everything spiraled?”

  “Stavros wasn’t the fatherly type. He wasn’t the husband type either.”

  Sitting there before two other adult men, I was a kid all over again. Vulnerable. I was angry that I was having feelings of abandonment, pain, and anger. All the emotions were taking turns with me. I reflected back on the broken kid that I was back then. He was in the room with me. I’d never admit that to a total stranger. Another man, at that. I had to get them out and away from me. I couldn’t let any weakness come through in front of them. I just couldn’t do that.

  “You know, it really would’ve been better if you never showed up here, man. You come here basically to tell me that a sister I never knew about, wants me dead. And that a father I never knew about never wanted shit to do with me.” I shrugged out of annoyance. “This could’ve gone with you to your grave.” I walked over to my office door and opened it wide. I looked from Vido, and then back to his boss. “You can leave now. I’m done listening.”

  “Okay,” he agreed, standing from the chair he’d occupied for far too long. “I’ll respect your wishes. But here . . .” he said, reaching out to me with a card in his hand. “Take this and contact me—any time of day or night—to get the answers that you deserve to have. I have them all. I’m very sorry for all of this.”

  After they left, I closed my office door behind them and went to sit at my desk, where I blanked out. When I looked up at the clock it was almost ten, which meant that I had to be sitting in silence for close to an hour.

  Knowing that I wouldn’t be in any state to get through the day effectively, I logged off my computer. On my way out, I breezed by my assistant. “Cancel all my meetings for today and call me only for emergencies,” I instructed her.

  “Feel better,” she called out.

  -68-

  ADONIS

  West Palm Beach, Florida

  Before the car even made it to the end of the circle, Adonis saw his love, Nori standing at the top of the stairs to their custom estate. She wore the full-length, sheer turquoise dress that he had recently gifted her. The dark hue of her complexion looked so beautiful against the color, which was what made Adonis select it. Nori looked good in anything with her svelte five-foot-eight frame, but turquoise made her stand out even more. Because Nori didn’t like hair touching her face, her long, dark tresses were piled onto the top of her head in a bun—no particular style applied. Either way she was gorgeous.

  A smile crept across Adonis’ face. Seeing her was always the only thing he needed to relax the stirring of his soul. The day had been rough, and not to mention the round-trip flight. It was all taxing. He didn’t think that the reception from his nephew, Marco, would be hugs and smiles. However, he also didn’t expect for him to reject information about his life. On some level Adonis understood it. He had just hoped differently. Especially, after laying eyes on him for the first time since he was an infant. As much pride as Adonis had, there were moments in the conversation with Marco where he wanted to cry. The boy was his family and he wanted to welcome him as such. But after having seen him and talked to him, Adonis was devastated that might not ever be.

  By the time the car came to a stop, Nori had made her way to the bottom of the granite stairs.

  “You’re so beautiful,” Adonis said to her, as soon as he had stepped from the vehicle. “Come here.”

  He pulled her to him as close as he could, and planted long, soft kisses in the crook of her neck, bringing about cute giggle sounds from her.

  After their kissing session, Nori pulled back to look into Adonis’ eyes. “I missed you, my love.”

  “I missed you.” He grabbed her hand and walked up the stairs and into their home. “You’re dressed too beautiful to be inside. The sun is starting to set. Why don’t I get changed into something and take you out somewhere nice?”

  Nori stopped midway to the rounded staircase and tugged at Adonis’ arm. “Baby, what’s going on? Your energy is low. Things didn’t go as you expected them to?”

  It warmed Adonis’ heart that his woman knew him so well. He knew that when he chose her, she was the right woman for him. Her warmth, her beauty . . . and all her other attributes had been unmet by any other women—and there had been many. Since the day he first laid eyes on her at the annual Christmas party he threw for the employees of his international publishing firm, he was smitten. She had come as a plus-one with one of his top agents. Adonis was making a brief appearance on his way to vacation in Milan. But once he was introduced to Nori, plans for that vacation were put on hold. He had to get to know her. And now five years later, there they were.

  “Sweetheart, I honestly don’t want to dump all of this—”

  Nori cradled her lover’s face in her hands and spoke to him firmly. “Don’t ever say that. Don’t ever think that I want to be left out of something that’s weighing on your heart. You knew there was a possibility that this trip would be a difficult one. We talked about it, remember?”

  Adonis nodded. “I remember.”

  “So, then the only thing you need to, ‘get changed into’, is talking-mode.”

  Adonis looked into Nori’s eyes. She was his world and he briefly thought about what life would’ve been had he not met her. What life would’ve been if she had ended up with some other fuck. It sent a chill up his spine.

  “I would kill for you,” he said, knowing that while it sounded foreign and unprovoked to her, it held full meaning for him. “I love you that much.”

  “And I love you. Now, let’s go talk.”

  A short time later, the couple sat outside on the large balcony, the chaise lounges side-by-side facing each other.

  “Do you know how emotional it was for me to see him as an adult? This family failed him, Nori. We failed him. And in my effort to protect Kaia, I’ve made things worse.”

  “Worse how, baby? I mean, aside from the obvious of you having to tell him.”

  “I had to tell him. I had to tell him so that I could segue to everything else I needed to say. She went there and insinuated herself into his world. So, he’s seen her. I had to tell him in case . . .”

  “In case what, baby?”

  “In case he decided to meet family someday and came face-to-face with her. My hope was that even after the anger, he would want to know his family. But that won’t ever happen now.” Adonis shook his head, and he was close to shedding a tear. He looked over as Nori. “I blame Stavros for this. This should never have happened this way. Just the same way that Kaia was raised with family, Marco should’ve been raised with family too! He should have the Anastas name, but he doesn’t. How was I so stupid to think he’d want a fucking thing to do with me—with the family?!”

  “But baby, you haven’t been absent from his life. He’s had your love around him.”

  Adonis rubbed his temples before laying his head against the chair’s headrest. “That’s not enough. I wasn’t there. I wasn’t present. Yes, I’m just his uncle, but I should’ve done more. My brother is worthless to have left him out in the world to . . .”

  His voice trailed off as
thoughts flowed through his mind. He was broken in that moment as he thought back to the look in Marco’s eyes. He was a proud man and wouldn’t show any emotion except anger. But, Adonis knew that he was hurt and it killed him knowing that the pain he felt was an avoidable infliction.

  “He’s the spitting image of Stavros. And believe it or not, he and Kaia favor a whole lot. I’m surprised he didn’t see it when he met her. He’s a self-made man, Nori.” Adonis smiled out of pride. “He’s done well for himself.”

  Nori scooted to the end of her seat where she could grab Adonis’ hand. “So, baby, what are you going to do?”

  “I haven’t thought that far yet. I left him with my card in case he wants to talk. I’m hoping that happens. I really want to be able to explain everything to him. Leave nothing out.”

  “You will get to explain everything to him.” Nori rose from her chair and sat on Adonis’ lap. She kissed him on his forehead and then the tip of his nose and lifted his face to her. “You hear me, baby? You will get the chance to explain. And I don’t think you should wait for him to come to you for that.”

  -69-

  KASSIDI

  Kona Grill Restaurant

  “I can’t believe we were so caught up this morning that we almost missed the mandatory meeting with Clyde. Girl, did you see his face?!”

  “That was all your fault trapping me in your office and making me tell you all my sacred business.”

  “Sacred! Girl, byeee!” I screeched. “You sure weren’t sacred last weekend. Having first-date sex and all that. But I ain’t judging.” Kandi rolled her eyes at me as she took another gulp of her pineapple mai tai. “Instead of rolling those pretty eyes of yours you should probably check ya alcohol intake before you end up hung over at work tomorrow. You know we still got four days to go.”

  “Have you met me?” she asked, laughing. “This shit here is baby formula. I got this. And you . . . you got the floor. I’m listening.” After signaling the hostess for another drink, Kandice took the remainder of her drink to the face. “And don’t leave anything out. And don’t be trying to talk slow, thinking that if I get drunk enough I won’t know.”