Blindly #3
“Like you don’t know.” She slid his phone across the table to him. “I’m betting Tina don’t know you running around doing Hussein’s bidding,”’ she snapped at him.
“She don’t.” War sighed, standing from the table. “And she ain’t going to.” He walked off leaving her standing alone.
Her appetite was nonexistent. She tossed her food in the trash before rushing around to Nisha’s room.
“Hey, sorry I’m late.” She sighed, taking a seat in the chair designated for fathers.
“Late for what?” Nisha asked, Twizzler in one hand, scrolling TikTok with the other.
“Your appt. Why else would you be here?”
“Where else would I be when Tina thinks I’m at a doctor’s appointment?” Nisha had yet to look up and give Prissy her attention. She sat in the bed, legs crossed at the ankles, rubbing her feet together under the warmed blanket they gave her.
Prissy looked around. No stirrups. No paper sheet. The mounted TV on the wall.
“So, the receptionist just let you up here to chill?”
“Yeah.” Nisha sighed irritated. “Why you asking me so many damn questions?”
“Because we don’t do that. If we did, every homeless motherfucker in the city would be trying to get a bed.”
“Well, when your brother is the miracle doctor the rules don’t apply,” she said biting a chunk of Twizzler off.
She giggled about a TikTok video not realizing that she slipped. Prissy’s stomach knotted up. She and Nisha had been on a mission. Prissy was helping her bring Tina down. The lines got blurred when they were keekeeing over a Martin episode.
She thought they were becoming friends. The proof was in the fact that she was planning to sit with her during her appointment since Boom couldn’t be there.
She felt played, used, dumb. Nisha wasn’t Tina but she learned the game from her.
Her need for connection blinded her from the truth.
What it looked like was irrelevant and your feelings mattered even less.
Everybody has a role and the second you stop playing it, you’ll find out how folks really feel about you.
Prissy had just discovered that she was nothing more than a means to an end.
“What you crying for?” Nisha asked, oblivious to her confession. “I’m the one wit the shitty hormones. I should be crying.”
“Teddy’s your brother,” Prissy said lowly, hanging on to a glimmer of hope that maybe she got it wrong.
“Who said that?” she scrunched her face.
“Bitch, you did.” Prissy stood up.
“This fucking pregnancy brain. Look Prissy, I was going to tell you.”
“When? After you got what you needed from me?”
“You’re making it sound uglier than it is. After I made my arrest and earned the respect of my chief and old partner, I was going to tell you. After everything settled. I swear.” Nisha put her hand up.
“Well, good luck on getting it done without me because I’m done. I’m not helping you do shit. I don’t trust you. I’ll send Tina after you, before I stand next to you to bring her down.”
“That’s not an option. I think it goes without saying that I will lay shit down to get what I want.
And if I don’t get my way, you for damn sure won’t get yours.
I’ll tell Hussein that it was all a setup from the start.
You never loved him. You were basically Tina’s little spy. See if he’ll marry you then.”
“Teddy told you that?” It was another layer of hurt and betrayal.
“He did and a whole lot more. In fact, he was the one to put the bug in my ear about the Turners. You can pout. I expect that. But then it’s back to playing your role,” Nisha warned.
Prissy stormed out of the room and bumped right into Teddy.
“What’s wrong baby?” he asked.
“What’s wrong is everyone keeps lying to me!
Y’all make it seem like we’re a team, we’re in this together and then I find out that I’m the last to know.
Over and over again. None of you motherfuckers are who you say you are.
I’m done. I’m tired. I want everyone to stay away from me.
” Prissy pushed him and his body didn’t budge.
“Your shift isn’t over,” he reminded her.
“Get somebody else to do it!”
Inside of her car, her phone chimed with Tina’s name. She screamed, punching the steering wheel in frustration.
She sighed, opening Tina’s message. It was a link that led her to an article.
Police say the Jane Doe they found weeks ago has been identified.
The remains belong to a young woman named Cassidy Jackson.
She was thirty years old from the West Side of Baltimore.
The family did not wish to be interviewed but say that those who knew her, loved her.
They are also offering a twenty-five thousand reward to anyone that comes forward with any information that would help identify what happened to Cassidy Jackson. ”
“Fuck!” Prissy tossed her phone and took off out of the parking lot.
GRAND ONYX HILLS | 9:03 A.M.
“I hope they didn’t give you too much trouble at the gate,” Rashida greeted Nyelle, Jakia and Khy.
“Not at all. Thank you for making sure they were expecting us. Made it hassle free,” Ny stepped aside.
Jakia stepped inside, with her hand on Khyell’s shoulder. “Khyell this is your daddy’s mom. Your grandmother.” She introduced them.
“Oh my.” Rashida sighed. “You look just like your father. How you doing, baby?”
“I’m good and you?” Khyell asked lowly.
“And the manners, my goodness.” She sighed. “Thank you for this.”
“Thanks for hearing me out,” Jakia said.
“Anything to piss Tina off.” She snickered, drying her eyes. “Candiez!” she called out and almost immediately her daughter appeared.
“Yes?” the short, chubby, pretty brown skinned teenager with a wet and wavy weave appeared.
“This is your nephew, Khyell. Khyell this is your daddy’s baby sister. She’s going to take you to your room.”
“I have a room here?”
“Of course you do,” Rashida assured.
“I wasn’t under the impression that you had other children,” Nyelle admitted sitting down.
“Well, why would you? You only know what Tina has told you. I made it my business to make sure she knew none of mine.” She eyed them.
“My husband and I have two children together. One boy and one girl. My son is off at college, and I put my husband out to enjoy this weather because he don’t want to do shit but sit in his cave. ”
“Did Boom know?” Jakia asked, now interested.
“He did.” Rashida nodded her head. “That’s how I know he loved me. He ultimately chose the Turner side, but for all those years he never uttered a word.”
“You don’t have to worry about me saying shit to that lady unless I’m cursing her to Hell. And Khyell already keeps more secrets than I would like,” Jakia explained.
“And me sitting here with the two of you should be proof enough that I am not aligned with Tina, anymore,” Ny added.
“So, let’s negotiate.” Rashida clasped her hands together.
“Wait, wait,” Nyelle hurried to open the file she’d already drafted for the visitation agreement. “I drafted up an agreement that I will have both of you sign before we leave.”
Rashida shared the printer information with Ny so that when she was done, they could physically sign. Ny promised to take it down to the courthouse and file it with the courts to make it real. Jakia jumped in when Rashida returned.