The Baker And The Queen Pin

Chapter 42: I Know What You Did

~~~Booker

After we finished, I found myself still asking so many questions. Her dad had recently died but that wasn't the real question for me. She didn't like her father nor did she love him. I could just see it in her eyes, I could see the anger that turned into despair and I could see the despair that reheated into burning anger. That same anger I recognized anywhere because it was how angry I was with LaKeisha. She did everything she could to hurt me, she did everything she could to make me feel like I was a bad father. I love my two kids, I love them, and I couldn't see my life without them yet I was fully prepared to let them both go after what they told me, and I don't know if that makes me a bad father but if they wanted to be happy without me, who was I to take that from them?

"Maria, we still have to talk about this." Her eyes were sad, 'Can't we just pretend I took an extended vacation for once?' That was a side of her I didn't think I'd see but I stood my ground as much as I could. As much as I loved her, there was no reason why LaKeisha would have come to the bakery if she didn't have a reason. "If there's something you need to tell me, you need to tell me now," I say to her, trying to be strict but she started pouting and I saw her eyes and I felt guilty but I calmed myself and I focused on the matter at hand.

It's then that she says, "I am one of the most powerful drug lords in the East Coast and I have been invited to rule over more territory,' Her eyes were stone-cold and serious but then I started chuckling. "That's bullshit," and she starts laughing, too. 'Babe, I'm just joking,' I say, "Can you take this serious?" even though I was chuckling with her. 'I'm sorry Bookie, the truth of the matter is my dad was dying and he wanted to spend his last days with me and me being an only child, I had no choice,' I felt sorry for her, I really did but I was still upset. I didn't get the full truth like I was supposed to get, I trust her, though but I don't know if I can believe her this time.

Keisha rarely ever came to that bakery and the times she did come was to gloat. I still couldn't find myself believing anything she said even when she did everything she did. I believed Maria. I trusted Maria, Maria had my back. She saved my bakery, LaKeisha almost made it burn. 'Booker, I love you but I need you to trust me. I need you to trust me and know that I would never hurt you or your kids.' "You promise you'll never hurt the children or me?" I say, looking at her for that reassurance and she says, 'Yes, I love you and I love your children just as much. I will never sacrifice either one of you but what made you think about this? What made you think I was going to hurt you or the children?'

"Keisha. She's been saying strange stuff lately and it only has me thinking that she's going to do something else." 'Interesting.' It was at that moment that I felt something shift in Maria, something that I almost didn't notice. It was anger and it wasn't any normal type of anger, it was as if it was a blind rage for a moment like how dare she interfere?

"Hold on," I say to her and it's then that I see Keisha's face flash across my cell phone. At that moment, my face registered shock. 'Who is it?' Maria asked, innocently. Do I dare tell her? Do I dare say something to her about this? 'What's wrong, Booker?' she says in a sweet voice and I started talking without even thinking.

"Keisha's calling. Give me a moment." It's then that I don't see that anger slide over her face again but I was still nervous, more nervous than I wanted to say. Not because of Maria's anger but because what if Keisha wasn't lying?

End of Chapter: I Know What You Did