Childhood Sweethearts

by Jacob Spears

  “Why do you always have to make so much sense?” he asked Miranda.

  “I’ve been where you are now. Maybe what hurt me is different than what’s hurting you. I suppose it is too. But I had to make a choice just like you have to make one now.”

  “And what did you choose?” Smooth wanted to know.

  “What was right for me,” she stated matter-of-factly.

  “Will you marry me?”

  They both laughed hard.

  “You got to divorce China first.”

  Chapter 22

  The day after receiving Donna’s name from China, Nick had everything else he needed. His information on her was limited to just a little more than the basics. It included her birthday, state I.D. information, work history, and credit report. But more importantly, his information contained an address—an address she had recently moved to.

  After getting the address, Nick checked it out.

  He parked his car and got out, carrying a small cake he’d purchased from a local bakery.

  With the confidence of an A-list celebrity, he proceeded to the door. There was a car parked in the driveway, which startled Nick when the car started up. He was unable to get a clear view of the driver because of the dark-tinted windows, but he was fairly certain it was Monica.

  He’d have to make sure.

  He wanted to head back to his car and tail her, but he thought about how it would look if he abruptly turned around. Instead, he walked to the door and knocked.

  “Who is it?” Donna asked, opening the door before receiving a reply.

  She eyed the man in front of her suspiciously.

  “Hi Ms. Kelly, my name is Kyle Spellers, and I’d just like to welcome you to the neighborhood,” Nick pushed the box forward.

  “Thank you so much,” Donna replied, accepting the box.

  “Would you like something to drink?” she asked him.

  Seeing the invitation as a chance to look around the house, he gladly accepted.

  “Yes, thank you.”

  “What would you like?” she asked, as she led the way to the large kitchen.

  “Anything cold would be nice.”

  As Donna cut a slice of cake for him, Nick looked around for telltale signs of who all lived in the house.

  Everything was extremely neat, but he did notice a variety of kids’ cereals on top of the refrigerator.

  Nick finished half of his cake and then looked at his watch.

  “I have to excuse myself, Ms. Kelly. Thank you for your hospitality,” he said, as he picked up his soda.

  “Thank you for stopping by,” Donna told him. She then walked him to door.

  Before starting his car, Nick looked around at the street. He needed a place to park where he’d be able to observe the house. He drove away and then returned and parked in the driveway of the house next door, where he’d noticed a ‘For Sale’ sign. He settled in to wait for Monica’s return. That’s if, in fact, it was her. And if it wasn’t, he was on the clock. China would pay for it.

  Nick hadn’t waited very long when the car he’d seen earlier returned to the house. He watched as all the car doors except the driver’s side opened and out poured the kids. Finally, the driver’s side door opened.

  Nick picked up the ID photo that he had enlarged and was satisfied.

  He found Monica.

  * * *

  Smooth picked up his phone to see who was calling so much. Seeing that it was China, he hit the ignore button and lowered his head back on the pillow.

  His phone rang again. He checked the caller ID and was surprised to see China calling back.

  “Yeah,” he picked up.

  “Hi, baby. How are you?”

  “What do you want, China?”

  “I got something to tell you that ...”

  “I don’t want to hear it!”

  “You don’t even know what I’m about to say.”

  “You’re right,” Smooth said. “I do know, though the last time you told me you had something to tell me, you flipped my world upside down, and you made me see for the first time that what I thought was love wasn’t love at all.”

  Smooth’s words hit China like a freight train and knocked her into silence.

  She was silent, but he knew she was still on the line. He was glad to see the impact of his words.

  “So you think all this time I didn’t love you? That I don’t love you?” China was angry now.

  “I never doubted it before. Now I don’t know what to think. You’re to blame for that!”

  “Are you trying to hurt me with your words?”

  “No more than you tried to hurt me with your actions,” Smooth retorted.

  “I guess I deserve that.”

  “That and a lot more! What’s the purpose of this call, China?”

  China was devastated. Smooth had never treated her cruelly.

  “You hate me, don’t you?” she asked, even though she dreaded the answer.

  This time it was Smooth who remained silent. He heard the agony in her voice and hated himself for what he was doing to her, but he wanted her to feel some of the pain he felt.

  “Why did you call me?” he asked again, ignoring her question.

  “If that’s the way you want it, that’s how it’ll be. But let me make this clear to you, Smooth. I only did what I did because the only man that I’d give my life to looked like he was betraying me. I had pictures that told me he was betraying me. So I tried to turn the tables. Throughout it all, I still love you. You’ve cheated on me and I’ve forgiven you. I’m not going to beat a dead horse. I fucked up and I’m sorry, but I do love you.” China gave her words time to sink in before she spoke again.

  “Now to the reason I’m calling.”

  Smooth held the phone tightly. If China wasn’t calling him to talk about them, her next words—the reason for the call—had to be important.

  “I’m listening,” he answered.

  “I know where Monica is.”

  He wasn’t sure he heard her correctly.

  “What did you say?”

  “I know where Monica is,” she repeated.

  Smooth closed his eye and said a silent prayer.

  “You there?” China asked.

  “Yeah, I’m here. Where is she?” he wanted to know.

  “I’m not telling you.”

  “What do you mean you’re not telling me?” he snapped. “You calling me to play games or something? Do you know where she is or not?”

  “Nigga, I just told you I know. All I was about to say is I’m not telling you where she is unless you agree to work with me. China returned with an attitude of her own.

  Smooth smiled on the other end of the line. He knew she would only take so much from him before she fought back.

  “And if I don’t agree?”

  “I won’t tell you where she is and I’ll go after her myself.”

  “Why you going after her?”

  Smooth regretted the question as soon as it was out of his mouth.

  Still, he caught himself waiting to hear her answer.

  “She got something that can hurt someone I love and I need it back.”

  Smooth smiled. China had said just what he’d hoped to hear. Just what he needed to hear.

  “Okay,” he told her. “We’ll do this together.”

  * * *

  Monica sat on the floor in her bedroom doing what she enjoyed most.

  She never grew tired of counting the money or seeing the stacks she always made in front of her.

  Without counting it, you’d never know that it wasn’t the same amount she’d taken from China’s closet. Minus the money for the down payment on the house and the investments she made, practically all of the money was still there. Monica had plans to dump large amounts into the up-and-comers she had recently researched.

  Besides investing, she had no other plans for the money. She left her room and closed the door behind her.

  “Aunt D,” she called.

>   There was no answer. She looked in the kitchen and living room before pushing open Donna’s bedroom door. She was lying in bed with the comforter up to her neck.

  “Why are you opening my door without knocking?”

  “Why are you still in bed?” Monica ignored Donna’s question.

  “I don’t feel too good.”

  “So what am I supposed to eat?” she placed a hand on her hip.

  “You can fix yourself something to eat, child. Close my door.”

  Monica walked out, leaving the door wide open.

  In the kitchen she banged the pots and pans on the stove as loudly as she could. She regretted buying the house for her aunt. Maybe she didn’t regret buying the house for her, but she definitely regretted moving in with her.

  Monica thought her aunt was lazy. She didn’t work, so what was the problem with cooking for her when she asked? Monica thought that it was the least she could do considering what she had done for her.

  She set the stove to high and then placed the pan on the bright red element, just before she cracked an egg and dumped it in.

  With no butter in the pan, she knew it wouldn’t take long before the smoke detector went off.

  She sat back and waited.

  She hadn’t waited long before the alarm brought Donna rushing in to see what was going on. The older lady snatched the pan off the stove, sat it in the sink, and then turned off the stove.

  “What in God’s name! Are you okay?”

  Monica’s only answer was the smirk on her face.

  Donna looked at the young woman in front of her and wondered for the millionth time what happened to the sweet, loving girl that she was once proud to call her niece.

  “You told me to fix my own food, didn’t you?” Monica finally answered smartly.

  Donna silently wished that she hadn’t taken Monica up on the offer to buy her a house.

  Donna felt trapped now with nowhere else to go. Since living under the same roof, she saw that Monica was extremely rude and disrespectful. She wanted to choke her.

  “What would you like?” she asked instead.

  “That’s more like it.”

  Donna couldn’t believe her ears. The disrespect was flagrant.

  “Fix it yourself, you little nasty bitch!” she screamed, as she threw the cloth on the counter and attempted to walk out.

  “You don’t want to walk away from me,” Monica held her by the arm.

  Donna broke free and walked to her bedroom.

  Monica had no intention of hurting her aunt in any way, but she needed to show her who was running things. She followed her to her room.

  Donna had already placed several suitcases on her bed and began pulling things out of her drawers.

  “What are you doing?” Monica laughed.

  “You think you can disrespect me because you paid for this house? Child, you’re nothing but a thief. The only real friend you ever had you don’t have anymore because you stole her money. And now you just pushed away the only real family you have. You’re in for a lovely life, little girl!”

  “Where are you going to go?” Monica asked.

  “I don’t know, but I refuse to spend another day under the same roof with you!”

  “So you’re just going on the street?”

  “No, unlike you, child, I have friends. But before I call on them, I’m going to ask you to give me some money.”

  “You’re crazy!” Monica laughed.

  “And you’re evil. I wish you nothing but the best, child, but I want nothing to do with you anymore.”

  “Your choice, Monica turned around and walked out.

  She knew that she was being a bitch lately, but she couldn’t help herself. She was dealing with a lot and had no one to confide in. Couldn’t her aunt see that she was stressed? She didn’t want her to leave, but what was she supposed to do? Beg her to stay?”

  That wouldn’t happen.

  Monica slammed the door to her bedroom. She went back to the piles of paper on the floor. That was all she needed.

  Chapter 23

  Smooth pulled up to Ga Ga’s house and hit the horn. Instead of China, it was Roxy who came out to greet him.

  She opened the door and sat in the passenger seat.

  “What’s up, Rox?”

  “That’s what I should be asking you.”

  “Why is that?”

  “You and China good or what?” Roxy asked.

  “We cool,” was all he said.

  “Where you taking her?”

  “She’s taking me somewhere. I’m just the driver.”

  Smooth didn’t know it, but Roxy knew exactly where they were going. Not only where they were going, but what they were going to do.

  “Smooth, I just want y’all to be careful. I can’t say I wouldn’t do the same thing if I was in your shoes. But I would make sure if I was to do anything like that, I didn’t end up in your shoes. I know what y’all about to do. Please be careful.”

  Smooth only nodded, not confirming nor denying anything.

  Roxy told him about how China kept her up all night talking about him.

  Every now and then he smiled.

  The two sat talking for a while before China finally emerged from the house.

  “‘bout time,” Roxy said what Smooth was thinking.

  “Whatever.”

  China got in as her sister stepped out.

  “Hey Smooth,” she said in greeting, as she closed the door.

  “What’s up? Where we headed?” he asked her.

  “I didn’t think of this before, but do you think it’s a good idea for us to take your car?”

  “What difference does it make?” he asked.

  “Your car attracts attention and it’s a car she knows pretty well.”

  Smooth agreed.

  “We don’t have much of a choice,” he told her.

  “Let me ask, Rox.”

  China got out and went back inside. A minute later, she came out dangling Roxy’s keys.

  Smooth locked up his car and made his way over to the other car.

  China placed the tote bag she was carrying on the backseat and then got behind the wheel.

  “What’s in the bag?” Smooth asked.

  “A few things I thought we’d need.”

  Smooth reached over and brought the bag to his lap.

  He pulled out the outfit and looked at her skeptically.

  She smiled.

  After viewing the other items in the bag, he placed the bag back on the seat.

  “What you got planned?”

  Smooth listened as she explained her plan to him, which he believed would work.

  “Where is she?”

  “From what I learned from my P.I., she’s staying at a house under Donna’s name. I don’t know if you remember her. They’ve only been living there for a week. I went by Donna’s old place and it’s empty, so I’m sure Donna and the kids are there. This time of day we can assume the kids are all at school.”

  Smooth nodded in agreement.

  “Donna’s probably there with her right now.”

  Smooth nodded again, understanding exactly what China was getting at.

  “You still mad at me, Smooth?” she asked him.

  “I don’t know, China.”

  “You don’t know if you’re mad at me? How could you not know if ...”

  Smooth shook his head. “I don’t know if I was every mad at you.”

  “Hello, he pointed at her eye.

  He leaned over and touched her eye.

  “I did that out of hurt not anger. I didn’t know how else to react to what you did to me.”

  “I’m not mad at you, Smooth. I deserved it. I hate that I messed up so bad with you.”

  Smooth fell quiet.

  “Talk to me,” China said, not liking the silence.

  “Why didn’t you think Monica stole your money?”

  “Honestly, I didn’t give anything or anybody a second thought once I saw those
pictures. I was angry with you. I couldn’t have been madder if those were pictures of you and Miranda in bed,” she told him.

  “But why?”

  “Baby, how would you feel if you found out I cheated on you but you forgave me, and the only thing you asked is that I agree to stay away from the nigga I cheated on you with? But you get locked up and find out I went to see that nigga the same day you got locked up?” she waited for his response.

  “I didn’t go to see her the day you got locked up, but I understand everything you’re saying.”

  Just then, Smooth started laughing.

  “What’s funny?”

  “I don’t know. I’m just thinking about all the days we talked about getting money and what we’d do once we got it. Neither one of us said any of this shit!”

  “I know, right. I can tell you this though,” China took one of Smooth’s hands into her own. “If you give me another chance, I’ll never doubt you again or put anyone or anything before you.”

  Smooth didn’t pull back. He allowed her to hold his hand. He enjoyed her touch.

  “I love you so much, Smooth. You got to believe that,” she begged, with tears in her eyes.

  “I do, China. I do,” he replied, giving her hand a light squeeze.

  “Good. Can I come home now?” she joked to lighten the mood.

  “I never told you to leave in the first place. You didn’t sleep at home last night?” he asked.

  “That means you didn’t either, nigga. Where did you sleep?”

  Smooth was laughing before she asked the question.

  “I’m just fucking with you, boo. I slept in our bed.”

  “Don’t make me fuck you up, boy.”

  They both laughed.

  “Once this is over, we got to go back,” Smooth said.

  “Back where?”

  “To where we were before the money came.”

  “I’d like that,” China told him.

  “Okay, now it’s time to focus on the job ahead.”

  * * *

  Donna was in the living room taking down the photos she’d put up only a few days earlier, when the doorbell rang.