Suspicions (17 page)
Authors: Sasha Campbell
20
Noelle
“I've got something to talk to you about.”
I put down the book I was reading and looked at my husband as he walked into our room. “What is it you want to talk about?”
As soon as Grant started clearing his throat, I should have known something was up. “I decided to go ahead and teach summer school.”
“Is that all?” I said with a sigh of relief. I thought he was about to say some shit that was going to make me want to cut his dick off. “I figured as much since you're at the school practically every day even though school's been out for almost two weeks.”
He started clearing his damn throat again.
“You need a cough drop?”
Grant gave me a strange look. “Why you ask me that?”
“Because you keep clearing your throat. Now quit stalling and tell me what you want to tell me.” Grant knew damn well I wasn't one for games, and he's been playing a lot of them lately. For the last week he'd been coming in at all hours of the night, smelling like liquor. I had done the laundry just yesterday and found lipstick on his shirt collar.
“Well, it's about my summer job. You know how I am all about helping kids and trying to make a difference. Well . . . uh . . . the job I'm taking this summer is out of town.”
“Outta what?”
He shifted his eyes and I could tell he was stalling. “Out of town. I'm going to be teaching at a school out of town.”
“Out of town like what? In Missouri or Indianapolis?”
“No . . . farther than that.”
“Down south?”
“Uh . . . a lot farther than that.”
I sat up straight on the bed and crossed my arms against my chest. “Is the job in the United States?”
He coughed against his fist, then cleared his throat. “No . . . it's in Korea.”
“Korea?” He had to be joking. However, the look on his face told me he wasn't.
“Hold up. Before you go off, just give me a few minutes to explain. It's a short-term teaching program. I'll get paid to live in Korea for four weeks teaching English to students. They'll pay me a salary, provide me temporary housing. I'll make more those four weeks than I could working around here all summer. Also, the kids over there will appreciate me a lot more than these spoiled-ass, don't-wanna-education kids we have here in the U.S., and you know it.”
“All I know is my husband walked in the house and told me he was planning to spend the next month in Korea.” My stomach clenched. Why did I feel like my husband was trying to get away from me? “Why so far away?”
“Noelle, it's a wonderful opportunity. I want to do this.”
I wanted so badly to tell him hell no. He hardly spent any time with me anymore as it was. “I guess if that's what you want to do,” I said, trying to be the supportive wife.
He breathed a sigh of relief, then smiled. “Thanks for understanding. I leave in two weeks.”
“Wait a minute . . . you've already taken the job? I just thought you were thinking about it at this point.”
“I thought about it and decided to go.”
“So I guess what I think doesn't matter?” I asked pointedly and waited for an answer.
“It does matter. You've known for years I've wanted to teach overseas.”
“Yeah, but I didn't think it would be this year.” Okay, Grant was really starting to get on my nerves.
He heaved a heavy sigh. “It wasn't like I had planned it that way. What I had wanted was to spend the summer on vacation with my wife, but we're not doing that now, are we?”
I sucked my teeth all loud and ghetto. “Okay, so now I get it. This is your way of getting back at me for canceling our vacation.”
Grant took a seat at the end of the bed, then turned and faced me. “Teaching overseas is not me trying to get back at you. You freed up the summer, not me. All the summer school assignments are already taken. I figure if we're not going on vacation, I might as well work. Why not get out the country at the same time?”
“Okay, then answer this . . . Are you no longer happy being married to me?” I was trying to act calm, but I was so scared of what he might say, or even worse, what he wouldn't say.
“Why you ask me that?” he said, avoiding the question.
“Because it sounds to me like you're trying to find any excuse to get away.” I shot back.
He gave a loud, forced laugh. “Now you're being ridiculous.”
“No, you are. What happened to us, Grant? We used to be happy, but ever since you turned forty you've changed.”
He just shook his head, then replied, “Nothing's happened. I haven't changed. I've just realized that tomorrow isn't promised to any of us. I'm trying to enjoy life and you want us to sit around like a couple of old folks, playing with grandkids and sitting out on the porch in rocking chairs,” he said, and rose from the bed. “Well, you're on your own. I'm getting ready to start enjoying life with or without you!”
I sat there staring at him trying not to start an argument, but as far as I was concerned, one had already started. My husband was leaving me and there was nothing I could do about it.
21
Tiffany
I was parked in front of Fantasy's on Cicero. Inside, the music was loud and people were chatting and having a good time. Among the partygoers were Kimbel and his boys. They had reserved a room in the back for their bachelor party.
Sneaky asshole
.
Sneaky asshole
.
It had been four days since Candace dropped the bomb and ruined my life. Afterward, I went home and it took everything I had to hold it together when Kimbel walked into the house. When he tried to make love to me, I informed him he wasn't getting no more until we were married. He looked pissed, then shrugged and left it alone. I waited until he climbed under the covers before I tried to get to the problem at hand.
“Kimbel, in a couple of days we're going to be taking a big step in our lives.”
“Yes, baby, we are.” He pulled me tightly in his arms.
“And this is our chance to put everything out onto the table. No secrets.”
“No secrets, baby,” he repeated.
“Is there anything that you would like to tell me or think I should know?”
“Like what?”
“I don't know. Anything.”
“Anything, huh?”
“Yes, anything. I don't want there to be any secrets between us.”
Okay. Uuhh . . . a'ight. Well, there is something that I think you should know before we get married. It might change your mind about us.”
“I doubt that. I love you for you, and it's gonna take a lot to change the way I feel,” I said, even though I was nervous as hell what he was about to say.
“Okay, all right. Here goes. Listen closely.” I held my breath and waited. “Tiffany . . . baby . . . I've got bad gas.” He then released a long, loud fart. “Ha-ha!” Kimbel started laughing, then threw the covers over my head and pinned me to the bed. I screamed and thrashed around until he finally released me. His chuckles became kisses and the next thing I knew, we were making love until the wee hours of the night. That man knew how to manipulate me into doing anything he wanted, and I hated him for it.
The following night I couldn't sleep and didn't realize I was standing over Kimbel, watching him sleep until he sat upright on the bed.
“What the hell are you doing?” he asked.
“Nothing,” I told him.
“Then why the hell you got that knife in your hand?”
I glanced down, and sure enough I was holding one big enough to carve a Thanksgiving turkey.
“Oh shit! I must be sleep walking or something,” I replied, then started laughing hysterically.
Kimbel packed my bag and decided that maybe we needed a few days away from each other until our wedding day. My leaving was actually a relief because there was no telling what I might have done if I'd stayed. Who knows, I might have tried to chop his dick off. Ever since, I've been staying with my mama. I lied and told her we wanted some time apart before our wedding. It was now the night before our big day and I needed Kimbel to tell me the truth.
My cell phone rang. I glanced down and saw it was Candace. I'd been avoiding her calls since I saw her on Monday. The only reason why I answered was because deep down I needed her to stop me from what I was about to do. I guess Candace was wondering why I wasn't at my own bachelorette party.
“Tif, where you at? Everybody is here at the restaurant but you.” She was loud, and it was clear she was upset she had gone to all this trouble for me and I wasn't even there.
“I'm not coming.”
It took her a second to find her voice. “What do you mean you're not coming?”
Candace can act so dumb at times. She just threw something heavy on me the other day, telling me some news that she'd been holding for almost a week. Six fucking days. If she had told me when she first found out, then I wouldn't have slobbered all over Kimbel's dick a second or third time. Instead, she waited until five days before my wedding to tell me the fool had herpes.
“Where the hell are you?” Her tone had softened and I could hear concern.
I looked up at the large neon sign flashing. “I'm sitting in my car outside Fantasy.”
“Fantasy? Isn't that where Kimbel is having his bachelor party tonight?”
“Yep.”
“So why are you there?”
Candace really doesn't get it, does she? I guess she's so into Chauncey she can no longer think straight. “I need to talk to him and find out why he didn't tell me.”
“What? I thought you promised me you wouldn't say anything!” she screamed in my ear.
I snorted rudely in hers. “Are you kidding? You expect me to keep something like this to myself. I've got to ask him about it.”
“Tiffany, I could lose my job,” she pleaded.
“No, you won't. I won't even tell him how I found out, but I've got to ask him.” Candace grew quiet. I knew she was pissed, but deep down I knew she understood and didn't blame me.
“Why haven't you said anything before now? Dammit, Tiffany, why you wait until the night before your wedding?”
I shrugged even though I knew she couldn't see me. “I guess I was trying to find the guts.”
“Okay, so why don't you wait until in the morning to ask him.”
“I can't do that. I need to know now.” Candace was screaming and saying something, but I wasn't interested in hearing anymore and hung up. I couldn't let another minute pass without knowing the truth.
I stepped into the club and frowned at the twenty-dollar cover charge, but it was a small price for what I needed to do. What happened in the next few minutes would dictate my future. Tomorrow afternoon the church would be decorated and over five hundred of our family and friends would be in attendance to celebrate my union to the only man I've ever loved. All I needed to hear was he was sorry for not telling me; that he was afraid if I had known, I would have changed my mind about marrying him. I needed him to ask for my forgiveness. Marriage was all about standing by your mate through sickness and in health. I planned to do just that as long as I knew Kimbel loved me.
The joint was packed with couples on the dance floor, bumping and grinding. I weaved my way through the dark, crowded club toward the back where I knew Kimbel and his boys were at. His friend PJ was standing in front of the door. If he saw me, there was no way he was letting me in. I waited until some chick with a wide ass and dressed in spandex walked by and caught his attention. PJ moved over to the bar and was busy spitting game when I made my way to the door and slipped inside.
The large room was so dark it took my eyes a while to focus. When they did, I gasped. There had to be about a dozen strippers in there, dancing around the poles, giving lap dances. I stayed off in the cut and slowly worked my way around the room looking for Kimbel. There was a threesome going on in the corner and I practically broke my neck trying to see if my fiancé was part of it. Thank goodness, he wasn't; otherwise, I was going to have to clown his ass. I had walked around the entire room and was about to leave when I noticed a light coming from under a door in the corner. My heart started pounding, but nothing was going to stop me from turning the knob and looking inside. What I saw made my heart stop. Kimbel was screwing some chick from behind. He was so into it, it took a second for him to notice I was standing there. I heard a scream and realized it was me.
“What the hell? Oh, shit! Tiffany . . . what are you doing here?” Kimbel looked like he was about to pee on himself.
I was up all in his face. “Is that all you have to say? It's the night before our wedding!” The Hispanic girl had the nerve to roll her eyes and look insulted. “Get your flat booty ass away from my man!” I screamed, then grabbed her by her hair and pulled her up out of that closet. Kimbel had the nerve to come to her defense.
“Tiffany . . . why you tripping? Don't act like you don't know what goes on at these things.” Kimbel was buckling his pants and talking at the same time. He must really think I'm stupid.
“You supposed to love me enough not to do something like that.”
“Baby, I do love you. All I was doing was getting all my playing out the way before I become your husband.” He had the nerve to try and justify his actions. “I had a buildup. If you hadn't made me wait so long, none of this would have happened. In actuality, it's really your fault.”
“You know . . . you're so full of it.” I noticed some of his boys standing around and watching, but I didn't care. “Tell me something, Kimbel . . . when were you planning to tell me you had herpes?” I stood there and watched him try to hold it together.
His eyes grew wide. “Excuse me?”
I walked over and pointed my finger all up in his face. “You heard me! The cat's out the bag. You got the package and you didn't even plan to tell me.” I kid you not, it was like in the movies. Out of nowhere his fist flew through the air and came crashing down against my right cheek. Next thing I knew, I hit the floor.
“Fucking bitch!” he screamed. “If I got it, then I got that shit from you!” He started kicking me in my head and shoulder. All I could do was just lay there and cradle my head with my hands. Thank goodness his best man rushed over and pulled him off me. The music stopped and someone had turned on the lights. Everyone was watching and staring at me lying on the ground.
“Trifling bitch! No wonder you didn't want to give me any until we were married. You had no intentions of telling me, yet all this time you were trying to pass yourself off as a virgin. Good thing I found out when I had.”
“What's going on?” I knew that voice. I looked over to find Candace racing into the room. The last thing I wanted was for her to find me like this on the ground. “What theâ” She rushed over and dropped down beside me. “Tiffany, are you okay?”
“I'm fine,” I mumbled, and let her help me to my feet.
“What the hell happened?” Candace screamed at Kimbel.
He was standing beside PJ, glaring at both of us. “Your friend here was trying to infect me with her germs.”
Candace's hands went to her hip in a defensive position. My girl is not one to be messed with. “No, she wasn't. You forget where I work? The fucking free health clinic! I'm the one who read your file and told her you had herpes, you nasty fuck. If you have no respect for yourself, at least have some for her. Come on, let's go.”
She helped me off the floor. I looked out the corner of my eyes at the smirk on his face as he told his boys we were lying. I couldn't help it. I ran up to Kimbel and hit him hard in his nuts.
“You bastard!” I screamed over and over again. I don't know how I made it back to Candace mama's car. In fact, I don't remember my legs even moving, but the second Candace pulled away from the club, I started bawling my ass off. “I can't believe he treated me like I was some trick. Can you believe that shit?”
“No.” I could tell she was trying to be as sympathetic as she could be. “He had no business putting his hands on you.”
“You were right. I shouldn't have gone in there. I don't know what I was thinking, but then that's the problem. I wasn't thinking.” I couldn't believe it. My entire future blew up in my face in a matter of minutes. Now I no longer had a fiancé and the only thing I possibly got out of the deal was herpes.
“It's a good thing you found out the type of person he is now instead of later.”
“I guess so,” I replied as I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. “But now what am I going to do? I don't have a place to stay and I have a big wedding tomorrow that I need to cancel.”
Candace reached across the seat and squeezed my hand. “Don't worry about nothing. I'll take care of everything.”
Maybe so, but there was still my mother to deal with and the possibility that I might have contracted herpes. At the moment, I seriously didn't know which was worse.
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