Her Designer Baby

by Shawna Washington

  “Adrian West, you are no gentleman!” I glared at him murderously and threw my Doritos at his face which he expertly caught and popped into his mouth. Damn him. He always got me speaking what I didn’t want to say out loud.

  “I never claimed to be one.”

  Before I could say anything else to him, Benny appeared at our table, sliding up his glasses which kept slipping down his nose. Where I was planning to kill just one, I could certainly kill two right now, Adrian and Benny. What the hell was he here for now? Before I could speak up, Adrian jumped in. “Hey man! How you doing?” he asked him. I wanted to roll my eyes. Adrian had never once talked sweet to Ben. He hadn’t talked to Ben, period. Sweet or not sweet. Now that he was going all friendly, I know what his intent was.

  “Ben…” I began to speak.

  “Tynice was just speaking very highly of you, weren’t you, Tynice?” He asked me and I gifted him a stomp of my foot on his toe. There, take that.

  “Has she?” Ben swallowed as if Adrian had forced down some ugly drink into his throat. So yeah, last night was that bad. We had tried to kiss at the end of a very awkward date and he couldn’t even kiss me right. His glasses kept coming in the way or he would bite down my tongue. And then he rushed away saying that he wasn’t into me. Well, screw him. I wasn’t into him either. I don't know why I had agreed to go on a date with him in the first place. We both had suffered the entire time and the only person who was getting enjoyment out of it was Adrian.

  “You know what? You can go and kiss your ass. Both of you. I am so out of here.” I stood up from the table, breaking off whatever Adrian was saying to Ben and then got out of the cafeteria.

  “Hey Adrian, I was wondering if you could help me out…” I heard Hannah saying as I walked out in the corridor.

  “Sorry, hun, but I gotta make up with my girl there. She is a bit boiled right now. Keep your distance, I’d say.” When he said that, I sort of felt glad. The asshole at least prioritized me over his groupies who had the hots for him. “Come on, Tynice.” He called after me and I couldn’t keep my lips from tugging up a bit. My speed slowed until he caught up with me. “He was that bad huh?” he asked.

  “Pathetic.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  I looked up at him. “Are you?”

  “Nope.” He said shamelessly.

  I sighed. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  “It’s alright. It isn’t like you are thirty or anything.” I knew what he was getting at but damn it felt awkward because of the girls around me. Every one of them talking about their cherries being popped. I wasn’t the one to chit chat with them but it hit home and I felt lacking.

  I didn’t know what to blame. “It’s not you.” Adrian put his arms around my neck and pulled me by his side. “It’s them. They don’t know how to cherish the good fruit. They run after the rotten ones,” he said to me. “And I know, Tynice, that they are just not worth enough. You deserve more. Your type of fruit.” We stepped out of school.

  He just said the sweetest things ever. Just what I wanted to hear. And he’d always know when I am down. “A dragon fruit perhaps,” he said to me and then laughed. I gave him a shove in the chest but then leaned into his arms as we both walked back home.

  Adrian and I were complete opposites. He was tall, skinny, blond-haired and white skinned with blue eyes whereas I on the other hand was dark, short height, black haired and chubby with brown eyes. But the bond we shared was beyond all differences. We have been there for each other through thick and thin. We had survived family tantrums gaining comfort from each other.

  We both had troubled parents, and I think that's why we got along so well. We really understood each other. His mother was a world class bitch. She was a drinker turned child abuser. My father was a gambler who liked to drink himself to death after every loss he countered.

  He had been into bar fights and had ended up in jail twice but nothing ever stopped him from spending my mother’s money on poker whenever he got his hands on her. Maybe that was the reason why me and Adrian had found a common tender spot between us that had led us into a friendship as strong as the one we had. Whatever the reason was, I was grateful for having him sent in my life. I always needed a shoulder to cry on and Adrian had always been the one to provide it to me.

  My house came before Adrian’s. His was just two streets down from mine. “You’ll drop by the club tonight?” he asked me as we turned to the corner of my street.

  “Club, tonight?” I looked at him.

  “Yeah, Shawn and Brian are coming from the city. They wanted to catch up. ”Shawn was Adrian’s cousin. He lived in Springfield. He was twenty-two. Adrian had great respect for the man, and so did I, eventually. He and Adrian had been thinking about getting a ranch for quite some time. For Adrian’s sake I hoped that this time there would be a real deal. Adrian was mad about just one thing: horses.

  “Alright. But I need to turn in early. Dad might not be home.” I swallowed at the last sentence.

  “I’ll bring you back by eight. Don’t worry,” he said to me and we stopped outside my home. Just then I saw three of my neighbors were standing in our driveway talking discreetly and glancing at me. Suddenly I had an uneasy feeling. Something was wrong.

  Adrian noticed it too and we both quickened our steps. “What is it, Mary?” I asked the lady who lived next door. Now all three were looking at us not saying anything. “Tell me, is Mom okay?” Oh Gosh, did dad hit her again? My ever present fear. I found Adrian’s hand slipped into mine and I squeezed it tightly.

  “It’s not your mom, Tynice. It’s your dad.” Dad? What did he do now?

  “Cops took him away for questioning,” Tracy Hayden, my neighbor of three doors down, said.

  “He was accused of transporting drugs.” Mary added further. I almost lost it but Adrian caught me before I could fall. My dad always knew how to turn our life upside down.

  Tynice

  June 2014, Seattle, WA

  “Have this copied and send one to the District Attorney’s office ASAP. Also file the original into the folder,” I said to my assistant, Kelly as she made notes on her iPad. “When is Logan coming back?” I asked her as we entered my room.

  “He has a flight back early morning tomorrow.”

  “And when am I scheduled to see Ms. Parker?” Taking my seat, I flipped open my Mac and logged in.

  “You have a lunch scheduled with her tomorrow at one thirty,” Kelly said. Damn she is efficient.

  “Alright. Get Ramsey on the line for me. ”Kelly turned to leave. “Bring me coffee too.” I needed caffeine to keep me moving. I rubbed my temples and clenched my eyes shut. This Parker case was zapping all my energy, and had me running on very little sleep. Pushing back my chair, I popped up my foot on the desk and laid my head back. Closing my eyes, I let a long sigh pass and began counting backwards from one hundred. Six nights and I hadn’t gotten a full eight hours of sleep once. Well, being the best of the best of course asks something in return. My position was what I prioritized above all.

  These sleepless nights, indefinite working hours and continuous travel was something I had committed to when I had entered the world of law almost ten years back. And today I was here at Lowe and Cripps Associates, working as the top paid and most demanded lawyer in the city, Tynice Johnson.

  They called me the shark of the courtroom. Yes I do like to get my teeth on the opponent and hell if I care who he is. Court was my playground and that’s where I like to lead, not to be led. For me, only one thing mattered, victory. I haven’t lost since… well, since I entered the world of law. This was where I knew my game and I knew it well. I had been offered partnership at Lowe and Cripps but I had plans to start up my own firm for quite some time now so I hadn’t agreed to take up their offer.

  They knew I wasn’t going to stay there long and this Parker case was probably my last. I haven’t decided yet but I sort of knew that it was time to put my plans into action. But before that I had this ut
terly complex case to win. If I said that this was a complex case then it meant it was real messed up one because everyone knew nothing was too difficult for me to pull off. And I would be damned if I said nothing had excited me much before like this one had. I wanted to put another nail on my victory board with this; on the top line.

  I heard the door knock and then it opened. “Your coffee, Miss Johnson.” Kelly put my unsweetened and strong black cappuccino on my desk and then walked out. Her heels clicked against the wooden floor. Five minutes later my phone buzzed and I reached out for the receiver. It would be the private detective Ramsey I had asked for.

  “Johnson,” I said in a crisp voice into the speaker and took a tentative sip of my steaming coffee. Damn, that feels awesome. My throat welcomed the hot liquid.

  “Miss Johnson, I have Mr. Ramsey from Ramsey’s Security for you. Please press one,” Kelly informed me and I swapped lines.

  “Mr. Ramsey, thank you for taking the time to talk to me. ”Sweet talk gives you favors you can’t imagine. And I am a lawyer; I know the importance of words and their effects.

  “Anything for you, Ms. Johnson, it is always a pleasure to work for you. What can I do for you?”

  “I want one of your best agents for a task,” I said to him, taking another sip of coffee.

  “That’s who you’ll get. What is the nature of your problem?” I liked Ramsey’s professional attitude, that’s why I never went to any other agency.

  “I want detailed reports on a person. William Parker. He is stationed in Springfield, Illinois. I hope that’s not an issue. I’ll scan and send you a picture of him. I guess you can find him on the internet as well but I’ll do it nevertheless,” I told him.

  “William Parker as in son of Jason Parker?” Ramsey asked.

  “Yeah, that’s him.”

  “It may take some time. I’ll have my agent get onto it as early as possible.”

  “I just need it before Monday. Around Saturday would be best. I would need some time to analyze it as well,” I told Ramsey.

  “Of course, Ms. Johnson, I’ll send you the reports in time.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Ramsey. I'm sure your work will be as impeccable as it ever is.” I bid him goodbye and put down the receiver. It was one of my work tactics to keep tabs on my opponent and no one could do it better than a private detective. This was something that I didn’t share with my clients, no matter what. You never know who would let the cat out of the bag.

  William Parker was the one I was fighting this case against. He was the brother of my client, Nancy Parker. The case had started with a dispute about their father Jason Parker’s will. Jason had transferred all his assets and fortune to his daughter Nancy. William was kept from all sorts of claims on Parker’s assets. Right after the will had been read, William had challenged it in court, specifically that the will was juggled and manipulated by his sister. Nancy Parker had contacted Lowe and Cripps and asked for me to represent her case. I was planning to wrap it up as soon as possible but this William Parker was giving me some uneasy feelings.

  There was something about this guy. I had met him once briefly when we had a little one on one session. The man was someone I had no desire to see again. His eyes and his tone were ready to set my chair on fire in the twenty minute meeting I had with him. There was threat and warning in those gazes. But my fears were something the world would never get to see a glimpse of.

  I only showed my powerful side to people no matter what I felt inside. Something about him had made me think that there was more than just Jason Parker’s will for William. Now I had to know what it was. Maybe that would change the course of case. That was why I had taken Ramsey’s service. Now I just had to wait for what Ramsey finds out. Nothing excites me more than new twists and turns in a story.

  Someone knocked on the door and then pushed it open. “Tynice.” David, one of my associates marched into the room. His face was grim and mouth tightened. Whatever he had to tell me wasn’t any good news. I could read it all over his face.

  “What is it, David?” I asked as my bad news guard kicked in and I straightened my back to face whatever it was.

  He thrust a paper on my desk. “William Parker has transferred the hearing to Springfield, Illinois,” he said and my eyes went wide.

  “What? How is that possible? I mean is it even possible? ”What the hell was this now? The case was filed in Seattle, Parker was buried in Seattle, and even his will was read in Seattle. Then how the hell on earth could the hearing move to Illinois?

  “Not just Illinois,” David said and I looked at him to spit out further unexpected news. “It is in Sangamon County.”

  “Sangamon County?” This was unbelievable.

  “More or less,” David said. He wasn’t too pleased to hear the change of venue either.

  “I knew he was up to something. Damn!” I thumped at the table and gritted my teeth. “What does the District Attorney have to say about this?” I asked him.

  “They are respecting his reasons.”

  “And what reasons might those be?” I inquired and he just shrugged.

  “Hell if I know. All I want to do is get rid of his ass. That man is one creepy son of a bitch.” It was relief to know that someone else also thought that William Parker was a creep.

  “Let me call Nancy Parker.” I picked up my phone and searched for her number. As soon as she picked up the call, she burst into tears.

  “I swear, I don’t know what Willy is up to. I had no idea he would transfer the hearing to Illinois. I don’t know what else he is going to do. He has already messed with Father’s will, now he is doing all this to get this case out of my hands,” she said in a hoarse voice and I sighed. I was never good with emotional people.

  “Please calm down, Ms. Parker.” She kept sniffing and I rolled my eyes. It was us who had to undergo the pressure of change of venue and she was the one who was soaking her floor. After almost thirty seconds, I said into the mouth piece, “Are you ok?”

  “I’m sorry. It’s just too much shock. First he dragged our family business into the public and now this,” she said.

  “Ms. Parker, can you tell me why Mr. Parker has managed this transfer? It needs a very, very solid reason for it to be allowed.” I said to her.

  “I don’t know but I don’t doubt he used Mother as bait. ”It was just getting better. Now Mrs. Parker was on the scene too.

  “Alright. I expect you’ll let me know as soon as you get any news about it.”

  “Of course, Ms. Johnson.”

  I called the District Attorney afterwards and what I could find out was that William Parker’s lawyer John Russell had pulled strings for his client to transfer the hearing from Seattle, using Mrs. Parker’s health and disability to his benefit. What I had made out was that William and Russell wanted to take this to a smaller place so that they could gain the upper hand, utilizing William’s power in Illinois. “I’ll show them,” I said under my breath. David asked me about it and my answer was, “Seems like we got to fly down to Springfield then.”

  Tynice

  March 1998, Williamsville, Illinois

  Adrian had sat with me the whole time while I waited for news to arrive from my dad or my mom who had dutifully followed him down to the station. Sometimes I hated how much she loved Dad. The man had given her nothing but bruises. Mom worked her ass off at the Hamilton’s café that was just outside Williamsville.

  She’d leave early in the morning and come back when sun was about to set. And whatever she earned, dad would try his best to take it away and then lose it all at a silly game of poker. The man never once won a single game. Maybe then we could have something other than broccoli soup on Sundays. I despised him for who he was and what he did to Mom.

  I never wanted to be in the same room as him. He smelled like hard liquor that I could barely bear to breathe in. Secondly you never knew when he’d go crazy, grab a vase and hit you with it or when he came too close to me making me question if he was my father
or not. Yes, it was that bad. That was few of many reasons why I wanted out of here, why I stayed out until I knew he would have passed out or gone for long nights at the club. I just couldn’t wait for school to end so that I could get out of this place. I had big dreams to pursue and none of them were anywhere near this place. Three more years and I’ll be out of here.

  “He’ll be okay,” Adrian said to me.

  “It’s not him I’m worried about,” I replied. Adrian was one person I didn’t need to mask my feelings around. He knew how I felt about my dad.

  “Do you need something? Anything.” He was worrying about me.

  “I’m good. You go. I’ll be fine. You gotta meet Shawn too.” I tried to send him away but inside I wanted him to stay by my side, at least until I got some news about the pathetic excuse for a human being that Drake Johnson was.