Chapter 32: RAYA - A Street King's Widow

Ispent so much time at this place. I was starting to think this nigga liked me. Slamming my car door, I threw my purse on my shoulder and walked up to Lloyd’s office. He had sent me an email that he wanted to meet with me, and it was urgent. His receptionist buzzed him, and he walked from the back and greeted me. 

“I hope this is about Kyenna releasing my daughter’s money,” I said as we walked to his office.  

He didn’t say anything as we walked in and sat down. Lloyd sat behind his desk and opened a folder. I was starting to hate seeing those, too. The last time I was here, I had to sign a paper to share my fucking daughter with people that hated me.  

“Kyenna has agreed to catch your mortgage up.” 

“What’s the catch with this bitch?” 

“You cannot mention anything about the fight or Royal Flush on any social media or with anybody.” 

I laughed. This was typical Kyenna behavior. Shut me down so it wouldn’t mess with her reputation. Lloyd slid the paper across the desk and placed a pen on top of it. 

“Why do y’all do this? I’m starting to feel like every time I come in this damn office, somebody got a piece of paper for me to sign just to get what I need.”

“Because unfortunately, Raya, your mouth has a way of turning situations into something bigger than they have to be. Kyenna is willing to bring your mortgage payments current, but she’s not willing to pay thousands of dollars for you to turn around and go online telling people she assaulted you because you asked for help with Ryleigh.”

I leaned back in the chair and crossed my arms.

“So basically, she’s buying my silence.”

“No. She’s protecting herself. There’s a difference. You came into Royal Flush causing a disturbance. There are witnesses and cameras showing that. She also put her hands on you, which means if you decide to make an issue out of it, both of you could end up dealing with something neither of you needs to. She wants the situation closed, and frankly, so do I,” Lloyd said.

I looked down at the paper and briefly read a few lines.

“Where is the money coming from?” I asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Is the money coming from my daughter’s trust? And how much is she taking out?”

“None.”

“What the hell do you mean, none?”

“I mean exactly that. Kyenna refuses to touch Ryleigh’s money. She’s paying the entire past-due balance from her personal account.”

Now that shut my ass up. I looked back down at the paper because I didn’t want Lloyd studying my face. I couldn’t believe that bitch paid it herself.

“Why?” I asked.

“Because she loves Ryleigh and she understands that she needs a safe place to live.”

“A safe place,” I scoffed.

I picked the paper up and started thoroughly reading it this time. The amount was right there. Every damn dollar I owed, with late fees included.

“She really paying all of this?”

“She has already authorized the payment. Once you sign the agreement, I’ll send everything to the lender. The money will never touch your account, and it will not come from the trust. Your mortgage will simply be brought current.”

This was the first time I didn’t have anything smart to say. Kyenna had not only beaten my ass but now humbled me by paying my debt.

“And before you start thinking this means you can get behind again and come back asking for another bailout, it doesn’t. The letter makes it very clear that this is a one-time payment. Kyenna wanted that language in there specifically,” Lloyd said, leaning back in his chair.

“I don’t need the slick shit, Lloyd.”

“It’s not slick. Just common sense. You moved into a house that your monthly distribution allotment cannot comfortably support. She is giving you a chance to fix that without Ryleigh losing her home. What you do after this is on you.”

I rolled my eyes even though I knew he was right.

“I’ve been looking for a job,” I told him.

“Good.”

“I’m not about to go work no fast food window or be nobody’s damn cashier either. I’ve been applying for office jobs, receptionist positions, leasing offices, shit like that. Nobody wants to hire me because I don’t have experience.”

“Then you may need to start somewhere that gives you experience.”

“See, this is why I don’t like talking to educated niggas too long. Y’all always got some shit to say that makes sense when I don’t want to hear it.”

Lloyd laughed. “That might be the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

“It wasn’t a compliment.”

I went back to reading the agreement. There wasn’t really anything in it I had a problem with, besides the fact that Kyenna’s name was all over the damn thing. I wasn’t allowed to post about the fight, speak publicly about it, or make any statements connecting payment to her. In return, my mortgage got caught up, and the shit was done. That should’ve been easy. Still, my pride was fighting me.

“I don’t like the feeling of owing her,” I said.

“You don’t owe her anything. She paid to protect Ryleigh’s housing. Kyenna was very clear about that. She doesn’t expect repayment, gratitude, friendship, or anything else from you.”

“Of course she doesn’t.”

“Raya, at some point, you have to stop searching for disrespect in everything Kyenna does. She could have denied the request completely and let the foreclosure process continue. Legally, she had every right to do that because the trust was never intended to cover this situation. Instead, she chose to use her own money, so Ryleigh wouldn’t be affected. You don’t have to like her. She clearly doesn’t like you. But that doesn’t mean every decision she makes has some hidden attack behind it.”

I stared at him. “You always defend her.”

“I defend facts. It just so happened that you and facts don’t always get along.”

“Fuck you, Lloyd.” I picked the pen up and signed my name. “There. Happy?”

“Extremely.”

He pulled the paper back towards him and checked the signature before adding it to the folder.

“So, when will it be paid?”

“I’ll send the funds today. Depending on how quickly the lender posts it, you should see the account current within a few business days.”

“And they’re not going to take the house?” I asked.

“Not if you stay current from here.”

I nodded slowly. That was the part I needed to hear. I had been waking up every morning wondering if somebody was going to knock on my damn door telling me I had to get out. Now I had room to breathe.

“Raya, I’m going to tell you something, and you can take it however you want. The monthly support you receive for Ryleigh is substantial. If you get a job, even something that brings in enough to cover your personal expenses, you can maintain this house. What’s hurting you is trying to make one source of money support both of you at a lifestyle it wasn’t designed for.”

“I know.”

“What?”

“I said, I know. Damn! You ain’t gotta look at me like I just discovered fire.”

“I wasn’t expecting you to admit it.”

“Well, I did. Don’t expect me to keep agreeing with you, though.” I grabbed my purse and stood. “Is that all?”

“That’s all. I’ll email you confirmation once the payment is made.”

I took two steps towards the door before stopping.

“Did Kyenna say anything else?”

“About what?”

“Me.”

“No,” he said, looking at me, confused.

“She didn’t say anything about the fight?”

“All she said was she wasn’t apologizing.”

“Tuh, shit, me either.”

“Raya, all in all. Don’t waste this opportunity.”

“I’m not.”

My entire ride home, I kept thinking about the same thing. Kyenna had paid my damn mortgage out of her own account. I didn’t know how I felt about it. Part of me wanted to be mad because now it felt like she had done something I couldn’t throw back in her face. Another part of me was relieved as hell because I wasn’t about to lose my house. When I pulled into my driveway, Kam was sitting on my porch with Ryleigh beside her, coloring with chalk. That made me check my phone because Ryleigh was supposed to be at school. I saw the missed call from the school and the text from Kam telling me she got Ryleigh.

“I’m sorry I missed that call. Thank you for picking her up for me. She always plays that tummy ache game just to come home and feel just fine.”

“I was close by and didn’t mind grabbing her. What were you doing that you couldn’t pick her up, though?” Kam asked.

“Nothing,” I lied.

“Girl, I know your face. What happened?”

I walked past her and unlocked the door.

“Kyenna’s ass paid my past-due balance on this house.”

“Say what?”

“You heard me right.”

She followed me and Ryleigh inside.

“Out of the trust?”

“Nope! Out of her own money.”

“Well damn.”

“Exactly.”

“That was solid of her. Maybe now you can see she’s not as bad as you think she is.”

I turned around and gave Kam a look. This bitch was supposed to be my friend.

“What? Raya, come on. You spent months saying that woman wanted you and Ryleigh to struggle. She just showed you that was a lie that you made up in your head. You gotta stop making her the villain in every story.”

“She ain’t do it for me. She did it for Ryleigh.”

“You do know she doesn’t have to like you to love that little girl, right? She ain’t trying to take your place. She just cares about her.”

This was a lot to process for me today. Though my shit was caught up, I had to get on my grind and find a job immediately, so I wouldn’t be back in this situation again. I had never had to beg for anything in my life as long as Rah was alive. Having to look Kyenna in the face, knowing she saved my ass, was going to be hard. Especially now that she had beat my ass. The only thing I had on her now was my daughter. Shit, I didn’t even have that because it was about to be her weekend to get her.