Page 110 of Grown

Y’all talking about some imaginary sex dungeon that no one has ever seen.

So the girls word are not enough? Why don’t people EVER believe women?

Why didn’t she just leave?

She was being brainwashed.

Brainwashed? That’s bullshit.

You never heard of a cult? Were you born yesterday?

FAKE NEWS!

Yo, Malcolm X said it best. “The most disrespected person in America is the Black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the Black woman. The most neglected person in America is the Black woman.”

Chapter 76

The Other Woman

Korey’s wife... isn’t what you’d expect.

She’s a short, bite-size, petite woman. So short, they have to adjust the mic at the podium during the televised press conference. She’s fair skinned with bright hazel eyes, dressed in black pants and a modest knit sweater. None of this really surprises me. It’s her auburn pixie cut that gives me pause.

I think of Melissa and the way she made my scalp itch. The way she stuck to my sticky lip gloss whenever I turned my head. The way I glued her to my forehead, used a toothbrush to lay down her edges with gel. One hair out of place would enrage Korey.

Korey liked women with long hair. This woman couldn’tpossibly be his wife.

But, through tears, she steps to the mic with the help of Tony, reading off a printed piece of paper.

“I typically wouldn’t address the press. I always let my husband take all the shine. But he’s gone. Someone took him from us in a senseless, cruel act of violence.”

She looks directly at me through the TV, speaking like a Broadway actress, voice projecting... just like Korey taught me. My spine stiffens, and I glance across the living room.

“Did you know he was married?”

Louie stares at the TV, frowning. “Nah. Apparently, no one knew. Just people in his close circle. I’ve never seen her before in my life. Yo, should you be watching this?”

I nod. I needed to see her. I needed to see the other woman.

Cameras click, sounding like a forest of bugs. There’s a dramatic pause as she tilts her chin up, blinking back tears.

“Korey was a loving, devoted, faithful husband. A brilliant songwriter and singer. A living legend and philanthropist. These... disgusting allegations against him are inexcusable, especially when he is unable to defend himself. There are people trying to sully his good name when all he ever did was love his fans voraciously.”

“What allegations?” I ask Louie. “What is she talking about?”

“Some women are coming forward, claiming they were abused by Korey.” Louie looks at me. “I say that to say, you weren’t alone.”

This doesn’t make me feel better. Only angrier.

“We look forward to when justice will finally be served, and the real monster will be behind bars for good.”

She thinks I’m a monster yet knows Korey. Intimately. We lived in that house for months, touring for weeks. I never saw her, not even once. How could she not have known?

As Korey’s wife wraps up the press conference, I peep Jessica in the shadows. Cheeks sunken, dark glasses, black suit, her mouth a crooked scribble of a line. Even after everything, I feel kind of bad for her. Korey was the earth she rotated around daily. Now, he’s gone and she’s lost in deep space.

It’s what I’ve felt daily. Except I’m floating in the ocean, farther and farther away from the shore that is supposed to ground me.

That’s when it sinks in—Korey’s really gone. A rough lump the shape of coral lodges in my throat.