When He Cheatin' and You Still Love Him 2

by Cachet

  “Keith asked about you today,” Naomi spoke between bites of her Teriyaki chicken that had been brought to the table a few minutes prior. “He wanted to know why you haven’t been to work.”

  “Is that right?” I peered at her from across the table. My lips are pursed because I already knew this conversation was coming.

  “Yep, I told him that you were out on maternity leave. He got all crazy thinking something was wrong with either you or the baby.” She chuckles. “Girl, I had to calm him down.”

  As Naomi continues to laugh, I exhale loudly while shaking my head because she always finds a way to slide him into our conversations. I don’t care what we’re talking about, Keith’s name is brought up. Let me bring you up to speed. Keith is a guy who works with the two of us at the hospital. He also happens to be Derrick’s best friend and frat brother. Just like Derrick, he’s a sweetheart, and if I can be honest, he’s one of the coolest guys that I’ve ever met because he’s down to earth and keeps me laughing. In fact, he’s one of the only other people besides Naomi that I deal with at the job.

  That hasn’t been the case as of lately though because our friendship has been a bit strained ever since the altercation that I had at the job about a year ago. A chick who was messing around with my boyfriend, Terry, got hired in our department, and after she had followed me to a restaurant that we all frequented, she and I ended up fighting during our lunch break. Keith was one of the guys who assisted in breaking up the tussle. His account of what happened that day also aided in helping me to keep my job. He let our supervisor know that I was only defending myself, and not the aggressor.

  Although I was extremely grateful for his help, immediately after that day, I pulled back from Keith and only spoke in passing. I was not only humiliated because I allowed myself to be provoked into having a fist fight in front of him and the rest of my colleagues, but also because the chick who I fought had aired out all of my business which spread throughout the hospital like a wildfire. Due to that, I kept my distance from Keith and all of the other muthafuckas who I thought were looking at me sideways. Since then Keith has tried numerous times to spark back up our friendship, but I won’t let him because I’m still too embarrassed about the entire situation. Of course, I know that it’s not Keith’s fault that it went down the way it did, but I can’t stand to face him knowing that he knows just how much of a fool I am. There’s no doubt in my mind that he thinks less of me. Especially, since I bragged about Terry on a daily basis back when we were cool.

  “He also wanted me to tell you hi.”

  I look up at Naomi and even though I notice the smirk on her face, my only reply is, “Tell him that I said hello.”

  “Umph,” She looks me up and down. “Are you sure that’s all you want me to tell him?”

  Before responding, I roll my eyes to the back of my head. “Yep…that’s all.”

  Forking a juicy salad dressing covered tomato into my mouth, I glance back over at Naomi and see that she’s still watching me with that same silly ass grin on her face. I know she wants me to say more about Keith, but I refuse. You see, it’s no secret that Keith has a thing for me. He’s made it clear quite a few times. Just about how many times I’ve made it clear that I’m just not interested. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not because he isn’t attractive because the brother is fine as hell. He’s a little over six feet tall, chocolate and has a deep dimple in his left cheek whenever he flashes those perfectly white teeth of his. Add in the fact that not only does he make good money from working at the hospital, but he doesn’t have any kids, and that in my book is a plus. From the outside looking in one would think that Keith and I would be a perfect match, but I don’t think so. The reason being is the fact that not only am I involved with someone else, but we work together, and that’s a no-no. I’ve always promised myself that I would never get involved with someone from the job because it can get too messy, and I’ve had enough mess to last me a lifetime.

  “Girl, yo’ ass know you be tripping,” Naomi scoffs. “That’s a good man.”

  “Don’t start Naomi,” I warn giving her a stern look.

  “Don’t start what? I’m just saying that he’s a damn good man, and a woman would be a fool not to—”

  “Oh my God, can we just enjoy our meal, please?” I cut her off. Frustration is evident in my voice.

  “Whatever,” she dismisses me with a wave of her hand, before changing the subject. “When do you find out what you’re having?”

  “Next month,” I answer taking a swig of my drink, glad to move on from the Keith topic, “and I can’t wait.”

  “Shit, me either. I’m ready to go shopping for my God daughter.”

  “How do you know it’s a girl?” I ask with my lips pursed.

  “Girl bye! That’s a damn girl in your stomach.” She takes a drink of her tea. “You just watch and see.”

  Naomi and I continue to talk about the baby for the next hour or so before she pays the tab, and we part ways promising to see each other again soon. Back inside my truck, I stop at the gas station to fill up, before heading home. Terry picked up Terrance Jr. for the weekend and took him and Kendrick to the park earlier. They should be back home by now. I sure hope so because I’m looking forward to taking a bubble bath and then lying in my bed while enjoying a foot rub. I know you’re probably wondering how Terry and I have been doing lately, so to answer your question; we’ve been doing great actually.

  I went ahead and told him that I was pregnant two weeks after he came home. I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t worried about how he would take it being that he already had a baby on the way and all. Well, to my surprise, Terry was excited. I remember he picked me up and swung me around, telling me how he was so happy that we were finally going to have a child together. The smile on his face was priceless. One would think that I was telling him that I was pregnant with his very first child, the way he was carrying on. That night he damn near talked my ear off. If it wasn’t baby names, it was future plans that he had for the both of us and everything in between. I ended up falling asleep with a smile on my face, because for the first time in a while, I was actually hopeful that things would change.

  Since he’s been back, Terry has done a complete turnaround. He’s been spending more time at home and catering to all of my needs. Whether it’s me craving a large supreme pizza from Pizza Hut, a double scoop of icecream from Cold Stone, or something simple like a foot rub, he makes sure that I get whatever it is that I want. Besides making sure that I’m always satisfied, he also hasn’t given me any reason to suspect that he’s cheating again. When he’s out and about, he answers my calls without me having to ring him numerous times like I used to, and if he happens to miss one, he calls me back immediately. I’m not sure if it’s the fact that I’m pregnant that has him doing the right thing, or the fact that he’s gotten all of the bullshit out of his system. Whatever the reason, I’m glad and hope that it continues.

  So you see, everything is good between us. Well, not everything.

  The chick Brittany, you know the one that Terry fucked around and got pregnant. Now that’s a whole other issue. This bitch goes above and beyond to piss me off. It’s crazy because I already knew that she was going to be a problem from the very beginning. Shit, the bitch showed up at my house and broke every one of Terry’s windows out. Why in the world would I believe that she would magically turn out to be as sweet as an angel? Anyways, whether it’s calling in the middle of the night to ask Terry to come over and bring whatever it is that she wants at the moment, to fake hospital visits, she does it all and everything in between. I swear that if we both weren’t pregnant, I would beat the shit out of her dumb ass because the shit she does is just that aggravating.

  It amazes me how far a so-called “polished” and “well-off” woman—these are her words—would go just to get my man to her house. I don’t go for that shit, though, and I’ll be damned if I allow another bitch to dictate when my man jumps…oh no, that’s my job
. Terry has already told me that she’s a spoiled little daddy’s girl, who’s used to always getting her way. Well, she can keep playing her daddy like a fiddle because that shit ain’t gone fly this way. I’ve already let Terry know that he is to deal with that hoe only when it comes to the baby, and to pacify me he’s set boundaries with the bitch, that she tries to overstep every chance that she gets. As I said, it’s annoying as hell, but I knew what would happen when I took him back. I had to realize that the mistake of getting the bitch pregnant was already done, and even though it’s been a hard pill to swallow, I’ve forgiven him for that.

  While I’m on the subject of his baby mommas, Katrina hasn’t been an issue since our last conversation. Once Terry came back, he called her up on speaker phone and let her know that there was no need for her to call him unless it was strictly about their son. Of course, she tried to play her hand and threaten to keep Shad away from him like most miserable ass baby mommas do, but Terry played the game with her. Her little stunt lasted for a few weeks, but when she noticed that Terry wasn’t going to kiss her ass, she quickly changed that shit up. Since then, everything with her has been quiet, and I for one am thankful. I guess you can say that I’m happy that Terry has finally stepped up and not allowed either of his two “mistakes” to run his life or put a wedge in our newfound relationship because I couldn’t handle it if he did. We’ve been through more than enough, and it’s about time that we got it right.

  Truthfully, all I want is for Terry to stay being the good man that he can be. It’s scary because although he’s been doing well these last few months, that is nothing compared to all the damage that he’s done in the past. I know firsthand how men can fall right back into their old habits, and that’s not what I want. No, what I want is to be a happy family with my two children and the man that I love. All of that extra shit is for the birds. I’m about to be thirty at the end of the year, and I don’t want to do the whole, ‘Going through the phone routine’ anymore just to see if my man is cheating. I’ve been there and done that more times than I can name, and I’m tired. So again, I hope Terry is really ready to be with me, and only me because I don’t know what I’ll do if he decides to play games again.

  Chapter 2

  Brittany

  The mailbox is full and cannot accept any messages at this time. Goodbye.

  “Ugh!” I scream before hanging up and hitting redial, only to receive the same message from the operator once again.

  Irritated, I toss my phone down to the foot of the bed. I’m so tired of hearing that damn message recording. How the hell do you allow your voicemail to get so full that people can’t leave messages? On top of that, how many times do I have to call your phone before you call me back? That’s all I want to know. The fact that the phone is ringing lets me know that it’s not dead or turned off. Terry has at least seen that I’ve called him. He’s just ignoring me. Dammit, I’ve dialed his number about a dozen times and haven’t gotten an answer yet.

  I’ll tell you what, he’s got a good hour to call me back from that raggedy ass phone, or I’m going to act up. For all he knows something could be wrong with either me or the baby. If he keeps playing with me, I’m going to take my happy ass to the hospital and claim that something is wrong with the baby. I bet that will make him jump. If it doesn’t, I’m going to do something that I swore I wouldn’t do again, and that’s show up at his house. Trust me, he doesn’t want that. Especially after what happened the last time. I know it’s sad, but desperate times call for desperate measures, and right now I’m desperate as hell.

  I’m really hoping that it doesn’t come to me popping up at his house. Not only for his sake but mine as well. I can’t even begin to explain how embarrassed I am by the way I acted that night. Going to his house and acting a fool was way out of character for me. I was not raised to behave like that. Over the years, I’ve tried my best to remain polished and carry myself as a lady as much as possible when I’m in the public eye, but just like a few times before, that day I lost it. I’m not sure what happened. I guess I just snapped. It’s not a first for me. When I get angry, I’m not accountable for the things that I do. Not only was I hurt that night, but I was confused, as well as angry. The man that I had grown to love had walked out of my apartment after I shared that we were expecting our first child together, and he left nothing but a few hundred dollars behind for me to get an abortion. That gesture cut me deep. I knew Terry wasn’t going to jump for joy about my pregnancy because he had told me numerous times that he didn’t want any more kids, but I didn’t expect him to say screw me either.

  That night was a crazy one that will forever be etched in my mind. There he was standing in the rain begging me to go home. Terry promised me that he would come by and see me the following morning, but I wasn’t falling for it because he had ignored my calls that entire day. He didn’t even bother to respond to any of the text messages that I’d sent, yet he was standing there swearing that he would come over to my apartment. No sir, I was no fool, even though I acted like one. I mean, I cut up. I screamed, punched, and even went to my vehicle and got my bat. I brought it down over and over again all over his car while he pleaded with me to stop. I was already too far gone, so his pleas fell on deaf ears.

  After all the commotion I caused brought Shanair outside, you should have seen my face when I finally laid eyes on her. Although the rain played a part in me not being able to see her clearly, I was still able to see her good enough. The very first thing that I noticed was the fact that she was short as hell. I stand at five-foot-nine, and she looked like she barely cleared five feet. Not only did she look like a little ass girl, but the bitch also put you in the mind of a chewed up Tootsie Roll because she was extremely dark and had a weird ass shape. She had on a stretched out baby tee and some tight jeans that not only showcased her dented cellulite thighs, but they also did nothing to flatter her bulging muffin top that spilled out of them. I wanted to laugh, but I was too hurt. I couldn’t believe that I was standing face to face with Terry’s woman, and that was what she looked like. I couldn’t phantom how he would choose someone who looked like shit-on-a-stick over me.

  After she was outside, it was then that Terry turned his attention from me to her. I didn’t matter anymore. He turned his back to me like I wasn’t even standing there, when just minutes prior I was, ‘Baby this’ and ‘Baby that’. Terry’s pleas were now directed to her. He begged her to go back inside the house, but just like me, she didn’t budge. Instead, she stood there with a pitiful ass look on her face. I knew at any moment she would burst out crying, and it wouldn’t be just a normal cry either. It would be one of those ugly, loud ass cries that get on my nerves. The type of cry that is only acceptable if someone dies because if not, you’re doing too damn much! When I saw her on the verge of tears, I let her ass have it.

  It was then that I spilled the beans. I told every goddamn thing I could think of. I wanted her to know about all the nasty and freaky things that her man had done with me. I didn’t hold anything back because she had to know that she wasn’t anything special. As I continued to air Terry’s dirty laundry, I silently hoped that Shanair would tell him that it was over between the two of them. In my mind, she would put him out, and then he would turn around and leave with me. We would be a family then. None of that happened, though. Instead, Terry called me a liar, all while she just stood there with her hurt ugly face. Terry made me look like a fool in front of that bitch. I remember standing there in the rain watching him attempt to console her while I was there getting soaked from head to toe.

  The straw that broke the camel’s back was when Terry put his hands on me. Granted, I had hit him first, but that wasn’t the point. Not only am I a female, but he deserved to be hit for all the bullshit that he’s put me through, all the lies he told and the fake promises he fed me. So yeah, I clocked his ass. When he punched me back—in the face at that—I couldn’t believe it. As I fell from the blow, I swear I saw a smirk on Shanair’s face. It was lik
e she found satisfaction in him hitting me. I’m not sure how they got down, but I don’t play those types of games. Ain’t no way I’m gone let a muthafucka hit on me, and not do nothing about it. It was then that I lost it. Not only was Terry treating me like a piece of shit, but he had the audacity to not only strike me, but to do it in front of that black ass bitch. If I hadn’t felt low before he hit me, I damn sure did afterward.

  Immediately Terry tried to apologize and say that he didn’t mean it, but it was too late. The damage had already been done, and I had made up my mind that he was going to pay for playing with me. As he continued to express just how sorry he was, I looked up and saw that the satisfied smirk that was once on Shanair’s face was now replaced with sorrow. The bitch looked extremely hurt by her so-called man’s actions as he catered to me. Even though Terry’s remorse made me feel a little better, that didn’t stop me from quickly calling the police. I wasn’t trying to hear anything else Terry had to say after that because he had done too much. He wasn’t going to have make-up sex with that bitch that night. No, he was going to be locked away in cell block nine. As they drove him away in the back of the patrol car, I was the one who had the smirk on my face because it was me who had the last laugh.

  Well, it felt that way at first. Once my father got wind of what had gone down, he ordered me to come to him and mother’s house right away. As soon as my foot stepped in the door that night he flipped out. He and my mother scolded me as if I were a teenager. My actions were not acceptable to them, and they made sure they let me know me. When I told them I was having Terry’s baby, they lost it. You would have thought that I was sixteen and pregnant, and not a grown ass woman. While they went on and on about how I was embarrassing them, I just sat there because there was nothing else I could do. They were right, I had embarrassed them. After busting their behinds to give me and my sister a better life, I wound up getting pregnant right out of college by—in my father’s words—a low life thug with numerous baby mothers. To them, I was too good for Terry. They just didn’t understand that to me, he was the love of my life.