by Mary Monroe
Daddy got in the driver’s seat and we drove Freddie and LoBo to their apartment in silence.
“Be cool, Trudy,” LoBo said, giving me a thumbs-up as he exited the car pulling Freddie by the arm.
“Call me tomorrow,” Freddie told me, blinking hard before the car pulled off. The streetlights behind her provided enough light for me to see the pain in her eyes. I knew she felt bad about having to “betray” me by dragging Daddy and James into this situation. But had it not been for her, Anoseki probably would have killed me. I knew that after tonight, my friendship with Freddie would never be the same again.
Daddy was still rubbing his chest off and on. Spider had to drive the rest of the way home.
“Dude, you might want to get some medical attention,” Spider said, climbing out of the car.
“I don’t need no doctor!” Daddy snapped, snatching me out of the car by my arm. Once we got in the house he just looked at me and shook his head. “Gal, I’m fin to get in the bed and try to get some sleep. You can make a po’lice report in the mornin’.”
“I’m not involving the cops in this, Daddy,” I said in a feeble voice.
Daddy stopped in the middle of the living room floor and gasped so hard he had to cough. “That foreigner beat you half to death.”
“I’m fine,” I sobbed, rubbing my sore face. “I just want to put this behind me.”
“Well you got a whole lot of mess to put behind you. What you plannin’ on sayin’ to that other woman? This Ann.” Daddy placed his hands on his hips and glared at me.
“She’s gone, Daddy. She left the country and I have a feeling she won’t be coming back anytime soon.”
“That don’t excuse what you done. How much money we talkin’ about here?”
“I don’t know for sure. A few thousand dollars.”
Daddy moaned and rubbed his head. “What about that apartment? What you gwine to do about that furniture and whatnot?”
“The furniture goes with the apartment. I’ll have Freddie go with me to get my few clothes from it. Then I’ll mail the keys back to the landlord. The rent’s paid for the month, and that’s all he’ll ever need to know.”
Daddy groaned and muttered under his breath. “If I was James, I wouldn’t have nothin’ else to do with you and your connivin’ self. Folks always said you was just like your dead uncle Pete. He was as crooked as a dog’s hind leg, too.”
“Daddy, please let me clean myself up and get to bed. We can talk about this in the morning.”
“I ain’t got nothin’ else to say about this mess, because I don’t know what else to say. You just better figure out what you gwine to say when them credit card folks come knockin’. You don’t pay them debts you done run up, they will put you up under the jailhouse.”
“Good night, Daddy.” I ran to the bathroom and threw up all over the floor. While I was still puking, Daddy eased open the door.
“Put this on your eye to help the swellin’,” he said, handing me an ice pack. “Uh, I’ll go to the bank first thing Monday mornin’ and draw out that insurance money.”
“What?”
Daddy looked so old, hurt, and tired. That made me feel even worse. He was the last person I wanted to disappoint. “The money that I was gwine to give you and James toward the down payment on a house that y’all been savin’ up for. It’ll help pay off some of them charges.”
“You don’t have to do that, Daddy. I’ll pay off those debts somehow.”
Daddy gave me a warm smile and a look that made me feel completely redeemed. “It’s your money anyway. I’d rather see you stay out of jail instead of in a new house. Besides, this house’ll be yours once I’m gone.” I was amazed when Daddy chuckled because I knew he was still angry and he had every right to be. “I don’t know about James, but you still my girl . . .”
CHAPTER 76
As late as it was, I knew that I would not be going to sleep anytime soon. Curled up in my bed, still in the clothes that could have been my shroud, aching from head to toe, I had a lot to think about. The fact that I could now hear another dog howling out on the street that sounded just like the one I’d heard in the parking lot during the tussle with Anoseki, kept me from getting too comfortable.
Paying off the massive bills that I had racked up was the least of my concerns. Staying alive was more important. I had no way of knowing if Anoseki was out of the picture. If he had the resources to find me once, there was the possibility that he could do it again. Calling the police was out of the question. There was no way I could tell the cops what had happened without digging a deep hole for myself, too. By posing as Ann and forging her name I’d committed a crime. How the banks would handle it, I didn’t know. I knew that I could buy myself some time and hopefully stay out of jail if I quietly paid them off. It just broke my heart to know that the money Daddy had held onto for so many years for my first house would now be used to pay for my greed and foolishness. I didn’t know how I was going to repair my relationship with Daddy.
Even with the ice pack, my eye throbbed so hard I couldn’t cry anymore without writhing in pain. I ignored the pain and cried until I couldn’t cry anymore.
One thing I did know was that I could not return to work at Bon Voyage. As serious as the situation was I almost laughed when I thought about all the stories Wendy and Pam would come up with when I called to resign on Monday. And to keep from having to look at their nosy, gloating faces, I didn’t even plan to go back to pick up any of my personal effects. What pay I had coming I’d have Wendy mail to me.
I couldn’t believe how things had turned out! In a strange way Ann got the last laugh on me again anyway. Trying to be her had almost cost me my life. Annie Lou Oliver. She was even more of a mystery now. My curiosity was burning a hole in my brain. I wondered about that sister; where she was and what she was doing. And, I wondered if Mr. Giles and Anoseki would ever find her.
It was hard for me to believe what Ann had been accused of. Then it all made sense. Somewhere along the line, during one of her frequent trips to Jamaica, she’d been sucked into something she could only get out of by running away. My guess was that Mr. Giles was a big time criminal in the islands. He was probably dealing drugs, weapons, and whatever else men like him did to get rich.
A million dollars was a lot of money. How did Ann get her hands on it? Was she supposed to hide it or deliver it to launderers or something? It was no wonder Mr. Giles had tried to reach her so many times. I really wanted to know exactly what this woman had done that almost got me killed. I had taken so many messages from Mr. Giles that I had memorized his telephone number. But calling him, even to clear myself, was out of the question. I knew that unless Ann told me herself, I would probably never know all the facts. And as long as I was out of danger, I could live with that.
I glanced at the picture of my mother on my nightstand, wondering how my life would have turned out had she not been on that doomed plane. “Mama, Daddy did the best he could raising me, but I still made a fool of myself. I chased away a good man, too . . .” I whispered. “I am so sorry.”
I didn’t wait until morning to call James. I dialed his number as soon as I composed myself, now gazing at the picture of him next to Mama’s. He didn’t sound surprised to hear my voice.
“Trudy, I could never forgive you or trust you again. How many other men were you involved with? Huh? Were you laughing at me behind my back?”
“James, I’m sorry. I will never hurt you like this again.”
“You got that right. I won’t give you another chance to.”
“Are you telling me it’s over?”
James cursed under his breath. “Do I need to tell you it’s over? There is not a man in his right mind who would overlook what you did. And I have a feeling there’s more to this drama than what I found out tonight. Those retreats you claim your job sent you to, the lame excuses about where you went with Freddie, what you did, all of it was a lie. Wasn’t it?”
“No matter where I went, wh
at I did, and with who, I loved you and I still do.”
“Mmmm-huh. I bet you do. You loved me enough to risk passing on some disease to me?”
“Now wait a minute! I never exposed myself to any disease! I would never do that to you. I’m not stupid.”
“Trudy, listen to yourself. You don’t even know what you are. But you know what? I do. You are nothing but a lying, whoring, hoochie mama. Just like my mama said you were. I wasted almost eleven years of my life fooling around with you. I could do a lot better and I plan to.”
“So that’s it. I don’t get a second chance? We can’t be lovers anymore?” I said, my voice cracking so hard it felt like I had a Jawbreaker rolling around in my mouth. “After ten years?” It was amazing how hard I was trying to hold onto James now.
“What! And it was ten years too long! Lovers? What—We can’t even be friends now!” James boomed. His words hit me like a ton of bricks and I deserved every bit of the pain. “Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to get some sleep. It’s been a busy night.”
“James, I am sorry. I really wish that you would let me make this up to you.”
“Good night, Trudy. And good-bye!” James slammed the telephone down so hard I heard an echo.
I let out a sigh that was so strong it blew the hair off my face.
CHAPTER 77
I don’t know what time I finally dozed off but when I woke up the next morning I could smell breakfast cooking. The aroma of bacon was so strong it made my eyes water. As I lay in the middle of my bed, wrapped and curled up among my covers like a caterpillar, I could hear Daddy banging pots and pans in the kitchen.
“Spider’s gwine to help out at the store by hisself today. I’ll stay close to the house in case that African tracks you down here,” Daddy told me as soon as I entered the kitchen in a bathrobe that barely covered my see-through nightgown. “Them Africans is naturally sharp like foxes. They can track better than a bloodhound because of them bushes they grew up in. I got something for that jungle bunny if he shows up around here,” Daddy said, lifting a butcher knife off the table.
“How are you feelin’ today, princess?” Spider asked, waving to me from the kitchen table where a plate of grits with all the trimmings sat in front of him. Spider had never said anything inappropriate to me. But this morning his eyes roamed all over my body, forcing me to secure the belt around my housecoat and then button it up to my chin.
“My eye feels like a mule kicked it, but other than that, I’m fine,” I muttered, pouring myself a much needed cup of coffee. “What happened to Mr. Clarke? He doesn’t help out at the store at all anymore?”
“Yeah, Clarke closes for me now. Spider just got laid off from his job, so he need the money. Besides, he a lot more dependable than Clarke,” Daddy explained.
“I . . . I can help out again,” I said humbly.
Daddy looked at Spider, then at me. “What about your job at that travel place?”
I shook my head. “I won’t be going back,” I said. Daddy looked from Spider to me again. “That Nigerian and the man who sent him might visit Bon Voyage looking for Ann. It would be a disaster if I was there,” I said meekly. “Everybody would know what I’ve done.”
“Well, if any of them dudes come out here to mess with you again, they got me and my boys to deal with,” Spider said, waving his fist in the air. I couldn’t believe how much he had to say to me now. “My daughter had a nasty little problem a few years ago when I lived in Oakland. I took care of him, too. Permanently.”
I smiled and returned to my room with my coffee. Freddie was the next person I needed to call up and talk to. “I didn’t mean to drag you and LoBo into my mess. But thanks for being there last night,” I said, clutching the telephone.
“That’s what friends are for. How’s James this morning?” Freddie asked, breathing hard into the telephone. LoBo was in bed next to her so she didn’t have to tell me why she was breathing so hard.
“It’s over,” I croaked. “Everything is over. I am not going back to Bon Voyage.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” Freddie snorted and cleared her throat. “Now, don’t you take this the wrong way, but that job was your downfall. None of this shit would have happened if it wasn’t for that Bon Voyage.”
“Uh-uh. It wasn’t the job that made me do what I did. It was me.”
“You need some help, girl. You need some professional help,” Freddie suggested.
“I know that, too,” I snapped.
“Listen, these kids of mine are tearing the house down. I’ll call you later.”
“I’ll be here,” I replied, rubbing my throbbing eye. Even though my vision was blurred, I refused to go have a doctor look at my eye. I didn’t want anybody else to know that I’d been hit by a man I hardly knew.
I stayed in my room the rest of the weekend with an ice pack on my eye, nibbling on a piece of whatever Daddy brought into my room. As soon as Monday morning rolled around I called Wendy at the office.
“I’ve decided not to return to Bon Voyage,” I said sharply, speaking so fast it sounded like one long word.
“Why?” Wendy gasped and cursed under her breath. “Shit, girl. Don’t tell me you running off to get married, too.”
“I’d rather not say why I’m quitting,” I said firmly. “Just let Mr. Rydell know. Tell him I appreciate him letting me work there. I enjoyed it and I learned a lot. And tell everybody else I enjoyed working with them, too.”
“Well, can’t you tell me why you are quitting?”
“Something came up, Wendy,” I snapped. “It’s a personal matter and I’d rather not talk about it.”
“Shoot. Well, I hope you will come back for my potluck baby shower that Pam’s throwing in a few months. It’s supposed to be a surprise but I overheard her talking to Lupe about it this morning in the ladies’ room.”
“Congratulations,” I mumbled, forcing the word out. “I just might do that, Wendy.” I knew I wouldn’t. I didn’t have anything against Wendy or Pam or anybody else at Bon Voyage. However, I knew that it would be better for me if I removed everything from my life that was connected to what had happened to me. “I have to go now, Wendy.”
“You will come to pick up your last check, won’t you? What about that picture of your fiancé on your desk?”
“You can mail me my last paycheck. You can toss that picture of James into the trash can.”
Wendy gasped again, this time much louder. I could imagine the look on her face. “I knew it. He dumped you, didn’t he? And you’re depressed. I was the same way when I broke up with Daryl. But don’t you worry. You’ll find somebody much better. I did. You remember Mark from the bank next door, don’t you? He proposed last night.”
“That’s nice, Wendy. Be good to him.”
“Uh, he even knows that this is not his baby. It’s Daryl’s. But Mark said it didn’t matter. He said to me, ‘your kids are my kids,’ and he meant it.”
“Be good to Mark, Wendy. You got yourself a good man. I’m sure he’s going to treat you like a queen.” I sighed, trying to keep the sarcasm out of my voice.
I knew that my comment went right over Wendy’s head. The truth was, I was happy for her and I wished her all the best. In her own way Wendy had been good to me and that was one thing that I would not take for granted. Then, all of a sudden, Wendy’s feelings didn’t matter to me anymore. I had to say what I felt. “No wonder you White girls are so spoiled.”
Sadly, that comment went right over Wendy’s head, too. She didn’t even respond to it. Instead, she rambled on for another fifteen minutes about how great her life was and how I could change mine if I “applied myself.” What she meant by that, I didn’t know and didn’t care enough to ask.
I didn’t feel guilty about interrupting Wendy. “Wendy, I hate to cut you off, but I have to go now.” I hung up before she could say another word.
CHAPTER 78
It had been two months since my night of terror in the apartment I’d rented in Ann Oliver�
��s name.
Freddie did some snooping around and shared some interesting information with me. She had a friend in the credit card department at the bank where she worked who got her a copy of Ann’s credit report. It listed all of the credit cards that I’d obtained as well as a few that Ann had had for years.
Ann had not made any payments on her legitimate cards, her condo, or her BMW since her abrupt departure from Bon Voyage! If I had chosen not to pay off what I’d racked up, I probably could have gotten away with what I’d done. But I’d made too many bad choices already. It was time for me to do the right thing.
I resumed my position behind the counter at Daddy’s liquor store ringing up lottery tickets, spirits, gum, and cigarettes. With Spider working full time for Daddy now, and being behind the counter the same time as me, I felt safe. It helped for him to maintain a fierce scowl on his face and keep his Harley parked out front. The thugs and would-be thugs avoided us. I was glad that Daddy finally had a security camera installed. I was confident that we wouldn’t be getting robbed anytime soon.
Daddy couldn’t afford to pay me the kind of salary that I’d earned at Bon Voyage and I didn’t want him to. I made a few more dollars a day driving a cab four nights a week. I still owed a huge amount of money to the credit card companies, even after I’d applied the entire ten thousand dollars from the insurance money that Daddy gave me. But if I lived long enough, everything would eventually be paid in full.
A month later Freddie married LoBo and they moved to L.A. Just like I’d predicted, our friendship took a dramatic turn because of what I’d done. I hardly heard from my girl anymore. She’d been gone for two weeks before she called.
“I’m seeing a therapist,” I told her.
“It’s about time.” She laughed. “I was praying for you to get some professional help.”
“Well, you can keep praying. I’m dating a therapist,” I explained. “I met him in the cafeteria at South Bay General when I went to get my eye checked out last week. Roy Middleton.”