Get Somebody New

by Lewis, Michael

  “Okay everybody pick up your glasses. I wanna toast to all of these wonderful blessings. To New Beginnings!”

  Twenty One

  From the Narrator

  As Ezekiel, Jazz, Gloria, Curtis, Alton, and Rachel attended the premier of Zeke’s new movie and celebrated their New Beginnings, Elias, Nadiah, Ingrid, and Jamal were elsewhere experiencing much different fates.

  Jamal sat in his new home, a jail cell, which was the result of selfish choices he made as he lived his self- justified hedonistic lifestyle. Since going to jail for the ruthless and brutal murder of Marlena, his estranged wife, he’d had plenty of time think. Jail had forced him into a retrospective review of his life. Looking at the choices he’d made, the people he’d hurt, and the general lack of compassion he’d projected all throughout his life, he grew increasingly disgusted at the man he’d become.

  When he entered into the “Lavender Marriage” with Marlena she was none the wiser. She thought she’d met a man who was perfect for her. He was gorgeous, employed, well spoken, passionate, and a good lover. She never knew that he’d only married her for his own greed both sexual and material. Jamal never questioned his sexuality. From his first sexual stirrings he knew he was undoubtedly attracted to men. He also became a wonderful “actor”, switching personalities at the drop of a hat depending on whichever the situation warranted.

  Jamal was attracted to the abundance of gay entertainers and colleagues to which Marlena had access. This along with her high salary and position of power made Jamal feel like a kid in a candy store. Her long hours kept her busy and out of his hair as far as questioning his comings and goings. She’d long ago learned to hide her emotional needs by not acknowledging them. As long as he sexually satisfied her, she was convinced of her illusion of happiness.

  Never a person to succumb to love or its trappings, Jamal was able to “fuck and go” with no emotional attachment or guilt. He’d relied on that trait to keep him emotionally free as he pursued a never-ending supply of casual sexual encounters. His plan hit a snag when he encountered Ezekiel Nelson. Jamal fell fast and he fell hard, in love with Ezekiel. He tried to fight his feelings, to subdue them, but nothing worked. Soon he found himself professing his love to Zeke. The situation exploded when he could no longer lead a double life. He admitted his sexuality to Marlena and told her about the affair he’d been having with his unsuspecting new partner.

  It was then that all of the feelings of emotional neediness, inadequacy, betrayal, and every insecurity that had been safely hidden for years came rushing to Marlena’s brain flooding it with reality. She refused to divorce him and became hell-bent on making him suffer while living out every single sexual impulse, need, or want she’d ever felt, thought about, or imagined.

  Jamal moved out and continued his relationship with Zeke. The week before their first Valentine’s Day, Jamal poured out his heart to Zeke expressing his feelings. He’d jumped into it with both feet. It didn’t even take a whole day before Jamal’s anti-love, anti-guilt, and anti-emotional attachment trait kicked in and he panicked. He looked at all he was giving up with Marlena and wondered if it was worth it. Then he wondered if he could be faithful to Zeke. That confusion led him to seduce Zeke’s best friend as a fright reaction.

  Once presented with the reality that because of his actions he’d lost his money and his honey he embraced his denial and became determined to force his life’s cast to operate as he wanted them to. That plan backfired and he lost his mental stability because he’d prepared for no other outcome than the one he wanted. Hindsight is 20/20 and as he sat in the recreation room, Zeke’s image came on television. It was Entertainment Tonight and they were reporting on the movie Zeke was starring in. The host then reported on Jazz’s proposal to Zeke as the highlight of the evening saying it almost overshadowed the premier.

  As Jamal watched in horror, a couple of fellow inmates made some comments that got next to him.

  “Damn look at that man. That motherfucker Zeke Nelson, better not ever get locked up, especially if I’m close. Man that ass is fat! Slade is a lucky son of a bitch. I know he be all in that!”

  “That ass is nice. He used to date that crazy cop nigga that killed his ex-wife, that Marlena Dalton. I heard she just lost it when she found out that hubby was a fudge packer. She turned into a Supa Ho,cause she didn’t care anymore.”

  Neither of the men saw Jamal, or even knew that he was the man they were talking about. He knew better than to try to challenge them. He also knew better than to identify himself as Zeke’s ex-boyfriend because he would have an invisible “bitch” stamped on his asshole for sure. He got up and walked out with his head down, making sure no one saw his tears. In his cell he thought about the picture of Zeke and Jazz hugging over and over again.

  The next morning the guard came around to wake all the inmates up for the cell check and breakfast. The guard came to Jamal’s cell and hit the bars.

  “Alright, rise and shine! Hey ……” He stopped in mid-sentence.

  “Oh Shit! Hey I think you better come here Davis.” He said to his supervisor.

  The guard shook his head as he looked at Jamal’s limp, lifeless body suspended in the air with his sheet tied around his neck in a makeshift noose. Unfortunately, Jamal decided he couldn’t face anymore of his past and after seeing Zeke and Jazz more committed to each other than ever before, he couldn’t face his future either.

  Nadiah

  Valentine’s Day was going to be an adventure in unfamiliar territory. I didn’t know what to buy or what to do since I’d never really put much thought into a man’s gift. I’ve always been on the receiving end. A symbolic gesture like a thoughtful gift would show that I was making a genuine effort. I ended up damn near buying up the whole store to make a big gift basket. Everything Anthony could ever want was in there. I put in a bottle of 1995 vintage Dom Pérignon Rosé, Gourmet Chocolates, house shoes, silk boxers, candy, massage oil, and as a surprise I got him the gold chain he’d had his eye on.

  He’d gone to Memphis for business and wasn’t due home until about 10 P.M. That gave me plenty of time to make the basket and hide it really well. I’d often wondered why people got so excited around Valentine’s Day. Finally I understood after being on the presenting end for the first time. I was getting ready to go pick Anthony up from the airport when he called me on my cell phone.

  “Hey babe, have you left the house yet?”

  “No, I was just about to.”

  “I caught an earlier flight and my boy picked me up, so I am on my way home now. You can stay home.”

  “Okay, see you when you get here.”

  “Alright.”

  It seemed like he got there in the next 10 minutes. He came in and kissed me but it was a weird kiss. It wasn’t like he usually kissed me. It was rough and felt like he was trying to ram his tongue down my throat. He hugged me and damn near squeezed the life out of me.

  “Ahh baby, I’m beat. I’m gonna take a shower and get in the bed.”

  “Ok.”

  While he was in the shower I figured I’d unpack his bag so he could just go to bed. As I pulled the items out, a condom fell out of the tangled mass of clothes. I decided not to worry about it but then when I pulled the papers out, on top of the heap was a hotel receipt. It showed a checkout for the previous day. He came out of the shower and into the bedroom. As he stood at the end of the bed drying off I asked him about the condom.

  “When you were in the shower, I unpacked your bag for you so you wouldn’t have to worry about it.”

  “Thanks babe.”

  “When I was getting the clothes out a condom fell out.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well I know it’s not yours.”

  “No it’s not mine.”

  “Whose is it then?”

  “Belongs to a friend of mine. What you think I lied and spent the weekend with someone?”

  “No, but what’s it doing in your bag?”

  “When my boy picked me u
p from the airport, he asked me to hide it so it wouldn’t be in his car in case his girl looked.”

  “So you are helping him cheat?”

  “I ain’t helping him do anything. He’s a grown man and he’s a friend of mine. What he’s doing with his dick is none of my business and I am not gonna judge him. He did me a favor by picking me up and I returned it by putting that stuff in my bag, end of story, no more no less.”

  “Okay. You answered my question. That’s all I wanted to know.”

  “Cool.”

  His story was B.S. It was just too convenient. He was too cool, like he had already planned what he would say in case I found the stuff. I didn’t have any reason not to believe him so I pushed it to the back of my mind for further investigation.

  “You ready for tomorrow?” I asked.

  “V-Day? Yeah how about you?”

  “I’m ready. You’re gonna love what I got you.”

  “Likewise.”

  I closed my eyes in an effort to go to sleep. Within minutes he was sleep and snoring lightly. Of course I couldn’t sleep a wink because I was trying to guess what he could have gotten me for Valentine’s Day. Finally I managed to get a few hours of sleep before time to get up and go to work. I showered, dressed, made coffee, and Anthony was still out like a light and didn’t even wake up.

  All day at work I was restless and anxious for the day to be over so I could go home and get my present. It was killing me that I didn’t have a clue what it was. Finally about three o’clock I couldn’t stand it anymore and decided to play sick. I clocked out at 3:05 P.M. and was in my car starting up at 3:07 P.M. A sista was hoofin’ it across the parking lot.

  When I got home there was a car in the driveway but I didn’t think anything of it. I figured it was a client, since Anthony was working from home that day. I’d grabbed the mail on the way in. After I put my keys down, I decided to look through the mail to see if there was anything important. Anxiously I grabbed Anthony’s Valentine’s gift from the secret hiding place I’d stashed it in.

  All of a sudden I heard a loud grunt come from the back of the house. Immediately I went in search of the sound I’d heard, figuring that maybe Anthony was hurt or something. The closer I got to the bedroom door, the more interesting the sounds became. I placed my hand on the doorknob and was about to turn it when I heard something that made me stop.

  “You want it? Huh?”

  “Hell yeah I want it girl.” I heard Anthony plead.

  “Well you gotta ask mommy real nice then.”

  “Please give it to me, chica.”

  “Ok, I guess you’ve been a good boy.”

  “I’m about lay it down, girl.”

  When I opened the door what I saw confirmed what I’d already figured out. I stood there in shock as I focused on the bed. Anthony was on his hands and knees in the bed. He gripped the shoulders of the woman in front of him firmly as he pushed himself forward. Each forceful thrust of his hips brought forth a deep, husky moan from Anthony that dripped with sexual intensity. His muscles twisted and turned beneath his buttery brown, lust-moistened skin with each movement of his body.

  Had I been a different kind of woman I probably would have jumped up and down, ranted and raved, or collapsed on the floor in a blubbering heap, but I didn’t. It was payback I figured, but that didn’t mean I welcomed it. I was pissed that after the effort I’d put forth to change my life and be a better person something like that would happen to me. I felt betrayed. As I stood there speechless, I dropped his valentine’s basket on the floor. The sound of the falling basket alerted them of my presence. When the woman in front of Anthony turned toward me, I gasped loudly at the sight of her face. It was obvious that she was not as shocked to see me, as I was to see her.

  “What in the hell is going on?”

  “Well if you have to ask…?” She remarked sarcastically.

  “Ingrid what the hell are you doing?”

  “I am testing out the goods to see what he’s got that I don’t.”

  Anthony wasn’t the least bit remorseful that I’d caught him. I just stood there in disbelief.

  “You know you could join in Nadiah, and make things really hot. This is my Valentine’s gift. You wanted me to accept your friend, so I did. We’re just getting acquainted.” Anthony said.

  Ingrid looked at me, smiled, then bent her body forward and resumed her earlier position.

  She seemed to take sadistic pleasure in fucking my husband in front of me. Her eyes never left mine as she forcefully pushed her hips back to meet his thrusts repeatedly. The louder he moaned the wider her sinister smile grew. Refusing to watch anymore, I picked up the gift and left the room. No sooner than I walked out I heard a series of slaps and moans. Ingrid began to scream out Anthony’s name and he growled in response.

  When I looked down at the velvet box in my hand I became even angrier. I calmly went to the storage shed in the backyard and grabbed the gasoline can. I brought it inside and saturated the carpet outside the bedroom door. I poured a trail of gasoline from the bedroom door down the entire hallway. I lit a candle on the small console table at the end of the hallway. I then gathered a few items, namely the bank books and everything related to the finances. As a final touch, I filled a large paper bowl with gasoline and placed it in front of the bedroom door. I went outside and threw the gas can in my trunk, started the car, and left it running in the driveway. I came back inside and “accidentally” tipped the candle over causing it to fall on the floor, the fire immediately combusted with the gasoline. Once the fire gained momentum and proceeded up the hallway, I exited the house quickly.

  My car was at the end of the driveway when I heard a loud thump from inside the house, which meant the flames had reached the bedroom. As I drove away, I saw smoke rising from the side of the house where the bedroom was located. I would be the last woman Elias would ever hurt or cheat on. It was even sweeter that I got Ingrid’s backstabbing ass too. I had been perceptive enough to spot the ring box on the dresser as I walked out of the bedroom. As I drove away my curiosity got the best of me and I opened it. It was a diamond ring! “Well at least I didn’t forget my gift.” I thought to myself.

  The End!

  About the Author

  Michael A. Lewis is a native and resident of Houston, Texas. He is the proprietor of Indigo Books Publishing, an imprint created to directly address the under representation of African American writers across various literary genres. IBP also allows authors to retain creative control and artistic integrity of their works.

  He previously worked as a Human Resources Representative for a major U.S. Bank prior to his first release in 2006 and subsequently committed himself to his literary career full time. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Education and is currently completing a Master’s degree in Social Sciences.

  He is the author of two previous novels, What You Won’t Do for Love and EXPOSED. Mr. Lewis is currently working on a new novel tentatively entitled Going in Circles, which will be next in the “Victor” series.

  More titles by Author Michael A. Lewis

  What You Won’t Do For Love (2006) ISBN-13: 978-0615623634(Paperback)

  Exposed (2007) ISBN-13: 978-0615623641(Paperback)