Sitting on my dining-room table were four extralarge boxes of Papa John’s pizza with a note taped to the lid that read, Veggie pizza, add Chicken.
I ran through each room looking for Dre while screaming his name. He wasn’t in the house or anywhere nearby. This was his way of letting me know he was out, back on the streets, and in or on his way to California. The game of cat and mouse or hide-and-go-seek was about to start, and my first hiding spot would be in Washington. I would leave California no later than Tuesday.
I flew home. I hit 120 mph all the way there, turning a fifteen- or twenty-minute drive into a seven-minute one. Dre had detective friends, and I didn’t want to make myself look obvious. I stayed in the house for about five hours before leaving with all the jewelry and belongings that would fit in my Dolce bag.
This place was paid for until six months from now, so there was no rush to move my stuff. I would wait until I was settled to have my daddy and uncle pack up my stuff.
I was moving so fast and didn’t have anywhere to go. Stephanie was somewhere being fucked until Saturday, and I couldn’t go stay at my daddy’s house due to where it was located. Then I got my destination. Will called to see if I could be his partner for a two-on-two charity basketball fundraiser that was being thrown by the California Department of Sheriffs in San Francisco.
“I know it’s last minute, but they are short a team from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and I was asked to save the day. I could have called another girl, but I decided I wanted to win, and you became my first choice.”
To get the hell away from Dre, I would have volunteered to play basketball naked in the snow with some Timberland boots on and a cowboy hat.
“Sure, I’ll do it. It’s for charity, and my company will make a large donation. Where should we meet?”
He asked if I could meet him at his job to sign up, and we would then take a flight out at seven o’clock in the morning. The game wasn’t until eight o’clock Saturday night, but he wanted us to get there early enough to get in some practice and get a feel of each other’s game.
I agreed and headed straight to the sheriff’s office. Now, let’s see Dre and his goons follow me in there.
When I arrived, he told me that he booked us flights out of Burbank airport in the morning. I mentioned how I would have to get up at 3:30 just to make sure I was up and at the airport by 6:00 a.m. When he heard that, he invited me to stay at his house. Now, that was real protective custody.
“Do you need to go home and pack?”
I put a big smile on my face. “No, I have everything I need on me. I plan to go pick up something on the way to your house.”
He wrote his address down and gave me his spare key. “I don’t get off for another hour or so. Make yourself at home. There’s nothing in the fridge, but we’ll go out to dinner later on tonight.”
The address he gave me was near the post office my PO Box was at. I hadn’t checked it in almost four months. It was packed with a large envelope that had a DVD and birthday party pictures. Dre’s genes were strong because my daughter was his female twin. She looked exactly like her father with dimples. No one in my family has dimples, so they must have come from Dre’s side of the gene pool.
In the pictures, there must have been fifty or more guests and a mountain of gifts for Sade. The letter said they opened a banking account for her with the $3,000 I sent her for her birthday. I was glad about the decision I made to give her up. I would have never been able to get a house full of people to gather like that for her third birthday. Knowing me, we would have gone to Hawaii or somewhere to celebrate it alone or with her nanny.
The DVD must be a recording of her party because they sent one on her first and second birthday too. I hoped Will has a DVD player. I couldn’t wait to hear her talk and see her in action.
When I made it to Will’s house, I was shocked at how beautiful it was. The color threw me for a loop. Everything was a soft lilac purple. You never see men take the time to fully decorate, and it was a work of art. He had handwoven drapes with expensive scarves over all his windows, beautiful black empowerment artwork everywhere, and his bathroom was covered in beautiful purple lilies. He must have had a woman living with him previously, because I snooped around, but there was nothing in the house that could be owned by a woman.
I made myself comfortable on the couch and popped in the DVD. Sade was walking and talking like a big girl now. The Jeffersons had her blowing me kisses and telling me that she loved me. It was the cutest thing. Sade grabbed the video camera and kissed it. When they tried to take it from her, she started screaming, “Mama, Mama, help.”
At end of the video, they asked if I would send a picture for Sade’s purposes. It was Mr. Jefferson’s request. “I know you don’t want nobody to know who you are and all that good stuff, but little Sade knows she has a mother out there, and it would be a beautiful thing if she knew what her mother looked like. That’s just my suggestion.”
I wouldn’t kick the thought out completely, but with Dre playing detective, now wasn’t the best time. As I was replaying the part when Sade started screaming “Mama,” the owner of the house caught me red-handed.
“Whose baby girl is that?” Will asked, and then waited on my answer.
“My little goddaughter. Isn’t she the prettiest little thing?” He agreed while I rushed to take it out of the DVD player and placed it back in its envelope to go stash in my car.
“Well, Ms. Savannah, are you ready to go eat?”
I snatched my purse and package up and said, “Sure.”
We decided to go Cheesecake Factory so we could walk out with a three-layered strawberry cheesecake, which was my request. While we waited for our food to be served, I sparked up the conversation.
“Who decorated your place? It’s beautiful. I had thought about hiring an interior decorator, but decided to wait until I was permanently parked somewhere. I move too much and leave too much behind when I do move to waste money like that.”
He smiled shyly. “Thank you. I did hire an interior decorator, or I should say, I am dating one. My baby said my place looked too masculine and gave off the wrong vibe about me. So, I agreed to the update.”
I knew it. That house had been touched by a woman. The only way he would have convinced me that he did all that himself was if he was gay, and Will was far from gay.
“Keep dating her, ’cause I may need her. I’m moving away from California next week, and this might be my last move.” With Sade being so close and me being a partner at the firm and the head over our West Coast operations, Washington wasn’t looking so bad after all.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were moving. If you need to stay and pack or something, I’ll understand.”
What he didn’t know was that with Dre on the loose, he was my new security guard. I wasn’t leaving his side until Monday.
“No, I’m fine. I sent all my stuff ahead. All I have left in California is my car and everything in this purse.”
I needed to arrange for Stephanie to follow me in her car as I sold both of my vehicles on Monday. I might have changed the plates, but the VIN numbers stayed the same. That might be how Dre tracked me down. I’d get something new when I made it to Washington.
Once we were full, we headed back to Will’s to get some rest before the flight. I really wanted him to fuck me, but was thankful he hadn’t tried. There was no way I could be a good sex partner with Dre on my mind.
* * *
The flight to San Francisco was beautiful. I hadn’t flown since I moved from Atlanta. We found a NIKE shop where I got my game supplies, basketball, tennis shoes, shorts, sports bra, wristbands, and all.
After an hour of practice, I knew I still had it, and this tournament would be ours—and it was. We took first place without breaking a sweat. We left with the first-place trophy and ribbons, which would be placed at the Los Angeles Sheriff Department’s main hub, but that was nice of them to let Will leave with it.
&nbs
p; A few of his coworkers invited us out to a strip club to celebrate, but he turned them down, saying, “I’ve never hung with them fake-ass niggas. They just want to be nosy and find out who you are.”
If I wasn’t trying to get some of Will’s dick, I wouldn’t have minded getting to know any of them. They all were sexy.
“Well, let’s have our own celebration. Let’s kill the liquor store and head back to the hotel and chill all night. Our flight doesn’t leave ’til tomorrow night, and if we are hungover in the morning, we got a few hours before the trip home to recover.”
Will was with it. We bought a big bottle of tequila and went to work on it. We both were drunk because we started being open about everything and eventually crossed the privacy lines.
“Savannah, I miss my boo. This is the longest we’ve been apart in nine months and it’s killing me. I keep having ‘what if there’s some cheating going on’ thoughts, which ain’t cool. I know my baby loves me, but damn, it’s hard. I feel so safe and protected when my baby is around, and I got a gun at my waist and the other on my ankle all day, and I don’t feel as protected as I do when my boo boo’s here. It’s like nothing even matters. Now that we’re apart, I keep checking my phone for texts or missed calls. This feels like high school again.”
Blame it on the alcohol, but I couldn’t bite my tongue. “Your boo is a man, huh? You’re gay. I knew it! Well, I didn’t know it, but your house gave a hint of it, and I didn’t see any women’s belongings lying around. Yet you had two different brands of deodorant on your bathroom sink and two toothbrushes.”
He confirmed my suspicion and made me vow not to tell anyone. No one knew but him and his boo, Alvin. I felt privileged being his secret holder and decided to make him mine. “The little girl in the video is my daughter. She’s three years old, and her name is Sade.” I went through the same spiel about no one knowing and how I’ve wanted to get it off my chest. I told him about Dre, the pizza, and everything. Then he let me in on the biggest secret of the night.
Tyrone was in jail getting head from a nigga who went around saying he could predict the future and take a glimpse into people’s fate. Will said Tyrone didn’t know that he knew, but he confirmed it was true.
He arranged for the dude to meet them at the courts one night, and he said, “Tyrone looked like he was going to shit on himself. When his past lover walked his way, Tyrone grabbed his shit and left. I had stopped fucking with Tyrone way before this because he tried to blame me for the way his life turned out. He said he couldn’t get out of the game because I introduced him to it, and now I hide behind a badge. I tried to let him know he was talking stupid by saying he was a follower of somebody three years younger than he was, but fuck him. Next time he goes to jail, I hope he gets his dick sucked by one of them AIDS-having niggas in there—unless his ex-man taught him how to predict the future too.”
I hit the floor laughing. Will was now my new homegirl. I mean homeboy. Fuck it. He was my new bitch and my secret keeper.
On the flight back home to Los Angles, we held hands the whole way as we talked about everybody on the plane like only true bitches would.
Chapter 14
Sister to Sister
Monday morning, I was up and on the telephone with Stephanie before she dressed for work. I told her all about Dre’s delivery setup at the time-share.
“Why didn’t you call me, Savannah? You know I would have been on my way. Why is this nigga so attached to you? I could see if y’all would have been talking marriage or if you had his child, but this stalking and following you shit is crazy. Did you tell the police?”
How do you tell the police that you have a stalker when you’re hiding the stalker’s child? “No, I didn’t tell the police. I booked a flight to Washington tomorrow, and I’m gone. Fuck California. I got my revenge, the company is running fine, and I have no ties here. I’ll still be close to my daddy, and he can visit anytime. It’s time to settle down in a new place. When you’re done fighting fires with your man, I’ll be up north waiting on you.”
Stephanie said she would be right behind me in two weeks. She would start preparing herself for the move. Not being conceited, but I knew that would be her response. As far as family was concerned, I was all she had, and she wasn’t going to let me move on without her.
We met up at Clifton’s in downtown LA for breakfast. My daddy used to take Memphis and me there every weekend as children. The restaurant wasn’t as well-kept as it was back then, but the food was still good. I wrapped my toast in my napkin and headed out the door to sell my cars.
Fifteen thousand dollars was what I made from the Charger, and another $10,000 for the 300. It was hard selling my babies.
Starting all over was going to be hard too. There are fifty states in the United States, and I have been banned from three of them. The only thing that could bring me back to Georgia, California, or Tennessee was my job and my daddy, and I would try hard to make both things come to me.
I told my uncle Johnny I was leaving first. He was saddened by my news, but knew I had a career and my own life to live. Next, I called my daddy and told him.
“Daddy, in two weeks, I need you to go close that PO Box for me. If there’s anything in it, don’t open it. Just mail it to me in Washington. If Keisha or any of them start looking for me or start asking for me, tell them I’m back in the South and please, don’t tell Memphis where I am. Let him think I’m in the South too.”
He cut me off. “There’s a lot of talk going around here with your name in it, Savannah. I think it’s time I move away from here too. I’m getting too old to be in the middle of stuff. Don’t worry about what’s going on and what’s being said. Just sell this house like you’re doing yours. Yes, mine’s too, and find me an apartment in Washington. Memphis has moved away with some girl in Moreno Valley until he can find him a place. I don’t know what the problem is between you and him, but you need to know your brother loves you.”
There wasn’t nothing I could say but, “Yes, Daddy. I’ll get you out of there in three days.” He said he was headed to Johnny’s house and would get the PO Box transferred to Seattle.
The office was closed for the day, but I would make sure to call Stephanie after my flight landed tomorrow for a checkup on things. I had stayed my last night as a Californian with Will and Alvin.
“Your baby daddy was released about a year ago, but was on six months’ probation, which he completed in four months. He was a hard man to trace with Nashville detectives helping to clean up his footsteps, but I got him. His last known whereabouts were in Las Vegas. He rented a car there about five months ago, and I bet you were there with Ant that weekend too. You’re wondering how he knew where you were going, I bet. Well, that was easy when he has yours and Stephanie’s office lines tapped. You ain’t messing with no fool, girl, so be careful in Washington. You’re the only best friend I got and I don’t want to lose my job hurting somebody over you, okay?”
I zoned out after Vegas. Dre was the purchaser of my flower at the club. He has been close enough to confront me on many occasions, so why hadn’t he? What was he waiting on?
I couldn’t sleep that night. I stayed up watching the news. There was a report of a small earthquake, which I didn’t feel, as usual. It was reported to have been 4.0 in magnitude, which meant if I was walking, I wouldn’t have felt it. Let me know when it’s larger than 6.0.
My Al Green ringtone was going off, so I knew it was my daddy calling me to see if I was safe. “I didn’t feel it, Daddy, and, yes, I’m safe. Go back to sleep.”
All I could hear coming from his end of the phone was loud sirens—both police and fire trucks. “Savannah, what did you do, baby? They have burnt down the house. Everything my mama worked hard for just burnt up in my face, and I can’t stop it. The police want you to meet them at the station to question you.”
I was speechless and scared. I didn’t know what to say but, “What do they want to question me for, Daddy?”
He was cryi
ng, and I could hear it in his voice. “Baby, whoever it was that did this to the house wants you. They spray-painted your name all over the house and put, ‘Come get your revenge, bitch’ on the ground in the driveway. I’m worried about you. Please meet these policemen for help.”
I agreed and told him to meet me down there. I woke up my new best friend and told him what went down. I told him to cancel my flight, even though it may have been best that I did leave California now. However, I wasn’t going to leave my daddy alone.
The police station was packed when I arrived. I had taken Alvin’s car since he was off work today. I made it there at 4:00 a.m. but didn’t speak with a detective until 7:00 a.m.
“Mrs. James, why do you think this group of women that you named would have burned down your father’s house?”
My answer was embarrassing, but it was the truth. “They did it because I fucked all three of their baby daddies over the last six months.”
We talked for two hours; then she took me into a room where she had all three women in a lineup with three other women. I pointed out Keisha, Christina, and Melinda, and then I left. The detective asked me not to leave the state for at least seventy-two hours just in case I was needed to come back down.
I called Stephanie, told her what happened, and had her meet me at Will’s house to take Alvin’s car back. We went straight to the office to make sure everything was fine, plus, I kept an emergency business suit there just in case my partners showed up unannounced. I needed to change clothes badly.
Our office bathroom was large enough for me to wash up really well and fix my hair and face. Thank God for miniflatirons. I kept a pair in my desk drawer.
When I was done, Stephanie was in her office reading over a handwritten letter. When I asked what it was, she said she was sorry and handed it to me.
To Whom It May Concern:
This is my written resignation from my internship with Williams and Williamson. My reason for leaving is entirely personal. I am glad I was made aware of the drama and games that are played by the heads of this company and have decided I want no part of it, especially when the victim is my sister and her friends. I know this letter is being read by either Stephanie or Savannah’s trifling ass, so I’m done with the professional half of it. You bitches better pray my sister and her child’s father don’t get anything more than the flu, or you will have to deal with me. I did make my sister aware that Savannah fucked Tyrone, Javier, and Ant, but I haven’t told her about the orgy you had at your house with all of your friends. Savannah, you’re a nasty bitch and you better pray you have a clean bill of health.
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