CHAPTER 5
1163 Words
Eriana
I spent the last twenty minutes of my shift counting the drawer and cleaning up before Ray and I left for the night. Ray walked me to my car, and I pulled out my phone. I still hadn’t gotten a response from Darius. That sense of dread returned, and I drove home.
I spent the 15-minute drive to my apartment in silence. The closer I got to home, the worse I felt. As I pulled into the parking lot, I noticed Darius’ Honda in his usual parking spot beside my cousin Altima.
“Hmm.., at least he isn’t out in the streets,” I said out loud to no one in particular.
I walked into my apartment building and spoke to Reggie, the doorman. He smiled at me and opened the elevator. I got in and pressed the button for the fourth floor and took the short ride up. Luckily, my apartment was the first one off of the elevator.
As I walked to the door, I heard muffled sounds that I couldn’t quite make out. I quietly put my key in the door and opened it. When I walked in, I noticed Bria on the floor with a soggy diaper and equally soggy Cheetos.
Bria looked to me with as much joy and adoration as a one-year-old could muster, and it melted my heart. I smiled down at my baby girl and picked her up. That’s when I heard it - the undeniable sounds of flesh colliding. I felt my body heat as my rage threatened to rip through my body. I kept my control for the sake of my daughter, but once I got her into bed, there was no telling what would happen.
I just knew I wasn't hearing what I thought I was hearing. There was no way Darius or Mya would be f*****g in my house. I took Bria into her bedroom and changed her diaper, then tucked her in.
I took a few deep breaths to settle my nerves because I knew when I opened the bedroom door that I would lose it completely. How disrespectful could someone be? I walked to my bedroom and twisted the doorknob and prepared myself for what was sure to come.
When I opened the door, I definitely did not expect to find my cousin Mya on her knees while my boyfriend Darius held her face and f****d her throat.
I remained in the doorway and stared at the sight for what seemed like forever. Neither of them noticed my presence yet. As my rage consumed me, I stormed over and punched my cousin Mya in her jaw and heard a satisfying crack as she fell to the floor. Darius and Mya both cried out in either pain or surprise, and I couldn’t care less which one it was.
I grabbed Mya by the hair and began punching her in the face, stomach, and anywhere else I could in rapid succession.
“HOW DARE YOU!!” I bellowed as my fist collided with her flesh. She curled up into the fetal position and I continued my assault as she cried.
“MY FLESH AND BLOOD!” I screamed, hot tears rolling down my face. “I TOOK YOU IN!”
She didn’t make a sound, didn’t try to explain just stayed curled in a ball while I worked my frustrations out on her.
“I TOOK CARE OF YOU!”
I tried to throw another punch, but I couldn’t move my arms and my feet were no longer touching the ground. I craned my neck to see Darius restraining me and pulling me off of Mya's bloodied body. I fought to get free of him so I could continue my assault and get to Darius next. I wanted to kill them both. Mya was my favorite cousin, and I took her in when her mom kicked her out. She lived with me rent-free and all I asked was that she looked for a job and until she found one to babysit Bria. Instead, I found her f*****g my man!
“E! Chill! Bria’s in the other room!” Darius hissed at me.
How f*****g dare he mention my child while he neglected her to f**k my rat of a cousin. If he has nothing else, he will always have the audacity.
I stopped struggling so Darius would let me go and he played right into my hands. When he dropped me, I pivoted and punched him right in the face. Darius stumbled backward and tried to catch his balance, but failed after tripping over a toy. I walked over to him and kicked him in the face, stomach, and groin. I literally had no words for him. Five years of my life, I gave to him and this is how he repays me - on our anniversary, no less.
“E, baby! Please!” Darius begged as I kicked every piece of exposed flesh.
“I’m sorry!”, he pleaded and I kicked him in the face.
“It was a mistake!” He was the f*****g mistake, I thought as I stomped on his groin. He groaned in pain and I just kept going.
“I love you!”, he cried but at this point, he could kiss my ass.
I was one second from bashing his brains out when I heard a door open. I turned hoping it was Mya, but I encountered the tiny wet face of my daughter. I turned and picked her up, burying her face in my chest to shield her from the bloody mess I made.
“Leave. Now,” I commanded. “Take that w***e with you, too!”
I carried Bria back into her bedroom and closed the door. We sat on the bed and I cried and I rocked her to sleep, eventually crying myself to sleep–but not for long.
I tried not to toss and turn since I was in Bria's tiny bed, but my brain refused to shut down and for obvious reasons, I couldn't get comfortable. I replayed the scene over and over, and I just couldn't understand why Darius would do this.
I couldn’t wrap my brain around this whole debacle. I shot my best friend Ashlynn a text, filling her in on the drama that has become my life. I knew she was working, so I wouldn't get a response soon, but I knew she wouldn't be happy about this.
She told me to leave him when we first met. Literally, the day we met, she said she could tell he wasn't a good person, and that I deserved better. I kicked myself for not listening to her. If I had, I might have taken Derion home tonight instead of getting my heart broken.
I stared off into the darkness until I finally fell asleep again, only to repeat the same cycle. This is going to be a long night.
- Writer
