The Black Effect 2, page 19
“I'm proud of you. Even though I never wanted us to end like that, I made some adjustments with myself, too. I think we both had to learn from our divorce and become better people.”
“So, are you going to add another wife, since I left?”
He twisted his face as he shook his head. “Hell no. I don’t want the stress.”
“Are you serious? I always thought you wanted three wives.”
“I did, but now I don’t care to have three. I'm good with what I have.”
The room became silent as my thoughts overloaded. I never thought me and Nadir would be able to have a civilized conversation about our wrongdoings and own up to our parts in the demise of our marriage. When I left him, I swore I wouldn’t see him again. I declared that I would never step foot in his house and made sure his name would never leave my lips. Now, here we were talking like old friends and playing catch up.
“So, this new house… is it safe?”
Nadir nodded. “Yes, Amai. I wouldn’t put you anywhere that wasn’t.”
“I'm assuming the place is secured with some kind of guard, right?”
“Yep.”
“I'm going to be scared,” I confessed.
“Why?”
“Because what if the guys find me and finish what they started?”
“They will be found before that happens. I promise.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, if you're scared, maybe you can go back to the house with your people. I'm sure they would love to have you back.”
I gave him a knowing look as he broke out in laughter.
“You swear, you're so funny.”
“I am,” he chortled. “Gone ‘head and let your mama tell you how she is God’s favorite child. Oh, and let her justify getting fucked by a married man, too. Then you can let your pop’s act like a victim and give you that woe is me shit. Damn, you know what? That’s probably where you get that shit from. You ever thought about that?”
I tried so hard to hold my smile but failed miserably. “You ain't shit, Nadir.”
“Nah, I had to get you back for trying to shit on me earlier. You remember when you said I get my fucked-up ways from Lena?”
“I guess I gotta take that on the chin, but I’ma get your ass back for that.”
He grinned, which made me smile. I was amazed that he still had the ability to place a genuine beam on my face.
“Maybe your new nigga can come keep you company at night. You know he was waiting to fill a nigga’s shoes.”
Suddenly, the simper I had been holding, melted off my face. “You just had to ruin the fucking moment.”
“What? I'm sure number two would be willing to be your shield. He’s probably going crazy not being able to see you.”
“Why is it so hard to believe that me and Canton are friends?”
He rolled his eyes as if I was getting on his nerves.
“Nadir, me and Canton are strictly friends. We’ve never had sex, never kissed, or done anything intimate. I know it’s hard to believe because of the issue at the club, and I’ll be the first to admit, I was wrong as hell for that. I shouldn’t have been all up on that man when I was still married to you. I was angry as hell at you, and I'm not using that as an excuse, but I'm trying to provide some insight to where my mind state was at that night.”
I really wanted Nadir to believe me when I told him that Canton and I had never taken our friendship to another level. Did I think about it? Yes, but I quickly nixed that idea when I realized that Nadir was still heavily inside my heart. Besides, I needed my alone time because that was something I had never experienced.
“I need you to listen to me,” he spoke after a moment of silence. “Look at me.”
I gave him my undivided attention and looked him square in the eyes.
“That dude, that you think is your friend, doesn’t give a fuck about you. He’s not down for you and that friendship that you think you two have isn't genuine. It’s built on deceit because he was only using you to get to me or it could’ve been Jaide for all I know.”
“But he hates Jaide,” I reasoned. “When he talked to me about their past, he acts like he can’t stand her for the way that she did him.”
Nadir smacked his lips. “That’s what he wants you to believe, but it’s all bullshit. When Jaide left him, his ass called her phone a million times a day, crying and shit. He would pop up wherever she was, begging her to take him back. I had to hire someone to follow her around because I felt like he would harm her. He still loves her, so don’t be fooled by that bullshit act that he’s trying to put on. If Jaide went to him now and said let’s be together, I’d bet you any money that he would jump at the chance. Amai, I hate to break it to you, but you were basically used as a link to either get back at me or get Jaide back. Nothing more.”
I sat in silence, allowing his words to linger in my mind. I had gotten to know Canton and I couldn’t see what Nadir was talking about. He was always genuine with me and never showed any signs of him being insincere, but I couldn’t dismiss Nadir’s claims either. He had always been able to see through people and their intentions.
“What about him bailing me out of jail? A person who doesn’t really care wouldn’t have done that, right?”
“Wrong,” he shot. “It’s all a part of his act. Don’t take that shit personal. That was nothing but a chess move.”
I nibbled on my inner cheek. “Well, let’s just agree to disagree.”
“Yeah, a’ight, but when you find out the truth, I need you to come tell me that I had been right all along.”
“Okay, I need you to extend your arm as much as you can.”
I winced as I stretched my arm out toward the physical therapist. This was my first day, and I was in a great amount of discomfort. Trying to work out muscles that hadn’t been used in weeks was such a grueling experience for me.
“Ouch,” I griped.
“It’s okay. This won’t be an easy process, but it’ll be worth it in the end. I feel like you did great today,” the older black woman said with a smile.
“I don’t. I'm in pain again.”
“Well, that’s to be expected. You should take a pain pi─”
“No,” I quickly cut her off. “I don’t want to take any more pain pills. They make me feel weird, and I'm not trying to become dependent on them.”
“Okay, well, you should have your doctor give you a muscle relaxer. They're more tolerable than the opioids.”
“I guess I can deal with that.”
She nodded. “Okay, have your physician write you a script for Tramadol. That should ease your pain. Also, I need you to apply heat and try doing exercises at home.”
“Sure.”
“Alright, Miss Amai, I’ll see you on Thursday.”
“Okay.”
She helped me put my sling back on my arm before I walked out of the room. I looked to my left to see Nate sitting patiently. When he found out I was going to physical therapy, he had begged me to allow him to take me. Since I wanted Raye to have a much-needed break from me, I figured I would let my dad drive me to my appointment.
He stood once he realized I was out of the room. “How did it go?”
I shook my head. “I'm in pain again. I don’t think I'm going to like these sessions very much.”
He smiled. “It’ll get better. This is only the first day.”
“Let’s go. I'm ready to go back to Nadir’s and lay down.”
“Okay.”
We walked out the facility and got inside his van. We drove off, and I pulled out my phone. My thoughts instantly drifted on Canton. I had this sudden urge to see him, so I could let him know that I was fine. I was sure he had been worried since he hadn’t spoken to me, and I wanted to assure him that I was getting better.
“Hey, Dad, can you stop at that coffee shop I told you to go to. I want to see my friend.”
“Sure.”
He drove toward the coffee shop, and I prayed that Canton was there. I would’ve called him beforehand, but I wanted my visit to be more of a surprise. When my dad arrived, he parked near the entrance.
“Do you need help getting out the car?”
“No, I'm fine.”
“What about going inside? I could go in with you.”
“No, this won’t take long. Just stay in the car.”
“Okay.”
I slowly eased out of the car and walked to the door. My nerves had somehow gotten antsy with the anticipation of seeing Canton. So, I released a deep breath and entered the shop in search for the friend I had missed dearly.
Jaide: I've missed you so much Canton. I'm so glad you reached out to me.
Why was I sitting here with an attitude, when I was the one that had texted her first? I couldn’t deny that I was confused as shit when it came to Jaide. I hated her for leaving me the way she did. I despised her existence because she had left me with a broken heart. I’d made a pact with myself that I would never love again because of the damaged she had done to me. But then, there was a part of me that still missed the bond we used to share. There was a fraction of me that craved her presence, and there were still bits of me that loved her immensely. Being with Jaide would make me feel foolish, and I battled with that.
Me: I don’t even know why I texted you to be honest. I really don’t have shit to say.
Jaide: I understand. You're still salty and I get it. Just know I never stopped loving you.
I scoffed at that text and glanced at the door when I heard the chimes. I stared at the person who stood quietly, not believing she was actually here in my presence. Amai looked great from what I could see. I only noticed that her arm was in a sling but other than that, her appearance didn’t look like that of a woman who had been attacked.
She wore her ginger hair in box braids that came past her waist. Her face was naturally made up with glossy lips. She was clad in a denim jacket, white midi dress, and all-white Pumas. I loved her beautiful presence, but I didn’t appreciate her coming here like shit was all good between us.
Amai advanced toward me, wearing a meek smile. I didn’t return the gesture because my annoyance with her wouldn’t allow it.
“Hey, Canton.”
“Really? You come here after all this time and think a ‘hey’ is going to be good?”
Her ginger brows crinkled. “Yeah, I mean, I thought greeting you would be the appropriate thing to do. Is something wrong with that?”
“Yeah, it’s something wrong. I've been worried sick about you, and you don’t call or nothing. You didn’t have the decency to send a fucking text,” I fumed.
“Canton, I wasn’t able to call you. That’s why I sent my father to give you a message. I was fucked up after my attack. I still am.”
“So, you're telling me the reason you didn’t call me because you were in a bad shape?”
“Yes,” she confirmed. “I was terrified after what happened to me, and I needed time to process and heal.”
“So, you being with your ex had nothing to do with not reaching out to me?” I challenged.
Amai snorted as she shook her head. “No, he had nothing to do with it.”
“You're full of shit, Amai. Just like I thought, you went running back to this nigga after all the shit he did to you. I knew you were still in love with him.”
“Excuse me?” she raged.
“Ain't no damn excuse me. I've been here for you, Amai, and you don’t think that I would have liked to come see you and make sure you're good as my friend? How you gon’ send somebody that I don’t even know to give me a message? Your ass could’ve called, and I'm not accepting that bullshit-ass reason why you didn’t. You still stuck over ol’ boy, and now you're trying to play me like I haven’t been there for you.”
I was really in my feelings behind two women. Jaide, for obvious reasons, and with Amai because I felt like she was slithering back under Nadir’s spell. We had maintained a bond I had grown to cherish, but I didn’t like how she had tossed me to the side because she was back in the presence of her ex.
“I like how you have turned this whole nightmare I had to endure, about you. You're a selfish-ass person, and I can’t believe the nerve you have. I was fucking attacked and robbed. You don’t know how many times I was slapped in my face! Do you want to know how they hit me with a gun and split open my head? How about I tell you how they took me to an ATM and demanded that I give them money? No, wait, let me tell you that I thought I was going to die that night, so I jumped out of a moving vehicle and fucked up most of my body. Then, when I tried to run away, they shot me like I wasn’t a fucking human being. Someone found me in the street and called an associate of Nadir, who in turn called him.
“You see, Nadir looked out for me. He didn’t have to come to my rescue. He didn’t have to take me back to his place and watch over me like I was still his wife. He hired a full medical staff to take care of me, and he’s even paying for my physical therapy. He came to me since he was concerned, so fuck you for turning this into a Hallmark movie because you're being selfish and in your feelings. I came here thinking we would connect, and I could tell you all about the hell I've been through. But since you're so self-absorbed, I’ll fucking pass.”
I suddenly felt like shit as Amai turned on her heels and headed for the door. It wasn’t my intention to make her attack about my feelings, but I couldn’t help feeling some kind of way.
“Amai, wait up,” I said, hurrying after her.
“No, I'm fine. I don’t need your energy around me. I’ll see you in the streets.”
Just as she was about to walk through the door, Zay and Reem entered the shop. They looked at Amai and smiled, which only intensified my anger.
“What's up, shawty?” Zay greeted her.
“Damn, what you do to her? She looks mad as a bitch!”
Amai reached for the door handle but stopped abruptly. She turned and stared at Zay and Reem while they talked amongst themselves. My eyes traveled back from her to them, wondering why she was looking at them with such a weird expression.
“Amai,” I said, but she ignored me.
She was still studying my cousins and that had me confused.
“Oh, my God,” she gasped, covering her mouth with her free hand.
“What?” I asked, looking at my cousins, who were now staring at the both of us.
“I gotta get out of here,” she fretted, running out the door.
I was puzzled by her sudden weird behavior and went after her. “Amai! Wait, come here!” I said, jogging after her.
She didn’t answer me as she continued toward a silver van. I recognized the man that had come to alert me that she had been hurt in the driver’s seat. I grabbed her elbow before she could get in the car.
“Chill out. Why are you running away?”
She spun around with tears in her eyes. “It was them! Did you do this to me?”
“Do what?” I responded, genuinely confused.
“Your cousins were the people that attacked me. Did you know they did this to me?”
As soon as she said that, my heart dropped. My cousins were known jack boys, but I never thought they would hit someone they knew I was close with. Even though I believed what she was saying, I was going to act as though I didn’t.
“Amai, you have it all wrong. My family don’t be on that kind of shit.”
“It was them,” she hissed harshly. “I remember their fucking voices. I go to sleep thinking of how scary they sounded, and when I heard them talk, I recognized them right away. Did you set me up?”
“Come on, Amai, I would never do you like that. You got it all wrong.”
The driver’s side door opened, and her father got out the car. “Amai, is everything alright?” he asked.
“No, it’s not. I know who did this to me.”
I covered her mouth with my hand. “Amai, don’t say that if you don’t know for sure.”
She snatched her face away from me. “I know exactly what the fuck I'm talking about. Your cousins beat me, robbed me, and shot me. I'm about to call the fucking police.”
Amai pulled out her phone, but I quickly snatched it out her hand. My cousins were wrong, and I knew that, but I couldn’t have them getting caught up like this.
“Just let me handle it,” I pleaded with her.
“Boy, fuck you. Their asses are about to get dealt with. Give me back my phone.”
She attempted to grab it, but I held it out of her reach.
“Young man give her back the phone. Now don’t make me tell you twice,” her father warned.
I ignored his ass and brought my attention back to Amai. “Listen, let me just see about this before you go getting the police involved. We don’t need to do this, Amai. You may have the wrong people.”
“You know, I should’ve listened to Nadir when he told me you didn’t care about me.”
“I do care about you,” I countered. “Don’t let that man get in your head and have you thinking otherwise.”
“You don’t, because if you did, you would believe what I'm saying. Your cousins attacked me, and they're about to pay for that.”
“Man, this is my family. I can’t have you accusing them of something they didn’t do.”
“I just fucking told you that they did. Why are you finding this so hard to believe?”
Damn, I felt guilty. The conviction in Amai’s words were enough to make me believe what she was saying. She was spooked when Zay and Reem entered the shop. Even now, she was standing in front of me visibly shaken up with tears in her eyes. I totally believed her, but I couldn’t throw my cousins under the bus.
“Amai, I’ll call the police,” announced her dad as he got back in the car.
“Dad, don’t do that yet.” Amai shook her head at me. “You done fucked up, Canton. I'm not going to call the police.”
I exhaled.
“I’ll call Nadir and let him handle it his own way. And we both know that shit is going to get way messier than what you would like.”
