Two Wrongs Don't Make a Right

by Brenda Hampton

  I swallowed the lump in my throat. Wasn’t sure how I felt about this shit, especially since Miguel and I had fucked some of the same chicks before. But this was Laquinta. He knew she was off limits. “Is that right?” I said, fuming inside. If you were fucking Laquinta, why didn’t you ever say anything to me?”

  “Because she asked me not to. She was afraid you’d beat that ass. But it wasn’t no biggie. She only let me hit it twice, and after that, her guilt kicked in. I tried to tell her that she owed you no explanation, but just like Cydney, she wanted to remain true to her Isaac.”

  This time, he pissed me off. “Look,” I said. “Leave Cydney’s name out of this. If you were fucking around with Laquinta, that’s your business. She’s a tramp anyway. I expected her to do some shit like that behind my back.”

  Miguel inhaled the joint then blew smoke into the air. He nodded and looked at me with red, fiery eyes. “Cydney has plenty to do with this. She’s a tramp just like Laquinta is. Not only did I fuck your Cyd too, but she’s been creeping behind your back with one of my boys. Raymond is his name—I’m sure you’ve met him. I hired him to take care of her for me, and her vacation in Maui for ten days turned out to be one hell of a vacation. Thing is, ol’ Raymond slipped. He slipped into your wife’s pussy and can’t seem to keep himself out of it. So, all this making up y’all trying to do, I hope that your mind can sustain the thoughts of her having feelings for him and me being between those legs…”

  My heart raced as he spoke. I’d heard enough. I reached for Miguel’s shirt and pulled him off the couch. He smiled as I stood face to face with him, shaking his collar.

  “That marijuana better be frying your brain and you’d better be lying to me! If you’ve ever touched my wife, I swear to God I’m gon’ kill you!”

  He stared at me with that same smirk on his face. “You can fuck me up all you want to, but it’s not going to change a thing. This is payback for how you dissed my sister. I told you to leave her alone, but you just couldn’t do it. Had you left her alone, I would have left Cydney alone. And if you don’t believe that I’ve been tapping that ass, all you have to do is go home and ask her.”

  I shoved Miguel back on the couch and quickly made my exit. I rushed to my car, and when I reached for my cell phone to call Cydney, I put it back down. If I confronted her over the phone, she’d probably hang up on me and not let me inside of the house.

  Instead, I drove home as quickly as I could. When I got there, I went to our bedroom and Cydney was still sleeping. I yanked the covers off her. She slowly opened her eyes. Still dressed in her robe, she sat up in bed and raked her hair over to the side.

  “What time is it?” she asked.

  “It’s time for you to get up.”

  “I’m up, Isaac. Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “Because, I just got back from fixing our problem. I told Laquinta it was over, and after I ended it, she informed me that Erica wasn’t mine. Then, I got a new phone, and I wanted to take you to the movies tonight.” I reached in my pocket and laid the tiny black box on the bed. “Afterwards, I was planning to drive you to St. Louis University, where we graduated, and give you this ring like I did many years ago.” My hurt was starting to show. I took a hard swallow. “But…but as much as I was out there trying to “fix it” I found out that I couldn’t, Cyd. This can’t be fixed if you’ve allowed Miguel to have you. It’s bad enough trying to put this shit with Raymond behind me, but Miguel? Just tell me it’s not so. Tell me he lied to me, baby, please tell me that motherfucker lied.”

  She sat silently for a moment. “I…I wish that I could tell you that he lied, but in order for us to fix this, I must come clean and tell you why I did this. I regret ever…”

  I tightened my fist and slammed it on the bed. “Got damn-you, Cydney! Here I am thinking that I’m the villain in this marriage and you out here fucking every Tom, Dick and Harry you can get your hands on!”

  “It wasn’t like that, Isaac.”

  “Then, how was it!” To prevent myself from fucking her up, I swung out at one of the four posts on our bed, almost cracking it. “Tell me how in the hell did you manage to open your legs up, so my partner could fuck you!”

  Cydney blinked to hold back her tears. “He took advantage of me. He used me to get to you. I don’t know why, but I didn’t want to go there with him.”

  “Did he rape you or force you or something? How many times did you have sex with him?”

  “No matter what I say right now, you won’t understand. You’re angry and when you calm down—”

  “I ain’t fucking calming down! I’m getting my shit and I’m getting the hell out of here! You can take your ass back to Maui and screw Raymond all you want to. And since him and Miguel planned this mess, I’ll let the two of them sit around and take notes on whose dick you sucked the best!” Cydney’s eyes grew wide and her mouth dropped open. “That’s right, baby. The motherfucker was P-A-I-D by Miguel to seduce you. You fell for it. I hope like hell that your fucking feelings are hurt, now that you know the man who you’ve been giving my pussy to is a fake.”

  Cydney sat silently, and as I breathed heavily and stared at her, I thought about cutting her damn throat. I cut my eyes and quickly made my way into the closet. I laid two suitcases on the floor and gathered the majority of my clothes. It didn’t take long for me to pack, and after gathering a few more items around the house, I shot her one last dirty look then left.

  CYDNEY

  At this point, all I could do was stand still. I’d thought about calling Miguel and cursing him out, and I’d even thought about calling Raymond to see why he did what he did. However, something inside was telling me to stand still. No doubt, I was hurt like hell. After Isaac left, my body had shut down. I couldn’t even get out of bed. I felt like a major fool, and through my own mistakes, I’d hurt no one but myself.

  Foolishly, I felt bad for Isaac. He surely got a dose of his own medicine, but one thing I could say, he couldn’t handle my infidelities as much as I dealt with his. The look in his eyes said he could kill me, and even though I knew he would never do that, I still intended to watch my back.

  For the past two days, I hadn’t heard anything from Isaac. However, his mom had been calling and so had mine. Apparently, while I was on vacation in Maui, Isaac told my mother that we’d been having some problems. She called his mother and told her the same. Bottom line, I had some explaining to do for lying to my mother, and once I admitted to our problems, I assured her, as Isaac had done, that we’d work things out. I also told my mother-in-law the same thing and encouraged the both of them to pray for us.

  As for my friends…hell, what friends did I have to consult with? I’d cut off ties with most of them many years ago. I got tired of them calling themselves my friends, yet judging me and criticizing my relationship with Isaac. I knew I’d put up with a lot, but what I didn’t need was friends who sat around talking behind my back and calling me a fool. That obviously didn’t help much. Once I found out who my backstabbers were, I ended those friendships. I dealt Isaac’s and my situation as best as I could. But even I should’ve known better to hang on for as long as I did.

  While at work, Darrell came into my office. I had my chair turned and was gazing out of the window. A pen was in my mouth and when he cleared his throat, I turned to him.

  “What did you say?” I asked.

  “I haven’t said anything yet. But now that I have your attention, I wanted to let you know that it’s my time to take a vacation. I’ll only be gone for a week, but while I’m away, I need for you to take care of a few things.”

  “Sure, Darrell. Anything you’d like for me to do, I’ll do it.”

  Darrell pulled up a chair and wrote down a list of things he needed me to do. The list was awfully long. It took us almost three hours to go over it. Since he was the boss, what could I say? Afterwards, he told me if I needed anything to call him. I told him that I would and then he left. As soon as he walked out, Carol cam
e in. She reached out and handed me several pink post-it notes.

  “While you were meeting with Darrell, these calls came in for you.”

  “Thanks, Carol,” I said. “On your way out, please close the door.”

  She nodded and closed the door behind her.

  I looked through the post-it notes. One in particular caught my eye. All it said was, please call Raymond. No number was underneath the message, so I assumed he didn’t leave a number. I looked up at the bare wall in front of me, and laid the post-it note on my desk. I’d asked the maintenance man to remove the picture of the Majestic and put it in one of the closets down the hall. I wanted to forget I’d ever met Raymond. I also wanted to find out how or why he was involved in something so cruel. I still had the card he’d given me, so I reached into my purse and pulled it out of my wallet. For a while, I held the card in my hand. Moments later, I reached for the phone and dialed out.

  As soon as the phone rang, I quickly hung up. Damn him, I thought. I tossed his card in the trash then reached for my purse so I could go to lunch.

  “Carol, I’ll be back. Would you like anything while I’m out?”

  “No, thank you. I’ll go to lunch whenever you get back.”

  I strutted off to the elevators. By the time I reached the lobby, I couldn’t decide what I wanted to eat. So instead of eating, I drove to the Galleria Mall to window shop.

  While strolling around the Galleria, I felt lost. It seemed as if every where I walked, there was a couple holding hands, appearing to enjoy each other’s company. I couldn’t help but to think about Isaac and the day we got married. It was such a beautiful and unforgettable day. Who would have thought things would’ve turned out as they had? I took a seat on a bench and pondered about our past life together. I smiled at the good thoughts…our honeymoon in Vegas, our first anniversary, our plans to have children. I even thought about those hectic nights he’d had at work. He would rush home just to hold me in his arms. I truly missed those days. Those times seemed so long ago. I wasn’t sure if we’d ever be able to recover from this or if, at this point, our marriage was worth repairing.

  After window shopping for at least two hours, I headed back to the office so I could get back to work. The second I got to my car, I felt a sudden need to see Isaac. Instead of going back to the office, I drove to the police station to see if I could find him. I hadn’t planned on going inside to ask for him, rather my intentions were to just see him. I saw his truck on the parking lot, but there was no sign of him. I looked around for a few more minutes, and then I got out of my car. Rushing over to his truck, I was stopped by an officer who was apparently monitoring the parking lot.

  “Ma’am, can I help you?” he asked.

  “Yes…I mean, I just need to get something out of my husband’s truck. His name is Isaac. Isaac Conley.”

  “Do you have any ID on you?”

  “Sure,” I said, opening my wallet and showing him my ID.

  “Okay. Go ahead, Mrs. Conley.”

  I went to his truck and opened the door. My purpose was to see if he had anything in his car that revealed where he was staying…a hotel receipt or something. The inside of his truck was neat and there was nothing inside out of the ordinary. When I opened his glove compartment, I moved aside some condoms that were laid on top of a folded piece of paper. I opened the paper and it was a receipt from the Marriot. I looked it over and saw that Isaac had been there since he walked out on me.

  I put the paper back into the glove compartment then made my way back to the car. Since I’d been away from work for almost three hours, I hurried back so no one would notice. Carol saw me, but she was at her desk doing basically nothing. I asked if anyone had called.

  “No, but I’m going to lunch,” she said, reaching for her purse. “Afterwards, I need to go to the bank. Do you mind if I take an extended lunch?”

  “Feel free, Carol. I didn’t mean to take as long as I did, but something came up.”

  She smiled and headed off for a late lunch. I went back into my office and took a seat behind my desk. Seconds later, the phone rang. I answered, but no one said anything.

  “Cydney Conley,” I repeated.

  “Cydney, this is Raymond. Please don’t hang up. We need to talk.”

  “Raymond, I don’t think there’s anything for us to discuss. You used me, and I guess I used you too.”

  “No, I don’t see it that way. It was a big mistake on my part getting involved with Miguel. I’ve known him for a long time. Since he’d done a few favors for me in the past, I felt as if I owed him.”

  “Yeah, well, whatever. Miguel used a lot of people. But making me fall for you was…”

  “It was the best feeling ever. Can I see you, please? I’ll be in St. Louis on Friday. I really need to see you.”

  “Raymond, please don’t expect much from me. I feel betrayed. Don’t expect for me to fall into your arms as I did the other night. Now that I know what kind of man I’m dealing with, things are going to be different.”

  “Fine,” he said. “I’ll call you Friday morning.”

  “Sure,” I said, and then hung up.

  A huge part of me wanted to walk away from my situation with Raymond, but I also wanted answers. At this point, our so-called feelings for each other didn’t even matter. I was more concerned about his relationship with Miguel. I suspected there was much more to it, and I feared it was about to cause more damage.

  Around four o’clock, Carol called and said she caught a flat tire and couldn’t make it back to work. That was a bunch of crap, but I told her I’d see her tomorrow. I stayed at the office until eight o’clock, and then gathered my belongings to go.

  Since I’d left the Galleria, Isaac had been on my mind. I made my way over to the Marriott. I’d managed to muster up a bit of hope for us, and the more I thought about his smile and the way we used to laugh together, I couldn’t wait to see him. I spotted his truck on the parking lot. I remembered his room number, so I made my way to it. I wasn’t sure what I was going to walk into, but nonetheless, we needed to talk.

  I reached his room, but before knocking on the door, I stood for a moment. I used the tips of my fingers to tease the curls in my hair then I straightened the skirt to my plaid suit. I took a deep breath and lightly knocked on the door. Getting no response, I knocked again. Finally, the door cracked. Isaac looked out.

  “What is it, Cydney?”

  “Do you have a minute?”

  “Not right now.”

  “Is someone in there with you?”

  He didn’t say anything, but continued to look through the crack. I could see his bare chest, and a towel was wrapped around his waist.

  “Isaac, please just answer me. If this is a bad time, I’ll come back.”

  “It’s a bad time,” he spoke in a hurry.

  “I don’t believe you. You just don’t wish to talk about our marriage right now, do you?”

  “I said it’s a bad time, Cyd. I’m in the middle of something. We can talk about our marriage some other time.”

  I wasn’t sure if Isaac was being honest with me or not. He’d never been open about his affairs, and for him to appear to have no shame in his game, I challenged him.

  “Open the door, Isaac.”

  “For what,” he said. “I told you this was a bad time. What is it that you don’t understand?”

  I stepped forward and pushed on the door. He happily moved back so I could see who was inside.

  “I told you this wasn’t a good time,” he said again as I looked at her sitting on the bed. She looked at me then sat up in bed with the sheets covering her naked body. I looked at the bottles of wine on the table, at her several outfits hanging by the door, and then back at Isaac.

  “I see you’ve been visiting the strip club. Since you left, this is how you’ve been spending your time, huh?”

  “What concern is it of yours?” He opened the door. “Goodbye, Cydney. With your own eyes, you’ve seen what a dog I can be so add
another notch to your shit list for me.”

  I wasn’t about to embarrass myself, but deep down, I was disappointed in Isaac. I refused to show him my hurt, so I took a hard swallow, and with my head held high, I made my exit. Without saying one word, he shut the door behind me. I could hear her saying something to him on the inside. Just so I didn’t have to listen to them having sex, I abruptly walked away from the door.

  By the time I’d made it to the car, I felt disgusted. We’d hurt each other so much. I guess this was how he dealt with his hurt. I wasn’t a pro at handling my situations any better, so I stuck my key in the car door and tearfully headed for home.

  I pulled into the driveway, noticing that the inside of my house was pitch black. Always afraid of entering a dark house, I quickly made my way to the front door to go inside. No sooner had I got to the door, I heard branches crack. I turned, and once he lit a cigarette, I saw his face. It was Miguel.

  “Why haven’t you been calling me?” he said, blowing out his match and tossing it aside. He was dressed in all black. If it wasn’t for his light skin, I wouldn’t have seen him.

  I fumbled for my keys to open the door. “Miguel, I don’t have time for you right now. Why don’t you—”

  The door flew open and I rushed inside. He rushed up behind me and pressed on the door as I tried to close it. My strength was no match for his, so he forced his way inside. Once he slammed the door behind him, I ran towards the phone to call the police. He caught me by the back of my hair and placed a cold blade against my throat.

  “You need to cooperate with me, or else I’m gon’ hurt you,” he said through gritted teeth.

  I believed every word he’d said. My heart was beating so fast and my scalp felt as if it was bleeding. “Please don’t…don’t hurt me, Miguel. Whatever you want, just tell me.”

  He spoke in a sinister tone. “I want you to file for a divorce, tomorrow. But not before you get on your knees to satisfy me.”