Cheaper to Keep Her (part 1)

by Kiki Swinson

  “Bitch! You better be gone when I get back to town. I want you the fuck out of my condo and out

  of my fucking life,” Duke barked into the phone. A cold sweat broke out al over my body.

  “What are you talking about Duke?” I screamed, acting like I didn’t know what was going on.

  “You a lying ass bitch! You ain’t pregnant bitch! I know you had a fucking abortion. I also know you

  been fucking with my money and my business! That shit ain’t gon’ be tolerated . . . now, if you wanna

  live, I suggest you be the fuck out of my place when I get there!”

  I couldn’t get a word in edge wise. I was on my feet pacing now. I was nervous as hel , but I knew

  this day was coming. That’s why I had changed the fucking locks on the condo and put Plan B into

  action. I told Diamond I was leaving town. I didn’t think it would be this soon. It was time for me to get

  my shit together and break out. Duke had threatened to come put me out before but he had never

  shown up, so I wasn’t even scared.

  I took my time walking through the condo putting shit together that I wanted to take with me. I had

  cal ed around to a few apartment spots in Newport News and other parts of Virginia. I was leaving

  the Virginia Beach area for good. There was no way I could stick around after the humiliation Duke

  had put me through.

  I had put the last of my things in my Louis Vuitton luggage that Duke had bought me when he sent

  me on an al -expense paid trip to the Caribbean when I was startled by a loud bang at the front door. I

  jumped. I crinkled my eyebrows and listened intently. That’s when I heard the bang again. I put my

  hand over my mouth. I had been completely wrong. It was Duke! And he was trying to take the fucking

  door off the hinges to get to me.

  “Bitch! You better open this fucking door!”

  When I heard his voice, the banging and then the kicking on the door, my heart sank into the pit of

  my stomach. A hot flash came over my body at the sound of his deep, baritone voice. I could tel he

  was more than livid. I immediately started rushing through the luxury high-rise condominium where I

  had been living for the past six months. It was indeed his fucking condo and he was making sure I

  knew that. It was time to put my Plan B into motion. Quick, fast and in a hurry.

  “Damn, damn, shit!” I cursed as I gathered shit up. I didn’t know how I had let myself get caught

  slipping. I planned to be the fuck out of dodge before Duke could get wind of my deeds. I had

  definitely not planned my escape correctly.

  “Lynise!” Duke’s voice boomed again with additional angry urgency. He started banging even

  harder and jiggling the doorknob. I was scared as shit, but I wasn’t shocked. I knew sooner or later he

  would come. After al the shit I had done to him, I would’ve come after my ass too.

  “Lynise! Open this fucking door now!” Duke continued to bark from the other side of the door. He

  didn’t sound like the man I had met and fel in love with. He damn sure didn’t sound like he was about

  to shower me with cash and gifts like he used to. Not after al the shit I had done . . . or undone I

  should say.

  “Open the fucking door!” he screamed again.

  I was shaking al over now. From the sound of Duke’s voice I could tel he wasn’t fucking around.

  The last time he yanked my ass out of the club by my hair and he wasn’t even half this mad. I could

  only imagine what he wanted to do to me now.

  “Shit!” I whispered as I slung my bag of money over my shoulder and thought about my escape. I

  whirled around aimlessly but soon realized that my Plan B didn’t include Duke being at the front door

  of his fifth floor condo. There was nowhere for me to go. It was only one way in and one way out and I

  damn sure wasn’t jumping off the balcony. If it was the second floor, maybe I would’ve taken a

  chance but I wasn’t trying to die.

  “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” I cursed as I saw my time running out. Duke was a six foot tal hunk of solid

  muscle. I knew I had no wins.

  “Bitch! I’m about to take this fucking door down!” Duke screamed. This time I could hear him hitting

  the door hard. I couldn’t tel if he was kicking the door or putting his shoulder into it. Although it was his

  condo, I had changed the locks to keep his ass out.

  I spun around repeatedly, trying to get my thoughts together before the hinges gave in to his brute

  power. Hiding the money I had stolen was paramount. My mind kept beating that thought in my head. I

  raced into the master bedroom and rushed into the walk-in closet. I began frantical y snatching clothes

  off the hangers. I needed to use them to hide my bag of cash.

  Wham!

  “Oh my God!” I blurted out when I heard the front door slam open with a clang. I threw the bag

  onto the floor and covered it with piles of designer clothes. Things Duke and I had shopped for

  together when shit was good between us.

  “Bitch, you thought I was playing with you?” Duke’s powerful voice roared. “Didn’t I tel you, you

  had to get the fuck out of my crib?”

  He was up on me within seconds. I stood defenseless as he advanced on me so fast I didn’t

  even have time to react. I threw my hands up, trying to shield myself from what I expected to come

  when he reached out for me. But I was too late. He grabbed me around my neck so hard and tight I

  could swear little pieces of my esophagus had crumbled.

  “Duke, wait!” I said in a raspy voice as he squeezed my neck harder. I started scratching at his big

  hands trying to free myself so I could breathe.

  “What bitch! I told you if you ever fucked with me you wouldn’t like it!” he snarled. “You had al my

  shit cancel ed! You fucked with my money! You had my house burglarized because you cancel ed by

  fucking alarm system! Huh, bitch? You tried to destroy me!” Tears immediately rushed down my face

  as I fought for air. “Ain’t no use in crying now. You should’ve thought about that shit.”

  Duke final y released me with a shove. I went stumbling back and fel on my ass so hard it started

  throbbing. I tried to scramble up off the floor, but before I could get my bearings I felt his hands on me

  again. His strong hand was winding into my long hair.

  “Ouch!” I wailed, bending my head to try to relieve some of the pressure he was putting on my

  head.

  Duke yanked me up by my hair. Sharp, stabbing pains shot through my scalp.

  “Owww!” I cried out as he wrung me around by my hair. I tried to put my smal hands on top of his

  huge, animal hands, but it was no use. Hands I had once loved, I now despised and wished would

  just fal off.

  “You thought it was al good right! You a fucking trifling ass bitch and I want you the fuck out of here

  before I kil you with my bare hands!” Duke gritted. Then he lifted his free hand and slapped me

  across my face with al his might.

  “Pl-pl-pl-please!” I begged him for mercy. But Duke hit me again.

  I was crying hysterical y. Partly from the pain of his abuse, but more so from our past. I would have

  never thought our relationship would come to this. It had been a long road and al I wanted to do was

  teach him a lesson when I did the shit I did. I never thought I would have been facing this type of

  torment.

  “I want al your shit out of here, you scandalous bitch! And don’t take nothing that I fucking bought!”

  D
uke roared, then he hit me again. This time I felt blood trickle from my nose. My ears were stil ringing

  from the previous blow to my head. He hit me again. I was sure he had knocked one of my teeth

  loose.

  “Yo Ak, get this bitch shit and throw it the fuck out,” Duke cal ed out to one of his boys. He never

  traveled anywhere alone, except when he used to spend the night. Other nights when he treated me

  as if I was a booty cal , I was sure his boys were outside waiting for him. The one I knew as Chris

  rushed into the closet and started scooping up my clothes and shoes.

  “Wait!” I screamed, but it was for nothing.

  “Shut the fuck up!” Duke screamed in response, slapping me again.

  I could actual y feel my eyes starting to swel . I final y gave up. My spirit was broken, my body was

  sore. I watched as Chris and another one of Duke’s boys slid back the glass balcony doors and

  started tossing al my shit over. I doubled over crying. More and more shit went over and I was sure it

  was raining down on the beautiful y manicured law below.

  “Yeah . . . that’s enough. Don’t throw none of that jewelry or those furs over. I got bitches I could

  give that shit to,” Duke said maliciously. His words hurt. “A’ight bitch . . . your time is up.”

  I shrunk back thinking he was going to hit me again. But he didn’t. He grabbed me by the arm

  roughly. “Oww!” I cried out. Duke was squeezing my arm so hard the pain was crazy.

  “Let’s go,” he said, pul ing me towards the door.

  “Nooooo!” I screamed and then I dropped my body weight down towards the floor so he couldn’t

  pul me.

  “Oh bitch, you getting the fuck outta here,” Duke roared. He bent down, hoisted me over his

  shoulder and started carrying me kicking and screaming towards the door.

  “You can’t do this to me! You wil regret this Duke Carrington!” I hol ered.

  “Fuck you!” he spat in return, opening the condo door and tossing me out into the hal way like a

  piece of discarded trash. I can’t even describe the feeling that came over me. It was a mixture of

  hurt, shame, and embarrassment al rol ed into one.

  Duke slammed the door in my face and I yel ed for him to listen to me. My cries fel on deaf ears.

  My shoulders slumped down in defeat. Duke had left me in the hal way with no shoes, a short

  nightgown and nothing but my belongings on the lawn outside. I didn’t even have the key to my BMW

  X6.

  “Aggghhh!” I grunted in anger and frustration as raked my hands through my tangled hair.

  It was by far not over yet.

  I had more revenge left for his ass.

  Cheaper to Keep Her Unique

  Chapter 20—Naked

  The Here and Now

  My mind was flooded with thoughts of how I had gotten to this point.

  My body was sore. My head hurt. My mind was fucked up. But somehow I had pul ed it together to

  get out of there. I limped out of the Cosmopolitan condominium building half-dressed, with my face

  swol en and my hair a tangled mess.

  I started gathering my things off the lawn. The first thing I tried to locate was my purse and my bag

  of money I had stolen. My purse was there, but that fucking money was history. My Plan B, my stash

  and al my hopes and dreams of becoming Mrs. Duke Carrington were gone. Al I had left was a few

  designer dresses, handbags and shoes that were lying on the lawn.

  As I picked up my things I could not stop sobbing. I picked up a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and slid

  them on. Of course I had attracted a crowd by now. Then as if he hadn’t dissed me enough, one of

  Duke’s little cronies came outside, got into my BMW and drove away. I felt like somebody had taken

  my heart out of my chest and stomped on it.

  “Duke Carrington ain’t heard the last from me,” I mumbled to myself just as I looked down and

  noticed that the pictures and paperwork regarding the adoption ring was stil in my purse, where I had

  put them earlier.

  After I had al of my stuff together in one pile, I dug in my purse and got my cel phone. I cal ed a

  cab and headed to the only place I could rightful y cal home . . . or so I hoped. I prayed the entire cab

  ride that Diamond hadn’t gotten one of the strippers from the club to be her roommate in my place. I

  felt so stupid running back to my old apartment with my tail between my legs . . . especial y since I left

  there like I was on my high horse.

  I dialed Diamond’s number and prayed Brian wasn’t at the apartment with her. She was a total y

  different person around him. My heart was racing as I waited for her to pick up. She final y did and I

  just lost it. I cried and cried and cried. It was so bad Diamond couldn’t understand a word I was

  saying. She final y made out that I was on my way back to the apartment. She was out but told me

  she would meet me there. I didn’t have my keys anymore, so I hoped Diamond would beat me there.

  I real y didn’t want to be ass out, especial y in my condition.

  The cab final y pul ed into the apartment complex and I dug deep in my purse. I didn’t even have

  enough fucking money to pay for the cab.

  “Mister, I only have twenty dol ars but if you give me your card I swear I wil cal you and pay you

  later or tomorrow,” I cried, sounding as pitiful as I felt.

  “No!” the cabdriver barked. “You pay now or I wil cal the police!”

  “Oh my God! What did I do to deserve this!” I screamed. With my hands shaking I cal ed Diamond

  again. I was praying she had some cash to loan me. Before I could place the cal , Diamond knocked

  on the cab window. My shoulders slumped with relief. I was never so happy to see her ass.

  “Diamond, I don’t have enough to pay him and he’s threatening to cal the cops. Please, loan me

  some cash,” It was a pitiful sight. I had gone from high price shopping sprees, high-class spas and

  exclusive restaurants to begging for cab fucking fare.

  “Girl, you know I got you,” Diamond announced, digging in her purse.

  She paid the cabdriver and helped me with my things. As I climbed the old, dirty, worn down stairs

  to my old apartment, a feeling of depression and shame washed over me. I was right back where I

  started from, only this time I was worse off. Now I didn’t even have a fucking job to make my own

  money and Duke had taken al of his money back. Even the money he had rightful y given me was left

  in the condo when he lifted me up and tossed me out on my ass.

  When I got inside the apartment I was even more depressed. I was so used to Duke’s condo with

  the expensive furniture and beautiful artwork, that the drab, raggedy furniture and old ass wal s in the

  apartment made me feel sick. It looked worse than I had remembered, plus Diamond wasn’t the

  clean type. When I lived there, I was the one who always kept shit clean. I couldn’t be choosey

  though, so I just sat my stuff down and flopped down on the couch.

  “So, what the fuck happened?” Diamond asked, sitting on the raggedy recliner across from me. I

  couldn’t even speak without crying. I relayed the entire story for Diamond.

  “Oh shit, yeah, I heard about the thing with the cars,” Diamond announced. She had just begun her

  rambling, so I was going to let her finish was once again failing to inform me about some shit.

  “Those stupid muthafuckas tried to sel the parts back to a chop shop that Duke owned,” she

  continued. “So he caught one of the kids and they told
that it was you who had told them to go there

  and fuck up those cars. Girl, I meant to cal you and tel you that I heard that but I was caught up in

  some dumb shit with Brian.”

  I rol ed my eyes at her. Truthful y, I wanted to kick her trifling ass but she was the one who took me

  in. However, she was a trifling bitch at times.

  “Diamond, don’t you think that shit should have been top priority on your list!” I final y opened my

  mouth in an uproar. “I could’ve fucking gotten away if I had known that Duke knew what was up! I was

  planning on leaving but he got there before I could get out. He got al the money I been stashing!”

  Sometimes I thought she was a damn retard. I loved her but she was dense as hel . If she didn’t

  already strip for a living, I would recommend her ass to be a fucking stripper.

  “I’m sorry, girl, I been busy,” Diamond apologized. “So, what you gonna do now?” I thought her

  tone was kind of condescending, like she was a little happy that I had to come back groveling.

  “I’m gonna move back in here and go get my job back. I guess I’m gonna have to make a living

  somehow,” I lamented.

  “You don’t think Duke is gonna bother you anymore, especial y after al the shit you told me you

  did?” Diamond asked.

  “I don’t know but I can’t afford to just up and leave. I have nothing,” I said sorrowful y. “Al those

  months . . . as a matter of fact . . . a goddamn year and I ain’t got shit to show for it and now Duke is

  about to get married and publicly humiliate me even more.”

  “Wel girl, you win some and you lose some. I guess you better try to get back to work ‘cause ain’t

  nothing going on but the rent up in this camp here,” Diamond said sarcastical y.

  I rol ed my eyes at her. That was what I had to look forward to. This bitch throwing my failed

  relationship back up in my face, especial y because I had given her such a hard time about her no

  good ass man over the years.

  You win some and you lose some. What kind of bul shit was that? And it was bul shit!

  “Wel , you can go back to your old room. Lucky thing I didn’t let Shayla move in yet. Now I’ma

  have to tel that bitch she gotta find some place to live. But anything for you boo,” Diamond said,

  walking over and hugging me.