The Boogie Man: A Mafia tale

Contingency Plan

After he let me pout for a while over not getting an orgasm. We sat in silence holding each other.  I just could not go back to the topic of “my screwed up life".

“Do you have any siblings?”

“I have an annoying sister. “

“How is your family,  is it like the tv? I am not saying I agree to any of this,  but I have children that are used to love and caring people.”

He sits up, and looks me in my eyes.

“Have you met your twins?  They may have been surrounded by loving and caring people but they are cutthroat.  They do not take crap from anyone. “ I look away, because Kendrick placed them in therapy when they were 6. It broke my heart, I thought it would scar them.

“You are thinking about when dumbass placed them in therapy. “I look at him,  puzzled.

“Kendrick took their toys from them and whipped them because they almost told you he was having an affair. So, they removed the pins in his riding lawnmower. They were smart it was the week he worked on it, so he was not sure if he made the mistake or not. My guy said Kadence intentionally left a wrench on the hood of his car, because she wanted him to know. When I found out his plans I also placed a therapist too because I did not want anyone in their heads.”

I lunged around his neck and just cried and cried. He has protected us when we did not know we needed it.

“But my family is crazy.” Now that…that made me freeze.

“In the streets, we are all killers. At home we are family. Mum loves hugs and kisses.  Dad food and sports.  My sister will be happy to have another girl, and my niece is my heart. I have been having to love everything and everyone I cherish from afar. I am taken my world back. We have this legend in our family that is like a promise. Once you make it, it has to be fulfilled. If you do not do it, then the family member you made it to has the right to at any cost, or any means.”

I get this dread feeling come over me.

“What was your promise Nate.”

“To make you my Queen. “

“How could you promise something like that?  That is not your choice to make.  I am not going to leave my kids and I am not going to uproot their lives. “

“So you are going to stay here until he finally just kills you?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You really are that helpless and naïve.  Daniel was right,  I did make the wrong choice. You are too weak to be my Queen; you cannot protect yourself let alone be my damn kingdom and survive my lifestyle. I knew I should have been given the f*****g twins more training. When we leave it is going to be like lambs to the f*****g slaughter.”

He stands up goes to the wall, pushes a button.

“Daniel make preparations. “His voice lowers, he sounds sad, “Call your sister around a car, you were right.”

He walks around gathering my things.

“What are you talking about, what are you doing?”

“I have to go to London to explain to my Mum why you are not a fit and tell her my contingency plan so she will not come for you to fulfill my deal of the bond. By the time my contingency plan come into plan.” He walks over places a hand on my cheek runs a thumb across my bottom lip.

“You will no longer be here.”

I hear a horn blow; tears are in his eyes. Someone comes into the room; I turn to look at them. When I turn back, Nate is gone.

His driver dropped me off at home after Nate’s disappearance act, that was a week ago. I have not seen him or Daniel. They did not even play their farewell game. When I called to confront Daniel he did not answer, so I sent a long text.  His response was.

D: I have always made moves to try to save you, but when I take two steps forward you take twenty steps back.  I cannot protect you if you continue to stay in harm's way.  Read your paperwork and you WILL understand.  My only concern now are my little gremlins if you are too weak to look out for them, we WILL. I am their only INSURANCE now.

I did not respond I was totally lost at that point.

“Hey Ma, can I move your car around to wash it.” Kody runs in.

“Yea baby, be careful watch the street.”

I glance out the window, and nothing is coming. I look back down at my paper for five seconds and I hear my life shatter. I drop my mug and I look up to my baby’s head on the steering wheel and I scream.

The driver does not stay in our area.  The neighbor says, they pulled out of someone’s driveway, that they were just sitting there like….like they were just waiting on something….someone. Me? Did I get my baby hurt?  Was Nate and Daniel right?

Now I am sitting in the waiting room full of blood biting my nails, my knee is shaking up and down. Kadence is calm, so calm that it is scary. She stops my knee and looks at me.

“Momma,  I heard the neighbor.  What do you think?”

I pause and think about what Nate told me about my babies.

“I know you are a very smart girl. What do you think baby girl?”

“You know I watch everything, and it looked deliberate.  He aimed.” She gasped a little.  “He aimed for my other half. But your windows are tinted so he was aiming for you. “She tilted her head at that last part.

The doctor came out and pulled us into a private room.

“Mrs. Thompson. “

“Ms. Williams.  I am sorry, it is Ms. Williams.”

He nodded, “Ms. Williams your son is fine, cuts and bruises. Our biggest concern was the cut on his abdomen made from the door. It did not hit any vital organs, but he will need some blood. We compared his blood type to all the family members and his sister is a direct match so we will need to take her back.” The nurse took Kadence out of the room and the doctor stayed behind.

“I am quite sure you already know this, but your husband is not your son’s father ma’am. “

“Doc, you have to be mistaken. That is not possible.  I have only been with two men in my entire life and the second literally just happened a week ago. Now you need to double check your results because they have to be wrong. Not unless the good Lawd coming up with some new Bible stories.”

He quickly turned around, yep he is calling security he probably thinks I am crazy. What the hell is going on!

I sit down and place my head in my hands.

“Where is my son! What have you done now!”

I do not even lift my head.

“Do you hear me talking to you b***h? I leave them with you for three f*****g days and this is what happens. Beth you have three seconds to answer me. “

“My name is Elizabeth. “

“What?”

I lift my head putting this long ass hair behind my ears. I only grew it out because he wanted it long. Everyone thinks that I am weak because I stay with him. Because I “allow” him to hit me. I put up with him at first for Daniel, then for boy babies. Kendrick would not allow me control of my finances, he always made sure he had total control of me. I am no victim, but I am guilty of ignorance, fear and complacent.

“I said my name is not Beth, Bethy or B. My name is f*****g Elizabeth.  And I did not do anything.  He is my son because I raised him while you were in the streets being a w***e. He had an accident when he moved the car to wash it. But he is fine, lost a little blood. Now if you do not mind, do not say another mother.fucking.word.to.me.”

Kendrick stands their opening and closing his mouth, looking like a fish out of water.

I just need a few moments to think, I few moments to figure out where my life took a different turn.

So deep in my thoughts I did not realize Kendrick was advancing towards me fast. “I will f*****g rip your head o..”

Someone knocks on the door before Kendrick could hit me, yet again.

“Good evening, I am detective Handley. I am overseeing your son’s case.” We do the introductions; Kendrick pretends to be the caring dutiful father. I pay attention so his reactions. When the detective said that he had the guy in custody Kendrick looked terrified, but then in the same breath he announced the fucker got away after killing one of his men. Kendrick acted surprised, and afraid for his family. My eyes are open now, for the safety of myself and my family, I can no longer be naïve.

While the detective is talking, I reach in my purse, and grab the switchblade Daniel gave me years ago when he saw a bruise on me collar bone and I tried to cover it with a scarf.

After the detective fed us a cookie cutter story about how they will “work so hard to find your son’s assaulter.”

When the officer leaves,  Kendrick turns on me.

“After my son is released, him. And Kadence will come home with me where they will be safe.”

“Like hell they will, I have this gut feeling not to trust you anymore Kendrick.”

He grabs me by my throat, but I reach my arm above my head up, take my elbow and bring it down on his wrist weakening it. I twist his arm around his back, lean his head back exposing his throat. I use my other hand quickly opening my blade and placing it against his throat..

“Like I said, my kids are going with me.  I am tired of playing with you. You will never disrespect me again or I will cut your f*****g throat out. Do you hear me.” He nods his head,  and I pull his arm back for good measure.  And he cries out in pain.

I here the door open, I push him to the floor and close my blade.  It is Kadence, she has a smirk on her face telling me she knows what happened.

“Kody is ready for us. She looks to the side, only Momma and me though.” Kendrick  curses to himself and storms out of the room.

We go in and I damn near remove his IV with my hugs and kisses. 

“Ma stop! It is getting borderline disgusting now.”

“I do not care, I almost lost you today.”

“Kadence told me everything, who would pay to hurt you? “

Leave it to my kids to play detective.

“I do not know baby.  But let us just focus on getting you better.”

“Why did you have a blade to daddy’s throat?” Damn it Kadence.

Kody is now staring a hole in my head. “So I guess that is why you was training during our taekwondo classes? You know the classes you thought you were hiding?”

The classes I took because the instructor saw the black eye under my mascara during the kids training one day. 

“I just thought what you kids were doing was cool so I wanted to try.” I lie with a smile.

“Momma bullshit,  I have heard  arguing and the fights. We have seen the bruising he f*****g leaves on you.  That is why Nate insists on us just to let our anger out in our training.” Kody says like it is common knowledge.

“Nate! How in the hell, When in the hell did Nate factor into this?.”

“You never listen to us. Daniel and Nate came to us when we started therapy and asked us if we wanted an outlet, but we had to agree not to tell you and dad everything.  We learned how to PIT maneuver in cars like the police, shoot every weapon you can imagine and different martial arts training.” Kadence is describing like she visited Disney World.

“So, mom question. Are you and Nate bumping uglies?” Kody says with his mischievous smile.

“For one, it is none of your business. But if you must know, we were kind of seeing each other, until he asked me to move to London and I told him No.”

“Why!” Both of my ungrateful bastards yell at once.

“Because our lives are here, I could not just make the decision to just move you. You have your friends, your school.”

“You really do not pay attention to us.” Kadence tells me; why do people keep telling me this.

“Mom his homeland is beautiful, and we do not have anything here. Dad cut us off years ago, we literally just go through the motions with him. And you, you had turned in to shell of yourself. I have not seen a light in you until you met Nate.” To see my daughter, speak of their lives this way sickens me, what have I made them live through?

“Hold up, when have you been to London?”

“Ummmmmm. We have gone like four times with Uncle De’, when we spent the summer with him.” Kadence chimes in.

“Yea, mom. His family adores us. Nate told us that his family is ours and to always make ourselves comfortable. I can show you pictures; I have been keeping them in a lock folder so you and dad would not see them.” I am feeling so betrayed, yet so satisfied. Nate and my brother have been keeping them happy, because Kendrick would not allow them to do anything. He barely agreed to the martial arts, I have a feeling Daniel threatened his life to make him agree.

We are scrolling through pictures and I see a familiar face, a too familiar face.

“Who is that?”

“O that is Nate’s Nanny; he said that she has raised at least three generations of his family.”

“Standing next to my son is not only who saved my life and my children’s life when I started bleeding on the table during delivery. She is the woman that I have been seeing before I conceived, Dr. Mary Andrews; my OBGYN. I look at my babies who are now looking at a picture of them and Nate throwing cake at each other. I stare at the picture, I stare at the resemblances, I stare at the same.damn.blue.eyes. I stare I Nate’s f*****g contingency plan.

 It never bothered me before that the kids had different eye color than Kendrick and me, because their eyes can look green like Kendrick at times. But majority of the time, they were f*****g ocean blue. My babies are heartthrobs as well, I already know Kadence is going to have Kody fighting the boys off. And Kody, well my baby has game. He is a many me Nate. Kendrick used to make jokes about them belonging to the milk man, which was the root of my beatings many nights.

“Ma, you okay. You look like you seen a ghost.”

“Yes baby, just a lot on my mind.”

“So, can we move with Nate.”

“Yes, you can move with me. You do not have to pack; we can buy everything as we go.” His voice wraps around my body and suffocates me. I am in a state of shock. I am angry and wanting all at once. This man is just like Kendrick, he takes and gives all at once, but his rewards are far better. His takes are not harmful, yet pleasurable and thoughtful. I am starting to sound like a fool.

Kadence pulls me out of my trance yet again, “You are in your head again momma.”

I grin and whisper to her, “I am sorry baby, I am only tired. I am going to go home and rest.” I kiss my babies on top of the head and walk out, intentionally ignoring Nate; I must get my baring’s before I address him. But as you know, you never turn your back on a Rivera.