Always Unique Read online

  “So you’re saying, short of killing the dude, there’s no way to make this right?”

  “Girl, you don’t owe him shit. I dig all that action and reaction stuff. And if you really believe that,” she said, “then when you and Took robbed Fat Tee, that was a reaction to what he had done, right?” Unique had told Tyeedah that Fat Tee was getting drugs from Took, but when Took got locked up, Fat Tee reneged on what was owed him and gave Unique the runaround when it was time to pay up.

  As crazy as it sounded, what Tyeedah was saying had merit.

  Unique shook her head. “But I didn’t know Took was going to take everything from the man.”

  Tyeedah wasn’t finished putting on her case. “But don’t act like the bastard didn’t deserve it. From what you told me, the fool showed his entire black ass when Took went to jail. So, didn’t Took have a right, according to your action and reaction philosophy, to get what was his, plus a little interest? The way I see it, his bitch ass is just crying over spilled milk after stealing the damn cow.”

  Unique was starting to feel all of that eye-for-an-eye stuff Tyeedah was talking. But she couldn’t help but think that with her and Fat Tee, it was now about to be a silver motherfucking tooth-for-a-tooth.

  “So what do you suggest I do?” Unique said, resigned and frustrated.

  “I say, merk him or tell him it’s a part of the game. And he better hide under a rock in Virginia and pray that you don’t get the urge to get loose lips and tell Kennard what he did.” Tyeedah realized that she had never seen Unique this indecisive or vulnerable. Her normal take-charge attitude was frayed. The magnitude of the situation and all that was at stake clearly had her friend shaken.

  “To be honest,” Tyeedah said, “I don’t know what you should do. But the bottom line is, whatever you decide, know I got your back.”

  “Thanks, girl.” As Tyeedah gave her a reassuring hug, Unique’s cell phone rang. It was Kennard’s ring tone.

  “Hey, baby,” she said, putting the call on speakerphone. She tried to sound cheerful, hoping he wouldn’t see through the mask.

  “Where are you?” he asked, sounding upbeat.

  “Tyeedah’s house. School’s canceled until further notice,” she said.

  “Catch a cab to Forty-seventh and Fifth Ave., and I’ll drive you back to get the car. The parking down here is ridiculous. I want to show you something, so hurry up and get here. Just call me when you’re about to pull up.”

  “Okay, baby.” He obviously wasn’t taking no for an answer. “I’m leaving in five minutes.”

  When she ended the call, Tyeedah was dancing and singing like she had lost her mind. The entire vibe was different.

  “What’s wrong with you, girl? How you go from shoot ’em bang-bang to Dance Central?”

  Unable to contain her exuberance for her friend, she said, “Kennard wants you to meet him at Forty-seventh and Fifth.” Unique looked at her like and? “That’s the Diamond District, girl. As in diamonds, jewels, and stones … oh yeah … diamonds, jewels, and stones…” She sang the words like a nursery rhyme.

  “Really?” Unique got a little excited herself.

  “Yes, Ms. Thing, really.”

  After giving up on trying to guess what Kennard was up to, Unique asked Tyeedah to help her get a cab. “I’m going to leave my car here,” she said.

  Tyeedah scooped her house keys up off the counter. “You know that’s a damn shame your country butt still can’t hail a cab? Sooner or later we gonna have to get you up to speed on that.”

  Unique smiled. She would never get used to the yellow-cab lifestyle. Just knowing she was going to a destination without a concrete ride home drove her crazy. That was one of the things she missed about the South. People drove everywhere and there was always free parking.

  Once outside, Tyeedah flagged down a taxi in no time. And before Unique pulled off she reminded her one last time, “You have to get that motherfucker before he gets you.”

  PROMISES AREN’T MADE TO BE BROKEN

  The taxi pulled up at the corner of Forty-seventh Street and Fifth Avenue and Kennard was there to open the door. He helped Unique from the backseat, paid the driver, and kissed her on the cheek.

  He asked, “What took you so long?” Before she could mention how congested the traffic was or about the car accident uptown, he said, “Never mind. We have an appointment to keep.” He whisked her away by the arm.

  Unique had never seen Kennard this excited about anything except making love and money. And not necessarily in that order.

  “What’s this all about?” His enthusiasm was contagious.

  He looked at her with those sexy brown eyes. They were comforting—tender but strong. “I want to buy you something to show the commitment I want to make to you.”

  Commitment? This is serious, Unique thought as butterflies took over her stomach at the mention of the word. She had been with many men and none of them had ever mentioned that word.

  “Moi?” Her face lit up brighter than the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center.

  “If that means you, then yeah, moi,” he said, before kissing her on the forehead. “I was thinking…”

  “Yes…?” Unique had her own thoughts and they were running butt-naked and wild inside her head. What happened just a few hours ago seemed like a nightmare and she didn’t want to think about it. So this gesture could not have come at a better time. She started to question if she even deserved a man like this, but then she thought again, I’ve been through more bullshit than Charmin, you gotdamn right I deserve this!

  “I know that we agreed not to talk about either of our past relationships—”

  “And we should just focus on ours, making it stronger,” she said, finishing his sentence for him. One she’d heard many times.

  But she wasn’t expecting what he said next: “I’m glad you broke the agreement last night.”

  I did what?

  “I don’t know if you were intoxicated from the champagne or my lovemaking,” he joked with a smile. “I did put it on you, but I’m happy that you opened up. I had no idea that you’d been hurt so badly.”

  She felt like she’d been hit in the face with a frying pan. Then fear set in. If she didn’t have enough to worry about as it was, now she was coughing up skeletons in her sleep. Damn, I’m really getting way too comfortable. “Exactly what did I open my mouth up about last night?” she asked, hoping that she didn’t look as frightened as she felt.

  “You said, and I quote, ‘I have never had a real relationship and, looking back, I think it fucked up my life.’ You also said that you were left to fend for yourself. And that you were double-crossed, in the worst way, by the only man you ever cared for, which made you feel unsure that you would ever be able to trust wholeheartedly again.”

  Tyeedah was right, Unique thought, I am falling off. She was getting as soft as a gay man’s dick watching Kim Kardashian’s sex tape. She had no idea that she had revealed so much to Kennard last night. He was looking at her now, waiting for her to say something. She was speechless. And maybe keeping her mouth shut was a good thing, only she was a day late and a dollar short.

  “That’s all true,” she managed to say, “but I’m learning to trust. And the more I’m around you it gets easier and easier.…”

  “Well,” Kennard said, beaming, “this is why we’re here. I know we’re still in the learning-each-other-phase, not quite ready for an engagement, but I want to make you a promise. A promise to love you and a promise that I will never hurt you, and in addition to that, I want you to know that I will always protect you from your heart … and anything that poses a threat to you.”

  Unique felt like a total fraud for not telling him about this morning. But in her heart she thought it was best, for both of them, especially if she took care of the situation with Fat Tee herself. “I don’t know what to say.” And that was the truth.

  “You don’t have to say anything.” He led her into a jewelry store. “I’m going to buy you a
n eye-popping promise ring to remind you of all the promises I’ve made.”

  Kennard had a way of making her heart melt and forget about everything in the world except for him.

  When the jeweler came over, Kennard said, “Unique, I want you to meet Shummi. Shummi, Unique.” Shummi, a Jewish man, was middle-aged, wore a traditional yarmulke and sported Cartier glasses.

  “This is interesting, indeed,” Shummi said to Kennard with a bright smile. “You told me that you wanted something unique, but you didn’t mention that you already had a Unique,” he joked. It wasn’t funny.

  Kennard was ready to get down to business. “Can you show us what you have?”

  “Sure! Sure!” Shummi went under the counter into what looked to be a hidden safe and retrieved a case. He sat it atop the counter and opened the lid. The case was filled with stunning rings in various sets and individual diamonds of all shapes and sizes. Against the black cloth the gems sparkled like bright, shiny stars on a dark night. “Now if for some reason you don’t like any of these, I’m expecting a few more pieces at any minute and I have an even larger shipment coming on Thursday. All impeccable stones,” Shummi proudly said. “I’m talking four carats and up. Real nice stuff. So clear when you look through them, you see clear up to the Niagara Falls.”

  Unique couldn’t imagine that there was something better in quality coming than what he was showing them now. These stones were breathtakingly beautiful. Shummi was explaining each of the diamonds’ four Cs—cut, color, carat, and clarity—when someone rang the bell on the door. One of his employees buzzed the person in. It wasn’t a customer. The newly arrived person was no more than twenty-one, and had on a bicycle helmet and was wearing a backpack.

  Shummi’s smile grew even larger than it already was, if that was possible, when he saw the boy enter the store. He handed Unique a beautiful platinum-set ring.

  “Total weight nine carats; the center stone is four carats. Very nice stone.”

  Obviously it had been the one that Kennard had preferred.

  “One carat for each of the months we’ve shared each other’s lives,” Kennard said. “How do you like it?”

  Nine carats! This is one helluva promise, Unique thought. She knew that she and Kennard screwed like rabbits, but who knew he’d treat her like one and supply her with so many damn carats … and just the kind she liked? “It’s beautiful.”

  While Unique was admiring the ring, Shummi excused himself for a second. “The courier,” he said. “Let me square him away; there may be few other pieces I can show you afterward.”

  Kennard took a call while Shummi dealt with the courier. Unique continued to look at the ring but couldn’t help overhear the conversation between the store owner and delivery boy. She couldn’t believe someone would allow diamonds of this quality to be transported by way of bicycle.

  But Kennard and Shummi finished up at about the same time. When they all reconvened, a deal was closed. Unique left the store the proud owner of a gorgeous nine-carat promise ring … and possibly a way to get some of the money Fat Tee was demanding.

  LET THE CARDS FALL WHERE THEY MAY

  Unique’s eyes snapped open all of a sudden. She looked over to see that Kennard was still sound asleep. She glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It was four in the morning. It had been a week since Fat Tee had broken into their house and raped, threatened, and tried to extort her, and she had not been able to get a wink of restful sleep whatsoever. Her thoughts were constantly being invaded by how she was going to handle the situation and where she would actually get the money to pay him—or at least enough to get him off her back.

  She stole another peek at Kennard, and then she eased out of the bed, trying not to disturb him as she headed for the bathroom. Sitting on the toilet, preparing to pee, she opened the box to take a pregnancy test. She had been a week late and her period had been due to come on the same day Fat Tee had violated her but she hadn’t seen a drop of blood anywhere. She was assuming it was the stress she had been going through from the Fat Tee situation. Since he left there a week ago, she had not been able to think of anything else until yesterday when it dawned on her that she had not seen Aunt Flow. The thought of being pregnant was the furthest thing from her mind, but the fact remained that she and Kennard screwed like rabbits, every chance they got, and having unprotected sex most of the time resulted in pregnancy.

  Unique peed on the stick, thinking, Let the cards fall where they may. So there she sat on the closed toilet lid, waiting for an answer, and almost immediately two pink lines appeared. Positive! What the fuc—?

  The deck had been stacked against her; the two lines indicated that she was indeed pregnant.

  She couldn’t move; she just sat there looking spaced-out and dumbfounded, not knowing what she was going to do. It was too soon in her relationship to have a baby, and though she wanted to have kids with Kennard, now wasn’t the time. She was only twenty-nine years old, and there were still so many things she wanted to do: finish culinary school, travel the world, and live life to the fullest, and maybe ultimately marry Kennard. Tears trickled down her face. For someone who wasn’t a big crier, she seemed to be doing a lot of that lately. How would Kennard feel about all this? She had just started to live this amazing life with him, and she didn’t want a baby to be a monkey wrench in it. And most important, she didn’t want him to feel like she was trying to trap him with a baby.

  Unique was so caught up with deep thoughts that she didn’t hear Kennard walk into the bathroom.

  “Good morning, gorgeous.” He walked over, leaned down, and gave her a kiss; morning breath and all. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the white stick. “What’s this?” he asked, already knowing the answer.

  When he picked it up and read the results, his face went completely blank for a second. Unique’s fears had come true. She knew it. He wasn’t ready for a baby, either. Unique tried to conceal her tears but they disappeared when she saw his expression.

  On his face was the biggest, brightest smile she’d ever seen. He gushed, “Baby. This is the best news I’ve had in a while.”

  “Really?” Unique said, surprised at his reaction.

  “No doubt.” He hugged her right there on the toilet. “The greatest news from the greatest girl in the world.”

  “Awww, baby, I didn’t think you wanted kids with all that you have going on. Are you sure the timing of this is right for you?”

  Without a moment’s hesitation he said, “Couldn’t be better.” Then his eyes clouded over, dark and heavy. The pall blew away just as suddenly as it surfaced. He motioned for her to get up so he could urinate. She washed her hands while he handled his business and then brushed his teeth. Once he was done he cut off the water, and she gazed deep into his eyes.

  “What is it, baby?” She took his hand into hers. “Something’s wrong?” He tried to pull it together, but it was too late, she’d seen the brooding in his eyes. He walked into the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed and once she was positioned beside him, she put her arm around him and gave him a warm look.

  “Nine years ago,” he said, “I had a girlfriend. Her name was Kyra.” Kennard looked at her for a reaction. When he got none, he continued. “I thought I would never be able to love anyone like I loved her, but I was wrong.…” His voice was soft. “Because I found you.”

  “What happened?”

  Kennard blew out a jaw full of pent-up air. “I had always dipped and dabbled in the dope game,” he said. “When Kyra was seven months pregnant and asked me to give it all up for the sake of the baby, I promised her and myself that I would give up the game the day our baby was born. I’d step into the family business: boxing. My grandfather had been on me to get back in the ring anyway.”

  “I didn’t know you used to box.”

  Kennard nodded his head. “I’d always been good with my hands, but preferred the business side of the sport more. That’s why I became a promoter. Anyway,” he said, “Kyra agreed to
my terms. And in preparation for my retirement I stepped up my game to another level and got deep in the streets. Got my weight up to an all-time high. Then everything changed.…” He bit down on his bottom lip so hard he almost drew blood. This was the first time in the nine-month romance that Unique had ever seen Kennard so vulnerable.

  “Babe, are you sure you want to talk about this?”

  Again he nodded. “They kidnapped her. They took her and my unborn baby.” As if he was looking back into time, he continued, “I know she went kicking and screaming. Kyra was a fighter.…” He paused, looked up at Unique, touched her cheek, and said, “Just like you.”

  Unique listened with a compassionate heart. She rubbed his back to try to ease the pain but clearly it was impossible to do.

  “I got a call later that night. Half a million dollars.” He looked at her. “That’s the value they put on my family.”

  The question vaulted from her mouth at its own volition. “Did you pay the money?” Unique asked, then regretted it immediately. Was she thinking about Kennard right now or herself?

  “I would have given them anything to get my family back,” he said. “Even if I had to take the money myself. Of course I paid them.”

  The room became monastery quiet. The next question loomed in the air.

  “Then they killed her,” he said.

  Those words pierced through Unique like an arrow.

  “Shot her in the stomach and left her in an abandoned building to bleed out. That shit damn near killed me, too.”

  Unique couldn’t imagine the pain he must’ve felt when he learned that the woman he loved, and the unborn child he had been anxiously awaiting the arrival of, had been murdered. It was incomprehensible.

  A wry smile appeared on his face. “But I kept my word to her: gave up the dope game and got knee-deep in this boxing game, and ended up with all this.” He spread out his arms. “Now I have you and another baby on the way. Life really couldn’t be better.”