Prologue #2
“If I could, you know I would.”
I made my way through the dining room and into the hallway. Down the hallway, I rearranged the fixtures on the console near the door. My satisfaction led me up the staircase on the left. I hardly traveled up the stairs on the right side of our home.
“I know. I know.”
“Well, it has been nice, babes, but I have to prepare for Zeek’s arrival. According to his location, he should be pulling up within minutes.”
“Okay. Make sure you knock that nigga’s socks off tonight. That new Benz won’t buy itself!”
“That new Benz is as good as bought if my pussy has anything to say about it.”
“That’s my girl! I’m coming to the next family reunion. I need a brother, cousin, uncle, or something. I’ll even take a daddy.”
My heart ached for Zeek. He’d spend his entire life searching for his father.
He was the result of an affair. His father was aware of his existence but chose not to participate in his life out of respect for his wife.
The weekend I met Zeek, his father died.
His mother gave him the news as he sat next to me at dinner the following evening.
She’d heard of his death through the grapevine. It was then that Zeek realized he’d been on a wild chase all along, and his mother knew exactly where to find his father. Their relationship had suffered every day since. It was one of the main reasons we wouldn’t have a traditional wedding.
Zeek was ready to make me his wife, but wasn’t ready to make amends with his mother.
I was simply a girl from Dooley. My family didn’t know how to handle themselves in the environment Zeek and I were fostering.
So rather than burden ourselves with the acts of others, we decided to marry privately and remotely.
On the second floor, I entered the bedroom Zeek and I shared. My long robe swayed with each direction I turned until I reached the tub in the center of our bathroom floor. One click and the stopper was prepared. I turned the knob, and water began pouring in.
Confident in the nozzle's position, I poured in bath salts and bubble bath. And, as quickly as I’d come, I left the bedroom. The sound of a car door closing turned my lips upward as I rounded the stairs and got closer to the kitchen.
Like a kid in a candy store, my arms went up in the air. My hands flailed. Excitement bubbled near the top of my stomach. Contentment caved my chest in. My emotions tumbled over my French-manicured toes.
The mere thought of Zeek’s presence deemed me speechless. Helpless. Hopeful. Joyous.
Out of body.
Out of mind.
Out of my comfort zone.
Out of my control.
Still, I ran closer toward his love rather than running away. His magnetic energy hardly left me a choice.
“Garage door open,” the alarm chimed.
I planted my feet firmly on the floor in front of the door just as it widened. Behind it appeared my man. My headache. My honey. My whole heart.
Black adorned his body. Head to toe. His line was as crisp as his jeans. I pressed them better than the dry cleaners that left starchy lines down the center. Their privileges had been revoked for the last three years. And, rightfully so.
His brown skin was milky and smooth to the touch. While I had a twenty-step skincare routine, Zeek used only water, oil, and antibacterial soap. His results were stunning.
Gold teeth tore from behind his lips. My professionally altered smile displayed my perfectly whitened teeth. As the duffle bag in Zeek’s hand fell to the floor, I leaped into his arms. With both hands pressed against his cheeks, I pulled him closer for a kiss.
My tongue invaded the space I knew so well. A peculiar taste connected with the familiar smell on his breath, lips, and beard. The aroma was offensive. It was grounding. It was unsettling.
I pulled back, struggling to maintain my composure. My heart fell from my chest onto his black sweater. My breathing changed. So did my vision. The man I’d fallen in love with was no longer the man I was holding in my hands. He was a stranger. A disappointment. A threat.
“Daddy’s home,” Zeek boasted.
I slid from his arms onto the floor. A deep sigh tumbled from my lips as I forged a smile.
“I have your bath running. Go wash up and meet me in the kitchen. Your favorites are waiting. They’re still hot.”
Managing my emotions became more difficult with each passing second, so I decided that silence was far more suitable.
On the tips of my toes, in my fluffy slippers, I turned in the opposite direction.
How was your trip?
I missed you, baby.
Your pussy is waiting.
Hug me again.
Kiss me again.
I love you.
The combination of greetings were endless. Zeek’s arrival rested on my soft spot. Because I genuinely missed his presence. Not this time. I could feel my heart grow firmer as the clock ticked away.
“Thank you, baby. Give me thirty minutes at best. I’ll be back down.”
Nodding, I smiled in his direction. Words, nice ones, wouldn’t see the light of day. Not now, anyway. Possibly not ever.
Steam emerged from my ears as I watched Zeek disappear into the hallway. Once out of my line of vision, I placed a hand on my chest.
The world we’d built together…
The life we’d built together…
The closeness we’d established…
It all came crumbling down at once. The hand that was once over my chest was now over my mouth, containing the animalistic scream that started in the pit of my stomach and echoed in my throat.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.”
I could feel my heart breaking. Physical pain stiffened my limbs. Tears swelled in my eyes until my orbs could no longer contain them.
At least two things were true, but there were far more possibilities for Zeek.
He wasn’t alone on the trip he’d taken.
He’d been in the company of a woman.
This wasn’t their first encounter. They’d established something. Feelings, included.
He felt deeply about her.
He put his entire face in her pussy before parting ways.
He neglected to remove traces of her before entering our home.
My stomach knotted at the thought of my fiancé's face deep in another woman’s pussy. I swallowed back the wetness in my mouth that prefaced the vomit waiting to fly from my lips. My eyebrows cinched on my forehead. Confusion sealed my eyelids.
This is happening, Hyphen.
It’s happening whether you believe it or not.
It’s happening whether you want it to or not.
Get your head in the fucking game, bitch!
A deep breath pulled me from the trance I was falling deeper into.
You have two choices.
If you stay, you’re signing up for a lifetime of wondering, watching, worrying, and second-guessing every word that comes from his mouth and every time he leaves your sight.
If you leave, you’re choosing yourself again. As you always have. As you always should.
I assessed the situation rapidly. Minutes were winding down. I didn’t have much time to make a decision. I didn’t need it, though. The decision was already made.
I slid my cell from the counter as I twisted the knob on the stove.
There was a ticking sound before flames soothed my soul.
I snatched the oven mitt from the oven and placed it on top of the fire.
As I headed toward the front door, I grabbed the duffel that Zeek had dropped on his way inside.
My purse was the final item in my hands.
The cold February air hit me like a sack of bricks. It was evidence that I wasn’t dreaming. I hadn’t thought of a scenario in my head that would never come to fruition. This wasn’t all in my head.
“Fuck,” I whispered.
I closed the front door as a revelation hit me. Zeek’s promise to change the batteries of the four smoke detectors we had around our home hadn’t been kept. Instantly, my feelings began to uplift. My heart began piecing itself back together. And, not everything felt wrong in my world.
I opened the Carriage app and requested a pickup. Though my neighbor’s home was a mile down the road, I used their address. By the time my ride made it to me, I’d be near enough to lead them to my location.
I redialed the last number on my call log. It wasn’t a FaceTime call. The darkness proved that method to be pointless. As the phone rang, I pressed it against my ear. The driveway seemed never-ending as I began my journey. It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered at the moment.
“Hello?” Saga answered.
Hearing her voice sped up the healing process. I wouldn’t sulk and harp on what I was leaving behind, because nothing compared to my sanity and peace of mind. Zeek had cheated. That was the end of the story.
Our story.
Not my story.
“Maybe that gut feeling didn’t only apply to you, babe. Maybe it applied to me, too. A playa fucked up and fell in love with a pussy eating dog. It is time to pivot, Saga. But you won’t be pivoting alone. Neither will I. See you in six hours. Save a spot on the couch for me.”
Click.