If Only You Knew (12 page)

Sydney blushed and looked down at her favorite David Yurman ring. “Oh, yeah…we've kinda been hanging out,” she hedged.

“Aw, shucks!” Lauren exclaimed loudly. “My prissy sister landed her the superjock of the year? Woo-hoo! You better work!”

Laughing at Lauren's little cheer, Sydney bashfully tried to downplay the situation. “I don't know about all that. But we did go to the movies Saturday night.”

“After Keisha threatened you within an inch of your life for breaking up with Marcus, you still found the time to sneak out and hook up with another boy?” Lauren asked in awe. “Damn, maybe we really are related after all!”

“Whatever, I was not ‘hooking up' with anybody,” Sydney corrected. “We went to the movies and that's all.”

“Mmm-hmm, sure you did,” Lauren teased. “Fine ass Jason? I'll let you tell it, Syd.”

“But you know, we did run into your girl Dara up in there…uh, looking a little puffy I might add,” Sydney said as she moved toward the door.

“Eww, what the hell was she doing there?” Lauren demanded, making a screwface.

“Seeing a movie, I assume. But let's just say she wasn't alone,” Sydney said, giving her a look as she opened the door and allowed Lauren to walk through.

“Humph, and that's why I cursed her fat ass out after the pep rally the other day,” Lauren mumbled. “She needs to spend more time on a treadmill and less in the movies.”

“Well, whatever, I'm not studying either of the two of them anymore,” Sydney said diplomatically. “I don't need the additional negative energy in my life.”

“I know that's right,” Lauren whispered as they started to slowly walk back to the front of the library. “So I assume you're inviting Jason to the party, then.”

Sydney nodded her head. “Yeah, I'm thinking if everything keeps going well between us, that'll be our coming-out moment.”

“Must be nice to be able to come out,” Lauren replied wistfully.

Sydney stopped and put her hand on her twin's shoulder. “If you want to invite Jermaine, go ahead. I'm totally fine with it,” she suggested. “In fact, I'll lobby extra hard with Altimus to let us have a parent-free party. I'm pretty sure he'll do it if I ask…as hard as he's trying to get our father-daughter relationship back the way it used to be.”

Lauren's face lit up like a Christmas tree. “Really? You'd do that for me?”

“No prob,” Sydney replied as Lauren spontaneously gave her a hug and kiss.

“You're the best, Syd,” Lauren whispered excitedly as she whipped out the new phone and immediately sent Jermaine a text. Sydney smiled as she wiped the face of her phone with the bottom of her sweater. “Okay, let's go,” Lauren said as she finished. “You know I have to totally rethink my outfit now that he's going to be there.”

“Just don't forget our theme—red and gold only! I did not waste hours with the crazy drunk planner for you to go left on us!” Sydney threatened playfully.

“Okay, okay,” Lauren cringed slightly. “PS, my bad about bailing on all the planning. I know, I was really being a lot…” she offered meekly.

Sydney rolled her eyes and smiled. “Don't even worry about it. You and I got bigger things to worry about. Besides, what do they say, you can't pick your family?”

“Kiss my butt, Sydney Duke,” Lauren said, relieved to be off the hook.

“I'll let Jermaine handle that, my dear,” Sydney teased as they stopped beside a large concrete pillar.

“You shut up,” Lauren retorted a little too loudly for the likes of the unhappy-looking librarian sitting at the nearby front desk. “Anyhoo,” she continued loudly just
to be difficult, “I am totally psyched about our little soiree now…”

“Yeah, crazy how we can even get excited about this with all the drama going on, right?” Sydney whispered extra low trying to make up for Lauren. “Although I have to admit, if Renaldo pulls off all the crazy stunts he keeps dreaming up, it's going to fabulous.”

“Humph, and you know I believes in a dream—” Lauren started.

“Me, too,” Marcus said suddenly, appearing from the other side of the pillar and staring directly at Sydney. Both girls froze in place.

Recovering faster than her sister, Lauren sneered, “Er, um, I don't remember anyone inviting you or your patchouli stink into our conversation, Rasta Boy!”

“Whatever, Lauren,” Marcus continued dismissively. “I'd like to speak with Syd.”

“She's not interested in anything you have to say,” Lauren snapped, but this time Sydney put a restraining hand on her arm.

“It's cool, sis, I got this,” she said gently.

“Okay, if you say so,” Lauren said uncertainly. “But I wouldn't get too close. I heard hair ticks just jump from head to head if you're not careful,” she said, looking disgustedly at Marcus's hair before she turned on her Marc Jacobs boot heel and bounced.

Acutely aware of all the prying eyes surrounding them, Sydney turned and whispered, “Marcus, this isn't the time or place.”

“I know, I know,” he pleaded. “But things are getting ridiculous. Now, you're at the movies with that bighead jock—”

“Let us not forget that you were there your damn self with fat ass Dara,” Sydney hissed as she turned and started walking up the steps to the upper level.

“Fine, you're right. I was,” Marcus whispered as he followed behind her. “So we're both with the wrong people. Now what?”

“The problem is, Marcus, I don't think Jason is the one that's the wrong person for me,” Sydney said as she reached the top of the landing and looked around for Carmen.

Marcus grabbed Sydney's arm. “Fine. You've moved on. I'll accept that. But can we at least figure out how we can save our friendship?” he asked softly. “Please?”

Sydney looked at his hand. She remembered the sound in Lauren's voice when she spoke about Jermaine. Even during the very worst days of their relationship, Marcus had always been a supportive friend. She felt her resolve weaken. “I guess…” she started.

Marcus released a loud sigh of relief. “Listen, I agree, this isn't the place to talk. This week is absolutely crazed with the achievement awards ceremony that I'm planning at the Youth
Center. May I take you out for coffee on Saturday evening or something?”

“I've already got plans,” Sydney hedged, purposely omitting the name of who she was going to be with on Saturday.

“Fine,” Marcus replied, refusing to be deterred. “I've got tutoring on Monday, but what about next Tuesday?”

Throwing caution to the wind, Sydney nodded her head and whispered, “You've got a date.”

Lauren pulled up to the back door of the Better Day Women's Shelter, popped her trunk, and hopped out of the car, her eyes darting every which way. She had to admit that she was getting used to the fact that not every neighborhood in Hotlanta was as spectacularly pristine as Buckhead, but pulling her Saab, Baby, into a grimy back alley in Decatur, only to be greeted by a woman with more attitude than teeth, was just a little too much for her nerves, considering what they, Sydney and Lauren, were up to.

“You gonna have to pull that car up some—I'm spectin' a delivery, and it'll be here directly,” hissed the woman, wiping her wet hands on a stained apron tied around her well-worn, tight, cotton floral dress.

“I-I was just about to drop—” Lauren stuttered.

“Out of the goodness of her heart, my sister was just dropping off some of her most prized possessions for the shelter,” Sydney interrupted, walking up behind the kitchen lady and rubbing her shoulders. “How you doing, Ms. Jansen?” she asked.

“Oh, hey, baby—I'm mighty fine, mighty fine, indeed,” Ms. Jansen said. “Lord, look at this. She was hiding back there behind the trunk, I couldn't see her face. I knew you had a twin sister, but my word, I ain't never seen two people look so much alike. How you doin', sugar? Come on over here, don't be shy.”

Buoyed by a “get over here quick” look from Sydney, Lauren walked awkwardly over to the old lady and fell stiffly into her embrace. “Nice to, um, meet you,” she said, patting Ms. Jansen on her back and pulling away as quickly and efficiently as she could. “So, um, Syd, can you, uh, help me get the boxes out of the car?” Lauren asked, jutting her chin toward Baby, hoping it was a strong enough hint to her sister that they needed to get moving. Uncle Larry wasn't going to wait.

“Yes, um, excuse me, Ms. Jansen, while I help Lauren unload. We're going to a lunch meeting with our party planner, and Lauren's paying, so I need to hurry up before she changes her mind,” Sydney said, pouring on the charm with a wink.

“Oh, go ‘head, sugar—don't let me get in the way of a
free meal,” Ms. Jansen said. “I best get back inside, too. Gonna have a lot of hungry moms and kids on my hands in about a half hour, and the Meals on Wheels truck should be here in a few minutes.”

“Okay, Ms. Jansen, we're just going to bring the boxes in and we'll be out of the way in a sec,” Sydney said.

“Okay, then. It sure was good to meet you, Lauren. You got a mighty fine sister,” she said.

“Yes, ma'am, it was good to meet you, too,” Lauren said, waving.

Both sisters watched Ms. Jansen as she disappeared into the building, then ducked their heads into the trunk for a quick convo.

“So we're all set with Uncle Larry, right?” Sydney asked as she shuffled through one of the several bags Lauren had stuffed with old skirts and jeans she'd long banished to the back corner of her closet, never to see the light of day again.

“Yeah, I confirmed again on the way over here,” Lauren said as she fingered a hot ivory silk BCBG cami she'd stuffed in the bag. She remembered it well—wore it to Homecoming last year under a fab wine-colored Betsey Johnson cropped jacket that she paired with a soft purple tutu. With the tutu, she just couldn't part, even though that, too, would never be rocked again. Once she'd been photographed in it—wearing it in public was no longer an option.

“God, this outfit was so cute!” Lauren gushed.

“Lauren! Focus!” Sydney said, snapping her fingers.

“I am—trust,” Lauren said. “Nobody is more focused than me right now.”

“Well, what did you tell him we wanted to talk about?” quizzed Sydney.

“I told him that I was bringing you over to introduce him to his niece,” Lauren said.

“And?”

“And that we wanted to get his take on what's going on, because he's a neutral party and knows enough background to help us figure things out.”

“And? What did he say?” Sydney asked, exasperated.

“And he said it was fine, but we needed to be quick about it because he really didn't need anyone to see us in his house. And he wants us to take a cab so neither of our cars are parked outside.”

“We can do that,” Sydney said as she walked the bags toward the shelter's kitchen door. “As a matter of fact, that's a great idea, because if Keisha's little friend is still following us, he'll see that our cars are still here and think we're doing what we said we were going to do, which was meet Renaldo here for lunch, right?”

“I guess,” Lauren said.

“Don't guess—know,” Sydney said. “We have exactly two and a half hours before Renaldo arrives. Let's hope this
time he's at least sober, so we can wrap up the details for this party. It's really starting to stress me out.”

“Yeah, well, this much I know,” Lauren said sarcastically. “I don't have any cash—I hope you have some cab money.”

Sydney shook her head and walked into the Better Day.
Some things,
she said to herself,
never change.

“We need to make a quick stop before we get to our final destination,” Lauren told the cab driver as she punched in a message on her cell and snapped it shut.

“Wait, what do you mean we have to make a stop?” Sydney asked, frowning at her sister. “I thought you said Uncle Larry was in a rush.”

“It'll be quick. We're just going to pull up to the McDonald's right around the corner from Uncle Larry's house and pick up Jermaine.”

“Jermaine?” Sydney boomed. “Who said Jermaine was coming with us? Does Uncle Larry know?”

“Me, and no,” Lauren said simply.

“Don't you think the two of us should have talked about this?” Sydney demanded. “I mean, Uncle Larry is already freaked out about us coming to his house, and now you want to bring the bogeyman to his place, too? Are you crazy?”

“Oh, calm down, Syd,” Lauren said, peering out the window to get a read on how far they were from the spot where
Jermaine had just told her they should meet. “There's no need for the dramatics. I figured it would be best if we had Jermaine there so that he and Uncle Larry could exchange info. The more we have, the better we'll understand what's up, and the closer he can get to finding out what really happened to his brother.”

“But—” Sydney began.

“But it's too late to change this, Syd. We're here,” she said, pointing to the McDonald's. Jermaine was standing at the door near the drive-thru, a black hoodie with countless dollar signs covering his face. “Right over there, sir. We're going to pick him up and then head on over to Peeples Street.”

The driver did what he was told. Jermaine hopped into the car on Sydney's side and slammed the door behind him. “What up?” he said, pulling his hood off his face to get a better look at the girls. It took him a quick second to figure out who was who; Lauren's smile was just the clue he needed.

“Hey, baby,” Lauren said, leaning over Sydney to give Jermaine a peck on his cheek. “I sure am glad to see you.”

Sydney sat back and didn't say another word until the three of them walked up Uncle Larry's driveway to the side entrance of his house, a surprisingly modern four-bedroom flat that mirrored the neat row of houses in this particular section of the West End. Lauren rang the bell; Uncle Larry appeared in the door almost instantly.

“What's he doing here?” Uncle Larry snapped.

“I asked him to come,” Lauren said. “I can explain.”

Uncle Larry's eyebrows were furrowed at an impossible angle. He was not happy. “Get on in here before somebody sees the three of y'all at my door,” he said, rushing Jermaine, Sydney, and Lauren into a narrow hallway just inside his home. Uncle Larry took a quick sweep of his driveway and the neighbor's yard to make sure no one was watching, and then quickly shut the door.

Uncle Larry pushed past the trio and led them through his kitchen and into the basement, a lush, dark entertainment room replete with a plasma TV, several couches and chairs arranged just so, a full bar, and a pool table. Whoever decorated down there had the touch; it was gorgeous.

“Wow, this is a pretty nice place you have here,” Sydney said.

“You say that like you're surprised,” Uncle Larry said.

Lauren held her breath.

“I, um, didn't mean anything by that, really,” Sydney said uncomfortably. “I'm Sydney,” she added, reaching for her uncle's hand.

“Oh, I thought you were Lauren,” he said, bypassing Sydney's hand and pulling her into a warm embrace. “Look at you—y'all ain't changed. I couldn't tell the two of you apart when you were little, and I still can't to this day.”

“I'm cuter,” Lauren laughed, reaching to Uncle Larry to give him a hug. “This is Jermaine.”

“I know who he is,” Uncle Larry practically growled, pulling away from Lauren. “I didn't agree to him being here.”

“I know, Uncle Larry, but if we can just sit and talk and explain…” Lauren started.

“Yeah, about that,” Uncle Larry said, looking at his watch. “I don't have a lot of time for the chitchat. Go on over there and sit down on the sofa. Honestly, I don't know how I'm going to be able to help you, and I damn for sure ain't gonna be able to help him.”

The trio moved themselves to the sofa, Lauren holding Jermaine's hand to help calm him. It was clear that he was nervous; he still had his hoodie on and kept shifting back and forth on the heels of his Tims. “Actually, we didn't come here for help, we came for information,” Sydney said.

Uncle Larry eyeballed each of the teenagers sitting before him, and then slowly sat in his recliner. He stared at them some more, his eyes focusing on Jermaine the hardest. And then, finally, he said, “What do you want to know.”

“Well,” Sydney said, looking at Lauren and Jermaine, “maybe you can start with telling us why we didn't know you existed until a few weeks ago, and what happened between Dice, my mom, and Altimus.”

“And what kind of business Altimus has going on here in the West End,” Lauren chimed in.

“And who took out my brother,” Jermaine huffed, speaking up for the first time.

“Now, hold on there, son. I don't know nothing about what happened to your brother,” Uncle Larry said, turning his full attention to Jermaine. “That's up to the detectives to sort out, and I ain't no detective. I'm a simple man with a simple job down at the UPS, and I make a point of staying out of other people's ‘business.'”

“But you helped me that Saturday…” Lauren began.

“You're family,” he said simply.

“Exactly,” Sydney chimed in. “And I really want to know why we didn't know about you—why our mother named my sister after you but didn't tell us you existed. What kind of family hides relatives?”

Uncle Larry sat back in his chair and stared at Sydney. It seemed like an eternity passed before he spoke again. “Look,” he finally said. “Altimus, your stepdaddy, is a lot of things. Legit ain't one of them. Everybody in these parts knows that much, and I'm probably not telling you anything you don't already know.”

“Actually, Uncle Larry, we probably know way less than you think,” Sydney responded.

“Obviously, if you're tooling around the West End, trying to solve murder mysteries and dating boys you know nothing about,” Uncle Larry said, tossing a glare at Jermaine for good measure. Jermaine shifted in his seat; Lauren put her hand on his knee protectively. She did wonder, though, what it
was she didn't know about Jermaine that had her uncle so jumpy.

“Uncle Larry, let's just, um, stay on subject, okay?” Sydney said gently. “Tell us this: Why did our mother and Dice break up, and how did Altimus and she get together?”

“Hmm,” Uncle Larry started. “Let's just say that Dice and your mama didn't see eye to eye on a few things as it related to her business with Altimus.”

“So they all knew each other back in the day?” Lauren asked.

“Knew each other? Shoot, Dice and Altimus were running partners—couldn't check for one without finding the other. They grew up together, right here in the West End. Got into a lot of trouble together, too, when they got into the game. And my sister, Keisha? She was running right there with them.”

“Our mother?” Lauren said, confused.

“Yeah, baby,” Uncle Larry said softly. “Your mama was just as involved in their, um, business dealings as they were. In fact, half the time, I couldn't figure out if she was doing more of the dirty work than the boys were. The three of them were riding high over here in the West End for a good stretch, too—had money flowing like wine at a wedding. Thing is, not everybody wants to stay stuck in the muck, if you know what I'm saying, and your daddy wanted out of the life.”

“Which daddy,” Lauren asked, leaning in.

“
Your
daddy,” Uncle Larry said. “Dice gonna always be your daddy, no matter what Altimus says or does,” he added, clearly getting agitated.

“What happened between y'all?” Sydney asked, noticing that a nerve had been struck.

Uncle Larry swallowed really hard and sucked his teeth. “Like I said, your daddy, Dice, wanted out of the game. But your mother, she wasn't ready to give up all her Gucci and gold—didn't want to hang it up just yet. And she told that to Dice, but Dice wouldn't listen to her. See, he knew that the longer he stayed in the game, the more dangerous it would get for his two pretty little babies. And the one thing he wasn't going to have was his family in jeopardy. But your mama, she had other plans—thought she could keep up the life without any hassle. And when they got to disagreeing about it, Keisha had Dice squashed and went from the ex-man to the next man.”

“Altimus,” Lauren said quietly.

“But it sounds like you're saying our mother was in the life, too,” Sydney said.