The Dirty Divorce Part 2

by Miss KP

  THE DIRTY DIVORCE

  PART 2

  By: MISS KP

  Life Changing Books in conjunction with Power Play Media

  Published by Life Changing Books

  P.O. Box 423 Brandywine, MD 20613

  This novel is a work of fiction. Any references to real people, events, establishments, or locales are intended only to give the fiction a sense of reality and authenticity. Other names, characters, and incidents occurring in the work are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, as are those fictionalized events and incidents that involve real persons. Any character that happens to share the name of a person who is an acquaintance of the author, past or present, is purely coincidental and is in no way intended to be an actual account involving that person.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data;

  www.lifechangingbooks.net

  13 Digit: 978-1934230770

  10 Digit: 1-934230774

  Copyright © 2010

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

  Dedication

  To my mother, Ms. Lita Gray. Thanks for raising me to be an independent strong woman. I appreciate you.

  Acknowledgements

  This has been quite a journey and truly a blessing. I would like to first thank God for giving me the opportunity to live out my dream to be a writer. To my daughter, Kameron, I’m proud to have you as my child and I love you dearly. To my best friend Rodney (Lil Rodney and Jordyn), thanks for your patience during this process. I love you for that and much more. Many thanks again to my mother, Lita Gray (EB). I love and appreciate you for the person that you’ve raised me to be. Much love to my father, Willis Poole. To my sister, Mia (Brent & Sydni), this year has been challenging and your support has been a blessing. Many thanks to my sister and brother Jawaun, and Cornell (Javone). Family means everything to me and I’m thankful to have you in my life. Ivornette, Lafondra, Tonya, Dione, Tiesha, and Tori love you guys!

  To my extended family Arnita (Kevin), Big Rodney (Darlene), Eve, and Jaron, thanks for accepting me with open arms. Much love to the West clan- Delonte, Dmitri (Christine), Danielle, Aunt Delphine, Ava, Lil Wayne, Lil Alton (Candace), and Alan (Tia).

  Friends come and go, but the real one’s stay true. Many thanks my true friends that are always there through it all without passing judgment and being real- Toya, Toni, Pam, Samantha, Shana, Peta Gaye, Endiah, Tiffany, Tanya, and Jermaine. John “Whitey” thanks for believing in me. Frank, my Godbrother Detrick (Renee & Jalyn), Dab, and Mike Walker thanks for being a friend. To my Mt. Pleasant family- Julette, Pam, Rayshawn, Janell, Shelvy, Snookie, Deon, Mimi, Tarik, Kenyatta, Bernard, Donnie, Farad, Perry, Berry, and Jodie. Danielle and Lonnie thanks for your support. Carla (CCB) your mentorship has truly been a blessing. Karla P., Caroline, Carla L., Deb, Stephany P. and Stephanie C. Thanks for believing in me. Mr. Abdullah, thank you for your support through some difficult times in my life.

  To Leslie Allen, the best editor in the world and Tressa Smallwood, the best publisher ever. Thanks for your support and believing in me. I appreciate you both so much. Much love to Tasha and Kellie.

  To my LCB crew, Tonya Ridley (Money Maker), Jackie D. (Love Heist), VegasClarke (Snitch), J. Tremble (My Man Her Son), Danette Majette (Good Girl Gone Bad). C.J. Hudson (Chedda Boyz), Capone (Marked), Tiphani Montgomery (The Mistress Series…oh, congrats on the baby), and anyone else I missed…it feels good to be on a great team. Thanks to my test readers, Cheryl, Tonya, and Aschandria.

  Many thanks to my readers and all of the bookstores who have supported The Dirty Divorce Part 1. Thank you in advance for your support going forward. Quita and Shawn (Literary Joint) thanks for making my first book signing a huge success. Sistas in Sync and Books and Babes book clubs, thanks for inviting me to the book club meetings. I enjoyed you guys.

  I apologize in advance to anyone that I may have forgotten. I’m thanking you now. Who would’ve thought two books in a matter of one year… now that’s God’s work! Thanks again to my readers. Your positive feedback was inspiring.

  Much luv and hugz!

  Miss KP

  www.misskp.com

  www.twitter.com/misskpdc

  www.facebook.com/misskpdc

  Chapter One

  LISA

  “Oh my God!” I screamed while squeezing my son Juan’s hand…nails and all.

  My contractions were less than two minutes apart and I knew that my baby would be coming any minute. I wasn’t even eight months yet but obviously my baby boy could no longer wait. I tried so hard to leave the drugs alone, but I guess that last line put me straight into early labor. Continuous nightmares of Carlos’ death kept me awake almost every night, so my occasional sniffs here and there had obviously taken it’s toll on my unborn seed.

  “Please give me something. This shit hurts!” I yelled.

  “Sorry, Mrs. Sanchez, it’s too late for an epidural. You’re already ten centimeters. We don’t even have time to take you to a normal delivery room. You’re gonna need to be strong. The worst of it is almost over,” the emergency room doctor informed me. I could barely understand what he was saying through his thick Arabian accent.

  “Yes, please try and calm down. You’re gonna need your energy to push,” the nurse added.

  “Fuck calming down. You come do this shit since you think it’s so easy,” I shot back as another contraction quickly approached.

  The nurse and I had been on bad terms since I arrived twenty-five minutes ago. I snapped on her each time she asked me one of those dumb-ass hospital questions. I then became furious once the questions turned to my prenatal care. Her interrogation was irritating, especially when she gave me a, I think you’re lying look. It was almost as if she could read my mind…like she was calling me out on all my bullshit.

  A single tear ran down my left cheek as I thought about what I’d put my baby through over these past few months. Monthly doctor visits had become nonexistent and I couldn’t even remember the last time I took a prenatal vitamin or ate something healthy. I hadn’t even had a sonogram. Even though I loved my baby, I guess the fact that I still hadn’t gotten over Carlos’ death had clouded my judgment. Now, God was punishing me. I guess I deserved it.

  “Okay, here’s another one. Juan, I need you to hold your mom’s leg all the way back, come on push Lisa!” the nurse ordered.

  “Bitch I am pushing, aighhhh. This shit hurts!” I cried.

  “Ma, come on! Push 2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10!” Juan yelled, while struggling to hold his phone.

  “Put that fucking phone down. Who are you trying to call?” I screamed. Seeing how calm he was, it looked as if he’d been through this shit before.

  “The baby’s head is almost crowning. Only a couple more pushes. You can do it,” the doctor said with assurance as he studied the monitor for another contraction.

  I was glad his ass was confident because it felt like I was going to die. Never did I recall labor being this brutal. With Juan it also didn’t go this fast. I must’ve gone from zero to ten centimeters in less than an hour. It felt as if I was being punished by the Creator himself. The feeling of sharp pins and needles rushed through my stomach and extreme pressure lived between my legs. For some reason, I felt like the baby was determined to rip my insides apart. I just wanted it all to be over. I would’ve given anything to stop the excruciating pain.

  I looked over at Juan. “Please help me.”

  “Come on, Ma, focus,” Juan replied.

  “Okay, here’s another contraction, come on push, Lisa. Let’s go 4-5-6-7-8-9-10,” the doctor coached.

  Holding my breath, I began to push with all my strength until
my vagina started burning. “Aighhhh it hurts!”

  “Mrs. Sanchez, don’t stop pushing. Every time you stop, the baby goes back into the birth canal,” the doctor informed.

  “Get it out!” I screamed.

  I started to sweat profusely as my body shook uncontrollably. “Can you just cut it out? It hurts so bad, please can you put something in my I.V? Juan make them help me!” I begged.

  “Mrs. Sanchez, your baby’s heart rate is starting to decline. We need you to deliver ASAP. To give you anything at this point can put the baby at even more risk. We have to deliver with as few complications as possible,” the doctor informed.

  “Okay, here’s another one. Let’s make this one count Lisa. This is it. Push!” the nurse yelled.

  The nurse was right. I wanted my baby to be okay, so I had to make this last push count. Not to mention, no matter what, I couldn’t lose the only thing I had left of Carlos. Right before holding my breath again, I said a quick prayer to myself. “Father God in the name of Jesus, I come to you with a humble heart. I promise you if my baby survives this, I will be the best mother I can be. I promise to leave the drugs alone, God, just please let my baby be okay. Oh, and please God let it be a boy too. In your name I pray…Aighhhhhh!”

  It felt as if I was pushing him through a ring of fire. “Oh, my God!” I yelled one final time before the doctor finally pulled him out. The instant relief of pain consumed my entire body as I tried to control my rapid breathing. Watching the doctor suction out his nose and mouth, I placed my hand over my chest waiting for him to tell me the big news. He had a head full of hair, just like Carlos.

  “It’s a girl!” the doctor announced as he cut the umbilical cord.

  I immediately freaked out. Not only because he was a she, but also because there was no cry. Even when the doctor handed her off to the nurse, she still didn’t make a sound.

  “Why isn’t my baby crying, what’s wrong with my baby?” I yelled. Finally after a few seconds, I heard a slight whimper. “What’s wrong with her?” I asked again. “Is she okay?”

  The nurse never said a word as she quickly cleaned her off and whisked her out of the room. Even Juan looked concerned as he stared at the closing door.

  “Where did she take my baby? I need to see her. Juan did you get to see her? Who does she look like?”

  “Ma, everything happened so fast I don’t know,” Juan replied.

  “Mrs. Sanchez, your baby doesn’t appear to be breathing very well, so the nurse is gonna take her to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit or better known as the NICU. Don’t worry, everything will be fine,” the doctor tried to convince.

  “What do you mean don’t worry? I’m her mother. I’m supposed to worry!” I looked at Juan. “Go see if you can find out what’s going on. I need to know!”

  After placing his phone in his pocket, Juan kissed my forehead, and rushed out of the room. As the doctor began to deliver the placenta, all I could do was think about my newborn child. Okay, maybe my priorities were a little fucked up, but I really needed my baby to give me that piece of Carlos that I’d been missing. Just to hold her for one minute would help soothe the emptiness and pain I’d been feeling for the past seven months. Even though I wanted to have his first boy, at least now I had his baby girl. I had something to hold on to.

  I knew I had turned into a person that my son was no longer proud of, but I also knew that I needed this baby to get my life back on track. Flashing back just a few hours when my labor began, I was in my bedroom trying to escape my problems. Snorting the last line, I promised myself that this was it. It was the last time that I’d planned to indulge in the poison. As I laid back on the bed, sudden sharp suddenly pains came over me followed by a flush of water between my legs. Juan’s facial expression was priceless once he ran into my room and took a glimpse at the tray of powder that fell to the floor. Taking his focus off the obvious, Juan wasted no time getting me to the hospital and even held my hand the entire ride in the car. Not only did his words of encouragement keep me calm, but he saved my daughter’s life. For that…I had to return to the old Lisa.

  After the doctor informed me that I didn’t have to be stitched up and left the room, I took a glance by the door as an image of Carlos appeared. Either I was tripping or his spirit entered the room tossure me that our baby girl would be okay. Then it dawned on me, I had the perfect name. In honor of Carlos, I would name her Carlie. A combination of Carlos and me, that’s exactly what she was. Saying another prayer to myself, I asked God for forgiveness and prayed that despite the drug usage, my daughter would have a clean bill of health. Just as I was about to burst into tears, the nurse I didn’t care for entered the room.

  “Mrs. Sanchez, we’re ready to move you to your room now.”

  “How’s my baby?” When the nurse didn’t answer, my heart rate immediately started to increase. “How’s my baby?” I repeated.

  “Please lower your voice.”

  “Then answer me.”

  “Your daughter suffered some trauma during labor and we want to get you in a more comfortable environment to ask you some further questions. We need you to help us evaluate the situation.”

  “When can I see her?”

  “We need to keep her under observation for a few hours, but I don’t see why we can’t take you to meet her some time later today.”

  “Later today. No, I need to see her now!” I demanded.

  “Well, Mrs. Sanchez that’s not going to happen. Your daughter is in a critical stage and we’re trying to stabilize her. Nurse Thomas will be coming to transport you to your room in a few minutes.”

  “Whatever,” I mumbled as she walked out. Moments later, Juan came back and I let him know that they were moving me to my room. Looking at my son, I could see disappointment and fear in his eyes.

  “Juan, what’s wrong? Did you get a chance to see her?”

  “No, they wouldn’t let me.”

  “So, where have you been?” I asked with a huge frown.

  “I stepped outside to make some calls.”

  “Hold up. You didn’t call your father, did you?”

  “No. I had to take care of some business.”

  “Are you lying to me, Juan?”

  Juan shook his head. “Ma, you need to focus on your baby and your health. I’m good.”

  I knew my son. When he snapped at me that normally meant something was wrong. “Are you mad at me?”

  “Just disappointed. I thought after all that happened with Denie, you had changed your ways. It just hurts, that’s all. I just want my little sister to be okay.”

  “You saved her life, thank you Juan. I know I owe you.”

  Juan placed his hand on my shoulder. “You don’t owe me anything but to get your life back on track. I mean, I just don’t know who you are anymore. What you did to Denie was enoh, but come on, using while you’re pregnant. That shit is just foul. You’re letting Rich win. When you’re reckless it just gives him one up over you. I just…”

  “Juan, I’m sorry. I’m really sorry, okay. I just miss Carlos so much. I just needed to get my mind off of things to keep my sanity. I just lost focus. Now that I have Carlie…”

  “Who?” Juan asked with a confused expression.

  “Carlie. That’s her name. Do you like it? It’s my name and Carlos’ put together.”

  “You betta hope Uncle Renzo and Marisol don’t figure it out.”

  “Fuck Marisol. Besides, I think Uncle Renzo would be happy that I named my daughter in honor of Carlos.”

  “Yeah, okay. If you say so.”

  When Nurse Thomas finally came to take me to my room, I was relieved. Juan was my heart, but I was ready for the lecturing to end. Little did he know, he didn’t have to preach to me anymore because I’d learned my lesson. I was determined to be the mother I used to be. After I got settled, Juan left and said he would check in with me later. As soon as I closed my eyes to get some much needed rest, the Arabian doctor and another woman entered my room and wok
e me up.

  “Mrs. Sanchez, I’m sorry to wake you, but I have Ms. Gray, a social worker here at the hospital with me. We both have some questions for you.”

  “Social worker?” I finally looked at the name on his lab coat that read, Dr. Ahmed Saleem. “Look, Dr. Saleem I know I’m going through a divorce, but I don’t need a social worker, I’m not on welfare. Y’all think because my daughter’s father wasn’t here that I need a social worker. Is that what y’all think about all black people?” I snapped.

  Dr. Saleem looked concerned. “Mrs. Sanchez, your daughter had traces of heroin in her system. We need to try and get you the help you need so that...”

  “I don’t need any help from you people!” I quickly interrupted.

  “Your daughter needs your help,” the social worker chimed in. “Look, I’m not here to lecture you. I’m here to be a voice for your child. She needs…”

  “I don’t need you to tell me what my daughter needs. You don’t have to worry about me or her. We’ll be fine! Now, when can I see her?”

  “I’ll check with the doctors in the NICU to see if she’s stable,” Dr. Saleem answered.

  “And I’ll be in touch before you leave. I know you’ve been through a lot today, so I’ll give you some time with your new baby girl,” Ms. Gray followed up. “Oh, and congratulations.”

  “Thanks,” I responded dryly.

  I wanted to tell them both to get the fuck out. They didn’t know the mother I used to be. I knew I could be her again. Carlos lived in Carlie, and now since we shared a child together, it gave me more power to be the mother to her that s needed. As I finally drifted off to sleep, I thought about when Rich found out that he and Carlos were brothers; a conclusion that explained their similarities in looks. Uncle Renzo was treacherous for keeping such a deep secret. I wondered if Carlos would’ve known they were brothers, if that would’ve changed anything between us. Maybe it worked in my favor that they thought they were cousins. Carlos’ face became etched in my mind as I slipped into a deep sleep. I was in the middle of dreaming about us making love in a bed of beautiful red roses when I was awakened by Nurse Thomas tapping my arm.