Beautiful Liar (14 page)

“Try your peace of mind.”

He looked up with a smile plastered on his
face. “I have it.”

“Son, I’m worried about you.”

“I don’t know why. I’m cool as a fan,” he
said, with a strained smile.

Terry gently took the pen out of Cairo’s
hand. “I know that people grieve differently, but the way you’re
doing it is dangerous. You’re ignoring reality. Since Cairo Jr.
died, you have worked a twelve-hour shift every day. That’s not
healthy.”

“Talk about mixed signals. When I used to run
wild, you complained about me not doing enough work. Now that I’ve
stepped up and started running the company with an iron fist,
you’re saying I’m doing too much work.”

“Can’t you see that it was never about
working? It was about life...about you learning to be responsible
and earning the things that you wanted. I’ve put in so much work
into this company; it has a system that pretty much runs itself. So
cut the shit! All the work in the world ain’t going to bring that
little boy back.”

Cairo sighed loudly and sat back in his
chair. “He didn’t get a fair chance at life.”

“I agree.”

“All I had to do was…if I would have taken
Tracey’s word that he was…was mine, they would still be alive
today.”

Terry started shaking his head. “No, son. It
doesn’t work that way. God wanted them, so He took them.”

“A fucking baby? And on top of that, I might
not be able to have anymore! What kind of cruel joke is that?”

“Sometimes in life, things happen to us that
we don’t understand at the time. But when it’s all revealed, we
realize it cleared the way for better things.”

Tears ran down Cairo’s face, while he shook
his head stubbornly. “I've always accepted the things God did. But
what’s better than a baby?”

“I can’t answer that with certainty, but some
good has come out of this.”

“Like what?”

“Look at how you’ve evolved. You are a better
man, and I know that you probably don’t see the value in that now;
you will though. It’s unfortunate that it had to happen like it
did, but don’t turn it into a lose-lose situation. You can win big
right now. It’s in your grasp. You’re young, well-off, and—”

“Sterile!” he said, interrupting his
father.

“The doctor said that it’s only an eighty
percent chance you won’t be able to reproduce again. Be
optimistic.”

“With my luck, it might as well be a two
hundred percent chance.”

“If there’s any such thing as bad luck,” he
said, producing an envelope from his pocket, “it just ran out
today.”

When Cairo took the envelope and read its
contents, he looked up, speechless.

“Who is it?” JJ asked though the door.

“It’s me and Rasheeda, open up.”

JJ opened the door and scanned the scenery
before giving them access to his apartment. “What’s the deal with
you two? It only takes twenty-seven minutes to get here from your
house, but it took you almost forty-six minutes.”

“How in the hell do you know that?” asked
Vicky.

“When you’re into the kind of shit--that I’m
in--it’s vital to know small details like that. It might save your
life one day.”

“Anyway, Mr. Into So Much, guess what my
lawyer called me today and said.”

“What?”

“That Cairo got the charges dropped against
us.”

“Yeah? So that’s probably what my lawyer was
trying to tell me this morning. I didn’t give him a chance,
though.”

“Why not?”

“Because, I don’t be taking any calls before
the G hour. I cursed his ass out and banged the phone on his
ass.”

Rasheeda started frowning. “What time is the
G hour?”

“Whatever time a gangster sets. I switch mine
up on the regular. Can’t have nobody predicting what time I be
making moves. Ya dig?”

Vicky looked at Rasheeda and rolled her eyes.
“Anyway, I hope he don’t think that ends our beef with him. Case or
no case, it’s on.”

“I’m telling you. He’s going to get a red
rude awakening if he does. Red everything.”

“We have to find out where he’s keeping his
Super Sport.”

JJ held a finger up when his cell phone
started ringing. “Yeah?”

“Good morning to you, JJ.”

“Oh, hey Regina.”

“Hey, my ass. Why haven’t you been answering
your phone? This is my eighth time calling you!”

“I was asleep! You know I don’t be taking no
calls before the G hour. You –”

“That’s at eight o’clock!”

“That ain’t the G hour no more, I switched it
up.”

“And how in the fuck am I supposed to know
that? Huh, JJ?”

“You don’t. The fuck you trying to watch my
moves for? Killers move in silence. Who the fuck are you talking to
like that? I’m a gangster! Not only am I an International Gangster,
I’m Damu!”

Vicky looked over at Rasheeda, baffled. “What
the hell does ‘Damu’ mean?”

She shrugged. “Ain’t no telling. You know all
JJ’s chairs ain’t at the table.”

He overheard them and put his hand over the
mouthpiece of the phone. “It’s Swahili for ‘blood.’ I’m a five-star
general back around the way.”

The women found this very amusing and cried
with laughter.

“I’mma gangster!” he screamed into the phone.
“Ya heard? A gangster! I will catch the first flight up there just
to smack the shit out of you!”

“You ain’t been putting your hands on me, and
you ain’t about to start.”

“Well you better act like you got some sense
then.”

“Whatever. I just called to ask your ass when
you coming home. It has been six months.”

JJ walked out of the room so he wouldn’t be
overheard by Vicky and Rasheeda. “I’ll be home soon, baby. I’m
taking care of some serious business.”

“What kind of business, JJ?”

“Well, the on-going shit with my niece. I
shot the cat that killed her last night, but he somehow got away.”
He lied.

“Don’t fuck around and get your ass locked up
down there.”

“I won’t. I got to go. The O.G.’s down her
are showing their respect by taking me out to eat. Call you
later.”

He ended the call and came back in the front
room. “What was we saying?”

“That we have to find out where Cairo is
keeping his Super Sport. He really don’t care about his late-model
cars.”

“Plus, they’re fully insured,” Rasheeda
added.

“Personally, I’m not with vandalizing son’s
property anymore. I’mma gangster. When I first suggested that we
get at him, I was speaking on some bodily harm type shit. My O.G.
would paint the whole block red if he found out that I took a six
month break from my duties to key cars and shit of that nature. I
hate to put it this way, but I’m done. I loved Tracey just as much
as you two, but we have two different conceptions of what revenge
means.”

Vicky felt herself becoming angry. “What do
you suggest then? And you better not say no crazy shit, because I
ain’t trying to go to prison.”

Rasheeda agreed by nodding.

“Okay. I don’t know about you guys, but my
money hasn’t been right since I’ve been down here. I credited that
to that green-eyed mutha fucker. I was doing some thinking last
night during the G hour, and I realized the best way to make dude
pay is to take the one that puts him in his comfort zone.”

The women began to ponder on that, when it
came to them at the same time, they both said it in unison.

“Exactly!” JJ said, smiling.

“
You got it made
, know what I’m
talking about?”

Cairo looked at Ray in an uninterested
fashion. “You still talking about that?”

“Hell yeah! Your dad gave you a multi-million
dollar company, and you don’t want to talk about it? That’s a
come-up! I mean, I know that it was going to be yours one day, but
who knew so soon?”

Cairo observed his surroundings, suddenly
realizing that he hadn’t been to the mall or anywhere else in a
long time. And when he saw a man carrying his toddler, he knew why
he hadn’t. “I would trade it all for my son’s life back.”

“I know you would, too. That’s why God is
going to bless you with other things. Know what I’m talking about?
Until then, you got to live a little.”

“I am. Why do you think I agreed to go out
with you tonight?”

“It’s about time. I’m tired of all them
broads asking about you.”

“I’m not thinking about no broads. I‘m only
going so I can burn some energy. Hopefully, help me sleep
peacefully tonight.”

“You still having those dreams?”

Cairo nodded solemnly.

“Maybe your dad knows a good doctor who
can—”

“He doesn’t know, and that’s the way I prefer
it.”

“You don’t have to worry about me ratting you
out. I just thought that you’d want some help.”

“I do, but I’m not too thrilled about going
to see a head doctor. That’s for crazy people.”

Ray dropped the matter. “Damn, I almost
forgot. Let me stop by my folks’ job so I can drop her off some
money.”

They entered the bookstore that was jam
packed with people. Debbie was ringing up a customer when she
noticed them. She finished with the customer and came around the
counter to greet them. “Hey!”

“Hey, babe!”

She then hugged Cairo. “It’s so good to see
you. How have you been?”

“Okay.”

Things became awkward after that, until Ray
spoke up. “What are all these people doing here? It’s packed!”

“There’s a book signing going on.”

Cairo drifted over to where the signing was
going on and got a view of the author. Something struck him that
was familiar about her. Though he had been with countless women,
whom he seldom remembered, his instincts told him that he hadn’t
dealt with the women on that level.

She happened to look up from autographing a
book and locked eyes with Cairo. A grim expression spread across
her face before she focused on the next fan.

He suddenly remembered where he knew her from
and looked around. Once he retrieved what he was looking for, he
got in line and waited his turn.

“I love this book, Ms. Reems!” the excited fan
exclaimed. “I put it up there with Guy Johnson’s Standing at the
Scratch Line and Echoes of a Distant Summer.”

“Thank you so much. Who do you want me to
make this autograph out to?”

“To me, of course.”

“Okay, what’s your name?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Can you put, ‘To Fred, the
most sexiest fan I’ve ever met’?”

“Sure,” Misty replied, awkwardly. “There you
go.”

The obese man studied his autographed book
for a long moment. “I really appreciate this. One more thing.”

“Yes?”

“Since you think I’m sexy, you think that we
could go out when you finish up here?”

She held up her finger so he could see her
ring. “Sorry, but I’m married.”

The man asked a few more absurd questions
before walking off. Misty sighed. She hated dealing with a lot of
different people, so the book signings she was mandated to do put
her in uncomfortable situations.

No sooner than she had shaken the tension off
from the incident, she saw the man whose room she had barged in at
the hospital. Seeing him stimulated some memory cells that took her
back to an era when she was at her all-time low. The thought of
bolting crossed her mind, but she took a deep breath and held her
ground.

Cairo noticed the displeasure on the woman’s
face and still proceeded to move forward in the line. He knew that
if he didn’t go through with his plan, then all of his prior
efforts would be in vain, because he would have broken his vow. And
that was one thing that he couldn’t see himself doing.

He found himself next in line from her and
began to wonder if this was the right place or time to try to talk
to her. But before he could work out his dilemma, the guy in front
of him exited the line.

“Thanks, baby,” Debbie said, pocketing the
money.

“What are y’all about to do?”

“Nothing much. Finally convince Cairo to go
out with me tonight. He has been cooped up in the house since his
loss.”

“That’s good.” She began looking around.
“Where did he go?”

They saw him getting in line to get his book
signed.

“I didn’t know that he was into reading
novels.”

“Me either,” Ray said. “Then again, he might
be up to his old tricks again.”

“He’s wasting his time.”

Ray turned to Debbie. “Why you say that?”

“Because, she’s married. I seen a big rock on
her finger.”

Ray didn’t respond to this. He just watched
his boy in action.

“Excuse me, Miss. I’m glad that I had the
opportunity to run into you again. I’m Cairo Jenkins.”

Misty ignored his outstretched hand. “Do you
want your book signed, or what?”

“Please,” he said, handing her the book. “I
really would like to apologize for the way I acted at the hospital.
I’m totally a different person now. I was—”

She abruptly handed him back his book. “There
you go. Next.”

“I’m trying to do the right thing here.
Please, don’t give me a hard time.”

Misty leaned forward so she could speak
without fear of being overheard. “Don’t ever act in a way that you
might regret later, because a lot of people don’t be trying to hear
that ‘sorry’ shit. And I just so happen to be one of them.
Next.”

“You’re totally right. But I’m hoping that
you’ll make an exception today and forgive me.”

“I would imagine all that hope will get you
past me, because I’m sticking to my guns. So get the fuck on and
find somebody who cares! Next, please.”

Cairo stared at her for another five seconds,
before he walked away feeling defeated.

The club was packed
, but Cairo wasn’t
amused by anything that he saw. Ray pointed a woman out to him,
without a discreet bone in his body.

“She’s on you, and she’s like that. Know what
I‘m talking about?”