Page 9 of Cove City, Volume II

I sat on the couch, staring at the TV, trying not to focus on Pierre.

I didn’t even bother to look at my phone because every thirty minutes, it was him who was calling.

I wanted to talk to him, but I was still angry, hurt, and disgusted.

If there were a rewind button on my life, I would have hit it so fast up until the day my car door slammed into his Benz.

The sound of my mother’s happiness bothered me.

Her loud laugh while she was on the phone took away from what I was watching on TV.

How could she be so happy in a moment like this? Her daughter was going through something.

We were about to be put out, money was tighter than a girl’s braids on some thin edges, and I had left the one person I had become comfortable with.

I shot up from the couch, eyeing my mother as I made my way back to my room.

I looked at all the letters I had placed on my bed and hadn’t touched.

I pulled out my phone to see if I could find any articles on the Cove.

The first thing I saw was an article on Grace King and Angela Prince.

As I sped through the article, I realized they were at war with each other. Then I thought about what Naheem said as he mentioned different names to me during the block party.

I hurried toward the letters and scanned to find the next one in line.

Who was Naheem? I picked up another letter and opened it to read, but my phone went off again.

Pierre was calling again.

This time, I remained silent as I answered his call.

“Tuesday?.

“he called out.

I hadn’t said anything yet; I just listened to his voice.

“Baby, I know you hear me, and if you don’t want to say anything, fine. Let me talk to you then. How are you? Did you eat today? Do you need money?” he asked.

A part of me softened. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.

“I fucking miss you. I wish you had let me explain. Tuesday, you know I’m not good with words, but I need you. I need you here with me. I need to know you’re ok,.

“he paused.

Suddenly, my phone began to beep. When I glanced down, he was trying to FaceTime me.

“Answer the phone. You don’t have to say shit, just answer, please,.

“he begged.

My finger circled the accept button until I hit it.

When Pierre’s face came up on the screen, the tears welled in my eyes.

The seriousness in his face, his eyes that begged for forgiveness, pulled at me.

He didn’t say a word as we stared at each other.

If I say I didn’t miss him, I would be lying, but I needed to know that his cousin had been handled.

His mouth slowly moved, I.

Love.

You.

I hit end as a tear slipped and fell onto the phone.

It was him trying to wheel me back in.

Pierre was like a cherry gently placed on top of your favorite dessert, and although it may not have paired well, you knew it belonged there.

I knew Pierre and I belonged together; we were oddly perfect, but his cousin, the person who violated me, I couldn’t compete with.

It made me wonder if Sasha had been through a similar experience.

I could not force myself to compromise in this situation.

I wasn’t willing to meet him halfway.

I wasn’t willing to hear how his cousin needed forgiveness. I wasn’t willing to hear that he needed another night with Sasha to move on. Call me stubborn, but I refused to bend for those reasons.

My door opened to my mother wheeling herself in.

I hurried and caught my tears before any more slipped and she noticed.

I didn’t want to go down the memory lane of that night.

I simply didn’t.

“Tuesday, I was wondering if you could drop me off at Bingo. Tonight, they have a discount on—”

It was too late as a tear slid down my cheek. When she realized I was crying, her demeanor changed.

“What’s wrong? What did that place do to you?”

I had been trying to figure that out since I've been back here. The Cove wasn’t for the weak, and even though I wasn’t a weak person, it made me feel like I was. She had come closer to me, reaching out and stroking my face.

“I know that look. It’s a look of someone who fell for a man. Now either he’s low down or something happened, and you guys can’t find the right words.”

I glanced up at her because I knew she wanted to know, but putting the weight of my problems on her in her condition, I couldn’t. I let out a light chuckle. I took a deep breath and stood.

“It was a man I let come into my life and shift things, but I’m back. How about we go to bingo night together?.

“I told her.

I could tell my answer wasn’t good enough, but she wouldn’t push it. These weren’t her problems to handle. They were mine, and I was going to wear them until I found a sense of peace. As for Pierre, until his cousin met his demise or was somehow stopped from doing what he seemed so comfortable with doing. I wasn’t going back to the wicked wizard of the Cove, not even for love.