Between Sisters

by The Queen

  Speaking of Eric, that bastard hasn’t tried to call me once since I was last at his loft. I tried having lunch with Shawnee one afternoon so I could figure out what’s really going on. She assured me that any relationship between the two of them is strictly in his mind. I wonder how he’s going to feel once the baby is actually here. Maybe I should have let him feel this child constantly moving around. That may have changed his thinking.

  If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear I was in labor now, but I have another four weeks to go. Maybe it was something I ate.

  Whew! Oh no! That’s labor pain, and I haven’t even packed my bags yet.

  “Hello,” Kelly answered, when I called thirty minutes later after what seemed to be my fifth contraction.

  “Kelly, I think I’m in labor. I think the baby is coming early,” I said through a contraction.

  “Sandy, it’s not time! How do you know? Maybe it’s something else,” she responded, excited and worried.

  “I’ve had three kids before. Trust me, I know,” I snapped.

  “Did you call your doctor? Did you call Lew––” She stopped herself from saying his name. “Have you called Shawnee?”

  “You’re the only one I’ve called. My contractions are coming five minutes apart. I’m on my way to the hospital. I gotta go!” I said before hanging up.

  I’m trying to stay calm. I don’t know whether to take a cab or call an ambulance.

  I think I can make it in a cab. Shit! I don’t have anyone to hail a cab for me. I better call 911 for an ambulance. Damn teenagers! They ain’t worth a damn or ever around when you need their asses.

  After calling for an ambulance, that brought the fire and police department with them, I called Lewis to let him know I was on my way to go have the baby.

  Damn, what was I thinking calling Lewis? I meant to call Eric instead. Now I can’t call Eric to meet me at the hospital because Lewis said he was going to catch the first flight out and be at the hospital as quick as he could. That ought to ruffle Charise’s feathers.

  Seventeen hours later, Lewis finally made it to the hospital, and I was still waiting for this baby to get out of me.

  I may as well have taken a damn cab. That would have saved some money.

  “Sandy! Why is he here?” Kelly asked when Lewis came into the room.

  “I’m here because my baby is about to be born,” Lewis snapped.

  Shawnee had to grab Kelly, who was about to attack Lewis.

  “Stop it, Kelly! This bastard isn’t worth our going to jail for,” Shawnee said with pure disdain for Lewis in her eyes.

  “Sandy, you need to tell him to leave. Either he goes or I go. I’m not going to be here with his punk ass,” Kelly said, practically foaming at the mouth. “He probably just finished fucking Charise right before he came here. The nasty-ass motherfucker! What’s he going to do, kiss your baby with Charise’s pussy still on his lips?”

  See, that shit hit a damn nerve. Kelly didn’t even have to go there.

  “Yeah, whatever! Then I guess you’ll be leaving, because I ain’t going anywhere!” Lewis said.

  “Lewis, where is my baby sister? Where did you take and leave her?” Shawnee asked.

  “She’s back in Houston, but if she wanted you all to know that, she would have told you since she’s been there almost a whole month,” he arrogantly answered.

  I was having mixed feelings on the whole subject. On one hand, I wanted my sisters here with me, but on the other hand, payback is a bitch. I loved the thought of Lewis leaving Charise home lonely, while he stays with me.

  “Kelly, I want Lewis to stay,” I said in between contractions.

  The epidural they gave me didn’t seem to be working any longer.

  “You’d rather a lowlife, who left you high and dry while pregnant for your own baby sister, to stay here with you?!” Kelly yelled for the world to hear. “Fuck it then! I’m out!”

  She grabbed her bag and was out the door, with Shawnee shaking her head in disgust behind her.

  “Baby, I’m so sorry for leaving you the way I did. I’m going to find a way to fix it, if you give me a chance,” Lewis said as humbly as he could.

  At that moment, I didn’t give a damn about forgiving his ass or trying to let him fix anything. What I was focused on was paying that bitch sister of mine back for trying to take him in the first place, and that was helping to ease the pain of my contractions.

  “Oh, Lewis! Do you really mean it?” I pretended to care.

  “I’ll do whatever I have to do. But, you know we’re going to have to get that paternity test done so we can remove all doubt. I feel in my gut that this is my baby,” he said.

  I just smiled before the next contraction hit, which caused me to call him every name but a child of God.

  Two hours later, my daughter Sandraea was born. I would say our daughter, but I’m still not certain. The doctor said it’ll be a couple of days before we get the results.

  34

  Charise

  “You know, Charise, it’s probably best that he doesn’t come back. He hasn’t been treating you too good anyway,” Nicole said when she realized two weeks had gone by without Lewis returning.

  “Lewis treats me very well. Where would you get something like that from?” I asked.

  “I really don’t want to stir up any trouble, especially with us having to all live next to each other,” she responded.

  “Well, you already put it out there, so don’t hold back now,” I said, waiting to hear what kind of dirt she thought she had on my man.

  “Lewis hasn’t always been faithful to you. It wasn’t me, but I have personal knowledge of this,” Nicole told me.

  “As much sex as you hear us always having, I know you don’t think he has the time or energy to be with anyone else?” I snapped.

  “I shouldn’t have said anything. You’re right,” she said.

  Oh hell no! This heifer isn’t going to put out some shit like that and back off it.

  “No, Nicole, I want you to tell me what you know,” I tried to ask as calmly as I could.

  “If you don’t think you can handle what I will tell you, then I don’t think I should say,” she replied.

  “Just tell me, Nicole.”

  “Okay.” She paused. “I’m not sure if you know that Angelina works at a strip club or not.”

  “No, I didn’t know that,” I answered.

  “Well, before you moved here, Lewis was hanging at the club she works at, and he was doing his thing on a regular basis,” she said.

  “Okay, that was before I came here. Most guys go to strip clubs,” I replied.

  “It was there that he met Angelina, and she told him about the apartment you are living in.”

  Still confused, I said, “What’s wrong with that?”

  “Him and her were into things,” she answered.

  “Into things? What do you mean by that?”

  “I mean into things. They hit it off, if you know what I mean. And when he got the apartment, they were together in the biblical sense every day.”

  “Huh?” was all I could say.

  Now Nicole looked glad to get this secret off her chest.

  “They were going at it regularly, right in the bed you now sleep in. Then he told her that he had to bring you here because you were having his baby and because you were catching a lot of mess where you were living.”

  She took a long pause while I was still speechless.

  “Since you’ve been in Houston, he has still been dealing with her. Now he comes to our apartment to see her instead,” she went on to say.

  “That can’t be. Lewis is home with me all the time when he’s not at work,” I answered, still unbelieving.

  Nicole shook her head in disgust. “You’re not trying to hear anything, are you? I’ve seen him in my apartment. I saw them together in my apartment, right in my living room, kitchen, wherever. I can tell you what his ass looks like. That’s how many times I’ve seen it naked.”
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  “Nicole, I can’t hear this,” I said, shaking my head as though that was going to make it go away.

  “I know this is hard to hear, Charise, but it’s the truth. I look at you and feel nothing but pity because I knew before you got here that you had gotten yourself caught up in a mess. Many of the neighbors know what’s up with Lewis and Angelina, and they feel bad for you, too. The crazy thing is Lewis told Angelina that you don’t even know where he works. He said he planned on getting a blood test once the baby was born because he knew you were hot in the ass before he touched you. He said if the baby is his, he’s going to straighten up his act and do right by you. He said if he finds out the baby is not his, then you deserve what you get.”

  The tears were pouring down my face as Nicole continued.

  “He told her that you are his ex-wife’s sister, and you tried to seduce him since he first got with your sister. He said since he messed up by getting you pregnant, he had to try and do what was right for the baby.” Nicole tried to console me through her words. “I know this is some heavy stuff to lay on you at this time, but I’d hate to see you let him back in and keep being played for the fool. You deserve so much better, and since I’ve personally had the opportunity to see what a dog he is, I can only imagine it wasn’t you doing the seducing.”

  I couldn’t even put together two cohesive words. What could I say? Do I believe her? Why was she telling me these things? I needed my sisters. I couldn’t even talk to any of them anymore. What was I supposed to do?

  “Charise, do you know where Lewis is?” Nicole asked.

  “I think he’s in D.C.,” I answered through my crying. “He said there was a problem with one of his other children that he had to deal with.”

  “You haven’t talked to him in over two weeks, right?”

  “He said he would call me as soon as everything was squared away,” I confessed.

  “You don’t see anything wrong with that? Why couldn’t he at least call you every day?” Nicole asked with anger.

  “He has gone a couple of weeks without calling before, but he always comes back when he straightens out his business.”

  Nicole shook her head and closed her eyes. “Charise, Lewis is not in D.C. He’s here in Houston. Angelina told me that she saw him the other day in the store buying Pampers and baby formula. He told her his wife, not ex-wife, had their baby, so he was trying to do the right thing. He said it was a baby girl.”

  I was totally confused then. Sandy was due around the same time as me, and she was supposed to be having Eric’s baby.

  Why is Lewis trying to do the right thing for Eric’s baby? What does he mean trying to do the right thing? Right thing by who?

  “He also told Angelina that he won’t be able to see her anymore because his wife will be coming to Houston as soon as they feel comfortable transporting the baby. So, I’m not exactly sure where that leaves you, Charise. Maybe he plans on having you on one side of town and his wife on the other side of town. That way, he can be a father to both babies, if need be.”

  “Nicole, I need you to go. I can’t deal with this right now,” I said, too stunned to cry any more.

  “Charise, I know this is hard for you, but just know I’m here for you. I haven’t known you that long, but I like you, and you don’t deserve this. If need be, I’ll be here to help you when the baby comes. You’re in a big new town all alone. This isn’t fair to you,” Nicole said as she was leaving.

  “Thank you. I appreciate it,” I answered.

  After Nicole left, I tried once again to reach Lewis on his cell phone, and again, the call went straight to voicemail as it has every day since he left me.

  Not knowing what else to do, I called Kelly and shared everything. She confirmed that Lewis was present for the birth of Sandy’s baby, and she confirmed the paternity test showed Lewis is the father. Additionally, she confirmed that Sandy was heading to Houston in a few weeks. She tried to talk me into returning to D.C., but I told her that I couldn’t travel because I was too far into my pregnancy.

  So now what do I do? Maybe once Lewis sees our son, he’ll have a change of heart and know his place is here with me. I do know we’re going to have to move away from Angelina, because we can’t live next door to a homewrecker.

  35

  Kelly

  “Charise finally got what she had coming to her,” I said when I called Shawnee to share the call from Charise.

  “I wouldn’t have even listened to anything she had to say,” Shawnee said. “She’s been gone all this time and wouldn’t even call to let us know she was alright.”

  “I know what you mean. I feel bad for her, though,” I confessed. “She gave all of us her ass to kiss, and now she wants to call when her so-called man gave her his ass to kiss. Then she had the nerve to call the other girl a homewrecker, while not even realizing that she was the homewrecker.”

  “But wouldn’t that be hilarious if that baby doesn’t turn out to be his?” Shawnee laughed.

  “I don’t think Charise was seeing anyone else. She seems one hundred percent convinced that Lewis is the father, so she would know,” I answered.

  “Girl, pulease! Haven’t you seen any of those talk shows where those girls are a trillion percent positive that the baby belongs to the guy, and then five tests later, they still don’t know who the father is?” Shawnee asked, cracking up.

  I had to laugh with her on that. “That is some fucked up shit there. I don’t think that’s the case with Charise, though. I think she set out to get pregnant by Lewis just so she could take him from Sandy.”

  “You have a point there,” Shawnee agreed. “I think Charise had her sights set on Lewis when he first started making passes at her. I just can’t for the life of me understand how Sandy could turn around and take his ass back.”

  “Girl, don’t get me started. I hope she gets what she deserves just the same. Lewis must have some good dick to make them fool-ass women hang on in there,” I said.

  “The dick is a powerful thing,” Shawnee said before getting quiet.

  That last comment had me wondering what she meant by that. There was no point in asking, because she would never tell me if she was still fucking that stalker guy. Funny, she didn’t even talk about him anymore.

  “Changing gears, so when are you leaving?” I asked.

  “Are you trying to push me out the door and have D.C. all to yourself so we can’t see what you’re up to?” she joked.

  “No, I just can’t wait for you to get to New York and run into Elaine. She’s going to be livid when she finds out you’re there with her.”

  “New York is big enough for me and Elaine. There are millions of people walking around. The chances of running into each other are slim to none,” Shawnee answered.

  “Well, take that corporate apartment your job offered, and you will increase those chances. It’s located right up the street from the one I stayed at while in New York. And don’t forget, her store is only a few blocks away,” I reminded her.

  “Yeah, after that slamming grand-opening party, it’s going to be hard to resist going there for my shoes. I like the idea of buying my shoes where celebrities buy their shoes, also.”

  “But could you afford them?” I laughed. “She has a pair of boots in there for fifteen thousand dollars. Who pays that type of money for a pair of boots?”

  “Well, I guess you must have missed the thirteen-thousand-dollar sandals,” she answered. “What does a pair of thirteen-thousand-dollar sandals feel like on your feet? All the sandals I have end up hurting the hell out of my feet.”

  We laughed in agreement.

  “For that amount of money, they better not hurt, and they better have a navigation system attached to always get me to my destination even when I don’t know where the hell I’m going. She could sell one pair per day and close the store. She’d still be making out like a fat rat,” I said. “But, you won’t hear any complaints from Kelly, because Elaine got me two new clients from the party.�
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  “Wow! That’s wonderful! I guess if I ever need a loan, I know who to call on,” Shawnee joked.

  “Not you, Miss Sixty Percent Raise,” I laughed. “How you ever pulled that one off is beyond me.”

  “I owe it all to Mrs. Wilhelmina Wiggins for supplying me with ample, perky breast genes and a perfectly proportioned ass to match,” Shawnee replied as we broke out in a roaring laughter.

  “While poor me is working hard for a living,” I laughed.

  I had been dying to ask, so I chose now to do so. “So have you heard any more from Robert?”

  I never told about Elaine’s call regarding Robert’s proposition of her.

  “Robert!? Hell no! What has he got to contact me for? I’m not Sandy, and I’m not interested in any reconciliation.” She paused. “Ewww! What made you bring him up? I was enjoying our conversation.”

  “I was just wondering if he would go away that easily.” Now I decided to test the waters. “I know Eric took forever to finally go away.”

  Shawnee got quiet. I’m on to something.

  “He did go away finally, didn’t he?” I just came out and asked.

  After stuttering, she finally answered, “Yeah. Oh, that’s done.”

  “I guess that’s good,” I said, still suspicious.

  And just like every time I’m getting too close, Shawnee found some immediate reason to get off the phone.

  “Oh, sis, I have to go. My secretary is trying to get my attention.”

  “Okay, then. Keep me posted with your move.”

  “Will do,” she said, then hung up.

  I know she’s still fucking Eric. If I didn’t know it before, I know it now. Damn, so he wasn’t as delusional as both Sandy and I made him out to be. Wow! Shawnee, how low can you get?

  36

  Shawnee

  I hate talking to Kelly. I don’t know why she didn’t just become a private eye. When she started sniffing about Eric, I knew it was time to go.