Sister Girls 2 (26 page)

FAITH

F
aith had finally been able to bring Raheem home from the hospital. Considering the circumstances, he appeared to be fairly upbeat and somehow different, but almost losing your life can do that to you.

Faith was in the bathroom, looking at her cell phone. She wanted to see Siddiq in the worst way. She'd rarely been able to speak with him and when she was able to, the calls were extremely short. Assisting Raheem through his rehabilitation was taking up more time than she thought it would.

She could tell in Siddiq's voice that he was starting to pull away and lose hope.

Something's got to give
.

“Faith! Faith! Can you come here for a minute?”

Faith could hear Raheem calling her from the other room. She wanted to ignore him but knew that would be just plain old evil.

Shit, I forgot it's his bathroom time.
Faith went into Raheem's room and to her surprise he was standing on his own.

“What? How? Are you?” Faith didn't know what to ask first.

Raheem was grinning from ear to ear as he told her, “I made it to and from the bathroom on my own. I figured I'd give you a break from wiping my ass.”

Faith laughed. “I'm so proud of you.”

“Can you help me get back in the bed? That walk kind of exhausted me.”

“Of course.”

As Raheem got comfortable on the bed, he patted the spot next to him.

Faith sat down. “You need anything else?”

“No, but there is something I'd like to know.”

“What is it?”

“I'd like to know what's going on with you.”

“Why do you think something is going on?”

“Because you seem preoccupied,” he told her.

Faith was surprised that he could still read her so well. “I don't know what you're talking about.” She averted her eyes from his gaze.

Raheem took her hand. “Faith, look at me.”

She ignored his request.

“Look at me. There's something I need to tell you.”

Slowly she looked up and waited to hear what he had to say.

“That day of my accident I left the house angry at you, upset that you wanted to end our marriage. My normal mode of operation whenever I was mad at you was to go seek out the comforts of another woman. It didn't matter what woman because anyone would do. This day was different.”

Faith wondered if she needed to brace herself for what he was about to tell her. “What are you trying to tell me, Raheem?”

“It's time to free you.”

“Free me? What do you mean, free me?”

“Please, just listen, don't interrupt.”

Faith waited patiently.

“I needed something different that day. I needed to talk with someone that knows me as well as I know myself. I called Lace.”

“Lace?” He had her undivided attention.

“Lace and I ended up having a heart-to-heart. I believe that I got distracted when Lace told me that she had never stop loving me.”

Faith thought to herself,
Well, hell, I knew that.

Raheem went on. “She also told me how sorry she was for all that she had put me and the kids through. She expressed that she wished I would have stood by her like I stood by you as you went through your changes.”

Surprised, Faith asked, “She knows about me?”

“She goes to the meetings also and although what's said in the room is supposed to stay in the room, you know people talk.”

“So how did you feel with her telling you this?”

“I believe I should have supported her like I did you.”

“No, what I'm asking you is how do you feel about her telling you she still loves you?”

“I'm not sure how I feel.”

Faith was not shocked. She knew that Lace still had feelings for Raheem. What she didn't know was that they were on the phone prior to the accident. This explained Lace's behavior at the hospital and why she'd been calling and calling, asking if Faith needed her to come by and do anything.

Faith's thoughts were interrupted by Raheem. “Are you angry? Are you upset? Anything?”

“No, I'm not sure sure what I feel.”

“Faith, sometimes when you don't realize it I catch you daydreaming. Since I've been home, I've seen you on several occasions in the backyard on the phone talking to someone. I may be many things, but a fool is not one of them. The behaviors that you are exhibiting, I know them only too well. Faith, you are me and I am you. I know that you are in love with someone.”

Faith opened her mouth to say something.

Raheem put up his hand. “Please don't deny it. Who is he?”

“Does it matter?” Faith asked him, not having the energy to even play it off.

“You know what? It doesn't. What matters is you've been here for me, even after all I put you through. I thank you for staying with me throughout this ordeal. However, I need somebody to be here that wants to be here, not someone that feels obligated.”

“So what are you saying?” Faith wanted to know.

“What I am saying is that if you want the divorce, I will not contest it. We both deserve to be happy.”

Faith was dumbfounded.

“I mean it, Faith, I'm willing to let you go but I hope we can be friends.”

Faith, unable to believe the words that came out of his mouth, leaned foward and kissed Raheem gently on the lips. “Thank you.”

“No,” Raheem told her. “Thank you.”

Faith stood up.

“Don't you have a phone call you need to make?” Raheem asked her.

“As a matter of fact, I do.” She picked up the phone next to the bed and dialed a number.

Raheem looked at her like she was crazy. “I'm not talking about in front of me.”

Faith ignored him. “Lace?” she said into the phone. “Raheem needs you.”

Faith looked over at Raheem and was thankful. Thankful for a chance to start over and thankful for the new friendship she and Raheem were going to develop.

When Faith hung up the phone, Raheem reached for her hand. “Faith?”

“Yes?”

“I apologize for everything I've put you through.”

She could tell from his sincere tone that he meant it.

“I apologize for what I've put you through as well.”

HARMONY

I
t seemed like apologies were in order all around.

Shareef, King, and Harmony were approaching the hospital room where Ny'em was recovering from stab wounds.

Shareef looked at King. “I can't believe you talked me into this shit.”

“Just be cool, man, you need to hear him out.”

As they got closer to the room, they noticed Perry walking out. He was with another man who was obviously gay and angry.

“How you gonna come and see that motherfucker?” the man asked Perry.

“He's my friend and he needs support right now.”

Harmony overheard the statement and wondered,
what the hell is he talking about?

Before they stepped inside, Harmony told Shareef, “You must stay calm. Maybe then Ny'em will see our side of things. We'll talk about the fact that he has two other kids that he can focus on.”

Shareef agreed to the plan. “We just need some sort of resolution today.”

Harmony stuck her head into Ny'em's room. “Is this a bad time?” she asked.

Ny'em shook his head no and they entered.

Ny'em acknowledged Shareef with a head nod and told King, “Thank you for getting them here.”

Harmony walked toward the bed, but Shareef stayed in the back, but not so far back that he couldn't hear what was being said.

“How are you feeling?” Harmony asked.

“I've been better. But I didn't have King bring you guys here to make small talk.” Ny'em looked at Shareef and told him, “First of all, Shareef, I want to apologize for the police harassing you. Lala knew it wasn't you who stabbed me.” He then looked at Harmony. “You really need to watch your back because for some reason Lala has it in for you.”

“I ain't worried about that bitch. I'd just like to know why you asked us here.”

“I'd like to see Shacquille,” he told them.

Shareef took a step forward, but King pulled him back by his shirt but not before he told Ny'em, “That shit ain't gonna happen.”

“Let me finish,” Ny'em said. “I'd like to see my son, but he doesn't have to know I'm his father.”

“You're not,” Shareef told him.

King nudged Shareef. “Yo', Sha', you really need to shut the fuck up and listen to this man. He's trying to tell you something but your ass keeps interrupting. The man has already said that Shacquille doesn't have to know he's his father, let's see what else he has to say.”

Harmony knew something was up, she could feel it in her gut.

Ny'em turned to Harmony. “Harmony, out of all my baby mamas, you're the best one, hands down. I know that you would do anything to protect what's yours and now I see that you have a man that would be willing to do the same thing.” He looked over at Shareef and told him, “I ain't mad at you, dog.”

Ny'em sat up further in the bed and asked Harmony to pull up a chair.

At this point Harmony had started to feel uneasy. She looked back at Shareef, who was hanging on to Ny'em's every word. “What's going on?” she asked as she sat down.

Ny'em pulled an envelope from under his pillow and handed it to her.

She looked over at Shareef, who nodded his head. She took the envelope out of Ny'em's hand and asked, “What's this?”

“I know that you believe that I'm a deadbeat dad and you might be right, but back then with the lifestyle I was living, the dollar came first. I was too busy making that money and dodging death to be concerned about another life. What you're holding in your hand is an envelope full of money. The money you knew I had stashed somewhere. I want you to split it evenly between all three of my kids.”

“Why me?” Harmony wanted to know.

“Because I know I can trust you.”

“Okay, Ny'em, you're scaring me. You need to tell me what's going on.”

“You know I got stabbed, right?”

“Yes.”

“Well, the wound caused an infection.”

“Of course the wound caused an infection.”

Ny'em reworded what he was trying to say. “What I'm trying to saying is I can't fight off the infection the wound caused because I'm already ill.”

Confused, Harmony asked, “What are you telling me? Just spit it out, please.”

“I'm telling you,” Ny'em said as he looked at everyone in the room, “that I'm HIV positive and I have been for quite some time.”

Harmony couldn't believe what she heard. There was no way this could be true. “Are you sure?

“I've never been surer.”

Harmony didn't know what to do other than look over at Shareef, who was standing with his mouth open.

“Close your mouth, son,” King told him.

Harmony couldn't stop her tears from falling and Shareef stepped forward to comfort her.

He looked over at Ny'em and said, “I'm sorry, man, I'm truly sorry. I don't wish ill will on anyone.”

From across the room, King cleared his throat. “Um, Shareef, Harmony, don't be angry with me but I knew what this gathering was going to be about and I made a decision.”

“What are you talking about?” Shareef asked.

King didn't respond, he stepped out of the room.

“Where is he going?” Harmony asked Shareef.

“The hell if I know.”

They watched the door and a few seconds later, King returned with Shacquille and Jewell behind him.

Shareef didn't say a word, when Harmony stepped up and grabbed Shacquille's hand and said to him, “I want you to meet a good friend of Mommy's and Daddy's.”