Beautiful Liar (7 page)

Ray popped the cork on the champagne bottle
and filled their glasses. “There you go.”

“Thanks. Now I see why that woman was all in
distress. Champagne and lobster will do it every time.”

Ray didn’t respond because he was still
disturbed by the incident. He couldn’t wait to talk to Cairo
alone.

“She was so pitiful on the floor crying,”
Lindsey continued. “Cairo must’ve put the grand-daddy long dick on
her.”

Ray shrugged.

She drained her glass and held it out for a
refill. “Is that what you plan on doing to me? Is it, Ray?”

“I’m sorry, but I have some one.”

“Ha! Don’t we all? I just want some sex; not
an engagement ring.”

“Actually, I’m only here as a favor for
Cairo. I have no intentions on cheating on my girl. Know what I’m
talking about?” He didn’t like the look she was giving him.

“Well, I’m not going to beg you for it. You
got me twisted if you think I’m weak like that bitch in the lobby.
I don’t chase no Niggas, Niggas chase me. I don’t know what the
fuck is wrong with you. I know I’m a dime.”

“Why you getting so hostile, shawty? I’m not
trying to argue with you.”

“Because, you done pissed me the fuck off.
That’s why, shawty.”

“Why? ‘Cause I won’t have sex with you?”

She pointed at him with her fork. “Just let
it be known that I’m on to your game. Hmm…hm. I sure am.”

“Lindsey, what the hell are you talking
about?”

“The lobster, the champagne, the nonchalant
demeanor like the pleasure’s all mine to be in your presence. I
know that ATL breeds pimps, but you’re not going to turn me into a
whore. You got me twisted.”

“You know what,” he said, standing, “I’m out
of here. Tell Cairo I’m in the lobby. Enjoy your food.”

“Gone to the lobby, then. Maybe you’ll find
someone vulnerable to that bullshit game. Petersburg may be small,
but it damn sho’ ain’t slow. Know you heard of Richmond.
That’s…”

Ray let himself out of the room and headed to
the elevator.

Cairo was simultaneously coming out of his
room holding a bucket of ice. He saw Ray and held up one finger.
“Give me twenty more minutes. She’s about to do this ice trick on
me.”

“Whatever. I’ll be at the bar in the
lobby.”

“What’s wrong?”

“That sister in there is demented. I refuse
to spend another minute in there with her.”

“What she do?”

“First, she’s in there eating like she had
nothing in weeks. Then she started accusing me of trying to pimp
her out when I told her we wasn’t doing nothing.”

Cairo started laughing.

“Seriously, Cairo. Something is seriously
wrong with her.”

“Of course it is. Bitches are crazy. Can you
believe that stunt that Tracey pulled?”

“I’m still trying to figure out if you knew
she worked here?”

Cairo stopped smiling. “Yeah, I knew. But
fuck her. You said you didn’t want to be seen, and this is the
perfect place.”

“You cold, man. You forgot to tell me you got
her pregnant.”

“If you fall for that pregnant shit, you’re
fall for anything. Almost every bitch that I fuck with tells me
that. Even if I used a condom.”

“Is it a possibility that she is?”

“It ain’t impossible. But take my word for
it, she just trying to get my back.”

Ray resigned. “You know what? I’m not going
to overload my brain wondering about your mess. Just handle your
business and come on. I have to get home.”

“Alright, but let me tell you something real
quick. I’m the heir to a multi-million dollar business, and these
money-hungry bitches will do any and everything to lock me in. And
if I fell soft to every bitch that sucked my toes or cried that
pregnant shit, my fortune would be owed out before I actually
inherited it. Now I’m not saying that’s every female’s initial
intention, but once they find out what I’m worth, I see the change
in all their eyes. So that’s why I drag their asses like I do. I’m
at war, baby.”

“Do you, brother. I guess you know what
you’re doing.”

“You damn right I do. A bitch won’t get one
band from me.”

“Just hurry up, please. I want to beat my
girl home.”

Cairo headed to the ice machine wondering
which ice trick Shay was about to perform on him.

Ty,

The last letter I got from you was so sweet. I can
tell it came from deep down in your heart. I just want to say thank
you for writing and letting me know you will always have my back.
The truth is, you’ve always had my back, that’s why I’ve always
been so loyal to you. I remember when we first met, I used to put
my friends (or people who I thought were my friends) before you. I
put you on the back burner, and that wasn’t right. I’m sorry for
the times I hurt you, which caused you to hurt me in return because
you were hurt. Now, I just want to let you know that I don’t plan
on going nowhere as long as I’m treated fair. In return, I plan on
treating you like a king and show you UL for as long as I live.

UL,

Misty

Misty placed the letter
in an envelope
just as the door bell rang. “Who is it?” she asked, walking to the
door.

“It’s me; open up.”

She opened the door and quickly walked away
to prevent Wendy from seeing her tears.

“Give me a minute, will you?”

“Sure. What’s wrong with…” she trailed off
when Misty slammed the bathroom door behind her. She went to the
door and heard her crying.

“Talk to me, Misty. What’s wrong?”

“I…I miss him so bad.”

“I know but-”

“I could be at the mall not even thinking
about him and I crumble when I see a couple, because I know they’re
living our life.”

Wendy’s heart went out to her friend. “I
can’t imagine how you feel, because I’ve never been in love, but
you have to get over it. It has been six months.”

Misty glanced at her UL tattoo and began to
shake her head. “How can I? Everything about myself reminds me of
him. We made a vow…” she sobbed.

“I wished I knew what to say. It’s killing me
to see you suffer like this. Hush…just open the door so I can give
you a hug. I know that’ll help some.”

Misty came out a minute later and fell into
her arms. “Why is God doing me like this? It’s not fair,
Wendy!”

Wendy half carried her to the bedroom and
laid her on the bed. “Just let it out, you’ll feel better.”

“It’s just not fair! I don’t have
nobody!”

“That’s not true; you have me. You have your
brother.”

Misty didn’t respond. She closed her eyes and
began breathing evenly. Wendy called her name, but realized she had
fallen asleep. She threw a blanket over her and looked around the
room.

That’s when she spotted a chest full of envelopes and
opened one out of curiosity.

Ty,

I’m waiting to get my hair done, and I can’t
seem to get you off my mind. I think about you all the time,
wishing we could have done more things together. When you first
came home, I wouldn’t have thought in a million years that you
would ever leave my side again. Life is so unfair. I ask God every
night, what have I done to suffer like I do. I’ve always treated
people like I wanted to be treated, and I’ve never asked for
anything other than to be happy. I picture us having lots of fun
together, doing simple things, like you painting my toes. Then you
would give me a massage, and we both know what follows after that.
(smile) These thoughts always bring tears to my eyes, because
you’re not here. I love you, but I’m so mad at you because your
occupation (if you can call it that) separated us again. I know
you’re saying you were only trying to provide like a man should,
but I never cared about all those glamorous things. As long as I’m
with you, I’m content. We could be at a homeless shelter.

Unfinished

Wendy had read over twenty letters when she
heard Misty stir. She looked back and saw her staring at her with
an expression that she couldn’t read.

“I didn’t mean to pry. The chest was open and
I just opened one of these out of curiosity. I’m sorry.”

Misty flopped backwards on the bed.
“Arghh!”

“I’m so sorry, Misty.”

“I’m not mad, but I know you think I’m crazy,
writing all those letters.”

“I wouldn’t say that. I have to admit I’m a
little confused. The letters I read all have recent dates on
them.”

It took awhile for her to open up to her
friend, because she didn’t want to be viewed as strange.

“You know since the first day I met Ty, I
haven’t been with anybody else?”

“I know. I‘ve always respected you for
that--God knows I’ve never been faithful. It takes a lot of
willpower and loyalty. I like different flavors.”

“It hasn’t been easy. I mean, it’s not easy
being separated from him. When he wasn’t able to call home but
twice a month, we created a system that enable us to communicate
every day. It was only through letters, but it relieved a lot of
stress. I feel so close to him when I write, it’s almost like he’s
right here beside me. It soothes…the pain of missing him.”

Wendy went over to her and embraced her.
“It’s okay, you don’t have to talk about it no more. I
understand.”

“No, you don’t understand. I need him. I need
him to come home right now. Today!”

Wendy didn’t really know what to say about
that. She couldn’t pretend that she knew what Misty was going
through, because she had never known love.

“Misty, you need to do something before you
sink too deep.”

“What can I do?” she asked, throwing her
hands up. “Please tell me so I can stop hurting. Please! I done
tried all I know.”

Wendy looked at the chest full of letters. A
wicked idea came to mind. “I got it! You could write a book about
him.”

She frowned through her tears. “I can’t write
no book.”

“Why you can’t?”

“Because I don’t know how for starters. And
for two, I don’t have the time. All the letters I write Ty takes up
most of my free time.”

Wendy paused before responding. “Listen to
what you’re saying, Misty. You write him one letter a day. That’s
more than some writers write a day. You can put that same effort in
the book. Then you can learn how to write, that isn’t a problem.
Remember that book I downloaded, In Rare Form by Cordless
Simms?”

“Hmm…hm.”

“It shows you how to write. You just have to
get past all the cursing.”

“I don’t know,” she said, skeptically.

“What do you have to lose?” When Misty didn’t
respond, Wendy began to plead. “Please, Misty! Do it for me; do it
for you and Ty.”

Misty heard Tywan’s name and lit up. “Okay, I’ll
try.”

“Hey, baby!” Misty screamed excitedly over the
phone. “I was wondering when you was going to call…Oh. Did you get
your letters yet?...You’re welcome…I got some nice pictures on the
way, you should get them Monday or Tuesday…You’ll see…Let’s just
say I was nippy when Wendy was taking them…You’re my boo, so I have
to show you UL. Oh! I got something to tell you and I hope you
understand…I’m writing a book about you and it’s going to take up a
lot of time that I used to write you, so I might fall off a little
with the letters…Hell nah, I’m not doing it for fun! I ‘m doing it
to help me cope with you being away, and for the money…I haven’t
shopped it nowhere yet, because I’m not finished…Thank you for
being supportive…I know, I heard it. When are you going to call
back?...Okay…UL.” She ended the call and began to type on the
laptop.

Missy sat in the stolen getaway car, glancing
nervously at her watch. Tyrone had told her that he would be back
at exactly one o’clock, and that had been five minutes ago.

She did her best not to think negatively, but
she had a bad feeling about his plan from the very start. It never
sat well with her to wait behind a grocery store while he walked a
block over to his victim’s residence.

Her bad vibe became a reality when a police
cruiser pulled around the store and flashed its lights in her
stolen car.

She shielded her eyes and tried to pull off,
but the cruiser blocked her path, and the officer jumped out,
aiming his weapon.

“Cut the vehicle off, and put your hands out
of the window!”

Tears immediately sprang from Missy’s eyes,
and all that she could think about was going to prison.

She placed her hands on the ignition to kill
the engine, but paused when Tyrone appeared around the corner
carrying a large sack. It only took him a split second for him to
make his decision.

The cop dove for cover when the shots rang
out, returning them once he had a good position. But the gunman
fled back the way he came, and the officer jumped into his cruiser
and pursued him.

Misty stopped typing when her tears clouded
her vision. Writing this part of the book was extremely hard for
her, because it proved how serious her and Ty’s relationship really
was. She spun in fright when she realized that she wasn’t alone.
“Wendy! You scared me!”

“I’m sorry. I was just reading what you
typed…Why are you crying?”

“This task is…horrendous. I might not be able
to finish it.”

“Sure you can, girl. It’s your therapy. All
you have to do is write it how you would imagine your life with
him. It’s simple.”

Misty started shaking her head vigorously.
“No. That won’t work.”

“Why it wouldn’t?”

“Because, if I’m going to do it, I have to
tell it how things really went down. This book is going to be
non-fiction for the most part.”

Wendy’s mouth dropped, and her eyes went to
the screen of the laptop. “You mean to tell me that really
happened?”

She nodded. “That’s why he went to prison the
first time. He distracted the police from arresting me.”

“He took you on a robbery?”

“He didn’t want to; I made him.”