Authors: Janine A. Morris
She's No Angel (10 page)
Charlene knew at that point that Takesha had been seeing Kenny, but she didn't find herself too concerned with that. Not that it made it right, but she didn't think Takesha had any real feelings for Kenny, anyway. Charlene assumed that Takesha was like her, and wasn't in it for love, she thought Takesha was a “I'll do you, pay me” girl. Apparently she guessed wrong, because when Takesha got that Charlene was sleeping with Kenny she promptly stepped to Charlene. Words turned into curses, and before long they were fighting in the street. Nobody around jumped in or stopped it, and both Jasmine and Shareena were there at the time. It was a fair fight, and although Charlene was the slimmer of the two, she was handling her own; her days in the street had taught her how to use her hands well.
Nobody else from the neighborhood broke up the fight, either, but the cops eventually did. When they pulled the two girls apart and pinned them against the cars, they patted them both down. Unbeknownst to Charlene, Takesha had been doing some trafficking for Kenny and she had a stash of his drugs on her. Takesha got arrested that day and did some time. As dumb as it was to have the stash on her, rumor had it that Takesha blamed Charlene for her arrest, Charlene had felt guilty for quite some time, mostly because she was messing with Kenny to begin with, which wasn't something a good friend would have done, regardless. She never felt the blame for Takesha being locked up, though. Of course, if Charlene hadn't been messing with Kenny, Takesha and she never would have been fighting, and then the cops wouldn't have come, and she wouldn't have gotten arrested. As far as Charlene was concerned nobody told Takesha to step to her, and nobody told Takesha to have drugs on her person.
As Charlene and Jasmine walked through the mall, Charlene told Jasmine how that whole scene had started, and they had some laughs about the old days. Still, all these years later, seeing Takesha did make Charlene reflect back and feel a tad guilty because she did know what she had done was wrong. However, it didn't help that Takesha was still acting like they were in high school and trying to start a fight. Although it made Charlene happy that she no longer lived in that neighborhood and she no longer lived that life, she realized that the street instincts are not something you always grow out of, and some people never change. Charlene had to admit, she was happy that Jasmine still had her bark in her. Having Jas stand up for her made her realize that there were some folks that would always have her back, whether everyone else thought she was scandalous or not.
Chapter 17
T
he funny thing was, a part of her told her it was too good to be true. That conversation with Isaac the other night went entirely too smoothly. He was so consoling and sweet and understanding, and after it all, perfectly sexual. That was far from how she expected it to go, even with the left-out information. She thought he would be devastated by the thought of anything causing a hindrance. Shockingly, Isaac was a champ about it, and he actually left Charlene feeling lucky. Unfortunately, after he had time to think about it he didn't find it so small after all.
he funny thing was, a part of her told her it was too good to be true. That conversation with Isaac the other night went entirely too smoothly. He was so consoling and sweet and understanding, and after it all, perfectly sexual. That was far from how she expected it to go, even with the left-out information. She thought he would be devastated by the thought of anything causing a hindrance. Shockingly, Isaac was a champ about it, and he actually left Charlene feeling lucky. Unfortunately, after he had time to think about it he didn't find it so small after all.
He had called on her cell phone first, and she told him she was just getting home and that she would call him back. She put down her purse and work bag, kicked off her heels and went to the bathroom. Isaac had given her no more than five minutes before he called her right back on her house phone. She answered with a gut feeling that he was calling for more than just to say hello and see how her day went.
“Hey, Isaac, where are you?”
“On my way home from work,” he answered.
“Oh, OK. You got out pretty early today,” she replied.
“Charlene, I'm a little confused about what you told me the other night.”
It seemed Isaac wanted to get right to it.
“About what?” she asked, feeling the butterflies come swooping right back into her stomach.
“About the difficulty you may have getting pregnant.”
“OK, what are you confused about?”
“Well, you told me initially the doctor said everything was OK, and then you tell me later that she told you it wasn't. Did you forget that part?”
“No, she called me back a few days later with that information.”
“Why?”
“I don't know, I guess she got that information after she called me the first time.”
“Oh ... OK,” Isaac said, as if he was trying to add it up to see if it made sense.
Charlene, eager to change the topic, added, “Is that what you called me about?”
“Yeah, I just was remembering that you told me when you got back that everything was fine ... And then I was wondering, why didn't you tell me when she first told you?”
“Oh, I got ya ... Yeah; well, she called me back after and told me about it ... I guess it was found from a separate test or something.”
“Oh, OK ... Well, what you doing tonight?”
“Just relaxing for the most part ... I have to wash my hair but then I'm relaxing.”
“OK, call me when you get settled.”
“OK, baby.”
“All right, honey, talk to you later.”
“Good-bye,” Charlene said.
All she could think about as she hung up is how she was digging herself deeper into this lie. She felt like it was déjà vu, when she first met Isaac and she had to tell so many mistruths and she constantly had to struggle to keep her story straight. Despite all the practice, there was never a guarantee that he wouldn't catch on to something out of place. After all these years she'd hoped that all this would be behind her. Charlene knew firsthand the truth about what they say: that one lie just turns into more and more lies. She definitely didn't like this investigating that Isaac was doing. She didn't know why he couldn't just leave things as they were.
After Charlene hung up she went into her bedroom and started changing her clothes and getting comfortable. She pinned up her hair off her neck and threw on some lounge pants and a T-shirt. She slipped into her fluffy slippers and sat down on her couch. She turned on her television and started checking her mail before she started to channel surf. She had been home maybe twenty minutes when a knock came at her door. She rose up from the couch without having a clue who it could be. She thought maybe it was a neighbor or a deliveryman, because she wasn't expecting anybody. When she got to the door, she went ahead and peeped through the peephole and found it was Paige. Charlene opened the door with a look of confusion, surprised to see her sister.
“What are you doing here?” Charlene asked.
“Just stopped by to say hey,” Paige replied.
“Just stopped by?”
“Yeah.”
“How'd you even know I was home yet?”
“I wasn't sure, but I figured I would take a chance,” Paige said, finding humor in the interrogation.
“Without even calling my cell phone? ... Paige, what are you up to?”
“Nothing, I can't come say hello to my sister?” Paige asked with a laugh.
“Of course you can, but when do you ever?”
“Ha, ha, ha,” Paige said sarcastically. “I was in the neighborhood and figured I should stop by and visit,” she continued.
“What were you doing around here?” Charlene asked as she headed back to the couch to sit in front of her television.
“I had to drop a friend off a few blocks away,” Paige said as she followed.
“Oh, OK ... Well, at least somebody got you to come this way.”
“Whatever. You act like you be coming back around the way or something.”
“Nope, not much ... There's nothing there for me.”
“How about your family?” Paige asked, slightly laughing.
“I see you guys, and I visit.”
“Whatever,” Paige said as she joined Charlene on the couch.
Charlene continued to sift through her mail while Paige was seeing what was on television.
“Oh, I love this video,” Paige said as the new Ludacris video came on.
“Of course you would, with your little hoochie butt,” Charlene replied with a laugh.
“Whatever, just 'cause you over here trying to pretend that you wasn't the ringleader of hoochies ... Don't point no fingers,” Paige replied, damn near cracking up.
Even Charlene had to laugh at that one, because she definitely knew there was truth to that. She almost forgot, she couldn't pretend with just everybody 'cause there were more than enough people who knew the real deal.
“Whatever, hooker. I just don't like that song.”
“I love it,” Paige replied.
They both sat in silence for a minute watching the half-naked girls shaking their butts and tatas all over the screen, while Ludacris just stood there getting groped and caressed by them.
“I would die for her body,” Paige said as this one girl strutted across the screen wearing nothing but two strings.
“Yeah, she does have a nice body. But we both know that won't get you but so far.”
“I know, but it definitely gets you further than most.”
Once again, they both started laughing. It had been a while since the two of them had spent this type of time together. Neither of them rushing to be somewhere, no one else around, no purpose to their meeting, just the two of them hanging out chilling. Charlene needed this, and she was kind of happy that Paige did take her chances and stopped by.
There was a timeâfor several years, actuallyâthat there was tension between Charlene and Paige. Charlene felt angry at Paige for not being there when she needed her most, and Paige felt guilty about abandoning Charlene. There was a point where Paige was embarrassed by Charlene and her reputation in the neighborhood, and she didn't hesitate to let Charlene know. It made it even worse that their strict mother turned them against each other so many times. As time went on, those issues settled. Still, it took years for them to mature to see that all of that was no reason to keep them from loving each other the way they should. So, year after year they got better and better at being good sisters to one another.
As Charlene and Paige sat sprawled out on the couches in Charlene's living room, they laughed and talked. They watched all their favorites, some
Flavor of Love
reruns and an MTV
Cribs
episode or two. They watched television so late that Charlene never did wash her hair and she never did call Isaac back.
Flavor of Love
reruns and an MTV
Cribs
episode or two. They watched television so late that Charlene never did wash her hair and she never did call Isaac back.
Chapter 18
T
he night with Paige left Charlene feeling refreshed and positive the next morning. She had needed that night to get her mind off of everything. When Charlene showed up to work the next day she was just as jolly as she wanted to be. Of course, most people would think that she had gotten some good stuff the night before, but that was far from it. She had just gotten a dose of therapy.
he night with Paige left Charlene feeling refreshed and positive the next morning. She had needed that night to get her mind off of everything. When Charlene showed up to work the next day she was just as jolly as she wanted to be. Of course, most people would think that she had gotten some good stuff the night before, but that was far from it. She had just gotten a dose of therapy.
Once she sat down at her desk, as usual she checked her messages and e-mails. She had a message from Isaac.
“Hey, this is Isaac ... What happened to you last night? I ended up falling asleep pretty early, but I thought you would call me back. Call me when you get this, I had to ask you a question.”
Oh, boy,
Charlene thought to herself.
Another question.
Charlene thought to herself.
Another question.
Charlene continued getting settled at work. As she moved some paperwork from one in-box to another she couldn't help but think about what it was Isaac wanted to ask her. As usual she didn't call him back right away, she wasn't that eager to find out. Whenever Charlene could get a chance to prepare herself for what she might need to say, she took advantage of it. Whether it was the time before they called one another back, or while she waited on hold because he got another call, or telling him to hold on so she could buy timeâCharlene sometimes needed to think before she spoke. She learned the hard way that freestyling could lead to getting caught saying something contradictory.
Charlene had finally decided that whatever the question was, if it related to this pregnancy thing she was sticking to her story and saying she didn't know all of the medical facts behind it. She was hoping it wasn't anything else. She had no idea of what else it could be, unless Isaac had found out about the ride home with Rich the previous week after she had told him she hadn't seen Rich in months. She didn't know what it was, but from the sound of his tone on the message, it didn't sound like a frivolous question. After she gathered her thoughts, she went ahead and called her fiancé.
“Hello?” Isaac answered.
“Hey, babe, good morning,” Charlene replied.
“Hey, sweetie. What happened to you last night?” he asked.
“Paige stopped by, and we were talking for hours ... It got so late by the time she left I just went to sleep.”
“I thought you were going to call me,” he said.
“I was, babe, but I figured you were asleep because you didn't call me, either,” she replied.
“All right ... Well, no big deal ... I was just making sure you were OK.”
“I'm fine; I actually really enjoyed Paige last night.”
“Did you tell her?”
“Tell her what?”
“About what the doctor told you,” he asked.
“Yes, I had told her before. She came with me to the doctor, so I told her the results as I found out.”
“Why did she come with you?”
“Just to come with me.”
“That was nice, I guess, I never knew girls needed company to go to those doctors for regular checkups.”
“I didn't need her to come, she just did.”
“Mmm. OK ... Anyway, speaking of the appointment, I wanted to ask you ... Why did the doctor check to see if you are fertile?”
“What do you mean why?”
“Why? Did you request her to check that?”
“No ... Why do you ask me that?”
“From what I understand, doctors don't just test that. You have to ask to be tested for that, and even then, they won't test you until you're trying and you've tried the other normal practices. The only way they will do it otherwise is if the patient has some unusual circumstances.”
“I don't know about all of that. I just know she told me that,” Charlene said with a slight attitude.
Charlene had been caught off guard. It seemed as if Isaac had been doing his research. She wanted to just say, “
well, that's not the way my doctor does it,”
but she wasn't sure where he got that information. What if Isaac called her doctor's office and got that straight from them? Of course it could have been just some general information he heard, but she didn't want to risk it. He was clearly in an investigative mode, trying to see if he could catch her in a lie. It was obvious, since he had a new question just that fast from last night and he was waiting for her answers before he would tell her why he was asking. Charlene was no fool; she wasn't going to fall into his trap that easily.
well, that's not the way my doctor does it,”
but she wasn't sure where he got that information. What if Isaac called her doctor's office and got that straight from them? Of course it could have been just some general information he heard, but she didn't want to risk it. He was clearly in an investigative mode, trying to see if he could catch her in a lie. It was obvious, since he had a new question just that fast from last night and he was waiting for her answers before he would tell her why he was asking. Charlene was no fool; she wasn't going to fall into his trap that easily.
“So, she just told you ... Did she even tell you she was testing for that?”
“She told me she was going to run some tests, and she was going to check everything out and make sure I was healthy.”
“Mmm ... That's interesting. They don't usually do that.”
Charlene was annoyed by Isaac's little interrogation. Maybe she was wrong to be, since she should have been feeling guilty about her lies. Why was he doing research? Checking to see if she was telling the truth? Charlene thought to herself. She wasn't feeling his research findings one bit.
Finally fed up with him acting like he knew everything, she asked, “How do you know?”
“I just do ... Some people who know told me.”
“Why are you going around asking people about my body?”
“I didn't. I only asked one person, because I was concerned about you ... And then when I heard that I was even more concerned.”
“I thought you said we would be fine.”
“We will... I just wanted to make sure you would be fine.”
“Well, no one else can tell you that information but me.”
Isaac could tell that Charlene wasn't too happy with his questions.
Charlene meant what she said but she also knew it was a good way to turn things back in her favor.
“I'm sorry, baby. You're right. Only you and your doctor really know, anyway.”
“It's OK.”
“Well, I want you to hang up with me and call your doctor and make a follow-up appointment for as soon as possible, and I want to go with you.”
“Why?”
“You need a follow-up anyway, and I want to ask her some questions.”
“My follow-up is supposed to be in six months.”
“OK, well then, call her on three-way, then, I can ask my questions over the phone.”
Charlene couldn't tell if Isaac wanted her to know that there was something he didn't believe, or that he wasn't letting up on this.
“What do you have to ask her, Isaac?” Charlene asked, unable to hide the frustration in her voice.
“Just some stuff ... Like what we need to do to be successful, is there anything we can do to fix the problem, what caused it, etc.”
“I can ask her that stuff myself, and tell you what she said.”
“No, I'd rather talk to her. This may be an ongoing issue we have and I would feel better feeling her out and building a relationship with the doctor that will have the fate of my family in her hands.”
Damn, how was Charlene to argue with that? He had stumped her and now she didn't know what to say. She had to admit, Isaac did have some right to be involved with this if she was going to be his wife and hopefully mother of his children.
“OK, Isaac. I will call her today and set an earlier appointment.”
They spoke a tad more and then he told her to call the doctor when they hung up.
Charlene sat there confused about how to handle this. She didn't know if she should go through the motions of pretending to make the appointment, or find reasons to miss the appointment, or go ahead and try to stop the whole charade before it got any worse. She was trying her best to get back to her work, but she couldn't help thinking about what had just happened with Isaac. It played back in her head. “
... I would feel better feeling her out and building a relationship with the doctor that will have the fate of my family in her hands.”
She felt like she was being punked, she couldn't believe he was really taking it there. She did know that the next time she spoke to Isaac he would ask about it, so she had better figure out a plan before that time came.
... I would feel better feeling her out and building a relationship with the doctor that will have the fate of my family in her hands.”
She felt like she was being punked, she couldn't believe he was really taking it there. She did know that the next time she spoke to Isaac he would ask about it, so she had better figure out a plan before that time came.
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