"Really?"
"Yes."
"Is that why you’re not drinking?"
"I don’t feel right. Just the smell of alcohol makes me puke."
Kori’s eyebrows squeezed into a tight line as if they were being forced together. She looked at Persha before she sipped her drink.
"I really wish I could help you," Kori said, "but, gurl, I’m about to kill that family I live with. I told you how they started counting food right? Well, in addition to the notes, they’ve come up with a schedule for when I am allowed to turn on the air conditioner, and even take baths!" Kori crunched a tortilla chip and said, "Can you believe that? You know we need indoor air here in Houston!"
"How much longer do you have on that lease?"
"I’m counting the months. I’ve got three more to go, and I can’t wait to get out of there. Maybe you and I can get a place together."
Persha started shaking her head. "Ain’t no way in the world I’m staying in that house for another three months. I’m saving up now. In the next two weeks, I plan to make some kind of move," Persha said right in time as Cricket was heading to the table to join her and Kori. She was glad they’d gotten that little talk out of the way before Cricket showed up.
The last thing Persha wanted to do was commit to moving in with Kori. She was getting a place with Clarke as soon as she caught up with him. He probably thought she blamed him for everything that went down and was scared to face her. But that was the furthest thing from the truth. She wanted nothing more than to be with him in spite of the situation. All of that was I the past. She wanted to work on their future.
Over the weekend, Persha didn’t start to feel any better. Come Monday morning, she had to call in sick. She wasn’t sure if it was the stench of the cat filled house, or something she’d eaten at the restaurant on Friday, but every five minutes she was rushing to the toilet to throw-up. Even as she looked up over the toilet bowel, several cats were looking up at her as if they were wondering just what the hell she was doing.
When she called in to work, Brenda told her if she didn’t feel good the next day, she should stay home again. Later that evening, when she was finally able to pull herself out of the bed, she walked around the house looking for Cricket. She wanted to see if she possibly had anything in that home made pharmacy of theirs that could maybe settle her stomach. She couldn’t find her anywhere, though.
It’s probably all the better anyway, Persha thought. Something tells me that nothing she has in this house can come even close to curing what I have.
Persha struggled to slip on some clothes and decided to hop in her car and go to the nearest convenience store. Sitting behind the wheel she started crying as she pulled up into the parking lot. She parked and just sat there wondering why things couldn’t go right in her life. Before this mess with Kelsa and Clarke, she hadn’t done anything to anyone. And she only did the move-in thing with Clarke because she really didn’t have another option. She knew deep down inside he’d eventually call her and they’d patch things up, but she wanted that right away. She kept checking her cell phone ever second, just to make sure he ringer was on. She didn’t want to jump the gun and get a place without his input, but she really needed to hear from him.
After she had cried her eyes raw, she finally got out of the car. She went into the store and bought what she needed. Later that night, the test confirmed what she already knew was true.
She was pregnant by a married man who left her outside naked after his wife started waving a gun, trying to shoot them both. And she hadn’t seen him, nor heard from him, since he sped away to safety without her. …Yep, pregnant as the day was long.
~ Clarke
Clarke didn’t know what else to do. While he was ignoring Persha’s calls and messages, he had been calling Kelsa for nearly two weeks straight with no luck. He had no idea how, but he knew for sure he had to get back in her good graces and get his life back to normal.
Him and Antwone had already agreed, in spite of the occasional problems, their lives were better with wives. And Clarke felt like a fish out of water without his. A few days ago, he had gone by the house when he thought for sure she’d be at home, but he tried his key and it didn’t work. Finding it hard to believe Kelsa had changed the locks, he stood in amazement and then left feeling crushed. He didn’t want to believe all hope was gone concerning their marriage.
While he sat at his desk, he wondered why things had such a strange way of working themselves out. For instance, he’d been seeing someone for the entire five years he and Kelsa had been married with no problems. But he and Persha start kicking it and in less than six months his entire world was turned upside down.
A knock on the door interrupted Clarke‘s thoughts. But before he could answer it, Antwone had already stuck his head in.
"I came to take you out to lunch. Whassup?" Antwone said.
"Ah, nothing, dawg, just sitting here thinking about this mess my life’s turned into," Clarke replied.
"Well, forget about your problems for a little while and let’s go grab a bite to eat."
At Dave and Buster’s on the Richmond strip, Antwone and Clarke were seated quickly. They had lunch then headed to the bar.
"You know you can stay in the carriage house for as long as you need right?" Antwone said.
"Yeah, that’s cool and all, but a brotha just feels out of the loop. You know how it is."
On mother’s day weekend Clarke watched as Antwone unloaded several large packages from the trunk of his car. Clarke started feeling jealous, but he figured he’d keep himself busy around the house to take his mind off his problems.
Suddenly he decided that maybe if he went by the house with a gift for Kelsa, even though she wasn’t a mother, she’d at least let him in so they could talk. When Antwone went inside for the last time, Clarke walked out and got in his car.
He drove to First Colony Mall and quickly bought the cheapest tennis bracelet he could find. With the Zale’s bag in hand, he strolled up the walkway to his old front door and rang the doorbell.
After a few minutes there was no answer so he backed up and looked up to the second floor. A window was open and he considered climbing up to get inside.
"Kelsa," he yelled, first with his voice kind of low because he didn’t want to disturb any of the neighbors. He didn’t know if she was home, but he had to try something.
"Kelsa, baby let’s talk this out. I’m sorry," he cried a little louder. "Just open the door and let me come in and talk to you."
He looked up and down the street to make sure no one was looking out of any windows or anything like that. He didn’t want somebody to call the cops. Gazing up at the open window again he called out his wife’s name. "Kel! I know you’re in there, I can hear the TV. I came by to wish you a happy mother’s day and give you a gift, baby. C’mon, just let me in. I just want to talk. I promise. I don’t want anything more. Just talk to me."
"Sir?"
Clarke jumped when he heard the deep voice. He turned to see a police officer standing behind him.
"Ah, yeah?" Clarke asked, looking confused.
"I’m going to have to ask you to leave. The lady doesn’t want to be bothered," the officer said.
"What do you mean?" Clarke asked, still looking up at the open window.
"Mrs. Hudson called and asked us to ask you to leave her property and not to return."
"But I just want to talk."
"Well, it’s obvious that the lady doesn’t want to talk to you."
Clarke was growing more upset by the minute. He tried to gather his composure. He didn’t want to go to jail, but he didn’t appreciate the way Kelsa was playing him either. It was completely unnecessary for her to call the law on him.
"Look," Clarke said to the officer, "I live here. My wife and I had a disagreement and she changed the locks. But I should at least be able to get some of my personal belongings even if she doesn’t want to talk to me."
For a second the officer didn’t say anything, but then he nodded. "You’re right. Let’s try this. Why don’t you get back into your car? Sit there until I tell you to come out. Let me try and talk to her first."
A few feet away from the officer, Clarke climbed back into his car. He rolled his window down as the officer used his shoulder radio to call in. A few minutes later, the officer walked up to the door and knocked.
"Mrs. Hudson, this is Officer Daniels. My I have a word with you please?" he said.
Clarke watched as Kelsa opened the door and whispered something to the officer. For a second it looked like the two were arguing, but Kelsa eventually stepped aside and let the officer in.
"Shit, I thought he was going to get me in," Clarke said to himself. He was tempted to get out of the car and go up to the door himself, but then thought better of it. So, he waited.
After nearly 20 minutes in the car, the front door opened. He saw Kelsa first, then the officer, who was carrying a large black trash bag.
Clarke’s heart sank. He didn’t really want his belongings. He was just trying to use that to get in the house. He knew if he could have a few minutes alone with Kelsa, he could get her to change her mind about him and their break up.
The officer stopped at the door, said a few quiet words to Kelsa and then the door closed behind him as he walked up to Clarke’s car.
"Mr. Hudson, here are some of your things," the officer replied. "I regret to inform you that your wife has taken out a restraining order against you. She says she does not want to talk to you nor does she want to see you. So I have to warn you, if you return, we will be required to arrest you."
"What?" Clarke screamed. "What does that mean? A restraining order? What am I supposed to do? I live here!"
"Sir, I need you to calm down. She produced a signed court judgment. It expires in 30 days, but for now you are not to come on the premises. And you’re to stay away from her in public."
Clarke couldn’t believe what he was being told. He rubbed his head and leaned forward onto the steering wheel. He didn’t want a stranger to see him cry, but he couldn’t believe Kelsa had done this to him.
He knew deep inside if she just gave him five minutes, five minutes to tell her how sorry he was and how much he missed her, they could go back to the way they were before all of this mess.
"Sir?" The officer called. Clarke lifted his head ever so slightly and turned toward the officer. "You need to get your things. She was nice enough to give them to me. But you can’t stay here. I need you to take these things and leave."
"What?"
"Mr. Hudson, there is a restraining order against you. That means if you violate the judge’s order, you can and will be arrested!"
"Arrested?" Clarke shook his head. "But this is my house too."
"Well, not according to the papers Mrs. Hudson has. She says the house is in her parent’s name, and yours is nowhere on the deed. Regardless of that, a judge signed the order and you’re no longer allowed here. It’s like trespassing."
Clarke was Confused. He shook his head, hoping to wake from the nightmare he was submerged in. Clarke refused to believe what the officer was telling him. This had to be some kind of huge mistake. There was absolutely no way Kelsa would think to do something like this, not on her own anyway. That he was sure of.
"If I could just talk to her for five minutes," he mumbled.
The officer started saying no. "There’s no way! I can get in trouble by letting you stay this long. You really need to leave. Take your things and go. I don’t want to have to haul you in, but I will if you refuse to obey the judge’s order."
"Man! This is wild! I can’t believe this. I just want to talk to my wife!"
"Yes sir, I know. I understand what you’re going through. I’ve been there myself. But I’m trying to tell you the best thing for you to do is leave. I suggest you get yourself an attorney and let him take care of this for you. There’s no need for you to go to jail behind this. She doesn’t want to talk right now, so you have to respect that."
"Okay, okay, you’re probably right. An attorney, huh?"
"Yes sir. That’s just so you can protect your interest. I really don’t know what else to tell you. But you have to understand you can’t come back here. Like I said before, if she calls the police again, you will go to jail. Absolutely no questions asked. So why don’t you take this bag, and go look for an attorney."
Clarke got out of the car to put his things in the back seat. That’s when, his eyes fixed on someone he didn’t want to see. Persha’s car slowed as she drove past his house.
"Oh shit!" he mumbled under his breath. "You’re right, I better get out of here," he said to the officer. "I do need to get an attorney. Let me put this stuff in the trunk and I’m out."
The officer stood back and watched him. He also saw Persha make a u-turn and pull up in front of Clarke’s car.
"See this is what I don’t need. Officer can you tell this woman that I can’t stay here and talk to her! Please help me out here," Clarke pleaded.
"Okay," the officer said as he looked at Persha. When she got out of the car, he walked over to her. "Ma’am, you need to let this man go. He can’t stay here. You’re blocking his vehicle and this driveway."
"Oh," Persha replied as she quickly got back in her car and pulled up. As soon as she turned off the ignition, Clarke pulled off.
~ Persha
She couldn’t believe he didn’t even wait to talk to her. Persha saw him whisper something to the officer, but why he pulled off without talking to her was beyond confusing. It was actually painfully embarrassing.
She saw the direction he turned and quickly pulled off to the left. If she had to follow him, she would. Persha wanted to have her say and she wanted to be heard. But mainly she wanted to tell Clarke she wasn’t mad at him. At least not anymore. She was ready to move on and she wanted to move on with him.
After tailing him for nearly 30 minutes, he finally pulled into a gas station. She turned in right behind him. She parked out of the way and was smiling when she got out of the car. Persha quickly ran up to his window.