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  “Do it, Abby, or else I’ll shoot! I don’t give a damn that you’re still my wife, I will blow your damn head off if you don’t put that down!”

  I stood in total disbelief. The man I had been with for all these years was now threatening to kill me over some fucking dope? Was he serious? This wasn’t how it was supposed to be, and as tears streamed down my face, all I could do was tell Malik how much I hated him.

  “You’re disgusting,” I shouted. “I guess you’re okay with shooting me, right in front of your own daughter! What kind of man are you, Malik? What has gotten into you, and what did I ever do to you to deserve this?”

  Malik turned around, seeing that Kendal was indeed in the doorway. She was crying her heart out too, but she didn’t say a word to Malik. He, however, tried to turn all of this on me, as if it was my fault that he decided to become a drug dealer.

  “Listen, baby girl,” he said, shifting his head from me to her, “you don’t know what kind of woman your mama really is. All she did was complain about bills, and now that I’m trying to make a decent living for us, she’s still complaining. It is my responsibility to take care of you. I want to have the means to buy you anything you want. Like that coat you showed me the other day. I want you to have that coat, and when Christmas rolls around, you will have it. Don’t listen to your mother when she tells you I’m a bad person. I’m not, and your daddy will always take care of you, okay?”

  Malik had fed Kendal a bunch of bullshit. I hoped she wasn’t falling for it, but when she nodded her head, I wasn’t so sure.

  “Kendal, go back into the kitchen and finish the puzzle. You don’t need to listen to his lies, and trust me when I say I’ve heard enough.”

  Kendal listened and walked away from the door. That was when I called Malik’s bluff about blowing my brains out and busted the bag of marijuana wide open. Marijuana spilled everywhere, particularly on the carpeted floor and on our sheets. Malik looked at the floor with bugged eyes.

  “Shall I get a vacuum for you to clean this up?” I asked.

  He dropped the gun on the dresser and ran up to me. “Fucking bitch!” he shouted. “Do you know what I had to do to get that shit? Do you have any idea how much it’s worth? I could kill you right fucking now, Abby! What in the hell is wrong with you?”

  “It’s funny that you asked, as if you don’t already know. You’re what’s wrong with me. I had high hopes for us, Malik, and never did I think there would come a time when I classified you as a poor excuse for a man. I’m sorry about your little weed, but the next time you want to bring that shit here, you’d better well think again.”

  Just as I got ready to leave the room, I heard hard knocks on the front door. I turned to Malik, who instantly panicked.

  “Get . . . Go get Kendal and go hide in a closet. Any closet and don’t come out until I tell you to.”

  “Who is that at the door?” I questioned. “The police? If it is, good. Let me go open the door, so they can come in here and arrest you.”

  Malik rushed up to me, grabbing my arm. “Hell no, that’s not the police! Do what I fucking told you, bitch, and stop all this foolish talk about having me arrested. If you don’t listen to me, yo’ ass is going to be dead!”

  Now fearing for my life, and after listening to several more bangs on the door, I hurried out of the room to go get Kendal. She was already standing in a corner, shivering and afraid of the person cussing through the door.

  “Malik, I know you got my shit!” the man shouted. “Open the fucking door, or I’m gon’ kick this muthafucka down, come inside, and beat yo’ ass!”

  His words were enough to have Kendal and me running to a closet. I wanted to call 911, but the cordless phone was somewhere in my room. Malik thought the shit was funny. He laughed at the man, telling him that if he entered our home without permission, there would be a bullet waiting for him on the other side.

  “Don’t tempt me,” Malik said. “You’d better leave now or leave in a goddamn body bag!”

  There was a long silence before we heard a crashing sound that traveled all through our quivering bodies. I held Kendal tight; she held me tighter. We could hear Malik and the man arguing over whose dope it really was.

  “I can’t believe you took my shit!” the man yelled. “I want it back right now, or else you need to up my fucking money!”

  “I don’t have your dope, and I suggest you go talk to that nigga Lendon who talked about robbing yo’ ass just last week! You are barking up the wrong tree. I don’t steal from Negroes who don’t have nothing that I want. But before you exit, you will have to drop some paper on the table to fix my door!”

  “Fuck you and that door. I’m going to go see what’s up with Lendon, and if the evidence leads me back here, I’m coming for you, Malik. You can be sure that I’m coming for you.”

  Malik didn’t reply. He was all talk and no action. I wanted to tell that man where he could find his dope, but for now, all I wanted was out of here. As soon as I heard the man speed away, Kendal and I rushed out of the closet. I didn’t have time to argue with Malik, and before that man came back, we were out of here.

  “Grab your suitcase,” I said to Kendal. “And pile it high with everything you want to take with you. We’re not coming back here again, so please don’t forget a thing!”

  Kendal went to her room, I went back to mine. I grabbed two suitcases from the closet, tossing them on the bed. Malik looked at me as if I was the one who had lost my mind.

  “Are you going to help me get this shit off the floor or not?” he asked, referring to the marijuana.

  I couldn’t help but to laugh as I started throwing some of my clothes into the suitcase. “You really shouldn’t get high off your own supply, Malik. Obviously, that’s what you’ve been doing because you have totally lost your mind.”

  He continued to rant as I piled my suitcases so high, I was almost unable to close them. I snatched them off the bed, and as Kendal awaited me in the hallway, I didn’t bother to say good-bye or good riddance to Malik. I never wanted to see his face again, and it wouldn’t bother me one bit if I didn’t. I was not only disgusted with him, but also livid with myself for falling in love with a man like him. My parents taught me better than this; therefore, I knew I deserved better. I guess we all make mistakes, sometimes, when it came to relationships, but I’d be damned if I ever allowed another foolish man like Malik to enter my life again.

  Those were my thoughts as I left home that day. After Malik and I were divorced, I got the house, threw out everything that belonged to him, including memories that were oftentimes bad. I knew Kendal was a little upset with me about my immediate action, but she just didn’t know what a letdown Malik had truly been to me.

  * * *

  Kendal didn’t arrive home until nine thirty that night. I was waiting for her in her bedroom, while sitting on her bed. Her yearbook album was on my lap—I had been paging through it, looking at her photos that resembled me.

  “I apologize for being late,” she said, tossing a duffle bag on the bed. “Tammi’s car stopped working, so I had to wait until her mother got home.”

  “If that was the case, why didn’t you just call me to say that? I could have driven to Tammi’s house and picked you up.”

  “I didn’t know if you would be here. You’re always with Brent on the weekends, so I thought you had plans.”

  “I’m not always with Brent, and regardless, you should have called to let me know something. If you didn’t want to call me, you could have sent a text message, or you could have reached out to your father like you’ve been doing.”

  Kendal didn’t respond. She walked over to her closet, sliding it aside. She removed a long shirt and her house shoes.

  “Why didn’t you tell me you’ve been speaking to your father? And has he given you any money?”

  “I don’t care to talk about that right now. I just want to take a shower and get me some sleep because we stayed up all night watching TV.”

&nbs
p; “You don’t get to decide what’s up for discussion around here. I asked you a question, and I want some answers.”

  She released a deep sigh and started to remove her tennis shoes. “Mama, I said I don’t want to talk about it. Every time we talk about him, you always start fussing and saying things that I really don’t want to hear. I’m tired. All I want to do is get some rest.”

  I laid her yearbook on the bed, then stood with my arms crossed. “You go ahead and get your rest, but in the morning, we will talk about what Malik told me today. I saw him at Soulard. He made it clear that the two of you have been talking. Talking bad about me, and just so you know, I don’t appreciate you telling him about things that go on here. It’s none of his business.”

  Kendal shrugged as if none of this mattered. It did to me, because I thought she hadn’t spoken to him since our divorce. And if she had spoken to him, why wouldn’t she tell me?

  “He loves to get you all worked up, and when does it stop, Mama? Our conversations have been brief, only because he’s the one who talks negative, not me.”

  I wanted to push, but I was so on edge right now that I knew the timing wasn’t good. I needed to clear my mind and deal with this in the morning.

  * * *

  I tossed and turned all night. Couldn’t sleep for nothing because my mind was on Brent. He hadn’t called me all day. I reached out to him twice, but my phone calls weren’t returned. He had never done anything like this before. I wondered what in the hell was going on, especially when I got a lame-ass excuse from him the following day about how “busy” he’d been.

  “I was in meetings all day. Barely had time to grab something to eat. By the time I got back to my hotel room, I was exhausted. I hope you’re not upset with me.”

  I was, but he didn’t have to know it. “Why would I be upset with you? If your meetings ran over, so be it.”

  “You sound a little upset. I can hear it in your voice.”

  “I’m just concerned about a few things with Kendal, that’s all. It has nothing to do with you.”

  “Anything I can do to help?”

  “Nope. Just hurry home. I miss you, and Thursday can’t get here soon enough.”

  “Friday,” he said, correcting me. “I won’t be back until Friday evening. Hopefully, we can have dinner. I’ll let you know for sure.”

  It was a good thing that he couldn’t see me roll my eyes. “Friday sounds good. Let me go ahead and finish my breakfast. I’ll try to call you later, okay?”

  “Okay, sweetheart. Tell Kendal I said hello, and I hope everything works out between the two of you.”

  “It will. Thanks.”

  My tone was dry, and Brent could sense it. I was trying so hard to believe the things he’d said, but for the first time in our relationship, I had bad vibes. Maybe things would get better when he returned. I surely hoped so. In the meantime, I suspected that this would be one of the longest weeks of my life.

  Chapter Three

  The week had gone by too slowly. Brent and I talked two or three times, that was it. As for my conversation with Kendal, it was brief as well. All she said was that she had spoken to Malik twice. According to her, there was nothing else that needed to be said. I attempted to avoid any arguments with her, simply because I was already hot about Brent. He’d given me the cold shoulder. I didn’t like it one bit. He was supposed to return this evening, but he called me this morning to say he was back in town already.

  “See, I came home early, just to see you. I hope we’re still on for dinner this evening, because I have something very important that I need to speak to you about.”

  I was at my desk with the phone pushed up to my ear. “If it’s that important, why don’t you come to the store? I’ll leave, and we can do lunch around one or two.”

  “No, I’d rather wait until later. My work has gotten a little behind. I’m on my way to school to pick up some students’ papers I should have graded before I left.”

  “Okay. Go ahead and handle your business. I’ll see you around seven or eight tonight.”

  “Eight would be great. I miss you, and I can’t wait to see you.”

  The enthusiasm in Brent’s voice just wasn’t there, but that could have been because he sensed my attitude. It had been there since his first phone call, but I was sure that we would clear the air tonight and move on.

  I decided to take my lunch break around noon. Bread Company was always packed around that time, but I was in the mood for a chicken Panini and soup. I drove to the restaurant, but when I saw the long line stretching outside of the door, I changed my mind. I drove down Brentwood Blvd., looking for something else to eat. Nearly every place seemed crowded, but just as I got ready to park my car and go into Chipotle, I saw Brent parking his car on the other side of the parking lot. I didn’t want him to see me, so I ducked in my seat, shielding my eyes with glasses. Brent was on his cell phone as he walked across the parking lot, not really paying attention to his surroundings. I wasn’t sure where he was headed—possibly, to get something to eat like I was. There was also a chance that he was meeting someone. I chilled for a moment to see if another person showed up, especially since he halted his steps in front of the strip mall. He was still on the phone, but he appeared to be looking around for someone. I was nervous as ever, and if a female showed up, I wasn’t sure what I would do. But minutes later, Brent ended his call. He tucked the phone in his pocket, then walked several stores down to a jewelry store that had been in business for years. My heart started to race. Why did he go into a jewelry store, especially when he didn’t wear much jewelry? I was so curious that I hurried out of the car but was careful not to be seen. I lowered my head as I walked by the huge windows that provided a clear view of the inside. And in one quick glance, I saw Brent standing at the counter, talking to a woman behind it. I moved all the way to the last windowpane, then stood still. I pretended as if I was looking for someone in the parking lot, but on occasion, I turned my head to glance inside of the store. Brent stood in front of a case that had wedding rings inside of it. The woman was all smiles. She kept nodding her head at him. The only person that ring could have been for was me. Brent was making plans to propose. That’s why he wanted me to come over tonight. I was so ecstatic that I wanted to cry. I wanted to rush inside and tell him yes yes yes! I couldn’t believe this was happening, and even though I had probably ruined the surprise, I was still shocked, more so happy, to be Mrs. Brent Carson.

  Just so he wouldn’t see me, I rushed back to my car, deciding to skip lunch altogether. Instead, I went to the gym to work out. It helped me calm myself down. I was so mad at myself for ever doubting Brent. It was a good thing that I didn’t tell him how upset I was about not speaking to him while he was away. That would have probably blown everything up in smoke. Silence was golden—sometimes. In this case, it surely was.

  I was so hyped that I didn’t want to stay at work. When I returned, I told the assistant manager that I wasn’t feeling well and needed to go home. I was already off for the entire weekend. I assumed Brent and I would be celebrating our new proposal. We would have the best time ever as a married couple, but the first thing I needed to do was sit down with Kendal and tell her what was about to happen. This would certainly affect her life, and the way she’d felt about Brent had to change.

  Kendal had a half day at school, so she was there when I got home. I walked into the kitchen, where she was sitting at the table eating and watching TV. She looked at me as if she was surprised to see me.

  “What are you doing home so early? I thought you weren’t getting off until six?”

  “I was supposed to work late, but something came up. Something I need to talk to you about because it’s very important.”

  “From the look on your face, I can tell that it is. Are you worried about something?”

  “No, I’m not worried about anything. Actually, I’m real happy. Something happened earlier, and I think Brent may propose to me tonight. I’m not completely sure,
but I have a deep feeling that he’s going to ask me to be his wife. How do you feel about that?”

  Kendal shrugged and looked out the window as she spoke. “I don’t care what y’all do. I guess it doesn’t matter that I don’t like him, but whatever. As long as you’re happy, it is what it is.”

  Just as I was about to take a seat to discuss this more with Kendal, the doorbell rang. She rushed to it. I followed right after her.

  “Are you expecting someone?” I asked. “You know you’re not supposed to have company if I’m not here.”

  Kendal appeared nervous. And when she opened the door, I certainly knew why. There was a young man standing on my porch with a basketball tucked underneath his arm. He looked past Kendal and directly at me.

  “I . . . I thought you may want to come outside and play basketball,” he said, then shifted his eyes to Kendal.

  “No, not right now,” she said. “Maybe later.”

  “Not now, not later,” I said, knowing darn well that he wasn’t here to play basketball. “How old are you, and how do you know Kendal?”

  She turned to me. “Mama, please. You don’t—”

  “Close your mouth and move out of the way. I asked him a question, and I want some answers.”

  “We go to school together. I’m seventeen.”

  “What’s your name?”

  “Micah.”

  “Great. Micah, Kendal is on punishment. She can’t have any company, especially when I’m not here. So, good-bye.”

  He walked away, and I shut the door. Kendal marched back into the kitchen with an attitude. “You didn’t have to be so mean to him. All he wanted to do was play basketball.”

  “Basketball, my ass, Kendal. You didn’t know I was coming home early, so you invited him over here. I wasn’t born yesterday. In case you forgot, I used to be a teenager before too.”