From His Partner to His Prey Page 3
Once Tyler got back to base, he called Keisha and let her know he had arrived. She was so happy that he made it back safely. She asked about the bus ride and told him about her day. They talked about their plans moving forward and the birth of the baby. Keisha learned early in the pregnancy that the baby would most likely have Down Syndrome. When she initially found out, she called Tyler and cried. She was so afraid, and Tyler did his best to comfort her over the phone. They had no idea what to expect but they were going to face it together. They didn’t have much of a choice because she would be born soon. Although they told their families about the baby’s potential diagnosis, everyone was still so happy to meet her. Keisha was the last of her siblings to have kids, but Tyler would be the first of his siblings. They were sharing so many new things with one another, but there was something that Tyler didn’t share with Keisha. He didn’t tell her that his family didn’t know they are married.
Tyler’s family was under the impression that Tyler and Keisha were only dating, and Keisha got pregnant. The night they were married, Tyler went to visit his family. He had his ring on and took pictures and stayed with them all night long catching up and chilling. All that time that he was there, he never mentioned to his family that he and Keisha had gotten married earlier that day. The truth had to come out soon because the baby would be arriving in a few weeks and Tyler wanted to make sure that his parents met Keisha and the baby before it was time for them to move. While Keisha was extremely upset when she found out that Tyler kept the wedding a secret, she was even more upset when Tyler told her that he wouldn’t be at the birth of their child. From the moment she knew the date of induction, Keisha told Tyler she wanted him to be there…and he promised her that he would be there. A few days before Keisha was to be induced, he told her that he wouldn’t be able to make it and she was totally devastated. Keisha packed her bag and prepared to go have a baby. When she arrived at the hospital, she was scared and felt so alone. She checked in early in the morning and laid in bed waiting to give birth to her daughter. She was worried about everything the doctors told her about her baby, but she was also excited to meet her. Tyler’s family didn’t know much about what was going on with Keisha and the baby and they weren’t interested in being involved with Keisha like that.
Although Tyler’s family was distant from Keisha, she had a circle of support around her. Her sister, her mom, and one of her sorority sisters met Keisha at the hospital. She was so happy to have them there with her. Her induction began and she prepared to give birth. Both Keisha’s mom and sister were excited to be there with her. One of the happiest people in the room was Keisha’s sorority sister. She was so happy for Keisha and super excited to meet the baby! She was there throughout the entire process. She was so happy to be part of the birth. The moments between contractions were short and every breath was filled with the pressure to push. Keisha was laying on her side while her soror rubbed her back.
“Uhhhhh, Keisha…are you ok?” she asked
“Yes.” Keisha responded between contractions.
“Well, I’m gonna’ go get the nurse ‘cause I see blood.” her soror said.
As she went to get the nurse, Keisha kept breathing slowly and her mom kept her company.
“Alright…OOOHHHHH! Is everything ok in here?” asked the nurse when she walked in and saw the blood on the sheet.
“Umm hmm” Keisha replied.
“Well, there is a lot of blood on the sheets so let’s go ahead and check you, ok?” the nurse asked
“Umm hmm” Keisha continued to lightly whimper as she turned on her back.
“WHOA! That’s why there’s blood! The baby is crowning! Call the doctor! The nurse shouted.
They told Keisha not to push for the next few contractions that were coming rapidly. They tried to break the bed down as fast as they could, but they didn’t have time. There wasn’t even enough time to wait for the doctor to arrive. The baby was coming faster than anyone could prepare for.
“Alright, next contraction I want you to push…the baby is almost out.” Keisha grabbed the rails on the bed while bearing down and got ready to push.
“Next contraction, she’ll be out”, the nurse said.
The next contraction came and so did the baby! Keisha was so happy that her baby was alive and well! Her excitement didn’t last long though. As soon as Heaven was born, she was rushed to the NICU for tests. Keisha was released from the hospital before Heaven, but a few days later, they were reunited. Keisha talked to Tyler every day and told him everything that was going on. Prior to the doctors releasing Heaven, they diagnosed her with Down Syndrome, but thankfully, none of the other issues they predicted were detected. Keisha and Tyler were so grateful! Keisha and Heaven went to Keisha’s mom’s house for a few weeks while they waited for the doctors to give the ok for Heaven to travel. Keisha was excited to move to a new city and start her new life as a military wife and mother!
Keisha had to wait almost two weeks to go to the doctor to have Heaven checked out before they could leave. Once she was cleared, Keisha and Tyler planned for them to travel. Before Keisha and Heaven left, Tyler wanted her to take Heaven to his parents’ house so they could meet their grandbaby. Keisha was a bit aggravated that Tyler wanted her to do this “meet and greet” without him. Tyler kept trying to reassure Keisha that it would be cool, and that she just needed to make it happen. Tyler was living on base preparing for Keisha and Heaven to join him so he couldn’t come home at the time. He was very adamant and kept insisting that Keisha take Heaven to his parents’ home before they left. Keisha was nervous and afraid to go meet Tyler’s family by herself. She had spoken to Tyler’s mom a few times on the phone, but it was rarely pleasant.
Keisha recalled an incident in which Tyler’s mom was very vocal about how they were making a huge mistake by having a baby. Another time, she told Keisha that she figured Tyler would always “do the right thing” if he ever got a girl pregnant. Although Keisha felt like she and Tyler’s mother would never have a good relationship, she did feel somewhat connected to the family because she knew two of Tyler’s brothers. She used to braid their hair when she was in high school, but she didn’t know of Tyler at the time because he was never around.
Tyler called his parents and set up the meeting. After he spoke to his family, he called Keisha and told her where to go and what time to be there. Keisha was so nervous she talked to Heaven during the whole ride. She was uncomfortable going to meet the rest of Tyler’s family without him. She felt like her mother-in-law hated her already by the way she always spoke to her on the phone. Since she was giving off such crazy vibes, Keisha had no idea what to expect from the rest of her in-laws.
She pulled into the driveway and slowly approached the house. As she walked up the stairs, she held Heaven tightly in her arms. She reached the front door and took a deep breath. With a shaking hand, she rang the doorbell and stood motionless and in fear. She waited patiently at the door for a few moments and suddenly, the door opened.
“Hi. Come on in” said a young girl who looked to be a year or so younger than Keisha.
“Thank you” Keisha said as she walked in the house.
“I’m Tyler’s sister Layla”
“Nice to meet you, I’m Keisha”.
“Follow me”, Layla told Keisha. They walked through the house, to the back den and joined the parents.
“Hello”, Keisha said.
“Hey, how you doin’?” Tyler’s parents greeted her in unison.
They quickly exchanged pleasantries and focused their attentions toward the baby. Everyone wanted to see Heaven! She was a small baby with the cutest face ever. She was only two weeks old, so she slept most of the time during the introductions. Tyler’s parents, Steve and Karen, were so happy to see Heaven and hold her. They didn’t really talk to Keisha much because they were enamored with Heaven. They wanted to spend all day with her. As time passed, they begin to talk to Keisha more. Steve did most of the talking, as he wanted to m
ake Keisha feel welcome. Karen joined the conversation once Layla and Lucas, the youngest son, came into the room. Keisha finally started to relax once because she recognized a familiar face. The tension in the room released and she was able to enjoy spending time with her new family. Each moment came with a revelation and the more Keisha thought things were getting better, they were actually staying the same.
When she left that night, she called Tyler to tell him how everything went. He told her to relax and that it was cool. She still didn’t feel too good about how things went down. She felt like she was an unwanted houseguest who was just being tolerated for the sake of keeping the peace. Heaven was the center of attraction, and while Keisha knew that they would be excited to meet the baby, she didn’t realize that she would be treated as an outcast. When she tried to explain her feelings to Tyler, he dismissed them and told her she needed to chill. It was hard for Keisha to accept how she was feeling. She didn’t know how to deal with it all or who to talk to about it. She was scared and concerned about what her future was going to be like as a member of this family. Regardless of how she was feeling, she was moving to the military base with Tyler in less than a week.
Keisha still had a lot to handle before she and Heaven could move. She had to go change her name since she was married now and get a new id. Once she handled all her errands, it was time to pack and say goodbye to family and friends. Keisha didn’t have a lot of her own things to take…mostly everything she had to pack was for Heaven. As it got closer to the day for them to leave, Keisha and her mother started to spend more time together. Patricia gave Keisha tips on how to keep her marriage together and reduce friction.
“Keisha, one thing I want you to remember is that the right hand don’t have to let the left hand know what it’s doing”, Patricia said.
Keisha looked at her mother with a confused look waiting for her to elaborate.
“You don’t need to tell him about everything you doin’. There are some things that you should keep to yourself. Especially money. You never know what could happen so you want to make sure you and Heaven will be ok”, Patricia explained as she placed five crisp one-hundred-dollar bills in Keisha’s hand.
Keisha was so thankful that her mom had blessed them with such a nice gift. She was a little thrown off by her mom telling her to keep secrets from Tyler. She heard the advice but didn’t understand the point or purpose of it. Keisha felt like she should be able to tell Tyler everything. In Keisha’s mind, a marriage is composed of two individuals who want to work as one to achieve goals. For the life of her, she couldn’t wrap her mind around where her mom was coming from with the advice she gave. Due to their relationship history, Keisha didn’t think she would get much clarity from her mom if she asked for it, so she didn’t say anything. Patricia didn’t really care for Tyler and honestly, neither did Keisha’s sister. Regardless of what they thought about Tyler, they supported Keisha and her decision. Keisha finished packing everything up and confirmed the travel plans with her dad.
Gerald loved taking trips with Keisha but this one was very different from any trip they ever took. Keisha said all her goodbyes to her friends and family. She didn’t talk to Tyler much during the last few days before the move. They were both really busy planning to be reunited and Tyler had to prepare to meet his daughter. Gerald had to get ready for his last road trip with his daughter. It was a very emotional time for everyone. Keisha was inundated with everything as the time grew closer for her and Heaven to leave. She didn’t know what life would be like in a new place with new responsibilities and a new baby. She was clueless about what she was expected to do as a military wife. She didn’t know what the journey would be like raising a child with special needs. She was used to living in a major city and she didn’t know what Warner Robins, Georgia would be like. All the excitement shifted into uncertainty.
The only stable thing to keep Keisha grounded was knowing that she had to take care of Heaven. Keisha had to stay grounded and focused no matter what her emotions were taking her through. All her emotions settled on the morning of November 27, 2004. Gerald arrived early at Patricia’s house to pick up Keisha and Heaven. It was time to take the drive from the westside of Detroit to smack dab in the middle of Georgia. Gerald loaded the truck with everything Keisha and Heaven had. Keisha hugged her mom and her sister, who arrived just in time to say goodbye. She grabbed Heaven and loaded her car seat in the truck. She wiped her tears and closed the door. She was leaving the only place she ever really knew to start life somewhere she’d never been. Gerald got in the truck and blew the horn as they pulled off. As they drove down the street Keisha’s tears dried up and she started to feel the sadness drift away. It was twelve hours of growing anticipation. The ride was so peaceful. The sky got brighter as they got closer to the base. When they arrived, it was a whole new world for Keisha, Gerald, and Heaven.
Everything was gated and secured. Gerald was instructed to drive to the visitor center to wait for Tyler to come get them on the base. Keisha was keeping Tyler abreast on their arrival time so he would know when to be available. She let him know that they were at the gate waiting and he got dressed and headed up there. When he arrived, he went to the truck and opened Keisha’s door to see his wife and daughter.
“Hey baby”, Tyler whispered in Keisha’s ear as he hugged and kissed her. Once he let Keisha go, he wanted to see Heaven.
“Heaven, here is your daddy”, Keisha said when she gave Heaven to Tyler.
“She is so little. I think I’m gonna call her Tiny. Yeah. Her nickname is Tiny”, Tyler said looking at his daughter.
Gerald was happy to see them reunited. Tyler gave Heaven back to Keisha and told Gerald to take his driver’s license and insurance card out so they could go to the visitor center and handle the paperwork so they could unload the truck. Gerald started up the truck and followed Tyler to their new house. Keisha was so happy when they pulled up. The house was really nice. They were some of the newest houses on base. Gerald backed in and started unloading immediately. Tyler helped Gerald unload the heavy stuff from the truck. There wasn’t a lot to get so it didn’t take long to unload. Gerald closed the lift gate on his truck then he closed the door on the truck bed cap. Gerald went inside to use the restroom and get some water. He didn’t stay more than 10 minutes.
“Alright baby, I’ll see you later”, Gerald called out to Keisha. She was upstairs with Heaven changing her diaper.
“I’m coming Dad!”, she yelled back.
She finished changing Heaven and asked Tyler to come down to say bye to her father. Tyler went with a reluctant disposition. They went downstairs as a family. Keisha thanked her father and hugged him. She asked him to stay for a little while, but he said he would rest on the road because he needed to get back for church Sunday morning. Gerald kissed Heaven and shook Tyler’s hand before he got in his truck. Tyler had to go into work that night, so he was heading out with Gerald. Tyler led Gerald to the exit and went to work. Keisha and Heaven got settled into their new home. Tyler’s schedule was difficult for Keisha to adjust to at first. She didn’t know anyone but Tyler and he worked the first 10 days straight from the time Keisha and Heaven arrived.
He was working 12 hours a day for 10 days. It was brutal for Keisha. She felt isolated, confined, restricted. She didn’t know what to do. She only had Heaven to spend real time with. Keisha tried to find things to do to keep her busy. Heaven was a very quiet baby. She didn’t cry much, and she didn’t really want much in those first few weeks. Tyler was focused on a tough case at work, and he was not really available to be there the way Keisha needed him to be. When Tyler’s superior learned that Tyler had a new wife and child on base, he immediately referred Tyler to a program on base that provided support for military families and spouses especially.
After the stretch of long days, Tyler finally had a break and was able to spend time with Keisha at home. He told her about the program and encouraged her to check into it. Tyler and Keisha didn’t have much furnit
ure for the first few weeks due to Tyler’s schedule. Tyler’s first day off he invited a few of his friends over to play video games. It was a knock at the door and Tyler went to answer it. Keisha heard the commotion as they entered and made their way upstairs. They all piled into the bedroom where Keisha and Heaven were.
“Hey guys, this is my wife Keisha and my daughter Heaven. Keisha, these the fellas. Franklin, Johnson, and Russell.” Tyler said.
They all greeted one another and then the guys went to the foot of the bed and the floor and started playing the game. Keisha was happy to have people around, but she was extremely uncomfortable at the same time. The more Tyler invited his friends over and included Keisha and Heaven in with the guys, the more it made Keisha feel weird. She was feeling disconnected from her friends, family, and her sense of normality. There were a lot of adjustments that Keisha had to make. She appreciated being included but she wanted to have her own friends and support. Keisha remembered the program that Tyler told her about when she moved there. She called the number and found out what she needed to do to get involved.
She learned that they had meetings once a month and signed up to attend the next meeting. Shortly after she signed up, Tyler told Keisha that they were having a guest for dinner. His friend Johnson and his fiancé were coming to dinner. Keisha was excited and skeptical at the same time. She was looking forward to meeting new people but was cautious about befriending women. Keisha had some bad experiences with her female friends and that made her question all females. It seemed that Johnson’s fiancé was a bit skeptical too. It was a cool dinner and they slowly started getting to know one another. Keisha told Brenda about the spouse meeting and invited her to join. They went to the meeting and met some other spouses from the same squadron.