The Tyler Perry Chronicles

"OVERHEARD" Part 17

Author: CBW1986

DISCLAIMER: Story material is not based on actual events and all content (with the exception of character names) is completely fictional, as a result of creative story telling for recreational purposes only. All story material is copyrighted and all rights are reserved to the original creator.

Eli walked in the dark through Briana's home to the comfortable and modern sunken living room. He sat on one of the carpeted steps as he listened to the "I'm a Diva" call back ringtone by Beyonce', on Ashley's phone.

ASHLEY: (answered sleepily) "Hello?"
ELI: "Hey."
ASHLEY: "Hey."
ELI: "How'd the doctor's appointment go?
ASHLEY: "Okay."
ELI: "Just okay?"
ASHLEY: "The doctor said I needed to gain some more weight to better support the baby."
ELI: "Oh, yeah?"
ASHLEY: "Yeah. He said, going into my last trimester, it's important to be as strong and as healthy as I can be for the baby."
ELI: "Well, make sure you do what the doctor says. We want everything to be okay."
ASHLEY: "We?"
ELI: "Yes, we. I told you I would take care of you and the baby."
ASHLEY: "You're not even here! You haven't even been here my entire pregnancy..."
ELI: "Because, Ashley...I'm on the road, and I..."
ASHLEY: "I'm sick of that excuse!
ELI: "It's not an excuse."
ASHLEY: "Yes, it is. Why aren't you here now? You could be here if you wanted to, you be everywhere else, when you want to."
(Eli just held his words to prevent further argument, and remained quiet)
ASHLEY: "You still don't think this baby's yours, do you?"
ELI: "Why would I be offering to take care of you and the baby, if I didn't think it was mine? Why would I be paying your doctor bills? Giving you money every week? Why would I beg you not to get an abortion, if I didn't think..." ASHLEY: "It would have been easier."
ELI: "What?"
ASHLEY: "I shoulda listened to my mom when she told me not to keep it."
(Eli closed his eyes to calm himself down a bit. If he heard of one more woman getting an abortion, he would go crazy)
ASHLEY: "I gotta go. School's in the morning."
ELI: (sighs heavy) "Alright. Goodnight."
ASHLEY: "Night."
(And with that, Eli and Ashley's phone call ended.)

Eli encountered Ashley about eight months ago when he played at a charity concert event in L.A., a side gig he agreed to do with a few of his old band mates. The venue was very lively and there were plenty of women and drinks to go around. His band mates had been teasing him all night long, saying that there was no way he was seeing any groupie action, playing in a band for a Christian artist. Eli's reply was, "You'd be surprised." And it was true. No matter what type of band he played in, he was still a musician, and women went wild over musicians.

Eli had been in the music business since he was eighteen years old, right out of highschool, and had fallen short to temptation only a few times. Not very often would he take a woman up on her obvious offer to sleep with him, but that night, after the band's set, Eli took full advantage of the free alcohol served to the VIP, and lived it up out in Hollywood, unwinding from the thirty-five major city tour Briana had just completed, and coping with the lack of attention she had given him during it.

At the end of the night, he and his band mates found themselves in the back of the limo, en route to the hotel, surrounded by about six women. One woman in particular, was all over Eli, kissing and heavy petting him. As they pulled up to the hotel, everyone stumbled out of the limo and the band members dispersed to their individual hotel rooms, neither memeber alone in company.

All Eli could remember from that night was waking up naked in the bed with a pounding headache, the remnant of a hangover no doubt, and about five hundred dollars short in his wallet.

About two months later he received a phone call from a young girl claiming she was pregnant. He was about to hang up on her, thinking it was a sick, twisted, cruel prank call, but then she started crying as she recalled everything that happened that night in detail. She told him her name was Ashley, she was just a junior in highschool, and she was scared. She didn't know what to do, so she planned to have an abortion. Eli had half a mind to tell her to go ahead, so that she would be out of his life, but he panicked, realizing that he had slept with an under-aged girl and wondered if she had told anyone. He wanted to be safe rather than sorry, so he talked her out of getting an abortion, and arranged a meeting with her, setting up a doctor's appointment to find out if she was really telling the truth, and sure enough...she was.

Since then, Eli had told her that he would take care of things, and sends her close to one thousand dollars every couple of weeks to keep her and her mother quiet about what would be seen in court as statuatory rape.

Eli made yet another phone call once he got off the phone with Ashley:

EDDIE: (answers groggily) "Hello?"
ELI: "Hey, man. Sorry to wake you."
EDDIE: "It's okay. You alright?"
ELI: (takes a deep breath) "No, not really."
EDDIE: "What happened?"

Eddie was Eli's older brother and best friend. Growing up they looked out for each other, took the blame for one another on occasion, bailed each other out of tough situations, and relied heavily on each other for a listening ear and sound advice. Thirty-five years later, it was still the same. They told each other everything and was always there when the other needed something. Eli considered himself blessed to have such a great relationship with his brother. The only thing that separated them was a mere three minutes.

ELI: "I just got off he phone with Ashley."
EDDIE: "Ah, man. What the hell was she talking about, now?"
ELI: "No, I just called to see how her appointment went today."
EDDIE: "And...?"
ELI: "She said it went okay. And then she started talking about more of the same. Asking why I'm not there. Saying how she shoulda had an abortion. Telling me what her mom said. Just a bunch of shit."
EDDIE: "Damn. Why you even still dealing with her?"
ELI: "What do you mean 'Why am I still dealing with her'? She's carrying my child..."
EDDIE: "Man, you don't know that!"
ELI: "I know, and I plan to have a DNA test done as soon as she has it, but until then, I'm dealing with her."
EDDIE: "Yeah, man, you better get a DNA test, because I'm not claiming a fake neice or nephew. What else?"
ELI: "Well, me and Briana had a "talk".
EDDIE: "Oh, yeah? Did she open up?"
ELI: "Uh, yeah...she definitely...um. I found out she had an abortion a while back..."
EDDIE: "What is it with these women and abortions?! Man, don't even get me started again! I kicked Adriana's ass out and told her to come back when she could give me a better explaination, rather than that half-ass sob story she gave me. I can't even believe she tried me like that, and thought that shit was gon' fly. But anyway...back to you."
(Eli chuckled and shook his head in amusement of his brother)
ELI: "I mean, I was glad she was finally letting me in, but then I asked her about the guy. About the father of the baby, and she shut down again. She got all defensive."
EDDIE: "I told you about asking questions that you don't really want to know the answers to. What did she say?"
ELI: "I mean, she told me she wasn't still dealing with him or whtever, but I still feel like she's holding back. Like she's not telling me everything."
EDDIE: "Eli! You're holding back. You're not telling her everything! Did you forget or something? The day you tell Briana about Ashley and your maybe baby, is the day you can start asking her those type of questions.

Eli fell silent. Their devout Christian mother had taught them, in addition to every verse in the Bible, to love God, love others, accept responsibility, and to be honest. Sometimes Eddie took being honest to the extreme. He could be both beautifully and brutally honest at times, giving people the wake up calls they most desperately need.

EDDIE: "Briana is a good woman. Beautiful. Talented. And I know you're trying to get serious with her, but just give her time. Meanwhile, you need take care of you're business."
ELI: (exhales deeply) "Yeah. I will. (pauses) "Thanks, man."
EDDIE: "Not a problem. You take care of yourself."
ELI: "Alright. You too."

Eli ended the phone call to his brother and layed down on the couch in reflection. He now felt bad for pushing the issue with Briana when he obviously has one major one of his own. Eli closed his eyes and prayed for favor and mercy during his situation with Ashley. He also prayed for more patience and love when dealing with Briana. Lastly, Eli thanked God for his brother, and soon drifted off to sleep...

To Be Continued…