by Dawn Jiles
“Tim, what is going on with you? And why are you talking about me like that?” Kendra said.
“No, the question is, who else have you been fucking?” I said.
“Are you crazy? Daddy, don’t do this here,” Sam said.
“Right. Whatever y’all need to talk about, do it outside,” Mo said.
“Naw, fuck that. I want to know who else this bitch has been fucking!” I yelled at the top of my lungs. All eyes were on me, and that was exactly how I wanted it to be.
“Tim, I haven’t been with anyone but you,” Kendra said just above a whisper.
“Oh, you haven’t been with anyone but me, huh?” I said, getting in her face.
“No, Tim. I haven’t. You are embarrassing me and yourself. Can we please do this at home?” she said through tears.
People were trying to mind their own business, but I could tell they were still being nosy.
“Girls, leave me and your father alone and let us talk please,” Kendra said.
The girls walked away hesitantly.
“Listen, I done gave you the best of me, and you come in here and try to dog me like I’m some type of slut bitch. You need to pull yourself together and act like the man I said yes to,” she said.
I looked in her eyes and burst out laughing, because she really didn’t have a clue. She slapped the shit out of me and tried to walk off, but I wasn’t finished with her ass. I grabbed her arm and spun her around so that we were face-to-face.
“Kendra, do you know I actually thought your ass was a loyal woman up until today?” I said.
“Tim, what are you talking about? I have always been loyal to you,” she cried.
“Well, then, please help me understand, because, baby, I am really trying to understand this. Please tell me why I got the results from a DNA test that I got done on me and my son, and they are saying that there is a zero percent chance that Timothy Peterson Jr. is mine,” I said through tears.
“You did what?” she said.
“That’s all you have to say to me after I just told you that my fucking son is not mine, you silly bitch!” I screamed and then grabbed her by her neck. I was about to kill the lying bitch.
Everybody ran over to us, and they tried to pry my hands off her neck, to no avail.
“I lost my wife and family because of your lying ass,” I said as I shook her. Her eyes were rolling to the back of her head, and I felt the life leaving her body. A moment later Kevin Sr. was finally able to get my hands off her.
“Man, what the hell is wrong with you? Choking on a woman like that,” he said as he helped Kendra up from the floor. She fell into his arms and cried on his shoulder.
“You stay the hell out of my business, man. This bitch is a no-good, lying whore,” I said, trying to reach for her again, but I was held back by Kevin Jr.
“Hey, man. Stop calling her out of her name,” Kevin Sr. said, getting in my face. Now, this nigga had gone too far, trying to protect a bitch he barely even knew.
“Pop, chill out, man. This is his business,” Kevin Jr. said to his father.
“Right. That’s my woman. Don’t tell me how to treat her, unless you know something I don’t know,” I snapped.
“Yeah, nigga, I do know something you don’t. When you’re dogging her out and treating her like shit, I am the one who picks up the pieces and makes her feel better,” Kevin Sr. said, getting in my face.
“What are you trying to tell me, man? Are you trying to tell me that you’re fucking my woman behind my back?” I growled, getting in his face. I could not believe my ears. I knew he wasn’t saying what I thought he was saying.
“Kevin, please don’t do this. Just leave it alone. I can handle him,” Kendra said.
“That’s exactly what I’m telling you, nigga,” Kevin Sr. spat.
I looked over, and Kendra had a look of fear and defeat written all over her face. “So, this is how you do a nigga? You sleep with my best friend behind my back?” I said, on the verge of tears.
“Tim, I am sorry. I didn’t mean to,” Kendra said.
“You don’t owe him an apology. I told you to leave his sorry ass alone,” Kevin Sr. said.
That was all I needed to hear. I punched that nigga right in the lips that he was talking all that shit from. He punched me back, and we ended up on the floor, beating the shit out of each other. It took a while for the others to separate us.
“You better find somewhere else to stay, because we’re over,” I told Kendra.
“No, you can’t leave my mother, Dad. We are supposed to be a family,” Sam said and then walked over and grabbed my arms.
“Her ass should have thought about that before she slept with my best friend,” I said.
“She can fix it, Daddy. Can’t you, Mom? You can fix it,” Sam said, looking from me to her mother.
“Sam, it’s not that easy, baby. Just let it go,” Kendra said through sniffles. I couldn’t help but notice that she was now in Kevin Sr.’s arms, but that shit didn’t even faze me anymore, because I was definitely through with her tired ass.
“No, I’m not letting shit go. I have waited all my life to have my daddy, and I refuse to let him walk out of my life again,” Sam shouted.
“Baby girl, just because your mom and I are not together doesn’t mean you won’t be a part of my life. I know for sure you are my child,” I said.
She started shaking her head back and forth, and I knew things were about to go from bad to worse.
Sam
I had had no idea that my mom and Kevin’s dad were sleeping around, period. I was pissed at my mom for not telling me what was going on and for not being faithful to my dad. Her ass had one job, and she couldn’t even do that right. It really wasn’t her fault, though. Monique and her mom were the ones to blame.
“No, you are just going to go back with Sharon and forget about me, like you did for all those years,” I said.
“Baby, I will never forget about you,” my dad said, slowly walking toward me. I began to cry.
“Dad, how could you leave me and Mom to start another family? Do you know how hurt I was when I found out you were my dad and Monique had the chance to grow up with you?” I said.
“Baby, let’s go talk about this in private,” he said.
“Yes, Sam. Calm down, baby,” my mom said.
“No, I won’t calm down. This bitch got the life I always dreamed of. She gets whatever she wants. She had the perfect little life, while I had to live in hell without my father,” I screamed.
“Sam, we made mistakes, but you still had a good life,” my dad said.
“I hate Monique, and I hate her black-ass mother. And you know what? They don’t deserve to walk this earth,” I said. I slowly pulled out the knife I had had in my purse this entire time. I didn’t take it out completely yet.
“That’s your sister, honey. Don’t say that,” my mom said.
“Well, I mean it. I hate her,” I said, looking Monique dead in the eyes. She looked like she wanted to say something, but she remained quiet.
“Baby, you can’t blame them for the choices we made,” my dad said.
“I mean every word I am speaking. I hate her, and I blame her for my growing up without my father. I love you, Daddy. I can never blame you. I know that if you hadn’t been busy trying to make her happy, you would have been with me and Mama,” I said.
“I don’t hate you, Sam. I love you. You are my sister,” Mo said, finally speaking up. She stepped through the crowd so that she would be closer to me.
“No you don’t. You are jealous of me, and you took my daddy away from me,” I said, getting angrier.
“Sam, I really do love you,” Mo said through tears.
“Bitch, no you don’t,” I said as I snatched the knife all the way out of my purse and plunged it in her chest.
“Ah!” Mo screamed.
“She stabbed her!” Bria screamed.
I lifted my arm to stab her again. Corey tackled me to the floor and started choki
ng me. I lifted my hand and plunged the knife in his arm.
“Ah!” he howled and rolled on the floor.
I was about to get up, but Bria kicked the knife out of my hand and jumped on top of me. She hit my head on the floor several times. I felt myself about to black out, until someone grabbed her and pulled her off me. I tried to get up, but they had me pinned to the floor. I began to kick and scream, but no matter how much I did, I couldn’t get out of their grasp.
“Call an ambulance!” someone shouted.
“I think she is dead,” I heard someone scream. I hoped that bitch was dead. She deserved to be for what she had done to me.
“Sam, baby, I’m right here,” I heard Tremaine say.
About ten minutes later, the police rushed in and tried to handcuff me, but I wouldn’t let them. I scratched, kicked, and screamed, until I felt a sharp pain in my arm. My eyes got heavy, and I could no longer feel my legs. I collapsed on the floor, and moments later, my eyes closed.
Monique
I had woken up in so much pain, but I had woken up. I could not believe that years of drama with Sam had boiled down to my husband and me being stabbed. She had really tried to kill me, though, and if she had stabbed me two inches to the left, she would have succeeded. I had lost a lot of blood, but I was going to live. So, I thanked God for that.
It had been a few months since everything went down, and we all were just trying to pick up the pieces. However, it was really hard for me to move on, because all I could think about was how this girl whom I had grown up with and who had turned out to be my sister could hate me so much. I had a pretty good idea why now, but I really needed some closure. So, against my husband’s wishes, I drove up to the hospital to pay Sam a visit. I know you must think that I am crazy, but I understood more about the sickness she had and how she was capable of anything if she was not taking her meds. She was my only sister, and even though it might take some time, I planned to help her every step of the way... if she allowed me.
I walked into the hospital and stopped at the reception desk. “I’m here to see Samariah Peterson please,” I said to the nurse.
“Can I have your ID?” the nurse said. I gave her my ID, and she made copies of it. Moments later, she gave me a visitor’s pass and escorted me to the visiting area. I sat and texted my husband to let him know where I was. It seemed like forever, but Sam finally came out. She still looked beautiful, but she also had this tired look in her eyes. She sat in front of me, but she couldn’t look me in the eye.
“Hey, Sam. How are you?” I said.
“Hey,” she said.
I was quiet for a moment because I was trying to find the right words to say. “Sam, I need some answers. I need to understand why you hate me so much,” I said.
She was quiet for a while. She was quiet for so long that I thought she wasn’t going to speak. She finally looked up and stared into my eyes. “Mo, I really don’t hate you. I think it was the fact that I tried to hate you so much that drove me to do what I did. It all started when you got with Corey. My relationship with Kevin had started falling apart, and it seemed like things for you started to get better. I started wishing I was you, because everybody loved you. When I found out that you were my sister and that you got to grow up with our dad, I was really hurt and jealous. You know how much I wanted my dad in my life. I would cry on your shoulder all the time about that. I don’t know. Something took over, and I could no longer fight the disorder, and I just went crazy,” she said as tears fell out of both of our eyes.
I reached over the table to wipe her tears away, and she flinched at first, but then she allowed me to do it.
“How can you be here when I have done nothing but cause you hell?” she said.
“Sam, I love you. You are my sister, and I understand you are sick. If you allow me, I want to help you get better,” I said.
“But why? I don’t deserve you in my life,” she cried.
“You do. Sam, you have to let go of the past and focus on your future. If I am willing to let go of everything you have done, then you should be willing to accept that and move forward. No matter how you feel, you are my sister, and despite how scary this is for me, I choose to be by your side and help you,” I said.
“You are right. I’m letting it all go,” she said, and I knew that she was telling the truth. “Just please don’t leave me, sis,” she added, and for the first time, I saw how vulnerable she really was.
“I won’t,” I said truthfully.
We hugged and sat and talked for a few more minutes, and when I left after that visit, it felt good. I finally felt like I was able to live my life without fear of something bad happening to me. It was crazy how life was sometimes. The same person who had caused me so much hell, I forgave, and I would be there for her.
Bria
I could not believe a night of celebration had turned into A Nightmare on Elm Street Milwaukee style. Sam had gone completely fucking crazy and had tried to stab everyone at the party. I was just happy my best friend had survived, and I hadn’t had to bury her. I didn’t know if I could have forgiven Sam like Monique did, but I applauded her for it. She visited Sam once a week, and she had said that Sam was making really good progress. As for Sam’s and my relationship, it would definitely take me some time to get over what she had done to me. She admitted that she was the person who had attacked me and had caused me to have my baby early. I wanted to go up to that damn hospital and do some reckless shit, but I decided to just let it go.
Things between David and me couldn’t be better. We had got that crazy bitch Meka out of our lives, so that was a blessing. We had later found out that Mitch was the father of her son. I was pissed that we had had to go through all that bullshit, only to find out that my man wasn’t the father. I had heard she and Mitch were in a relationship. I was happy for her ass. Even though she had caused me so much hell, I was just happy that I didn’t have to deal with her messy self anymore. It was even better that she had got her own man. Now she wouldn’t be coming for mine anymore.
The relationship I had once had with David’s mom was gone. I mean, we spoke to each other when we saw each other, and she had tried to resurrect that relationship, but it just wasn’t there anymore. She had turned on me so fast, and I now knew that if I did something she didn’t agree with, she would turn on me, and for that reason, I would never try to connect with her like that again.
Kevin and Zoe were doing great. They had had a little private wedding ceremony after the birth of the twins. Yes, I said twins. Zoe had gone through her entire pregnancy thinking she was pregnant with only one child, but when she went into labor, they’d found a second heartbeat. She had had a boy and a girl. From what I had heard, Kevin was still pissed at his dad—he wasn’t on speaking terms with him—but knowing Kevin, he would forgive him soon.
Besides the little minor things, life was good for me. We had had to postpone our wedding because we were having a little girl. At the time, I’d been six months pregnant and as big as hell. After I gave birth to my son, I’d sworn that I wouldn’t get pregnant again, but when David and I got back together, I hadn’t been able to keep my hands off him and he hadn’t been able to keep his off me, and that was how we had ended up with baby number two. Life was great, and I guessed there was a thing called a happy ending.
Tim
I regretted the day I ever laid eyes on Kendra. She had come in, turned my life upside down, and ripped my heart out of my chest while she was doing it. I could not believe I had actually thought I would marry her and live happily ever after. I couldn’t just blame her for what had happened to me, because I had made the decision to lie down with her and every other woman I had cheated on Sharon with. Sharon would always have a part of my heart, but she had moved on with her life, and I had to do the same.
After the party, Kendra and I had gone our separate ways. We had both realized that we just were not good for each other. Our relationship had been full of turmoil and drama, and that was no way to l
ive. Even though she hadn’t tried to get back with me after that night, if she had, I would not have taken her back, because I couldn’t get over the fact that my son wasn’t mine. She and Kevin were together. He had left his wife and had got together with Kendra. I had also found out that the little boy was Kevin’s, and although I was pissed that they’d been sleeping around behind my back, I knew he was a good man for her, and they deserved each other.
I had decided to really throw in my player card and settle down. I didn’t cheat anymore, and Madison and I had decided to work on our relationship and raise our son together. I had got a test done, and he was indeed mine. Madison was a little whiny, but I did love her, and she was a good woman to me. We barely argued, and my life was much more peaceful now. My firm was doing well, and right now, I was just enjoying life. I visited my daughter Sam every week, and Mo and I had repaired our broken relationship. I planned on spending the rest of my life with Madison, but I was not rushing to get married. I was just going to let things flow naturally. I had wanted to rush and marry Kendra because Sharon had married her dude, but I was a changed man now. I was doing things the right way this time around.
Sam
Life up until this point had been a living hell for me, but I could finally say that I was a better person now. I had admitted to every bad thing I had ever done to the people I loved, and that had started the healing process for me. They had wanted to give me life in prison for what I did, but because of my disorder, I had ended up doing only a year in the mental institution. I had been taking my meds faithfully, and I didn’t think any evil thoughts anymore. They had signed my release papers, and today I would be able to go home.
I would be so happy to see my son. Tremaine hadn’t allowed my baby to see me that often at the mental institution. When I walked outside, I was saddened that my mom was the only person there to pick me up. I was disappointed that my sister was not there. We had grown close over this past year, so I just knew she would be there for my release, but she wasn’t.