THE LYIN’ KING (11 page)

It had only been about three weeks since Arsen's death, and I had been getting sicker by the day. I had been trying to pull myself together as Thias was coming home the following week. I still hadn’t figured out how I would tell him. I know how much he loved Arsen. My house was beginning to look like a dump. I hadn’t washed clothes in weeks or dishes for that matter. I just laid there buried under my pillows and blankets. I could hear Shelly clacking around in the kitchen and living room attempting to clean up a bit. She had been coming over every day to check on me. Eventually, she took my key so she wouldn’t have to stand at the door knocking; waiting for me to let her in. I haven’t been outside since I left the hospital that day. I knew I would have to get it together soon. I have to show Thias that I am strong; although, I question my strength a lot lately. Shelly began tapping on my bedroom door.

“You have to get up, Sage. Put on some clothes.” she demanded.

“What for?”

“Listen, Malachi asked me to have you meet up with Lillian at some lawyer’s office.” “I’m not going.” I said pushing myself deeper under the covers.

She had enough of my behavior at this point. She snatched the covers off me and began raiding my closet for an outfit. She threw a sundress on my bed. It was the same one I had worn to Arsen’s family dinner. Everything reminded me of him.

“I’m not going to let you do this to yourself. I tried to let you work through this your way; but I be damned if I’m going to sit here and watch you kill yourself.” I sat up in the bed using my elbows to hold me up. She was serious. “You have twenty minutes to bathe and put this dress on or I’m coming back here to do it for you.” she demanded with her hands on her hips. She walked out my room slamming the door behind me.

She was right. I couldn’t allow myself to die too. I pushed myself onto my feet and into the shower. The hot water felt good over my body. I could barely stand as my body had been weak. I still haven’t eaten much. I quickly turned the water off and stepped out the shower as I could feel myself no longer able to stand. I sat down on the toilet seat to dry off, glad that I had bathed for the first time in weeks. I didn’t bother staring into the mirror as I usually do. I just slip on my bra, panties, and dressed before walking down the hallway. When Shelly saw me, her eyes lit up. She quickly ran over to hug me.

“You ready?” she asked. Shrugging my shoulders I agreed. She handed me a cup with a banana smoothie she had just whipped up for me in the kitchen. I didn’t want to reject it. I knew she was trying to make me feel better. She opened the front door for me, and as soon as I step out the summer breeze hit my face. I felt like I had been in prison and I was experiencing my first moment as a free woman. My legs were still numb. Shelly had to help me down the stairs and into her car. I stared out the window, wishing that my life was different. At one point, Shelly had gotten lost. I could hear Malachi on the phone trying to give her directions. Finally, we made it to a parking garage off Hurtz street downtown. Shelly drove up a couple of floors until we found a parking space. I had been sipping on that smoothie she gave me and it seemed to give me a bit of energy. She helped me out the car and onto the elevator which opened up to the inside of an office building. As we turned the corner I could see Lillian, Malachi, and Jerod standing there anticipating our arrival. The closer we got to them the more my stomach began to turn. What are we here for? I hope she don’t expect me to confess to a lawyer. Why else would she have me up here like this? I walked up to Lillian.

“What is this about?” I asked scared out of my mind. She smiled, embracing me around my shoulders guiding me into the lawyer’s office.

“I told you Sage, you have no worries.”

This damn woman. Something was off in her mind, it had to be. We continued to walk into what seemed to be a conference room. A very well dressed white man came in behind us with a hand full of vanilla folders. We all took a seat, Lillian being sure to sit next to me. He stood at the head of the table, folding his hands in front of him.

“We are all here today to read the will of Mr. Robison, I presume?” he asked.

Arsen’s brother and his mother shook their head in agreement. Hell. I wasn’t sure what I was doing here. I’m almost positive Arsen left nothing in his will for me and I am even more certain that I didn’t want anything either. 

“Really, Ms. Williams is actually the only one who hasn’t given her signature.” he said flipping through one of the folders in front of him. “Ms. WIlliams.” he began. “If you could please hand me your I.D., I just need to make sure your identification matches with what I have on the will.”

I fumbled through my purse. I couldn’t get a good grip of my I.D because my hands wouldn’t stop shaking. Lillian reached over to assist, handing the lawyer my I.D. He looked at it, and then at me, and then back at his folder.

“Ok, Mr. Robinson left to you this…” he said sliding a white envelope across the table with an address on it. I picked it up to examine it. It was sealed and I could feel at least two keys in it.
“It must be the keys to his half of the house he shared with his brothers…”
I thought to myself.
“….If that was even the truth.”

“He also left you……” he continued gathering a few documents stacking them neatly to hand to me. “The funds in his checking account that totals to about five hundred……..thousand dollars.” he said sliding the paperwork over to me.

My heart dropped. I stood up leaving the envelope and the papers on the table. I looked around the room and everyone was smiling at me. I was confused.

“I can’t accept that. Why didn’t he leave it to his mother?” I asked.

“Because he wanted to make sure you had no worries, for goodness sake Sage. I don’t need the money.” she said shaking her head.

“I can’t….” I said as I ran out of the conference room. I had to catch my breath, I was so overwhelmed, and I felt like I was suffocating in there. Jerod stepped out behind me.

“Sage, take the money. He knew what he was doing. Let him do it.”

“This isn’t what I want, Jerod. I don’t want to be here. I want him here. I want the truth. Money can’t change the fact that my heart is broken.”

Lillian comes from the door as she was listening to our conversation. “Sage, the money is yours. The account is there. You don’t have to touch it if you don’t want to, but please take the keys.” she begged handing me the envelope I had left on the table. “Sign the paper, take the keys. The money is there whether you want it or not.” she said as she walked back into the conference room.

I followed her in and attempted to sign the paperwork; but my hands would not stop shaking. I looked up to Shelly for her assistance. She began to guide my hands helping me sign my name. I folded the envelope down inside my purse. Shelly helped me out into the hallway and back into the elevator as Lillian finished speaking with the lawyers. I was so overwhelmed, by the time we got back to my apartment all I wanted to do was sleep. I sat on the edge of my bed pulling the envelope out of my purse looking at the address. It seemed so familiar but I was too tired to think. I threw it on my night stand, burying myself back under the covers; drifting back into another deep, depressing, sleep.

The next week wasn’t much different from my last. I was anticipating Thias coming home. Shelly went to pick him up for me. I had gotten up that morning to clean. I didn’t want him to see how I had been living these past few weeks without him. I even tried to eat something, but everything I put to my mouth made me nauseous. I went weeks without eating a full meal, now I couldn’t keep anything down. I had never felt this type of pain or been through a depression like this before. I had been through so much but losing someone I love, just took too much out of me. I managed to straighten up my room a bit, tossing clothes from one corner to the other. I was completely drained. I sat on the side of my bed to catch my breath when I heard the door close and Thias running down the hallway. He ran in my room jumped on the bed and wrapped his arms around me holding me tight.

“Mama, he’s coming back. Don’t worry.” he said.

I could only assume he was talking about Arsen. I began to pat him on the back as I watched Shelly walk into the room.

“I'm sorry Sage, he was asking questions. I had to tell him.” she said.

It was ok. I’m glad she did, because I still hadn’t figured out a way to do it myself.

“Baby….” I said rubbing the back of his head. “He is not coming back love; he is in Heaven now, with God.”

He pushes back from me, tears building up in his eyes as if he couldn’t believe what I was telling him.

“No Mama! He is! I know he is!” he cried.

“Listen to me Thias! He’s not, ok? He’s just not!” I yelled at him.

I didn’t mean to, but it was hurting me. He wanted to believe things would change when I knew they wouldn’t. He swung his bag around knocking everything on my nightstand to the floor and ran out the room. I could hear his room door slam. Tears began to form in my eyes as I slid off the bed to pick my things up off the floor. Shelly kneeled down to help me.

“I’m sorry.” she said. She didn't need to apologize. I appreciate her for everything. I just barely knew how to handle my hurt, and now I have to comfort Thias in his. She picked up the envelope with the keys in it. “Let’s go Sage.” she said with excitement in her voice.

“What?”

“Let’s get y'all out the house. Let’s go see what door this key opens. You had it for a week. You’re not at all curious.” I grabbed the envelope out her hand staring at the address.

“Ok, let’s go.” I agreed. She jumped up running to Thias’s room to see if he was ok. I got up and slipped on a pair of Arsen’s baller shorts that was left at my house and a t-shirt.

By the time we all got into Shelly’s car, there was a sense of adventure running through all three of us. She entered the address into her GPS, and we spent the next twenty minutes trying to guess what we were going to see when we got there. It was some place downtown. Shelly began to make some familiar turns.

“I’ve been this way before.” I said. “I just can’t remember what for.”

She continued driving making a left and then another right. Suddenly, the GPS signaled that we had arrived at our destination.

Shelly pulled up slowly unsure of which building we should go to; but when I saw it, I knew. I flung open the car door before Shelly put the car in park; stumbling to my feet as my legs had gotten weak.

“I can’t believe he did this.”
I thought to myself. I tried to rip open the envelope but my hands were shaking. I was nervous, excited, and sad all at the same time. I could hear the car doors open and shut behind me.

“Well Mama, what is this place?” Thias asked.

I almost had the envelope open when both keys fell to the ground. Shelly leaned over to pick them up.

“Which building is it Sage?” she asked. “I don’t see any numbers.”

“It’s that one. That door right there.” I said pointing to the same store front that I was admiring months ago.

“Well, how do you know?” she asked uncertainly.

“Shelly I told him that this is the building I wanted for my gallery and he bought it. I can’t believe he bought it!”

She walked up to the door and pushed in the first key.  Thias and I stood back in anticipation. She jiggled the door but it wouldn’t move. “I don’t think this is it, girl!”

“Just try the other key Shelly.” I encouraged her.

She switched keys, attempting to jiggle the handle once more. The lock popped and the door pushed opened. We both started screaming, jumping up and down; exchanging hugs with excitement. Thias ran past us pushing his way into the gallery first.

“Oh Mama! This is cool! You finally got your gallery!!!”

We all looked around in amazement. It was a nice size space. Thias was talking so loud you could hear his voice echoing; as the floors were concrete. “This is amazing Sage. This is going to be so beautiful.” I began to cry. I tried to hold back; but I just couldn’t believe that he did all this for me. In his last days he thought of me and my future. I closed my eyes taking in a deep breath. The smell of the fresh paint immediately went to my head. I turned around to admire the view of the display window, imagining which paintings I would sit there. Shelly and Thias were behind me exploring the place. As I stood there my eyes caught a glimpse of a figure standing across the street, staring into the window looking at me. I squint my eyes a bit to get a better view of the face. Then he smiled, showing all his gold teeth. I closed my eyes telling myself that there is no way I could be looking at Arsen. When I opened them, he was gone. He had disappeared or maybe he was never there to begin with. I don’t know, but what I do know is I missed him so much. “So what are you going to name it?” Shelly asked.

“What?” I asked.

“What? The gallery...duh girl! What you over there thinking about?” she laughed. “Oh, I haven’t thought about it Shelly. Hell I didn’t know I had one until ten minutes ago.” I laughed.

“Mama! How about this?” Thias asked walking from the back holding a card in his hand.

“Where this come from?” I asked.

“I found it on the table back there.”

It was a postcard. On one side it had a picture of Thias, Arsen and I. On the other it read, “Ace of Sage”. “Ace of Sage.” I read aloud. “I like that…..Ace of Sage Art Gallery. What y’all think?”

Shelly raised her hand to give me a high five. “I love it! I love it!!!!” she yelled.

“Me too Mama.” agreed Thias.

We all began to hug and laugh, our hearts were light. We spent a few moments discussing designs and decorations. Suddenly, the front door opened causing the bells hanging over to ring. We all jumped to look towards the door as we were not expecting any company.

“Well, she is not officially opened for business, but we would definitely like to help you out.” Shelly said in a flirtatious way offering services as if she was my assistant. She knew she had the job anyway. “No need. Unfortunately, I'm not here for that type of business matter.” he said still standing by the door with his hands crossed in front of him. I had never seen him before and wasn’t really sure what he wanted. I couldn’t help but notice how well dressed he was. He wore black slacks and polo like shirt. I couldn’t make out the print that was on the corner of his shirt. He was standing too far from me. He had what seemed to be a military watch on his right arm. Clean cut, medium height, and dark skinned.

“I’m not sure if we would be much help to you, Sir. I mean we literally just found out that we own this building.” I explained. “Ms. Sage Williams?” he asked.

His tone of voice made me nervous. My stomach began to knot up, but I managed to answer him. “Yes, how can I help you?” “My name is Victor Johnson. I am the lead detective assigned to the missing person’s case of my fellow colleague, Ahmad Carrington.”

My heart felt like it had stopped. My past had come back to haunt me; but I couldn’t break, not in front of Thias.

“Mr. Johnson, I’m not sure how I can help you. I’m sorry but I don’t even know who that is.” I replied trying to hold my composure and make my lie believable. “Miss Williams, I believe you can help me, you see? Your recently deceased companion knew him very well.” he said as his eyes pierced through mine. Shelly could see that I wasn’t feeling good. She ran for the trashcan by the door, and just as she brought it to me I began to vomit.

“Listen, Victor…” she began as she was holding my dreads out the way of the trashcan. “She just lost the love of her life and she hasn’t been feeling well lately. This is her first time out the house in weeks. I’m sure you can find other people in Atlanta who actually know your friend.” He uncrossed his hands; never taking his eyes off me, even as Shelly was talking to him. “Miss Williams.” he continued. “I intend to find out what happened to this detective. I’ll come visit you again when you’re feeling better.” he said almost as if he knew I was the answer to all his questions. “You all have a good day; and congratulations on your new business Miss Williams.” he said as he walked back out the door causing the bells to ring once more. I watched him drive off in his dark blue Crown Vic.

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