Piece Keeper (10 page)

Black laughed. “You’re right, Brown. A lot of them
are and I am trying my best to make sure that justice
prevails.”

“It’s me. It’s Brown, baby!” Brown said pointing
both thumbs at himself. “Don’t give me that slick courtroom talk.
Shoot it to me straight, baby. If you gonna lock ‘em up say you
gonna lock ‘em up. Punk muthas… put ‘em up under the jail!”

Black leaned back in his seat and watched Brown eat
and mumble to himself angrily. “Ms. Prince must really mean a lot
to you.”

“I hate punk ass bullies and I hate people who fuck
over good people. Ms. Prince… she good people.”

Black smiled. “Yes she is. She is good people. And
thank you, Brown.”

“For what? I didn’t do nothing but get hit by a
car.” Brown burst into a fit of laughter. As he laughed his mouth
opened wide. Black tried not to cringe looking into his jagged
mouth filled with half chewed food.

Black chuckled. “For being a good friend to Teresa
and having lunch with me today.”

“No problem, Black. Just do me a solid.”

“What’s that?”

“Make sure all them cops get what they deserve.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“I mean all of ‘em. The Black one too.”

“The black one? Did you see something? What Black
one?”

“No, I didn’t see nothing.”

“What are you talking about, Brown? What’s the real
reason you wanted to talk to me?”

“You the law… figure it out. I done said enough.”
Brown jumped up from his seat, grabbed a handful of dinner rolls,
and shoved them into his jacket pocket. He guzzled his drink,
slammed his glass on the table, and then grabbed the last piece of
chicken from his plate.

“Wait a minute, Brown. Let me give you a ride. Where
are you going? We can talk about this”

“I’m done talking. Thanks for the lunch, counselor.”
he began moving towards the door.

Black pulled out his wallet and dropped a fifty
dollar bill on the table. Grabbing his suit jacket from the back of
the chair he ran to the exit looking for Brown. His eyes scanned
from left to right then up and down the block. The old man was
nowhere to be seen. Black cursed as he made his way back to his
truck.

Chapter Ten

They’d had been a beautiful afternoon. Teresa felt
as if she was walking on clouds. James had dropped her off several
hours ago and now she sat staring out the sliding patio door deep
in thought.

Morena stood behind her silently watching her as she
watched nothing. “How is everything Teresa?”

Startled by Morena’s voice, Teresa quickly turned to
face her. She smiled, placed her hand on her chest, and then ran
her fingers across the ring she had dangling on a gold chain around
her neck.

As Morena approached her smiling she took notice of
the engagement ring around Teresa’s neck. She smiled.

“Everything is better,” Teresa replied in an upbeat
tone. “Seems to get better every day.”

Morena smiled. “What’s this?” she asked as she
gently cupped the ring in her hand.

Teresa pulled the ring from her grasp. Feeling
uncomfortable she stepped back. “Oh this….a friend gave it to
me.”

Morena stepped back herself. With her hands on hips
she sucked her teeth. “A friend?”

Teresa felt herself becoming blanketed in
discomfort. She didn’t speak. She nodded yes and diverted her eyes
to the floor.

“Would this friend be Black?”

“Yes but…”

“But what? I have gone way beyond anything a woman
in my situation would have done to help you and beyond that I was a
fool enough to actually believe, despite the circumstances of how
we met, that we were actually becoming friends.”

“We are. You don’t understand.”

“I understand perfectly. You make friends with
snakes. Don’t be surprised when you get bit. I should’ve known
better.”

Teresa wanted to talk to her about things but this
was not the way she pictured the conversation going. “Morena, will
you just listen please?”

“I’m done listening. Can you just go?”

“No! Not until I’ve said what I have to say.”

“Let’s not do this, Teresa. Just make it easy on us
both and go—”

Teresa cut her off mid-sentence, holding her hand in
her face. “You see this?”

Morena stepped back and looked closer at Teresa’s
hand through squinted eyes. She was holding up her left hand and on
her ring finger sat a diamond engagement ring. Morena remained
silent. She didn’t know what Teresa was about to say so she was
holding her breath.

“He asked me to marry him today,” Teresa confessed.
“James proposed.”

Morena smiled from ear to ear. It wasn’t so much
that she was happy for Teresa and James but more so because it was
looking more like the chances of Teresa and Black getting back
together was close to none existent. Morena still had her
reservations though. Women were some conniving creatures. She knew
first hand she’d done some things she wasn’t proud of in her past.
She kept that in mind causing her to remain cautious of Teresa
being around her man.

“You said yes?” Morena asked.

“I told him I was undecided.”

Morena sighed. Teresa gave her a reassuring glance
that said she could relax because she didn’t want Black. At least
Teresa hoped that message was conveyed in her look. Lord knows she
didn’t want to beat that dead horse anymore. Living there with her
ex and his current fiancée was awkward enough.

“Undecided?” Morena asked. “You’re wearing his ring
though.”

“I didn’t accept it at first. I told him it was a
bit much a bit too fast and I didn’t want to give him a false sense
of hope or lead him on.”

Morena nodded, keeping silent.

Teresa continued. “He insisted that I keep it. He
said that although he’d be disappointed and hurt if I decided I
didn’t want to marry him that he’d bought the ring for me and he
wanted me to have it regardless.”

Morena chuckled. “You know how these men are, girl…
once they give you a gift they damn near feel like they own you.
Something like an engagement ring… you never know… in his mind once
you took that ring the wedding certificate was signed.”

Teresa laughed. “Girl, I know. But if he goes flip
mode on me he can have this thing back and go on about his
business. But I have a good feeling about this. I’m taking my time
but it feels good.”

Morena placed her hands on Teresa’s shoulders and
rubbed her arms. “Well, that’s good for you.”

Teresa smiled.

Morena continued. “If James is your possible new
future, why are you still grasping to the past?” She motioned
towards the ring dangling from the chain around Teresa’s neck.

Subconsciously, Teresa reached for the ring and held
it. She closed her eyes and sighed.

“Black wasn’t lying when he said we have a special
connection. I was. I was in denial. I just wanted to move on and
forget he ever existed. Not because I was bitter or I hated him,
but because it was easier to forget him rather than to recognize
that he is special to me and be forced to think of him knowing that
I will never be with him again. That make sense?”

“Sounds like you’re still in love to me.”

Teresa grimaced. “Not at all. We were friends before
we were lovers. I loved him before I was ever in love with him and
the fact that he has come here and risked losing a woman as good as
you to make sure I’m okay lets me know that he still loves me. That
doesn’t mean he’s in love with me. I’m glad that he’s accepted
that. I’m glad that he’s met you. I’m also glad that not only he,
but you and James have all made me realize that it’s okay for me to
love him back. And that is the reason I’ve kept his ring close to
my heart. Will I always keep it here or at all for that matter? No,
I’m sure I won’t. But right now it just feels right.”

“It all sounds a little suspect to me but at least
you were honest with me.”

“You still want me to leave?”

Morena rolled her eyes. “Girl, your little skinny
tail is welcome here as long as you like.”

“Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank
you.”

“Did you tell Black about James yet?”

“No.”

“Hmmm.”

“Hmmm what?”

“I’ve told Black he acts more like he’s your father
than anything and he does not like James at all. Just curious how
he’ll react.”

“Can you keep this between us? It’s awkward enough
around here already. It’s like you said, these men want to act like
they own you and I don’t want to go through this big long speech
with him like I did with you.”

Morena bit into her bottom lip. “Okay.” She turned
to head back towards the kitchen. Teresa placed her hand on the
woman’s shoulder.

Morena stopped and turned to face Teresa. “Yes?”

“There’s something else if you don’t mind.”

“Of course not.”

“It’s that whole patient client thing again.”

Morena held her arm out gesturing towards the sofa.
“Let’s sit.” She followed behind Teresa as she led the way towards
the sofa and took a seat. “What’s on your mind?” Morena asked
crossing her legs as she sat beside Teresa.

“I haven’t been sleeping…re-occurring nightmares. I
was hoping you could tell me what it means.”

“I can try but you know dreams are open to
interpretation.”

“I understand.”

“What happens in the dream?”

Teresa inhaled and slowly exhaled. “I’m back in that
basement of the police station and I’m being attacked again.”

Morena sat quietly and listened staring back through
un-judging eyes.

“I’m whimpering like a weak defeated dog,” Teresa
stated.

“You’re no dog.”

“Any way, as I plead with those animals the room
becomes mute and off into the shadows I see a figure and hear a
sound.”

“A sound?”

“Yes. I know it but I can’t place it. Girl that is
the creepiest part of the dream. It’s like my mind is trying to
tell me something and trying to figure out what that sound is… it’s
driving me insane.”

“Can you describe the sound?”

Teresa drew in a long breath of air through her
mouth. “Like that.”

“Like someone sucking through a straw?”

“Never thought of that. Sort of but louder.”

“Like what? A vacuum cleaner?”

“No. We can guess all day what the sound might have
been. I need you to tell me what the dream means.”

“How did this dream leave you feeling?”

Teresa stood and began to pace the room. “At first I
felt afraid.”

“Why did you have fear? You said you only saw a
shadow. Did the shadow harm you in some way in the dream?”

“Physically, no.”

“Then how so?”

“He, if it’s a he… maybe a woman… I don’t know. The
thing harmed me mentally and emotionally. I felt violated on
another level. I was being watched while being raped. Like it was a
matinee.”

“What are the principal emotions arising from this
dream?”

“Fear, anger… is creeped out an emotion?” Teresa
half-heartedly laughed.

“I can’t truly answer the question of what your
dream means. Only you can in your waking hours. You have
experienced something that has taken root in your mind and has
manifested itself in the form of a dream. All I can say is be
honest about your feelings and emotions. In reality, your dreams
will hardly ever tell you something that you don't already know on
some level. It's just more likely that you have been repressing or
pushing something aside.”

“How do I bring it to the forefront and put it
behind me?”

“First thing I would suggest is stop looking at it
as a negative. It is not here to haunt you. What has happened to
you has already happened. That occurrence can’t hurt you anymore.
View your dream as a compass to what’s going on in your life at the
moment. The key thing to remember is that there are no rules to
dream interpretation and so there are no rights or wrongs to the
interpretation process. It's all down to your self-honesty,
self-knowledge, and your willingness to apply your dream knowledge
to your waking life situations.”

“Thank you,” Teresa said unsure of herself. “I’ll
try.”

“And take it back to the old school… warm tea and
honey before bed always helps. Take your mind to a happy place
before bed, reminisce about a happy moment in your life, pray or
meditate.”

“I’ll try.”

“Good.” Morena stood and smiled before heading up to
her room.

Teresa was left just as she was almost an hour ago,
alone with her thoughts. She wanted to believe that what Morena
suggested would work but deep down she had a feeling that it
wouldn’t.

Chapter
Eleven

As Black pulled up to the government building where
his office was located his vehicle was swamped with not only news
reporters but also protesters. He stepped out of his vehicle and
began to move towards the entrance. With his head held low and
cameras flashing, he ignored the questions being hurled at him.
From the corner of his eye he spotted a bus pulling up with what he
presumed to be more protestors, possibly from out of state.
Officers wearing riot gear armed with batons, mace, and police dogs
advanced on the crowd. Black found himself in the middle wedged
between the police and the protestors. None had made a move on the
other and Black was praying that neither would, at least not with
him in the middle. He felt a tug at his left arm and a tug at his
right as if he was being sandwiched in. His head swiveled from left
to right. He spotted Waeltz to the left of him and James to the
right. They were acting as shields, escorting him to the entrance.
The sound of police on bullhorns and protesters yelling, “No Means
No!” filled the air.

Just as he reached the door a glass bottle shattered
against the wall. Black was shoved into the building and the door
was closed. James watched as Waeltz and Black joined the other
officers trying to contain the crowd. Black stared in awe as a fire
truck pulled up and the water cannons were released on the chanting
crowd of men, women, and children. He didn’t know what to do. He
had a strong yielding to rush out into the crowd and join the
protestors but his more sensible side felt as if it were a losing
battle. He wanted to win the war and knew that his battle would be
fought soon enough in the court room.