The Candy Shop Page 9

  “What makes sense?” I replied, turning slightly in his direction.

  “You were forced to resign, weren’t you?” he didn’t hesitate to ask.

  “No, I wasn’t,” I lied once more.

  “You’re lying, because I know how you loved working at that school. So, you would not have resigned on your own if your life depended on it.”

  “Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but no one forced me to resign,” I began saying. “I told you, I did it so I could spend more time with you and Kimora.”

  “You’re lying!” he roared once again.

  “Can you hold it down before Kimora hears you?” I pleaded.

  “You know what, Faith? I’ve got a better idea,” he said, as he took a step closer to me. “I’m gonna do you and I both a favor, and leave.”

  I turned all the way around and asked him where he was going. And in a cruel manner he told me he was going to his parents’ house and that he was also taking Kimora with him.

  “She’s not going anywhere!” I protested.

  “Oh yes, the hell she is. And please don’t try to stop me, because if you do, then you will be sorry!” he warned me.

  “What is that, a threat?” I snapped back.

  “Take it anyway you want, Faith. And while you’re at it, take it easy on our account because I will be watching it like a fucking hawk.”

  “I don’t care what you do! But, just remember that a lot of the money belongs to me too.”

  “Correction, the money belongs to the both of us, so I will not allow you to waste it away on drugs for you and your friend.”

  “Look, you don’t know anything about her, so please leave her out of it.”

  “Faith, I am not going to continue to argue with you about this shit. Just stay the hell out of the account!” he said once again, and then he left the kitchen.

  After Eric left the house, I hopped on the telephone and dialed up Teresa’s number. And once she answered the line, I briefly gave her the rundown of the argument Eric and I had just had, but also told her that I would be stopping by to talk more in depth. She gave me the okay and we hung up.

  Picking Pockets

  Teresa’s front door was unlocked when I arrived, so I didn’t hesitate to let myself in. As soon as I closed and locked the door, I walked a few feet down the hallway and heard Teresa moaning and groaning. So, I figured she was entertaining a male companion in her bedroom and headed into the living room.

  But little did I know. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to walk into the living room and see Teresa kneeling down on the floor before Lamont, with his pants pulled down around his knees. Now, this was the same nigga who slapped her ass around a few times and whipped her brother’s ass behind some money they owed him. So, to see her sucking on his dick like she really enjoyed it fucked my mind up.

  “Yeah, Tee, suck dis dick good,” he instructed her as he combed through her hair with his hands. “I want cha to show me how bad you want dis dope I got in my back pocket.”

  Reacting off his comments, Teresa engulfed his entire dick into her mouth. I mean, she took the whole thing in her mouth like it was nothing. The shit shocked the hell out of me. This girl was a fucking pro. But, I since I couldn’t stand watching her perform lip service for her next high any longer, I took a few steps backwards into the hallway and tiptoed into her bedroom. I figured that was the better place for me. Because the way things were going on back in that living room, it was just a matter of time before he busted off in her mouth, and I knew my stomach wouldn’t be able to take that kind of action. So, until the coast was clear, I would leave those two alone and give them as much privacy as needed.

  The moaning and groaning lasted about five more minutes and then all of a sudden I started hearing bits and pieces of commotion, so I stood up from the bed and planted my left ear against the bedroom door. And before I knew it, the bedroom door came crashing in on me with the force of Teresa’s weight. I instantly lost my balance and fell into her television set.

  “Ahh, shit!” I said moaning in agony. “What the fuck is going on?” I yelled, trying to regain sight of my surroundings. And when I realized what was going on, it was too late.

  Lamont was dead on top of Teresa’s ass. “I’ma kill you, you dirty bitch!” he yelled as he smacked her back onto her bed. And before I could react, he jumped on top of her and started punching her in every area of her face and head. So, I jumped to my feet and rushed to her defense.

  “Get off of her!” I screamed, pounding him in his back.

  “Mind your business, bitch!” he told me. And then without any warning, he single-handedly grabbed me by my neck and tossed me backwards. He slung me right back in the direction I came from. Poor little me; I plunged right back into the television. But this time, when I collided into it, I pushed the entire set and the Surround Sound speakers crashing to the floor, with me on top of it. And boy, did I feel like I was between a rock and a hard place. Struggling to get back on my feet was a very hard task at this point. But, as I watched Lamont physically beat Teresa with every inch of strength he had, I became more and more reluctant to muster up enough energy to get back up and help her. So, I sat there in total shock as fear and anxiety consumed my entire body. But thankfully, the beating didn’t last too much longer.

  Teresa was crying hysterically, using her arms to block as many blows as possible. And she was looking more and more helpless by the moment. So, when he got up from the bed and stood on his feet and said, “Try stealing from me again and see if I don’t splatter your brains all over this muthafucking apartment.”

  “I told you, I was sorry.” She sobbed.

  “Fuck dat! Just don’t try dat shit again,” he said once more and then he looked over at me. “And if you ever put your muthafucking hands on me again, or get in the middle of some shit I’m trying to straighten out, I’m gon’ splatter your shit too! You understand?”

  Now, with the amount of fear I had throughout my body, it was by mere luck that I was able to nod my head. And when he realized that I had acknowledged every word he had uttered, he turned back around toward Teresa and tossed two pills of dope at her. They landed on the bed near her legs and she didn’t waste any time to pick them up.

  “Dem two pills of dope right there ain’t for you sucking my dick, ’cause your mouth game wasn’t all that good,” he said with a chuckle, “But, I am giving it to you for taking that ass-beating like a man!” He walked out of the bedroom.

  Teresa looked over at me with the silliest-looking expression ever. It was apparent how she was feeling on the inside. So, I figured now wasn’t the time to blast her about yet another stupid move she made. Instead, I got up from the floor and embraced her the moment I sat down next to her on the bed.

  “How long have you been here?” she wanted to know.

  “Since you first put his dick in your mouth.”

  “Girl, I am so sorry I got you mixed up in my shit again,” she began to apologize.

  “Don’t worry about that. Just tell me what happened.”

  Clutching the two pills of dope tightly in her hands, she said, “Well, when I was giving him some head, I had one hand wrapped around his dick and my other hand trying to slide a few of them fifty-dollar bills he had sticking out of his front pockets. And the crazy part about it, is that I almost had ’em. But, my greed got the best of me. Because right when I was about to get that third bill, that’s when he realized what I was doing and went the fuck off.”

  “Why do you put yourself in those dangerous situations?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “But, look at your face. Aren’t you tired of getting your ass kicked by that nigga?”

  “If I told you was, you wouldn’t believe me.”

  “And you’re right about that,” I replied, using my hand to brush her hair back away from her face.

  “Do you know that I didn’t even get to finish sucking his dick?” she told me with a half smile.

  “Wou
ld you have wanted to after all that? I mean, look at you. You look a fucking mess, with all these cuts and bruises on your face.”

  “I know I do,” she replied and put her head down.

  “So, let me ask you, was all this worth it?”

  “Nope.”

  “Can I ask you another question?”

  “Go ’head,” she insisted.

  “What possessed you to make the arrangement of giving him a blow job for some fucking drugs?”

  “Because I didn’t have any money and I wanted to get high. I mean, it ain’t like I haven’t done it before.”

  Shocked by her candor, my reply to her was, “You’ve got to be joking, right?”

  “No, I’m not. I trick with Lamont all the time when I can’t pay him for his candy.”

  “Does he know you’re pregnant?”

  “No.”

  “But, why not?”

  “Because it’s none of business. And besides, he wouldn’t care anyway.”

  “Is there a possibility that he could be the father?”

  “Girl, nah! Every time I fuck him, we use a condom.”

  “Speaking of which, when are you going to get that abortion you keep hollering about?”

  “Soon.”

  “Yeah, I’ll believe it when I see it. And anyway, do you know that you can get him arrested for beating you up like this, especially since you’re with child?”

  “Do you know that nigga would have his boys run up in this motherfucker and blow my fucking head off if I ever called the police on him?”

  “Yes, I believe that, which is why you need to leave that bastard alone. Because the way he beat you a few minutes ago, he could seriously kill you and leave your body in here to rot for days.”

  “I wouldn’t ever let it get that far.”

  “Don’t fool yourself, Teresa. You have absolutely no control of that psycho motherfucker once he’s fired up.”

  “I know that. That’s why I’m only going to deal with him on a business level from here on out.”

  “After today, you shouldn’t want to deal with him at all.”

  “I’ll be all right.”

  “Okay, if you say so,” I replied in an aggravated manner.

  I got up from the bed and walked over to the television set so I could pick it up off the floor, but the damn thing wouldn’t budge. So, Teresa got up and lent me a hand. And once she put some of her strength behind it, it didn’t take us long at all to get it and both speakers back on the stand.

  “Damn, that TV was heavy!” I complained.

  “You tell me,” she commented.

  “Do you think it still works?” I asked as she attempted to plug the cord back into the outlet.

  Teresa pressed down on the remote control and waited for the television to turn on before she answered my question. “Yep. It still works.” she finally answered.

  “Good. Because I know if it was broke, you would’ve had me running you down to Circuit City as we speak.”

  Teresa laughed and said, “Come on, now. You’re my girl, so I would not have shit on you like that.”

  “That’s reassuring, considering the bullshit I had to endure earlier.”

  “Oh yeah, you’re talking about that fucking letter that came to your house about the drug test.”

  “Yep. And not only that, he had our bank statement sprawled across the kitchen and started questioning me about all the withdrawals I made from the ATM, only taking out seventy dollars at a time.”

  “What did you say?”

  “I told him I’ve been lending you money so you can get caught up on your bills. But, he wasn’t buying that shit, especially after getting that bogus-ass letter in the fucking mail.”

  “So, what did he say?”

  “He just kept pestering me to confess to having a drug problem. But, I wouldn’t. So, he stormed out of the damn house, like he always does, and took Kimora with him.”

  “Did he say where he was going?”

  “Girl, where else is he gonna go, but to his folks’ house?”

  “But, he’s always running to his parents’ house after y’all have an argument.”

  “I know. And this has been going on since we’ve been married.”

  “But, why?”

  “I can’t really say. But, I’m guessing he can’t handle the pressures that come with married life. So, he runs home to his parents like it’s his safe haven.”

  “It sounds like he’s intimidated by you.”

  “I don’t think he is now. But, his attitude did change a whole lot after I got promoted to the assistant principal position.”

  “So, what are you going to do now?”

  “Do about what?”

  “About cha candy use?”

  “I don’t know. But, I do know that he’s going to be watching our bank account like a hawk. So, whatever I do, it’s gonna have to be at a minimum. Unless I use my credit cards for cash advances. Other than that, we’re gonna have to be on a strict budget.”

  “Don’t worry about all that, because we’re going to be all right,” she assured me and then she pulled both pills out of her shirt pocket. “Now, come on, so we can get fucked up,” she continued.

  “Well, can we go to the kitchen and get you some ice for your face, first?”

  Teresa smiled and said, “Yeah, we can do that.”

  It is What it Is

  I had a feeling I wasn’t going to find Eric home when I returned from Teresa’s house later that evening, so I had already conditioned my mind that I was going to be sleeping alone tonight. However, I wasn’t prepared to find a handwritten letter left on the kitchen table by Eric. And as I began to read the contents of it, I realized why he felt that it was so important for him to express himself on paper, rather than talk to me face-to-face.

  Faith,

  As you already know, I am over at my parents’ house. And since I plan to be there for a short while, or at least until you can come clean with me about your addiction, I have packed a few items of my clothes, as well as Kimora’s. I feel that by doing this, I leave you no other alternative but to decide what is more important: your family or Teresa and those drugs.

  Trust me, I will not sit around and watch you tear your life apart. And I refuse to allow you to bring me and your daughter down with you. I have also decided to take my name off that joint account and withdraw all but one thousand bucks. So, do with it what you please.

  Now, you don’t have to worry about me telling my parents about your drug habit because I’m not in the mood to share your embarrassment. I will, however, let them know that once again we are going through some very difficult changes, which is why I elected to leave the house for a few days. So, if you want me to stick to this story I suggest that you stay away from me until you can be honest about everything. That means, stay away from my parents’ house too.

  If you want to speak with Kimora, I suggest you call. Other than that, leave me alone.

  Sincerely Yours,

  Eric

  Boy, was my mind blown away after reading that awful letter. But, what was really devastating was the fact that he packed up some of his clothes, which was a clear indicator that he was really ticked off with me. But then again, didn’t he always get pissed off about something I did that he didn’t like, and fly over to his damn parents’ house? So, this type of behavior was nothing out of the ordinary. He’d be back after his parents started to get on his damn nerves. But in the meantime, I needed to figure out a strategy. Because I wanted to keep the peace in my household, but at the same time I was not ready to give up the peace of mind I got when I got high. That was the only thing that kept me sane. So, he and I were going to have to come to a common ground. And until then, I was gonna do me just a little while longer. That’s just it!

  Before I went to bed, I called my in-laws’ house so I could tell Kimora goodnight. Mrs. Simmons answered the line and talked to me for a few minutes and then she passed the telephone to my baby. Kimora and I spoke
briefly about how much fun she’d been having thus far and wondered if I was going to come by. I told her no. But, I did assure her that she would be seeing me in a couple of days so. She was extremely happy about that and gave me a kiss goodnight.

  After my phone call ended with Kimora, I pressed down on the flash to get a clear line and dialed Teresa’s home number. Surprisingly, she answered on the fifth ring.

  “Hello,” she finally said.

  “Hey, what took you so long to answer the phone?” I asked her.

  “Because, I was in the shower.”

  “Are you done?”

  “Yeah, I’m drying off now,” she told me. “So what’s up?”

  “Girl, you will not believe what I found when I got home this evening.”

  “What was it?”

  “Eric wrote me a letter and left it out on the kitchen table, in clear view for me to find it as soon as I walked through the door.”

  “What did the letter say?”

  “It just said that he’s going to be at his parents’ house until I decide to be honest with him about my drug addiction. And for me stay away from him.”

  “So, how does he expect for you to see Kimora?”

  “He doesn’t give a fuck about me seeing her. But, he did give me the okay to call.”

  “Oh, he’s truly a fucking asshole!”

  “You tell me.”

  “So, have you spoken with her?”

  “Yeah. I just got off the phone with her a few minutes ago.”

  “How is she doing?”

  “Well, she said she was having a ball. So, I’m cool with her being there.”

  “Did you speak to him?”

  “Nope. His mother answered the phone. So, I spoke to her for a second and then she handed the phone to Kimora.”

  “Do you think he told her about y’all argument?”

  “Well, he told me in the letter that he wasn’t going to mention it to them because he didn’t want to share my embarrassment.”

  “Do you believe him?”

  “I figured if he did, then she would’ve said something in reference to it, ’cause one thing about Mrs. Simmons, she can’t hold water.”