Wifey 4 Life (5 page)

“When are you leaving?”

“Today. I’m at the airport as we speak.”

“Well, you have a safe flight and make sure you call me before
you head back to Anguilla.”

“Will do,” I said and then hung up.

W
hen my plane arrived in Norfolk, I walked straight into the
terminal with my heart beating rapidly. I was afraid that either the feds were hiding
out somewhere in the airport waiting patiently to take me into custody for something
really bogus, or Ricky’s people were disguised and just looking for the right opportunity
to put a bullet in my head. I knew I would feel this way when I touched down in
this city. It never failed.

I remember the day I came out of Witness Protection. I was a
complete basket case. Always looking over my shoulders, wondering who was watching
me. I hated feeling that way. I mean, who wanted to carry that uneasy feeling with
them every single day? Not me. I couldn’t do it. Which was why I got the hell out
of Virginia. The quicker I paid my respects to Nikki, the faster I could get the
hell out of here again.

Doing what I did best, I hopped into a taxi and instructed the
driver to take me to the Hilton, which was right on the corner of Military Highway
and North Hampton Boulevard, only five minutes from the airport. This was a prime
location for me. I knew no one I knew would hang out there, because it was more
upscale than most hotels in the city. A lot of pilots, flight attendants, and business
executives frequented this place. The hustlers I knew were more likely to get a
room in downtown Norfolk at the Sheraton or the Marriott. And when they wanted to
be incognito to creep with one of their side hoes, they’d take a trip up to Williamsburg
or Lightfoot and get a room out there. I knew their fucking tricks. That was how
I always stayed a few steps ahead of them.

Speaking of which, that was what I should have told Nikki’s
mother when the bitch asked me why I was still alive while everybody else kept falling
down around me like flies. Shit, if you asked me, they were all just dealt a fucked-up
hand. I couldn’t explain it any better than that. But the next time she came out
her mouth and insinuated that I was the reason Nikki was murdered, I would tell
her just that. Fuck it! I was so tired of biting my tongue and being the nice guy.
From here on out, everyone would feel my wrath. That was my word.

Driving at the speed of twenty miles per hour, the taxi driver
finally got me to my destination fifteen minutes later, although it should have
only taken five minutes. I was annoyed, but I didn’t take out my frustrations on
him. I paid him while the bellman opened the door to the cab.

After I got out of the cab, I handed the bellman a crisp ten-dollar
bill and headed straight into the hotel lobby, which was somewhat empty. It was
probably because it was a Thursday, and tourists normally started their vacations
on a Friday. Once my room was paid for, I got on the elevator and made my way up
to the fifth floor.

Inside my room, the curtains were drawn back, allowing the sun
to beam right in. I dropped my handbag and my carry-on on top of the bed, kicked
off my sneakers, and sat down.

I gazed outside and wondered what was going on out there in those
streets, since Ricky, Russell, Brian, and the rest of the crew were no longer out
there to throw their weight around, I knew there had to be a new crew out there
holding down the streets. That was just how the game was played. When one crew left
the set, another one came right in and set up shop. It was called free rein, the
last rule in the hustler’s manual. Every cat knew that.

As I thought about the rough streets of Norfolk, I couldn’t help
but think back on the things I did when I’d lived here, and how popular I was.

Niggas loved me, and the bitches hated my guts. I was hated by
some of the hottest chicks out here. But what they didn’t have that I did have was
Ricky, a hot commodity when he was alive. I literally had to fight a few hoes to
keep them in check. The street chicks from VA ain’t to be fucked with. They would
fuck your man right in front of you. Oh, yeah, most of them were scandalous, so
I kept a blade on me at all times. Being back in Virginia really had me remembering
how my life used to be. They were not pleasant memories.

After I finished reminiscing, I ordered some room service and
chilled in the room for the rest of the evening. Right after I set my empty dishes
outside the room, I climbed into bed and dialed my baby’s number.

He answered after the second ring. “I was wondering when you
were going to call,” he said.

***

The very next morning I got up, called Donovan to let him know
that I was about to hop in the shower, and told him that I would call him back as
soon as I left the funeral. He said, “OK,” and then we hung up.

The hot water in the shower did me some justice. I didn’t want
to get out, but I knew I had somewhere to be. I got dressed in a black one-shoulder
dress I had stuffed away in my carry-on bag, and then I slipped on my shoes and
grabbed my handbag.

Before I left my room, I looked down at my engagement ring
and, once again, decided not to wear it to the funeral.

The funeral started at noon, and I wanted to be on time, so instead
of taking another taxi, I called Enterprise to rent a car, and had them pick me
up. I needed a car to get around anyway, since I wanted to do a little sightseeing
before I left, and it would have been extremely expensive to do it while the meter
was running. It didn’t take long for me to get the car, so I was on the road and
within two miles of the church in less than thirty minutes.

When I arrived at the church on the corner of Princess Anne Road
and Church Street, I took a deep breath and convinced myself that I would be all
right. Cars and trucks were parked everywhere. I had no idea Nikki’s funeral would
be that damn big. The church was packed from one wall to the other. When I looked
at the faces of all those people I realized that they were relatives of hers from
her mother’s side of the family. There were also a lot of chicks who went to Norfolk
State with her sitting near her relatives too. I smiled and took a seat in the third
row.

Uncle Lanier and his wife were seated in the very first row.
I wanted to be as far away from them as possible. I couldn’t afford to be humiliated
in front of everyone—not today, or any other day for that matter.

Finally, after everyone got to their seats, the minister started
the service. Nikki’s mother immediately broke down into tears and cried the entire
time. During the eulogy I heard Nikki’s aunt on her mother’s side say that Nikki
was in a better place.

I immediately thought about the day Nikki was murdered. I didn’t
remember her asking God for forgiveness. She was pleading for her life as I recalled.
I don’t think she had enough time to talk to God. If she did, she must’ve snuck
in a quick forgive-me prayer underneath her breath right before that iron went right
through her. For her sake, I sure hope she did. From the way my grandmother used
to talk about how hot hell was, I wouldn’t want to wish that on my worst enemy.
Oh, well, only God know where she would end up.

Immediately after the eulogy was read, some godforsaken old lady
got up to sing “His Eye is on the Sparrow,” and I swear to you, I wanted to puke.
This lady sounded like pure shit, and I wanted so badly to tell her to shut up,
while everyone around me was telling her to take her time.

Aside from that, this was truly a sad occasion. I could now imagine
how my funeral was when everyone thought I was dead and I was hiding out in the
Witness Protection Program. To see someone you were once close to go away from this
earth was like losing a part of yourself. And even though Nikki and I weren’t on
the best of terms before she got murdered, in some kind of weird way, I felt a sense
of loss. I wasn’t that fucking coldhearted, at least not to my family.

After the burial everybody got in their cars and followed one
another back to my uncle’s home for a gathering. I started not to go, but my uncle
insisted that I needed to be amongst family, so I tagged along. When I arrived at
his home, I did everything within my power to avoid a run-in with his wife, who
hated my guts. Whenever I saw her coming in my direction, I went the opposite way.

I greeted a few people who knew me through Nikki. They all spoke
very highly of her, talking about how she was gonna be missed because she had been
an instrumental part in their lives. I found that very hard to believe, because
she was a jealous bitch to me. She tried everything in her power to destroy me,
so I wouldn’t be missing her at all. I honestly wanted to throw up when I heard
one of her old classmates say how Nikki used to have her back and how she would
take her home on the nights they had late classes together.

“I will never forget her,” the chick said.

I looked at her and wanted to throw up. They didn’t know Nikki
like I knew her. She had them fooled. And I refused to listen to any more of their
dramatic stories.

I looked for the nearest exit and made my way toward it. When
I entered the hallway that led to the foyer, I heard voices. One of the voices belonged
to Uncle Lanier, but I couldn’t identify the other voice. It bothered me that I
couldn’t place the voice, so I made it my business to quench my curiosity.

As I approached my uncle and the other mystery man, I overheard
my uncle say, “I want to do it myself, but I just don’t have the guts to do it.”

The two men were only a few feet away from me. All I had to do
was walk two more feet and turn a corner to come into the foyer. As soon as I did
that, I was in full view. I was blown away when I saw my uncle talking to Tony,
the baby daddy of my late friend and business partner, Rhonda.

The last time I had seen Tony was right before I got shot and
went into Witness Protection, so I really didn’t know whether to give him my condolences
concerning Rhonda, or just hug him. I was totally speechless, but something
inside me got up the urge to do the first thing that came to mind. I finally smiled
and said, “Well, hello.”

Tony smiled back at me. “And hello to you too,” he said, and
then he reached out and gave me a hug.

After we embraced, I felt a sense of warmth. All the guilt I
felt at not attending Rhonda’s funeral or paying him a visit to check up on the
kids went right out the window. “What a surprise to see you here. I didn’t know
you knew my uncle,” I commented, looking at him and my uncle.

My uncle spoke up first. “I never told you I met him?”

“Not that I remember.”

“It must’ve slipped my mind. But I’ve known Tony for years. He
used to work for me some years back while I was a supervisor in Wal- Mart’s warehouse.”

Tony laughed. “Yeah, but tell her how long I kept that job.”

My uncle laughed. “He didn’t stay with us long. I was actually
off the day he got fired by the other supervisor, so we didn’t get to see each other
before he left. But it’s funny how life is. Because the day I went by your shop
to check on Nikki, he was dropping off his girlfriend Rhonda, and we recognized
each other that very second.”

“Where was I?” Before I realized what I had said, it was too
late to retract my question. I looked at my uncle oddly and hoped he would be clever
enough not to reveal my whereabouts to Tony.

“That happened during the time you went away. Nikki and Rhonda
were handling the shop for you.”

I was truly relieved at the way my uncle handled his response.
“So what are you two talking about?”

“We were just talking about the loss of Nikki and Rhonda.”

“Yeah, it’s a tragic thing.” I sighed. “It feels like I lost
two sisters.”

“Yeah, I’m sure.”

Tony didn’t utter a word.

“So, where are the kids?” I asked him, changing the subject.

“At the house with a friend of mine.”

“Well, would it be all right if I saw them before I got back
on my flight and headed out of here?”

“When are you leaving?”

“In the morning.”

“So soon?”

“Yeah, I got to get out of here. There’s nothing going on around
here that I need to be a part of. And, besides, I have a man back home who’s waiting
patiently for me to get back there.”

Tony and my uncle both smiled.

“Where are you staying tonight?” Tony asked.

“At the Hilton on
Military Highway.”

“Are you getting ready to head there now?”

“I was. Why?”

“Well, if you’d like, you can follow me back to my spot and see
the kids before you head back to your hotel.”

“OK. Sounds good. I can do that.”

“All right then, let’s go.” Tony turned toward my uncle and gave
him a handshake. “Holla at me later,” he told him.

“I will,” my uncle replied, and then he escorted me and Tony
to the front door.

Before I walked out of the house, I gave Uncle Lanier a big hug
and told him I loved him. He expressed his love for me as well and then told me
to call him before I left town. I assured him that I would.

When Tony and I got outside, I got into my rental car and started
my ignition. Meanwhile Tony got into a sky-blue Toyota Camry that once belonged
to Rhonda. I remembered when she’d first bought that car. She was so excited to
get something brand-new. She knew she couldn’t afford the type of vehicle I drove,
so she got the next best thing. Plus, it was more pleasing to her pockets. I was
so happy for her that day. I just wished she was here today to drive that bad boy,
because I knew that she would’ve taken good care of it.

Tony started his ignition and signaled for me to follow him,
so I did just that.

T
he ride to Tony’s place didn’t take long at all. When we jumped
on Highway 264, I thought we were headed out to Stony Point, located off Newtown
Road in Norfolk. But when we didn’t get off at the Newtown Road exit, I figured
he’d moved out of that neighborhood and taken his kids somewhere else. I ended up
following him to South Military Highway to an apartment complex called Dockside.