“Thank you,” he said, shaking my hand. “That young punk should’ve known better.”
“Yeah, but so should I.”
Disgusted that I allowed things to go this far, I went to the bathroom to see how much damage had really been done to my face. The cut wasn’t as bad as I’d thought, so I gathered a bunch of paper towels and pressed against my face to stop the bleeding. The police had asked if I needed an ambulance, but I declined. The only other things were a cut inside my mouth that wouldn’t stop bleeding. And as for the soreness in my body, I couldn’t do anything about it.
When I came out of the restroom, one of the officers waited for me. The other two still hadn’t left with Lewis yet.
“Are you going to be okay, Mr. Taylor?” the officer asked.
“Yes, I’m fine. I thought I needed some stitches, but I think I’ll be okay.”
I looked at Lewis and he grinned. “This is not a laughing matter, young man,” the officer said to Lewis. “You’re in serious trouble.”
I walked up to Lewis and stood face to face with him. “I told you this shit wasn’t funny. And if you still think it is, laugh it off in that fucking jail cell tonight. Going against me, Lewis, you’ll lose. Just like you lost out today, you’re going to lose out again.”
He gathered spit in his mouth and let it out in my face. With the police standing there or not, I punched him so hard that it sent him and the officer standing to his right to the ground.
“Okay, Mr. Taylor,” the other officer said, grabbing my arm. “Now, you’re going to jail.”
I quickly wiped the spit off my face and showed no resistance. The officer cuffed me and escorted me out to his police car. He placed me in the back and closed the door.
After the other officers placed Lewis in another car, they stood outside and talked for a while. When the officer hopped in the front seat, he straightened his rearview mirror and looked at me.
“Mr. Taylor, why did you say anything to that stupid punk? You know he was just trying to work you over, man, don’t you? Thugs like him are a waste of time.”
“I’m well aware of that. He just had my damn blood boiling.”
The officer laughed. “Yeah, well, a fancy lawyer such as yourself should know better, right?”
“I guess, but a fancy lawyer such as myself will kick ass when I need to.”
We both laughed this time and the officer pulled off.
“Is your car parked around here?” he asked.
“It’s in the parking garage to your left.”
The officer pulled over to the left, opened the door, and uncuffed me. “Have a good night, sir. Next time, let the courts handle it, okay?”
“They always do, don’t they?” I smiled, thanked the officer, and headed to my car.
What a night, I thought as I got into my car. It was almost nine o’clock, so I hurried home to wash up and change clothes so I could go get Britney from Sylvia’s place. To save some time, I called Sylvia’s place to see if they could meet me at my place, but I got no answer.
Thinking hard about what Lewis said, I knew that motherfucker was out to destroy me and everyone around me. I had to watch my back, and at the same time, have everybody else’s, too. I was so mad at Dana for allowing this fool to have so much control, and Sylvia? There was no way in hell she let him fuck her after hating him so much. When I thought about her mood yesterday, and about her suddenly leaving the office, my mind started playing tricks on me. Was there a chance she was fucking that nigga too?
Rushing home, when I pulled in the driveway, Dana’s car was there. I was in no mood for the drama tonight. All I wanted was to see my daughter and to lie in a nice, comfortable bed.
No sooner than I went inside, I saw Dana on the couch. She was ready for me to listen to another one of her sob stories. I walked right past her and headed to the bedroom. Seeing how roughed up I was she followed behind me.
“What happened to you? Were you in a car accident or something?”
“Yeah, I wish that’s all it were.” I pulled off my bloody shirt, slid out of my shoes and went into the bathroom. Dana came in and wet a towel while I started to run water in the tub. When I stepped out of my pants and eased into the tub, she came over and wiped the side of my face with the towel.
“How did this happen?” she asked again.
I moved my head so the towel wouldn’t touch it. She tried to wipe my face again, but I snatched the towel from her hand. “This is what happens when you fuck around with stupid, ignorant, lowlife sons of bitches.”
Her mouth hung open. “Did you and Lewis have a fight?”
“You’re damn right we did. And I feel like such a fool for stooping so low tonight and fighting with his ass.”
“But wha . . . what made you fight with him? I mean, baby, it is over between us. I love you and there is no reason for you to fight with Lewis over something that belongs to you.”
“Whatever. Look, let me enjoy my bath alone, all right? I’ll talk to you when I get finished.”
Dana left quietly and closed the door behind her.
I let the jet bubbles massage my body for a while, shaved, and then gargled with Listerine to kill the soreness in my mouth. When I came out of the bathroom, Dana was lying across the bed while flipping through an Ebony magazine. She closed it, laid it down on the nightstand, and then she reached for her purse and pulled out some papers. After she handed them to me, I sat on the bed next to her. I was somewhat nervous, thinking they were our divorce papers, but when I saw they were papers from her doctor’s office confirming the pregnancy, I was a slight bit relieved.
“I told you I didn’t lie. And I’m also not lying when I tell you this child is yours. We’ve waited so long to have a baby, and I’m so afraid that I’m going to lose it.”
I placed the papers on Dana’s lap, and then I lay back on the bed. I looked up at the ceiling and placed my hands behind my head. “Just move back in for now. I don’t want to cause the baby any harm. Besides, when Lewis gets out of jail, I don’t want him trying to hurt you.”
Dana moved back and laid her head on my arm. She turned sideways to look at me. “Thank you. I don’t want to be away from you another day, and going forward, I’m going to show you what a wonderful wife you have.”
“Dana, I’m only asking you to come back because I want to protect what’s mine. As for our marriage, I can only take it one day at a time. I’m not making you any promises. If this living arrangement doesn’t work out for me, I will let you know.”
She nodded, and then kissed my cheek. When I closed my eyes, she rolled on top of me and rubbed the cut on my face. “I’m so sorry.”
I grabbed her hand and started to rise up. “Yeah, I’m sorry too, but move. I need to go call Britney.”
Dana raked her hair to one side then she reached for my hand and placed it on her breast. “It’s been awhile for us. The only way to break the ice and get you out of your misery is for me to show you just how sorry I really am.” She leaned forward to kiss me, but I turned away. She grabbed my face and pressed her soft lips against mine.
Enjoying the sweet taste of her lips, I kissed her back. The kissing became intense, so intense that I rolled on top of her and hurried out of my robe. I lifted her skirt and tore off her panties. She kicked off her high-heeled shoes, and as soon as her legs opened, I pushed my dick inside of her. Almost immediately, I let out a deep sigh, feeling relieved. My pace was slow at first, but then I was so excited to be in her pussy that I picked up speed. Dana’s head was hanging off the bed, and it was squeaking loudly as we got our fuck on. She gripped my ass while I took deep strokes inside of her and was very apologetic.
“I’m so sorry, baby, please, pleeeease forgive me. I love you, Jonathan, only yoooou.”
I was so caught up in the moment with Dana that I didn’t even hear Britney and Sylvia. Sylvia called my name, and when I snapped my head to the side, I saw them standing in the doorway with blank expressions covering their faces.
Dana rose up on her elbows and I got up off her. My dick was dripping wet with her juices, and by the time I covered myself with the robe, Sylvia had run out of the house. Britney ran after her. I tightened my robe and hurried out of the room. Dana stayed on the bed, calling for me to come back.
I ran outside, but Sylvia had sped off. Britney pushed my chest and stormed back into the house. She picked up the kitchen phone and dialed out. Thick wrinkles lined my forehead and I snatched the phone from her hand. “Watch yourself, all right?” I yelled. “I’m sorry it had to be this way but—”
“But, my ass,” she yelled back. Tears poured down her face. “You are such a liar. I hate you, Daddy! That bitch has made nothing but a fool out of you and—”
I slapped Britney across her face and grabbed her arm. “Stop it! Don’t you dare talk to me that way, Britney! I am your damn father and you will respect me!”
She snatched away. “How in the hell do you want me to respect a man who doesn’t even respect himself?”
“Britney,” Dana yelled as she came into the kitchen with a frown on her face. “Why are you over here yelling at my husband like that? I know you’re not thrilled about me being here but—”
“Dana,” I shouted. “Let me handle this!”
“No, no, no, no,” Britney smirked with a devilish look in her eyes. “Since you want to put your fucking hands on me, I got something for you.” She looked at Dana. “I’m not mad that my father is a sucker for you, bitch! I’m just furious that he’s not man enough to tell you he’s fucking your best friend. That’s right. Sylvia’s been getting a piece of the action too, so don’t think for one minute that you got yo’ shit under control.”
Dana’s eyes shifted to me and began to fill with water. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. I grabbed Britney by her arm again, and held her with gritted teeth. “Either go downstairs and cool the fuck off or get the hell out of my house. One or the other, Britney!” She pulled her cell phone from her pocket and slammed the back door behind her.
I walked past Dana who was still standing in shock. She walked slowly and calmly into the living room where I had taken a seat on the couch.
“Take your best shot, Dana,” I said, holding out my hands. “Everybody else has today so go for it.”
She eased down on the coffee table in front of me, and moved her head from side to side. “Ple . . . please tell me she just lied to me. It can’t be, Jonathan, there’s no way.”
I sat silent for a while and then opened my mouth. “I was hurt—”
“Noooooo,” she yelled and fell to her knees. “Not Sylvia! You did not have sex with my friend, did you?”
I stared at Dana, and when I didn’t say anything, she screamed and punched my chest. She smacked my face about five times, and when I’d had enough, I tightly grabbed her wrist. “Stop it, please. If you’re that angry then leave,” I said casually.
“You’re damn right I’m getting the fuck out of here!” She stood up and smacked my face again. “I knew you were fucking around with her all this time. I knew it!” She stormed into the bedroom and continued to talk her shit. When I heard the sound of broken glass, I quickly got up and went into the bedroom. Dana had thrown something into the glass shower and glass was shattered everywhere. She was kneeled down on the bathroom floor, screaming “why” at the top of her lungs. Did she really have to ask why? She was shaking so badly that I kneeled down and put my arms around her.
“Don’t you touch me!” she yelled.
“Look, I know this hurts but you have got to calm down.”
“Fuck you, Jonathan!” She got off the floor, and then grabbed her purse from the nightstand. After she pulled out her keys, she gave me an evil stare and jetted.
After she was gone, I picked up the broken glass in the bathroom then lay across my bed. I was exhausted from all that had happened today, but couldn’t even close my eyes to rest. By one o’clock in the morning, I looked at the phone, wanting to call Sylvia and apologize, but I couldn’t. I knew she was upset with me, and thinking about how much she was hurting, I tried to make some sense out of what I had done. I felt terrible for slapping Britney, but when I called her cell phone she didn’t answer. I left her a message and told her we needed to talk.
11
SYLVIA
After seeing Jonathan making love to Dana, I cried the entire way home. Yes, she was his wife, but since I finally realized that he used me, lied to me, and persuaded me to do everything in the world for him, I was devastated. All I needed was a gun so I could shoot myself for being so stupid. I praised his ass; I gave him so much credit, and didn’t even realize that he was just like any other man who wanted to get laid.
The visualization I had of him fucking Dana and her squeezing his black ass stayed in my mind. I couldn’t wait to get home. When I got inside, I slammed the door and fell hard on my couch. The phone rang off the hook. Knowing that it was probably Jonathan, I picked it up and threw it against the wall. It broke off into tiny pieces before hitting the floor. That didn’t solve my problem because the other phone started to ring. When I got up to throw that one as well, I looked at the caller ID and Dana’s number appeared. Not wanting to talk to her either, still, like a fool, I answered.
“What?” I said.
“Don’t what me, you whore! Who do you think you are sleeping with my damn husband? What kind of friend are you, bitch?” she yelled.
“One you should have never trusted! Now, don’t call here disrespecting me! When you want to talk to me like you got some sense, call back!” I hung up, but Dana called right back. Foolishly, I answered again.
“You have got some nerve hanging up on me. I am on my way to come kick your trifling ass!”
“Listen, bony bitch, if you want to keep that child, you’d better stay as far away from me as possible. I mean it.”
Dana hung up, and ten minutes later, she had the nerve to be banging on my door. Now, this heifer knew for a fact that I had always had a li’l hood in me, so I didn’t know why she was tripping. I wanted so badly to snatch her up in here, but I couldn’t. I let her bang on the door, scream and holler for me to open it, and allowed her to make a damn fool of herself. Moments later, somebody called the police, and she finally got in her car and left.
I was drained from all the bullshit, and when Britney called and told me what she had said to Dana, I could have killed her.
“Why in the hell would you tell her that, Britney?”
“Because I hate her, Sylvia. I’m sorry. I didn’t want to be the one to tell her, but she worked my nerves. Please don’t be mad at me. I . . . I just don’t want her and my daddy to get back together.”
“Britney, you know better. Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
“Yeah. If anything, I opened the door for you and Daddy to be together.”
“No, baby, it’s not that simple. Jonathan doesn’t love me. He loves his wife. I should have never interfered but I was too busy trying to satisfy my own needs.”
“Well, I’m sorry. After he smacked me, I was so mad that I couldn’t hold back on telling her.”
“Smacked you?”
“Yes. And even though I’m furious with him, I’m kind of worried about him. He had an open cut on his face and I noticed scratches on his hands. I think he had a fight with somebody.”
“He didn’t tell you how he got the cut?”
“Nope. But he not too long ago called and apologized for hitting me. When I called him back, I asked him and he confirmed that he had a fight.”
“Really? Did he say with who?”
“No. He wouldn’t tell me but I think it was with the guy Dana was tripping with.”
I took a deep breath and sighed from my mounting frustrations. “Thanks for calling, Britney, I have to go. Get some rest so you can get up for school tomorrow.”
“Don’t worry, I am. Would you do me a favor, though?”
“What?”
“I know you’re upset with my
daddy, but please call him. He—”
“Britney, no. I am not going to call your father right now, but he and I need to figure out a way to put closure to this. You’re his daughter. You be the one to spend time with him and comfort him when need be. Me, I’m done. I’ve hurt myself too much by getting involved.”
There was silence before Britney spoke again. “Bye, Sylvia.”
“Good-bye.”
Since I had no intentions of going to work, I stayed up until four o’clock watching TV. Lorenzo called and wanted to come over, but I wasn’t in the mood. Jonathan was still heavy on my mind but I knew there wasn’t a chance in hell I could face him this morning. Before I went to sleep, I called the office and left a message on his voicemail, saying I was sick and wasn’t coming in.
Around seven in the morning, I got up and called a temp agency to have someone replace me for the rest of the week. Realizing that I needed more time away than I anticipated, I called my sister, Debra, in Chicago and asked if I could drive down and spend some time with her. We never really got along, but she insisted it would be good to see me.
After my shower, I looked in my closet for a few pieces to take with me. When the phone rang I knew, without a doubt, it was Jonathan. Anxious to give him a piece of my mind, I snatched up the phone.
“Hello,” I said sharply.
“Sylvia, why aren’t you here?”
“Because I’m taking a vacation.”
“No. Vacations are supposed to be planned out and approved by me. Never are they to be spare of the moment like this.”
“Look, I’m not feeling well today, so I’m not coming in. I’ll come in when I get better. Besides, I called a temp for you this morning. She’ll work out fine until I get back.”
“No, she won’t. You should see this chick they sent over here. I need you now. I have three meetings today, a slew of phone calls to return, and I have to be in court by three.”
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