KEYSHA
It was 7:15 p.m. when I finally finished up my homework. As soon as I was done I did a Google search for hospitals in Indianapolis. Maya held true to her word and looked up a few hospitals for me during her study hall time. I called the places she found during my walk home from school, but none of them had a patient listed under Wesley’s name. It was as hard as taking the SAT test when it came to trying to locate Wesley. I continually called his cellular phone, but all I got was his voice mail and I’d left a ton of those. Determined to go see about my man, I feverishly wrote down the names and phone numbers of hospitals on the computer screen, when suddenly I heard a knock on my door. I was concentrating so hard that the noise startled me.
“Jesus, you scared the daylights out of me.” I turned and saw Barbara standing at my doorway. I meant to close my door so I wouldn’t be disturbed, but in my hastiness to get in the house and get online, I’d forgotten to do that. Barbara wore blue sweatpants with a black top and matching blue-and-black gym shoes. She also had on a pink runners’ cap that said Fight Breast Cancer.
“Are you headed out to the workout room above the garage?” I asked, figuring that she’d come to inform me that she’d be stepping out for a while.
“No, I’m actually going to an aerobics class at the community center and I’d like you to join me,” she said with a slight smile.
“That’s okay, I really don’t want to go. I have stuff I need to get done. Go ahead and have a good time.” I encouraged her to leave because all I wanted to do was find Wesley.
“Keysha—” Barbara paused “—it’s not an option. I want you to change into some workout clothes and come with me.” Barbara insisting that I go workout with her was totally lame.
“I had swimming today. I’ve already had a workout and I don’t feel like getting all sweaty and exhausted,” I argued.
“It doesn’t matter, I still want you to get dressed and come with me.”
“Why don’t you just take Mike?” I complained, not wanting to be bothered with her at that particular moment.
“Jordan has him cleaning out and reorganizing the garage as part of his punishment. He wanted to punish you as well, but I talked him out of it since we both knew you really had nothing to do with Mike taking Jordan’s car.” Barbara gave me a sly glance, indicating I owed her a favor. I wanted to scream because she was keeping me from doing what I needed to do.
“Okay.” I gave in. “Give me a minute to change my clothes,” I said.
“Great! I’ll see you downstairs in a few minutes. It will be fun. Besides, you can blow off some steam and get your mind off Wesley,” she added.
Get my mind off of him? Honey, I plan on moving heaven and earth to find him and nurse him back to good health, I thought to myself.
Barbara and I went to her step aerobics class, which was filled with middle-aged women trying to recapture their shapely figures that they had allowed to turn into rolls of blubber. The instructor was a woman in her mid-forties who was in phenomenal shape and could easily pass for a woman ten years younger. She gave orders like a drill sergeant and gave a workout that left both Barbara and me barely able to stand.
“Oh, my God!” Barbara said, panting as we exited the aerobics studio and headed back to the locker room. “My legs are hurting so bad right now. I can’t believe how out of shape I’ve gotten.”
“Why did you sign up for this class anyway?” I asked as I rubbed my stomach. After we did all of our jumping around, the drill sergeant instructor had everyone get on the floor and work on our abs.
“To get in shape,” Barbara answered.
“And?” I pressed the issue because in my mind it had to be more than that. “Is Jordan complaining about your weight or something?”
“No, Jordan isn’t complaining about my weight.” She got defensive. “I look very good for my age and damn sexy if I do say so myself,” Barbara said with arrogant flair.
“You do look good,” I admitted and was about to leave it at that.
“Okay, I’ll be honest. My sister is coming to town for a visit in a few weeks and I refuse to allow her to look better than me,” Barbara confessed as we both got inside of the car. She fired up the motor and I immediately fiddled with the radio and changed it from Barbara’s boring light music station to the top hip-hop station. I stopped when I heard Jennifer Hudson’s voice echoing through the speakers.
“Okay, so you’re feeling what Jennifer Hudson is saying in this song. You don’t feel like being in your sister’s spotlight.” I chuckled.
“I cannot allow my sister to upstage me. If she thinks for one second that she’s—”
“Whoa, time out,” I interrupted. “What’s the big deal? Why are you competing with your sister like this?”
“Because she doesn’t have to work as hard as I do to stay in shape. She’s one of those people who can eat anything and not gain a pound. I always want to look younger than her, not older. The last time I saw her she looked fabulous and I looked worn-out. This sibling rivalry between us has been going on for years.”
“It seems a little childish at your age, don’t you think?” I asked.
“Yes it is, but—” Barbara paused midsentence. I could tell she was really thinking about what I’d just said. “Perhaps you’re right, Keysha. Perhaps it’s time for us to grow up. Thank you for pointing that out to me.” Barbara chuckled.
“Hey, glad I could help,” I said.
“I’m a little envious of her, I suppose. After all she’s gone through, she’s really made a great life for herself.” Barbara paused. “Why don’t you and I grab a quick bite to eat?” Before I could decline the invitation, Barbara did a quick U-turn and began driving in the opposite direction from home. I wanted to scream, but I held back.
When we finally did get back in the house I ran upstairs to my room and turned the computer back on. As I waited for it to boot up I decided to check in on Mike. I walked down the hall to his room and knocked on the door. When he didn’t answer, I took a peep inside. Mike was sprawled on his bed asleep. Jordan must’ve worked him like a slave, I thought to myself as I closed the door.
As I walked back into my room I heard my cellular phone ringing and wondered who was calling me at this late hour. I removed the cell phone from my backpack and saw Maya’s name on the display.
“What’s going on, Maya?” I asked as I sat at the computer and typed in my password.
“Have you found him yet?” she asked. “I want to know how he’s doing if you have.”
“No, Maya, I haven’t found him yet. I was forced to hang out with my stepmom, but I’m about to get online and continue my search.”
“Oh. Well, I won’t bother you with my drama then.” Maya sounded as if something was really perplexing her. I wanted to say “Cool, I’ll talk to you later,” but I thought I’d come off as being insensitive.
“What drama?” I asked even though at that point all I really wanted to do was rush her off the phone.
“You have to promise me that you won’t tell a soul about this. I’m really trusting you with my secret.” Maya was making certain that I understood the magnitude of what she was about to tell me.
“Dang, girl. Is the drama that juicy?” I asked as I stopped what I was doing to give her my complete attention.
“Okay.” Maya exhaled and then paused for a long moment. “God, I didn’t think talking about this would be so hard, but you’re the only person I feel comfortable talking to about it.”
“Just say it.” I encouraged her to quit stalling.
“I went down to Planned Parenthood today and—”
“Planned Parenthood!” I squawked like a bird fighting over worms after a fresh rain shower.
“Yes and—”
“Maya, hold on a second.” I had an incoming phone call and I quickly looked at the caller ID and saw Wesley’s name. “Maya, I’ve got to go. I’ll call you back,” I said and immediately disconnected her. I didn’t even give her a chance to say goodbye. I hung up on her and clicked over to Wesley.
“Wesley, is that you? I’ve been worried sick about you. And who shot you and why?” I fired off a number of questions. My voice was filled with nervous energy.
“Hello?” an elderly woman spoke.
“Hello? Is this Wesley’s grandmother?” I asked, wanting the woman to identify herself.
“Oh, I was just putting Wesley’s things away and I must’ve pressed the call button by accident. Lord knows I’d never call anyone’s house at this late hour.”
“It’s okay, Miss…” I hoped she’d get the hint to give me her name so I could address her respectfully.
“Who is this?” she asked. Damn it, old lady! Stick with me here, I thought.
“My name is Keysha. I’m Wesley’s girlfriend. Is he alive? Can you tell me how he’s doing?” I asked, pressing her for information.
“Young lady, do you know that it’s almost midnight? What are you doing answering the phone at this late hour? You should be in bed or something.” I quickly glanced at the clock. It was only 10:45 p.m. What in the hell is she talking about?
“It’s only ten forty-five. What are you talking about?”
“Oh. You don’t live here in Indiana. You’re back in Illinois. I forgot we’re an hour ahead of you,” she explained.
“Okay, time is not what’s important right now. I’ve been up worrying about Wesley and calling around to all of the hospitals in Indianapolis trying to find him,” I snapped. She didn’t seem to understand the urgency in giving me a medical update on Wesley.
“Oh, Wesley is at the Community Hospital,” she answered. “Bless his soul.”
“Bless his soul? Oh, my God. Is Wesley dead?” I was fearful of her answer and held my breath while my heart pounded hard against my chest.
“No, he’s still living. He’s going to be in the hospital a little while longer, but he’s going to pull through,” she answered.
“Thank God.”
“Well, he’s not out of the woods just yet. It’s going to take him a long time to heal up from that wound.”
“What happened? Who shot him and why?” I kept drilling for more information.
“Keysha, that’s your name right?” she asked.
“Yes. What’s yours? I didn’t catch it.”
“My name is Ms. Lorraine. Listen, I don’t mean to be rude, honey, but I’m very tired. I’ve been at the hospital all day with him. Just keep Wesley in your prayers for right now.”
“Wait. I’m coming to see him. I have to see him,” I said, desperately wanting to be near him.
“Honey, allow the boy to get well first.” I could tell Miss Lorraine didn’t want me around, but I didn’t care. I was coming to see Wesley no matter what. I was quickly getting the sense that Lorraine was a cranky old woman who didn’t particularly care for me, although I didn’t know why.
“Did he ask for me?” I wanted to know every detail about Wesley, including the doctor’s diagnosis, and when he would be getting out.
“No, but he asked about Lori, though.” I heard irritation floating beneath her comment.
“Lori? Who in the hell is Lori?” I swore at her, although I didn’t mean to. It was just an immediate reaction to her remark.
“That’s his friend. They’ve gotten really close and he was protecting her when he got shot.”
“Wait a minute,” I said, trying to process everything I was being told. “Wesley took a bullet for some girl?” I asked just to make sure I’d heard her correctly.
“Listen, precious, I can understand your concern, but I think you need to move on with your life,” she said as if my feelings for Wesley could be turned on or off like a light switch.
“Move on?” I blurted out.
“I’ve been talking to my son about selling his house and moving down here with me, so I can take care of him and Wesley. He’s been giving it some serious thought and chances are high they’ll remain here with me in Indianapolis.”
“I don’t believe you. Wesley never said anything about a girl named Lori or staying there and we talked every day. Why are you lying to me? You’ve never even met me, but I feel as if you hate me. How can you judge me like that?” I asked.
“Keysha, it’s been nice talking to you. I’m sorry I called you so late,” she answered, totally ignoring my question. “I’ll talk to you some other time.”
“No, you wait one minute—” I heard a dial tone. “Hello? Are you there?” It only took me a second to realize that I was talking to myself. Miss Lorraine had hung up on me.
“Ooh!” I howled, agitated and flustered. “I’m going to get to the bottom of this mess if it kills me!” I shrieked as I began an inquiry into the cost of a bus ticket to Indianapolis. I discovered that an 8:00 a.m. bus departed from the downtown bus terminal in the morning. The cost of the ticket was ninety-five dollars. I scraped up every penny that I had, but was only able to come up with forty-three dollars. I sat down on the edge of my bed and tried to figure out where I could get the rest of the money without a lot of questions being asked. Then it hit me. “Mike,” I said as I popped my fingers and walked down to his room. I opened his door and walked over to his bed. Mike was sleeping flat on his back and snoring loud enough to wake the dead. I forcefully shook his shoulder.
“Mike,” I whispered. “Wake up.” I shook him harder, but all he did was turn his back to me. “Damn it, Mike! Wake up,” I urged, but he did not come to life. I decided to pinch his nostrils shut with my thumb and forefinger. It didn’t take him long to wake up gagging for air.
“What’s wrong with you, Keysha? What are you trying to do? Kill me?” Mike was pretty peeved that I’d awakened him from his tranquil slumber.
“No, but your breath smells like toxic waste,” I said, fanning my hand in front of my nose.
“Go to hell, Keysha.” Mike once again turned his back to me. I flipped the switch on a nearby lamp.
“Damn! What do you want?” Mike barked.
“Shh! I need your help with something,” I whispered.
“Get with me in the morning. I was having a really good dream and you messed it up. Hopefully I can fall back to sleep and pick up where I left off.” Mike pulled his blanket above his head to hide from me.
“Mike, this is life or death. I need your help just like you needed my help to find Jordan’s car.” I used his guilt trip to get him to listen. Mike huffed as he uncovered his head and sat up in the bed.
“Okay, you win,” he said, rubbing his eyes with his fingertips.
“I need some money,” I said.
“Money?” Mike asked with a bewildered expression on his face.
“Yes, money. I need to get to Wesley and I don’t have enough to cover the bus ticket,” I explained as I got up and shut his bedroom door. The last thing I wanted was for Jordan or Barbara to come up the stairs and overhear our conversation.
“Are Mom and Dad okay with you going?” he asked. I answered him with a cynical glare. “Okay. That answers that question. So that means you’re going to sneak away to see him.”
“Yes,” I answered.
“Man, Keysha. I don’t know if I want to get involved in this.” Mike clearly wasn’t getting how urgent this situation was for me.
“Too late. You’re already involved. I need two hundred dollars from you,” I said.
“Two hundred dollars! Have you lost your mind?” Mike laughed and was about to roll over and go to sleep again.
“Mike, I’m serious. The bus ticket alone is close to one hundred dollars. The other one hundred should cover a cheap motel and cab fare to and from the hospital.”
“Keysha, you’re not old enough to rent a hotel room,” Mike said.
“How do you know?” I asked.
“Trust me on that one. I’ve tried and as soon as you present an ID that says ‘under twenty-one’ they’re going to tell you that you can’t rent a room.”
“Fine. Then I’ll sleep at the hospital. I’ll find a sofa or a chair somewhere and just sleep when I need to.”
“Keysha, how are you going to pull this off? You just can’t go missing without Barbara or Jordan noticing,” Mike said.
“I’ll call them when I get there. I’ll leave first thing in the morning and call them when they get home from work. They can’t stop me from seeing him if I’m already there. I’ll deal with the drama and consequences once I see Wesley.”
“You know your plan sounds crazy, right?” I could tell Mike was trying to get me to reconsider.
“Yeah, just as crazy as you stealing Jordan’s car to go hook up with big-booty Toya,” I reminded him.
“Okay, don’t remind me. Jordan has been on my back like ink on paper.” Mike paused. “If you get caught I’m going to act as if I had no clue about any of this.”
“By the time I get caught I’ll already be there,” I said.
“I just have one question I need answered,” Mike said as he scooted over to the other side of the bed. He paused before standing. “What’s the big rush to see him? Is he on life support or something?”
“No, but I think he has a new girlfriend he hasn’t told me about—and if he does he’s going to have hell to pay.”
“Keysha, you shouldn’t jump to—” Mike stopped talking and then exhaled. “Never mind. I don’t have two hundred dollars in cash, but you can take the Visa gift card that I got from Grandmother Katie. It has two hundred fifty dollars on it. I was going to use it to buy video games, but you can have it.” Mike went into his closet and rummaged around until he found the card.
“Here you go. Remember, if you get busted I’m not going to go out on a limb for you.”
“Don’t worry about it. I can handle myself,” I reminded him. I gave him a hug for being so generous and then allowed him to get some rest.
I went back into my bedroom and purchased the bus ticket. I printed out my confirmation and then mapped out how I was going to use public transportation to get from my house to the bus terminal downtown. Once I’d figured that out, I packed a small suitcase and left it in a closet near the front door. I planned on getting up extra early to sneak out of the house before anyone woke up. Just so that Barbara and Jordan wouldn’t worry, I planned on leaving a note that said I’d left early and I’d call to check in later.
My alarm clock began buzzing early the following morning. I got out of bed as quickly as I could to shut it off. It was five o’clock in the morning and still dark outside. I flirted with the idea of getting back in bed, but I knew that was not an option. As quietly as I could, I maneuvered around the house and got ready. After I grabbed my boarding pass that I’d printed out, I crept downstairs and quietly walked through the house toward the closet where my suitcase was. I set my boarding pass down on a nearby tabletop and wrestled the suitcase out of the closet. Once I had it, I checked my pockets for my door keys and my hip for my cell phone. I opened the door just in time to see the sky open up and unload a heavy downpour of rain. I crept back inside the house and searched the closet until I located an umbrella. As soon as I locked the door behind me, I saw the bus approaching and I made a run for it. I pulled my suitcase along and ran as fast as I could, sloshing through several puddles of water, which immediately soaked through my shoes and wet up my socks. The bus driver saw me running and was kind enough to wait. I was in such a rush to get on the bus that I took a misstep, and hit my head on one of the bus steps.
“Are you okay?” asked the bus driver, who placed the bus in Park and got out of his seat to help me back to my feet.
“I’m okay. I just lost my footing,” I said as I got up. That’s when I noticed a trail of my clothes on the ground. I quickly checked the suitcase and spotted the broken zipper and cursed. “Could you please hold on for one minute?” I pleaded with the bus driver.
“I’m on a schedule here,” the driver complained as I rushed along the curb picking up my wet clothes. I stuffed my belongings back inside the suitcase and then carefully boarded the bus. I paid my fare and found an empty seat. Once I got situated, I exhaled and glanced out of the window as the bus drove past my high school. The bus made several more stops before entering the highway, which would take the morning commuters and myself downtown to the Greyhound bus terminal. The bus hadn’t been on the highway a good five minutes before it slowed to a complete stop. I glanced out of the window and noticed traffic on both sides of the highway had come to a stop.
“Damn it, what’s the delay?” I uttered under my breath. I looked around at the other commuters, who seemed oblivious to the stalled traffic. Some were reading books, while others were on their cellular phones. I exhaled a frustrated sigh because I didn’t want to be late. After sitting still for twenty minutes, the bus driver finally made an announcement.
“Folks, it appears there’s a nasty traffic accident ahead of us. It’s probably due to the heavy rain. We’ll get going again once the state police open the highway back up.”
“Agggh!” I growled as I looked at my watch, hoping that we’d get moving soon.
I finally arrived at the bus station at 7:55 a.m. and raced through the bus terminal over to the ticket counter, where I had to stand and wait in a long line to get my boarding pass validated. I finally got to the ticket counter and began searching for my boarding pass. I searched my pockets, but didn’t find it. I searched my purse and it wasn’t there, either.
“Hang on a minute,” I told the ticket agent. “I know I brought it with me.” Patting my pockets frantically, I still couldn’t locate the ticket. “Damn it!” I exhaled as I stood with my eyes closed.
“Never mind, honey, what’s your name? I’ll look you up in the system,” said the ticket agent. I gave my name and she quickly typed it into the system.
“Oh, dear. You’d better get moving. Your bus will be pulling off any second now.” The ticket agent gave me a new boarding pass and pointed in the direction that I needed to go. I scooped up my busted suitcase and made a run for it. My clothes began falling out of the suitcase once again and I tripped over a dangling pants leg and fell. My knees hit the marble floor pretty hard, but I was determined to catch that bus. I hobbled to my feet, gathered my belongings and limped toward my destination. Just as I was about to hand the driver my boarding pass, I heard someone howl out, “Keysha Kendall! Where do you think you’re going?” I immediately spun around and saw Jordan rushing toward me with a dissatisfied expression on his face. He’d pulled in his bottom lip and bit down on it and his eyes were fixed on my like a tiger about to deliver a fatal bite.