In Your Arms

“Yvonne, I wasn’t expecting you for a couple of days.” Tyisha said, giving Yvonne a big hug. “Come on in out that heat, girl. It must be ninety-five degrees out there. You’re drenched. What, did you walk here from California?”

“No, girl. Just from the Marta station.”

“Where’s your car?”

“Don’t ask. Did you get that package I sent you?”

“It came yesterday.”

“Good.” Tyisha got the package and handed it to Yvonne.

“What’s in there? You ain’t in no trouble are you, Yvonne?”

“Better if you don’t know. I need one more favor from you, then I gotta go. And I want you to forget about this package and that you ever saw me.”

“Whatever, girl.”

“No, Ty. You never saw this box or me. Now, you promise me, Ty.”

“Okay, okay, I promise. Now what you need?”

“I need some clothes and I could use a shower.”

“No problem.”

Tyisha got Yvonne some clothes and Yvonne disappeared into the bathroom, taking the package with her. She turned on the shower and began to get undressed, then she sat down on the toilet and lit a cigarette.

Yvonne opened the box and removed its contents. The box contained a bag intended for a laptop. She opened the bag and took out a 9-millimeter automatic and laid it down on the vanity. She looked in the bag at the legal-size envelope and the money.

She shook her head and wondered how things could have gone so wrong. Yvonne opened the envelope, took out the papers and stared at them, wishing she knew what it said or what language it was. She returned the papers to the envelope and put it and the gun back in the bag. She finished undressing and got in the shower.

While she was in the shower, she thought about Marcus and Randa. She felt badly for him. And as much as she hated to involve him in all this, she needed an ally and Tyisha wasn’t the one. Marcus wasn’t exactly James Bond, but he was all she had. Now he was the only one she could trust.

Yvonne asked Tyisha to call a cab for her, but she insisted that she could take her anywhere she needed to go. “All right, Ty, take me to the New China Buffet.”

“Are you h

ungry, Yvonne?” Tyisha said on the way to open the door. “I could have made you something to eat.”

“That’s okay, Ty. I’m just meeting someone there.” She hated having to lie to Tyisha; she was her best friend before Yvonne move to LA, and they managed to stay friends, real friends, in spite of the money. Once the word got around that Yvonne was to receive a large sum of money, most of her friends changed. But not Tyisha. She always kept it real, which was exactly why Yvonne wanted her to have no part in this.

When they arrived at the restaurant, they got out and Yvonne said good-bye to Tyisha.

“Thanks for everything, Ty. You take care of yourself, and remember, you never saw me.”

Tyisha hugged her friend.

“Girl, you too much. Why everything with you got to be some big secret?” and returned to her car.

Yvonne stood at the door and watched Tyisha drive away. When she was out of sight, Yvonne came out and started walking down Memorial Drive, heading for the post office. On the way, she made a mental note of the name of an apartment complex she passed and kept walking.

Yvonne was hot and tired when she reached the post office. She went to the counter and asked the clerk for a box big enough to send a laptop and some tape. Yvonne looked around the post office for a secluded spot where she wouldn’t be seen by people or surveillance cameras and proceeded to pack the box. She took the gun out of the bag and taped it to the bottom of the box, then placed the bag with the papers and money on top of it. She sealed the box and then she retrieved Marcus’ card from her purse. Yvonne addressed the box to herself in care of Marcus, and marked it for next day delivery.

With that taken care of, Yvonne went to the pay phone and made arrangements to get a new fake ID and passport. Then she called a cab. She had the cab meet her at the apartment complex and take her back to the Residence Inn. When she arrived she didn’t see Marcus’ car, so she let herself in through the sliding door. She turned on the television, laid down on the couch, and went to sleep.

Yvonne was awakened by a knock at the door. She had started to open the door, but she paused for a minute.

It might be his wife looking for him.