Your Husband My Trick

by Solae Dehvine

  “Astro...Astro…” Fendi called to him as his body seemed to go limp just as the paramedics were able to help us get him to a stretcher.

  “What happened?”

  “We don’t know. He came home and honked the horn and when we looked out we saw blood.” They took over calling to him, and finally getting him to wake back up, but it was bad.

  “He’s lost a lot of blood, we need to get him to the hospital.”

  “Astro, we’re right behind you.” I screamed as they put him inside, but he said nothing, no movement.

  God, please don’t let him die.

  “Mr. Jones has suffered a catastrophic injury. He has lost a lot of blood and will need an additional surgery to repair tissue damage in his spine.” I felt like I was floating above the doctor, not able to speak, so Fendi did the talking for me.

  “Doctor there is a storm coming. It has already begun to pick up wind out there and…”

  “We are preparing to have Mr. Jones airlifted to Dallas where a specialist will perform the surgery.” That was a relief to hear but that meant I needed to get to Dallas.

  “When will this happen?”

  “Tonight, we will have him out of here tonight and the surgery should happen a few days after that. For now he has been placed in a medically induced coma so he does not aggravate the injury further.”

  My head was spinning, everything in my world felt like it was on shaky ground.

  “One of the nurses will let you know exactly what time. But I think the best thing for you to do is to get out of Houston while you can and get to Dallas to be with Mr. Jones.” It was good advice and we thanked him for his help but I had no intention of listening.

  “Do you want to go say goodbye before we leave?” Fendi asked, but I was too angry to go back in there.

  “No, I can’t see him hooked up to those machines right now. I’m going to lose it.” His words stuck in my head. His warning about Don, and I was tired of him, he ruled my life for too long and now he was trying to take away the only man that really loved me. The way Astro cared for me in this small amount of time was way more than Don had ever shown. Now he was mad that he couldn’t have any more of my money.

  “Shit, it’s already raining. We need to get home and grab some clothes and get out of here.” Fendi was busy strategizing to get us to Dallas but I was thinking of my own damn revenge.

  “I’m tired of him having control over me.”

  “Who?”

  “Don...I’m sick of this shit.”

  “Fuck him. We need to get out of here. Come on. It’s almost three am. When the sun comes up we’re getting out of Houston. Let’s go home.” She told me.

  “I should go to his house and fuck his shit up like he fucked up mine.” I told her as we made our way back through the hospital.

  “Did you see what he did to Astro’s car? He shot the shit up and…” Before she could finish her phone rang.

  “Oh shit. It’s Uzi.”

  “Hello...baby…” She paused and then a smile. “Oh baby I thought you were going to be pissed at me. I really didn’t mean it, he came in and…”

  “Okay...I know. I’m leaving town. We’re going to Dallas.” She was speaking for herself because I wasn't going to Dallas, at least not yet. I had some shit to settle, as she talked I took out my phone, scrolling through to the dozens of photos I had of Don and me naked.

  I knew his wife’s number by heart and now she was about to know mine. You never forget the woman that ruins your life and tells you that your husband is a lying piece of shit. And she was never going to forget me.

  16

  Marital Bliss

  Don

  “Baby. Why are you leaving?” We were supposed to ride the storm out in our own home but now my wife was grabbing her things and pushing kids into a car.

  “Come on kids, let’s go. Get in the car for Mommy.”

  “Let me help you.”

  “No…” She screamed as I tried to touch her. “Go help that bitch.”

  “What bitch? What are you talking about?”

  “Mommy, I’m scared.” My daughter peeked back into the house.

  “It’s okay baby. Get in the truck, Mommy is coming.”

  “Daddy can you come help me?”

  “No, daddy is not coming.”

  “The hell I’m not, I can’t let you go by yourself.”

  “Baby go get in the car please.” My daughter was reluctant to move, looking back and forth from me to her mother.

  “It’s okay baby. Go get in the truck.” She listened to me as I reassured her and when she was out of earshot I got back to what this was about.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “This.” She flipped her phone around to me. “While I’m here with your children you are out fucking strippers?” Pictures of me and Lark filled the phone. My dick in her mouth, her naked, taking pictures with me asleep.

  “Baby, I can explain…”

  “Save that shit.” She grabbed a bag, limping out the door. “I’m going to my mother’s.”

  “Well I’m going too.”

  “No...You stay here with your bitch. Apparently she’s your wife. Got her contacting me and shit.” I was going to kill Lark. The bitch must be firing back after I lit her nigga with holes last night. I told him not to sleep but even if it wasn’t for the situation with him and my bitch I would still be doing the same thing.

  “Baby you gotta slow down. What about the baby?”

  “I’m fine. I’ve been shot, and been to jail. I can take care of myself and my kids. I go through more shit being with you and now I’m done.” She slammed the Escalade door and backed out of the driveway without hesitation.

  “I should have killed that bitch when I had the chance.” I told myself as I jumped in my own car and followed my family. I couldn’t let her drive all these hours by herself.

  But with every mile that we drove I thought about where I fucked up. I should have waited till Astro was with that bitch and shot them both up together. But I knew Astro put some salt on my operation. When I went to go do the Club Diamonds job they had more security around the place than the Whitehouse. Big guards that I had never seen before, walking in I talked to one of them and they said they got a phone call about somebody coming to rob them. Only Astro knew about my plans, and for that he needed to die.

  I tried calling my wife to get her to slow down as I followed her down the highway but it was no use, she sped along through the rain like a crazy woman. I knew she was pissed, we had been through hell and back.

  “FUCK!” I pounded on the steering wheel wishing it was Lark’s face. I should have cut that bitch loose a long time ago, now she was fucking up my life.

  “Alert, Alert...Intruder Alert.” My phone sang. Picking it up I watched a live video feed to my house. It always told me when someone so as much pulled into my driveway but what I saw were two bitches with a death wish breaking into my home.

  “Oh you bold now huh?” I screamed at the phone. My wife was up ahead still driving mad but I had some business to take care of once and for all. Getting off the highway I turned around heading back towards home with the pedal to the floor.

  “Please be there when I get there...please, please, please…” I begged as I drove. Because if they were there and they were in my house, I had a perfectly good excuse to shoot both of these bitches dead.

  17

  Cry Me A River

  Lark

  “Now where is she?”

  “It's just me. I promise.”

  “I saw you. I saw you two bitches come in here. Now don’t make me shoot yo ass again bitch.”

  “It's just me, I told you.” Fendi lied for me, she had already taken a bullet. I heard her crying and whimpering. Peeking out through the closet door I could see him screaming and raging mad over top of her.

  I wanted to shoot him, put his blood all over the room like he had shot Astro but he was moving too much.

  “Get up.” He g
rabbed Fendi, pulling her to her feet just as I heard police sirens.

  “Bitch, you called the police?”

  “No, I promise. How could I call anyone…?” But as the sirens roared on we heard the voice over the loudspeaker.

  “Send the home wrecking bitch out.” the words vibrated through the house, shaking the glass. The wind blew and the mix of rain felt like we were in a damn war zone.

  “What the hell is that?”

  “Send the man bitch out.”

  “What the fuck?” There were no windows in the closet, I had no way of seeing a thing. Instead I saw Don with my sister, dragging her bloodied body out of the room.

  “BRING HER OUT!” The screaming and sirens continued.

  “Come on bitch. We’re going outside.”

  “No...please.” Fendi begged and I couldn’t take it, I crept out of the closet, following them down the steps as Don went out the door.

  The wind blew the front door open and the rain came down in sheets but he still pulled Fendi out.

  I watched as some woman jumped out of a police car. “Atlanta Police Department.” She screamed, a gun in her hand.

  “What the fuck?” Don screamed, and it was my chance. “Where is she?” the officer screamed.

  “Where is who?” I was done with this shit. Fendi was crying out in pain begging Don to let her go, while this bitch in front of us was screaming.

  “Fuck that. You got five seconds or I’m shooting. Or wait...You're her aren’t you?”

  That was it, I couldn’t let my sister get killed.

  I jumped out to shoot him but the gun slipped from my hands, firing and hitting a tree, but that started a chain reaction.

  The officer crouched down taking aim and she was spot on with her target, but not before Don got off a few shots. He fired first, hitting her in the chest. I saw the blood squirt out.

  “FENDI DUCK!” She did as I said, ducking behind a pillar as I watched Don’s body fill with bullet holes. Blood splattering everywhere and mixing with the rain.

  “Oh shit…” I saw it down the street. Water raging down like a river. Don lay lifeless and the officer scrambled, but not before the river of flood water came rushing down the street taking her and her car with her.

  “Get back in here.” I told Fendi trying to pull her in.

  “No...” She said standing, her body soaked in water. “We need to get him in that water.” Doing as she said I helped her pull Don’s body down to the street. Pushing him towards the rushing flood water without being taken in ourselves. There was no life left in him, he was gone that quick and pushing him into the water it was like a small stick in the ocean.

  He floated for a moment but, just like the officer and the police car, they all seemed to float away with the rest of the cars, trees, and debris that was in the water.

  “Come on...back in the house before it gets too high.” Fendi screamed. We ran to the house, the blood of Don being washed away.

  “We gotta get out of here.” Fendi said when we were inside but I couldn’t stop smiling.

  “What the hell are you cheesing for?”

  “Because I’m free...I’m finally free.”

  18

  Flood Warning

  Fendi

  We watched as the car swirled and spun, until the water covered over the top of it. We watched for what felt like forever, making sure he didn’t come back out of the water.

  “You think he’s dead...like really dead?” Lark asked.

  “Yeah Lark. Nobody is going to survive that, he was heavy when we pushed him to the curb and the water swept him away.”

  The water raged like a river, taking everything down the street with it, including Don’s lifeless body and Nick’s crazy ass wife.

  “I can’t believe what we just saw.” I could.

  “Come on lady, let’s go back in the house.” Our car seemed to be safe on the hill of the driveway. All we could hope for was that the rain would stop. It took a couple of days but we were finally able to get out. In that time we did so much crying and talking. Apologizing to each other, and Lark opened up to me about a million things. It was like a retreat of some sort, with the both of us getting all of our feelings out in this huge ass house.

  She admitted that she didn’t really want me here and why. I admitted that I was still hurt about Mama passing, about all the abuse I suffered, and the pain of my transition.

  We talked about so many things for those few days, and finally the sun came out and the phones started working. The first person I called was Uzi.

  “Girl where the fuck have you been?”

  “It's a long story. But I’m in North Houston. We’re stuck and…”

  “Stuck? I’m on my way.”

  “How Uzi? There’s water everywhere.”

  “You let me worry about that. We’re coming to get you.” It felt like I hung up and Uzi was right there. He was in a monster truck with wheels taller than a human, but they were needed to get through the high waters.

  “Baby.” He jumped out, coming to me and wrapping his arms around me. “What the fuck happened?” He had some help with him. A guy named Keeno got out with an AK and dreads, and surveyed everything. I told them both exactly what happened.

  “Damn ma,n I hate I missed that shit. I’ve been waiting to put holes in that nigga.” Keeno said.

  “So how do we get out of here? We gotta get the car out of here, someone is eventually going to find the bodies and…”

  “Chill.” Uzi said. “I got it all taken care of. Keeno. get the blow torch.” He did as he was told, climbing back into the truck and pulling out a torch.

  “Y’all got anything you want in there. Money, jewelry.”

  “Hell yeah.” Lark ran inside but I was too tired and hurt to grab anything.

  “Baby you okay?”

  “Yeah I’m just...I’m so fucking tired. I’ve fucked up and…”

  “Fucked up how?” I looked from him to Keeno. I had never seen him before and I wasn’t sure if he knew about me and if it was okay to talk.

  “He’s cool, he’s my brother.” I breathed a sigh of relief at that.

  “I let Meechi see me at the hotel. I know that brought a lot of heat on you and…”

  “Girl, that ain’t bring shit on me. I’m a grown ass man. Niggas ain’t trying me in these streets. Besides, Meechi is my brother. He came right to me and I squashed that shit. You didn’t have to go running.”

  “Alright. I got everything.” Lark was pulling bags and suitcases out of the house, like one of the people on TV looting when storms happen.

  “Keeno...You know what to do. You think we can get this car out?”

  “Yeah that’s nothing. Just drive it through the yards. The water goes down up the block, so we’re straight.”

  They had everything planned but all I wanted to do was get in the car and get some help. We watched from the truck as Keeno lit the house on fire, breaking out windows, and soon the beautiful mansion was a ball of flames. Making our way out of the subdivision, Keeno and Lark followed in Lark’s car as I sat shotgun with Uzi in the truck.

  “I can’t believe you came to save me.” I told him, still in shock.

  “And I’d do it a million times over girl. You mine, and I mean that shit...ya dig?” I did dig, I dug him and my life and my new beginnings, because all the drama and bullshit I was leaving behind in the water to die.

  19

  After The Storm

  The hurricane was the worst storm to ever hit Houston and somehow we made it out. Now, a few months later, the city was still hurting but we were still here and alive. And no one was more alive tonight than Lark. She was glowing for her performance, and people had come out in huge numbers to see my sister perform for her Hurricane recovery benefit.

  The club was packed to capacity and there was still a line outside. All of them to see my sister.

  “A’ight, this is what you all been waiting for. Her name is Lark.” The crowd went wild and it was
n’t easy to pack a full crowd at V-Live for a little known stripper and her first single.

  “Kill that shit sis.” I told her as she grabbed a mic. I watched as she ran on stage, screaming her heart out.

  “I can’t believe this shit man.” Astro was there smiling from ear to ear. “I knew she was going to blow up. She just needed some help.” He was still limping and grimacing in pain but he was here. And so was I, with my arm in a sling.

  “Baby you okay?” Uzi asked me. He hadn’t left my side since the storm. “You in any pain?”

  “Naw I’m good.” I was crying tears of joy watching my sister rock the stage. It felt like a dream come true hearing her command the crowd and them singing along with her.

  “This is dope ain’t it?” It was beyond dope. Me and Lark had been through hell. Our mother leaving us, our grandmother caring for us then dying, and the abuse and neglect of trying to find your way in this world, and now here she was. She was on stage doing what she wanted to do most in this world.

  “Yeah baby, I’m really good. This shit is crazy.” I fanned my face trying not to disturb my lashes or my makeup, but I couldn’t stop the tears from falling.

  “Alright Houston. Raise your lighters in the sky for the ones we lost a couple months ago. The storm is over but the pain is still with us.” She was right about that. Things could have turned out really bad for us, and in other parts of the city people lost everything.

  We watched as lighters and cell phone screens lit up in remembrance of what could have happened. Me and Lark could have died at the hands of that asshole. Then Nick’s wife could have took us out, but I wasn’t blaming those people, I was blaming myself. We entertained these people into our lives and it nearly cost us our lives. Not anymore. Uzi and I were together, but I told him that things had to be different. No more secrets, no side chicks, and nothing illegal. I wanted all the energy around me to be peaceful and positive, and all of that started within me.