Chapter 15: Time Will Tell

They had been walking around for hours and they had yet to find her.

“Where Cee Cee?” Tatiyana asked for the umpteenth time.

Justin had tried to keep the toddler calmed as best as he could, but every hour she would ask about her sister’s whereabouts.

“We’re still looking for her half-pint.”

This was the second time Celeste had left without warning because she was too sensitive and too damn stubborn for her own good. No man would be able to put up with her antics and he did not know how he survived this long. The first time was his fault because his comment was very insensitive, but what happened today, he would not take the blame for.

“This is all Kyle’s fault.” Justin grumbled under his breath.

“Justin. You really think she’s okay?” Ms. Lou whispered for Justin’s ears only.

“Yeah-yeah. I’m sure she’s fine.” Well he hoped so, otherwise he would have his hands full with Tatiyana.

“She ran out of that door so fast Justin, and she was crying so hard. She did not even look at me, just kept on running.” Ms. Lou was cringing at the whole ordeal. She asked Justin what happened between him and Celeste two times already, but he always changed the subject. She remembered Justin saying that Celeste wasn’t his family, but he never said that she wasn’t his girlfriend. So she figured it was probably a lover’s quarrel that had something to do with what happened this morning.

Justin sat down on a nearby bench. “This is not working. How about we just split up and in two hours meet back at my place. Kyle should be there.” He started giving out orders.

“Big Tony? You remember what she looks like right?”

“Yeah, how could I forget her?” He chuckled but paused when Justin shot him a threatening look.

“Okay…Ms. Lou you can go with Joe and I’ll take Tati and Nick with me. Remember meet back in two hours at my place.”

~*~*~*~

“Yo’ we got thirty minutes before we meet back at your place maybe somebody already found her.” Nick said as he adjusted Tatiyana on his back. He and Justin had been alternating every fifteen minutes on who would hold the toddler.

“Well we will just wait thirty more minutes then.” Celeste could be anywhere by now and it wasn’t like she knew the area or anything.

“Why are we looking for this chick anyway? Did she drop this kid off on you and try to disappear?”

“What the hell are you talking about Nick?” Justin was barely paying any attention to him.

“I’m just stating the facts okay. To me it looks like she just dropped the kid off on you never telling you she was pregnant then expects you to do something about it. But then you told her that you know the kid is not yours cause she looks nothing like you, even though you’re mother thinks the kid looks like you- wait what was I talking about?”  Nick was talking about his own life not Justin’s.

Justin did not know why he asked Nick to come along, but now he regretted his decision. “Half-pint is not my kid. She’s Celeste’s little sister.”

“So you banging half-pint’s sister then?” Nick grinned.

“No you ass. She just lives with me. She and her sister live with me.” Justin explained.

“Wait she lives with you and you not hitting that? Is she paying rent?”

 He rolled his eyes. “No I do that.”

“Does she cook, clean, do laundry?”

“No, no, and no. Well she cooks sometime, neither of us do laundry and she just walks around in my clothes all the time.” Why was Nick asking him all these questions?

“So how is she earning her keep? If a honey with a hot body like that was living with me I’d definitely be hitting that on a regular basis.” Nick chuckled.

“Shut the hell up! You are messing with my concentration.” Justin was trying to stop himself from not ringing Nick’s neck. If another person said something about Celeste having a nice body he was going to punch them.

“I’m just saying…this is not like the Justin I know. You’ll lay any pretty thing in a skirt. Don’t tell me you never thought of laying her.”

Well he didn’t think about it, but he would not mind doing so- wait what was he saying. Celeste was definitely not that kind of girl. “No I never thought about it. And when you meet Celeste you’ll know why.”

“I don’t see what would not make a man want to not lay down with her. I’ll take her sweet self any day.”

“No you will not.” And that was a threat. Justin grabbed Tatiyana from Nick’s arms. It was now his fifteen minutes to hold her.

“Are you pursuing her then? You never had a woman for longer than the time needed just to get a good lay.” Nick was testing Justin’s patience and he was glad he only had fifteen minutes left with him.

“Yeah I’m pursuing her.” Justin lied just to get Nick off his back.

“But you just acted like you would never hit that in a million years.”

“I said I wasn’t right now.

I never said never.” Justin stopped before he put his foot in his mouth because he knew Nick would go and tell all the other guys.

“Okay man.”

~*~*~*~

Celeste stopped at the bus stop and took a seat on the bench. She had long ago stopped crying, but she was still very upset with Justin. In fact she was cringing at the possibility of having to see him again.

She did not think she would be able to stand seeing him without bursting out in tears or worse; attacking him. She would not have to worry about Tatiyana this time cause she knew she was safe with Justin even though he did not know anything about kids. Celeste would just worry about herself for now. It had been a long time since she had just thought about herself and no one else. Not her mother, father, sister and not even Justin.

But it was hard to keep her mind from fading toward Justin because he was the source of her ongoing frustration.

Justin was a fool. He always knew what buttons to push to upset her to the point where she was left crying.

It was time for her to go now, go back to the place that she had called home for a while now. But where was she?

“Did I make a wrong turn?” She could have when she was running; it had been impossible to see where she had gone with cloudy vision.

“Oh great. I don’t know where the hell I am!” Celeste huffed loudly catching the attention of onlookers.

“Hey girl what you doing out here by yourself.” A dark haired girl with a cinnamon complexion walked up to her.

“Do I know you?”

“No. I don’t think so. Haven’t seen you around here before. And I usually don’t forget faces.” The woman pushed her hair behind her ear. 

“Oh.” Celeste had no idea why this woman had taken an interest in talking to her.

“Why are you crying? Is it a man?” The woman took a seat on the bench next to Celeste.

Celeste didn’t really feel like talking but the woman was very persistent so Celeste had no choice, but to give in.

“Yeah.”

“What’s his name?”

“Justin.” Even the mention of his name had her boiling with anger all over again.

“Oh my god Timberwolve.” The woman held her hand over her mouth.  

Did everyone know him by that name? “Yeah I think that’s what I heard some people call him.” Celeste shrugged her shoulders. Maybe if she acted uninterested in the conversation the lady would leave her alone.

"You crying over him? What he do?” She looked very interested.

Celeste hesitated she did not know if she should tell this woman. She didn’t even know who she was. But she needed someone to talk to and if that person was a stranger that happened to know Justin then so be it.

“Where do I start? Um…well my three-year old-“

“You have a three-year old daughter with Justin!” The woman was outraged.

“No. I have a three-year old sister and the two of us live with Justin. We’ve been living with him for I don’t know a little over a month now and he-” The woman had interrupted her again.

“Oh did he try to get you to sleep with him?”

Wow this woman is straight to the point. “No well he…he did force a kiss on me, but it was because he wanted some woman to stop chasing him and-”

“Brenda. Yeah she’s a whore. She only follows Justin when he wins a fight to get his money. Is that all? And that’s why you’re crying like this.”

That was the same explanation Justin had given, only that he left out the part about fighting.

“No well actually he had insulted me a few times because I’ve- I’ve…never really been kissed before. You know like a real kiss.” She took a deep breath. “And then this morning I woke up to find…” Celeste didn’t realize how hard this was to repeat and the expression on the woman’s face wasn't helping at all.

“…his hands groping my…“ Celeste paused.

“His hands were on ya ass huh?”

“Yeah.” Celeste mumbled.

“Well Justin is an ass man so I hear. If a woman didn’t have somewhat of a nice rear then he would not give them the time of day.” The woman smiled.

What did that have to do with her? If Justin was an “ass” man then why did she wake up to find his hands on her? He already told her that she didn’t have a nice body. Was he checking to see if she had a nice body?

“Kyle told me I had a nice body and when I told Justin he said that Kyle was lying.” Celeste wiped away a cascading tear.

The woman stared at Celeste somberly. She knew there was no way that Justin was the only reason why Celeste was crying. There had to be another reason.

“Okay let me get this straight. You and your little sister have been living with Justin for a little over a month and he hasn’t tried to sleep with you yet…” She continued when Celeste nodded. “But he forced a kiss on you and insults you because you are a first-time kisser. Then you wake up to find him with his hands all over your behind. You tell him what Kyle said and he says Kyle’s lying. Correct?”

“Yeah…it sounds right.” The whole entire story sounded like a big blur to her.

“Is it right for me to assume that you are a virgin as well?”

Celeste did not want the woman to laugh in her face so she stayed silent.

“I guess that is a yes. Well the only explanation I can come up with is that Justin was checking to see if you had a nice body, found out you did and now since Kyle thinks you have a nice body Justin’s angry, but he won’t pursue you because you’re a virgin and a first-time kisser and he’s not used to dealing with a woman who are not experienced and he doesn’t want to feel like a punk for not making a pass at a woman with a nice body so he denies it. By the way my name is Bridget.” Bridget finished off the explanation fluidly.

Celeste stared at Bridget wide-eyed. It took the woman less than five minutes to come up with that explanation while it took Celeste a month to figure out the little she knew about Justin.

“How old are you?”

“Nineteen.”

“Okay good you’re legal.”

“I see why you are upset because you’ve never been in a situation like this before and you don’t know how to handle it. Furthermore you are insecure sweetie.” Bridget sounded like a therapist.

Celeste did not see how she was insecure but maybe this Bridget had a point.

“Hey there you are we’ve been looking for you for ever. He’s not very happy.” Big Tony sighed it was six minutes left before they had to meet at Justin’s apartment.

Celeste turned around shocked. “No.” She couldn’t believe Frank had finally found her.

“I’m never going back!” Celeste got up and started running.

“Wait! I’m too fat too chase after you girl. Where is she going?” Big Tony looked at Bridget.

“Justin sent you to look for her huh?”

“Yeah he got everybody looking for her.” Big Tony now had four minutes.

“I don’t think she knows that Justin has you looking for her.”

“That’s a’ight I got Slim around the block he’ll catch her.” Justin told him to expect that Celeste would start running. But damn that girl had legs like a track star.

They heard Celeste’s scream. Big Tony smiled. “I told ya.”