Tears on a Sunday Afternoon - Michael Presley [24]
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to do that, but lately we haven’t really been spending time together.”
This was the truth. I had really started to miss Julie; it seemed like she never had any time for me. The only time she seemed to be available was when we had to discuss the plans for the robbery.
“Donald, stop acting like a baby. I’m not going anywhere permanently. Let’s talk some more about the upcoming event. I want to make sure you’re protected. After the event, who picks you up?”
“Do you think Donna will let anyone but herself pick me up?”
“Nope, because that’s when she’ll try to hurt you. I guarantee you Donna will not be there by herself.”
“There’s no one else in on the plan. Who can she get to help her?”
Julie started to laugh. “Do you remember the first time you slept with Donna? You told me that she was the kind of woman that a man would kill for. Now ask yourself that same question over again.”
“You’ve got me there. She doesn’t even need to pay anyone. Just a promise would be enough to get someone to bust a cap in my ass.”
“Now, do you understand why you need me? We’ve known each other for how many years? Are you going to trust Donna or me?”
I had never seen that kind of cunning in Julie and, as we sat down to map out the pickup, I was very happy that I had her on my side. I realized that I might have to blackmail Donna to keep more of the money but I was planning to be alive to do it. As Julie explained it, I would not have been alive.
“So what do you have in mind?”
Julie took a piece of a napkin and started to draw a map of the streets. “Donna’s expecting to pick you up here,” she said, pointing to a dark alleyway where Donna was supposed to be waiting. “But you’ll go in the opposite direction and a yellow cab will pick you up right here.”
“What yellow cab?”
“Leave that to me. Donna has her ways and I have mine.”
I couldn’t picture Julie convincing a man to do anything. But I had been wrong before and, looking in Julie’s eyes, I knew that no matter what she had to do, there was going to be a cab waiting to pick me up.
Chapter 6
15TH Day
I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “I found my father.”
Grandma gave me a brief glance, then continued to take the food out of the pot. “Is he alive?”
“Yes, he lives upstate in Albany.” I sipped slowly at the red homemade sorrel drink.
“I wanted to kill him, you know.” She made the statement apologetically. “But I couldn’t. If I had done that, there would have been no one to take care of you.”
“How did you know who he was?” I asked. “It cost me a pretty penny to find him.”
“At that time, there was a brief trial but, of course, no one was found guilty. Three men had been accused. I didn’t care who I killed. I just wanted to kill one of them.” As she spoke, the pain was evident in the tightening of her voice. She brought the food and placed it in front of me.
“Grandma, you’re not going to eat?” She had just finished cooking when I walked into the house.
“No, Son, my stomach is filled up with emptiness.” Tears started to fall from her eyes as she held onto the top of the chair. “I can’t eat a thing.”
I quickly got up and sat her down on a chair before returning to mine. “Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll take care of everything.”
“Donald, don’t go and do anything stupid. Remember, you have your son to think about.”
“I know, Mom. I merely plan to talk to him. I want him to know that I’m alive.”
I had stopped eating to look at my grandmother. I could see that I had brought up some terrible memories. She shook her head profusely and kept wringing her hands.
“He killed my only daughter.” Grandma stared up at the picture of my mother. “For years, there has been an emptiness in my heart because of it. You helped a lot, but I sometimes miss your mother so much that I still cry to this very day.”
I rose and placed my hands around my grandmother’s shoulders, tapping her ever so gently. Inside my heart, a rage was building against my father.