by Chunichi
“May I help you?” the receptionist asked as soon as I walked in.
“Yes, I’m here for my for eleven o’clock appointment with Miriam,” I responded.
POSH was an exclusive day spa with all the trimmings, and Miriam was my favorite. Not only was she a wonderful masseuse, but she was also a great esthetician. I’d planned to get the works. I’d requested a manicure, pedicure, a ninety-minute deep tissue massage, facial, and body wrap.
Although this was supposed to be a time of relaxation, I found myself spending a lot of time thinking about Touch and all his mistakes and fuckups. In the beginning we were a match made in heaven, best friends turned lovers. He was everything I ever wanted and needed in a man. But it seemed like the more money he made, the more problems we had. We ran into a little problem with the law, and things went downhill from there. When Touch and I both got caught in an undercover sting operation, it caused a huge rift between us. He thought I would rat him out, no matter how much I tried to calm him. I got taken by surprise by the investigation as much as he did.
Luckily for me, the charges got dropped because my attorney found a loophole in the law and convinced the judge that the charges against me were illegal. Good thing too. I don’t think I would have been able to handle jail. I liked the finer things in life, and prison attire didn’t suit my body. At times, I had begun to think I may be falling out of love with Touch. A woman can only take so much. R. Kelly had sent a warning to all men with the song, “When a Woman’s Fed Up.” Well, this woman was reaching that point, and fast.
“Jewel, now I’m gonna give you a little extra attention and really focus on your head and scalp massage,” Miriam said as she let my hair down. “I noticed you’re very tense, so I wanted to see if we can release a little tension you have in that area.”
“Gladly.” I nodded.
This kind of massage was the best part. One simple massage stroke of my scalp started draining my stress, my irritation, and my resentment of Touch. That nigga should be grateful I been in his corner for so long.
As Miriam massaged my head with her magic touch, I was beginning to feel totally relaxed, so I closed my eyes. The first person I thought of was Rico. He’d always said that I deserved better out of life, but it was up to me to make it better. The more I thought about it, the more I realized he was right. I needed to make a change in my life. If I wanted the finer things, I needed to go out and get them. I couldn’t rely on some street-ass nigga to provide for me.
Despite the fact I fucked Rico over, he still called from time to time and left messages saying he just wanted to hear my voice so he would know I was okay. He was a real gentleman, unlike most of the niggas I dealt with. I started regretting that I’d really fucked Rico over. A couple of times I had thought about calling him, but I was ashamed of the way I had treated him. I knew what I did was wrong.
Lying on the table, fully relaxed, I was considering calling and patching things up with him. Rico showed me nothing but kindness since the day we met. He was beginning to fall for me. I would be able to have the finer things if I went back to him. I began to compare Rico and Touch. Rico is stable. Touch’s sorry-ass damn sure is not. I need stability, no drama, and less chaos. With Touch, I never know if he is really in my corner. The only thing he has been truly been loyal to is the streets. I have always come in second place, which is so unfair to me. Rico seems to be all about me.
The more I thought about it, the more it became clear that Touch wasn’t good for me. So why do I keep going back to him? I think I might be afraid to let go of him.
Four hours, later my time of relaxation was over, and it was time to head home.
My anxiety slowly started to rise as I pulled into the neighborhood. I took a deep breath and continuously recited the words, “I will not fight with Touch tonight.”
While pulling up to the house, I noticed a box at the front door. Getting excited about the package, I parked in the driveway instead of pulling into the garage, since it would be easier for me to just pick up the package and go through the front door. I’d ordered some Victoria’s Secret and was surprised it had arrived so soon. Receiving packages in the mail always improved my mood.
As I got closer to the box, I noticed it was already open. Feeling that someone had opened my package and stolen my lingerie, I began to get angry. Damn, these grimy-ass niggas out here, I thought, approaching the box. I quickly grabbed it and glanced inside. “Oh my God!” I screamed and dropped the box in a panic. “It’s a baby!”
Inside the box lay a baby with a knife in the heart. Without thinking, I quickly grabbed the baby from the box. I thought that maybe there was still a chance to save it.
The second I touched it, I realized it was a plastic doll. “What the fuck?” I yelled. I was fuming inside, wondering who the fuck would do such a wicked act. The first thing that came to mind was one of Touch’s psycho bitches.
I rushed inside the house with tears in my eyes. This was the final straw. I know Touch had fucked a lot of women even while he was with me, but this crossed the line. As soon as I opened the door, Touch was right there.
“Jewel, what’s wrong, baby? I heard you yelling.” He grabbed me in an attempt to console me.
“Don’t touch me!” I yelled, pushing him away.
Touch yelled as he noticed the baby in my arms. “What the fuck is this?”
“What does it look like, Touch? It’s a gift that someone left on our doorstep.”
“What?
“Yeah. It’s probably one of your psycho bitches you be fuckin’.”
“Hell, nah. That bitch don’t know where we live.”
“Ha! Busted, you stupid moron! What specific bitch are you referring to?” I threw the doll at him.
“Damn! Chill, Jewel. I don’t know who did this, Jewel.”
“Touch, what is really going on with you and that chick you got that domestic charge from? I need to know what’s going on. My life could be in danger.” I tried explaining to Touch the seriousness of the situation.
“Don’t overreact. There’s nothing to worry about. I will find the muthafucka that did this and make them pay.”
“Oh, really? How would you find this person? Do you have an idea who it is or something?”
Touch shook his head. “I said I don’t know.”
The thought that someone was bold enough to step foot on my doorstep and leave a bloody doll was crazy. This was way too over the top for me. I felt like I was having a nervous breakdown.
I quickly went into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of wine with a glass and made my way down to the basement to unwind. “I need some time alone!” I yelled as I walked away without looking back. I didn’t even want to look at Touch.
I filled the Jacuzzi up with hot water and bubbles, turned on Kelly Rowland, and filled my wineglass with Riesling. As I sat soaking in the tub, I started thinking about all of my enemies. But who would be evil enough to do such a heinous thing?
The first person that came to mind was Sasha, an old friend of mine. She’d done some real fucked-up things in the past, but it had been nearly a year since I’d heard from her. She had just disappeared, and no one knew where she had gone. But something told me it wasn’t her.
Then my mind traveled to Rico. After all, I had lied to him and taken ten thousand dollars from him to bail out Touch. He did have a reason to be pissed at me. A small part of me wouldn’t blame him for seeking revenge. Any thought I had of getting back with Rico was now out the window. I wondered if he had really flipped his lid. Honestly I had no idea what this man was capable of doing. It’s always the quiet ones who are the most dangerous. For a minute I even contemplated telling Touch about Rico; it would only be fair to tell him. Our lives could be in danger.
I took the last sip of my Riesling, turned up my music, lay my head back on my bath pillow, and closed my eyes. I was totally relaxed as the tune of “Motivation” floated through my head. I moved my hand to my midsection as I listened to the words of Li
l Wayne.
With each verse I massaged my clit in a circular motion, moving my hips in rhythm with the music. I could feel myself reaching my peak as I imagined sitting on Lil Wayne’s face, gripping his dreads tight.
Minutes later, after I’d satisfied myself, a true feeling of total relaxation sent me into a doze.
“How could you do this?” a whisper interrupted my moment of euphoria.
“What did you say?” I looked around the room nervously. I could barely make out the person’s voice. “For the first time, in a long time, I actually wanted to treat a woman right, and here you come with the bullshit. Jewel, man, you broke my fuckin’ heart.” A face finally appeared from a dark corner of the room.
“Rico, I–”
“I didn’t fuckin’ say you could speak,” he said as he pressed the cold metal tip of a gun to my stomach. “I think we both can agree that you have done enough. Right now all your ass is going to do is listen, and when I’m done, I might let you speak.”
I nodded my head to let him know I understood very well. My mind was racing, my heart was fluttering, and I was too terrified to move an inch. All I could do was pray Touch would come to my rescue. He was upstairs somewhere probably high and drunk, while this nigga Rico was trying to make this my last living night in the basement.
“This pain is unbearable. I thought you were the one for me. I have a few questions, and you damn sure better answer them,” Rico said.
I nodded again, the gun still lodged into my stomach.
“Did you ever love me?” he questioned.
“Yes,” I said without hesitation. I didn’t love Rico, but I knew at this point it was either do or die. I had to say exactly what he wanted to hear in order to save my life.
“Oh, yeah. So, that dude upstairs, do you love him more than me?”
“Rico, why are you doing this?” I begged.
“Shut the fuck up, Jewel! I didn’t say you could speak. Now answer me. Does Touch have more of a special place in your heart than me?”
“No,” I said, trying to assure him he was the love of my life.
“Jewel, your ass ain’t too convincing. I bet if I had a thousand dollars in my hand ready to give then you would put on a good show for me. You always were about the dollar. I was nothing but kind to you. I wanted to take care of you. All I wanted in return was you to love me and accept me,” he stated, becoming angrier and angrier.
“Rico, baby, I do love you,” I said as I caressed the side of his face.
“You lyin’ bitch!” He smacked my hand away from his face. “Shit ain’t gone ever change. You’re nothing but a manipulative, gold-digging whore. It is what it is though. Now open wide for me,” he demanded as he placed the gun in my mouth.
Pow! The trigger went off, jerking my head back into the wall.
I woke up to the sound of my wineglass shattering on the basement floor. I was in a cold sweat.
“Damn! Rico is haunting me in my dreams,” I said to no one in particular.
I gathered myself, grabbed a towel, and got out the Jacuzzi, careful not to step in glass. I headed up the stairs feeling guilty as hell for playing with Rico’s emotions.
Chapter 7
“Rude Awakening”
Touch
I answered the phone not knowing who it was. “Yeah.”
Its constant buzzing had finally broken my sleep. My neck was stiff from sleeping on the couch, and my head was hurting from all the Hennessy I’d drunk the night before. My hangover was so bad, the entire room was blurry and spinning.
I figured if someone was calling so many times this early in the morning, it had to be important. I hated to be woken up out of my sleep, so I was in no mood for bullshit.
“Hey, boo,” a female voice said from the other end of the phone.
I looked at the caller ID. I didn’t recognize the number, but the voice sounded familiar. “Who the fuck is this?”
“You know who it is. It’s the chick you beat the shit out of then stole her car. Anyway, what did you think of your baby girl? Wasn’t she beautiful? She was even dressed in a Juicy Couture onesie with matching socks and hat. Wasn’t that little outfit so cute? I would have had her delivered a few days earlier, but FedEx was a little backed up.”
Lisa had the sweetest little tone to her voice, like she was shooting the shit with one of her girls. My blood was boiling as I listened to the words this bitch was saying to me.
“Lisa, if you ever muthafuckin’ step foot on my property, I promise you, you won’t leave this bitch walking.”
“Now is that any way to talk to a woman that holds your freedom in her hands? That was a threat, Touch. Did you forget you’ve already been charged with domestic violence? Now a recorded threat like that was not a smart move, honey.” Lisa laughed then hung up the phone.
Her taunting was driving me over the edge. Not only did she have my court date hanging over me, now she had a recording of me threatening her. I felt like I could drive over to that bitch house and choke the breath out of her ass that exact moment.
In no shape to do anything at the moment, I struggled to my feet and headed to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water out of the fridge. I noticed the baby doll on the kitchen counter, and as I walked past, I saw a piece of paper attached to the blanket it was wrapped in. It read: When life comes, so does death. Time is precious. Take advantage of it while you can.
I thought to myself, This bitch is really trying to fuck with my mental. Well, at least now I know who been causing all this chaos. It shouldn’t be much of a problem to put an end to this.
The more I thought about Lisa and the stunts she was pulling, the angrier I got. She was playing me, and it pissed me off. I needed to figure out a way to put an end to her games.
“Stupid bitch! Do she know who the fuck I am? I will kill that bitch.” I snatched the doll from the kitchen counter and took it to the trashcan. As I came back from the garage, I met Jewel.
“Why are you yelling at this time of the morning, Touch?” she asked, tying her silk robe together.
“Sorry, babe. I didn’t mean to wake you up. Go back to sleep. I just had a little too much to drink. Let’s go back to bed.” I didn’t want to tell Jewel about the call I’d received from Lisa or that Lisa was the culprit behind all the prank calls.
I walked with Jewel to the bedroom and hopped in bed beside her.
“I love you,” I whispered in her ear while holding her tight. “And Daddy loves you too, Junior,” I said, rubbing her belly.
An hour later I awoke. I wanted to be sure I beat Jewel out of the bed. I wanted to cook her breakfast before she started her day.
I woke Jewel up to breakfast in bed. Although I’d never said the words, “I’m sorry,” this was my way of apologizing. I knew the way to Jewel’s heart. With her, it was always the little things that mattered the most. Well, money mattered to her most, but the little things came in a close second.
After breakfast Jewel hopped out of bed and rushed to get to the gym. It was Zumba day, and she didn’t want to miss it. Before she left, I gave her a much-needed gift.
“Touch, you’re giving me a gun?” Jewel asked with the .22-caliber in her hand.
“Yeah. Babe, I think you really need it. Especially after that baby doll incident. I can’t be with you all the time, so you need some extra protection. Besides, that little taser gun you got only works close range.”
“All right.” Jewel nodded. Then she placed the gun in her purse before heading out the door.
I walked back to the bedroom feeling a little reassured. Now my only worry was that one day Jewel would get the idea to use that same gun on me. I was sure there had been plenty of times she imagined killing me.
Now that I was on my way to patching things up with her, it was on to my next task of the day. I needed to get my car from that crazy bitch, Lisa. I knew the chances of me going to her house and her actually handing the keys over without a fight was slim to none. After her phone call I knew for a f
act that she would provoke me to do something terrible to her conniving ass. I definitely didn’t need a murder charge on top of domestic abuse and auto theft. The more I thought about it the more it seemed that I was going to have to go over there and meet with her face to face.
Chapter 8
“Face to Face”
Touch
The cab driver out front of my house honked his horn to signal he had arrived and was ready to leave. I opened the door and signaled for him to wait one second. It was the same greasy-haired driver I’d had before, and he didn’t look too pleased to have to wait.
As I put my shoes on, I had a decision to make. Do I take my gun to Lisa’s house, or do I leave it home? I had been weighing my options ever since I’d called for the cab. On one hand there was no telling what that bitch might come at me with, so it would be good to have protection. On the other hand, I didn’t want to get caught with a weapons charge if she saw me coming and called the cops. I wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near her, pending the outcome of her case against me.
I grabbed the handle of the gun, paused, then decided it was best to leave it home. The gun found its place next to my underwear in the dresser drawer. I was hoping I had made the right decision by going over to Lisa’s unarmed.
On the ride over, I went over every scenario I could think of. I would try and talk sense to her, and hopefully she would give up the car easily. If everything went smooth, then I would be sexing this bitch in a matter of minutes. Give her some good dick then talk her into dropping the charges. If that didn’t happen, I didn’t have any clue what I would do. I needed to play it right. If the bitch pushed it, I wasn’t sure if I could control my temper and not give her a beat-down. Force might be necessary to get my car back. The cabbie asked, “You want me to come back and pick you up later?”
“Nah. I’m picking my car up. I won’t be needing your services ever again.” I handed him a twenty-dollar tip.