What's His Is Mine (11 page)

 

 

I didn't have much to say on most of the ride home and I think DeCarious understood. We dropped Patrick off and I closed my eyes and tried to forget what just happened.

DeCarious woke me when we were at my car. I couldn't believe I slept the entire ride. He got out of the car, opened my door, and helped me out of the car.

“Don't worry, because everyone's family has drama a couple of times.”

“Please, I know every family has drama. But not like mine.”

“You know what, you might be right,” he said as he attempted to hold back a laugh. I started laughing, too. “Cherise, it is not funny, but when your cousin started cussing your uncle out, I said to myself, it is about to go down.”

“I knew it was, too, but I didn't think Patrick was going to hit him.” I was happy he could make a joke out of the situation.

“Yeah, he fights like a man. He got him good, and it seems like it was overdue.”

“It was, but I'm still sorry you had to see that, and thanks for helping to clean up.”

“I told you it was not a problem. You going to be okay?”

“Yeah,” I said as he walked me toward my car. He leaned me up against my car and began passionately kissing me and wrapping his warm arms around my core, which gave me the biggest rush. I had to push him away from me. He stopped momentarily, but then he moved in again, holding me even tighter. I had to stop, because right now the way I felt I would take him home and let him have his way with me and it was too soon for that.

“You sure you're okay? Do you need me to follow you home? I can sleep on the sofa,” DeCarious asked.

“No, I think you might try to come in my bed.”

“I promise I will stay in the living room.”

“No, good night, DeCarious. I'll call you.”

“Make sure you do,” he said. Even if he could control himself I wasn't sure if I could. I wanted DeCarious to spend the night with me and reopen every space that hadn't been touched in two years.

I
came home from work tired as hell. Working a lot of hours is hell, but it was the only way I would have enough money to buy a car and save for an apartment. I was going to start school with Elena at LACC, LA Community College, by December and we were going to try to get a two-bedroom apartment. Her brother's wife and kids drove her crazy, plus I just didn't want to overstay my welcome at my aunt's house.

As I came in from work, I saw Aunt Vicky in the middle of the living room filling boxes. I said hello to her and walked straight back to my room and noticed Jade packing, too.

“Why are y'all packing?” I asked.

“We are moving to San Diego.”

“You are?” I asked.

“Yeah, Martin just bought some property down there and he wants to be able to watch it better. My mom said she doesn't want to leave him down there by himself. So she is going with him. And I'm going with her because I'm not trying to be in LA by myself. So what you going to do?” The way she said,
So what you going to do,
was like,
You can't come with us.

I wasn't sure if I was reading her wrong, but Aunt Vicky confirmed that I was not invited. She came in the room and said, “So Jade told you we are moving. So I'm thinking you can probably find your own place, right?”

“I guess,” I said, surprised.

“Okay, good. We're moving tomorrow. You can stay here until the end of the week.”

“This week?” I said as I began to become alarmed.

“Yeah, you should be able to figure something out,” she said like she was just saying we were out of milk.

I was so confused. This was so crazy. As soon as everything was getting good, here was another damn problem. I only had a few days to figure out what my next move was. I called Elena and she sounded her usual happy self.

“Hey, chica, why you up so early?” At first I couldn't answer her because I was still trying to understand why this lady would let me move three thousand miles only to tell me two months later I have to move out.

“You there, Zakiya?” Elena asked.

I whispered, “My crazy aunt is kicking me out.”

“What happened?”

“They are moving to San Diego. They basically looked at me like,
What you going to do? You have until the end of the week.
”

“Oh my God, so where are you going to live?”

“I don't know. Do you know anywhere with any cheap apartments that I can afford? I wish we could get our own place now.”

“I know, but I won't be ready to move for a few months. I'm going to ask around.”

“All right, do that and then call me back.”

I
wasn't comfortable with anyone knowing about my relationship with DeCarious yet. I wanted to be cautious and plus right now it was hard to define anyway. We weren't exactly boyfriend and girlfriend, but we spent a lot of time together. We were taking things slow, but I really enjoyed his company and the way he made me feel. I felt like I had to talk to him a few times a day, and if I didn't I would miss him. I was in the middle of trying to figure out what I was going to wear to Tim's house. DeCarious and I were going there to watch the segment I did on Brothers Helping Themselves.

I was so disappointed when I looked in my closet. I really needed to go shopping. Almost everything I owned was black, and what wasn't black were suits and professional work clothes. I really needed to go shopping and get more fun clothes. Especially because DeCarious always dressed and looked so nice. My phone rang in the middle of my search for something cute and sexy. It was Gavin. I didn't really have time to talk, but I answered anyway.

“Hey, Gav. What's up?”

“So you must have got yourself a little boyfriend, because you never answer your phone.”

“Yeah, I'm kind of seeing someone now.”

“Too bad. Well, you have the number. Call me when you get some time.”

“I will.”

DeCarious showed up at my house forty-five minutes early. I hadn't been in the shower yet, and I still hadn't decided what I was going to wear.

“You're early,” I said as I opened the door.

“I know. I was already in the city.”

“Have a seat and let me get dressed. The remote is on the table,” I said. I went back to my closet to see what I could wear. I decided on a pair of dark blue jeans and a black, short-sleeved ruffled shirt. It was cute. Just as I was getting ready to change into my clothes, I heard DeCarious walking toward my room. He tapped on the door.

“I wanted to see if you needed help picking something out to wear.”

“No, I can find something on my own.”

“You sure?” he asked. He looked so handsome. His shoulders were so broad, and I felt like I wanted to just go over to him and jump on his lap and throw my tongue down his throat.

I must have gazed a little too long, because he said, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I wasn't looking at you any type of way.” He must read minds, because I was so attracted to him and it had been a very long time since I had a man in my personal space. All types of thoughts ran through my mind.

“I can't help you pick something out,” he said as he came toward me, cornered me against my closet door, and began sucking and blowing on my ear and neck. His hands reached over, opening my robe to expose my naked body as he grasped my breasts and massaged my nipples in circles. His lips were moist, and I liked the way his tongue and lips nibbled my shoulder.

He was ready for it, but I had to push him off me or we would never have made it to Tim's house. “I can't—let's wait.”

 

 

On the ride over to Tim's house, DeCarious asked me to go on a trip with him.

“I wanted to tell you next weekend is our bye week and see if you want to take a trip, maybe fly to the Bahamas or something.”

“I can't. I have to work.”

“Can't you just take off?”

“No, I can't just get up and take trips whenever I want to. I don't have that kind of job.”

“Okay, my bad. So what do you want to do for your birthday?”

“It doesn't really matter. I'm not a big birthday person. I'll probably be working.”

“Well, now that we are together we are going to celebrate birthdays, so we are doing something. I'm going to take you somewhere and surprise you. Can you try to take off now for your birthday weekend?”

“Okay, I'll try.”

They were so excited about Tim being on the news. I couldn't understand it; he was on television every Sunday.

“It's coming on, Tim,” Tim's wife Mari said as she used the remote to turn up the volume on the huge wall-unit television. We all had a seat. I wasn't normally nervous, but seeing my face on the screen and everyone watching intently, made me a bit uncomfortable. We all watched for the next five minutes, silently. I tried to study everyone's face to get a reading of what they were thinking.

They all clapped after the segment went off.

“My baby did good, didn't she?” DeCarious said as he hugged me and grabbed my waist and kissed me on my cheek. I hated PDA, but I didn't push him off of me.

“That was so good,” Mari said. I thanked her. I was becoming a little embarrassed. I had to switch the praise back over to Tim.

“No, Tim, you did all the work.”

“But you provided the outlet, and thank you, girl, for that,” Mari whispered. “Because he can't put in another dollar of ours.”

Within minutes Tim's phone started ringing and people wanted to help out the organization. Mari turned on the music and began serving dinner. DeCarious was so loving, and it was fun being around him and his friends.

T
here's been so much to catch up on, but my life is still in limbo. Kierra was the only person who opened her heart back up to me, no questions asked. She slept in the bed with me every night. Tyrone gave me my bedroom back and he moved into the back room. I didn't want Tyrone to think that we were going to be together again.

Mr. Ballard was trying to work out a deal for me so that I didn't receive any, or at least not a lot of, jail time. The media attention was gone. After a half dozen nos to requests for interviews, all of the media attention stopped. Alexis, Kierra, and I have been out on mommy and daughter outings. We went to the movies and had lunch at Red Lobster. Jamil is busy with his job and his girlfriend. I really don't want to meet her, either. Alexis told me she is only twenty-three, with four kids, and she is using my son as a replacement father.

Kevin brought Jarell, our son, over twice, but when he came there was always a houseful of people and he never really seemed comfortable, plus when he visited he was never alone. There was always someone waiting in the car for him. Last time it was a blonde, this time a chocolate beauty. Both times the women got tired of waiting outside and began calling him, saying they were ready to go. I guess his only preference now was pretty with little patience. It made me a little angry that he was even bringing these random women to my home and around my son. But what could I say? I wasn't with him any longer and I had run away.

 

 

Mr. Ballard finally called me and said that he had reached a deal with the DA. I was petrified. My entire life was on the line. He had told me I could walk away with community service or I might have to do a few years. I walked into the dining room and grabbed Tyrone.

“It's Mr. Ballard. He said he has some good news about the plea.” We sat down at the dining room table. I put the phone on speaker. “Yes, Mr. Ballard.”

“Hello, Kevin is on the line, too. Tanisha, I believe I have some pretty good news for you guys. I was able to get all but one of the charges dropped. The only charge that is going to stick is the simple assault, which is a misdemeanor and no jail time.”

“No jail time!” I exclaimed. All my prayers had been answered. I screamed out, “Thank you, God. Thank you.” I had prayed and prayed and prayed some more, and it had worked.

“Hold up, Miss Butler, I'm not done. There is no jail time; however you will be on probation for a year, and three months of that year will be under house arrest.”

“House arrest?” Tyrone repeated. I looked over at him, then back at the phone to hear the rest of what Mr. Ballard had to say.

“Yes, you will be able to leave the house to go see your probation officer once a week, but you will not be permitted to go outside of your home for three months. But under the circumstances, I think this an excellent deal and the DA is being very lenient.”

“Will I have an arrest record?” I questioned.

“Yes, but after a few years we can try to get it removed. It will only be a misdemeanor.” It sounded like a good deal to me. I got to be with my family, I wouldn't have a permanent record, and I could put this entire situation behind me.