Chapter 22 #3
“What’s that?” her sister exclaims loud as hell.
“Diamonds,” she sighs as she examines the two-carat princess cut, disregarding the lit blunt.
Sunjiya takes the blunt with her other hand.
“You’re marrying him,” her sister utters before abruptly dropping Sunjiya’s hand.
“Wow and you didn’t tell me. I’m not going to share this with you.
It’s really fuck what we promised each other. ”
“That was dumb, kid shit that we should have never done. We are two different people and we need to live our separate lives. You have to see that. Just look at this house. I love it and would definitely keep it for my family, not sell it. You want to get rid of it.”
“I am your fucking family,” her sister fires back. “Your only family. Your fucking fiancé don’t even know who the hell you are.”
“’Cause I got caught up in that switching shit and took it too far but I’m going to fix that when I get home. I love him and I’m going to tell him the truth, everything.”
“Good luck with that shit,” her sister mumbles under her breath but Sunjiya hears her clearly. Chimes interrupt their heated conversation and her sister stands. “That’s the food,” she says as she walks off, shaking her head in disgust.
While she walks off to get the food, Sunjiya takes another needed pull on the blunt then places it on the ashtray.
Her plan to tell Akeem is out to her sister and the threat of exposure no longer looms over her head.
Her sister can’t hurt her by telling Akeem.
She’s going to do what she should have done a long time ago and pray he understands.
Thinking about Akeem, she twists her beautiful ring then grabs her cell. When she taps the dark screen, it stays dark, so she presses the side button. Still a dark screen. It’s dead.
“I thought I charged it,” she mumbles as she stands.
Sunjiya walks out of the living room right as her sister walks in with the food and drinks.
She rushes upstairs and grabs her charger.
When she returns, her sister is sitting on the floor with the yellow and red boxes spread on the table alongside their sodas.
Tension is so thick in the room. It’s palpable but so is the aroma of the food. Her appetite appears to be back.
There’s a charging port on the arm of the loveseat, so after connecting her phone, she joins her sister on the floor. She takes a few sips from her drink, then grabs a wing, biscuit, and a small container of her favorite, the dirty rice.
Although words are left unspoken and they both want to say more, they eat in silence and enjoy their food. Sunjiya adds a splash of tequila to her Starry and her sister takes two shots straight from the bottle.
“You’re going to tell him everything?” her sister asks, finally breaking the silence.
“Yes. I’m marrying him. He needs to know everything.”
“And then what?”
“Then, we navigate the truth. He meets my twin sister and we try to have a normal relationship. I live my life with him and you live yours. Hell, maybe find a good man of your own. I don’t know, just normal, grown-up shit.
No more childish games and switching. We’ll live and be happy for once,” Sunjiya says, hopeful.
At least we’re talking and she’s listening.
“It’s a lot. I’m just trying to figure out where this all came from.”
“Hell, from being locked up by Marcelin for almost three years, breaking free, and finding real love. That’ll make anybody want change.”
“But I’m the same. I loved switching. The fun, the little fear and rush of not getting caught. All of it. You’re not going to miss that?’
“No! And we haven’t done it for three years. You’ve been fine without us doing it.”
“Yeah but I knew once you got away from Marcelin we would be back to normal.”
Sunjiya shrugs then glares at her sister. What is she not getting?
“This shit is different, way different, Twin, and I don’t like it,” her sister says.
“But I wish you would,” Sunjiya says. “I really do.”
“Hand me the blunt,” is all she says, so Sunjiya pushes the ashtray over.
The conversation becomes reminiscent of their convo in Antigua, very circular.
The same things are said over and over and nothing is resolved.
Sunjiya’s hopefulness starts to wane as it becomes more apparent that her sister doesn’t want their dynamic to change.
It’s disheartening and very disappointing.
The mini torch isn’t working so Sunjiya’s sister eases off the floor and goes to search for another lighter. Sunjiya gets up to check her phone. To her surprise and dismay, the screen is still black and it will not power on. Her phone is still dead and it never takes this long to charge.
“What the hell?” she utters in frustration. Time has flown by and it’s already after five. Axton’s tests today were supposed to be done by three, which means Akeem has probably been trying to reach her. “Fuck!”
“What’s wrong?”
“Either my phone is tripping or my charger isn’t working. Do you have another cord?” Sunjiya asks. Her sister steps toward the recliner, lifts the armrest cover, and pulls out a cord. She tosses it to Sunjiya. “Thanks, hopefully this works. If not, I’m going to have to go to the store.”
“It’s probably just the cord.”
“I hope so. I don’t need my phone crashing right now.” Sunjiya sighs. Quickly, she swaps out the cords and plugs her phone in.
“Staring at it ain’t gon’ make it charge quicker. Here, hit this again,” her sister says while holding the blunt out.
“I’m good,” Sunjiya says dismissively. Her non-charging phone has all of her attention. “What’s wrong?” she mumbles as she presses the side button. “I need to go to the store. Is there one close?”
“Apple?” her sister confirms and Sunjiya nods. “Oh, then no. The closest Apple store is Perimeter in Atlanta, and with five o’clock traffic, I don’t know if you’ll make it before it closes. You can use my phone until tomorrow.”
“Nah. I need my phone,” Sunjiya insists, then stands. She unplugs her phone and gathers it and the cord.
Not only does Sunjiya need to speak with Akeem; she also wants to change her flight.
She came, said what she had to say, and clearly realized her sister’s position wasn’t changing.
No need to stay here till Sunday. Sunjiya’s heart and home is in Austin with Akeem and she needs to get back to prepare to tell him the truth.
“You’ve been drinking and smoking,” her sister reminds her.
“But I’m good. I barely put any tequila in my cup and it’s still full. I can drive.”
Hurriedly, Sunjiya leaves the living room. She’s heading to the stairs when the doorbell chimes. She ignores it, but as she ascends the steps, the chime sounds back to back, almost excessively.
“Coming!” her sister yells. “Who is it?” she barks, appearing annoyed.
“I’m looking for a Charlie Smith?” a deep, masculine voice Sunjiya knows very well asks.
“Akeem,” Sunjiya utters, deadpan.
Six hours earlier…
Her twin is here, in her home, in her domain, and her sister will do whatever to make sure the life they planned as teenagers and executed as adults continues.
Ending their years of trading places, swapping lives, and having fun isn’t an option for her.
Sunjiya is all she has left in this world and this new dynamic Sunjiya suggests will pull them apart.
The minute she hears the water running, she eases upstairs and creeps to the guest room door.
It’s closed, so she gingerly presses the latch and slowly pushes the door open.
When she sees Sunjiya isn’t in the bedroom, she tiptoes in, locates Sunjiya’s cell phone, and eases out like a thief.
She rushes downstairs and puts her deceitful plan in motion.
After walking out of her inherited home, she takes full advantage of being a twin, switch mode in full effect. Using her face, her sister’s face, she unlocks the phone, and finds the contact she needs. Husbae.
“Here goes nothing and every fucking thing,” she says with a smirk before taking a deep ass breath and pressing the contact.
Akeem’s deep baritone flows through the phone. “What’s up, bae?”
Breathily and with panic laced in her voice, she says, “Oh good, baby. I need you. They got me.”
“What? Who got you?” he responds with equal panic as he stands and leaves the waiting area of Mount Sinai’s Vision Center. Hurriedly, he powers his way out of the door. “Where are you?”
“This house in Georgia,” she cries frantically.
“Georgia?” he barks, chest tightening as he speaks. “Fuck! How did you get there?”
“Baby, please,” she cries, then she lowers her voice for dramatic effect. “Oh god. . . They’re coming.”
“Send me your location,” he demands.
“Okay,” she adds, then abruptly ends the call. Mission fucking accepted. She snickers to herself as she sends her location.
“Bae, bae. Fuck!” he grits while fuming.
Her location pops in his messages and he opens it.
After screen saving it, he dial her back but it goes to voicemail.
“Fuck!” he groans again. Who the fuck has her?
Filled with rage, he continues to redial her as he storms back into the hospital.
Conyers, Georgia is his next stop and his brother will definitely understand.
Sunjiya’s in danger and he needs to get her and kill every muthafucka who put their hands on her.