Forgive Me (34 page)

Todd kissed her forehead, pulled her hair behind her ears. “I've wanted you so badly.”

“How did you know I was the one for you?”

Todd sought the right explanation. He heard the words of his arresting officers during past run-ins. They called him a predator, a molester, but he wasn't. He loved
those
girls in a different way; Aunjanue was special. He wanted to give her his all, to protect her. “When I first heard of the situation with your family, my heart went out to you. I sat in my living room watching CNN and saw photos of your house burning. I hated your mother for doing what she did to your brothers and your sister. I didn't realize she had one child living until I saw you at the funeral.

“You and Tarsha held hands before you went inside the church. In that moment, I knew I had to protect you, to make sure no one else did anything to harm you.”

She let his words soak in as she resisted the urge to vomit. “How did you get here? I mean, to be my teacher?”

“I taught school right out of college. I came from a long line of professors and teachers, so it was natural for me to pursue the family
tradition. I was fine at first, but I lost my teaching license in Connecticut after a girl accused me of impregnating her.”

“Did you?”

“She wanted it. She was sixteen, and her family neglected her. They made her have an abortion, and I spent a year in jail for statutory rape.”

“Oh.”

“No, Aunjanue, don't take it that way. I didn't love her like I love you,” he said.

“What about Stephanie?” she asked.

Stephanie.
Todd had moved to Florida after his Connecticut jail release to get away from his criminal history. He didn't register with the State of Florida as a sex offender, and he kept the contact information for a man inmates called Shadow. Shadow's specialty was creating new identities. Birth certificates, social security numbers, addresses, and credit histories—if he could name it, Shadow could do it. After receiving a six-thousand-dollar cash payment, Shadow transformed Todd Sibley to Caleb Wilson. New teaching license in hand, he quietly taught art at a small middle school in Ocala, Florida. At a birthday party for a fellow teacher, Stephanie approached him talking a mile a minute about her career as a banker, her love of baking, and her investing expertise. She asked him on a date. When he declined, she persisted. He passed the time away with her to keep his growing feelings for the teens around him at bay. He loved girls between the ages of twelve and fifteen. They were no longer little girls, but not quite women. They were moldable. When he learned Stephanie had received a job transfer to Indianapolis, he proposed, knowing his chance to be with Aunjanue was imminent. Lake was a prominent figure in the funeral photos as well, so he sought him out as a mentor. Lake and Lasheera's guardianship of Aunjanue sealed the deal for him.

“Stephanie was a bump in the road. I should have never gotten her pregnant, and I regret marrying her. I should have come to Indy, told you what you meant to me, and took my chances.”

“Don't you love CJ?”

“I do. I wish I could be the kind of father he needs, but I know that's impossible,” he said.

“You know we have to move, right? We can't be around family like this. What would they say?”

“After getting to know you, I also admire how mature you are. The other girls didn't understand the need to keep our love quiet, but you do.”

“Telling will ruin our good thing,” she said, and moved closer to him. Tawatha had assured Big Jake their secrets were safe from his wife as well.

His heart raced. She felt the rapid movement of his chest and placed her hand over his heart.

“What's wrong?”

“I've wanted you for so long. I don't want to let you down.”

“You won't.”

Hours passed as Aunjanue massaged Todd's shoulders and held him close. She thought of Tawatha's next move from so many years ago. Big Jake splayed four crisp, hundred-dollar bills on the table that night. He told her to get the lights turned back on and use the remaining money for groceries. Big Jake, ready for payback, took Tawatha in his arms to whisk her away to the bedroom, but she made a bathroom pit-stop.

“Todd, I—”

“What is it, honey?”

She hated the words
honey, sweetie,
and
doll.
She pushed past the irritation and said, “It's that time of the month. I need to go the restroom to, you know…” she lied.

“Aunjanue, I didn't know.” He released her body as if it were rotted fruit.
I wish I had known about her cycle.

“I'll get my purse and change. I'll be right back.”

Aunjanue took her purse from the chair and went to the bathroom. She turned the faucet on and scrounged around in her purse for a sharp object. She knew a fingernail file would make a small dent in her plan, but she couldn't find it. Lasheera gave her a hard time about keeping a junky purse; today she understood why. Were it not for moving the church programs and her mini sketch pads around, she would have missed it. She removed the black box from her purse and set it on the counter. She'd kept the key in a separate compartment in her bag. She removed it and opened the box for the first time. Photos and paper filled the top of the box. She turned the water off and sat on the toilet to view the pictures. Ms. Mag, her husband, and Felicia stood outside a church on Easter. The red brick façade of the church was the perfect backdrop for their pastel ensembles and the huge Easter basket Felicia cradled. Aunjanue flipped through photo after photo, then shifted to the strips of paper underneath the photos. Ms. Mag had scribbled illegible messages on the slips.
Felicia. Fight. Don't let Henry get by.
Aunjanue set the papers aside and noticed a second compartment in the box. She unlocked it as well, then noticed the items. She slipped one of the items in her bra, flushed the toilet, and rejoined Todd in bed, cradling his back. He removed her arms.

“Did you take care of what you needed?”

“I did. Is everything okay? You seem different all of a sudden. Did I do something wrong?”

“A woman's cycle is an intimate time. I don't want to disturb your flow of life.”

“You're not disturbing me.”

“Listen, I'm going to get some ice.”

“Wait, don't go.” She undid the bed covers, wrapped herself in a sheet, and asked Todd to lie down. He listened to her; his discomfort increasing as she mounted him.

“I wanted to thank you for bringing us here. We're going to have such a good time. I've waited a long time to be with you. Close your eyes so I can kiss you.”

He smiled and did as he was told. She removed the mace from her bra and vigorously sprayed his face. He screamed and rubbed his eyes, clawing and grasping at the air to find her. He made it to the floor and stumbled. She kicked him, held the sheet tighter to her body, and grabbed her purse. She ran from the room and didn't care who saw her, or what anyone thought. She took the stairs to the front lobby, grateful they'd only gone to the second floor.

“Please help me!” she said to the front desk clerk. “The man I came with is my teacher and he tried to rape me.”

The clerk eyed her suspiciously, then remembered the Amber Alert.

“Come back here in the office while I call the police.”

Aunjanue followed her, giving her key information about the situation. Her heart raced, and all she wanted to do was hear her family's voices.

“Ma'am, please let me call my family before the authorities get here.”

The clerk obliged and gave Aunjanue the phone and privacy.

“I'll be waiting right out here 'til the police come. I won't let anything happen to you.”

T
odd Sibley was arrested outside Fairfield Suites in his underwear. Authorities found passports and a large amount of spending money in the trunk of his second vehicle. One officer held up a pair of handcuffs from the car. Aunjanue, still inside the hotel, stared straight ahead, her voice never rising above a whisper. She sipped on hot chocolate the clerk had given her and was grateful her clothes were retrieved from the trunk of Todd's car.

“You're a very brave young lady,” said the officer. “It took a lot of quick thinking on your part to bring this guy down. He's wanted in three states.”

Aunjanue nodded and looked at her watch. Hours had passed, and she felt a bit of relief that one predator was off the streets. Still, she couldn't wait until Lake and Lasheera arrived.

“Did you want to lie down?” the clerk asked.

“No, I'm fine right here.”

She didn't want to see the television, nor could she stomach anything news related. First, her mother, then Lasheera, and now the Amber Alert. It seemed they were magnets for drama and strife. She sat in the hotel wondering how she could put an end to the chaos that was her life. She would be leaving for Spelman in August, and she wanted nothing more than the last five years of her life to disappear.

“Onnie,” Lasheera said as she walked into the hotel's office.

Aunjanue's face beamed as Lasheera walked in the room. She was equally excited to see Lake and Tawatha. For the first time, she'd felt kinship with Tawatha.

“Aunjanue, I'm so sorry this happened!” That was all Lasheera could say before the tears fell. The four of them fell into an embrace, and Aunjanue, still shaken, wished they could stay clustered in the circle forever. She never wanted to be left alone, nor was she sure she could trust again.

“Tarsha wanted to come, but her parents wouldn't allow it,” said Lasheera.

“Ditto for Roger. They said they would come tomorrow if you are up for company,” said Lake. “I told them that would be your call.”

“I'm not up for company. I want to go home and stay there. I was only one class away from completion. I hope I'll be allowed to take the class at home.”

“Don't isolate yourself, Onnie,” said Tawatha.

Aunjanue stared at Tawatha. After all the resentment she harbored for her mother, she looked at the woman who saved her life. Had she not witnessed Tawatha's errant behavior, or opened the black box and embraced Ms. Mag's gift from the grave, she'd still be in Todd's hands.

“I'm not isolating myself, Momma. I need time to sort things out.”

Lasheera ended the tension. “We have a long ride to Indianapolis in the morning. Let's get a room here in the city tonight and head back tomorrow.”

They agreed and left Fairfield Inn, the family forming a shield around Aunjanue.

V
ictoria gave her invitation to the receptionist at the ballroom entry. She checked them in, Faulk, party of four, and directed them toward the Grand Ballroom.

“Are you nervous?” Yvette asked.

“Not really. I'm more… I can't explain it. It's not nervousness, though. I want to get this over.”

“We're here for backup,” quipped Emory.

“You need armed guards if this thing goes downhill,” said Carl.

Victoria sighed and punched Carl's arm. They were seated at table forty-one, and made their way through the ever-growing crowd.

“Check out this setup,” Yvette whispered to Victoria.

“It is very elegant,” said Victoria.

The tropical theme was breathtaking. Emory, Carl, Victoria, and Yvette sat at an oblong table decked in white linen and pink and yellow plumerias. Lush greenery filled the room. The warm and inviting evening, perfect for a party, was just the right vibe for the night's happenings.

“All we're missing is a beach and sand,” said Emory.

“Speaking of which, don't forget the Cancun trip in July. I've taken off work for some fun in the sun,” said Carl.

Victoria smiled at Carl. This would be the first time she'd taken a couples trip since her divorce. Victoria scanned the faces and
saw a few familiars. “There's Aruba's grandmother, Maxie,” she said to Yvette. “I'm going over to speak to her.”