by Elbie Dee
“You have reached the voice-,” I hung up my end of the line, after her phone went to voicemail just after the second ring. She was ignoring me, but I knew she was on her way. There wasn’t a way she’d miss an appointment regarding her freedom… even though she knew I’d be there.
I placed the phone back in its spot and turned the key to power my ignition off. I wiggled the key into the front right pocket of my dark wash, Levi jeans before opening the driver’s side door. Once I stepped onto the pavement, and right before I was about to open the back door for the boys, I heard an engine sound coming from behind me. I turned from my direction of the car door and looked back to notice Brilese pulling in a few spots away from where I parked.
“You could have at least answered my call,” I yelled, after Brilese got out of the driver’s side of her Lexus. Before she motioned for the kids to get out, she stuck her middle finger in the air at me.
I shook my head and opened the back door to let Kayo out of his car seat, before walking to Kash's side and unbuckling his seat belt. Once it was unlocked, he hopped out of the car from his booster and followed beside me to outside of the doors of the lawyer’s office. We waited until Brilese had Karleiyah and Zirko out of the car. She hit the lock button on her key fob, and the three of them joined us.
“Took you long enough. We have a minute to spare,” I stated. As she stood arm’s length away from me, she looked up at me and rolled her eyes. I could tell she was annoyed with me.
I opened the door and held Kayo as we watched as everyone else walked in before us. Once we were inside, Karleiyah, Kash and Zirko all had a seat on the couch that was placed against the wall to the left of the entrance. Brilese, Kayo and I walked to the desk to greet the secretary.
“May I help you?” the dark skin woman, who looked to be around my age, asked.
“Yes. We’re here to see Mr. Brown for an appointment regarding Brilese Selters,” I replied. I figured it was best for me to speak since I was the one who arranged the appointment.
“Yes, sir. I do see your appointment here,” she stated, after she typed the information into the system on the computer. “You guys may have a seat. Give it a few minutes for him to get his paperwork together.”
“Thank you,” I said.
Without wanting to sit beside me, Brilese walked to where the children sat. She squeezed in at the end closest to the door that led to the offices of the firm. In the setting we were in, I thought she wouldn’t be as childish as she was acting. I knew issues with us were in place, but she should have condoned herself better as an adult. After I shook my head toward her as I stood in the middle of the room, I walked to the off-white, leather loveseat that was on the opposite wall of the matching couch. I sat down, and placed Kayo on my lap as we waited.
Looking at the analog clock hanging on the wall behind the couch Brilese sat on, we waited approximately five minutes before the secretary acknowledged us again. Luckily, they had an attendant and a room for children to play as parent’s conducted business. She informed us to walk through the door next to the couch and drop the kids off in the playroom on the second door on the left. Afterwards, Brilese and I needed to head back to the hallway and meet Mr. Brown in the office at the end of the hallway.
“Waah!” Kayo began to wail, after I let him down. The rest of the kids instantly went for the toys, but Kayo was acting like his usual spoiled self.
“Daddy will be right back,” I told him, after I leaned over and placed my hand on his back.
“Waah!” he continued. He tugged on my pant leg as he tried climbing up.
“You can bring him with you if it’ll be calmer for him. The playroom is intended so children wouldn’t be too aware of the cases,” the Hispanic woman stated. I guessed she was an intern based on how young she looked.
“Thank you,” I replied, before picking Kayo up.
Once we were aware that the other kids were stable, Brilese walked out of the door before me. We walked all of the way to the end of the hallway as we were instructed and entered the office straight ahead. Mr. Brown wasn’t in his office yet, so Brilese and I helped ourselves to each chair that was on the other end of his desk. Brilese folded her thick legs and kept quiet while looking everywhere else but at me.
Her and I had our share of arguments and disagreements in the past. When I got Merrisah pregnant behind her back both times, she expressed anger. I never experienced the type of actions she was starting to hold upon finding out I fucked Alynn. She wouldn’t talk to me, and she did her best to keep me from her vision. If she slipped up and glanced my way, she shot me with looks of disgust. At that point, I was sure she’d never forgive me. I began to get depressed, but instead, I kept my hope alive for her forgiveness.
“Good morning,” Mr. Brown greeted us when he walked through the door of his office to join Brilese and I. Instead of being curious about the case, Brilese flipped her shit.
“What the fuck! Oh, hell no!” she yelled, after she jumped from her chair. Her eyebrows caved, and her skin started to become blushed. She was pissed! She looked down to me, and I shot back a look of confusion.
“Brilese, please,” the lawyer began to plead, as he kept his place in the doorway.
“What’s going on? Am I missing something?” I interrupted and grazed my eyes back and forth between the two of them.
“Obviously, you are!” Brilese shouted. “There’s no way in Hell I’m letting him handle my case!”
“Stop!” I demanded, after I grabbed Brilese’s arm as she tried walking past me. If Mr. Brown wasn’t in her way, she would have jetted through the door before I got a chance to grip her wrist.
“For what? You want me to do business with someone who abandoned his two fucking children?” she said, and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“Brilese!” Mr. Brown shouted, before he walked further into the office… just enough to close the door behind him. “I’m sorry!”
“Wait. This is your kid's father?” I asked. I stood up and intercepted between them.
I was in shock, and disbelief. From the stories I heard, Karleiyah and Zirko’s father was a no good, piece of shit. Mr. Brown seemed unfit for the description. He had a successful law firm and was recommended by most in the Charlotte area. Just as I began to think that things didn’t add up, Mr. Brown began to plead his case.
“Back when Zirko and Karleiyah were conceived, I was a mess. I hurt you in more than one way, and I want to apologize sincerely for that. Cheating was never my thing, but drugs took a toll at that time in my life. After you left when Zirko was a month old, a few months of drugs later and I was in the hospital for an overdose,” he confessed, before Brilese interrupted.
“And? That doesn’t mean you aren’t a piece of shit father. The kids don’t even know who you are!” she stated.
“Let me finish!” he said in a stern tone. I took my eyes from Brilese and shot a fucked up look his way.
“Lower your voice to my lady,” I said, and he nodded his head as a gesture of respect.
“Ha! Don’t even go there,” she chuckled at me. She was showing her ass and embarrassing us both.
“After a year and a half, I completed a program and have been clean since. I passed the bar exam and became a lawyer to start my life on a good note. I haven’t looked back since,” Mr. Brown interrupted Brilese and I.
“So, that’s your excuse for never reaching out to your kids? Your mom even knows who they are,” Brilese replied, and looked down at her nails as she tapped her foot, waiting for him to reply.
“I was scared, okay! What if they didn’t like me? That would crush the fuck out of me, especially knowing it was my fault,” Mr. Brown yelled back. From his body language, I could tell he didn’t want to admit it.
“Well, you both get the fuck out of my way,” she demanded. “And don’t think about following behind me, and my kids.” She emphasized once she brushed past me and stared up into the eyes of the six-foot-two tall man.
When I followed her directi
on and got a good look, I couldn’t believe how I didn’t notice beforehand. Zirko was almost identical to him; droopy brown eyes and all. Karleiyah even had some of his features like his button shaped nose, even though she favored Brilese more.
“And exactly who else are you going to get to handle your case?” he asked and didn’t budge to move out of her way. “Nobody’s going to touch it Brilese. At the end of the day, you are the mother of my kids. I will do everything in my power to keep you out of jail… and with them.” he said.
She looked at him like he was speaking a different language, before she looked back at me the same way. Kayo had his head resting on my shoulder. Since the commotion started and he wasn’t a fan, that was his way of trying to hide himself from the chaos. I thought his honesty would at least make Brilese stick with the meeting. We all could agree that her freedom was an important role to many. Instead, she stepped back just enough to get a panoramic view of Mr. Brown and myself.
“Fuck both of you,” she let roll from her tongue, before she grabbed the door handle behind Mr. Brown, and forced him against the wall with the door as she exited.
8
Alynn
“Do you understand what you’re being charged with?” The appointed Caucasian lawyer, who looked to be in his late sixties, asked me.
“Yes,” I replied, and rolled my eyes.
I tried not to make him too aware that I was annoyed with his presence, but I couldn’t help it. I was being charged with murder, and the state had to send me the only one who possibly has been diagnosed with dementia. If I had been on good terms with my family, then I would have hired my own attorney.
“If I were you, I would lose the attitude. Obviously, I’m all you have,” he stated, after he looked up from his paperwork.
“Sorry. This is my first time in jail and I’m anxious to leave,” I confessed.
“I understand,” he said. “But it doesn’t look like you’re leaving too soon, so I would get used to it if I were you.”
After shooting a death stare at him and remaining silent, he proceeded to tell me the options I had. He said it would be best if I plead guilty. I lied and told him I wasn’t the one who shot Alynn; Brilese was. I knew she was pissed for me setting her up, but it was my story and I was sticking to it. We were both going to prison, so why not be together… at least, for a little while.
“I want to believe you, but it’s hard. I know it was her gun, but you have too many witnesses against you,” he informed me. I’ve watched too many shows to know that this is where they get you. I was holding my grounds no matter what.
“They all hate me. I messed up and had sex with Brilese’s boyfriend and they’re all using it against me!” I shouted, as I stood up from the other end of the table where my lawyer sat.
“Look, I’m your lawyer. You don’t have to lie to me,” he stated. “Sit back down and I’ll show you what I mean by that.”
My eyebrows scrunched, and I tilted my head as I shot a confused look his way. As far as I knew, cameras weren’t surrounding the complex and the gun was in Brilese’s name. Before his statement, I was sure I wouldn’t actually be convicted. As the handcuffs dangled from my wrist, I took my seat back in the chair.
“I’m innocent,” I stated, after I slowly took a seat. He took a deep sigh before speaking.
“I don’t know about that. Here’s some footage from the gate camera,” he said, before laying four, eight by eleven photos in front of me.
Two of the pictures had me entering the gate. The other two showed Brilese and Bradson pulling in. According to the footage, a time stamp was at the bottom, which showed exactly what time each of us showed to the complex. After speaking to my lawyer, it was shown to me that the emergency call was placed before the two had a chance to show.
I tried lying again by saying they were at the apartment before what the pictures had shown, but that was a dead end. Apparently, the police department traced the footage from twenty-four hours before Merrisah was shot. With no way out, I decided to confess.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me!” I cried hysterically, after I laid it all on the table.
“Okay. Calm down. I need you to focus,” he stated, once he noticed that I had allowed my emotions to get the best of me.
He sniffled and rubbed his fingers through his grey beard after my confession. I could tell he was trying to come up with a plan, so I kept quiet. After he inched his legs apart as he sat on the chair with his elbows on top of the table, he informed me of a possible plea bargain. He said that the four pictures were only the beginning of the evidence.
“Brilese made bond. Once she gets out, I’m sure she’ll find a way to fight her case. The only hope we have left, is for you to consent to a mental health evaluation,” he said, in a cracked tone. He coughed, and I waited to reply.
“She’s out?” I asked in disbelief. “How’d that happen?”
“We’re not focusing on that right now. We’re focusing on yo-,” was the last words I heard before I blacked out.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
I heard a sound coming from beside me. When I finally was able to force my eyes to open, I realized I was hooked up to a monitor in a hospital room. I took my eyes from the monitor and began to graze around the room. When I looked down at myself on the bed, I noticed there were handcuffs linked to my left wrist and latched onto the bed rail. I lifted the light cover with my right hand and learned that the monitor was connected to an elastic band that was wrapped around my stomach.
“What the fuck is going on?” I whispered to myself.
The last thing I remembered was meeting with the lawyer. I tried replaying the conversation in my head, and taking steps as to what happened, but I came up blank. Just as I was about to press the button on the bed that was indicated to call a nurse, I heard a knock on the door before one made their way to join me.
“Hello, Ms. Russo. My name is Tina and I’m your nurse for the day,” an African American woman greeted. If I had to guess an age, I’d say around thirty-five.
“What’s going on?” I asked. She washed her hands and put gloves on afterward before walking toward me. She stood beside my bed and began to run a handheld machine across my forehead.
“97.8. Your temperature is good,” she informed me. “To answer your question, you are here because you fainted.”
“Fainted?” I repeated. She nodded her head. “Is my baby okay?” I asked, still being confused as to why there was an elastic around my stomach.
“Yes. The strap is to monitor the baby’s heartbeat,” she informed me.
“But this one is different than the one they used at the nurse’s office in jail,” I replied.
“There are different kinds,” she stated. I let a sigh of relief release once I was made aware that my unborn was okay.
During her stay, I told her I was hungry and needed food. She suggested I’d wait for a few hours since I had just woken up, to be sure I don’t have any other complications. I begged, but she wasn’t going for it. She said if my health was still up to par by the time, she made her second round for my vitals, then she would order some from the cafeteria for me. My name was marked at risk in the system, so if I tried ordering myself, I’d be refused.
Once she finally exited, I huffed and stared at the ceiling. I began to wonder what caused me to faint and tried retracing steps of my conversation with the lawyer. I started from the beginning of the meet, until I got to the end and realized what had caused my health to decline.
“Ugh!” I screamed, before tugging my left arm back and forth to try and get the handcuffs to release.
“Everything okay here?” I was joined in my room by a police officer. My assumptions were that he was standing outside of my room door. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to hear the commotion I was causing.
“Yes,” I replied. “I’m just hungry.”
“Well, settle down,” he demanded, before he lowered his hand from the gun on his hip and exited the room.
Disbelief approached my mind when it was confirmed that Brilese made bail. The gun which was used to shoot Merrisah belonged to her, and I was the one denied bail. Tears began to fall from my eyes, and down my cheeks until they dripped onto the hospital gown. My plan seemed like a definite punishment for her not wanting to be with me. I was sure law enforcement would take my side.
They probably did at first, which is probably why both of us were arrested. The only thing helping Brilese out, were the pictures captured by the apartment complex’s gate camera. Before passing out, I remembered confessing to my lawyer. I closed my eyes and began to pray for the first time since I was nine.
“Lord, please give me a break. I messed up, and I’m sorry! I promise to do better!” I cried aloud, as my head laid on the bed with my nose pointing toward the ceiling. Not only was I most likely going to prison, but there was a possibility that Brilese wouldn’t be joining me… which made matters worse.
“Alright. We’re going to get you discharged today,” the Asian, male doctor informed me the next morning.
A part of me didn’t want to leave. The hospital bed was much more comfortable than the hard cement one at the jail. I tried begging the doctor to let me stay another day, but my plea was denied. He said there wasn’t a reason, so he couldn’t allow it. After explaining things, he told me he was going to start processing paperwork.
On the only positive note, the hospital was able to perform an ultrasound on me. The sex of the baby was fortunately able to be determined. Bradson and I were going to be welcoming a baby girl into the world. Once I heard the news, I became ecstatic. I spent the rest of the night coming up with baby girl names and dreaming about all of the Mommy and Me outfits we could sport. Hopefully, by me taking the offer to plea to a mental health assessment, I would be released from jail more sooner than later. It would be me and my baby girl forever, even if Brilese was no longer around.
“Time to head back,” the officer said, after he made his way into the hospital room.