by Mona Love
Envisioning beautiful women with David had driven Secret crazy all night. Today, Secret had the sudden urge to see David, to confront him, but more importantly to see who he had left her for. That was it. Maybe she could talk some sense into him if they had time face-to-face.
Secret moved through the house frantically now. “Bella, let’s go!” Secret called out to her daughter urgently. The kids came bounding out of their room. Secret scrambled to dress them, and nothing she put on Bella or DJ matched. Secret was clearly not focused. The kids had on bottoms and tops that didn’t go together, and she hadn’t bothered to redo Bella’s hair, so it was fuzzy and sticking up in places. Secret never took them outside like that, but today she was in a rush. She needed to get to David’s office before he got caught up in any meetings. Secret needed him to see what he was losing, at least for the kids’ sake.
“Let’s go see Daddy!” Bella sang out. Secret cringed and bit down into her jaw. Just thinking about what the divorce would do to her kids caused Secret’s stomach to suddenly cramp.
“Yes, let’s go see Daddy,” she said under her breath with just a hint of anger.
Secret strapped both kids into their car seats and slid into the driver’s seat of her Mercedes-Benz G-Class. Even the car reminded her of her husband. Luxury items were always David’s idea. He had bought her the SUV and told her he had chosen that particular vehicle because it was a “rich soccer mom’s” car. Secret had been too overjoyed that she had a new car to even think about his words. She hadn’t thought anything of his statement at the time, but now the car represented everything Secret didn’t want to be: some boring suburban housewife waiting for her husband to dole out her allowance so she could go buy a pair of “mom” jeans and a cardigan. Secret felt so stupid now. She’d watched her own life unravel one piece at a time, and she was too blind to even see it.
Secret made it to Brooklyn from her ritzy Long Island neighborhood in record time. She sped through the streets of Brooklyn until she was finally in front of Metro Tech in downtown Brooklyn, where David worked. She pulled her car into the inside parking lot and drove around to where she remembered David’s personal parking spot was located. Secret immediately noticed a candy-apple red Mercedes-Benz S550 with personalized plates reading, “Lady Luck,” parked in the spot. Secret’s heart began hammering against her chest bone. “This can’t be the same spot,” she whispered. David wouldn’t be stupid enough to have a bitch parking in his spot or driving her car for that matter.
Secret craned her neck and squinted her eyes to make sure the number on the parking spot was the same as she remembered it. “Two-two-one-one,” she whispered. It was definitely her spot. She remembered it because her birthday was February 11 and she’d remarked to him about how the numbers must’ve been lucky.
It wasn’t long before Secret noticed David’s car in the spot right next to it, and that was all she needed to confirm her suspicions. He had this bitch visiting with him at work? It was yet another blatant slap in Secret’s face by her husband. Without even thinking, Secret grabbed her car door handle and scrambled to get out of the car. When she lifted her foot off the gas, the car lurched forward and almost hit the intruding Mercedes that was occupying David’s real spot.
“Oh, shit!” Secret cursed and threw her car into park. Focused on her mission, Secret fumbled with the door handle again and raced out of her car. Secret was so furious she left her sleeping children in the back seat of the car. She was definitely losing it. This would be the second time her mind had gone so blank she had forgotten about her kids.
Secret took the stairs from the parking lot that led into the business building two at a time to the seventh floor. While she raced through the building’s stairwell, a memory of a hot and heavy petting session she and David had had when he first started working there came flooding back to Secret’s mind. David had been so proud of himself for landing the job and couldn’t wait for her to see his new office with its glorious city view.
“You’re going to be so proud of me,” David had said to her that day after stopping Secret from going up the steps and spinning her around to face him. She understood then why they hadn’t just taken the elevator. He wanted to get freaky. Secret had giggled and tried to pull away from him, but David held her tight. He had forcefully placed his mouth on top of hers and forced his tongue between her lips.
Secret had relented, like always. She gave him what he wanted. She let herself go and kissed him passionately. Then David lifted her shirt, pulled up her bra, and took mouthfuls of her breasts right there. “Oh, my God, David,” Secret had gasped. But still, she had let the hot feeling overtake her. She had wanted David to fuck her right there. David had gotten her so hot and heavy that by the time they reached the door to his office, she was already half naked and she didn’t care who had been watching them.
It had happened in that very stairwell. The memory threatened to send Secret’s heart into convulsions and her emotional stability into overdrive.
Secret’s anger was fueled all over again like someone had doused it with a fresh set of gasoline and thrown a newly lit match on it. Flinging the exit door open violently, Secret raced through it. She sped down the carpeted hallway, bypassing the empty desks and cubicles. Finally, Secret reached the familiar door: David’s private office. It didn’t matter if Secret was welcome, David would have to see her whether he liked it or not.
Secret tried the doorknob, and it was locked. She banged on the office door like she was the police. “David! Open this fucking door!” Secret screamed. She didn’t care about the noise or other employees or security for that matter. “I know you’re in there with that bitch! Open this fucking door! I am your wife! I’m still your fucking wife!” Secret boomed. She had completely lost control now. She could hear the other employees moving out of their cubicles and offices to see what was going on. It was still too early for everyone to be at work, but the early birds were surely getting a show.
David pulled back the door wearing the most evil scowl Secret had ever seen. Secret knew he’d opened up the door because he hated to be embarrassed. David was always worried about what his white and other ritzy black coworkers thought of him. Secret knew where he really came from though. She knew the real David Johnson, a former foster kid who’d grown up with nothing!
“What are you—” David started, but Secret didn’t allow him to finish. She pushed him so hard in his chest he stumbled backward into his office. He wasn’t expecting her brute force. Therefore, he was unable to brace himself in time. He landed on his ass. Secret barreled into the office like a heat-seeking missile.
“Why, David?” Secret growled as she stormed in circles around his expansive office. Secret whirled around like a crazed madwoman, looking in every direction for the bitch responsible for breaking up her marriage.
“You need to leave,” David said, grabbing Secret’s arm roughly. “This is not the time or the place.”
Just then, a young, beautiful woman came sauntering into the office. Secret was stopped cold. The woman’s beautiful butter-colored face, long, dark, silky hair, and slim, shapely legs made Secret feel horrible. The woman looked just how Secret used to look when she was still modeling. Secret felt like dying right there on the spot. She felt so ugly and fat compared to the sexy vixen in front of her. Secret wished she could blink herself out of there now.
“David, is everything okay?” the beautiful woman asked, her face crumpled in confusion. Secret’s eyes hooded over when she recognized the voice as the same one she’d heard on the phone. All of Secret’s feelings of insecurity quickly converted to blind rage. Secret’s vision became clouded, and she began seeing red spots in the corners of her eyes. Her chest began heaving in and out. She viewed the woman as the enemy now. Not only had this bitch ruined her marriage, but she was taking Secret’s place in David’s life.
“Is everything okay? You’re asking my fucking husband if everything is okay? You got some nerve, bitch!” Secret barked, moving in the
woman’s direction with her finger pointed menacingly. “No, everything is not okay. Did David tell you about me? Huh? You home-wrecking bitch!”
“Secret, you just need to leave,” David said through gritted teeth, trying to pull her toward the door. The woman looked Secret up and down and smirked like she was better than Secret. That was enough to send Secret over the top.
“Agh!” Secret screamed, breaking free of David’s grasp. Secret charged into the woman with full force. The woman screamed, but it was too late. Secret was too thick and too strong for the puny, little woman to handle. This was the one time Secret appreciated her new weight. The woman fell backward on her ass so hard she let out a little squeak when she hit the floor. She was unable to break her own fall or put her hands up in time to block Secret from getting at her. Secret was on top of David’s new love within seconds. Secret was like a wild animal just let out of captivity. She wound her hand up in the woman’s beautiful hair and began punching her in her pretty face. Secret wasn’t going to have any mercy on the bitch taking everything from her. Secret felt like she was at war fighting for her territory.
“He’s married! I’m his fucking wife! You home-wrecking whore!” Secret growled from some place deep within. She sounded animalistic, and she acted just as bad.
David rushed over to the two women’s tangled bodies and tried to pull Secret off of his beautiful new woman. Secret was relentless. She had a grip on the woman’s hair so tight that each time David pulled her, the woman screamed out because Secret was pulling her hair almost out by the roots.
“Secret, you are going to jail! Security! Someone call security, now!” David belted out as he was finally able to pull his scorned wife off of his lover. Secret had a handful of the woman’s hair, and she had blood from the woman’s nose all over her sweat suit.
David dragged Secret over to the door kicking, scratching, and screaming. He pushed her out into the hallway, but it was no easy task. Secret took some of the skin off of David’s chest and arms with her nails. Secret could hear the woman speaking to the building’s security. They started heading in her direction.
“This shit is not over, David Johnson! It’s not fucking over!” Secret screamed through tears as the security guards surrounded her. David slammed his office door. With the sound of the door slamming, Secret was brought back to reality.
“Get off of me! I’m leaving!” Secret growled. “Oh, my God, my kids!” she yelled, her body quaking with fear and anxiety. She had forgotten all about them again.
Secret took off running back toward the stairwell and the parking garage. When she got downstairs, she noticed more security guards standing by her car, shining a flashlight inside and peeking through the windows.
“I’m here! I just had to get something quick!” Secret called out breathlessly, trying in vain to straighten out her mangled clothes and hair.
The guards looked at her strangely. They noticed the blood on her and her wild hair. “The police are on the way, miss. I can’t let you leave,” one of the security guards said.
“I didn’t do anything. Move the fuck out of my way,” Secret growled.
The guard stood his ground. He was going to be a tough guy with no gun, no handcuffs, and just a flashlight. Secret could hear sirens in the distance. Desperate to leave before the police arrived, and totally out of control of her emotions, she punched the security guard in his face. Her blow caught him off guard, and he doubled over.
“Ahhh, bitch, you crazy!” he belted out, holding his cheek. The other guards rushed at her, but Secret pushed them to the floor, hopped into her driver’s seat, and screeched out of the parking lot just in time. The police cruiser whizzed right past her. With tears running down her face and a sense of relief that she hadn’t been arrested, Secret drove far away from the building. She slammed her fists on her steering wheel.
“Aggh!” she screamed. “Why? Why did he do this to me?” Secret cried.
Feeling lost and dejected, Secret drove straight to Andrea’s house. “Please be home. Please be home,” Secret said over and over as she pulled up to Andrea’s house. When she saw her cousin’s car outside, a sense of relief washed over her. Secret hadn’t told Andrea anything yet, but she knew her cousin would be pissed with David. She had never really cared for David anyway.
With her hands shaking, Secret dialed her cousin’s house number. When Andrea picked up, Secret just started hollering into the phone. She was crying so uncontrollably that Andrea couldn’t even understand what she was trying to say. Secret finally managed to tell her cousin that she was right outside.
Andrea rushed outside to the car. “Oh, God, Secret. What the hell is going on?” Andrea gasped when she saw Secret’s physical appearance. “Are you sick? In pain? What the hell?”
“He is leaving me!” Secret broke down and wailed. Her screaming caused the kids to start crying.
“What?” Andrea asked.
“He’s leaving me! It’s a bitch! Oh, God, what am I going to do, Andrea? I don’t have anything without him! I am nothing without him!” Secret screamed some more, this time louder and with more emotion behind her words.
“Shh. Okay, calm down, girl. You’re scaring these kids. C’mon. Let me take these babies inside,” Andrea told Secret as she started taking the kids out of their car seats.
Secret could not stop wailing. Her body shook all over. She felt like someone had died. The grief was so real it was palpable.
Secret followed Andrea and the kids inside the house. Secret watched helplessly as her cousin fed her kids and sat them down to watch cartoons. All Secret could do was sob and sob. She looked and felt pitiful. Her kids didn’t even want to be near her because she had already acted so crazy in front of them.
When the kids were settled in front of the television in Andrea’s living room, Andrea grabbed Secret by the hand and led her to the kitchen. Andrea pulled out a chair and helped her cousin sit down.
“Tell me what the fuck is going on, Secret. You drive over here unexpectedly, you look a mess, you were screaming like a nut, what the hell?” Andrea asked seriously. “I can’t make out what the hell is happening.”
Secret couldn’t even hold eye contact with Andrea. She was terribly embarrassed. Andrea had preached for years about not giving up her schooling and how Secret should be wary of giving David her whole self. Secret hadn’t listened, and now she was going to have to come clean. She’d pretended for years she had the perfect marriage, but Andrea always saw through it.
Secret had no choice but to be honest about everything. The one thing she didn’t want to do was lie to Andrea more than she already had over the past year. Secret broke down and told Andrea everything about what she had been going through with David. Andrea did not know that David had been staying away for weeks and months. She thought it was just more business trips. Andrea knew David was a shallow bastard, but she hadn’t suspected that Secret and David’s problems would’ve left her cousin like this. Secret always wanted everyone to think her life was charmed and enviable. Although she loved Andrea to death, Secret always wanted to be the one doing better than all of her cousins she had grown up with. She always felt like she had something to prove.
“Secret, why didn’t you call me right away? Why did you hide this?” Andrea asked, a little perturbed that her cousin had hidden what was going on and only after shit had come to a head did she confess everything.
“I was sure he would stop. I was sure after I almost died getting surgery for his ass that it would work out. I just didn’t want to turn everyone against him and then have shit work out between us. I hope you understand. These past few weeks since I got out of the hospital have been hell, and I was embarrassed,” Secret sobbed.
“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry,” Andrea said sympathetically, touching Secret’s hand. She reached out and embraced Secret. She held Secret and let her cry. Andrea told her she would be there for her through everything that was happening. It wasn’t any different than when they were kids. Andrea
would try to protect Secret.
After about an hour of straight sobbing, Secret was finally calm. Andrea had made some chamomile tea for the both of them, and they were talking about Secret’s options and the things she should ask for during the divorce proceedings. It had taken Andrea a while to first convince Secret to accept that David was leaving, and then that she needed to take his ass to the bank if he wanted to just up and leave her with two kids and a mortgage.
As they discussed things, Secret’s cell phone began ringing. She looked at it, and her eyes grew wide. A quick pang of excitement mixed with fear flitted through her stomach. She looked over at Andrea like a terrified yet excited child.
“It’s David,” Secret said to Andrea before she decided to answer the phone. Secretly, Secret was hoping David was calling to say he had made a big mistake, he was sorry for everything, and he was coming back.
“Are you going to answer it?” Andrea asked.
Secret slowly picked up the phone and answered the call. “Hello,” she croaked out, her throat desert dry and her heart beating like crazy.
“Just so you know, I have gotten a restraining order against you. If you come within three hundred feet of this building, you will be arrested. You are lucky I have a real woman who didn’t press charges on you because of the kids. Now stay the fuck away from me!” David barked into the phone. He was speaking to her like she was a stranger in the streets who had robbed him or something.