Chapter 9
Alayah
A week had gone by, and I was settling in at Uncle Clive’s shop pretty well.
Charlene was a great teacher. She’d not only shown me step-by-step instructions for daily duties, but she wrote me a little manual in case I forgot something.
I had another week to learn all I needed to know because she would be going on maternity leave very soon.
She was already walking around groaning and rubbing her belly like she was having contractions.
The last thing I wanted was for her to go into labor in the office.
Currently, I was walking around the shop taking inventory while Charlene was on lunch. It had been a pretty quiet day. After Uncle Clive threatened Theo, he didn’t even look in my direction, and the others followed suit. I didn’t come here to make trouble. I just wanted my space respected.
“You working hard or hardly working?” Londyn asked, rolling from beneath a car.
“I’m just appearing to look busy,” I jested. “I’m doing inventory. Just trying to keep busy. An idle mind is the devil’s playground.”
“Chile, you said a mouthful. I think about all kinds of shit when I’m bored. Like, dumb shit. For instance, how do our brains remember that we forgot something, but we can’t remember what that thing was? Or the fact that nothing is really on fire, more like fire is on things—”
I laughed. She was so random.
“Londyn, do you smoke when you’re alone?”
She grinned. “Sometimes. These are not my high thoughts, though. Those are much deeper. You smoke?”
“No.”
“Edibles?”
“Nope.”
“Damn, girl. What do you do for fun?”
I shrugged. “I like to read.”
“Oh! You read smut, don’t you? You know those quiet, innocent-looking girls always like stuff like that.”
I shook my head. “I like romance books.”
“But you aren’t trying to have your own romance story.” She shook her head. “My friend, my friend.”
The sound of the door alarm alerted me to a customer. Since Charlene wasn’t back, I had to take care of them.
“I’ll talk to you later, Londyn.”
“Okay, boo.”
She slid back under the car while I headed back through the back door to the office that led to the front entrance.
“Welcome to Clive’s. How can I help—”
I stopped as my gaze met Killian’s. He offered me a warm smile.
“Alayah.”
“What are you doing here?”
He held up his hands in surrender. “I come in peace. I just need a tune-up. My usual mechanic is swamped, and he referred me here.”
I sighed as I grabbed a work order form and began filling it out. He watched me intently, but remained quiet, only answering the basic questions until I reached for his keys.
“Can we talk?”
“About?”
“You. I just want to know how you’re doing, Layah.”
Him calling me that softened my heart a little. It reminded me of the friendship we’d shared once upon a time.
“I’m fine, Killian. My uncle got me this job. I’m keeping out of trouble—just going through this transition with my head down.”
“I’ll ask again: Do you need anything?”
“No. I have everything I need right now.”
“What about a friend? You could always use one of those, right?”
“I’m sure being friends with me would do more damage than good. You have a reputation now, don’t you? Big-time lawyer. I’m sure you shouldn’t be seen with the likes of me.”
“What do you mean the likes of you?”
“You know exactly what I mean, Killian. You shouldn’t be seen canoodling with a criminal, especially a known murderer.”
He shook his head. “Is that all you see yourself as—a criminal? A murderer? That’s not how I see you at all.
You survived something some people wouldn’t have.
You protected your sisters from a monster and sacrificed yourself to do so.
How many people do you know would have been able to carry a fraction of what you’ve carried for so long?
You are strong, resilient, and deserving of a second chance because the first one was taken from you.
Maybe I don’t know this version of you, but I see you, Layah. ”
I struggled to fight back the tears threatening to spill from my eyes.
He stepped close to the counter and gently reached for my hand.
I jerked back slightly, but he still held his hand out to me.
With trembling fingers, I slowly placed my hand in his palm, watching his fingers close around it.
He cupped my chin, then slowly lifted my head so my gaze would meet his.
We stared at each other for a moment, until the sound of the back door opening broke our trancelike state.
I looked back to see Londyn standing there with a wide-eyed expression. Slowly, I pulled away from him and grabbed his keys.
“Am I interrupting something?” she asked “I can come back—”
“You’re fine, Londyn. Did you need something?”
“Yeah. Can you call Mr. Kelton and let him know his car is ready?” She handed over the work order and his keys.
“Sure thing. Um, Mr. Lake is getting a tune-up. Can you take care of that?”
“Yep.”
I slipped the work order and his keys into a plastic cover and handed it to her. Her pretty brown eyes bounced between us before she slipped back out the door she’d come in. I took a step back from the counter.
“You can wait here, or I can call you when it’s done.”
“I have a few errands to run with my Pops, so just call me.”
“Will do.”
“Layah?”
I sighed heavily. “What?”
“Keep my number.”
“Why?”
“In case you ever need me. Maybe I can I take you out for a coffee sometime—just to talk.”
“I’ll think about it. Bye, Killian.”
“Don’t say bye. That’s too final. I’ll see you later.”
“See you later.”
He gave me that million-dollar smile of his as he backed out the door.
I watched as he climbed into the car with his father until well after he was gone.
I wasn’t sure if I was ready to rekindle my friendship with him.
Building a bond with Londyn was enough already.
Did I really want to reconnect with someone who knew my dirty secret?
“Did you bring lunch today?” Londyn asked me, popping her head into my office.
True to her word, we’d been eating lunch together every day this week. I had to admit, I liked her a little more every day. I was still getting used to her talking so much, but she was cool people.
“I was just gonna grab some chips or something from the vending machine.”
“No, ma’am. You can come with me to get something. I’m just going to grab my purse. Meet me out front.”
She closed the door, not giving me a chance to protest. Beside me, Charlene giggled.
“Go ahead, girl. Londyn doesn’t take no for an answer.”
“I’ve grown to understand that,” I said, standing. “I’ll be back in an hour.”
“Take your time. We’ll be here,” she added, rubbing her belly.
I grabbed my crossbody and headed out of the office. As I rounded the corner, I bumped into my uncle.
“You headed to lunch?” he asked.
“Yes. Londyn invited me to go with her.”
He chuckled. “I told you she was going to make you her best friend. Enjoy yourself, baby.”
He kissed my temple, then walked past me. I continued out front. Londyn came prancing out the side door, waving for me to follow her. She headed for this beautiful black-on-black pickup truck with pink accents. Once she unlocked the door, I climbed inside. The inside was decked out in pink as well.
“This is nice,” I complimented. “I didn’t take you for a pick-up truck kind of girl.”
She giggled. “It belonged to my dad. After he passed away, I restored it and made it my own.” She cranked up and pulled out of the parking lot. “I always see you ride with Mr. Clive. You don’t drive?”
“I, uh…I never learned.”
“What? Girl, where the hell have you been? We’re gonna fix that. I wouldn’t be your bestie if I didn’t teach you how to drive.”
“You don’t have to do that—”
“Alayah, please don’t piss me off. Friends help friends. Give me a couple months. You’ll be driving like a pro. I’ll even take you to take the test, and when you pass, we’re going to celebrate.”
I had to admit, her gesture made me smile. I hadn’t had a real friend on the outside since…well, since Killian. I thought back to his visit earlier. He was still the nice boy he was in high school, except now he was a nice man. A nice, handsome, grown-ass man.
I shook that thought from my head because where did it even come from?
I refocused my attention back on the road.
Londyn turned into this burger spot and parked her truck.
We hopped out, and I threw my shades on before we walked inside.
I’d been having home-cooked meals since I’d come home, so this was going to be interesting.
I settled on a double cheeseburger basket with fries and a vanilla milkshake. Londyn ended up getting the same, and we grabbed a table while we waited for our order to come out.
“So,” she said with a smile, “that guy from earlier. He was cute, right? He seemed to be into you.”
I shook my head. “It wasn’t like that. We used to be friends in high school. That’s it.”
“Really? Well, if you were interested, you two would make a cute couple. Those would be some pretty babies.”
“You can have him if you want him.”
She laughed. “Girl, don’t tell me that. It’s been a minute, and once I put this cat in his lap, it’s a wrap.”
We shared a laugh. Londyn was a mess. The more I got to know her, the more she reminded me of my girls back in the pen.
The server brought our orders out shortly after, and that burger looked heavenly.
It was so juicy with just the right amount of everything on it.
The fries were crispy, and the milkshake was smooth and creamy.
Tasting everything was like an explosion of flavors in my mouth.
“Oh my God…” I moaned my satisfaction.
“It’s good, right?” Londyn asked.
“It’s heavenly.”
“That itis is gonna kick in, and I’m not gonna be good for shit.”
“Me either.”
“So, Alayah, I feel like I’ve told you all about me, but you’re still a mystery, babe. This friendship can’t be one-sided.”
I swallowed my food and wiped my mouth. “I’m sorry. I like you, Londyn. You seem like good people. I just… Trust is a hard thing for me right now.”
“Why?”
I contemplated telling her the truth. I wasn’t sure how she was going to react. When you told people you spent ten years in prison for murder, you’d expect them to avoid you like the plague. I didn’t want that to be my life from here on out.
Before I could respond, a shadow appeared over me, causing me to look up. Glaring down at me was Mrs. West with a phone in her hand. She snapped my picture with the bright-ass flash on.
“It must be nice to be able to go out and have a regular meal like regular people,” she said nastily. “Too bad my son will never be able to enjoy this again.”
“Mrs. West, now isn’t the place or the time.”
“Oh, it’s the perfect time, you murderous little bitch.
” She started getting loud, garnering the attention of the people in the restaurant.
“Hey, everybody, isn’t it crazy that my son is in the grave while his murderer is sitting here eating a fucking cheeseburger?
She gets to walk around free while he rots in the ground. ”
Londyn sprang from her seat. “Lady, you need to walk the fuck away.”
“Bitch, don’t speak to me,” Mrs. West snapped. “Your friend is a cold-blooded murderer. She killed my son—stabbed him beyond recognition, then sullied his name with lies.”
“I didn’t lie,” I said, springing to my feet. “Your son was a despicable, sorry excuse for a man. I guarantee I wasn’t his first victim, but I will be his last.”
She slapped me so hard my head snapped back.
“You lying whore,” she screamed, trying to come at me. Londyn stepped in between us, clocking Mrs. West in the nose in the process. A few of the servers grabbed Mrs. West and carried her out of the establishment. Londyn turned back to me.
“You’re bleeding,” she said, grabbing a napkin to dab my lip.
I hadn’t even felt the blood trickling from it. Grabbing the napkin from her, I sprinted to the bathroom with tears in my eyes. I knew this day would come; I just didn’t think it would be so embarrassing. I stayed in the bathroom until Londyn came knocking on the door.
“Alayah? Honey, open the door.”
I took a few deep breaths and wiped my face before finally opening the door. She stood there with a sympathetic look along with my purse and a bag of food in her hand.
“Come on, boo.”
She grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the bathroom. Instead of going out the front, we went out the side door and made our way to her truck. We got in in silence and drove back in silence. She didn’t say anything until we were settled in the parking lot.
“You wanna talk about it?” she asked softly.
I sniffled. “I might as well. You already heard it.”
She turned to me, giving me her full attention. “Did you really murder her son?”
I nodded. “That man raped me from ages fourteen to seventeen. He told me if I ever said anything, he’d make sure the same thing happened to my little sisters.
I had to protect them. They were too young to have their innocence stolen by some nasty ass, perverted man.
I just…I couldn’t take it anymore. I told him no, and he tried to attack me.
For the first time, I fought back. I grabbed a pair of scissors, and I stabbed him—only I couldn’t stop.
Stopping meant I had to keep enduring that pain, and I couldn’t do that.
“I spent ten years of my life in prison paying for his death. My named was ruined because of his family and my own mother. They painted me out to be this sexual deviant. They got on that stand and told that jury I was promiscuous, and I’d been trying to get that man to sleep with me.
They wanted to call it a crime of passion because I stabbed him twenty-six times.
Overkill, they said. I caught a manslaughter charge.
Ain’t that a bitch? I was his victim for three—nearly four years—and he’s the one getting justice. ”
Just thinking about it again fueled my anger. I wish I had punched that old bitch dead in her mouth. Londyn stared at me for a moment before reaching out and grabbing my hand.
“Good for you for protecting yourself and your sisters when no one else could or would. You have nothing to be ashamed of, Alayah. Your story is one so many women share. Some of them never get out alive. I’m so sorry you had to go through that and even more sorry that you were punished for it.”
She pulled me into her arms and hugged me tightly.
I sat frozen for a moment before I finally hugged her back.
I needed that more than she knew. Her energy felt sincere, and I could see why my uncle encouraged me to be friendly with her.
The way she stood up for me with no hesitation spoke volumes to her character.
Maybe I did need a friend after all.