Lies of a Real Housewife (13 page)

tongue, and hands.

I glanced at Shaheed. He was sitting directly across from me and

looked like a little kid in a candy store. Wait, a candy store would be an understatement. Let’s say, Willy Wonka’s factory. He was wearing this huge grin, stretching from ear to ear on his face. Then out of nowhere, Shaheed said, “Aye! So you mean to t
ell me that you’re the one who taught her that? Well, let me be the first to thank you! Really!” Then he continued shouting,

“Certified head-doctor.” This was now Phaedra’s official street name. Didn’t

I tell you from the beginning that ol’ girl was a freak?

In August 2003, I found out I was pregnant again. This time Phaedra

had nothing to say. I guess she just figured I was going to be pregnant every year anyway. I believe that as long as she got paid her money, she didn’t really care one way or another. It was business as usual. Everything was moving right according to the plan, until a few months later. Sheree was held and questioned at the Department of Motor Vehicles Title office in Hapeville, GA.

Peter McFarland, an auto-theft detective, happened to be on duty

that particular day when Sheree followed her usual routine. At this point, we were being watched and investigated for months without our knowledge. Detective McFarland was waiting on either of us to walk through the door of the Hapeville office. When Sheree arrived, she was questioned, and detained. Eventually she was released. Sheree called me as soon as she could.

Sheree claimed that the authorities had drilled her over and over

again, asking her where she had gotten the titles. She reportedly told them that she met a woman who gave her a power of attorney, and paid her to transfer the titles. Sheree told me that they showed her a video of me, and wanted to know my identity. She acted ignorant, and swore up and down she didn’t know me personally. The whole operation was now in jeopardy. Hell, my freedom was now at risk! I immediately called Phaedra and Everett. We

scheduled an emergency meeting.

An hour later, Shaheed and I arrived at Phaedra’s office. Nobody

seemed to be in panic mode but me. We were so close to the big score! Everything had already been setup
and put in place. The vehicles were clean and ready to go. Phaedra firmly insisted we move forward, and proceed as planned with the operation. It was decided that Everett, my cousin, and me would head for Chattanooga, Tennessee, the very next morning with three of

the luxury vehicles.

That whole evening, nothing sat well with me at all. Sleep came

slowly, and I restlessly stayed awake most of the night. Staring at the ceiling, I had a flurry of thoughts going in my head. I had always believed everything
Phaedra had told me. So far things were so good, and I didn’t have anything bad to say about her. I couldn’t remember a time she had told me anything wrong. If Phaedra told me it would work then it worked!

Chapter Five

“Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

Luke 21:28 (NIV)

I awoke earlier than usual. I prayed just as I always do every

morning, hoping that God would be with me as He always was. Daylight seemed like it came a lot quicker. Maybe it was the fact that I was pregnant and didn’t sleep well. Whatever it was, a sick feeling surged through my gut as I got out of bed. By the time I was getting dressed, my mother was already

up, and she was in the kitchen cooking breakfast.

She had been up most of the night because that was when she liked

to pray. She would pray when it was silent or when my children were asleep. She said, “In th
e dead of the night, was when I can really focus solely on

praying to our Heavenly Father.”

That morning Shaheed came by earlier than usual. Before you knew

it, we were arguing about him not being there with me the previous night. Despite our minor disp
ute, he had brought me my usual morning cravings, oranges and hot chocolate. Being that I was seven months pregnant at the time, Shaheed didn’t allow me to even bend over to strap on my shoes. He knelt down, and fastened my shoes. Shaheed was busy with the task at hand

when in a smooth, calm voice I said, “Shaheed, what if I don’t come back?”

He looked up at me and said, “You’re coming back! Don’t think like

that kiddo! Let’s go handle this business.”

I kissed my babies goodbye. Then I paused before walking out the

door. I stared longingly at my mother, I didn’t imagine that this would be the last time that I would ever see her. Sheree had gotten nabbed and I was worried. But we were above the law, getting caught crossed my mind, but I refused to believe it could happen. Sh** was getting hot, but I wouldn’t let

my fear stop me.

When I left home that beautiful, sunny morning in the middle of March, I didn’t leave with the intentions of never returning. I left out my house in the hunt to put food on the table. Just as the lioness would leave her cubs in search of food, with plans to return, and feed her family, so was my

plan. But sometimes things don’t always go the way we planned. Do they?

Even though I was tired, I knew we were heading down to Chattanooga, TN. My job was to drive one of our luxury vehicles to the dealership. Then hand them my title, my driver’s license, and my proof of registration when I got there. I was to explain to them that I wanted to trade my expensive car for a vehicle that was a little less flashy. In return, they would give me a car of lesser value, and also cut a check for the difference. The amount was usually over twenty thousand dollars. That was the plan. It

seemed easy
enough.

I was driving up Interstate 285 toward 75 N to meet Everett, and my

cousin, my cellphone rang several times. It was my mother calling.

“Forget this one. Please come back,” she pleaded. “Come back for

your children’s sake…”

My mother was begging for me to turn around and come back home. I had to do what I had to do. My mother knew I wouldn’t listen to her. I never

did in the past.

“I’ll be back as soon as this over,” I assured her, hanging up quickly.

She called a couple more times, but after I ignored her calls, she

eventually stopped calling. We were too close for me to throw in the towel. All I had was my word and I had given it. What would Phaedra think if I decided to back out at the last minute? She’d probably never f
orgive me. My name could possibly be slandered. The truth was that the authorities were already looking for me. If I screwed up with her, I’d be assed-out for sure! So

f**k it! I thought driving.

We met up at the rendezvous, and with Everett in lead position we

drove behind each other all the way to Tennessee. I had no idea where we were, how we got there or how to get back to Atlanta. Then Everett pulled into a Waffle House across from the first car dealership. We followed right behind him. He parked hi
s car, and jumped into the truck with me. He handed me a walkie-talkie along with all of my fake documents. I left Everett and my cousin at the Waffle House. I went to the car dealership, scoped out my

surroundings, and went inside to make the transaction
.

After assessing the vehicles on the car lot I finally made a decision

on which vehicle I would purchase as part of the scam. I selected a 1992 Nissan Stanza in return for a 2003 Cadillac Escalade. I even took the car on a test drive. Upon my return, w
hile waiting on the paperwork to be drawn up,

the car salesman asked for the city, and state I was born in.

“What?” I shot back while quizzically looking at him.

This was a question I wasn’t prepared to answer. The good attorney, Phaedra Parks or Everet
t hadn’t prepped me for this question. I just blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

“Detroit, Michigan.” I said, after a few nail-biting seconds.

I had no idea that the first three digits of your social security number

identified the state you
were born in. He wrote down my answer and walked off.  I should have focused more on the way he walked out of the office. I quickly went to the bathroom and hurriedly called Everett. I was asking him

why that question was relevant, and why was it taking s
o long.

Everett claimed that everything was alright. He told me I was doing

fine, and to just go back inside and wait on the paperwork. I did as I was told. But something just didn’t feel right. About ten minutes later, he was on the

walkie-talkie shout
ing, “12, 12, 12…” This was our code for the police.

Glancing around in a frenzied panic, I could immediately feel cold

sweat dripping down my white silk top. My breath was coming hard and

heavy. I felt my head frantically moving side to side then back
and forth like it was on a swivel. Oh my God! I was pregnant, and what was I going to do? I started running around in circles, pacing back and forth, searching for an avenue of escape. All I could think about were my children and how I had to make it back home. Suddenly, I took off running! I ran straight out the back door of the office. Running through the lot, I could see Everett on the ramp already making a run for the highway. I had the walkie-talkie to my mouth

yelling.

“E! Don’t leave me! I can make it! Stop! E!” I screamed into the

walkie-talkie. 

I was pregnant, sprinting behind the truck, and begging him. Everett

never glanced back. The truck just kept on going, and didn’t look as if it was going to stop. Breathing
hard, I kept running for dear life! It was me and my

precious baby. They weren’t catching us, I kept thinking with every step.

The police, however, finally caught up with me. An officer who was

paid to uphold the law, slammed me on the asphalt while kn
eeing me in my

back.

“I’m pregnant! I’m pregnant!” I shouted repeatedly.

The officer didn’t seem like he cared, one way or the other. He was

angry that I had tried to outrun him. It wasn’t until another officer arrived that they realized I was in fact pregnant, and that I was in severe pain. Bruises were all over my body when they transported me to Skyridge Medical Center,

a local hospital.

Tears had not set in yet. I was still trying to figure out how I was

going to get out of this situation. That was when reality and the humiliation of my dire situation began to quickly set in. I knew I was f**ked. Shackled to the hospital bed, I was in tota
l disbelief. I was in a state of shock while

awaiting the arrival of the auto theft detectives. 

I closed my eyes tightly, and saw my whole life flashing in front of

me. This was it, I surmised. How was Phaedra going to work her magic in Tennessee? Did
she even have a license to practice in this state? What about my mother and my children? My mind was traveling a hundred miles an

hour, but there seemed to be no quick resolution. Then abruptly, my thoughts

crashed. My life of crime had come to a screeching halt.

Mentally, I was still searching for an escape hatch. There was a

phone on the side of my bed, and an officer posted outside my door. He was standing there like I was an assassin or serial killer. My handcuffs were loose, and I had already slipped them off. Now I just needed to figure out how to get out of the hospital. When I looked to my left, the window was open, and I could see that I was on the ground level. Perfect opportunity!

Then Shaheed ran across my mind. I called and told him that I
had

been arrested. He was very upset. This wasn’t part of the plan he reminded me. I could tell by his voice that he felt completely powerless. I told him I could break free. The only thing I needed was for someone to be outside the hospital waiting for m
e. Shaheed immediately called E and advised him that it would be in his best interest not to return to Georgia without me. E came back to the hospital. I guess he was wandering through the halls trying to find

me. He knew the last thing he needed was a pr
oblem with Shaheed.

Everett was arrested in the hallway of the hospital. When the auto

theft detectives arrested him, they came straight to my room. Apparently, Everett had been to Tennessee several times before with the same scheme. So the auto detectives already knew who he was, and were patiently awaiting his

return. That’s when I starte
d wondering, where the hell was Phaedra Parks?

Things got a little crazy for me at this point. I just couldn’t, for the

life of me, understand why E would bring us back to a place they had already burned out. I mean if you just robbed a bank last month, and got away. Why in the world would you want to return to the scene of the crime, trying to rob the same bank again? The auto theft detectives began drilling me with