by Twyla T
“I just can’t believe this, daddy. He was just getting ready to come back home. We talked about all of the things we were gonna do together to make up for lost time. He’s the only real sibling I’ve ever had, and now he’s gone,” Cameron said, as tears flowed freely down her face. “Sweetheart, no matter the relationship, you have always had two real siblings. We are going to get through some kind of way,” her dad said, as he came and put his arms around her. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking these past few hours and now, more than ever, I need for you to get things right with your sister. I know that she is the oldest, and you think she is the one who has been wrong, but none of that really matters. We all make mistakes, you and even me, but I just need you to try to make it right. Life is too short. I never thought I would be burying my son at the young age of twenty-three,” her dad continued. He was an emotional wreck, but was trying with all of his might to hold things together. All of the fight Cameron had was pretty much gone, so she told him that she would do her best. She kissed him on the cheek and told him to try and get some rest then she went and got back in bed. She decided to send Keith a text before going back to sleep and he texted back within seconds.
Cameron: I wish I could wake up from this nightmare.
Keith: I can’t believe this shit. I need to be with you right now but she’s here
Cameron: I need you too but I understand. My dad said he called Malcolm and he will be here tomorrow night
Keith: How you holding up?
Cameron: I’m here. Had to get a shot at the emergency room earlier and my dad is gonna pick up a prescription I got for anxiety tomorrow. I feel numb. I really can’t believe this shit
Keith: I can’t even imagine how you feel baby girl. Fred was my nigga. Seems like the good always die young. Real shit
Cameron: I don’t know how I’m gonna get through this. I really don’t.
Keith: I know I ain’t the most spiritual person but they say everything happens for a reason so you just gotta trust God baby girl.
Cameron: I know. This is a tough pill to swallow though. Toya told me that some people say take it day by day but she said if I have to just take it minute by minute and even second by second. I’m about to try to go back to sleep before I start crying again.
Keith: If you need anything just let me know. I love you. Always.
Cameron: I love you too.
Chapter 6
Cameron and her family had so many visitors within the past week that there wasn’t much time to mope around. She still cried everyday, but she was able to reminisce, and laugh at the many memories of her brother, with family and friends too. People bought them so much food, drinks, cards, and showed them an abundance of love in many ways. Cameron’s boss had even sent a beautiful peace lily and a donation. He also gave her a week off from work. Grateful was an understatement for the feeling she had for that act of kindness. She even forced herself to make time to talk to Charlotte. They would never be close like she had always wanted, this much she knew, but she wanted to let her know that she had forgiven her and at least be cordial for their parent’s sake. It’s a hard pill to swallow when your own sister, your flesh and blood, teams up with the enemy and gives your husband information on you. She knew that she wasn’t the only one hurting during this time and didn’t want to be selfish, so she took her father’s advice and had a talk with her sister. The talk was very brief and to the point. Cameron didn’t want Charlotte to try to explain any details because that would only make her mad all over again. She told her that she always wished their relationship had been better, but since it wasn’t, she had learned to deal with it. She let her know that she had forgiven her and only wanted peace and wasn’t looking for anything more. Charlotte wanted to say more, so much more, but she understood, so she apologized again and gave Cameron a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Cameron briefly thought about hearing Charlotte out, but she dismissed the thought. She should have gone with her first mind. Their parents smiled when they walked back in the front room together.
On the day of the funeral Cameron was a nervous wreck. She didn’t know whether she was coming or going. She sat on the floor in her walk-in closet up until twenty five minutes before the funeral was scheduled to start. She didn’t want to get dressed. She was ready to get the funeral over with, but also not wanting to go through with it. This was one nightmare she truly wished she could wake up from. No one could say or do anything to make her feel better, but she appreciated the efforts from everyone. Malcolm tried his best to comfort her and she appreciated him, but there was nothing he could even do to make her feel better. She only wanted her brother back. Pieces of her heart were gone that could never be replaced by anyone or anything. When one of her friends finally made her get up to get dressed, she decided that she wasn’t wearing anything black. She chose a colorful dress she had picked up from Neiman Marcus a month or so back, in an attempt to brighten this day, but in reality, nothing could brighten it the way she wanted.
Some kind of way, she made it through the funeral and burial. It could have been the medication that she had taken, and doubled up on, but she made it through. The pastor who did the eulogy spoke highly of Fred because he actually taught him in high school. He encouraged the family to think about all of the good times. Cameron felt relieved when he said that he wouldn’t dare tell them not to cry, because it’s natural. But, he also told them to continue to speak about Fred. Many tears were shed and there would be many more, but the service was nice if you can call a funeral that.
Fred’s unit in the army did a presentation at the cemetery and presented Mr. and Mrs. Miller with a flag. Mrs. Miller broke down crying even more, but her dad was right by her side, holding onto her for dear life. Cameron remembered that much, but there were other things she didn’t because she had taken it very hard. She didn’t even notice that Keith was at the funeral until the repast, and no one noticed the lady that sat in the back in all black, everywhere she went, paying very close attention to everything.
While Cameron was standing in a corner talking to Toya, Shay, and Sonya; Keith gracefully walked over. He hugged Cameron tight and didn’t want to let her go. Malcolm had just taken Kingston to the bathroom so he missed all of that, but the looks on both Cameron and Keith’s faces showed that they didn’t have a care in the world whether Malcolm saw them or not. Charlotte was looking at them from the other side of the room, and Toya noticed. When Toya spotted Malcolm and Kingston walking out of the bathroom about five minutes later, she grabbed Keith and walked away like he was with her. She was trying to prevent any drama from popping off on that day. It had been emotional enough already, and no one needed any drama.
Later that night at Cameron’s parent’s house, people were still talking and lingering around. She was very thankful for the distractions. Malcolm decided that he was about to head on home since Kingston had fallen asleep. Cameron told him to go ahead and she would drive her mom’s car or get her dad to drop her off. Malcolm didn’t want to leave her, but he knew better than to start an argument with her at the moment. As soon as Malcolm left, Keith and a couple of his homeboys pulled up within three minutes. Cameron had no idea when he had told her, “I’ll see you later,” that he really meant later that day. Nonetheless, she was ecstatic to see him, especially since Malcolm had just left for the night.
She knew that sex shouldn’t have been on her mind, but when she saw him that’s all she could think about. He had always been her stress reliever and she was most definitely stressed to the max. Keith was dressed in some black Balmain boots, some fresh Pierre Balmain Moto jeans, a black and red pullover, and his signature gold cross chain. She got moist just looking at him because he was sexy as a motherfucka. After they made eye contact, she gave him a signal to meet her in the bathroom. She wanted some excitement but also didn’t want Charlotte to catch them in the room. Even though she had made peace with her sister, she was feeling bad vibes. Cameron had even saw Charlotte roll her eyes at Malcolm and figured Charlot
te was really trying to avoid him to make their relationship stronger.
When Keith made it to the bathroom she pulled him in and immediately locked the door. No words needed to be spoken. They both knew what they wanted and needed. He picked her up and sat her on the sink. When he unbuttoned his pants, she lifted herself up and pulled her panties off. She was glad she still had on her dress because it provided easy access. Keith started kissing her and when he entered her they both moaned simultaneously in pleasure. “Damn, I’ve missed you girl,” he told her. Cameron was focused on busting a nut because she needed to release really bad. He knew just how she liked it so he stroked in and out of her, hitting her spot, and she came within minutes. After she came, he pulled her down from the sink,bent her over the tub, and told her to grab the wall. Just before she reached to grab the wall, she grabbed a rubber band that was on the counter and pulled her hair back into a pony tail. “I want your hair to hang,” Keith said, as he pulled the rubber band right back off and threw it on the counter. He started stroking her from the back. She didn’t realize that she had cried out so loudly until someone knocked on the door and asked if everything was alright. She somehow managed to say yes. Cameron grabbed the window seal and knocked everything that was placed there down, which caused more noise. “Are you sure everything is OK?” the voice asked again. Cameron was feeling too good to answer again or to even try to figure out who it was. She threw her ass back and it caused Keith to stumble, but he quickly caught his balance and stroked until they both came together. He pulled her up to him and held on tight before he turned her around and kissed her passionately. “No matter what, I will always love you, baby girl. And that’s real,” he told her.
“I will always love you too, bae,” she replied.
Chapter 7
One Month Later
Cameron was thankful for her friends and family the last few weeks. She truly didn’t know if she would’ve made it without them. Losing her brother has been by far one of the hardest things she has faced. Probably the hardest. Dreaming and wishing she could turn back the hands of time, were daily thoughts of hers, and she would do anything in the world to have him back. She was looking forward to him giving her some nieces and nephews, but now that dream was gone.
Cameron was sitting at her desk, waiting on lunch time so she could meet up with her girls. She snapped out of her thoughts and busied herself by filing old documents and requesting information that her boss needed from the courthouse. Time really flies by when you’re busy, she said to herself when her reminder for lunch sounded on her phone. Sonya walked by in her sky blue Diane Von Furstenburg silk blouse and a red pencil skirt before she gathered all of her stuff and peeked her head in. “I’ll drive and you can ride with me,” she told Cameron.
“OK, I’ll be right out,” Cameron replied while grabbing her Birkin bag that she loved so much.
“Well, don’t you look beautiful today? You must have been trying to impress Judge Taylor,” Cameron said.
“Girl stop, Sonya said while laughing. “You look great yourself.” She continued. Cameron was wearing a simple white dress by Tahari, but that bag of hers made it look anything but simple. They made it to the restaurant and requested a booth. Shay and Toya arrived about five minutes later. “Hey y’all!! Sorry we’re a little late. Y’all know whose fault it is, right?” Toya said while pointing at Shay.
“Heeyyy Cam and Sonya,” Shay sang.
“I don’t know why this child thinks she can sing,” Sonya said while laughing. They all kept the conversation upbeat so that everyone would keep laughing and smiling. “We should go to the beach in a couple of months, y’all,” Toya said excitedly.
“I sure do need a vacation, but I really don’t need to take off from work anymore. My boss has been beyond nice and understanding,” Cameron said. “I’m down. We can just leave on a Friday evening and come back Sunday evening. You won’t have to take off any days then,” Shay said.
“I’ll go too. I need a little get away myself,” Sonya added.
“Cool cool, I’ll start looking at condos and I’ll send y’all some prices. We all can use a little fun in the sun,” Toya said.
“We ain’t gonna be lame while we’re there. We gonna have to do some things like skydiving, zip lining, and parasailing,” Sonya said excitedly. Everyone looked at her like she had lost her damn mind and laughed. “I’m serious,” she said.
“I really appreciate you guys. Words can’t even begin to express my gratitude for the love and support you all have shown me. I thought I was going to lose my mind, but you all kept me sane in more ways than one. I love y’all,” Cameron said.
“Awww, we love you too and you’re more than welcome,” the girls said. They chatted for a few more minutes and then it was time to go back to work. “I got the check today,” Toya said. “Thank you baller,” Sonya said.
“I ain’t ballin yet, but I just wanted to be nice, so don’t make me change my mind,” Toya said. Cameron and Shay both said thanks and they all went back to work and finished up their shifts.
Malcolm made it home early Friday morning of the next week. He told Cameron that he would be home on Saturday, but she figured he was lying and trying to catch her doing something. He won’t catch me in here, Cameron had thought to herself. She had started meeting Keith at the hotel rooms he used to conduct his business sometimes. The last time she met him, he told her that he had put in a few job applications and was about to go legit. It was really Phebe who put the applications in, but he felt there was no need to disclose that information. She wouldn’t dare say it out loud, but she wondered how he was still going to be able to give her money freely if he was on a limited income. She was use to him breaking her off with at least a stack or two every week. Cameron pretended to be sleep when Malcolm got into bed. She had let Kingston sleep in the bed with her for the last two nights because she was expecting him to come home. It worked because he didn’t bother her.
On Saturday, Malcolm wanted to do something as a family. They decided they would go to dinner and a movie later on, so they lounged around for most of the day until it was time to get ready. Malcolm mentioned that he had gone by the alarm company on yesterday and was still fussing about them not offering the feature anymore that disappeared from his account. He had no idea that Cameron’s dad had his buddy set up only his account not to be able to get that feature. Cameron didn’t plan on letting Keith come back to her house, but she also didn’t want Malcolm watching her every move throughout the house. What a creep, she thought. “Where did you get that ring from?” Malcolm asked. Shit, Cameron said in her head. She had forgotten to take it off. “I told you I was gonna get a new one and pick it out myself. I got it last week. Do you like it?” she said, holding her hand up for him to get a better view. “How much did it cost?” Malcolm asked.
“Don’t worry about it. I just got one that I really liked since you made sure I couldn’t keep the original one.” Cameron replied. Malcolm reluctantly ended the conversation because he didn’t want her to start talking about that again and getting mad.
They got dressed and left home, heading to the restaurant. Harvey’s was crowded because it was a Saturday night, but the food would be worth the wait. Cameron ordered broccoli bites as an appetizer and shrimp and grits for her meal. She noticed Malcolm checking the prices while she ordered, like money was really an issue. Kingston wanted chicken tenders and fries and Malcolm decided he would have the same. Malcolm became uptight after ordering. By the time they were halfway done eating, Cameron was so embarrassed and ready to get dinner over with because Malcolm complained about every single thing. He even complained about the price of the check, knowing good and damn well what was ordered ahead of time. When Cameron asked him if he was leaving a tip he hollered, “THESE PEOPLE GET PAYCHECKS, WHAT AM I TIPPING FOR?”
“Malcolm, they only make like two dollars and some change an hour and work for tips,” Cameron whispered harshly at him. “Well they need to get another job,” he sa
id, loud enough for the waitress walking by to hear him. Cameron wished she could disappear into thin air. She was really ready to go home after dinner, but Kingston was excited about going to see Ant Man, so she sucked it up for his sake and headed on to the movies after dinner was over.
While Malcolm was paying for the tickets, Cameron decided to go ahead and get a few snacks so that Malcolm wouldn’t embarrass them anymore than he already had for the day. She wasn’t asking him to pay for shit. After she had the snacks, she led Kingston to the movie line. They were standing in one line and Cameron felt someone staring at her from the other line across the room. She finally looked up and made eye contact and locked eyes with Phebe. Keith had his back to them, but when he finally turned around, he spotted Cameron and spilled some of the popcorn he was holding. Malcolm had just walked up and stood next to Cameron and Kingston. Phebe’s eyes traveled back and forth between Malcolm and Kingston and then she looked from Keith to Kingston. It was evident that she was pissed the fuck off. Cameron was silently praying that Malcolm wouldn’t notice Phebe staring at them because he would not be the one to be quiet if he noticed her staring. He never held his tongue when she needed him to.
The line started moving just as Phebe made a step in their direction, and Cameron pushed Malcolm forward. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Keith grab Phebe and they exchanged a few harsh looking words. “Mommy, there go Unk,” Kingston said while pointing at the heated couple. It appeared that Phebe noticed the gesture from Kingston because she snatched away from Keith and stormed off in the other direction. Cameron screamed on the inside. Lucky for her, someone had bumped into Malcolm and was saying they were sorry at the same time Kingston made his comment. Cameron whispered to Kingston to please be quiet and he would see Unk soon. When the movie ended Cameron had to use the restroom so bad, but she chose to hold it until she got home because she was taking the nearest exit, in hopes of not running into Keith and Phebe. Mission accomplished.