The Baker And The Queen Pin

Chapter 54: Guilty

~~~Keisha

I think about how everything unfolded so drastically, I think about how I have been ripped away from my date and how I felt about everything. I was traumatized and so were my kids but the thing that hurt me the most was watching how much I hurt Booker, how much I had torn him down, and yet, he somehow is still willing to save everyone.

From the gunshots that lingered all over the place, all the way to the holes that drilled into each one of these paper-thin ceilings, what made it worse was not only did I find myself, living after all of this. I found myself, wondering if it is fair that I got away with every bit of the crimes I did to Booker. 'Mom,' I hear Belle say. "Yes?" I say, calmly while holding her.

'Is everything going to be okay?' "Yes, everything's going to be fine. I promise," 'And what about Maria? I don't think she's been honest with Dad since the beginning.' "She probably hasn't," I say, pushing back the doubt and spite I felt in my soul. It's then that she says, 'I understand.' "But the one thing that you need to understand is that Booker and Maria love each other and they are genuinely good people. Maria has her own complications and so do I. I almost destroyed you and your father's relationship."

It's then that Junior says, 'All the things we did for you, and yet now, I feel as though we could have done better. Our father deserved better.' I smile as I say, "Yes, he did and that's okay. We've made mistakes and he still loves everyone unconditionally." It's then that I bring Belle closer, the situation got her really riled up. "They won't come back. I just want you to know that and I want you to know that we're always protected."

Her shaking stops a bit and then I see Booker, fiddling with his phone as he says, 'I got a text back from the girl.' I smile and say, "That's good. I hope you actually find a good woman." 'Thanks, Mom,' he said with a smile. To be honest from what he told me, I'm surprised she didn't block him.

~~~Booker

As I sit in the car, going through everything, I find myself, looking at my cell phone, realizing that I had been lied to by the private investigator. Stacy knew more than what she led on, but the problem was that I felt like there was more to the story and I couldn't harass her for information. I had to get the truth from her.

As I drove past the mansion for the third time, I found myself, still unwilling to go there but I know her car was sitting there. She was waiting for me, she was waiting for how everything was going to pan out. She lied to me, she lied to me every step of the way. How many times did she lie to me? How long was she lying to me? In that minute, I found myself, being able to park. I was no longer afraid to talk to her, I was disappointed. I was so disappointed in what she did, maybe all I felt was disappointment.

She lied to me and I wanted her to stop telling me lies but the problem is that there was nothing I could do. She was an adult, she was fully capable of doing whatever she wanted. I needed to talk to her, I needed to confront her. I deserved the truth and this is something I believe I deserved. In that situation, I found myself, parking my car right behind hers. It's not like she didn't have to worry about getting out of the building, she had men protecting her almost at all times.

As I get out of the car and walk to the house, I knocked on the door, and then I heard her say in a faint meek voice. 'It's open.' As I opened the door, I began to sit down. She was already waiting for me and I don't believe she moved from this point for this entire time. As I pull up a chair to sit behind her, I say to her calmly: "How long have you been lying to me?" 'I-' "I don't want to hear your excuses. How long have you been lying to me?" It was then that she took a moment and then she said to me, 'I've been lying to you since the day you met me.'

"So the bullet I took was not meant for me, it was meant for you?" It's then that a tear falls down my face. 'Yes. It was always meant for me.' And then I found myself, asking the real questions. Every time she disappeared, she wasn't doing something good. "What really happened to your father?" Her eyes widened and I knew she knew I was aware of something. 'Booker, if I tell you the truth, will you promise to stay with me?'