Let Me Just Say This

by B. Swangin Webster

  Cheryl stopped by Dee’s house and told her about her conversation with Matthew.

  “You do know that Kevin will kill you if he finds out you are cheating on him.”

  “What? Who said anything about cheating? I haven’t slept with the man.”

  “No, but he is not your husband and you are sharing things with him that you should be sharing with your husband. Mainly how you feel about this child. I’m your girl, if you need anyone to talk to, you talk to me.”

  “Dee, you just don’t know.”

  “Then tell me.”

  “Kevin, well, he is becoming more violent. Anything sets him off. On a weekly basis, hell sometimes daily. It’s getting worse. Look at my face, he did this today. He wants me to carry this child and he doesn’t even know how to keep his hands to himself. He asks me for a divorce and now all of a sudden, he wants to be a father. Give me a break.”

  “So what are you going to do?”

  “I am going to keep this child, but I will leave before it’s born. I can’t keep going through this. I just can’t.”

  Both women started to cry and Dee tried to comfort her friend.

  Still sitting in the living room floor with her friend, Cheryl wiped her eyes and stood and headed for the door.

  Dee grabbed her friend and hugged her, “I’m here for you girl, no matter what. Just be careful when it comes to your friend.”

  Cheryl broke the embrace, “What do you mean by that?

  “I mean, you know, your friend might want something other than friendship.”

  Cheryl backed away, “See where your mind automatically goes.”

  “No, I just mean, I know how men are.” Dee said holding her hands up defensively.

  “And how are they?” Cheryl said with her arms folded

  “They will say what you want to hear, and then they want the panties.”

  “For your information, little miss know it all, he only wants to be my friend. I even offered myself to him and he was offended that I would even think he was like that. Do you have so little faith in me?” Cheryl said.

  Dee blew out a breath before speaking “I didn’t mean it like that.”

  “Yes you did. You think I am some helpless baby, who can’t distinguish between good and evil. Well I will have you know that I can distinguish between my friends and someone who is jealous.”

  “Jealous? Jealous of who…you? Please. You think I want to be you? You, who has a husband that cheats on you, whose husband calls you names, whose husband beats her ass and comes and goes as he pleases? Yeah, no thanks.” Dee said without taking a breath.

  Cheryl opened the door and let it swing open.

  Chapter 38

  Cheryl walked in the house and walked by Kevin like she didn’t see him. She did notice that his face was tight.

  “Care to tell me where you have been?”

  “Nope.”

  “Oh really. You’re going to say that to me?” he said but she continued past him.

  She went into the library and wanted to read. Something that always calmed her down and boy did she need something to settle the nerves. She was cried out, pissed off and tired.

  “We need to talk about a few things.” Kevin said as he walked into the library.

  “We don’t need to talk about anything.”

  “Yes we do. We need to discuss what you are going to do about being pregnant. I think…”

  “Oh, you think. Isn’t that rich? Well I will tell you what. No need for you to think about anything. Things are already taken care of.”

  “And what does that mean?”

  “Just like it sounds.” She stood to leave the library.

  “Stop talking in riddles and tell me what the hell is going on.”

  “I don’t need to tell you shit! You never tell me anything. Now you wanna be all up in my face, because you want to be a daddy. How about you be a daddy to the kids you already have! Screw you Kevin. You weren’t acting like you wanted to be a daddy a month ago. You the one acting like you a single man. You barely even come home anymore. You could give a flying fuck about me, this baby or the kids.

  Kevin’s voice came out as a shriek.

  “How dare you try and put the destruction of this marriage on me!”

  “And why not?” she asked gasping, “You are out there with another woman. Not once have I ever thought about cheating on you. God knows I could have, so many times before, but did I, no, I stayed faithful. Why? Because I thought that if I did, you would see just how lucky your stupid ass was to have someone like me. Boy was I wrong. You only care about one thing, and that is you and that bitch you are screwing.”

  Kevin lunged at her, catching her off guard. They fell to the floor with him on top of her.

  “Don’t you ever call her that again? Do you hear me?”

  “You’re crazy,” she screamed.

  “I sure am,” his hands tightened around her neck. She fought to keep him from tightening his grip. “You fucking bitch!” he shouted.

  Suddenly his hands left her neck and he stood. She staggered to her feet, holding her neck and coughing.

  “I won’t let you do this again, I won’t.”

  She ran for the phone on the desk.

  “Who do you think you’re calling?”

  “Get away from me.”

  He pulled the jack from the wall, and grabbed her by the hair.

  “Stop it!”

  He slapped her hard across her face. She tried running from the room and shutting the door, but he was right there with her. By the time he had finished her eyes were swollen.

  “I suggest you think the next time you get your ass on your shoulders,” he said, breathing hard. “If you think I will stand around and let you come and go as you please, you are sadly mistaken; furthermore, if you even think about killing my child, I will do the same to you. Do you understand me? Do you?”

  She lay there in a heap on the floor. She heard him throwing glasses and slamming things in the kitchen. She heard him enter the garage. She was hopeful he was leaving. She dragged herself onto the bed and closed her eyes.

  Night had fallen and she finally woke up. Her head was killing her and the lights were not on in the house. She got up and felt around in the dark. She walked into the bathroom and turned on the lights. The lights illuminated all of the flowers in the room. This certainly was not going to stop her from calling the cops on his sorry ass. No matter what he did this time, she was not putting up with this anymore.

  She heard a noise downstairs. “Sweetheart, are you awake?” he called.

  She went back and climbed into bed.

  “You need to eat,” he said as he walked in with a tray of food.

  “I’m not hungry.”

  “The baby might be,” he said. “So eat.”

  He sat the tray down when he heard the doorbell ring. “Just eat, I’ll get it.”

  She stared at the tray of food as long as she could then pushed it to the floor.

  Kevin came running up the stairs.

  “Are you alright?” he asked, unaware that Dee was behind him.

  “What the fuck happened? What did he do to you?”

  Dee wrapped her arms around her. Cheryl looked at Kevin then turned her head.

  “Nothing. I fell downstairs. You know with the pregnancy and all, I got dizzy.”

  Dee looked at her and leaned in for a hug. She whispered, “Why are you protecting him?” she looked away.

  Dee got up and ran up on Kevin, “You piece of shit. You did this didn’t you? I’m calling the cops.”

  “Sweetie, you will be so embarrassed when Cheryl tells them what really happened.”

  “Just look at her,” she screamed and came back to Cheryl, “she looks like she went three rounds with you.”

  “Dee, I’m fine. I’m a little tired. I’ll call you tomorrow,” she said, while trying to convince her friend, that she had it all under control. Kevin came and grabbed her by the arm.

  “You need
to leave,” he said sweetly. “The doctor said she needs to rest.”

  As he led her downstairs, she could hear Dee, “I know you did this, and she is too scared to say anything. How could you hit her, knowing she’s pregnant?”

  “I don’t know what you are talking about. I will tell Cheryl that you will call her later, ok? Bye.” He pushed her in the back and slammed the door.

  Chapter 39

  Dee couldn’t leave things with Cheryl like that. After an hour, she calmed down enough to drive to Cheryl’s house and what she found broke her heart into even smaller pieces. She got home and as she walked into the door, she saw a card lying on the floor. “This must have fallen out of her pocket.” She said as she leaned to pick it up.

  She knew she shouldn’t but she didn’t know what else to do. She called Matthew and after introducing herself. She told him what she saw when she got to Cheryl’s house.

  “Look, I don’t know if I should be telling you this, but if Cheryl trusts you I guess I can too. He beat her up so bad this time, she was in bed and her face was almost unrecognizable. She was in bed and he didn’t want me to see her. You say you are her friend, right? So how can we get her away from him? He is going to end up killing her.” She listened intently as Matthew hatched a plan to get her away from Kevin. She knew that the only way to do it was to force her hand. She let Matthew finish telling her the plan and then she made that call to Cheryl. Cheryl told her that Kevin was asleep and she didn’t want to wake him but Dee convinced her to listen. When she was confident enough that Cheryl would follow the plan she hung up and went into her guest room to get it ready for her new roommate.

  Cheryl hung up and immediately called her parents to ask if the kids could stay with them for a while. They agreed so she got up and packed a bag so she could leave first thing in the morning. She couldn’t let him see her with the bag so she hurried downstairs and threw it in the truck. Coming back into the house, she was confronted by Kevin but she told him she just needed some fresh air.

  The next morning, she got up, showered and left the house while Kevin was still asleep. As her truck pulled from the garage, Kevin stood at the living room window.

  It was nice just to sit and talk to Dee and Matthew. Of course, they wanted her to call the police, but she wasn’t going to do that. She had agreed to leave, so that is all that mattered. Matthew made some arrangements for her to stay at a hotel and Dee agreed to pick up the kids and bring them to her. Matthew then arranged for one of his cars to take her, since he didn’t want her driving the truck she had.

  “Too easy to trace,” he said. “Look, I won’t let anything hurt you, do you understand?” She raised her face to his and he kissed her gently.

  She drove home and slept for the rest of the day. She was so tired, even after getting out of the shower she decided to lay back down.

  Chapter 40

  Kevin came up the stairs in a rage. She looked at him and tried to diffuse the situation.

  “I’m leaving in two days. You can have the house and the cars. I only want the kids and my things. I just can’t take this anymore.”

  Her heart was pounding so hard, she knew he should be able to hear it. Suddenly she wasn’t feeling good about the situation and got up from the bed. She started down the stairs only to have him hot on her heels.

  “Wait one damn minute. You sleep all day, and suddenly you wake up, tell me that you are leaving and that’s it. What has gotten into you?”

  “Have you not noticed my eyes?” she said as she reached the bottom of the stairs.

  “Who have you been talking to? Who’s been filling your head with this nonsense? Dee?”

  “You have, remember. You wanted a divorce, you asked me so I am giving it to you.”

  “Yes, but that was before I knew about the baby. We need to be together until this child is born.”

  Things were not going as she had planned. She thought he would be happy to hear that she wouldn’t block the divorce. She was supposed to tell him that as long as he let her leave, she would share joint custody.

  “Look, stop for a minute and let’s just talk.”

  She opened the closet door, got the luggage and started back for the stairs.

  “Stop and listen to me” he said, grabbing her arm.

  “Don’t you fucking put your hands on me again, or I swear I will call the police.”

  “Where were you today? I tried calling you a hundred damn times, you didn’t answer.”

  “I turned it off.”

  “So, where were you?”

  “Out.”

  “With who?”

  “With people who care about me.”

  “Then tell me this, why do you smell like a man’s cologne?

  “I don’t smell anything, and neither do you.”

  “Oh, is that what Matthew wears.”

  “What…what are you talking about?” she stuttered. “You must be losing your mind, I don’t smell anything.”

  “Oh, am I crazy to know that Dee called you with someone named Matthew on the other line and you met with him today. Yep, I heard you make your little plans yesterday, you dumb trick. You play miss innocent, but really you been out here the whole time, fucking around with some other man behind my back.”

  “You are something else Kevin. I haven’t been the one cheating, you have. The only person I’ve been fucking is your trifling ass.”

  He grabbed her and shoved her into the wall.

  “I believe I told you what would happen if I thought you were screwing around on me. Didn’t I?”

  She pushed against him and slapped him hard.

  “I’ve done nothing with no one but you. Only you. You are the one cheating. Leaving me here with the kids all the time. I have put up with this shit for over three years, coming home with her nasty ass perfume lingering on you like a cheap suit. No more. I’m leaving. You can have her. I hate you! I hate you! How long did you think I would put up with this crap? You coming and going as you please and hitting me. I hope she is worth it, because you are about to lose everything you love.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “It means, you lose, Kevin, your wife, your kids and this baby.”

  “Oh, you think you are taking my kids away from me?”

  “You don’t think I’m leaving them here do you?”

  Kevin screamed, “You think I’m going to let you take my kids, you are totally crazy.”

  “Oh, I am not only taking them, but since you can’t keep your hands to yourself, I am going for full custody.”

  He grabbed her before she had a chance to move.

  “What! You think I am going to let you take my kids, you been out there all day, fucking some man, waltz up in here and say you are leaving and taking my kids.”

  “I want them around a man who knows how to treat women, because you obviously don’t.”

  “You aren’t taking them anywhere, you slut. Did your new little boyfriend put you up to this? What, you have to suck his little dick? What the fuck did I tell you I would do to you? Huh? You fucking hypocrite.” He shoved her hard and she fell to the floor. “You probably been fucking him every chance you got.”

  “Get off of me!”

  “When I am good and damn ready I will get off of your whoring ass. Is that who you were with today?”

  He slapped her on the side of her head.

  “Answer me, were you?”

  He got up and dragged her along with him to the window.

  “Is he outside somewhere waiting for you? Huh? That nigga ain’t nothing but a punk.”

  “What…like you.” She shouted, while pulling away from him.

  “Get out of my house.”

  “Gladly.” She didn’t bother to pick up the luggage; she grabbed her purse and headed for the door.

  “Don’t you ever come back here!” He yelled from the den.

  “You think I would dare step back into hell! You can go there your damn self.” She shouted.

/>   “I’ll meet you there,” he shouted back. She stopped in the foyer.

  “You know what?” She said while walking back towards him, “You hit me, degrade me, call me every name but my God given one and I have never done anything to you. I am the mother of your children and this child I’m carrying.”

  The tears started to fall.” You never loved me, only yourself. You loved the idea of having someone you could control. But no more. I won’t be here to push around anymore. You can have that trick you been seeing, just tell her she better have a good lawyer on retainer, cause you are going to need one.”

  She turned to leave, not realizing how close he was to her. As she opened the front door, he slammed it and shoved her into it. He slapped her so hard in the back of the head that her head hit the door then grabbed her by the hair. She flailed her arms wildly, trying to grab his hands then bolted for the office.

  “You fucking bitch. I will kill you.”

  She reached the office but couldn’t find the phone. He came in after her, closing the door behind him.

  “You bitch. Do you think…” he took deliberate steps toward her. “That anyone…” inching closer, “Will put up with this shit!”

  He grabbed her by the hair and pulled her towards him.

  “Get off of me!”

  “When I’m ready.” He back-handed her across the face. “Let’s just see if he will want you after I am finished with you.”

  After what seemed like hours, Kevin rolled off of her. He had done every unimaginable thing to her. She had long given up the fight. The more she fought the more pain he inflicted on her. She couldn’t see from one eye and her body was tender.

  After Kevin finished with her he said, “let’s see if he wants your ass now.”

  He stood and looked down at her.

  “Get out of my fucking sight,” he sneered.

  She stood and steadied herself against his mahogany desk. She put her hand to her mouth, hoping that it would stop the liquid that threatened to spill from it. It hadn’t worked. She started to vomit. She felt something running down her leg and looked; realizing it was her own blood. Her back was sore; her head felt like a rock had been thrown at it. Her hands were scratched, and her breasts were sore and tender. She could barely lift her arms. Her neck felt as if he had chewed it raw. Her clothes lay in tatters all over his office floor. She tried walking to the door but it hurt so much that she fell to her knees. He sucked his teeth and stepped over her body; leaving her there, like a wounded deer struck down by a speeding car. She vomited again and again. Her stomach started to cramp, and she fell to her knees, crying for the pain to go away. She pulled herself up and made it upstairs. He was snoring so loudly she knew he wouldn’t wake up anytime soon. She moved as quickly as she could, covering herself with a lounging dress she found in the closet. The fabric made her body hurt more. She made her way back downstairs and found her purse along with her cell phone. She took his keys from the hook in the foyer and hurried to the garage. She climbed into his car, a feat in itself. Once she was clear of the driveway, she pulled the cell from her pocket and called Matthew, he would meet her at the mall parking lot. Luckily it was Sunday so it would be empty by now.