You're My Little Secret 3 (4 page)

NADIA

After
avoiding Candace for months, I’d finally agreed to hook up with her for lunch.
I have plans to help Shannon pack later in the day, so I’m meeting with Candace
early. I don’t know what the hell Kevin and Kyle are into, but they’re moving
once again. Kyle and I haven’t been getting along too
well,
and I know it’s only a matter of time before we break up for
good. I know for a fact that he’s still dealing with Tiffany even though he
lied to my face. I started checking his phone just like Shannon does with
Kevin. Most times when he’s not with me that’s who he’s spending all of his time
with. Every time I confront him about
it, we
always end up fighting. I haven’t saw or talked to him for the past two
days,
so he’s probably with Tiffany now. He was
pissed with me because I refused to go through with one of his check scams. He
wanted Shannon and
me
to go to a local
store to cash two phony checks that someone printed up for him. I had no
problem doing it until I got to the store and recognized one of the clerks who
works there. She and I aren’t friends, but we did graduate from high school
together,
so she knows my name. Shannon went
through with the plan, but I left and waited outside until she was done. When
we got back to the house and told Kyle what
happened,
he was furious. He punched me in my mouth and split my bottom lip open. He left
soon after and I hadn’t heard from him since then.

“Hey
stranger,” Candace spoke when she walked up to the table. We agreed to meet at
the Cheesecake Factory for lunch. I was a few minutes
early,
so I grabbed us a table and waited for her to get there.

“Hey
girl,” I spoke back as I stood up to give her a hug. Before we could say
anything
else,
the waitress came over to
take our orders. After placing orders for drinks and
appetizers,
she was on her way again.

“So
what’s been going on with you?” She asked.

“Nothing
much, just
work,
and school,” I lied. I’m
no longer
working,
and I haven’t been to
school all semester. Kyle and my illegal activities keep me too busy for
anything else.

“Where
are you working at now? I called your old
job,
and they said that you no longer worked there,” she inquired.

“Oh
yeah, I work for another phone company now. They’re not
local,
so you’ve probably never heard of them.”

“Damn,
it feels like we’re strangers now. I don’t know anything about you anymore,”
she said.

“We’re
not strangers. It’s just how life is sometimes,” I shrugged.

“I
do want to know one thing though,” she said while looking at me.

I
already knew what she wanted to
ask,
and
I had my lie prepared. “Okay,” I replied.

“What
were you doing with Shannon and how do
y’all
know each other? She’s not the type of person that you would normally hang out with,”
she observed.

“She
and I work together. She doesn’t have any family
here,
so we clicked immediately. I was surprised when I found out
that she was Kevin’s girlfriend. She’s cool though.”

“Girl
please, that bitch is crazy. You better not trust her. She’s known for carrying
a
blade,
and she doesn’t have a problem
using it.”

“Well,
she doesn’t have a reason to use it on me. But what’s new with you?” I asked
trying to change the subject.

“So
much has happened since I last talked to you. For
one,
your girl is in a relationship now,” she said smiling hard.

“
Whaaat
,” I laughed. “Who locked your fast ass
down?” I asked.

“Girl
it’s somebody that you know, but you’ll never guess who,” she giggled.

“Well,
I know it’s not Kyle,” I chuckled while fishing for info at the same time.

“You
got that right. I haven’t talked to his dog ass in a minute. I’m with David now,”
she informed me.

“What
David”? I asked hoping it wasn’t who I thought it was.

“Dominic’s
brother David. It’s still new, but it’s been all good so far,” she smiled.

“Wow.
You’re right I never would have guessed that. I’ve never known David to have a
girlfriend or even want one,” I said honestly.

“Well,
you could say the same for me at one time, but people change. I’m
happy,
and he seems to be happy too.”

“That’s
good. So how is everybody else doing?” I asked her.

“Everybody
is fine. Taylor and Brooklyn got into a car accident not too long ago. Somebody
ran them off of the road and messed up Bryce’s car.”

“Damn,
I hope nobody got hurt.”

“Taylor
had a few bumps and bruises, but they were fine other than that. We also found
out that Brooklyn is pregnant again,” she said. I almost choked on the drink
that the waitress had just sat in front of me when she said that.

“Who
is she pregnant by?” I inquired.

“Girl,
Dominic put another baby up in her ass,” she replied.

“But
he’s married
now,
right? And I thought
him and Brooklyn had broken up,” I questioned. I knew for a fact that she was
messing with Kevin at one point because Shannon almost lost her mind behind it.

“They
did break up for a while, but his ass couldn’t stay away. She was dealing with
Kevin for a minute, but thankfully that didn’t last long either. She and
Dominic are living together now. He filed for a divorce and everything,” she
said like it was no big deal.

I
was truly at a loss for words. What the hell could Brooklyn have done to make
him want her so bad? He hadn’t even been married a
year,
and he left his wife to be with her. That shit had me sick to
my
stomach,
and my appetite is gone.

“He
is such a dog. Brooklyn better
be
careful
with his ass.”

“Girl,
he’s so in love I don’t think she has anything to worry about. He got her an
Audi
truck,
and he’s talking about buying
a house as soon as his divorce is finalized. It always takes that one woman to
make a man do right,” she replied.

I
know she didn’t mean to, but she hurt my feelings with her last comment. I
loved Dominic with all of my heart, but I couldn’t make him love me the same
way. I guess I wasn’t the kind of woman that could make a man like him do
right
. I just hate that a younger more
inexperienced woman came along and did what I never could.

KENNEDI

I
hadn’t been out of my house since I received the divorce papers in the mail
three days ago. I laid in my bed in the dark and stared at the ceiling for
three days straight. I don’t remember sleeping or eating. Hell, I don’t even
remember going to the bathroom. My mama and Tiffany were both calling me like
crazy because I wasn’t showing up for work. They tried coming to my house, but
they couldn’t get in even with a key. I had the security chain
on,
and I refused to take it off. My mama was
threatening to call the police, but I knew that she never would. She almost
made me think that she had something to hide because she never got the police
involved no matter what.

I’m
now two months
pregnant,
and Brooklyn is
four. I knew everything that went on with her and my husband because I damn
near stalked them on social media. Dominic tried calling me a few times to ask
about my doctors’ appointments. I really wanted him to be there, but my mama
quickly put a stop to it. She called and told him that my baby and I didn’t
need him, but that was the furthest thing from the truth. I need him like I
need air to
breath,
and she doesn’t
understand that. My mother-in-law tried to reach out to me, but my mama started
an argument with her as well. It’s like she wants me to
suffer,
and I don’t know why. Once
again,
my phone is ringing along with loud banging on my front door.

“Kennedi,”
I heard my mother yelling from downstairs. She could scream all she wanted to,
but I’m not letting her in. I need some more time to
myself,
and she would only make matters worse.

“Kennedi
Elise Henry you open this
door,
or I’ll
have someone here to break it down,” she warned. If I was in the mood to
yell,
I would have told her that my last name
is Roberts. She refused to acknowledge that since I got married.

“Kennedi
it’s me, please come open the door for us. We’re worried about you,” Tiffany
pleaded. I still didn’t
move,
and I had
no plans to do so.

After
a few
minutes,
it got quiet
again,
and I was happy that they left. I turned
over to my side to get more comfortable when I heard a loud crash coming from
downstairs. I jumped up and grabbed my phone right before I ran into my closet.
My heart was beating out of my chest as I tried to dial the police on my phone.

“Kennedi
where are you?” I heard my mother yell.

I
couldn’t believe her crazy ass. She threatened to break my door down, but I
didn’t think she would actually do it. I came out of the closet and headed
downstairs. I ran to my front door and saw it barely hanging from the hinges.

“Are
you crazy?” I yelled at my mother. She was standing there texting on her phone
like she didn’t do anything wrong.

“I
warned you, you should have let us in,” she shrugged.

“So
you break down my fucking door because I wouldn’t let you in?” I roared.

“You
watch your mouth. The maintenance man is about to repair it. After all, he’s
the one who broke it down.”

“I
can’t believe you,” I fussed with my hand on my hips.
 

“And
just look at you. When was the last time you combed your hair or took a shower
for that matter? Have you even eaten anything lately Kennedi?”

“No,
and I don’t plan to do anything until I’m good and ready,” I flippantly
replied.
 

“You’re
pregnant Kennedi or did you forget. I know you don’t want another miscarriage
now do you?”

“At
this point, I really don’t care if I have this baby or not. I’ll be raising it
by myself anyway.”

“Don’t
be stupid. This baby is a guaranteed check every month and Dominic is
definitely going to pay. You’ll probably never have to work again when we’re
done with his ass,” Tiffany and I both looked at her like she was crazy. Money is
really all that matters to her. She can’t even be here for me during my time of
need without trying to benefit financially.

“You
need to fix yourself up and get out of this house. I can put a few curls in
your hair if you want me to,” Tiffany offered.

“I
don’t want to leave out of
here.
I’m fine,”
I said trying hard to convince them.

“You
are not fine, but you were a few days ago. What happened to put you in such a
bad place all of a sudden?” My mother asked.

I
wanted to answer, but the lump in my throat wouldn’t allow me to. I broke down
crying before I could utter a word. Tiffany rushed to my side while my mother
stood there with her usual cold blank stare.

“It’s
okay Kennedi. What happened?” Tiffany asked me. I wiped my tears and walked
over to the island in my kitchen. I picked up the big brown envelope and handed
it to my cousin. My mother snatched it from her grip before she even had a
chance to look at it.

“That
bastard,” my mother yelled angrily when she read over everything. “So he filed
for divorce and he’s the one that cheated on you?”

“I
can’t believe he’s treating you like this,” Tiffany said with a look of
pity on
her face.

“I
hope he’s prepared to sign away half of his company because that’s the only way
you’ll be signing anything,” my mother swore.

“I
don’t want half of his company or his money, I want my husband,” I sobbed.

“You
sound like a damn fool. You are not about to beg him to be with you. He’s the
one who went fishing in the gutter and came up with a rat. Let that hood rat
bitch have him. All you need is for him to take care of you financially,” my
mama fussed.

“And
what about my baby? He or she deserves to have a father.”

“He’ll
come around to see his baby and you know he will. You’ll have the upper
hand,
so you make him dance to your music,” she
replied.

“You
know how much Dominic loves kids. He’ll take care of his
baby,
and you know that,” Tiffany reassured me.

“Clean
yourself up and let’s get out of here. We’ll continue this discussion over
lunch,” my mother instructed.

“Come
on Kennedi, I’ll help you,” Tiffany offered again.

This
time, I let her lead me upstairs. We fished around in my closet until I found
something suitable to wear. After taking a shower and getting dressed, Tiffany
used my wand to put some loose curls in my hair. I looked at my reflection in
the mirror and was satisfied with the end result.

“I’m
spending the night with you so we can give this house a good cleaning. This is
really not like you Kennedi,” Tiffany said.

I
didn’t reply because she was right. My house was filthy and in need of a good
cleaning. Dirty clothes are everywhere because I haven’t washed them or taken
them to the cleaners. I’ve been too miserable to really do much of anything
lately. When we got back downstairs, the maintenance man was done repairing my
door. He probably would have been gone if my mother would have stopped flirting
with him so hard. He doesn’t seem like he’s interested, but that didn’t stop
her. If she loves
money,
so much she’s
surely barking up the wrong tree with him. I know for a fact that he doesn’t
even own a car.

“I’m
ready,” I announced after watching her make a damn fool out of herself.

“How
about we get us a good shrimp salad?” Tiffany suggested. We all agreed right
before walking out the door and getting into my mother’s truck. I noticed that
she was still holding the divorce papers that Dominic sent to me, but I didn’t
say anything. We ended up going on the Lakefront to New Orleans Food and Sprits
where they sell some of the best seafood salads in town.

“I
hope we don’t have to wait, I’m starving,” I complained as we pulled up.
Sometimes the wait to be seated is an hour or
more,
and I just wasn’t for it. I’ve been starving myself for the last few
days,
and it’s starting to get to me. When we
got out of the
truck,
I almost ran to the
entrance I was so hungry. I quickly slowed my pace and looked on in disgust
when I saw Brooklyn and her two cousins walking out along with Taylor.

“Look
at these ghetto bitches,” Tiffany mumbled when she saw them.

“Don’t
you two dare embarrass me out here,” my mother warned us as she looked up from
her phone.

They
were all talking and smiling until they saw us headed in their direction. My
eyes instantly traveled to Brookly
n’s
stomach area, but just like me, she really isn’t showing very much. I looked in
her face and instantly became angry. I just didn’t understand what was so
special about her that made my husband leave our marriage for her. Taylor
looked at Tiffany and smirked while Brookly
n’s
cousins flat out laughed in our faces. I was about to let it go, but I just
couldn’t hold my anger or my tongue any longer.

“Is
something funny?” I question with a scowl on my face.

“Well,
since you mentioned it, that weave is a hot ass mess. Take my card and hit me
up. I’ll even give you the family discount if money is an issue,” Brookly
n’s
cousin said as he handed me his card.

“As
if I would ever let you touch my hair,” I scoffed as I slapped it out of his
hand and watched it fall to the ground.

“Girl,
you better be happy that you’re pregnant. That’s the only thing keeping me from
knocking you on your ass right now. You need to let somebody touch that hair
and that
makeup up
. Walking around here
looking
two-toned
in the face. Bitch
blend it or don’t wear it at all,” he advised referring to the foundation that
I had on.

“Let’s
go Co-Co, it’s not even that serious,” Brooklyn said. Just the sound of her
voice was enough to send me over the edge.

“Bitch
shut up and go tend to that ugly ass little boy of yours!” I yelled angrily. I
knew right then and there that I made a huge mistake by talking about her son.
As if on cue, Brooklyn rushed over to me and grabbed me by my hair. She started
pummeling my face with her fist like we were in a boxing
ring,
and the bell sounded. I’m not a fighter,
but I tried my best to keep up with her wild ass. She delivered blows to my
face that would make a grown man cry. It felt like I was swinging
at
the wind because none of my licks landed.

“I
wish you would put your hands on her,” Taylor said when Tiffany tried to step
in.

“This
doesn’t have anything to do with you Taylor,” Tiffany yelled.

“Anything
that involves my sister-in-law has everything to do with me. And like I just
said, I wish you would put your hands on her,” Taylor repeated.

 
“Get your hands off of my daughter!” My mother
screamed while walking over to us.

“Don’t
make me put my hands on you out here lady. Please don’t make me do it,” Candace
warned, stopping my mother from intervening.

I
swung like crazy trying to get one of my
licks
to land anywhere on Brookly
n’s
body, but
it never happened. She punched me in my face and pulled my hair, all at the
same time. My tracks are sewn in, but it felt like she was ripping the
stitches
right from my scalp.

Against
Taylor’s warning, Tiffany stepped in and tried to pull Brooklyn off of me. It
only took a second for Taylor to grab her shirt and sling her to the ground.
Before my cousin could get up, she pounced on her and started swinging.

“Kennedi
stop this. You are pregnant or do you even care about that,” my mother screamed
frantically. It’s like a light bulb clicked in Candace’s
head,
and she quickly moved in and broke us
apart.

“Let
her go Brooklyn. Dominic will kill us if something happens to you and his baby,”
she said pissing me off.

Taylor
was still beating Tiffany half to death until Co-Co pulled her off of my
cousin. Tiffany laid on the ground with blood dripping from various parts of
her face. I knew that I had to have scratches because my face was burning and
stinging like crazy. I could taste the blood in my mouth, but I needed a mirror
to see the full extent of the damage that she done.

“I
owe you much more than
that,
and best
believe we’re going to finish this,” Taylor promised Tiffany.

“That’s
all you low life tricks know how to do is fight. I bet you can barely read and
write, but you know how to throw a punch,” my mother said.

“Bitch,
if you don’t go sit down somewhere with that outdated lace front on. Looking
like Al Sharpton,” Co-Co roared.

“Let’s
go Kennedi,” my mother said as we helped Tiffany up from the ground. I watched
as all four of them piled into the Audi truck that my husband paid for with
Brooklyn getting behind the wheel.

“That
was so embarrassing. I hope and pray that nobody in that restaurant knows me,”
my mother complained.