by Meta Smith
“That’s not true. Nothing has ever happened between me and Sparks.
It’s strictly business, you know that,” Dez lied.
“It’s strictly business, you know that,” Leilani mocked. “You think I’m stupid. But I’m not. You are.”
“Leilani,” Ginger pleaded, grasping Dez’s hand. “Think about what
you’re doing. No man is worth all this.”
“Ha! Sparks is. And if I can’t have him, you two sure as hell won’t,” Leilani threatened.
“Leilani, you already have Sparks,” Dez began.
“Had. I had Sparks. He dumped me for no apparent reason! Which means only one thing: you got to him. And now, you’re going to pay,” Leilani warned.
This bitch done lost her mind! Dez thought. I had no idea she was this much of a nut job.
Leilani continued to hold the two at knifepoint.
“I tried. God knows that I tried to do everything in my power to make that man happy, everything. I was more than a woman. Then out of nowhere, bam! He says he isn’t feeling this. It isn’t working. Well, I’m tired of getting the short end of the stick! I’m tired of busting my ass to be the best, only to get shoved to the background! That shit is over!” Leilani barked.
“Leilani! What the hell are you doing here?” Sparks bellowed from the doorway. He and Bentley had arrived and let themselves in to see Leilani holding Ginger and Dez at knife-point.
“Now, is that any way to greet your woman?” Leilani cooed, her personality switching 180 degrees.
“Why do you have a knife? Leilani, what are you doing?” Sparks asked cautiously.
“Oh, this little thing? I’ll put it away. I was just teasing them, baby. I came here to talk to you, to apologize for what went down in Miami. But they wouldn’t let me in. I know we can work out whatever is wrong.”
“How did you find my house? I never gave you this address,” Sparks said, inching his way toward her.
“It wasn’t easy. You’re a tricky one, aren’t you? But nothing can stand in the way of true love. Once I found out where you lived, I hid in the bushes and waited for those two hos to come home. I ran in the gate behind their car. Smart, huh?” Leilani grinned, satisfied with herself.
“Put the knife down,” Sparks ordered.
“Not until you agree to talk with me. Tell me you still love me,” Leilani begged. “Tell me we can work it out.”
Bentley, Dez, and Ginger stood frozen, their mouths agape.
“Girl, you know I still love you. I was just trippin’. I had a lot on my mind. I’m sorry.” Sparks played along to appease her.
“I knew it! Oh, I love you so much, baby.” Leilani tossed the knife aside and ran to Sparks. She held him tightly and smothered him with kisses.
Sparks grabbed her and wrestled her hands behind her back. He shoved her out the front door and locked it. Dez ran into the kitchen and called the police while Leilani banged on the door.
“Oh my God!” Ginger placed her hand over her heart. “Are you okay?” Bentley asked her.
“Yeah, just a little bugged out is all,” Ginger responded.
“You must be Ginger, Dez’s sister. Bentley told me all about you.” Sparks extended his hand, and Ginger shook it.
“I wish that we had met under more pleasant circumstances,” she said, smiling.
“I wish that we’d met before you got engaged,” Sparks quipped. “Bentley told you, huh?”
“Yeah.” He grinned back flirtatiously. “As you can see, my luck with women sucks.”
“I just got off the phone with the police. They’ll be here shortly,” Dez interrupted, returning to the foyer.
Leilani was still banging on the door, demanding to be let in.
“She can’t get off the property unless she hops the gate,” Sparks told them.
“Well, at least now you can have the charges against you dropped. It’s obvious that she’s a stalker. She needs some serious help,” Ginger told him.
“That’s true. But I feel sorry for her,” Sparks admitted.
“You were going to feel even sorrier for her if she didn’t have that knife. She was about to get the smack-down all over again!” Dez piped in.
The police arrived and hauled Leilani off the premises. Sparks decided not to press charges. He just wanted the matter to be done with.
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea, dude. That bitch is sick. She might come back,” Bentley warned him.
“She won’t come back,” Sparks replied, and hoped to God he was right.
CHAPTER 23
June 2002-Los Angeles
D
EZ WAS ACCUSTOMED TO BEING PAMPERED, BUT HER experience before the BET Awards was bar none the most indulgent
experience of her life. She’d spent the week working hard on her performance piece with Bentley. In addition to their collaboration and her performance of “Down to Ride,” she was going to introduce a few of her new songs in the form of a medley. There were also the press junkets, interviews, and meet-and-greets that came with the territory.
The whole pre-awards process had been hectic. Sparks and Bentley insisted that she be totally relaxed and look her absolute best, so it was arranged for Dez to not have to lift a finger the day of the ceremony. First, an aesthetician arrived at her suite at the Chateau Marmont to give her a facial and body scrub with glycolic acid so that her skin would be radiant. Then she received a ninety-minute head-to-toe Asian massage, complete with warm stones being placed on all her “chakras.” The attendant informed Dez that the placement of the stones would open her body up to positive energy. Dez figured that she needed all the positive energy she could get. She was so nervous, and it was hard to believe how much had happened in just under a year.
She took a break for a snack and reflected on her journey to the realization of a dream that no one had believed was possible, not even her. She finally understood that it was by God’s grace that she was able
to come so far. She used to believe that it was because she was pretty and because she was slick that she had been able to remain on top. But where did her looks and her “game” come from? Dez chose to believe that they were gifts from God. She realized He hadn’t given her any more troubles than she could bear, even though it had felt that way many times. Everything He’d brought her to, He’d brought her through.
She used to think that God put her in the ghetto and had her overcome so many obstacles because He despised her. He couldn’t have cared; otherwise, life would have been good instead of so hard. Now she knew that God put her right where He needed her to be to do whatever it was He intended for her to do. She had survived the concrete jungle of New York, rising above the millions of nameless, faceless people to make something out of herself in a tiny little city near the Atlantic Ocean.
Dez was grateful. She could have died that night with Ernesto. And since then, she’d found herself in many situations that could have gotten ugly. But somehow she always survived. It wasn’t her looks or her game, it was a blessing.
“You better get it all out now. Because once I make up that pretty face of yours, you had better not ruin all of my hard work,” a pretty young makeup artist who resembled Halle Berry kidded her. Dez looked up startled. She hadn’t even realized that she was crying.
“My bad.” Dez wiped her face with her forehand and smiled.
“Don’t apologize. It’s cool. I’ll make sure to hook you up, but try and be careful. I know it’s hard, though. If this were all happening to me, I’d probably be so happy that I’d be in tears too,” the makeup artist, Kennedy, stated. She patted Dez’s hand. “Congratulations! You deserve all of this.”
“I do?” Dez asked, surprised a total stranger would say such a thing. “Sure. Some of these artists can be so evil! I’ve been peeping your
style all day. You’ve been really friendly and gracious to everyone. We understand that performers and celebrities can get nervous before a big night like this. But some of them go a little ove
rboard.”
“Well, I’ve been there and done that. You wouldn’t have said that I was friendly and gracious if you’d met me last year. Maybe not even last month!” Dez admitted.
“Well, what happened? Why the big change?”
“Jesus. My sister helped me find Him again,” Dez answered with a smile.
Kennedy smiled back. “Amen. I knew you deserved this, girl! You’d be surprised at how many stars are atheists or believe in crazy cult religions and the like. It’s been a while since I worked with a fellow Christian.”
Dez noticed that Kennedy was wearing a beautiful cross around her neck. It made her feel good to be respected by another Christian. Dez knew her lyrics weren’t exactly clean or religious, but she knew her heart was good, and she was trying to be a better person. Apparently, it hadn’t gone unnoticed.
Forty-five minutes later Dez inspected her face in the mirror, visibly pleased.
“You did an excellent job!” Dez complimented Kennedy.
“Honestly, I’ve had my makeup done by a million different folks, but this is the very best!”
“Well, it helps when the canvas is beautiful to begin with,” Kennedy replied, lifting Dez’s face and sprinkling her with shimmery powder that gave her a golden glow.
There was a knock at the suite door.
“Can you get that?” Dez asked Kennedy. “I need to use the bathroom.” “Sure, no problem,” Kennedy agreed, while Dez slipped into the
bathroom.
Dez turned on the water, quickly folded a towel, placed it next to the commode, and kneeled on it gingerly. She felt her stomach lurch and the bile rise as she heaved into the toilet. It was the third time in two days she’d vomited, and she knew in her gut that it was more than just the jitters. Her period was more than two months late, her breasts were extremely tender, and she couldn’t seem to stop spitting. She’d even picked up a few pounds and was always exhausted. Dez flushed the toilet and carefully wiped her mouth. After checking herself out in the mirror, she decided that she looked fine and went to slip on her clothes.
Whose baby is it? a nagging voice inside her head asked. She shook the
thought away. No doubt it was Bentley’s baby.
“Dez, these came for you! Aren’t they beautiful?” Kennedy presented Dez with a huge bouquet of exquisite calla lilies.
“Oh my God! They’re fabulous! Calla lilies are my favorite. But no one knows that except for my sister, Ginger. They must be from her. But I wish they were from Bentley.” Dez knew she shouldn’t share her personal business with a virtual stranger, but everyone knew that she and Bentley were an item. Dez plucked the card from the bouquet.
Congratulations! Here’s to the future. I love you! Bentley.
A huge smile spread across Dez’s face.
“Judging by that grin, those flowers are from your man. That ain’t a sister smile,” Kennedy quipped.
“Yeah, they’re from my baby,” Dez replied.
“You’re a lucky woman,” Kennedy said.
I sure hope so! Dez thought. If the baby was Sparks’s and not Bentley’s, her life would be in shambles again! Dez couldn’t figure out how she kept getting into such messes, but with God on her side, she knew that she would find her way out.
“You better get a move on, Dez!” Kennedy told her. “It’s almost time for you to leave.”
Dez quicklyslippedinto the custom-made gown designed by Donatella Versace. It was gold, sequined, and supershort, yet managed to be sexy and classy at once. Dez twirled in the mirror; she felt just like a fairy-tale princess. She had it all: good looks, a great career, recognition, and the man she loved. And now she was going to be a mommy. It reminded her of the day that she, Tasha, and Shelle saw the football players’ wives back in Morristown. She’d come far. Everything she had dreamed was now a reality. What could be better?
Dez’s stylist, hairdresser, and Kennedy carefully packed everything that she’d need for the ceremony: hairpieces, makeup, and her performance outfit and shoes. They were going ahead of her in a separate car, while Dez, Bentley, Sparks, Scoop, and Jazzy piled into a bulletproof stretch Hummer to dazzle the red carpet. Ginger and her fiancé were not going to attend the ceremony. Ginger’s man hadn’t been able to get away in time to catch an early flight–but they were meeting them at the Titanium Records after-party. Dez wanted her sister there, but late was better than never. Besides, they wouldn’t have been able to have any fun, since she was performing with Bentley, announcing an award, and hopefully winning one. Dez couldn’t wait to share the news of her pregnancy with Ginger. She and Bentley would probably get married! It looked like both of them had finally found true happiness.
“Thanks for my flowers, babe,” Dez cooed in Bentley’s ear as she slid into the Hummer next to him.
“No doubt, baby. Ginger told me you like calla lilies,” he replied, grinning.
“Yo yo, listen up!” Sparks yelled over the rowdy entourage, who were smoking cigars and blasting Dez and Bentley’s single as loud as the volume would go.
“I want to make a toast!” he exclaimed, popping open a bottle of Cristal with a flourish. He poured everyone a glass.
“This family has been through a lot, but we made it through in one piece. What else would you expect from Titanium? We are the toughest. To family!” Sparks held up his glass.
“To family!” they echoed, glasses extended.
“A la familia,” Dez said in Spanish. “Salud!” She clinked her glass with Bentley’s, marveling that soon they would be family in more ways than one.
The trip to the Kodak Theater was short, but the lineup of limos and chauffeur-driven luxury cars created major gridlock.
“You ready, Dez?” Sparks asked.
“No doubt!” she answered, full of excitement.
“Good. We believe in you and we got your back, no matter what happens tonight. You know how to handle the media, and your performance is tight. I’d say you’re as ready as you’re going to get. Good luck, lil’ sis. I love you.” Sparks looked at Dez with warm eyes. Dez knew that there was more to his statement than he let on, but she disregarded it. The past was the past. Sparks looked at his brother. “I love you too, man!” “Damn! For a minute I thought you had eyes for my girl!” Bentley
teased.
“Nah, man,” Sparks lied, giving his brother a pound and Dez a kiss on the cheek.
Dez swore she could hear the guitar lick from “All Eyez on Me” as she stepped out of the Hummer assisted by a huge bodyguard. All around her, cameras were flashing; the media were in a frenzy. And what was this? They were calling her name! Journalists and fans all vied for her attention. Dez was so overcome with emotion she thought her heart would explode. She posed for the photographers while peeping Bentley out the corner of her eye. He and Sparks were busy taking pictures and fielding questions of their own from the media. Abruptly, Bentley grabbed her arm and pulled her close to speak with Ananda Lewis. Dez had always admired Ananda; not only was she beautiful, she was down-to-earth.
Many times Dez had practiced answering questions from Ananda for all of BET and MTV’s viewers to see. It was such a rush to finally do it. And just when Dez thought that this moment had to be the very best moment of her life, chaos erupted. First there were the blinding flashes of light that hurt her eyes. Then there was pain, pain so intense that it was immobilizing. She fell to the red carpet, made even redder by her blood. Her eyes went blurry and out of focus as terrified masses of people attempted to flee the scene. Why wasn’t anyone helping her? And where was Bentley?
“Bentley!” she called out weakly to him. Dez held her hand in front of her face and willed her eyes to focus. Her hand was covered in blood.
I’ve got to get help! Dez thought in a panic. After all I’ve been through I ain’t
going out like a sucker.
Dez struggled to scream. “Someone please help me! I’m pregnant.
Someone please help my baby!” And then everything went black.
CHAPTER 24
B
ENTLEY AND SPARKS RAN ALONGSIDE THE GURNEY AS Dez was wheeled into the emergency room at Cedars-Sinai Medical
Center. There was a journalist who was wheeled in too, hovering between life and death. Throngs of the press were in tow, anxious to get the scoop on not just a celebrity but one of their own as well.
“You can’t go in there,” a nurse told Bentley as he attempted to follow Dez into an operating room.
“You don’t understand. That’s my girl,” he explained, overcome with tears.