Page 53 of Heavy Lifting
I answered the call before it ended, “Yes.”
“Brick the scammer has been arrested trying to cross state lines and go to Mississippi after tossing their Brick and Co laptop that has all of the incriminating evidence on it into the Chattahoochee River. We got ‘em. I’m not supposed to be telling you this, but I felt like I owe you at least that much,” Michelle’s voice came through the phone. My eyes filled with tears because my little brother was about to go to jail. He had tried to call me last night, but I didn’t answer his phone call. Maybe he was calling me to confess. He wasn’t about to take the easy way out; I wanted to look him in his face as they escorted him out of the justice building and I wanted to ask him why he would jeopardize our family’s business like that.
I placed my hand on my stomach, “We are going to see your lying ass Uncle. I can’t believe he tried to skip town so he wouldn’t get in trouble.” I told my baby as I slipped out of my hospital gown and into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. I grabbed my paperwork and got into the car to head downtown. Less than thirty minutes, I pulled in front of the Justice building where a tinted black truck with the FBI logo was pulled in front of the building. There were multiple officers outside and I shook my head as the back door opened. I parked the car and walked over to the door ignoring the fact that I was sore from the accident.
I wanted this bastard to see me and think about the disgrace he was about to bring on our family.
An officer walked out, then another officer, then …… TRALLIS. Walking with her head down, no long weave just cornrows braided straight to the back, she lifted her head and we locked eyes. She smirked and I walked between the officers and slapped her across her face with all the strength inside of my body. Michelle quickly grabbed me and pulled me back as I screamed at Trallis.
“YOU DIRTY BITCH YOU PRETENDED TO BE MY FRIEND. YOU’VE BEEN SCAMMING MY CUSTOMERS. GOOD FOR NOTHING BITCH!” I screamed as the tears rolled down my face. The last person who I had expected to be scamming my business was the person that I had made a manager. Trallis had worked for me for years. She started as a part-time employee and worked her way up to management. I trusted her. I talked to her about ideas I had for the gym. I suspected my own twin brother was the scammer and she hadn’t even crossed my mind. I was devastated.
Michelle escorted me over to my car and I sat inside and cried. The betrayal from Trallis, not knowing what to do about the baby, not having Zumo in my life, it felt like shit was going from bad to worse. Life was jumping my ass and stomping me in the face while I was down. I couldn’t call my brother and tell him I thought he was a scammer that was on the way to jail, I couldn’t call my father because he was in the hospital, the only person I could call was the man I knew would be there.
Zumo arrived less than twenty minutes later, he pulled up in his ugly truck, and I laughed for the first time all day. He parked next to me, got out of the truck, and walked around to the driver’s side.
“How can I take care of you when you won’t let me?” he questioned causing my heart to skip a beat.
“Can you take me to see my daddy?” I asked him. He nodded yes and reached for my hand. He grabbed my purse, locked my car door, and went over to his passenger side door to open it for me. The justice building downtown was only five minutes away from Grady Memorial Hospital, so it didn’t take us long to arrive. After checking in and going to the East Wing, we arrived at the sixth floor and walked through the rows of rooms. When we made it to my daddy’s room, he was sitting up in bed laughing, and my brother was sitting in the chair next to his bed.
“Having a Walker family meeting without me?” I asked as I walked inside the room and they both turned towards me.
“I tried to call you last night to tell you I was coming to see daddy and tell you this crazy thing Trallis said to me yesterday about a scammer,” Cozart shook his head.
“You mean the Trallis that just got arrested for scamming some of our gym members out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Whatever she said was bullshit,” I told my little brother. .
“That lying B-” he started before my father cleared his throat.
“The lying heifer told me she met a dude in Miami, he stole her laptop, and he was the one scamming people out of money. She also told me she was pregnant by me then later admitted that was a lie. Also speaking of lying, I need to tell y’all the real reason I left Kaliyah. She was fucking around on me with the doctor that worked at her old hospital. I went up there and beat his ass when I found out, that’s why she got fired. Also, I did a paternity test on the twins and they aren’t mine, they’re his. That’s why I’m a shitty father them sometimes because when I look at them, I don’t see myself I see the nigga my wife cheated with,” he said sadly.
My heart broke for him.
“Why didn’t you tell us that?” I asked him angrily.
“I still wanted to be in the kids' lives even though their mother hurt me. It wasn’t their fault. I didn’t want you or dad to treat Kaliyah or the kids differently if you found out the truth. Holding on to that shit caused me to turn into a monster. It took for me to meet a special woman to make me want to let that toxic shit and all the secrets go,” he said honestly as he looked down at his hands.
I sighed and plopped down in the seat next to him.
“It sounds like a lot has been happening but y’all have been talking to everybody but each other, so neither one of you knew what was going on. That breaks my heart; your mother and I raised y’all better than that,” my father scolded us, causing me to look down at my hands.
“Well, I’m heading out so you all can talk. Brick, call me when you need me,” Zumo said before I called out to him.
“No wait, you aren’t going anywhere. You need to hear the type of family your baby is going to be born into,” I told him as tears filled my eyes. He stared at me and smiled, before walking back over to me and picking me up out of the chair. He began to spin me around and I groaned and tapped him aggressively on the shoulder.
“I was in a car accident a few days ago be easy please,” I begged him.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Zumo placed me on my feet gently and began to kiss my forehead, my eyes, my nose, my cheeks, and I blushed and avoided his gaze.
“You're pregnant? Is my princess having a baby? That is the best news this old man has had all week,” my daddy smiled proudly, and my brother walked over to hug me.
“Congratulations, big sis. That baby is going to be loved and micromanaged to within an inch of his life. I’m betting it is a boy; you are too rough for a girl.” My brother groaned and all the men laughed.
“At this point I just hope we both live. This guy lost his ex-wife and the baby during childbirth. If I did while I’m having your big head ass baby, I’m going to haunt you from the grave,” I shrugged and Zumo laughed and grabbed me in his arms holding me tight.
“You aren’t going anywhere. You won’t be leaving my life that easy Brichelle Walker.” He grabbed my face in his hands and kissed me passionately. I broke the kiss and placed my hands on his chest to push him back.
“We don’t have time to be kissing. One of my receptionists was an FBI agent, the other one was a scammer, I need to hire two receptionists, I need to make membership a little stricter. I have a list of things to do.” I said as Zumo leaned down and kissed me again before I could finish my sentence.
“I like this guy already.” My father said causing me to roll my eyes and giggle.
