Southern Comfort

by La Jill Hunt

  “No. You tell me who that was. Who was that guy?”

  “A friend, Sydni. Just a friend.”

  “So you screwing ‘just friends’ now?”

  “Get out, Sydni. I keep telling you, I’m grown.”

  Sydni looked at her sister and knew that she wasn’t going to get anywhere with her. Aaron had always been the only one who could talk sense into her. She reluctantly slid off the bed and walked out of the room. Climbing into bed, she cried herself to sleep. It had been a habit she had become accustomed to over the past few months.

  A week later, Mr. Joe moved in. Sydni made it her business to stay away from him at home and at work. She made up excuses for not wanting to spend time with him and her mother. Magic was no help. When she was home, which was rarely, she would have dinner with them, sit around and watch movies, and laugh and talk like they were all one big, happy family. Sydni was not amused. She knew that Mr. Joe was giving both her and Magic inappropriate looks.

  But she didn’t say anything. As long as he kept his hands off her, she left the issue alone. And it seemed as if her mother was happier than she had been in years. Sydni spent more and more time with Byron to get out of the house. He was her refuge when she needed to escape and her ears when she needed to vent.

  “I have something for you,” he told her one evening as they sat in Central Park.

  “What is it?” she asked him, curious.

  He reached into his back pocket and pulled out an envelope. She paused before reaching for it.

  “What is it?”

  “Open it and see.” He laughed.

  Sydni took the envelope from his hand and slowly slid her finger under the flap to open it. She pulled out the long slip of paper and read it. She blinked her eyes to make sure she was seeing what she was seeing.

  “I love you, Sydni. I want you to be happy. And if this is what it will take to do that for you, then it’s yours.” His fingers rubbed the back of her neck as she sat, too shocked to move.

  “Byron.”

  “I mean it, Sydni. There is nothing in this world that I wouldn’t do for you. You know how I feel about you. I have always told you how much I love you,” he continued. “So now I’m going to show you how much I love you.”

  “Byron, this is a cashier’s check for ten thousand dollars. I can’t take this.” She finally found her voice.

  “Why not? This is for you, Sydni.”

  “Where . . . how . . .”

  “From my trust fund. I convinced my father that I was making a wise investment and he let me take it.” Byron smiled.

  “You know I can’t take this, Byron.”

  “Yes, you can. Take it and get the hell away from here. That’s all you’ve wanted to do since you got here. But there is one thing I want you to think about as you are leaving.” His face got really serious and he sat up in front of Sydni. This time he reached into his shirt pocket. He felt around until he found what he was looking for. He took Sydni’s hand and placed the large ring on her finger.

  “Byron!”

  “I want you to think about being my wife. I have no problem moving to Atlanta. I would follow you to the end of the earth if you want me to. I love you, Sydni.”

  Sydni could not respond. In one hand she held a check for ten grand and on the other was a ring worth about four. She knew that any other female would die for an opportunity like the one he was bestowing upon her.

  “I’m not saying you have to say yes today, this week, this month, hell, not even this year. I will wait forever for you if that’s how long it will take.”

  “Byron.” Sydni thought about what she should say. She had always told him that they would only be friends and she thought he understood that. She loved Byron, but she knew she would never be in love with him. She just didn’t feel for him like that. She searched her heart for the right words to say. “You don’t know what this means to me. No one, and I mean no one, has ever done anything like this for me before. Thank you, but I can’t accept either one of these gifts.”

  “Yes, you can. You don’t have to answer me right now, Sydni. But you have to take the check and the ring because they’re yours. I want you to have them. If you give them back, I will burn the check and toss the ring into the river, and I mean that!” He was adamant, and she knew he was serious. She thought about the check going up in smoke and the ring being lost forever. She was no fool.

  “I will accept the gifts on two conditions. One, this check is considered a loan that I will repay, with interest.” She made sure he understood clearly what she was saying before she gave the second condition.

  “Okay, and the second?” He smiled at her. He had a look of excitement in his eye and it bothered her.

  “I will hold the ring for you. I won’t wear it. I can’t. This ring isn’t for me, Byron. This ring is for the love of your life. I will keep it until you meet her and fall in love and you realize that what you feel for me is nothing compared to how you feel about her.”

  “I hear what you’re saying, Syd. But you are the love of my life. You just don’t realize how you feel about me yet because you’re so focused on leaving. So, now go. You got the money and you can leave. But I know without a doubt that no matter where you go, you will never find a better friend or a man who will love and care for you half as much as I do. You know the old saying, if you love someone, set them free? Well, the door is open and the world is yours. I love you,” he told her with tears in his eyes. Sydni could not stop hers from falling either. He was such a good person and she had always cared for him, but she knew that she didn’t want to marry him. She hugged him and they stayed in each other’s arms a long time, neither one saying anything.

  6

  Sydni stood in the shower letting the hot water run down her body. Her mind was cluttered with thoughts. She still could not believe that she had the money and she had yet to tell anyone she was leaving. Everyone seemed to be in their own little world. Her mother was always with Mr. Joe and Sydni wanted to tell her in private. Magic was just gone all the time. Sydni had no idea where, but she knew it had to do with a man. She could hear him in the background every time she called Magic’s cell phone. And for someone who didn’t have a job, Magic was always bringing in something new: new shoes, new purse, new clothes. Sydni knew she had to have a long talk with her sister.

  Sydni poured some of the almond scented bath lotion onto her washcloth and began to bathe herself. She inhaled the scent and enjoyed the feel of her hands along her skin. As she ran the cloth across her breasts, she felt her nipples harden under her touch and the heat began to rise between her legs. Her thoughts turned to Darrius and how he looked the day she saw him in front of the building. She imagined his strong hands, wishing they could touch her. She wanted to feel his succulent lips on her neck, his tongue licking her chest. She could feel his arms caressing her back as his mouth went further and further down her body, her hands rubbing his head, guiding him. Her fingers became his hungry mouth and he tickled her clit until she shuddered under the water, moaning as she climaxed.

  Her eyes flew open as she realized what she had just done and who she was dreaming about. She turned off the water and reached for her towel that she had laid on the toilet before she got in the shower. It was no longer there. She pulled the shower curtain open and looked. There was no towel. Frustrated, she climbed out and checked to see if it had fallen on the other side of the commode. It hadn’t and she was pissed. Water was dripping off her body and she was getting cold. Before she knew it, the door eased open and she squealed.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know anyone was in here,” Mr. Joe said, smiling and looking her naked body up and down. “Is this your towel? It was outside the bathroom door and I was about to bring it back in here.”

  Sydni quickly jumped back into the tub and pulled the curtain in front of her. Her heart was pounding. No one was home when she’d gotten into the shower and she had absent-mindedly forgotten to lock the door behind her. She knew he had to
have come into the bathroom while she was in the shower and taken the towel. She wondered if he had heard her moaning.

  “Can you get out please, Mister Joe?” she asked, her face red with embarrassment.

  “Sure thing, darling. Here’s your towel.” He remained in the doorway, holding the towel out to her.

  “Just lay it right there, Mister Joe. I’ll get it.”

  “Okay. Sorry about that, Sydni.” Mr. Joe raised his eyebrows at her and slowly backed out of the bathroom. His eyes never left her. Sydni closed the curtain and waited until she heard the bathroom door close. A minute later she heard the front door shut. She grabbed the towel and wrapped it around her, making sure she locked the door. She didn’t know what to do. She wanted to rush into her mother’s bedroom and cry into her arms, but what could she say? That Mr. Joe walked into the bathroom with her towel that he had taken out while she was in the shower? What kind of sense would that make? She peeked into the hallway, making sure it was empty, and practically ran back into her room, again double-checking the lock.

  After getting dressed for bed, Sydni reached into the nightstand and removed the envelope that held her check. She knew she could not stay in this house much longer. She needed to talk to her sister. She picked up the phone and called Magic’s cell. Magic finally answered after the fourth ring.

  “Hello.”

  “Magic, where are you?” Sydni could hear a lot of music in the background.

  “Why? What’s wrong, Sydni?”

  “I need to talk to you. It’s important.”

  “Sydni, can’t it wait until tomorrow? I’m kind of in the middle of something.” She giggled. She knew all Sydni wanted to do was lecture her and complain about not going to Atlanta, and she was not in the mood.

  “No, Magic, it can’t. What time are you coming home?”

  “Hell, Sydni. I don’t know. I don’t have a curfew. What the hell is wrong?” Sydni could hear the voices in the background becoming fainter so she knew Magic had left the room.

  “When . . . Mister Joe . . . He . . .” Sydni tried to explain what had happened. She was finally able to tell Magic the entire incident.

  “It’s okay, Syd. So he walked in on you in the bathroom. You know to keep the door locked from now on,” Magic told her.

  “Yo, Magic, let’s roll!” someone called out in the background. Sydni heard the music and the voices become louder and she tried to make out what they were saying.

  “Sydni, I’ll be home later, okay? I’ll call when I’m on my way so you can be up.”

  “Okay, Magic. Be careful.” Sydni sighed into the phone. She hung it up and then went into the den to curl up and watch television. Her mother called to tell her that she and Mr. Joe would be home after three and not to worry. Sydni shuddered at the mention of his name. She had just curled on the sofa when she heard someone at the door.

  “Who is it?”

  “It’s Darrius.”

  Sydni’s eyes got wide with surprise and she slowly opened the door. He was standing outside dressed in a Sean John T-shirt and denim shorts and a fresh pair of Air Force Ones. She could see the diamond stud he wore in his left ear, gleaming. She could smell his Escape cologne as he walked past her.

  “Were you asleep?” he asked, pointing at the blanket lying on the sofa.

  “Uh, no. I was just watching some television. Magic’s not here,” she told him.

  “I know,” he answered. She looked so pretty, even in her rumpled nightshirt and boxer shorts. Her thick, curly hair was pulled to the top of her head. She smelled sweet and he liked that.

  “Well, Mama’s not here either,” she began as she went back and climbed on the sofa. She didn’t want him to look into her face, thinking he would be able to read her mind and see the fantasy she’d had about him earlier.

  “I came here to see you,” he told her.

  “Me? For what?” Sydni became defensive. What the hell did he want with her? There was nothing she could do for him and furthermore, she really didn’t have too much to say to him.

  “I need to talk to you. It’s about Magic.”

  Sydni sat up on the edge of the sofa, wondering what the hell he was talking about. “What about her?”

  Darrius looked around the familiar room, which held so many memories of his best friend. They would hang out here and talk about any and everything, joking and talking until the sun came up at times. He knew that since Aaron was gone, his friend would expect him to look out for his sisters, which was why he was here now.

  “You know who Magic been hanging out wit lately, Sydni?”

  “Some guy. I really don’t know who he is. Do you know who he is?”

  “Yeah, his name’s Malik. Malik Fitzgerald.”

  “And?”

  “Malik got a lot of beef wit Dax. Something to do with that nigga Frido and a deal gone bad. He lost a lot of money. So much money that he was ready to kill Dax,” Darrius told her. He took a few moments so she could digest everything he was saying. “One night, somebody told Malik about a meeting Dax was having outside the strip club and he decided to roll up on Dax.”

  “What are you saying, D?” Sydni knew it couldn’t be true. There was no way. Darrius didn’t know what the fuck he was talking about.

  “That same night, me, Aaron and Dax were leaving the club because they had taken care of some business.” He looked down at the floor as he continued. “We were walking to the car, laughing and tripping about the girls in the club.”

  “No.” Sydni knew what he was about to say and she didn’t want to hear anymore. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. I want you to get out.”

  Darrius ignored Sydni and kept talking, tears filling his eyes as he remembered the details of that night. “Dax had been drinking all night and was too fucked up to drive. I told him I wasn’t his damn chauffeur and we laughed. Dax tossed Aaron the keys. He walked to the driver’s side of the truck and was opening the door when the car rolled up on him.”

  “Shut up, shut up.” Sydni began breathing harder and harder. She shook her head from side to side, but Darrius just walked closer to her as he talked.

  “The shots came from out of nowhere. We all ducked and hit the ground. The car sped off and that’s when we realized he wasn’t moving.” Darrius was right in front of Sydni, crying as he confessed what he had been holding in for months. He kneeled in front of her, placing his arms on her knees. “I am sorry, Syd. I swear to God I wish I had just shut the fuck up and drove the fucking truck.”

  Sydni couldn’t breathe. She was gasping, trying to understand what he had just told her. She looked at his crumpled body, bending in front of her, and realized he was just as broken as she was. She put her hand under his chin and looked into his face, knowing that he still had more to tell her. “Magic?”

  “She’s fucking the nigga that shot your brother.” He nodded. Sydni began to sob out loud. He slowly stood and walked out of the den. He climbed the steps and continued down the hallway, stopping in front of the closed room that he had not entered in months. He slowly turned the knob and walked in. Turning on the light, he saw that nothing had been touched. The walls still held plaques, trophies and certificates bearing Aaron’s name. There were still cutouts of newspaper articles that his mother had framed, highlighting Aaron’s basketball career. The room held so many memories for him. Darrius sat in the big beanbag chair that he had always claimed for himself. He leaned back and closed his eyes.

  7

  “What kind of business did Aaron have wit Dax?” Sydni asked him.

  Darrius nearly fell out of the chair. He didn’t hear her come in the room. It had taken a lot for her to come in there. She hadn’t been in her brother’s room since he died.

  “Wha-what?” he said, catching himself on Aaron’s desk.

  “You said Aaron had to meet Dax and take care of some business. What business?” Sydni looked him in the eye and waited for him to answer her.

  “He . . . Dax . . . look, it’s not i
mportant,” he told her. Darrius knew she wanted the truth, but he didn’t want to tell her the full details.

  “Tell me, dammit! What business?” Sydni demanded. She knew that Aaron didn’t hang out with Dax that often. He was on a whole nother level and Aaron didn’t really associate with him outside of general conversation when they ran into each other. She could not figure out why the hell he had even gone to a fucking strip club. Sydni had always believed it had something to do with Darrius.

  “He had gotten his refund check from school and he had a little money that he had saved,” Darrius told her. He fought the urge to lie and decided that Sydni needed to know the truth. He had told her this much and there was no sense in stopping now.

  “And? What did that have to do with Dax? Was Aaron trying to buy some drugs or something? I know that’s a lie, because my brother never put a drop of liquor in his body, let alone anything else. Don’t even try to feed me some bullshit story like that. Are you sure it wasn’t you that had the business with Dax?”

  This was the Sydni that Darrius was used to, the bitch with attitude who knew everything. His eyes matched her stare and he made sure they were face to face.

  “No, it was Aaron’s business,” he said slowly.

  “What was it?”

  “He wanted Dax to flip the money so he could give it to you.”

  “That’s a lie!” Sydni shook her head. She knew Darrius was making it up. There was no way Aaron was killed because of her.

  “He wanted to get the money so you could go back home,” Darrius responded. Sydni felt as if someone was sitting on her chest and she fell onto Aaron’s bed. He was dead because of her. All because she wanted to get the fuck away from New York.