“I think I might have good news for Kee Kee. I just need to know who her father is.”

  Gloria exploded. She stood up so fast that she fell back on the bed. “It’s none of your business who her father is. Why would you even ask me something like that?”

  Dwayne rushed over to the room. “Hold on, Gloria. Alexis is a guest in our home just as you are. Can you give her a minute to talk to you? You just might like what she has to say.”

  Gloria harrumphed but turned back to Alexis. “What you want with Kee Kee?”

  “I believe Kee Kee’s father created the app that my husband’s company was built on. If so, she is in line to collect a lot of money.”

  “What?” Gloria’s interest was piqued. “Who owes my baby some money?”

  “First, can you tell me Kee Kee’s father’s name?”

  “What if I say the wrong name?” Gloria asked defiantly. “I’m not going to tell you his name. Just give us the money that you said is owed to her.”

  “Well, I don’t know it’s owed to her unless I know who her father is.” Alexis didn’t want to offend Gloria. After all, if Kee Kee was Kevin’s child, then her husband had ripped this family off for years. But she couldn’t promise her something that she wasn’t sure belonged to her.

  Kee Kee got up from the bed and stood next to her mother, eyes wide with excitement. “Tell her, Mama.”

  Gloria turned on her daughter. “I’m not giving information to a stranger.” She swung back around to Alexis. “You tell them to give us that money.”

  Marquita got on her knees in the bed and waved her hands. “His name was Kevin Jones. I remember him. He died right after Kee Kee was born.”

  Gloria turned, screaming at Marquita. “You little turncoat.” She lifted her hand and smacked her older daughter.

  Marquita put a hand to her face as she jumped off the bed. “This is why I don’t want you around my son. Leave us alone. Do you hear me? Just stay away from us.”

  Trish ran into the room and held on to Marquita, trying to comfort her. “You don’t mean that.”

  “Yes, I do. She is a hateful woman, and I don’t want anything else to do with her.”

  “Don’t come crawling back when we get this money,” Gloria told her.

  Marquita wasn’t backing down. “Oh, you better believe that if Kee Kee has any money coming to her because of something her father did, I’m going to make sure you don’t get your hands on it and ruin her life like you tried to ruin mine.”

  “We’ll see about that.” Gloria snapped her head back and picked up her purse. “Come on, Mark and Kee Kee. Let’s get out of here.”

  “Wait!” Alexis followed Gloria. “Can I get your contact information so we can arrange a meeting with my husband?”

  “Lady, are you for real about this?” Gloria asked with her hand on the doorknob.

  “I am, but first I need to know if you have anything that can prove Kevin is Kee Kee’s father?”

  Gloria snapped her finger while rolling her neck. “Sure do. Kevin and I did a DNA test on Kee Kee. I’ve got the receipts, lady.” She snapped her fingers. “So you won’t be able to take what belongs to us. No, ma’am.”

  Alexis backed up and lifted her hands in front of her chest. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

  Gloria’s tone softened a bit. “I always told Kee Kee that she got her brains from her dad, and now you’re telling me that he created something that’s going to benefit this family?”

  Alexis nodded. “Kevin was a genius. He died before he could receive any of the fruits of his labor, but my husband wants to make sure Kee Kee gets it.”

  Gloria provided Alexis with her contact information and then left the Robinson house, declaring that she would never return where she wasn’t wanted.

  After Gloria left, Alexis went back to Marquita’s room. Trish was sitting on the edge of the bed, trying to console the young woman who had had her heart broken by her mom.

  Trish rubbed the girl’s back. “I understand what you’re going through, but you can’t talk to your mother like that.”

  Looking at Trish, Marquita said, “How can you understand? I don’t see your mother tracking you down just to yell at you and smacking you in the face for no reason. Why? Because your mother is normal.”

  Sitting down on the opposite side of the bed, Alexis sighed. She didn’t know if she would be able to mend this mother-daughter relationship, but she had to try. “My mother wasn’t normal, Marquita.”

  Marquita turned to face Alexis. She didn’t say anything, but she appeared ready to listen.

  “I tried everything, but nothing was able to get her to that place we call normal, because she had been broken for so long.”

  Wiping tears from her face, Marquita asked, “Did she act like my mother?”

  “At times she was worse than your mother, because my mom suffered from delusions.” Alexis realized now that her mother’s delusions of being a movie star probably helped her cope with the loss of her family. She would never truly know why or how her mother got stuck in such a state. Alexis was just thankful that she was there for the final act of the drama that constantly played in her mother’s head. It helped her understand her mother and have compassion for her like never before.

  “My mother is trying to ruin my life. Sometimes I worry that I’m just like her. Until recently, I couldn’t keep a job, just like her.”

  “You’re not like your mother. You may display some of her behaviors, but that’s only because you’ve been around her illness for so long that it begins to seem normal—like this is how people act and react, but it’s not.”

  Marquita looked confused. “My mother has never said that she has any kind of mental illness. Are you sure? Or is she just an evil and angry woman who wants to terrorize me for the rest of my life?”

  Alexis shook her head and looked at Marquita with sadness. “I’m not a mental health professional, so I can’t diagnosis your mother. What I can help with is getting her evaluated, if she ever decides to do that.”

  “Okay, let’s say she does have some kind of mental illness. Can she be fixed, or will she be like this for the rest of her life?” Marquita looked from Trish to Alexis, seeking an answer.

  Alexis put her hand out like a stop sign. “I’m not definitely saying that your mother is mentally ill. I don’t know that for sure. But if she is, the right medication could help her live a much better life.”

  Trish’s lip twisted as she added, “I say she needs Jesus and a good whooping.”

  Alexis couldn’t help herself. She burst out laughing and then hugged Trish as if she was a long-lost friend. “I needed that. Thank you.”

  “You laughing, but I’m serious. Marquita’s mom needs a serious dip in the water. And when they bring her up, they should have that belt waiting to squash all her foolishness.”

  “Mrs. Trish, you are funny though.” Marquita laughed also.

  Trish looked at Alexis as if she had lost her own mind. “You think the woman who was just in my house acting a fool is going to agree to be evaluated for mental illness? She wouldn’t even give you Kee Kee’s father’s name because she thought you were plotting to take the money away from her.”

  “Mrs. Trish has a point. My mother thinks the whole world is plotting against her. I don’t see her letting some doctor test her for mental illness.”

  Knowing all that Alexis knew about mental illness, and from the way Gloria responded to her today, she had to admit they were right. She took a moment to think about the situation. Her eyes brightened as she looked at Marquita. “I think I know what we can do, but I’m going to need you and your siblings to help.”

  Chapter 33

  Wow, just wow! Marquita still couldn’t believe that her little sister was about to get paid. She had always known Kee Kee was some kind of genius, and now she knew where her brains came from.

  Marquita didn’t want Kee Kee or Mark to get stuck though. She didn’t want them to think that since they had money, they didn’t have to do anything in life but spend, spend, spend. Money comes and goes, but no one can take your education.

  Admittedly, Marquita had allowed fear to consume her thoughts when Jon-Jon registered for college, wondering if he would begin to look down on her like he was better because of his education. But Jon-Jon had the right idea. After talking with Alexis and realizing that she could motivate her siblings if she went to college, Marquita felt a fire had been sparked under her.

  She went down to the community college and applied for financial aid. Then she registered for the fall semester. Kee Kee and Mark were still young, but if she was able to show them that she could get through college with a kid and a part-time job, then they wouldn’t be able to give her any excuses when it was time for them to register for college.

  Marquita rushed home to show Jon-Jon her registration paperwork. “I’m in—well, as long as my financial aid gets approved.”

  Jon-Jon had been rubbing his legs with ointment when she entered his room. He glanced up at the paper. “Oh, Marquita, this is great news! I’m so happy you decided to go.”

  “What you so happy about? ’Cause you are going to be watching Moochie while I’m in class.”

  “And you’re going to be watching him while I’m in class,” Jon-Jon told her. “But the end result is we will both be able to get good paying jobs or build a business from the ground up when we finish with school. That’s going to make a big difference for Moochie.”

  Marquita agreed with him. “I registered so that I could encourage Kee Kee and Mark to go to college when it’s time, but you are right. Moochie is the one who will benefit because we are handling our business while he is still young.”

  “Are you nervous about the meeting with the Marshalls tomorrow?”

  Marquita thought about that for a minute. “I don’t think I’m nervous, but then again, I’m terrified out of my mind that my mother is going to do something to mess this up for Kee Kee.”

  “Your mother wants that money, so she’s not going to do anything off the wall before cashing that check. Believe that.”

  “Jon-Jon, you don’t know my mother. And if I get my way, she won’t be cashing any checks. My mother would relapse, and Mark and Kee Kee would be left with nothing.”

  “I’m glad you’re looking out for them.”

  “I’ve looked out for them since they were born. No reason to stop now.”

  “What’s your major?”

  Her eyes lit up. She was beginning to dream. “I’m doing liberal arts at the community college, but after that I’m going to get a bachelor’s degree in writing.”

  Moochie was laying on Jon-Jon’s bed. He turned to him. “You hear that, son? Your mom is going to be an author, and I’m going to own a business some day.”

  They were talking about the future and dreaming of a day when life would be good for them, and Marquita was ready to lean in to all of it.

  “With the money I just received, we should be able to pay for a babysitter so we can take some classes together.”

  Jon-Jon received his payout last week. They were scheduling an appointment with child support so he could begin making payments. The child support would make it possible for her to get an apartment, so she was thankful. Now he was talking about taking classes together.

  Marquita liked that Jon-Jon wanted to take classes with her, but she wasn’t reading anything into that. She lifted Moochie off of Jon-Jon’s bed. Then she felt eyes on her and glanced over at Jon-Jon to see him looking. It wasn’t a regular look-see either. He was staring at her the way he used to gawk at her last summer, like she meant something to him. But she’d thought that before, and then he went back to school and forgot all about her. She wasn’t going to let him put her in another trick bag, leading her on to pine after somebody who only wanted her because she was available and in close vicinity. “I’ll take Moochie to our room.”

  “Do you want to watch a movie after you lay him down?”

  Don’t look at him. Just keep walking. “Not tonight. I need to clear my head for this meeting with Mrs. Alexis’s husband tomorrow.”

  She felt like locking her door as she leaned against it. She was not going to let Jon-Jon play with her emotions. Marquita walked over to the bed and laid Moochie down. She kissed his forehead and then laid down beside him and whispered, “I’m going to make you proud, Moochie. You just wait. Your mom is going to be something good in this world.”

  She went to sleep dreaming about being a college student and walking through the school halls, holding hands with Jon-Jon. When she woke the next morning, instead of admonishing herself for dreaming, she smiled because in the dream Jon-Jon was on his feet. He was actually walking next to her and holding her hand.

  She got out of bed, got dressed, and left for work like it was a normal day and not the day that her baby sister would become a millionaire. Whether Kee Kee was about to be rich or not, Marquita wasn’t, so she still needed to get to work on time.

  Marquita could barely concentrate at work. She kept watching the clock. As soon as the clock struck 1:00 p.m., she was out of her seat, racing to her car like she was a member of a NASCAR pit crew and had a need for speed.

  The meeting was scheduled for one-thirty, and the office they were meeting at was twenty minutes away in good traffic. Marquita got on the highway and made her way across town as if her life depended on it, but it was more like Kee Kee’s life and her future depended on it. She couldn’t let her mother get her hands on money that was meant for her sister.

  It wasn’t that Marquita thought Gloria didn’t love her children, but she had done things that brought harm to them. Marquita was tired of watching Mark and Kee Kee suffer because of Gloria’s undiagnosed condition. All that would hopefully end today, thanks to the plan that she and Mrs. Alexis devised.

  Marquita parked her car and hurried into the building. They were meeting in suite 201. Marquita didn’t want to wait on the elevator, so she took the stairs two at a time and found the meeting room. As she opened the door, Marquita was stunned to see about six people seated around a conference table. Two of the men had on black suits. The third wore a gray suit. Even the women were prim and properly dressed—one in a pantsuit, the other in a suit jacket and skirt. They were all white.

  Her mom hadn’t arrived yet. Marquita stood by the door, not sure what to do. She was totally out of her element. What was she doing in a room with powerful people like this? She was only nineteen. Could she help her sister, or would she mess things up even worse than her mother?

  She wanted to open the door and run. She couldn’t help Kee Kee. She couldn’t help anyone. One of the black suits stood and came over to her. He extended his hand. “Good afternoon. I’m assuming that you are Marquita. Alexis told me that you would be joining us today.”

  She shook his hand.

  “I’m Michael Marshall, Alexis’s husband. You’re the first to arrive, but you can have a seat with us at the table.”

  Have a seat at the table? She’d heard people who looked like her saying things about Black Lives Matter and how they needed to have a seat at the table. None of it ever really sunk in because Marquita had been so busy trying to survive her everyday life that all the stuff going on in the world didn’t matter to her.

  As she looked at these high-powered men and women who already had a seat at the table, she realized something about them. They all looked like money. Once Kee Kee received the money that her father had earned, she would be able to create her own table. That knowledge gave Marquita all the strength she needed to stay in this room and do what needed to be done to ensure a bright future for Kee Kee and Mark.

  “Yes, I would like to sit down.”

  Michael led the way. He pulled out a seat for her. No sooner than she sat down did the door open and her family walked in.

  Gloria did a dead stop in the middle of the floor when she saw Marquita. “What’s she doing here?”

  “I’m here for Kee Kee, Mama. Please sit down so this meeting can begin.” Marquita prayed that her mom would do the right thing for once and not cause a scene that would get all of them thrown out of there.

  Thanks be to God, Gloria sat down at the head of the table as if she was the queen being seated on her throne. Kee Kee gave her a smile as she sat down across from Marquita. Mark took the seat next to Kee Kee, and he rubbed his hands together, anxious for what would come next.

  Michael began the meeting by introducing the other people at the table. The other man in the black suit’s name was Peter Davis. Their attorney was in the gray suit. His name was Timothy Willey.

  Michael then turned to the women at the table. The woman who sat at the other head of the table was Nora Foster. Then they were introduced to Deidre Delaney and finally to the attorney for the company, Media Matters Inc., which the ladies represented.

  After the introductions, Nora stood. “I am very happy to meet all of you.” Her eyes turned toward Kee Kee. “I went to college with your father. He was a brilliant man, so I’m thrilled that we are able to do something for his child.”

  “Thank you,” Kee Kee said.

  As Nora sat back down, Michael said, “As you know, Kevin created an app that helped Peter and I build our company. We are selling the company to Media Matters Inc., and they are requiring us to disclose the amount of the sale.”

  Marquita’s breathing intensified. She thought she was about to have a panic attack. She thought that Kee Kee would at least get a million from Michael’s company, but as Michael continued, her wildest dreams couldn’t have imagined what he was about to say.

  Gloria leaned forward, her eyes wide with curiosity.

  “We are selling to Media Matters Inc. for two hundred million dollars. We will also be listing Kevin Jones as the rightful designer of our Go-Bo app.”

  Gloria got impatient. “How much will you be paying us?”

  The attorney took the contract out and sat it on the table. “We are prepared to offer Kee Kee twenty million dollars.”