All That Drama

by McKinney, Tina Brooks

  “Now, where were we?” I asked.

  “You were telling me about your job,” she said.

  “Oh, right. What about you, what do you do?” I inquired.

  “I am a jack of all trades. Right now I’m temping at Equifax. I really don’t like those boring ass desk jobs but I needed something. We are staying with my mother right now and it ain’t working out too good.”

  “I know exactly what you mean. When I first got here I stayed with my mother. Mom and I were cool but I was used to having my own space.”

  “I know that’s right!” Sammie responded.

  I stole a glance at my watch and realized that it was getting late. “Girl, I am really going to have to cut this night short. My mother is watching my kids and I am sure she is ready for them to go home. I need to stay in her good graces especially since she keeps the kids for me while I work.”

  We paid our check and were headed to the door when another guy grabbed her around the waist.

  “Take care, Sammie. I will talk to you soon,” he said. Sammie just smiled at him. For someone that was “married” and new in town, I noticed that Sammie sure attracted a lot of male attention. But this was just the beginning.

  Chapter 4

  Sammie married the first man that asked. At the tender age of eighteen, he took her from her parents’ house and moved her halfway across the country to California. His name was Jessie Alexander and he was six years her senior. Jessie took Sammie to California because he wanted to mold her into a super-model. She stood at 6′2” and her beauty was unequaled. She looked like an Egyptian Queen and her movements were as sleek as a jaguar’s. Jessie loved showing her off. His aspirations for her were motivated by his greed for money. Jessie was a hair designer by trade so Sammie was like a giant black Barbie doll to him. He did her hair, her makeup and even chose her clothes. He also scheduled numerous appointments with various modeling agencies trying to break into the fashion industry.

  Despite his best efforts, Sammie never received those high-paying jobs mostly because her heart wasn’t into modeling. She just went through the motions to keep Jessie happy.

  Jessie was a pretty boy. He had light green eyes and clear caramel-colored skin. His eyes were slightly slanted and he had very long eyelashes to which he secretly applied mascara. His hair was longer than that of most women, and he wore it either in a bob or a ponytail. He was conceited, arrogant and egotistical. He was unaffected by the looks he received from his daring hairstyles. Most people thought that he was gay because he was a hairdresser and because of the way that he carried himself. He stood about 6′2” and was rail thin, weighing perhaps 155 pounds soaking wet.

  Jessie was frustrated that Sammie was not making the money that he believed she could make. He had invested a small fortune building up her portfolio on one hand and exploiting her on the other.

  During the day Jessie promoted her beauty and at night he exploited her body. On her twenty-first birthday, Jessie found a small strip club in a remote section of town that catered to an unsavory clientele.

  “Jessie, why are we celebrating my birthday here?” Sammie inquired, not quite comfortable with all the women in various stages of undress.

  “Uh, I just thought it would be different, that’s all,” he mumbled in response.

  Sammie tried her best not to look at the women but everywhere she looked all she saw were tits and ass. A waitress came within shouting distance and Sammie stopped her.

  “May I have a gin and tonic, please?” Sammie ordered, while looking at Jessie for approval. Not that she really needed his approval to have a drink; she just needed to know if they could afford it. Jessie nodded his consent.

  “Look at her,” he said, pointing to a lightskinned woman on the stage. She had bent over at the waist and was sucking her own pussy. She alternated between fondling her breast and sucking herself, which was driving the men wild.

  Sammie glanced in her direction and quickly averted her eyes.

  “What about her?” she inquired, studying the tablecloth as if seeking answers to life’s most difficult questions.

  “She can’t hold a candle to you, baby,” he said. Sammie fully looked up at him for the first time since entering the bar. He called her “baby” and it had been some time since he had done that. She looked to the stage to see if she could see what Jessie had seen.

  “Look, she can’t even move like you. She looks all stiff and unnatural!” he said. The waitress placed Sammie’s drink on the table and she quickly drained the glass. She signaled for another refill. Jessie did not even notice that the waitress had been there since his eyes were glued to the stage and it had his full attention.

  Jessie held up a bill and the woman on the stage came over to the table. She did a special little dance in front of Jessie and Sammie turned red. She could not stand to watch the woman but it was even worse watching Jessie as he slobbered all over himself. He tucked the bill in the front of her g-string and the woman went back to center stage. He turned his attention back to Sammie with a what do you think look in his eyes, obviously expecting a response from her without asking.

  “She’s all right,” Sammie said, not knowing what else to say to describe the other woman.

  “She could learn a lot from you,” Jessie said.

  “Is that a compliment?” Sammie asked, not sure how to take his remark.

  “Yeah, if you don’t know nothing else, you sure know how to shake that ass,” Jessie said, eyeing her midsection.

  She no longer felt like she was being complimented. Jessie continued to ignore her for the rest of the night.

  Over the next few months, Jessie continued to take Sammie to the strip clubs at least three nights a week. He never told her their destination until they pulled up in front of the dimly lit bars. Sammie eventually learned to tolerate it. However, she still felt uncomfortable openly staring at the women. She tried to imagine them with clothes in a fashion show but could not get past the tits and ass on display.

  One night they arrived at Paradise. The club was real crowded when they got there but a table had been reserved for them in the front row, close enough to the stage for Jessie to get his hands on any of the dancers if he wanted to and did. Sammie saw the same dancer that she had seen the first night Jessie had brought her to the club. She was talking with the manager. They were both looking in her direction and she began to sense an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach again. Sammie knew the woman’s first name was Kim but that was the extent of her knowledge.

  She looked over at Jessie and he had a shit-eating grin plastered on his face that usually meant he was up to no good.

  “I want you to do this for me,” he said. His voice was gentle but it had an underlying tone that said, if you don’t, bitch, there will be hell to pay.

  “Do what?” Sammie asked, leaning closer so she did not misunderstand or misinterpret what he was saying. She also wanted to get out of the eyesight of Kim and the manager. The hair at the back of her neck began to stand up as she noticed the maniacal look in Jessie’s eyes.

  “You know damn well what,” he snapped. “Don’t pretend like you don’t know why I have been bringing your ass here. You’re not that stupid,” he jeered.

  His evil side surfaced and Sammie swallowed a knot of fear that formed in her throat and threatened to close off her airway. She knew what he wanted but she was unwilling to give it to him.

  “Please, Jessie, not that,” she pleaded.

  “Shut up! You’re sniveling,” he shouted back. “We need the money, plain and simple.”

  “But we can make it some other way. I’ll get a full-time job,” she declared.

  “Doing what? Your dumb ass didn’t finish high school! You ain’t making shit with those modeling gigs I managed to get you either,” he announced.

  “Jessie, I have never done this type of stuff before. I can’t,” she said as tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. Just then Sammie noticed Kim making her way to their tabl
e.

  “Bitch, you better not embarrass me in front of Kim. You’re going to dance and you better make it good,” he growled at Sammie, slamming his hand against the table to emphasize his point. The force of the blow caused Sammie to jump.

  “Are you ready for the spotlight?” Kim asked, grabbing Sammie’s hands and propelling her out of her seat. She winked at Jessie as he patted her on her partially clad behind.

  “What the fuck?” Sammie interjected, looking to Jessie for understanding of what was expected of her. What she was getting loud and clear was that Kim and Jessie had developed some kind of relationship.

  “I, uh,” Sammie stuttered still confused.

  “Don’t be shy, girl,” Kim said. “We all acted like this the first time. Jessie tells me you’re a natural and born for the stage! For tonight, you can borrow some of my things but after that, you will be expected to bring your own.” She turned and pushed Sammie towards the door. One final look at Jessie’s stern face told Sammie that she had no choice in this matter. He did not smile as she walked away. His face was frozen like a block of ice, wearing a menacing sneer that was meant solely for her.

  Kim led Sammie into the back dressing room. She cried inwardly. She knew she had little to no choice in this matter if she didn’t want to receive an ass whipping from Jessie when she got home. It was evident that he had arranged this before they arrived at the club.

  “Don’t worry, honey,” Kim said, trying to console her. “The first time is always the worst. Just pretend that you are home alone with Jessie and no one else is in the room. He told me how hot you make him when you dance for him,” Kim went on.

  “Jessie told you that?” Sammie asked in a state of shock. First of all, she had not danced for him since they first moved to California and second, now days he acted bored. She wanted to ask her just how well she knew Jessie but thought better of it.

  “You have a great manager,” she said with a broad grin. “I wish I had someone like him to look after me.”

  “Manager?” Sammie choked. “Is that what he told you he was to me?” Sammie asked, unable to contain the fire she felt upon hearing her own husband refer to himself as only her manager.

  “Yeah, sugar. Count yourself lucky,” she said with the utmost sincerity. “Some of us are not blessed with good management.”

  If she only knew, Sammie thought to herself. She wanted to correct Kim on the true nature of their relationship but she was not ready for the big beat-down that would ultimately follow if she did.

  Chapter 5

  To the best of Sammie’s knowledge, Jessie did not make it home last night. When her set was up, she quietly left the club and took a cab home. This was happening more and more on a regular basis, but Sammie refused to think about it and instead relished her temporary freedom. This was her only down time.

  Over the past few years, Sammie had fought against dancing in those sleazy clubs. She had pleaded with Jessie to allow her to attend open auditions for modeling jobs but she no longer had the body for it. Dejected, Sammie became accustomed to the smoky dimly lit room.

  Alone, at last, she leisurely stretched and belted out a hearty yawn. Scratching first her crotch, then her armpits, Sammie climbed out of the bed. She did not know how long her reprieve would be but she knew she was going to make the most of it.

  After checking the driveway to make sure his car was gone, Sammie ran into the kitchen and pulled out the box of chocolate chip cookies she had hidden in the crock-pot. She glanced at the clock and realized that it was almost noon. It was unusual for Jessie to let her sleep this late on a weekday but she quickly dismissed her worries.

  Gratefully, she bit down into the cookie and breathed in its sinful smell. With each bite, some of the tension that had been building in her neck and shoulders eased. Suddenly, she remembered the potato chips she’d hidden in the bathroom cabinet behind stacks of toilet paper. She quickly ran to the bathroom and retrieved her stash. She put the snacks on the table and grabbed a two-liter bottle of Dr. Pepper from under the sofa.

  She could not eat these types of foods when Jessie was around so she decided to have a bonafide feast in his absence. From the linen closet, she retrieved some chocolate cupcakes and a bag of Doritos. She tore off the top of the Doritos and crammed a few in her mouth on her way back to the kitchen.

  With her bounty laid out before her, she sat down to enjoy her feast. She briefly looked down at the frayed nightgown she wore and paused long enough to wipe her hands before tearing into the bags before her.

  “I wonder who he’s with this time?” she said out loud, but those thoughts did not slow down her fevered consumption. She alternately shoveled sugar and salt down her throat with pauses in between gulping her soda. She remembered the onion dip in the refrigerator and knocked over her chair in her haste to get it.

  “Uh!” she said after letting out a loud satisfying belch. Crumbs spewed out her mouth and landed on the front of her nightgown but she didn’t even notice. She also had a smudge of dip under her chin. She was so preoccupied with her meal, she did not hear Jessie’s car when he pulled into the driveway. She also did not see the dark shadow that paused at the kitchen window momentarily blocking out the sun.

  “What the fuck!” Jessie exclaimed when he saw Sammie hunched over the kitchen table and more importantly with all the junk food scattered all over the table. After watching her for a few minutes from the window, he approached the front door. He masked the anger he felt and noisily opened the door.

  Sammie’s head snapped up when she heard his keys jingling. She quickly threw all the evidence of her binge in the trash. She ran to the refrigerator and grabbed a carrot, which was an acceptable snack, according to Jessie. She bit into the carrot hoping it would hide the smell of chocolate on her breath. She did not expect Jessie to kiss her but you never knew with him.

  “Hi,” Sammie said brightly despite the brick of fear lodged in her chest.

  “Um,” he grunted in response. “What are you doing?” he asked angrily.

  “Just having a snack,” she replied, holding up the half-eaten carrot as evidence.

  “I can see that; I ain’t blind,” he flipped back. “Is that all that you have eaten today?” he asked, going through the mail that was left on the table from the day before.

  “Yeah, I’m still trying to watch my weight,” she said, allowing her breathing to relax thinking she was in the clear.

  “Where did you get that from?” he inquired, pointing to the carrot that she was holding.

  “The refrigerator,” she said, not understanding his line of questions nor where they were going.

  “We had carrots just like that in the refrigerator?” he asked. “Are those the same ones I bought last week?”

  “I am not sure when you bought them but I got them from the fridge. I sure didn’t buy them ’cause I rarely have money for anything other than cigarettes.” She really wanted Jessie to leave the room so she could take out the trash and destroy any evidence left of her binge. She was mad that she had to throw out her remaining goodies but wanted the opportunity to take them back out if they hadn’t spilled onto the other garbage in the can.

  “Those look like real special carrots to me,” Jessie said, walking closer to Sammie. “And that’s all you have had today?” he asked again. She turned the carrot over in her hand examining it. She didn’t understand why he was making such a big deal of the carrot anyway but she continued to play along. She took another bite of the carrot before she responded.

  “Yep, this is it,” she said, wiping her sweaty palms down the sides of her tattered nightgown.

  Jessie was fuming. Not only had he caught her eating forbidden items, but she had the audacity to lie to his motherfucking face, he thought. He was a mere two inches from her when he punched the shit out of her.

  “My carrots don’t leave crumbs, you dumb bitch!” His punch knocked Sammie clean off the chair and left her breathless. His fist hit her squarely in her face, busting her
lip in two places and causing her nose to bleed profusely. Dazed, she did not know what he was talking about. She shook her head, trying to clear it, sending small drops of blood onto an already dirty white linoleum floor.

  He stood over her, shaking with rage.

  “Not only that, you would sit there and lie to my motherfucking face!” He drew back his leg and kicked her in the ribs. “I have been busting my ass for the last few years trying to make something of your sorry ass and all you do is lie to me!”

  He bent down to get up close to her face. He had been drinking and she detected another aroma that resembled cheap perfume. Sammie drew an involuntarily deep breath, which caused her to immediately start coughing. She sprayed more blood on the floor and Jessie slapped her repeatedly in her face. One blow landed over her left ear, causing it to ring. Tears rolled from her eyes as the pain traversed through her body. Still dazed, she did not get what he was talking about.

  She looked down at her nightgown and for the first time noticed the crumbs mingled with her blood from her bleeding lips and nose. Jessie pulled her up from the floor by her hair, shoving her when she reached her feet. She pulled back from his grip fearing another assault. Disgusted, he pushed her body back against the wall. Her hands trailed the walls, painting them with her blood and tears.

  Jessie swung at Sammie once more but this time he missed her head and his fist crashed into the wall. The cheap plaster immediately folded, leaving a hole in the dingy white wall. Instinctively, she raised her hands to defend herself when he drew back his arm. “Shit!” he exclaimed as he repeatedly shook out his pain. Jessie turned around in circles shaking his hand. He looked so ridiculous going in circles, Sammie had to stifle her laughter. If he hadn’t been trying to hurt her with that hand, Sammie might have felt sorry for him. “Rat bastard,” she mumbled to herself.