The Owner of My Soul Vol 2: Chapter I and Chapter II

CHAPTER I

BEFORE THE FUNERAL

SEPTEMBER 15^TH: TWO DAYS BEFORE ANDREW’S FUNERAL

I sat in my home office staring at a blank laptop screen. I had no idea what was happening. Shit was not making sense. I discover I have another son by Monique and just as quickly, he’s taken from me. I stood up and walked out my office. I went upstairs to the roof of our 6 story mansion and looked over the rails.  I could see the lights of the downtown skyscrapers. I looked to my left and noticed the bar. I walked to it and poured me a glass of Courvoisier. I sat in my recliner and looked up at the stars. I then heard a door close. I didn’t bother looking. I then heard a drink being poured into a glass and a recliner being occupied right next to me. From the corner of my eye, I could tell it was Will.

“How you holding up?” He asked me. I took a sip of my drink.

“I’ve never been so confused in my life.” I replied.

“I know it.” He took a sip of his drink. “Look, I don’t want to piss you off any more then you already are, but what you told me about Rhonda and Sydney’s baby daddy is straight bullshit.”

“I know. It’s the dumbest thing I ever heard and I can’t believe they’d stoop that low to get what they want.”

“No, I mean it’s straight up bullshit. It’s not one bit true. Someone else is behind it.” He proclaimed. I looked at him.

“What makes you so sure?” I asked.

“I’ve been doing some digging and I found out that a few phone calls were made between Rhonda and an anonymous number. The calls were made a few days before his death. More importantly, they would talk for hours on end.”

“So someone else is pulling the strings.” I stated.

“Besides, we kno Rhonda. She’s not that clever or dumb to do something like this.”

“Yea, you’re right about that. Who do you think is?”

“Considering the way things are, I have no idea. Normally I’d say Williams, but he has nothing to gain. At least I don’t think he does.” Will took a sip of his drink and revealed something. “I’ve been meaning to tell you for a while, but Beyonce is alive.”

“Are you serious? Candace shot her right between the eyes. How do you know she’s alive?” I asked.

“I talked to her mother the other night. Mainly to check on her and see how she’s been. She told me she was alive.” He explained.

“Damn, why doesn’t that surprise me?” I took a sip of my drink. “So how is Mrs. Williams?”

“Pretty good. She’s divorcing her husband and I offered her to come back.”

“What she say?”

“Absolutely considering she’ll be getting half of his entire value, which is a pretty good chunk of change I might add.”

“A pretty good chunk in regular people standards.” We then heard the door open. We looked to see who it was. It was Candace and Sydney.

“Hey, what are y’all doin?” Candace asked. We both held up our drinks and took a sip. “Well, we’re hungry and were wondering if y’all would like to go out for dinner?” We looked at each other and shrugged our shoulders.

“Sure, why not.” Will replied. We killed the rest of our drinks, sat our glasses down and got up. “Where did y’all think about goin?”

“Golden Corral.” Sydney replied. “I have a taste for bourbon chicken and dirty rice.”

“I feel ya on that.” I agreed.

We headed back inside the house and to the elevator. Candace put her arm around me.

“So how are you doing, sweetie?” She asked.

“I’m ok. I’m at a moment where I’ll think about it in two days. Right now, I’m goin to go to dinner with my three favorite people and enjoy my life. While I’m thinking about it, where are the kids?”

“Your parents’ and Will’s parents’.” Candace replied. They’ll be there for the night and prolly tomorrow.”

“Sounds good. Popcorn and movie night.” Will proclaimed.

We got outside and got into Sydney’s Denali.  She drove to Golden Corral which was about 5 miles away from our property.

When we got there, we waited in line, trying to avoid drawing attention. It wasn’t too long of a line, but normally we’d get into the “Reservations” line. When our turn came up, we got our drinks, plate, and silverware and paid the cashier. I looked back at my group.

“Where do y’all want to sit? VIP?” I asked.

“For the privacy.” Will replied. Sydney and Candace nodded.

We went into the VIP section which is accessed by a door. The door can be opened by a fingerprint scan in which your fingerprint has to obviously be in the system. What makes VIP so special is it has its own drink dispenser, including alcohol; it has its own buffet section and chefs, bread is delivered a lot quicker, and the music selection is better. The room is equipped with a sound blocker to keep the rest of the restaurant from hearing your music or conversation and vice versa. The second we sat down, three baskets of bread were placed on our table. We set our drinks down and headed to the buffet. Sydney and I started at one end and Will and Candace started at the other.

“Did I tell ya about what your mother said to me the other day?” Sydney asked me.

“Nah, what?” I replied.

“She said I have the potential of being twice the doctor that she is. That I’d be able to find cures to diseases she can’t.”

“I didn’t know any existed.”

“Me neither, then she gave me a list of all the diseases she’s been working on and it’s quite lengthy.”

“Wow. For her to say you’ll be twice the doctor she is must put a lil pressure on ya.”

“A lot. You look up doctor in the dictionary and your mother’s picture is right there. She’s been on the cover of magazines, newspapers, websites, and she’s in textbooks.” She stated. We sat our plates down on the table, grabbed another plate and headed back to the buffet.

“All that means is when you get to that level; they’ll say the student surpassed the teacher.” I told her. We started on the opposite side this time.

“I remember how your father would always say you’ll be twice the man he is.” She said.

“Considering the fact I’m reminded almost every day, yea, I remember that too. I’m actually starting to believe it now.”                I proclaimed.

We finished filling up these plates and sat down. Will and Candace joined us after filling their second plates. We began eating.

“You know what, I think this is a good time to talk to you guys.” Candace said. “Sydney, you wit me?”

“Let’s do it.” She agreed. Will and I looked at each other and then at them.

“Will, Kenny….Sydney and I were thinking about some things and we wanted to run this idea by you.” Candace began. She looked at Sydney.

“We would like to take y’all up on y’all offer and move in together.” Sydney proclaimed. “That’s if the offer is still on the table.” Will and I looked at each other and smiled.

“The offer is always on the table.” Will replied. “What made ya finally decide?”

“In light of what happened, life is too short to really delay the inevitable.” Candace replied. “It doesn’t stop there though. We want to live together, but under one condition.”

“Which is?” I asked.

“The craziest thing we could ask of you is to separate from each other, but we want to live together….just the four of us.” Sydney said. “Before you say anything, hear us out. We’re all family. Candace and I like and respect the living arrangement you, Will, Chris and Dre have. The thing is, Chris and Candace haven’t been getting along as of late and I’m ashamed to say that me and Dre have crossed paths a few times. We know that us living there will cause more rifts then happiness.”

“We also realize all the money and time you put into that property, but we don’t just want to live together. We want to help design a completely new home. We’re willing to pay to do it.” Will and I smiled and looked at each other.

“How much do y’all have?” Will asked.

“Together we have $445 million saved up.” Candace replied. Will and I both started choking. We both drank a little and cleared our throats.

“How’d y’all save up so much money?” I asked.

“We’re lucky to have men that never let us pay for anything. For the past couple years, we didn’t have to spend a dime. We make a lot from a lot of different projects, so we were able to save.” Candace said.

“We were goin to use that money to buy a house together, but we fell head over heels in love with y’all.” Sydney explained. I finished one plate and started the second.

“Let me start off by saying that we’ve thought a lot about our living situation. Ever since the little scuffle with Dre and Chris, we haven’t necessarily been as close as we used to be.” I explained. “We came to the conclusion a few weeks ago that we were goin to have them buy us out.”

“Buy ya out?” Candace repeated.

“Yea. We have all our names on the deeds. If we wanted to relinquish ownership, then they’d buy us out. That would take our names off the deeds and no longer have ties to the property.” I explained.

“How much would the buy out be?” Sydney asked.

“50% of the property value. That’s about $345 million.” Will replied.

“Can they afford that?” Candace asked.

“As of two months ago, they officially became billionaires, so yea, without a problem.” I answered.

“Wow, why didn’t they throw a party or something?” Sydney stated.

“They just found out last night.” Will said. “They haven’t paid attention to it.”

“That’s great, I’m happy for them.” Candace said. “Please, proceed, though.”

“Yes, where was I?” I continued, “right, buy out. We’ve brought the idea to their attention and we’ve expressed the chances of it happening. With that being said, Will and I have talked about the possibility that y’all may want to live at another location and decided a while ago that we’re willing to do it.”

“Please don’t spend a dime, you know we got this.” Will declared. “We’re willing to leave the entire design to y’all.”

“We thought you may say that, but we want a joint effort in this.” Sydney said. “We want to sit down and go over every thing. I think that’ll be the fun part.”

“I agree.” Candace agreed.

Will and I looked at each other and nodded. We all stood up and got more food. We finished and sat back down.

“What style were y’all thinking about?” Will asked.

“Honestly, we don’t want anything huge. We don’t like the hotel style unless we’re talking about guest rooms. We like the idea of a living room being used like it’s supposed to.” Sydney said.

“As well as the dining room.” Candace added. “We’re thinking about a huge living room and dining room. Enough bedrooms and bathrooms for our families, but no apartment-style rooms.” Will and I looked at each other and smiled.

“Sounds fair.” Will said. “When would y’all like to do this?”

“Whenever y’all want.” Candace replied. “We’re not in any rush. It’s not like we’re goin anywhere.”

We all finished eating and took a walk on the beach. It was a beautiful full moon out and a very warm night. Candace and Will walked ahead of us as we held hands.

“I remember the last time we were here.” Sydney reminisced.

“So do I. You really whipped his ass.” I laughed. We picked a spot and sat down. We faced the lake and felt the breeze blow against our backs. “Ya kno what?” I looked down and then at Sydney. “I’m really honored to be with you tonight and for the past couple years.”

“Please, the pleasure is all mines. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else but here, with you.” Sydney said.

“And I, with you.” I agreed. “When I proposed to Monique, I went all out. I made a song for her, proposed in front of hundreds of people and made sure the night was perfect.”

“Sounds like it was.” Sydney swayed her hair behind her ear and looked at me. I looked at her as the wind blew her hair. Damn she looked so gorgeous.

“Sydney, I’ve thought a lot about what to do and nothing is more clear then you.” I pulled a small box out of my pocket. “I didn’t want some big blown up thing, so I’m doing it this way.” I turned to her and opened the box. “Will you do me the honor of being Mrs. Kenny Johnson?” I saw tears fall from her eyes as a big smile emerged on her face.

“With every ounce of my being, yes.” I smiled and placed the ring on her finger. She immediately embraced me. I kissed her as passionate as I could.

“I also want us to wear these.” I pulled out two more boxes with necklaces in them. One had my name and the other had hers. I gave her the necklace with my name on it. “I want to treat you better then I did Monique. The whole world will know I’m yours by looking at me.”

“And the whole world will know I’m yours by looking at me.” She said. “I guess now is as good as any to show you this.” She pulled up her blouse and unveiled a tattoo on her left breast. It was my name. “I got it yesterday. I made sure you couldn’t see it.”

“You said you’d never get my name tatted on you…” I said, mesmerized at what I was looking at.

“I don’t see anything ever breaking me away from you. I will always be yours even if we ended up not together.” I took her hand into mine.

“I could never live without you by my side.” I leaned towards her and met her lips. The sound of fireworks blazing the late night sky filled our ears. She stopped kissing me and looked.

“I take it you had a hand in this?” She assumed.

“I plead the fifth.” I wrapped my arm around her and we cuddled on the sand as we watched the fireworks.

CHAPTER II

AN UNEXPECTED HAPPENING

TWO DAYS AFTER ANDREW’S FUNERAL:

I stared at my ceiling in my room as tears continued to stream down the sides of my face. Nothing was making sense to me. I was in pure disbelief. It’s been 57 hrs since it happened, but I refused to believe anything. I had my TV set on every news channel; making sure I wasn’t mistaken. Then my moment came on Fox News. I set it to that channel and listened:

“The investigation continues. Cleveland Police have already confirmed the car belonged to Sydney Conner, fiancée of Kenny Johnson. Although witnesses say that both Sydney and Candace Conner were both in the car when it exploded, police have not been able to find bodies. Here’s Commissioner Thomas with the latest.”

“We have officers on this investigation around the clock. We’re not only dedicated to finding suspects, but even more dedicated to finding the bodies. At this point, we have no idea if the victims are alive or dead, but will be offering awards for anyone with information helpful to the case. Awards will range from 7 to 9 figures. Thank you and we will keep everyone up to date as information comes to us.”

“Jackie, has any attempts been made to contact Kenny or Will?”

“At this point, Raven, all attempts have failed and no one has seen or heard from them.”

“Thank you, Jackie. Our prayers definitely go out to both Will and Kenny as we all hope Sydney and Candace are alive and well.”

I turned it off and went back to preview mode. I lied back down and stared at the ceiling. My phone started ringing again. I looked at it and answered it.

“K, it’s Will.” He didn’t sound good at all. “How you holdin up, man?” He asked me.

“Not too well and yourself?” I asked him.

“Can’t call it. Look, I can’t take this shit no mo. I want to go find them.”

“Me too, but I wouldn’t know where to start.”

“Why not the scene itself?” He suggested.

“Well, I figured it’ll be tighter then Ft. Knox right now.”

“Maybe, but you know we can get in.”

“Yea.” I paused for a few seconds. “Iight, let’s do it.”

“Solid. Be ready in 10.”

“It’s on.” I hung up wit him and took my time getting ready.

We met up by his car in the courtyard. He drove out to the cemetery and parked where we were for Andrew’s funeral. We got out the car and went to the spot it happened. We looked around but couldn’t see anything. The event started to play in my head. I started backpedaling, like I was afraid to get close to the location.

“I know what you mean, K.” Will proclaimed. “This shit gives me the willies too.”

“I’m good.” I shook it off and proceeded to look around. “We shouldn’t have taken our eyes off them.” I stated. I then looked to the side and saw bushes. It was a good 15ft away. “What if……” I began thinking. I gained a mental picture in my head. I started to re-enact the entire ordeal I was about to explain. “The car was here, right?” I stood in the spot I believed it was at. Will nodded. “Ok, you have bushes about 15ft away on each side. Just what if, they noticed something, got out the car, ran over to the bushes and covered themselves.”

“I can see that.” Will agreed.

“Now in the process of that happening, what if someone was behind the bushes waiting on them and kidnapped them.” Will thought about it. I looked on the ground and traced her assumed steps. I looked real hard and saw a footprint deep in the ground. It was the projected spot she would step when getting in or out the car. “Look at this.” Will came over. “The way it’s pointing and the depth of it kinda brings my theory to life. She put some pep in her step to get away quick.”

“I think you may have something.” I went over to the bushes and looked around. Nothing. I began to go back, but saw something shiny flash in my eyes. I looked around and saw something. It was a necklace. The necklace I gave her the night I proposed. I picked it up and put it in my pocket. “I’m right. I know I am.” I said softly.

“You’re making a believer out of me, too.” Will stated. He showed me what he found. It was a ring that said “Goddess of Will”. “I’mma take your theory a step further and say in the midst of the struggle, they left clues that they were still alive. This ring fits her snug. It doesn’t just fall off. She took it off in hopes that I’ll find it.” He put the ring in his pocket and continued to look for other clues.

“I don’t think there’s anything else here.” I declared. “Let’s go.” We stopped looking and got in the car. We sat there thinking; wondering and hoping they’re okay. After a few minutes, Will started the car and began driving back to the house. Out of nowhere, I began getting a feeling. A feeling like they were close by. The feeling started to get stronger and stronger. “Make a right here.” I told Will.

“Why?”

“Trust me.” He turned right. I recognized the area. We were out here before. It was a time I really don’t wish to remember. “Make a left at the next light.” I told Will.

“This one?” He clarified.

“Yea.” I replied. Then all of a sudden like GPS, I knew where they were. “Do you remember the warehouse that Chainsaw took us to?”

“Unfortunately.”

“Go there.” He sped up. The warehouse was another 3 minutes down from where we were just at. My heart dropped as we approached the warehouse. “They’re here.” I was sure of it. I grabbed two guns and three clips. Will did the same. We got out the car and approached the door. It was cracked open a lil bit. I looked through it and saw Candace and Sydney both tied up and knocked out. No one else was inside. We opened the door and went inside.

“There’s no one here.” Will stated. We rushed to the girls and untied them.

“Sid?” I touched her face. I examined her body for anything. “Sid? Baby, get up!” Still no response. I kissed her and felt her kiss me back. I stopped and noticed her eyes were still closed.

“Kenny….” She said softly as she finally came to. Her eyes slowly opened. “What happened? Where am I?” She asked. I raised my eyebrow.

“Let’s get out of here first.” I picked her up and carried her out. Amazingly, no one stopped us.

When we got in the car, Sydney and I sat in the back seat. She lied down on my lap. She then sat up.

“Kenny, how did I get there?” She asked.

“I don’t know. What’s the last thing you remember?” I asked. She thought about it and I could tell she remembers her car exploding.

“I got in the car after Andrew’s funeral. I then heard three clicks before the car started. I knew the clicks were the activation of a car bomb. Candace and I both got out the car and hid behind bushes as it exploded. After that, I have no idea.” I started to think.

“I want to check something, will you let me?” I asked her. She nodded. “Lay back for me.” She lied away from me. I unhooked her pants, unzipped her fly and put my hand down her pants. I then removed my hand. “That’s a relief.” I looked at my hand to ensure no blood.

“How long was I gone?” She asked.

“Two days.” I replied. She looked out the window and then back at me. Tears streamed down her face as she came closer to me.

“How did you find me?”

“Our love. I told you we were connected.” I told her. I looked into her eyes and kissed her. It was a very passionate kiss that was comparable to nothing. “I love you, Sydney,” I said as I stopped kissing her, “you’re my life and my whole reason for existing.”

“Kenny, I love you too. Please don’t give up on me.”

“What?” I was confused. “What do you mean don’t give up on you?”

“Don’t give up on my well-being.” She said.

“Baby, you’re right here in front of me.”

“I’m so sorry, baby, but it’s time to wake up. WAKE UP!!!”

My eyes opened and I was drenched in sweat. I looked around and noticed I was in my room. I sat up and looked around in a daze. I grabbed my phone and looked to see who called. No one. I stood up and went to the bathroom. I splashed water on my face and stood over the sink. That wasn’t just any normal dream. I know she’s alive. I wiped my face and went into the kitchen. Suddenly, I heard a knock on the door. I was hesitant to answer it.

“Kenny, its Monique.” She yelled. I raised my eyebrow and walked to the door. I thought about opening it for a while and sighed. I opened the door and looked at her.

“I figured you were lonely so I brought dinner.” She said. I looked at her and then the bag.

“Come in.” I stepped aside and watched her walk in. I closed and locked the door after her.

“I’m sorry for not calling first. I was close by and saw our old favorite spot. So I took a chance.” I looked at her and decided to go along with it.

“Appreciate it.” I led her to the living room. We sat down.

“I brought all your favorites. At least I think they’re still your favorites.” She handed me my food and fork. Unenthusiastic, I started eating. I had nothing all day, so it actually started to put a smile on my face.

“So what have you decided to do? Are you goin to move back?” I asked her.

“Beyonce and I have already found a house we’re goin to get. We bought it and will be moving in next month.” She replied.

“What about your mother?”

“She’s getting a condo outside of Greenwood. It’s real nice. Her and her new boyfriend is goin to live there.”

“What’s he like?”

“He’s a real good guy. He treats her better then any man I’ve seen. Well, not better then your father treats your mother.” She admitted.

“That’s good. I’m happy for her. She’s a good woman and deserves someone that’ll love her unconditionally.”

“I agree. It’s just so nice to see her smile again.” She paused for a second. “I can only remember a handful of times when Daddy made her smile.”

“I can imagine.” I heard her sigh.

“I personally want to apologize for every thing I’ve done. I let my jealousy, anger, frustration and, more importantly, my father, fog my judgment. I’ve been in therapy ever since you banned me. I tried my hardest to change and stay stable. I’ve had so many sessions and spent so much money on medications. In fact, I almost overdosed about 7 months ago.”

“Damn, I’m sorry to hear that.”

“You shouldn’t be. I did it to myself. All I had to do was be good. I deserved everything that came to me. Sydney treated you way better then I did and she deserves you. Sadly, it took a bullet to the head to make me realize that.” She set her food down, took a sip of her drink, and looked at me. “The last thing I want to do right now is bring up bad memories. I was hoping to be able to establish a real friendship with you.”

“Are you serious?” I asked her.

“Very. I want to look beyond the past and into the future. I want you to be able to trust me and allow me to see our daughter.” I raised my eyebrow. “I know I’m far from it right now but I’m willing to do whatever it takes.” I put my food down, took a sip of my drink and looked into her eyes. I saw the sincerity and the passion in her eyes.

“If I was to bestow trust in you, how do I know you won’t betray me?”

“Honestly, there’s nothing I can tell you that will ensure truth in my words. All I can do is try to earn your trust. I don’t care how long it takes.” She took another sip of her drink. “Will you honor me the chance to prove myself?”

“I’ll think about it and get back to you.” I replied.

“That’s all I can ask for.” She continued eating. “So how are your kids? Never got to say congratulations.”

“Thank you. They’re well. They have a quicker learning curve then Tierra and may be more advanced then her.”

“Doesn’t surprise me. Sydney is a lot smarter then I am. With both of y’all combined, it would only make sense.”

“So have you settled down and found you someone?”

“I just got out of a relationship. He seemed too perfect so I chickened out. I felt it was too good to be true.”

“You do know you’re goin to regret that, right?”

“If he’s as perfect as I believe he is, he’ll come after me.” I looked at her.

“I still can’t get over the changes you made. What did you have done? More curiously, why did you get it done?” She smiled and looked to blush a little. She swayed her hair back.

“In all honesty, when I woke up from my coma, I was embarrassed. I felt like a complete ass. I felt dirty, stupid, and in need of a pick me up. So I had a few operations done. I had my nose done…it’s smaller now.” I looked at it closer and nodded. “I also had my lips filled a little. They’re not as small as they used to be. Then I had my hair dyed.”

“Have you been working out?” I asked.

“Every day with a personal trainer. Is it noticeable?”

“Actually it is. You look quite fit and toned.”

“Thank you.”

“From the way it looks, you’ve really made a complete turn around.”

“Dr. Gold has really helped me. Not to mention I’ve abstain from sex. I’m now on my 19^th month. I don’t even masturbate anymore. I made so many sexual mistakes in my life that I refuse to have sex.”

“And your ex was ok with that?”

“That’s why he was perfect. He was willing to wait for me. Just like you. We slept together without sleeping together and it was amazing. He hasn’t even seen me naked yet.”

“I’m really amazed.” I stated.

“I just feel like a virgin again. It’s wonderful.” She smiled and looked at me. “He did so many things that reminded me of you. I think that’s what scared me the most.”

“I can only imagine.”

“But hey, enough about me. I really wanna know, if you believe Sydney is actually alive.” I stopped eating. “I’m sorry, you don’t have to answer.”

“No, it’s ok. I have no idea if she was really callin to me or if my mind made that fabrication, but in my dream I could have sworn up and down that she was really talkin to me. I honestly believe she’s alive.” I continued eating. “Why do you ask?”

“I know this is killing you inside. It’s written all over your face. I don’t know what happened, but ever since she shot me, I felt connected to her in some way. I’m actually hoping she is alive.”

“I appreciate that. Really I do. But I don’t want to think about that right now.” I put my food down. “That reminds me, you didn’t see Tierra’s talent show performance.”

“Oh my god, when was she in the talent show?”

“About 6 months ago.” I got up and looked for the MVD. I found it and popped it in the player. We watched and finished eating. For the talent show, Tierra sang a song she wrote and danced a dance she made up. It lasted 5 minutes. She won first place.

“Wow, I can’t believe she did that good. I expected her to be good, but not like that.” She was in complete awe. I got up and took out the MVD.

“Everyone was blown away. The mayor’s daughter was actually the favorite to win, but she had no chance. Tierra put in hours and hours on this.”

“Did Sydney help her?”

“Each step of the way. She helped with her vocals mostly.”

“I miss my baby so much.” Monique cried. “I don’t know how she’d react if she saw me.”

“Honestly, neither do I.” I looked through my collection of MVDs. I turned off the player and began watching TV. I started changing channels and came across a news report I wish I didn’t find.

“So Commissioner Thomas, are you confirming the death of Sydney and Candace Conner?”

“I can’t 100% confirm it until the autopsy is performed, but the two bodies found in the cemetery do carry the probability. The explosion caused the two bodies to be projected and that’s how the bodies were about 100ft away from where the explosion originally occurred.”

“Can the bodies be identified by looks itself?”

“Unfortunately not. A DNA test will be conducted, and in about two weeks, we’ll be sure. At this moment, there’s no reason to believe that these aren’t the bodies of Sydney and Candace Conner.”

“Commissioner, thank you for your time.”

I sat down in disbelief. I stared at the TV almost in a trance. Monique didn’t know what to say or do. She stood up and put her hand on my shoulder.

“Kenny, I’m sorry. I’m sorry she was taken from you.” She told me.

“NO!!!” I jumped up and started pacing. “I refuse to believe it! She’s alive and I know she is! I know both of them are alive.” Tears streamed down my face as I turned my back on Monique. “She’s alive.” I cried again. Monique came up to me, turned me towards her, and hugged me. I hugged her back and cried on her shoulder. “She wouldn’t leave me like this. I know she’s alive.”

I hugged her tighter. It didn’t dawn on me that I was being consoled by my ex-wife. I didn’t care. The love of my life is out there somewhere and I believed that with every ounce of my being. Monique stopped hugging me and looked at me in the eyes.

“Everything will work out. I know it will.” Her phone began to ring. She looked at it and then at me. “I’ll call them back.”

“Go ahead and take it. I’mma run to the bathroom.” I left the living room and went into the bathroom. I splashed some water on my face and looked in the mirror. I began to think maybe this is Monique’s work. It would make sense. I kept the water running and snuck out the bathroom. I closed the door to make it seem I was still in there. I got closer to the living room and listened.

“Hold on, let me check to see if he’s still in the bathroom.” I ducked out of sight. She peaked in my room and saw the bathroom closed. “Ok, I’m here.” She listened to the other person. “I don’t want to rush him. I really wanna see her, but I have to establish trust first.” She listened. “Pam, you’re being irrational.” Listens. “Of course I’m not goin to deny I still have feelings for him. Dr. Gold took care of the deep feelings to ensure I wouldn’t do stupid shit.” Listens. “Before the news report came on, we were getting along and talking. It felt so good just to be able to sit down and talk to him.” Listens. “Yea, he took it real hard. I felt so bad because I was goin to do that to him.” Is she finally admitting to scheming….I thought she was until…. “I couldn’t believe I let Kyle manipulate me like that. I could have caused Kenny that pain and I’d never be able to forgive myself. Kenny really is a wonderful man and I’m still shocked I let him go.” Listens. “No, Dr. Gold took all negative thoughts about Sydney away. I respect her as a person and as long as she keeps Kenny happy then I have no problem with her.” I started to believe she didn’t do anything. I snuck back into the bathroom. I splashed more water on my face.

“You’re paranoid.” I said to my reflection. I turned the water off and wiped my face with a towel. I got out the bathroom and went into the living room. She got off the phone.

“I apologize about that.” She looked at her watch. “It’s getting late and in light of everything, I guess you want to have time to yourself so I’mma….”

“Wait,” I interrupted, “please stay with me tonight.” I couldn’t believe I said that.

“Are you sure about that?” She asked.

“Yes. I really don’t want to be alone tonight. Could you please stay with me?” She looked at me in disbelief.

“Yes. I’ll be more then happy to.” She smiled at me. I may be making a mistake, but at this moment, I don’t care. I then heard a knock on the door. I looked at my security monitor.

“What would cops be here for?” I went to the door and opened it. “May I help you?” I said to them.

“Good evening, Mr. Johnson, we apologize for the disturbance, but we wanted to ask you a few questions regarding Ms. Sydney Conner.” One of the officers proclaimed. I looked at them and gave a grin.

“Please, come in.” I stood out the way and allowed them to pass. I closed the door. I put my hand on my gun, which was behind me. “Sorry, I meant to ask this before I invited ya, but may I see y’all badges?”

“Certainly.” They both pulled out badges. I took them and scanned them. Yes, I have an authentic federal worker scanner. I’ll never be tricked with false officers damn it! The scan clarified them as investigators. “Agent Hughes and Agent Frank. Okay.” I gave them back their badges and took my hand off my gun. “What do you want to know?” They looked and saw Monique. “She can stay.” I told them before they asked.

“As you wish.” Agent Hughes said. “We have reason to believe that Ms. Conner’s accident was more a murder then anything.”

“Ya think?” I sarcastically said. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

“Was the car the Conner sisters driving something you gave her or was actually hers?” Agent Hughes asked.

“It was hers.” I replied. The agents looked at each other.

“Were you and Ms. Conner having relationship problems?” I raised my eyebrow.

“Excuse me?!” I looked at them. “No, we didn’t, but if we did, tell me how that would be your business?”

“When was the last time that car was taken in for maintenance?” Agent Frank asked.

“Last week.”

“Where at?”

“SJ Auto Care.”

“Do you own that establishment?”

“Yes I do.”

“What was done to the car?”

“A few things, what does this have to do with anything?”

“Just answer the question.” Agent Hughes demanded.

“A complete upgrade.”

“May we see the receipts?” Agent Frank stated.

“May I see a warrant?” I asked.

“Something you have to hide?” Agent Hughes asked.

“Something you’re implying?” I snapped back.

“We have reason to believe you had the Conner sisters killed.” Agent Frank said.

“I have reason to believe you lost your fuckin mind.” I opened the door. “Now I have reason to believe you will leave.” They stood there, staring me down. I starred back at em. They slowly started to leave.

“You’ll be hearing from us.” Agent Hughes claimed.

“For your sake, I hope not.” I said.

They left and I closed and locked the door after them. I leaned my back against the door. I took deep breaths to avoid releasing any anger. The balls of these guys.

“Are you ok?” Monique asked me.

“I will be.” I told her. She looked at her watch.

“Ya know what, it’s still quite early. Let’s go somewhere.” She suggested.

“I really don’t feel like it. I don’t feel like driving.”

“Then I will. Just so you know, I’m not asking, I’m telling.” She grabbed her purse, took my hand, and we left. We got in her car and she started driving.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“You’ll see. I’m goin to take your mind off things. Sydney is alive and well. You know it and I know it. So to get your mind off the news reports and those agents, we’re going to go to a lil spot we used to go to when we were dating.”

“Oh really? Ok.” I lied back and tried to relax. I got a text from Will. Beyonce was with him and taking him somewhere. I started to put two and two together. I got four. I started to laugh at myself.

“What you laughing about?” She asked me.

“Just something I thought about. Let me ask you something. We wouldn’t happen to be meeting certain individuals at this lil spot, would we?” I looked at her and saw the expression of “caught” on her face.

“Why would you ask that?”

“Don’t worry, I see my answer. I know where we’re goin.” I proclaimed. “I ain’t whooped yo ass in bowling in a minute.”

“Damn I hate you.” Right as she said that, I saw the bowling alley. I started to smile. She pulled in and found a parking spot, which happened to be next to Beyonce’s car. We got out her car and looked at our appropriate relative. I gave Will dap and Beyonce a hug.

“Nice to see you, B. How have you been?” I asked her.

“I’ve been ok, yourself?” She replied.

“Decent. Shall we proceed with the ass whippin?” I asked.

“By all means.” Will said. We started heading inside. Will walked along side of me. “I’m not goin to get into tonight cuz I’m quite sure you already know. I just want to know if you’ve been getting feelings.”

“What kind of feelings?” I asked.

“I’ve been getting feelings that Candace is trying to contact me.”

“Yea, I’ve been getting those. I don’t know if it’s the spirit or them physically though.”

“Me neither.” We got inside the bowling alley. “All I can say is don’t ignore it.”

“I’m wit you.” I agreed. We bought two lanes, shoes, and then food. After placing a food order, we went to our lanes and started getting ready.

“Since we’re not together anymore, it’ll be me and K versus y’all.” Will declared.

“Well, I think y’all will be surprised how much better we got.” Monique stated. I then heard my name being called from a distance. I looked around and saw Lisa.

“I be damn.” I said. She ran up to me and gave me a big hug. “How you been?” I asked her.

“I’ve been good. I missed you.” She replied.

“I’ve missed you too. You don’t come by anymore.” I said.

“Sorry, haven’t been able to. You know Lorenzo and I started our business last month.”

“Oh yea, I remember. Speaking of which, where is Lorenzo?”

“Getting the food.”

“More importantly, where’s my niece?”

“She went with Lorenzo. They should be back soon. Alonzo and Brittany should be coming back soon. They ran to the car to get something.” She looked at Will. “Hey, Will.”

“Hey yourself.” He replied. He walked over to her and gave her a hug. “I see you’ve lost a lot of that girth.” She started laughing.

“Yea, Lorenzo has been motivating me. By the way, I’m sorry that Kenny was suspended and will leave you to play us by yourself.” She said, referring to the upcoming NBA season.

“Shit happens.” He said.

“I’m sorry, but I have to ask,” she started whispering, “Why are y’all with them?”

“Honestly,” I began, whispering back, “we’ve decided to forgive and forget. We spent the past couple hours together talking and I honestly think Monique changed.”

“I know Beyonce did.” Will added.

“As long as y’all know what y’all are doing.” She said.

“Right now, we just wanna take our minds off other things. So far, they’re doing a fantastic job.” I said. My phone started vibrating. I looked at it and smiled. “Gotta take this.” I answered my phone. “Hello?!”

“Hey, Daddy, are you busy?” Tierra asked me.

“Not really, what’s on your mind, sweetie?” I asked her.

“I haven’t talked to you all day, so I wanted to call you and see how you were.”

“I’m good, thank you. What are y’all doing?”

“Playing a Madden tournament. So far, Kendal and Grandpa are undefeated but they play each other next.”

“That outta be interesting.” I looked at Monique. “Tierra, I have to ask you a serious question.”

“Okay.”

“How would you like to see your mother?”

“I’m hoping to see her soon. I can’t wait to come home.” She replied, talking about Sydney.

“No, no, sweetie. I’m talking about your real mother.” I heard nothing. “If you’re uncomfortable seeing her, would you be willing to talk to her if you had the chance?” She paused for a little while.

“I guess. I don’t really know.” She answered.

“Hold on, okay?” I motioned Monique to me. I covered the phone. “This is my way of thanking you.”

I gave her the phone and walked away. I joined my sister and noticed the arrivals of Lorenzo, Alonzo, Brittany, my niece (Alana) and Will’s niece (Kathryn). For the next ten minutes, we talked and no bowling was going on. After a while, we dispersed and went to our appropriate lanes.