Chapter 5 - What She Promised
Malik showed Yvette the photograph before he showed Tanya.
Yvette zoomed in.
The reflection was imperfect but obvious.
Raymond stood near the dresser.
“Send this to yourself by email,” she said. “Don’t lose the original message.”
“You think he sent it?”
“Why would Raymond anonymously send you a picture proving he was in your room?”
“Then who did?”
Yvette studied the number.
“Could be someone Raymond sent the photo to.”
Malik looked at the words again.
Ask your mother what she promised.
He called Tanya.
She answered on the first ring.
“Malik?”
“I got a picture.”
“What picture?”
“My savings jar.”
Silence.
“Raymond is standing behind it.”
“What?”
“I’m sending it.”
He did.
For nearly thirty seconds, Tanya said nothing.
Then, quietly, “Where did you get this?”
“Unknown number.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know.”
“What does it say?”
Malik repeated the message.
Another silence.
“Mom. What did you promise?”
“Nothing.”
“That doesn’t sound like nothing.”
“I don’t know what they mean.”
“Who is they?”
“I said I don’t know.”
Yvette held out her hand.
Malik put the phone on speaker.
“Tanya,” Yvette said. “Did Raymond know about Malik’s savings?”
“You knew about it.”
“I knew Malik was saving. I didn’t know where he kept cash.”
Tanya breathed shakily.
“Raymond saw the jar before.”
“How?”
“He was fixing the closet door.”
Malik stared at the phone.
“He’s been in my room?”
“Once.”
“With a key?”
“I opened it.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because it wasn’t important.”
“It’s important now.”
Tanya’s voice broke slightly.
“Malik, I’ll replace the two hundred if that’s what this is about.”
He went still.
“No.”
“What?”
“You don’t replace money you say you didn’t take.”
“I’m trying to make this stop.”
“That’s what you keep doing.”
His anger rose.
“You don’t solve the thing. You pay something, hide something, make somebody shut up.”
“That is not fair.”
“Neither is charging me so Raymond can drive a car he can’t afford.”
He ended the call.
Yvette did not immediately defend him.
“You shouldn’t have hung up.”
“I know.”
“But I understand why you did.”
Malik stared at the picture.
“Who sent this?”
An answer arrived that afternoon.
The unknown number texted again.
I’m not trying to get involved. Raymond owes me money. That picture was sent to me when he said he could repay me “after Tanya handles Malik.”
Malik felt cold.
He typed.
Who are you?
The response:
DeShawn. We worked together. Ask Raymond about the $1,200 he borrowed.
Another screenshot appeared.
A text conversation.
Raymond: I’m good next week. Tanya got rent coming in.
DeShawn: Your rent?
Raymond: House money. Same thing.
Malik read it twice.
Yvette’s face hardened.
“How did DeShawn get your number?”
“Probably Raymond’s phone.”
“Or social media.”
Malik typed again.
Why send me this now?
The answer came quickly.
Because he told me you were spoiled and refusing to help your mom. Then I saw the jar picture and realized whose money he meant.
Malik sat down.
The humiliation was almost worse than the loss.
Raymond had not only used the money.
He had told other people Malik was selfish for questioning it.
Yvette printed the screenshots.
“You don’t need to decide what to do with these today.”
“I know what I’m doing.”
“What?”
“I’m going home.”
“To fight?”
“To ask questions.”
“That can become the same thing.”
Malik looked at her.
“I want Mom there. I want Raymond there. And I want him to lie while I’m holding the truth.”
That night, Tanya was at the kitchen table when Malik arrived.
The changed lock forced him to ring the bell.
That alone added fuel.
Raymond was on the couch.
Malik walked into the living room and held out his phone.
“Who’s DeShawn?”
Raymond’s face changed for less than a second.
Then recovered.
“Guy I know.”
“You owe him twelve hundred?”
“That your business?”
“It became my business when you told him my rent would repay him.”
Tanya looked at Raymond.
“What?”
Malik showed her the screenshots.
Raymond stood.
“Anybody can fake messages.”
Malik displayed the photograph.
“This fake too?”
Raymond’s jaw tightened.
Tanya stared at the picture of her bedroom hallway reflected behind him.
“You took a picture of Malik’s money?”
“I was joking with DeShawn.”
“What kind of joke is that?”
Raymond spread his hands.
“The kid had a jar full of cash. I said everybody in this house had money except me.”
Malik stared.
“That’s funny to you?”
“I didn’t take anything.”
“Did you take two hundred?”
“No.”
“Did you borrow it?”
“No.”
“Did Mom give it to you?”
Tanya stood sharply.
“No.”
Raymond looked at her.
Malik noticed the glance.
There.
Quick.
Meaningful.
Tanya noticed him noticing.
Her voice grew quieter.
“Raymond.”
“What?”
“What does ‘after Tanya handles Malik’ mean?”
Raymond rubbed his face.
“Nothing.”
“Answer me.”
“I thought you were increasing his rent.”
Malik turned toward his mother.
Everything stopped.
“Increasing it?”
Tanya’s face collapsed.
“Malik—”
“How much?”
Nobody answered.
“How much were you going to charge me?”
Tanya whispered, “Five hundred.”
The room seemed to tilt.
Malik laughed softly.
Not because anything was funny.
“You were going to take another hundred dollars a month.”
“It wasn’t decided.”
“Why?”
Tanya looked toward Raymond.
Raymond looked away.
And Malik understood before she said it.
“The home-equity loan,” Tanya whispered.
Yvette, standing behind Malik, went completely still.
“What home-equity loan?”
Tanya closed her eyes.
Raymond swore under his breath.
Malik stared at his mother.
“What did you promise him?”
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Tanya opened her eyes.
“Thirty-eight thousand dollars.”
