So Gone

by Jennifer Luckett

  Blunt knew that he was busted. He opened his lying mouth, attempting one last time to lie his way out of the hole that he had dug himself in, but I over-talked him.

  “Save your lies because I'm done listening to them. You might as well run right back over there where she is because your ship has sailed over here. Game over!” I slapped him across the face as an exclamation.

  Blunt picked me up like a rag doll and tossed me on the bed, straddling me. “My bad, Mo. I fucked up. I was drunk that night,” he continued to fib. Then he made the mistake of trying to kiss me.

  I socked him dead in the mouth. “Don't you dare put your nasty lips on me! There's no telling where your mouth has been, you dog!” I yelled in his face.

  “Shawdy, it ain't even like that.”

  “It's not?” I thundered. “You’ve been over there eating that bitch’s worn out coochie, then coming home and kissing me.” The thought made me want to puke all over myself.

  “Mo’, I love you. Don’t let that hating hoe break up what we got.”

  I pushed him off of me and bounced to my feet. “Fuck you! Go on over there with your rotten pussy bitch. I’m going to get me a real man who can be faithful and love me.”

  The second those words rolled off my tongue Blunt slung me back on the bed, and I felt a cold object against my temple.

  “Yo’ mouth is real fly. Now say what you just said again. You’re gonna do what?” His teeth were clenched and his finger was on the trigger of his silver Glock.

  I closed my eyes and prayed that Blunt wouldn't shoot me.

  My Nine Goes Boc! Boc!

  Blunt

  “Bitch, you think I won’t push ya fuckin’ wig back?” I threatened Mo’ wit’ words that until now had been reserved for my hoes in the street.

  I hadn’t lost respect for her, but the stress of dealing wit’ all those other bitches and having to lie about it was causing me to lose my mind.

  I stuck the gun to her dome and challenged her to say that fuck shit again about finding another nigga. I expected her to curl up in a ball and whimper, but she surprised me when she got the strength from somewhere to hurl me off her.

  “You’re just gonna have to kill me then! Because I’m through,” she repeated.

  “What?” I bellowed.

  “You wanna hear me say it again? I’m going to find a man that will treat me good and love me even better. Now, go ahead and pull the trigger, mothafucker!”

  I looked at Shorty Girl wit’ my mouth wide open. I couldn’t believe she called my bluff.

  “And I got ya bitch, right here!” she said, then drew back and punched me smack in the grill.

  Before I could react, she was on my ass like a banshee. I blocked most of the blows while she swung and cried. “Why would you put a fuckin’ gun to my head?”

  Real talk, she was kickin’ my ass. If she had been any other woman, the paramedics would’ve been on their way to put her on a stretcher. However, I didn’t smash her because no matter what it seemed like, I did love her.

  When she was tired of swingin’, she collapsed on the floor and sobbed. Her back was heaving up and down. When I tried to comfort her, she hissed, “Don’t put your filthy hands on me, or I’ll give you some pussy and kill your ass when you fall asleep!”

  I could see the hatred that betrayal started in her eyes. It’s a thin line between love and hate, I was always told. I could see it now, up close and personal.

  “Okay, Baby, I’m out,” I said as I used my shirt’s collar to wipe away the blood from my busted lip. As I got in my car and drove aimlessly around the city, Deuce hit me on my cell.

  “Sup, Fam? When you gonna break bread?” He pressed me at the wrong fuckin’ time.

  I inhaled a deep breath and sucked my teeth. “I got that on deck for you right now. Can you meet me at the liquor store on Boulevard by the railroad tracks?” I suggested.

  “Yeah, I can be there in twenty minutes,” he agreed.

  Twenty minutes later on the dot, Deuce drove up. I was parked with the engine off listening to a Jeezy Mix tape bobbing my head to the lyrics. When I saw Deuce get out of his whip and head towards me, I turned off the radio.

  “What you got for me, Homie?” he asked as he opened the door and slid into the passenger seat.

  My nine answered for me. Boc! Boc! Boc!

  I leaned over his bloody body, opened the door, and kicked him out onto the cold ground. I cranked my whip, put it in reverse, and felt a hard hump. I had backed over his lifeless body. I put my ride in the wind and got ghost.

  Blunt Free

  Molaysia

  Three days had passed since I finally ended things with Blunt. At times I thought about him, but those thoughts were not good. I seemed to be ridding my system of him one day at a time. I simply kept busy and continued to remind myself that I deserved so much better.

  I reclined back in my office chair and glanced out of the window. The fresh smell of cut grass drifted up my nose. The school’s maintenance man was on a riding mower giving the front a badly needed grooming.

  Through the open window, I saw that it was a beautiful morning, and the sun was out in its full glory.

  The loud sound of arguing coming from the hallway drew my attention. I immediately went to investigate.

  “Bitch, if I find out that you’re talking to my man, I’m gon’ beat the life out ya ass,” a rather tall, slender girl mouthed to another female student.

  They stood toe to toe ready to rumble. The shorter girl did not look like she would back down.

  “Hoe, please. If he's your man, why is he always blowing up my phone? And why did he creep through my bedroom window every night last week, huh?” She wagged her finger in the other girl's face.

  I hurried between them before any licks were passed. “Ladies, cut out the foolishness and stop the foul language right now, or you’ll both be sent to in-school suspension.”

  My threat fell on deaf ears. The taller girl slapped spit from the other student’s mouth, and the crowd that had gathered around let out a collective, “oooh!”

  “Oh, now I’m ‘bout to kill ya ass, bitch,” screamed the smaller one. She threw her book bag down and pushed the girl into a row of lockers. Then she reached up, yanked her to the floor by her weave, and was beating her down.

  “Stop it!” I yelled.

  I snatched the smaller one by her arm and made her release the girl’s tracks from her hand. “Get in my office now! You two have no respect for authority!” I fussed.

  The other student slowly got off the floor. My male assistant principal and a stocky male science teacher came down the hall and escorted them into my office. I readjusted my red Christian Dior pencil skirt with the matching short-sleeved jacket and ordered all students to get to their classrooms immediately.

  Once we were inside my office, I asked my assistant principal to call both of the eleventh graders’ parents to let them know that their daughters were being suspended for three days and needed to be picked up from school immediately.

  When everything settled down, I used the office phone to call Leesha.

  “What’s up, Chick?” she answered, sounding as cheerful as always.

  “Not a lot. But I'm excited about coming up to see the family this weekend.” I perked up.

  “Are you coming alone?”

  “Of course.” I rubbed my tired eyes and blinked twice before leaning my head back, staring up at the ceiling.

  “Good because I have someone that I want you to meet,” she revealed. “Is it okay for me to give him your number?”

  “Who is it, Leesha?” I asked with skepticism.

  “A guy named Vincent.”

  “Is he one of your rejects? Because I'm not that desperate,” I said seriously.

  “No, Vincent is a new co-worker of mine. He's single, finer than old ass Keith Sweat, and get this --- he's thirty years old and has no children.”

  “Hold up, Cuzzo. Before we go any further, you're going to have to take
back what you said about Keith Sweat. I love me some him, and you do too. Don't even try to front because somebody threw their panties at him,” I reminded her.

  “Oh, Keith can get it any way he wants it.” We both laughed.

  “Girl, you're a mess,” I remarked. “You can go ahead and give your friend my number, but please make it clear that I've just come out of a relationship, and I'm not looking to jump into another one anytime soon.”

  “Will do,” promised Leesha.

  “Toodles.”

  “Muah.”

  I pulled my keyboard closer to me and began going over the school's budget for the upcoming semester. I was busy crunching numbers when my cell phone began to vibrate with an incoming call.

  The photo that I had saved of Blunt standing by his ride in his superstar attire showed up identifying the caller. I pressed ignore and sent him to voicemail. Seconds later a text came through that read: Baby a nigga missing you. Can we move pass this.

  I ignored the text and started back working.

  Towards the end of the day, as I was wrapping up my work, my secretary knocked on my office door and informed me that I had a special delivery. I stood up, stretched, and then followed her out into the outer office. The delivery guy stood there holding a teddy bear and a bouquet of yellow, white, and pink flowers.

  “Hello,” I spoke, smiling at him pleasantly.

  “Are you Molaysia Alexander?” he asked.

  “Yes, I am.”

  He handed me the gift and asked me to sign for it. I smiled as I signed my name, while wondering who had thought enough of me to make my day.

  I pranced back into my office, reading the attached card as I closed the door behind me. Baby, please forgive my transgressions. They are mistakes of the mind, not of the heart. In matters of love, you are my one and only. Love and kisses, Blunt.

  I placed the flowers on my desk. They were beautiful, but they could not make me forget about what had happened. I doubted if an Iyanla Vanzant session could fix our broken relationship.

  Driving through my neighborhood on my way home, I noticed that the “for sale” sign was gone from my elderly neighbor's yard. He had put his bricked three-bedroom home up for sale six months ago and moved into an assistant living apartment. I wondered who my new neighbors would be, and made a mental note to get them a present welcoming them to the community.

  I pulled into my garage anticipating a nice long bubble bath with soft music playing in the background. After a trying day at the school, it always felt good to come home and pamper myself. And that's exactly what I did.

  A Nice Interruption

  Molaysia

  Later, sometime after six, I was in the kitchen preparing a supper of spaghetti, salad, sweet peas, and garlic bread when my doorbell rang.

  I moved away from the stove, washed my hands, and dried them on a paper towel, before I answered the door. “Who's there?” I asked.

  “Rocco, I'm your new neighbor.” The voice was deep and masculine, but not scary.

  I stood on my tippy-toes and looked through the peephole. A tall, handsome man stood there with a child at his side. I unlocked the door and opened it.

  “Hi, I hope I'm not interrupting you. I saw you pull in a while ago, and I wanted to come over and introduce myself and give you one of my business cards. Maybe my services will come in handy.”

  I saw his lips moving, but I didn’t hear one word come from his mouth. He was gorgeous. He appeared to be at least 6’2, chocolate as a Snickers bar, well built, with a shaven head. I was in a zone.

  Once I came out of my trance, I looked down at the little girl who was standing beside him. Her hair was in two ponytails, and she had a dimpled smile. I guessed that she was two, maybe three years old. Looking over her head, I noticed a woman across the street stepping to a u-haul. I presumed that the woman was the child's mother and Rocco's wife.

  “I’m sorry. What did you say?” I asked, embarrassed that I had gotten lost in my thoughts.

  He smiled with perfect white teeth. “I came over to give you my business card. I’m a licensed contractor. I wanted you to know that if you ever need any house work, I’ll gladly come over.”

  “Thanks,” I replied accepting his card. “And I welcome you and your wife to the neighborhood.” I forced a smile.

  “Well, that's kind of you, but I don't have a wife. This is my niece, and that’s my sister that you see at my house,” he clarified.

  “Oh, I'm sorry,” I apologized, brightening up. “I’m Molaysia Alexander.”

  “Pleased to meet you,” he said, extending his hand. I took it, briefly enjoying the strength that I felt in it though his grip was gentle.

  I blushed like one of my female students encountering the star of the football team. “Uh, come to think of it, I do have a project for you if you’re interested. I need a new light fixture in my bathroom as soon as possible.”

  “That won’t be a problem. Do you mind if I come in and take a look at what you want installed?” he asked, as he bent over and picked his niece up.

  I led him upstairs to the bathroom in the hall and showed him the fixture that I wanted replaced. He told me to go to Home Depot and purchase the one I wanted and he would be happy to put it in for me.

  “Wonderful, I'll do it tomorrow. Is that too soon?” I asked as I read his credentials on the back of the card.

  “Tomorrow is fine.”

  “So, you build mansions and all, huh?” I asked, looking up at him. The card slipped from my hand and fluttered to the floor. When I leaned down to pick it up, my eyes were level with his crotch. Something big and thick made a print in the front of his pants. I gulped and quickly looked off before he thought I was some kind of freak.

  Surprised at myself, I rose to my feet trying to hide the lustful thoughts that ran through my mind.

  “No job is too big for a man with hands as skilled as mine,” he replied confidently. All I heard was big.

  I giggled.

  “Did I say something funny?” He lifted an eyebrow and rubbed his chin.

  “No, pay me no mind.” I quickly recovered. Then I asked how he liked the neighborhood so far.

  That sparked a pleasant conversation that went on for another fifteen minutes. After Rocco said goodbye, all I could think about was the myth that tall men are well endowed. I admonished myself for fantasizing underneath Rocco’s clothes. Goodness! I was acting like the female version of Blunt.

  Made My Day

  Molaysia

  The next morning when I was done handling the school’s business on my computer, I was free for a while. I pulled Rocco’s card from my black Gucci handbag and called him from my IPhone. For some reason, I felt nervous as I waited for him to answer.

  “Hello.” His voice was as thick as homemade maple syrup. I felt a flutter in my chest.

  “Hi, Rocco,” I said, clearing my throat. “This is Molaysia. I was calling to let you know that as soon as I leave work, I’ll stop by Home Depot and get that light fixture. I also want you to change the locks on my doors.”

  “I can do that if you'll allow me to take you out to dinner,” he said. “That's if you don't have a man.”

  “Is that a question?” I teased.

  “Is it that transparent?” He laughed.

  “Yes, but to answer your question, I just recently ended a three year relationship. It did not end nicely, but I do still love him. I won’t lead you on like I don’t. I’m just taking it one day at a time.”

  “Ok, I understand. And I admire your honesty. Excuse me, can you hold up for a minute, Pretty Lady?”

  “Sure.”

  While on hold, I grabbed a bottle of baby lotion from the top of my desk. I applied it to my hands and arms. I reached over and turned down the picture of me and Blunt. Our entire relationship was a big lie.

  Still holding the phone to my ear with my shoulder, I could hear construction noises in the background. I heard Rocco yell for someone to bring him some nails. He gave orders to two
more people before he returned to me.

  “I’m sorry. I was talking to a few of my employees. I’m actually on top of a roof right now. Me and my crew are building a high school.”

  I went quiet for a moment imagining his sexy body with hot beads of sweat dripping from it. I rubbed my forehead and tried to snap back to the conversation. What was going on with me?

  “Okay. I will let you go. Be careful on top of that roof. And dinner sounds nice.” I glided my tongue over my top teeth picturing Rocco as a sirloin steak.

  “Fa sho’. I’ll see you later on, Sweetie. Make sure you let your ex know that you’ll be going out to eat tonight, so he won’t be blowing your phone up,” he teased.

  “I’m one hundred percent single, so I won’t be having that problem,” I assured him.

  “I’m just joking. Be sweet and text me when you get home, so I can come over and handle that job.”

  “Okay. Sounds like a plan. Talk to you later,” I shouted over the loud sounds of the equipment in the background.

  Mere seconds after hanging up from Rocco, I received a call from a number that I did not recognize.This better not be one of Blunt’s side bitches calling me with some bullshit because I am not in the mood for the extra today, I was thinking as I took the call.

  The caller turned out to be Vincent, Leesha's friend from work. We went through the preliminaries, and then he asked if it was cool if he came by to visit me when he came to Atlanta.

  “We'll have to see,” I hedged.

  He pushed onward to a new topic, and everything was going smoothly until he asked if I wore thongs. Coming from a relative stranger the question wasn't just inappropriate, it was downright disrespectful.

  “Do you really want to know,” I asked in a sultry tone.

  “Hell yeah.”

  “Well, ask your mama!” Click.

  Leesha cracked up when I called and told her about it. “Sorry, Girl. Damn, I thought Vincent was smoother than that,” she apologized.