No Perfect Affair

by Charmaine Galloway

“Yes.”

  He was doing it again, being quiet. But that didn’t last long because, before I knew it, he went off. “You took my money but didn’t take the pill! You trapped me, Mel! You trapped me into having a baby! You know I don’t want any more kids, so you trapped me.”

  “I didn’t trap you,” I tried to defend myself.

  “Then why? Why didn’t you get that pill?” He was so angry that the machines he was hooked up to started going haywire.

  “Because I forgot,” I lied. “I woke up the next day, and a lot of stuff happened. I was busy for a few days, and by the time I remembered, it was too late to take the pill.” I knew he wouldn’t believe me, but it was all I could come up with.

  “You’re crazy, and you’re trying to trap me!” He was adamant about that, but I was cool with his attitude because, in all of the fussing he was doing, he never once told me that he wanted me to get an abortion. So, I stood there and took his fussing, not really caring because, in the back of my mind, all I cared about was him getting healthy and the fact that we were going to be a family.

  “Sir, you’re going to have to calm down,” the nurse said as soon as she stepped in, but Rodney kept right on fussing. The next thing I knew, she said it was meds time, and within minutes, his voice lightened, his speech slurred, and he was knocked out.

  * * *

  It was going on two weeks since Rodney had been in the hospital. “Hello, Miss Melody, you can go in now,” the nurse said.

  “Thank you,” I said as immediately I got up from my seat and walked out of the waiting room and down the hall to Rodney’s room. He was still in serious condition because his organs and lung were still healing, but he was doing much better.

  “Hey, babe. How are you feeling?” I smiled and kissed him since he was sitting up in bed.

  “I’ll be good when I can go to the bathroom by myself,” he huffed. He had a catheter in, and I could tell he was uncomfortable.

  “How are you feeling about our conversation?”

  He pouted in response to my question. I knew he was still mad at me for finally telling him I was pregnant a few days ago. He’d been upset then, and from the looks of things, he was upset now. But I wouldn’t argue—not only for the baby’s sake, but for his sake as well. Although he wasn’t acting like it, especially since he’d just gotten out of bed and was walking around, Rodney was a very sick man.

  “Now, Rodney, you need to stop walking around; stay off your feet and rest your body. You don’t want to hurt yourself and have to start all over again with your healing,” the nurse said calmly and gave him a stern look right before she walked out the door.

  “I don’t have time to be sitting around. I need to get out here. I hate hospitals.” He growled with anger as he paced the floor.

  “Babe, if you do what they say, then you can get out of here,” I tried to reassure him. I didn’t understand why in the world he wanted to walk around anyways. He had to walk with a walker while holding on to the rack that held his urine and IV.

  “I’m going to be cool; they just need to release me.” He got back on his bed as if he was out of breath and closed his eyes.

  I hoped he would keep still so he could get out of there, so we could get to being a family.

  * * *

  It had been a long week. After I left the hospital from seeing Rodney a few days ago, I rushed home to do a photo shoot. It went well, and my client really loved the pictures that I shot of her and her three children. She purchased the deluxe package, which consisted of five poses and four different backgrounds. That ran for $300. The client had referred me to two more of her friends, and they made appointments for the same week. One of the ladies was a model, and she needed a few shots to send to her agent because her other photos were ruined in a house fire. I really enjoyed her shoot because she knew how she wanted to pose, and she was a pro at it.

  The other client that I had wanted me to take a few graduation photos of her daughter, Samantha, who was graduating from high school. Samantha was very shy, and I could tell she was not comfortable in her skin. I had to tell her over and over again that she was beautiful. She was a dark-skinned teen, weighing about two hundred sixty pounds. Her mother was in the background yelling at her to smile differently because the smile she was giving wasn’t cute. I hated parents like that. The parents that didn’t let their children be who they were. The kind of parents that constantly criticized their children and made them feel bad. I wanted to tell her to go outside while I did my job because I was getting sick of her, and Samantha definitely wasn’t feeling it, which didn’t help with the shoot.

  On top of working, I also had to take Rayn to basketball practice three times a week. While she was there, I went home to cook dinner, and then rushed back to pick her up. I wasn’t able to move like I used to with a baby in my stomach. I had finally told Rayn that I was pregnant. She was excited that she was going to have a baby brother or sister, but she was sad that Rodney had gotten shot. I assured her that he was going to be just fine.

  I still had not told my mother, Asia, or Sasha. I had been so busy with everything that was going on in my life that I hadn’t seen my cousins in a few weeks. When my mother called, we talked about everything else, so I never brought up the fact that I was pregnant. I knew that she would be upset because I wasn’t married, so I really wasn’t in a rush to tell her. I wasn’t ready to hear her gripe about it.

  I was supposed to go and see Rodney at the hospital, but I was just too tired. I talked to him on the phone the day before, and he sounded like he was out of breath. Maybe it was good that I didn’t go and see him; it seemed like he needed his rest. I lay my head down on my pillow and was asleep within seconds. But my sleep was soon disrupted by the ringing of my phone.

  “Ugh, who is this calling me at three in the morning?” I was irritated because I was sleeping so well. I picked the phone up and answered with an attitude. “Hello.”

  “Melody!”

  “Yes,” I said in a calm tone. It was Tasha.

  I heard the tears in her voice when she said, “Rodney just passed away.”

  I shot up in bed like a bullet. “What did you say?”

  “Rodney passed away!” Tasha wailed as if in great agony.

  I inhaled deeply from shock, but I couldn’t exhale. I went mute. It felt as if someone punched me in the stomach. All the wind in my body was snatched from within me. I could hear Tasha on the phone saying something, but I couldn’t focus on her words. Rodney can’t be dead! I just talked to him yesterday! My heart ached, and my head spun. My hands shook so badly that I couldn’t hold on to the phone any longer. The device fell from my hands and landed on my bed.

  “Noooooo!” I screamed until I was hoarse.

  39

  Asia

  Ever since I saw Lance peeking into my bedroom through my balcony door, I had been watching my every move. I couldn’t believe that he would do something so insane. After I saw him watching that night, I got up and ran to the bathroom. Chills ran up my spin. He was really looking through my fucking window. My body shook uncontrollably. I was so messed up that I needed to be by myself behind walls where there were no windows. I felt so violated as I wondered why in the hell Lance was doing that to me. My husband banged on the door, wanting to know what was wrong with me. But I didn’t answer him. I just sat on the toilet and cried. I was too distraught to come up with a lie like I did at my wedding when I saw Lance.

  He was getting out of control, and I had to do something about it. I had to tell my husband, and when he got home from work, that was what I was going to do. I sat in my home office, going through paperwork from the last couple of homes that I’d sold, but I couldn’t concentrate. All I could do was go back to the time when Lance and I were together to see if I could remember any time that I thought he was the crazy, stalking type.

  I put the paperwork down on my desk, sat back in my leather chair, and thought hard, but I couldn’t come up with anything. Then I remembered the time I t
old him I was going out for Melody’s birthday. I told him what club I was going to, and he didn’t want me to go because he said there were too many thirsty dudes in that club, and that I shouldn’t be in that crowd. I wasn’t trying to hear what he was saying, so I went anyway.

  I was chilling at the bar when I looked across the bar and saw who I thought was Lance staring at me. But when I got up to go confront him, he was no longer there. I couldn’t understand why he would follow me to the club, just like I couldn’t believe he would drive me off the road. Back then, I thought it was cute that he wanted to see what I was up to. I never thought he would be the type to try to kill me, then find out where I lived and peek through my window while my husband and I made love.

  I shook my head to rid the thoughts that were flooding my mind. I looked at the time; it was after midnight, and my husband was not at home. I walked upstairs to make sure that the kids had turned the TVs off in their rooms before they went to bed. Joey had a bad habit of going to sleep with his TV on. I always had to get on him about that. I told him he needed to cut that out or get a job and help pay the electric bill.

  I walked into each of my children’s rooms and tucked them in. They were sleeping so peacefully. Looking at them brought Lance back into my mind, his words playing over in my head like a broken record. “I will blow up your house with you and yo’ kids in it.”

  I still didn’t understand how he got my address. He must have followed me because my address was not listed. I did that because I was a Realtor, and I had come across a few crazy people looking for houses. A few had gotten mad because they didn’t get the houses that they wanted, and I didn’t want them to come looking for me. However, on that day, I wasn’t worried about how an old client got my address. I was losing my mind because my ex-lover was stalking me.

  After I took a hot shower to relax, I walked into my room to find my nightclothes. Before I put them on, I went back in the bathroom to get dressed. I was so scared that Lance was outside my door watching me. I wished Steve would get home. I wondered where in the hell he was at one in the morning.

  When I finished getting dressed, I opened the bathroom door and heard my phone ringing. I picked it up quickly because I knew it had to be Steve.

  “Where are you?”

  “Oh, you’re looking for me? I’m not too far, so I can pay you a visit if you want,” the voice on the other end said and then let out a sinister laugh.

  “Lance, you better not come back over to my house, or I will call the police,” I spat. I looked over at my patio door to see if he was near.

  “You little whore. I knew you had it in you, so why didn’t you ever ride me like you were riding your husband? You were getting it like a champ,” he said, and I went mute. I was about to hang up the phone, but he must have read my mind.

  “If you hang up on me, I’ll be over there in five minutes. Try me, bitch!” I sat down on the bed as one tear dropped from my eye.

  “Now answer me, dammit. Why didn’t you take control in the bed with me like you did with that lame husband of yours?”

  “I have to go; my husband is coming in the room,” I lied.

  “You’re a liar; I know your husband isn’t there. And if you lie to me again, I will be knocking on your door before the whole lie comes outcha mouth.” His voice was stern. I swallowed hard but didn’t say a word.

  “I know your husband is out, driving your car. By the way, I see you upgraded your ride after totaling your other car. I like it; it’s nice.”

  That was it. I snapped. “No, I didn’t total my car—you did!” I was enraged. “Why did you try to kill me? Why the hell are you stalking me, showing up at my home and at my wedding? What the fuck is wrong with you?” I shouted because I wanted to make sure he heard me clearly. I was beyond pissed; I was ready to find someone to do him in.

  “Asia, if I can’t have you, no one will. I loved you with my whole heart, and you went out and got married on me. Oh, babe, I’m not going anywhere, and one day, it will be my ring that you will wear on your finger. You need to stop fronting; you know you love me. What do you see in the dude you’re with? He looks like he’s a little fruity. Are you sure that he wasn’t getting bent over while he was locked up.” He laughed out loud.

  “You sick bastard! No, my husband is not gay,” I spat.

  “Are you sure?” His laugh was sinister.

  I couldn’t help it; I hung up the phone. I just sat there, immobile, terrified that he would show up at my house again. I called Steve’s phone, but it went straight to voice mail. My phone was ringing off the hook, but I refused to answer it. I didn’t want to hear anything else Lance had to say. I was going to have to get a restraining order on him. I couldn’t sleep, and I wondered where the hell my husband was.

  Finally, the ringing began to drive me insane. I picked up my phone, pushed the talk botton, and shouted, “Stop calling my mutha—”

  “Asia, it’s me. Melody.” I could hear in her voice that she was crying.

  Ugh. I didn’t want to hear about her and Rodney’s issues. He had to have done something wrong because it was the middle of the night, and she was calling me. As soon as I realized it was her on the line, Steve walked through the door.

  “Rodney’s dead! I’m about to lose my mind! Can you please come over?”

  “Are you kidding me? Oh my God! I’m on my way,” I said and got up from the bed.

  “What’s wrong?” Steve came in, looking like he was concerned.

  “My cousin needs me. I’ll deal with you when I get back.” I gave him a toxic glare. I walked out of the bedroom and out my front door without saying another word to him.

  40

  Sasha

  I didn’t know what to expect as I walked into the club half naked for the sex party. But once I entered the huge building, which looked like an old warehouse, my mouth literally dropped to the floor. There were men that walked around with thongs on with suspenders. Most of all the women had on bras and thongs, but some of them were decent, wearing one-piece lingerie or swimming suits with stilettoes. People gathered around talking, drinking, and smoking weed. When I looked up, there was couple on sex swings, hanging from the ceiling. I had never seen anything like that in my life.

  As I looked to the left of the room, there was porn playing on a large screen. The screen was in the middle of a large wall, and there was a woman lying across the table with different types of food on her body for people to pick up and eat. I was not about to eat food off of a naked woman’s body. I didn’t care if her private parts were covered. That was disgusting.

  As we walked farther down a narrow hall by the restrooms, I saw that there were also private rooms where the guests could go in and watch XXX movies with their mate and do whatever they pleased during the video. There was just sex everywhere, and I really wasn’t feeling the visual that I was getting.

  There were also large rooms where different types of music were being played, and the dance floor was packed with people sweating, moving their bodies seductively to the music, and just having a good ol’ time. A few people were making out by the walls or on the leather sofas for all to see. I wasn’t used to these types of events; I actually felt dirty and out of place. Men walked around gawking at me as they eyed me up and down. But when I looked at Lamel, it seemed as if he was having a good ol’ time, and everywhere he went, he pulled me with him.

  Lamel decided that he wanted to go inside the room, which was the size of a miniclub, to listen to rap music. We danced a few songs, and then, in the middle of the song, someone passed Lamel a joint. He hit it, and then asked me if I wanted to hit it. I hadn’t smoked weed since I was in college. I didn’t smoke often, only when I went to a few parties. However, weed did make me relax a little and not worry about the small things. Maybe that was what I needed at that moment because I was on the verge of telling Lamel I was ready to go. I took the joint from his hand and took a long drag. Instantly, I felt like I was hit in the head by a semitruck. But the feeling
was not painful; it just knocked me off my feet. I felt Lamel grab me.

  “Damn, babe, are you all right? You need to take yo’ time when you hit that. This stuff ain’t no regular shit you get from yo’ homegirls,” he smiled.

  He wasn’t lying. The stuff that I smoked back in the day didn’t come close to what I had in my hand. I figured it was just the upgraded version, especially since it smelled different and tasted like no other weed I had had before. But the feeling it gave me was magnificent, and I kept smoking it until it was gone.

  That’s when I started dancing like I was a pro at it. I got close to Lamel, turned my back to him, pressed my ass into him, and started twerking like crazy. Up and down, I moved on him like I was giving him a standing lap dance. I could feel him getting hard as a rock as his manhood slipped between my cheeks through our clothes.

  “Come on, baby, the way you’re twerking on this dance floor has my man on fire. Let’s go somewhere and handle this,” he said as he grabbed his crotch.

  I may have been high, but I was not about to have sex for all the public to see. “Lance, let’s go home or to a hotel; I don’t want to do it here.” My eyes begged him.

  “Babe, I can’t drive like this, and you can’t either. We need to let our high go down a little. I’ve got a place where we can get some privacy. Come on.”

  He took my hand and guided me. He had begun to look a little strange. What did he mean we couldn’t drive? We were only smoking weed which was legal in some states. But I didn’t say a word, I just followed behind him. On the way to our destination, someone passed another joint to him, but instead of him hitting it, he gave it right to me. I was going to refuse it, but I took it and hit it a few times. I needed to be ready for what was in store.

  Lamel walked with me into the women’s room. There were six stalls along with a counter that had six sinks and a large rectangular mirror that hung on the wall. He checked every stall to see if someone was in them. The restroom was empty, so he turned around, walked to the door, and turned the dead bolt to lock it.