The Realest Ever - By Keith Thomas Walker Page 0,45
upset with his girlfriend. “So what happens now?” he said.
“You haven’t answered my question!”
“Brianna, I don’t want to argue. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the whole story.”
“You’re sorry? You’re sorry? Is that all you have to say for yourself? You lied to me, Donovan! All this time, you been lying!” She was crying now.
Donovan stared at the road until his vision blurred. “I’m on my way home. If you want to–”
“I’m on my way over there!” Brianna yelled and hung up on him.
Donovan took a few calming breaths before he called his dear, old ma.
“Hello?”
“Why, Mama?”
“Because you can’t keep lying to that poor girl, Donovan. Brianna loves you, and I like her. She wants to get married – right now. Did you know that? She has her own house and her own car and a good job in Dallas. I don’t know why you wanna mess that up over somebody like Kyra.”
“It’s not your business what I do what my life!” Donovan snapped.
“Boy, don’t raise your voice at me.”
“Or what, Mama? You got some more skeletons you wanna drag out of the closet?”
Beverly was stunned silent.
“You don’t have the right to interfere with my relationships!” Donovan barked, a lot more aggressively than he meant to. He caught himself before he got too out of line. “I don’t know what you thought was going to happen–”
“I want somebody to put an end to this Kyra nonsense!” Beverly cried. “I been telling you to leave that girl alone since you was a little boy, Donovan. Why won’t you listen? I’m not scared to admit when I need some help. I was hoping that if Brianna knew how you and Kyra really feel about each other, maybe she can say something that will make you come to your senses.”
“You don’t know how me and Kyra feel about each other!” Donovan shouted. “Even if we were doing something wrong – which we aren’t – you don’t have the right to butt into my life like that! What is it gonna take to get that through to you? Maybe it’s my fault for telling you so much in the first place. Maybe I shouldn’t call you at all.”
Donovan was bluffing, but Beverly didn’t know that.
“I, I’m sorry, Donovan. I didn’t mean any harm.” Beverly was frightened and uncharacteristically demure.
Donovan knew he couldn’t hold a grudge against his mom, but he let her simmer on the hot seat, so she would know how royally she screwed up this time.
“Bye, Mama,” he snapped.
“Donovan, wait. What are you gonna do?”
“Why should I tell you? So you can run and tell my business again?”
“Donovan, I said I was sorry. Please don’t be angry with me.”
“Alright, fine, Mama. I gotta go. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Will you call me today, to let me know what happened?”
“I’ll call you when I’m not mad anymore. Better yet, I’ll call you when you stop hating on Kyra. How about that? Goodbye!”
Donovan disconnected. He was pretty sure God didn’t approve of him hanging up on his mother, but damn it felt good.
CHAPTER TEN
LIAR LIAR
Donovan pulled into his driveway ten minutes later. He barely had time to change out of his church clothes and feed the dogs before Brianna rang the doorbell. Donovan answered wearing canvas shorts with a tee shirt. Brianna wore tight Capris with a little, pink tee shirt that showed her midriff. She didn’t have on any makeup, but her hair was flawless. And to Donovan’s surprise, she wasn’t crying. She looked angrier than a swarm of killer bees, but her eyes were dry and piercing. Overall, she looked very sexy.
Donovan stepped aside and Brianna sauntered into the living room. She had the air of a woman who finally had the confidence and ammunition she needed to accomplish her goals. She’d been thwarted multiple times in the past, but the cat was out of the bag now. Donovan lied to her, and she had him dead to rights.
The situation with Kyra had been a thorn in her side from the moment Donovan mentioned her wretched named. We’re best friends. She’s like my little sister. Yeah right! Brianna went along with that nonsense for nearly a month, although every day was like her personal torture chamber. Each time Donovan called and told her he was going to stop by Kyra’s house, Brianna bared her teeth. Her claws sprang to action. She almost slit the tires on her man’s car when Donovan told her he put Kyra’s hooptie in the shop and was