by Yoshe
Sean stepped up to Shamari’s face. “Nigga, I ain’t tryin be your damn daddy, I’m just tryin’ save your ass from gettin’ fucked up in here. Remember, I’m the one that’s in the middle of keepin’ these niggas in here off ass!” A few inmates in the background began to snicker.
“What the fuck do you want from me, CO? Huh?” Shamari asked after backing down a bit. “You tryin’ to win some brownie points with my moms or somethin’, nigga?” Sean looked at Shamari with his nose flared. “Well, if that’s what you tryin’ to do, it ain’t gonna happen, pa, so fall back!”
Shamari pulled his chair out and sat back down to continue his card game. Sean looked around at the small crowd that gathered around to watch the drama between the officer and inmate.
Born shook his head as Sean walked away from Shamari without putting his hands on him, and smiled. He knew that Sean was a real man for doing what he did, but Born was determined to teach Shamari a lesson. A lesson that every young man who comes through the jail system should learn so they won’t ever want to come back.
Chapter 6
Later that evening, Yadi opened the door to her apartment and watched her rambunctious, four-year-old daughter, Jada, run inside first. She put her shopping bags in the kitchen and stripped down to her bra and panties in the middle of the spacious living room. She took off Jada’s clothes, as well, and smiled as the adorable little girl ran into her pink-colored bedroom to play with her toys. Yadi ran some water in the large bathtub, deciding that Jada could take a bubblebath with her. She was just relieved that Devin was not home yet, hopefully giving her a few hours to unwind.
As Yadi sat on the edge of her king-sized bed, Jada came into the bedroom and gave her mother a big hug and a kiss. She beamed because she couldn’t think of anyone she loved more than her daughter. At one time, she wanted to have more children with Devin, but because of his child support issues, he was totally against it. He pestered her constantly about her birth control methods but refused to wear a condom when they had sex. Yadi finally just gave up on the idea of having any more children, which was probably a bad one from the beginning.
While Yadira and Jada were taking their bubblebath, Devin suddenly appeared in the bathroom doorway. Devin was a Boris Kodjoe look-alike with his tall frame and bald head. Naturally, the love-addicted Yadi had fallen in love with him the first time she lay eyes on him.
They met at the Correction Academy during inser-vice training seven years ago. Devin thought that Yadi was gorgeous, as did most men. Devin thought that she would be another pretty face who was self-absorbed and conceited. However, after talking to her, he saw that she wasn’t like most women. He trusted her so much that he shared some of the things that he went through with his other daughters’ mothers. Devin thought that Yadi would be different.
They had a good run for a while and the sex was dynamite. Devin wanted to make her happy, and after awhile he found himself constantly doing everything to try to please Yadi. To his dismay, she whined and cried if she thought that he wasn’t giving her enough attention. He thought it was cute at first but later realized that he couldn’t get a moment to himself. If he tried to go out with his friends or even visit his mother, Yadi would go ballistic and accuse of him of cheating.
The accusations went hand in hand with the rants on his voice mail, and eventually, Yadi withheld sex from Devin as a form of punishment. She even began talking about him to anyone who would listen to her bullshit about how he mistreated her, which couldn’t have been further from the truth. The end results were her parents not being able to stand him and Yadi was able to convince her friends and other family members that Devin was a piece of shit. Devin suffered in silence, because after all, he was a man. Nevertheless, behind closed doors, the bullshit Yadi put him through made him bitter.
When Devin finally realized that Yadira Cruz was not the woman he had grown to love, he made plans to leave, but it was too late; Yadi was pregnant and refused to get an abortion. Jada was born and Devin couldn’t bear to leave Jada, afraid that he would never see her again if it was up to her mother. Not to mention Devin knew that the family court system would leave him with no paycheck. He was already getting thirty-five percent of his money taken out of his paycheck from his other two daughters’ mothers. At this point, Devin knew that if he left, Yadi would take him to court for child support. He had no other choice but to stay put.
Devin opened the bathroom door. The sight of Yadi’s naked body didn’t even turn him on anymore. He was emotionally and physically detached.
Devin frowned. “Um, you need to speed the bath up! I just came home from work and I wanna take a hot shower and go straight to bed!” he said to Yadi.
“Hi, Daddy!” Jada screamed out, oblivious to the harshness of her father’s tone.
Devin smiled. His eyes lit up for his daughter. “Hi, princess,” he replied, as he walked over to the bathtub and kissed her several times on her chubby cheeks.
“Hello to you, too, Devin,” Yadira announced with an annoyed look on her face. She was tired of clamoring for his attention. Devin waved her off and walked out of the bathroom. He found it dreadful to be in the presence of the emotionally dependant Yadira.
Yadi and Jada finished their bath a few moments later and dried off. Yadi put on their bathrobes and cleaned out the tub so that “King” Devin could take a shower. Everything that Vanita said to her finally had an effect on her. As she thought about it repeatedly, Yadi realized that maybe their lousy relationship was not worth saving. It was time to move on, but how could she? Yadi couldn’t imagine being on her own. After all, she had never known what it felt like to be by herself.
Yadi stood up, tied her robe very tight, and walked out of the bathroom in a huff. She walked Jada into her bedroom and helped the little girl put on her pajamas. Being that it was only six o’clock in the evening, Yadi turned to the Disney channel for her daughter. After making sure Jada was comfortable, she walked out of the bedroom and closed the door. She knew that she and Devin were about to get into it.
When Yadi walked back into their bedroom, she brushed past Devin, almost knocking him into the wall. He was taken aback by her sudden abrasiveness. “What did you push past me for?” he asked with an angry look in his eyes. “Are you crazy?” Devin paused and smirked, while looking through some mail. “Oh yeah, I almost forgot. You are crazy!”
Devin threw the mail back on the nightstand and stood there, shirtless, preparing for his shower. He was a specimen of a man, standing at six feet three inches, with 200-pounds of muscle and a prominent six-pack. He towered over Yadi, with his pajama bottoms on, revealing that same six-pack that she used to love to run her tongue across.
“Go to hell, Devin, you bastard,” Yadi said through clenched teeth, holding back tears. “I’m just so tired of livin’ like this. You don’t pay me any mind anymore. I know you got somebody else!”
“Oh, shut the fuck up, Yadira!” Devin replied. “You’re always complainin’ about somethin’. You wanted a baby, I gave you a baby. You wanted to live together, we moved in together. I gave you whatever you wanted and it was never good enough. You always wanted more.”
“I’m just sick of you treatin’ me like I’m a second-class citizen, after all the shit I do for you.”
Devin laughed and pointed to himself. “Do for me? I put up with your lyin’ ass all these years and you got the nerve to complain about what you do for me? I wanted to leave, remember? You threatened me with child support, knowing that my financial situation is fucked up! You told me that if I stayed you would hold me down and we was goin’ to improve our relationship! You even tried to kill yourself! You used every manipulative gesture to get me to stay! Now I’m here, Yadira! I never once told you that I was happy with my decision to stay with your crazy ass! You’re crazy and that’s all you gonna ever be is a crazy bitch! I did you a favor by stayin’ with you!”
Yadi was fuming as she walked up to Devin. She pointed her finger in his broad chest.
“Well, I’m gonna say this, motherfucker! If you hate me that much, pack your shit and leave! Go live with your other bitch or your mama, or whoever. Just get the fuck outta here!”
“I ain’t goin’ no damn where, Yadi! Why don’t you fuckin’ leave?” he retorted.
“Fine. Then I’m leavin’,” she stated.
Devin thought about Jada for a moment. He knew that once Yadi left, she would try to keep him from seeing her.
“Well, you can do whatever you want, but my daughter stays with me!”
Yadi paused for a moment and looked for Jada, who was in her bedroom and unaware of their arguing. She didn’t want to leave without her daughter but she had to go before it got out of control. She was tired of Devin. She figured nothing that she did at this point would ever save their dysfunctional relationship. Although she had never caught him cheating, she knew that he was probably feeling someone else. Her suspicions and jealousy were one of the reasons that she was so hostile to him.
“I’m takin’ my daughter with me! She don’t have no place here with you!” said Yadi.
Devin wanted to call her bluff. “Whatever, Yadira! You walk out of here with Jada, our relationship is definitely goin’ to be over. Bet that!”
Yadi immediately went to her closet and pulled out an oversized Louis Vuitton bag. She hurriedly threw some of her and Jada’s clothes in it, packing most of the items she needed for the week. She was hoping that Devin would at least stop her but he didn’t try to. She got dressed, throwing on some form-fitting jeans and a shirt, along with a pair of UGG boots.
As Yadi grabbed her mink jacket from the closet and retrieved her pocketbook before heading toward the front door of their two-bedroom co-op apartment, Devin ran behind her and grabbed her arm. She gave him the look of death.
Devin began to worry about the impending child support case that would come behind the whole incident. “You’re not goin’ anywhere!” he yelled. “Where do you think you’re goin’?”
“Gettin’ the fuck away from you!” Yadi replied and snatched her arm from his grasp, a faint smirk on her face. His reaction to her leaving was the reaction she was hoping for. Now that she’d gotten the feedback she wanted, she felt powerful again. “Don’t you ever put your hands on me again, Devin!”
Suddenly, Devin grabbed Yadi by her ponytail and dragged her 130-pound frame through their bedroom. He began slapping her but Yadi was not going to go down without a fight. She was worn out from him taking her for granted and she was going to show him how tired she was today.
Devin threw her against the wall and Yadi slid to the floor, feeling like her back was broken in several places. As he came toward her, she managed to get her leg up high enough to kick him in the nuts. As Devin fell to the floor, holding his testicles, she climbed on him and began clawing at his face. Yadi wanted to make sure she left her mark. Devin wrapped his large, calloused hands around Yadi’s neck and began to choke her until she found the strength to punch him in the mouth. Devin instantly let go and his hand went to his bloody bottom lip.
“Oh, you wanna fight me like a man, huh?” Devin said, with fire in his eyes.
Yadi’s chest heaved up and down. She was trying to drown out the cries of her daughter, who was banging on the other side of the bedroom door.
“C’mon, you bastard, I been wantin’ to do this for a long time! And yeah, I wanna fight you like a man! I’m more man than your bitch ass could ever be!” she screamed, with her eyes bulging out of her head.
Devin looked at Yadi. There goes dat crazy look again, he thought. He had seen that wild-eyed look many times before. She crawled away from Devin, who was balled up on the floor, still holding his nuts with one hand and his mouth with the other.
Although she was exhausted and sore, Yadi managed to pick up the Bose CD clock radio and deliberately dropped it on Devin’s head. His eyes rolled to the back of his head and for a moment Yadi thought she had killed him. After checking his pulse, Yadi breathed a sigh of relief. She bent down to put two fingers on his throbbing neck.
When Yadi finally opened the bedroom door, her crying daughter ran into her arms. Yadi held Jada close to her and ran into the living room. She didn’t want Jada to see her father unconscious on the floor. She wrapped Jada, who was in her pajamas, in her fur jacket and she hightailed it for the door before Devin regained consciousness. She grabbed her duffel bag with her and Jada’s things and ran out of the apartment. Yadi looked back at the building, half expecting Devin to be behind her.
When she finally pulled off in her Nissan Maxima, Yadi turned on some music in the car to soothe Jada, who was still crying hysterically. They were both shaken up from the ordeal but Yadi couldn’t even find the energy to shed any tears. She was actually feeling liberated.
As Yadi turned onto Francis Lewis Boulevard, she figured that Devin was probably conscious by then, nursing his injuries and his ego. She was more upset at the fact that Jada was subjected to the chaos. Yadi realized that after that incident, she didn’t want to expose her daughter to violence of any kind, if she had anything to do with it. Actually, Jada’s presence in the household saved Devin’s life. With Yadi’s fragile mental condition, she would have definitely tried to kill Devin and that night was the opportunity to do it.
Not having anywhere to go, Yadi drove aimlessly through the streets of Queens for at least two hours. She finally ended up in front of Vanita’s house, which was tucked away on a quiet block in Queens Village. Her home was very quaint and perfect for a single woman with no children. It looked dark inside and Yadi figured Vanita probably wasn’t home, much to her dismay. She was hesitant to call Vanita, thinking that she may still be upset with her but she decided to take a chance anyway. She was desperate and Jada was cold and sleepy.
Yadi retrieved her cell phone from her bag. She noticed that Devin had called her three times since she’d left the house. The music in her car must have been so loud that Yadi hadn’t noticed. She sucked her teeth when she saw his number but dialed Vanita’s phone number instead.
“Please answer the phone, Nita!” Yadi said to herself. She turned around and smiled at Jada, who smiled back at her from the booster seat in the backseat of the car. Her daughter was a trooper.
“Hey, girl!” Vanita exclaimed happily. “What the business is?”
Yadi was surprised by Vanita’s reaction to the phone call. She was even more relieved that Vanita had gotten over being angry with her.
“Nita, me and Devin had a fight tonight!” she said in a hushed tone.
Vanita brushed her off. “Y’all always fightin’, Yadi—”
“No, Nita, we had a physical fight.” There was complete silence on the phone.
“What?” Vanita yelled into the phone. “He hit you? Are you okay? Oh my God! What happened?”
Yadi’s voice began to quiver. “We’re fine, Nita. I’m just done. I know you heard it before but somethin’ in me just snapped today. I’m tired of him callin’ me out my name and just bein’ so nasty to me. I mean, I know I have my issues but I feel that I’m a good woman!” Yadi started to cry and Jada cried out from the back seat.
“Oh my goodness! Yadi, the baby is with you, too? That motherfucker!” she exclaimed. “You want my cousins, Day-Day and Jayquan and them from Marcy projects to pistol whip his ass? You know they will do anything for Yadi Cruz!”
Yadi burst out laughing and wiped her tears from her face. “Nita, I swear I love you! You are so crazy!”
“But where are you right now?” Vanita asked, sounding concerned.
“Um, in front of your house. The question is where are you?”
Vanita laughed. “Remember, I told you after Christmas that I was goin’ away for the weekend in February with my new guy friend? That’s why I wanted to go to the mall. I took off tomorrow and Sunday off from work and I won’t be back until Monday evening.”
Yadi slid down in her driver’s seat. Shit, she thought. “I can’t go to my parent’s house. I don’t want them in my b
usiness!” she said.
“Yadi, I’m comin’ home right now, okay?”
“Hell no! You stay right where you are and have a good time. You’re always bendin’ over backward for me, girl. So just go ahead and have your fun. I’m gonna make some phone calls. I’ll be all right.”
Vanita wondered who Yadi was going to call. She didn’t have many friends. “Make sure you call me and let me know where you’re gonna be,” Vanita said.
Yadi hung up the phone. She calmed herself down because her mind was all over the place. She couldn’t think of a single soul to call because she didn’t deal with too many people outside of work. Then she thought for a moment. Sean was doing overtime and she knew that he didn’t get off of work until 11:30 that night. It was only 9:30 but she was going to call him and leave him a message anyway. Hopefully, he would call her back as soon as he heard it. Otherwise, she didn’t know what she was going to do.
Chapter 7
As he steered his Escalade over the Rikers Island Bridge, Sean rolled down the driver’s side window. He needed the cold air to keep him awake for his drive home. He yawned loudly, exhausted from working overtime. The only thing he looked forward to was taking a soothing shower and climbing into his comfortable bed for some much needed shuteye. Sean let out a huge yawn and turned up the Joe song playing on the XM satellite radio station in his truck.
As Sean cruised on the Grand Central, he remembered that he hadn’t listened to his messages. On one of his messages, which was marked urgent, he was shocked to hear Yadi’s voice. He turned down his music and played the message over. She sounded like she was in desperate need of help. After hearing it a second time, Sean immediately called her back. Yadi answered the phone on the first ring.
“Hey, Sean!” Yadi said. “I am so glad you called me back! Everything just escalated and me and Devin got into a fist fight, and I have Jada with me. My daughter is in her pajamas and bathrobe and—”