The Black Effect 2, page 14
As soon as I entered the dining room, all eyes landed on me.
“Damn, Nadir where the hell you been?” Cass asked.
“Yeah, we’ve been worried sick,” Jaide added.
Raye observed me closely as I took a seat next to her. I was tired as fuck as I rubbed my hand over my fade.
“Baby, are you okay?” Raye asked with concern.
I shook my head. “No, I uh, got a call that Amai had been shot.”
Raye gasped loudly as she covered her mouth with her hand. I watched her eyes water as she slowly swayed her head from left to right.
“Shot?” Cass griped. “What the fuck? How did that happen?”
“She was robbed going to her place, and I think it’s somehow connected to me.”
Jaide smacked her lips. “How would it be connected to you? You don’t have anything to do with her.”
I knew by the bite in Jaide’s tone that she was about to say some shit to piss me off. Her disposition was easy to read, and I could see that she lacked compassion.
“Where is she, Nadir?” Raye asked with tears rolling down her cheeks.
“She's at the guest house being cared for.”
Raye hopped from her seat and hurried out the room. I knew she was going to check on Amai.
“Nadir tell me what you need because we can’t let whoever did this get away with this shit,” Cass said with authority.
“So, you have her in the guest house and didn’t think to talk to me about it,” Jaide hissed.
I cocked my head. “Why would I need to come talk to you?”
“Because I'm your wife and you don’t just bring that bitch home without consulting me.”
My eyes traveled to Cass, and he gave me a head nod and stood. He walked out the room, and I returned my attention on Jaide.
“So, I get a call that Amai has been shot and you really think I had time, in the middle of the night, to come talk to you, when I didn’t know if she was dead or alive?”
She huffed. “Yes, you should’ve done whatever you had to do to make sure that I was okay with her being on this property. You lack respect for me.”
I chuckled. “Oh, yeah?”
“Hell yeah, you do! You know I don’t fuck with her and neither should you. I don’t know why you got the call anyway. You're not her fucking husband anymore.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose in an attempt to calm myself down. This being a better man shit was for the birds. For the last two months, I had been changing my ways, being more attentive to my wives’ needs and trying not to be so controlling. I wasn’t sure if Jaide was taking my kindness for weakness because she really had me fucked up.
“I ain't never consulted with you when it came to who I brought in my house. So, don’t think I'm going to start now.”
“You don’t see that as a problem?” she quipped. “I'm supposed to be your equal and you don’t respect me enough to come to me and ask if you should bring a bitch, I don’t like, in my house.”
“Ask?” I cackled like I had heard a joke. “You're really trying me today, huh?”
“No, I'm not trying you. I'm trying to get you to see that you shouldn’t have brought her here without consulting with me.”
I stared at Jaide, holding back the tongue lashing I truly wanted to give her. This time, I would try a different approach just so she could shut the fuck up talking.
“You know what? You're right. I apologize for not coming to you when Amai was shot. That’s my fault.”
Jaide stared at me, and I swore I saw disbelief in her expression. I had caught her off guard with my apology and her ass didn’t know what to say.
“You forgive me?” I asked, rubbing it in her face on the sly.
She nodded slowly. “Yes.”
“A’ight, I'm about to go take a shower.”
I stood and pushed the chair in. I proceeded toward the staircase, but Jaide stopped me.
“Nadir, I don’t want Amai here. She needs to leave.”
I spun around, now highly annoyed because she was trying her best to start a fucking argument with me. I had bit my tongue before by apologizing, but Jaide wasn’t satisfied. She was poking the bear, and I was getting ready to give her what she wanted.
“That’s not happening. She's going to stay here until I know that she's safe. Now stop talking to me about this shit before you really piss me off, Jaide.”
“Who cares about you being pissed?!” she shouted, jumping from her seat. “You pissed me off by bringing that bitch here!”
“And she's going to stay here until I'm ready for her to leave! Now, shut up about Amai being here because she ain't going nowhere.”
“You should’ve just let her ass die. She's a waste like I said she was.”
I couldn’t believe that shit had spilled out her mouth. Jaide was revealing herself to me, and I was slowly losing interest in my own wife.
“Saying shit like that is exposing how evil your ass is. Who would wish death on someone? You know how fucked up you have to be to want to see someone die? You ain't shit for saying that!”
“No, you ain't shit for bringing this bitch back here, knowing she's the reason why I have this scar above my eye.”
She pointed at her eyebrow as her chest rose and fell at a rapid rate.
I waved my hand. “Jaide, let it go. Amai caught you slippin’ so deal with that shit.”
“I can’t believe you would tell me something like that,” she spat in a quivering tone.
I was over this conversation, so I proceeded up the stairs and went into my bedroom. Jaide had turned me off so much from her words. Her hate for Amai seeped from her pores and it alarmed me in a way. She’d wished death on her, she teased Amai for not getting pregnant, and Jaide expected me to turn my back on her when she needed me the most. When I had time, I made a mental note to reevaluate my marriage with Jaide.
I loved her, but she possessed a hateful spirit. I never saw this until she fell out with Amai and at first, I brushed it off. I thought that maybe she was angry because of her belief that Amai didn’t love me like I loved her. But Jaide would continue with her hateful words and it didn’t sit right with me. This woman had given birth to my son, and I didn’t want her influencing him with her deplorable attitude.
My phone rang just as I entered my bedroom. I looked down and noticed my mother calling. I ignored her call and placed my phone on my dresser. Our relationship had been strained for the last couple months. I hadn’t spoken to her, and I didn’t go to Sunday dinner at their home. My father complained about my absence, but I refused to be around Lena. I also forbade my family from going over there as well. Jaide groaned about it, but I didn’t care. We needed some distance from my mother.
I walked into my spa-like bathroom and started the shower. I stepped in and placed my head under the waterfall showerhead. While the hot water cascaded all over my skin, my thoughts drifted to Amai. For months, I had gotten used to the idea of her not being in my life. I had coped with her absence by pouring myself into my family. I tried to change my ways and make them happy since I had failed Amai. It wasn’t easy, but I was managing well, until this happened. Now, I couldn’t seem to process the thought of letting Amai go out on her own. She needed protection, someone who would make sure she was safe at all times. I didn’t know how I was going to make it happen, but I needed her close to me, even if we were no longer a couple.
The only thing that left me hesitant about this was Amai. I didn’t know her current state of mind. Did she want me in her life? Was she still mad at me for the way that we ended? Would she accept that I only wanted her to be safe? These questions continued to replay inside my psyche, which left me perturbed. I had stayed in the shower for over an hour with thoughts of Amai and her attack rummaging through my head. Reluctantly, I got out and wrapped a towel around my waist. When I stepped into the bedroom, Jaide was sitting at the foot of my bed.
“Get out,” I ordered, refusing to spend another minute in her presence.
“Lena is here.”
“For what?” I barked. “Did you call her?”
“No, Nadir. She just came over,” she explained.
“You're fucking lying. She ain't popped up no other time, and all of a sudden, she's here. I know your ass called her over here, and if you did, it’s gon’ be hell to pay.”
She had the nerve to have tears in her eyes. “Why are you treating me like this?”
“I don’t want to hear that victim shit you're spittin’, so get out of my room!”
Jaide cut her eyes at me before she stomped out the bedroom. I was tired of her ass, and the shit she had just said downstairs left a horrible taste in my mouth.
“Fuck, now I gotta deal with Lena’s ass,” I grumbled while walking into my closet.
I pulled out a simple white T-shirt and Tom Ford jeans and slid them on since I didn’t plan to actually leave the house. I put on a pair of socks and slid my feet into some slides. I had to inhale a deep breath before I went downstairs because I knew Lena was about to piss me off.
When I got to the main floor, she was sitting at the table consoling Jaide, as if she had been the one who was brutally attacked and shot.
“Why are you here?” I inquired, avoiding pleasantries.
“Well, hello to you, Nadir. I haven’t seen nor spoken to you in months, and this is how you greet your only mother?”
“Yeah, when you pop up at my house unannounced. Now, why are you here?”
She flicked her straight hair over her shoulder and snorted. “I heard you have a guest here.”
My eyes immediately went to Jaide, who was suddenly avoiding eye contact with me.
“Get outta my face, Jaide,” I ordered calmly.
“For what?” she hissed. “I did nothing to you.”
“She does not have to leave,” Lena interjected. “You're the person that brought your ex, who assaulted both of us, in this house and didn’t have enough decency to let her know.”
I pulled out my phone and dialed my father’s number. I wasn’t going to deal with Lena and her bullshit. Ali was probably the only one that could get my mother straight, so I was going to make this his problem.
“Hello, Nadir,” he answered.
“You better come get your wife out my house before I forget that she's my mother,” I warned.
“Excuse me!” Lena shouted. “That’s how you talk about me!”
I ignored her as I waited for Ali’s reply. “What's the problem, Nadir?”
“She came over when she wasn’t invited. Then she's talking shit about what I do in my home, and I'm not about to go for this. She has overstepped her fucking boundaries one too many times, and I'm not about to keep playing with her ass. Come get her before I get out of character.”
“Just calm down, Nadir. Let me call her and get everything handled.”
I ended the call without giving him a response. I stared at Lena whose mouth was gaping in shock.
“Nadir Keyar Black! How dare you treat me like I'm a stranger? As if I didn’t give birth to your ass! Is this rea─”
Her rant was silenced by the ringing of her phone. I smiled when she looked at the screen. Hesitantly, she answered and placed it up to her ear.
“Ali, calm down… I only came to check on them… I haven’t seen my grandkids in months… so, now I'm the bad guy… Oh, whatever…”
Lena angrily pressed on the screen and grabbed her Birkin bag. “I can’t believe you're treating me like this, Nadir. I am your mother. You will never get another one, and you're throwing me away as if I'm disposable.”
I smirked. “Learn how to act and I might wanna be around you again.”
“I'm done with you. You’ll never see my face again!” she declared before stomping toward the front door.
When the door slammed, my eyes cut at Jaide. “You're going to regret going against me. Let’s see if Lena comes to your aid when I'm done with your conniving ass.”
Her jaw descended. “Done with me? Since when?”
“Since fucking now! You think you can control me by calling my mama over here? Well, let me tell you that nobody runs my fucking life, not even you! Now if you do that shit again, I'm going to get rid of you the same way I got rid of Amai. Try me.”
I left her alone with my words and headed back to the guest house. My feelings were changing, and Jaide was no longer the apple of my eye. No longer did I see my lady, who I could chill and have fun with. She had showed me shit that I couldn’t live with and for the first time in our marriage, I didn’t know if I wanted to be with her anymore.
I was in pain. Like real pain that shot through every extremity in my body. The nurse and Raye were helping me to the bathroom, so I could shower. These last couple days had been draining mentally as well as physically. For most of the day, I either slept or vomited violently. Apparently, the pain pills that were given to me was provoking me to become sick. And when those were changed out, the new pills would put me to sleep. Somedays, I would wake up and not know what day of the week it was. I was constantly having nightmares about my attack and had this persistent fear that I was going to die.
“Okay, Amai, you can sit now,” Raye coached me.
I sat down in the shower chair as the nurse helped me out of the gown.
“Can Raye cleanse me? I would feel more comfortable with her,” I told the nurse.
“Of course,” she agreed. “I’ll go get new sheets and pillowcases for the bed.”
She exited the bathroom, leaving just me and Raye alone. Ever since she had learned of the news, Raye had been here for me day and night. She’d even abandoned her duties at the preschool to nurse me back to health.
“You seem to be doing better today, Amai. You haven’t asked for a pill yet.”
“Don’t worry, I will,” I muttered.
She turned on the shower water and grabbed a towel. She then lathered it up with soap and began to wash me. I couldn’t believe my life had come to this. I was damn near disabled because I couldn’t lift my arm for shit. In addition to that, my entire body was sore, and I figured it was because I had jumped out of a moving vehicle.
“I'm so happy you're back, Amai,” Raye gushed. “I wished it was under better circumstances but nonetheless, I'm happy to have you here.”
I scoffed. “I bet your sister wife isn't happy to have me here though.”
Raye rolled her eyes. “Who cares what she thinks? If Nadir wants you here, then that’s all that matters. Hey, have you notified your parents about your attack?”
“Raye, do you think I've had the mental capacity to call anyone?”
My thoughts instantly went to Canton. I knew he was wondering where I was, and when I did get better, I was going to make sure I called him. I could’ve asked Raye to do it, but I didn’t want to put her in the mix with me and Canton. I was sure Nadir wouldn’t have appreciated that anyway.
“Well, I'm going to call them, so they can at least come see you. Also, do you have a number for Amir? He needs to know what's happened.”
I shook my head, suddenly feeling my heart break at the mention of Amir. I missed my twin so much and wondered if he would’ve never enlisted into the Air Force, would I have been attacked. Before Nadir, Amir had always been my shield. He never allowed anyone to harm me, and I yearned for his security right now.
“He’s deployed, so he can only video call me. I'm sure he’s probably tried to get in contact with me.”
“Lift your arm… well, we need to notify him, somehow. Maybe your parents would know what to do.”
I winced as the pain took over. “Hurry, Raye,” I begged.
“Okay, okay, I'm done.”
I put my arm down and sighed heavily. “So, how are the boys doing? I've really missed them.”
Raye smiled. “They're getting big, and I hate it,” she playfully pouted.
“Do you think they remember me?”
“Of course. Every time we pass your old bedroom, Nasir is always asking about his Mai-Mai.”
That made me smile. The divorce caused a lot of pain, but nothing was worse than being away from the boys. We had bonded ever since they were born, and I found it painful not being a part of their little lives.
“I wanna see them, but not right now. I don’t want to alarm them with my facial bruising and all of these bandages.”
“I agree because Nasir would definitely have questions. Okay, I'm done now. Let me get you a towel.”
Raye got up to retrieve a towel. Slowly, I stood with my face contorted into a grimace. She patted my skin dry and wrapped the towel around my body.
“Okay, I know you're tired of that lil’ raggedy-ass gown, so I went to Saks to get you some cute pajamas. Which ones do you like?”
I smirked, pointing to the pink satin set.
“Great choice.”
Raye oiled my skin up with some shea butter and then helped me put the pajamas on. Once I was clothed, I slowly trudged back into the bedroom where Nadir was seated in the chair next to the bed. Our words had still been limited between each other. The only questions he would ask were the normal how are you feeling? Are you hungry? Do you need pain medication? That was pretty much it when it came to our conversation.
“Hey, you wanna give me your mom or dad’s number, so I can call them?” Raye asked.
I reached for her phone and decided to punch in Nate’s number. He was much more tolerable than Phia, so I went with him as my first choice. Raye walked out, leaving just me and Nadir in the room.
“You good?” he questioned.
I nodded. “For the moment.”
“I sent some people to pack up your spot.”
“When?”
“Yesterday.”
“Where did you put my things?” I wondered.
“At your new spot.”
“And where is that?”
“It’s a condo in the Boudoir building. You know the one that sits across the street from the ocean.”
