by Miss KP
“Bitch, kiss my ass,” I said, wishing she could hear me.
Damn, I hated that bitch more and more by the second. She was crazy if she thought I was payin’ for that fuckin’ baby. Makin’ my way back to the bathroom, I got my clippers out and started to trim my new beard. As I looked at myself in the mirror, I just didn’t look like myself. My eyes were blood shot red and I was in desperate need of a haircut. Lately, I’d been keepin’ it cut close, but once my thick curly hair grew out, I looked like one of those Al B. Sure type of niggas, and that’s not how I rolled. I hadn’t even hit the gym in months, so my once muscular build was also startin’ to fade. Since I’d been fucked up about my bread, my appearance had definitely taken a backseat, but I vowed to get myself together soon.
The beard trim was all the groomin’ I could do since time was tickin’ away. I had to be out of the house in less than fifteen minutes to ensure a parkin’ space in the garage and still be on time. Walkin’ into my closet, I pulled out my Hugo Boss black suit and all of my Louis Vuitton accessories, from the cufflks, to the belt then topped it off wit’ wine colored loafers. My attire was on point, but my look just wasn’t 100%. I could feel it. However, despite the way I looked, it was time for me to get this divorce shit over wit’.
After drinkin’ a protein shake, I jumped in my Range Rover and headed downtown. There was still enough time to make it if there wasn’t too much traffic. Drivin’ down Michigan Avenue, I turned on the radio and landed on 93.9. Russ Parr and his crew were trippin’ as usual and got a couple of laughs out of me. It was so much on my mind I definitely needed to laugh. Right when I was in a calm place, my phone rang and I answered it without even screenin’ the call.
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“Rich…it’s your Uncle, long time no hear. Where the hell have you been?” he asked in his strong Columbian accent. My heart instantly sunk into my stomach.
“Wassup Unc’? I’ve had so much goin’ on. Denie has disappeared and I have no idea where she is.”
“Rich, your personal life is your business. My business with you is finding out who killed my son. You’ve been ducking my calls for months and Marisol tells me she just had dinner with you last night. I can’t believe you still haven’t found out anything yet. This is bullshit!”
“Unc’, I’ve been bustin’ my ass tryin’ to get leads on what happened wit’ Los and I haven’t come up wit’ anything.”
“Well, I guess you’re gonna need Marisol’s help then. Since you can’t seem to do a man’s job, I’ll have Marisol get to the bottom of things.”
“Damn, Unc that was straight disrespectful. Can’t you understand that I’m goin’ through a lot right now? First, I find out that my cousin is really my brother thanks to secrets you and my mother kept. Then on top of that, somethin’ happens to him, and I have no clue where to look or who to ask, and now I’m on my way to court to finalize my divorce from Lisa.”
“Will you stop ramblin’ on like a damn woman and just get shit done!”
Tryin’ to hold my composure, all I could say was, “Alright.”
“Speaking of Lisa…that’s another thing. What’s going on with her? Every time I’ve called her, she just breaks down crying and hangs up.”
“The bitch is crazy. That’s what’s wrong. I’m done wit’ her ass!”
“What could she have done to you that would top all the shit you’ve done? Shit, my wife had a baby with my brother and I still stayed with her and raised him as if he was my own. You young kids are always in a hurry to just give up. We went through so much more than you and still held it together.”
“I’m just not down with secrets and shit!”
“I’m sure you’ve held things from Lisa and she doesn’t know all you’ve done. Did you forget that girl found out you had a baby by her friend at your mother’s funeral?”
“I don’t ive a fuck! Lisa ain’t shit. Y’all think she’s innocent, but that shit is a wrap wit’ me and her.”
“Like I told you before, she knows too much, Rich. You’re making a big mistake. You’re in too deep to let go of a woman scorned. She could ruin the business.”
“She won’t, I promise you that.”
“Well, I just don’t wanna have to put out an order to…you know.”
I knew exactly what he was talkin’ about. He didn’t want to have to order me to kill the mother of my kids.
“She had a melt down when Marisol saw her at the hospital. She seems to be unraveling,” Uncle Renzo continued.
“I got this handled.”
“You betta, and more importantly, I want answers about my son no later than this Friday, or I’ll have to go off of my own assumptions and I don’t wanna do that.”
“Alright, I gotta…”
Before I could finish my sentence, my uncle had hung up on me. I knew he had suspicions of me, but I had to take care of my Lisa drama and then I could take care of him and Marisol. I had a plan, and since Marisol was obviously reportin’ back to him, I knew my plan would work.
Lookin’ at the clock, it was ten minutes ‘til ten and I was several minutes away from the court buildin’. I had to be in court at ten a.m., so I started to panic. I ended up forgettin’ my last court date due to me dealin’ wit’ Denie’s recovery, so there was no way I could be a no-show at this one. After that incident the judge told my lawyer if I missed another appearance, I wouldn’t be happy. I didn’t need Lisa to luck up on what little bread I had left that easy.
As I made my way up New York Avenue, I turned off to a side street to dodge the traffic and noticed a black Suburban turn right behind me. Usually I wouldn’t trip, but the dark tint made me uncomfortable. Makin’ a quick lane change, I instantly became concerned when the Suburban followed suit.
Who the hell is that, I thought as I pressed on the gas a little harder.
Quickly thinkin’ back to me and Uncle Renzo’s conversation, somethin’ told me that it could’ve easily been some of his people. He could definitely work fast, and for all I knew the truck could’ve been followin’ me since I left my house. At that point, I made another turn down P Street to see if they would follow, and just as I thought, they did. Now, I was ready for war. I went into my secret stash in my dash as I drove eighty miles per hour down a one way street. I didn’t obey any traffic signals as I put my .45 caliber on my lap. If I had to blast a nigga in broad daylight, I would. It was either going to be him or me. And I didn’t have any plans on checkin’ out today.
Moments later, the SUV made an aggressive power move. The truck sped up, driving wildly and tried to get on the side of me, but I took a quick left down another street. I took the Range Rover toe limit, goin’ through numerous puddles and potholes. I tried my best to dodge them, but as soon as I thought I’d lost them, they pulled on the side of me at the light. As soon as I saw the dark tinted window roll down a little, I was just about to point my pistol, when suddenly they pulled off. All I could see was the top of someone’s head, but it appeared to be a Spanish or white person which made my suspicions true. That was classic Uncle Renzo tryin’ to see if I was paranoid. I was sure he suspected somethin’, but just couldn’t put his finger on it. If it came down to it and Uncle Renzo had his men followin’ me, he would’ve been a couple of men short on his team. I was definitely ready to blast them niggas… family or not. Fuck it, Uncle Renzo could get it too if he was tryin’ to play wit’ my life.
Chapter Seven
LISA
The sight of that bastard Rich rushing through the door made my stomach turn. I couldn’t believe his ass had the audacity to show up ten minutes late. I was praying he didn’t show up at all in a way so that the case would work in my favor. Looking at the sweat pouring from his face, I began to shake my head wondering why he looked like he’d just ran a 10K marathon. No matter how many designer labels he had on, he looked as if he’d been hit by a tractor trailer. His clothes were wrinkled and he was in dire need of a haircut.
“I’m glad you could join us,
Mr. Sanchez. Please come in and have a seat,” Judge Deena Bower said in a sarcastic tone.
“Sorry, Your Honor. There was so much traffic and…” Rich tried to say.
“Save it, Mr. Sanchez,” the judge replied. “I’ve heard every excuse in the book, and I’m not in the mood for lies this morning. Your tardiness is inexcusable. You need to be prompt in my courtroom. Do you understand?”
Rich shook his head. “Yes ma’am.”
I hadn’t heard that nigga be polite in years.
“Okay, let’s proceed,” the judge continued.
After I gave him a fuck you look, I was ready for war. “Let the games begin,” I whispered to myself.
Rich’s lawyer was just his type. He usually went for light skinned girls, but she was a brown skinned honey, who looked like Kandi from the old group Xscape. Short hair, slim, but curvy with a big butt; I knew they’d fucked at some point in his life. I wasn’t sure if she was a jump off from the past, or if she was one of his recent affairs, but I could tell by their body language that there was something going on. Rich was very charismatic as he explained to her why he was late and the way she looked at him, you could tell it was more to their relationship. I knew that man like the back of my hand.
“YourHonor, my client Lisa Sanchez has been married to Juan Sanchez Sr. for over twenty years. During this marriage they had three children; Juan who’s twenty-three and currently lives with my client, Denie who’s seventeen, and currently lives with Mr. Sanchez, and Carlie Sanchez who is a little over a month old and currently fighting for her life in Holy Cross Hospital,” my lawyer stated.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Judge Bower interrupted.
“Thank you, Your Honor,” I replied as my lawyer continued.
“Umm…Your Honor, I’m sorry Denie is eighteen. Her birthday is…today actually,” my lawyer stated.
I could instantly tell from the look on Rich’s face that he’d completely forgotten about Denie’s birthday. He looked crushed. I on the other hand displayed an instant frown when I thought about what happened to me on this day last year. It was something that I desperately wanted to forget but couldn’t.
“Mrs. Sanchez’s life with her husband was a complete nightmare for her. She dealt with physical, emotional, and mental abuse. Mr. Sanchez’s infidelity has caused my client to suffer from STD’s as well as one of Mr. Sanchez’s affairs resulting in a child with one of her close friends. Mrs. Sanchez is requesting the following from Mr. Sanchez due to her pain and suffering for over two decades. Spousal support due to the fact that Mr. Sanchez never allowed my client to work. He wanted her to stay home and be a homemaker and take care of the children.”
“Objection, Your Honor, Mrs. Sanchez is still young. She’s in her late 30’s and should have no problem with getting back into the work force,” Rich’s lawyer objected.
“With a brand new infant, raising kids since the age of sixteen, and never having a job? Yeah…I’m sure that’ll be easy,” my lawyer countered.
“Ms. Williams, please wait and hold your objections until after Mr. Leach completes the list of what his client is requesting,” the judge announced. “Objection overruled.”
I shot Rich a smirk and directed my attention back to my lawyer.
“We’re also requesting for Mrs. Sanchez to keep the house that she currently resides in with their son Juan Sanchez Jr., at 17305…”
“Man, hell no, that’s my mother’s house!” Rich blurted out.
Never would I have imagined that Rich would play this dirty. He had the house put in his mother’s name over a decade ago to keep the Feds off his back. Now, he wanted it back.
“Mr. Sanchez, have a seat and respect my courtroom!” Judge Bower ordered.
Rich apologized as my lawyer completed my list of demands. Rich was furious. Even though I knew his bar Bottom’s Up and his strip club were cash cows, I knew they were cover ups for his illegal businesses and I needed him to have some type of income to pay me. With that imind, I just asked for his t-shirt and corner stores in Southeast. I figured that they could be good income on a rainy day if he ever were to be sent off to jail.
The next thing I requested was to keep my X6 of course and all of my jewelry. My intentions and motives were to make sure I was never put in a bad position ever again like I did when Rich went to jail. I was thinking of things that could be sold if money was ever needed. The last request sent Rich over the edge; my request for child support. He squirmed in his seat and whispered to his lawyer.
He was trying hard to hold his composure as I continued to smile at him. He knew that smile meant play nice or else. My advantage over Rich was that my lawyer Mr. Leach knew so much about him since he represented Rich for years. This case was a walk in the park for him. He figured the child support would be where we would win big. With the cost of childcare expenses these days and Rich’s reported income, I could be looking at a minimum of $1800.00 a month. That’s the least he could do for taking Carlos away from my daughter, especially since he’d been helping Marisol.
It was now Rich’s lawyers turn to let the judge know what Rich opposed and what he was willing to do.
“Your Honor, my client is very disappointed at his wife’s accusations and would like to see what proof she has to prove the abuse she’s suffered.”
“Mr. Leach, does your client have any proof of abuse. If not, this could be all hear say,” Judge Bower questioned.
“The children witnessed his abuse. I’m sure their son would have no problem with testifying on his mother’s behalf,” Mr. Leach replied.
“I’m sure he would, Your Honor, since their relationship is strained,” his lawyer responded.
Just like I thought, he’d fucked her. She had way too much emotion in her response for it to just be a professional relationship.
“Mrs. Sanchez, if you don’t have proof, maybe photos, a police report, a medical report of some sort, or more than one witness, then I’m going to have to disregard your claim of abuse,” Judge Bower said with sympathy.
“No, I don’t,” I answered.
“Your Honor, as far as the businesses are concerned, my client is in the process of selling both of the establishments that Mrs. Sanchez is requesting. There are actually contracts on both properties,” Rich’s lawyer announced.
“Your Honor, if that’s the case, my client is requesting 75% of the profit from the sales of both properties,” Mr. Leach blurted out.
“I’ll make a note of your request, Mr. Leach. Please continue Ms. Williams,” Judge Bower replied.
“My client does not agree to Mrs. Sanchez’s request to keep the home in NW Washington where she crrently resides. This home belonged to his mother and since her passing, anything attached to her is sentimental to him so he’d like to keep this property. With that being said, Mr. Sanchez is willing to give Mrs. Sanchez $10,000 to assist with a down payment on a home of her own.”
“Oh, hell no! That’s my house, you’re not gonna take my house from me, Rich!” I screamed.
“Mrs. Sanchez, take your seat now. You will respect my courtroom as well!” the judge yelled while banging the gavel.
“I’m sorry, Your Honor,” I said, taking my seat.
“Your Honor, my client is willing to pay a lump sum of $25,000 in spousal support to assist with Mrs. Sanchez with getting her life together and making an investment for her future. However, my client is requesting a blood test for Carlie Sanchez, the youngest child. Therefore we do not agree to the request for child support.”
“A blood test, Rich? You bastard! Is that how you wanna roll? You don’t want to fuck with me Rich!” I yelled out again.
“Order! Have a seat Mrs. Sanchez. No more disrespect in my courtroom will be allowed. You’ve been warned,” the judge demanded. “Counselors, you might want to advise your clients that the next outburst in my courtroom from either party will result in someone going to jail. I have no problem with holding either of you in contempt of court,” Judge Bower said in a calm
but stern tone.
Both lawyers agreed and Judge Bower then directed her questioning to Rich.
“Mr. Sanchez, is this some type of ploy to buy time or are you accusing Mrs. Sanchez of infidelity? My patience is wearing quite thin with you both.”
“Your Honor, I have reason to believe Lisa was havin’ an affair, because she told me she was seein’ someone else. My wife and I weren’t even intimate around the time she got pregnant, so that’s why I question paternity,” Rich replied in a bitch-like tone. He smiled at me as if he had one up on me.
“What do you have to say about this, Mrs. Sanchez?” the judge asked.
“I can’t believe him. All that he has put me through all these years. I just can’t believe him. He knows he’s the father,” I responded, knowing that I was actually lying. I was almost at a loss for words.
“Alright, here’s what I’m gonna do. There will be a two week continuance on the case until the paternity test results are back. Mr. Sanchez, if you are the father of this child, you will pay child support, so be prepared. Let me give you a date now.” Judge Bower went back and forth with the lawyers until they landed on a date that we would be back in court December 6th at nine a.m.
My stomach instantly did somersaults. There was no way I was going to win anything now. I knew that Judge Bower would definitely look at me differently once those test results came back. Rich had just put a monkey wrench in my plans and I was going to make his ass pay. As mad as I was, I wish I could;ve knocked the smirk off of his face. My blood boiled.
As soon as I heard court was adjourned, I jumped out of my seat and strutted out of the courtroom. Mr. Leach, I was sure needed to talk to me, but I couldn’t bear to be in that court room any longer. Passing through the hallway, there were so many baby mamas and baby daddies arguing over child support and anything else under the sun.
“Piss, piss, excuse me miss, can I talk to you for a minute,” all kinds of obscenities were being yelled my way.
