Savory Deceits (15 page)

“Chris.” I finally answered, in a voice so low that I could barely hear myself.

“Say what?” He questioned, making sure he heard me correctly. I then looked up at him, and in a much more audible tone, I repeated, “Chris.”

“What! Chris? My
best
friend
Chris?” Tony questioned in disbelief. I slowly nodded my head, scared to death, of what he would do next. Then, he made this creepy chuckling sound, and I was now terrified.

“Son of a bitch! My friend, huh? We’ll see about that.” Tony practically flew out of the room, and I went after him.

“Tony wait!” I called out. Too late. He was already out the front door. When I heard his tires screech, as his car sped off, I closed the door and leaned against it. My tears would not stop. What have I done? Suddenly, I realized where Tony was going, in such a hurry like that. In a panic, I quickly went to the phone, and dialed Chris’ number. After the second ring, he picked up.

“Hello?” He answered.

“Chris it’s me,” I said, trying to control my breathing.

“Nena? What’s wrong? Is everything okay?” He asked alarmed.

“No, everything’s not okay. I told Tony the truth, and he got really angry.” I explained through sobs.

“Did he hurt you?” He asked me.

“No. He punched a hole in the wall, and after that, he left. I’m afraid he’s on his way to your place.” I warned him. I was beyond scared.

“Hey, if he wants to talk, I’ll talk to him. But if he wants a fight, we can do that too.” He declared sounding the least bit worried.

“Please Chris, don’t. That won’t solve anything.” I pleaded, clutching my chest, hoping the pain would stop.

“Look Nena, if he comes up here starting shit, I will not back down. I’m not a punk.” He told me. Oh my God what have I done? In addition to the arduous pain in my chest, my heart started racing again. Naima hated me, and now Tony did too. Suddenly, I found myself struggling to breathe. The guilt I felt ate at me like flies on a carcass. I wanted to disappear, or at least erase the last few hours, including the last few months of my life.

“Chris please,” I tried to say, before I felt a stab of pain in my abdomen. “Ow!” I cried holding my stomach.

The pain was excruciating.

“Nena! Are you okay? Nena!” Chris yelled through the phone. I tried to grab the counter for support, and missed.               Then everything went black.

15

~CHRIS~

I drove my car down the interstate at a fatal rate of speed, weaving in and out of traffic. My adrenaline was pumping. I needed to get to Nena. With one hand on the steering wheel, and my cell in the other, I tried calling her back. After the sixth ring, I hit the END button.

“Damn!” I yelled my heart racing. I pushed down on the gas petal with my foot, watching the speedometer climb from 100 MPH to 110 MPH. Then, I glanced at the clock radio.

“C'mon Nena. Please be okay. I'm coming baby.”

              Fifteen minutes later, and by the Grace of God, I was pulling into the parking lot of Tony and Nena’s condominium. I quickly put my car in park, and with it still running, I jumped out, and raced to the door. Frantically, I banged on it, in a state of panic.

“Nena! It's me Chris! Open the door!” I waited for a second, but heard nothing. Then, I pounded my fist on the door again. “Nena!” I screamed again, and still nothing. Frustrated, I touched the doorknob, twisted it, and to my surprise, it turned. Then, I pushed it open, and quickly scanned the room. Cautiously, I stepped inside, just as I saw Nena's body on the floor. “Oh my God! Nena!” I rushed to her, and knelt down beside her. Immediately, I placed two of my fingers just below her chin, to check her pulse. I was relieved to feel her heartbeat. Then, I quickly grabbed the phone that was on the floor next to her, and dialed 911.

“911 what's your emergency?” The operator said.

“Yes, I need help! My girl is unconscious, and she's pregnant!” I screamed into the phone.

“Okay sir calm down. Is she breathing?” The operator then asked me.

“Yes!” I quickly replied.

“Okay, that’s good. How far along is she?” She asked me again.

“About six months!” I shouted, wondering why this bitch was playing twenty-one questions with me, instead of sending help.

“Okay sir. Don't worry. Help is on the way.” She assured me. A few minutes later, I heard the distant sound of an ambulance. As the sirens got louder, I got up to meet the paramedics outside. Then, I directed them to the correct door, as they rushed in with a stretcher. I stood off to the side, and willed for Nena and the baby to be all right.

“How long has she been out?” One of the paramedics asked me.

“Uh, I’m not sure. I replied. “About half an hour I think. Is she going to be all right?” I asked, fearful for her life and the baby’s.

“We have to get her to a hospital.” The man said, ignoring me. Then, the two paramedics lifted Nena, placed her on the stretcher, and quickly wheeled her outside, towards the ambulance. Once they stabilized her inside the ambulance, I climbed in with them. I watched in fear as they hooked her up to machines, and stuck her with needles, to draw her blood. Sirens blasting, the ambulance pulled out of the parking lot en route to the hospital.

~TONY~

I came to a screeching halt in front of Chris' apartment. I ran up four flights of stairs, and stopped, when I finally got to Chris' door. Surprisingly, and to my suspicions, the door was left ajar. I slowly walked in, and surveyed the room, but there was no sign of Chris’ ass anywhere. I started to leave when I heard movements coming from the bedroom.

“Chris!” I shouted, swiftly moving towards the bedroom. I balled up my hands, and was ready to beat his ass for fucking my wife. Instead of Chris, I found Naima rummaging in the room. “Nai? Where’s Chris?” I asked her, looking around the room.

“I don’t know, and quite frankly, I don’t give a shit! I just want to get the rest of my things, and get the hell out of here!” She said angrily.

“So, I take it Chris told you?” I assumed.

“Told me what?” She asked, still stuffing clothes into her bag. She then stopped, to look at me. “You know, don’t you?” She asked me, and I nodded feeling the anger rise within me again.

“Nena just told me a little while ago. I could kill Chris for this! He’s supposed to be my friend!” I growled angrily. It was becoming harder for me to control the rage I felt building up inside me. Frustrated, I turned to my right, and knocked over his cheap ass floor lamp. Then, Naima shook her head.

“I’m so pissed right now, that all I want to do is get the hell away from here, before I catch a charge. Right now, I don’t even want to be on the same planet as those two!” She said bitterly. After she bagged the rest of her personal items, she picked up her bag, and headed for the door. I did not attempt to stop her, because I understood all too well, how she was feeling. Two of the people we cared most about in the world, had stabbed us both in the back. Before she made her exit, Naima stopped, and turned to me. “Regardless of how I feel about Nena right now, and as much as I hate her fucking guts right now, she’s still my sister, and that’s still my little niece or nephew she’s carrying. So, if you hurt her in any way…” then she stopped, and shook her head, unable to finish her threat.

What Nena and Chris did must have really fucked her head up, as it did mine. “You know what? I have a flight to catch.” She said, and turned to leave. As I watched her leave the room, I was tempted to go after her for some revenge sex, but decided against it. Soon after, I heard the front door slam shut, and she was gone. I decided to stick around Chris’ apartment for a while, and wait for his ass to show up. I looked up at the clock on the wall, which read half past eight. Then, I made my way back to his living room, and contemplated what I would do to him, when he showed up. Yes, I was premeditating the hell out of this situation, but I am sure a good lawyer would be able to argue temporary insanity on my part. The more I thought about Chris and Nena together, the more I wanted to put his head through that sixty-inch flat screen, hanging on his wall. My best friend; someone whose back I had no matter what went down, betrayed me. 

“Fucking asshole!” I said aloud, and then took a seat on his couch, and waited. Then, I began to look around, and wonder. Was this spot the very place they had sex, or was it on the bed that I shared with her trifling ass? The thought of it made my blood boil. Fitly, I sat back and closed my eyes, willing the thoughts of Chris and Nena together away. Then, sometime later, I somehow drifted off to a time, where Nena and I were happy. I could see the way her face lit up, every time I walked in the door. Next, our wedding day came into view, and then our honeymoon. Before long, visions of Nena and I discussing having a baby, soon followed. The baby, I thought again. Then, without warning, a visual of Chris surfaced in my head. Next, I saw Nena turning away from me, running straight into his arms. Chris then smiled at me, and lowered his head to kiss her. That infuriated me. Suddenly, I heard a distant ringing. The ringing got louder and louder, until it awakened me, from what I now realized was just a dream. A dream? I quickly sat up, and saw that I was still in Chris’ apartment. I must have dozed off. I glanced at the clock, which now read a quarter past one in the morning. That dreadful ringing started again, and I searched for the cordless phone that never seemed to be on its receiver. When I finally found it, without a second thought, I answered.

“Hello?” I said.

“Hello? Tony? What are you doing at my house, and why are you answering my damn phone? Where’s Naima?” Chris demanded.

“You got a lot of fucking nerve coming at me like that after fucking my wife!” I shot back with fury.

“Look man, I really don’t have time for this right now. I need to talk to Naima. It’s about Nena.” Chris replied, totally disregarding how serious I was. I chuckled, shaking my head at his gall.

“I’m sure by now; it’s safe to say that Nai is not the least bit interested, in hearing what that bitch has to say.” I said coldly. Then, this dude had the nerve to get angry with
me
.

“Hey! You had better choose your words carefully regarding Nena! Tell Naima that Nena’s in the hospital, and if I find out that you are the one who put her here, you and I are going to have a lot more than problems! Got it?” Before I could utter another word, Chris hung up. I looked at the phone enraged, when I heard the dial tone.

“Motherfucker!” I screamed, hurling it at the flat screen.

16

~NAIMA~

I made my way through the lobby of the MSN airport in Wisconsin, searching for Starr. She, unlike Nena, has been a real friend to me over the years. When I called her from Virginia upset, she managed to talk me down, and stopped me from doing something crazy, that would have probably landed me in jail for murder. Although she had no clue as to whom or what I was mad at, Starr still managed to convince me to take the high road, and just walk away.

“Nai! Over here.” I heard Starr shout through the crowded airport. I followed her voice through the masses, until I spotted her short, half Black, half Puerto-Rican frame, with huge triple D-sized breasts bouncing up and down, as she frantically waved at me. In addition to me, her loudness along with her plunging neckline top caught the attention of the men, and women around her. I snickered at the angry wives of those men, who were staring at my friend, and proceeded through the crowd towards Starr.

“Hey girl thanks for coming.” I said, as soon as I reached her. Starr gave me a hug, and smiled.

“Of course. How are you?” She asked, taking one of my bags to carry for me.

“Pissed.” I answered, rolling my eyes at the mere thought of Nena. Starr gave me an empathetic look, and said, “I know, chica. C’mon, we’ll talk.” I followed her through the airport, and out to the short-term parking garage. I looked around for her car, but when she stopped near a luxury sedan, I gaped at her.

“What happened to the Taurus?” I asked in awe of her new ride.

“I upgraded.” Was all Starr said, when she hit the automatic unlock button on her keys.

“To a Bugatti though? That is some upgrade, Starr!” I said, gawking at the freaking cream-colored bucket seat interior, with a state of the art navigation system, and not to mention the wood paneling, with an amazing panorama sunroof! Starr laughed at my astonishment, and took my other bag from me, to place in the trunk. Then, she got behind the wheel, and I settled in the passenger seat.

“Starr, don’t you think this is a bit much?” I asked her.

“Not at all. Eric knows I like nice things.” She beamed. Fascinated, I touched the smooth leather interior.

“Girl, your vagina must be made of gold, and dipped in platinum, to incite this kind of gift from him.” I said. Starr laughed, and then flushed a little.

“Well, what can I say? He’s very generous.” She said.

“And he’s also married.” I added, turning to her.

“Relax Nai. We’re just having fun. Besides, he bought this car for me free and clear, fully paid for, and it is in my name, so chill out. I know what I’m doing. Just relax and enjoy the ride, because baby, it’s a smooth one.” She said, and then winked at me, before putting on her designer shades. Starr started the car, then pushed a button above our heads, to open the sunroof, and slowly began to back out of the parking space. Soon, we were on the freeway. I pulled out my phone, and started to turn it back on, but decided against it. I did not want to deal with Chris, or Nena’s, ‘I’m sorries’ right now. During my flight, I had thought of a hundred different ways to kill them both. Between the two, I could not figure out who deserved the most painful kind of demise. Although they both were equally as responsible, for their actions, Nena’s betrayal hurt me the most, because we were sisters. At least I thought we were. How could she do this to me? Incredulous, I shook my head, trying to forget about their insignificant existence. If I never saw Chris’ ass again, it would be too soon.