Cheaper to Keep Her part 2 (The Saga Continues) (12 page)

When I looked back again, I noticed Chris had disappeared from where he was originally standing. A new level of panic shot through my entire body. I didn’t know whether to keep swimming to the other side of the lake or turn back. Either way, I wanted to avoid Chris from catching me.

The water in the lake wasn’t as deep as I thought it was, but the temperature was freezing cold. And I knew that very soon I would need to get out of it. Without making a lot of noise I decided to move about in the lake. Instead of swimming to the opposite side of the lake, I swam to the East side. I figured if Chris and Duke were looking for me, they'd wait for me directly on the opposite side in which I entered. I stopped a couple of times before I was able to exit the lake. For one, I was extremely exhausted from all of the running I had done before I jumped into the water. And two, it seemed like the more speed I put behind my swimming, the louder the splashes got so I had to slow my pace. It bothered the hell out of me that I couldn’t see a thing around me. I could see the light from Katrina’s daughter's room was still on, but that was it.

I thought about screaming for help at one point. But then I figured that wouldn’t be a smart move, because what if no one hears me but Duke and Chris? I’d really be a dead bitch then. So after taking a couple of swimming breaks, I finally got up the nerve to swim back to land.

I said another silent prayer and exited the water quietly. I got down on my knees and crawled behind a tree that was near someone’s backyard. I waited there for a moment, while on high alert. My heart was beating like a racehorse but I did my best to remain calm. A couple of times I jumped because I heard crackling sounds around me. But when I looked a little closer, I realized there were a couple of squirrels playing around, so I exhaled. I knew I wasn’t out of harm’s way yet and that’s why I kept my guard up. After being on my knees for at least a good five minutes, I stood up, but hunched down so I couldn’t be spotted if Chris was indeed waiting for me to reveal myself.

Being that it was extremely dark it became impossible for me to plan an escape route. I was able to still see Katrina’s house because no one ever turned off the bedroom lights. Suddenly my actions hit me. During all of the excitement, I hadn’t thought about Katrina. Now I wondered what kind of turmoil she was in. I knew how Duke operated so there was no question in my mind that he was beating the hell out of her. I knew his ass wasn’t going to spare her any leniency because she had me hiding upstairs in her daughter’s room. Trust me, he was making her tell him why I was there and what we were talking about before he arrived at the house. Knowing that she threw her own man and his brother underneath the bus, I knew she sung like a bird when he questioned her about me.

I couldn’t blame her. After all, my new motto was the same motto as most of America, “survivor of the fittest.” I could only apologize to her in my mind.

It wouldn't surprise me if she lied and told Duke that I followed her to her house and how I knew where she lived. Either way it wouldn’t matter to me, because her life was in the palm of his hands and mine wasn’t. Well, at least, for now it wasn’t.

Once I felt like the coast was clear, I tried my luck and maneuvered my way out of the darkness surrounding Katrina’s neighborhood. With every move I made I had to look back and see if I were being followed. I was disappointed no one had called the cops after hearing gunshots and me splashing around in the lake. This wasn’t the ’hood. This was a nicer part of the beach and they didn’t suppose to go for that shit out here. Or that’s the lie we in the ’hood suppose to believe.

When I got at least a half of mile away from Katrina’s house, that’s when I knew Chris had turned back and gone back to Katrina’s house. Drenched from head to toe from that nasty lake water, my clothes clung to my body like a bad habit and I wanted nothing else but to get out of them. I had nowhere to go to do just that. And even if I did, I didn’t have a spare change of clothes, so once again I was ass out. One part of me wanted to just scream out loud and ask God why me? Why was I going through all of this turmoil? I also wanted to ask God how was this all going to end? I knew He was the only one who knew what was around the next corner. And the fact I didn’t know nearly drove me crazy.

I looked down at my watch and noticed it had not only stopped, but it also had water damage. I sighed heavily. I felt like if it wasn’t one thing, then it was damn sure another. And since I had no way of knowing what time it was, I bit the bullet and kept it moving down side streets to prevent from being seen, just in case Duke sent Chris back out to look for me.

I wished I had a chance to go back and get Bishop’s truck. I was at least ten or fifteen miles away from the downtown area of Virginia Beach, so I knew I wouldn’t be able to get there on foot. I also knew it would be impossible to get to Bishop’s truck. If Chris wasn’t out here looking for me, I knew he was certainly keeping his eyes on that truck.

And for the first time I wondered if revenge was worth my life . . . or worse, my death.

Cheaper to Keep Her part 2 Unique

Fuck Everybody-Chapter Fourteen

Only a fool wouldn’t change their fortune.

I didn’t know who said that but they were right. And that’s why I had to see this through. That was the only way to change my fortune—I had to see this son-of-a-bitch in jail or dead.

I practically dragged myself a half of mile before I was able to come upon a gas station. It was more or less one of those convenient stores with a couple of old ass gas pumps outside and a store full of Arabs who posed as the owners. When I walked inside, everybody in the store, including the customers turned around and stared at me like their fucking minds was going bad. I dismissed all of them with a funky ass expression and proceeded to the counter. I knew everyone probably wondered why I was soaked and wet when it hasn’t rained in the last twenty-four hours. But I couldn’t worry about them. I had other shit on my mind.

But he insisted that he wasn’t about to let me use the store’s telephone. I became extremely frustrated. I mean, he saw how I looked, so it wasn’t hard to tell that I needed some type of assistance. And as bad as I wanted to curse him out, I held back all my anger and suggested that if he didn’t want me to use his phone, then could he dial the number for me. I further explained that I had just escaped from this man who was trying to kill me.

“I’m sorry but I can’t help you,” he replied. “Go outside and use the pay phone,” he continued and pointed towards the door.

When he pulled that stunt I nearly lost it and instantly retaliated, “If I had money I would’ve used the fucking pay phone outside, you idiot! Y’all come here from your country with your little bit ass money so you can set up shop and overcharge us black folks with all that expired shit you got on those nasty ass shelves. Y’all think y’all got all the sense in the world but you don’t. Y’all ain’t shit! Y’all ain’t nothing but fake ass Muslims trying to get rich off of us. But this place ain’t last long ’cause I’m gonna get my boyfriend to blow this shit up. You fucking has-beens!”

Immediately after storming out of the convenience store, I marched across the parking lot. I was damn near to tears when this guy approached me from behind. “Yo’ Shorty, was that shit you said true about a nigga trying to kill you?”

I turned around and looked into the eyes of this five feet eleven cat with a shiny bald head. I started to get sarcastic with his ass for asking me that stupid ass question but once again I held my tongue. Primarily because he might let me use that Blackberry he had attached to his hip. I hesitated for a moment and then I said, “Nah, I was kidding. I only said it to see if he would let me use his phone.”

The guy laughed. “Yo’ sweetheart, you are mad funny!” he commented.

But I didn't think the shit was funny so I didn't laugh with him. He caught on really quick. “Yo’, my bad! I’m sorry for laughing at you.”

“Do you mind if I use your phone?” I cut to the chase. I really didn’t want to engage in any small talk with this guy. All I wanted was to use his phone and that was it.

The guy took his Blackberry from his holster and handed it to me. “Yeah, sure you can use it.”

I took the phone from him and tried one more time to see if I could get my ex, Devin, on the phone. But once again that tired ass nigga refused to answer his line. I knew before I even dialed his number that I wasn't going to be able to talk to him calling from this unknown number. He was really big on sending unknown numbers to his voicemail. And the fact that his voicemail was full, I couldn’t even leave him a message. I was so frustrated, I just ended the call and handed this guy his phone back.

I sighed heavily as I stood before him. I couldn’t think of anyone else to call. I didn’t even have a place that I could go to. So I stood there and wondered to myself what my next move would be.

“If you need a ride somewhere I’m sure my cousin wouldn't mind dropping you off,” he told me.

“Where's your cousin now?” I asked.

He pointed to an old mid-size van that was tricked out with a white and silver flip-flop colored exterior paint, tinted windows and a set of chrome rims. “He's right there sitting in the driver seat of that caravan.”

I frowned when I checked out this guy’s cousin. From where I was standing his cousin had to be at least fifty years old. He looked more like his father than his cousin. But I rolled with it. I mean, who was I to say how they were related. I was in a bad place and I had no other options, so I took this guy up on his offer and decided to accompany them.

On our way towards the van I asked him, what was his name? He told me his name was Leroy and his cousin's name was Tyrone. They also didn’t live too far from the convenience store. The he switched the conversation around and asked me how did I get so wet? By this time I was standing outside of the van with the sliding door pulled back. Leroy was inside trying to find something for me to sit on, so I wouldn't saturate their backseat with my wet clothes.

I started to tell him the truth about me jumping into the lake but then I decided against it. I was like the military—they didn’t have a need to know. So I fabricated a story about being thrown into a pool and I was so mad at the person who done it, that I just simply left and didn't look back. I sensed he believed me because he commented that he would never do something like that. Then he started talking about something else.

While I was waiting for him to lay a cover or something on the backseat, his older cousin, who looked like he could be his father, started flirting with me.

“See, if you stop messing around with those young boys and get with a man like me, then I can show you how you supposed to be treated.”

Leroy burst into laughter. “Come on down, Tyrone, that lady ain’t in the mood for your old school pickup lines,” he commented.

“They may be old school, but they are real!” old school Tyrone replied.

Any other woman would’ve laughed and gave the old man a nice kiss on the cheek for his efforts, but he chose the wrong night and the wrong girl to flirt with, especially after all I had been through in the last ten hours.

When Leroy grabbed my hand to help me climb into the van, I saw the headlights of a small sports car pull up on the other side of the van. My heart nearly jumped out of my fucking chest, because I knew how the engine idled on Duke’s Porshe. And since I hadn't heard anyone else’s car that sounded like his whip, I knew it had to be him. I pushed Leroy out of the way and rushed inside of his cousin’s van without his assistance.

“Are you all right?” he questioned me.

I wanted to tell him that the owner of the car was after me. But I change my mind. I didn’t know these men so I couldn't risk them turning me over to Duke. Nor could I risk Duke following me once he figured out where I was. So I played it off and acted like I was just a little anxious to sit down.

Leroy took his advice and slammed the door shut. And right after he got into the front passenger seat, Tyrone put the van in reverse and proceeded to back out of the parking lot.

Fortunately for me no one could see inside the van. But I could see out and while Tyrone was backing out of the parking lot I finally got a chance to see that it was in fact Duke’s Porsche. The butterflies in my stomach started jumping around rapidly. My heart started beating like crazy too. All I wanted at that very moment was for Tyrone to get out of this place quickly. I’m guessing he was taking his merry time to get out of another patron’s way because someone in a car behind us started blowing their horn.

“Can you hurry up and get that shit out of the way!” I heard the road raged driver scream.

Everyone in the parking lot turned and looked in our direction. And when the passenger side door opened and Chris got out of it, he looked back at the van too.

I swear I was about to freak out. I wanted to throw up right where I was sitting. These two guys had no idea what was going on and they wouldn’t be able to grasp the amount of danger they could possibly be in if Duke and Chris knew I was with them. So to prevent these innocent men from getting hurt I knew I had to tell them something. It wasn’t going to be the full truth, but it was going to be something really close.

“Hey, listen up guys, my boyfriend just got out of that silver Porsche right there. Now if you don’t hurry up and get me out of here, he might suspect that I’m in here with y’all and try to drag me out of here,” I twisted the truth.