Back to Me

by Earl Sewell

  “Are you mad at me?” I asked.

  Misalo remained silent as he adjusted the rearview mirror.

  “What did I do?” I asked.

  After another long pause, Misalo finally spoke. “I’m mad about a lot of things,” he admitted.

  “Well, let’s start with why you’re mad at me.” My bottom lip quivered out of nervousness. In my heart, I didn’t want him to reject me. Especially not after what I’d just gone through.

  “I’m not mad at you,” he said. “I’m mad at the way things have turned out.”

  Breathing a sigh of relief, I said, “Well, I just fought two girls for you. If that doesn’t prove how loyal I am, I don’t know what will.”

  Misalo pulled into my driveway and stopped the car. “I know. You certainly have proven yourself to be much more loyal than I thought Maya was.” His head slumped between his shoulders. I reached over and stroked his hair. He welcomed my touch briefly and then pulled away. “Look, I need time to clear my head.”

  “Okay, I understand,” I whispered as I stopped touching him. “Will you ever call me again?”

  He glanced out the driver’s side window. I tried to figure out what he was looking at, but then realized he was avoiding eye contact as he considered how to answer my question. He then met my gaze and said, “Yes.”

  I wanted to kiss him, if only on the cheek, but my bottom lip was throbbing and bloody. I knew that I didn’t exactly look pretty and didn’t want to gross him out with a bloody kiss. I opened the door and stepped out of the car. I stood in the driveway and watched as Misalo backed out and drove away.

  I walked into the house and heard Uncle Herman and Aunt Raven in the basement laughing. Judging by the sound coming from the television, they were watching some type of comedy program. I hurried up to the room I shared with Anna so that I could hide my battle scars. When I entered the room, Anna was on her bed, resting on her stomach and screwing around with an iPad.

  When she saw my face, she said, “What happened to you?” She set the tablet aside and came near me. I tried to hide my face out of shame, but it was no use. “Did you get into a fight?” She asked a question that she already knew the answer to.

  “Yeah. It was two against one,” I said as I once again surveyed my bruises and cuts in the mirror on top of the dresser. Somehow, either Keysha or Maya had managed to scratch the tip of my nose.

  “Let me see your face,” Anna insisted.

  “It’s not that bad. You should see the other girls,” I proudly boasted.

  “Wow. I can’t believe you beat up two girls.” Anna seemed to be impressed with me.

  “Well, sometimes you just have to do what you have to. I wasn’t about to let two chicks jump me,” I said.

  “Come on. Let’s go down the hall and into the bathroom. I’ll help bandage you up,” Anna offered. I looked at her and gave her a big hug. Anna hugged me back, and I didn’t want to let her go.

  “You’re such a cool cousin,” I said, finally releasing her.

  “Who did you get into a fight with? I want to know all the details.” Anna was adamant as she took my hand and led me out of her room. We entered the bathroom, and she locked the door. She closed the lid on the toilet seat and said, “Take a seat.” She opened up the medicine cabinet and removed a first-aid kit.

  I remained silent. “Come on, spill it. Who did you fight with?” she asked, pressing me for information.

  I exhaled because I didn’t want to tell Anna out of fear of how she might react. “It’s a long story, Anna.”

  “Oh, come on. Don’t do me like that. Please tell me.” She wanted information and wouldn’t stop questioning me until she got it. Anna opened a bag of gauze, pressed it against my split bottom lip and cleaned up the blood that was there.

  “Do you think I’m going to need stitches?” I asked nervously.

  “No, it looks worse than it is. Some A+D Ointment should heal this up just fine. I use it all the time during the winter months, when my bottom lip splits from being chapped. Now, stop stalling and tell me what happened.”

  “I beat up Maya and her friend Keysha.” I finally told her what she wanted to know.

  “You did what?” Ann shouted.

  “Shhhh, I don’t want your parents to know.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry.”

  “Are you mad at me?” I asked, fearing the worst.

  “Mad at you? No. Maya probably deserved it,” Anna said.

  “Well, she did start it. She was the one who hit me first,” I said.

  “See. So it was self-defense, right?” Anna asked.

  “It was totally self-defense,” I assured her.

  She continued with her questioning. “So, what were you guys fighting about?”

  “I was at the community center, talking to Misalo, when she and Keysha just showed up. Maya started going off on me and Misalo for no reason other than pure jealousy. She shoved me, and I decided to let the first push go unanswered. Misalo told her that he didn’t want to see her anymore. She got very upset with his decision. I was trying to avoid a nasty scene, so I suggested to Misalo that he come with me. Next thing I knew, Maya just snapped off. She began swinging wildly at me. So I beat her down. I slung her to the floor, held her down and started punching her. Next thing I knew, Keysha jumped in and we started fighting.”

  “Damn! That wasn’t right for Keysha to jump in a fight between you and Maya,” Anna said, taking my side. I felt relieved that she thought my actions were justified.

  “Only problem is that I don’t want your parents to know that I beat her up,” I said, concerned about the consequences of that discovery.

  “Why?” Anna asked.

  “Because I don’t want them to get so ticked off that they kick me out of the house. I’ve gotten used to staying here. I don’t have to worry about where my next meal is going to come from, and I really like Uncle Herman. I don’t want to disappoint him.”

  “Okay,” Anna said as she applied some ointment to my lip. “Do you want me to help?”

  “How are you going to help, Anna?” I asked, not convinced she could do anything.

  “I’ll talk to Maya and tell her that you want to offer a truce,” she explained.

  “I don’t think she’ll go for that. She seems like the dramatic type that’s going to walk through the front door any minute now, crying as if she’s just been shot,” I said, fearing the other shoe would drop at any moment.

  “Let me find out where she is, and I’ll talk to her before she comes into the house,” Anna said.

  “Do you really think you can get her to just let this go? I mean, I really kicked her butt, Anna.” I had my doubts.

  “You just leave Maya to me. But you have to promise me that once I set up the truce, you guys will be cool and just stay out of each other’s way.”

  “Trust me. I don’t want to be bothered with her any more than she wants to deal with me.”

  “Cool. Sit tight. I’m going to go get my cell phone and call her,” Anna said as she exited the bathroom.

  Several minutes later, Anna came back. By that time, I was standing in front of the mirror, trying to apply some makeup to hide the bruise that was forming under my eye.

  “So, what’s the deal?” I asked.

  “She’s at Keysha’s house right now. I told her that I really needed to talk to her and that I was on my way over.”

  “She didn’t try to blow you off?” I asked.

  “Of course she did, but I’m going over there, anyway. Trust me, I’m going to make her an offer she can’t refuse,” Anna said lightheartedly.

  “You’ve been watching too many mobster movies,” I said, knowing Anna enjoyed watching classic movies like The Godfather and Goodfellas just as much as I did.

  “I left my iPad on th
e bed. You can fiddle around with it until I get back. I’ve downloaded a few really cool fashion apps.” Anna placed her hand on my shoulder. I turned and hugged her once again.

  “Have you downloaded any science, math or music programs?” I asked as I walked back into the bedroom and picked up the device.

  “Huh?” I’d completely confused Anna with my odd question.

  “Okay, so I’m a little bit of a closet geek. I like knowing how stuff works. Do you have a problem with that?” I asked.

  Laughing, Anna said, “Not at all. I just never thought you’d be the type of person who was interested in those sorts of things.”

  “Well, surprise. There is more to me than meets the eye,” I said.

  “I see,” Anna said as she stepped over to the door. Smiling over her shoulder at me, she added, “Everything is going to be okay.”

  “I hope so,” I said, sitting down on the bed.

  Anna walked out and closed the door gently.

  Twelve

  MAYA

  Keysha and I left the community center and walked back to her house, looking like we’d just left a SmackDown prime-time event. During the scuffle, not only did Keysha’s blouse get ripped, but the straps on her sandals had popped, as well. Although I tried not to, I cried on her shoulder during the entire walk to her house. Keysha tried to console me and I did try to listen, but I couldn’t bring myself to stop sobbing.

  “I know you don’t want to hear this, but as your best friend, I think I should tell you,” Keysha said once we had turned the corner and were headed down the street her house was on.

  “Tell me what?” I asked through my sobs.

  “You have to let Misalo go.” Although Keysha’s words weren’t welcomed, they were the truth.

  “I’m not ready to let him go, Keysha. I just can’t turn my feelings off for him like that.” My wounded heart was speaking for me instead of my common sense.

  She tried to reason with me. “I know that, but you’ve got to try. It may be time to move on. I mean, if it’s meant to work out, then it will.”

  Stubbornly, I responded by saying, “I will not lose Misalo to Viviana. That is the ultimate insult.”

  “I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, but we can’t keep going around trying to beat her up,” Keysha replied, imploring me to think rationally.

  We entered her house and walked up the steps and into her family room. Her half brother, Mike, was sitting on the sofa, playing a football game on his Sony PlayStation with a guy who was on our high school football team. When he glanced up at us, he said, “Damn! What happened to your face, Maya?”

  “Leave her alone, Mike,” Keysha scolded as she guided me through to the kitchen.

  “Both of y’all look like y’all got your butts whipped!” Mike blurted out.

  “Hey, Maya, I saw those photos you took. They were hot, girl,” his friend remarked.

  “Don’t pay that insensitive jerk any attention,” Keysha said as she covered my ears.

  “Hey, Mom and Dad will be here soon. So you’d better be ready to go by then. I hope you haven’t forgotten about Dad’s birthday,” Mike shouted.

  “You just worry about being ready,” Keysha shouted back.

  I followed Keysha up the stairs and into the bathroom. I sat on the edge of the bathtub, cupped my hands and buried my face.

  “I can’t believe that girl scratched up my face,” Keysha complained as she studied herself in the mirror.

  At that moment, I felt my cell phone vibrating.

  “Who is that calling you?” Keysha asked.

  “It’s my little sister, Anna,” I said, glancing at the caller ID.

  “Well, see what she wants,” Keysha said as I answered my phone.

  “Hello,” I answered tearfully.

  “Hey. Where are you at?” Anna asked.

  “With Keysha at her house,” I said.

  “Okay. I’m on my way over. I need to talk to you.”

  “What for?” I asked, suddenly becoming irritated by her forcefulness.

  Anna was direct and to the point. “Because we need to talk about the fight you had today.”

  “What about it?” I asked, snarling at the thought of Viviana.

  “When I get there, we’ll talk,” Anna said and hung up the phone.

  “What was that about?” Keysha asked as she removed a face towel from the cupboard. She ran some cool water on it, wrung out the excess water and lightly dabbed her face. “Dang it, my face feels like it’s on fire. Viviana must have some seriously sharp nails,” Keysha griped.

  “I’m so sorry that I dragged you into this mess.” I rose to my feet and approached her. “I’ll pay for your blouse and some new shoes,” I said, glancing at my face in the mirror for the first time. “Damn, what did she do to me?” My entire face was swollen from the vicious blows that Viviana had dished out.

  “You’re going to have to put a cold compress on your face to help the swelling go down,” Keysha informed me.

  “My eyes are so puffy.” I was utterly disgusted at the sight of my face.

  “I honestly believe most of the swelling is from you crying,” Keysha said as she opened a drawer and removed a tube of antibiotic ointment to apply to the scratch marks on her face and neck.

  “That’s okay. When I see her again, I’m going to get even with her,” I proclaimed as my loathing of her began to rise again.

  “You need to leave her alone,” Keysha said. “That girl knows how to fight. I haven’t been in a scrap like that in a long time. I just know I’m going to feel all kinds of body aches later on.”

  “I’ll have something for her next time,” I said, allowing my battered ego to speak for me.

  “I don’t want you getting into any more fights that you can’t win,” Keysha scolded. “OMG. I sound like my grandmother Katie.” Keysha shivered at the thought of sounding like an adult. “What are your folks going to say when they find out you picked a fight with your cousin?” Keysha asked.

  I sat back down on the edge of the tub, exhaled and once again buried my face in my hands. “They’re going to want to kill me for trying to beat her up.”

  “Well, what they don’t know won’t really hurt them, now, will it?” I heard my little sister, Anna, say. When I popped my head up, Anna was standing in the doorway.

  “How did you get up here?” Keysha asked.

  “Your brother, Mike, let me in,” Anna said, then looked at me. “Dang! Viviana kicked your butt, Maya.”

  “No, she didn’t,” I snapped at Anna. “What do you want, anyway? Why did you come over here?”

  “To talk about the terms of the truce between you and Viviana,” Anna said as she closed the lid on the toilet seat and sat down.

  “Oh, no! We’re still at war!” I said, waving my finger disapprovingly.

  “Look, you need to just calm down,” Anna said, trying to reason with me.

  I was about to get really nasty with her when Keysha said, “I think you should at least hear your little sister out, Maya.”

  “Fine,” I said and folded my arms.

  “Okay. Viviana is willing to stay out of your way just as long as you stay out of hers.”

  “Yeah, she needs to stay out of my way and out of my business,” I said.

  Anna went on. “About your business with Misalo. As long as you don’t mess with Viviana, I’ll keep my mouth shut about how you’re the one who started the fight and about you secretly creeping around with Misalo against our parents’ wishes.”

  “I’m not going to let her take my boyfriend!” I yelled at her.

  “Wow! I was hoping that I wouldn’t have to go there, but you’re being stubborn as usual,” Anna said.

  “How does protecting my relationship with m
y boyfriend equate to being stubborn?” I asked.

  “Let me put it to you this way. As long as you stay out of her way, I won’t tell Mom and Dad about the photos you took for Misalo that are floating around the neighborhood.”

  I opened my mouth to say something and then shut it. I didn’t know what to say.

  “Sounds to me like we have an agreement, right?” Anna asked.

  I couldn’t bring myself to say anything. My heart was so confused and broken. I still hadn’t gotten to the bottom of why Misalo had forwarded the photos when he told me he had deleted them.

  Keysha spoke for me. “Anna, she agrees.”

  “I want to hear her say it,” Anna replied, pressing the issue.

  I met her gaze for a moment, then nodded my head in agreement.

  “Cool,” Anna said, rising to her feet. “I’ll let Viviana know that you’ve accepted the truce and that as long as you guys stay out of each other’s way, everything will be fine. I’ll see you when you get home.” On that note Anna left.

  “I know what you’re thinking, Maya,” Keysha said.

  “No, you don’t,” I told her.

  “Yes, I do. You’re still looking for answers and closure, and until you find out why Misalo did what he did, you won’t be happy.”

  I looked into my friend’s eyes as my tears once again surfaced. “You’re right. What he did to me was wrong, and the least he could do is explain to me why he decided to ruin our relationship.”

  “You know, maybe that’s why he’s been avoiding you. Maybe that’s why he’s been blaming you for everything. Maybe he doesn’t want to admit that he was a real bastard for forwarding the pictures. If he wanted to break up with you, he could’ve just been man enough to come to you and tell you, instead of humiliating you.”