19. Alisha #3
I wasn’t sleeping on Brittany’s twin bed one more night.
My back had already filed a complaint. While they finished, I walked into the kitchen and finally ate my bacon gouda sandwich.
My phone sat on the counter beside me and was vibrating from notifications of new emails, and client messages.
There was something from my attorney. Nothing I felt like opening right then.
For once, I wanted to enjoy something before somebody else’s bullshit interrupted it.
When the delivery guys finished, I walked through the room with them and checked everything.
Everything looked good so I signed the delivery confirmation and thanked them before letting them out.
Then I went straight back to my bedroom and stood in the doorway.
“Okay, Alisha.” Now this felt like something, but the room still needed decorating.
Some cute curtains, pictures and maybe a bench at the end of the bed and a rug.
I wanted a big plant in the corner too. I opened the bags with my bedding and started making the bed with fresh white sheets and a soft comforter.
I had so many pillows because I liked my bed looking like nobody was supposed to actually sleep in it.
I fluffed everything, stepped back, then changed two pillows because they weren’t sitting right.
After that, I stood there with my hands on my hips, much better.
I sat on the edge of the mattress and laid back.
“Oh, yeah.” That mattress hugged me exactly how I needed it to, I stretched across the king sized bed.
There was plenty of room, nobody taking up my side.
Nobody stealing covers or breathing in my face.
I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling.
This was going to be my first night sleeping in my new bed.
That thought should’ve made me sad instead, it made me peaceful.
I had spent so much time thinking starting over meant losing.
Losing my marriage and the house and losing my best friend and the family I thought I had.
But nobody talked enough about what came after.
Getting your peace back and your own space.
Getting comfortable making decisions without wondering how somebody else felt about them.
Getting reacquainted with yourself, I liked this version.
She was tired and pissed off. A little bruised emotionally but she wasn’t stuck.
I pushed myself up and looked toward the dresser.
“Now I just need to unpack all this shit.” That part wasn’t nearly as exciting.
I started opening boxes anyway. By the time I finished, the room actually looked lived in.
I walked into the bathroom and washed my hands, then checked the time.
It was still early enough to make it to Chase Bank, I had one more thing I wanted to handle.
Deuce and I had joint accounts we’d used throughout our marriage, savings and household money.
Money accumulated while I was his wife. I knew exactly what was in them.
After speaking with my attorney and making sure every transaction was documented, I moved the money I could legally access out of our joint accounts.
I wasn’t hiding a dime, but I damn sure wasn’t leaving money sitting there waiting for Deuce to come home and start moving shit around before the divorce was settled.
He owed me. Call it whatever you wanted, cheating and humiliation fees.
Having me buy clothes for your secret twins fees.
Dragging federal agents and street niggas to my door fees.
Five years of putting up with Deuce’s bullshit fees.
I looked at the balance in my account and nodded, that’ll do.
He’d survive. Apparently, that muthafucka had enough resources to finance an entire secret life.
He could figure his shit out. I had Brittany to raise and I had plans of my own.
I signed the lease on the bigger location for my nail shop with more stations and better parking.
A separate room I could rent out. Enough space to bring in another nail tech and eventually add brows and lashes.
That felt better than revenge. While everybody else was still dealing with the mess they’d created, I was building something.
I had one more stop to make before going home and relaxing.
Finding Kim’s address wasn’t hard. I sat outside her place for a minute before getting out.
I wasn’t there to fight. I'd already beat her ass once. Plus there was nothing left to fight over. That was the part Kim didn’t know yet, I knocked on her door.
When she opened the door and saw me, her face changed.
“Alisha?”
“Hey, Kim.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I came to congratulate you.”
She frowned. “On what?”
“Winning.”
She looked at me confused.
“You wanted Deuce so fucking bad. Congratulations you got him.” I smiled.
Her expression changed, you could see the excitement on her face. “What are you talking about?”
“I filed for divorce.” The bitch looked like somebody had just handed her a winning lottery ticket, I almost felt sorry for her.
“You filed?”
“Yep.”
She crossed her arms. “Deuce loves me.”
“Okay.”
Her face twisted. “He does.”
“Then why are you telling me? I don’t care who Deuce loves anymore. That’s the part you never understood. You thought you were competing with me.” I looked her up and down. “There is no competition.”
“You came all the way to my house, though.”
“Because I wanted to tell you myself. You spent enough time involving yourself in my marriage. I figured you deserved the closing announcement.”
Kim rolled her eyes. “Deuce came to me.”
“And that’s exactly why you can have him.” She wasn’t expecting that. “A married man who left his wife and daughter at home to fuck you. A man who had his sister carry your babies because you couldn’t. A man who already told you he doesn’t want you or those babies.”
Her face tightened. “He was angry.”
“That’s your problem now.”
“Once the twins get here—”
“You’re still telling yourself those babies are gonna make that man love you?” I shook my head. “Kim, I don’t hate you enough to argue with your delusions.”
“Fuck you.”
I stepped closer with a smirk. “I don’t want Deuce anymore so stop measuring yourself against me.
Stop thinking you won something because my husband was willing to cheat with you.
” I paused. “You didn’t take my man. You accepted a man who wasn’t good enough for me anymore.
I deserve better than the shit you were begging for. ”
Kim’s eyes narrowed. “Get the fuck off my porch.”
“Gladly.” I turned, then stopped. “And when those babies get here, try focusing on being their mother instead of using them to make Deuce choose you.”
She slammed the door and I walked back to my car smiling. Kim could have him no returns. A few days later, Shante called. I stared at her name before answering.
“Hello?”
“Alisha.”
Her breathing sounded heavy. “I think I’m going into labor.”
I sat still of course she was.
“Grandma’s taking me to the hospital. I’m having contractions.” Then came the part that really pissed me off. “I’m scared, can you come?”
This bitch was still playing in my face. Still expecting me to show up and hold her hand while she delivered Deuce and Kim’s twins. She still thought I didn’t know.
“Yeah.” I kept my voice calm. “I’ll be there.”
The relief in her voice made me even madder.
“Thank you.”
I hung up. Oh, I was coming just not as her best friend. Grandma Lorraine was already in the hospital room when I got there. Shante was hooked up to monitors with an IV in her arm. She looked exhausted and Grandma looked relieved when she saw me. “There she is.”
Shante reached toward me. “Thank God.”
I looked at her hand and didn’t take it.
Her expression changed. “Alisha?”
I set my purse down. “How far apart are the contractions?”
“About six minutes.” She answered.
“And the babies okay?”
“So far.”
I nodded. “The babies.”
Something in my voice made Grandma look at me, Shante caught it too. I gave her one last chance. “Malik coming?”
She looked away. “I don’t think so.”
“Why not?”
“Alisha…Because he cheated?”
Grandma shifted and Shante looked at her. That shit right there pissed me off. That little look between them let me know that they thought I was still the dumb bitch in the room. “Look at me, Shante.” She did. “Did Malik cheat on you?”
Her eyes filled with tears. “No.”
I nodded. “Good at least you finally told me one fucking truth.”
Her face dropped. “Alisha—”
“Whose babies are you carrying?”
She started crying, but they shit didn’t move me. “Answer me.”
“You already know.” She winced in pain from the contraction.
“Say it.”
Her lips trembled. “Deuce and Kim’s.”
There it was out loud, I had known for weeks, but hearing her say it still hurt. “You let me walk around thinking those babies belonged to you and Malik.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You watched me buy shit for them.”
“I’m sorry.” She cried.
“You let me rub your stomach and talk about being their auntie.”
“I wanted to tell you.”
“Stop fucking lying!”
She jumped.
“You had almost nine months!”
“I was scared!”
“Of losing me?”
“Yes!”
I stepped closer. “Then maybe you shouldn’t have done something worth losing me over.”
Shante broke down. “You knew Kim was fucking my husband.”
“Yes.”
“You knew what I was going through.”
“Yes.”
“And you still agreed to carry their babies.”
“Deuce made it seem like—”
“Fuck what Deuce made it seem like.” I pointed at her.
“You were my best friend before I ever became his wife.” That was where my voice finally cracked.
“You were my sister.” Shante covered her mouth.
“I came to you when I thought my husband was cheating. I talked to you about how that shit was hurting me while you were carrying his babies with the bitch he was cheating with.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Sorry doesn’t fix that.”
“I love you.”
“Don’t tell me that.”