Stalker

by Brenda Hampton

“I understand. I’m sorry, and I’ll ask around to see if some of my friends need something done.”

  “Cool,” he said. “I’ll be right back. Need to go upstairs and tell Velma where I’m going. What time do you think we’ll be back?”

  “Probably within a few hours or so. I’m not sure.”

  Clinton got out of the car, returning five minutes later. “She good,” he said. “Let’s go.”

  I doubted that she was good. She probably wasn’t there. If she was, I’m sure he wouldn’t have made it back so quickly.

  Within the hour, we were back at my place. Clinton had on the nice T-shirt I had bought him and a pair of jeans. I didn’t want him to get any paint on his clothes, so I gave him a clear trash bag to cover up with. He laughed.

  “I’m good, Mama. Save the bags for trash. I promise not to drip any paint on me.”

  I laid the plastic bag on the ground and let him get to work. He asked if I had a way to play some music, so I turned up the volume on a tiny radio in the garage so he could listen. He bobbed his head to the rap music, and as I watched him carefully paint the door, I thought about asking Clinton to kill Brent for me. For the right amount of money, I was sure he would do it. I just didn’t know how to get my hands on a large sum of cash. Until I did, I squashed those thoughts, saving them for another day.

  In less than an hour, Clinton was finished. WHORE was gone, and there was no trace of it. We started to clean up the minimal mess he’d made. And when I looked up, I saw Officer Wayne slowly roll by in his car. He nodded, and I waved. Clinton looked at him, then at me.

  “I see they’re awfully friendly around here. In my hood, it ain’t going down like that.”

  “He’s one of the nice ones. The others are not like him, trust me.”

  They surely weren’t sexy like him either. Unfortunately, I saw the wedding ring on his finger. However, there was a chance that I would work around it.

  After Clinton and I cleaned up, I offered to make him dinner. I had been lonely since Kendal wasn’t here. I needed someone to talk to, more so, someone I didn’t have to argue with. Clinton agreed to stay. He actually helped me cook, and as we sat at the table to eat the baked chicken and mashed potatoes, he inquired about Kendal.

  “Do you know where she’s at?”

  “I do. She’s at a friend’s house. I’ve tried to get her to come home, but she refuses to.”

  “How can she refuse anything when you’re the adult and she’s the child?”

  “I know that, but I don’t want to make matters worse than what they already are.”

  Clinton looked at me with seriousness in his eyes. “Never forget who’s in charge. Pushing shit under the rug doesn’t help, and believe me when I say your daughter needs you.”

  “Well, she acts like she doesn’t. She said it herself that she no longer wants to live here. I’ve done everything for her, and as long as I’m doing something nice, it’s all good.”

  “You may have done things for her, but have you been her mother? She needs guidance, nurturing, love and respect. She also needs your time. How much time do the two of you spend together?”

  “Enough. She doesn’t like being around me, and every chance she gets, she’s always running to her friends. She’s a teenager. This phase will be over with soon enough. At least, I hope it will.”

  “There’s a reason why she’s always running, teenager or not. I’m not judging you, but it sounds like the two of you have some work to do.”

  I had to go there, even though I didn’t want to. But when hypocrisy was the name of the game, I had to call a person out on it.

  “We may have work to do, but so do you and your son, Clinton. His ‘crazy’ mother can’t be your excuse for not seeing him, and if it is, then that’s on you.”

  Clinton chewed his food and nodded. “I’m not in denial. I know I have major work to do. My son hasn’t been in my life for a long time, but we have been making a little progress. I’m just trying to spare you some of the pain I’ve felt over the years. Realize your mistakes and make the relationship between you and your daughter better.”

  Maybe I had been a little stubborn about the situation. Clinton’s words caused me to open my eyes a little. I appreciated his company more than he knew, and when the time came for us to go, I let him know how I felt.

  “Before we leave,” I said, standing in the foyer in front of him, “thanks for the advice earlier. I’ll go find Kendal tomorrow and make her talk to me.”

  “That’s right. Put your foot down and stop being passive. You have to be a little more aggressive, especially when you want to accomplish something.”

  He said it, I didn’t. Being aggressive paid off. I told him that I needed to go get something from my bedroom, but instead of retrieving something, I hurried to remove my clothes. I sprayed my entire body with dashes of sweet perfume, and then I paraded down the hallway in nothing but my skin. Clinton was still by the door waiting for me. When I called his name, he turned around. His eyes zoomed in, scanning me like a laser.

  “You said be aggressive,” I said, halting my steps in front of him. I lifted his hand, placing it on my breast. “Is this being too aggressive?”

  His hand didn’t move. He held it there, and when I lifted his other hand, he pulled both hands back.

  “Listen, Abby, you are probably one of the sexiest women I’ve ever had in my presence, but you know I can’t do this and why.”

  I silenced the noise when I leaned in to kiss him. He finally reciprocated, his hand slowly traveled to my ass, squeezing it.

  “See,” I said between kisses, “is this so hard? Isn’t it easy to do this?”

  As close as I was to Clinton, I could feel his dick rise against me. My pussy was tingling; I was so ready to feel what I had seen the other day inside of me. I could tell he would be good. Something inside told me he was, but my thoughts were cut short when he backed away from me. He scratched his head while licking his lips and looking at my breasts again.

  “Sorry, Mama, this ain’t happening. I got a girl at the crib who I adore. She may not be perfect, but I can’t cheat on her. Especially not when she’s pregnant. If we ever depart ways for good, I promise to come back here and hook us both up.”

  I was in total disbelief that he had turned me down. My feelings were bruised. I continued to try to persuade him. “I am soooo horny, Clinton, and I . . . I’ve been thinking about being with you a lot. Have you even thought about having sex with me?”

  “Of course I have. All the time, and it makes me feel hella guilty. Velma knows I’ve been thinking about it too. And just the other day, I called her your name by accident. Regardless, I don’t want to hurt her. She may not be good enough in your eyes, but she is in mine.”

  I was so stunned by his devotion to her. What in the hell was wrong with him?

  “I don’t believe your dedication to her. There’s something more to it. Tell me, Clinton, please. I need to know why you really don’t want to have sex with me.”

  He stood in thought for a few seconds, looked at the floor, then scanned my body again. “I just don’t want to hurt you. I don’t want you involved in what I’m going through with Velma, and I’m asking that you respect that.”

  I ignored what he’d said and reached for his hand again. This time, I made him feel how wet my insides were. He lightly rubbed his fingers inside of me and closed his eyes. “Man, you tripping,” he said. “Do you have any condoms around here?”

  “I don’t think so, but let’s stop and get some for next time. For now, I need this.”

  I reached for Clinton’s zipper to unzip his jeans. His dick was hard, long, and growing. It drew me right in. But as soon as I touched it, he backed away and removed his fingers from my insides.

  “Let’s go,” he said. “Please, let’s go. I can’t and I won’t do this. It’s not right.”

  I wasn’t about to beg him for sex. This was so ridiculous, and instead of continuing to make a fool of myself, I returned to my
room to put on my clothes. When I came back, Clinton was still waiting on me. He walked up and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

  “Stay sexy, all right? And if you feel as if we can’t be friends, don’t bother to pick me up again.”

  I swear my face had cracked and hit the floor. Rejection didn’t feel good. I held a smile on my face, though, but deep inside, I was crushed.

  I opened the door so we could leave. And as soon as I backed out of the driveway, I saw a police car again. I wasn’t sure who was inside because it was too dark. My gut, however, told me it was Officer Wayne.

  “Damn, they don’t play around here, do they?” Clinton said. “All they do is case the streets all day long.”

  “Lately, more than usual,” I said. “But that’s a good thing, especially in my case where I have a crazy ex.”

  “You keep saying that, but it doesn’t seem as if you’re doing much to get him off your back. I mean, if it were me, I would knock a mutha off for harassing me like that.”

  “I wish I had the guts to do it. I even thought about paying someone to do it for me. But I only have about six or seven thousand in the bank. I’m sure someone would want much more than that to get rid of Brent for good for me.”

  Clinton was quiet, as if he was in deep thought. He finally spoke up and responded to my comment. “I would do it for five, but too bad I don’t get down like that anymore. I have a baby on the way, my son and I are trying to patch things up, and you already know how I feel about Velma. She would be devastated if I agreed to do some shit like that and got caught. That’s what I fear the most. And going back to jail ain’t an option.”

  “Oh, I wouldn’t want you to. I wasn’t thinking about asking you to do it. I was just speaking in general about how much someone would probably want me to pay them. That’s all.”

  “Aw, okay. But if you really want to get that done, let me know. I know some brothers who will knock him off for five or six hundred dollars. All you have to do is say the word and I’ll put you in touch with them.”

  I cocked my head back and took my eyes off the road to look at him. “Are you serious? For five or six hundred bucks? That’s crazy.”

  “Woman, please. Where have you been living? These mofos out here killing folks for twenty dollars. It’s all about the money. Money can get you just about anything your heart desires, including a dead ex.”

  I remained quiet and was in deep thought about what I wanted to happen to Brent. Clinton didn’t say much else either. Considering what had happened at my house earlier, and our conversation in the car, I had a good ole feeling that this was going to be my last trip to his place. I parked my car in front of his apartment building. Wanting to pay him for painting my garage, I reached in my purse to give him the fifty dollars.

  “Thanks again,” I said, handing the money over to him. “If I can think of anything else I need you to do, I’ll be in touch.”

  “You’re welcome. And don’t forget what I told you about your daughter, Abby. When all is said and done, she is more worth it than your ex is.”

  “I know. And don’t you forget what I said to you about your son.”

  “Fair enough.”

  He opened the door and got out. I didn’t bother to wait like I normally did. I just drove off. But almost five blocks from his place, I could see a car speeding up from behind me. The lights started flashing. At first, I thought it was a police car. I pulled over, and when it swerved around me, I saw Velma driving. She parked in front of my car, cutting me off. And when she got out of the car, I didn’t dare lower my window. She pounded her fist against it.

  “Bitch, I know you’ve been fucking my man! Why are you screwing him when you know I’m pregnant by him? I will kill you, ho. You need to leave him the hell alone!”

  I just couldn’t let this foolishness continue. As far as I knew, Clinton seemed to be a decent man. Why was she so insecure? What had he done to make her act this way? He damn sure was no Brent. I only wished that he had been as up front with me as Clinton was. And no matter what anybody thought, I had every reason to conduct myself the way I did. At least, that was what I’d told myself.

  I lowered my window, firing back at Velma. “I don’t know what is wrong with you, but I am not screwing your man. He is completely loyal to you, so what in the hell is your problem?”

  “Loyal? Bitch, please. You ain’t loyal, and neither is he. If he was, I wouldn’t have found a pair of women’s panties in his pocket. I wouldn’t have seen a used condom in his dirty clothes, he wouldn’t have given me a STD, and another bitch wouldn’t be pregnant with his baby. Where is the loyalty in that shit? Huh?”

  Ooops, maybe I had gotten it wrong. There had to be a real reason for her behavior, and if everything she said was true, I definitely didn’t have an answer for her. All I could do was defend myself so I could get away from this crazy heifer.

  “I’m not the one, Velma. Clinton and I have never had sex. I promise you that all he’s done is work on a few jobs for me. That’s it.”

  She put her hand on her hip while mean mugging me. “Have you kissed him? Go ahead and lie, bitch, because I saw y’all kissing in yo’ car. That’s why I hope you like the new decorations on your garage. I hope you liked my pet too, and for the record, I know where you work, where you live—everything! I’ve seen you in action, Miss Stalker. But guess what? The stalker done got stalked! By me, and you didn’t even know it. Now that you know, do me one favor. I asked once, I’ll ask again. Don’t bring yo’ ass back here ever again!”

  She had my full attention after that. I couldn’t believe she was responsible for what had been going on, and if she was the one who had gotten me fired from my job, I was about to let this bitch have it. I pushed on the door, but she pushed it back toward me. And when I attempted to push it again, that’s when she pulled out a gun that was tucked behind her.

  “Get outta that car and I’ll make you regret it! Leave and don’t come back! If you and Clinton want to do something behind my back, the two of you will pay for it! I’m sick and tired of being fucked over! This is the last damn straw!”

  She started to sob with the gun trembling in her hand. And as tears poured down her face, dripping from her chin, I felt Velma’s pain. I was tired too. Clinton straight-up had me convinced that he was one of the good guys. Brent had convinced me of the same thing. They both were low down. I hoped that Velma gave him exactly what he deserved. She was just barking up the wrong tree when it came to me.

  “Please go take this up with Clinton and move your car so I can get out of here. Lower the gun too. It’s not even necessary because, for the last time, he and I have never had sex.”

  She nodded her head. “Y’all would have, especially if he had given in to your advances tonight. And the only reason he hasn’t is because that nigga is HIV positive! I guess he wanted to spare you the trouble. He damn sure didn’t spare my ass or his other baby’s mama!”

  My heart fell straight to my stomach. I could have died! I didn’t know if Velma was lying or not, but what she said could’ve very well been true. And as I thought about it more . . . his words, his actions, his blatant rejection . . . It all made sense. He wasn’t in love. That fool had HIV! I was so glad that tonight turned out as it had.

  Velma gripped the gun tighter. I wasn’t sure what she was going to do, so I quickly swerved my car to the left, knocking her back several feet. She hit the ground hard, and when I looked in my rearview mirror, she was rocking back and forth in the street. I didn’t know what to do. I was sure that someone was probably looking out of their window and had seen what had happened. Hopefully, they called an ambulance for her. Soon, because, as I glanced in my rearview mirror, it looked as if she had stopped moving.

  Chapter Twelve

  For the next few days, I stayed tuned in to the news to see if anything had been reported about a hit-and-run. I saw nothing on TV, nor did I see anything in the newspaper or on the Internet when I checked. I was worried about Velma. She didn’t des
erve any of this. If what she’d said about Clinton was true, I hope she killed him. I wanted to drive to their apartment to find out what had happened, but I decided to stay as far away from there as possible. If anything severe had happened, and someone knew that I was responsible, I was sure the cops would come looking for me. Until then, I focused on finding a job and on trying to repair my relationship with Kendal. It had been too long since I had seen her, and it was as if she had no desire to see me.

  I did, however, take Clinton’s advice. I found out where Tammi and her mother had moved to simply by looking up her name on the Internet. I typed in Brent’s info too, but nothing came up. He’d just vanished—I still wondered where he was. Too much had happened on Monday night. I didn’t have time to go to the pool hall or bowling alley. Maybe I would go this Monday, just to make sure everything was good with him and his wife.

  While waiting at the end of the street, I saw Barbara pull her car into a parking spot. The apartment complex they lived in was just okay, and with only two bedrooms, I figured things were pretty cramped. Tammi was in the front seat of the car, Kendal was in the back. Tammi and her mother got out first, and when Kendal got out, I almost couldn’t believe my eyes. She had picked up weight. Her belly had a serious bulge in it. It wasn’t until she turned sideways when I finally saw for myself that she was pregnant. I covered my mouth, damn near wanting to cry. I couldn’t, because anger crept up on me so fast that I pressed on the accelerator, driving my car so fast that they all turned their heads. I hopped out of the car, looking at Kendal who had wide eyes.

  “Now I see why you didn’t want to come home.” I slammed my car door shut, marching up to her. “Why didn’t you tell me you were pregnant? Is this why you don’t want to come home?”

  With much attitude on display, she folded her arms. “Because you wouldn’t have cared if I told you or not.”

  I raised my hand, almost slapping the shit out of her for getting smart with me. Barbara, however, grabbed my hand.

  “No, Abby. The last thing she needs is for you to come over here, smacking her around. Are you ready to come inside so we can talk?”