Sincere Deception Read online

  Feeling a bit timid, I still had not fully entered her room. While she was sitting on her bed comfortably, I was standing next to the doorway entrance observing from afar.

  “So this is my room and you are welcome to use my computer or television as much as you want,” she said, wearing a bright grin upon her face.

  “Thanks,” I replied shyly.

  She removed herself from the bed, ran towards me, and grabbed my hand. She then led me further into her room, and asked, “Are you okay?”

  “Yes, I’m fine. I love your home. It’s beautiful.” I let off a weak smile as I stood in the middle of the room looking around like a lost, confused puppy.

  She let out a giggle. “Well thank you, Ava. But you don’t have to be shy. You can have whatever you want, and you can do whatever you want.” She smiled again and embraced me with a delicate hug. She then removed my backpack from my shoulder, placed it inside her closet, and invited me to sit and get comfy on her bed.

  “What do you like to watch?” she asked, flicking through the channels with the remote.

  “I don’t know,” I said, shrugging my shoulders.

  “Do you like movies, television shows, cartoons, or all of them?”

  “I guess I enjoy movies,” I said, shrugging my shoulders again.”

  “Really? I do too! What’s your favorite movie?”

  “Umm… I like… I like Jumanji.”

  “I do also!”

  We both giggled, which followed by a few seconds of silence. Suddenly, there was a light knock on the door. It was my father. He peeked into the room, but didn’t come in all the way.

  “Oh, hey Dad,” Autumn said to him.

  “Hey baby. How are you doing today?”

  “I’m good, Daddy. But I can’t wait for Momma to be done cooking. I’m starving!”

  “I’m ready to eat too, baby girl.” He opened the door a bit more, and then walked further into the room. An awkward silence followed. He simply stood there holding his hands behind his back staring at the television as if he was actually paying attention to what was going on. He then guided his attention towards me.

  “So how are you, Ava?”

  “I’m good,” I responded, short.

  “That’s good, and how’s your mother and the family?”

  “They’re good.”

  Another awkward silence continued. If I had known what was appropriate to say at that moment, I surely would’ve said it. Instead, however, I just sat there playing with my fingernails like a weirdo.

  “Alright, you two… I’m going to get back down stairs and help set up the kitchen table.” He paused, and then walked back towards the door. “It’s very nice to see you, Ava,” he added right before shutting the door and leaving the room.

  Autumn and I watched an entire movie. Not long after that, we were told to get clean and ready for dinner. Summer, Autumn’s little sister, was already in the kitchen sitting at the dinner table with my father. Diane, well, she was running around fixing everyone’s plate. Finally, I took a seat next to Summer, and Autumn took a seat next to me. Across from us, sat my father and Diane. Nearly five minutes later we were all ready to eat. Baked chicken, fresh string beans, and hot dinner rolls were on the menu. Diane asked us all to close our eyes and hold hands for grace. Afterwards, we dug into our plates.

  As I sat there breaking bread with a table full of people I didn’t know, I was agitated. I didn’t know how to feel; I didn’t know what to say. The only thing I could think of was the condition of my broken family. To my mother, my father was just a deadbeat dad and cheater, and his new wife was just the hoe that took him away from us. As far as the children they created together—I won’t even mention that.

  “I just wanted to let you know how excited I am to have you here with us,” Diane stated to me.

  “Yes, I agree with that,” my father added, nodding his head.

  Autumn smiled. “Summer and I are glad you are here too. We can finally get to know our big sister.”

  Glancing over at Summer, she didn’t seem as thrilled by my presence as the rest of the group. She gave me a sour stare, smacked her lips, and proceeded to remain silent.

  Directing my attention back towards Diane, Autumn, and my father, I said, “Thank you. I am happy to be here also. I love your home, by the way. It’s beautiful.”

  “Well, thank you!” Diane said, grinning. “And just so you’ll know… you are welcome here anytime.”

  I didn’t know what else to say, so instead of trying to force a conversation, I simply grabbed my cup and sipped on my juice. Out of nowhere, Summer got up, threw her chicken bones inside the trashcan, and slid her empty plate into the dishwasher. She then stormed out of the kitchen. Glancing over at Autumn’s plate, her food was just about gone. I refused to be the only one sitting at the table with the adults, so I began eating faster. Just in time, Autumn stood up to empty her plate, and so did I. We then washed our hands and ran back upstairs to her bedroom.

  “So, how many nights are you staying over?” Autumn asked me.

  “Just one.”

  “So, what would you like to do tonight? I can call up a few of my friends. Maybe we can go to the mall. Would you like that?”

  “Sure, I guess. But I don’t have that much money. My mamma only gave me twenty bucks.”

  “Oh, you don’t have to worry about any of that. I have plenty of money for us to spend.”

  “No, it’s fine,” I politely declined. “I don’t want to spend any of your money. I wouldn’t mind going to the mall with you and your friends, though.”

  She stood up, walked towards her closet, and grabbed a purple bag. She pulled several dollars out of it and threw it on the bed. “I told you… I have plenty of spending money for the both of us, Ava. Daddy gives us allowance. It’s no problem for me to share it with you.”

  I nearly passed out. I mean, I got an allowance also, but nothing like what she got. She must’ve had three thousand bucks scattered across her bed. The most she’d ever catch me flashing is a couple hundreds. Daddy must really love her, I thought.

  “I will call my best friends. I’m sure they’ll want to go to the mall.” She smiled, hopped up, and ran out of the door. When she returned, she was still smiling. “We’re all going to meet up at the mall at five o’clock. Mom said we have to be back here at eight, though. I can’t wait for you to meet my friends!”

  Later on that night, Diane dropped Autumn, Summer and I off at the Tri-County Mall. A popular mall in the heart of Hamilton, Ohio. We met up with three of Autumn’s friends, which she all knew from school. As soon as we made it into the mall, Autumn kindly introduced me to her crew. Kelis and Justine—fraternal twins, and Whitney, Justine and Kelis’s older cousin. Gorgeous girls they were, I could immediately tell that they shopped often. I could also tell that they more than likely had thousands of dollars leaking from their closets just as my sister did. Especially the twins. Although fraternal, they were both rockin’ the same bling type of jewelry, which included earrings, necklaces, rings, and bracelets. Their jet black hair was curled, and their outfits were just as flashy as their matching jewelry.

  I was not looking forward to visiting the expensive stores just to stand there and watch. Not only did I not look half as flashy as they all did, I also did not have as much money. Still, however, I decided to put on my fake happy face and pretend to enjoy my time. We ended up spending roughly an hour at the mall, and spent over $250 altogether. After the mall, we headed to the movie theater, and then back home. We took showers, threw on our pajamas, and ended the night with a fun sleepover.

  Although in an awkward position, I could never forget how comfortable Autumn made me feel. She was a great little sister. She barely even knew me, yet, still, she made sure a smile lingered upon my face no matter what. Since that day, I appreciated her and admired her for making it her business to treat me with respect. To an extent, I even admired Diane for doing the same. They could’ve treated me like a stranger, but ins
tead, they managed to make me feel as if I were a part of the family. I knew that I would never be able to express these feelings to my mother and siblings, though. They would simply never understand.

  CHAPTER 3

  FATAL DISTRACTIONS

  Just as Avery said he would do, he stopped by my apartment the next day before heading off to work. He didn’t just bring himself, though. He also brought Autumn along with him. After inviting them both inside, we all strolled into the living room and took a seat on the couches. Autumn sat next to me; Avery sat across from us.

  “So, what’s been going on with you?” Autumn asked me right away.

  “Nothing much. Same ol’. Just working and tryna keep my head above water during this tough semester of school.”

  “Yeah, I know that getting your degree in nursing is difficult, but you’ll get through it.” She paused, stared firmly into my eyes, and then smirked. “Are you sure that school is all you’ve been dealing with? Have you spoken to, or seen any old faces lately?”

  I glanced at my brother realizing exactly where this random question was coming from. I sighed and shook my head. “Autumn, if you want to ask me what’s going on between Eugene and me, just ask.” I rolled my eyes and shook my head again.

  “I’m not trying to intrude… but are you two getting back together?”

  “No. No, we are not getting back together. He called me, I called him back, he asked me to attend dinner with him, I told him no. That’s it.”

  “What?!” Avery asked, upset. “Didn’t you say you weren’t going to respond to his calls? Why haven’t you put him on the damn block list?”

  Trying to understand my brother’s concern, I decided not to react rudely. Instead, I took a deep sigh and spoke calmly. “I know you don’t want to see me hurt, Avery. I don’t want to go through that hurt again either. That’s why when I talked to Eugene I chose not to meet up with him. I made it very clear that I have moved on.”

  “Are you sure you made that clear to him?” Autumn questioned. “Are you even certain you’ve moved on?”

  “Yes, I’m sure. Yes, I’m certain.” I took another deep sigh, and as I did so, my cellphone started to ring. I grabbed the phone off the coffee table and saw that it was Eugene. I ignored the call, but a few moments later, he called again. For my own sake, I decided to shut the phone off to avoid Autumn and Avery gaining suspicion about who was calling. I placed the phone back on the coffee table, then returned my attention back toward our conversation.

  Autumn said, “I thought you were coming to my house to see me last night. Why didn’t you come?”

  “I was tired. I had a lot of homework to catch up on. I’ll try to stop by next weekend, but I hope you had a good birthday.”

  My siblings were not budging. They were sitting on my living room sofa questioning me as if they had absolutely nowhere to be that day. I, on the other hand, was a nervous wreck. All I could think about was calling Eugene back to see what the hell he wanted. Still, however, I knew that my desire to contact him would only start a riot if my family found out about it. I was certain Eugene was not going to take no for an answer, though. If I did choose to ignore his calls and text messages, I was sure he would eventually show up at my door.

  Finally, the time arrived for Avery to head to work. Autumn decided to leave also. I said my goodbyes, told them I love them, and as soon as they left, I ran straight for the coffee table and snatched my phone. After turning it back on, I called Eugene and took a seat on the couch.

  “Hello, Eugene.”

  “Hey, Sweetheart. How are you today?”

  `“I’m fine,” I said quickly. “What do you want?”

  “Dang. Short much? I was just calling to see how you were doing.”

  “Look, I’m not tryna be rude, Eugene, but I cannot sit here and play this game with you. What we had—it’s over. It’s over because you made the decision to betray me. Please do not contact me anymore.”

  “Wait!” he shouted just as I was about to hang up. “I know I fucked up. I know I hurt you. But I want to make this up to you somehow.”

  “I get that. I understood that the last time we spoke. But honestly… I-I just can’t fool with you on that level anymore. I can’t fool with you on any level. You hurt me; you hurt me bad. I refuse to go through that pain again. I refuse to let you back into my life.”

  “OK, I can respect that if that’s truly how you feel. But if there may be a slight chance that you’d consider letting me back into your life, I’m not going to let you go.”

  It was just like his ass to try to manipulate someone. Forever trying to be slick and smooth in his demeanor of communication. There was no way in hell I was gonna let him get off that easy. If he wanted me back, he was certainly gonna have to prove that with his actions, not just with his tongue.

  “Well maybe you should, Eugene. Maybe you should let me go. I mean, I’m not necessarily gonna hold a grudge against you… I’m not gonna allow you to keep me from getting sleep at night… I just think we should keep our relationship strictly cordial. Either that, or nothing at all.”

  For several seconds we remained silent. I did not know what to say, and apparently neither did he. Finally, he said, “OK. I will not pressure you into considering anything serious with me if you do not want to. All I’m asking is that you go out to dinner and a movie with me tonight. After that, I’ll take you back home, and then I’ll be on my way.”

  “I suppose we can achieve that. But after tonight, I would appreciate it if you’d leave me alone and let me live my life.”

  He chuckled sarcastically, agreed, then told me he’d be there to pick me up shortly.

  After agreeing to go out with him, and ending the call, I just sat on the edge of my couch dumbfounded. I was irritated with myself for making plans with him, but I was also excited to see him, too. It had been months since we exchanged a conversation on the phone, let alone in person. I decided in that moment, though, to put the past behind me for just a few hours to simply focus on having a good time. I threw on the sexiest thing I could find. Something I knew would make him turn his head and regret the day he cheated. I made sure my red bottoms complimented my black fitted dress. I curled my hair, let it fall upon my shoulders, and afterwards, I finished my wardrobe with a splash of sweet pea scent.

  At approximately 9:00 P.M., Eugene arrived. I grabbed my purse, threw my house keys inside it, and headed out the door. As soon as I reached outside, there he was standing in front of the door. He reached for a hug and planted a kiss on top of my forehead. We proceeded to the car, his 2008 Honda Civic. Once inside, we fastened our seatbelts and drove off. We rode in silence for the entire ten minutes to Pappas Bros. Steakhouse. Once we got there, we were immediately greeted by our waiter and guided to our booth.

  I was nervous. So nervous, I didn’t know what to say, and it didn’t help that Eugene kept smiling flirtatiously at me from across the table.

  “Why do you keep smiling at me?” I asked, halfway smiling, halfway frowning.

  “Because I think you’re beautiful. You’re still just as beautiful as the last time I saw you.”

  “Thanks,” I replied, trying not to cheese too much. I took a sip of my lemon water as I tapped my left foot anxiously against the floor.

  He said, “I’m glad you decided to join me for dinner. This gathering means a lot to me.”

  “I suppose I’m glad I came too,” I said, but in my head I was thinking, why the hell did I agree to this?

  “You don’t sound like you’re happy to be here with me.” Followed by his statement, the waiter approached us and asked if we were ready to order. Eugene ordered a T-bone steak dinner with a side of mashed potatoes, garlic bread, and corn. I requested the same, except my steak was the Rib eye. After ordering, Eugene picked up our conversation where we left off.

  “So, why aren’t you happy about being here with me?”

  “C’mon now… don’t act like you don’t know why that is. I mean, prior to getting dre
ssed and coming here tonight, I had to tell myself to relax and have a good time… but I’d be lying through my teeth if I said I wasn’t still angry with you.”

  “You’re right. I guess that was a dumb question. But like you said… you should just relax and focus on having a good time. Bringing up the past is not going to change it. I wish I could change it, but I can’t. All I can do now is apologize for my wrong doings and hope that you find it in your heart to forgive me.” He took a moment to pause. He then held a sincere look in his eyes, and said, “I know I never got the opportunity to tell you just how sorry I was to hear about the passing of your sister and mother. I know that you three were very, very close.”

  During the entire time he spoke, my mind somehow drifted. The only thing I could dwell on was his cheating, the death of my two significant family members, and the horrible fact that this all took place on my 24th birthday. It was Saturday, May 15th, 2010. My family and I decided to head to the Coney Island amusement park for my big day. Summer and her fiancée, Hakeem were invited. Autumn, Kelis, and Justine were invited, and so was Mamma, Avery, Avelyn, my father, and Eugene. Everyone managed to arrive on time except Mamma, Avelyn, and Eugene. We were all supposed to meet up in the parking lot at around 12 noon. However, after calling and texting numerous of times trying to reach them, the rest of the group and I decided to proceed inside the park to enjoy a few rides.

  About an hour had passed and there was still no sign of those three. Finally, Summer and Autumn decided they would leave the park to locate Avelyn and my mother. I suggested going instead, but because it was my birthday, they demanded that I remained inside the park to enjoy myself. After a meal and a few more horror rides, I received a call from Autumn. She didn’t sound too good.