On the Other Side (6 page)

“Alpha Phi Alpha for life!”

Neal turned to find his frat brother, Michael, standing behind him.

“What's up, man?” Neal asked.

“I should be asking you that question. You seem to still be up to your same old tricks. Who was that nice, hot piece of ass you were drilling? Does the wife know and more importantly, when do I get my turn?”

Neal sneered at his frat brother. “Watch your mouth, man. That was my wife.”

Grinning from ear-to-ear, Michael extended his hand to give Neal a pound.

“Damn, my man; you gonna leave me hanging? How did those pills work out for you?”

“We'll see.”

“Here are your keys,” Neal said, handing him the car keys.

“You're lucky we got history. I don't drive folks around anymore. This is my company now. I've got a fleet of vehicles and drivers to match.”

“Yeah, I know; or have you forgotten who helped finance your little venture?”

“You won't let me forget,” Michael said under his breath.

“Excuse me?”

“I tried to pay you back—with interest–and you didn't want it back, but every time I turn around you want a favor.”

“Maybe you should have sold me a stake in the company like I asked and we'd be through with one another,” Neal reminded him.

Neal looked at Michael menacingly. “You will continue to do
whatever
I tell you to do or have you forgotten that little mishap you were a part of in college?”

Michael lowered his head. “No, I haven't forgotten. You won't let me forget.”

“I'm sure the young lady hasn't forgotten either; she'll have to live with that for the rest of her life. We all have to live with the decisions we make, Michael. Now it's your turn to live with yours.”

Michael stomped off, got into his car and drove away, while Neal stood at the curb laughing.

“Some people refuse to take responsibility for their actions,” Neal said aloud.

Once inside the building, he looked at his watch, hoping that the effects of the Valium he had slipped into her wine earlier had not worn off. He was also looking forward to some sex without a whole lot of thinking involved.

By the time he got in the apartment she was sprawled across the sofa with her shoes still on.

“I spend ten thousand dollars on a fucking sofa and she puts her damn shoes on it,” he muttered to himself.

He picked Damita up, and carried her into the bedroom. He laid her out on their king-size platform bed and removed all of her clothing, including the shoes. He tried to wake her, but put very little effort into it. When it was clear she was not waking up, he spread her legs and unceremoniously shoved himself inside of her. She stirred and opened her eyes and he continued to pump away inside of her until he was done. He rolled off her and went to sleep. Confused and feeling overwhelmingly tired, Damita assumed she had fallen asleep while they were having sex. Within a matter of minutes, she too was asleep.

Damita slept better that night than she had all week. It was a sleep of contentedness. She allowed herself to believe that what happened on their wedding night was nothing more than a momentary bump in the road. If she didn't allow herself to believe that, she would never have a restful night of sleep ever again.

Neal was already gone when she woke up the next morning. She assumed it had something to do with the car they borrowed the night before. She lay in bed reliving the night. Their lovemaking had always been intense, but there was something about last night that she sensed was different.

“I'm back.”

By the time Neal returned she was in the kitchen making breakfast.

“Is that bacon I smell?”

“Yes.”

“You know I don't eat that stuff,” he said.

“You can have some of the scrambled eggs then and maybe some toast?”

“I'd rather have mine poached. A trough of scrambled eggs laden in butter is the last thing I need.”

“So what's this obsession about your body all of a sudden? You're in great shape. You have been since I met you.”

“To keep the body in good health is a duty. Otherwise, we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.”

“Buddha?”

“Yes.”

“Poached it is.”

Damita noticed Neal was suddenly sullen once again. She wasn't sure why, especially given their spectacular night.

“Baby, is everything okay?” she asked.

“Everything is fine. You were moaning and talking in your sleep last night. What were you dreaming about?”

“I was talking in my sleep?” Damita asked.

“Yes, you were.”

“If I was moaning, it's probably because I was thinking about you.”

“Is that so?”

“Neal, baby, what's wrong?”

“What makes you think there's something wrong?”

Damita watched him cautiously, sensing his irritation.

“Well, for one thing, you keep answering my questions with questions. I don't understand. You seem angry. I thought we had such a good time together last night, but now you seem like you're annoyed again.”

“You're never going to let me forget, are you?”

“I thought we were past this. I thought after last night we could finally move past all of this; begin fresh.”

“Undoubtedly we can't. Last night I listened to you. You didn't sound like a woman that was beginning
fresh.
You sounded more like a woman who was livid. You were fighting with someone while you slept.”

“So now you're going to persecute me for something I said or did while I was sleeping? I don't even remember whatever it is you're talking about.”

“You know what they say about dreams being manifestations of your life while you're awake.”

“Neal, I have no control over that. I'll admit that maybe it might have something to do with what happened, but that wasn't my fault, was it?”

“Oh, so, that's what we're doing now? Are we laying blame for all that's wrong with this marriage?”

“I can't speak much about this marriage, since we've barely been married a week, but I do know that I never hit you. I also know that under the circumstances, I should be nominated for sainthood. A lot of women would have been gone the moment you hit them. I'm still here, trying to make this work. Instead of appreciating that, you keep bouncing back and forth with these mood swings. I don't know where it's coming from. You were never like this when we were dating.”

“You know, Damita, I must admit, I felt guilty after I hit you. I've been trying to figure out why I did it. I now realize it's because there is something about you that is so maddening! You expect the world to kiss your ass. You think I should be grateful to you for not leaving. That's not going to happen. You're my wife and I expect you to act accordingly.”

“If you hold such disdain for me, why don't you leave? Maybe we both made a mistake. Let's end it here and now.”

“No.”

“What do you mean by no?”

“I mean exactly what I said.”

“Damita, when I spoke those vows, I meant every word I said. Marriage for me means forever.”

“But, Neal, if it's not working, why on earth would you want to stay? This is clearly not working. You're not who I thought you were and judging from your comments, I'm not who you thought I was.”

“I've always known who you are, angel. However, I never had any intention of allowing you to stay that way. None of that has changed. Your parents obviously spoiled you rotten. You think you can do and say whatever you want, but you will not do that and be married to me. It's best that you learn that now, rather than wait months or even a year or two down the road to find out.

“I don't believe that men and women have been or will ever be equals, in marriage or in life.
You
are not my equal and the sooner you figure that out, the better. I fully intend to hold up my end of the bargain. You should quit your job and get pregnant and I will be the man in this relationship, as it was intended.”

Damita was speechless. She had married a Neanderthal. “Neal, despite what you may think, this marriage
is
over. This is not what I signed up for.”

As she headed for the door, Neal blocked her way.

“Neal, move!”

“No. You're not going anywhere.”

“You really are insane, aren't you?”

Neal chuckled. “I want you to see something.”

“I don't need to see anything.”

“I think you do. Look in the coffee table.”

Damita knew she should probably leave but curiosity got the best of her. She figured she would simply leave after seeing whatever it was he was talking about. She opened the coffee table drawer and saw nothing but the usual miscellaneous items they kept there.

“Look under the lining.”

She pulled up the lining in the table and there was a manila folder.

“Open it.”

There was a picture of Neal with another woman. She could have been Damita's sister. The cocoa brown complexion, the slim build; even the long wavy hair was styled eerily similar to hers.

“Who is this?” Damita asked.

“Everything you need to know is there. Keep looking.”

Under the picture there was a newspaper article. As she read, she wondered what it all meant. “Okay, so I give up. Who is this and why did you want me to read this article? Why did you feel you needed to hide it?”

“You know what it means, Damita. I keep it as a reminder. She was my wife. Her name was Claire and she was even more willful than you. She pushed and pushed and never stopped pushing. She was infuriating and, like you, she eventually wanted to leave. I told her I would never let her go, but she didn't believe me.”

Damita was stunned. “Neal, what are you saying?”

“I'm saying that I take the words
until death do us part
very seriously.”

D
amita couldn't get a bit of sleep all night. She considered running in the middle of the night, but remembered the newspaper article. A woman named Claire Westman and her sister, Ny Cooper, had apparently been mowed down by a hit-and-run driver. She wondered if Neal was trying to scare her or if he was really capable of something so heinous.

She sat in the living room in the dark, gazing out the window. She picked up her cell phone several times, considering whether she should call her mother or Carmella. She was sure Neal was watching her and almost jumped out her skin every time she thought she heard him move or even breathe. Sometime around two a.m. she had finally convinced herself that the only thing she could do was to call her mother. As if reading her thoughts, Neal was standing in front of her as she picked up the phone.

“Who are you calling at this hour?” he asked.

“I'm not calling anyone. I was checking to make sure my office hadn't tried to reach me during the day. I'm due back in the office in two days. I'm surprised no one has called yet.”

“Why would anyone call? We're on our honeymoon.”

Damita shrugged and went back to bed.

•  •  •

The cell phone awakened Damita the next morning. It was her mother.

“Hi, baby girl. How was Jamaica?”

“It was. . . It was okay, Mom.”

“Baby, are you okay?”

“Of course, I am. I'm fine. I'm a little tired, that's all.” She paused. “How are you, Mom? Did you miss me?”

“You know I did. I should've been on that beach sunning myself right along with you.”

“I know that's right. It's been a long time since we've been on a vacation together. Remember all those trips we used to take; Jamaica, Bahamas, Bermuda, Vegas. Those were some good times.”

“Okay, now you
will
tell me the truth. What's going on? All of a sudden you're getting nostalgic. What happened? I swear, if that fool did anything to my baby, I'll—”

“Listen to you sounding all tough.” Damita was so happy her mother had called. “What are you doing right now, Mom?”

“I'm not doing a doggone thing. What's up?”

“Do you feel like shopping?”

“Baby girl, when have I ever said no to shopping?”

“I'll meet you at Macy's in an hour then,” said Damita.

“An hour it is.”

While Neal slept, Damita quietly busied herself with preparing to meet her mother. She breathed a sigh of relief as she shut the door to the apartment. She was looking forward to seeing her and feeling normal.

Damita saw her mother standing in front of the department store as soon as she arrived. She ran toward her and hugged her. “Somebody missed their mama,” said Karen.

“Yes, I did.”

Before going into the store, Karen stopped and tapped Damita affectionately on the chin.

“I don't know what's going on, but you
will
tell me. I'm going to leave you alone for now and let you enjoy the day shopping, but we are going to talk about what's been going on with you. And, Damita—.”

“Yes, mother,” Damita said sarcastically.

“We're going to talk sooner than later. Now, let's go put a dent in these credit cards.”

“Mom, how did you get to be so smart?”

“Girl, I changed your diaper, kissed your boo-boos and comforted you when that little piss ant, Donnie Warren, dumped you a week before your senior prom. I know my child and I know when she's in pain.”

Karen put her arm around her daughter and they walked into the store.

Macy's was as crowded as it always was.

“I don't know why I come here,” Damita said.

“You come here because you know it's your mother's favorite store.”

“I know that's right. I only come here when I'm shopping with you because otherwise I'd be in Bloomingdales.”

“What's wrong with Macy's?”