by Elbie Dee
As I laid back on the hard mat in the cell, I realized the dreams of becoming a great mother were all inspired by Brilese’s parenting style. Even without a father in their lives, Karleiyah and Zirko were well mannered and impeccably taken care of. They were shown abnormal amounts of love and were both as smart as a middle-aged adult. On top of it all, Karleiyah was hilarious! Brilese allowed them both to be comfortable in each of their own personalities even during the times where she wasn’t comfortable in her own.
I didn’t have the desire to allow Bradson in, but the sound of Brilese and I as a family beat music into my heart. We could raise my newborn to believe that Karleiyah and Zirko were its siblings. We could take family road trips, and plan vacations. It would take some convincing, but soon or later Brilese will forgive me for my mistakes. She might be tough, but that woman has a heart of gold.
I snapped myself from life outside of bars with Brilese. My visions turned into plan making, and I had to find a way out of the charge. Without having anyone else to fault, I wasn’t sure how I would do it. I had to come up with a plan to get Brilese and I out of the situation I caused. Without knowing when the state appointed lawyer would show, I need to come up with something fast. All my ducks needed to be in a row.
4
Dezire
“I have some great news!” I told Karleiyah and Zirko after hanging the phone up with Bradson around three in the afternoon.
“What is it?” Karleiyah nonchalantly asked, as her eyes were glued to the show, Raising Dion on Netflix.
“Your mommy will be home tomorrow!” I exclaimed. That sentence alone captured her attention.
“Yay!” she screamed. She jumped up from her position at the other end of the couch and leaped herself toward me. After giving me the tightest squeeze, she went back to her place on the couch and continued watching the show.
“Mommy will be home tomorrow? Really?” Zirko looked up to me from where he sat on the carpet and asked. I assured him it was true before he took his eyes from me, and toward the television again.
When I was on the phone with Bradson, he informed me of the judge allowing Brilese to receive a thousand-dollar unsecured bond. I asked him how the judge granted her that type of amount of a crime like the one she faced. He informed me that the officers and detectives believed her one hundred percent, and probably spoke to the judge before the hearing. I agreed. Normally, I wouldn’t believe that possibility, but there wasn’t another explanation.
Since it was the afternoon, I decided to tell the kids that she’d be home tomorrow. Bradson said he had the money covered if he could find a bondsman. I told him if he couldn’t and needed more than I would talk to my parents. They love Brilese and since they were at the wedding, they witnessed Aynn’s mental state. Either way, it would take time for her to be processed from jail.
“Let’s get our shoes on,” I instructed the kids after the third episode of the show ended. Bradson was stuck trying to help Brilese, and Merrisah’s family wouldn’t answer either of their phones. I accepted his favor and decided I would go to Charlotte for him to check on her. I didn’t know what she looked like and didn’t care to… but I know if she dies then Brilese faces more issues in the court system.
“Where are we going?” Karleiyah is always the first to ask questions. At her age, I was the same way, so it didn’t bother me much.
“I’m dropping you off with Maw-Maw and Paw-Paw for a little while,” I answered. That’s what they called my parents ever since they met them. My parents didn’t have grandchildren yet, so they were delighted, and accepted Zirko and Karleiyah as their own blood.
“Yay!” Zirko jumped up and shot for my bedroom to put his shoes on. For the first time, Karleiyah followed Zirko’s lead. I chuckled as my heart filled with warmth. I loved seeing other people who loved my parents just as much as I do. Besides, anytime they visit, they always help my mom make a fresh batch of cookies for them to have. I’m sure that was a bonus in their eyes.
After receiving the acceptance text back from my mother as I offered her to watch them, I felt relief. I needed to see what was going on and thought it would be better to go alone if I had the choice. From Brilese’s conversations, Zirko and Karleiyah never met Merrisah. They met and played with the two babies when they visited but were explained that Bradson and Brilese took a break during the time. She hated lying to them but didn’t want them to feel differently about him… or even her for that matter.
After all of us grabbed our shoes, we headed out of the door. I locked up once we were outside of my apartment as each of them stood on opposite sides of me. We walked down the stairwell and stopped to look for cars entering before walking across the lot to my Hyundai. I unlocked the doors, and Zirko hopped in the back and clicked his seatbelt before me and Karleiyah had a chance to get in.
“What do you think you’re doing missy?” I leaned down, and asked Karleiyah who had my passenger’s door open. She almost had me, but I caught her before she could sit her tiny body on the seat.
“Can I sit in the front?” she asked.
“You know that’s against the law. Your mom already told you that,” I stated. She huffed, but then shut the door and joined Zirko in the back.
“What are you laughing at?” I heard Karleiyah say as I sat down in the driver's seat and closed the door.
“No fighting,” I chuckled. The two had a good bond as siblings but would disagree at times just like any other.
Once we were all in our seats, I started the ignition and headed toward my parents, four-bedroom home. To break the silence, I turned the volume up on my stereo and we all began singing along to Sam Smith’s song, How Do You Sleep. There was something about that white boy that did something to my insides.
I’ve always been into white men, but never thought my parents would accept me dating outside of my race. By no means were they racist, but the subject never came up. I respected my parents and their love was unimaginably pure. With me attending a predominantly Caucasian school, I dated one, but I never made them aware. I’d always known that if I want to be happy one day, I’d have to break the news of my desire to them. Until I meet the man of my dreams, I chose to keep my wants a secret from everyone. Not even Brilese, or Alynn, knew what type of men I liked.
“Paw-Paw!” Karleiyah and Zirko screamed together as they ran toward my father, after I parked my car in the roundabout driveway.
I turned the ignition off and hopped out and left the keys in the ignition. I couldn’t bring it to myself to let them out and drive off. Respect was big in my family and if I didn’t acknowledge my parents before leaving, they’d give me an earful.
“Hi Daddy,” I greeted. As he stood six feet, two inches tall, he reached his arms down and over my shoulders to welcome me in. I wrapped my arms around his ribcage and squeezed as he kissed my forehead.
“Hey, baby,” he replied. I looked past him and noticed the kids were making their way into the house. “What’s going on?” he asked.
“Brilese is in trouble,” I admitted.
When I asked my mother to keep an eye on the kids, I left out the details. They had to have known something was wrong. Anytime they visited, it was because they asked Brilese if the kids could spend time. She would bring them over herself. Never were they asked to watch them, which caused my father to raise an eyebrow.
My father and I walked to the stone bench that my mother installed in front of the oakwood tree on the right end of the house. After we took a seat, I explained it all to him. I didn’t leave out any details. He knew I felt bad and I wished that I would have never introduced the two. I began to feel myself begin to tear up but was calmed after my father reminded me that I couldn’t change past tense things.
“You can’t predict the future, but you can learn from the present,” he stated. I assured him that I’d never speak to Alynn again before my mother came outside to greet me. I gave her a hug and a quick peck on the cheek before getting in my car to head to Charlotte.
Forty minutes down the highway and I reached the hospital in Charlotte. With me being a country girl at heart, it grinded my gears to be in the large city. Traffic was normally out of control, and the tall downtown buildings gave me severe anxiety. Most young adults enjoyed the nightlife and mounds of people… but I couldn’t seem to get a grip of it. In any other circumstance, I would have never gotten close to the city limits.
“Can I help you?” The secretary at the main entrance greeted as I walked up to the desk.
“Yes, I’m here to visit a friend of mine. Her name is Merrisah Rayser,” I stated.
The Asian woman, in her late forties, entered the information in the computer system. She replied with a room number as she handed me a visitors’ badge. After thanking her, I walked to the hallway where the elevators were located. I pressed the up arrow button and waited for the doors to open. Once I was inside, I mashed the button to the fourth floor and waited for my turn to get off.
The elevator stopped, and I got out before a few patrons that were waiting loaded. I walked down the hall to the left and scanned the room numbers. I was halfway down the hall before I realized I was heading the wrong way. After turning around and walking all the way to the other end of the wing, I was standing outside of the room the secretary gave me.
I took a deep breath before knocking on the door. Nervousness took over me for the fact of possibly having to face Merrisah’s family; I never even saw her before. If she was awake, me trying to convince them all that I was a friend of her wasn’t possible. Bradson told me in that case to tell them I was his cousin and was sent to check on her, but I never had been a good liar.
When nobody answered, I turned the knob on the door and was thankful to see she wasn’t accompanied by anyone. I slowly closed the door and walked into the room where I put a face to the feet I saw laying on the hospital bed. Luckily, her eyes were closed but I wanted to cry for her. Monitors were attached on all ends of her body and she looked dehydrated. When I got closer to the bed, I noticed the patch covering the gunshot wound at the upper end of her chest.
I pulled my phone from my fanny pack and dialed Bradson. After informing him on what I could see, he told me to keep an eye on her to see if she wakes up. Bradson called her mother before sending me to the hospital to inform them that he was getting his kids. Knowing how much he hates Kaylen, the mom and dad agreed to meet him. He said it would buy me a little time, and would let me know when to leave.
“Who are you?” I heard Merrisah say, while my eyes were focused on putting my phone back in my pack. I gasped as she caught me off guard.
“I’m Dezire,” I replied in a soft tone.
“Where did you come from?” she asked, as she kept her eyes halfway opened, and was barely able to speak.
“I’m a friend of Brilese’s. Bradson sent me here to check on you,” I informed her. I walked over to her once she coughed, and I noticed how hard it was for her to breathe through. “Oh my gosh. Are you okay?”
She calmed herself and motioned her fingers for me to give her a pen. I looked in my fanny and pulled out a black ballpoint. I always kept a pen on me, but never thought to carry paper around. I scrammed around the room for something to write on, until a paper towel at the sink area was all I could find. She struggled to lift her hand before she grabbed both items from me.
In her first sentence, she informed me that it was uncomfortable for her to speak. As the conversation went on, she made me aware that she didn’t want her family to find out that she was alert. I didn’t ask questions regarding why, but I figured it was for the fact of them seeing her hurt. Once she felt up to par and a little bit better, she would probably be okay to wake up in front of them. I told her I didn’t know them and if I left before they got back, then there wasn’t a way I’d be able to tell them if I wanted to. When she smiled at me, I knew she felt she could trust me.
“Who did this to you?” I asked.
The more information I could get would be better for the case. A statement from the victim herself would be a better step into fighting the accessory charge against Brilese; even with it being written on a piece of paper. If there were any questions, they could look up security footage from the hospital and research my name in the system. Law enforcement would know I was at the hospital and didn’t make things up.
I watched as she was finishing up her sentence before handing me the paper towel with a sad expression on her face. When I looked down, my heart fell to the pit of my stomach. My attempt to help Brilese was at a standstill when I looked down at the note which read: I don’t want my parents to know I’m awake, because I can’t remember who shot me yet.
5
Matt
After getting off the phone with Bradson, I went to my contact list to try and reach out to an old friend of mine. Rick was a bondsman who I knew would most definitely jump if I asked. We had been friends since we were ten years old. Over the years we grew apart, but when one needed something the other always could pick up the phone to call.
“Hey Matt! Where the hell ya been?” he greeted in his country-as-hell accent.
“Working, man. You know how that is,” I chuckled. “Listen. Do you still have your bondsman license?” I got to the importance of my call.
“You know I do! I ain’t too good at nothin’ else!” he said before we both laughed. Truth is, Rick was a highly intelligent man, but a professional uniform was out of question. Plaid shirts, Wrangler jeans, and a pair of cowboy boots was all he’d ever wear.
“Good. Are you still around town?” I asked.
“Well, duh! I wouldn’t move these cows nowhere else! They’re good on my ten acres of land,” he stated.
Rick and I caught up for a few more minutes before he agreed to meet me at the jailhouse. I dialed Bradson once again and informed him that we’d be at the location shortly. He said he had just gotten his two kids and was heading toward the jail. I told him I’d be there shortly but gave Rick’s description to him in case he showed first. We got off the phone, and I grabbed my keys and shot out the door to head that way.
“There’s that ol’ good lookin’ Matthew!” Rick shouted as he held his arms out, after he took his attention from the paperwork Bradson was filling out.
“What’s going on man?” I said. I walked over to give him a handshake and followed it with a quick pat on the back. “Where’s the kids?” I asked Bradson as Rick and I stood behind him.
“They’re outside,” he replied without taking his eyes from the form he was completing.
“Aren’t your kid’s toddlers?” I asked. I wore a confused expression, but he didn’t look my way to notice.
“Yeah, but Brilese’s friend Dezire is outside watching them until I’m finished with the paperwork,” he informed me.
“All the way from Rock Hill to watch your kids?” I questioned, before he looked my way and shot a look of agony my way.
“No,” he said.
Rick and I talked for a couple of minutes as we stood in the room of the magistrate's office. After Bradson was finished with his paperwork, he stood up and handed the stack to Rick. He dug into his pocket and gave Rick one-hundred and fifty dollars. Once the magistrate accepted the paperwork and sent in the request for Brilese to be released, Bradson walked out of the building. He said he was going to relieve Dezire from his kids so she could head home.
Seconds afterwards, Rick and I also exited the building for a minute; he was a cigarette smoker and was past due for his nicotine fix. Before we got through the glass doors, I saw Dezire getting out of the driver’s side of the Lexus. The car was only parked a few spaces away from the entrance, so it allowed me to get a decent look of her before we made it outside.
Bradson took her previous spot on the driver’s side before shutting the door. I watched as the two chatted, and Rick’s rants faded from my ears. She was beautiful. Her chocolate colored skin tone looked smooth, and blemish free. Her thick, black hair was pulled up into a ponytail, as the tight curls bounced o
n top of her head. As she spoke, I was able to get a glimpse of her pearl white teeth that were perfectly aligned underneath her full, glossed lips. I saw her at the wedding but didn’t pay attention; all I saw was the commotion and aftermath.
“You’re not even listening,” Rick said, and snapped me from my daze. “You like her, don’t cha,” he continued after I looked his way.
Instantly, I could feel blush forming on my white cheeks. I wasn’t going to look back toward Dezire out of embarrassment but did anyway in hopes of seeming less obvious. We could have been talking about anyone for all she knew! The moment I turned my focus back across the parking lot, our eyes locked. She was aware that she was the topic of Rick’s loudmouth.
“Well, go say somethin’!” Rick had to keep going. Without a way to dodge it, I put both hands in each of the pockets in my jeans, and slowly walked in the direction of the car.
“Nice to see you again,” I said, and held my hand out for her to shake.
“You too,” she smiled. The way she swayed a little allowed me to believe she felt the same about me, but I didn’t want to jump too close to conclusions.
“I’m Matt. Thought I would properly introduce myself today,” I stated.
“Glad you did. I’m Dezire,” she replied before biting her bottom lip and releasing her hand from mine.
“I know,” I blurted. I didn’t want to seem like an asshole or give her a thought that she’d been spoken of.
“Well, well, well! I see some chemistry over here!” Bradson laughed. Anxiousness filled my body after his choice of words, but I was glad he took the conversation from us. I was out of things to say and didn’t want to make a fool of myself. She appeared to be younger than me, and didn’t want her thinking I was a corny, old white man.