| |
Kayla
Hearing a knock at the door, she looked out the window and spotted Jermaine’s car in her driveway. Dang! She knew it was just a matter of time before he showed up.
Slowly, she stepped back, hoping he hadn’t seen her. The reason she had parked her car in the garage was so no one would know she was home.
“Kayla, I see the curtain moving so I know you’re in there.”
Dang! That was a stupid move. There was no way she could let him see her. The swelling had gone down, but her lip was still cracked and there was a dark bruise underneath her eye.
“Kayla, please let me in. I’m worried about you. Tina told me you were in a car accident I just want to make sure you’re okay.”
Kayla lowered her eyelids and felt guilty for lying. It had been a week since the rape, and she hadn’t been to work since. Instead, she had called her boss and lied that she had been in a car accident and was too beaten up to come in. Lord, forgive me. At least she hadn’t lied about being beaten up, although instead of hitting the steering wheel, she had been hit with Leroy’s fist.
Her pulse quivered. Leroy had been calling her every day begging for her forgiveness, and said that if the Lord could forgive, then why couldn’t she? She was so tired of him using the Bible for his own twisted purposes. Thank goodness she’d had a locksmith out to her house, because the night after Renee had videoed him while hiding in the closet, Kayla heard his unsuccessful attempt at trying to use his key before he started banging on the door and acting like a fool. Why couldn’t he just leave her alone and let her be happy?
Another knock at the door startled her. “Kayla, baby, please talk to me. I’ve been calling your house and you’ve been ignoring my calls.”
It was true. She had been. Taking a deep breath, she turned the lock on the door and peeped out around the chain.
“I’m fine, Jermaine. Just not up for company right now.”
He gave her a sad smile. “How are you feeling?”
“A little sore.”
There was a long pause before he said, “Can I come in just for a few minutes?”
Hearing the pleading in his voice, she hesitated for a moment. “I don’t want you seeing me this way.”
“Kayla, you’re beautiful to me no matter what has happened to your face.”
Tears pushed to the surface. He was so kind. What had she done to deserve someone like him in her life?
Sensing her reluctance, he quickly added, “I just want to make sure you’re okay, then I’ll leave. I promise.”
She closed the door long enough to remove the chain, then stepped aside so he could come in. After shutting the door, she turned around and met the look of compassion on his face.
“Oh, baby. I’m so sorry,” he mumbled before holding out his arms to her. Without hesitation, she moved to him and buried her face against his chest Jermaine held her close to him.
He pulled back slightly, stared down at her battered face, then pressed his lips firmly to hers. Kayla wished she could freeze this moment forever.
“Come sit down.” He took her hand and moved over to the couch and took a seat, pulling her down beside him. “Now, tell me what happened.”
She swallowed. Here she goes, lying again. “I was riding in the car with uh ... Renee, and she tried to make a left turn, and someone was trying to make a right and they slammed into her rental car.” Lord, please forgive me, but Renee owes me.
“Thank God you’re okay.”
“I told you I was okay. Just need a couple of days for the bruising to go down.”
“Did you hurt anything?”
Yes, my pride. “My side is sore. I think I have a couple of bruised ribs, but I’ll be fine.”
“I know you’re fine, but how are you doing?”
She couldn’t resist a grin. It was her first in days. Somehow, she felt like a load had been lifted from her heart. Jermaine was definitely good for the soul.
The phone rang, startling her. She ignored it. Her daughters had gone down to the lake with her mother and she had just talked to them. The only person who had been blowing up her phone was Leroy, and he was the last person in the world she wanted to talk to.
“You want me to get that?” Jermaine asked after the third ring.
She quickly shook her head. “No. I don’t feel like talking to anyone right now.”
Jermaine reached up and stroked her chin. “Tell me, what can I do to make you feel better?”
“Just seeing you has made all the difference.”
“Good. I’m here for you whenever you need me. All you have to do is call.”
“Thanks.”
He shook his head. “You just don’t know how much you mean to me, do you? Kayla, I’m crazy about you. I have been since the first day I met you, only you’ve never seemed to notice a brotha. I’ve never asked you this before, but are you involved with someone?” At her silence, he continued. “I assumed that you were and figured if you wanted me to know, you would have told me. Well, now, I’m going to be upfront with you. I’m tired of waiting and I need to know if I even have a chance before I start putting my feelings out there.”
She closed her eyes and willed away the tears. If he had asked her that a week ago, she would have politely told him she was involved, but her life had changed so much in such a short period of time. “No, I’m no longer involved with anyone.” There—she said it. And to her surprise, it felt good to know that she was finally ready to put the past behind her.
“I’m glad to hear that.” Leaning forward, he pressed his lips to hers in a single kiss, then pulled back and gazed at her surprised face. “How about a comedy? I got one in the car I had picked up from the video store last night that I haven’t had a chance to watch. Watching it with you would be a lot more fun. I could sit here and hold you in my arms.”
She nodded. “I would like that very much.” Pleased with her answer, he went out to his car.
Kayla glanced down at her black slacks and simple white blouse. Renee was right She was definitely going to have to do something about her attire. Quickly, she walked over to the small bathroom behind the kitchen and checked her appearance. Every time she looked at her face in the mirror she wanted to cry. She stared at the stranger whose face was bruised black and blue all over. Surprisingly, Jermaine had not been turned off by her appearance. A smile creased her lips, just knowing for once a man saw her for who she was on the inside.
The telephone rang. Kayla went over to the phone in the kitchen and read the Caller ID. It was coming from the church, so it couldn’t be anyone but Leroy. Reaching up, she turned off the ringer. She hated to do that, but for once she just wanted to have peace and quiet and a chance to think about something other than Leroy and what he had done to her.
Jermaine returned and she walked into the living room just as he turned on the television. “My boy said this is supposed to be extra funny.”
She met the look of amusement on his face and got a warm feeling inside at his attempt to cheer her up. “Good, I could use a good laugh.”
He slid the movie into the DVD player but before he could turn it on, the local anchorwoman, Katherine Smith, popped onto the screen with a newsflash. Kayla peered at the television and gasped when she realized the tall blonde was standing outside of Mt. Carmel Baptist Church.
Reverend Leroy Brown was brought in for questioning regarding a videotape police received of him and what appears to be a teenage girl. The police refuse to comment any further at this time except to stress that as of right now, Reverend Brown isn’t being charged with anything. He’s just being questioned about the identity of the girl. Right before we were getting ready to air this segment, a copy of the tape was anonymously handed to the station. Now we are about to show you a clip from that tape, but I want to warn you that it isn’t suitable for children.”
Kayla cringed as the video she’d refused to see popped onto the screen. She’d know Leroy’s room anywhere. There he was, wearing... oh, my, God... Renee wasn’t lying, a diaper. He was walking around the room pretending to be a baby with a pacifier in its mouth.
“What the hell?” Jermaine mumbled as he sat down on the couch beside her.
“If anyone knows the identity of this young girl, please call the police. This is Katherine Smith with Channel 8 News.”
Kayla hurried from the room and made it to the bathroom just in time to throw up.
