After a long day of swimming, pigging out on Chinese food, playing board games, and just letting our inner child run free, Lace and Velvet were tuckered out and fast asleep. Alisha busied herself cleaning up the big mess we made, while Amy, Darnisha, and me relaxed in the hot tub. Amy didn’t want to risk offending Darnisha by instigating anything sexual with me, and I’m glad she didn’t. Sure, I was horny, yet I needed something only the male of our species possessed. I took a deep breath and let myself just feel the euphoria of the moment wash over me. Since we were all so relaxed, I decided the time to inform Amy about Chris’s endeavors pertaining to Darnisha was as good as it was going to get.
“Amy, remember I told you we needed to talk?”
“I’ve been wondering when you were going to get around to it.”
I had her promise not to get angry at what I was about to say, because let’s face it, who wouldn’t? After explaining how Chris had been blackmailing Darnisha into sex, Amy glanced over at her. The moment Amy made her move to get closer to Darnisha; I stood between them as the preventative force against an all-out fistic encounter.
“I was just going to give her a hug,” Amy acknowledged. “Chris is – well, I love him, but this – this I – I…”
“I’m sorry Amy; I didn’t want to cause any trouble. I know how much you love him,” Darnisha stated.
Amy cried, then Darnisha cried, and I – Hell, no I didn’t! There’s a time for crying and then there’s a time to plot for revenge. Chris needed to pay for what he’d done to Darnisha, cheating on Amy, and whoever else he was extorting. I was wound up, but first needed to be sure Amy was through with him.
“So what are you going to do about him?”
“If I told you, you might get upset with me,” she replied, looking downward, afraid to meet my stare.
“Amy, it’s your life; if you want to stay with him, I’ll support your decision. I just thought you wanted more out of…”
“No Ro,” she interrupted me in midsentence. “Chris is history. He was actually on his way out of my life before tonight anyway. There is this older guy who wants to build a relationship with me. He took the kids and me to the zoo last weekend and indicated he’d like to become their father figure.”
“Amy, that’s great! Why wouldn’t you think I’d be happy for you?”
“Well…because, you knew him first.”
“Jeremy?” I stammered, since he was the first older guy to register inside my head.
She shook her head, looked me straight in the eyes and shot holes through my perception of why she hadn’t suggested any more threesomes.
“Stephen,” she acknowledged so shallow, it sounded like a whisper.
Darnisha had no idea who Amy was talking about at first, and her expression resembled a cold, wet kitten bought into a warm house - all wide-eyed and curious. I advised her, we were talking about Officer Davis and was shocked by her reply.
“Officer Davis is hot! He’s also kind of sexy, with his bald-headed self. You go girl!” she exclaimed, giving Amy a high five.
Amy smiled with Darnisha; however she was still worried about the way I felt. A wink in a high five from me let her know we were still cool. I soon left both of them in the water gossiping, walking into the kitchen and finding Alisha staring out the window. At first I thought she was mumbling, yet as I listened closely, I heard her whispering a prayer to the heavens above.
“Please watch over them and forgive me. I know I shouldn’t have left them. Oh God, please forgive me.”
If I hadn’t opened the refrigerator, she would have never known I was in the room. Upon realizing someone was present, she wiped away her tears, before turning around to face me with a smile.
“What’s wrong Alisha?”
“Nothing, this house is just so pretty. I wish we lived in…,” She trailed off.
I think she realized it wouldn’t have made a difference how grand the house they dwelled in was as long as Lenny lived with them, they’d still be unhappy.
“The twins would love your home,” she finished her comment.
“Alisha, I know all about Lenny and what he’s tries to do to Darnisha and you. I’m going to help, okay. Maybe both of you can stay at my apartment until we can figure something out.”
Her initial reaction was full of joy. Yet, as the thought settled in, while I prepared two bowls of ice cream, complete with whipped cream topping, she appeared more distraught than ever. I derived she received no pleasure in consuming her treat. She was just going through the motion of trying to pacify me.
“I’m not going to allow him to hurt Darnisha or you again,” I insisted, with Amy and Darnisha strolling into the kitchen.
“She’s going to help us sis. We’re going to be alright,” Darnisha said, upon seeing the sadness on her younger sister’s face.
Amy and I could see their tears of joy falling as they embraced. Together we would help them avoid their stepfather. We took their sobbing as a testament of how excited they were. Damn, were we stupid!
Alisha had her bowl ambushed by her sister, with both seeming to have come to terms with the knowledge of not having to fear Lenny’s perversion anymore. We began watching a horror movie while eating popcorn and drinking wine coolers. I know Alisha was too young for alcohol, but she was limited to only one. When the movie was over, I showed Alisha the bedroom where her sister and she would sleep. I thought the night had been just great.
Turning to leave so she could get ready for bed, she asked if God had sent me. I didn’t know how to answer her. How could anyone reply to that kind of question?
“Good night,” I said without answering her.
“If God sent you, are you going to help Peter and Paul?”
“Help them from what?”
“From Lenny, he – he touches them too.”
Alarms, bells, sirens and whistles all rang inside my head at the same time. It suddenly all made sense, just as one plus one equaled two. Alisha’s abstract behavior was caused out of concern and fear for her younger siblings, just as Darnisha’s had been for Alisha.
“What do you mean, touches them?” I asked needing to be sure I wasn’t misinterpreting her meaning.
“Whenever Darnisha and I aren’t home, the twins hide. If Lenny finds them …,” she stopped and bowed her head. “He - he gives them a bath.”
Was that all? Thank God, and to think I was ready to rush out and buy a gun. Then she continued.
“He only gives them a bath so they won’t be dirty when he – he takes his clothes off,” she informed.
“Takes his clothes off for what?”
Alisha couldn’t force her mouth to say the words her hands gestured. She balled one hand into an open fist, letting the tip of her thumb touch the nail of her index finger. With her other hand, she pointed her index finger straight out and pumped it in and out of the opening of her other hand.
“In their butts.”
I didn’t have time to think as I pulled Alisha to my room, where Amy and Darnisha were still watching television. I screamed at Darnisha for not telling me what Lenny did to her brothers.
“She doesn’t know about it because I never told her,” Alisha confessed. “Lenny just started doing it to them a couple of months ago.”
“Doing what?” Darnisha and Amy yelled at the same time.
Alisha held on to me tightly, becoming frightened by everyone’s loudness. I explained what Lenny had been doing to the twins as calmly as I possibly could. The same fear which gripped Alisha capture Darnisha too. Amy had her cell phone in her hand and was already dialing Stephen’s number.
“No, please don’t,” Darnisha shouted.
We knew the reason why, and Amy didn’t complete the call. Though we were all numb, we knew we needed to do something and be quick about it.
“Ro, do you think we could make room for two more kids?” Amy asked.
I didn’t want that problem, especially in Jeremy’s house. The situation was spiraling out of control faster than I could handle. How had I become so involved? All I wanted was a night of fun. The fun was definitely over, mutating into a complete disaster.
“I’m hungry and I think Pizza World is having a special on pizzas.”
They each stared at me, puzzled that I had changed the subject, until I clarified myself.
“I think the special is two pizzas, but only if you pick them up with 9 year old twin boys. Does anyone want to go with me to pick up the pizzas?”
They reacted instantly by jumping up and down, making more noise than any humans should ever emit inside a home. Amy phoned Stephen to meet us at the house, just in case we encountered any problems. Thankfully she didn’t need to explain why; her asking was enough for him. When Darnisha, Alisha, and I tiptoed into their home, there was no sign of anyone except Lenny and Ruby, fast asleep in their bedroom.
“Follow me,” Alisha whispered.
Inside two different kitchen cabinets, balled up in fetal positions while slumbering, Peter hid behind a set of pots and pans, while Paul had constructed a fortress out of water jugs to keep from being detected. Both of them fought against their sisters until they realized Lenny hadn’t found them. Darnisha left Ruby a note as we extracted the scared twins; transporting them to safety.
Amy and her girls didn’t return to my house, Stephen took them home with him. Before they drove away, she told Darnisha if she needed her for anything, to phone and she’d be there for her.
Operation” Pizza Pickup,” was a huge success. I didn’t wait to find out if Peter or Paul was hungry, as one stop at Pizza World took care of the problem whether it existed are not. Later, as we settled in for the night, I should have been on the lookout for the police, because I was guilty of sleeping with two under aged boys. I don’t think anyone would have complained, or gotten the wrong idea, especially when I awoke and found Alisha and Darnisha had also migrated to my bed.
He was the king, thinking everything in his world was going just the way he wanted. Chris had a huge smile on his face as he searched for Amy. He’d gone to her mother’s place, only to find out Amy had taken her girls to spend the night with Rolanda. Convincing himself all he had to do was just go to Ro’s apartment, get Amy, take her to the motel for a few hours, and he’d have a great night. When he didn’t see Ro’s car in the lot and no one answered when he knocked, he wondered where they could be. He understood he’d never find them. Ro was always disappearing. He knew the bitch was fooling around on Joe; he just hadn’t been able to catch her yet. With his male testosterone encouraging him, he began to think with the smallest head he possessed. Chris spotted Alvin’s sister Ebony walking by herself and offered her a ride home. Ebony pretended to refuse; however, she accepted at his insisting. He knew from sources on the street, that she wanted to get with him. He used the information to make his move to seduce her. Ebony was young, cute, and sexy as all hell. After a few kisses, she allowed his hand into her jean shorts while the other traveled under her tube top. He didn’t have to ask for further permission. He drove straight to the motel.
The moment they entered the rented room and Chris touched her, everything happened at an accelerated pace. He found himself inside her body without having to play any games. While he settled into a nice rhythm, she started professing her love for him. He planned on using protection, yet his conquest was so easy, he never found the time.
Ebony was in love, whereas Chris had been in lust. Having satisfied his needs, he drove her home. It was late, so he didn’t mind that she sat right next to him, the way couples in love usually do. Chris noticed Officer Davis’s patrol unit pull alongside of his vehicle as they stopped for a red light. He never turned to look at the officer, keeping his focus straight forward. He breathed a sigh of relief when the light changed to green, and the police car made a right turn, while he continued through the intersection. Chris hated Officer Davis in every way possible. If he had only turned his head just a little, he would have detested the policeman even more. Amy missed nothing. She witnessed Ebony sitting right under him, planting kisses to his face and neck.
With what she saw, Amy decided to officially breakup with Chris and welcome the relationship with Stephen. She also laughed to herself. There was no need to plan any sort of revenge, he would get what was coming to him. It might take a while, but it would definitely come. Amy knew Pat Hall, nicknamed “Dat Kid,” or as most used to call him in high school, “Dat Gay Kid.” Didn’t Chris know the reason nobody messed with Ebony was because of the rumors about her having HIV?
Dropping Ebony off, Chris passed by Ro’s apartment again, yet not seeing any lights on, or her car in the lot, he called it a night, still believing he was the king.
I know I lead you on a long journey without much about Troy, but it’s all important. Now that you know the background, I think you’ll understand everything that transpires from this point on. Nikki thinks she’s going to keep Troy for herself. Sorry bitch, he’s mine! The Bertran case was the catalyst which brought us together. He was aware of me, and as you’ll see, will try to court me. Yeah, yeah, you saw that coming, right? Think you know what’s going to happen next? Maybe, but I doubt it. I get filled with so many emotions just telling the story, it’s hard to describe. So, enjoy and remember it’s all true.