“Bitch, I got you.” He turned and walked away.
I waited five minutes and when I felt the coast was clear, I ran upstairs to my bedroom and locked my door. There was no way I was going to be in the same room as that man.
* * *
Last night was a fucking nightmare. After that altercation with Hassan, I thought I could get a little rest, but it didn’t happen. Hassan’s ho called my phone. Clearly, this bitch had nothing better to do than play on my damn phone. I didn’t have time for this stupid ho; I was too old to be playing phone games. The next time that bitch called or texted me, I was prepared to call the police and press charges on her.
I got up and went outside to warm up the car, and got the shock of my life. All my car windows, along with Hassan’s car windows were busted out and our tires were slashed.
“Fuck,” I yelled as I walked back into the house.
“What’s wrong?” Amaiya asked.
“Some dumb ass done slashed my tires and bust my windows out.”
“What?” she said and ran outside.
I grabbed my phone and dialed the police, and then I walked upstairs to the guest room where Hassan has been sleeping. I tried to open the door, but he had it locked from the inside. I banged on the door, but he didn’t say anything.
“Open the goddamn door.” I banged harder.
“Man, what is it?” he opened the door.
“The police are on their way ’cause one of your whores done slashed my tires and busted out my windows.”
“Whatever! I keep telling you, I ain’t got no ho,” he said and he slammed the door in my face.
“Don’t close no door up in here. I ain’t goin’ keep reminding you that I want your ass gone.”
I stormed downstairs when I heard a loud knock on the door. I knew it was the police department.
“Good morning ma’am. My name is Officer Darren. You called about vandalism to your property?”
“Yes, good morning. It’s right out here.” I stepped out the door and pointed to my car.
“Is this also your car?”
“No, that’s my soon to be ex-husband’s car.”
The younger officer looked at me and quickly turned his head.
“Is he here?”
“Yes, he’s upstairs.”
I walked to the door and yelled to Amaiya, “Tell your daddy the police officers want to speak with him.”
“Mrs. Clarke, do you have any idea who might have done this to your property?”
“Not at all, but there’s this one lady who has been playing on my phone.”
“You think she did it? Do you have her name?”
“Yes, her name is Imani Gibson. She’s my husband’s whore.”
He shot me a strange look and continued writing in his notepad.
“Well, maybe your husband can shed some light on the situation.”
He walked out the door, looking like he didn’t have a care in the world.
“Hello, I’m Officer Darren and this is my partner Officer Stone. Your wife called us out here after she noticed the damage to the vehicles. Do you know of anyone that would want to damage your property?”
“Well, I’m defense attorney Hassan Clarke, so I’m pretty sure I got some enemies out there.”
“Are you the defense attorney Hassan Clarke?”
“The one and only,” this fool said, like he was proud.
“Damn my man, some of the officers down at the precinct hate when you’re the defense attorney.”
“Yeah I figure so, but you know I have to give my clients the best of me.”
I cleared my throat. “Officer Darren, you’re here to take a report of the damages on my vehicle.”
Hassan shot me a dirty look, mad that I interrupted his praise party.
“Yes ma’am. Let me get the exact time you last saw your vehicle, and what time this morning you first noticed the damages. I will make the report.”
I gave them everything I could. They took the report and left. Hassan walked off into the house and I followed closely on his heels.
“I know it’s one of them low-class bitches that you’re fucking with who fucked my shit up. It might be that office ho that called my phone last night.”
“Woman, I don’t have no ho or no bitches. You’re delusional. It’s all in your head. Keep behaving like that and I’ll have your ass committed.”
“Fuck you, you’re the delusional one. You walk around here like your shit don’t stink, but you know what? You’re going to pay for it all!” I yelled.
“Mommy, why are you yelling?”
“Sorry baby. Get your stuff ready. I’m going to call a cab to take you to school.”
“While you do that, get you some medicine woman,” he said.
I was going to answer him, but I saw the look on my daughter’s face. I stopped, and turned the other way to retrieve my cell phone. Fifteen minutes later, the taxi came and Amaiya left for school. I was happy she was gone. I hate that I had to go through this shit and she had to witness it. I swear I’ve always said that when I have a child, I wouldn’t put her through any drama.
I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn’t see when he walked up on me.
“Bitch, what was all that shit you was talking earlier?” he grabbed my neck.
“Let me go,” I tried to mumble.
I tried to grab his face, but he had me pinned against the wall.
“You unstable bitch, you going to stop disrespecting me. You hear me?” he yelled as he squeezed tighter.
I couldn’t breathe and everything around me started to spin. Little stars started dancing across my blurred vision. Silent tears flowed down my face as I whispered a silent prayer, “God please protect my baby girl.” I really thought my life was coming to an end.
* * *
“Mom, wake up! Mom, wake up!” I heard someone yelling.
I opened my eyes and saw it was my daughter.
“Mommy, are you okay? Why were you on the ground?”
“Baby, I must have fell out. I wasn’t feeling too good.”
“Come on, get up.” She tried to pull me up.
I stumbled to my feet, I was feeling out of it, but with Amaiya’s help, I managed to get to the couch.
“Here’s some orange juice. Drink it,” she demanded.
My throat felt dry, so I welcomed the juice. I felt a lump in my throat as I swallowed. I rubbed my hands across my neck and it felt sore and it was hurting badly.
“Grab me a warm washcloth.”
“You sure you all right? You want me to call Daddy?”
“No, no, no, don’t call your daddy. I’m fine. I just need to go lie down.”
I used the warm washcloth to apply heat to my neck. I walked to the bathroom and cut on the bright light, raising my head so I could take a look at my neck—red marks were visible. I rubbed my hands across the spot; it felt raw. Something inside of me was heating up. My temper was rising. Tears welled up in my eyes. I was abused as a child and now I felt violated, again. I vowed years ago that I wouldn’t let another man abuse me, whether it was sexually, mentally, or physically.
I stared at myself in the mirror. I didn’t recognize the woman I’d become. A weak, fragile woman was staring back at me. How did I get here? I wondered. Pity turned into anger. My heart was broken, but I still loved him. My mind kept tugging at me, letting me know that I deserved better. I couldn’t stand the sight of my reflection in the mirror, so I cut off the light and walked out of the bathroom, got into my bed, and cried my heart out. I felt so broken, like there was no hope, none whatsoever.
Hassan Clarke
After staying at the hotel for a few days, I decided to go home. Being a lawyer, I knew the law and I knew Destiny could not put me out. Funny thing was her dumb ass thought I would just up and leave. Don’t get me wrong: I wanted to leave. Nah, correct that, I was going to leave, but I wanted to wait until she calmed down, so I could talk to her. I knew if we let the divorce play out in th
e courts, she was going to get half of my money and truthfully, I didn’t plan on giving her a dime. This was my hard-earned money and the only thing I was prepared to give her was child support, even though I was not sure Amaiya was my child. Mama and the rest of my family have been screaming for me to get a DNA test ever since she was born, but my ass was too hardheaded to listen.
For days, I walked around on pins and needles. I hoped Imani didn’t call the cops. There was no way I was going to the slammer. I laughed to myself, the thought of me going to jail made me chuckle. I wasn’t a punk and I’d never been to jail and didn’t plan on going any time in the future.
* * *
Ever since I started making money, it seemed as if trouble had a way of following me. I had enough problems to deal with, and one of these stupid bitches made it worse by coming to the crib and fucking my shit up. I knew it wasn’t Tanya, ’cause she ’ont be on that bullshit. Everything in my gut was screaming that this was Imani’s doing. She wouldn’t stop calling me; it got so bad I had to cut off my phone. I just wasn’t in the mood to talk to her. I had to play it off though, because there was no way I was going to tell Destiny the secretary fucked her shit up.
After the police left, I was about to get dressed and head to work. Destiny’s annoying ass felt the need to continue talking down on me. I had to let that bitch know that I didn’t have a problem with hitting a ho upside the head. These hoes kept playing and woke the beast inside of me. I was seconds away from ending that bitch’s life. I snapped and squeezed as tight as my hands allowed me to. I had no intention to let up until that ho was dead. The only reason she was breathing was because my phone started ringing repeatedly. I let her go and stormed out of the house.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Destiny Clarke
This was the first time I had a good night’s sleep in a while. I went to bed around nine p.m. and didn’t get up until around ten a.m. I had a doctor’s appointment. For the past week or so, I’d had a burning sensation when I peed and severe itching. I thought it was the soap I used since I recently switched from Oil of Olay body wash to Dove body wash. Everything changed yesterday when the burning got so bad, I was scared to pee and when I did, it was unbearable.
I anxiously sat in the waiting room. I felt nervous and agitated. I’d never had a STD in my entire life, but here I was at thirty-eight years old, talking about my burning. At first, I felt embarrassed, but being a nurse I knew that I had to get checked out. In my heart, I was hoping that I was wrong.
“Mrs. Clarke,” the nurse called my name.
“Here.”
“Follow me please.”
She took my vitals and asked a few personal questions.
“So what brought you here today?” she asked.
I paused for a little, and then took a deep breath. “Whenever I pee, it burns. Also, I have a smelly discharge and I’m itchy.”
“How long have you had these symptoms?”
“The burning sensation has been going on for about a week and the discharge started a few days ago.”
“Okay, follow me, we’re going to room B.”
“Here’s a gown, take off everything on the bottom. Here’s a cup for your urine. The bathroom is the first door to the left. Dr. Li Yung will be in shortly.”
Dr. Li Yung finally showed up after I waited for over forty-five minutes.
“Mrs. Clarke, nice to see you again.”
I explained everything that has been going on with me for the past week. He decided to do a pelvic exam, collected some specimen and sent them off to the lab.
The anticipation was killing me. I tried to stay positive, hoping for the best. It was a little over two hours when he walked back into the room with my chart.“Mrs. Clarke, your results are back from the lab, and it is confirmed that you have contracted gonorrhea and trichomoniasis. The test for herpes will be back in a few days. You might want to inform your sexual partner so he can get tested too. I’m going to give you a shot of Ceftriaxone to treat the gonorrhea and also an oral dose of Azithromycin. As for the trichomoniasis, I’m going to prescribe Flagyl. Please take all the pills until they are finished. Also, please refrain from having any sexual intercourse until all symptoms are gone.”
I sat there, looking dumbfounded. Did this doctor just tell me that my pussy was burning because this dirty cock man gave me some shit? I sat there with my fist balled up. I used every bit of strength inside of me to prevent the tears from flowing. I stopped listening to the doctor. Nothing he was saying could help what I was feeling. Soon as he walked out the room, I felt a tear drop fall on my arm. I quickly wiped it away. I don’t need to cry, I kept telling myself.
The doctor and the nurse returned shortly. He gave me a shot in my butt, which hurt like hell, but I didn’t flinch. The physical pain was no comparison to the mental anguish I was experiencing. The nurse handed me a pill with a cup of water.
“Okay, Mrs. Clarke, you’re all set. I’m going to write the prescription for the antibiotics. I want you to come back in here in a week for a follow up. I will also let you know when your other test is back. Take care.” He smiled.
“Thank you, Dr. Li Yung.”
I got off the bed and got dressed. I was anxious to get out of the office. Minutes later, the nurse returned with a prescription slip and my discharge papers. I quickly signed the paper, took the slip and walked out in a hurry.
I dug into my purse and found my car keys. I was shaking so badly, it took me a few tries before I got the keys into the hole. I got into my car, slammed the door, and placed my head on my steering wheel. That’s when the tears started to flow. I knew better, I was a nurse, but I trusted my husband and this was what he did to me. A sharp pain ripped across the left side of my chest. I grabbed my chest. I hoped it wasn’t a heart attack. Being a nurse, I knew that I wasn’t too young to have one of those. I began to feel lightheaded and the pain shifted to the middle of my chest. My breathing wasn’t normal and I gasped for air, but I could barely breathe. I tried reaching for my purse to get my phone so I could dial 911. I couldn’t reach it. Instead, my head hit the steering wheel. The horn started going off.
Imani Gibson
After not communicating with me for weeks, Hassan had the nerve to call my phone, asking if I was the one that busted out his window and slashed his tires.
“Boy, no. I have no idea what you talking about,” I blatantly lied.
“I swear on my mom’s, B, if I find out you did that fuck shit, I’m going to beat your ass for real.”
“Hassan, whatever you say. Ain’t nobody scared of your ass and like I told you, it wasn’t me. It might be one of them hoes you fucking.”
“Imani, grow the fuck up,” he yelled.
“I’ll grow up soon as you grow some balls like a man and stop slinging your dick everywhere,” I spat.
“Man, whatever. I’ll be over there later to check on my little man.”
“I’m not going to be home.”
“Your ass better be home. I ain’t seen my little man in a while,’cause your dumb ass still want to be a ho and shit.”
“Boy, fuck you. I ain’t no ho and if I was fucking another nigga, trust me, I have all rights because you’re a married man.” I hung up the phone before he could get a response in.
I didn’t get a chance to put the phone down before it started ringing again.
“Hassan, what the hell you want?” I mumbled.
I looked at the caller ID and noticed it wasn’t him. It was his sister Charmaine.
Oh man, I’m really not in the mood, I thought.
“Hello,” I said.
“Damn bitch, why you sound like you lost your best friend? I ain’t dead.”
“Nah, just tired. That’s all.”
“Well, take your ass to sleep. I guess you too tired to hear what I gotta tell you.”
“Why you playing? You know I’m never too tired to hear some juicy gossip.”
“My brother’s wife is in the hospital. The bitch had a
heart attack.”
“Bitch, you lying.” I sat up on the bed.
“Nah, Hassan called Mama. She is in South Shore Hospital.”
“I wonder what brought on that heart attack.”
“Girl, I ’ont know, but Mama said that bitch almost died.”
“I wonder how your brother feels about that. He might be hurting,” I said sarcastically.
“Like you really give a fuck about that bitch,” Charmaine burst out laughing.
“I know you goin’ at least let me pretend like I give two fucks. It might not be a bad idea for that bitch to croak so Hassan and I can live happily ever after and before you say anything negative, I love him, and I plan on being his woman.”
“I ain’t saying shit. If you like it, then I love it. Anyway I gotta run, talk to you later.”
“Aiight, later.”
I lay back down, digesting the latest news. I wished that bitch was dead for real. I swear, I wanted to confront her ass, so I could let her know he don’t love her.
Hassan Clarke
My day at work started all wrong. I learned that the jury came back with a guilty verdict on one of the biggest cases that my firm handled. I put on a very strong argument in the closing statement and I thought it would’ve went our way. I guess better luck next time. I hated losing, whether it was business or personal.
I had so much anger built up inside of me that I could kill Destiny with my bare hands. When I was broke and out I had no choice but to kiss her ass. Those days are long gone; now I made well over six figures a year. What could I possibly need her for? That bitch kept trying to put me out, but I wasn’t going anywhere until I got all my finances situated. I couldn’t hide a lump sum all at once because I didn’t want the government in my business. I wanted to make sure there would be no trace of any kind of money when and if we ended up in divorce court.
* * *
After weeks of not dealing with Imani, I finally decided to hit her up. I wasn’t goin’ front: every time I thought about Corey fucking her, I got pissed and I couldn’t shake the feeling. Even though she kept denying it, I wasn’t a fool and deep in my guts, I knew he was smashing my bitch. I couldn’t take it anymore, so I decided to go around the way to check Corey. I wanted to see what he got to say about Imani. It’d been two years since I’d been to Edenwald Projects, but it was where I was born and raised. A few niggas I grew up with still lived over there. I had no other way to reach this nigga, so I decided to stop at Ms. Dorothy’s house. She was Corey’s grandmother; she raised him and his sisters’ right after his father killed their mother and then himself.
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