19. Alisha #4
I shook my head. “Because I would’ve never done this shit to you.” She cried harder. “And then when Malik found out and left, you lied on him too.”
Her face changed. “How—”
“I went to his car wash ready to tear his ass apart because my best friend told me he’d cheated on her.” Shante closed her eyes. “He told me everything.”
“Alisha—”
“A man who didn’t owe me shit told me the truth while my husband, my best friend and my family sat around protecting a lie.”
Grandma stood. “Now, Alisha—”
I turned. “No, Grandma.” She stopped. “I love you and I respect you. That’s the only reason I’m watching how I talk to you.”
Grandma’s face fell. “But you knew.”
“It wasn’t my place—” She tried to say.
“Please don’t say that.” I wasn’t yelling at her because I didn’t need to. “You sat at tables with me and watched me talk about those babies and watched me worry about Deuce and defend Shante.”
“I told them they needed to tell you.” Grandma pleaded.
“And when they didn’t, you helped them keep it.”
Grandma shook her head. “I never lied to you.”
“Keeping quiet while somebody is being made a fool of is close enough for me.”
That hurt her. I could see it, but I meant it. “You’ve always treated me like family, and I love you for that, but family doesn’t sit around watching family get played.”
Grandma wiped her eyes. “I understand.”
“I hope you do, because I need space from you too.”
Shante grabbed her stomach due to another contraction. This one was stronger and her whole body tightened.
Grandma moved toward her. “Shante?”
“I’m okay.” She wasn’t, a nurse came in to check the monitor. Then everything started moving fast. They checked her and called another nurse. The doctor was contacted.
“You’re in active labor.” The nurse let her know.
Shante looked scared and her eyes found mine.
“Alisha.”
For one second, years of friendship tried to pull me toward that bed. Then I remembered why I was standing there. “I hope you and those babies come through this healthy.”
“Please stay.”
I shook my head. “I can’t.”
“Alisha, please.”
“I may forgive you one day because I don’t want to carry this shit forever.” I looked directly at her. “But fuck with you like I did before?” She already knew. “Never.”
Her face crumbled. “You killed that friendship the day you chose Deuce’s secret over me.
” I picked up my purse and then I left. I felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders.
It was one more person I needed to address and I could be at peace.
I hadn’t seen Deuce in weeks. No court dates or visits or collect calls.
I decided to grab something to eat before going home for the day.
I was mentally and emotionally exhausted.
It’s crazy how your life could be together one day and in shambles the next.
Mama ain’t raise no weak bitch, but I’m not going to sit up here and act like my heart wasn’t broken because it for damn sure was.
I decided to get myself some authentic Mexican food from Southwest Detroit at a restaurant called Armondos.
I called my order in and went and picked it up.
I ordered two beef enchiladas and a taco salad with extra ground beef.
When I made it to my condo I didn’t want to do anything but eat, take a shower and go to bed.
Once I got inside I got situated and called my mama and checked on Brittany.
She wasn’t thinking about me because she was too busy playing beauty shop with her Grandma.
I told her goodnight and that I loved her and let her go back to playing.
I ate and took my shower and got in the bed.
I needed all my rest so I could deal with my lying ass soon to be ex husband.
The next morning I woke up feeling energized, it was something about a comfortable ass bed and new sheets.
I hopped up and handled my hygiene. I was trying to be among the first group for visitation.
I didn’t want to waste my whole day waiting to see Deuce’s ass.
I was glad it was a Saturday because traffic would have been hell on I94.
I checked in and waited to be escorted back so that I could start my visit.
When they brought Deuce into visitation and he saw me, that familiar cocky smile appeared and he picked up the phone. “About damn time.”
I picked up the phone. “I filed for divorce.”
His smile disappeared. “You did what?”
“You heard me.”
“Alisha, quit fucking playing.”
“That’s everybody’s problem, y’all keep thinking I’m playing.”
“You ain’t divorcing me.”
“Already filed.”
His jaw tightened. “You’re mad.”
“I was mad before.” I leaned back. “I’m done now.”
He studied my face. “Who told you?”
I nodded. “Look at you. I didn’t even have to say what I knew.”
“Alisha—”
“Malik told me.”
His expression turned ugly. “That bitch ass—”
“Don’t call him shit.” Deuce mugged me. “That man didn’t owe me loyalty, you did.” He went quiet. “So did your sister.”
“Leave Shante out of this.”
“She’s in labor with your twins right now.”
His eyes widened. “What?”
“Congratulations.”
“Is she okay?” He asked.
“She was when I left.”
“You left her?”
“I sure did.”
“What the fuck is wrong with you?”
I leaned toward the glass. “Don’t ever ask me that after the shit y’all did.” He stopped. “I checked her ass before I left and Grandma too.”
“Why are you bringing Grandma into it?”
“Because she knew.”
“That wasn’t her secret to tell.”
I shook my head. “Every last one of y’all got the same excuse.”
“Listen to me—”
“No you fucking listen.” I spat. I had waited long enough. “You cheated on me with Kim who’s father is the damn Feds. You had street shit showing up at my business and our home. Then convinced your own sister, my best friend, to carry twins for you and your side bitch.”
“It wasn’t supposed to go like this.”
“But it did.”
“I was trying to fix shit.”
“You don’t fix a marriage by creating babies with another woman.”
“I don’t want Kim.”
“Then you’re even more fucked up.”
His eyes hardened. “Watch how you talking to me.”
I stared at him. “Or what?”
“Alisha.”
“No, tell me.”
I leaned closer. “What are you gonna do?”
“Don’t test me.”
I smiled, there was the Deuce I knew. That little change in his voice and that look. The shit that usually told everybody he’d had enough, but It didn’t move me. “You can’t intimidate me anymore.”
“I ain’t trying to intimidate you.”
“Yes, you are, that’s what you do when you feel like you’re losing control.”
He sat back. “You think because I’m locked up—”
“This ain’t got shit to do with you being locked up.” I cut him off. “I moved out.”
His face changed. “What?”
“Me and Brittany’s things are gone.”
“From our fucking house? Where’s my daughter?”
“Safe.”
“Where?”
“With me like she’s been since you got yourself locked up.”
“Alisha, you can’t just—”
“I already did.”
His nostrils flared and I wasn’t finished. “I handled our joint accounts too.”
His face went completely still. “What the fuck does that mean?”
“It means I took what I was legally able to access, documented it and moved it.”
“You touched my money?”
“Our money.”
“Put that shit back.”
“No.”
“I’m telling you—”
“And I’m telling you no.”
He stared at me like he didn’t recognize me.
Maybe he didn’t. This version of Alisha didn’t ask Deuce for permission.
“I spent five years being your wife. Raising our daughter. Holding down our home. Supporting your ass while you were out here building secret families and bringing danger to my door.” I shrugged. “Consider it severance.”
“You got me fucked up.”
“No, Deuce.” I smiled. “You had me fucked up. Oh and I went to see Kim too.”
His eyebrows went up. “Why the fuck would you go over there?”
“To tell her she won.”
“Fuck Kim.”
“Exactly, she’s your problem now.”
“I don’t want her.”
“And I don’t want you.”
“I love you, Alisha.”
“You should’ve loved me correctly.”
“I do.”
“No, you loved having me around.” His face changed again. “You loved knowing your wife was at home. You loved knowing I’d show up. You loved knowing Brittany and me were yours while you did whatever the fuck you wanted.”
“That ain’t true.” He replied.
“It doesn’t matter anymore.”
“You, my wife.”
“Until you and the judge sign those papers.”
“We can fix this.”
“I don’t want to.”
He could argue with anger, fight through accusations. Make promises after cheating, but he couldn’t negotiate with a woman who no longer wanted the marriage. I was done going back and forth with his ass so I stood up to leave.
“Sit down.”
I was already standing.
“No.”
“Alisha, sit your ass down.”
I picked up my purse and he leaned toward the glass. “You walk out that door, don’t come back.”
I stopped, there it was his last card. The old me might’ve sat back down.
Might’ve cried or Might’ve tried one more time because five years was a long time and we had a daughter and I loved him.
But that woman had spent enough time at the table.
I looked at Deuce, my husband, the man I once thought I’d grow old with then I smiled. “That’s the whole point.”
I hung up and his mouth started moving behind the glass.
I didn’t hear a word and didn’t need to.
I turned toward the door and walked out.
For months, everybody around me had been moving pieces while I didn’t even know I was part of the fucking game.
Deuce thought he could have a wife and a mistress.
Kim thought babies would win her somebody else’s husband.
Shante thought she could betray me and still keep our friendship.
Grandma thought staying quiet meant staying out of it.
They all made their moves and now I made mine.
Divorce filed, my daughter was with me. My money was secured and my business was expanding.
Kim could have Deuce and Shante could live with what she’d chosen. And Deuce could sit right there in the county and think about the family he’d gambled away. I pushed through the door without looking back. Checkmate bitches!