Chapter 16
Just like that,we were back in the funk we were in before. I wanted to go to that nigga’s house and fuck him up. I wished Giselle would have taken action when I first told her to. She was being too nice to that nigga. The kids had been with us for a week, but once again, Gentry was on the back burner. It was like I didn’t exist, no matter how often I tried to insert myself.
I’d just gotten back from washing my car and getting my oil changed. When I walked through the back door, I could smell the Pine Sol. She’d been cleaning. I didn’t hear the kids though. Maybe they were taking a nap. I walked into the kitchen to get a bottle of water and noticed she had something cooking in the crock pot.
She used the fuck out of that thing, but I could see how it would be convenient when you had a lot to do. Just as I was about to lift the lid, she joined me in the kitchen. “I cooked a beef roast with potatoes. There’s cabbage and cornbread on the stove and potato salad in the fridge. I umm… We’re going to my mama’s house. We’ll be back later.”
“Oh, so I’m not invited?”
“I just… I need?—”
“Let’s talk about needs. I need my wife. The kids are here, and I still don’t have you. I’m supposed to be the man you lean on and trust to handle your heart, but you keep taking the shit back, Giselle. What do you want me to do? Shy said he would do his best for you. Why are you worried?”
“Because my claims don’t have evidence to support them. His claim that I married a man I don’t know does.”
I lifted my brows. My anger was boiling, and it was about to overflow all over her ass. “Well, we can solve that shit. You don’t seem to want to be here anyway. You never terminated the lease on your place either, like you were expecting us to fail. I’ll go get this shit annulled Monday.”
I halfway expected her to say something back… something to say she didn’t regret marrying me. Instead, she walked away and headed toward the steps. I couldn’t deal with this bullshit. Drama was a nuisance, but if she wouldn’t shut me out like I didn’t fucking exist, it wouldn’t be as hard to handle. We weren’t united in this. At this point, it seemed like she was going to leave me anyway to prove she deserved custody of her children.
I refused to follow after her. I grabbed my keys and burnt off, heading to my grandparents’ farm on Herold Hill Road. It was the place that gave me the most solace. As I drove, I couldn’t help but think about the time we spent in Honolulu. That was the best time of my life. We fucked all over that damn island. Her drive was just as strong as mine, if not stronger. The walks on the beach, visiting Pearl Harbor and other sights on the island, and taking surfing lessons only brought us closer that week.
It was perfect. We’d asked as many questions about each other as we could think to ask. Our get to know you phase was beautiful… only to descend to the depths of hell when we got back to Tallahassee. I hated this. I slammed my hand on the console, wishing she would have handled this shit better. Now I was back at square one, craving a family, but this time I was grieving the loss of one too. Turns out her pussy wasn’t enough.
When I got there and saw my mama’s car, I nearly turned around and went back home. I didn’t want her to see my failure. She had reservations about the whole thing, and this was proving that she had every reason to doubt what Giselle and I had blindly embarked upon. I got out of the car and made my way to the fence to go in through the back of the house.
After walking through the fence, I saw my mama and my daddy sitting at the picnic table with my grandparents, sipping tea and lemonade. My mama wasn’t a big tea drinker. “Heeeyyy! Look who the breeze blew in!” my grandfather exclaimed.
I chuckled as he approached me. After hugging my mama and slapping my dad’s hand, I hugged my grandpa. When he released me, I hugged my grandmother. “How y’all old people doing?”
They all chuckled as my grandmother said, “I got your old, nigga.”
I laughed. She was always a firecracker, the total opposite of my mama. I sat next to my mother, and she asked, “What brings you out here? Still having issues?”
“Yeah, but I think it’s over. I told her to leave.”
Her brows lifted. “Really? Giselle was so good for you. I saw a side of you I had never seen after you married her.”
“It’s her, but it’s mainly how she’s responding to the turmoil the father of her children have her in.”
“I thought the kids had moved in.”
“They did, but he filed for custody, something I’d been begging her to do. Just when she was finally gonna do it, he beat her to the punch. I’m tired of being ignored in my own house. She still cooks and cleans, but I can get you to do that.”
She frowned, causing me to laugh. That was what I needed. I didn’t come here to talk about Giselle. I came here to relax. Before she could respond, I said, “I’m going to the barn.”
“Of course you are,” my dad said with a chuckle.
I chuckled too and stood from the table, making my way there. My phone rang as I walked, so I pulled it from my pocket to see it was Giselle. I ignored the call and continued to the barn to spend time with the ones who understood me best.
When I got home,it felt empty as hell. Giselle had done just what I told her to do. She was gone. I noticed the crock pot was gone and Tupperware sat in its place. I walked over to it to see the roast in it and a note beside it. I closed my eyes, willing my emotions to stay in place. After taking a couple of deep breaths, I grabbed the note and opened it, seeing a slip of paper and the house key fall to the floor.
Gentry,
The ride was spontaneous, passion-filled, and beautiful. I fucked up the best time of my life. I know that, but I couldn’t control the way my body went into survival mode and pushed you away. It’s always been me and my babies, and I fall into that rhythm when problems arise. Of course, I needed my mama to inform me of that.
I came into your life with promises of being everything you needed. You upheld your end of the bargain, even when things got difficult. I’m sorry I was such a disappointment and a waste of money. Hopefully, this cashier’s check is enough to reimburse you. If it isn’t, let me know. I tried calling before making the final decision to leave, but you didn’t answer. That gave me the answer I was searching for.
I bent over and picked up the paper that had fallen to the floor to see a cashier’s check for fifteen grand. I slowly shook my head as a tear breached the levy I’d set up. Going back to the note, I continued to read.
You’re tired of the bullshit, and honestly, I am too. It wasn’t fair for you to even have to endure it. I know my life won’t be the same without you, but I’ve come to accept that decisions I’ve made will most likely leave me a single woman for the rest of my life. The way you took to my children moved me in so many ways. I can’t believe I’m saying goodbye, but I don’t deserve someone as perfect as you.
I hope you one day find what you were searching for and true happiness with the woman of your dreams. I guess I turned out to be a smoke screen, showing potential of who I could be but wasn’t just yet. I jumped the gun, diving into something I thought I was ready for, and it cost both of us… financially, emotionally, mentally, and physically. I feel like I broke your spirit too.
I’m so sorry, Flem. Just know that what you felt in Honolulu wasn’t fake. It’s who I strive to be… free, passionate, and loving. This situation with my kids zapped me of all of that. Clayton exposed my weakness, and he’s playing on it. I would do anything to keep my kids in my life, and that was one of the driving factors that had me take your advice.
Although I’m gone physically, you will always be in my heart, and I hope the good times we shared remain a beautiful memory for you after you can get over the failure of it all. I love you so much. This is killing me, but I know it’s something I have to do so you’ll have peace. I wish you the best and all the love I have to offer.
Elle
Tears were freefalling down my cheeks at this point. Her note touched my heart in ways I didn’t expect. I thought it would make me angry, but anger was the last emotion I was feeling. I was heartbroken. I dropped it to the countertop along with the check and wiped my face. This was it, and it was the most heartache I’d ever felt in my life.
After picking up the key, I walked to my bedroom, feeling an overwhelming heaviness in my spirit. Brokenness was something I’d never felt, and I realized it was something I never wanted to feel again. Just as I was about to get undressed to take a shower, my phone rang. It hadn’t rung since Giselle had called earlier. I’d spent hours with the animals.
I fed a lamb and held it for a couple of hours like it was my child. Then I rode one of the horses for nearly another two hours. The rest of my time was spent making sure the animals had everything they needed and practically petting every one of them, except the hogs. They were full of mud, doing their best to stay cool. The temperatures had been climbing, and I wished I could get in the mud with them to stay cool.
When I grabbed the phone, I saw it was the answering service. They only called when there was an emergency of some kind. I quickly answered. “Gentry Fleming.”
“Doctor Fleming, we need you at the office. Shakira is having a meltdown. Sasha was attacked by a possum. It doesn’t sound good.”
“I’m on my way.”
I ended the call and quickly grabbed my wallet and ran to get my keys. Possums carried all sorts of diseases… just like rats. I wasn’t in the right frame of mind for this shit, but I had to try to save her. If that possum bit Sasha, then she had to have attacked it first. Their first defense mechanism was to play dead or hiss when cornered.
I sped to my office, doing my best to focus on Sasha and how badly she could possibly be injured. I was more than sure her skin was at least punctured. Depending on how hard she was fighting back, she could be torn open. I knew Shakira was having a hard time. She loved that dog and treated her like a little kid.
When I got to my office, she was seated on the bench outside the door, holding Sasha in a towel. I took a deep breath and quickly got out and ran to them. I didn’t bother speaking. I simply unlocked the door, expecting Shakira to follow me inside. I went straight to an examination room to assess the damage.
I knew Sasha could possibly be feeling hostile, unless she’d lost a lot of blood. When she took the towel from around her, I could see blood, but it wasn’t as bad as I had mentally prepared for. I released a sigh of relief. “Shakira, thankfully, the wound doesn’t seem to be too bad. Since Sasha is up to date on all her vaccinations, she should be fine. I’m going to clean her up and prescribe antibiotics. You’ll also need to monitor her closely for the next ten days.”
“Okay. I was so scared. That’s my baby.”
She started crying all over again, so I extended my hand to her and pulled her closer. “It’s going to be okay. I promise.”
She nodded and wrapped her arms around my waist. “Thank you, Doctor Fleming.”
Before she pulled away, I kissed her forehead. Fuck! She stared up at me then backed away.
“I apologize. I’m just…” I took a deep breath. “I’m going through something right now, and I’m feeling slightly sensitive. Forgive me.”
She nodded and glanced down at my hand. I wasn’t wearing my wedding band. I’d never put it on today because I didn’t feel like I was someone’s husband. Going back to Sasha, I tried to get her situated, and that proved to be a task. She was frantically trying to get away from me. I was finally able to give her a shot, and once the tranquilizer kicked in, she was fast asleep. I took my time cleaning her and getting her stitched up. The wound needed five stitches.
I looked at the time to see we’d been here for two hours. As I pulled off my gloves then washed my hands, Shakira said, “Doctor Fleming?”
I glanced over at her and immediately felt guilty. I was still married, although we were separated. Legalities mattered to me. Legally, I’d devoted my life to Giselle King. My heart hadn’t gotten the memo that that was no longer the case. I was vulnerable, so it didn’t help that I was physically attracted to Shakira. “Yes, ma’am?”
“You love her. Don’t let what you’re going through distract you from that. You aren’t wearing your wedding band that I scoped out the last couple of times I was here.”
I took a deep breath the responded, “I do, but we’re done. She moved out today.”
Her eyebrows lifted slightly. “That still doesn’t equate to being done. You’re a great catch, and I’m more than sure she knows that. This season is only temporary. Mark my words. While I would love to accept your affection, it belongs to her and her only. She’s going to be back. Just keep your heart open to that, and everything will be fine.”
I lowered my head and took another deep breath. When I closed my eyes, I felt her hand on my cheek, gently stroking it. “I can see your hurt although you’re trying to mask it. You love her so much. Don’t let go of that. Fight for her. She needs to know that you haven’t given up on her. Okay?”
I opened my eyes and stared into her green ones. I swore this honey complexioned woman with these beautiful brown locs was showing me the shit I wanted from Giselle… the shit I was getting from Giselle in the beginning. Maybe she was right. We both jumped the gun. I would have met Shakira, and who knew? I could have been embarking on something with her. She seemed to have her shit together.
My head lowered toward her, and she put her fingers over my lips. “You belong to her, Doctor Fleming. Tell me her name.”
I closed my eyes again, and Giselle’s face appeared. “Giselle King.”
“Hmph. Is she a dental hygienist?”
My eyes popped open, and I backed away. “Yeah.”
“She’s a beautiful woman. How ironic is it that she cleans my teeth? She has been just as bothered, because the dentist had to come through and go over what she’d done. Here I thought she just wasn’t efficient. She’s in love and is in turmoil too.”
I licked my lips and took a deep breath. Shakira didn’t know the situation, and it wasn’t for her to know. Maybe this was some divine intervention to get Giselle and I back together. I didn’t know, but I supposed I had better wait around to find out. There was no way I could move on like this anyway.
“Thank you, Shakira. I appreciate your words of comfort and for stopping me from acting out my vulnerability.” I turned to Sasha to see her eyes were open. “She’s awake. I gave her Tramadol for pain, and I’ll also give you a small script for it along with one for the antibiotics. I believe she’ll be fine, but if you notice anything unusual, bring her in.”
“Thank you. I appreciate you for coming in afterhours to see about my baby.”
“No problem. Handle her tenderly. That suture is going to be sensitive, and she will bite to keep your hands off it. The stitches are under the skin and should dissolve completely in a couple of months. That’s the max time. They should dissolve sooner though. There will be some typical bruising and redness, as in she just had surgery. There may even be a little blood. Don’t be alarmed. If you have any questions, just call.”
She nodded and gently scooped up Sasha from the operating table. Typically, I didn’t allow clients back here while I was operating, but since no one else was here, if I needed something, she would have been able to assist me. I followed her to the door to let her out. Before walking out, she turned back to me, her green eyes boring into me.
“Thanks again. Remember what I said.”
I nodded as I pulled my bottom lip into my mouth, trying to calm the desire to kiss her pretty lips. She turned and walked out, and I made my way back inside to clean my mess. The minute I did, Elle’s face popped into my head. If what Shakira said was true, things would eventually work out. I just hoped I could keep my heart open and soft to accept her and her flaws in this situation and eventually move on from it like it never happened.