The Aftermath

by Anna J.

  James had been extra attentive, but I was still not open to him. Yeah, I had now probably fucked up a whole lot worse than he had, but I was still bitter about everything that had went down between Sheila, James, and Monica.

  Truth be told, I was ready to go home, but not to the home I already had. I was ready to start our life in a new place, but we had just bought our house five years ago. Although the events of late were overwhelming, we had so many memories in that house. I didn’t know when, if ever, I’d get past it.

  I’d never prayed so much in my life. It was funny how previously I had reserved prayer for bedtime and meals, never calling on God for anything. Now, praying was all I’d been doing lately. It’s true what they say: when he’s not walking by your side, he’s carrying you through.

  I still saw the image of Monica, Sheila, and James on my table when I walked in the door, but it was becoming a mere shadow, not as vibrant as my first time back home. The voices were getting quieter, and I truly did think we’d get through this. We had to. We had children to consider. But what was weird is that I had begun to replay the sexual payback stunt that I had pulled with Donnie and Rahmel. Damn! It had felt good getting fucked by two men at the same time, but I knew in many ways I would forever be cursed by that act of revenge.

  James and I weren’t in the house for two minutes before someone was ringing the doorbell. James made sure I was comfortable on the couch before he went to answer the door. I propped my feet up on a few pillows and leaned my head back on the arm rest so I could rest my eyes for a few seconds. I was considering going to get the kids from my brother’s house so all of us could stay the night with James. Inching back in slowly but surely was easier. That way if I decided to bail, it wouldn’t be too hard.

  For a second it sounded like James was arguing with someone at the door, but I wasn’t really sure. I heard a female voice get loud, and I almost lost it. His lover had the nerve to come here? I got up off the couch and made my way to the door only to receive the shock of my life.

  “Monica, what are you doing here?” I had to force myself to keep my mouth from hanging wide open. I wanted to see her, but not now. The pain was still too new.

  “Jazz, I came to apologize to both of you, and to talk to you personally. I just figured the longer we waited, the harder it would become to get past this problem. I wanted you to hear my side of the story.”

  Before I could say anything James was pushing me back into the house and closing the door. Monica just stood there like she was about to cry, but I held the door just before it closed shut. I had to hear what she had to say.

  “James, we should at least hear her out.”

  “Baby, I don’t want that woman in my house. She’s the reason why we’re in the shit we’re in.”

  “No, you wanting to be greedy is the reason why we’re in this shit. Open the damn door. We need closure.”

  I knew this could be the biggest mistake I ever made in my life, but I needed to hear what she had to say. Maybe if I looked her in the eye, I could understand how she had so much power over people to make them do things they really didn’t want to do. There was no denying her skills in the bedroom. On that note she was a phenomenal woman. When she was around you couldn’t think rationally. For my own curiosity, I just needed to know.

  “You better make this quick, and make this your last damn visit. You’re not welcome here,” James said to her as I walked away from the door and resumed my position on the sofa. I didn’t offer her a drink or anything because I didn’t want her to get comfortable. She needed to state her purpose and keep it moving.

  “Monica, what brings you here today?” As she made herself comfortable on the loveseat, I noticed the bulge in her shirt. It could easily be overlooked if you weren’t looking for it, but I was dead on it. This bitch was pregnant by my husband, or so we assumed.

  “Jazz, first I want to apologize for all the problems I’ve caused your family. I should have gone about trying to get you in a better manner.”

  James and I looked at each other and back at her. I didn’t think she would come right out and say that she wanted me. I thought for sure she would deny it and take it to her grave, but then again, Monica never failed to amaze me.

  “So, you’re saying what exactly?”

  “I’m saying that I fell in love with you the very first time I saw you, and I thought if I could get close to you maybe I would have a chance. Sheila put it in my head that I could get you if I tried hard enough. She set everything up from the beginning. It was her idea to come here. I would have never thought of it. I could have easily had either of you over at my house.”

  Still speechless, James and I sat wide-eyed and stared at her like she was a television set. I couldn’t believe what she was saying, and if I wasn’t there to hear it, no one could have ever convinced me.

  “So Sheila put it in your head that it was cool to climb your ass up on my table? Better yet, tell me, Monica, how many times did you and James see each other before I became involved?” I had agreed to move past that, but something was telling me that James wasn’t being straight with me. That was our biggest problem, the fact that we were never straight up with each other. But oh well, I still needed to hear it from the horse’s mouth.

  “We started seeing each other maybe six weeks before he finally decided he would ask you, but we slept together at least thirty times before that night. James couldn’t get enough of me.”

  “And since that night?” I don’t think I really wanted to know the answer, but my mouth said it anyway. A part of me did want to know, but another part would rather do without the details.

  “We got together at least twice a week. Sheila had him too.”

  James just put his head down in his hands and shook it from side to side. My breathing felt labored, but I needed to know one more thing.

  “Monica, how many months are you?”

  “About five-and-a-half.”

  Before I had a chance to react, James jumped up off the couch beside me and knocked Monica backward out of the chair. By the time I got up he had already punched her in her face once, and I had to practically jump on his back to keep him from swinging again. I don’t know where the strength came from, but I was able to pull him up and stand between them so Monica could get up off the floor. She looked stunned, and even though I hated her, I hoped nothing happened to her or her baby. It wasn’t the child’s fault.

  “Get the fuck out of my house! Get the fuck out!” James kept yelling it at the top of his lungs as Monica made her way to the door slowly.

  “Jazz, don’t be mad at James. He was at my house as much as you were.”

  Now it was James’s turn to hold me as I charged at her like a bull. She was able to open and shut the door before I could get to her, and by the time I got the door open I could see her making her way to her car. She turned and looked at me and stopped me dead in my tracks with her words.

  “Oh Jasmine, I forgot to mention that you really look good since I last saw you. I don’t know what it is, but maybe it’s those private personal training sessions that you’ve been having at your house with the twins Donnie and Rahmel from Bally’s. Girl, whatever you do, keep those personal one-on-one sessions going because they really got your body looking tight!”

  After she said that there was dead silence as I could not believe that those bitch ass twins from the gym had opened up their mouths and gossiped like straight up bitches!

  I wanted to literally kill Monica for having pulled my card like that. But I had to give it up to her, the bitch was vindictive as hell and she was good at it.

  James looked at me with a confused look on his face.

  I shook my head and asked, “What the hell is she talking about?”

  Then all I could hear was her car screeching down the street. I just fell to my knees in the doorway and cried, not knowing what to do next. I would be paying her ass a visit. That was for sure. I just hoped I could be civil when I saw her again. Yeah, we were
all at fault, but this entire situation just pissed me off. I was hoping that James didn’t question me about what Monica had said about the twins training me.

  Thankfully, somehow we made our way up to the bedroom where we lay in silence for what felt like hours. I don’t know if either of us were ready for what was said, especially me. I was upset that she put James out there, but I was even more upset that she told him my business. And I was even more livid with the twins from Bally’s.

  Yeah, I had already told James what I wanted him to know, and I’m sure he did the same, but I guess now he knew where all of my panties had been disappearing to.

  As I lay next to my husband, I tried to think of what my parents would do in a situation like this. My heart was telling me they would stay together. I needed to move back home. This incident would stay between us, and it was as simple as that. And I would keep my sins a secret for as long as I could.

  I rolled over to face James, and he looked just as lost as I did. The only way to get our marriage back on track was for me to move back home and deal with our problems together.

  Monica

  Revenge Is Best Served Cold, August 1991

  When I woke up, the pain in my stomach was unbearable. It definitely didn’t feel like the usual menstrual cramps, but what else could it be? I could barely lift my head off the pillow, and when I was able to, and I saw the amount of blood on the bed, it scared me even more. Something wasn’t right, and I needed to get help as soon as possible.

  I tried to stand up, but my legs felt like wet noodles under me. The pain was getting worse by the second, and all I remember was making it halfway down the hall on my hands and knees before I passed out. Waking up in the emergency room, I was scared for real. I wanted to ask what had happened, but the pain in my stomach and the tubes down my throat prevented me from speaking.

  I kept my eyes closed as I listened to my uncle and Stephanie argue about who was going to clean the blood up in the hallway. He wanted me to do it, but she said I wasn’t feeling well enough. I hated him, and I couldn’t wait to get out of his house. Instead of dwelling on their nonsense, I closed my eyes and sifted through my own issues.

  By the end of the school year I had successfully gotten even with two other girls from Ashley’s crew: Jessica and Samantha. How I caught Jessica was priceless. Since Ashley and Kevin hadn’t returned back to school, the school staff took it upon themselves to plan our junior prom. I was cool with that and happy because I was finally able to talk my uncle into letting me go.

  Although I had about twelve hundred dollars stashed in my closet, I still took on a few after-school babysitting jobs to get some extra loot so I wouldn’t spend all my money getting what I needed. I decided I would go to the prom by myself. After all my efforts to raise cash, Stephanie offered to take me to New York to get my gown so no one would have one like mine. My gown fell right above my knees and went up around my neck like a halter top. I had a detachable train that fell to the floor and doubled as a shawl just in case I got cold during the night. We bought my shoes and handbag from the same boutique, and I decided on a single pink rose to match my dress for my corsage.

  She took me to the guy who did her hair, and taught me how to apply my makeup properly so it would have a natural look. My uncle rented a Benz for the evening, after arguing with Stephanie about it for three days straight, and he decided that since she wanted to be so helpful, Stephanie could take me to the prom and pick me up when it was all over.

  To lower the ticket cost, the prom was held in the school gymnasium, which made it convenient for everyone. I had butterflies in my stomach something serious because this was my opportunity to get Jessica’s ass. I knew she would come to the prom like she was the shit, and I’d make it my business to show her she was, literally.

  I was dropped off at the prom about an hour after it started. I got there just in time to get my picture taken before the camera crew packed up for the evening. Once the prom got popping I went to the ladies’ room to make sure the coast was clear. The day before I’d stashed a bag of items in the bathroom vent.

  I put “out of order” signs on the stall doors on the ends so that the only restroom available was the middle stall. After hiding my bag in the first stall, I left the bathroom and waited for Jessica to come in. When I saw her go to the bathroom, I waited for a minute before I went in and locked the door behind us.

  She was standing at the mirror on the other side when I walked in, so I snuck into the stall and circled the toilet seat with clear super glue. I went into the first stall after using a towel to crawl under the door. Just as I hoped, she walked in and plopped her nasty ass right down on the toilet seat. I took the cup I had in my bag and filled it with water from the toilet. After taking a peek over the top to see what she was doing, I tossed the cup of water over the top.

  She screamed as I threw three more cups of water on her. When she realized she couldn’t get off the toilet I took the opportunity to crawl back under the door, depositing my bag back in the vent and exiting the bathroom unnoticed.

  While I was getting some punch I saw a crowd of students running toward the bathroom. I made my way over, almost the last one there. From my viewpoint I could see Jessica still trying to get off the toilet with her dress and hair drenched, and her panties around her ankles. I should have pissed in the cup.

  When we got back to school the following Monday, the school paper was passed out during lunch. On the cover, much to everyone’s surprise, was a picture of Jessica stuck on the toilet looking a hot mess. I just laughed to myself as I finished eating my lunch in silence. For the first time in all of my sixteen years I could honestly say life was good.

  Opening my eyes for a brief second I saw the doctor who was working on me. He was telling my uncle that I was pregnant in my tubes and the tube burst, which was the reason for all the pain and blood. I was grateful, but not really. I was upset about the tube part, but if I had the baby who was to say it didn’t belong to my uncle? And that shit that Kevin and his boys did still gave me bad dreams, so I was glad it was gone.

  I heard the doctor whisper that although the tube was repaired, I wouldn’t be able to pass eggs on that side, so it would be a little difficult for me to conceive again. My dumb-ass uncle asked the doctor if they could give me a hysterectomy, but of course they wouldn’t do it. The effects of the morphine were making me sleepy again, so I let it do its magic as I thought about my revenge on Samantha.

  We were having a festival at our school for our last day. I volunteered to help set the yard up for the fair. In the back of our school there were woods that some of us usually cut through to get to the strip quicker. Jessica wasn’t in school to walk home with Samantha, and the rest of her girls went the other way, so I knew if I was going to get her I had to act quickly.

  I snuck off while the other volunteers weren’t looking and hid my book bag in the woods. Inside my bag I had stuffed my uncle’s overall jumpsuit so I wouldn’t mess up my clothes, a bandana to cover my face, and a pair of Timberland boots. I had some rope, duct tape, a pack of cigarettes, ajar of honey, and a rechargeable pair of clippers so I didn’t need a plug. Her ass was going to catch it, and I couldn’t wait.

  The day of the festival was hot, but not the type that carried high humidity. I had on my booty-hugging shorts, and a matching red and yellow tank top that looked nice on my tanned skin. My body had filled out a lot in the past couple of months. I had Stephanie take me back to her stylist to get my hair done for the day. I wanted to be cute from head to toe. I finished my outfit off with a pair of red, low top, classic Reeboks and yellow socks with red balls on the back. I must say I was looking rather tasty.

  I noticed how the boys in my class had been watching me lately, but wasn’t shit poppin’. After that mess with Kevin, I decided that not another soul in this school would get within sniffing distance of this stuff. I took the compliments they dished out and kept it moving. There was no need for small talk.

  I chilled the
entire day playing the games and getting my fill of hot dogs, cotton candy, and soda. I flirted with some of the guys, and kept my lips glossy just to make the girls mad. I made sure to keep close tabs on Samantha, and when she left I was right behind her.

  I kept ten paces behind her, ducking behind trees to make sure she didn’t see me. I had a padlock and four heavy rocks in a sock that I had gathered together before I left the fair. I knew I would have to knock her ass out to tie her to the tree, and I was sure that would do the job. Just as she was about to step over the old tree that lay on the ground, I ran up on her and knocked her in the back of her head. Her body folded like a paper bag.

  I left her there while I fished my bag out the hollow part of the tree, shaking the bugs off before I put my overalls on over the outfit I had on and stuck the honey and clippers in my pocket, putting my sneakers inside the bag and placing the bag back in the log. Taking Samantha by her ankles, I dragged her body over to the tree.

  Propping her body up as much as possible, I tied a rope to her wrists, and then connected the ropes in the back of the tree in a tight knot. While she was still out I took the clippers and shaved off sections of her hair, letting them fall in clumps on her lap. Satisfied with my hair cutting skills, I then lit a cigarette and began burning circles on her skin until she woke up.

  When she came to, all she could see was a person in a jumpsuit with their face covered. I Krazy-glued her lips together. She struggled in terror as I took cigarette after cigarette out the pack, and burned her with them. After about eight cigarettes, I opened the jar of honey and stood over her, pouring it on top of her head and watching as it ran down the sides of her face and the rest of her body. Once the entire jar was poured out, I began digging holes around her so that any bugs that were in the dirt would come out and feast.