Savory Deceits (40 page)

“No, no I don’t want to leave you here alone.” I said yawning. Though I was tired, I wanted to stay with Naima.

“You slept in that chair all night. Go ahead. Get some rest. Starr will be here soon, I just spoke to her. She said she was on her way. So go. Here’re my keys to Starr’s apartment.” Naima urged, handing me her keychain.

“Okay, but I’ll be back before you know it.” I said, giving her a hug.

“Okay, see you later.” Naima said. I left the room, went to the elevators, and then rode it down to the hospital’s parking garage. When I stepped off the elevator, my cell went off. I checked the caller’s ID before answering, fearing it was another call from Chris. When Tony’s name displayed on the screen, I quickly answered.

“Hey.” I said softly.

“Hey.” He responded, sounding grim. “She died.” I heard him say.

“Oh no, I’m so sorry ba…,” I caught myself. “Tony.” I finished.

“Thanks.” He managed to say. I knew that Tony barely knew his great aunt, so I could not understand why he sounded so devastated.

“Are you all right? How’s your mother?” I asked him.

“As well as can be expected,” he said sounding as if the life had just been sucked out of him.

“Where are you?” I asked him. His tone was starting to scare me; I had to make sure he was okay.

“I was just about to ask you the same thing.” He said.

“Oh, I’m just now leaving the hospital.” I replied. “I’m on my way to Starr’s. Want to meet me there?” I asked, hoping that he would say yes. The tone in his voice told me that something else was wrong.

“I’m just around the corner from there. See you in a few.” He said and hung up. Relieved, I put the phone back in my bag, and hurried for my rental car. When I reached for the door handle, my phone went off again. Fumbling with my keys, I answered, without checking the caller ID.

“Tony?” I said. There was a long pause.

“No. It’s Chris.” I got angry.

“Stop calling me!” I screamed.

“Nena, wait, can we please talk?” He begged.

“I have nothing to say to you! Leave me the fuck alone!” I screamed at him. I angrily tried to hit the END button, but made a mistake, and hit the speaker one instead. “Ugh!” I groaned frustrated.

“Nena!” Someone called out to me, and I looked up.

“Starr! I was just on my way to your place. I hope that’s okay,” I said, completely forgetting about my phone.

“Oh that’s all right! See you later then!” Starr shouted, hurrying with a very attractive white man, to the hospital garage’s elevator doors.

“K!” I said, getting into my car, and driving off.

~CHRIS~

What is Nena doing way out here? I thought she was still in Virginia. This did not make any sense. She could not have been here to see Naima, could she? Naima hated her, didn’t she? With so many thoughts running through my head, I struggled with what I should do next. Nena was the last person I expected to be here, but she was. She was mostly likely here to try to make amends with Naima again. If I knew my Nena that is exactly what she came out here to do. She was a beautiful person with a beautiful heart, and that is what I loved most about her. She wore her heart on her sleeve, which is why I want so desperately to hold on to what we had, that much more. Hearing the sound of her voice, and hearing how angry she was with me, proved that she still loved me. Or else she would not be this furious with me. This is fate. Nena being here must be fate’s way of telling me that we belonged together. I smiled, and I made a U-turn at the next corner, heading in the direction of Starr’s old apartment. I hoped, more than anything that she still lived there.

~ERIC~

I hurried down the hospital’s corridor towards Cynthia’s room. I got there just in time to see the nurses rolling her bed out of the room, with a sheet covering her entire body. Then, I saw Regina come out the room with tears in her eyes, followed by my stepdaughter.

“Hey, I got here as soon as I…” Before I could finish my sentence, Alana reached back, and punched me hard in the face, knocking me a few feet back.

“You son of a bitch!” She screamed at me. “How dare you show your face here?” She shrieked, lunging for me again. I took a step back in time, and she missed my face, landing the blow hard against my chest. “Get the fuck out of here!” She screamed again, when Regina grabbed her. “You come near my mother again; I swear I’ll kill you!” She screamed through tears. A few nurses rushed over to where the commotion was, and helped Regina hold Alana back.

“What? That’s my wife!” I shouted back at her.

“Ah!” Alana screamed, trying to get past the three people that stood between her and me. “Get the fuck off me!” She screamed, forcefully pushing the nurses away. “Where were you when she was fighting for her life, huh! You bastard!” She yelled at me, pushing past the human barricade. My eyes widened as she lunged for me again, and I raised my arms up, to shield myself from her blows. She scratched and tore at me, and hit me hard, repeatedly. “Where were you when she took her last breath, huh!” She screamed again, driving her fists into me, using my body as a human punching bag. Within seconds, Regina and several nurses grabbed her again, pulling her away from me. “Why don’t you go back to that bitch, you were laid up with all fucking night, while
your wife
was dying?” Alana screamed again through tears. I stood there speechless, with tears in my eyes - tears of guilt, remorse, and embarrassment.

“Eric, leave, please!” Regina ordered, still trying to calm Alana down. I slowly turned around, and walked away.

“Don’t you ever go near my mother again you hear me!” I heard my stepdaughter scream from behind me. When I entered the elevator, my eyes met Alana’s, right before the doors shut. The rage I saw in her eyes was enough to make the tears I wanted to cry for Cynthia, come out. Was this the price, I had to pay for love? Was karma really, that strong? When I looked in Alana’s eyes, I saw pure hatred, and I do not blame her. I wished I could have been a better husband to Cynthia. I wished she were still around for me to say that I was sorry, and that I never meant to hurt her. Now, it was too late. She was gone, and I never even got the chance to say goodbye.

~NAIMA~

I took a small step towards the bathroom and winced. My stitches still hurt.

“You need some help, chica?” Starr asked.

“No, no I got it. Thanks.” I said, taking another slow step towards the bathroom. Starr looked down at Kylee in her arms, and spoke something in Spanish. I smiled when I could make out the words ‘I love you’ in whatever else Starr was saying in Spanish. After using the bathroom, I came out to find Starr still in that rocking chair with Kylee. She slowly rocked back and forth watching Kylee open and shut her eyes again, repeatedly, before falling asleep. I then thought about her lover, Eric, and the news about his wife. I felt bad for the way things turned out for them. Life sometimes had a morbid way of giving you what you asked for, while forever changing the lives of those around you. I knew Starr wanted to be with Eric, but it saddened me that his wife had to die, in order for that to happen. Regardless of the circumstances, death affects everyone.

“Hey, you okay?” I asked, sitting on the bed.

“Yeah, I’m all right.” Starr said with a half-smile.

“Hon, if you want to go be with him, go. I’m sure he needs you right now.” I encouraged.

“Yeah, I know, but he’s with family right now, and I don’t want to intrude.” I nodded, and Starr went back to rocking little Kylee to sleep. “He proposed to me last night.” She then said, looking up at me.

“What?” I gasped. “What did you say?” I asked her.

“What do you think I said?” She said with a smile.

“Oh my God, Starr!” I whispered excitedly.

“Hey, don’t break out the champagne just yet. He just lost his wife, and I feel awful about that. I have no idea how he’s dealing with that right now.”

“Then text him,” I suggested, and then rose from the bed, to take Kylee from her. Once I placed my baby back in the clear box, Starr reached for her phone, and began to text Eric. Before she could put the phone down, she got a response back. Whatever he texted back had put a smile on her face. “Go.” I said with a smile, nudging my head towards the door.

44

~NENA~

I drove through the gated community of Starr’s apartment complex, and parked in the Guest parking space near the pool. The landscaping done, on the very large acreage, was nothing short of immaculate. Near the onsite kiddy play area, was a walking trail that led out to a gardenlike oasis, revealing a lake, at the far end of the property. I got out of the car, and scanned the area for Tony. Then I finally spotted him, sitting on a bench, near the trail’s entrance. I walked over to him, and sat down. He continued to stare at nothing, so I sat there in silence with him for a while, wondering what was plaguing his conscience.

“Have you eaten yet?” He finally said.

“No. I came straight from the hospital.” I replied.

“C’mon, let’s go.” He said taking my hand, and I followed him to his car. “Get in.” He said, after pushing the unlock button on his keys. I climbed into the passenger seat, and he got behind the wheel. After he started the car, he stopped, and then turned to look at me. I stared back at him in silence. For a moment, I thought I saw love and yearning in his eyes, which was soon replaced by what appeared to be distress. He then turned back towards the wheel, and put the car in reverse. We drove to a popular mom n’ pops diner nearby. When seated by the window, in a booth towards the back, Tony stared off into space again.

“Hey, want to talk about it?” I asked, putting my hand on top of his. Tony shook his head; not to me, but to whatever it was that was bothering him, and I waited. He looked at me again, as if he was trying to decide whether to trust me. Then, he looked back towards the window, before speaking.

“I just found out that,” he paused, trying to get the words out. “I just found out that Cynthia, my mother’s aunt; my great aunt; the one who just died, happened to be Alana’s mother.” He said, looking down at his hands. I frowned trying to piece together what he just told me.

“Wait a minute. Alana? Chris’ Alana is…” I stopped to look at Tony. He just nodded his head, still looking down at his hands. Then, I shook my head in confusion. “If her mother is your great aunt, wouldn’t that make her your…?” My words trailed off, when I realized what I was saying.

“Cousin,” he said, finishing my sentence for me. Then, my mouth dropped open, and he shook his head.

“Oh my God!” I said surprised. “And you never knew this until now?” I asked him, still in shock. He shook his head, and I now shook my head too. “How did…well why hadn’t…when you were…” I tried to say, but could never seem to get the right words out, to finish a sentence. My mind was boggled.

“My response exactly, when I found out,” he said.

“Oh, Tony, I’m so sorry. You must be…” I started to say, still shocked by his discovery.

“Sick to my stomach,” he said, finishing my sentence for me again.

“Oh wow!” I said, disgusted at the situation. “How did you not know this?” I finally asked.

“Cynthia moved out of Milwaukee a couple years after Alana were born, and we haven’t seen them since.” He explained. “I vaguely remember playing with this little girl when I was about three, maybe four years old. Then one day, she just disappeared, or moved away. I don’t really remember though, because I was too young.” He stopped, and thought for a moment. “I knew there was something familiar about her when we first met on the ship.” He said to himself, shaking his head. I shook my head as well, in disbelief. “By then,” he continued, “she had grown up so much that I didn’t recognize her. Now that I know who she really is, I can see the similarities to the little girl I played with as a boy. Back then, I used to call her Issa, short for Marissa, because I could not pronounce her name. Alana happens to be her middle name.” He finished, shaking his head again.

“How come your mom never kept in touch with them after they moved? And they never visited?” I asked, shaking my head again.

“My mom told me that Cynthia was always very secretive. They didn’t even know about Alana, until after she was born. After being M.I.A. for years, Cynthia just showed up with a baby, when she came back into town. Then shortly after that, she took Alana and moved away again, and was gone for nearly twenty years. Mom says the first time she’s seen her since, was when she moved back here two years ago, and she only stayed, because of her new husband. By then, Alana had already graduated high school, and moved to Virginia.” When the server came with our order, we sat there, and ate in silence. Periodically, my phone vibrated on the table, indicating that my battery was low. When I picked it up, I saw that I had seven more missed calls from Chris. Then I frowned, and turned my phone off completely.

“Everything okay?” Tony asked me.