by Keeshia K
We had just finished dinner and was sitting at her table listening to Drake’s latest, Nice For What, blasting throughout her living room.
“Siena, I just wanted to say thank you again. I mean, I don’t know what I did to deserve you but I’m grateful.”
She picked up the speaker remote and turned the music down. “Tae, you don’t have to thank me anymore. You’ve done it a million times already. Like I said I love having you.” She walked towards me and straddled me in the chair. With her arms resting on my shoulder she smiled. “Consider my place, yours.” She bent down and kissed me deeply which made my pussy jump.
Slowly she pulled her lips off mine and stared into my eyes. “What?” I asked smiling.
“I’m going to do everything in my power to make you happy, Taevonne. Now that you’re mine, you will never want for or need anything. We’ll be so happy together, trust me.” She said before she leaned in again for a kiss. Except this time I didn’t kiss back. Instead of getting off my lap, she continued to look at me with a huge smile.
“Siena, umm…What do you mean I’m your’s?” I looked at her. “I, I didn’t understand what you just meant.”
Her smile washed off her face. “I mean, you mine.” She kissed my forehead and it irritated me. “My girlfriend, since we live together now. I mean, are you confused?”
I sat up straighter in the chair. I wanted to stand up but she didn’t budge off my lap. I remembered how upset she got earlier and chose my words carefully. Now I realized it was definitely a mistake coming back over.
“Siena, please don’t get me wrong, I’m very grateful for you allowing me to stay here. But, by doing so I’m not committing to being in a relationship with you. I’m still married. You understand that right?”
“Why the fuck do you keep bringing up that you’re married?” She asked leaping up off my lap, finally. “I’m so sick of hearing that dumb shit! I mean it ain’t like them vows sacred.”
“Because I am married!” I yelled back. “Siena, I know we have a good time and all sexually but I could never be with you on a solo basis.” I told her feeling shocked at her reaction.
“So you just toying with me then?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “You just playing house with me and after I lick all your wounds clean you just gonna run right back home to that motherless bastard?” She screamed while standing over me.
I was so nervous at what was happening now that I could hear my own heartbeat in my ears. For some reason I felt like my life was in danger and I could honestly say I had never felt like that before.
I stood up slowly. “I think I may have given you the wrong impression about you and I.” I told her. “And if I have, I’m so sorry.”
She glared at me for what seemed like forever before she spoke. “You know what, Tae you are a selfish bitch. Just get out my house!” She paused. “I’m sick of looking at you anyway.”
I walked down the hallway and into the bedroom where my bag was near the closet door. I had on sweatpants and a T-shirt and was looking for my flip-flops until I remembered they were in the living room. Anything else I had there I was willing to part ways with because I needed to get out of this place immediately. While I was still alive.
As I gathered my things I heard dishes crashing into the sink in the kitchen and knew Siena was on one, again. I snatched my purse off the dresser and headed to the front door.
“I can’t believe after everything we shared you would just leave me!” Siena stood in front of me blocking my steps. This woman was insane. Didn’t she just put me out three minutes ago?
“I need to go, Siena. I’ll call you in a few days once things have calmed down.” I said as I sidestepped around her.
“No, you won’t!” She yelled behind me. As I reached for the doorknob I felt something slam against my head. And just like that I was light on my feet like I was floating before everything suddenly went black.
Damn!
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
BRONCO
I had been calling Tae all day and night and she wouldn’t answer my calls. What the entire fuck was happening in my life right now? I mean shit had never been so off with me.
I ain’t fuck with my pops no more and although he kept calling me about the service for my mama, I been ignoring him. I ain’t ‘bout to go to the fake ass memorial service he was having. Why should I go? My moms not gonna be there and them shits be for everybody else anyway.
Plus if I do step up in there and witness the shit show my pops gonna put on, I may choke the fake out his ass and get locked up. Nah, it was best that I kept my distance.
Besides, I needed to get my whole life together like now or I wasn’t gonna make it man. It’s like I had zero support system. I haven’t seen or heard from my wife in over twenty-four hours. And she don’t seem to give a fuck neither.
I know she heated with me, but I gotta talk to her. I need to make this shit square before I lose her for good. To be honest before she agreed to my shit I never thought it was possible. I just took my shot at what I wanted but now I knew that I was completely wrong.
We had only been married a few months and I would have never thought we’d end up like this. I had no business carrying shit the way that I did with her and now karma got me by the balls.
I needed to keep trying to work shit out so I called Tae’s phone again. This time it went straight to her voicemail no ringing. When it beeped I decided to leave her a message, which I hadn’t been doing.
“Tae, baby, it’s B…Look, I’m sorry for being a savage. You ain’t never deserved none of the shit I put on you. I can’t even believe I made you go through with that on our wedding day.” I paused looking out my car window at nothing in particular. “Dealing with my moms being gone really put a lot of shit in perspective for me and I realized how bad I been fucking up. Just…Just come home. I promise it’ll be different and we can work this out, baby…Please. Don’t leave me. I love you.”
I ended my message. I just prayed that she would forgive me and that it wasn’t too late.
****
I walked into the bar where I was meeting up with Randy and Quentin from my job. They heard about my mama passing and made me come out to grab some drinks. I told them naw at first but since Tae wasn’t at home, what was the use of being there?
“Sup, fellas.” I said walking up to them. They were both seated at the bar with an empty stool between them.
“Hey, Bronco.” Randy stood up and gave me a one armed embrace. “Sorry again about your moms.” He said to me before sitting back down.
“Thanks, Randy, man.” I told him.
Quentin didn’t get up but nudged the empty stool in the middle for me to sit down. “What you drinking? It’s on me.” He said.
I pulled out the stool and took a seat. “I’ll take a double of Gentleman’s Jack, no rocks.” I told the bartender. She looked at me suspiciously but took my order.
“How you been holding on, Bronco?” Quentin asked taking a sip from his drink.
I shrugged my shoulders. “Barely, man…Barely. I just been sitting in the house trying to figure all this shit out.” I told them.
“What about the service?” He paused. “Is there anything you, Tae or your dad need? I can help.” Quentin offered.
“Oh, yeah, me too.” Randy chimed in. “My uncle drives for a funeral home on Kennedy Street. I can talk to him about using their services if you need. Just say the word.”
“Naw, ya’ll, I appreciate the offers, but my pops is handling that end and I’m not getting involved. Me and that dude ain’t seeing eye to eye right now anyway.” I told them. “I really don’t want to talk about his ass…ever.”
“I ain’t sure what’s up with you and your father, man but now ain’t the time for ya’ll to fall apart. You need each other.” Randy told me. “If you can put your differences aside, do that now. Life too short.”
I just looked at him as my nose flared. “I don’t need that nigga. Not now and not in the fu
ture so leave it be.” I told him. He threw his hands up like he was surrendering.
“How’s Tae doing?” Quentin asked.
“Shit, truth be told…I wish I knew.” I confessed. “We got into it the other day and she packed some things and left. She won’t even answer my calls. It’s like everything bad that can happen is happening.”
The bartender came back and placed my drink in front of me. “Thank you.” I told her and picked it up to take a sip.
“What you do now, nigga?” Quentin asked. “I hate to do it to you since you grieving but I gotta know.”
“Man, it’s a long story, but bottom line is you were right. I asked too much of her with that open marriage shit and now I gotta do whatever it takes to try and get her back.”
“Look, dog. I don’t really know what’s going on with ya’ll but Tae loves you, Bronco. I mean that’s evident otherwise she would have told your ass off when you came at her with that shit in the beginning.” Randy said. “So, just get back to why she fell in love with you in the first place and she’ll come around.”
I nodded my head hoping that what Randy said rang true although deep down I knew it didn’t.
“Get the fuck outta here with that love sick shit, Randy.” Quentin said. “You don’t know the first thing ‘bout women.” He continued sipping his drink. “Over there giving advice and shit.”
“So what you think I should do?” I asked Quentin.
“Personally, I think that it may be too late. I think that you had an opportunity to turn this around before it got out of hand and you didn’t and now she may be gone for good.” Quentin said fucking my head up even more.
I grabbed my drink off the bar and threw it down my throat with anger. “Scuse me, can I get another?” I asked the bartender.
Instead of getting my drink she asked if she could talk to me in private. I nodded and got up from the bar while Quentin and Randy looked at me surprised. We walked down to the other end of the bar where there was no one around. I was curious as to what she wanted.
“I’m sorry to pull you from your friends but there’s something I think you should know and I didn’t want to say it around them.” I nodded my head curiously. “The last time you were in here I saw you with your wife and another chick named Siena.” She started. She really had my attention now. “Well you need to stay far away from her, she’s dangerous.” She warned me. “I’m talking about Siena of course.”
“Dangerous, how?” I asked feeling nauseous thinking about Tae being harmed.
“I used to live in her apartment building and let’s just say I’ve seen and heard all kinds of things about that chick. She’s crazy and not to be trusted.” She paused. “If I were you and your wife I would stay far away from Siena before it’s too late.”
I felt like I was about to shit in my Levi’s. I had to find my wife.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
TAE
Siena was off her nut. She knocked me out with a blow to the head when I was trying to leave. Now she had me tied up to her dining room chair where she held a gun on me. I can’t believe I wasn’t more careful with this woman. What was I thinking?
“You think your shit don’t stink don’t you?” Siena asked as she looked down at me from the barrel of her 9mm.
“Siena, I have no idea what you mean.” I told her confused at what she was talking about. I feared for my life. “All I want to do is go home. Let me out and I promise not to say a word.”
She looked like she wanted to shoot me in the face. “Don’t play dumb with me, Taevonne.” She paused. “You led me on to think what we had was real and then you trivialized it like your shit don’t stink. That’s what the fuck I mean.” She stated. “And you need to realize it.”
I took several deep breaths to try and calm my nerves because I felt a panic attack coming up on me. “Siena, I’m being honest with you. I think you are a very attractive and sexy woman and being with you has given me so much confidence.” I smiled at her but it felt fake. “You have shown me things I didn’t even know were capable with my body sexually and I will always be grateful to you for that. But, I could never be in a relationship with you. I’m just not gay, I never was. I just did that for my husband.” I explained. “But it doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy our time together.”
She looked like she wanted to cry as she paced back and fourth in front of me. This woman is real live crazy. I need to get myself out of here. I thought as I wiggled my hands while she wasn’t looking at me to try and free them.
“So basically, you used me.” She paused. “You and your little husband used me in your marital bedroom games and now you trying to throw me away?” She asked. “You might as well be honest.”
“No!” I yelled. “That’s not it at all. I’m so sorry if you feel like that, but I thought Bronco and I were always clear with you about what we wanted. I mean you acted like you were with it before so what changed?” I asked.
“Love!” She yelled at me. She picked up the TV remote control and hurled it at my head. I ducked before it connected with my face. This psycho loved throwing shit. “Love changed. I fell in love with you the first moment I saw you behind that counter at your job.” She said wiping the tears that started to flow from her eyes. “I never wanted him. It was always about you.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. She sounded like some lovesick cheerleader. She was far from the strong woman I thought she was. I wished I never said anything to her back then but now it was all too late.
She stood in front of me as if she was waiting for me to tell her something. But I didn’t say a word. I just looked up at her with pleading eyes.
“Wow…So I tell you that I’m in love with you and you sit there like you taking a shit?” She said with her wild eyes peering into mine.
“Siena, I don’t know what you want me to say to you.” I replied. “I’m very fond of you and I’m grateful that you have been there for me during all of this.” I shrugged. “But I don’t love you. I never have.”
Siena walked over to me and smacked me across the face with the gun. I felt my right eye open up and blood flowed out from the wound. What the fuck did I say that shit for? The look in her eyes told me that she was about to end my life. Maybe I should have lied and told her I loved her. At least it might have bought me some time. Now I was fucked.
“You a stupid bitch!” She yelled. “You know what…Maybe I should do to you what I did to my ex-girlfriend. Maybe that’ll teach you to love me back.” She said before she stormed off into the kitchen.
What did that mean? I always knew her story about her ex didn’t add up but now I was really concerned. While she was gone I worked feverishly to get my hands untied. I felt the string getting looser but not enough to work my hands out. I needed a miracle.
“Yeah…Bitches like you only know one thing…Pain.” Siena said as she walked back into the living room and up in front of me. Her gun was now tucked into her waist and she held a knife.
“Siena, what did you do to your ex-girlfriend?” I asked, hoping it would buy me some time. “Can you talk to me?”
She dropped her arms to the side of her body and tilted her head sideways as if she were trying to see through me. Then she smiled.
“Didn’t I tell you? She tried to leave me too. I had given her the best year of my life and when she decided she was done she wanted to leave.” She told me with crazed eyes. “No one leaves me! So I stopped her.”
“You…You killed her?”
“I crept up on her at night when she was on the way into her apartment. After she just finished fucking her basic bitch, I stabbed her in the stomach. I watched her die right there on the sidewalk.” She confessed.