“I’m sorry for scaring you, but I’m fine,” Demi replied.
“What’s going on Demi? It’s not like you and Kamari to get into it like this. He’s losing his mind wondering where you’ve been,” Diane said.
“Good and I don’t feel sorry for his ass,” Demi replied.
“Oh no, now you really need to tell me what’s up. You know how much I worry,” Diane commented.
Her mother was one of her best friends, so Demi replayed everything to her exactly as it happened. Diane loved Kamari like a son, but Demi was her baby. If he was doing her daughter dirty, she would cut his ass off like a car in traffic.
“That bastard was cheating on you!” Diane yelled out angrily.
“He swears that he wasn’t, but I don’t know what to believe. I haven’t talked to him since then, but I read all the messages that he sends,” Demi replied.
“What other reason does he have for leaving home that late with an overnight bag?” Diane questioned.
“I really don’t know, but I’m about to find out. I just pulled up in my driveway.”
“You know that my door is always open to you, baby. Your old room is the same as it was when you left. If that nigga don’t act right, you can always come back home,” Diane assured her.
“I know Ma and, if I have to, I will. I don’t care about this house and nothing else when it comes to my happiness and peace of mind. I love Kamari, but I won’t be his fool,” Demi concluded.
“I just want me some grandbabies. At the rate y’all are going, I’ll never get any. Call me later; I have to get ready for work,” Diane said before she hung up the phone.
As soon as she got off the phone with her mother, Demi got out of the car and went into her house. She was prepared to hear whatever her husband had to say. She was also prepared to walk away if whatever he said was too much for her to handle. When she entered their bedroom, Kamari jumped up from the bed and rushed over to her. He tried to hug her, but Demi pushed him away.
“I can’t even hug you, Demi?” Kamari said as he looked at her through pain-filled eyes.
“No need for all the pleasantries; you wanted to talk so let’s talk,” Demi said, void of any emotions.
“Can we at least sit down? Why are you in such a hurry?” Kamari asked.
“Why are you stalling?” Demi countered.
“I’m not stalling. We could have had this conversation days ago, if you would have come home. We’re married Demi. That’s not how we solve problems. Don’t do that shit no more,” Kamari ordered.
“Depending on what you say, I might be gone for good,” Demi warned.
“The first thing you need to know is that I would never cheat on you, Demi. I love you too much to even go there with another woman,” Kamari started.
“Okay, but something had to be going on. You lied to me and you would have kept it going had I not seen it for myself. Whose house did you go to that time of night with an overnight bag?” Demi questioned.
“A customer. I had to drop something off to them,” Kamari replied honestly, with a lowered head.
“A customer? What kind of....” Demi started saying until realization set in. “Are you fucking kidding me?” she yelled angrily.
“Baby, just listen,” Kamari begged.
“I don’t want to hear shit that you have to say Kamari. I can’t believe that you would do this to me again,” Demi cried.
“Baby, just understand my position. I’m a man and I’m supposed to provide for my wife. The fuck I look like letting you take care of me? That’s just not me, Demi. I’ve been out here getting money since I was a teenager and I can’t stop now. We just paid this house off and I want to make sure that our bank account is always straight,” Kamari replied.
“Just fuck my feelings, as always. What happened to school Kamari? What happened to the promises that you made me?”
“I keep telling you that school shit just ain’t for me, Demi. The only thing I know how to do is get money and that’s what I’m doing.”
“So, where does that leave us Kamari? I’m against this and my feelings won’t change,” Demi noted.
“Baby, I love you more than I love myself. I don’t want us to be at odds with each other over this. I just need you to understand my reasoning and support my decisions,” Kamari begged.
“You sound like a damn fool. You’re asking me, your wife, who’s an attorney, to support your decision to be a dope dealer. You can’t be serious. You’re not a teenager anymore Kamari. You’re a grown ass man with grown man responsibilities,” Demi fussed.
“You act like I’m trying to do this shit forever. I just want a little more time to make sure we’re financially stable,” Kamari pointed out.
“Oh, please Kamari. I’ve heard all that shit before. Weeks turn into months and months turn into years. Miss me with your false promises. Your word doesn’t mean a damn thing to me anymore,” Demi countered as she grabbed her purse and prepared to leave.
“Baby wait, please don’t leave,” Kamari begged as he pulled Demi back and hugged her.
She was a fool and she knew it, but she wrapped her arms around her husband and melted into his tight embrace. Demi was stuck. She loved her husband, but she didn’t agree with the lifestyle that he was trying to force her to live. She was all set and ready to give him a time frame to be done with his illegal hobby, when something else dawned on her.
“Wait a minute,” Demi said as she pulled away from him
“What’s wrong? Kamari asked.
“You said that you went to drop something off to somebody the night that I followed you to that house,” Demi remembered.
“Yeah, I did, why?” Kamari questioned.
“I was on my way home when you were pulling off, and I followed you to that house,” Demi continued.
“Okay baby, what are you saying?” Kamari questioned, urging her to get to the point.
“You left from the house with drugs, which means that the drugs had to already be here. Oh, my God, Kamari! You have fucking drugs in our house. Are you crazy?” Demi yelled as she started hitting him in his chest.
Things were spiraling out of control and she didn’t know how to get a grip on it all. Her marriage was damn near perfect a few days before. Now, she didn’t even want to be in the same room with the man who she stood before God and promised to love and honor.
“Chill out Demi. It ain’t like nobody knows where we live. Nobody would ever be able to find anything in here,” he tried to assure her.
“I’m getting the hell out of here. I can’t believe that you put my life and career on the line like that. You don’t give a fuck about nobody else but yourself,” Demi said with tears clouding her vision.
“I’m careful Demi. I would never put you or your job in jeopardy. You have to trust me, baby.”
“Trust you? I feel like I don’t even know you. You keep talking about decisions, but you need to make a few of your own. I don’t agree with this and I never will. I don’t give a damn how careful you think you are; I don’t want drugs or drug money in our home. This is our comfort zone Kamari. The place that we plan to raise our kids in someday. So, you decide, right here, right now. It’s either me or this childish ass fantasy of yours.”
“Fantasies don’t pay the bills. The money that I make does,” Kamari said, getting aggravated with the entire conversation.
“Goodbye Kamari,” Demi said as she attempted to leave again.
“Baby wait, please don’t leave. Okay, I’ll compromise. I’ll find somewhere else to store my products and money,” Kamari relented.
“Bye Kamari,” Demi said again.
“Man fuck!” Kamari snapped in anger. “I’m trying to make this right Demi, but nothing I do is ever good enough for you.”
“I asked you to choose and you did. I hope your dope and your money can keep you warm at night. You just lost a wife behind it,” Demi said as she walked out of the house, with Kamari chasing after her.
He was beggin
g and pleading with her to come back inside to talk, but she didn’t have anything else to say. Kamari had tears in his eyes as he told his wife what he thought she wanted to hear, but Demi had tuned him out. She got into her car and peeled out of the driveway with her tires screeching behind her. She wasn’t even to the corner before she broke down and cried. She couldn’t believe what was happening and how fast it all happened. Maybe a few more days apart would do them some good, but Demi prayed that they could get it together. She didn’t want to end her marriage, but she would be a single woman before she let any man walk all over her, and that included her stubborn husband. Once she made it to a corner store not far from her house, Demi stopped to get herself together. She could barely see because the tears were blinding her vision. The ringing of her phone made her jump, but she pulled it from her purse and answered for her sister, Imani.
“Hey sis. Can you talk or is this a bad time?” Imani asked. She knew that Demi was going home that morning to talk to her husband and she wanted to make sure she was calling at a good time.
“I can talk,” Demi sniffled.
“Are you okay boo?” Isis asked, making her presence known.
“Hell no, I’m not okay. Do y’all know that stupid muthafucker is selling dope again,” Demi cried, this time out of anger instead of hurt.
“I know you better be lying!” Imani yelled.
“No, and then his stupid ass had the nerve to be keeping the shit in our house. The bag that we saw him take out of the car was drugs that he was bringing to a customer,” Demi said, speaking more to Imani.
“What!” Isis yelled. “He’s keeping drugs in your house?”
“Yes, and I didn’t know anything about it. I feel so stupid for trusting his lying ass,” Demi sobbed.
“He’s your husband, Demi. You’re supposed to trust him. I love Kamari, but he’s so wrong for that shit,” Isis replied.
“I’m so fucking mad right now. He knows what you went through when daddy got killed and he still went and did some dumb shit like that,” Imani fumed.
“That’s the same thing I said, but he’s a stupid jackass. He always thinks that nothing will happen to him. I’m sure that daddy felt the same way and he paid the ultimate price,” Demi replied.
“So, what are you gonna do? You know you’re welcome to come here and stay as long as you want to,” Isis offered.
“Same here sis. My door is always open,” Imani agreed.
“Thanks y’all, but I might just go by my mama for a while. I don’t even feel comfortable sleeping in my own house anymore,” Demi said as a fresh stream of tears made their way down her cheeks.
“Aww boo. I’m calling off from work today. I don’t want you to have to be by yourself while you’re feeling like this,” Imani said, feeling her baby sister’s pain.
“I can call in too. I don’t care that’s its last minute,” Isis replied.
“No, I need a little time to myself. My mama is at work, so I’m gonna grab some coffee and go to her house for a while. I just need time to think. I honestly don’t know what I’m going to do,” Demi sighed.
“Well, we need to hook up later. Let’s go out to dinner and have some drinks,” Imani suggested.
“Yeah, our treat,” Isis chimed in.
“That sounds like a plan, but please don’t bring Savoy. With the way I’m feeling, I’ll probably slap that bitch in her mouth if she says something stupid. I’m just not in the mood for her sarcasm,” Demi noted.
“It’ll just be the three of us. That way, we can talk freely without all the extra,” Isis replied.
“Ok, then, I’ll see y’all later. I’m going to my home away from home and get me some iced coffee,” Demi said before they disconnected.
As soon as she sat her phone down, it rang again and Kamari’s number showed up. Demi was getting a headache and she didn’t feel like arguing anymore. She let his call go to voicemail and it started ringing again soon after. She was sure it was going to be like that for a while and she was prepared for it. There was nothing that her husband could say to justify what he did and was still doing. He disregarded her feelings and that’s what pissed her off the most. Demi was tired of thinking about it, so she turned her car around and headed over to IHOP.
Chapter 10
Asha walked out of the bathroom with a huge smile covering her face. She had just gotten off the phone with her boo and things with him and Lo were going better than she imagined. The money was stacking up and that was all that she cared about. He was still nervous about making money the illegal way, but Asha assured him that he was fine. He was even enjoying the extra cash and wasn’t ready to stop. Unlike Cam, he loved her enough to take the risk. He had been bugging her about leaving Cam and being with him, but Asha just wasn’t ready. She was stalling like crazy, hoping that Cam would come to his senses soon. She belonged on the arm of a man like Camden Davis and she wasn’t giving up hope.
Just thinking of all that sexiness sprawled out in their king-sized bed had Asha hot and ready. She got into the bed and slowly crawled over to him. After slipping her hand in his boxers, Asha stroked him until he was at full attention. Their sex life was always great and Asha had to keep it that way. She didn’t want to start slacking in the bedroom and make him suspicious. It didn’t take long before Cam was moaning and running his hands in her hair. He was thrusting his hips up forcefully, almost gagging her with his girth. Asha braced herself and kept up with his quickened pace. She sucked and slurped like a vacuum, anticipating the reward that she was sure was soon to come. It didn’t take long before Cam erupted in her mouth like a volcano and Asha swallowed his lava like a pro. Cam was spent, but she kept sucking and slurping until he was bone dry and pushing her away.
“Good morning baby.” Asha smiled as she looked up at him.
“It damn sure is a good morning,” Cam said while looking over at the clock.
It was only a little after six, so he had plenty of time before he had to be at work. It didn’t matter if he was late anyway. Randy was his boy and he never said anything about it. It was because of Cam that he even had the shop, so he felt indebted to him on a different level. He got up from the bed and stretched, with Asha’s eyes on him the entire time. She cursed him for being so sexy. She would have probably been gone if it wasn’t for that. It sounded superficial, but it was true. She also couldn’t deny that Cam did take very good care of her at one time. She appreciated him for that, but he needed to keep it up.
“Come take a shower with me, baby,” Asha said as she stood up and started removing her clothes.
She had Cam’s undivided attention when she sauntered pass him and went into the bathroom. He hurriedly rushed in behind her, ready to put in some work.
A little over an hour later, Cam and Asha were exiting the bathroom that was connected to their bedroom. What was supposed to be a quick shower turned in a fuck fest that took them from room to room. Once they were both drained, they finally took a shower and washed the sex from their bodies.
“Have you been apartment hunting like I told you to?” Cam asked her as he started to get dressed for work.
“Yeah, but I haven’t seen anything that I like. Nothing decent is in the budget that you gave me. I thought you said that we could do a month to month lease over here,” Asha said, reminding him of a recent conversation that they’d had.
“We are doing a month to month lease, but we’re still moving. I only told my mama to do that, just in case we didn’t find anything in time. I don’t want to be locked into another year and I don’t want to ruin her credit,” Cam replied.
“You don’t like anything that I show you,” Asha complained.
“That’s because everything that you show me is high as fuck,” Cam countered.
“Well, it ain’t my fault that we’re broke.” Asha shrugged.
“Get a job and we wouldn’t be,” Cam countered.
“You never worried about me getting a job before. You were the one who decided that you wa
nted to live paycheck to paycheck,” Asha said with a roll of her eyes.
“If you don’t wanna be here, you know where the door is. You’re not a hostage,” Cam informed her.
“I do wanna be here Camden, but this is just stressful. You switched up on me overnight and you want me to be okay with that. You used to be about your money and never let nothing stop you. Where’s the old Cam at?” Asha questioned
“He grew the fuck up and learned that there’s more to life than just selling dope,” Cam answered.
“We don’t even do anything anymore since you got out. All we do is fuck and argue,” Asha pouted.
“That’s because of you, Asha. I asked you if you wanted to catch a movie the other night, but you wanted to chill with Laila instead. Kobe and Lacey invited us out to dinner and you refused that too. I’m doing my part. Don’t fault me because you’re not doing yours.”
“What about Lo? Have you even considered talking to him?” Asha asked.
“Bye Asha,” Cam said as he grabbed his wallet and keys from the dresser.
“It’s not even eight o’clock yet. Why are you leaving so early?” Asha asked him.
“I got shit to do,” Cam replied while walking out the door.
He got in his truck and sped away in the direction of IHOP. He didn’t do the arguing thing, and Asha knew that. He would walk away in a minute before he went back and forth with anyone. Many people were in their graves behind a simple argument and it wasn’t that serious with him. After arriving at his location, Cam walked into the IHOP and waited to be seated. The wait was twenty minutes long, but he didn’t mind. He pulled out his phone, preparing to call his mother when something else got his attention. The dark-skinned beauty who paid for his meal a few weeks before was sitting at a table by herself with a faraway look in her eyes. She was stirring an iced coffee with a straw, but it didn’t look like she’d even taken a sip of it. Cam didn’t even get the okay from the waitress before he went further into the restaurant and up to her table.
“I guess it’s my turn to pay for your meal this time,” Cam said, making Demi jump at his sudden intrusion.
I Heard It All Before Page 8
