by Tameka Hicks
“I don’t know. I thought that everyone was in on the secret with Jeanette. I’ll see you shortly okay.”
Oh, when I first laid my eyes on my two beautiful children sitting in the middle of the floor playing with their blocks. I hugged them tightly until Caylyn said, “Move,” as plain as an older girl would’ve said. All of us laughed.
Tyrese immediately extracted Jaylyn out of my arms and headed to the couch with him. He said, “Hey big fella,” with a few tears falling down. “Eyes,” Jaylyn said, as he pointed to his eyes. They looked just like their father who, at this very moment, I wasn’t so sure as to who it was. He played and talked with them for hours. Diane had taken pictures every month of the twins for memories for me. We had packed as much stuff that his car could hold, but Diane will bring the rest of their toys and beds in her truck tomorrow after work. I was mad at Diane at first until I had seen how well she took care of my babies. And to know that she wasn’t trying to take them from me made me feel better. They had the best of everything; shoes, clothes, toys. You name it; they had it. How am I going to compete with that? Jeanette had her fooled about the whole thing, but I, in the long run, was lucky that Diane had agreed to care for them while I was away. Jeanette didn’t hurt me like she had planned to. She actually has helped me. I have a high school diploma along with a certificate as pharmacy technician, so I say to Jeanette, thank you. You opened the doors up for me, and I’ve learned new, valuable things. I’ve met my best friend in the whole wide world. Yes, I’m still a little dysfunctional, but I know when to be dysfunctional and to whom. I have one person to blame for all of my problems.
It’ll take a while before I can execute my plan, but it’s going to be a big payoff for me. You just watch.
We’re living with Tyrese until it’s time for Tina to get out of the center. Next week, I’m going to search for us an apartment in Texas. I’ve saved two thousand dollars over the months that Tyrese and Charles had sent me money. Tyrese is going to take me to Texas to look and pay for an apartment for us while I’m in school. Every six months, he’s coming to visit me and will bring the kids back home with him for two weeks, maybe. My babies are some busy bodies. They never sleep at the same time so we can’t get any sleep. Tyrese found a real job to mask his drug dealing money. He never touched the drugs or was within twenty feet of it, so he would never get tangled up in it. No one would dare rat him out to the authorities because the last man who did is making dirt worm sandwiches, six feet underground. I’m going to be a little busy over the next three weeks getting ready to move to Texas, not to mention getting acquainted with the twins, so I’ll write in you as soon as I can. I picked Texas for a very special reason.
Tamara
FALSE IDENTITY
Eight months later.
Friday, March the 13th
Tamara and Tina had adjusted well in Mansfield, Texas. Tamara went to school part time and had found a job working at Graham’s Factory Warehouse as a secretary. Tina had a job working as a waitress at The Chicken Heaven restaurant full time. They’d worked opposite schedules so someone would always be home with the children. When they arrived in Texas, they had switched identities for Tamara’s important scheme that she currently worked on. Tamara was dating an investigator who’d tried to help her get the information on a specific person who she was looking for. However, he couldn’t find any info on the target so she stopped dating him.
Tina tried to convince Tamara not to do this crazy thing that she had planned, but her friend wouldn’t listen to her. She’d never seen her as adamant about anything in her life, and she’d seen her determined before. However, this plan was different and was going to change their lives forever, she explained to her.
“If you stick with me and do as I say, you we will be okay for the rest of your life.”
Two pictures of a brown-eyed Tamara hung on the wall behind her desk: “Employee of the Month,” for October and November. She was well liked on her job; never was late, never called off in seven months and her work performance was terrific. She’d managed to get close to her male supervisor (the owner’s son) by the old: ‘My car won’t start routine’ four months ago. And after one week of picking Tamara (Tina Young) up, he was caught like minnows in a fisherman’s net.
She took a load off in the chair staring at her fancy blue dress that hung on a hook on her closet. “Why would I wear something this fancy to the movies?”
Looking at the dress brought back memories of Diane’s wedding. She glanced at her watch and noticed that he was fifteen minutes late, and he hadn’t called to tell her that he was on his way. She dialed his number and it went straight to voicemail.
“You have ten minutes to call me with those magic words: I’m on my way, or I’m staying home.”
Meanwhile, Tina relaxed outside in the backyard underneath the patio’s umbrella in the shade sipping on a daiquiri, as the kids played in the pool splashing the water in each other’s face.
“Don’t hit him Caylyn,” yelled Tina. She stuck her tongue out at her; smiled and then continued to splash water into his face. “Didn’t I say stop it, Caylyn!”
“Leave me alone,” she yelled. “You not my mama,” she replied.
“You better watch your mouth,” Tamara yelled from the bedroom window.
Michael was at the factory upset because instead of being in his car on his way to Tina’s house, he was stuck in the office firing people.
“Special delivery from mother,” he handed out ten pink slips to the men responsible for twelve shiploads of merchandise that were damaged because they weren’t properly packed. Workers on lines five, six and nine were let go. Five and six had done the packaging, and the idiots on nine were supposed to handle the quality inspection.
Mrs. Graham was too furious to fire them so she sent Michael instead.
“I would kick every last one of them in the ass before I let them go so it’s better if you do it.”
Mrs. Graham loved Tina as a secretary, but she didn’t approve of them dating because she was too young for him. He was thirty-four and she had just turned twenty-one, according to her ID (which we knew was false.) He really liked her and this was the first time in his life that he’d told his mother where to stick her opinion about a girlfriend of his. He’d fell head over heels in love with her. TY (is what he called her) was different than any other woman that he ever dated, he explained to his mother. “I think I’m going to ask her to marry me someday.”
His mother didn’t like the way those words sounded. Her eyes bucked, her mouth was twisted and she headed straight to the cabinet to pour a stiff drink (bourbon was her choice) with no ice. Forget the glass she drank from the bottle.
“Are you nuts Tr-?”
He intercepted. “Don’t call me that mother. I hate my middle name.”
He felt like they had too much in common to let her escape like their love for football, basketball and wrestling plus both of them loved music with a passion.
Out of four months, they had never slept together and never kissed on the lips. She told him that she was saving it for that special one, and she thought that kissing on the lips was “out right nasty.”
That’s what made him want her even more, but his mother had sworn that she was a tramp, until he confessed that they hadn’t crossed those lines yet. She teased him saying that she really didn’t want him.
“I have to go mom.” He said abruptly. He didn’t feel comfortable talking to his mother about THAT!
He fired the men, left the building and ran through traffic lights and stop signs trying to make it to pick her up. He had a surprise for her this evening, instead of going to the movies she was going to a party at his mother’s house. His new girlfriend had a surprise for him also. She wasn’t who she says she was and he would soon find out. He stopped at the store to purchase some liquor hoping to loosen her up before she went to the party. He wasn’t an alcoholic, but he must have at least one drink in the morning to start his day off right, and at lea
st two drinks of Scotch with two ice cubes every night before bed or sex. He would probably drink himself senseless if he knew the real identity of his TY. She told him that she lived with her best friend, and her twins. She had to watch them while she went to work and school. He offered to pay for a babysitter for the kids, so she could spend the night with him, but she refused. He asked if he could come and stay the night with her, but one look at those babies and she would have been busted. I know it’s tricky, but keep up with me people.
Tamara wasn’t attracted to him and she wouldn’t be next year, or the year after that, but he had something that she wanted. Lots of money. She really disliked that he had such a pampered life. What did they do to deserve to life good? Especially since they treated people like they were beneath them. She couldn’t sleep with a man who was so self-absorbed. She couldn’t stomach spending the night with him, but she was willing to do almost whatever she had to do to build up his trust and knock down that brick wall that he unknowingly had around him; his mother.
“This here is some personal shit that I have to take care of because you and life left me no choice. You got something that I need, plus I can’t think of a better person who doesn’t deserve it more than you.” She started to sing Biz Markie’s, “You got what I need...” She chuckled. “You spoiled brat.”
Last week, she’d cursed him out because he had stopped by the house without calling first. Tyrese had left the house less than ten minutes before Michael had pulled up unannounced. That could have created an ugly situation. Even though Tyrese and Tamara didn’t go together, he came to town and spent the night with the children from time to time. They might not have been an item, but he paid the rent and all the utilities to keep the courts out of their business.
She didn’t want to mess up her good thing with either one of these men because both of them took good care of her.
Tamara’s cell phone rang.
“Hello Michael.”
“Hello sweet thing. Are you ready to go because I’m around the corner?”
She laughed. “I’ll be the fine girl standing outside in the blue dress waiting for you when you arrive,” she removed the smile off of her face as soon as they hung up. He was a very superstitious person; so saying good-bye was one thing that he didn’t say because that sounded too” final” to him. She ran to the back door and told Tina that she was about to go. “Ooh look at you,” Tina said.
She stepped out on the patio and kissed the kids on the cheeks. “Bye.”
Caylyn waved, and continued to splash the water almost wetting her mother.
Jaylyn cried like he always did whenever she left the house without him.
Michael whipped into the driveway with the music bumping loud. Her nosey neighbors eyed her with contempt or maybe it was jealousy as the different men came in and out of her home. She didn’t care what any of them thought because all her needs were being met by her male friends, so to hell with them and their biased opinions of her.
He shut the car door once she got in the car. “Will you turn that shit down a little?” He laughed, turning it down. “I thought you loved music?”
“I love music, but I have sensitive ears and besides my heart’s bumping hard with the music.”
“No kiss, no hug, no thank you for the dress?”
“I told you that I don’t kiss in the mouth because it’s germy. I don’t know where your lips or your mouth has been.”
He gently rubbed her leg before she knocked his hand down. “You’re crazy, but that’s why I love you so much,” he told her.
She looked out of the window. “There are a few other reasons why you should love me, but I can’t tell you right now.”
“Why not,” he enquired.
“I’ll tell you later,” she smiled.
“Give me a kiss and stop playing,” he leaned over to kiss her and she gave him her cheek.
“You look good tonight baby girl,” he said, trying to rub her leg again saying, “Almost as good as me.”
“Thank you,” she slapped his hand off of her leg again. “Keep your eyes and both hands on the steering wheel.
“I see you’re in your sarcastic mode tonight,” he said.
“I see you’re in your freaky mode.”
“Can we get freaky tonight after the dinner party? I promise I won’t drink tonight.” What am I going to do now? He has to drink! Okay calm down you have all night to think of something, Tamara thought. She looked out of the window daydreaming as he did eighty all the way to his mother’s house. Out of the blue she turned the radio down and asked him with a serious look on her face. “Do you have another girlfriend or children?”
“No-I’m not cheating, and no I don’t have any kids.”
“I better not find out that you have a child ten years down the line.”
He grabbed her hand and kissed it. “I promise. I love you and only you.”
He pulled into the driveway at his mother’s mansion. There were at least twenty-nine cars parked on her field next to the twelve thousand square foot home. Tamara got out of the car speechless. She didn’t even notice Mrs. Graham when she walked up to them. “I said, “Hello Tina.”
“Oh, I’m sorry Mrs. Graham. Your house had me in a trance.”
“It does that to everyone the first time,” she said show-boating.
Michael interrupted. “She’ll have a house like this soon.”
One day, Tamara thought to herself.
She staggered to the other side of the car to kiss and hug her son. “I’m sure that’s what she’s working on,” Mrs. Graham sarcastically mumbled.
“Mother,” Michael said.
Mrs. Graham was a slim framed, petite sixty-year old vibrant woman. Her hair was a salt and pepper color, and it was always in a well-kempt ponytail. Her big golden brown eyes and high cheekbone structure made her face memorable. She didn’t look a day over forty with her high yellow smooth-textured skin; only thing that made her look old were the glasses that sat on the bridge of her nose.
Michael, her thirty four year old baby, stood tall, young and handsome, looking like an exact replica of his mother, but a shade darker. His hair was fine and curly and he was never seen wearing anything other than a suit that matched from his sunglasses to his shoes. Women fell for his expressive style, but what drove them crazy was the way he smelled. His cologne preceded him through the door before he had entered. His entire dresser was occupied with different, good smelling, expensive cologne.
Tamara had heard her sarcastic comment indeed, but hadn’t responded to it because she was visualizing herself owning this home, or one just like it. Michael decided to walk away from the soon to get “hostile situation.”
“Shall we attend the party? Follow me,” he grabbed Tamara’s hand. “I have some people whom I want you to meet, darling.”
The party was underneath a huge white tent in the backyard. It was beautiful back there. Twenty tables were covered with green tablecloths, and eleven tables were covered with white ones. Candles were lit in the middle of each table. The chairs were green and white to match the color theme. Mrs. Graham’s table had an ice sculpture of
“herself” sitting in the middle with fans blowing cold air onto it to prevent it from melting. Tamara thought the ice sculpture was a tad bit unnecessary, but kept the thought inside.
“Very narcissistic.” A sculpture of yourself Mrs. Graham, how self-absorbed?”
Michael dragged Tamara around showing her off like she was a trophy that he had won. The women turned their noses up at her wishing that they were on his arm, and the men envied him wishing that she was their young lady.
The band members talked among themselves as they stood on the makeshift stage in between sets, appearing bored from the music that the old-timers requested for them to play. Tamara wished that she was at home with the family watching movies, but she had a job to do. Michael asked her to dance with him, but she told him that she was too embarrassed to dance in front of large crowds. But he
forced her to the dance floor anyhow.
Two hours have passed by and this party is still boring, Tamara thought. I have to do something before I die of boredom. Tamara rose from the table. Everyone had their eyes glued on them the entire time.
She decided that if they wanted to stare, she would have given them something to look at. “I’ll be right back.”
He stopped eating. “Where are you going?”
“I have a surprise for you,” she switched away from him with a half grin.
The men watched her as she went up to the band and whispered something to the piano player.
“What is she doing?” wondered Janet, one of Michael’s cousins.
Janet popped her husband upside the head because of the way he ignored her foaming at the mouth gawking at Tamara. She had made him spill his drink on himself. The band started to play, “Let’s stay together,” by Al Green.” Tamara grabbed the micro-phone. “Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to dedicate this song to Mrs. Graham and Michael. She started singing. “I’m so in love with you…”