Secrets of a Side Bitch (10 page)

Tammy

As I lay in bed in the darkness of the guest bedroom, I could hear commotion outside of my bedroom door.

              It was a little after midnight. Donte had gone out to have drinks with some of his friends, so I assumed that he had come back drunk and was stumbling through the hallways, knocking over shit.

             
At first, I was just going to lie there. I was still pretty offended at the way Donte treated me after the last time we had sex. Ever since that night, I did my best to avoid him, and had even begun making other living arrangements.

             
But Donte was making so much noise out there that I figured he must need some help. Climbing out of bed, I slipped on a pair of shorts and tiptoed through the darkness of the bedroom towards the closed door.

             
Upon opening the door, I was met with a dark shadowy figure that I first assumed was Donte. Instantly, I thought the nerve of him to be trying to come into my bedroom drunk trying to fuck.

However, as soon as our eyes met in the darkness, I knew it was him. I could even recognize the smell of his skin.

              “Jimmy, no!!”

             
Immediately, I tried to hurry back into the room and close the door, but he bombarded his way past the wooden door. I fell from his attack.

I was kicking fearfully and curdling screams dashed from my throat. “
Help! Sombody help me, please
?!”
              Jimmy was able to easily grab both of my feet. He began to drag me out of the room as he spat, “Bitch, I told you I would find you! And you livin’ with a nigga?! I’mma kill yo’ ass!”

He quickly charged through the condo, dragging my body along with him.
The carpet burnt my face as he drug me down the hall. He so violently flung my body that my face and body banged into tables, chairs, and doorways.

“Heeeeeeeeelp!”

As soon as I yelled as we passed an open window, Jimmy kicked me in the stomach. “Shut the fuck up, bitch!”

Nausea swam
inside of me as ghastly pain engulfed the insides of my abdomen and went straight to my ribs.

I didn’t understand. As Jimmy and I wrestled inside of the living room, I didn’t understand how a man could love a woman with the same hands that he
was willing to kill her with.

“You comin’ with me!” Jimmy was trying his best to get me towards the front door. No matter how much he kicked and punched me, I fought back. I couldn’t leave out of that condo with him. I
knew that if I did, I was going to die.

Suddenly, light shone into the living room. It looked like the same light that I saw when I thought Jimmy shot me. It looked
like the light that people say you see when you are about to die. Except God wasn’t at the end of the light. Donte was. Now that light was inside of the condo, Jimmy and I were able to see each other for the first time. He looked possessed. I wondered if he was on drugs as he stood over me, still holding one of my feet, as he perspired heavily.

He looked crazy as hell.

Seeing Donte only infuriated Jimmy even more. When Donte went to attack, Jimmy simply reached into his waistband. The time it took him to aim and shoot was milliseconds. Immediately Donte fell face first onto the carpet. My screams shot through the condo like the piercing sound of nails on a chalk board. Without even wondering if Jimmy would shoot me next, I took the opportunity and ran into my bedroom. I closed and locked the door behind me.

I was crying hysterically and saying, “Oh my God,” over and over again as I grabbed my cell phone off of the bed.

As I dialed 911, I could hear the front door slamming.

Assuming
that Jimmy left, I ran back into the living room. Luckily, Jimmy was really gone. I thanked God and quickly maneuvered around Donte’s unconscious body, pushing the couch in front of the door in case Jimmy came back.

“911. What is your emergency?”

              “Somebody has been shot. I need help.” Fear had gone out of the window. I was no longer crying. I was in survival mode– for me and for Donte. I hovered over him, not wanting to move him just in case I would cause more damage. Blood flowed onto the cream carpet around him. As the 911 operator got the address from me, I felt for a pulse. Thankfully, there was one, but it was faint.

             
I could only pray and ask God to spare Donte’s life… and mine too.

Simone

“Hello?”

              I was laying up under my man in a hotel room in downtown Cleveland. We had just finished having, what felt like, the best sex we’d ever had.

             
Clearly, I didn’t feel like talking to Tammy. But she’d called at least three times while me and Omari were having sex, so I figured it was important. Or it better had been.

             
I knew that it was when I heard tears.

             
“Simone, he shot him.”

             
I sat up instantly. Omari was sound asleep next to me. He was even slightly snoring. But I was so wrapped up into him that even his snores were just as beautiful as he was.

             
“Who shot who?!”

             
“Jimmy! He shot Donte. Can you come up to hospital?”

             
Sighing heavily, I put my head in my hands. “Oh my God. Are you serious?! I’m in Cleveland with Omari. We’re coming back first thing in the morning. Is Donte okay?”

             
“I don’t know yet,” Tammy answered barely. She could hardly speak through her heavy cries.

             
Then, Tammy began to fuss. “I don’t need anything. I’m fine! I want to see Donte!”

             
I could tell that she was arguing with someone that was obviously trying to give her medical treatment.

             
“Tammy, did he hurt you?”

             
With a smack of the lips, she answered, “Yea, he banged me up pretty bad, but I’m okay. I just want to see Donte.” Again, she was crying and weeping uncontrollably. “He’s in surgery. He got shot in the chest. They haven’t told me anything.”

             
“What happened?”

             
“Jimmy got into the condo…I have to go, Simone. The detectives need a statement from me.”

             
“Is someone there with you?”

             
“I’m going to call my mom.”

             
“Call me back if you need me.”

             
I hung up not believing the lengths that Jimmy was willing to go all because Tammy didn’t want to be with him. I looked at Omari wondering would he ever be that obsessed about me. I reached over and touched his face softly, admiring every feature of his gorgeous skin. I traced his lips, admiring the masculinity and fullness of them, and wondered if when those lips said I love you, if he meant it.

             
I still had suspicions that he was involved with someone else. Even though I followed him home that night, I was only able to see where he lived, not if anyone was inside of the house with him. Despite my women’s intuition, I didn’t care. I wanted him, other woman or not.

I
longed for the day that a man was as passionate about me as Jimmy was about Tammy. I looked at Omari, sleeping beautifully with his arm still wrapped around my waist. At that moment, I vowed to myself that that man would be him.

E
leven

Tuesday, September 23, 2013

Omari

I was nervous as hell. Even though Ching had attempted to calm my nerves about the Ron’s murder, I still couldn’t sit tight. So as Simone and I rode down I-65, I watched the side mirrors like a hawk. I felt like the law was coming. I just didn’t know when. I felt like a sitting duck and that was driving me crazy.

I was on edge.

So on edge that when the throw away rang, I damn near jumped out of my skin.

“
What up, Ching?”

“Everything all good?”

“Yea, we’re good.”
“Everything went smooth?”

Things
went smooth as hell. It was the easiest couple grand that I ever made. That morning, a couple Mexican guys met me at the hotel and dropped a hundred thousand for kilos I’d driven to Cleveland. They were super young and wasn’t a threat. They were most likely picking up the weight for an older kat. They were in and out in minutes.

“No worries.
On the way back.”

“Good shit. Look, gotta holla at you about something.”

Mentally, I cursed. Like I said, I was on edge and expecting the worse when it came to Ching and this fucking murder hanging over our head.

“You been putting money up or you been splurgin’?”

“Little of both,” I answered honestly with a slight laugh. “Told you I need to pay off mom’s crib.”

“Well, why don’t you put some bread together so you can start making some real change, nephew. You my blood. I fucks with you. You been putting in a lot of work for me. I don’t mind sharing the wealth.”

I really didn’t know what to say to that. I mean, it sounded good. But after that stunt Ching pulled I was real iffy on how I involved myself in his business. And I was really iffy on his motive to get me so deeply involved. I wondered if he was being genuine, or if he wanted me in so deep that I would keep my mouth closed because he was scared that I wouldn’t.

“I’ll think about it, man. I don’t have that much bread saved up.”

“Well, think about it and let me know.”

“Ah ight. I’ll be
by to see you with this bread in a minute. We’re about two hours away.”             

“Bet.”

After hanging up, I couldn’t help but marinate on what Ching just told me. Investing in his business would have put me in the position to make a lot more bread a lot faster. But at what cost? The little bread that I had accumulated had a murder rap hanging above it. I wasn’t down for anything else.

“I’ll help you, baby.”

I was so deep in thought that I damn near forgot that Simone was sitting over there.

“Help me with what?”

“Whatever money you need. I’ll help you.”

I smiled at her
eagerness. That’s why I fucked with her. She was so thoughtful. She was willing to stick her neck out there for a nigga with no nagging and no fussing. When I asked Aeysha to take this ride with me, she gave me every excuse in the book. Simone’s bags were packed before I could even get the question out good.

I chuckled at her though. It was sweet that she was willing to help
, but I no longer wanted to be in the position that I needed help, especially from a woman. “That’s sweet, but I’m good.”
              “C’mon,” she said, trying to convince me. “I have it. And I don’t mind. I’ll consider it an investment into us.”

She smiled so
genuinely, like she really meant that. As she looked over at me smiling seductively I couldn’t help but think how cute she was. As the sun shone off of her lip gloss, I couldn’t help but want her lips around my dick.

But the word “us” fucked me up.
She used that word too much for my liking. I never told her that we were officially in a relationship, nor had we ever even discussed it. But I knew women well enough to know that fucking them raw and telling them that you love ‘em makes you her boyfriend, whether you agree with it or not.

Honestly, being her man wasn’t a bad idea if it wasn’t for Aeysha. Like I said, Simone was
down for a nigga like no other woman that I ever met. She knew what she wanted and didn’t mind going for it. I could see myself with a chick like her.

A small part of my heart was rocking with Simone, but the biggest and most important part would always
be rocking with Aeysha.

Tammy

By the grace of God, Donte was alive. The bullet missed his heart by inches and hadn’t hit any major arteries. The bullet was removed during surgery. Though in critical condition last night, he had been upgraded to fair condition this morning and transferred out of ICU.

              He was even awake and asking for food, so I was in the cafeteria at Rush Medical Center getting him something to eat. I hadn’t left his side all night. Even as his parents and sisters came, I stayed right next to that bed, holding his hand and praying. I felt so guilty for putting him in this position. He was being a friend when he offered to let me stay in his home. As a result, all of my drama had caused so many problems. Not only was there now a strain in our friendship because I couldn’t keep my legs closed, but now he had gotten shot trying to protect me.

             
I felt like such a burden in his life.

             
My plan was to move out while he was in the hospital. The doctor said that he would be there for at least a week. I figured it would be less of an emotional rollercoaster for me if I left sometime that week.

             
I had feelings for Donte. I couldn’t deny that. And I couldn’t deny that they had gotten trampled all over when he so easily dismissed my attempts to reconcile the relationship we were building six years ago. On top of the stresses of Jimmy being on the loose, it was best that I leave. Even though moving in with my mother was like surrendering to Jimmy, it was my only option at this point.

             
It being my only option was validated when I walked into Donte’s hospital room carrying yogurt, granola, fresh fruit, and orange juice. As I sat the food tray down on the bed table, I looked closely and curiously at the woman standing beside his bed, holding his hand, and kissing his cheek.

             
Although she automatically acted as if she knew who I was, I surely didn’t recognize her as being any of his siblings or cousins. She was way too old to be a niece.

             
“Oh, hi! I’m Kennedy, Donte’s girlfriend! You must be Tammy!”

             
Like me, she was mixed. I could tell that it had to be with African-American and Dominican. She was tall, slim, and fit. Underneath her maxi dress that swept the floor, I saw the outline of perky breasts and curvaceous hips. Her long hair fell in natural kinky curls that framed her tan face.

             
Curiously, I looked at Donte who was definitely avoiding my eyes. Then, I noticed suitcases in the corner of the room that weren’t there before.

             
“I just flew in, girl. I couldn’t catch a plane quick enough when Donte’s mom called and told me what happened! I can’t believe that crazy motherfucka is actually after you like this. But I know you’re glad that your cousin has been there for you. When Donte told me that his little cousin was moving in with him because her ex was trying to kill her, my heart really went out to you.”

             
I couldn’t say shit. Literally, I was speechless as this airhead bitch went on and on, not even noticing my discomfort or the blatant awkwardness spread all over Donte’s face.

             
I literally could not rationalize what the fuck was going on. Her words sounded muffled as she spoke to me like she knew everything about me. I could only reach for my purse and literally walk out of that room as she continued to speak so freely about her
boyfriend
. I could hear Donte attempting to smooth over my exit as I walked out of the room, but even his voice was muffled by the sounds of the contents of my stomach coming out of my body through my throat.