Miss Wayne and the Queens of DC (The Cartel Publications Presents) (20 page)

Bells came through for Wayne after all, even though he complained the entire. Wayne decided then to contact a lawyer about having power of attorney over Marbel’s finances and body.

The day he put her in the nursing home, he was devastated. He felt like he let her down. But he didn’t…even the doctors told him that there was nothing else he could do.

He was on his way home to grab a few drinks when he got a call from someone he hadn’t heard from in a few years.

“What’s up, bitch? What’s the ‘T’?” Yelled Tyrone into the phone.
“Ain’t shit. Just dealin’.”
“I hear that…what you doin’ right now? Dayshawn and me are havin’ some friends over for our weekly Spades game. You comin’?”
“You live with Day now?”
“Girl, yes! I been livin’ with him for a few months now. What’s up?”
Wayne thought about the offer. The one thing that stayed in his mind was that every time he got with Tyrone and Dayshawn, some crazy shit happened. So he considered his options but realized quickly that he had none. He caught his lover cheating earlier in the week and he threw his ass out on the street. So unless he wanted to be alone, hanging out with them was his only choice.
“I’m on my way.”
“Cool…See you when you get here.”
Wayne wore a cute pair of stretched black tights, a free flowing pink blouse that exposed his chest and a big pair of gold hoop earrings. Since he had just gotten some tracks sewn in, he let his hair hang over his shoulders.
When he walked through the door the house was packed and everyone was in attendance.
“Bitch, you look so good! What’s up with it?” Tyrone said opening the door examining Wayne’s muscular but sexy body.
“It depends on who’s asking,” Wayne told him as he struck a pose in the doorway.
“I heard that, sashay your skinny ass in here.”
Wayne walked inside and jumped right into the Spades game, and five minutes later, the animation began. All of the lights were dimmed with the exception of the ones that were in kitchen and in an ardent way, it acted as the spotlight for their loud and rambunctious performances. It was always about who talked the loudest and who had the best comeback. If you were weak at heart, the Friday night Spades game was not the place for you.
“OOOhhh, Bitch, they cuttin’ early, I shoooow hope I don’t see no hearts fly out them monkey paws for the rest of this hand!” Dayshawn yelled at Wayne who had partnered up with Tyrone.
“Monkey paws? Okay, Bitch, you must be referrin’ to the gorilla toes attached to those petite size 18 feet of yours! I don’t even know how you find sandals for ‘em.” Miss. Wayne snapped back.
“Miss Wayne, baby, don’t worry. I’m watchin’ her ass. You know Dayshawn is famous for being a re-niggaa!” Tyrone said.
“LIES…I ain’t neva reneged in a game of spades in my life…unless you count last week,” he recollected. “But Bitch, you can’t count that game ‘cause I was rollin’ and I thought we was playin’ go fish. Ha…ha…honey, the X and the Dro had the ole girl done, baby…yeousss!!!” Dayshawn laughed as his breath meshed with the alcoholic frenzy within the room.
Spades was just one of the ways Wayne, Dayshawn and Tyrone passed time with other people in the life. Being amongst people who did the same things and talked the same way they did brought a sense of normalcy to their lives. And with his mother’s condition, which he rarely talked about, being worst, he really needed the getaway. Food was cooking, drinking glasses were clinking and shit talking was at an all time high.
There were so many people in the house that some of them found a seat on the lap of another. And no one cared because when you’re Family, everything was all good.
As the night went on, liquor poured like it came out of a faucet and suddenly, Miss Wayne felt woozy.
“You okay?” Tyrone asked noticing him swaying. He placed his hand on his shoulder. “Cause you don’t look too good.”
“Uh…yeah…I think so. I had a long day though with my mother. I guess I’m more tired than I thought.”
“You wanna rest up?” Dayshawn asked him.
“Ya’ll mind? All I need is an hour am I’m ready to keep the party goin’.”
“Yeah it’s not a problem,” Dayshawn said. “You know my home is your home.”
“Let me give you some pain medicine and some water and you can stay in my room.” Said Tyrone.
Wayne took the pills, walked past the people who were socializing and laid down in Tyrone’s bed. Once his head hit the cushion, he felt even more off balance. Tyrone helped him get situated in the bed and said, “Damn, it looks like you had way too much to drink this time, Wayne. You sure you gonna be okay?”
“Yeah. I’ll be fine. I don’t even remember drinkin’ that much.”
“I’m gonna go back out there. But let me know if you need anything…okay?”
“Yeah…just leave the door…”
Wayne felt light headed and could not complete his sentence. Through a mental haze he saw Tyrone smile at him slyly, close and lock the door and flip the light switch off. Two minutes later, Tyrone had turned him over on his stomach and was entering him anally. Wayne could hear him panting heavily in his ear as he gripped his shoulders and thrust into him over and over again.
“You feel so good, Wayne,” Tyrone said. “This ass all soft and wet. Just like I knew it would be.”
Tyrone talked to him as if Wayne was a willing participant when in actuality, he was a victim of a druginduced rape. He tried to fight him off, but his body wouldn’t do what his mind requested. He had no idea that Tyrone had been planting drugs in his drink all night.
Ever since Tyrone met Wayne, he wanted him sexually. He loved the lightness of his skin and the way he walked around like he owned the world. But part of him was jealous that Wayne garnered so much attention. Tyrone wished he could be as smooth as Wayne but felt he could never measure up. So since he couldn’t be him, he decided to take the next best thing, his body. And that’s exactly what he did.
The next morning, Wayne would not remember the event.
But that would all change many years later.

We had thirty minutes before we boarded the plane and there were three things that were blowing the hell out of me. First, my best friend was gone and I missed her already. Second, Ryan’s cell phone kept ringing off the hook and he wouldn’t answer. Third, the memory of Tyrone being anywhere near my body made me want to cut everything back there off.

Was the vision real? Or was it bullshit? I couldn’t call it! And then I remember how Big Boody Brandy claimed that everyone knew Miss Tyrone raped people. Could he have done the same thing to me too?

I had an idea on how I was going to deal with Tyrone and I call it ‘Operation Hole Dig’ but I wasn’t sure how I was going to deal with Ryan and his ringin’ ass phone because after all…he wasn’t my man. And to tell you the truth, he hadn’t even asked me out let alone elude that he wanted more. Even though he stayed with me for two weeks in LA and we shared the same bed together, at no time did he try to touch me. So I guess I’m being petty right? Fuck that shit! I still wants to know.

When he wasn’t looking I concocted a plan to find out what kind of nigga he really was. So the moment he turned away, I removed the SIM card from my AT&T phone.

Then I place the phone to my ear and yell, “Oh my goodness!” I scare the hell out of a child sitting next to me.

“What’s wrong, babe?” Ryan asks turning toward me.
“I can’t get a signal! Gosh darn it!”
Now that those words left my lips, I realize ‘gosh darn it’ was a bit too much but there was no taking it back now.
“Were you in a middle of a call?”
“Yes and I need to finish it up before I board the plane, not to mention I’m thirsty.”
When he pulls his phone out of his pocket, I know my plan is working.
“Look…use mine and I’ll go grab you something to drink. What you want?”
“You sure?”
“Of course. I wouldn’t offer if I didn’t feel like going,” he says handing me his phone. For a man who has something to hide, he seems carefree. “What you want to drink?”
Thinking of something that may take some time I say, “A double espresso…and add milk but only
after
it’s seeped for two minutes.”
“Ooookay,” he laughs. “I’ll be right back.”
When he’s gone, I focus my attention to his phone. There are seven missed calls from Eddy and two unread texts.
Eddy?
WTF!
I thought he said Eddy was dead! Already I’m not feeling Mr. Fireman. I should’ve known that a gay man and a fireman being together was just too much of a cliché.
Curiosity was killing me. Now if I read the texts, how was I going to hide it? He has an actual cell phone unlike everybody else on earf who uses a PDA. Which means that once I read the messages, it will no longer show as UNREAD.
Before I invade his privacy, I look up to be sure he isn’t coming. He’s not so I click the button to read his messages. One reads,
‘Ryan, I need to talk to you. You said you’d be here for me and I can’t find you. What gives?’
The other reads, ‘
Can you at least return my texts?’
I knew it! He’s a bum and a fraud and I wanted nothing more to do with him. I’m so mad that as I close the lid of his phone, I miss calculate my timing. Because Ryan is walking up to me and yes, he saw everything.
“It doesn’t look like you’re making phone calls to me.” He says with an attitude. “Fuck are you doin’ going through my phone?”
“I’m sorry…I was just…”
“Disrespecting me. You know what, Wayne, when I first met you, I couldn’t help but think about you after we met. I wondered what kind of person you were and if you were for me. But after this,
Madam Wayne
,” he says sarcastically, “I realize I should’ve turned around the moment your ass dropped on your living room floor.”
He takes his phone from me.
“You know what, it was wrong for me to look at your messages. But what about you? You said you were single and even went as far as to feed me some bullshit about Eddy bein’ dead! When for real, unless you run into Eddy’s all the time, he’s alive and well and textin’ you now!”
“First of all my lover’s name was Teddy…not Eddy! Had you turned the music down when I was talking to you in the room you would’ve heard me clearer. And Eddy is a co-worker of mine who wanted me to cover his shift but I’m not there am I? Instead I’m in LA with a lunatic who doesn’t understand the meaning of privacy! Here’s your fuckin’ espresso,” he says pushing it in my hands before walking away. “I ain’t got time for this shit! I’m out.”
I’m so embarrassed I can barely move.
“Is that man mad at you?” asks a child next to me.
“Yeah.” I say slightly irritated at his ear hustling.
“Oh…he seems nice. I saw him help the lady in the wheel chair over there when you were looking through his phone.”
Pissed this snotty-nosed-bastard is making matters worse I say, “And I saw you diggin’ for gold in your nose five minutes ago and eatin’ your boogers. But did I say anything to you?” I pause. “So mind your ugly business!”
When the child cries I stomp away in my heels and place the SIM card back in my phone. Then I lean on a wall and call home.
“Miss Wayne…we miss you!” Adrian yells after he picks up. “How are you doing?”
“I’m fine.”
“That’s good…but there’s so much going on out here.”
“Like what?”
“They arrested Queen Paul for murder. It’s all over the news. They say they’ve finally solved the case of the Drag Queen Slayer.”
“What?!” I scream a little louder than I realized. “How?”
“He killed Big Boody Brandy too. That’s how he got caught.”
“I haven’t been watching anything out here with Daffany’s funeral and all.”
“Oh…well shit is crazy in DC.”
I’m blown away. “So that means he killed Marlene too?”
“That means he’s responsible for
all
of the Drag Queen Slayer murders.”
I’m happy the case is solved but for some reason, I don’t believe it. I always thought in the back of my mind after speaking to Chris that Tyrone was responsible even though I never said it out loud.
“Wow…well, how is everything else goin’ there?” I say looking for Ryan in my peripheral vision. He’s nowhere to be found.
“It’s cool,” he says hesitantly, the tone of his voice changed.
“What’s wrong, Adrian? I can tell in your voice something ain’t right so just tell me what’s up.”
“I really don’t want to start stuff, Miss Wayne. I just want to stay out of it.”
“You won’t be in it if you tell me, if you don’t…well that’s another story. Is it the parties? Are they running smoothly?”
“Are you sure you won’t be mad at me for telling you?”
“Adrian…tell me what the fuck is goin’ on! I hate playin’ promise me more, or promise me not, with you!”
“Okay…well…did you tell Tyrone he could have clients over…outside of the ones you set up for Party Night?”
“Yeah…why?”
“I knew I should not have said anything. Please don’t tell Tyrone.”
Although I hear his words, I’m more interested in what’s behind them. I immediately recall how every time Tyrone name comes up, that he goes overboard to protect him. I also remember the day I came home, and heard him and Tyrone fighting supposedly over Chris. I never got a chance to ask him if what Chris said about Tyrone was true. Was he an abuser?
“Adrian…I’m gonna ask you somethin’ and I want you to be real with me.”
“Okay.”
“Has Tyrone ever hurt you?”
Silence.
“Adrian…answer the fuckin’ question! Now I need to know this shit and my plane is comin’ so you got to tell me now!”
“Yes. He has.”
I swallow hard and say, “Did he hurt you the night I came home early and heard him yelling at you?”
“Yes. He does that all the time. It’s like he’s jealous of me and whenever he finds out I’m spending time with Chris, he’ll pick a fight. And then it will turn physical.”
“So all those times you had bruises, Tyrone did them?”
“Yes.”
“What about the scars? On your body?”
“All him.”
I slide to the floor and sit down because the room feels like it’s spinning.
“So Chris has never hurt you?”
“He couldn’t. He loves me too much.”
“Then why lie to me? And why lie on him?”
“I was scared, Wayne.”
“Ain’t that much scared in the world, Aid! Has he raped you too?”
“A lot.”
“Adrian, why wouldn’t you tell me this shit?” I ask in horror. “Why wouldn’t you let somebody know somethin’ like that was goin’ on? I don’t understand.”
“You were in LA. And I wanted to tell you…really badly. I even tried that day you caught Tyrone in the bed with a man, when the other guy was on the couch. But you said he told you already and I left it like that.” “Damn I remember that shit too.”
“The abuse started after I caught him raping me one night. He put something in my drink and when I remembered the next day, he said he wasn’t trying to hurt me. But that he was all alone and needed somebody. I just wanted it to stop. So I told Chris and he approached him the next day. Tyrone got mad and told me he’d kill him if I didn’t leave him alone. There was something in his eyes that made me believe him. So I left the apartment Chris rented for me and tried to cut him off. I lied to Tyrone and told him Chris stopped paying for the apartment so he would really think I was through with him. I didn’t want him to get hurt.”
I know what he meant when he said something in Tyrone’s eyes made him believe he was capable of murder. I thought the same thing when I saw the way he beat his wife.
“When was the last time he raped you?”
“The night of the fire.”
“What?!”
“The night Marlene died, he put something in my drink, the way he normally does. Usually I pass out and can’t remember much but this time I woke up and felt him on top of me again. I couldn’t pretend anymore so I told him I’d tell you and he got mad. He hit me in my face and I think he was going to kill me, but you came over.
“Ya’ll started cooking and you came downstairs to check on me. He was nervous the entire time and told me that if I said anything to you, he’d kill you too. He threatened to kill anybody in my life that got too close.”
I gasp.
“Are you serious?”
“Yes. Later that night, he locked my door from the outside and set fire to the house. With all of us in it.”
It felt like I was taking off without the plane. What kind of maniac was I living with all this time?
“Are you telling me that Tyrone burned that house down?”
I thought about how I paid somebody to hurt Queen Paul. What if my hit was successful? I could’ve gotten tied up in all kinds of shit. Although with Paul’s recent arrest, I may have done the world a favor.
“Yes. And I tried to bang on the walls when I smelled the smoke because he wedged a pole under the doorknob so I couldn’t get out.”
“I remember that too! Tyrone told me it was his next door neighbor making all that noise.”
“Is that why you told me on the night of the fire that you wanted to die?”
“Yes… I couldn’t take it anymore.”
“You don’t have to worry about Tyrone…not as long as I’m alive. And the parties will be over soon too because I want you to make a life with Chris and be happy. We just have to play it out for a few more weeks so I can get back at Tyrone.”
“Okay.”
“Don’t tell Day either. I don’t want anybody else involved.”
“I won’t.”
“How many clients has Tyrone invited over my house anyway? For party night?”
“Well that’s what I wanted to tell you when you first called. When I got up in the middle of the night one time, I heard extra voices in his room. So I started paying attention and found out he has two people over a night. I don’t think he’s trickin’ either. I think he is doing some kind of procedure and Garisha be with him too. They have all kind of surgical stuff in their room and I even saw gauze.”
“Surgery? With Ugly Gary in my house?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay, honey. Just be easy and don’t alert anybody that I know.” I say taking the entire bullshit in. “Is there any good news?”
The attendant says the flight is boarding so I know I must hurry.
“Yes…your ball gown came! It’s so beautiful, Wayne. You’re going to love this I promise.”
“For real? How does it look?”
“It’s a pink sequin bra top with long pink beads dangling from it. And the bottom is a sequin bikini bottom with the same design. I never saw anything like it. Trust me…you’re going to look beautiful in it.” She exclaims. “Oh!! They sent a soft pink feather boa with it too. It’s hot!”
“Good! ‘Cause I have plans to bring home the money from that ball. Did you and Day’s gowns come?”
“Yep! I’m rocking a pink sequin one-piece mini dress and Day has a cute pink sequin one-piece pants suit. We are going to kill it!”
“Okay…I gotta go,” I say when I see Ryan stand in line to board. “I’ll call you later.
When I rush over to him I ask, “Can I stand in line with you? So we can talk?”
He turns to me and say, “You just don’t get it do you? You fucked up with me. Be gone.”
As I walk sadly to the back of the line I realize that he got
me
all the way fucked up. Don’t nobody carry me without my getting in at least one word edgewise. So I hustle back toward him.
“You know what…I was wrong for lookin’ at your little weak ass texts. In fact it was bitch like behavior and unfortunately I am not immune even though I’m a man. But have you ever stopped to think that maybe I did it because I was feelin’ you? And that maybe I wanted to make sure you were who you claimed to be before I gave you my heart? And had you around Shantay?” I pause not long enough for him to answer. “Well think about that when you wake up in the morning and realize you lost the best thing that never happened to you narrow ass. Fuck you! I’m out.” I say as I switch my little ass to the back of the line.
I decide then that he’s done!
I got ninety problems and he ain’t one.