by Nicety
The stop light on 79th and Western seemed to be taking forever, as she hawked at the teens crossing the street laughing loudly and shouting obscenities. Diamond frowned up at their behavior believing for sure that her kid would come out even worse than they were. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head while her lips smacked together in disgust at the very thought of raising a disrespectful spoiled brat. As the light turned green, she took off almost like she was in the Kentucky Derby ready to get her grub on. She turned on her blinker waiting for the cars coming in the opposite direction to pass and as she waited she looked over to the rinky dink diner across the street, Nicky’s Restaurant.
“What the hell?”
Chapter 18
“I’m coming momma.”— Diamond
Diamond busted a full on U-turn driving her car right into the bus terminal right next to the small rectangular shaped restaurant, without care of who did not like that she did so. She jumped out of the car walking dead up to the short stocky lady locking the diner door and her uniformed husband standing beside her. Her lips were immobile as were her hands. Her nerves were as cool as could be but her heart rate beat faster and faster by the second. She could not fix her lips to say anything and once they turned around to face her they could not believe their eyes.
“Sergeant Sutter’s, just the man I wanted to see; the fucking man of the hour,” Diamond rambled laughing in a crazy manner.
“Diamond, what are you doing here?” Sutter’s whispered as he leaned in whispering, “You see my wife Kathy standing here.”
“What the fuck are you whispering to her for?” Kathy scolded gut punching him with her elbow.
“Yeah what the fuck are you whispering for, Sutter’s? She didn’t tell you that we’ve talked already?” Diamond asked nearly out of breath with excitement.
“Look bitch. You’ve got some nerve coming up here to my place of business with this bullshit. Now you’re lucky that I don’t have any customers in there and I’ve just locked up. But if you come around here again, I will have you arrested,” Kathy said as Sutter’s walked a few feet to his unmarked squad car parked on the side of the building.
“Have me arrested? Bitch I will press charges against you for assault.”
“What are you talking about? I’m not the one who disfigured your face,” Kathy laughed as she attempted to walk off but found herself halted by a rough shove.
“So what bitch? You thought that shit was over? Like you was just gonna pull my fucking hair out and get away with that shit?” Diamond yelled feeling herself becoming more heated than ever.
Her intention was not to go over to them and start a fight but to curse the day Sutter’s was born for giving her a disease she would never be able to get rid of. She was so young and had her whole life ahead of her but the more she thought about her illness the more depressed she became believing her life was over. The fun, the dating, the love, and the sex she could be having was all stripped away because of him. She blamed the entire reason why her life was so fucked up on him regardless of if he was solely to blame or not.
“Really? You’re doing all of this because you want payback for getting your ass whooped earlier?” Kathy laughed, “Honey you are truly a little girl. I don’t have time for this so if you came down here to waste your time then go ahead because I’m not fighting. I just got off of work, I’m tired, my feet hurt and I don’t have time for this shit.”
“So because you don’t feel like fighting, I’m supposed to accept that? Did you care about my feelings earlier? I wasn’t trying to fight you and all you kept doing was fucking with me,” Diamond protested as she raised her fists up blocking her face.
“You know what, if hitting me is going to make you feel better then go ahead but I’m not fighting. So if you’re going to swing then swing but know that I’m having you arrested,” Kathy folded her chunky arms.
“Ugh!” Diamond’s rage got the best of her as she launched her arm punching Kathy dead in her nose. “Now what bitch? Let’s go!”
“Hey! Alright Diamond, this has gone on long enough. Now go home!” Sutter’s said walking up to his wife, checking to see if she was okay.
“Get the fuck off of me. I’m fine,” Kathy shoved him as she searched her purse for a tissue to clean the blood dripping from her nose, “I’m about to go in here and fix myself and when I get back she needs to be in handcuffs on her way to the station.”
“Okay,” Sutter’s responded.
“I mean it!” Kathy sneered as she turned the key to the door of the restaurant and entered locking it behind her.
“I said okay got damn it. Now gone in there and fix yourself up there,” Sutter’s ordered becoming frustrated as he turned back towards Diamond, “Why the fuck are you here?”
“That bitch assaults me at a fucking gas station, in the suburbs mind you, and I’m supposed to just let that shit go? Awe hell naw, you got me fucked up Sutter’s,” Diamond spat shoving him forcefully to piss him off. “But off her and on you, so you got AIDS son of a bitch? You got motherfucking AIDS and you spreading the shit around the city of Chicago?”
“Keep your got damn voice down dammit! I am a respectable man of the law. And you…you just some hoe that gave it up when I wanted it,” Sutter’s argued grabbing her by the arm luring her over to his car.
“I was good at being your hoe as long as you paid for it you bitch ass motherfucking crooked ass cop! Ay, y’all this motherfucka is a crooked ass cop who been selling the lockup drugs to the drug dealers!” Diamond yelled to the streets as she fought to keep his hands off of her mouth.
The entire scene did not look good for Sergeant Sutter’s as he was dressed completely in uniform and was being seen manhandling a female in the streets. He was pulling her left and right as she used her weight to maneuver around his grasps. Diamond reached up slapping him in his head knocking his hat off of his head setting his anger off tenfold.
“Look now bitch! Take your dumb ass home before I lock you up!”
“What you locking me up for? Because you gave me AIDS or because you fuck with niggas?” Diamond stopped fighting to watch the priceless reaction on his face, stunned, “Yeah your wife spilled the beans on everything boo boo. You done fucked up, royally!”
“She doesn’t know what she’s talking about. That’s a got damn lie,” Sutter’s retorted bending over to pick up his hat.
“She showed me the pictures, Sutter’s. You’re cold busted and you need your ass whooped. You ruined my fucking life and I hate you!”
“Naw, I ain’t do nothing like that now, gal get on. We’re done here.”
“No we ain’t done. We ain’t done till I say we done motherfucka you’re gonna listen to me,” Diamond said hauling off again, planting slaps to his face repeatedly as he backed away.
Kathy came back out witnessing the brawl between the two and quickly felt overwhelmed with grief and embarrassment. She strolled over to the commotion tapping him on his shoulder giving him a look that would kill ten men. He knew what it meant but he did not want to address it while he was fighting off Diamond’s blows to his face.
“I thought I said arrest her ass,” Kathy said sucking her teeth.
“Why’d you tell her all of my business? That shit was for me and you that’s it.”
“I don’t give a fuck about you being embarrassed. If you had kept it in your pants we wouldn’t even be here!” Kathy stressed, watching Diamond as she kept finding little ways to fuck with him.
“I thought we talked about this Kat now,” Sutter’s yelled as access skin jiggled and turned red while raising his hand way up in the air bringing it down powerfully, striking Diamond right on her head, “Would you stop it?”
Diamond fell to the ground in the most excruciating pain imaginable. Her head pounded like a roaring thunderstorm was happening inside of it and her stomach was beginning to form tiny shots of cramps. She clenched her belly hunching over as the pain became more prevalent every time she moved. Her ears appeared to be falli
ng deaf but her eyes caught a glimpse of Kathy’s final words to Sutter’s.
“That’s it! I’ve had it!” Kathy reached up slapping him square in the face with all of her muscle, “I’m filing for divorce.”
“Kathy! Kathy!” Sutter’s called after her as she stormed off heading to her car parked directly in front of her business, “Kathy wait now, I need to say something.”
Diamond’s pain brewed hotter as she stood to face her assailant. He did not care about her pain or whether he had even hurt her at all. He was only focused on his wife whom he had carelessly spread his disease to.
“Agh!” Diamond sounded off limping over towards him, but paused in midstride.
She looked up noticing that her vision was now blurry and blood was gradually oozing from her nose. All at once, she became dizzy and nauseated. Diamond was worried that something was definitely wrong, not only with her but with the baby as well. She reached out her hand as she inched slowly over to Sutter’s while he was pleading his case to Kathy. The tugging at his coat did not seem to interrupt him so she figured a slap upside his head would.
“Your little whore looks hurt,” Kathy pointed out coolly, folding her arms paying no attention to what he was rambling on about.
“Sutter’s, you fucking hit me too hard. I’m in pain…”
“Get the fuck off me! Go home Diamond and never come near me or my wife again!” Sutter’s insisted as he pushed her down to the ground forcefully pointing in the direction of her car, “Leave us alone!”
“Sutter’s, I’m pregnant you asshole!”
He did not seem to care, pretending not to have heard her. The blood from Diamond’s nose dripped onto the dirty concrete as she stood on all fours having a hard time getting air into her passageways. Dry heaves circulated through her body like there was something more powerful to come but when it failed to do so Diamond rose slowly to her feet once more.
“You ruined my fucking life, Sutter’s! You’re a whore and disease carrying fungus!” Diamond yelled at the top of her lungs using all of her power so that people on every block could hear it.
“You know what. I warned you. I got something for hardheaded bitches like you. You just wait,” Sutter’s walked over to his car opening the door.
“Sutter’s!” Diamond screeched.
Bang! Bang!
Even though she was in mounds of pain there was absolutely nothing wrong with her reflexes. She had whipped the gun out so fast that no one saw it coming. She dropped two into his potbelly stomach watching him drop to the floor clenching the wound and looking up at his wife.
“Hey you, drop the fucking weapon! Now!” a cop yelled running from the terminal security stand, posting himself behind her car for a shield.
Diamond turned to him smiling like she had not one care in the world. It was funny to her that out of everyone out there that evening, no one had noticed Sutter’s beat her down to a bloody pulp. She looked up into the night sky unable to see much closing her eyes to feel the frigid breeze beat against her skin. She looked back down focusing her attention back on what appeared to her as an off duty police officer. Diamond let out a sinister sounding laugh that would surely haunt the minds of every onlooker around for years to come.
“I said put the fucking gun down! This is your final warning!”
“I’m coming momma,” Diamond whispered while raising the gun in the cop’s direction.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The officer’s large gun ripped three shots off but only one mattered and that was the one that hit Diamond dead in her head nearly blowing off the top of her scalp. Sirens could be heard in the distance coming to aid the people involved in what some of the onlookers considered the craziest shit they ever seen. Kathy stood there as stiff as a board, simultaneously looking from her husband then back at Diamond’s mangled carcass. Sutter’s was slumped over motionless as the brave out of shape dark skinned cop came over to check his pulse.
“Is he dead?” Kathy asked silently clearing the phlegm out of her throat.
“I regret to inform you ma’am that I do not feel a pulse,” the cop replied sincerely.
“Well that’s what the fuck he gets. There goes your justice Diamond. Now rest in peace,” she said while heading to her car determined to leave the scene and the past behind her.
Chapter 19
“AGHHHHHHHH!”— Lexi
Lexi sat on the sofa next to Kojack feeling her eyes grow heavy. They slowly drifted over to the door wondering why he had decided to settle in and watch a movie at his office rather than home. The movie was only about twenty minutes in and already she was bored from the old look and feel of the drama, Set It Off. She yawned propping her head up with her arm as she leaned on the armrest to keep from nodding off.
“Hey, you’re falling asleep on the best part,” Kojack nudged pointing to the TV with the remote in hand.
“Kojack, I’m tired. I just want to go home and get in the bed. I haven’t been sleeping much these past few days. Besides, I keep hearing rattling in the back behind me. I think you got a rat in there or something,” Lexi indicated as she stood getting a good long stretch in, “Why are we here? You said you needed papers and then we’d be out.”
“My bad, I just thought we could spend a little time together and just kick it for a while.”
Thud!
“You don’t hear that shit?” Lexi side eyed.
“Naw, girl that baby got you going crazy. It’s probably just the building settling or something. Besides there’s nothing back there but a big ass closet,” Kojack assured her as he waved off the sound, “Let’s just focus on us.”
“Focus on us? Okay, I don’t know what’s going on with you, but I can’t sit here and pretend that there’s nothing going on between us, like we don’t have problems and junk,” Lexi popped off.
“I know. I know. Lexi I’ve been procrastinating because I’ve got something to say to you and I don’t know how to say it. I guess you can call me a bit of a chicken shit,” he paused watching Lexi’s facial expression read ‘you got that right’, “But I’m going to be a man right now and handle my business.”
“Kojack, I’ve been hurt real bad and right now I’m tired and I think we just need to talk in the morning when both of our heads are clear.”
“That’ll only give you enough time to stick to your abortion decision and I really don’t want that to happen,” Kojack said grabbing her hand lovingly.
“What makes you think that I give a shit about what you want right now?” Lexi questioned as she turned around hearing the thud in the closet again.
“Okay…I guess I deserve that.”
“Naw, you deserve way more than that,” Lexi confirmed as she pulled away from his grasp folding her arms.
Kojack closed his eyes releasing a long deep breath then opened them gazing down into her perfect dark eyes, full lips, and cute nose that had now appeared humungous on her face from spreading due to the pregnancy. She stared back at him but he could tell the level of frustration she was feeling about him. It was then that he knew it would take a lot more than just some measly ass kissing to get her back to the loving way she was before with him.
“Lexi, words cannot express what I feel for you. Every time I think about you my heart gets butterflies, even when we’re together. There’s something about you that possesses me that I can’t let go. All while I was gone I sat in this very office thinking and feeling miserable. I hated myself for what I did to you. I hated the fact that I couldn’t touch you or hold you and tell you everything’s gonna be alright.”
“Kojack, don’t…”
“Just…just hear me out first. Since I’ve been with you I’ve been happier than I’ve ever been. You do things and treat me way better than any other woman I’ve ever known.”
“Oh now you consider me a woman?”
Kojack bowed his head in shame, but was determined to remain on track with his speech, “So I know that I haven’t been the man you needed me to be in th
e past but I was wondering if starting tonight we could start anew. No games, no drama, no miscommunication, just you, me, and the baby. I know now that you are the woman for me.”
Lexi shook her head in disbelief that he was saying all of these things. He never spoke like that to her not even when they got back together before. She was shocked by his willingness to put his heart on the line knowing that she was heated about the way he played her. She wanted to forgive him, take him in her arms and caress him all over until the sun came up. But she knew that if he was going to do right this time he would need to work hard for it.
“Tell me one damn thing, Kojack. Why did you leave me?” she asked attempting to lower her sizzle a bit.
“Honestly,” he hesitated wondering if it would make matters worse. “After Diamond told us about her situation, I got a little spooked and needed some time to think. While I was thinking, I got a test done.”
“Hmm, so you slept with Diamond?”
“NO! I mean, I don’t think I did. I mean no, no.”
“How in the fuck don’t you know who you slept with?” she attacked.
“Oh like you do? Yeah I know about you, baby.”
“First of all, yes I did my thing but I only fucked with people who meant something to me in some way or another so I could remember who I fucked. And yes I remember all of their names. I just lost my virginity two years ago and despite what you might have heard, just because I like sex, it hasn’t been that many.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, motherfucka and for the record, no you didn’t sleep with Diamond. That’s my sister. You think I don’t know the story?”
Lexi had snapped on him so bad that all he could do was laugh. She was definitely a pistol firing round after round at him, not giving him a break for a second. It was that attitude that drew him even closer to her. He found her sassiness sexy and confident, loving how she held her ground. He could not figure out why none of this was evident to him before. Kojack felt he waited long enough and it was now or never.