The Candy Shop (9 page)

Seeing her bang on his door really threw me for a loop, so I reacted by getting out of my car and then I tried to yell out her name. But it was too late. A woman had already opened up the front door.

Curious to see what this woman looked like, I walked up a little closer and stood at the edge of the driveway as Teresa began to introduce herself. The woman—who I assumed to be Darren’s wife—was very average looking. She stood at about five feet, two inches. So, she was very short. Her hair was straight and long, like mine. She wore it in a straight, layered cut, and I must say that it fit her very well. But, her body frame was in desperate need of an overhaul. She had to be at least ninety pounds soaking wet. It was apparent that homegirl didn’t spend a lot of time in the kitchen. It also became clear to me that this Darren character had a huge fetish for small women, because Teresa was definitely on the petite side, but she was thicker and she has a shape with hers.

Meanwhile, as they were going through their introduction, two small children, who looked to be around the ages of three and four, peered around their mother’s leg to get a glimpse of who it was she was talking to. Teresa also noticed them peeping at her, so she smiled at them and immediately went back into the reason for her visit. And then all of a sudden, the woman came out onto her porch and closed the screen door behind her. So, Teresa moved back a little to give her some room and that was when the shit hit the fan!

“What the fuck you mean, you’re pregnant by my husband?” I heard the woman say.

“Look Marie,” I heard Teresa say, “I am not trying to upset you.”

“It’s too damn late!” the woman interjected.

“Well, I’m sorry. But, all I want to do is talk to Darren, because he needs to know what’s going on.”

“And I told you he wasn’t here.”

“Well, could you tell him that he needs to get in touch with me?”

“You damn right I’m going to tell him. But, I want to know from you, how long have you and him seeing each other behind my back?”

“It’s been a little over four years.”

“Four years!” I heard Marie scream. “You mean to tell me that you been fucking my husband for four goddamn years? And then, to top it off, your ass is pregnant? How fucking convenient!”

“Look Marie, I’m sorry—” Teresa tried to say, but Marie cut her off in mid sentence.

“Listen, don’t keep telling me you’re sorry! I ain’t trying to hear that bullshit right now. But, what I do want to know is, how far along are you?”

“Well, I just took the pregnancy test this morning, so it’s too early to say. But, I’m guessing I’m about four or five weeks.”

“So, are you planning to keep this baby?”

“Yes, I am.”

With a disgusted look Marie said, “So, what do you think you’re going to get out of this?”

“I’m not looking to get anything. All I want to do is to let him know that I’m pregnant. And from that point, he can decide whether or not he wants to be in this child’s life.”

“Oh, I can tell you right now that he is not going to be in that child’s life, especially when he’s got two right here living at home with him. And how do you know the baby is his, anyway?”

“Because he’s the only man I’ve been sleeping with. I’ve never cheated on him.”

“Cheated on him!” Marie said with rage. “You’re standing here, acting like y’all are exclusive or something. You ain’t his fucking wife! I am! So, don’t be acting like you’re the fucking victim here!”

Before Teresa could get another word in edgewise, Darren drove up out of nowhere in his pearl white and gold trimmed 2007 Lincoln Zephyr. And while he slowly cruised up the driveway, I purposely paid close attention to his facial expression. I must say that whatever he was thinking, it wasn’t nothing nice.

“Oh, good, this bastard is here!” Marie said with her hand posted up on her hip. “Now, we can get all this shit straight!”

“We sho’ can,” Teresa agreed and turned in the direction of the driveway.

I stood back watched in silence, waiting patiently to see what was about to happen next.

“What the hell is going on here?” Darren asked the moment he got out and slammed the door to his car.

“That’s what the fuck I’m trying to figure out!” Marie blurted out.

Darren walked closer to the front porch and Teresa just stood there with the evilest expression she could muster up. She knew that he was going to come out of his bag with something, but she had no idea to what degree it would be. And then out of nowhere he lunged back and smacked the hell out of her.

“Get the hell off of my property!” he demanded.

Completely caught off guard by the sudden impact of his blow, Teresa stumbled a bit until she managed to regain her balance. But before I allowed her to retaliate, I ran over to where they all were standing and said,

“What the hell is wrong with you? You are not supposed to be putting your damn hands on her!”

“You need to mind your fucking business!” he shouted back at me.

“She is my fucking business!” I told him. “Now, put your damn hands on her again and see what happens!”

“Just get off of my damn property before I call the police and get you arrested for trespassing.”

“Well, while you’re at it, tell ’em you smacked your ex-lover in her face, too,” I replied sarcastically.

Frustrated with my remark, he lashed back and said, “Oh, fuck off and get off my property!”

“Come on, Teresa, let’s go,” I said grabbing a hold of her arm. “This shit right here ain’t even worth it.”

“Wait,” Marie interjected. “Before she goes anywhere I need a couple of things cleared up.”

“I ain’t gonna clear up shit! ’Cause I don’t got a motherfucking thing to hide. Now, if you want to ask me some questions after they leave, then I’ll talk to you. Other than that, I ain’t got nothing to say.”

“Look, Darren. I’m sorry, but that’s not about to go down because this lady came all the way over here to tell me that you been fucking with her for over four years now. So, you will stand here, in front of her, and tell me whether the shit is true or not.”

“I told you, I don’t got shit to say.”

“You are going to tell me something!” Marie replied, her voice screeching. “Because she’s saying she’s five weeks pregnant with your baby.”

“She’s lying!” Darren’s voice roared. “It’s not my baby.”

Teresa broke the mold. “It is your baby, you piece of shit! So, why don’t cha go on and tell your wife about the many nights you stayed over my apartment till about two o’clock in the morning?”

“Yeah, Darren, tell me about those nights,” Marie insisted.

Darren stood there frozen solid, not knowing how to respond to Teresa’s comment.

So, Teresa broke the ice and said, “What happened to all that mouth you had? What, you scared to tell your wife about all those times you were trying to get me pregnant? But, I told you I wasn’t ready for that type of commitment, unless you left your wife. And you said, in due time you was.”

“Oh, he did! Huh?” Marie said.

“Yep. He sho’ did. That’s why I kept seeing his no-good ass!”

“What’s wrong, Darren? You don’t have anything to say?” Marie asked him.

“Nope. I sure don’t,” he commented and then he stormed off into the house.

“Go ahead and run, you fucking coward!” Teresa shouted. “But, you ain’t seen the last of me! ’Cause as soon as I have this baby, I am gonna drag your short ass to court for child support. And trust me, I am going to stick you for every dime I can.”

“Come on girl, let’s go,” I told her and grabbed a hold to her arm once again. But, she showed a little resistance. So, I continued by saying, “Look, I know you’re hurt by what he said. But, you are not going to get anything resolved by just standing here. So, come on.”

“Yeah, you’re right. But, I ain’t gon’ be satisfied until I do this,” she replied, and then she reached down on the ground to pick up one of several bricks that was used to landscape the flower beds around the front lawn.

Frantically, Marie asked Teresa what she was going to do with the brick. Teresa totally ignored her and rushed over toward Darren’s car and smashed the windshield with as much force as she could muster. It was truly a mind-blowing experience. And the only thing that came to my mind was getting the hell out of there.

“Oh my God! Darren, come here!” Marie yelled at the top of her voice after witnessing Teresa slam the brick through the windshield, shattering the entire glass.

“Come on, girl. We’ve got to go!” I said hysterically.

“No, I’m not going anywhere. I’m gonna wait for that sorry motherfucker to come outside and face me,” Teresa replied in a cocky manner.

“You know what? “You can stand here all you want to. But, I am leaving, because this nigga is crazy! And I am not trying to get into a fist fight with him behind you fucking up his car!” I marched directly to my car.

Before I could get in the driver’s seat really good, Darren came rushing out of his house and headed straight toward Teresa with a loaded .38 revolver. I didn’t know whether to pull off and leave or try to intervene. My mind went totally blank and I became numb. But, my eyes didn’t blink not once as I witnessed him grab her by her throat and jam the barrel of the gun in the right side of her temple.

“Bitch! Do you know that I will kill you behind my shit!” he roared.

“Well, go ’head!” Teresa barked back. “I ain’t got shit to live for anyway.”

“No, Darren, please put the gun down!” his wife pleaded, as she stood next to him. “The kids are watching you from their bedroom windows.

“Nah, fuck that! I’m sick of this dope fiend bitch!”

“Call me what you want, nigga! ’Cause your goofy ass get down too!” Teresa fired back.

“He what?” Marie said in a raspy tone.

“Oh, I’m sorry! But, I forgot to tell you that your husband is a certified sniff addict himself.”

“Shut up, bitch!” he yelled as he buried the barrel deeper in the side of her head.

Seeing this, I had to do something. So, I got on my cellular phone and dialed 911. The operator wanted me to stay on the phone until a police officer arrived, but I hung up. And instead of waiting in the car I got up the gumption to go and try to defuse the situation on my own.

“Darren,” I said the second I approached him, “the police are on their way. So, you might want to put that gun away before they get here. Because if you don’t, they are going to arrest you and put you in jail.”

“I ain’t doing a motherfucking thing! This bitch came on my property and busted out my damn windshield, so she’s going to jail.”

“But, remember, you assaulted her first.”

“That’s because she invaded my space and tried to poison my wife’s mind.”

“Look, I know you’re upset. But, you’re gonna have to take that gun out of her face and let her go.”

“Yes, Darren, please let her go,” Marie begged him once again.

After a few more minutes of struggling with the idea to do just that, he finally decided to let Teresa go. When he released her from his grip, I grabbed her by her arm and began to pull her in the direction of her car.

Relieved but somehow a little frustrated, I said, “Come on, let’s get out of here before the police pull up.”

“Yeah, you better get that bitch out of here, before I kill her.”

“Oh, nigga, shut up! You won’t about to do shit to me and you know it!” Teresa screamed.

“Ahh, fuck off, bitch!”

“Yeah, go ahead and show off for your wife,” Teresa yelled right before I pushed her in her car. “But just remember that my front door is always open when you want to powder your nose and fuck some good pussy!”

“Can you please leave?” his wife yelled back. “You see he’s not paying your ass no mind.”

“He will be, after I have this damn baby!” Teresa replied sarcastically.

Instead of allowing Darren to play into Teresa’s trap, Marie grabbed him and began to walk him toward the house. Her eagerness to neutralize this situation prompted me to do the same. So, I reached through the car window and grabbed Teresa by her shirt to get her attention.

“Will you please pull it together so we can get out of here?” I yelled.

“I hate that motherfucker!” she expressed the moment she looked into my face.

“I can see why. But, all that yelling back and forth through your car window is only making you look stupid. Now, I’ve had it up to here with all y’all damn drama, and I’m getting ready to leave. So, you can sit here if you want to. But, don’t call me when the police get here and decide to arrest your ass for vandalism!” I told her and then I stepped off and walked to my car.

By the time I got in and closed the door, I heard her start up the ignition, rev the engine a bit, and then speed off. I did the same and sped right off behind her.

When we reached the end of the block, two police cars rode right by us, which made me very nervous. But to my surprise, they didn’t even look our way. So, we both kept it moving.

I elected to not to return to Teresa’ apartment, especially after everything I had just endured. Once she realized I had turned off into another direction, she got on her cell phone called me. I was very short with her, so our conversation ended quickly. But I did get a chance to tell her that I would call her sometime later.

Even after all that chaos I allowed myself to be involved in between Darren and Teresa, I ended up letting her talk me into coming back to her place the next day. I didn’t notice it yesterday, but she had some pretty rough looking scratches around the throat area of her neck. She was looking pretty rough herself, wearing the same exact outfit from the day before. The expression on her face was vacant, and the dry white ring around her mouth gave her the look of death. This was definitely not the Teresa I knew, so I commented, “Why the hell you walking around here looking like that?”

“Girl, I’m just going through something right now, but I’ll be all right,” she replied as we walked into the kitchen.

I took a seat at the table, while Teresa stood with her back against the kitchen sink. “What time did you got to bed last night?” I asked.

“Not until about around midnight.”

“What were you doing?”