“Hmmm. They will know really soon that you’re a fucking rat. Let’s see how much love you get then. I don’t make threats, Young Bitch!” He got up, put his Kangol hat on, opened the door, and walked out.
I sat there, furious. How dare this bitch-ass nigga come up in my shit and threaten my life? I needed to get my life back because niggas thought ’cause I was going through some shit, I was a pussy. Fuck that nigga. I might be a rat, but ain’t no bitch in my blood. I pulled out my second bag of powder I was determined not to let anyone fuck up my high.
* * *
Just when I thought this shit was almost over, the fucking DA’s office wanted me to wear a fucking wire while I talked to Malaya. See, these niggas were taking me for a soft bitch. I hadn’t spoken to this bitch since the last time I saw her, and now they expected me to call her and get her to admit that she wanted that nigga dead. I tried to tell them that I didn’t want to do it, not because I gave a fuck about the bitch, but because I didn’t want to face her. The DA quickly reminded me that I didn’t have a choice. So, just like an obedient bitch, I agreed.
* * *
Malaya
“Hello,” I answered.
“Hey, hon. Turn the news on,” Dana said.
“What station?”
“Channel 7 Eyewitness News.”
I grabbed my remote and turned to the news. Obviously, someone tipped off the news station, and they were covering the story. I saw my picture in the top right-hand corner as she talked about the prominent attorney who was caught up in a love triangle. My heart sank as I watched the horrible things they were saying about me. I knew the entire town, and my peers had heard about this by now.
“I’m so sorry, Malaya.”
“Yeah, me too.” I hung up the phone.
I scooted down on the carpet in the living room. Everything that I worked so hard for was slipping away from me. How could I survive this shame and embarrassment? I could only imagine the conversation these other lawyers were having about me. “What did I do?” I cried as I laid my head down.
My phone started ringing. I wondered which one of my uppity so-called friends done saw the news and was now calling to be inquisitive. I wasn’t in the mood, and whoever it was was going to get cursed the fuck out.
I reached up and over the couch and grabbed my phone. “Hello,” I answered without looking at the caller ID.
“Yo, Malaya. What’s good?”
I knew I didn’t hear what I just heard. This snitch-ass nigga was on my phone. “What the fuck do you want?”
“I just want to talk to you. I heard you got locked up earlier.”
“Okay, and what the fuck does that have to do with you?”
“Man, I didn’t call for all that! I just called to check up on you and to let you know that they’re just trying to set you up. I ’ont know what they told you, but they’re just trying to play us against one another. I ain’t tell them people shit.”
I smiled to myself. I knew this bum knew that I was a lawyer, and I knew how the police rolled. “Javon, I’m a bit lost. What are you talking about, honey?”
“Yo, I ’ont want to say it over the phone, but you know how you asked me to kill your husband?” he said.
“Javon, Javon, honey, listen. I think you’ve got the wrong person, or I don’t know what kind of stunt you’re trying to pull. I love my husband. I would never do such a thing. I know I fucked you good and you fell for me, but never in a million years would I think that you would try to kill Trent. I’m sorry if you thought that’s what I wanted. I love my husband,” I said in my most convincing voice.
“Man, you’re tripping. Why are you denying this? You remember—”
I ended the phone call before he got a chance to continue with that foolery. I knew he was wired or the police were somewhere close by. Who the fuck did this amateur nigga think he was playing with? Just because I gave him the pussy and sucked his dick a few times didn’t mean I was a dumb bitch.
It also proved to me that the police case against me was weak, and they would go to extremes to try to build a case against me.
* * *
I was up bright and early; I finally decided to file for divorce. I was tired of keeping up this charade with Trent. This was my money, and I was taking every fucking dime of it. When I was done, this nigga was going to wish he were dead.
I walked into Baron and Lexington Law Firm. This was a husband-and-wife team, and they were among some the best divorce lawyers in the state. The wife, Shawnda, and I were college roommates, and we kept in touch after law school.
“Good morning. I’m here to see Shawnda Baron,” I walked up to receptionist and said.
“Good morning. Do you have an appointment with Mrs. Baron?”
“No, I don’t. This is more of a personal visit.”
“Okay. Mrs. Baron is on a call right now, but I will let her know that you’re here. Please have a seat.”
“Thanks.”
I took a seat with my legs crossed. It’d been years since I’d seen her, but we were the kind of friends who didn’t have to see each other on the regular; but, when we did, we usually picked up right where we left off.
“Malaya,” I heard Shawnda’s cheery voice yell out.
I got up and saw her walking toward me. “Hey, there, Shawnda. How are you?” I gave her a hug.
“Oh, my, it’s been years since we’ve laid eyes on each other, and I have to tell you, you haven’t aged one bit.”
“Girl, I have to say the same about you.”
“Child, stop it. This is all the work of my plastic surgeon.” She laughed. “Follow me. My office is back here.”
I followed her into a huge office with a big table. I could see by the look of things that they were definitely making money.
“Sit down. Please.”
“Thank you! Shawnda, this is not a social visit.”
“Okay, so what can I help you with?”
“Well, I know you saw that I was arrested two days ago. The police are suggesting that I tried to kill Trent, which is completely false.”
“Yes, I was shocked when I heard about that.”
“Anyway, I’m here because I know you’re the best at what you do. I need to divorce him before this case goes to trial. As you know, most of the money belongs to me and, I hate to be blunt, but I don’t want his ass to get anything he didn’t enter this marriage with.”
“I understand. So you know I need to know how the marriage was.”
“The first few years were great but, after that, he became abusive, physically and mentally. Then, the cheating started. The last straw was when I walked in and caught him screwing another man in our bed.”
“These are some serious allegations; do you have any proof of this?”
I dug into my purse and pulled out my phone. I searched for the video and then handed her the phone. “Is this enough proof?”
I watched as her facial expression changed from pleasant to disgusted. “Wow! This is more than proof; this will definitely get the judge’s attention.”
“Great, because this man is trying to destroy me and take e’erything I worked hard for. I don’t want him to get a penny of my daddy’s hard-earned money.”
“Well, you know I’m good at what I do, and my private investigator is the best in the business. Whatever Mr. Ipswich has going on will definitely come to light. I just want you to know that sometimes divorce can get messy and things are revealed and are no longer private.”
“I’m tired of this bastard controlling my life. I don’t care what comes out as long as I get him out of my life. Send my assistant your invoice and whatever costs you acquire. Shawnda, I need you on this urgently.”
“I assure you, your case will be top priority. I will file the divorce case in the morning on the basis of infidelity, and physical and mental abuse. And you will be hearing from me soon. Malaya, good luck on that criminal case, and please don’t hesitate to call me if you need me.” She got up, walked around the
desk, and gave me a hug.
“Thank you so much.” I left shortly after that.
I felt a slight feeling of relief when I left the lawyer’s office. After all of these years of being in a fucked-up marriage, it was finally going to be over. It would’ve been much better if I was a widower, but I would settle for the divorce.
I got into my car and pulled off. I glanced in my rearview mirror, and I noticed that the same dark car that used to follow me was behind me. I had totally forgotten about that car. I wondered who the fuck it was, and what the hell they wanted from me. I did notice that when Trent was supposedly dead, I didn’t see the car. Now that his ass was back from the dead, the car was back in the picture. I wasn’t in the mood for the games. I thought about my gun that Trent took from me that day we got into it. I had no idea what happened to it, and now that I was charged with a crime, I couldn’t walk into a gun store and buy one myself.
I made several turns, trying to get away from the car. I thought I did until I made a right turn, and there was the car again. Only this time, it was riding my bumper. I sped up, and the car sped up. I no longer thought this was random; I knew someone was in that car, trying to run me off the road. I was doing eighty in a thirty-five mile-per-hour zone, and the car was right on my ass. I tried my best not to cause an accident, but whoever it was behind me obviously was trying to make me do the opposite. The car sped up and rammed into me, causing me to hit the guardrail. My car stopped and shook, and my side of the car lifted up. My car started smoking. I tried opening my car door, but it was jammed. I frantically grabbed my cell phone and dialed 911. I then crawled into the back seat and opened the back door.
Within five minutes, I heard sirens and the ambulance sound.
“Ma’am, are you okay?” a uniformed police officer ran up to me and asked.
“Yes. I’m a little shaken up, but I’m fine.”
“Ma’am, what’s your name, and can you tell me what happened here?”
“My name is Malaya Ipswich, and I was on my way home when I noticed a dark Charger following close behind me. I didn’t think anything of it until the car sped up, and then the driver deliberately pushed me into the guardrail.”
“Did you by any chance see the driver’s face or get a look at the license plate?”
“The car had a dark tint, and no, I was trying to stay alive. I didn’t see the license plate.”
“Okay, ma’am, the ambulance is here. You might want to go with them to get yourself checked out,” the young, sexy police officer said.
“Thank you, Officer, but I think I’m okay. I’m going to call AAA to get my car towed.”
“Well, I’m going to make a report, ma’am.” He walked off to his car.
I dialed AAA’s number and waited for them to show up. The nice officer stayed out there with me until the tow truck showed up. I thanked him and got into the truck with the tow truck driver.
I spent all morning on the phone, making a claim with my insurance company. I swear, these motherfuckers love taking people’s money but always give a hard time when it’s time to provide service that is paid for. By the time I got off the phone with that agent, I was worn out. I was told that I could get a loaner car by this evening. That was a good thing because I needed to get around.
The girls were in school, and I was home alone as usual. I was already getting tired of being in the house all day. I decided to start going over my case. I needed to get a head start so I knew what I was up against. I walked upstairs to get my laptop and then walked into the kitchen to make a cup of tea. I stopped in the middle of the kitchen; something caught my nose, I knew that smell all too well; it was the cologne that Trent wore, Extreme Blue by Michael Kors. I spun around and walked out into the hallway. I could smell the cologne out in the hallway also, but there was no one there. I walked out to the sunroom and checked my back door. It was locked. Hmm. I was really tripping; I really needed to change these locks tomorrow because Trent had a set of keys also. I just hoped that he had enough sense not to show his face around here. The sound of the kettle whistling interrupted my thoughts. I walked back into the kitchen to make my cup of tea.
I walked into my study and cut on my computer. The first thing that I needed to do was dig deep into the charges against me, just as if I were going to defend a client. The only difference was I was my own client. I cut the radio on Pandora to kind of help settle my thoughts.
I felt a kiss on my neck! The hair on my back stood alarmed. My insides shivered as I tried to understand what the hell was going on. “Did you miss me, honey?” Trent’s voice echoed through the walls of my office studio.
I quickly jumped up out of my seat and stood face to face with my soon-to-be ex-husband. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
“Malaya, this is still my home. I can come and go as I like.”
“Like hell you can. You fucking set me up, and now you have the nerve to be all up in my face.”
“Correction, honey, I didn’t set you up. That thug you were fucking set you up. See, you were too damn smart for your own good.”
“I don’t have anything to say to you. Get out of my house!” I screamed. I had my cell phone in my pocket. I used my hand to search around for the button to record him. I wasn’t sure if it was the right button, but there was no way to find out.
“Bitch, shut the fuck up. I told you about making a fool out of me. Do you know how embarrassed I am that my slut of a wife was running around here, fucking and sucking on these convicted felons? I knew you were a whore, but I never thought you were dumb enough to try to get me killed. Tell me, Malaya, what it is? Is his dick bigger than mine, or is it that you were just a whore who fucked and sucked any lowlife? Huh? Tell me, Malaya,” he yelled. I tried to leave the room, but he blocked my path. “Answer me, bitch!” His big hand slapped across my face.
I went straight for his balls, kicking him in them. He grabbed his crotch and yelled, “Bitch, I’m going to kill you.”
I was determined to get up out of there alive. I knew he was an officer, and he was experienced in killing. I ran to the kitchen and grabbed my knife, but he was one step behind me. He punched me so hard that I fell onto the counter and then ultimately to the ground. I curled up in a fetal position as he kicked and stomped me.
“I told you a long time ago, bitch, I was not the one to be fucked with. You thought you were goin’ to get away with this. Huh? Where is your side nigga now? Call that boy so I can give him some of this. I should’ve killed your ass when I ran you off of the street the other day, but there were too many witnesses around.
His steel-toed boots made connections with my ribs. I winced as the pain became unbearable.
What was only a few minutes felt like an hour or more of torture. I held my head and starting praying to God. I knew I was going to die, but I needed to ask for forgiveness for all the wrong shit I had done in my life. “Bitch, die!” were the last words that I remembered before I passed out.
* * *
I knew I was in the hospital by the sound of beeping machines. I tried opening my eyes, but I couldn’t. I used my hand to touch my face and realized that my eyes were swollen, and that was the reason why I couldn’t open them. I recalled the severe beating I took from Trent. I had no idea how I got to the hospital, but I was grateful I wasn’t dead. I thought I wasn’t going to make it.
“Good morning, love.” It was Dana.
I tried to respond, but my face was swollen. It hurt too bad to even say one word. I smiled at her.
“I’m happy to see you’re awake and, don’t worry, you don’t have to talk. I’ll do enough talking for both of us. I brought you some flowers and balloons, and Isiah sent his love. He will be up here tomorrow. Both of us can’t be out of the office at the same time. Your mother came up as soon as I called her. I hope I didn’t overstep my boundaries, but the girls needed somebody to take care of them.”
“Thank you,” I mumbled, just enough for her to hear me.
“You’re i
n pretty bad shape. You could’ve died if your daughters didn’t come home from school and find you lying on the ground.”
“Hey, Dana, did you see my cell phone?”
“No, but I can stop by the house to get it for you.”
“ No, that’s not necessary..”
I was hoping that my phone was still at the house, and Trent didn’t pick it up. I didn’t mention it to Dana. I was too embarrassed for her to listen to this man degrading me.
* * *
I was happy to see my mama’s face. “My baby girl,” she said as she rushed over to my bedside.
“Hey, Mama.” The swelling on my face had gone down a little, so I was able to talk a little better.
“How you feeling?”
“Much better than a few days ago. But the doctors said my ribs were bruised, so I’m feeling real sore from all the beating.”
“So, the girls are okay. They’re in school, and your sisters send their love.”
“Thank you for coming, Mama.”
“Malaya, I know you don’t feel well, but I’m very pissed off with you. Why did you get arrested, and I didn’t know anything about it? I was shocked as hell when Myesha told me that the other day.”
“Mama, I’m so sorry. I didn’t want to get you involved in any of this.”
“Involved? Child, shut your mouth, talking that nonsense. You’re my child, and I need to know what’s going on. I told you a long time ago to divorce his ass. That man ain’t no good. He was after your money from day one. You were too blind to see that, but I saw right through him.”
I couldn’t say anything. Mama showed Trent respect because of me, but she always said that he wasn’t right. I didn’t pay her any mind back then because I was in love and thought that he was my knight in shining armor.
“Oh, here goes your cell phone. I know you need it.”
“Thanks, Mama.” I quickly scrolled to Voice Memo. I saw the date of the recording. It was there. “Thank you, God,” I said quietly.
“So, the policeman said that it was an intruder who broke in the house and beat you up.”
“Is that so? What made them think that?”
Falling for My Side Dude Page 18