Truly #4
Jakia ignored him. She went to her sister’s calls.
The last calls were to her. She immediately went for her own phone to compare.
She had to scroll her own call log, and it wouldn’t allow her to go back that many weeks.
She checked her missed calls and there was none from Keyona.
They should’ve been there in a bright red color that said she didn’t answer.
Jakia clicked on every call her sister made to see if anyone answered.
The only person that could’ve answered her phone is Twon.
Only every call showed that no one answered.
The truth meant far worse. It took her weeks to figure out but now she knew.
“You erased her calls,” Jakia said under her breath.
“What?” Twon looked behind him.
“Keyona called me. You erased the calls.” Jakia sat up in the bed.
“I don’t know what the fuck you talking about. You need to take your ass to sleep.” He turned over.
Jakia pulled her gun from the nightstand, cocked it and put it against his dome.
“Chill the fuck out!” he barked.
“Say you did it,” she ordered.
“Ard.” He sighed. “I erased the calls. But only because I didn’t think she wanted shit.
I was just trying to look out for you. I know people like to lie when their loved one dies, but Keyona was taking advantage.
You was tired of that shit, too. If I knew the shit was going down like that I wouldn’t have done it. ”
Jakia nodded, swallowing hard. She put her gun back in the nightstand because that would be too loud. The neighbors would here. The police would come She’d be taken to jail and not even a paid alibi from the Turners could save her. She stormed out of the bedroom and into the kitchen.
Stephanie watched silently from the deck. When Jakia walked out of the kitchen, the streetlight reflected from the window and onto the sharp knife in her hand.
“Wallah, get here right now.” Stephanie hung up on him as she rushed into the house.
She tossed her phone onto the couch, chasing behind Jakia who slammed the door behind her. Stephanie peeked in on Carmell before shutting his door all the way. She barged her way into Jakia’s bedroom, as she stood over top of Twon with the knife pointed at him.
“Jakia, what’s going on?” her mother asked.
“This bitch erased Key’s calls the night she died. She needed me and this stupid motherfucker—ahhhhh!” Jakia screamed. “I fucking hate you!” She kicked him in the side with her bare foot.
“Give me the knife, baby. He ain’t worth it.”
“He laid next to me for weeks acting like he was taking care of me.” Jakia laughed, wiping snot from her face.
“And he gon’ suffer, baby. People like him never win. It might seem like it but he ain’t ever gon have nobody that loves him forreal. You got people, baby girl. I’ve seen it for myself. You got people that love you. I love you. And we gon carry you through this, I promise you that.”
Jakia began to cry. Not a sound left her lips, but she gasped for air in unbelievable pain. All the walls she put up to keep the enemy out and somehow, he still got in. She didn’t know who was good and who was bad anymore. What she did know is that she was tired of people hurting her.
Stephanie pulled the gun from Jakia’s hands and Jakia sobbed onto her shoulder. Two relaxed and jumped up from the bed. He put his shoes on while Stephanie rubbed her daughter’s back.
“I’m sorry,” Twon said.
As Twon tried to creep by, Stephanie poked him with the knife.
“You not leaving this time, bitch.” She poked him again.
This time, she stuck as deep as she could before twisting it and yanking it out. She did it again as Jakia watched in shock. When Jakia was able to snap out of it, she grabbed her mother’s hand.
“Ma, what the fuck?!”
“I owed you that.” She let the knife go. “Fuck him.”
There was a knock at the door and Jakia panicked.
“That’s Wallah, go on and let him in. He gon’ take care of all this.” Stephanie assured her daughter.
Jakia took off for the door. Sure enough, Wallah was standing on the other side of the door when she looked through the peephole. She yanked the door open.
“What’s wrong?” Wallah let himself in.
He shut and locked the door, all the while staring in Jakia’s face waiting for her to tell him what happened.
“Jakia.” He gently grabbed her arms. “What’s going on?”
“He deleted her calls,” she said, staring blankly at nothing at all. “Key called me. She needed me. He erased her calls.”
“Who did?”
“That baby’s father,” Stephanie said. “I whacked his ass. Mafia style.” She nodded her head, pumped up with adrenaline.
Wallah rushed to the bedroom. He was expecting to see a massacre, but at first glance the room was perfect. He flipped the light switch. Using the mirror to reflect the side of the room he couldn’t see, his eyes grew big.
“What the fuck, ma?” He walked over. “How many times did you stab this nigga?” Wallah finally saw the body.
“’Til the ancestors told me stop.” Stephanie snickered. Wallah twisted his lips up at her. “Nah, but for real.” She scratched her head. “You gotta get this up.”
Wallah stood there stunned. He thought of the worst that could happen getting involved with Keyona’s family. This wasn’t on the list. They were every bit of the handful she said they were. HE signed up for them, though. He couldn’t back out now.
“Ard, y’all gotta clear out. This is beyond my expertise. I need a professional on this shit.”