Chapter 11 #2
I adjusted myself in my chair. “I didn’t know who it was at first. Bully took care of it.
He said she was a crackhead, and I believed him until I saw her sitting behind us in court.
” I paused, seeing if he was gonna chime in or adjust in his chair, but he didn’t flinch.
“Do you know who it could be? I know you saw her in court.”
Gio shook his head. “Nah, boo, I don’t know who it was.”
I stared at that lying ass nigga. I wanted to jump across the table and beat his ass, but I couldn’t; I just held back my tears.
“Gio, please don’t lie to me…please, baby.”
Gio smirked, like he had everything under control. “Baby, you know damn well I don’t want any other bitch. You are my heart.”
“T.” That was the only thing I said.
He adjusted in his chair.
“Why did you say his name?”
I laughed. “HIS, HIS name is Gio.” I gathered myself, realizing I raised my voice. “I found your phone while I was getting the house packed the other day. Your lil’ bitch Trina sent a picture of y’all two to it.”
Gio leaned over the table, trying to grab my hand, and I pulled away.
“How could you do that to me, Gio? Spending the night with the bitch, taking her places, paying the bitch rent! Three fuckin’ years, Gio! How could you?”
Gio stared at me as tears fucked up my makeup. He got me some tissues and stared at me as I wiped them away.
“Islah, baby, I never meant to hurt you. I swear it was nothing like that—”
“Then what was it, Gio?”
He looked around. “I can’t talk about that in here. We can talk about this when Groom gets me out.”
I shook my head. “No, Gio, we can’t. This will be the only time we talk about it because I’m done—”
He tilted his head at me. “No, the fuck you are not,” he shot back.
I blinked, took a deep breath, and continued.
“I’m leaving you, Gio. You had a bitch on the side for half of our relationship, a bitch that is so delulu she thought you were gonna leave jail and go to her.
You were paying rent for a bitch in a house while we were in an apartment, while telling me to thug it out with you. No, Gio, I deserve more—”
“And you do,” he chimed in. “I never meant to put you through shit like that, but I promise you, shit with that bitch has been done. She just can’t take no for an answer. Just tighten up out here, boo, you know I don’t play ‘bout you—”
“But you play with me?” I asked.
“Islah, I promise you, baby, that bitch don’t mean shit to me. She never did!”
I stared at him for a second before I let the words come out of my mouth that would change us.
“Gio, I’m done—we are done. I’m out here making sure you are taken care of the whole time you played with me. I think you out trappin’, and you laid up with a bitch. I don’t—I will not deal with that.”
I stood up, and Gio didn’t move; he stared straight ahead as I was about to walk off.
“Islah,” he said, and I paused. “You are mine, WE are not over.”
I shook my head. “We are, and I’ma make sure of that.”
Gio laughed. “Come on now, baby, you know me. You sure you want to do this to yourself?”
I walked back so that he could see my face, and I bent down to look him in his eyes.
“Gio, I gave you seven years of my life, three of them you spent with a bitch on the side. I deserve the house, the marriage, the kids. I damn sure am not gonna wait for you to come home to play with me again. Goodbye, Gio, YOUR home and your shit will be waiting for you when you get out. Me and the money I made in the streets won’t be in it. ”
I walked off. The guard was about to open the door when I heard, “You will forever be mine. I’ll be seeing you soon.”
I stopped in my steps, but didn’t respond to him, and walked out to my car. As soon as my ass hit the seat and the door slammed, I cried. I cried like a baby. Gio was my heart. I loved him with everything in my body, but one thing I would never be is played in my relationship.
I got myself together, pulled off, picked up some food for my mom and dad, and headed to their house.
Once I got to my parents’ house, my mom wasted no time questioning why I needed to stay there when I got there. I couldn’t get the food laid out before she had popped a hundred questions out of her mouth.
I didn’t answer her at first; I didn’t know how to break my next steps to her.
She let it go until my daddy got home, and they both asked me what was going on.
I took a deep breath, put my fork down, and looked at them.
“I’m leaving Gio. I found out some things, and I don’t think I can let it go…”
My parents were in shock. I could see it all over their faces.
“So what are you gonna do?” my mama asked.
I shrugged. “Well, while he’s locked up, I’ma find me a place. I still have the nursing license that you reminded me about, so I can look for a job.”
My daddy nodded.
“Do I need to knock that nigga out?”
My mom and I laughed.
“No, Daddy, it is just time for us to go our separate ways. Like I said before, it’s things that I want to have that he hasn’t given me,” I said as I fidgeted with the ring he bought me on my finger, then slid my hand down in my lap.
My mama clocked me, I felt it. But she didn’t say anything.
“Well, baby girl, we just want you to be happy; that is what we always want. So as long as you are happy, we are happy.”
I hugged my parents, and we spent the rest of the evening smoking, sipping some wine, and reminiscing on old times, which helped me not think about Gio for a lil’ bit.
I didn’t know what was ahead of me, but I knew it wasn’t gonna include Gio. I was nervous because I knew me, and not falling back for Gio was going to be a challenge, but with him being locked up, maybe I could get a head start.