Crazy Love (23 page)

T
ameeka aimlessly wandered around T.J. Maxx. Usually just the thought of going into the department store gave her an orgasm. She and Stacie had a running joke that T.J. Maxx was her personal dildo. But today she wasn't feeling the Maxx. Usually she'd have a cartful of clothes, shoes and household items. The only items in her cart today were two white-and-yellow–striped throw pillows, which she didn't need, but felt obligated to buy. Her mind was on Tyrell; she wanted to call him and invite him out to dinner.

It was early evening when Tameeka finally made her way home. As soon as she got in, she lit her favorite sandalwood-scented candles, sat cross-legged on the living room floor and meditated until her spirit was full and her head calm. Easing herself up, she felt reborn, her worries were now memories. A smile was on her face when she picked up the phone to call Tyrell. Instead of a dial tone, she heard muted voices.

“Hello?”

“Hello. Tameeka?”

“Stacie?”

“Yeah. Hey, what happened? I didn't hear your phone ring. Anyway, girl, some stuff is going on over at Jackson's. Jam's mother took him, and it looks like that skank did a disappearing act with him.”

An image of the smiling boy that she met at Houston's came to her. “Jameel is gone? I don't believe it,” Tameeka whispered.

“Me either,” Stacie said sadly.

“How's Jackson doing? I know he must be ready to run out and kick some butt.”

“He's maintaining. I know he's hurting, but he's not letting any of us see it. I'm glad that they have the Atlanta Police force looking for Jam, otherwise I think that somebody's ass would be getting kicked.”

“How are
you
doing? I know how much you care for that little boy.”

“I'm scared, Meek,” Stacie admitted. “And I don't want Jackson to see it. The last thing he needs to be worrying about is making sure that I'm okay. Can you come over?” Stacie asked.

“Definitely—”

“Hold on, Meek. Jackson's talking to me.” Tameeka heard Jackson's voice in the background. “Hey, girl, I'm sorry,” Stacie said. “Jackson just told me that Tyrell is on his way over. Maybe you shouldn't come, this will be the first time you guys have seen each other since the Mohammad thing. This isn't the time to come at him with some deep shit.”

“Oh, I'm coming,” Tameeka said.

1. They are all gifts from God
   
2. They are all unique
   
3. They are all vibrant beings
   
4. They all are worth their weight in gold
   

H
ere, baby, eat this,” Ettie Mae coaxed as she placed a plate of food in front of her grandson. She'd cooked all his favorites: fried chicken, collards, black-eyed peas, corn bread and a pan of brownies for dessert. Jackson didn't say anything, instead he looked at his grandmother with lifeless eyes. “Y'all go on and get something to eat,” she instructed Stacie and Tyrell. They didn't require much pushing; the smell from the food filled up the house and they all realized they were starving. Leaning over, Stacie wrapped her arms around Jackson; he felt like a block of ice, stiff and unyielding. Tyrell gave his friend's shoulder a quick squeeze before he followed Stacie to the kitchen.

Ettie Mae placed the plate of food on the coffee table, then settled next to her grandson. Jackson stirred a little. She grabbed his hand and stroked it, trying to comfort him. “They'll find him,” she assured him. “They'll find your baby.” Jackson slowly faced his grandmother, and what Ettie Mae saw in his eyes made her heart jump to her throat. Her grandbaby looked like he had really seen the devil; his eyes were hollow and lifeless. “Oh, Lord have mercy,” Ettie Mae howled. Stacie and Tyrell hurried back into the room. “We need to pray. Right now. Hurry!” Everybody huddled together and Ettie Mae prayed for Jameel's safe return, she prayed for Jackson's happiness and she prayed the hardest of all for Michelle. She prayed that Michelle would do the right thing and bring Jameel home where he belonged.

An hour later there was a knock on the door and everybody looked at each other wearing expectant expressions. Jackson raced to the door and pulled it open only to find Tameeka on the other side.

“Shit.” Jackson stalked back to the living room leaving the door open with Tameeka standing outside. Stacie shot Jackson a quizzical glance when he flopped on the couch. Ettie Mae motioned for her to go to the door. Stacie hurried off and let in a confused Tameeka.

“He thought you were Michelle. She hasn't come back yet,” Stacie explained.

Tameeka nodded, then peered over Stacie's shoulder. “Is Tyrell here?”

“He's in the living room. Remember what I told you, this isn't the time or place for you to try to talk to Tyrell. You're my girl, but this is my second family and I don't want them to have any unnecessary stress right now. So behave yourself. Come on.” Stacie grabbed Tameeka's hand and once they got to the living room, she gave it an encouraging squeeze before she dropped it and snuggled against Jackson.

Tameeka looked around the room. The somber mood made her think of a funeral. She rushed to hug Ettie Mae, then moved to hug Tyrell, but his narrowed eyes and the angry tilt of his head stopped her in her tracks. She backed off and dropped down into an armchair. Throughout the evening, she couldn't help darting looks in his direction. If their eyes happened to meet, he'd glare at her before breaking the connection.

At ten o'clock the doorbell rang. A uniformed police officer was on the stoop and standing behind him was a child. All Jackson could see were a pair of sneakers. Could it be?

“We found him, sir,” the officer solemnly said, then he broke into a smile as though he had just awarded Jackson a million dollars. He stepped aside and Jameel skipped forward.

Ettie Mae let out a whoop of happiness, Stacie and Tyrell beamed at each other, and tears of joy ran down Jackson's face as he leaned down and scooped up his son. “How…where?” he stuttered.

“I take it you guys haven't been watching TV,” the officer said good-naturedly. “Because if you had been, you would've seen Jameel's picture plastered on every channel. A Good Samaritan saw them eating ice cream in the mall and called the police.” Then he hesitated, unsure whether he should divulge any more information. He shrugged as if to say,
“What the hell
,” then said softly, “He was in Alabama.”

“Where is she? I'll kill her!” Jackson growled, and Stacie reached for his hand and held it tightly.

“She knew we were onto her, so she ran off,” the officer explained.

“She left him alone?” Again?

Jameel piped in. “She told me to stay very still. She said that she was going to the bathroom and she was coming right back. I stayed very still, Daddy, just like she told me,” he said, and everybody broke into relief-filled laughter.

Ettie Mae grabbed Jameel and took him into the kitchen while Jackson conferred with the officer about what he should do about Michelle.

After the officer left, Jackson put Jameel to bed, then stayed by his son's side for over an hour watching him sleep. It wasn't until he checked the locks on Jameel's bedroom windows that he tiptoed outside and joined Stacie on the front porch.

Stacie wiggled between Jackson's legs and rested her head on his chest. “Do you think those two are gonna be okay?” Stacie asked, jutting her chin toward Tameeka and Tyrell. They were standing in front of their vehicles.

She felt Jackson shrug. “They'll come to some sort of resolution,” he answered, then turned his attention to Stacie. “You know…I want to thank you for being here today. It meant a lot to me,” he drawled.

“No problem,” Stacie answered quietly, then dismissed him with a flick of her hand.

“Don't minimize this. Listen.” He stood up and pulled Stacie with him and they stood face-to-face. “I
really
appreciate your being here today. You don't know how much your presence meant. I don't know what I would have done if anything happened to my son,” he said.

She thanked him and said, “I love Jameel too. He's the sweetest little boy I know. He takes after his daddy,” she flirted, hoping to lighten the mood.

“I
am
incredibly sweet and sexy, aren't I?”

“Yes, you are,” Stacie agreed as she inched her mouth closer to Jackson's until she was but a tongue lick away. “Kiss me!” she demanded.

“A lady never has to ask for a kiss,” Jackson teased.

“I'm sorry, baby, but I want those sexy lips of yours on mine. Can you do it for me?” she asked, looking coyly at him.

“So where do you want them?” Jackson drawled as his tongue slowly rimmed her ear.

“That's not where I was thinking,” Stacie moaned, “but it'll work.”

“I'll put my lips
wherever
you want them,” Jackson breathed in her ear.

Stacie shivered. “My lips would love a visit,” she said, turning so that their lips met.

Jackson pulled away and hungrily looked at her. “Baby, I want to tongue you all over. Come on, let's go inside,” he said, tugging her toward the door.

“Your grandmother might hear us,” Stacie protested.

“We'll be quiet,” Jackson promised.

“Okay,” Stacie agreed as they hurried into the house.

Tameeka watched her friend, then sighed and glanced up at Tyrell. “Hey, what an evening, huh?”

“Yeah,” Tyrell agreed.

“This whole Michelle thing was crazy, wasn't it?”

Tyrell nodded. “About as crazy as it gets. Have a good evening,” he said, and Tameeka's face fell.

He opened his truck door and was about to get in when Tameeka called out to him. “Tyrell—”

“I need to get going. I'm tired.”

“I really need to talk to you.” Tameeka rushed over to him and rested her hand on his arm. “When can I see you?” she asked.

T
ameeka nervously fiddled with her straw. The café was crowded, and she was grateful that she had gotten a table. She expected Tyrell to walk through the door at any minute; then as if on cue, she looked up to see him fill the doorway. He stopped at the threshold as he scrutinized the crowd; and the pause gave her enough time to check him out. He's letting his hair grow back, she mused. I like it, she decided. The black stubble covering his head gave him an unkempt, sexy look.

He looked as good as ever, but his mouth was turned down in a frown and his eyes were hooded and secretive. Once she got her heart beating at a normal pace, she stood up and motioned him over.

As he lumbered across the coffee shop, Tameeka couldn't help but notice several ladies turn their heads to watch his progress. When he got to the table, Tameeka pointed her lips up for a kiss; Tyrell bypassed them and aimed for her cheek. Embarrassed, Tameeka's face flushed hotly, and she quickly swallowed her disappointment.

“I'm glad that you agreed to meet me,” she started off nervously. “Oh, here, I got you these,” she said, and pushed a two-pound box of chocolate-covered raisins toward him. He licked his lips when he opened it and saw his favorite candy inside. “Do you want something to eat? They have good food here.”

“Just coffee,” he said, then signaled the waitress. Tameeka angrily sipped her soda as Tyrell's eyes lazily roamed over the waitress's body. She didn't say anything until the waitress brought Tyrell's coffee and he had fixed it just the way he liked it, tons of sugar and a drop of cream.

She smiled brightly at him. “So how's work? I bet you have some funny stories to tell,” she gently encouraged.

“Work is cool,” Tyrell answered flatly. She waited for him to ask about her store…he didn't. The blood slowly crept up Tameeka's face.

“How's Jackson doing? I can't believe what that crackhead did to Jam,” Tameeka said as she sadly shook her head.

“J is cool,” he answered in the same flat tone, then gave her a look that said, “Stop bullshitting and tell me what you want!”

Tameeka cringed. He hates me so much, she thought, and her nose and ears started itching. Don't you dare cry! she told herself. The urge was getting so strong that she had to bow her head over her drink to compose herself. When she lifted her head she found Tyrell's eyes on her. They were coolly appraising her; a chill ran up her spine, he was looking at her as if she were a stranger.

Tameeka pushed down a sob, and said, “I wanted to apologize to you in person. I'm
very, very
sorry about what I did to you. The last thing I wanted to do was to hurt you.” When he didn't say anything, she said softly, “I've found some things out about myself.” She glanced at him and when he didn't frown, she felt brave enough to continue. “I was afraid of being abandoned,” she confessed, and this time she couldn't stop the tears, they flowed down her face, like little streams.

Tyrell's heart broke at seeing her cry. “Don't,” he said. He wanted to pull her into his arms, but his own pain kept him glued to his seat. Instead he picked up his coffee cup and took a long sip.

“I'm sorry,” Tameeka sniffled as she dabbed at her eyes, then blew her nose. This was turning into a tear fest, something she didn't want to happen. “I guess whenever I think about people leaving me I get a little emotional.”

“I didn't leave you,” Tyrell said as he slammed down his coffee cup. He leaned forward so that their faces were only inches apart. “You pushed me away. You cheated on me!” he hissed, and Tameeka shrunk back in her chair.

“But weren't you listening to anything I just said? I cheated because I was scared.”

“I heard everything you said. But check this out; what happens if you get scared again, or what happens if a guy does something that you don't like. How are you gonna deal with it, Meek?”

“I won't cheat,” she vowed. “Let's get back together. I'll prove it to you.”

“Get back together,” he spat. “Are you fucking crazy? When you had me, you didn't think that I loved you so you went out and cheated on me. Now that you don't have me, you talked yourself into believing that you cheated on me because you were afraid that I would leave you. What kind of shit is that?” He gave her a hard glare.

“I…I…I…,” Tameeka stuttered.

“The rationale kinda leaves you speechless, doesn't it?” he barked, then his voice softened. “I loved you, girl. I loved you with everything I had. But you went and cheated on me!” His eyes became glassy and his voice thick. “You cheated on me. The man who loved you. I wanted to take care of you. I wanted to give you babies,” he said harshly.

“I'm so sorry,” Tameeka said over and over until it began to sound like a mantra.

“This was a waste of my time. I need to go,” Tyrell said. He snatched up his candy and ambled out of the shop.

Tameeka slumped back into her chair. It was there all the time, and I didn't believe it, she thought sadly. When she looked into Tyrell's eyes, she had seen how much love he had for her, but also mixed in was the pain she had caused him.

“He doesn't want me,” Tameeka murmured, before dropping a twenty-dollar bill on the table and stumbling into the street.