by Love Belvin
“Neither am I.” I gave Kyree an affirmative nod before he took off for his things.
“I can’t stay here,” she whispered at the door of one of my guest bedrooms—the only one with a bed—shaking with Kyree’s deadweight, sleeping frame slung across her shoulder. “I don’t even know your name!” Her eyes pooled with tears. “And don’t give me any initials or say it’s coach either.”
“Trenton.” I exhaled, uneasy about my honesty. “My name is Trenton.” I didn’t want to give her more, not knowing what she’d do if she knew who I was.
She nodded, apparently satisfied with my answer. I was still amazed she carried him in the house and during the elevator ride to the second floor. I rarely used the elevator in the house. It was mostly for commercial use, at least that’s what Brielle told me when I had it included in the design of the house. But tonight, Jade was so damn cagey, I knew she wouldn’t trust me to carry her son up two landings to the second floor. I was giving them the only bedroom I had with a bed. It was a full size bed I’d had for years, since leaving my home after getting drafted. I kept it for sentimental reasons. Now it would be put to functional use.
“Look, Jade, I know about hard times. And one thing about the tide is, it will always turn again. Just take the room for the night. After a few hours of sleep, you can be crisp in thinking about your next move.”
Her pouty mouth lifted, as she fought for dignity. My phone went off. It was Jeff saying he was on his way to my place to drop off her car instead of Jade’s home.
“It’ll just be for one night.”
“Cool. That’s Jeff saying your ride’ll be here soon. I’ll leave the gate open for him.”
She took in a long breath and her face fell into a moue. I sighed. It was a reminder of the property. My house was rather large. In fact, it was ten thousand square feet large with four garages in a gated community. It made her uneasy, and I couldn’t lie about being freaked out myself. I wasn’t used to having people in my crib anymore. And I definitely didn’t want to have to explain how I acquired the property.
“Jade, it’s just temporary. Here…” I lifted the large laundry bags she packed before leaving her apartment and placed them inside the bedroom. “You can get up in the morning and be on your way if you have—”
“We will,” she quickly assured.
“Okay. Just one night.”
Jade let go of a shuddering breath, her eyes cast to the floor below before she turned inside the bedroom that I was sure was larger than her bedroom, but that didn’t stroke my ego one bit. As she closed the door, I thought of all the times as a kid I went to bed hungry, less than satiated from a poor meal, or scared of the following day when I’d have to repeat it again. I shook my head, knowing I had a long session of prayer ahead of me when I hit my room. Before I could turn for the master suite, I heard the determined locking of the door.
God, what am I doing?
“Just one night…” I muttered, on my way to my bedroom.
The following morning when I crept out with Kyree while carrying two bags of clothes, I got lost trying to find the way out. It took at least five minutes for me to find the front door, and an additional two for me to locate my car on the side of the house. I pulled up to my building and saw a few people standing at the curb, rummaging through trash on the sidewalk. I thought that was strange, but possible in this neighborhood. I continued up the block in search of a parking space. Once I’d managed to drop Kyree off at school on time, I needed a quick shower before clocking in at the nail salon.
I slammed the brakes when I saw my couch being lifted in the air by two men bringing it out of the building. I shoved the car in park then stormed out of my car.
“Whoa! Whoa! What are you doing with my things?”
“Please move, lady,” the Asian-looking guy with bronzed skin advised so cavalier.
“I’m going to ask you motherfuckers one more time! What are you doing with my things?”
I jogged backwards trying to keep up with their pace. Then I realized more of my things were out on the sidewalk, and those two ladies scouring through the goods were in my things.
“Get the hell away from my shit!” I yelled, my limbs began to shake and tears sprouted immediately.
When they didn’t move and one had the nerve to scoff and lift a painting from my bedroom I lunged and pushed her to the ground!
“Hey!” the other woman screamed.
“Look, lady!” one of the beefy men shouted just after. “If this is your shit, then handle it, but don’t go fucking with people because you can’t pay your rent!” Spit flung from his thin lips.
He was tall with olive skin and jet black hair. His slender nose looked to have been broken at some point. I wanted to break it again.
My eyes narrowed. “Who the hell do you think you’re talking to with your thirteen dollar an hour brainless job?”
“Least I got one and if you’ll calm the hell down and move out of my way, I’ll get back to it,” he grated low and threatening like.
That’s when I saw behind him Kyree’s bedframe being carried out.
The two crackhead-looking women must have decided to keep it moving because when I turned back to assess just how many of my things had been put out, I saw the backs of them as they headed to the corner.
“Wait!” I yelled at the men. “You can’t just leave my things out here. How am I going to move them?”
The big Asian-looking man turned while on the steps, on his way back into the building. “Lady, for a couple of dollars we can load this on a truck for you. It has to be here by the time we’re done or you’re out of luck. We have to move on to our next gig. We’re only a contracted company for your landlord.” He continued into the building.
A truck? I paced the stretch of the sidewalk where my things were. There was no way I could fit this stuff in my car. What in the hell was I going to do? Who could help me? Fear struck.
I jogged over to the car for my phone. Without thinking, I called George’s cell. When I didn’t get an answer, I tried his office. His secretary said he was in a meeting and she’d have him call me back. Then I called Renee, Ryshon’s mother. She was the last person I would normally call for help, but I was desperate. I got the operator’s jingle before the automated message telling me the number had been disconnected.
My knees gave out on me and my shoulders began to shake when my phone rang. Tears staining my eyes didn’t allow me to see the caller’s identification and I answered without thinking. I couldn’t even speak.
“Uhhhh… This Jade?” the voice sounded somewhat familiar.
“Who is this?” I garbled into the phone unable to help my cry.
“Are you okay? Did your car break down?”
“Coach?” I asked, suddenly recognizing his baritone.
“Uhhh… Yeah.” He hesitated. “It’s me. You good?”
My eyes scanned my personal items splayed behind me. A set of moving men now bringing down my bed.
“I don’t mean to play stalker or nothing like that, but Kyree left his notebooks in the room and I thought he may need them for school. Coach Jason passed me your number when I called him this morning. I can come bring them to you if he needs them today.”
Ky left his notebooks? But I had seen him pack them up this morning after I had him quickly do his homework before the sun came up. That sneaky little bug purposely left them behind when I was ahead of him, dragging our bags down the long flight of stairs. Why does he choose to expose so much to this stranger? Humiliation poured over me and I burst into tears.
“Aye, man!” he croaked, concerned. “You okay?”
My head began to shake. “No. I’m not. I’m homelessssssssss…” My sobs grew louder and a few people walked past without a pause for care. The moving crew worked in the same manner.
This was it. It’s what my life had turned into. Rebellious as a kid, pregnant as a teen, directionless as an adult, and homeless as a parent. My worst nightmare had materialized.
“Where are you, Jade?” There was a rasp in his voice, a hint of being affected. “Are you at your crib? I’m right outside of E.O. now, in case he needed the books.”
I nodded. “I’m outside,” I could hardly speak.
An hour later the last of my things were being placed on a seventeen foot U-Haul truck. I stood next to the stairs of my building managing an overactive diaphragm, my face swollen from the tears, and my lips dry from crying and wiping. I watched Trenton pay the moving men, dismissing them.
“That’s everything,” Trent informed as his giant frame approached me.
“I don’t have anywhere to take it.” I couldn’t even look at him, too drained from my breakdown, dazed by my horrific reality.
He froze for a moment, considering my words. “We can take it to my place to buy you time to think. I mean…unless you can think of something better.”
“I can’t afford to pay you. I can’t pay for this for a few weeks.” I felt hypnotized, my eyes were glued to the truck ahead.
“Look, Jade, I get it. You’re on a bad leg for now. I’m not tryna come up on you. I just wanna make sure one of the little players on my team is safe at night. You’ve had a nightmarish twelve hours. I’ll take the truck to my crib and you can decide what to do with it over the next few days.”
After taking a moment to kick start my head into gear, I nodded and pushed off the brick building for my car.
“Okay,” I murmured and took off.
I didn’t realize he was behind me until I’d gotten in the car and found his image in my peripheral.
“You think we should drop off the kid’s books?”
I couldn’t look at him, couldn’t even speak. I nodded and put my key in the ignition. It sputtered. I tried again and again it stalled. By the fourth time and as Trenton stood by quietly I gave up. She was dead. I knew it. My head slammed into the steering wheel, but I was cried out, likely dehydrated at this point.
I heard the door open and then felt big hands gently tug me, motioning for me to leave the car. After a few seconds, I’d lost my will and my body now had a new brain to depend on. When I stepped out of the car I faced him. He was over a foot taller than me. So tall, if I wanted to peer him in the face, I had to pull my head back. But I didn’t want to. Couldn’t. I let him grab my bag and keys, close up my car and lock it. Then he took me by the hand and led me to the U-Haul. He made sure I was situated inside before closing the door and heading over to the driver’s seat.
Trenton pulled out his phone and muttered, “What’s the name of Kyree’s school?”
I don’t know how I made it through the day. The details that followed were a blur. Trenton took me to drop off Kyree’s notebooks and then we stopped to grab breakfast I could barely eat. We went back to his house and parked the moving truck in one of his four garages that were the size of my entire apartment. I slept like a zombie for a few hours. When I woke up, I found him in the garage working on his pickup while chatting with someone on the phone. I was surprised to see it, recalling him switching it out for the U-Haul. Apparently, someone was able to bring it to his home for him.
Trenton continued with his conversation on the phone when he handed me a set of keys. I studied them and noticed the Land Rover fob attached. When I peered over to him for answers, he gave a reverse nod to the outside of the garage and I saw the tail of a sleek metallic white Range Rover. My brows rose and jaw fell. I glanced down at the keys and then at the glistening truck again.
“Just until you figure out your car situation,” I heard from behind me.
I turned to find him back in conversation and his head under his hood again. He has a Range Rover and drives a clunky pickup? He’d worn sweats every time I’d seen him, but lived in an empty mansion—on a freakin’ estate! Now, in the middle of the day, I could appreciate how large his property was, but still not wholly. We were in Alpine, where only the rich and famous lived in Jersey. Who was this man?
“Listen,” I leaped around and came in contact with his broad chest before peering up to his face. “I know you’re out of…” He used his index finger, wiggling it in the air to gesture, “sorts. And to be real, I am too. Now, I wanna help Kyree out and that also means helping you out, but we gotta get some things straight from the door.” His brows rose over his hard brown eyes that were now more like bullets shooting into me, expressing his seriousness. “As you can see, I got a lot going on. That means I got a lot to protect. I’m a very private man. The type of private that don’t bring people to my crib, much less strangers. If you got questions about how I got all this—”
“I do.” I interrupted with my chin in the air. I had a son to protect.
“I used to throw the ball.”
“What kind of ball?” I needed to know it wasn’t a drug term. Though I’d been involved with a drug dealer before, Ryshon wasn’t slanging nothing of that term to earn all of this.
Trenton eyed me suspiciously and angrily. He was battling something, but I had every right to ask. It was for the safety of me and my son. He exhaled and rolled his eyes.
“Football.” Then he studied my reaction again.
“Kids football? Pop Warner?” It was my turn to regard him dubiously.
He shook his head. “Pros.”
Oh… “Well, you said used to. What do you do now?”
“I’m in between jobs now.”
“But you still have this?” My hands gestured toward the expansive and manicured property and then the posh truck.
“I tossed it for a while and let’s just say, very well.”
I glanced around again. “Apparently,” I murmured underneath my breath.
“Like I was saying, I don’t go around helping people out, but I’m willing to stick my neck out there for Kyree. But you gotta agree that you won’t disrupt my privacy with having anyone on my property. If you don’t have anybody who could help you outta this jam, then I believe it’s safe to say you won’t be having anybody here.”
His forehead stretched, asking for an answer.
“Nu-no. You don’t have to worry about me busting up your weirdo private life. I just need a couple of days, like you said, to figure out our next move.” I ended with my palms in the air defensively.
As he scoured my face for the truth, I detected his vulnerability. For whatever reason, this man was serious about privacy. There was something innocent and trusting about his giant frame and gentle demeanor. And he was… Cute. Like really good looking—while mean mugging me, and not. Now, while he wore sweat pants, he didn’t wear a sweat jacket in the cool autumn air. This meant I could better gauge his physique and… Gosh… He was a golden tan complexion with an athletic build—well over six feet tall, maybe six and a half. His eyes were dark brown and his nose was narrow and angular, fitting his face perfectly. Trenton sported an unkempt beard that hid his jaw, but his lips were full and tanned in between. I’d stolen a few glances and saw the breadth of his white teeth when he smiled at Kyree. He did that a lot with him. His eyes beamed during exchanges with my son.
“How do I know we’re safe here on this massive property? In a mansion that’s mostly empty with a big ogre of a man living in it, who for some strange reason has taken a liking to my six-year-old son?” That was loaded, but a sensible question.
I couldn’t quite decide if I was subconsciously flirting with the man. My brain hadn’t quite defrosted from my earlier shock.
Trenton frowned. “I don’t mess with kids or boys, Jade. That’s the last thing you gotta worry about with me.” He scoffed with one brow in the air. “That other stuff you may be on point about. Just don’t forget it.”
“Concussion! The movie!” I spoke at the speed of my brain. That’s it. “Are you injured? Wake up in violent fits at night that could kill my son and me?”
Trenton cocked his head to the side, answering me with a searing expression of incredulity. “Are my last victims hidden somewhere on my property, too? Are they mother and son? That’s my thing?”
I swallowed hard, feeling foolish. That question did come off silver screen-ish. He turned and gestured to the truck. “Now that’s a two-year-old model, but I’m sure it’ll be straight to get you to where you need to go until you get your ride right.”
Stinging tears started flooding the corners of my eyes and I sucked in my bottom lip.
“Look, man,” he paused when he found me hiding my face. “It’s just for a few days, right?”
I nodded, swiping the burning waterworks then gestured for him to continue with the terms of his generosity.
What was supposed to be a couple of nights turned into two weeks. I’m sure I didn’t have that in mind when I didn’t fight Trenton on coming to his ‘crib,” as he mentioned to Kyree at DiFillippo’s that night—
And speaking of DiFillippo’s and his home… Holy moly!
His place was a freaking palace! I couldn’t really appreciate the vastness of it the first night because I was choking with fear and the place was mostly dark, but that next day, after Trenton ran down his rules, I was able to tour the place before picking up Kyree from school. And the place was immense. By far the largest home I’d been to in my life, and I’d been to impressive homes before with my stepfather being a corporate attorney with wealthy clients. This mansion was bigger than the founder of B-Way Burger’s home!
The second night we stayed at his colossal place, I managed a meal from what he had stored there and what I bought from the grocery store in East Orange before picking up Ky. After dinner, I helped him with his homework and put him down for the night. I didn’t see Trenton much that evening other than when we initially arrived and I told him he was welcome to my stewed chicken and rice. After Ky fell out, I was restless with worry and a lack of solutions. It was enough that I struggled between three jobs and had missed an entire day of work from being evicted earlier. I needed to find a distraction. To do something laborious that would tire me out or get my brain working faster for resolutions.
I started out by cleaning the kitchen. That led to me cleaning the windows in the kitchen, and man, were they impossibly tall and intricately designed windows all throughout the gargantuan room. I had to use one of his barstools from the large island to reach up to the high windows to get it done. Then I found myself sweeping the floors. After, I felt the need to mop them, so I went in search of a cleaning solution. I was in the second pantry when a meaty glob of muscle appeared in my peripheral scaring me shitless!