“I’m going over to Momma’s. When I get back I want your bitch, your kid, and your shit out my house. You hear me?” I stormed off to my car, praying that triflin’ bitch had left me enough gas to get to my momma’s.
I returned home around ten-thirty, just as pissed off as when I left. Derrick met me at the door holding a dozen roses. I just rolled my eyes at him and ignored the flowers he tried to hand me. He must’ve thought I was playing when I said I wanted him and his shit outta my house. Well, he was wrong. Dead wrong.
“I thought I told you to get out.” I glared at him.
“You did,” he said humbly. “But I wanted to talk. I wanna work this out.”
“I don’t wanna talk anymore, Derrick. I just want you to get the hell out my house. I can’t take this shit anymore.” I could feel tears begin to well up in my eyes. The last thing I wanted was to start getting emotional. I did not want him to see any weakness.
“Look, Jasmine. I’m sorry, ah’ight? I fucked up. I don’t know what I was thinking about. You have every right to be mad.”
“You damn right I have the right to be mad. You disrespected me, Derrick. You let that woman drive my car while I was taking the bus. Do you know how humiliating that is?”
“Look baby, I know I should have never let Wendy use the car. But she was just supposed to go to Food Lion and back. I didn’t know she was gonna joyride around Richmond. She knew I had to pick you up. Don’t you see? She was trying to fuck up things between us.”
“I’m sure she was, but you should’ve seen this coming. It’s not the first time she’s pulled some shit like this, Derrick. Why do you keep letting her come between us?”
“I gotta see my son, Jasmine. You know how hard she would make that if I told her she couldn’t come around? I gotta be nice to her, baby.” He was pleading with me to understand, but I’d had enough.
“Look, Derrick. I just can’t do this anymore. She’s been trying forever to fuck things up, and you just don’t seem to want to put a stop to it. You have no one to blame but yourself. Now pack your shit and get out my house before I call the police.”
“Baby, please don’t do this. Give me one more chance. I know that sometimes I let Wendy get away with things, but that’s because I don’t wanna lose Tyler. Please, baby, come on. Let me make this up to you.”
“No, Derrick. I want you out!”
“Damn! Why you gonna do this? I was gonna ask you to marry me tonight.” His voice was a mixture of anger and desperation, and although I was surprised, I almost believed him. Still, he’d fooled me before with his lies.
“Yeah, right. Do you really expect me to believe that crap?” I shook my head, chewing my bottom lip.
“It’s the truth. That’s why I bought the lobster tails and steak this morning. I was gonna make you a candlelight dinner; then right after dessert I was gonna propose.”
“You fucking liar. I don’t believe a word you’re saying. And I don’t appreciate you trying to play with my emotions like this.” I walked over to the door and opened it. “Get out, Derrick. Get the fuck out my house and don’t come back. I’ll have your shit sent to your mother’s.”
He walked to the door and stopped in front of me.
“You want me to leave? Okay, I’ll leave. But if I’m lying, why do I have this in my pocket?” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small jewelry box. My jaw dropped.
“Look. I can understand if you don’t want this. But I been waiting to do this all day.” He opened the box, and I almost fainted when I saw the size of the rock. It had to be at least three carats.
“Jasmine, will you marry me?”
There was a part of me that wanted to scream, “Yes! Yes! I’ll marry you.” But after everything that happened today with Wendy, there was no way I could say that. Sure, the ring and everything was real romantic, but things weren’t right between us. I was so tired of this triangle between me and him and his baby’s momma, and until he put a stop to Wendy’s shit, I couldn’t marry him.
“I’m sorry, Derrick, but I can’t. I can’t do it. I love you. I’m not gonna deny that. But I can’t marry you. Not the way things are.”
“Then I’ll change the way things are. I swear.”
“How? How you gonna do that? You gonna keep Wendy away from my house?”
“Yeah,” he nodded.
I’d heard his promises so many times, I wasn’t sure if I could really believe him. I glanced at the beautiful ring, then handed the box back to him.
“I’m gonna give you one last chance, Derrick. But I’m not gonna take your ring. At least not until I see some changes in the way I’m treated.”
He frowned as he took the box, but then he stroked my cheek and smiled at me. “Don’t worry, baby. You gonna be wearing that ring in no time. Things are gonna change. You’ll see.”
32
I’d been tossing and turning for two hours, thinking about Travis and how lonely I was without him, so I was not happy when the phone started ringing and woke me up just after I finally got to sleep. Damn Malek! He’d been calling nonstop the last few days trying to blackmail me into sleeping with him. I must’ve told him no a thousand times, but he wasn’t giving up. He was probably hoping that Travis would answer the phone so that he could blow up my spot again. God, I couldn’t wait till Derrick and his friends took care of his ass.
“Hello?”
“Steph?”
I recognized Travis’s voice right away and sat up in the bed. He’d been avoiding me for quite a while, stopping by the day care center to see the kids or coming to the house only when he knew I wasn’t gonna be at home. I mean, I can’t lie and say he wasn’t handling his business. He was paying the bills and leaving me money on the kitchen table. But he was definitely avoiding me, and it was getting frustrating.
“Travis, is that you, baby?”
“Yeah, it’s me. How are the kids?”
“They’re good. T. J. sat up today for the first time, and Maleka keeps asking me when you’re coming home. She misses you, Travis. And so do I.”
“Well, tell her I miss her, too.”
“Travis, where are you?” I was trying to hide the desperation in my voice. “I’ve been calling all over for you. The people at the base said you took leave. Are you all right?”
“I’m okay. I’m staying with a friend for a while. I had to get away and clear my head. Figure out what the hell I’m gonna do.”
“And did you figure it out?” I held my breath. I probably shouldn’t have asked that question, but I needed to know.
“Some of it. But I still have a lot of thinking to do.”
“Stop thinking so much and come home, Travis.” I begged. “I’ll do whatever it takes. I just want us to be a family again. I don’t want you at some friend’s house. I want you to come home.”
“I can’t do that, Steph,” he said flatly.
“What do you mean you can’t do that? Are you trying to tell me you’re not coming home? I don’t like the way that sounds, Travis.”
“Neither do I, Stephanie, but keep in mind, I’m not the one at fault. I’m the victim here. Remember?” I frowned when he said that. It was obvious he was still mad and probably would be for a while. I was going to have to play this carefully and be as humble as possible.
“What are you trying to say, Travis?”
“I think we need some time apart. Maybe we should date other people or something.”
“No, Travis. We’ve spent enough time apart. And I don’t wanna see other people. I want you to come home. Please, baby. Just come on home. I promise I’ll make it up to you.”
“How you gonna make it up to me, Stephanie? In the bedroom, under the sheets? What’re you gonna do, meet me at the door in a teddy?” Damn, he knew me better than I thought.