Stalker

by Brenda Hampton

  I lay across the bed with a wet towel slapped across my forehead. My head kept hurting, maybe because my thoughts were all over the place. I didn’t know what my next move would be, but I surely wanted to know what Brent’s wife looked like. He mentioned that she was moving back to St. Louis in a few weeks. I wondered if she was at his house with him. The only way for me to find out was for me to go over there and see for myself. I could just do a quick drive-by to see if things at the Carson household had changed. I remained on the bed for a few minutes, trying to talk myself out of going over there. But the anger inside of me took over. All I wanted to do was see her. Maybe even talk to her, one day, to find out more about her and Brent’s marriage. Why did they separate to begin with? Was there someone else involved, and where, exactly, did she move to? Most importantly, why did she decide to reconcile with him? Did she really know about me? So many questions flooded my mind. She had answers. So did Brent, but I didn’t want to say anything else to him until the time was right.

  I sluggishly walked to the closet to put on some clothes. I hadn’t done much to my hair, so I brushed it back, until it lay flat on my head. Makeup was the last thing I wanted on my face, so I didn’t bother. I did, however, need something on my dry lips, so I moistened them with Chap Stick. Afterward, I snatched my keys from my nightstand; then I took the forty-five-minute drive to Brent’s place.

  To my surprise, just as I turned the corner, a gray Kia Sorento was backing out of the driveway. I could see a woman inside, but her face wasn’t visible to me yet. All I could tell was her hair was nearly shaved off, and her skin was light. I got a better view of her when her vehicle stopped at the red light, and I pulled my vehicle next to hers. I immediately thought of Amber Rose. The woman in the car had the same cut as she, and her glowing caramel skin was the same. Her lips were covered with a pink gloss and dark sunglasses covered her eyes. I could tell she was fit, simply by looking at the toned muscles in her arms as she held the steering wheel. The second she shifted her head in my direction, I turned my head. We both waited for the light, and when it changed, she sped off. I told myself not to follow her, but I was so anxious to find out if she was Brent’s wife. So from a distance, I watched her pull into a gas station to get gas. When she exited the car, I pursed my lips. Jealousy was written all over my face. Her body was almost perfect. The jeans she wore were melted on her healthy curves, and her midriff was flatter than mine. I guess Brent had a thing for sexy women. She was that, and then some.

  The woman pumped gas into her car while appearing to examine her surroundings. I hoped she didn’t notice my car parked across the street, but when her head shifted toward my direction, I drove off with another car that was beside me. I turned on a dead-end street, and by the time I did a U-turn, she was back on the road. Minutes later, she parked in front of a Laundromat. She lifted her trunk, removing two baskets of clothes. I watched as she carried them inside. Her strut confirmed her confidence. I never expected for the competition to be this steep. Then again, I wasn’t competing for Brent anymore. I just wanted some kind of revenge for what he had done to me.

  Remembering that I had a small rug in my trunk, I got out of my car to get it. I went into the Laundromat, pretending as if I was there to wash my rug. The woman I assumed was Brent’s wife had already started to fill the washing machine. She had a lot of camouflage-printed clothes, along with white T-shirts. I used the machine right next to her, even though there were plenty of machines not in use. There were also five other women in the Laundromat washing clothes. They were talking loud, laughing, and yelling at their kids.

  “Boy, didn’t I tell you to come over here and sit down?” one woman said with her hand on her hip. “You got two seconds to do what I say or else!”

  She was ignored by the child. I saw Brent’s wife shake her head, and that’s when I spoke up.

  “It’s a shame, isn’t it?” I said with a smile on my face. I stuffed the rug into the washing machine.

  “Very much so. And as you can see, she’s ignoring him, just as he’s ignoring her. I hope he doesn’t break one of those machines he keeps kicking.”

  “Right. And if he does, I would put some money on it that she won’t offer to pay for it.”

  We laughed. She looked at the rug I had stuffed into the washer. “That’s kind of big. I’m not sure if you’ll get that to come clean in there. You may want to use one of those fifty-pound washers over there.”

  She pointed to a larger machine against the wall.

  “You don’t think this one will work?”

  She shrugged her shoulders. “Your rug will fit, but I doubt that it’ll come clean.”

  I nodded and took her advice. “Maybe I should use a bigger one. I was trying to save myself a little change, but I guess you’re right.”

  I removed the rug from the washer, then walked away to put it in another machine. I was still close to Brent’s wife, and when her cell phone rang, I was able to eavesdrop on her conversation.

  “I just got here, babe. I don’t know how long I’m going to be, but if you want to come join me you can.” She paused and laughed at the caller’s reply. “Okay. See you soon. Love you too, honey.”

  I assumed that had to be Brent. If he was going to join her, that would be interesting. I wasn’t sure if I would hang around or not, but I certainly wasn’t going anywhere until my rug was finished.

  I coughed, then made my way back over to her, pretending as if I didn’t have enough change for the washer.

  “I hate to stick my dollars in that change machine back there, because it always takes my money. You wouldn’t happen to have change for two dollars, would you?”

  At first, she didn’t say anything. Just gazed into my eyes, before blinking. “I might have some change.” She dug into her pocket, pulling out several quarters and a few dimes. “Sorry, but this is all I have. There’s a convenience store next door. They may be able to give you change over there.”

  Something in her eyes told me she knew who I was. I wasn’t so sure yet, so I kept the conversation going.

  “I’ll go see if they will. And thanks for checking . . . Uh, what’s your name?”

  Without hesitating, she extended her hand to mine. “Lajuanna. And no problem. Sorry I didn’t have it.”

  My brows furrowed as I pulled my hand away from hers. “Lajuanna? You look so familiar. Your name rings a bell. What school did you go to?”

  “I got my degree from Webster University. As for high school, I went to Parkway Central.”

  “I didn’t go to either of those schools, but I’m thinking that I know you from work or something. I worked at Express Scripts for four years. Now, I work at Macy’s. Maybe I’ve seen you shopping in there or something.”

  “I’m not sure. I’ve been overseas for a while, and I just got back. That doesn’t mean I don’t love to shop, because I do. All day, every day.”

  We both laughed again. It was hard to read her, especially when she shot me a hard stare again.

  “I’m a shopaholic too,” I said. “My husband hates that I work at Macy’s. Every time he looks up, I’m coming through the door with bags in my hand.”

  “I know how that is. My husband gets pretty upset when I shop too much too. He often goes with me, just to keep track of what I’m spending.”

  “Smart man. Very clever man, and, uh, by the way, my name is Angie. Angie Carson.”

  She pointed at herself. “I’m a Carson too. Sure we’re not related?”

  We laughed again—this time it came across as being real fake. Hell no, we weren’t related, but we damn sure had something in common.

  “I think the whole world is related,” I said, continuing the small talk. “Names don’t mean a thing.”

  “I agree. And—”

  The ringing of her cell phone interrupted us. She looked at it to see who the caller was.

  “Excuse me for a minute. This is my sweet husband calling me again.”

  Sweet, my ass, especially not a
fter the way he treated me. She turned her back to talk, but I still heard what she said.

  “I thought I put it in the closet. Look in there, babe. If it’s not there, I’ll find it when I get home.” She paused, then continued speaking. “Okay, I will. I’m hungry too, so why don’t you meet me here? I should be done, I guess, in about another hour or so.” Whatever he said, she replied, “Okay.” After that, she hit the end button on her phone.

  She looked at me this time, but I pretended to be focused on the TV mounted on the wall. Our conversation didn’t continue, and instead, she walked over to a snack machine to get some pretzels. I wasn’t sure how I was going to stir up another conversation with her, but I was sure of one thing. She was Brent’s wife. The tiny diamond ring on her ring finger was nothing to brag about though. I wondered if it was the one he had picked out the other day, or if it was one she’d had all along. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask, and as she stepped away from the food machine, I was right there.

  “That’s a beautiful ring on your finger. Your husband has very good taste.”

  She lifted her hand, wiggling her fingers as she looked at the ring. “Yes, he does have good taste, especially when he chose me.” She paused and waited for a response. I didn’t bother to reply, so she kept talking.

  “I lost the first ring he gave me,” she said. “He just replaced it. I think it’s nice too. I’ve been getting compliments on it all day.”

  She lied. The ring wasn’t all that, and it really wasn’t noticeable. I was glad that crap was on her finger and not mine.

  “Well, Angie,” she said, “let me get back to my clothes. It was nice talking to you.”

  “Same here. And I bet when I get home, I’m going to remember exactly where I know you from.”

  “Probably so.”

  She walked away to tend to her clothes in the washer. I wanted to hang around for a while, just in case Brent showed up, but I decided against it. At this point, I knew who she was, and that was good enough for me. I made my way to the door, but turned when I heard Lajuanna call me Angie.

  “You’re not forgetting your rug, are you?” she said. “Or are you on your way to the convenience store to get change?”

  I had forgotten all about that stupid rug. I didn’t really need it, so leaving it wasn’t a big deal. “I’ll come back to get it later. I have a few quick errands to run.”

  “Okay, Angie. Or is it Abby? I think it’s Abby, and for the record, you’re the one who looks very familiar to me. Brent told me all about you. So do me a favor now that I’m home for good. Make sure you and I never meet again.”

  I was a little shocked that she knew who I was, and at first, I didn’t even know how to respond. A few seconds later, I replied with a smile on my face.

  “Yes, Abby, not Angie. And as for your no-good husband, tell him to go to hell for me. You and I have no reason to meet again, and that’s because you don’t have anything I want anymore. If that changes, I’ll see you around.”

  My eyes cut that bitch like a sharp knife. I rolled them, hard, before finally pushing on the door to leave. If she thought she would never see me again, she was crazy. From that moment on, I decided to make her and Brent’s life a living hell.

  On the drive home, my mind was all over the place. I wondered what else Brent had told Lajuanna about us. I also wondered if she had seen me following her. More than anything, would she tell him about our little encounter today? If she did, I was sure he would call me.

  As expected, just as I pulled into my driveway, my cell phone rang. It was Brent. I smiled before putting the phone up to my ear.

  “I was just thinking about you,” I said. “It’s been awhile since you called. What a surprise.”

  “I’m sure you already know the reason for my call. Lajuanna told me about your visit at the Laundromat. I hope you haven’t been following her, and if you are, please don’t go there. It’s time for us to move on. I’ve made my decision.”

  I couldn’t believe his tone. This wasn’t the Brent I had been with for the past year, was it? He needed to rethink how he spoke to me . . . or else.

  “I’m perfectly fine with your decision. Your wife just happened to be at the same location as me. I don’t know what she told you, but I know what I was there to do. That was to wash my rug.”

  “I don’t believe that for one minute. I have no idea what you’re up to or why you think it was a good idea to follow her, but whatever your game plan is, cancel it. The last thing I want to do is get a restraining order against you. If there are any more ‘coincidences’ like today, I will do what I have to do.”

  This fool pissed me off. My grip tightened on the phone. It was a good thing that he couldn’t see the tight expression on my face.

  “A restraining order, Brent? Really? I’m free to go wherever I wish, so chill with that nonsense. You’re starting to sound like you’re on edge over there. What are you so worried about, especially if you’re satisfied with the choice you made? Sounds to me like you don’t want to see me because you’re worried about not being able to control yourself.”

  “I’m not worried about anything. Just stay away from me and my wife. You do that, we’re good.”

  He ended the call, leaving me more determined to seek revenge against him. How dare he speak to me the way he did. Just who did he think he was? I couldn’t believe that he didn’t suspect there would be some kind of consequences for dumping me the way he did.

  I went inside to calm myself down and relax. A glass of wine in my hand, I paced the floor thinking about my next move. The first thing I had to do was find a man who could help me make Brent jealous. I didn’t want him to think I was over here lonely and suffering because of what he’d done. I wanted him to think I’d had someone else on the side all along. It wouldn’t be easy for me to find a man who would play this game with me. They would definitely want something out of it—maybe even money. Money was cool, especially since I wasn’t about to give up the goodies for favors. There had to be someone who would do it for money, but who? I bit into my nail, taking a tiny bite. Then it hit me. He would be perfect. I smiled at my thoughts; the plan in my head was brilliant.

  Chapter Five

  The following day, I drove to the Soulard Market, hoping that I would see the homeless man again. Behind the rugged beard and dusty, wavy hair, he was a handsome man. His body showed strength. Muscles were visible, and his light brown eyes spoke volumes. The last time I was here, he asked if I’d had any work for him to do. I did. He was about to become the new and improved man in my life. Hopefully, he would approve.

  I browsed around for an hour or so, buying fruits, fish, and veggies, while looking for the man. There were a few homeless people walking the streets. I spotted one man lying on a bench. I didn’t, however, see the man I was looking for. The man I saw was Jeff the masseur. He rushed up to me, as if we had been longtime best friends.

  “Sweet Pea,” he screeched as he gave me a tight hug. “I thought you were supposed to call me, girl.”

  “I intended to, but I’ve had a lot on my mind since that day. Brent and I are no longer together. I’m not sure if he told you that bit of information or not.”

  Jeff threw his hand back and poked out his lips. “Chile, that doesn’t surprise me one bit. Brent runs through women like I run through men. I honestly didn’t think it was that serious between the two of you. More than anything, I thought it was just a fuck thang.”

  His words stung. Funny how everyone else saw Brent, with the exception of me. I pretended as if I wasn’t as hurt as I really was.

  “It couldn’t have been serious, especially since he’s married. I didn’t even know he was married until a few weeks ago.”

  “What?” Jeff shouted and placed his hand on his chest. “Come on, girl, it’s me you talking to. How in the hell didn’t you know he was married? And I know you didn’t think you were the only one.”

  “Truthfully, I didn’t know he was married. He never wore a ring, and he
lived alone. I was with him for one whole year. I never saw anything—” I paused when I looked over Jeff’s shoulder, seeing exactly who I was looking for. “Jeff, I’m sorry but I have to go. I’ll call you soon, okay?”

  “Okay, Sweet Pea,” he yelled as I hurried away from him to catch up with my new man. He was walking down the street, strolling a buggy with groceries in it.

  “Excuse me, sir,” I shouted from several feet away. He was walking so fast that I could barely catch up with him. His chocolate skin looked sweaty, and his hanging cargo shorts displayed his muscular calves. There was no question in my mind that after he was cleaned up, he would be perfect.

  “Sir, wait!” I shouted again, causing him to turn around. When he saw me, he halted his steps. I was finally able to catch up with him.

  “Hi,” I said. “I’m sorry to bother you, but I wanted to speak to you about the offer you made me a few weeks ago. Do you remember meeting me?”

  He scratched his head. I could hear how dry his scalp was. “Yes, I remember you. You’re the lady who gave me some money and bought ice cream for me.”

  “Yes, that’s me. And you asked if I had any work for you to do around my house. I have plenty of work for you. What kind of work do you do?”

  “Carpentry, lawn work, cleaning . . . Whatever you need me to do.”

  “That’s great. I have some ideas, but do you think we can go somewhere and talk about what I need you to do? I’ll pay you for your time.”

  The man nodded, then nudged his head down the street. “I was on my way home. If you don’t mind following me, we can go to my place. It’s less than five minutes away.”

  I didn’t think he would do anything stupid, but just in case, I already had a can of mace in my purse. I walked side by side with him, kicking up a conversation so I could get to know him better.

  “My name is Abby. Yours?”

  “I’m Clinton. Clinton Jackson.”

  “Okay, Mr. Jackson, if you don’t mind me asking, why are you out of work? I actually thought you were homeless. It’s good to know that you aren’t.”