DEADLY DECISIONS III: The End (5 page)

BOOK: DEADLY DECISIONS III: The End
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Startled and mortified at the same time, Keisha wiped the remains
off her
nose before facing Gutty. She wasn’t proud that she had secretly resorted to cocaine over the past several weeks, but it made her feel as numb as her
gums f
elt whenever she tested the purity of her drugs.
Keisha was at the lowest point in her life; she had everything to lose and at times it became too hard and painful to face. Cocaine offered that relief.
“My head is fucked up right now and the bars and
coke are
the only things that are keeping me balanced. I’m not doing this for leisure, loved one,” Keisha told Gutty truthfully.

Gutty was floored. “Rule number one: don’t get high off your own supplies.” He reminded Keisha of the rule she had advocated throughout the hood.

“I know, Gutty, you’re absolutely right, and after this is all over with - on my daddy, rest in peace - I’m done with this shi
t. I can’t sleep, so I gotta stay wired the fuck up. Everything that matters to me is on the line, and Piru, I feel like I’m about to lose my muthafucking mind. So understand me, fam, this ain’t no Pookie Pike type shit.”

Just as Gutty was about to speak,
Big Pope Dog walked through the bedroom in a hurry. “Time to head out. Our time is limited,” he emphasized.
What the fuck is Keys on?
Big Pope Dog couldn’t help but zoom in on Keisha’s eyes. Her pupils were dilated and they told him a story that he dreaded to see. “I ain’t the one to lecture where my money isn’t concerned, Keys, but you know that you know better. You fucking up, homegirl - and big time too,” Big Pope Dog stated seriously, studying her eyes. He couldn’t believe that Keisha of all people was getting high. “Yeah, you high as a kite right now too,” he stated and then started to the door. “But it’s your life; fuck it up as you please. In the meantime, grab your things. We got a jet waiting on us,” Big Pope Dog said before exiting the room. 

Keisha yelled after Big Pope Dog, “I ain’t fucking up, my G, I’m soldiering up! I ain’t doing this shit for leisure, Pi-muthafucking-Ru!”

Dressed in a pair of jeans, a burgundy hoodie, and Nike Air Max, Keisha followed Gutty out of the room as he carried her duffel bag to the van. After Gutty opened the door for Keisha to climb inside, he hugged her and then kissed her on the cheek, feeling that she was in need of some affection. “I believe you, Lady G.”

“Thanks, loved one, I needed that.” Keisha climbed in the van with a warrior mentality.
Tre, you not getting yo’ hands on my son, blood, and Cam, fuck yo’ life, bitch nigga!
She frowned as Big Pope Dog maneuvered the van out of the driveway and headed to the airport.

 

Cameron

“Cameron where are you?” Monique cried through the phone. She had been up for days attending to her baby, trying to keep hold of herself. Feeling like she had no one to turn to, no one to express her true feelings to, she decided to call Cameron. She had two options for him: either he told her the truth, or she was going to take steps to pursue a divorce and go back home to her parents. The loneliness was killing her and not having anyone to vent to was becoming even worse. But the truth that she was holding inside was killing her the most.
If he tells me the truth…I’ll tell him the truth.

“Where are you?”

“I’m on the plane. You done with the nigga you been with and now you wanna call your husband back, huh?”

Monique began to vent and cry about how tired she was of him trying to flip the script on her.

Cameron had begun to grab the attention of other passengers in his first class seating and negative attention from the stewardess, who continued to tell him to put his phone away. 

“What you crying for, girl? Cameron ignored the stewardess and continued to talk. The passengers raised their noses at him and whispered amongst themselves about how rude and ignorant he was.

“Just tell me the truth, Cameron. Is that baby yours?”

Tired of lying, Cameron just told the truth. “Yeah, he is, and this all came as a surprise to me too, Nique, I swear. But I’m about to take him to my auntie in Texas so that she can raise him until Keisha comes back to get him. I’m not tryna lose you.” Cameron immediately cursed himself for revealing Keisha’s name. He didn’t want to reveal that information over the phone, but he couldn’t hold it inside any longer. “Now tell me, Nique, is there somebody else?” Monique being with another man obsessed and concerned him even more than his wife’s painful sobs.

Unsuccessful at getting Cameron off his phone, the stewardess reported to the pilot, who came out and asked Cameron to either disconnect the call or get off the plane before take-off.

“Hold on,” Cameron spat. “It’s an emergency. Give me one more minute.” Cameron looked the middle-aged pilot directly in the eyes before returning his attention back to his wife on the phone. “Are you crying because there is somebody else?” he asked calmly, reducing his tone. He realized he was making a fool of himself, but he was brewing inside, visualizing Monique in bed with another man touching, caressing, and making love to her.

“No, Cameron!” Monique yelled through the phone. “Despite how much you’ve hurt me, lied to me, and betrayed my trust, I have never -” Monique paused mid-sentence to regain herself. Although deep down inside she knew the truth, it hurt her to hear it. “There is something that I have to tell you, but I won’t do it over the phone.”

“After I drop the baby off, baby, I’ll be there, Nique. I gotta get off the phone before I get thrown off.” Cameron noticed the pilot on the phone with airport security.

“Keisha’s never going to come back for him, Cameron. That drug lord is going to get ahold of her, and when he does, your son is going to need us. I know I should be upset and against it… but fuck what everybody has to say about it. He’s a part of this family too.”

When Cameron saw security board the plane and start toward him, he told Monique that he was on his way. “Be at the house when I get there.” He was curious as to what she had to tell him.
It bet’ not be shit about no nigga!
Cameron unstrapped his seatbelt and rose to his feet, apologizing. “I’m sorry about the inconvenience, ladies and gentlemen. I won’t be joining you all on this flight. Safe travels to you all.” He looked at the airport security and warned them not to put their hands on him. “I won’t be needing any assistance exiting the plane; my feet work perfectly fine.” He mean-mugged the security and then exited the plane with his son in his arms.

Headed back home, Cameron called Monique to find out if she was there.

“Yes I am, where are you?”

“I’m stuck in traffic. I should be there in about twenty minutes, but listen. If what you have to tell me is about you and any other nigga, I’ma advise you to pack up and be gone when I get there, on Crip. I won’t be playing no fool twice.”

“Quit talking to me like I’m that hood bitch Keisha and speak to me like the woman that I am and have been to you, Cam! I’m not gon’ let you turn this shit on me. So spare all that Scrap Loc Crip talk with me!”

“Yeah, a’ight, you just make sure you heard what I said, Nique. I ain’t fucking around!” Cameron ended the call to attend to his crying son. He was sure that he was wet since he had fed him on his way out to the airport.
Cameron popped his pacifier in his mouth and put his finger in his son’s small hand. “It’s a damn shame yo’ wild-ass mama out dodging hits and bullets and shit when she should be sitting up somewhere stable and raising you, son, but Daddy got you though.” Cameron continued to talk to his son; it seemed to soothe him. Cameron smiled. “You alright, little man.”

When Cameron pulled up to his house, a pair of high beam lights flashed him, grabbing his attention.
Who the fuck is that?
he wondered as he pulled into his driveway.

When a female climbed out of the car and started toward him, he backed out of his parking lot and met her halfway. He was already in hot water with his wife and didn’t need any more heat.

“Cam,” a familiar voice called out to him as he rolled his window down.

“Who is that, cuh?”

“Me, Niya. I need like thirty seconds of your time.” She reached inside and hugged Cameron and then cooed at her godson. “Oh my God, he is so beautiful! Can I take him for a couple days while I’m here?”

“I don’t think that would be a good idea, Niya,” Cameron replied. “What’s up, though? I have to get in the house.”

Niya frowned.
Oh, I’ma get my godson before I leave.
She rolled her eyes. “Keisha wants me to get your number so that she can get in contact with you about the baby,” she explained.

Cameron gave her the number and then looked back in his rearview mirror to make sure his wife hadn’t come outside. “How she doing, she straight?”

“I would call to let you speak to her, but I see you’re pressed for time. I can’t get her number. No, it’s complicated, I’ll let her explain everything to you.”

“Damn, a’ight,” Cameron nodded, confused as to why Keisha wanted his number but he couldn’t have hers.

“Can I kiss him really quick?” Niya asked after she gave Cameron her number.

“Yeah, make it quick, though. I’m already in enough shit,” he sighed.

After Niya kissed the baby on the cheek, she told him she loved him and then told Cameron, “If Kesh doesn’t call you by noon, call me
so that we can meet up a
nd I’ll call her for you myself.” She started back to her car. “If we meet up, bring my godson too,” she shot sarcastically.

“I’ll do that.” Cameron pulled back up and pulled into his driveway. It was good to see Niya and he was happy that Keisha had sent her to get his number. He had been concerned about her.

Having heard Cameron pull up,
Monique met him at the door and let him in. One look at the baby made tears cascade down Monique’s slender face. Looking the truth right in his face was harder than she expected. But the thought that Cameron was still in love with Keisha seemed to tug at her even harder. The two stared into each other’s eyes. Cameron hated the hurt that he saw in Monique’s eyes. “I’m sorry, baby.”

Monique stepped aside for Cameron to come inside, hoping that she was making the right decision.
Love shouldn’t hurt this bad
. She continued to cry inside. But Monique reminded herself that she was the reason that Cameron had returned home with his son, and regardless of how hurtful it would be, she was going to accept him with a pure heart. The baby didn’t ask to be born.

An expression of confusion plagued Cameron’s face. Monique had told him to bring the baby back home, yet the sight of him was causing her to have a mini meltdown. “I was gon’ take him to my auntie, Nique. I ain’t tryna hurt you.”

“I know.” Monique took the baby from Cameron’s arms after wiping the tears from his face. “He’s probably wet and hungry.” Monique laid him on the couch to check his diaper.

“Yeah, he’s both right about now.” Cameron watched his wife put all her feelings aside to care for his son and it caused him to have a deeper respect for her.

“He’s soaked, Cam. Pass me a Pamper.”

Cameron couldn’t help but grab his wife and hold her. “You’re an amazing woman.” He held her by the back of the head, planting kisses on her forehead. “This wasn’t supposed to happen like this,” he said sincerely. “But we gon’ make it through this. No more secrets.”

Monique nodded hopefully, feeling deep comfort in Cameron’s arms. She didn’t know if she wanted to make love to Cameron or slap him. She looked at him and said, “I need to change the baby and feed him.”

Cameron gave Monique a Pamper and then made the baby a bottle while she changed him. Once Monique got the baby to sleep, Cameron took him upstairs, put him in the crib that he temporarily shared with his brother, and then returned with a folded piece of paper in his hand.

Ready to talk it through, Monique said, “This is yours and Keisha’s son.” It seemed hard to make the words come out of her mouth. “Why didn’t you ever tell me that Keisha was pregnant before you married me?”

“On er’thing, I thought Keisha had an abortion,” Cameron explained. “It was what we both agreed that she’d do -”

Monique cut him off. “So all that time that I felt that you were cheating on me with her…you were?”

“I thought there was still something between me and Keisha. We never had closure and then shit just happened.” Cameron paused. “But when I married you, everything between me and Keisha was done, on
Crip.
I would have never married you, Monique, knowing that I had another baby on the way.”

Monique shook her head disbelievingly. Cameron had broken some serious trust barriers with her. She wasn’t sure if she could trust or believe him anymore.

Cameron saw the disbelief in Monique’s eyes and then provided her the proof that he was holding in his hand.

“What this?” Monique began to unfold the piece of paper.

“Read it,” Cameron told Monique. “I know it’s hard for you to believe anything I tell you right now, but I’m not lying to you, Nique. I told you, no secrets.”

Monique looked at Cameron oddly before reading the letter:

Dear Cameron,

After months of trying to force myself into having an abortion, I couldn’t, and when I was ready, it was already too late. This is our son. I named him after you, so he’s a junior. I know you’re probably confused and think that I have abandoned my son by leaving him on your doorstep, but it’s the total opposite way around. I left him because I love him and want nothing but the very best for him. My lifestyle has finally caught up with me. I’m on the run, and neither of my children is safe in my custody. Other than the few people closest to me, no one knows that Cameron Junior even exists. It’s safer that way for now too. So until I’m able to relocate and assure that my children will be completely out of harm’s way, I’m begging that you and your wife take the very best care of our son, and love him just as you guys will love your own bundle of joy. If you don’t hear from me within the next two years, then that may very well mean that I am dead. If that turns out to be the case, please, Cameron, let my son know that his mommy loved him and allow him to know the little good that I’ve done in this world, like having him and Kessia. Know that I’ll fight hard to be able to see my children again.

BOOK: DEADLY DECISIONS III: The End
2.53Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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