Chapter 9: What My Mother Saw Before I Proposed
I turned the photograph over again.
Tasha stood beside Derrick beneath the sign of a commercial property in Atlanta. She wore a white blouse and dark jeans, and he had one hand resting against the small of her back.
They looked comfortable together.
Too comfortable for two people who had supposedly met through a recent business opportunity.
But the date on the back was what unsettled me most.
Four months before I had proposed.
"Mama," I said, "why do you have this?""
She took a slow breath.
"Because I saw them together before you ever bought that ring.""
I stared at her.
"Where?""
"At a restaurant near the medical center where I used to take my friend Gloria for lunch.""
Mama explained that she had been waiting for Gloria to return from the restroom when she noticed Tasha entering with Derrick.
At first, she hadn't thought much of it.
Tasha had mentioned working with event professionals, and Mama assumed Derrick was another business contact.
Then she heard him call Tasha by a nickname.
"Baby girl.""
Mama paused.
"They sat close together. He held her hand across the table, and she leaned over and kissed him.""
I looked down at the photograph.
"Did you take this?""
"No. I didn't even have my phone out. I recognized them because Tasha had told me she was meeting a client that afternoon. When I saw them again outside the restaurant, I asked her about it.""
"What did she say?""
"She told me Derrick was an investor who had helped her with her business. She said the kiss was a misunderstanding.""
I shook my head.
"How is a kiss a misunderstanding?""
Mama gave me a sad smile.
"That's what I asked her.""
I could feel anger rising, but beneath it was something worse.
The realization that my mother had been carrying this information while watching me plan a wedding.
"Why didn't you tell me?""
Mama looked down at her hands.
"Because she cried. She told me you were the best thing that had ever happened to her. She said she was embarrassed about an old relationship and didn't want to ruin what you two had.""
"And you believed her?""
"I wanted to.""
Mama's voice grew quieter.
"She said Derrick had been helping her through a difficult period. She promised there was nothing between them anymore.""
I stared at the photograph.
"Did you tell her you didn't believe her?""
"I told her that if she loved you, she needed to be honest with you.""
Mama paused.
"She begged me not to say anything until she had a chance to explain it herself.""
I stood and walked to the kitchen window.
For months, Mama had carried this secret, hoping Tasha would tell me the truth.
Instead, Tasha had used Mama's kindness.
She had asked her to cook, clean, and wash dishes while secretly transferring our savings to the same man Mama had once seen kissing her.
I turned back.
"Did you know about the money before today?""
"No. I suspected something was wrong when she started asking me to help with events more frequently. Then Danielle told me about the transfers.""
Mama looked at me steadily.
"I didn't want to believe the worst, Marcus. But I knew you needed to look.""
I sat down again.
"Did you ever tell Tasha you still had the photograph?""
Mama nodded.
"Last month. I asked her whether she had completely ended things with Derrick.""
"What did she say?""
"She told me I was imagining things and that I needed to stop interfering in your relationship.""
I closed my eyes.
There it was again.
The same pattern.
Whenever someone asked Tasha a difficult question, she didn't answer it. She attacked the person asking.
Mama reached across the table.
"Baby, I need you to understand something. I should have told you what I saw sooner.""
I looked at her.
"You were trying to protect me.""
"Maybe. But sometimes protecting somebody means telling them something they don't want to hear.""
I squeezed her hand.
"You didn't steal our money. You didn't lie about Derrick. You didn't forge my signature.""
Her eyes filled with tears.
"No, but I stayed quiet.""
"And I ignored things I should have noticed.""
For the first time that day, Mama allowed herself to cry.
I moved around the table and hugged her.
We stayed that way for a long time.
Then my phone rang.
The caller was an unfamiliar number.
I answered.
"Hello?""
"Mr. Reed? My name is Cynthia Walker. I'm calling from the fraud investigations department at First Georgia Financial.""
I sat down.
"Okay.""
"We received a dispute concerning a recent credit application associated with your identity. I need to verify a few details before explaining the next steps.""
I confirmed my identity and answered her questions.
She told me that the application had not been approved, but the institution had flagged inconsistencies in the submitted documents.
"Did you authorize anyone to apply for credit in your name?""
"No.""
"Did you sign an application connected to Coleman Development Partners?""
"No.""
"Do you know a person named Derrick Coleman?""
"Yes. I met him yesterday. He presented documents containing my information.""
She paused.
"Did you give him permission to use your identity?""
"No.""
"All right. We'll need you to submit a written statement and provide copies of any supporting documents. Please preserve the originals and avoid altering the files.""
I agreed.
Before ending the call, she gave me a case reference number and explained how to submit the evidence securely.
When I hung up, Mama watched my face.
"What did they say?""
"The application wasn't approved. They're investigating the documents.""
She exhaled slowly.
"Thank God.""
I wanted to feel relieved.
But the rejected application didn't erase the money that had disappeared or the possibility that my information had been shared elsewhere.
I spent the next hour organizing the records.
I saved the bank statements, the screenshots Danielle had provided, the photograph of the forged signature, and the lender's case information in separate folders.
Then I wrote a timeline.
The first transfer.
The second.
The messages about the property.
The proposed guarantee.
The credit inquiries.
I included the date Derrick had visited my house and the statements he had made about the agreement.
When I finished, I called a local attorney whose name a coworker had given me after a dispute involving a contractor.
The attorney, Ms. Harper, agreed to speak with me the following morning.
She couldn't promise a quick resolution, but she explained that I should preserve all records, avoid signing anything connected to Derrick, and keep communications in writing where possible.
She also advised me not to assume that every transfer could be reversed simply because Tasha had violated our agreement. The legal consequences would depend on the account terms, the evidence, and the circumstances surrounding the transfers.
It wasn't the answer I wanted.
But it was an honest one.
At 9:16 p.m., Tasha called.
I almost let it go to voicemail.
Then I answered.
"Marcus, please don't hang up.""
"What do you want?""
"I need to tell you something.""
"You've had plenty of opportunities.""
"I know.""
Her voice trembled.
"Derrick called me. He's furious that you reported the credit application.""
I stood.
"What did he say?""
"He said I had ruined everything.""
"What did you tell him?""
"That I didn't know the application had been submitted.""
I closed my eyes.
"Did you know he was planning to use my information?""
"I knew he wanted your information for the business. I didn't know he'd submit an application without your signature.""
"Then why did you give it to him?""
She began crying.
"Because he told me the property deal would fail if I didn't. He said he'd already invested his own money and needed proof that we could qualify for financing.""
I rubbed my forehead.
"Tasha, you gave him my driver's license and Social Security number.""
"I know.""
"You sent him twenty-seven thousand dollars.""
"I know!""
Her voice broke.
For several seconds, I heard only her breathing.
Then she said, "There's something else.""
I waited.
"Derrick says he can prove that I agreed to everything. He has copies of our messages. He says if I tell the investigators what happened, he'll release them.""
"What messages?""
"The ones where I told him I'd get the money.""
"That's not the same as agreeing to forge my signature.""
"I know, but he says nobody will believe me.""
I leaned against the kitchen counter.
"Are you telling me this because you want help, or because you want me to protect you from the consequences?""
She went silent.
Then she whispered, "Both.""
At least it was honest.
For once, she wasn't pretending her motives were noble.
I looked at Mama, who was listening from the other side of the table.
"Did Derrick threaten you physically?""
"No. He said he'd make sure I lost everything. He said he knew people who could ruin my business.""
"Save every message. Don't delete anything. Give your attorney the full record, including anything that makes you look bad.""
She began crying harder.
"Marcus, I don't want to lose you.""
I closed my eyes.
"I can't promise you anything right now.""
"Please.""
"I need you to tell the truth, Tasha. All of it.""
She whispered that she would.
Then, before hanging up, she said something I hadn't expected.
"Marcus, the money from the wedding account wasn't all spent on the property.""
I straightened.
"What do you mean?""
"Some of it went to Derrick's personal account. Some paid other expenses. And some of it went to someone else.""
"Who?""
She hesitated.
Then she gave me a name.
I didn't recognize it.
But when I searched the name in the banking records, I found a transfer of $2,400 that hadn't appeared in Danielle's list.
The recipient was a company called Southern Crest Holdings.
I showed Mama the screen.
She leaned closer.
Then her face changed.
"Marcus," she whispered, "that's the company that owns the building where Derrick said he was going to open the event venue.""
I stared at the name.
The next morning, I would meet with the attorney.
And for the first time, I had a new question.
If Derrick had really been preparing a legitimate property investment, why was money being sent to the company that already owned the building?
I searched the company's name and found a public business filing.
The document listed its managing member.
I read the name.
Then I felt the blood drain from my face.
Because Southern Crest Holdings wasn't controlled by Derrick Coleman.
May you like
It was controlled by a woman named Tasha Williams.
And the filing date was three months before our engagement.
