ROMANCE: The Surprise That Rocked Me

by Linda Wright

  Keisha drove to her condo, eyes red-rimmed and watery and was pleasantly surprised to find Jason there waiting for her. He was sitting in the living room with Takia having a very animated conversation. There was a basketball game on the TV. The two of them barely noticed when Keisha walked in. Once they did, Jason got up and kissed her and Takia came around to give her a hug. Keisha gave them a tired smile and said, “Well, hello you two. What are you up to?”

  Jason replied, “We were just sitting around watching some games. Takia is a big fan of basketball too, so we were just talking about it. I brought my game over too so we could play 2K.”

  “That’s good, baby. Did you all eat?”

  “Yeah, I ordered in. I got you something too. It’s in the microwave waiting for you. Damn, baby, you look tired. You need to go lay down.”

  Takia chimed in, “Yeah, girl, you look dead on your feet. Go on to bed.”

  Keisha shook her head and said, “Oh, no. I can hang with you guys for a minute.”

  Jason got a stern look on his face and said, “You need to rest. Go take yourself a bath and go to sleep. We’ll be alright.”

  He kissed her and guided her towards the bathroom. Keisha did not have enough energy to protest. She went ahead and ran some bathwater and got ready to get in. She felt like there was something different about her bathroom, but she thought she was probably just tired. Maybe Takia had moved something around, she wasn’t sure. She just stepped into the nice hot bathwater and began to soak away all of the weariness from her work week. She washed over herself and then let some of the bathwater out so she could warm it up again. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep. The next thing she knew she was being shaken awake. Jason was kneeling beside the tub smiling down at her. He said, “I knew you were tired. Get on out, baby. I’ll drain and wash out the tub. Go to bed.” He helped Keisha step out and put on her robe. She swayed sleepily into her room and fell into her bed. It felt slept in, but she may have left it that way. She had come in a few times throughout the week and slept in her clothes. She barely had any time to think this before she was drifting into sleep.

  Keisha woke up the next morning to noises coming from the living room. She rolled over and realized she was still in just her robe. She put on some clothes and went out into the living room to see where the noise was coming from. She found Takia and Jason seated next to each other on the floor playing 2K. They were whooping and talking smack, completely engrossed in the game. Jason tried to make a shot and Takia dropped her remote and began to wrestle him down to stop him. They struggled on the floor, laughing until they looked up and saw Keisha. Jason rolled off of the floor and got up to greet her. He put his arms around her and said, “Good morning, sleepyhead.”

  Keisha shook off a feeling of uneasiness and smiled at him and said, Good morning.”

  “Hey, I made you some breakfast. It’s on the warmer in the oven.”

  “Thank you, baby. You’re so good to me.”

  They hugged again and Keisha peeked over his shoulder. She could’ve sworn she saw a look of hostility on Takia’s face, but when she looked again she was wearing a sweet smile. She said, “Aw, you guys are so cute.” Keisha readjusted in Jason’s arms and asked, “Takia, have you talked to Natasha or Sicily. I texted them, but they haven’t responded.”

  “Not today. I talked to them yesterday and they were headed off to some rowdy warehouse party. They’re probably still passed out.”

  Keisha thought about that as she stepped out of Jason’s grasp and went to get her food from the kitchen. She could not remember the last time she had talked to her sister. They usually talked at least every other day. The last time she recalled was the day she intJohnuced her to Takia. She made a mental note to call her in a little while to check in with her. Keisha took her plate and sat down at the table. Jason and Takia went back to playing the game. She noticed that Takia had repositioned herself a bit farther from Jason this time. She got up and sat on the couch, while he stayed on the floor. She quieted down a bit too. Keisha tried not to think anything of it. Just as Keisha got up and began to clear her plate, Takia said, still looking at the screen, “Oh, Keke, I decided to take that job with your company. CiCi and TaTa set me up so I can start this week.”

  “Oh, wow! That’s great. Where will you be working?”

  “I’ll be working with you in your department.”

  “That’s awesome. I’m happy for you.”

  “Yeah, I’m on my way. I’ll be like you in a little bit.”

  “Ha ha ha!”

  Keisha laughed and continued to clean up the kitchen. There was an alarm going off in her head. Keisha was trying not to be paranoid, but something didn’t feel right. There was something happening and she didn’t understand what it was. She had always been sensitive and she could sometimes let her imagination get away with her, but it was something about the vibe she was getting from Takia that made her feel uncomfortable. She tried to shake the feeling, but it was a presence in the condo with her. She decided she needed to get out and get some fresh air. She wished Natasha had gotten back to her so she could hang out with her, but she would just have to find something else to do. Maybe she should just go out by herself for a while. All she knew was she needed to get out of the condo.

  She went into her room and put on a jogging suit. She decided while she was out she may as well go to the gym; she hadn’t been able to that week. She grabbed her gym bag and keys to get ready and go. She walked out into the living room and just as she was about to say bye, Takia turned around and asked, “Where are you going?” Jason paused the game and turned around too. Keisha felt caught, as if she had been sneaking out. She put a smile on her face and said, “Oh, I’m just gonna go run a few errands. I’ll be back a little later.” She tried to sound casual.

  “Oh, do you want me to come with you?”

  “No, that won’t be necessary. You two just stay here.” As she said it, it felt wrong. She felt like it would be a bad idea leaving the two of them there, but she did not want to stay. She hesitated for a moment, but proceeded for the door. Jason got up to give her a hug and a kiss. She accepted them half-heartedly and walked out. In her mind she felt she was being ridiculous, but the alarms inside of her were going off. All of the little things that she had been finding strange were starting to add up. She hoped that she would be able to go to the gym and sweat it out. She got in her car and began to drive away. Just being in control of the car seemed to settle her.

  She went to the gym and had a great workout. Then she went to a few stores, dropped off somethings at the post office, and picked up some dry-cleaning she had almost forgotten about. On her way home she stopped by her favorite sweet spot and grabbed some junk. She got herself an icee and stopped for gas before finally pulling back up to her condo. She sat outside for a minute, hesitant to go back in. She remembered her mental note to call Natasha. She picked up the cell phone to call. She realized she hadn’t turned her ringer back on. There were texts, calls, and emails waiting for her on the screen. She noticed Jason’s name and called him back. He answered, “Hey, baby. Where you been?”

  “I went to the gym and took care of some other things. What’s up?”

  “Nothing. I was just worried about you. I left the condo to go check on Uncle Junior. I’m gonna stay with him tonight to give Kira a break. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. I love you.”

  “I love you too. Bye.” Keisha hung up and called Natasha. The call went to her voicemail. She hung up, got her bags, and went up to the condo. When she walked in she found an empty living room and kitchen. She thought for a minute that Takia was not there. Then she heard the bathroom door open and saw her walking down the hall. She had on a dress with makeup and jewelry. But on closer inspection, Keisha realized that she was not just wearing a dress and jewelry, she was wearing HER dress and jewelry. She stood there blinking for a few moments. Then she said, slowly, “Um, hey. Is that my dress and jewelry?”

  “Oh, yeah, girl. I hope you do
n’t mind. I didn’t really have anything nice enough to wear and you keep telling me to help myself to anything.”

  “Oh, no. It’s okay. Is that my perfume too?”

  “Yeah. You always smell so good.”

  “Thank you. You look nice. Where are you going?”

  “Oh, your family invited me over for Sunday dinner.”

  “Oh, right. I almost forgot about that. I better get dressed.”

  Keisha ran back into her room to get ready. Her family had a huge dinner every Sunday night. She must have been really tired to have forgotten. She put on one of her new outfits and put on some light makeup. She hurriedly found some shoes and grabbed her purse to go. She almost forgot Takia was out there waiting. As soon as she came to the living room Takia got up and headed for the door. They went down to the car and Johne to her parent’s house in silence. Keisha put in the code and they went through the gate up to the house. When they got there, Keisha had barely stopped the car before Takia was climbing out. Keisha grabbed her purse, got out and followed her to the door. Takia stopped to ring the bell, but Keisha stepped around her and walked right in. Her parents never locked the door on Sundays.

  Keisha walked into the kitchen just as her mother and the housekeeper were putting in the final touches. She gave her mother a big hug and kiss before turning to Rosetta, the long-time housekeeper, and giving her a hug as well. She turned around to intJohnuce Takia, but her mother was already approaching her. They hugged and chatted like they were very familiar. Keisha stood and watched in surprise. Apparently Natasha and Sicily had brought Takia around in her absence. Most of the family had already met her. Since she did not have to make intJohnuctions she went to find her seat. Just then Natasha and Sicily walked in, loud as ever. Natasha entered the room and said, “Hey KeKe.” Keisha turned around to greet her, only to realize that Natasha wasn’t talking to her. She was talking to Takia. Since when was she going by KeKe? All of the time she had known her, she had never heard her called that. Kia was one thing, but KeKe was another. She tried to shake it off.

  She got up and went over to talk to Natasha and Sicily. They were talking animatedly with Takia. She waited patiently for a lull in the conversation to jump in. She said, “Hey y’all. I’ve been texting and calling you.” Natasha and Sicily turned to her. They looked agitated. She tried to think of what their reason could be. She thought maybe they were upset that she had put Takia off on them, but she couldn’t help it. She had to work to get the deal done. Natasha threw her a tight, “Hey” and turned back to Takia. Sicily said nothing at all. Keisha was extremely taken aback. She had never had any issues with either of them. She stood for a moment trying to think of something to say, but came up with nothing. She walked back over to her seat and sat down sadly.

  The family dinner was as lively as usual. That is for everyone, but Keisha. She sat there quietly eating her dinner and watching. She couldn’t understand it, but it seemed like everyone was treating her differently. She didn’t get it. On the other hand, everyone seemed to love Takia, or KeKe as everyone was now calling her. She laughed and talked just like one of the family. Keisha felt all but forgotten. She thought it was silly; she had wanted Takia to feel a part of the clan, but not at the expense of her. She kept telling herself she was over-reacting.

  That is until her Aunt Rita said, “I cannot wait until my party. It is going to be amazing. The best of the best.” Keisha sat in confusion. She hadn’t heard about any party. Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t really heard from her family since she had left work. That may not be odd for other people, but for the Mosby clan that was major. They were in constant communication. Keisha piped up, “Aunt Rita, I didn’t know you were having a party.”

  At that everyone at the table turned to look at her. Before Aunt Rita could say anything Natasha stepped in and said, “Well, now I guess you know how it feels.” Keisha could only imagine the look on her face. She had no idea where that had come from. She wasn’t keeping any secrets from her family. She said, “Tasha, what are you talking about?” Sicily intervened and said, “We hear you like to keep a lot of things to yourself.” Keisha’s bewilderment continued. What the hell was going on here? She was completely confused. What were they talking about? Everyone at the table was staring at her. That is except for Takia. She was staring down into her lap. Keisha began to think that Takia had been telling her family things about her. She tried to think of what she could have possibly said. It had to be lies, because there was nothing that she could have told them truthfully that they had not heard from her. She was completely in the dark and she hated it. She wished that Jason was there with her.

  She sat there for a moment, feeling like she was in a nightmare. She cleared her throat, trying to loosen the lump forming there and said, “What do you mean? I haven’t kept anything from you guys.”

  “Oh really? So what is this about you quitting the family business once you marry Jason?”

  “What? I’m not quitting. Where is this coming from?”

  “Apparently it’s coming from the place you keep everything from us at. I guess it should be no surprise that Little Miss KeKe isn’t as perfect as she seems.”

  Keisha felt very hurt. Not only was she being attacked, but no one was coming to her rescue. Her hurt slowly turned into anger as she became outraged. How could her family believe something from someone they had just met over her? The final straw was when Takia finally looked up and said, “You guys, don’t be upset. I only told you those things because I thought you knew. I’m sure Keisha wasn’t trying to deceive you. You know how it is. There are just things you don’t tell your family.”

  Natasha turned around and said, “No! There is nothing you cannot tell your family. Keisha should know that.”

  At this Keisha jumped up out of her seat and went to stomp out of the room. Before she left though, her anger reached a boiling point and she launched at Takia saying, “How could you do this? All I’ve done is help you and this is what you do? You try to turn my family against me? You lousy…” Keisha flew at Takia. Her family got up to grab her and block her from getting to Takia. Once again, Keisha felt like she was on the outside looking in. The tears were falling down her face. She broke out of their arms and ran out of the door to her car. She could barely see, but she put the car in drive and Johne off.

  Keisha was completely rattled. She could not believe what had just happened. She wanted to stop and pinch herself to wake up. But it was all too real. Her family had just turned on her for someone who she thought was one of her best friends. She was having a complete out of body experience. She wanted to call her daddy. She knew if he had been there things would not have happened like that. Unfortunately he was away on business. She knew there was only one person she could turn to: Jason.

  She drove down the highway towards Uncle Junior’s house. Her mind was racing. She kept playing it over and over again to herself. She truly could not believe it. She welcomed Takia into her home and into her family and she completely flipped everything on her. The betrayal was so awful. And she had been concerned about leaving her with Jason. Apparently that was the least of her problems.

  Before she knew it Keisha was pulling onto Uncle Junior’s block. She found a park and got out of the car. She had not even thought to call Jason before she came. She just knew that she needed to be with Jason right now. She rang the doorbell and waited. She felt unsteady on her feet. It took a while for him to come to the door, probably unsure about the uninvited visitor. As soon as the door opened, she fell into Jason’s arms. He had to catch her and all but carry her over to the couch. He held her in his arms and rocked her as she cried. She could not even get the words out to tell him what had happened. It seemed she wouldn’t have to. Still holding her close, he said, “Your mother just called and told me what happened.”

  Keisha jolted upright and looked him in his eyes. Before she knew it, she was stumbling backwards on her feet. She could not believe it. They had gotten to him too. She felt
like she was losing her mind. Everything was turning against her. She felt completely alone in the world. She looked at Jason. He was looking at her carefully, clearly trying to read her expression. She turned away from him. She began to walk towards the door. He said, “Keisha…” He took a step towards her. Keisha shook her head and backed out of the door.

  She ran back to her car and immediately drove away. At first she wasn’t sure of where she was going to go. But she realized that she was pointing her car towards home, which is probably where she needed to be. She would go in there, pack up Takia’s things and put them outside of her door. She must have been speeding because before she knew it she was coming to a screeching halt in her parking lot. She parked and went up to her condo, barely conscious of what she was doing.

  Keisha put her keys in the door and opened it to a nasty surprise. Takia was sitting on her couch waiting for her. She could not believe the gall of this woman. She must really be crazy. Not as crazy as Keisha felt, though. Keisha closed the door behind her and stepped inside. She felt a wild energy radiating through her body. She stood waiting. She refused to be the first to speak. She wanted to hear what Takia had to say for herself. After some heavy moments of silence, Takia stood up and took a step towards Keisha, but only one. There was a look of sympathy and remorse on her face. Keisha’s mood did not change. She continued to wait.