• • •
“Hi, Carmella. It’s me, Damita.”
“Where the hell have you been and why on Earth are you whispering? Your mother and I have been trying to reach you for days. What is going on?”
“Nothing, I’m fine.”
“That’s bullshit. What has that bastard done? Neal has something to do with this.”
“Carmella, it’s not that simple and I don’t want to talk about it. At least, not yet. I need you to trust me for now, okay?”
“Are you sure? There have never been any secrets between us.”
“It’s not really a secret. There’s some stuff I need to tackle on my own before I share it with everyone else.”
“Will you be at Brandon’s funeral?”
“Of course I will.”
“I’m so glad to hear that. I couldn’t imagine the ABC Kids without their Dee. I still can’t believe we lost Brandon. All that effort he put into staying fit and exercising, running every day, and he dies because some dirt bag put a knife in his back while he was running. I hope they find that bastard and put him under the fucking prison!”
“They will,” said Damita.
“How can you be so sure?”
“Carmella, karma is real. The person who hurt Brandon will get what they deserve, one way or another.”
“You really believe that, huh?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, I do.”
“Damita, would you please do me a favor?”
“What is it?”
“You know your mother is like a mother to me as well and I can’t stand to see her worry so much. When you hang up with me, please promise you’ll call her.”
“I will, Carmella. She must be going crazy. Before I got married, my mother and I barely went a day without talking to one another.”
“Are you ever going to tell us what’s going on?”
“Of course I will.”
After ending the phone call with Carmella, Damita did exactly as she had promised.
“Hello, Mom.”
“Damita, what’s going on? Carmella and I have been calling you ever since Brandon was killed. I even came by the apartment. No one answered the door and when I came back with my keys, none of them worked. I was thinking about calling the police.”
“Mom, Neal and I are working through some stuff. It’s best if we deal with it alone. Okay?”
“I can understand that, but why cut everyone off? We love you and we were so worried. I didn’t know what to think.”
“Mom, it’s complicated. But, I promise you I’ll explain everything as soon as I work through all of this.”
“I knew marrying that man was a mistake. If things have gone sour already, maybe you should cut your losses and come home. Your room is still here waiting for you.”
Damita laughed.
“Well, I’m glad to hear you still have a sense of humor.”
“It’s funny to me that, after all these years, I’m still your baby girl. After college, a career as an investment banker and now a husband, you still have my pink and white room waiting for me to move back in.”
“I told you when you were a little girl, you’re my baby and you will always be my baby. You’ll see when you have your own kids.”
“That’s if I have my own kids.”
“You will. You’ve got a lot of love in your heart, baby girl. You’ve been like that since you were small. A woman like you has to share that love.”
“Are you going to Brandon’s funeral tomorrow?”
“Of course I am. That boy was like a son to me. I still remember you, Brandon and Carmella making a mess of my kitchen after you got home from school. I never told you this, but I always thought Brandon would be my son-in-law one day.”
Damita wondered what her mother would think if she told her what her suspicions were. She had enough difficulty wrapping her own head around it. More than anything, she wanted to tell her that she didn’t know what to do. She was afraid to leave and afraid to stay. Throughout her entire life she had always gone to her mother with her problems, but this time she was concerned that if she made the wrong move, her mother could be harmed.
“I’ll see you at the funeral tomorrow, Mom, okay?”
“Okay. Do you want to go together?”
“No. I’ve got some things I need to take care of, so I’ll meet you there.”
“Are you coming alone?”
Damita laughed again. “That’s real subtle, Mom. Is that your diplomatic way of asking if Neal is coming? To answer your question, no he is not.”
As Damita hung up the phone, her nurse entered the room.
“Mrs. Westman, I don’t know if your doctor mentioned this, but if you cough or take deep breaths at least every hour, it will help keep you from getting pneumonia. Pneumonia is a big threat with broken ribs. I have some ice here to reduce the swelling and some aspirin for the pain.”