CHAPTER ELEVEN

SEPTEMBER 20th

TUESDAY, 5:20PM

JANET

 

I made the decision when I left work today that I was never going back. There are plenty of other things for a woman like me to do and anything is better than working a 9 to 5. So now having left my first and second job, I am officially unemployed and loving it. I tried to be a better person for Kelsi and even kept a stable job but once he got caught up in the game, I had to reprioritize things. I realize quitting jobs to put shit in order sounds crazy but when it comes to working all hours and not being able to see Kelsi as much as I use to, the decision was easy. I had over six grand saved and had a few connections. With those two things going for me along with the plans in my head, I’m going to turn the lifestyle that won’t let me go, into an empire for my son and me.

When I walked into the apartment, I wondered why Lakeisha was there on a school night. I had planned on telling Kelsi I quit my job and to see if he gave any more thought to taking Delonte out. If he didn’t do it, I had all intentions on doing it myself because whether Kelsi understood it or not, it had to be done.

Kelsi’s door was open and I saw Lakeisha sitting on the bed crying. Instead of consoling her, Kelsi looked pissed. When the door closed seconds later, I wondered if they were doing it for privacy. They must have got into a fight and she came over here to talk to him about it. I never cared much for her and with everything going on, I cared for her even less now. One day, Kelsi looked me dead in my eyes and said, “This one’s for me, Ma. Be easy on her.” I tried, but she’s too needy and requires too much attention. With everything that’s going on now that type of person can be dangerous.

I put my purse down and went into the kitchen to grab the orange juice and the vodka to make myself a drink. Kelsi and Lakeisha were so involved in a conversation, they began to get louder. I grabbed a glass, rinsed it out and made my own Screwdriver. I even added a few cubes of ice and they still didn’t hear me. Something definitely happened. I downed over half of the drink just standing in the kitchen and made myself another. That’s when I heard Kelsi say, “But Keisha, why in the fuck would you tell 5-O I was fighting a dude who’s dead? It makes no fucking sense!”

The glass I was drinking from slipped out of my hand and shattered all over the kitchen floor. I walked briskly over to Kelsi’s door and put my ear up to it. I was concerned with what was going on on the other side. Damn, what were they talking about, I wondered, as I pressed my ear further into the door. My heart beat so fast it nearly felt as if it were coming out of my chest. Fuck that I’m going in!

Kelsi jumped up when I appeared in his doorway. When Lakeisha saw me, she balled up on his bed and covered her face. It was as if she were trying to hide whatever she did from me but I saw right through her. Bitch! Bitch! Bitch! What have you done to my son?

I was silent on the outside but on the inside I was lashing out. Something was wrong and she had everything to do with it.

“Ma, uh, the police came by here today. Uh, and Keisha, told them something she shouldn’t have.”

That much was clear, I thought. I was getting ready to ask him did they question him about the murder but I remembered Keisha wasn’t supposed to know anything. I was hoping that Kelsi kept it that way. I was hoping that he didn’t share anything with this idiot that would make her a weapon.

“The police? The police came by for what?” I asked trying to alert Kelsi to not say too much around her while still trying to find out what she already said.

Kelsi shook his head slightly and hunched his shoulders to acknowledge that he knew what I was doing.

“Oh, the police came by to ask about a dude that went to my school who was killed. They were asking people around here if they knew or heard anything. I think he was found around here somewhere.”

“That’s terrible,” I said trying to pretend I didn’t know anything either, and trying to show compassion about a person I could care less about. “Well why you mad at Lakeisha?”

“You know I came in here the other day all messed up after scrapping with this cat right, well, turns out it was the same person who was killed.”

“What? They don’t think you had anything to do with it do they?” I was laying it on thick but it was just to prevent myself from having to kill her. The less she knew, the better.

“Naw Ma, they were just asking questions.”

“So what happened?” I asked in a frustrated manner. In my mind if they didn’t know anything and she didn’t say anything what was the goddamn problem?

“Well she told ‘em we got into a fight and that was the last time she saw him. She said the cops said somebody already told them about the fight. I’m mad at her because she shouldn’t have said anything.”

I looked at Keisha who was still balled up on the bed. I was five seconds from snatching her by her hair and kicking her fucking ass out but I had another plan for her. See I knew in this world, nothing controlled more shit than pussy. Whether he knew it or not, hers had control over him, so what better way to make a man despise a woman more, than to make him think someone has taken it away. I decided to deal with her in my own way.

“Oh, I see,” I said as I nodded to Kelsi. “Keisha, maybe it’s time for you to leave, baby. I need to talk to my son alone and don’t worry, everything is okay.” I added for free.

“Oh, okay, Ms. Stayley,” she said in between wiping her tears even though new ones continued to fall.

“I’ll talk to you later, Kelsi and I can walk myself to the bus stop. It’s not a problem.”

That was funny because Kelsi wasn’t going anywhere anyway.

When I was sure she was gone, Kelsi and I had a long talk and it was a talk he probably didn’t want to hear.