Authors: D. L. Sparks
Tags: #Fiction, #Suspense, #General, #African American Police, #Urban Life, #Thrillers, #African American
Between Friends (21 page)
Chapter Twenty-six
Idalis
“I understand the policy and I will try to make it there on Monday.”
I tossed my cell onto the passenger seat and sped around I-285 toward Langford Parkway. I was looking forward to going back to work. I loved my son, but I needed some adult interaction. Hell, who was I kidding? I needed a drink.
The past couple weeks had definitely taken its toll on me. With my grandmother's passing and Lincoln flipping out, I managed to miss the final fitting for my gown and still owed them my last payment. And now that same cheerful seamstress, who had been so anxious to help me before, currently saw me as a deadbeat bride who didn't pay her bills. It wasn't that I didn't have the money; I just couldn't bring myself to look at that gownâlet alone, put it on and continue with the lie I'd created. It had become exhausting, and it was costing me more than just the four grand I'd put up for that damn dress.
There was a line snaking its way out the door, and the young guys working valet were scrambling around, trying to maintain order in the parking lot. I had them put my car off to the side, instead of the usual spot right up front. I didn't want and unwanted dents from people stumbling in and out of the club.
Once inside the club I absorbed the energy coming from the crowd. I needed all the help I could get tonight. I stopped and spoke to a few people who wanted to offer condolences for my grandmother then pressed my way deeper inside forcing smiles for some pictures for a couple local magazines and websites before I headed to the bathroom.
I wiggled through the crowd to try to wash my hands. I couldn't help but laugh to myself at the females gathered around the tiny sink applying an extra layer of gloss to already shiny lips or finger combing freshly woven hair. Everyone was putting on her best face in hopes of snagging that special someone.
On my way to check the bartenders, I made my way past the DJ booth. Raymond looked up when I made my way by and gave me a wink, causing an involuntary smile to spread across my face. I waved and winked in return.
“Good to have you back,” Dionne said, smiling.
I smiled, leaning against the bar. “Thank you so much for holding it down while I was out.” I looked around. “It's packed in here.”
“I know. I'm glad too. I couldn't take another Saturday night like the last one. It was so slow; Raymond's tip out was horrible last weekend.”
“Wow.”
“And you know he wasn't happy.”
I laughed. “I know he wasn't.”
She nodded over her shoulder. “Your friend is waiting for you.”
I stood on tiptoes and looked in the direction she'd just nodded. I laughed when I saw Mr. Lewis sitting in the corner. When he saw me, his face lit up with his somewhat toothless smile.
“He's been so lost without you.”
“Aw, really? Nobody took care of him?”
She laughed and shook her head. “He didn't want anyone else. He kept coming to the bar for his drinks. He didn't want anyone serving him.” She reached under the counter. “He left you this, though.”
I took the envelope she held out and opened it. There was a twenty-dollar bill inside. “Oh my goodness. He's so sweet.”
“If you say so.” She turned and headed to a crowd that was forming on the other end of the bar. “He creeps me out.”
I couldn't help but laugh at that.
After hugging and thanking Mr. Lewis, I made my rounds and checked on the bartenders and servers. I ended up helping one server with a birthday party, which was a good thing. I figured the busier I was the less time I had to think about what was or wasn't going on in my life at this point.
I dropped Cameron off with India on my way in to the club and checked on my mother. India didn't have much to say to me, and I wasn't exactly bursting at the seams to talk to her either. So we avoided each other the whole time I was in the house. I knew there was nothing she wouldn't do for Cameron so I knew there was no issue with me leaving him with her.
I was standing near the bar, talking to Si-Man, who was waiting for a radio commercial break to be over, when Dionne came up behind me and whispered in my ear.
“You got a visitor at the bar.”
I turned around and checked the bar. From what I could see, the same people who were there a few moments ago were still there.
“Who? I don't see anybody.”
She looked toward the bottom level bar. “Not this one, down there.”
I looked and spotted him immediately. He was wearing all black, locs pulled back in a ponytail and his beard and goatee freshly shaped-up. Some random chick had already zoned in on him. I could tell from the look on his face that he wasn't interested in hearing what she had to say. And I really couldn't blame him. She had on a pair of too-tight jeans, and her stomach was spilling over the waistband. Her spiked blond hairstyle stood up on her tiny head, making it worse.
I stood there for a moment and contemplated making him suffer through the rest of the conversation.
Dionne nudged me with her shoulder. “Girl, you better go get his fine ass.”
I rolled my eyes and made my way down the steps in his direction.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, walking up on him.
“Heard about this spot, and wanted to come check it out.”
I leaned against the bar. “You don't strike me as the clubbing type.”
He took a sip of the Corona he was holding. “I haven't heard from you. I wanted to check on you.”
“Got a lot going on.”
“I know. I haven't seen you sinceâ”
I cut him off, “Yeah, I know.”
I grabbed his arm and pulled him outside. I didn't need everyone in the club knowing my business. As friendly as they were, I knew they wouldn't hesitate to stand around being nosy, snap a picture and toss me up on some gossip blog the first chance they got.
The humid night clung to my skin and hair as I leaned against the railing, and he stood in front of me.
“I'm sorry about asking you not to come to my grandmother's funeral,” I said.
“I understand. I know where you were coming from. But I have a confession.”
“What's that?”
He smiled. “I was there.”
I let out a laugh. “Where? I didn't see you.”
“I'm a DEA agent. Hiding from you really isn't that hard.” He laughed. “I had to pay my respects to your grandmother. She damn near raised me.”
I nodded; then I looked out into the parking lot and finally fixed my eyes back on his.
“Being with you, spending time with you, has been nice, but ...”
“But what?” he asked.
“We can't go back. Too much has happened.”
“I'm not asking you to go back, Idalis, but we can't keep playing this push-and-pull game. Either we're friends, or we're not.”
I rubbed my forehead. “Now you sound like India.”
“Sounds like she knows what she's talking about.”
I rolled my eyes, then stared off into the adjacent patch of woods next to the club.
“Look, all I'm asking you to do is snap out of whatever trance Lincoln's got you in and see him for what he is. You deserve better, and you know it.”
“I guess better would be you?”
He shook his head. “I didn't say that.”
“Exactly. I see your mouth moving, but you're not saying anything.”
“Neither are you,” he shot back.
The door to the club opened and a gush of cold air blew out along with small crowd of partygoers who were stumbling their way to the valet. One girl was clearly drunk and carrying one of her shoes in her hand. Her dress was barely securing her huge breasts, which were fighting against the thin material to get out. She limped around, giggling, as her friends held her up and tried to help her maintain some of her dignity.
“Ooh! He's fine!” she slurred, pointing at Trip. “Look at his eyes.”
Her crowd of friends erupted in laughter. “Come on, Tiana, you so crazy!”
I grabbed the handle of the door before it closed.
“Look, I need to get back inside.”
He held up his hands in defeat. “Fair enough. But would you please just think about what you're doing?”
“Good night, Trip.”
I snatched the door open and made my way through the crowd. I did my best to hold back the tears until I made it to the bathroom stall.
I pushed the door closed and grabbed a wad of tissue from the roll of toilet paper. A few moments later I heard a bunch of “oohs and aahs” coming from the other side of the door.
“Damn! Who is you?” one woman asked.
“Hey, sexy, you looking for me?” another drunken voice asked.
At first the comments didn't register, and then it dawned on me what was going on.
Trip's voice made me cringe. “Idalis!” He knocked on the door to the stall.
“Oh my goodness. Are you kidding me? Get out of here!”
“I'm not leaving until you come out and talk to me.”
A slurred voice chimed in. “Yeah, girrrrl. Come out here and talk to his fine ass.”
I turned the lock and pushed the door open. The sight of him standing in the ladies' room was both comical and pitiful, all at the same time.
I just shook my head. “You know you got issues right?”
He cracked a smile. “You see what you got me doing? You got me up in the ladies room.”
I couldn't help but smile. “Yes, and you're crazy.”
His phone lit up and he pulled it from his hip. I watched his expression change from playful to serious.
“I gotta go.”
“Everything okay?”
He nodded. “Yeah. It's Lenny. I gotta run. Call me later?”
I nodded, then watched him wade through the crowd of loud females who had gathered in the small bathroom to watch him make a spectacle of himself.
Dionne came in, looking confused. “Idalis, you okay?” She looked over her shoulder. “Did I just see Trip come out of here?”
I chuckled. “I'm fine. And yes, you did.”
“You don't look fine.”
I nodded my head, grabbed some fresh tissue from the roll of toilet paper, and wiped my eyes. “Yeah, I'm good.”
“You sure? You want me to call your sister?”
“God no! I'm good.” I flushed the wad of tissues away.
She stared at me for a second, and out of embarrassment I looked away.
“Idalis, seriously, what's going on?”
“Dionne, I wouldn't even know where to begin.”
“Why don't you try?”
“The situation with me and Trip is complicated. Way more complicated than us just being best friends with a state's worth of distance between us.”
She pulled some more tissue from the roll of toilet paper and passed it to me. “Idalis, I've known you and Trip for way too long, and one thing I can say is that he cares about you, and it's obvious you care about him. No, I take that back. It's obvious y'all are in love with each other. So why all of this back-and-forth?”
“Too much has happened.”
Her face softened. “What could possibly have happened?”
I ignored her question. “I need to deal with Lincoln first anyway.” I rubbed the bridge of my nose. “I need to end all of this the right way.”
“Fuck him! Idalis, you have a supportive family, and you have friends who would be willing to help you get out of that situation.”
I shook my head. “I have to think about Cam too, Dionne, not just me.”
“That's exactly why you need to get away from him.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I know. And I will.”
“You sure you don't wanna go home?”
I forced a smile. “I can't. I owe Ray a Heineken. And you know he'll never let me live it down if I don't get him one.”
That made her laugh a little, which, in turn, made me smile. “Yeah, you got a point.”
After stopping by the crowded sink to clean up, I headed back out to the floor. Dionne slid me a glass of Merlot, which I happily took. I needed all the help I could get to relax and try to focus on how to get this monkey off my back.
I grabbed the glass and headed back to my office.
I called and talked to India and apologized for our mess. She was the last person I wanted to be fighting with. Mama was right; I was much stronger with her than without her. If there was anyone I didn't want to alienate, it was India. I needed her on my side in all of this. If I was gonna right my wrongs and push past this, I was gonna need all of the help and support I could get.
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