Once Upon a Liar

by Elbie Dee

  “Waah! Waah! Waah!” Kayo started screaming like a mother fucker as I was grabbing my key lanyard from the top of my cherry wooden nightstand. I walked over to his bassinet, placed my hand over his stomach and tried to slightly rock him back to sleep before Merrisah came barging into the room.

  “Don’t touch my son!” her high pitched tone raised as she removed my hand from Kayo. The bitch must have drank half the bottle of wine already because she knew better than to raise her voice at me.

  Whapppp! I slapped the shit out of her pale cheek before she could get her hands around Kayo to pick him up, causing her to stumble against the wall and stare back up at me. Her eyebrows were scrunched over her marble grey eyes which made the wrinkles on her forehead form. Her oval shaped pink lips grew apart, as her jaw dropped in surprisement. She already disrespected my privacy and now she was telling me not to touch our son? She had me fucked up.

  “Don’t fuckin’ call me today!” I screamed in her blushed face after I walked over to the wall to place my nose upon hers. She didn’t say shit, and kept her place against the wall as I walked toward the front door, and slammed it shut behind me.

  * * *

  Fuck off Bradson! You had ANOTHER baby with the bitch?

  I opened the message Brilese texted me late last night, while I sat in the parking lot in the driver’s seat of my metallic colored 2016 Ford Fusion. I sighed before lifting my head and noticing Merrisah’s eyes poking from the blinds in our bedroom on the second floor.

  “Fuck!” I yelled aloud in my car and caused the horn to blow from the force of my hand hitting the steering wheel. Merrisah must have thought I was directing the honking sound toward her because right after the loud beep, I noticed the blinds shift back to normal.

  I placed the automatic transmission gear into the reverse position, and skidded out of the apartment complex the moment I switched the gear into drive. It wasn’t quite six thirty in the morning yet and judging from the time Brilese sent the text message, there was a huge possibility that she was still asleep. Once I got to the first red light, I pulled my phone from in between my legs and leaned away from the steering wheel.

  Hey Matt. I won’t be able to make it today. I’m sick.

  Thankfully, my boss at the warehouse became a close friend of mine over the course of the two years I had been employed within the company. With Brilese living in Rock Hill and about thirty minutes away from my place in Charlotte, I knew there wasn’t a possibility for me to be able to make it to work in time for my eight o’clock shift.

  Alright. See you tomorrow B!

  I saw the reply from Matt when I glanced at my phone’s screen after hearing the notification sound. I dropped the phone down into the passenger’s seat, and picked my speed up to eighty miles per hour as I drove down Interstate 77. I chose not to try and contact Brilese because she’d leave her house in an attempt to dodge me; she knew I’d come from North Carolina for her ass in a heartbeat.

  * * *

  Brilese and I were living together from six months after we started dating, and up until a little over a year ago when she found out I cheated on her thanks to a stupid ass Facebook post from Merrisah’s sister, Kaylen. Brilese and Kaylen were friends on the social media site, which allowed Brilese to see the picture of me, Merrisah and Kash after he was just born. The picture was clear as day as I held my newborn in the hospital room, so there was no denying the shit even if I tried to. After admitting to my infidelities, our relationship took a turn for the worse.

  I opened up to Brilese about all of the women I cheated on her with, and promised her I was at a vulnerable time in my life and felt like I was losing my ego. Although it wasn’t right for me to cheat on her, it happened and I couldn’t change it. After pleading and begging her for forgiveness I finally convinced Brilese to mend our broken relationship. She thought it was a good idea for us to live apart during the process, so she asked me to get my own place for a while. My teeth cringed together when she made the suggestion, but I knew I had to respect her wishes as badly as I didn’t want to.

  When Brilese kicked me out and I had nowhere temporarily to go, the sound of Merrisah and I potentially becoming a family felt like music to her ears. She was very aware of the fact that I had a girlfriend, and she was only supposed to be a one night stand after a party at a club in Charlotte. When she told me she was pregnant, I agreed to step up and take care of my responsibilities as long as she knew there was nothing between us.

  I made an offer to Merrisah that we could try our hand at a relationship when I found myself without a place to go. I told her that Brilese and I were done, so we had a chance to work on things. Without hesitating to accept, I moved in with her and Kash to buy the time I would need in order for Brilese and I to climb on board with good terms again.

  Three months into living the temporary living arrangement, I fucked around and got Merrisah pregnant again. I had to fuck her. If I didn’t, it would allow suspicions to arise in her head at the thought of being used, and potentially leave me homeless. The only thing I found attractive about her was the dimples on her cheeks, and the way her D cup tits rested perfectly on top of her chest cage when I fucked her in a missionary position. But one night, I was drunk and didn’t think to grab a Trojan. The consequences didn’t come about until my semen began squirting against the walls in her pussy, and it was too late to change things.

  If I would have remembered I came in her the next morning, I could have gotten a Plan B. I was recovering from my hangover and forgot, which led to a positive pregnancy test a few weeks later. Once Merrisah was in her second trimester with our second child, her stomach began to show and the only person I thought about was Brilese. Since Brilese and Kaylen blocked each other from social media after the falling out about Kash, I knew there wasn’t a way she’d be able to find out through her again.

  From the mistake that was made the last time, I had to make it clear that nobody would be able to post my children on Facebook again. If her family couldn’t keep the pictures in their personal gallery, then there would be no photos taken. I convinced them that I didn’t want my kids involved in crimes that can happen over the internet. They knew a point was made, and agreed to respect my wishes as a father. I limited the chance of Brilese finding out, but somehow, I knew there was still a chance she would.

  * * *

  Knock! Knock! Knock!

  It was a little past seven in the morning when I finally got to Brilese’s place. I had been knocking for over ten minutes and she still hadn’t come and unlocked the door yet. Her 2006 Lexus GS sat parked in the driveway, so the chances of her being away from home were slim to none.

  “What?” her raised tone helped me to notice an undeniable, fucked up attitude as she answered the phone.

  “Come open the door,” I impatiently replied as I stood outside of her front door.

  “Nobody told you to come to my house. You’re not allowed here without an invite,” she nonchalantly said, causing anger to take over me.

  “Come open the fuckin’ door before it gets kicked the fuck in!” I screamed into the phone’s mouthpiece to ensure she heard every word I said. She groaned before disconnecting her end of the line. As my hands shook and just as I was about to dial her right back, I heard footsteps pouncing against the floor from the inside of her house.

  “Like I said, you weren’t invited,” she reminded me as she cracked the door open. Only half of her face showed as the messy bun sat on top of her head. She almost had the door latched to the panel without allowing me in, but my quick reflex reacted before she could get it to close.

  Boom! She jumped back from the doorway, as the door smacked against the wall from me barging in. Far away from a fear instinct caused by the loud sound, she scrunched her eyebrows inward as small smoke clouds blew from her ears.

  “And if my wall has a hole, you’re paying to fix it,” she said calmly as she pointed, and snapped her neck to the side before giving me her eye roll. She turned around, and I wa
tched as her ass bounced in the black capri tights she wore. My dick instantly grew to its fullest nine inches; her sex appeal didn’t have a set mood.

  She disappeared into the bedroom, and I shut the front door while looking at the wall. I exhaled a quiet sigh of relief when there wasn’t even a single scratch of damage. When we had our apartment together, I punched a few holes in the walls. Since the apartment was in my name and I was the one who had to pay to fix it, she was unbothered by my raging actions. The house was hers, and I couldn’t afford for her to be any more pissed at me than what already occurred.

  “How much did you drink last night?” I asked as I stood in the doorway to her bedroom. She had her floral comforter pulled all the way up, and over her head as she laid on the queen sized sleigh bed. The only time she wasn’t out of bed by six in the morning is when she drank the night before.

  “What’s it matter to you? Don’t you have a family to tend to?” she pulled the covers from over her and sat up quickly before she spat at me.

  “Shut the fuck up with that bullshit!” I jetted over to the side of the bed, and leaned over to scream in her face. “Whoever is spitting false accusations on my name, send ‘em my way!” I continued in a serious manner. The only way she could know a damn thing is if someone ran their mouth to her… and I was ready for them to keep the fuck out of our relationship.

  “He’s standing in front of me,” she yelled back before she softened her tone. “So go ahead. Beat yourself up over it. All I know is what you showed me!” she concluded before burying herself back into the covers. I snapped my head back in confusion.

  “What are you talking about?” I asked after I pulled the comforter back from over her body.

  She stayed put in a fetal position for a minute, before her adrenaline formed a boost. She kicked her legs until she was able to untangle her feet from the covers. Her body swung across the bed, and she inched her feet to replace mine on the wool rug, spacing me from the bed frame. She courageously stood in front of me with our bodies glued.

  “Guess who was in Charlotte with Alynn yesterday?” she sarcastically asked, and my heart stopped beating when I felt what she was going to say next. “How’d those pictures turn out, Bradson? Like a happy ass family?” she concluded while keeping her stare into my eyes without a blink.

  Once she realized I couldn’t find the words to say, she patted my chest and smirked. She climbed back into the bed, and I stood frozen. The chance of Brilese and I mending together again felt extinct. Instead of becoming angry at myself, I wanted to kill the bitch, Merrisah.

  3

  Merrisah

  Dawn hadn’t approached yet as I sat on the balcony, drinking coffee from my Yeti mug. I barely slept, or even ate since Bradson and I got into the argument over Brilese. She was his girlfriend when we conceived, and brought Kash into the world… so I always directed jealousy toward her. I was convinced they were over when Bradson and I decided to make things official between us. The small bit of doubt I kept, disappeared when we conceived our second child together. I finally felt as if I had my own family.

  “Ahhh,” I took another sip of my steaming hot coffee, and released the pressure caused by anxiety from feeling foolish of myself to believe him. I placed the mug in my lap, and leaned my head on top of the headrest as I reminisced about the last night Bradson and I shared together.

  * * *

  Scandalous cheating nightmares played from underneath my eyelids as I slept. I tossed and turned, until I woke up with tears dripping from my eyelashes at five in the morning. With Bradson snoring beside me, I laid awake in our king sized platform bed with my arms folded over my chest. I wanted to act, and investigate whatever I could before he woke up for work… but didn’t want to awaken him.

  Curiosity was killing me, and I couldn’t take anymore of its suspense. Carefully, I removed the covers from on top of me, and slowly slid my body off the edge of the bed. I inched across the carpet on my tip toes… being sure to dodge the spot which always made a creaking noise. I watched him sleep as I strode along the bottom of the bed.

  Successfully, I was able to walk to his side of the bed without him noticing me beforehand. I was surprised to see his phone resting on top of the nightstand, while the charger cord was connected. He always hid it under his pillow, or sometimes, in between the mattress and the boxspring. Having to act quickly, I disconnected the charger and turned around to scurry down the hallway before he caught me.

  “Mmmph,” I heard groaning sounds from behind me, and I instantly froze. I hadn’t even taken my first step away. I covered the phone with my hands as it was buried into my chest, and I prayed he stayed asleep. My heart was pounding as regrets surfaced in my mind… but after a few seconds, Bradson’s loud snores approached again and I was relieved. I scurried out of the room, and down the hallway until I reached the dining room.

  I smashed the phone against the glass table, and rushed aggressively into the kitchen once I activated his screen. Brilese’s text message stared back at me as clear as day. The phone required a facial recognition so I couldn’t dig deeper into their conversations, but I didn’t need any more clarity. That’s all it took for me to confirm the accusations I had on him.

  Pop! The cork releasing from the wine bottle sounded, after I slammed the bottle on top of the granite countertop and took the wine opener from the silverware drawer.

  Although I was angry and truthfully didn’t care if anyone woke up, I still waited a few seconds to listen. Bradson’s snores were still heard from our bedroom, and Kayo wasn’t making a sound. I waited for Kash to come running from his bedroom, but knew he was still sleeping when he didn’t show. I opened the upper cabinet and pulled my tinted, stemless wine glass from the shelf once I realized I was still up alone.

  I held the bottle in one hand, and my glass in the other before taking my seat back at the dining room table. I downed glass after glass until the bottle was halfway empty, and sorrowful emotions began to come alive again. I bawled as the last sip of wine from my cup slid down my throat, before I began to hear movement in the bedroom. I wiped my tears, and instead of becoming paranoid as I should have… I was ready. I was ready for the war you only participate in when you love someone.

  Thumps grew louder from Bradson coming down the hallway, and I grew furious. I wasn’t sure how he was going to react since we had never argued before. I was walking in blindfolded. Within me, I hoped he would be the type of guilty man who begged for mercy out of guilt; deep down I knew the chances of him acting out of rage overpowered the cries.

  Since I never was a big drinker, Bradson shot a confused look once we locked eyes when he got to the end of the hallway. He took his glare away from me and began to wander his eyes at my surroundings. His eyes shifted from the wine bottle to the glass, and down at his phone before his eyes widened.

  “Why’s Brilese still texting you?” I decided to speak before he asked any questions. I needed him to know I was aware, and it was the cause of my sudden alcoholism.

  He told me not to touch his things as he approached the table, and snatched his phone from the glass. Once it was in his possession again, he looked away from me, and rushed back toward the bedroom. I chuckled at the fact that he couldn’t explain his actions. Just as I poured another glass of wine as I listened to him scramble around the bedroom, Kayo began to cry. I jumped up, and rushed into the bedroom to tend to my newborn boy. By the time I reached the doorway, Bradson had his hand placed over Kayo's stomach, trying to rock him back to sleep.

  “Don’t touch my fucking son!” I screamed, after I was side by side with Bradson. I moved his hand from my baby, and I almost had my hands around his body to pick him up… but I was interrupted when I was flung into the wall from the force of Bradson’s slap across my cheek.

  He stared me dead in the eyes, and told me not to contact him before rushing out of the apartment. Once I heard the door slam shut, my face melted as my heart strings tugged. I turned around as Kayo continued with his cr
ies, and watched Bradson get into his Fusion. He immediately looked at his phone after the car was cranked, before he noticed me in the blinds and honked. He was in love with her, and there wasn’t anything for me to do about it.

  * * *

  Bang! Bang! Bang!

  I snapped out of the photographic memory from two weeks prior, and turned around in my seat to notice Kash standing on the inside of the glass door. I positioned my mug past my knees to avoid spilling coffee on myself, as I lifted myself up from the lawn chair. I looked at him through the glass, as he watched me stretch after I stood up. With day breaking, I realized I had been outside longer than anticipated.

  “Good morning,” I acknowledged. I kneeled to his height and kissed him, after I closed the balcony door from inside the living room.

  “Ma, I hungry,” he informed me while rubbing his tiny stomach in a circular motion.

  “Alright. Let’s get you settled,” I replied. He nodded his head up and down, and I placed my mug on the stand beside the Roku TV.

  I picked the small Roku remote from the stand before walking over to Kash. I lifted his twenty-seven pound body from under his armpits, and sat him on our chocolate colored, microfiber sectional. Luckily, Paw Patrol was on and it was the only show he enjoyed watching. Once his eyes were glued to the tv and there wasn’t a chance of turning him away from it, I returned the remote to the stand before picking my mug up.