The Dirty Divorce

by KP, Miss

  I spent the rest of the evening wrapping gifts before it was time for me to get ready for church. It was 6:00 p.m. and Denie had just gotten home.

  “Denie, we have to leave by 7:00 p.m. to get to church on time.”

  I repeated myself twice before she snapped. “I heard you!”

  I didn’t feel like any drama, so I just ignored her funky-ass attitude…for now.

  It really made me upset that Rich was going to miss my father’s sermon. Since the relationship with Rich and my parents was so strained, the kids rarely interacted with my family, but Christmas Eve was the exception. The only time Rich wasn’t with us in church on this special occasion was when he was in jail. I wonder what the hell could be keeping him away this time, I thought. He’s never let business interfere before. I continued to think. Business, I doubt it. It’s probably some bitch.

  After wrapping the last of the gifts, I went straight to one of the Saks bags from my shopping spree and pulled out my brand new black taffeta Roberto Cavalli dress. To finish off the look, I put on my new leopard print Christian Louboutins shoes. Once I sprayed on my Tom Ford Black Orchid perfume, I felt refreshed and was ready to go to church and give praise. I definitely needed prayer.

  It was a quiet car ride to the church, but I knew Denie was still mad at me for hitting her earlier. I started thinking about Rich not coming with us and got upset myself. The last thing I was in the mood for was my mother and father asking a lot of questions about his whereabouts; questions that I couldn’t even answer. Rich knew I hated when my family was in our business, but just like everything else, I guess he didn’t give a fuck.

  When we pulled into the parking lot several minutes later, I dropped Denie off at the front door and went to find a parking space. It wasn’t long before I noticed Juan’s car. He’d parked in two spaces to save me a spot, which was completely thoughtful. My son was always doing kind and considerate things for me, which was much more than I could say about that sorry ass husband of mine. After parking my car, my sadness for Rich’s absence was immediately overshadowed when I stepped outside the car and saw Juan waiting for me with a huge smile. My black fur wrap coat was able to combat the blistering cold as Juan and I walked inside the church at a fast pace. The air smelled as if snow was in our forecast. A white Christmas would be beautiful, I thought to myself.

  As we walked into the sanctuary the service had already began. My father and I made eye contact and he gave me a nod as he continued thanking the new visitors. We filed into the second row and it felt good that our reserved seats were still free even though we were thirty minutes late. My mother looked back at me, gave me a half smile, and turned back around. With all of the whispers and stares, I felt as if the whole sanctuary was watching my every move. Not to mention, the sermon my father preached, I felt, was geared directly toward me.

  His message was about not forgetting why we celebrate Christmas. He said it wasn’t about the cars, the furs, the toys, or the material things man had given, but it was about celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Love your family and be thankful, were the last words my father said as he looked at me with tears in his eyes and smiled. My brother, Brent, was the lead male singer in the choir and had a way of moving me with his voice. When the keyboard began to play my favorite gospel song, Never Would’ve Made It, by Marvin Sapp, I knew it was a matter of time before the flood gates opened and I began to cry. My father walked down the steps of the pulpit with so much power and began to speak to his audience.

  “If you need prayer today, if you never would’ve made it without him, join me right here, right now…it doesn’t matter what your neighbor thinks, it doesn’t matter what someone is going to say about you…come and lay your sorrows down with Jesus.”

  At that moment, something came over me and before I knew it, I was on my feet walking toward my father.

  As soon as I made it to the front, he held me and cried. “I love you baby, I love you. Please don’t be a stranger,” he whispered in my ear.

  If my father had turned his back on me before, it didn’t matter, because I needed him. Even if it was only for this moment, I appreciated my father holding me like he used to. I didn’t expect my mother to join us since she always envied me and my dad’s relationship.

  After the service, it was nice to see Juan and Denie interacting with their cousins and catching up on the latest family gossip, but I still decided not to mingle as much to avoid being asked where Rich was. We stayed at the church for dinner, which of course was amazing since my Aunt Pam’s catering service always served at any church function. As soon as I thought I was in the clear, my mother approached me.

  “I know you weren’t about to leave without saying something to your mother,” she said.

  I gave her a kiss on her cheek, “Hi, mother,” I said fake as ever.

  “So, where’s that sorry son-in-law of mine? Somewhere off making a deal?” she said sarcastically.

  “Dad did such a great job tonight, and church was wonderful, but we need to get going. It was nice seeing you, Ma.” Ignoring her question, I motioned to Denie and Juan. It was time to go so we left immediately without giving her a moment to respond.

  The car ride home was just as quiet. As I listened to the soothing Christmas carols on 96.3 WHUR, I glanced over, noticing how precious Denie looked asleep. It reminded me of how sweet she was as a child before she began to endure so much heartbreak. I just imagined what she was dreaming of. We probably had the same thoughts. No matter how much I hated Rich right now, he was still my husband and the father of my children. I wished for him to be home when we arrived, not only for me, but more importantly for Denie.

  When I hit the remote for the garage, there was no sign of Rich’s Range Rover on the opposite side. Thoughts of him possibly changing his mind and coming back home flashed through my mind periodically while we were driving home, but I guess I was wrong. Moments later, Denie woke up with excitement, but instantly fell into a somber mood after not seeing any signs of Rich. She went straight to her room once we got in the house. Juan, however, stayed up with me while I placed all the gifts under the tree. No matter how old my children were, they still wanted to be treated as if they were three years old when it came to Christmas. Rich and I had always spoiled them that way.

  Puzzled, I came across a gift that I hadn’t noticed before that was made out to me. It read, “To My Wife, with Much Love, Rich.” I didn’t even know he’d decided to get me anything. Deciding to wait until the next day to open it, I placed the gift on the ottoman in the family room then quickly turned my attention toward the 11 o’clock news. After curling up on the sectional, Juan came over and patted my leg.

  “Ma, what’s wrong? Are you sad because your husband’s not here?”

  “No, I’m fine baby. You’re here with me, and that’s all I need.”

  “Weren’t you supposed to go to Trixie’s party tonight after church?”

  “Yeah, but I’m so drained. With all the drama today, I just want to watch T.V. and chill.”

  Flipping back and forth between several news channels, I immediately stopped on channel five when I spotted a familiar face. She was completely distraught. It was Trixie. I quickly turned up the television.

  “There was another murder last night that we regret to report on this Christmas Eve. Michael Johnson father of three, was found by his girlfriend, Theresa Elliot, in the basement of their home earlier this evening. You know Brian, it’s sad that his children have to deal with this during the holidays, my goodness, it’s Christmas Eve. Such a heart wrenching story. My prayers go out to their family,” one of the news anchors announced.

  Just when I reached for my cell phone to call Trixie, the photo of Michael Johnson appeared on the television. He was in a family photo with two twin boys and Trixie’s youngest daughter. It was my attacker. It felt like I was about to throw up.

  “Ma, ain’t that Trixie? Man, that’s fucked up,” Juan stated.

  “Where the fuck is your father?
Get him on the phone now!” I demanded.

  “What’s wrong?” Juan asked.

  Realizing that he was taking too long, I reached for my cell phone and dialed Rich’s number. When he didn’t answer, I called right back. This process went on for at least five minutes, with Rich never answering my call. I decided it was best if I left a message; a fake one.

  “Rich, I really need you to call me. I think someone was following us on our way home from church tonight. I’m scared that somebody is still after us. Please come home or call me back!”

  Juan looked at me funny. “Why did you do that? Tell me what’s going on.”

  “I just need to talk to your father. He only calls back half of the time when he thinks something is wrong.”

  “Is it something I can do?”

  I shook my head. “No.”

  It was evident that Rich killed the guy, but why? Was he having an affair with Trixie? Why would Trixie’s boyfriend do those things to me if Rich wasn’t fucking her? I was furious and needed answers. The longer I waited for Rich to call me back, something inside of me just snapped.

  Immediately, I went downstairs to the laundry room and grabbed the bleach. Passing Juan in the kitchen, I tried to keep my cool, but as soon as I was out of his sight I ran up the steps and went straight to my bathroom and turned on the water in the tub. I was so upset that I wanted to kill Rich. I know he’s fucking Trixie! The guy said that he was getting Rich back for fucking his girl, I thought. At that moment, I went straight to his dresser and grabbed all of his watches. Cartier, Breitling, and even his diamond encrusted presidential Rolex, all went straight into the bleach bath. Next, I power walked to his closet and grabbed as many of his clothes that I could and dumped them all in the tub. I just kept going until I was stopped in my tracks by Juan.

  “Ma, what the hell is going on? What are you doing?”

  “Juan, I’m so sick and tired of your father’s shit. I just can’t take it anymore!” I yelled with tears streaming down my face.

  “Constantly destroying his things isn’t gonna solve anything or make him change. Come sit down and let me know what’s wrong. You’ve been acting really weird over these past few weeks. I need to know what the hell is going on.”

  “Everything’s wrong Juan. I just can’t do this anymore!”

  “Be real with me, Ma. After you saw Trixie on the news you just snapped.”

  “I can’t, Juan.”

  “Ma, I’m leaving if you don’t tell me what’s up.”

  “Nooo, Juan, please don’t leave me. Okay, I’ll tell you what happened.” Right then and there, I poured my heart out to my son and gave him details from start to finish about how I was abducted and raped. Surprisingly, along with my tears, Juan also began to cry. Something I hadn’t seen since he was in fifth grade.

  “Ma, why do you keep putting up with this shit from him? If it’s money that you’re worried about then I’ll take care of you,” Juan replied. “Man, I wanna kill that nigga. I can’t believe this!” With all the emotional anger that was going on, Denie entered the bathroom in complete shock.

  “Oh my God. What have you done to my father’s stuff? He’s going to kill you!”

  “Denie, go back to your room, and mind your business,” Juan said in a calm tone, but with a serious stare. Denie did exactly what she was told when she saw the look on Juan’s face. Seconds later, she left.

  “Ma, are you gonna be okay?” Juan asked.

  “Yeah, but I need you to help me be strong. Don’t hate your father. Learn from this and be better than him.”

  “I just don’t get it. What the hell is it going to take for you to leave him? What is it going to take? He fucked around on you and caused you all this pain, and you still don’t see he ain’t shit!”

  “Juan, stop it. I don’t need to hear all that right now. Just be there for me. That’s all I need,” I replied.

  “I’m sorry, Ma. I’ll do whatever you need me to do.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll be alright. Can you just get me a bottle of water from the kitchen? I’m gonna go to bed and get some rest.”

  When Juan brought my water upstairs, I downed three sleeping pills to help me escape my problems…once again.

  ****

  On Christmas morning I woke up to breakfast in bed. I guess this was Juan’s way of cheering me up.

  “Merry Christmas my Queen. How are you feeling?” My son greeted me with a kiss on my cheek then placed the tray at the edge of the bed.

  “Baby, I’m fine, what you got over there?”

  “I made eggs, turkey bacon, fruit salad, and fried potatoes.”

  “Wow, it looks good. I’m so glad I taught your ass how to cook,” I replied with a smile. However, Juan didn’t return the expression.

  “For real Ma. What are you gonna do about Rich?” he asked wanting answers already.

  “Baby, it’s really over this time, I promise you that. I just have to come up with a plan.”

  “I got you, Ma. Whatever happens, I’ll be by your side.”

  “In due time, but for now I need you guys to be strong for me. I need you kids more than ever. No arguing, no drama, just love, that’s all. It’s Christmas.”

  I tried hard to hold it all in, but I got emotional and my eyes begun to tear up. I also tried to enjoy my breakfast, but it wasn’t long before my appetite disappeared. I needed Rich to come home. He had some explaining to do. At that moment, it was as if Rich was listening to me because the house phone started to ring. Quickly glancing at the caller ID, I noticed that it was Rich.

  “Juan, this is your father. Let me talk to him in private,” I requested.

  I could tell Juan was uneasy, but didn’t hesitate to leave the room. My hands began to shake as I pressed the talk button. “Hello.”

  “Where’s my daughter? Let me speak to her,” Rich said. “Her cell phone is off, and you know I don’t really do messages.”

  He couldn’t even say Merry Christmas. “So, I left you an important fucking message last night, and you’re just calling me back?” I yelled. “What if something had happened? Do you care about anything other than fucking other women?”

  He let out a huge sigh. “You don’t need me. You have Juan there.” His tone was cold and unconcerned. “Besides, that’s why I’m callin’ to check on my daughter.”

  “I need to talk to you about something.”

  “Lisa, I’m gettin’ ready to lose my fuckin’ patience. Can you tell Denie to get on the phone? I’m not really interested in talkin’ to you about anything right now. It’s Christmas, shit. Can I get one day with no damn naggin’?”

  I was so mad, that I instantly threw the phone across the room causing it to hit the wall and shatter in several pieces. “Fuck him!” I belted as I jumped out of bed. At that moment, I told myself I wasn’t going to allow Rich to fuck up my day.

  Walking downstairs, I attempted to enjoy the holiday with Denie and put aside our differences. She was on the floor opening her presents, so to break the ice I gave her a kiss and sat on the floor beside her.

  “Thanks for my Tiffany necklace, Ma.”

  “You’re welcome, Denie. You know I love you, right?”

  “Yes, I do. Who were you upstairs yelling at? My dad? Did he call?”

  I shook my head. “No.” I knew it was wrong to lie, but I just didn’t care. If Rich wanted to play hardball then so could I.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Lisa

  A week passed, and I still hadn’t heard back from Rich. He hadn’t even tried to call Denie back, which was odd. My emotions ran wild and the thought of Trixie and Rich sleeping together had me ill. With Juan devastated, I prayed that the bad news I told him wouldn’t start a war under my own roof. The anger that Juan felt for Rich had turned from disappointment to hate. His words rang over and over in my head.

  “Ma, how could you stay with him? I hate that nigga! I don’t have a father anymore!” How Juan broke down right before my eyes hurt me…bad.

&nb
sp; My long days turned into long nights of tears and emotion, but at least Juan was there every step of the way. When I woke up the morning of New Years Eve and still no calls from Rich, Juan decided to take me to an early brunch at Crème on U Street to help get my mind off of things. Not feeling like myself or the need to get dolled up, I put on a pair of Rock & Republic jeans for comfort and a long sleeve embellished top. Normally, I would’ve added my Gucci peep toe thigh high boots to the mix, but I decided to put on some flat Dior riding boots instead. We invited Denie to come, but of course she passed. Most of the time, she sat around the house hoping Rich would call or finally show up, and probably thought she would miss him if she left. After telling her we would bring her something back, Juan and I left. Luckily, we took his car and he decided to drive because I needed to lay back and collect my thoughts.

  When we pulled up at Crème, the wait was so long, I instantly refused to eat there. As hungry as I was, I needed to eat quickly while I had an appetite. We stopped by a couple of other spots who had long waiting periods as well, then finally ended up at Oohs and Ahhs on 10th and U Street. Juan actually knew the owners so we didn’t have to wait. We even had our own private table upstairs.

  “Do you guys know what you want to order?” the waitress asked.

  “Yeah, we’ll both take the chicken and waffles, with cheese eggs and two sweet teas,” Juan replied. “Endiah, when did y’all start opening on Sundays?” He looked at the women’s thick body up and down, then smiled. “By the way, you look good as always.”

  Juan was such a flirt; a trait he’d obviously picked up from his father. However, I knew he was going to make a good husband to some lucky girl one day.