Gate Wide Open

by M. T. Pope

  I pulled off and headed home to crawl into bed, hoping this all was a bad dream.

  I was awakened in the middle of the night, groggy and hungover from the stress of my life. I lifted my head up to see Mona feverishly at work giving me a blowjob, bobbing up and down.

  “Hey, baby,” she said, lifting her head up as she noticed I was awake. “I was hoping this would make you feel better.” She continued to work her mouth on my dick.

  I sat up and lifted her up as well. I was fully awake now, ready to finish what she started. I unrobed, and so did she.

  As we fondled each other, I immediately went to work on her breasts, trying to stuff both of them in my mouth at the same time.

  She was laid out in the bed as I laid between her legs and sucked her breasts, making my way down to her womb. I was in need of this release, and I knew she was as well.

  I let my tongue do the talking as I parted her pussy lips, and inserted my tongue, flickering at her clit. She moaned and panted as she arched her back as I pulled and tugged lightly on her clit in between my lips, licking it with my tongue at the same time.

  Coming to an orgasm, her legs slammed against my head like they had lockjaw, causing me temporary dizziness.

  I continued to work at her womb as she thrashed about, releasing her clit and inserting my tongue in her like I was trying to find gold.

  She again clamped her legs around my head, coming in my mouth.

  I swallowed and went back to work, flipping her over on all fours and proceeding to eat her out from behind. Her face was buried deep in a pillow as I pummeled her pussy, causing another violent orgasm to squirt me in the face.

  I wiped off her juices and stroked my dick as I positioned myself behind her and slowly inserted myself.

  We had been having sex regularly now, but tonight it felt different. Mona was moaning in ecstasy as if I had entered her for the first time.

  I plunged harder and harder as I closed my eyes and moaned and howled her name. “Mona, umm, baby, you working this shit tonight,” I yelled. “Oh, yeah, Mona. Oh, yeah. Oh, God! Yeah! That’s it, Mona. That’s it. Yeah, right there.”

  I was fucking her like crazy. She was yelling. I was yelling. It had to be the best sex we’d ever had.

  “Oh, yeah! Oh, yeah! Fuck me, James!”

  “What?” I paused, noticing she had yelled out that muthafucka’s name. I jumped up ready to blow a fuse once again.

  She just looked at me with fear and regret.

  I slowly gathered my things and made my way down the stairs, headed for my office. I closed the door behind me and pushed my desk up against the door, blocking it from being opened.

  Mona knocked on the door for at least an hour, but there was no explaining calling out another man’s name during sex. Especially James’s.

  I had no idea what to do, so I stayed away from everyone for as long as I possibly could. But I had to eat, bathe, and urinate, so that lasted all of six hours.

  When I finally made an appearance, it was Saturday morning, and everyone was at the kitchen table eating break-fast.

  “Hi, Daddy,” Diana squealed as she ran up to me and hugged my waist.

  I loved my kids, and even though I was going through a rough patch, I tried my best to keep the children out of it.

  “Hey, Dad,” Ashley and Alex both greeted me.

  I retrieved some orange juice from the refrigerator and sat down at the table. I watched Mona as she busied herself around the kitchen. I knew she knew I was in the kitchen. I also knew she was afraid to look at me.

  I couldn’t help but wonder if she thought James was a better lover than I was, and how she would have reacted if I’d called out his name during sex.

  “Mona, can I have a plate to eat?” I asked as she stood at the stove flipping pancakes.

  She filled my plate and placed it in front of me, making sure not to look me in the eyes while doing so.

  “Thanks, babe.”

  I decided to go ahead and forgive her. I couldn’t let James continue to have a hold on my family any longer.

  As soon as the kids cleared the kitchen, I made my way over to her and wrapped my arms around her waist. “Mona, forget about last night,” I said as I sat my head on her shoulder. “I know it was a mistake. And I won’t hold it against you.”

  Actually, I was feeling guilty as well. Me locking myself in my office for half the night was a front. I was mad at myself because I was thinking about James as I hit her off last night. I just wanted her to think it was all her, that I was totally over James. Which I wasn’t.

  She turned around with tears in her eyes and hugged me tightly as I held her back. I wasn’t even sure whether I could really forgive her or was just pushing another issue under the rug.

  Chapter 23

  Mona

  Sunday Service

  December 2nd, 2018, 10:04 A.M.

  It was another Sunday morning, and we were on our way to church. BHL (By His Love) Ministries was our home away from home. We had joined the church about five years ago and had been faithful members ever since. Many Sundays, I answered the altar call. Our family needed prayer, and I wasn’t in denial about it. With secrets and lies still lurking about, it was truly going to take a miracle for us to survive.

  We walked into the sanctuary and made a beeline to our favorite seats. Ashley had made her way to the choir loft, and Alex was a drummer with the band. Diana was too young to join anything as of yet, but I had a feeling she wanted to be on the choir with her big sister. She practically worshiped the ground Ashley walked on.

  We had come in just as testimony service had begun. People shared their testimonies of faith and love, while others rejoiced at their victories.

  I had to admit, I was a little jealous, because I wanted to share testimony. I was just too afraid of the people and their judging stares.

  How could I share the scars of the fresh, painful wounds of my past? My husband was a recovering alcoholic and bisexual. And my children were fathered by the man my husband was sleeping with. Some Sundays I wanted to get up and tell it all and get it out of my system, but I was too ashamed and hurt. I just couldn’t live with the looks on the face of my own family. I know there would be a day when I would have to, I just didn’t want to believe the truth. It was too painful to bear.

  Testimony time came and went as the praise and worship team and Pastor Jonathan Walker made their entrance into the sanctuary. This was a part of the service I loved and could always count on to get the pressures of life out of my mind. The praise team was headed by Malcolm Walker, the pastor’s son, an anointed psalmist, I could see him being used by God in a greater magnitude one day.

  As the singing began, I felt the spirit of God enter the room, and I was immediately enraptured by His presence. People began to move, and shouts of praise could be heard throughout the sanctuary. All of my pain and frustrations became tears that flooded my face. By the end of the singing and worship, I felt as if a weight had been lifted off me.

  Offering time had past, and it was time for the choir to sing a selection. It was Ashley’s turn at the mic. I was so elated to hear her sing. Their rendition of “Don’t Take Your Joy Away” by Kirk Franklin brought the house into a high ruckus as praise turned into shouts, and those into speaking in tongues and running around the church.

  I too couldn’t contain my joy as I sprinted around the church a lap or two.

  Diana and Shawn just looked in awe as I made my way back to my seat completely exhausted and spiritually filled.

  The praise died down as the pastor made his way to the altar and began to pray for the congregation. He went straight into the Word. His title for the sermon was, “The Truth Will Make You Free.”

  By the end of the service, I was convinced that, to get my family back in order, it had to be truth and honesty reigning in our household.

  After the service ended, we socialized for about fifteen minutes or so and made our way back home.

  Chapter 24

/>   James

  Moving on Up!

  December 7th, 2018, 1:32 P.M.

  I had moved most of my clothing out of my apartment and into Wallace’s. Now I was on my way back to do some last-minute cleaning up, since I would still be leasing the place. I was looking into subleasing it, or just putting it on pause if me and Wallace didn’t work out. Which I doubted, because he was, for lack of better words, perfect to me.

  I pulled up to the parking lot and made my way to my building. I noticed someone sitting on the front steps, which was unusual. This was considered a good neighborhood, where people didn’t congregate around the entrance of the building. As I walked up, I noticed the face but couldn’t believe my eyes.

  “Cousin!” she yelled out as she ran up to me and squeezed my neck.

  My first thought was, What the fuck is she doing here? And the next was, How in the hell did she find me? I reluctantly hugged my cousin Sherry back and looked at the little boy who sat on the steps patiently waiting to be acknowledged.

  “Hey, Sherry,” I said dryly, backing up and taking a good look at her. She was older and looked a little worn for her age. She had to be at least forty, but she looked around fortyfiveish. “Long time no see.”

  “What in the he—I mean, what are you doing here?”

  “Oh, I was in town, and I thought I would look you up to see how you are doing.”

  I looked at her like, Bitch, please…your ass wants something. I let her go on with this charade, just to see where she was going with this mess.

  “Can I please use your bathroom? I really have to pee?”

  “Um, excuse me, Sherry,” I said, pointing to the young child sitting on the steps with their bags. “Are you going to explain to me who this is?”

  “Oh, yeah, just as soon as I come out of the bathroom.” She picked up the bags as I opened the door and walked up the stairs to my apartment.

  The little boy just tagged along, extremely quiet and docile. As we entered my apartment, I told him to have a seat in the living room.

  “You want something to drink?”

  He nodded.

  I walked in the kitchen to see what I had in the refrigerator. I didn’t stay there much since meeting Wallace, so all I had was a couple cans of Pepsi left in a case I’d bought when I first moved in. I walked back into the living room just as Sherry was making her way out of the bathroom. She sat down on the sofa next to the boy, who I assumed was her son.

  “So, Sherry, let’s cut to the chase. What do you want?” I wasn’t in the mood for her shit. I knew good and well that she didn’t like me for sleeping with Shawn and messing up her chances with him. She didn’t have a chance when I had my claws already in him, but what did she know? She was just another dumb cunt trying to hook somebody else’s man.

  “What do you mean, What do I want? I can’t come by to see my cousin if I want to?” She smiled, showing her missing tooth.

  Before I knew it, “Bitch, please!” had escaped my mouth, shutting her down instantly. “Sherry, I don’t have time for this foolishness. Just get this shit over with so I can be about my business.”

  “Okay, okay,” she said, looking down at the floor. “After I left town and went down to Atlanta, a couple of weeks passed and I became sick and I went and got tested. I was afraid that I had caught something from having sex with Shawn. We used a condom, but it broke during the time we had sex. It turns out that I didn’t have anything, but I found out I was pregnant. I decided to keep the baby and raise him on my own. I was doing it at first, until I lost my job and had to move back to California with my mom. Up until now, I didn’t want to bother with trying to get child support for Li’l Shawn. Times are rough now, so I decided I would come back to Baltimore to see if Shawn would help raise his son.”

  I looked at the little boy for a minute. He did have a strong resemblance to Shawn.

  “I need a place to stay until I get in contact with Shawn so he can see his son and make arrangements for child support. Do you know if he still works at the same law firm?”

  “Sherry, I have no idea where Shawn Black works. When I got out of jail, I decided not to look back and just to concentrate on my future.” I lied intentionally. This broad didn’t need to know all my business.

  My mind started thinking of ways I could use her to help me get back at Shawn and Keisha. Shit, I could kill two birds with one stone.

  “Sure, baby, you can stay here as long as you need to. All I ask is, whenever the time comes, to return the favor and be there for me.”

  “James, I have no problem with that. We’re family, and I would do anything for you. All you have to do is ask.”

  I nodded my head. I had more evidence to manipulate Shawn with. Sherry didn’t know it yet, but we were both about to get broke off. I was pretty sure that Shawn would pay handsomely to keep this shit hush-hush.

  “Hey, Sherry, when you do find Shawn, let me know because I want to go down with you and make amends with him for the things I have done to him.”

  I left my extra set of keys and some money for them, so they could eat. I walked to my car giddy and as excited as I was when I’d first met Shawn in the parking garage.

  When I got home Wallace was there. I was so turned-on and horny, I gave him back-to-back blowjobs.

  Chapter 25

  Sherry

  Payback Is a Bitch

  December 7th, 2018, 5:12 P.M.

  “Hello,” the distorted voice said over the phone. “Did you do what I told you to do?”

  “Yeah, he fell for it! That lame-ass shit I was feeding him.” I had a wicked smile on my face because my ass was gonna get some major payback for the shit Shawn and James took from me. Shawn was supposed to be my husband now, and we were supposed to have a happy-ever-after life. “I’ll call you back when I get all the details in order.”

  “Don’t mess this shit up or try to mess me over. If you do, I will kill yo ass like I did the old man. Keep me posted.” Click.

  I hung up my phone and marveled at the plans I had before me. That faggot-ass James was going to get what was coming to him, and I was going to get broke off in the process.

  Payback was a forty-year-old bitch, and I was taking no prisoners. I looked over at my son that was definitely Shawn’s seed and smiled. He was my baby, and I loved him dearly. He was also my cash cow. Shawn was going to rue the day he fucked me over for James.

  “Mama, I’m hungry,” Li’l Shawn moaned as he sat down next to me on the couch.

  “Okay, baby, let’s go get something to eat.” I had seen a 7-Eleven about a block away as the cab drive drove us down Liberty Road to the apartment complex.

  As we walked up the street to the 7-Eleven, I looked at my little man and adored the miracle beside me. He was unplanned, but I never let him feel like he was a mistake.

  I should have known going after a married man would have led me into trouble. Besides, I was the result of the same kind of relationship, but it wasn’t my father who cheated. It was my mom. And I never really got to know my father. You see, he was a married man as well and already had a family, and I wasn’t a part of it. I never knew the truth until I overheard my father (or who I thought was) and my mother arguing about money.

  I heard him snarl through their bedroom door, “Go tell that nigga you fucked and cheated on me with to buy her some school clothes, since he’s her real father!”

  I heard my mother whimper and wail in pain. It was late, and I was supposed to be in bed sleeping and dreaming of sugarplums and stuff like that. Instead, I was a ten year old who just found out that my daddy wasn’t really my daddy. He treated me with love and never said a word to my face about our true relationship.

  I never mentioned that I knew the truth, until one day when my “daddy” had an operation to remove a brain tumor. It was just us three sitting in his hospital room days after his operation. I don’t know why I picked a time such as that, but my emotions were getting the best of me, and I needed to hear it from both of them. I
was seventeen and wanted to know the truth.

  “Who’s my real daddy?” I just blurted it out.

  An immediate silence came over the room. They both looked at me with fear of this moment. I was sure they were trying to prolong it as long as possible. Shit, I was too.

  “Sherry, baby, what are you talking about?” My mother looked at me with tears in both eyes threatening to fall. “This is your daddy lying right here.”

  “Candice! Candice!” my father called out. “It’s time to tell the girl the truth. We can’t hold on to this forever. You need to forgive yourself, because I already have forgiven you.”

  Tears streaked down my face as mother broke down the truth to me. With every detail she spoke, the more my heart crumbled into itty-bitty pieces. The truth is a painful thing, but I would’ve had it no other way, then or now.

  That wasn’t the best way to bring up a baby, because not having a relationship with both parents in your life can cause you to have an unbalanced life. I didn’t want that for Li’l Shawn. I wasn’t naïve in the least.

  I knew I couldn’t have Shawn for myself, and that I could no longer support our son on my own. I had put this off for long enough, and it was in Li’l Shawn’s best interest to get to know his father. I was just benefiting in the process. I know it sounds like I was a scheming ho, but I had to look out for me as well as my son.

  We walked in the 7-Eleven, and Li’l Shawn went berserk, grabbing packs of Doritos, Funyuns, Oreos, and other snacks. Plus, when we got to the counter, he ordered two big bites and a large Slurpee. He was a growing boy, and it showed.

  I grabbed a couple of things to last us a couple of days and loaded them on to the counter. Our purchase came to about thirty dollars and I was not surprised. We both smiled as we walked out of the store and back toward the apartment to fill up and get some sleep.