No Perfect Affair
Page 21
Melody looked me dead in the eyes and said, “You wrong for that shit.” Then she walked off leaving me standing there.
Yes, I could admit that I deserved that. I looked around to see if Asia was going to attack me again because I wanted to be ready. But she was long gone. I didn’t see her and me ever having a trustworthy relationship again like we had when we were growing up. Our relationship was damaged beyond repair. But I still cared for her, and I wondered what she was going to do with that low-down, on the down low, husband of hers.
48
Asia
I would never have thought that Steve, or my cousin, would deceive me like they did. Sasha and I grew up together. We weren’t blood, but we were cousins. Yes, we had our issues in the past. I was mad at her for marrying my first crush, so I hooked her up with a guy that I had slept with. I truly didn’t think she was going to bang him; after all, she was a married woman. But she stooped to the lowest level when she sat there and watched me marry the man that she saw, just moments before, kissing a man.
I was so livid with her when she told me that at the restaurant. My heart stopped, and my mind went blank. But then, memories reeled through my mind of all the things that I had done to help Steve out when he got released from prison. I was so angry about how he deceived me. While I sat there and thought about the things we had been through and the stuff that Lance had done to me, Sasha continued to talk as if what she had done was cool because it was “payback” for me. I was tired of her mouth, so I punched her in her jaw to shut her up. She fell backward in her chair. She blacked out, I don’t know for how long because I got up and left. That trick was crazy, and I had nothing else to say to her.
When I got home to face my so-called husband, he tried to play like he was so innocent.
“Babe, what are you talking about? I never saw that dude in my life,” he said after I confronted him. I lied and told him that someone told me that they had seen him and Lance out together.
But when I hit him with, “Steve, did you kiss Lance in the parking lot of the church on the day of our wedding?” it looked as if he was going to pass out. Right then and there, I knew the answer. “Get yo’ shit and get the fuck out of my house!” I screamed. “You filthy bastard. So you out here fucking men while you fucking me raw? Muthafucka, I will kill yo’ ass!” I started throwing my fist at him as if I was hitting a punching bag. “I’m about to kill yo’ ass!” That was when my son, Joey, came in the room, scared out of his mind.
“Mom, what are you doing? Why are you fighting with Dad?” he cried out.
All my kids had started calling him dad after we got married. That bastard wasn’t no real man, and I had my kids looking up to him as a role model while he was out there screwing men. My blood boiled! All that time I was stressing myself out, and Steve knew Lance all along. What was really going on? I was disgusted, and I was hurt. I never thought in a million years that he would’ve done something so terrible to me on my wedding day. I wanted to know how they met. I wanted to know everything, but I wouldn’t dare ask him. I wanted him out of my house—now.
“Joey, go to your room. Now!” I shouted, and he ran off.
I knew he was upset, but I would have to deal with him later. I couldn’t even look at Steve. I didn’t know who he was anymore. He was keeping a secret from me. The man I was running from was running into the arms of my husband. I was done with his ass. He had to go.
49
Melody
Four weeks later . . .
As I sat in the hospital, about to deliver my baby by C-section, I prayed to God that she would be okay. I was one month early because of toxemia. My blood pressure was high, so the doctor had to schedule a C-section. I was about to bring another life in the world, another little girl, so I knew I had to stop being so naïve when it came to men. I knew it was going to be hard raising my daughter without her father, but I knew I was going to do the best I could. I didn’t want to be in a relationship at that moment. I needed to be by myself to figure out what I needed, and I needed to give my undivided attention to my girls. Everyone was by my side, including Asia and Sasha—even though they weren’t talking to each other. My mom held one hand, and Rayn held the other as we waited for the doctor to come in.
I had begun going to therapy to help me heal from Rodney’s death. I was really learning a lot, and I was glad that I decided to go through with it because I was able to release a lot of stress. I loved my life, and I loved my daughter, and I didn’t want to ever feel like I needed to end my life. I was in a much better place now.
Asia had filed for divorce. I couldn’t believe the mess she was in. I thought I was going through it, but Asia was going through much worse. After Steve killed the man that we found out he was kissing at their wedding, Asia also found out that he was having an affair with the man. I couldn’t believe that Sasha knew, and she let Asia go on with her wedding. That was so foul; I would have punched her ass too.
After Asia put Steve out, she started going through his things, and she found letters Lance wrote Steve while he was still in jail. Asia found out that Steve and Lance were cool in jail; then, Steve got caught up and fell for Lance. But Steve had told Lance that what they did was a mistake, and when he got out of jail, he wanted to be with Asia.
Lance got released first, and that’s when he approached Asia to get back at Steve. So, what Asia and Lance had was all a joke because Lance was mad and wanted to ruin Steve’s life. In the process, he tried to hurt Asia because he was in love with Steve. Their love triangle was like one of those reality shows you see on TV. Did Lance really think he could have a perfect affair? I wonder why he just didn’t tell Asia from the beginning that he was messing around with men. That down low crap was getting out of hand. I was so glad that Asia got herself out of that situation. I felt sorry for her kids; they loved that man. I shook my head as I thought about the things that men did to ruin a woman’s life. Then, I thought about the things that women did to keep a man happy.
“Miss Dickson, are you ready to see your baby girl?” The doctor walked in the room.
I smiled and said, “Yes, I am, Doc.”
He checked my vital signs; then I lay down in the hospital bed, and the nurses pushed me in to this big, cold, white room. My heart was beating at a fast pace; I was so nervous. I had heard so many horrible stories about having a C-section.
“Melody, everything is going to be okay. I said a prayer for you, and I know God will keep you and my granddaughter safe,” my mother said as she walked right beside me.
* * *
Charity was born at 11:53 a.m., weighing five pounds, six ounces. She was so beautiful with her caramel complexion and head full of curly, jet-black hair. Rayn fell in love with her, and she didn’t want anyone else to hold her. Even though Charity was so small, she was a healthy baby, and she had no problems.
“I told you, baby, God was in the midst of it all,” my mom told me after she saw that my baby and I were all right.
After a few days at the hospital, I was released. I was doing well, and I wasn’t in much pain. When I got home, my mother stayed with me for a while. She didn’t say it, but I knew that she was there to keep me sane because the doctor talked to her about postpartum depression. She didn’t want me to fall back. I continued to go to counseling, and my life was great.
Rayn was also a big help to me. She made sure she asked me if I needed help any time she heard the baby crying. She was so mature for her age, and she was growing up to be so responsible.
Every time I looked into Charity’s eyes, I couldn’t help but to think about Rodney. She had his eyes and nose. I wished that he could see his beautiful daughter. I missed him so much.
After I healed from having my baby, I was ready to get back to work. I had run into an old friend I knew in college, and she told me that she knew someone leasing out a nice-sized space. She thought it would be perfect for my photography studio. I checked it out, and it was perfect. I would be moving into my new building in
two weeks, and I couldn’t wait.
I had some trials and tribulations in my life, but I was ready to stop looking back and move forward into my future with my two beautiful girls. I wanted them to be the best that they could be, and I had to be there to provide a safe environment for them. I loved my life, and I was going to be a great mother and a successful businesswoman.
The End
About the Author
Charmaine Galloway was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio. Writing has been her passion and a positive emotional outlet since middle school. As a teen, writing in her journal allowed her to escape the negativity of her world. Around that time she also began writing her first Christian fiction novel. She finds joy in creating unique and awe-inspiring story lines for the characters in her stories. Ingenuity and imagination are a mainstay and compass in her work.
Charmaine has been a guest on many blog talk radio shows and a featured author in SORMAG’s Digital, Urban Image, BlaqRayn, and Literary Lounge magazines.
Titles by Charmaine include: My World, Through My Eyes, her debut poetry book. Fulfill Your Dreams of Becoming a Self-Published Author, her nonfiction book. Girlfriends Secrets, The Secrets They Kept, Tyree’s Love Triangle, and Golden are her Amazon bestselling novels. Heaven’s Cry and Jordan’s Confessions, her short stories. Girl Talk and Find The Princess Within are her two inspirational books for teen girls. Charmaine has also written two children’s books titled I Love Myself As I Am and Mommy’s Little Superhero.
Ms. Galloway has a bachelor of arts in Family Life Education and an associate degree in Early Childhood Education. Becoming a fierce advocate and supporter of troubled young women has been a goal of hers since overcoming struggles of her own as a young woman. “I believe turning a blind eye or deaf ear to our struggling youth only promotes destruction and demise. They are human. They have a voice. You’ll be surprised by what you can learn from them if you just listen.”
Being the wearer of many proverbial “hats,” Charmaine is a published author under Racquel Williams Presents (RWP) Publishing Company. Also, she is the founder of her own publishing company, Charming Gal Publications. She is the CEO and jewelry designer at Charming Gal Boutique (www.charmainggalboutique.com), her online jewelry boutique, and the owner of Amazing Grace Educational Childcare LLC (www.amazinggracechild-care.com). However, the most important “hat” she wears is that of Mom to her two children. Following her dreams as a writer and entrepreneur will leave a beautiful legacy for them by encouraging them to work hard to achieve their dreams because their mom didn’t quit reaching for hers.
“As a new author, I think it is very important that my readers get to know me. I’m a writer with Christian values, and I hope to inspire people with the stories that I pen. My characters are everyday people going through struggles and obstacles because life is not perfect.
“With every story I create, there is a testimony that my characters will share about life and how they were transformed to become better people. Every story does not have a ‘happily ever after’ ending, and neither does real life.”
Charmaine is currently working on new projects, so keep a lookout for her upcoming releases. Please visit www.charmainegalloway.com to check out her blogs and new blurbs.