CheckMate 4: Winner Takes All (14 page)

“Trina, why do you always do this to yourself?” he asked, now somewhat feeling bad for her. “It ain’t like none of this was said when Raven was still living. You knew she was my girl. I even told you that someday I was going to marry her.”

“I remember that,” Trina said feeling disgusted as the non-stop tears continued to fall. “That was around the same time that you made me have an abortion, because Raven would’ve left you had she known that you’d gotten somebody else pregnant.”

Brendon irritably shook his head. “I’m no saint. I’ve done things that I’m not proud of. I asked you to have that abortion, because I wasn’t going to be with you. I was with Raven. What was so hard to understand about that?”

“It was still our baby, Brendon!” Trina cried out.

“I didn’t want that baby. You did.” He said thinking about how conniving she was in making sure that she got pregnant by him. There was no way that he thought it happened since he used a condom most times they fucked, but somehow that one crept in.   

Trina was hurt as she stood there. For some reason she was being reminded again that Brendon wasn’t the man for her, yet she still wasn’t ready to let him go. She pulled out her car keys and acted like she was about to walk off, but she stopped to look at Brendon before she made her grand exit.

“It’s funny how God works.” She said with a half way smile that trembled on her face as she tried her best to suck up the tears. “I was almost two months pregnant. Our baby was aborted exactly two weeks prior to Raven dying. She was gone, but you could’ve still had a son or daughter here to love and fill that pain of losing her. It would’ve been cute to see a little mini you or me running behind us and looking up to us.” She sadly said, and then pointed her finger in his face. “If you weren’t being so selfish that could’ve been your reality today.” And with that, she turned and left the building.

Brendon stood there; his eyes filled with water, but unlike Trina he wasn’t letting anything fall. Instead, he headed behind the bar and grabbed his cell phone to make a call. His feelings were hurt and there was only one person that could make him feel better.  

***

Candy stood in the body mirror admiring her thick figure. She had on a pair of white leggings and a button up white shirt that covered her butt. After having MJ she had fattened up in all the right places and she absolutely loved it. If a man couldn’t stand a lil love handle here or a lil love handle there, then he didn’t appreciate having a real woman. Her stomach was still flat with no stretch marks, but she wasn’t sure if pregnancy would be as good to her the next time.

Her thoughts reflected on Monty and their early morning conversation. She was glad that they’d finally had a chance to talk without him feeling so cornered and without her feeling so pressured.

                The good times that they shared started flooding her memory, one moment after another causing her to smile. The thought of him giving her a ring almost a year prior on her birthday was priceless. She smiled, enjoying the refreshing thoughts. Monty was someone that she’d loved since the first day she laid eyes on him. A part of her always knew that he’d be her man some day, but she didn’t know that it would come with such heartache. She wanted to forgive him, but a part of her didn’t. She didn’t know how. Monty had wounded her deeply and she was still trying to figure out how to completely get over him. Even though she was kissing on Brendon it didn’t make it any easier.

                “What have I gotten myself caught up in?” She questioned herself, and then glanced down at the Guess watch on her wrist.

“Forget that,” she whispered feeling good that Dee had returned from the airport with her aunt Debbie. A sweet surprise within itself and she was definitely giddy about that. They both needed that adult figure around being that they’d both been going through it with the men in their lives.

                She sat down on the edge of her bed to put on her shoes, but was distracted by her cell phone ringing. She quickly answered it when she saw who was calling.

“What’s up, big head.”  

“Hey boo,” Brendon spoke. He was feeling a little down from Trina’s visit and needed that one person that he could talk with.

“Hey,” she spoke feeling good that he had called her after she’d told him the day before that she was going to be taking a backseat to their relationship. “What you doing?” she questioned while grabbing her shoes to put them on.

“I’m at the Hot Spot trying to get my mind right.” He answered.

“Trying to get your mind right?” she pondered. “What happened? Are you okay?”

“Not really,” he answered with an irritated shake of the head. “Trina stopped by.”

Candy frowned. “Damn, when does she planning on leaving?”

“I don’t know, but soon won’t be fast enough.”

Candy sensed that he was aggravated. “I take it that visit was worse than the others she has paid you since she’s been here.”

“Yeah, but you have to know Trina. She knows exactly what to say and do to get under my skin. I moved from Texas to get away from her and anything concerning my past. All I wanted to do was start over.”

Candy cut in. “And you’re doing a good job with that, Brendon. Don’t let Trina ruin that for you.”’ She said, but Brendon sat quietly in the background. He wasn’t saying a word. This concerned Candy a bit. “Bren,” she called out. “What exactly happened? Talk to me.”

Brendon sighed. He wanted to talk about it, but then again he didn’t. “She just got me feeling some type of way. I wish I had never invited her to come here.”

Candy raised a confused eyebrow. “You invited her there?”

“Yeah,” he responded. “I wanted to know when she was leaving. She keeps sticking around and for what?”

Candy shook her head, and then said, “Because she wants you back, Bren.”

“I don’t want her back, though. We were good when things were good with us. However, things hadn’t been good with us in a long time. I just want her to leave. Either she leaves or I’m hauling ass to Atlanta. I just don’t want to be nowhere near her ass no more.” 

Candy could hear the anger in his voice. His emotions were all over the place and she had definitely gotten concerned about him; especially with him talking about moving to Atlanta. “What happened that has upset you so bad?”

“Our conversation started out fine, but when things aren’t going Trina’s way then she’ll bring up the unnecessary to prove a point that she’s trying to make.”

“So, what did she bring up?”

“She started discussing my relationship with Raven.”

Candy already didn’t’ like Trina and hearing about her bringing up Brendon’s dead girlfriend didn’t sit well with her either. “What was the point in that?” she questioned.

“She was feeling some type of way, because I was telling her that I didn’t see us being together. So, she brought up the abortion that she had by me a couple of weeks before Raven died.”

Candy frowned. “What was the point in that?”

“Her point was that I didn’t want the baby by her, but the minute she aborted it then Raven was taken from me as well. I guess that’s her way of saying that if I’d been half way decent and let her keep the baby then maybe Raven would’ve still been here. I guess,” he said like Trina had not only hurt his feelings, but had him confused as hell too. “I believe she thought that having a baby by me was going to make me leave Raven, because Raven couldn’t have kids. That was something we struggled with, but we were good. Trina got pregnant on purpose, because she was tired of the being the side chick. I knew what her deal was.” He explained.

“So what if she had the baby? That didn’t mean that you were going to be with her still. I can’t believe that her selfish ass would even bring up something like that. That’s just unbelievable.”

“Well, that’s what Trina does in order to get her way. I just hate I put her in so much of my business. She knew everything that was going on in my relationship. She knew things that Kina didn’t know, because at that time in my life she was there for me. That’s why she’s able to throw shit up in my face.”

“But it doesn’t make it right,” Candy said with an irritated shake of the head.

“After Trina had told me that she was pregnant, I called it off. For two whole months she debated about keeping the baby or not. I only encouraged her to have an abortion so she knew my take on things. I wasn’t trying to hear it. I’d even stopped fucking with her, but then not long after that, Raven was gone.”

“Damn,” Candy whispered.

“See, Trina had that non-judging listening ear. She comforted me in my time of need and she stepped in to handle a lot of my business because she was familiar. I can’t lie. There was a time when I really did love her and after Raven died I got closer to her to fill that void. She was that one chick that every man would’ve loved to have on their side, but the only woman I truly every wanted was Raven.” He said as he thought to himself,
until I met you.

“That’s deep,” Candy said.

“If only you knew how deep.” He said thinking about the tragic events that led up to Raven’s death that changed his life forever.

“Well, I’m not trying to cut this conversation short, but my aunt, Dee’s mom, is here for a couple of weeks and tonight we’re going out to eat. We just wanna catch her up on things that have been going on with us and ride her around the city.”

“I think that’s good,” he said while fixing himself another drink.

“I think what would be good for you is to talk to your cousin. Y’all need to hash things out.” She told him.

“I won’t deny that.” Brendon said. “He certainly missed them hanging out playing ball or just smoking and drinking while talking shit. Rico had called a few times to check on him, but that was about it. There was never a call from Monty, but maybe it was time for him to be the bigger man. “Well, I’m glad your aunt is home. I think you and Dee both need that positive company around. Call me when you get back and have fun. I’ll sit here and figure out some things.”

“Don’t think too much. You think long, you think wrong.” She said with light laughter. “Oh, I was thinking that I’m gonna have MJ’s birthday party in a couple of weeks. And then, you’re having the all white party at your club. I have two special events to look forward to within the next two months.”

“Well, I have two special events that I’m looking forward to attending too.” He responded with a smile on his face. He definitely loved MJ. Anytime he saw him, his thoughts would always reflect on wondering if his baby would’ve resembled the handsome lil fella. “We’ll catch up later.”

“Yes we will,” Candy said, and with that they ended their call.

Chapter 11

Three weeks had now passed with MiKayla still in her feelings over Chad’s return back home. Because of him her life was turned upside down. She was overwhelmed and hurt by whatever decisions that he’d made. Not only did he leave her brokenhearted, but he came back to cause her another broken heart.

She sighed while thinking about how quickly Monty had kicked her to the curb without even allowing her to explain herself. She really had no clue about Chad or his whereabouts. For all she knew he was dead and even though he wasn’t, she was certainly wishing that he was.

She sat in the car, parked in front of a house that she hadn’t seen in over a year. It was the house that once belonged to her and Chad. A spur of the moment thought of waking up and returning back to her hometown had hit her so hard that she found herself boarding an airplane and making her way back home. She had to get the answers that she wanted on her own, because Chad sure as hell wasn’t trying to give her any. The place she was supposed to be at was Chad’s mother’s house which was an hour from where she and Chad used to live, but something led her to their modest two-story home first.

She looked around the country yard space. It was still beautiful as ever. It seemed like someone had moved in already. Maybe it was Chad for all she knew. When she’d left there over a year prior, she turned the keys over to his mom and planned to never look back. However, now she was back.

She touched the latch on the door to get out of the car, but then she paused, feeling like the breath had been snatched out of her. She grabbed her chest trying to breathe. Memories of just being there and living a life that she once wished was hers had her stumped and not knowing what went wrong had her even more confused.

“My God, what happened?” she whispered. She sat inside of the rental car thinking that maybe she should leave, but a part of her wanted to stay. She needed closure like she needed air to breathe. It was almost killing her to not be able to get it and just as she reached for the door latch again her cell phone rang. She looked down at the caller ID to see that it was her sister.