Butterfly (21 page)

“I'm coming with you, Valencia.” Bri slid out of the table and went with Valencia.

“I'm coming, too.” Jheri climbed from between Asia and me and caught up with Bri and Valencia.

Asia waited for Bri to get out of sight and then told me some rather interesting information. Information that made me mad as hell!

“Shante? I know we have butted heads, but that shit is in the past. I've been hearing some stuff and it ain't cool.”

“What's up?”

“Your cousin is messing up.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Bri,” Asia looked over her shoulder, “she's getting into some foul shit and she's about to get busted.”

“Busted for what?”

“She's feeding this chick up in DeKalb County some Vicodin, and the chick got caught up in some shit and now she's about to sell Bri out to save her own ass.”

“Who are you talking about?”

“It's a chick named Toya from Decatur. Bri's been selling her some pills and the chick been selling them to other people. Not just kids, but grown people, too! She got out there more than she wanted. I'm hearing they're tight on Bri's ass. She don't even know what's about to hit her. You better let her know.”

We paused because we could see the other girls coming. But I made it perfectly clear that I was going to handle the situation myself.

“I know who Toya is, and she's always trying to bail on people. Not this time, though. I'm going to make sure her ass gets what she deserves.”

“You know that girl?”

“Yeah, I know her. She's one of my best friends. She went to my old school.”

“You better check that chick before she gets Bri caught up.”

“Don't worry, I got this. But I need you to do me a favor.”

“Yeah, what you need?”

“I need you to keep this zipped until I handle this. I don't want Bri to know anything, all right?”

“Oh, don't worry, I don't know nothing.”

“Can you make sure your girls keep that under wraps, too?”

“They don't even know. I just found out myself from my cousin who goes to that school. That Toya girl sold her some pills.”

“I can't believe she did something that stupid!”

“Shh! Here they come; you might want to move to another subject.”

“Yeah, you're right.”

The girls sat back down in their spots and we continued to talk about our production.

•   •   •

I had a conversation with Keisha and Jacqua about a private meeting with Toya. I told her I did not want her to involve Bri in any of her criminal activities, and I meant that. I knew she would suspect something was going on if I called her myself, so I had Keisha set her up.

Keisha invited Toya over to smoke, and no, I'm not talking about cigarettes. I was already sitting in the basement when they arrived. I heard them coming down the stairs; Toya was first, then Jacqua and then Keisha. When Toya saw me, she tried to run back upstairs, but she could not get past Keisha and Jacqua, who were blocking her path. She was moving so fast she slipped on one of the stairs and fell. I grabbed her foot and pulled her back down one step at a time. Her body bounced harder and harder with every stair.

“Come here, bitch!” I let go of her leg and tossed it to the floor. “It's like this; you're going to keep my cousin's name out of your mouth or I'm going to kick your ass!”

Toya started to crawl backward to try to get away. “I ain't said nothin' about your cousin, Butterfly!”

“Yes you did! The police looking for my cousin for selling 'scripts and they said you told them!”

“I promise, Butterfly! It wasn't me!”

“So you're not going to tell the truth, Toya?” I stood over her and she started kicking like a baby to keep me away. “Huh? You're still going to lie?”

“I'm not lying!” Toya shouted.

I looked over my shoulder at Keisha. “Lock the door.”

Keisha walked upstairs and locked the door. I pushed Toya's kicking legs to the side and sat on top of her. She was screaming for me to get up, but I put my knees in her chest and I put my hands around her throat. You can believe she stopped all that kicking and screaming then.

“Now,” I squeezed her neck even tighter, “are you going to leave my cousin's name out of your bullshit?”

She tried to say something, but I could not understand because I was choking the hell out of that neck. I let go of her neck so that she could speak. She grabbed her throat and tried to catch her breath.

“I ain't told nothing on your cousin!”

“Okay!” I held her face still and I slapped her as hard as I could. “So you're going to keep on lying?”

My slaps turned to punches and my anger turned to rage. Toya was screaming, but I was so spazzed out, I did not even hear her.

“Butterfly!” Keisha screamed.

Keisha and Jacqua tried to pull me off of her, but I pushed them away. I put my hands around her throat and choked her again, waiting to hear what I wanted to hear.

“
Shante!
” Keisha shouted. “
Stop!
You're hurting her!”

I snapped back and realized what I was doing.

“What the hell, Butterfly?” Keisha pushed me away. “I'm going to get a towel.”

“Look, you said you just wanted to talk to her, Butterfly. You
didn't say nothing about doing no crazy shit like this.” Jacqua sat next to Toya and put Toya's head in her lap. “Toya! Toya! Toya, you okay?”

Keisha ran back downstairs with a towel and started to wipe Toya's bloody face. “What's wrong with you, Butterfly?”

“I don't know what happened. I snapped.”

“Look at what you did to her.”

“Look at what I did to her?” I did not mean to hurt Toya as badly as I did, but it was not like she did not deserve it. “Do you know how many people this girl has hurt with her backstabbing?”

“Yeah, but she didn't deserve all of this.”

“I don't believe you, Jacqua! She's the reason your girlfriend is in jail right now! She did not care if either one of us went to jail as long as she didn't! Wait, why am I defending myself?” I pushed Jacqua and Keisha to the side and I slapped Toya lightly on the side of her face. “Toya! Toya! This is my last time asking you; are you going to keep my cousin's name out of your mouth?”

“Yes,” she mumbled.

“And are you going to tell the police she had nothing to do with your drug deals?”

“Yes.”

“Okay then.”

I stood up to leave and Keisha had to throw her two cents in, “But Bri did, Butterfly!”

“Yeah, and I'm about to go handle her ass, too.”

I drove to Ms. Tonita's house and I talked to her young woman to grown woman. I loved Bri and I really did not want her to get caught up because she was trying to fit in.

“Ms. Tonita, I need a really big favor.” I was anxious and she could tell.

“What's the matter, Shante?”

“Bri's in some trouble with some girls and I need to talk to her.”

“What kind of trouble?” Ms. Tonita yelled upstairs for Bri. “Briiii?”

“Please, Ms. Tonita, I need to speak to Bri alone.”

“I'm her mother and I...”

I did not mean to be disrespectful but I had to interrupt her. “I know you're her mother; that's why I came to you, Ms. Tonita. But I need you to trust me on this one.”

“You're telling me that my child is in trouble and I should let another
‘child'
handle the situation, and not me.”

“What I'm saying is, I love Bri like she is my sister and I know I can handle this if you let me.”

“How do you expect for me to sit back and do nothing when my child needs me.”

“Because you love her, Ms. Tonita, and you want what's best for her. But this time what's best for her, is not you.” I paused momentarily and stepped backward because I did not know what reaction I would get back. “It's me.”

Ms. Tonita closed her legs and rocked back and forth in her chair. “Okay, Shante, but this better turn out right!”

“I promise it will.”

“It better!”

“Now, I need another favor,” I said.

“And what's that?”

“I'm about to take Bri into your basement and I'm going to have a private conversation with her. No matter what you hear coming from that basement, I want you to remember that I love Bri and I would never hurt her.”

“What you plan on doing to my baby, girl?”

“Nothing.” I chuckled. “But she's not going to like what I'm going to say and there might be some yelling and screaming. Just remember...”

As I was talking, Mr. Robert, Bri's stepdad, walked into the house. He was a detective for the Atlanta Police Department.

“Hi, Mr. Robert.”

“Hey, Shante, how are you doing?”

“I'm good.”

“Seems like we have a little problem with Bri that Ms. Shante wants to handle on her own.”

“Is that right?”

“Yeah, she wants to talk some sense into her about something.”

“Wait a minute, and you're not getting involved?”

“I know when to step back sometimes and do what's best for my child without being all up in her business.”

“Yeah, right.”

“But I don't know about her taking my baby to the basement and telling me to ignore any sounds I might hear coming from down there.”

“Will it resolve the situation, Shante?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then by all means, use these handcuffs for precautionary measure.” Mr. Robert handed me his handcuffs from his belt. “There you go.”

“You better not put those things on my baby.”

“I don't know, Ms. Tonita, I might need them.” I laughed.

“Okay, hell naw, you're not taking my baby nowhere!” Ms. Tonita snatched the handcuffs out of my hands. “I don't even know what the hell is going on.”

“No, Ms. Tonita.” I laughed out loud. “I'm not going to do anything to Bri, I promise! I'm just going to scare her.”

“Bri!” Mr. Robert shouted upstairs.

“Yes, sir?” Bri shouted back.

“You have company!”

“I'm comin'!”

A minute later, Bri ran downstairs. “Hey, Butterfly.”

“We need to talk, Bri.”

Bri looked at Mr. Robert and Ms. Tonita and then looked at me. “What's up?”

“We need to talk alone.”

“Mama?”

“Y'all go do your little talking. I don't have nothing to do with it.”

“Is somebody going to tell me what's going on?”

“I will, Bri. Come downstairs.”

Bri followed me to the basement. Mr. Robert's basement looked similar to Dr. Forrester's and Uncle Mike's basements. It looked like a miniature ESPN center with multiple big-screen televisions all over the walls. What was it with men and big-screen televisions anyway?

I
waited for Bri to sit down and I wasted no time jumping all over her. ”I know about your dope ring with Toya, Bri!”

Bri was cool as a cucumber. “I don't know what you're talking about.”

“You don't know what I'm talking about, huh?”

“Nope.” Bri rolled her eyes.

“Look, I don't have time for your lies. All that I'm going to say is Toya went to the police on you and they're coming to take you to jail.”

“Nobody is taking me anywhere.”

“How do you think Mr. Robert is going to feel when he finds out his stepdaughter is dealing 'scripts?”

“I don't know what you're talking about, Butterfly.”

For a moment I thought Asia had given me the wrong information about Toya and Bri. If she had, I could never forgive myself for what I'd done to Toya. My instincts, however, were telling me that Asia was right and Bri was lying.

“I'm tired of people lying to me, Bri. I know you sold Toya your 'scripts and I don't care if you admit it or not, I better not ever hear about you doing anything stupid like that again. You hear me?” Bri jumped out of the chair and tried to walk past me. I snatched her by the shoulders and pushed her back down in the chair. “Sit your ass down and listen to me! Whatever little rebellious phase you're going through, it's time for it to stop right now! Too
many people that I love, love you, including myself! And I'm not going to let your little stupid ass hurt them, or me!”

“Mama!” Bri screamed at the top of her lungs.

“Mama can't help you. It's just me and you.”

“I keep telling you I don't know what you're talking about.”

“Yes you do, and you're not leaving this basement until you promise me you're going to leave that shit alone!”

Every time Bri stood up to leave, I pushed her back down in the chair.

“Let me go!” Bri screamed again. “Mama!”

“You know what? You wanna call your mama, call her!” I let her up. “Call her, Bri. Call her and I'll tell her about you having sex with David, your abortion, your stupid-ass dope ring, everything! Call her!” Bri sat in the chair and huffed and puffed, but she did not say a word. “Now shut the hell up and listen! You hear me?”