This is a very good story... extremely well written.. I am going to read the rest of it now and comment... I really like what I have read so far!! Thank you Shak
Dezerai Book Four
Long Live the Queen!
By Shak
Chapter1
Death of the Patriarch
“Oh my God” she sobbed quietly to herself. “Daddy how could you…………..how could you die b-b-fo………..b-b-fore I get home to tell you I’m sorry?”
The tears ran down her face uncontrollably. Thank God she had a private seat in first class away from nosy seatmates. The tears would not stop, her body trembling, her head laid on the pillow she brought with her as the plane flew across the Atlantic from Johannesburg, South Africa to Miami, Florida where she will catch a connecting flight to Los Angeles California.
“I was going to take you to Hawaii where we going to re-bond as father and daughter. I needed to make amends daddy I needed to show you how sorry I was for being a bitchy little brat! I was going to…….” She choked. “I was going to show you Daddy….how much I l-love…..y-you…how wrong I was, how I miss you” she whispered quietly while trembling as her mind tortured her.
A fresh round of tears poured out of her eyes, her body shaking as she condemned herself! It was as if she killed her father, the guilt was that great. From Johannesburg until now she was unable to sleep, her thoughts haunting her as she thought about how her father died. Her soul was in turmoil, the more she thought about how she refused to speak to him for 10 whole years left her in agony. Finally 2 weeks ago she decided it was time to let go of the past and tell the one person she loved above any other that she was sorry for all the pain she caused. Her regrets overwhelmed her; the grief was a knife turning in her soul. She called her mother and told her she was sorry for not speaking to her Daddy, and she was coming home to make everything right. She told of her plans for them in Hawaii next month, her mother assuring her that his schedule will be clear.
“Next month” she sobbed to herself. “Next month…..I had it all planned…..why did you have to die?” The tears burning her flushed face, stinging her reddened eyes, Shalitha Davenport was in hell.
Two days ago her Aunt Delesha called to tell her that her father Kenny had been killed when the driver of an 18 wheeler fell asleep at the wheel and careened over the center divider and hit Kenny head on, crushing him underneath and killing him instantly. Kenny had just purchased a brand new Porsche 911 convertible for Latoya and was bringing it home as a 40th wedding anniversary present. She had no idea he was getting it and the dealer said that he was excited about the gift and had it custom made for Latoya who was a speed racing freak. In fact her favorite sport was auto racing and she used to force Kenny to go with her to the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana. Auntie Delesha let her know that Kenny had talked about getting her this car for the last 6 months and was psyched.
“She deserves this!” Kenny would say. “This woman has given me 40 of the happiest years of my life and I want 40 more!”
A new round of tears poured out of Shalitha’s eyes and she buried her head in the pillow. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep but was unsuccessful.
“Excuse me Ma’am…..I’m sorry to disturb you, but I couldn’t help but hear you crying, is there anything I can do to help you?”
Shalitha looked up at the kind stewardess’s face. She was a pretty young woman, blonde hair and flawless skin. She saw the woman’s tanned complexion and guessed her to be around 25. “Thank you” Shalitha’s voice was shaky but tender. “I just found out my Father was killed and I’m going home to bury him.”
The kind stewardess’s face was empathetic and showed deep compassion.
“I am so sorry, if there is anything I can do to help you at this time just asks I will be right here.”
Shalitha looked at her and nodded thank you. She turned her head back to her pillow and continued crying. The flight was long and Shalitha did not eat any dinner, nor did she drink any alcohol, which was the last thing she needed at this time. She only sipped on cranberry juice and nibbled on peanuts the entire trip. The landing and transfer flight in Miami’s International Airport was smooth and uneventful and soon she found herself in first class headed to LA. She finally slept on the 5 hour flight to LA, her dreams tortured! Ten years ago Shalitha had just been accepted into Law program at Harvard Law and Kenny couldn’t be prouder. She was graduating from Howard University in Washington DC and the family was thrilled knowing she would be one of the first attorneys from either family the Davenports or the Washingtons. She was 22 years old and would graduate from Howard with honors. She received a scholarship to attend the prestigious Harvard Law school in Cambridge, Massachusetts, when it all went bad….. She was in her final two months of school when Shalitha got pregnant; and it was not just any pregnancy, but from her head coach of the women’s basketball team! It happened right at the end of her time at Howard. All this happened right before the graduation ceremony…. and Kenny was furious! Of all the stupid things she could have done, but getting pregnant….NOW!!! After a summer off, she was to attend Harvard in the fall. For Kenny this was the worst of all problems because his Muslim background did not believe in abortion. But if Shalitha continued seeing the coach and did not give up this baby she could be throwing away the opportunity of a lifetime. They argued all summer and to make matters worse she was deeply in love with her basketball Coach and actually debated giving up on Harvard and marrying him. Which brings us to problem number two, her coach was already married and a scandal like this could ruin his career. Kenny had met him during her first year at Howard and never liked him……he likes him even less now! Kenny knew people, especially men and told his wife Latoya this coach likes young girls! When Latoya met him she despised him even more than Kenny. They tried warning Shalitha but she was hearing none of it. By the middle of her third year they were having an affair and she insisted they loved each other and that he was leaving his wife and marrying her. By the end of her senior year she got pregnant and was under tremendous stress! When she broke the news to the family it was a disaster, especially when they found out he was already married! After an extremely explosive argument with her father, she was resolved to be with Coach Williams looking at her father as if he were the enemy; but of course in the end her Father was right. Coach Williams had no intention of leaving his wife and marrying her and called off their relationship and predictably he offered to pay for an abortion. Shalitha was furious and proceeded to expose him to his wife and the university. The ensuing scandal was a mess and Kenny tried to warn her to back off because a scandal could ruin her scholarship. But Shalitha has always been vindictive, unforgiving and vengeful. She wanted her revenge and nothing would keep her from it. One night right after graduation she went to his house and things got violent as she got into a fist fight with both the coach and his wife. She was a formidable Amazon of a woman standing 6’3” tall and having trained under her father all her life, she had several upper level Fung Fu belts in Kupigama Ngumi. Despite her pregnancy she was whipping up both Coach Williams and his wife, when Police were called and Shalitha got into fights with them. The extreme violence was too much for the baby inside her and she had a miscarriage. She laid all the blame on Coach Williams and her Father Kenny, saying they were the cause of her troubles and ultimately the miscarriage. Kenny tried reasoning with her…..he even viewed the miscarriage as an unfortunate blessing and encouraged her to continue with Harvard, but Shalitha felt victimized and in her youthful fury refused to stop her character assault on Coach Williams. Eventually he was fired and news of the scandal reached Harvard Law. They withdrew the scholarship and Shalitha was left high and dry, no scholarship, no child and a sullied reputation. The tension between father and daughter became unbearable after that and soon they were not speaking at all. Now here she is 10 years later, her father dead and she’s looking back with regret and anguish at all she has lost over the years because of her anger. But the thoughts of a 32 year old woman are very different from a 22 year old. Time, maturity and life experiences taught Shalitha lessons she rejected as a young woman. After the miscarriage and lost scholarship she left Washington DC moving to South Carolina, with her best friend and went into a 3 year hiatus. After 3 years she was able to return to school in Washington DC at the Law School at Georgetown University and this time she graduated and became an attorney. She did her intern work at the World Bank in Washington DC in policy and international law in developing countries. It was a powerful experience and took her overseas to African countries like Sudan, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia and South Africa. The starvation she witnessed, the political gamesmanship, the strings attached loans and the condition of the people starving was an education that changed her and grew her up. She also did intern work with UNICEF during the civil unrest in Sudan. After graduation she became employed at the World Bank where she spent the last 4 years. Over the years she stayed in contact with her mother Latoya, her baby brother Kenny Jr. and other family members…but she and her father had not given each other as much as a hello for over 10 years. No birthday cards, no father’s day cards, no Christmas presents. In the beginning Kenny tried to reach out to her, but she rejected him every time and eventually he respected her wishes and stopped trying. His last attempt was during her graduation from Georgetown, when he came with the family to DC, but Shalitha would have nothing to do with him, so he got on a plane and left before the ceremony, hurt and frustrated. Shalitha remembered the words of her mother during her graduation that her father wanted to talk, but will respect her wishes and stay away. Shalitha said that was what she wanted and swore she would never speak to him again and if nothing else she is a woman of resolve. But now she felt like a fool; who wasted 10 years because of her very foolish pride. The old saying that “the best laid plans go to waste” was true for her at this time. She planned a grand reunion between her and her father……now that is gone! The flight landed in LAX on a Wednesday morning around 10:30. She told the family not to come get her as she would rent a car and drive in town. This was her first time being back in LA since a year before her graduation. The city has changed she thought as she drove north on 405 to 90 and headed east to Ladera Heights…….home! She called her mother Latoya who was out with Auntie Delesha handling funeral arrangements. She looked forward to seeing her mother. Her Auntie Delesha told her that her mother was not doing well, Kenny’s death was a devastating blow and she feared Latoya would never be the same.
“She’s depressed and the pain is almost unbearable!” Delesha shared with her over the phone. “I’m staying with her for now, but it will be good to have you here and she can’t wait to see you.”
Shalitha drove up in the familiar driveway and parked next to Kenny’s old truck. She began crying as she stepped out of the car and looked inside the window of her Fathers old pick-up. She still had the key to it and unlocked the door. This was strange to her, since she swore never to speak to him again, but kept the keys to his pick-up? She sat down in the driver’s seat and started the truck. The engine easily came to life as this old Ford was her Fathers pride and joy. She remembered when he first brought it home, old and beat-up and raggedy. He said he was going to restore it with all original parts which he did. The paint chrome still shone brightly and the interior was flawless. The paint job was clean and customized with the words “Baba Sensei” which was what his martial arts students called him. She turned on his stereo and listened as “Strunz and Farah” played their Latin/Middle Eastern guitar duets. Kenny loved Jazz, Cuban, Latin and Middle Eastern Jazz. His taste in music was excellent and over the years he acquired quite a collection of the classic from Monk and Miles to Wynton. She closed her eyes as the tears flowed down her face as she listened to “El Jaguar” one of her Fathers favorite guitar duet tunes.
“He loved his music almost as much as he loved the sound of your voice.”
Shalitha heard her mother speak to her as she gently touched her shoulder. She opened her eyes and looked up and saw her mother Latoya standing next her smiling. Shalitha got out of the truck and they embraced gripping each other fiercely as they both cried. She felt another hand and knew it was Aunt Delesha even before looking up.
“Oh Mama….” She moaned…… “I’m sorry……I’m sorry for all of it!”
The ladies cried together, the pain pouring out of all of them. They soon locked up Kenny’s truck and headed into the house, Shalitha knew the next few days would be difficult, with funeral arrangements, the subsequent law suit that was sure to follow and most of all finding a way to hold it all together emotionally. Her mother let her know that her baby brother Kenny Jr. has taken the news hard. It was during the NCAA tournament so they told him to play through the weekend games then come home. But by his own admission his head or his heart was not in the games. Shalitha knew they would need each other over the next several months and she told her job she was taking an extended leave.
******************************
“Shauna I spoke with Ms. Blackwell and she will stay closely connected to Phyllis to make sure my cases are all handled well. I believe she’s ready but I need you to treat this as if I were here, she’s still young so she will be relying on you. I’ll call you next week after the funeral; I spoke to my Cousins wife Ms. Davenport this morning and she told me we will be handling the case. I will be staying in LA the whole time, so we may be working long distance. But if things get tight I may need you at some point to fly down and handle the admin; oh and contact Frank and let him know to stay alert I may need him to handle the grassroots work. This case could be huge since the trucking company that killed my cousin is one of the largest in the country, so I expect everybody to stay sharp. Over the next few days I will be in LA laying low with my family and after the funeral we’ll decide the next steps. Once we launch get ready to mow some truck company ass!”
“Got it Ms. Washington, do you also want me rent office space in LA for you to work out of?”
“Wait till I call you after the funeral!”
“Yes ma’am, your Lexus is ready at Hertz, Ms. Blackwell is waiting to take you, and she wants you to prep her on the family’s situation.”
“OK Shauna…….come here girl….gimme a hug….hold it down while I’m gone, I’ll call you next week!”
Karmen grabbed her bags and headed out the door to Ms. Blackwell’s office. Karmen Washington and Stacy Blackwell started the firm 6 years ago; Stacy Blackwell was a legal encyclopedia and her best friend, while Karmen was a ruthless trial lawyer and a ferocious advocate for women's rights and policy change. Since the death of Cousin Kenny, she has been working with a heavy heart and truck company blood in her thoughts. Kenny was more than a cousin to Karmen; he was more like a Father. Since moving to California at age 12 Karmens relationship with her own biological Father has been non-existent. Kenny was always there for her and treated her like his own daughter, which was strange since his own daughter Shalitha was Karmens arch enemy and rival. The family worked hard to keep them away from each other and yet Kenny always made a lot of time for Karmen in spite of the family wide effort to keep the 2 crazy young teenagers apart. Unfortunately they were not always successful, but overall the contact between the two of them was kept to a minimum, that is until their senior year in High School and the college years afterward. It seemed at that time that the fates of the hateful bitches broke through the family’s efforts at separation and brought the simmering hatred that has always burned in the hearts of these two enemies to an inevitable explosion! As she rode with Stacy Blackwell she gave her a detailed description of the truck accident and the events leading up to it. They agreed getting the case was important and that she should stay in LA the entire time and focus all her energy there and take this bull by the horns. Soon she was in the rental car and pulling out Bay Area Hertz and headed for I-580 south. She would soon be connecting to I-5 south and headed for LA. She expected to arrive later that evening and would stay with her Mother Tanya and Mama Tanisha. In the morning she hoped to see Cousin Latoya and be there for her through the funeral, afterward they can deal with the truck company and file suit. But inevitably her thoughts drifted to another subject, one she had not obsessed over for the last two years……. Shalitha!
Karmen Washington graduated from the University Of California Berkeley School Of Law. After college she remained in Berkeley, California to practice law. Four years ago she knew Shalitha had graduated from Georgetown School of Law and stayed in Washington DC working for the World Bank as a policy attorney in developing nations and international law. For several months she shadowed her and kept up with her career, but when she spent more and more time in poverty stricken east Africa, particularly Tanzania, Ethiopia, Kenya and Sudan, Karmen found herself fascinated with the work Shalitha was doing in Africa wondering about the advocacy mindset that would be needed to work in poverty stricken countries. Eventually she decided to move on and let the past be the past. But now driving back to LA, she knew Shalitha would be coming, if not already there. She also knew Shalitha like her was an attorney and would wish she could get the case. Fortunately for Karmen, Shalitha is not licensed to practice law in the state of California.
“That’s one for me bitch!” Karmen spoke out loud bitterly, feeling the old obsessive hatred returning.
The memories of her and Shalitha began coming back as she moved onto I-5 south and set the cruise to 75. She knew she needed to focus her energies on healing for herself, her Cousin Latoya, the family and then the focus all her energy on the case. But she had unfinished business with that bitch Shalitha and idea of them being together in the same place at the same time was like having two-armed hand grenades ready for the pins to be pulled; the thought of them together in the same place, at the same time would be disastrous, destructive...irresistible!
******************************
“Shalitha, can you come in the living room, me and your Aunt Delesha need to talk to you.”
Shalitha knew what it was about before she came in the living room…… Karmen!
“So what time will the bitch get here?” she asked cutting through all the prelims and pretense.
“Later tonight” Delesha answered. “Dezerai just called after getting off the phone with Tanya.
Karmen left Berkeley about an hour ago; she should be in LA later tonight.”
“Baby….this is your Daddy’s funeral…we don’t need you 2 trying to kill each other at the church.”
“Don’t worry Mom, we won’t kill each other at the church” …..she paused….. “or before the funeral” ……she paused again……. “but afterward!” she dropped it right there.
“Baby when are you two going to let this mess go……both of ya’ll are 32 years old, successful attorneys……don’t you think it’s time to grow past all this?” Latoya was almost pleading.
Shalitha did not answer but turned her head and gazed out the window. Delesha was watching her intently the whole time.
“Wow………..I recognize that look! She doesn’t want to let it go, in fact she’s looking forward to Karmen getting in LA. She can’t wait for the funeral to be over so they can beat the hell out of each other!”
“Is that how it is baby?” Latoya asked.
Shalitha turned and looked at her Mother and Aunt Delesha……she stared at them without saying a word!
“I guess we have our answer” Latoya looked at Delesha and shook her head.
“Yes we do” Delesha answered back.
Shalitha got up and walked over to her Mother and hugged her, she then walked over to Delesha and hugged her.
“Thank you both for trying……but we’re not teenagers anymore and you can’t stop this, when this funeral is over, me and Karmen got unfinished business”……she looked at both of them without blinking, the look in her beautiful fiery eyes was frightening…….“there will be blood!”
She then walked out the living room and headed to her old room and changed into her gym clothes. She walked into the back yard where her father set up a dojo in the garage and she began working out…………..HARD……with one thing on her mind………..KARMEN!
To be continued
Last edited by shak7; January 8th, 2017 at 01:17 PM.
This is a very good story... extremely well written.. I am going to read the rest of it now and comment... I really like what I have read so far!! Thank you Shak
Thanks AngelOriginally Posted by AngelDawn30
I will have part 4-8 posted no later than Friday, while 9-12 will be up next week some time.
Shak
When the next part will come...you make me crazyy maddd....what a writing...my request after funishing this plzzz start a new seriessssss you r awsumly talented
Bookmarks