Getting Played (6 page)

Anybody's Guess

Shit.
He's way taller and bigger than I first thought. He gives me this threatening look, but for real, I don't back down. I smacked Darien, so I am seriously up to smacking him down, too. “I live here,” I say, then drop my bag in the chair and then pull my cell phone from my jeans pocket, ready to call the police. “Who are you?” I ask again.

“You must be his kid,” he says, looking me up and down.

“Excuse me?” I say, looking at him the same way.

“James's kid,” he clarifies.

“And you are?” I ask again.

“Cash, I'm Courtney's brother.”

I look at him suspiciously.
Figures.
Then yeah, I can kinda see it now. He does look a little like Courtney. They have
the same eyes and mouth and definitely the same angry expression. It must be a family trait, to look perpetually pissed off. “My father's name is Kenneth,” I correct.

“My sister calls him James,” he says.

“Your sister's wrong. James is my dad's middle name.”

“Yeah, whatever,” he says dismissively.

“So what are you doing in here?” I ask, glancing at the back of my dad's computer monitor. That's all I can see from this vantage point.

“Getting away from them. What does it look like?” he says, then sits back down, more relaxed like he was when I first came in.

I nod. It makes sense. Anybody with half a brain would want to get away from my dad and Courtney when they argue. It's like listening to a banshee and a barking dog. He rumbles low and loud and she squeals in this high-pitched whine that comes out like ear-splitting screams. Together they sound like some demented rap duet. I swear they drive anyone within listening distance insane. All you want to do is get away from them. “Where are the boys?” I ask Cash.

“Out back.” He motions out the side door that leads to the big backyard behind the house. “I figured they didn't need to hear all that, so I sent them out. I told them to stay close.”

I nod again. At least it sounds like he has some sense. I used to hate hearing my mom and dad arguing, too. I'd turn the TV up or the stereo up really loud, so I didn't have to hear. I walk over to the sliding glass door on the other side of the office to see if the boys are okay. They're right
outside the door playing with a toy basketball and hoop. They aren't really playing, just tossing the ball back and forth. They look so sad.

I glance up at the reflection in the glass door. I can see the rest of the office behind me. I look at Cash. He's watching me. He doesn't see that I see him. Then I look at the desk, then the computer screen. I assumed Cash was downloading music, but he wasn't. There is one of my dad's company spreadsheets on the screen. It looks to me like he's going through my dad's company files. I turn back to the room.

“So, are you here this weekend?” he asks, pressing a key quickly to clear the screen, acting like nothing happened.

I don't think he exactly saw me looking at the screen's reflection, so I just play along. “Yeah, although maybe not,” I say. I hear my dad and Courtney coming down the stairs, bringing the argument with them. They're really going at it, and it sounds like they're in the foyer or living room now. My dad's voice is getting lower which means he's ready to end this. On the other hand, Courtney's shrieks are shriller and sounding more and more desperate.

“…you ain't going nowhere until you make this right…”

“…who do you think you're talking to? You don't order me to do anything in my house…”

I smile. The idea that Courtney was still trying to control my dad was comical. Apparently she hadn't gotten it through her head that it just wasn't gonna happen. My dad is stubborn and strong-willed. He's not the type of man to be pinned down or backed into a corner. Just because she keeps having his kids doesn't mean she owns him. If this is
the basic argument, I know it won't last much longer. 'Cause chances are he'll walk out.

“…then what am I supposed to do…”

“…does it look like I care…”

Then their voices get even clearer. They must be closer to the office door. It's hard not to overhear everything at this point. My dad's obviously ready to walk out on the whole thing. I go back over to the chair by the door and pick up my bag. If he's leaving, I'm going, too. We need to talk.

“…and you need to tell your whores not to call my house…”

“…your house? Since when is this your house…”

Okay, now this argument I know all too well. It's the same one my mom used to have with my dad. It's all about control again. And my dad is not one to be controlled, particularly when it comes to him screwing around.

Cash and I look at each other. He shakes his head slowly. “You know he treats her wrong, don't you?” he says, obviously taking his sister's side in the argument.

I don't say anything at first. It seems strange to discuss it with him. I don't even know him. But I do know Courtney, and whatever my dad is doing, she deserves it. So I, of course, choose my side, too. “Well, maybe if she'd stop screaming like a psychotic banshee, he'd treat her better. But seriously, what does she really expect from him, to be faithful to her? She was doing the same thing to my mom that somebody else is doing to her right now.”

He gives me this fierce look, so I had to add a little something, something extra. “What goes 'round, comes around. Karma's a bitch, ain't it?” That was for my mom.

Cash doesn't say anything. He just keeps looking at me. His eyes narrow. It's like he doesn't expect me to take my father's side or something. Idiot.

“…what am I supposed to do for money…”

“…get off your lazy ass and go get a damn job…”

After that, the argument burst through the office doors. Cash and I both turn, seeing them. Neither looks surprised or embarrassed that we'd heard them arguing. They do put the fight on pause for a minute. Courtney glares at me like she always does. I glare at her, too. Ever since I smacked her, she knows to stay out of my face. She said I was too much like my mom. Yeah, that's for damn sure.

Technically, she's just a few years older than me, but she always looks beat down, even when she's so-called dressed up. No wonder my dad was stepping out again. 'Course it doesn't explain why he stepped out on my mom with her in the first place. My mom was always looking good. But that's another story.

“There she is. If you don't have it, then make her get up off that money. You know she got it. Her mother left her all those damn insurance policies. Get the money from her.”

I am just about to say something when my dad turns to Courtney. Their eyes lock. “You need to shut up,” he hisses.

Out of all the times I heard my dad and mom argue and now Courtney and my dad argue, I never actually saw it before. When he turned to her and told her to shut up, I thought he was gonna beat her down. He looked that furious. But my dad's not a hitter. He will, however, walk out.

Courtney ignores his warning, big mistake. She just keeps on. “She needs to sign some of those policies over to us.”

“You don't know what the hell you're talking about,” I say, butting in. But the thing is,
I
didn't know what the hell she was talking about. Nobody had ever said anything to me about insurance policies or having money. I never even thought about it.

“Sign a policy over to
us?
” my dad repeats slowly.

“Yeah, to
us,
” Courtney yells back. “I'm part of this, too. Me and my kids deserve something. We've been together for over five years and I haven't gotten a damn thing out of it. You told me you had big money. So where is it? I know she got money and you keep giving her more. But me and my kids don't have anything. We walk around here in the same clothes all the time, eating spaghetti and tuna fish, while she gets whatever she wants. I'm sick of it.”

I try not to laugh at this point. Spaghetti and tuna fish is all she knows how to cook. And she can't even do them right. But I think she expected to have a cook and a maid and a nanny or something like that when she moved in here. Reality check—she got nothing and apparently was still getting it.

“Fine then, you can leave whenever you want,” my dad says to her. “And as for money, if you'd stop spending it on stupid stuff, you'd have something. Nobody spends money like you. You ain't rich.”

“I hate you,” she screams.

“Yeah, whatever,” he adds, brushing her off. He walks over to me. He looks tired, but I can tell he's still happy to see me. “Hey, there she is,” he says pleasantly, as if the
whole argument thing never happened. We hug like we always do.

“Hi, Dad, how you doing?” I say.

“I'm okay. What are you up to?”

“Nothing much. What's she talking about, insurance policies?” I ask quietly, and then spare a glance at Courtney, who's eyeing me like she could kick my ass. Please, as if.

“Don't worry about it. It's nothing important. Everything okay with you, baby?” he asks, and then hugs me again.

I am just about to ask him about Hazelhurst when Courtney butts in.

“What do you mean it's nothing important?” Courtney yells. “Why don't you tell her what you told me?” I look at my dad. He shakes his head. “Your father thinks it would be best if we break up.”

“That's not what I said, Courtney,” he tells her. He turns back to me again like nothing was going on. “You gonna be around later, 'cause I gotta get out of here and take care of some things at the office.”

“Oh, hell no, you ain't going out of here until we get this straight. Your skank-ass whores are just gonna have to wait.”

Nobody says anything for a few seconds. I think everybody is just shocked. Courtney has a way of sucking the air out of a room when she opens her mouth like that. I just decide to talk to my dad and get the hell out of there. “Dad, before you go, did you pay the tuition for me to go back to Hazelhurst?”

“Ain't this a bitch,” Courtney says rhetorically. “This
heifer got the nerve to come up in here looking for a handout.”

“Watch your mouth, Courtney,” my dad warns over his shoulder.

She ignores him. “No, Kenisha,” she says bitterly, looking directly at me. “He didn't pay your damn tuition to go to some damn Hazelhurst. What he needs to be doing is taking care of his real responsibilities here, in this house. But he's not doing that, either.” She looks at him ferociously.

I ignore her. “Did you pay it, Dad?” I ask.

“Now, tell her why you didn't pay her school tuition.”

I look at my dad again waiting for him to say something. “We'll talk when I get back later this evening,” he says. But I know my dad. This is his way of avoiding the issue. He's not coming back tonight. “I gotta go.” He kisses my forehead and turns to leave.

“Dad…” I begin, but get cut off.

“James, are you gonna get up off some money or do I have to sue your ass for palimony and child support?”

He stops, turns and glares at her. “You can try, but we both know you don't want to do that, don't we?”

She opens her mouth, but then closes it instantly. Her eyes narrow in hatred. Okay, I don't know what's going on right now, but something definitely is. See, this is why I hate coming here. It's always Jerry Springer up in here. I know this is my home and all, but putting up with Courtney and all this drama gets on my last nerve.

“You know what, James…” she begins.

“Courtney, why don't you just chill,” Cash interrupts,
speaking up for the first time since they walked in. We all turn to look at him.

“Stay out of this, Cash. It's none of your business.”

“Courtney, just drop it,” he says.

By now, my dad is walking out of the office. I follow him, brushing by Courtney as she's talking to her brother. “No, I'm not dropping anything. He needs to take care of his responsibilities.”

“Dad,” I say, still following. He stops and turns to me.

“Baby girl, I gotta get out of here.”

“Yeah, I know. I get that, but what about me? What's going on with my tuition? I need to know.”

“I'll take care of it next week.”

“Next week is too late. The new semester starts Monday morning. Are you gonna pay it or what? I need to know,” I say.

He looks at me. I can see the struggle in his eyes. “Kenisha…” Just then Courtney walks up. Cash follows. She starts yelling about money all over again.

“Tell her where your damn money is,” she insists.

I look at her, shake my head and just start laughing. Seriously, she doesn't have a clue. All she can think about is money. For some reason, she got it in her head that when me and my mom left the house, or rather got kicked out of the house, we took all of my dad's money. What a joke. My dad knew, but he never said anything. He just kept letting Courtney think he had money. My mom told me the truth. I'm not saying that he didn't have it at one time. I guess he did, but that was a long time ago.

As for who's got money now, that's complicated. Jade told
me that our mom put money into a money market account years ago. Then the stock market tanked. I don't know exactly what's in it 'cause it's for me and Jade and I can't touch it until I'm eighteen years old and enrolled in college. The alternative is when I'm twenty-two. Either way, nobody's getting their hands on anything for a while.

“I'll tell her,” Courtney says vindictively. “He's broke.”

The baby starts crying. We all look at the monitor receiver on the living room coffee table. Cash walks over to Courtney. “Come on, let's get the baby.”

“You go, I'm staying my ass right here,” she says.

“No,” he says adamantly. “Come on, Courtney, get the baby.”