Page 44 of When You Dance
“I did, but I can’t make it out Saturday. Sandrene and I have plans already.”
“Sandrene? Is that the same young lady you talked to me about?”
I got a little nervous, hoping she didn’t say anything that could offend Sandrene. I chose to put a stop to it before it could happen. “Yes, ma’am. She’s in the car with me.”
“Oh! Hello, Sandrene. It’s nice to make your acquaintance. I’m Anissa.”
“Hello! Likewise, Mrs. Anissa.”
“Okay, son. I’ll let you go. I’ll also call Yolanda and let her know you have plans already. Are you coming with Jamel on Sunday, Sandrene?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
My mama squealed in excitement. “I can’t wait to meet you!”
“I can’t wait to meet you either!” Sandrene said just as excitedly.
“A’ight, Ma. Talk to you later. Tell Pop I said hello.”
“I will, baby. I love you.”
“Love you too.”
I ended the call and glanced at Sandrene to see the smile on her face. Anissa Berotte had a way of bringing a smile out of anybody. I grabbed Sandrene’s hand again and followed behind Amiko to the lunch spot, although I was already thinking about dessert.
CHAPTER18
SANDRENE
Our lunch with Amiko and her husband, Smoke, was cool. We talked nonstop about the dance studio and about how she could probably use my help with a beginner’s ballet class from time to time. That statement alone had me in a better mood. Jamel and his past bitches were gonna have me on guard constantly. This Yolanda woman was dangerous. I didn’t want to be the one to pull the cover off their affair, but if she didn’t watch herself, I would blow up her spot without a second thought. I never knew how I would behave in a relationship, because I had never been in one. I now knew that I was possessive and would turn crazy behind my man.
We came back to Jamel’s place and took a shower then a nap. I was in desperate need of both. Jamel didn’t sleep as long as I did, because he had to go back to work tomorrow. He said if he slept too long, he wouldn’t want to sleep tonight. We’d gone back to the club to get my car before coming here so I would have transportation to the dance studio. He was already tripping that he wouldn’t be able to spend as much time with me. That time would fly by for me, though, because talking about dance and actually dancing were my happy places.
Jamel played basketball sometimes, so he understood how I felt about dance. He said he often played to relieve stress. I did the same with dance. Even when I was completely happy, I danced. Seeing the excitement on Amiko’s face only made me more excited. She had me in there twirling and going on point. She was so happy to have me there, and I was beyond happy to be there.
Since Jamel wasn’t in the bedroom with me, I began getting out what I would wear for my performance tonight. He wanted to see me groove to “WAP”, and I was going to give him all he could handle. Before I could even begin to moisturize my skin and put on light makeup, my phone rang. When I saw the caller ID read Harris County, I quickly answered, knowing it was the detective. “Hello?”
“Hello! Ms. Jallow?”
“Yes.”
“This is Officer Ross. I wanted to call and check on you, plus update you.”
“I’m good. I was waiting to hear from you or the detective.”
“Yes, ma’am. The judge chose to remand Jeremiah Jallow because of his criminal history. He’s a registered sex offender and has been for the past year or so. He’s accepting a plea deal, so there will be no court date. He also provided evidence of Dalonna Babbs’s involvement. There is also another development in this case.”
I remained quiet, waiting to see what she would say. My nerves were on edge, and I couldn’t contain the chill that went up my spine. Jamel entered the room with a smile on his face until he saw my facial expression. He came and sat next to me as a slight frown formed on his face.
“The owner, Tammy Persaut, known as Tip, had some involvement as well. She’s how Dalonna knew who you were according to Jeremiah. Jeremiah wasn’t clued in on your identity because he’d always wanted to get to know you and establish a relationship with the big sister he never met. Sorry if it sounds like I’m reading. I am. I’m reading his statement.”
“Why did Tip want to hurt me? I was her premier dancer. She was always so nice to me.”
“Tip is their mother. Your father apparently left more money to you than you thought. You were supposed to get it at twenty-five. The contingent beneficiaries are Tip and her six children that she had with your father. If Jeremiah would have killed you, they would have been awarded the five hundred grand. That’s way more than what they received. You were your father’s pride and joy, and she couldn’t stand it.”
I closed my eyes as anger filled my entire being. I wanted to go dig my father’s body up and kill him all over again for creating this mess. “How much time did Jeremiah get?”
“Ten years. The sentence was for seven years, but he still had three years left on a previous stint that he was on probation for. He wasn’t even supposed to be working at the club. After checking with his probation officer, I saw his check stubs weren’t from the club. They were from a restaurant that Tip also owns.”
