by Nicety
“He’ll never hit me the way he hit you. I think he just loves me more than he loves you right now but I know that he still loves you, Kelly. He talks about you all the time, even when I tell him to shut the fuck about you.” Tara plopped down on the couch pulling out a cigarette.
“Skank, don’t smoke in my house and don’t talk to me like my feelings don’t matter before I lay your ass out on my floor. Don’t you forget that you’re the side bitch in this equation, hoe.” I couldn’t take her smart-ass mouth anymore.
Not only was I done with him but I was done with her as well. How dare she have the audacity to speak to me that way in my own house? The problem was that I had let it go on for too long, so long in fact that she thought that kind of shit was good between she and I. She had grown some big balls through it all.
“Slow your role, Kelly. I’m just trying to help you come to grips with the fact that he doesn’t want you. He wants me and I’ve been trying to help you come to terms with that for the longest. It was you that wanted to remain in denial, not me. I give him so much more than you do. If being with him is all you want, then you can keep him but only if you stay with me. I can see to it that he never leaves you.” The sneer on her face read like she was the boss of the situation.
“Tara, I’m not gonna tell you again to get your nasty bowlegged ass up and out of my damn house.”
I was fuming. The wannabe balls in between her legs were obviously swinging long, talking to me like that. I crossed my arms, rolling my head and curled my lips waiting on her to get the drift. She wouldn’t budge. If I had to fight this bitch and drag her out of my house by her hair, I was prepared to do so. Tara had worked my last nerve.
“You know what your problem is, Kel? You’ve always gotta control the situation. You’re too afraid to just let go and let things happen naturally, be a free spirit and live life. Yeah, Trent told me all about your little bottle fiasco a few months back.” Tara stood moving in closer to me as she lit her cigarette. “Stick with me kiddo. I know just what you need and just how to tame you.”
My vision was blurred and lightheadedness filled my skull as I grabbed that little bitch by her neck tossing her to the floor. I got on top of her and continued to choke her as she kicked and tried to scream. My eyes filled with bloodthirsty rage as my lips curled up into the most sinister of smiles. I could feel the life being squeezed up out of her. Her light brown skin was quickly fading to a pale blue and as I watched her eyes bulge my heart fluttered with joy. I could only imagine what my prison cell would look like if I had actually done everything I just envisioned.
“What’s going on here ladies?” Trent came trotting his happy go lucky ass down the stairs fully dressed in jeans and a button down striped shirt, ready to go.
“Nothing. Tara here was just leaving.” I rolled my eyes and headed back to the printer, snatching the papers sitting in the tray.
“Tara, I told you to meet me at our spot.” Trent walked over, giving her a loving peck on the cheek.
“I know. I just wanted to talk to our girl for a brief second, baby.” Tara raised her eyes to me as I wished my stare could cut through both of their bodies.
“Look, I don’t know what’s going on between you two but I don’t want you all getting close and setting up girl time and shit. You understand? I don’t need my ball and chain fucking around with my candy piece.” Trent straightened his shirt as if he was feeling like a pimp.
“Too late for that,” I whispered.
They both looked at me as if I were the black sheep in the room. For the most part, I was. I didn’t fit into their perfect picture and honestly I was no longer trying to be. I packaged up my papers in a long brown envelope and stuffed them down inside of my purse on the desk. Trent was grabbing on her booty right in front of me smiling and looking over at me every few seconds to see if I would snap. To my surprise, I was calm. I wasn’t even thinking of ruining his life much like he was trying to destroy mine. But inside I was raging like a bull attacking a red cloth.
“Um,” I cleared my throat. “Excuse me while I go put some clothes on and throw up.”
I ran up the stairs disgusted by the display they were putting on. I couldn’t think of anything worst then him disrespecting me by kissing the bitch he really loved in front of me. I searched for the tightest business pants suit I had. My legs couldn’t move fast enough to shower and get dressed so that I could leave and get those papers into the right hands. It wasn’t about the money or my cushy lifestyle anymore. And, love? What the fuck did that word mean? I wanted out one way or the other and as God was my witness, I would make his life a living hell doing so.
“Kelly.”
“Ah! Trent, I…I thought you were gone. You scared the shit out of me. What are you still doing here?”
“I wanted to talk to you, about last night. Listen, I didn’t mean—“
“Don’t worry about it. I mean, it was nothing. It’s not like I’ve never taken one for the team before. Hell, I’ve put so much of my feelings on the line for you that I’m numb to the pain you inflict now.”
“I’m not talking about the sex. I’m talking about hitting you. I was out of line and it was uncalled for and for that I’m truly sorry.”
“Do you think that I’m slow or something? I knew exactly what you were talking about. No, you’re not sorry,” I replied sliding my gray slacks on over my hips. “You’re just glad that I didn’t call the police on you is all.”
“Well, either way for what its worth I’m sorry. Meanwhile, I was just wondering if you were going to do anything about that bruise up on your face.” The words flowed from his mouth like he was asking for change for a dollar or something.
I could’ve stopped his beating heart with the glare from my eyes. Apart of me wished I could growl and snap his neck in two like a chicken. He had the stupidest look on his face too, like he had said nothing wrong. If punching him in his mouth would come without backlash, I would have done it ages ago.
“Yeah, sure. I was just about to put some makeup on it.” I assured him, slipping on my satin blue tank top.
“Cool. Cool. I just don’t want nobody thinking the wrong shit about it, you know. Especially with your friends already knowing our marriage is in trouble and shit.” He huffed rubbing the top of his head. “You know it would be nice if you could keep them cackling chicken heads out of our business. That don’t do shit but fill your head up with bullshit.”
My cell buzzed crazily on the vanity, lighting up with a few text messages back to back. Trent looked at the phone like it was the devil himself. I waited on him to walk over to take a look at it. I was in no mood to stop him. In fact, I secretly wanted him to do it because I knew it would piss him off royally. Instead, he eyed me silently before turning heading for the door. Guess he knew he shouldn’t be jocking me anymore, especially with the shit he had going on.
I snatched my phone noticing three different texts. The first one was from Tara and I wasn't trying to open it. She just didn't take a fucking hint well. The second message was from Sam asking why I haven’t called her back in weeks. I disregarded that one as well. But this last one, this last one made a smile form in the corners of my lips. It made my pussy tingle and my knees weak. The very thought of it was like the first day of school when you’re nervous and excited all at the same time. I couldn’t think of anything else but what it said and as I sent my phone to sleep, I thought it would be much more cooler if I didn’t send a reply back.
Chapter 11
Monday morning
“Do you have anything you need to do tonight?” Trent asked as he entered the kitchen to pour himself a cup of coffee.
I remained silent. I hadn’t said more than two words to him all weekend and the son of a bitch didn’t even notice, too wrapped up in his own fabulous life to even think about anyone but himself. I sat at the island counter eating my bagel as slow as I desired. He should have been lucky that I didn’t lock his ass up for the bruise spread across my face. He
turned looking back at me to see if I was making any sort of motion or movement towards him. The only movement I was making was the one to the kitchen sink, placing my plate inside and running the water over it. Secretly, I wished it were he that I was flushing down the drain.
“Hello? Do you hear me talking to your ass?” He bellowed as I went about my business like he didn’t even exist. “Fine, you wanna act like a child then you do that. I just thought you would like to know that the Graphics Benefit Ball is tonight, so make sure you’re ready by 8pm.”
“Why should I go with you? Wouldn’t you like to take your new “candy piece” and show her off to your prestigious colleagues?” My sarcasm was evident. “Oh, does the wittle coward not want to put his not so perfect life on display for all of his business friends to see?”
“No, I have to take you because they still think we’re married.” Trent crunched on his Raisin Bran like it would disappear if he didn’t eat it fast enough.
“Hmm, let them think whatever the hell they want, Trent. I’m working late this evening.”
“Working late? You haven’t worked late since…oh I get it. You’re cheating on me again, aren’t you?” He smacked his cereal loudly. “Ain’t that a bitch?”
“Ain’t it though?” I smiled, hawking him down.
He had no right to question anything that I was doing. Rather than stay and face him in an all out battle of his feelings, I snatched my workbag from the couch and headed out the door. Trent seriously thought his having his cake and eating too days would truly last. On the drive to work, I couldn’t help but think about the papers lodged in between my patient notes for safekeeping. After getting them signed and notarized Saturday, I had been hesitant on presenting them to him. I didn’t know what it was but every time I got ready to, I got butterflies in my stomach. No time ever seemed like the right time to hand them to him.
The office was filled with people rather early. I looked around wondering if I had missed a memo for a meeting or something. It was unusual for so many office personnel to be there at 7:55am, when the office normally didn’t get this packed until 9am. The only person who wasn’t there was Tara. She was probably taking a personal day to fuck my husband’s brains out some more. Bypassing everyone who looked at me with inquisitive eyes, I made it to the sanctity of my office only to find Tara there snooping through my records.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Oh hey Kel. I was just looking for the patient records for Eva. She needed copies of her insurance card because she lost it.” Tara frantically closed my cabinet drawer.
“Well, that’s not what it looks like to me. It looks like you were trying to steal her information. But for what is the question.” I tossed my bag on the desk powerfully.
“I just told you, she called and asked for a copy. So get your panties out of a bunch okay.” She tried to walk off but I unfolded my arms and pushed her back.
“No, you don’t seem to understand. Looking through these records is a federal offense, punishable by imprisonment. You’re looking at jail time sistah. And, I don’t have to tell you that you could kiss your cushiony lifestyle goodbye.” I grinned feeling like the Gods were finally shining light in my favor.
“You wouldn’t do that, all just to feed the grudge you have against me. Naw, Kel. That shits not even your style.” She smirked back at me.
“Wanna bet?”
“See, I know you wouldn’t do that because you would be too afraid of losing your career. The precious career that you’ve worked so diligently hard for would be crushed to mere dust. Now we wouldn’t want that, would we?”
“You have nothing on me, Tara.”
“Oh no? What about our not so secret sex rendezvous’ in this very office? It’s all the rave in the office, I mean, everybody knows.” She laughed hysterically. “What you thought you were the only one who did? That’s very cute. You see I don’t do anything without covering my ass first bitch. This was never about you. It’s only about me and what the fuck I want. I wanted to suck that sweet little pussy and I got that. I wanted your fine ass husband and I most definitely got that. So don’t fuck with me.”
“You dick sucking slut. You don’t scare me. I’ll have you outta here so fast your kids’ heads will be spinning.”
I snarled at her evilly, hoping she would get the picture. She didn’t run my life, but it seemed that she thought she had it in the palm of her hands for some reason. I had let this bitch win in the aspect of my relationship but she was sadly mistaken if she thought she ruled everything around me. She was a non-motherfucking-factor and it was my fault for not allowing her to remain just that. It was a mistake that I wasn’t going to make twice.
“You should think twice the next time you speak to me, Kelly. For the next words you say could land you in a great deal of harm.”
“Tara, you’re nothing but a lay on your back and do what ever you gotta do type of bitch. Your mediocre ass threats don’t scare me but you on the other hand should be.” I left her sight marching towards my office door.
“Wait, Kelly,” she called out in a frenzied baby voice. “I’m sorry okay. I don’t know what’s come over me this past year. I’ve been dumped, raped, and beaten all in a matter of months and I just haven’t been able to pull my life back together. Then Trent came into the office one day and he was looking and smelling good and he was flirting with me, trying to cheer me up you know. You’ve gotta know it just happened, Kelly. We never meant for any of this to happen.”
Tara cried almost on cue as tears streamed down her brown cheeks. She covered her face with both hands and kneeled down to the floor as if she were breaking down. I moved gradually back to her as I didn’t know everything that she had just blurted out. I wasn’t aware of who she was or what happened to her in the past. I never took the time to get to know her because of what she had done to me. She was the other woman and I wasn’t interested in caring about her or her feelings, forgetting the fact that she was indeed a pawn in Trent’s chess game of lies too.
“Wait a minute. You’ve been fucking around with Trent for months then you were raped and you still kept fucking him?” I asked placing my hands on my hips, replaying her story over and over in my head.
“What do you want from me, Kelly? Huh? I’m a broken woman looking for love in all the wrong places.” She stood grasping my hands, shaking them frenetically.
“You should’ve sought counseling and not fucked my damn husband. That’s what you should’ve done. You should’ve told me. I could’ve helped you.” Apart of me wanted to feel sympathy for her but in actuality, all I felt was pity.
“I didn’t know. I didn’t think you would help me since this happened after I got with Trent.”
My legs were stiff as a board. I couldn’t move and only focused my eyes out the window at the sun shining its illustrious rays on the colorful garden. Sometimes I often think that I am too book-smart for my own good, that I allow my educational background to cloud my judgment of other people. Had it not been for my college education, this bitch might have gotten over on me. She might have won my sympathy with her pathetic display of pure bullshit. She had spooned bullshit to me since the day I met her and like she said, when she wants something she gets it.
“I thought you said Trent came into the office after all that shit happened to you? You said that shit happened before you got with him.” My voice was solemn but my eyes read of loathing.
“Huh? Naw, naw. I think it was…wait a minute…well I don’t know, I mean it was so many months ago. Hell it could’ve been any given time.” Tara’s eyes seemed to clear up quickly and if it weren’t for the silly ass smile perched upon her face, she might’ve had me.
“You are so fucking pathetic. You really had me going there. If it weren’t for your bad lying, you might have actually won me over.” I smiled as I walked towards the door.
“Okay, Kelly. Okay. You win. Maybe that bullshit didn’t happen in that order but it did happen, though. What do you wan
t?”
“What do I want? What I’ve always wanted, you out of my fucking life for good.” I headed back towards her angrily. “You are a plague, a virus that’s incurable. To know you is to feel the need to exercise a demon from your soul. You are the worst bitch I have ever come across. I might not be able to fix my marriage because of you but I will fix ever having to see you again.”
“And, I can keep him, just like that?”
“As far as I’m concerned you two can crawl under a rock and die together. But try doing it without a fucking job. Tara, you’re so damn fired it’s not even funny.” I turned headed back towards the door for the umpteenth time.
“You’re firing me!”
The next thing I knew, my head began to feel like a million and one little hammers were pounding away at it. I was on the ground between my office and the hallway. Tara conveniently stepped over me and darted down the hall and out of sight. It was clear she was on the run from what she had done to me. Through blurry vision, I could see the broken white porcelain pieces of the vase that’s sat on my desk coupled with a few of the long stem red roses lying next to me. She had lunged it at the back of my head in an angry torrent.
Immediately other personnel came rushing up to help me after hearing the crazed ordeal happen in my office. I could hear them all rushing to dial for emergency assistance. I was going to need it to, after touching the back of my head and revealing a massive amount of blood on my hand. I couldn’t believe this bitch had done to me what I did to Trent a few years ago. As I lay there, I couldn’t help but wonder if it was indeed payback for what I did to him or pure sheer coincidence. Either way, that bitch was crazy and had to be stopped.
All I could think about was seeing the police and telling them everything that happened, everything from my husband’s affair until now. I knew it would probably get me fired for the interpersonal relationship in the office but that was a risk I was willing to take. I could undoubtedly get a job offer somewhere else once the fever died down from all the bullshit. The more I thought about the turn my life had taken, the more I just wanted to take a quick nap and fall asleep.
