Chapter 13

Sister… Sister

 

Kat

 

A few days ago Allen and I were in a heated session when we were rudely interrupted by a knock at the door.  At first I was going to ignore it, but the knocks became louder and more forceful. It got to the point where I thought they were going to bust the damn door down. I slowly slid off of Allen’s love tool and wrapped up in a sheet. I went over to my window to see who it was. I noticed a supped up black Blazer out front and immediately panicked.  I thought it was Rashawn in one of his boy’s trucks.

I ran over to Allen and told him to hurry up and run in the spare room and to lock the door. I told him it was my boyfriend. At first he tried to be hard and was like, he’s not going anywhere; he’s tired of hiding our relationship. Allen was talking reckless. He didn’t know my boyfriend’s status. I’d never told him that I was involved with a notorious drug dealer. I just told him he was a very important man who could make people vanish. Allen lay in bed not budging. I begged and pleaded with him but he wouldn’t move. Finally, I just said forget it. I took a deep breath and walked out the room. 

I stopped at the bathroom and grabbed a towel, then wrapped it around my sweaty, naked, body. I would just tell him I was finishing my workout and about to hop in the shower.  I said a short prayer before opening the door.  When I opened it I couldn’t believe who stood before me. Spinx black ass was grinning from ear to ear. I told him Nalyse didn’t stay here anymore and was about to slam the door on him. 

He pushed himself in the door, “Yo, wait a minute! I got to talk to you for a minute. Your sister is in a lot of trouble!” he barked.

  That got my attention. I was mad at her and hadn’t heard from her in months but I still cared about her. “What you mean she’s in trouble?” I questioned.

He opened the door and walked past me. He looked me up and down before sitting on the couch.

“What… what are you looking at?” I snapped.

“Damn, girl, you are thick as hell,” he said.

He acted like he wanted to touch my ass. I backed away from him and gave him a look. He knew I wasn’t playing with his ass. He asked me to sit down because I was making him nervous. I ignored his request and kept standing.

He looked at me and grunted. “Yo, you ain’t gonna like what I’m about to tell you. Your sister done set up shop and is moving crazy weight. She better be careful ‘cause she’s making a lot of enemies and I’m one of them. I heard that little bitch done turned the nigga she workin’ for on to my connect, and they took over my spot.” He was vexed.

I laughed to myself. Why would I care about that? I was confused to what the issue was. “Ok, so she’s doing well for herself, she found herself a balla. Good for her, I guess. Is that all? I think Nyse can handle herself; I have nothing to do with that. And she won’t listen to me anyway.” I was about to show Spinx the door, but the next words from his mouth cut deep.

He sat back on my couch. “So, how do you feel about becoming a stepmom, or should I say auntie?” he said slyly.

  I turned to him in disbelief. I couldn’t have heard him correctly.

He added. “Oh, you didn’t know… damn, my bad. You mean to tell me you didn’t know your nigga was fucking your little sister? That’s crazy.” He chuckled and shook his head.

I didn’t believe him.  He wanted to try and hurt me. That was a lie. There was no way Rashawn would mess with Nalyse, or vice versa. Nalyse was wild and couldn’t be tamed. She was loud and full of drama. Rashawn couldn’t stand that type of chicks.  My heart was beating a mile a minute. I couldn’t catch my breath. I began to yell and scream for him to get out. 

Allen must have heard all the commotion. He came running down the stairs to my aid. Spinx stood up when he saw him. Allen came behind me and put his arms around me. He asked me if I was ok and fixed his eyes on Spinx. Spinx laughed at the site of us together. He walked pass me and dropped a piece of paper with his number on it on the table.

“Now I see why you were blinded. Call me when you’re ready to see the truth.” 

And just like that he was gone. Allen sat me on the couch and held me in his arms. He knew I was upset but didn’t know why. He didn’t ask either. He just held me as I cried in his arms. 

Later that evening when Allen was asleep I called Rashawn. He didn’t answer. I decided to go pay him a visit. I arrived at his apartment and he didn’t answer. I decided to use my key and noticed the locks had been changed. I knew I hadn’t been coming up there for a minute, but damn, why change the locks? I decided to ride to his mother’s; she would tell me what was up. When I got there she turned pale when she saw me. She seemed a little hesitant to let me in, but she did.

I walked pass her and took a seat at her dining room table. Her townhouse was really small. Everything in it was old fashioned but tasteful. I never understood why she didn’t redecorate. It wasn’t like her son didn’t have the money to do it.

“Mom Liz, I can’t seem to get a hold of Rashawn, do you know where he is?”

She stood in front of the door with her arms folded and lips tight. “Why don’t you know where he is, isn’t that your job, to know your fiancé’s whereabouts?”   

She was being very sarcastic and I didn’t understand why. She was really distant and nasty. I decided to end my visit early. I started to hug her and she moved away. I was hurt.  This woman had been like a second mother to me for years. I turned away to walk out the door. Before I was out I felt a tap on the shoulder. Ms. Gibbs was close to tears.

She gave me a big hug and whispered, “I love you, Katty, remember that.”

Something wasn’t right. She wanted to tell me something, I could tell. I told her I loved her and walked to my car.  I sat there for a minute then picked up my cell phone. I pulled the paper from my pocket and dialed the number.  Spinx answered the phone.

“I want some proof,” I told him.

“Meet me School Bell Apartments right now,” he replied.

 

“Now do you believe me, Katty? That little bitch is playing both of us. She’s playing house with that nigga and carrying his baby. I should go merk both of these slimy mufuckas right now!” Spinx grunted. He took a long pull of his blunt before passing it.

I usually didn’t smoke, but after the shit I’d just witnessed I needed something to ease the pain. I knew Nalyse had some shit with her, but I never thought she would go as far as getting pregnant by Rashawn.  How could I have been so stupid? Why didn’t I see it coming?  But how could I?  I hadn’t seen or heard from her since the fight. And Rashawn, oh my God, why would he do this to me?  He would never deliberately hurt me like this… unless. Oh God, he knows… that little bitch must have told him about Allen, I thought. I took another drag of the blunt and began to choke.

“Damn, Katty, you aight, baby?” Spinx asked. He passed me a Very Fine juice.

I drank it and tried to catch my breath. I coughed and said, “I’m cool. Whew… oh my God, what’s in this weed?”

He gave me a devilish grin. “Baby, this that Wet, I heard about this shit in the joint. It will keep you high for a minute and keep your dick hard.” He winked at me and licked his lips. “You might as well let me hit that. We can just flip that shit on ‘em, ya know.” He was grinning like the Grinch that stole Christmas.

  I rolled my eyes. It would be a cold day in hell before I would let his black ass lay a finger on me. Hell, it was his fault that my sister turned into the cold hearted snake she was.

 

++++++++

 

  As I approached the apartment door I prayed I would catch them in the act. That would make it easier to blow his fuckin’ head off. If we were in Maryland it would be considered a crime of passion and I would probably get off. I wouldn’t be so lucky here, but who knows, the police would look at it as if I did them a favor.

I didn’t know what was taking her ass so long to answer the door. She probably was in there fucking my man. I was getting disgusted by the minute. Nasty bitch! I couldn’t believe she’d done this to me. I was her fucking blood. I knew I didn’t treat her that bad; to do some shit like this. No words could describe how I felt about Rashawn. We were still seeing each other a few times a week. Just the thought of him making love to me and then going home and playing house with my little sister made me nauseas.

I pulled my little .22 out of my pocketbook and placed it in my jacket pocket. Just in case that mother fucker wanted to get stupid. I heard someone jingling the door. Ok, Kat, take a deep breath, relax. I gotta make sure this goes smooth, I thought.

The door opened and my heart broke into a thousand pieces at the site of Nalyse standing there with her big belly caring my fiancé’s baby. I had to fight back tears. This was the ultimate betrayal. She stood there looking at me, eyes all big. I could tell she was surprised to see me. She was white as a damn ghost. The tension between us was so thick that you could cut it with a knife.

She stood there holding her stomach.  She looked like she was in pain or something. I brushed pass her and went into the apartment. It was breathtaking. Her home was adorned with plush pink carpet, a salmon pink leather sectional, and a big screen TV. Everything was top of the line; I was amazed. Rashawn was holding out on me. Her place looked like it should have been in a fashion magazine.

“Wow, Lyse, you are doing incredibly well for yourself. I see you done got big time on me. Look at this place, it’s beautiful, and look at you. Why didn’t you tell me I was going to be an auntie? I know mommy would want to know she is going to be a grandma.”

She stood there trembling. Humph, no need to be scared now, I thought. I sat down on her couch and patted for her sit next to me. She didn’t move or say a word.  I kicked my feet up on her glass coffee table. That should get her hot, I thought. Still no reaction, she stood there looking like a zombie. I was getting tired of the silent treatment. I decided to get straight to the point. 

“Who’s the father of your baby?” I inquired.

Just like that she snapped out of her trance. She moved slowly to the recliner and sat down. She folded her hands on her lap and that’s when I noticed something red running down her legs. I looked over to the spot where she was standing and there was a puddle of blood. I immediately ran to her.

“Oh my God, Lyse, you’re bleeding! Oh God, how far are you?”  I was frantic.

Tears ran from her eyes; she acted like she was going to lose consciousness. I had to do something quick or she would lose the baby, or even her life. I picked up her phone and dialed 9-1-1. I looked at her, and for a brief moment something dark and wicked came over me. I should just let her bleed out. That would make everything so much easier, I shook the thought.  I couldn’t do that to my sister no matter how dirty she’d done me. I couldn’t live with knowing I’d played part in her child, my niece or nephew’s death.

Five minutes later the paramedics were in the apartment working on her.  They said that she was in shock and going into premature labor. They asked me how far she was.  I told them I had no idea, and I’d just found out she was pregnant. He looked at me funny. I explained to him that we didn’t talk often. I guess he was still confused on how I didn’t know my own sister was pregnant. He asked if I was going to ride in the ambulance with her.  I told him I would follow behind them.

When I got in the car I picked up the phone and called Rashawn. I didn’t want him to know I knew the truth. Not yet, not until I knew if this baby was going to make it or not. He didn’t pick up the phone. I left him a message telling him that something bad had happened and I needed him to come to the Christiana Hospital immediately.

 

I had to sit outside in the waiting room.  The doctors were in there working on Nalyse. It had been over forty-five minutes and no one had been out to tell me anything. I thought about calling my mom. She had been worried sick about her the last few months. She was too stubborn to try to find out where she was. She dropped hints for me to do it.

After the fight we had Nalyse basically dropped off the face of this earth. I mean, everybody saw her but us. It’s just funny nobody mentioned to me that she was sleeping with my man and having his baby.

I picked up the phone to call Spinx.  I knew he would want to know what was up.  Just as I started to dial the number I heard a frantic voice demanding to know where his wifey was located. Wifey? I wondered if he was talking about me or my sister.  Rashawn and a few of his boys were giving the staff a hard time. The poor little fragile nurse looked like she wanted to haul ass. I decided to step-in before she had a damn heart attack.

“Baby, I’m over here!” I yelled, running towards him.

The look on his face was priceless. He looked like he was about to shit himself.  His friends looked real dumb in the face, too. 

“I see you got my message,” I said hugging him.

He cocked his head to the side like he was confused.

  “Rashawn, the message… about meeting me here….”

He looked like he didn’t have a clue. He rubbed his hand over his head. “Yeah, I got it… what’s up… why… why are you here? You all right?” he asked as he opened his arms for me to embrace him.

I wrapped my arms around his waist and looked him in the eyes. “How did you know to come to the Maternity section?” 

There was that look again. Just as I was about to question him some more the doctors came out of the room. He was saved.

“Is there a Katina Nyse out here?” the doctor inquired.

I let go of Rashawn and went over to the doctor. I could tell he wanted come, but was too scared. I asked the doctor if everything was ok with my sister. He didn’t tell me anything except that she wanted to speak with me.

 

++++++++

 

Nalyse

 

How in the hell did she find out where I lived?  I thought. This was all too much for me. Spinx was out and Kat knew what was up with me and Rashawn. She tried to act like she didn’t, but I know she did. I could see it all in her face. Especially when she saw my stomach, she wanted to bawl right there. She was just trying to play hard. My question is how did she found out?

My mind was racing. I bet it was that bitch Kee. She was the only one close to me that knew what was up. This was probably all a set up. That’s why she was leaving. I bet she split that pack with Spinx, told Kat what was up, then bounced, I thought. I felt my pressure going up. Chill, Nyse. I got to stay calm before this baby tries to come again, I thought. Damn, this was not supposed to be how it ended.  I had to come up with something quick. I knew Kat was gonna try to get back with Rashawn now. She’d blame all this shit on me.  Then it came to me, I was gonna have to flip this shit.

I told Dr. Allen to have my sister come in after they were finished working on me.  I explained that I wanted to tell her myself about my condition.  He agreed and left out. I had to lay on my left side in silence. My pressure was up and I’d begun to dilate and go into labor.  The doctor told me I had to be on complete bed rest in the hospital until it was time to deliver. In a way I was relieved, I wouldn’t have to face the outside world for at least another month. I rested for a few moments until I heard the door open.  Kat hurried to my bedside and started stroking my hair. I knew she was pissed, but her eyes had compassion. 

“I’m sorry, Kat.” I cried softly. “I didn’t mean to do this… I really didn’t… I wanted to tell you when it first happened but I knew you wouldn’t believe me.”

A puzzled look came on her face. She pulled a chair next to my bed and handed me a tissue.   “What are you talking about, Nalyse? What wouldn’t I believe?”  

I wiped my nose and sobbed a little more. “I wanted to tell you… I know how much you love him, and I know y’all been together forever. I just… I just didn’t think he would react that way… I didn’t know he would do this to me… I thought he looked at me like a sister… I didn’t know. Oh my God… I am so sorry!”

I hid my face with my hands. I peeked through the crack of my fingers and I could see her face turning red. I bet her heart was beating a mile a minute. She grabbed my hands and gently pulled them from my face. 

“What… what did he do to you?” asked Kat. Her voice was cracking.

I tried to hide my smile. I had her right where I wanted her. I sat up in bed and took a deep breath. “One night I was at the mall. I saw Rashawn sitting on the bench with a vexed look on his face.  I went over to him to say what’s up. When he saw me he looked like he was about to breakdown. I sat next to him and asked him what was wrong.  He told me he saw you and some other nigga hand in hand at the movies. I didn’t know what to say after that. He told me he was about to go to the crib and turn it out.”

Kat put her head down in shame.

“So, I told him I didn’t think that was something he should do. Maybe he was just a friend or something, I’d tried to rationalize. He wasn’t buying it, so I asked him to go to Bankshots to play pool for a while. After about a half hour of convincing he decided to go. I left my truck at the mall and got in his car. We hung out and we both had a few drinks. On our way back to the mall he told me he needed to get something from his crib. Of course I didn’t see anything wrong with it, so I went in with him.  Once inside we had more drinks and smoked a blunt or two. Before I knew it I had dozed off on his couch. Next thing I know I felt him unbuttoning my pants and putting his mouth all over me.  I tried to stop him, but he was too strong.”

Kat jumped from her seat. She was crying. “No… not Rashawn no… Nalyse, please, please, tell me you’re lying, please tell me this is some sick joke,” she pleaded.

I shook my head. “I’m so sorry; I can’t tell you that… it’s true. He raped me! Rashawn raped me and told me that he would get Fatal to handle you and ol’ boy if I said anything.  That’s why I stayed away. That is, until I found out I was pregnant. That’s when he put me in my own place. He doesn’t live there. He just comes over and takes what he wants from me and leave.  He thinks he owns me because I am carrying his child,” I whimpered.

That was too much for her to handle. Kat dropped to her knees and let out a blood curdling cry.  She was internally wounded. I knew I was wrong for the lie I’d just told. I had no choice. I didn’t think about what the consequences would be when my family found out I had been playing house with Rashawn. My mother would really hate me, and my brother, Stack would never let me live this down.

 

 

 

 

Kat

 

This can’t be true. Rashawn… rape?  My brain was ready to explode.  I tried to think back to see if I missed any clues of him being capable of such an act. I came up with nothing. I sat back in the chair and took a deep breath. I glanced over at Nalyse and she was knocked out. I guess the meds had finally taken affect, she looked so peaceful. I wished I could feel what she was feeling, because at that moment I needed something to calm me down.

  I picked up the phone to call my mother. Lyse had asked me to fill her in on everything.  Well not everything… she wanted to leave out the part that she was carrying Rashawn’s baby. I was kind of relieved, because I really didn’t want to get into it with my mother.  She would swear it was my fault for not reaching out to Lyse sooner.

Rashawn wasn’t to know that I knew the truth either. Now that was going to be hard. I wanted him to pay for what he had done to us.  I felt bad that he’d caught me with Allen, but he had been doing it to me for years. He just was good at hiding it. Besides, he really crossed the line raping my sister, then getting her pregnant and expecting her to keep it. Hell no! I would play this game of unawareness for a moment. But I swore on my life, he was going to pay one way or the other.

Not even fifteen minutes after I spoke to my mother she was busting through the door. She wasn’t alone. Rashawn had managed to sneak in with her. He came over and started hugging all over me, asking if I was ok and was the boy ok. That was a dead giveaway right there.  How did he know it was a boy? I didn’t even know she was having a boy. I was so disgusted, but I played along. I explained to both of them what was going on.  I told them she had gone in pre-mature labor, and they were keeping her in the hospital on bed rest and giving her steroids to strengthen the baby’s lungs. Again his actions told on him, his ass had the nerve to go over and rub her belly.

This time my mom had a crazy look on her face and of course she asked him what he was doing. He was startled. He told her he was praying for his “nephew” and lil’ sister to get well. She fell for it. I had to laugh. Nephew, didn’t he mean son? I thought. I rolled my eyes. My mom gave him a big hug and told him she loved him.

Humph, she wouldn’t be saying that if she knew he raped her daughter, I thought.

My mom sat on the edge of Lyse’s bed and rubbed her hands. “Do you know who the father is?” she asked me.

  Rashawn’s eyes practically bulged out of his head. He stood up and went over to the window.

“A guy named Kevin. Kevin Brockman… he is really sweet, mommy. He is good for her.”

Rashawn spoke up, “Kev… yo, that nigga is dead! Remember the explosion, he was burned alive. . If it was his she would have been had that baby!” he said sounding upset.

  My mother said, “Oh my God, is that the young man they are looking for? I thought they didn’t find his body… I didn’t know he actually died. But he can’t be dead, because Lyse says he’s the father. I know my baby ain’t crazy. I liked that young man; he would be good for her.” She added.

All the motherly love Rashawn had for my mom had just flew out the door. He looked as if he could have kicked her in her throat. I had to admit I was enjoying this.

“Well, mom, he is nice. And, Rashawn, he didn’t die. They just assumed that it was him in the truck. Matter of fact, he put her up in a nice condo, sends her money, and is on his way up here to witness the birth of his baby.” I rubbed it in.

Tears filled his eyes. He was hurt. He flashed a dirty look in Lyse’s direction and bit his bottom lip. I knew he was truly pissed when he bit that lip. That was the look he gave before he was about to lose control. He knew he had no choice but to suck it up and let another man take credit for the things he did, or come out with the truth. I guess he chose to go along with the lie. He excused himself and stormed out the door.

My mom gave me confused look. “What was all that about?”  

I shrugged my shoulders and told her that I was going after him to find out. I went out into the lobby and Rashawn was nowhere to be found.  It was like he disappeared, but that was just fine. I really didn’t want to talk to him right then anyway. There was someone else that I needed to chat with. I had a funny feeling something FATAL was about to happen to Rashawn.