by Mz. Robinson
“Hello,” I answered.
“How are you?” she asked. I was expecting to hear anger and frankly hostility in her voice. However, her tone was quite pleasant.
“I’m good. Yourself?”
“Pretty good,” she said.
Silence.
“I’m glad you called,” I said. “Listen Tamara, I’m sorry about what happened. I wasn’t myself...to be honest, I don’t know who I was and at the moment I really didn’t know who you were. I kinda blacked out.
“It’s okay,” she blew into the phone. “Well, it’s not okay…but I understand you’ve been going through some things.”
“That’s putting it mildly,” I said. “But thank you for understanding.”
“Don’t worry about it,” she said. “Damon and I talked and he explained everything.”
“I’m glad he did,” I said. I felt relieved that Tamara wasn’t looking for nor did I have to try and come up with any other explanations.
“So how are things with you?” I asked.
“Better,” she said. “I’m settling in comfortably here and I’m beginning to think that this city may have exactly what I need.”
“Huntsville is beautiful,” I said. “I’m sure it’s a lot slower than what you’re accustomed to, but it’s a great place to raise kids.”
“I see that,” Tamara said. “And that is something I’m definitely looking forward to someday… having my own son or daughter.”
“There’s nothing like them,” I said thinking of Jasmine. “You’ll lose sleep worrying about them, but you’ll feel like the luckiest one in the world just by thinking about them.”
“Well, hopefully soon, I’ll be able to share those feelings,” she said. “I’m very optimistic about that.”
“It’ll happen,” I said. “Trust me.”
“Well, I better let you go,” she said. “I just wanted to call you and let you know there are no hard feelings.”
“Thanks,” I said, content with our conversation. “You take care.”
“You too Octavia.
Chapter 18
Damon
When Octavia told me Tamara had called her, I got nervous instantly. After she shared the details of their conversation, I felt bad for second guessing Tamara’s intentions. Octavia told me about Shayla and what had taken place when she went to what she thought was her office; my natural instincts and desire to protect my family took over. I wanted to know who the woman really was, and like my wife, I needed an explanation of why she had chosen to lie. I didn’t take Shayla or whomever she was as a threat, if she wanted to harm Octavia she had already had the opportunity. For this reason, I felt my investigation could wait until after the weekend.
Tabitha called out, which meant Octavia was short staffed for the morning shift, so like the true leader she is, she went in to cover the floor until her lead hostess at the Ambiance 2 was available to cover Tabitha’s shift at the Ambiance. I sat reclining by our pool watching as Octavia held on to Jasmine, while she splashed and kicked playfully in the pool. I don’t know what Amel’s mother said to my love when the two of them had their conversation that day, but whatever it was, it had been a lifesaver. Octavia was once again the vibrant and consistently loving woman I married, and the two of us were once again communicating properly. I stood then grabbed one of the plush bath towels sitting on the table next to me. Octavia lifted Jazz up and out of the water, then put her on the patio. I stooped down, holding one of the towels open for my daughter as she walked, dripping wet in my direction. She wore a pink one-piece Disney Princess bathing suit and hot pink plastic floatation devices around each of her arms.
“Daddy did you see me?” she asked, while I patted her skin dry.
“Yes baby,” I smiled. “Daddy saw you. Good job baby girl.” I removed the floaters from each of her arms, then helped her slip her feet into her matching pink flip flops. She smiled, then kissed my nose. I secured the towel around her body, then instructed her to go inside and wait in the kitchen. I directed my attention to my other baby who had just gotten out of the pool. She wore a shimmering gold two piece that left very little to my imagination.
“Did you see me Daddy?” Octavia asked, seductively. I grabbed the second towel then held it open allowing her to walk inside my embrace.
“You know I did,” I said, licking my lips. I leaned down, then kissed her lightly on the forehead.
“I saw you too,” she said. “Looking like a king guarding his throne.”
“This is what I do,” I said. She reached down in between us, grabbing and squeezing my dick through my shorts and causing my man to jump.
“I’ll show you what I can do later,” she said suggestively. “But then you are already familiar with what I’m capable of.”
“Ain’t nothing like a reminder,” I said quickly. “You can give me two or three reminders if you want.”
“I bet I can,” she laughed then gave me a peck on the lips. “I’m going to go shower and give Jazz a bath. I shall return.”
“Hurry back,” I told her.
*****
For lunch I prepared the three of us turkey subs and pasta salad; then spread a large blanket on the lawn and treated my wife and daughter to a family picnic.
“So you’re sure that’s what you want to do?” I asked, looking at Octavia. She had just told me that she was planning on letting Tabitha go. I personally felt it was an excellent choice, but I chose not to give my unsolicited opinion at the moment.
“Positive,” she said. “There’s just too much I’m feeling right now and it’s not a good feeling.”
“Then you have to do what’s best babe,” I said. “Follow your first instinct.” I watched my daughter as she took a long gulp form her sippy cup. “Eat your sandwich first,” I told her. She nodded her head, took a bite of the sandwich sitting in front of her, then picked up her cup again. Octavia laughed then eased the cup out of Jasmine’s hands. She continued to express her feeling of optimism about her new hire Joe when her words were halted by Jasmine making a strange gasping noise. We looked at our daughter simultaneously as her eyes rolled back in her head right before she fell back against the grass, and began shaking violently.
Chapter 19
Octavia
I squeeze Damon’s hand until my own fingers were numb as the two of us waited, along with my parents, in the emergency room of Crestwood Hospital. The seizure Jasmine experienced had lasted less than a minute, but it was the longest seconds of my life. Damon and I dialed 911 then met the ambulance they dispatched on the way to the hospital. The physician on duty asked me and Damon a series of questions from what Jasmine was eating to what products we used in our home. Now, an hour and a half later, we were waiting for the results of the blood work and scans they performed, so that they could determine what caused the episode before we could take our daughter home.
I was just about ready to demand an update on my daughter’s condition when I spotted a thin, dark-skinned woman dressed in a plain blue skirt and blouse approaching. The woman was accompanied by a uniformed officer from the Huntsville Police Department. Damon dropped my hand and immediately stood facing the woman. I followed my husband’s lead and also stood, along with my mother and father.
“Mr. and Mrs. Whitmore, my name is Cynthia Keys, I’m a case worker with Child Protective Services,” she said.
“What?” I asked, looking around at my family. I knew whenever CPS was contacted, there were signs or symptoms of abuse or neglect. My daughter was far from being a victim of either of the two.
“What can we do for you Cynthia?” Damon asked calmly.
“I’d like to speak to you in private,” she stated, looking at my parents.
“Anything you’d like to say to me and my wife, you can say in front of her parents,” Damon stated. The woman took a deep breath then exhaled.
“Very well,” she said. “Mr. and Mrs. Whitmore, the reason I’m here is because there were traces of drugs in your daughter’s syst
em.”
“What kind of drugs?” I asked.
“What kind has she been exposed to?” Cynthia asked accusingly.
“Excuse me!” I asked, raising my voice.
“I’m asking what your daughter has been exposed to,” she said staring at me.
“If you’re asking if I, or my wife, use drugs, “Damon said, “the answer is no.”
“Who else has she been around?” the woman asked, looking at my parents.
“You wait just a damn minute,” Mama snapped. She looked ready to beat the woman’s ass and I was ready and willing to help her.
“Charlene,” Daddy said, putting his hand on her shoulder. “I want you and baby girl to give Damon and myself a moment alone with Ms. Keys and this nice officer.” I looked at Daddy like he had lost his mind.
Hell no! I thought. I looked at Mama, she co-signed with her eyes.
“It’s okay Octavia,” Damon said, stroking my back with his fingertips. “This will only take a few minutes.”
“I don’t know about that,” Cynthia said sarcastically. I cut my eyes at her, giving her a glare of death.
“Like I said,” Damon said firmly, “this will only take a few minutes.” I looked at my husband and saw a seriousness that made me afraid. I looked at my father and saw a seemingly familiar stare.
“Come on Mama,” I said. “Let’s go for a walk.” My mother cut her eyes at Cynthia one last time before following behind me. The two of us walked out the emergency room exit into the parking lot. The sun had set, casting a kaleidoscope of burnt orange and red across the sky.
“This right here is why people sue their asses,” Mama began to vent. “They don’t know what or why, so the first thing they want to do is scream abuse or neglect.”
I nodded my head in agreement. I listened as Mama continued to rant until I spotted Doctor Aurora across the parking lot. He was standing by the driver’s side door of a black Ferrari with the initials, VTT on the licenses plate. He stood with one hand on the car and the other in his pants pocket. I watched him as he made dramatic gestures with his hands. It was obvious he, and whomever he was speaking to, were having a serious conversation and from what I could see in his body language, a heated discussion.
I heard the automatic doors of the ER open, and I felt my heart skip a beat when I saw Damon exiting through the door carrying Jasmine in his arms. Our daughter looked like nothing had ever happened. She was smiling while holding onto her Daddy’s neck. She carried a small, white stuffed bear in her hands that had something written all over it. I cried as I rushed up to my husband and daughter.
Chapter 20
Damon
I hadn’t had contact with Detective Jennings since I discovered he was also playing nice with Gator; one, because I had no respect for a man without loyalty; and two, because I had been following all the laws of the land, keeping my hands clean, and therefore I had no use for the man. However, I now needed him to call in a favor and I was willing to pay him well for it. I made the call, and magically within ten minutes Cynthia was told to fallback. I could see the disappointment in the woman’s eyes as she advised me there had been a mistake. I could hear the defeat in her voice as she advised the doctor that performed my daughter’s tests and her checkup, that I was free to take my baby girl home with me. The truth is even if Jennings hadn’t jumped on my bandwagon, there was no way in hell I, nor Charles was going to allow Jasmine to go into foster care. Cynthia would have died attempting to accomplish the task, I would have made sure of that.
I had managed to get Jasmine released to me and Octavia, but when I spoke with the on-call doctor and saw Jasmine’s test results with my own eyes, I knew that was only half of my battle. The other half was finding the person responsible for giving drugs to my child.
“The drug is called Mescaline,” I explained to Octavia. The two of us sat with her parents in our dining room, discussing the information the doctor had provided to me and Charles. Jasmine lay tucked in on the sofa, next door in our family room.
“What is that?” Octavia asked.
“It’s a psychedelic drug,” Charles told her. “It can cause hallucinations, make you think you’re having out of body experiences…things of that nature.”
“But Jazz had a seizure,” Octavia said.
“The truth is every one reacts differently.” Charles answered. “She’s a child. Most studies conducted report the effects these drugs have on adults not children.”
“I still think they got it wrong,” Charlene said. “Maybe Jazz had an allergic reaction to something.”
“The only thing she did different today was swim and we had a picnic,” I told Charles. “We were eating when she had the seizure.” I was trying to come up with a sensible explanation, but I kept coming up empty handed. Jasmine had eaten the same thing as me and Octavia, if her food was laced with the drug, then mine and Octavia’s would have been too.
“What did she have to drink?” Charlene inquired.
“Juice,” Octavia replied.
“Actually it was tea,” I corrected her. “I made a pitcher earlier. Octavia’s favorite.” Charles and I went back and forth with a suggestion here and there from Charlene. Octavia, on the other hand was extremely quiet. I watched Octavia as she typed on her cellphone while staring at the screen.
“What are you doing bae?” I asked curiously.
“Google,” she said. She was quiet for several minutes as she read from her phone. “Son of a b…” She mumbled, before pushing away from the table then marching out the room.
“Octavia,” I called. “What’s wrong?” I looked around the table at her parents, hoping and praying she was not having another episode. Octavia returned to the dining room a minute later carrying a bag of tea leaves, she dropped the bag on the table.
“What’s up baby girl?” Charles asked, examining the bag.
“It’s in the tea,” Octavia said angrily. “She put it in the tea.”
*****
Charles said it would take approximately twenty-four hours for his friends at the police lab to confirm the contents mixed with the tea leaves. I didn’t need a confirmation. The story Octavia told us of her hallucinations and the time frame was consistent with the time frame she received the gift from Tabitha. What I didn’t understand was what had taken place at the Ambiance.
“The day I had the first panic attack, Tabitha brought me coffee,” Octavia explained. “The day you, me, and Tamara had lunch, Tabitha brought out our food.”
“She did, but we had the same thing.” I reminded her.
“But then I ordered a tea,” she said. “Before then, I was the only person that had water.”
“She did all this because she’s mad about not getting a promotion?” Charles asked angrily.
“I think it’s deeper than that Daddy,” Octavia explained. “When I talked to Amel’s mom she said that the autopsy report showed LSD in Amel’s blood stream.”
“You think she drugged Amel? Charlene asked, shaking her head.
“I do,” Octavia replied.
“Why?” Daddy asked.
“I don’t know,” Octavia said. “But Ms. Fletcher said that a man came to see her the day before Amel died. He wore a suit and expensive shoes.” I looked at Charles wondering if he was thinking of the same person I was thinking of; Gator.
“Gator was the first person to came to mind,” Octavia continued. “But that would be impossible.”
“Maybe Amel was involved with some other dealers,” Charles suggested.
“There’s a link we’re missing,” I said. “I just don’t know who or what, but I’m going to find out now. I’m going to pay Tabitha a visit.”
“Not without me you’re not,” Octavia said.
“Neither one of you are going to do anything,” Charlene said. “Our family has been through too much for the two of you to be putting yourselves in danger. Charles is going to get the tea to the lab, then once we have confirmation, we’ll let the authorities handle it.
Does everyone understand?” I looked at Charles. He nodded his head.
“Charlene’s right,” I said, looking at Octavia. “Let’s just sit back and see what happens.” Octavia shot her eyes in my direction. I told her to trust me, using only my eyes.
“Fine,” she said defeated. “Understood.”
“Why don’t the two of you let Jazz come home with us tonight?” Charles suggested. “Give you some alone time to process all that’s happened.”
“That’s something I agree with,” Charlene said.
I nodded my head in agreement, while silently thinking to myself that this would be one time I would let my mother-in-law down. Tabitha’s antics could have cost my daughter and my wife their lives. I didn’t have time to wait for the authorities to handle it, I needed my answer and a resolution immediately.
Ten minutes later, while I changed into jeans and a t-shirt, I listened to Octavia rant and rave on how selfish I was being for wanting to confront Tabitha alone.
“Charlene is right,” I told her. “It’s too dangerous. We don’t know who she’s involved with and I’d rather not take any chances with you.”
“We’ve been taking chances since we met,” she said, “It’s what we do.”
“Not tonight,” I told her. “Tonight I go it alone.” I could tell she wanted to protest but she didn’t; instead, she rolled her eyes while shaking her head at me. “Can you just trust me on this?” I questioned. “Respect my wishes? Please baby?”
“I’ll go pull her address up for you?” she exhaled. “I have it saved on my database down in the office.”
“Thanks bae,” I said. I gave her a warm hug, then a quick peck on the lips. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” she said, pulling away. I knew Octavia was disappointed, but there was no way I was going to risk her life. I sat down on the edge of the bed admiring her from behind as she exited the bedroom. I slipped my feet in my sneakers then retrieved the 45mm I kept hidden in our closet and secured it in the waistband of my pants. I stepped down the staircase and found a note waiting for me at the landing of the stairs.