Who Do I Run To? (17 page)

“In a case like that, you have to be wise, just like your heart may want a pair of shoes or a cute purse, but if you have to pay the light bill first, your mind overrules that urge and you do the right thing.”

“I know, but love is much more complicated than buying yourself a cute purse.”

“You can say that again,” she said.

“Nellie
, I just don’t want you to be disappointed in me or look down on me because of my decisions where K.P. is concerned.”

“Jai
, listen, I will never look down on you. You have your own life to live. My main concern is your happiness, and if that turns out to be with K.P. or Isaiah, or whomever, as long as you are happy, I’m happy.”

“And if it is
K.P., I don’t want you hating him and treating him like you’ve been treating him, like crap.”

“Now
, I can’t promise you anything on that,” she said smirking. But if you ever marry him, I will let the past be the past. Family is family, and if he turns out to be the father of my nieces and nephews, I’ll have to be nice.”

“Hold on, that is
, niece or nephew. Keep in mind K.P. already has two with ‘‘Crazy’.’ He doesn’t make that much money.” They giggled and talked a bit more about the future and the new baby. Soon, they got the calendar and calculated the month the new baby would come. They guessed it would be around June of next year. Janiece remembered that was when Isaiah would be returning to Chicago.

After that
, they ate, and then Janiece headed back home. She tried calling K.P. and didn’t get him again. Confused and lonely, she called Isaiah to see if he was going to be at his sister’s and he said he would and wanted to come over when she got in.

At first she said no and told him she was a little tired, but after he bribed her with pralines and ice cream from Baskin
-Robbins, she agreed to have a little late-night company. She definitely didn’t want him to spend the night, because she decided to ease up a little since she wasn’t ready to pursue that relationship. She thought about how she had so many fantasies of her and K.P. getting married and moving to Las Vegas and starting a family.

They always talked about moving there and how many children they would have and all of the things that they would do if circumstances and situations were different. Janiece never took any of what they talked about seriously because she knew that would be setting herself up for disappointment. There were no talks of him leaving Kimberly
until a week or so ago. She wanted to believe that it was true and he was really serious about leaving his wife, but she had a hard time trusting that.

Also, s
he didn’t want to get all excited because leaving Kimberly wasn’t a guarantee that he would be with her. So she was still in a state of what-ifs. What if he does this or what if he does that, what if Isaiah wants this, what if he has someone back in Texas? What if she was moving too fast? What if she was using Isaiah? What if K.P. was serious about being with Janiece? What if his wife was really crazy and she had to watch her back? She didn’t know what to do. Too many what-ifs. She was totally confused.

That night when she shut the door behind Isaiah after finally convincing him that she wanted to be alone to get some rest, she tried calling
K.P. again. When she got his voice mail, she didn’t say a word, just held the phone until she heard the automated system tell her there was no more time allowed for her message.

She hung the phone up and tried to go to sleep.
After tossing for a while, she fell asleep with her sister Janelle and the pregnancy on her mind. She smiled at the idea of having a new baby in the family, and that helped her finally settle down.

Chapter Nineteen

Two days later, Kimberly was finally released from the hospital. They were on their way home in K.P.’s truck, and Kimberly wanted to stop for some food. Of course, K.P. didn’t want to stop because now that she was no longer in the hospital, he was free to go. He wanted to see Janiece as soon as he possibly could.

The last three days were hell because he was basically stuck in the hospital with Kimberly, and when he was
there, his cell phone had no service. He went home briefly to shower the day before, but he could hardly shower because Kimberly was calling him every three minutes, making sure he was coming right back.

For argument
’s sake and the fact that Kimberly was a little unstable, he hurried back to the hospital after only having a two-minute shower. She was a bit nutty, and he didn’t want to do anything to make matters worse.

On the way back
, he tried calling Janiece on her cell phone hoping he’d catch her, but he got her voice mail. He tried her work phone, but figured she wasn’t at her desk at the time he called.

The last three days went by slow as hell and being with Kimberly was driving
K.P. crazy. He had been by her side night and day. When they released her, he felt like he had just been released from prison. Now, instead of her just letting him take her home, she wanted to stop for food. There was plenty to eat at the house. She had only been in the hospital for three days; the food didn’t spoil or disappear from their fridge.

“Kimberly
, you just got out of the hospital. Don’t you want to go home and shower and relax?”

“Kerry
, I’ve been eating hospital food for three days, and trust me, it was horrible. I’d like to go and have a nice meal with some tasty seasonings.”

“Kimberly
, do you think your stomach is ready to digest spices and stuff? You just had your stomach pumped a couple of days ago. Why don’t you let me take you home, you take a nice long shower, and I’ll fix you something?”

“No
, K.P., there’s all of these restaurants here. We can stop and get something to eat. I’m hungry,” she whined.

“Fine,” he said and pulled into the parking lot of Applebee’s. He parked
, and before they got out, she pulled down the visor to check her face. Then she opened the glove box to find a napkin to get the crust out of the corner of her eyes and saw the ring box.

“What
’s this?”

“Give it to me,” he said reaching for the box.

“No, what is this?” she asked, shaking it in his face instead of opening it.

“It’s none of your business,” he said trying to take the box. He didn’t get it out of her hand
, and she opened it. When she saw the diamond she almost passed out.

“You got her a fucking ring
, K.P.? Our divorce ain’t nowhere near final, and you buying rings and trying to propose?” she snapped.

“Kimberly
, let me make something clear to you. When we get the divorce, what I do and whom I see is none of your business. I bought that ring, and to be honest, I’m not sure when I was gon’ give it to her. Now, please give me the ring.”

“No,” she said and closed the box in her hand. She was holding on to it like
, I dare you to try to take it.

“Kim
… why are you being so difficult? I’m so tired of dealing with you. This is why I hate to be around you, because you are so evil and spoiled. If things are not Kimberly’s way, than it’s no way.”

“You know what, you ungrateful son of a bitch
? I’m done with your tired ass. You wouldn’t have shit or even be shit if it weren’t for what I’ve done for you.”

“Kim
, here we go. You didn’t make me into who I am. I’ve worked my ass off for your father and brought plenty of business and revenue to that company, so don’t give me that shit. All you did was help me, help your dad’s company damn near tripled in business since I’ve been there. I worked my ass off to have what we have. Every dime I’ve made, I earned it. So you can stop walking around thinking you made me.

“I’ve given you everything that I could afford to give you
, but it’s never enough. You are the one who always wants more and more and more. I’d love it if I could please you, Kim, but nothing I do is ever good enough.

“You always go running to your daddy when I say no to something. You can’t settle for less than this or less than that. Even the ring I bought you wasn’t good enough. You just had to upgrade
, so what you do? Run to your daddy. ‘Daddy, I want five karats, and all he gave me was three.’

“I want a six-bedroom house, with four bathrooms
; four bedrooms and only two bathrooms will be too small. No, Kerry, we can’t possibly buy that cheap old crib for our baby to sleep in. This more expensive one is better,” he said mimicking her. He was tired of trying to please her. He couldn’t please her; she always had to have a newer, bigger, more expensive name-brand something.

“That’s why I love
, Janiece, and if you want to know the truth, she doesn’t ask for anything, nor does she complain about anything I give her. She doesn’t frown up her face if I give her something that is not made by Prada or Gucci. She’s happy if I buy her half a karat or a twenty-inch television verses a big-plasma screen. One dozen roses are fine for her; she’s never counted them in my face to make sure they were all there.

“You want the truth
? Here it is. I feel as if there is nothing I can do to satisfy my wife. If I can’t hand over the world, I am less than a man to you. If I can’t compete with Kimberly’s daddy, then what good am I?

“Every attempt I make to
try to please you, you poke your lip out. Not once in our entire marriage have you just smiled and said, ‘Thank you, baby, this is nice.’ Whenever I have done anything for Janiece, her face lights up and she appreciates the thought. What do you want me for, Kimberly? I don’t understand why you want to hold on to me, when I can’t give any of what you want,” he said, glad to finally tell the truth and say how he really felt.

“First of all
, I can’t help it if I want the best of everything. It’s not my fault, K.P. that I feel like I should have the top of the line, or the biggest or the most expensive. That’s just who I am. Second, just because your low-class, broke-ass mistress will settle for the measly scraps that you throw her is hardly a good-enough reason for me to accept that as the reason why you want her more than you want me. I can’t help it if her daddy didn’t work hard and spoil her like my daddy spoiled me.

“That’s her misfortune. I’m not going to apologize to you because my face doesn’t light up at some of the things you give me
, K.P., when I’m used to having it all and having the best, and I ain’t gon’ change.

“As long as I can get it
, I’m going to get it. So, if you’re leaving me because you feel less than a man because you can’t measure up to my daddy, hey,” she said with no regards to anything he had said. She was just a spoiled brat, and he felt at that moment that she didn’t love him; she just didn’t want to lose to Janiece.

She felt like she was better than Janiece. For
K.P. to be leaving her for someone not of her caliber was the biggest problem for Kimberly, not because she truly loved him. To her, outside appearance was everything, and in her circle, there was only wealth and riches. If word got out that K.P. left her for a regular ole poor girl like Janiece, she’d be the talk of the country club.

“Well
, I guess we’re clear, because all you’re saying is what you want and what you can get. So fine, we know that you can get and have everything that you want; so I guess you’ll be totally fine. Continue to be that little spoiled, tactless brat that you have been and everything for Kimberly will be fine.”

“Call me what you want. You can take this funky
-little-ass ring,” she said and threw it at him. This bullshit is too small for my taste anyway. Now take me home to my house, the house that I deserve to live in. I hope you and your fat-broke-ass-humble bitch live happily ever after in her little bitty-ass apartment on 95th Street,” she said, letting the words slip out of her mouth that she knew where Janiece lived. He looked over at her with one brow raised.

“So
, what else do you know, Kimberly? You don’t have to fake the funk now. How long have you known? What, you’ve been following me?”

“You’ve been fucking her for more than five years
. Why does my knowing surprise you? And what does it matter how long I’ve known? The fact is I know.”

“You know
, you’re right,” he said and started the ignition. He pulled out of the parking space and drove home. He didn’t say another word to her the entire ride. He pulled into their garage and got out without helping her out of the high seat. He put the ring that he had bought for Janiece into his pocket, walked inside, and keyed in the code to turn off the alarm. Then he walked over to the cordless and grabbed it from the charger. He dialed his friend Marcus’s cell phone.

“Hello,” he answered.

“Hey, man, what’s cracking? This is K.P..”

“Yo
, man, what’s up?”

“Listen
, I need a favor,” he said rubbing his temple.

“Yeah
? Whatcha need?”

“A place to crash for a minute, you know
, ’til my shit is square out there,” he said, and Kimberly overheard him.

Square out where? At Janiece’s
? Are they having problems? She thought to herself as she zoomed in on his conversation, trying not to miss anything he was saying.

“Sure man, no problem.
I haven’t been there in days. Been at Tracy’s. You know, that girl gon’ be Mrs. Hannon?”

“Naw
, man, didn’t know she was working it like that,” he said, and they snickered. Kimberly was so nosy, and she didn’t see anything funny about a man letting a married dude crash at his spot without encouraging him to stay home with his family. “Well, I’ll be by your office in a little while to get the key.”

“I
’ll leave it with my assistant, because I got court in about an hour.”

“That’s cool, I’ll holla.” He hung up the phone and walked by Kimberly like she was invisible
, then ran up the stairs with her on his heels.

“You’re not going anywhere
, K.P.!”

“Kimberly
, move. This is not gon’ get ugly. I’m not going to allow this to get ugly. Now, it will save some drama and time if you’d just not get in my way.” He walked around her and continued to get some of the things that he needed. He didn’t want to leave any of his things behind because he knew she’d probably destroy them, but he couldn’t worry about that. Although he had tailor-made suits, expensive shoes, and name-brand ties, he could only get the essentials.

She watched him put his favorite suits into a garment bag and couldn’t think of anything to say to stop him. He ran down to the closet in the basement and got another suitcase
, and she was looking at him as if she was in shock he was actually leaving. He was packing more clothes than just for a couple of days. She had a feeling that he wouldn’t be coming home again unless it was to get the rest of his stuff. She shut her eyes real tight to try to make a tear come, but she couldn’t make one.

She watched him go from his closet to the bathroom to the luggage
, and she wanted to unpack his things and put them back where she thought they belonged. The more he packed, the angrier she got.

“You’re going to be sorry if you leave
, K.P., I promise you that.”

“Well
, Kim, I think I’ll be sorrier if I stay,” he said and zipped up the garment bag.

“Kerry
, what do you want me to do, beg? Okay, then I’ll beg,” she said and moved closer to him. “Please don’t go, don’t leave us. I’m begging you,” she said, finally able to make a tear roll down her cheek.

“Cut the dramatics
, Kimberly.” He walked back to the closet and grabbed a couple more things and added them to his bag.

“You are not going to need them suits and ties if you leave here today. I
’ll call my father the moment you leave, and you will not be allowed on the premises if you go.”

He threw the strap of his garment bag over his shoulder and pulled the handle up on the suitcase.

“Go ahead, Kimberly, call him. You’ll be doing me a favor. That way, I won’t have to call him myself.” He walked away and left her standing there looking dumbfounded. The old “you need your job card” was dead. He no longer cared about his position at her dad’s company. He was his own man and had a promising future with or without Grayson Financial Services. He had things lined up so big, little “Miss Got to Have It All’s” weave would spin if she knew.

“You are not leaving me
, dammit!” she yelled running behind him as he walked out of their bedroom. She ranted and raved, but he ignored her. He went out to his truck and loaded his things. Reality hit her dead in her face, and she now realized that she couldn’t get nor have anything she wanted, because what she wanted most was on his way out the door.

She got close to him and began to pull him back, but her five feet
, size five body was nothing to his 6 feet 4, 237-pound frame. “Please don’t go, don’t leave us, K.P.,” she begged, and he basically dragged her around with his movements because she refused to let him go.