We Both Cant Be Bae 3 (We Both Can't Be Bae)

by Twyla T

  “You ready to go to lunch?” Sonya asked when she stuck her head in Cameron’s door, causing her to jump because her mind had been lost in her thoughts.

  “Yeah, let me send this email right quick,” she replied.

  “Okay, I’m going to grab my purse and you can ride with me,” Sonya said.

  Just as Cameron was finishing up, Sonya walked back in and they left to meet up with Toya and Shay at Mi Hacienda. “Cam, I can’t even imagine how you are feeling, and I know you probably feel like giving up at times, but you gotta keep moving. Kingston is depending on you,” Sonya said. Cameron was so tired of crying, but she couldn’t stop the tears from rolling down her face, no matter how hard she tried. “I’m sorry, I’m not trying to make you cry,” Sonya said.

  “It’s not you. I’m just tired. I know I have made some mistakes, a lot of them actually, but all of this just seems so unfair. Have you ever wanted to kill anyone? With your bare hands?” Cameron asked.

  “Hmm I’ve said it before while I was mad, but when I think back on it, it really wasn’t anything worth wanting to kill over,” Sonya said.

  “Well, I will kill for my brother,” Cameron said, right before her phone rang. It was Charlotte calling. Trying her best to hold up to her end of the bargain, Cameron answered her phone and made small talk with her sister. Just as they were pulling up to the restaurant, they spotted Toya and Shay parking, and Cameron wrapped up her conversation with Charlotte. “That was my sister… sister cousin I guess you could say and she was just calling to check on me,” Cameron said.

  “Oh it’s cool. That’s big of you to try to move forward,” Sonya said.

  “Let’s see if you still say that after I fill y’all in on everything,” Cameron said as they were getting out of the car. Toya walked up to her and hugged her, then showed her a couple of videos of Kingston from the weekend. “I’m ready to pick up his little grown ass this evening,” Cameron said while genuinely smiling for the first time that day.

  They all walked in together and when the waitress asked if they wanted a table or booth, Cameron told her they wanted whatever was available in a back corner. Once they were seated and the waitress asked for drink orders, Cameron ordered a jumbo margarita on the rocks with an extra hit of Jose Cuervo tequila. Shay looked like she was about to say something crazy, but Sonya signaled for her to be quiet. As soon as their drinks were set in front of them, Cameron picked hers up and drank half of her margarita without stopping.

  “What I’m gonna say today, y’all can’t say shit about it. I can’t tell y’all everything anyway, but I gotta get some of it off my chest,” Cameron said. They all told her they would keep her secrets amongst the group.

  “Once again, where do I fucking start?” Cameron asked after taking a few more sips from her drink. She continued, “I would ask if y’all want the good news or bad news first but umm… I haven’t found any good so here it goes. Charlotte is pregnant by Malcolm. She had an abortion before and they told her she would never get pregnant again, but she’s eight or nine weeks pregnant. We talked and I’m trying to move forward because I’m over Malcolm’s bitch ass. My aunt, Crystal, has breast cancer and it’s spreading, and she doesn’t know how much longer she has to live. She didn’t want to take treatments at first, but now that everyone is trying to move forward and make amends, she is going to start in hopes that it’s not as bad as the doctor thinks. My dad knew about my mom and Mr. Edwards, and my mom admitted to everything and agreed to stop seeing him. I’m sure I’m missing something, but last but certainly not least, someone sent an anonymous letter to my dad about Fred’s death.” Taking a deep breath before spilling the rest, Cameron told the group that Malcolm paid to have her brother killed. Cameron immediately picked up her drink, finished it off, and sat the glass back down on the table. She closed her eyes for a minute and then reopened them to observe her friends’ reactions and saw just what she expected.

  “Umm excuse me, waitress, we need four shots and four margaritas immediately,” Toya stood up and said while still in shock. No one else said a word. When the waitress returned and sat their drinks down, everyone picked up a shot and threw it back at the same damn time.

  “OK, that’s a valid reason for wanting to kill someone,” Sonya said.

  “Oh yeah, my dad came up with a plan to get back at Malcolm, but I have to let him move back in for it to work,” Cameron said while rolling her eyes.

  “What does Mr. Miller need me to do?” Toya asked, serious as hell.

  “I can’t believe I’m the one who is speechless today,” Shay said. “You wanna go see some strippers?” she continued. Everyone laughed because it was just like Shay to think of something sexual to say in order to break the ice.

  “This is just too much y’all. I don’t know if I’m coming or going. I just wanna wake up from this fucking nightmare,” Cameron said, as she sipped more of her margarita. They conversed for a little while longer, each of them taking about thirty extra minutes on lunch and then they left.

  The second part of the work day flew by and Cameron was excited about that because she was ready to see her baby. Pulling up to the after school facility, she could have sworn she saw Malcolm’s car pulling off. Another car looked like it was trailing him and it pulled off a few seconds after. It must be the drinks, Cameron thought to herself. When she got out and walked in the building, Kingston ran to her immediately and jumped into her arms.

  “I missed you, mommy,” he said and then kissed her on the jaw.

  “I missed you too, baby,” she said while squeezing him tight. “You wanna go to McDonald’s and get some ice cream?” she asked him.

  “YES!” he answered right away. “I saw daddy, but he didn’t come in and speak to me,” Kingston continued.

  “Where?” Cameron asked, becoming nervous.

  “He came here, but he walked back out,” Kingston said nonchalantly. “Where’s Unk?” he continued.

  “I’m not sure, but come so we can go get that ice cream,” Cameron said, ready to get away from there. She wanted to scream out loud, but that would have scared Kingston, so she screamed in her head.

  Kingston demolished his happy meal in no time and wanted to play before getting some ice cream. Cameron was happy because he was enjoying himself and smiling. While he was playing, she decided to scroll through Facebook and Instagram to pass some time. Everybody was posting memes from a beef between 50 Cent and Vivica Fox. It was quite entertaining and she caught herself laughing. When someone cleared their throat, she looked up and locked eyes with Mrs. Edwards. Not really caring to speak, but not wanting to be rude either, Cameron smiled.

  “How are you dear?” Mrs. Edwards asked. Cameron looked to her left and right, then behind her to see who she was talking to. She chuckled a little and told her that she was talking to her.

  “I’m okay, how are you?” she finally replied.

  “I’m glad I ran into you; I have been wanting to speak with you, but where is my grandbaby? Mrs. Edwards asked.

  “Why do you insist on calling him your grandchild when he’s not?” Cameron asked.

  “Because he IS my grandbaby. That’s one of the things I have been wanting to speak with you about. I would like for him to start spending time with us,” she said. Cameron sat there looking at her like she was delusional. “Trust me, if I did not have proof that he was mine, I would not claim him. I knew he was Keith’s child when I first saw him, but I still wanted to verify it. Keith doesn’t know this yet, so let’s keep this between us for the moment, but I administered a blood test on him the day he came home with Keith from Wal-Mart,” Mrs. Edwards said.

  “You did what?” Cameron asked while standing and raising her voice. Before Mrs. Edwards could respond, Kingston ran up and grabbed her leg.

  “Granny, Granny,” he squealed.

  “Hi there baby, with your handsome little self,” Mrs. Edwards said as Kingston was blushing.

  “Do you wanna eat some ice cream with us?” Kingston aske
d.

  “I would love to. Let’s go get it now,” she replied and walked off with Kingston.

  Cameron sat there numb. Her brain was just about frozen as she tried to figure out how and why this happened. Did Malcolm rig the test? Did Mrs. Edwards really administer a test? Is this a blessing in disguise? What the fuck is going on? Cameron had so many questions in her head. She snapped out of her thoughts when Kingston sat some ice cream down in front of her. Once he finished eating his, he ran back to play and Mrs. Edwards started talking.

  “First off, I just want to apologize for the way I treated you in the past. I hope that you can understand that I was only being protective of my son, I’m sure you will be the same way with Kingston…” she started rambling off, but Cameron cut her off by letting her know that Keith is a grown ass man. “I know, and I went overboard, which is why I am apologizing now. I hope that we can move forward and have a better relationship for the sake of my grandbaby,” Mrs. Edwards said.

  “I’m not trying to be rude, and as much as I hate my husband, he is Kingston’s father. He had a test done himself,” Cameron said.

  “I’m not sure what kind of test he had done, but the results I received were 99.999% in favor of Kingston being Keith’s son. Are you sure you didn’t know this? I kinda assumed you gave him the same initial as his dad.” Cameron glared at Mrs. Edwards before telling her that is exactly what she did, since she was so sure that Kingston was Keegan’s child, which was Malcolm’s first name. Mrs. Edwards was genuinely shocked and pleased because she thought Cameron had been playing games. They chatted for about twenty-five more minutes and they all got up to leave at the same time. “Keep in touch” Mrs. Edwards said and hugged both Kingston and Cameron.

  After making it to her car and making sure Kingston was secure, Cameron got in the driver’s seat and just sat there in shock, thinking about everything Mrs. Edwards just said. She was in total disbelief. If I would have known that Keith was Kingston’s daddy, I probably could have avoided a whole lot of the madness that has taken place in my life. FUUUUCCCKKKKKK!!!!! She screamed in her head.

  “Mommy, how long are we going to sit here? Are you okay?” Kingston asked, snapping Cameron out of her thoughts.

  “I’m fine baby. We’re about to go,” Cameron replied while finally cranking the car up and preparing to leave.

  Chapter 24

  Keith hadn’t smoked in quite some time, but he was sure tempted with the way his life was going. He had gotten another tip off from a good friend on his payroll and had put a plan in motion to eliminate the problem. He was currently sitting at one of the trap houses, patiently waiting. Throwing food on the grill was an added bonus because people were always hungry. Everybody in the community was stopping by to grab a plate. He hadn’t been back to see Phebe, but her mom had called and said that she was awake and should be home in a day or two. Keith didn’t provide a response because it would have been harsh and the anger would have been misdirected, and he didn’t want to disrespect his soon to be ex-mother-in-law.

  Meeting with his lawyer was on his list of things to do. Phebe had done the grimiest shit and there was no way to repair their relationship. He knew he had fucked up before, but in his eyes, the shit she had done went against everything he believed in. Looking up, Keith started to smile on the inside when he saw who he had been waiting to see. His homeboy, Marco, noticed the person at the same time and he was ready to get this shit over with. Francis got out of the car and went around speaking to people, making small talk and acting like she was really there just to have a good time. Playing the role to the tee, she even fixed a plate and ate everything that was on her plate. Yeah, enjoy your last meal, Keith thought to himself. When she started making her way towards Keith, Marco did what he was supposed to do and went and hid on her back floor behind the driver’s seat. Since they weren’t sure whether she would lock her car doors or not, they used a magnetic chip to disable it if she tried.

  Making her way to Keith, Francis smiled happily and spoke like they were old buddies. He stood there wanting to choke the shit out of her, but she would be handled without him even having to put his hands on her. “What’s up homie?” she asked.

  “Just chillin,” Keith replied.

  “Let me get that same package again,” she said.

  “What kinda package you talmbout shawty?” Keith asked, intentionally fucking with her and playing dumb.

  Kinda thrown off guard by his response, she stuttered and told him she meant the same package she had copped from him before at the other BBQ. Keith continued to play dumb with her and informed her that he didn’t know what she was referring to. He wasn’t going to take the chance on giving her shit, just in case the wire she was wearing was automatically connected to a computer or some shit. Feeling defeated after about five minutes of talking, Francis finally told him that she would holla at him later. Keith just shook his head, not feeling the least bit guilty about what was about to happen shortly after she was forced to drive out into the country. Poof be gone, you snitching ass bitch, Keith laughed to himself before walking off to chop it up with some of the other people who were kicking it at the house.

  ****************************************************

  Francis hopped back in her car feeling defeated. She sat there trying to figure out a way to get to Keith because her life depended on it. She was so frustrated that she banged her hands on the steering wheel and screamed. Marco was in the back, ready for her to pull off so that he could get his assignment over with. Snitches made his ass itch, so he was more than eager to handle the bitch that was in the front seat. First, he had some questions that he needed answers to, so he was planning on having a little fun with her first.

  “Make the next left and don’t you dare try any funny shit,” Marco said, as he placed the gun into Francis’ side. She swerved and screamed. “Shut the fuck up and do what I say,” he said while maintaining a calm demeanor.

  “Who are you?” she asked, like he was stupid enough to answer.

  “I’m your worst fucking nightmare, you snitching ass bitch,” he told her. It was right then that she knew her life was about to end. “Take the next right,” he told her, unbothered by the tears that were streaming down her face.

  Leading her to an abandoned house out in the country and stepping out of the car, the first thing he did was fire one shot into the air before ripping the wire off of her and placing it in his pocket to burn momentarily. Just in case the police was listening, he wanted them to know what time it was. Francis pissed on herself after he shot the gun into the air. Having no sympathy for her at all, Marco yanked her out of the car and pulled her into the house. Two more of his partners were already waiting inside to make the delivery once they were done. They grabbed her from him and tied her up as soon as Marco made it inside.

  After securing her to a chair, the questions began. When she looked up and gazed her eyes with the other two people in the room, she really knew it was over for her because she had set them up as well. “We just wanna know why?” one of the guys asked, who was actually her cousin.

  “They made me do it! I didn’t want to,” she cried.

  “Made you? You sure they made you or was you just tryna save your own ass by snitching on everybody else?” he demanded and angrily asked.

  “What all do they know?” the other guy countered. Francis knew it wouldn’t save her life, so she tried to remain quiet because she really didn’t want to admit to everything she had done. The silence was broken when Marco walked up to her and fired two shots, one to each leg.

  “Arrrggghhhh!!!” she screamed out in pain.

  “Talk now, or this is gonna be way worse than planned,” Marco said. Francis started humming like a church choir after he said those words. They all stood there in awe and thoroughly pissed the fuck off.

  “We fed you and your family just about all your got damn life, and this is how you repay us? You know what comes along with the game. We all know we’re taking chances, bu
t just because you got caught up doesn’t give a nigga the right to fucking snitch on the next man. Since you like talking so fucking much, we will be sure to leave a gift for them punk muthafuckas you was working for,” her cousin said right before walking up to her and punching the hell out of her. The other guy came up next and swung his Smith and Wesson blade, chopping her head off in one swift motion.

  After they all talked for a few minutes and finalized the rest of their plans, all of the men wiped everything down and dipped. Leaving her body there, her cousin took her head and tongue so it could be sent via special delivery, right to the DA. Neither of them felt bad about what they had done. I should’ve handled Luke and Phebe this exact same way, Marco jokingly reminisced.

  Chapter 25

  Phebe’s mom was beyond angry that Keith had not been by her daughter’s side in her time of need. She would call him to give updates and he answered, but he was never enthused with her progress nor did he ever make the phone call to her or visit. When she asked him what was going on, Keith told her he would be glad to let her know in due time, but Phebe should be the one to inform her. She sent him a text earlier this morning letting him know that Phebe was being discharged and he replied okay. After receiving the simple response, she couldn’t comprehend what the hell was going on between Phebe and Keith to cause him to be so distant with her daughter. “I will give Phebe time to recuperate at home, but we will definitely be having a conversation about the problems with her marriage,” her mom quietly admitted. “This just doesn’t make any damn sense for a husband not be by his wife’s side after having an accident.” All she could do was shake her head and proceed to get Phebe’s things together to go home.

  It wasn’t until it was time to go that Phebe’s mom picked up on what was really going on. Instead of making her way towards the exit, Phebe went to the information desk and inquired about Luke, stating that she was his fiancé. Once she found out what room he was in, she made her way there in a hurry. He was now in a regular room, and Phebe didn’t plan on leaving his side. She knew she owed Keith an explanation, but knowing that he could have caused her death, she wasn’t ready to face him. Sure, the hit was supposed to have been for Luke, but in her eyes, it didn’t really matter. She knew that her marriage was over.