by B. M. Hardin
I walked in to find them napping on the couch.
I smiled at them.
I tip-toed over to them, and at the last second, I decided not to wake Eddie.
His phone vibrated on the table and though I wasn’t intending to look at it, I did, just to see who was calling.
It was Polo.
We hadn’t spoken in forever and I was doing my best to keep it that way.
He was part to blame for all of this and with the way that my life had been lately I wished that we could take it all back.
But we couldn’t.
He stopped calling and then he sent a text.
Bro, I was just checking on you. I wanted you to know that I’m getting married. You’re the only friend that I ever had, and I wanted you to be my best man. It all may be too much to ask but, I thought to give it a try.
Polo was getting married?
To who?
I reread the text, three times just to make sure that I had read it correctly.
Who in the hell was Polo marrying this time?
For some reason, I felt some type of way.
It wasn’t anything sexual; it was more like anger.
He had ruined our marriage and now he thought that he had a right to get married?
Oh no, I don’t think so.
After reading all of Polo’s other messages that Eddie had ignored, I erased the message telling Eddie the big news and deleted the call from his call log.
Being that Mama hadn’t taken me by my old job to get my car I stepped outside to call Micki and asked her for a ride.
I hardly spoke at all as she talked and once I reached my car, I headed in Polo’s direction.
He wasn’t getting a happily ever after if I couldn’t have mine too.
What kind of mess was that?
I arrived at his house and knocked on his front door.
He opened it with a look of surprise on his face.
“Hey baby…did you miss me?” I said.
*******************************************
CHAPTER 7
Polo called over and over and I simply stared at the phone without answering it.
I’d shown up at his house with intentions to ruin his life the same way that he’d ruined mine.
He didn’t have the right to get married.
He didn’t have the right to be happy.
And I was going to make sure that he wasn’t.
But as soon as I saw him, I changed my mind.
I tried to walk away, without saying a word, but Polo chased after me.
“What are you doing here Sassi?”
“Nothing. Never mind.”
“I miss you.”
“I bet.”
“Why are you here?”
“I shouldn’t have come here. This was a mistake.”
“I’ve been trying to stay away. I’m trying to move on and get over my feelings for you. I even decided to marry a woman that I have been getting down with for over a year now. The woman that approached you about the video tape, remember? That’s who I decided to marry.”
Why was he lying?
That woman was dead.
I’d seen it on the news that she was in a hit and run so why was Polo saying that they were getting married?
I was sure that he knew that she had passed away.
And looking at him, I wasn’t so sure that he wasn’t responsible for it.
But why would he be lying about who he was getting married to?
Or was he simply lying about getting married all together?
And why would he lie on the dead woman of all people?
Just sick.
“I miss how things used to be. If I get married, things might go back to normal,” Polo said.
“Eddie and I are about to finalize our divorce so I doubt it.”
“Trust me, he won’t finalize it.”
“Why do you think that? He’s serious Polo. We hurt him. He doesn’t want to be with me, and are you guys even still friends like you hoped to be?
“We’re working on it. I asked him to be my best man. If I get married, everything will be better.”
“Polo, that woman that you just said that you were marrying is dead. I saw her on the news.”
I didn’t feel like playing games with him.
I didn’t even know why I was still there talking to him.
But I had learned that with crazy folks, you had to confront them head on.
“So you saw the news huh?”
“No shit Sherlock. So what huh? Are you lying about who you are marrying? Or were you lying about getting married altogether?”
“No. I’m getting married…to somebody. I know that will make everything better.”
Polo started to smile at me but I was so creeped out all of a sudden.
Maybe Micki was right about him.
It was more than just a few screws loose with Polo; he might need some serious help.
“Look Sassi, I couldn’t be more messed up if I tried but I’m getting myself together. I am going to get married, soon. I’m going to try to stay married this time and try to live that lifestyle again. Oh, and I stopped drinking, completely.”
I opened my car door.
I didn’t congratulate him.
I just wanted to get away from him.
He grabbed the car door.
“I’ve been trying to let you be. I know that I ruined your life and I’m sorry. You were right, we made a big mistake.”
“I told you Polo. But we can’t change what we did.”
“And I don’t want to.”
“I bet you don’t.”
“Sassi are you okay?”
I looked at Polo.
“No.”
“Can I help in anyway?”
“No. Believe me. You have done enough.”
I left right after my statement that day, but since then he had been calling like crazy.
I didn’t understand why though.
Polo was one of those folks that if you give the an inch, they try to take a whole mile.
“Are you going to answer that?” Eddie asked.
“Nope.”
He didn’t say anything.
“Have you talked to Polo? If you don’t mind me asking.”
“I do mind you asking Sassi. I don’t want to ever discuss anything with or about Polo with you. Ever.”
I blinked twice to keep from rolling my eyes.
He didn’t have to say all of that.
Eddie changed the subject.
“I got a job.”
I smiled at him.
At least one of us needed one.
“Senior accountant. $250,000 a year. Benefits and a sign on bonus. You and the kids can have the bonus. I can go without until I get my first check.”
Eddie handed me a $5000 check.
He didn’t have to do it but he did.
I really messed up didn’t I?
“We need to come up with a set amount to give to you for the kids every week or every month.”
I stared at Eddie.
He was just as stubborn as an ox.
We had both been going through hell but he had to miss being a family.
I know I did.
“That’s good. I’m so happy for you.”
I stood up and hugged him.
We lingered for a second too long and I looked at him.
“I don’t want to finalize the divorce Eddie.”
Eddie didn’t say anything.
“Let’s start over.”
Eddie took a breath.
“I don’t know what the future holds. But I do know that we have to end in order to start over again.”
He was sticking to it so I didn’t press the issue.
A knock at the door caused us both to look in that direction.
I headed for it, and Eddie followed.
“Hey baby, why didn’t you answer you phone?” Polo said as soon as I opened the door.
I heard Eddie hu
ff and puff behind me.
I frowned at Polo and just as I was about to say something, he spoke again.
“Oh, so you finally told Eddie?”
I looked at him confused.
“Told me what?”
“Look Eddie, we both love you but we love each other too. We hope that you can understand.”
“What!”
I screamed and Eddie pushed me out of the way.
“I wouldn’t try anything stupid this time Eddie,” Polo warned him, knowing that Eddie was about ready to swing on him.
“Eddie, I don’t know what he’s talking about.”
“You weren’t saying that when you stopped by on Tuesday, the day after you had gotten out of jail.”
“Jail? When did you go to jail?”
“It’s a long story,” I said to Eddie.
I had only told him that I had gotten fired.
I didn’t fill him in on the destruction of property charge that I had gotten too.
“You told Polo and didn’t tell me?”
“I didn’t tell Polo. I don’t know how he knows.”
“Really Sassi, let’s be honest. We don’t have to lie anymore. Eddie deserves to know the truth. We’ve lied to him enough. She came and asked to borrow money and we talked about us. She said you were having hard times. Why didn’t you come to me? You know I would have helped you.”
Eddie looked as though he was about to get a life sentence.
“I don’t need your help Polo. I didn’t need it in my bedroom, and I don’t need it now.”
Eddie looked at me.
“He’s lying Eddie.”
Eddie shook his head and walked outside.
Polo put his hand in his pocket as Eddie passed by him.
Did he have a gun?
Eddie got into his mother’s Mercedes that he had been driving and sped away.
Polo looked at me and as soon as he did, I smacked him with everything I had in me.
“Why would you come here? How do you even know where I live? Why would you say that?”
Polo grinned.
“If I can’t have you, neither can he. And I will make sure of that,” he said and he walked away too.
~***~
“Move Polo, I have a job interview and I’m going to be late.”
Polo had his car parked directly behind mine.
The kids had stayed with Eddie at his parent’s the night before so that his parents could watch them that day.
After searching for what seemed like forever, I had finally gotten a call back.
It seemed as though Polo was riding by every day and some days he even had the nerve to stop and knock on the door.
He wasn’t at all sorry about lying to Eddie, and I could tell that he was going to make it his business to see to it that Eddie and I didn’t get back together.
Eddie didn’t know what to believe and he wouldn’t even talk about what Polo said to him that day.
He didn’t want to hear anything that I had to say.
He didn’t want to discuss anything that had to do with me or Polo.
The divorce was finalized and for the most part, I was a free woman.
But I didn’t want to be free.
I wanted to be with Eddie.
“Polo move.”
“What is the job paying? I’ll pay you the same salary. All you have to do is work for me.”
“Work for you? Doing what?”
“You know what I like.”
Nasty bastard!
“You will never touch this again.”
“Is that right?” Polo smiled.
“Can you please move so I can go to my interview?”
“I’ll take you. I want to talk to you anyway.”
“Hell no.”
“Oh, well then.”
Polo just sat there as I checked the time on my phone.
Ugh!
He was such an asshole.
Maybe I should take some kind of restraining order out on him or something.
That would keep his ass away from me.
“Whatever Polo.”
I pouted and headed to his car.
“Where are we going?”
“5th street.”
“I heard that you and Eddie are officially divorced.”
“You seem to hear everything.”
“I know a lot of people. So are you?”
“Yes. We are.”
“So you’re free to do what you want to do?”
I looked at him.
“No Polo. Don’t even think about it. My life is the way it is because of you.”
“I’m telling you. I can make you happy.”
“After the crap that you pulled in front of Eddie, I wish I would.”
“It’s all because I love you.”
“What happened to you getting married to the dead woman?” I asked his lying ass sarcastically.
“I was going to find somebody to marry so that things could go back to how they used to be.”
“Did you kill that girl Polo?”
“No. Why would you ask me that?”
“No reason.”
“I want you.”
“Too bad. It’s right here.”
Polo stopped in front of the building and I got out.
I shook off any bad energy that may have been surrounding me and I headed inside.
Only thirty minutes later, I was headed back out and Polo pulled up to the curb so I could get inside of the car.
“Did you get it?”
“Nope.”
I was so disappointed.
I needed a job.
Eddie was back working but we weren’t together and though he was going to give me money for the kids, I needed my own money.
I was sure that he would make sure that my bills were paid if I needed him to, with the kids being in the house and all but eventually, I was going to have to stand on my own two feet.
What if he started to date again?
He would surely get funny with his money.
I didn’t even want to think about Eddie being with another woman.
As far as I was concerned, he still belonged to me.
Even if he did pretty much hate me.
“You will get the next one. I know a few people. I can make some calls.”
I looked at Polo.
“I’m serious. You will be surprise the type of people that are secretly apart of the sex toy industry. Everyone knows that sex sells, and everyone who is anyone wants a piece of the pie. I can make some calls for you.”
“No thanks Polo.”
“Well, why not finish your book? I’m sure our little situation would be plenty of inspiration.”
He was right.
It would be.
I hadn’t tried to write anything in a while.
I was always feeling down or stressed out.
“Maybe.”
“Can I at least take you out to brunch?”
“Polo, just take me home.”
“Look Sassi, I’m not going to do anything to you. Let me just take you out. It’s a free meal. I’ll be on my best behavior. I promise.”
I rolled my eyes and my stomach rolled hers too.
I was hungry as hell so brunch did sound pretty good.
“Okay Polo. But after that, take me straight home. I need to do some more job applications.”
He nodded and we stopped at a small bistro.
Polo and I went inside and it was and I cringed at the sight of Eddie and the white lady waiting in line.
They were really close and Eddie was flashing his million dollar smile.
“Eddie?”
He turned around to face me.
He looked back and forth from Polo to me and then at the lady that he was standing with.
I stared at the woman who grinned at me.
“Hey I’m Shelly.”
“I’m Sassi. Eddie’s wife.”
She swallowed.
“My ex-wife,” Eddie adde
d.
“Ex-wife? Eddie I thought you had never been married.”
“Oh really Eddie? You were never married?”
He didn’t say anything.
“You don’t hear me talking to you? You were never married to me for almost nine years Eddie? Or with me for the past eleven years? Oh, and did you at least include that you had kids?”
“Kids? You told me that you didn’t have kids.”
Looks like Eddie hadn’t claimed any of us.
Polo stood there and didn’t say a word.
And neither did Eddie.
“I’m sorry. Who are you?”
“I’m Shelly. I told you that already. Or do you mean who am I to Eddie? Oh, we just work together. And I thought we, well, that doesn’t really matter.”
Eddie still said nothing and she waited for him to comment but he didn’t.
“Why didn’t you tell her that you were married or had kids Eddie?”
He still said nothing.
She got her food and headed towards the door, and Eddie followed behind her, still saying nothing.
What the hell was that?
I was mad!
And I do mean M-A-D!
“Polo I want to go.”
“Okay.”
Once we were in the car I turned to him.
“Who is she Polo?”
“I swear I don’t know her. She probably is from his new job.”
I studied him.
He was telling the truth.
“Why would he lie about us?”
“I don’t know Sassi. I’m sure he has a good reason.”
Polo started to drive and I couldn’t think of one good reason why Eddie would say that he had never been married or didn’t have kids.
Something just seemed off.
Polo pulled up at my house and I sat there.
Here I was still trying to figure out how to make things right with Eddie and he was off pretending as though I didn’t even exist.
Hell, he wasn’t even claiming our kids.
Had I hurt him that bad?
Had I made it to where he wanted to pretend that he hadn’t spent the last decade with me?
I was insulted.
My feelings were definitely hurt.
“It will be okay Sassi.”
I’d forgotten that Polo was there.
He touched my hand.
I didn’t feel what I used to feel when he touched me but I was feeling something that I couldn’t really explain.
He seemed to be the only one around me that actually wanted me or that even really seemed to care about me.
Maybe he was part the blame for everything but at least he still cared.