Wren
A COUPLE DAYS LATER
Stepping out my door, I looked over at Maniac’s mansion and sighed. This man has this big, beautiful ass house on all this land. I just know his wife is living her best life. I wonder how she felt when she found out that he moved my trailer onto their land.
I hadn’t seen his wife since the night of the wedding. Every so often, I’d peek out the door to see if I’d see her leaving the house and saw nothing. Rarely did I see Maniac coming and going.
Hitting the fob on my truck, I adjusted my duffel on my shoulder and headed down the steps. Today, I was heading to meet Aria for Pilates. It’s something we took up together to keep us in shape. I’d actually grown fond of going in the last couple of months and basically had to drag her out with me.
Opening the driver’s door, I tossed my bag onto the passenger seat and turned my truck over. Of course it clicked on my ass.
“Ugh.”
Tyree tried to tell me that nothing was wrong with the truck when I knew that was a lie. He was just sorry and didn’t want to put in the work to figure out what it is.
Pressing the gas a few times, I turned the key over again and got the same result. “Need some help?” I jumped at the sound of Maniac’s voice. Man appeared out of thin air.
Cutting my eyes at him, I replied, “No,” and turned the key over. This time, the truck started up. “See.” I beamed a smile at him.
He leaned his frame into the side of my truck. “You gon’ stop fighting it one of these days. Mark my words.”
“Where’s yo’ wife?” My right brow arched to my hairline as I tilted my head and searched his eyes.
“What are you talking ’bout?”
“Yo’ wife, Solei. Where is she?”
The corner of his mouth quirked. I saw nothing funny about the question at hand.
“That’s my sister.”
“Adopted?” She looks nothing like him. I know that some people be having different parents, but Solei has a darker complexion than him and Luxe. When I searched up their name, I didn’t do a deep dive into all of them, so I didn’t know all of their names or what everyone looks like.
“Nah. Is we gon’ get back to this raggedy ass truck of yours?”
I know that my truck wasn’t the best, but it still has the original paint job, none of it was rusted. Just sometimes, it doesn’t want to start.
“Don’t call her that.”
“Why don’t you just go out there and get something new?” His eyes roamed my face. “…Something that fits you.”
“This was my daddy’s truck. I won’t give this up for anything in the world.”
“Oh, Big John… Yeah, I remember him.”
Tears filled the brims of my eyes. I didn’t remember much about my father, so when other people said they knew him, I love hearing the stories. It made me feel closer to him. “Remember what? I’m sure you weren’t that old when he was alive.”
“I’ve heard the stories ’bout him. I’ve seen him a couple times.”
“What stories?” My daddy wasn’t into the illegal business like Uncle Trayvon. He’d gotten killed on a normal day at a gas station after someone robbed the place and tried to flee the scene. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. At least that’s what I’ve been told.
“That’s not important.”
“Maybe it isn’t for you, but it is for me. All I have is small memories of him.”
“I’ma let you get outta here. Don’t be talking to no men while you gone.” He stepped back away from my door and I slammed it close.
“That was exhausting,” Aria said as we stepped to the bench and grabbed our water bottles.
“I feel rejuvenated.”
Aria playfully rolled her eyes and gulped her water down. Once she was done, she reached into her bag and pulled out her lip gloss. I watched her as she rolled it over her plump lips. One thing about Aria, she gon’ keep her lips moisturized.
“Is that?...” She squinted her eyes, looking across the building.
I searched to see what she was talking about.
There were two chicks, standing over there by the door.
I’m not sure where she could’ve known them from.
“That is that bitch.” Reaching down, she grabbed her bag and draped it over her shoulder.
“Who?” I snatched my bag up when I realized that she was about to storm off.
“One of them hoes that was sleeping with Cassius.”
“Oh, God.” I knew right then that Aria was about to start some shit, and I needed to get ahead of it. “Just leave it alone, Aria,” I spoke, not wanting her to fuck up our membership here. I liked coming here. It was peaceful and they have a lot of equipment.
“Don’t worry, I’m not gon’ touch her in here. Let’s go.”
I followed her out the door into the parking lot. Her car was closer to the door than mine. I could’ve easily just gotten into my truck and left, but I knew she wasn’t about to leave when she opened the passenger door and placed her bag on the seat and then shut it back.
She wrapped her black, curly hair into a bun at the nape of her neck. I knew she meant business then. Aria is the type of person, when she say she gon’ do something, she gon’ do it.
One of the girls came out the door and Aria stormed in her direction. “Aye!” she yelled at her, gaining her attention. Soon as she looked in Aria’s direction, Aria’s fist connected with the corner of her chin. My eyes expanded and mouth formed a huge O. The girl’s head flung back.
“Didn’t I tell you it was on sight every time I see you?” Her fists connected everywhere they could land. “I hate bitches like you!” The girl dropped to the ground and balled up into the fetal position. That didn’t stop Aria. She kicked her in the ribs, head, back, wherever her feet could go.
People surrounded them. Some of them had their phones out recording and the others had them up to their ear. I’m sure they were calling the police on her. I gripped Aria by the forearm and pulled her away from the girl.
“Let’s go,” I told her, dragging her toward her car.
“I bet you won’t sleep with someone else’s man again, slut!” Aria yelled. We made it to her car, and she hopped into the driver’s seat.
“Please go home.”
“I am. Let me know when you make it home.”
I shut her door and headed over to my parking space to find a red sedan parked where I was.
How? This was where I parked at. The parking lot wasn’t that big; I couldn’t lose my truck out here as if I was at Walmart or something.
My head whipped around, and my eyes scanned the parking lot for my truck, but I saw it nowhere.
Removing my phone from my pocket, I dialed Uncle Trayvon. The phone rang a couple times before he answered.
“Yeah, Wren?”
“Someone stole my truck!”
“You got the shittiest luck. You know that, right?”
“Ugh!” I stomped my right foot. “Someone stole my truck,” I repeated, barely audible. It’s sinking in my brain that the one thing I had left of my dad was taken from me. Why?
“Where are you?”
“At Her Pilates on Vaughn Road.”
“I’m on my way. Call the police.”
The phone beeped in my ear, and I called nine one one.
“Dispatch, what’s your emergency?”
Tears trickled my cheeks, and I sniffled. “Someone stole my truck.”
“Stole it from where?”
“Her Pilates on Vaughn Road.”
“What’s your name and the best contact phone number for you?”
I paced the parking lot and replied, “Wren Sloane and my number is three three four, three one three, eight zero five four.”
“I’m sending someone out to you now.”
“Thank you.” I disconnected the call and nibbled on my thumbnail.
This is unbelievable. If Aria hadn’t beat that girl up, I would’ve called her back and told her what happened.
I think that I’m gon’ wait ’til I’m no longer out here so that she doesn’t come back.
For the next ten minutes, I walked the parking lot, waiting for Uncle Trayvon and the police to arrive.
I stepped up onto the sidewalk in front of the building where they’d be able to see me when they turned into the parking lot.
As I stood there, I noticed the droplets of blood on the ground where the girl was that Aria was fighting.
Normally, when stuff happens like that, I’d feel sorry for the other person, but not this time. She got exactly what she deserves.
I’m sure that she knew about me and still talked to him in the first place. Some of these women be bold as fuck when it comes to these men. They don’t care about nothing but themselves.
A white Ferrari pulled into the parking lot and slowed up as it neared me. The tint on it is so dark, that I can’t see inside. The car stopped in front of me and the driver’s door opened. Maniac stepped out and I tossed my hands up in the air.
“Let me guess, Uncle Trayvon called you?”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“I don’t need you.” I folded my arms over my chest.
“Seems like you do though. You wanna find yo’ truck, don’t you?”
“And how are you supposed to help me find it?” I cocked my head to the side, waiting for his response.
“I run this city. I can find anything.”
“Whatever.” I swiftly rolled my eyes. A police truck pulled into the parking lot and I said, “Finally.” The city is bad when it comes to emergencies. It’s like they take their time getting anywhere, that’s if one can even get them to answer the calls.
The officer climbed out the driver’s seat and I walked over to where he was. “Did you call the police?”
“Yes. Someone stole my truck out the parking lot while I was in Pilates.”
“What kind of truck is it?”
“A Chevy Silverado Classic. Burgundy. Please find it. It’s the only thing that I have left of my daddy.” The floodgates opened. I can no longer fight back the tears.
“I’ll have to write up a report. Can I have your ID?”
“Yes.” Sniffling, I opened my duffel and grabbed my wallet out of there. Handing him over the ID, I watched him as he climbed into his truck and shut the door.
“I keep telling you that I can find the truck for you if you just let me.”
I cut my eyes in Maniac’s direction. How desperate I am to get the truck back, I don’t care who was to find it. “Do whatever you have to do.”
Removing his phone from his pocket, he dialed a number and walked away from me.
I turned my attention back to the officer, who climbed out the truck with a small piece of paper.
“I did the police report. It’ll be ready in a couple of days.
We placed a BOLO out on the truck. If we find it, we’ll let you know. ”
“Okay, thanks officer.”
“You’re welcome. Enjoy the rest of your day.”
He got back into his truck and sat there for a moment. I pulled my phone out and went to the Uber application to find me a way home. “C’mon,” Maniac said when he made it back over to where I stood.
“Huh?”
“Huh can hear.” He opened the passenger door and stood there, gawking at me.
As much as I don’t want to, riding home with him is cheaper than catching an Uber. “Fine.”
Stepping off the curb, I climbed into the car and placed my bag on the floor in between my feet. Gripping the seat belt, I snapped it closed and relaxed against the seat while he shut the door behind me.
My eyes bounced around the dashboard. This is my first time ever being in a foreign car. It was nice. Nothing that I’d waste all my money on to buy though.
Maniac got into the driver’s seat, slapping me in the face with his expensive cologne. I knew it wasn’t cheap for two reasons: I never smelled anyone else wearing the scent and from the price of his car and clothes, I know he didn’t take the cheap route when it came to his fragrances.
Maniac pulled away from the curb, and I silently sat in the passenger seat as he drove me home.
When he pulled up to the trailer, I turned to him and asked, “Do you really think that I’m gon’ get my truck back?
” I knew that stuff like this was rare. Most of the time, people who steals cars ends up crashing them.
If they aren’t crashed, then they are stripped and undriveable.
“You’ll get it back. I’ll make sure of it.”
“But why?”
“’Cause it’s what I’m supposed to do.”
Without uttering another word to him, I got out the car and headed into the trailer. Gremlin was sitting on the back of the couch when I walked inside. I dropped my bag on the sofa and went to my call log. Pressing Aria’s name, I placed the phone on speaker and flopped on the couch.
“Damn, I was just about to call you and make sure that you made it home. It’s been hours.”
“Someone stole the truck.”
“You’re lying.”
“Wish I was.” I sighed, thinking about everything that transpired before I made it home.
“Damn, that’s fucked up. Why you didn’t call and let me know?”
“I couldn’t risk you getting in trouble for jumping on that girl.”
“You still could’ve called, Wren. You know I wouldn’t have left you up there like that. How did you get home?”
“Maniac.”
“Wow, so you called him over me?”
My body tilted over where I was laying on my side. “No. I called Uncle Trayvon. He’s the one who called him. He says that he’s gon’ find the truck.”
“And you believe him?”
“I don’t know. Sort of.”
He didn’t give me any reason to believe he was lying.
“I think you’re falling in the trap.”
“No, I’m not. You know I’ll do anything to get that truck back. If he wants to help, I’m not gon’ stop him.”
“Yeah, okay.”