A Sister's Power. Cydney Rax

can’t help but worry. The results of Nate’s autopsy got mentioned on the fucking Internet. Can you believe that shit would make the news?”

      “And so? Worrying won’t solve anything. And crying like a crazy woman is a waste of time too.”

      “But what else can I do?”

      “Try sitting down. All that pacing makes me feel dizzy.”

      “Don’t look.”

      “And all that crying makes you sound weak.”

      “Cover your ears then.”

      “You don’t have to be rude,” Elyse gently told her. “I’m concerned about you. I don’t want you to give yourself a heart attack.”

      Coco sped up even more; her feet slapped the floor hard and furious.

      “Chill out, Coco.”

      “I can’t.” Coco coiled her thick fingers tightly around her neck as if in deep thought. “I have rehearsed this thing over and over in my head. Ever since I found out Nate died, I knew that everyone would somehow twist it around and point their finger at me. And only because I happened to be in my sister’s house the day her husband died. But you were there too, Elyse.”

      “I know that, but—”

      “But what?” Feeling like a caged animal, Coco needed someone to pounce on. She was twenty-nine years old and had made many mistakes in her life, but none as severe as those involving Nathaniel Taylor.

      “I don’t know why you’d bring up my name,” Elyse told her.

      “In my opinion, if the police try and get me to answer more questions about what happened, then you should be on that list of people too—”

      “I don’t think so,” Elyse stubbornly told her. “You know way more about what happened than me. We left the house and went outside to sit in the car. Me and Natalia waited on you to come out of there. We waited a real long time. And because you were there in that house, only you know what happened to him, not me!”

      The fact that twenty-year old Elyse, who was normally calm and composed, was now speaking up for herself with dignity and force, made Coco want to lash out even more.

      In a bout of nervousness, Coco yanked at her thick mass of hair which was in her usual style: a long part that went straight down the middle of her snarled and knotted strands. Her two big Afro puffs were stuffed in ponytail holders. She smelled of hairspray and cocoa butter, and her exotic-looking eyes threatened to fill with tears.

      “Why are so many bad things happening to me?” Coco muttered in a hoarse voice.

      “I dunno,” Elyse replied. “I think I’m the last person who would know why bad things happen.” The past seven years of Elyse’s life had also been troubled. Elyse hated how Nate molested her since she was fourteen, yet she had mixed feelings about his death.

      Coco understood where Elyse was coming from. Yet she felt inconsolable. “I’ve made a few mistakes here and there. We all do. But why do I get sucked into the most miserable shit anyone can ever imagine? Look at me. Four kids. No man. No prospects. I’m struggling to pay these bills all by myself.”

      “Calhoun helps you out with the kids. That counts for something.”

      “Oh really? I see you’re trying to be helpful by giving my baby daddy some credit.”

      “That’s because you act like he does nothing for his kids, and you know that’s a lie.”

      “He may be a good daddy, but he was a fucked up fi-ancé. I swear, I still don’t know why he dumped me at the altar after eight years of being together. I wasn’t the type of woman that he’d live with off and on. That man was in my bed every night.”

      “Every night?” Elyse asked.

      “Okay, he was there just about every night. And one thing I know is that Calhoun promised to marry me. We both went to that courthouse to apply for that marriage certificate. Yet he flaked out on me, then up and married that African bitch.”

      “Samira Humphries is her official name,” Elyse calmly reminded her.

      “She’s that African bitch to me.”

      “Oh, Coco, I know you’re still hurt, but you can’t blame Samira for what happened.”

      “I sure as hell can. As far as I’m concerned, she schemed and plotted to take Calhoun. I have a mind to pay back that African bitch for what she did to me. Stole all my dreams, my whole life, and now look at me.” Coco continued to weave a foot-stomping path throughout the dining room.

      “In fact, I can blame both her and Calhoun. Because if his bitch ass hadn’t done what he did to me that night, before—”

      Coco’s voice fell silent. She glanced warily at Elyse, a young woman who was petite, yet shapely. Elyse was stunning in appearance, and fiery in nature.

      “Wait, what did you say, Coco?”

      “Nothing.”

      “You’re lying. You said Calhoun did something to you that night. What did he do?”

      “N-nothing. I meant to say that Nate did something to me, not Calhoun. That’s what I meant.”

      “Okay, so you’re saying that Nate did do something. And I can believe that. Because of all the abuse I took off of him. I hope he’s rotting in hell.” Elyse gasped as if surprised by her own admission. “Is it wrong to say things like that, Coco? If a man abuses a woman and then he dies, and you feel happy about it, does that make you a bad person?”

      “Good question,” Coco said. She decided to stop focusing on her own hurt and offer to Elyse what she wished she could have.

      “Considering the circumstances, in a way, Nate got what he deserved. He hurt you when he was alive, and I can never be down with that.”

      “You’re right. I can’t ever forget what he did to me.”

      “I’m just happy that you’re safe now, Elyse. You don’t have to go through all that abuse anymore. And it’s okay to feel good about that, even if that sick ass man had to die.”

      Coco pulled Elyse into her arms and hugged her until she herself began to relax.

      “Thanks,” Elyse whispered, grateful for her support.

      “Maybe it is wrong to be happy that someone is dead,” Coco continued, “But there’s no telling what Nate would have done to you if he was still alive.”

      “I know,” Elyse replied. “Sometimes I wish I didn’t know so much. Knowing a lot can get you in trouble.”

      “Ha, you don’t have to worry about the police questioning you. But what I know might get me in trouble.” Coco had to laugh at the absurdity of the entire situation. Because Coco knew that’s how deep, dark, family secrets worked. They had just found out that Elyse, raised to be their sister, was actually Alita’s daughter.

      Alita Washington was her oldest, divorced sister. Second in line was Burgundy Taylor, the entrepreneurial sibling, and the one people turned to when they were in trouble. The next sister was Drucilla, the intelligent, level-headed one who seemed to dodge trouble if she could have her own way. Then there was Coco, the wild and wayward one of the bunch, who often wore her heart on her sleeve and who made impulsive decisions which caused her to unearth great feelings of regret.

      “Coco, you could be right though. I might have to start thinking like you and being ready to give my statement just in case. For all I know, I’m next on the list,” Elyse muttered. “I just want to be left alone. I just want to be with my man and enjoy true love for the first time in my life.”

      Gamba Okore had become Elyse’s knight in shining armor. He was a strong, dedicated, knowledgeable man who had won Elyse’s heart.

      “What