Deceitful | Book 3

| F I V E |

Past-

"That's it! I'm going to Orlando!"

    Cheri shouted from her bedroom as I sat in the front room playing Match with some random deck of cards with Cashmere. After hearing her grumbling on and on, I heard a loud thud, causing for me to stand up and motion for Cash to stay where she was.

    Cashmere looked up at me and then went back to playing with the cards. She was going to be building a house when I got back. I just knew her like the back of my hand. She didn't like to play the right way.

    I walked down the hall and into Cheri's bedroom that she shared with Martray and there were bags packed everywhere. She was pacing around the bedroom with her arms folded, her baby belly visible with her shirt pulled up. Clothes where thrown every which way, most of them belonging to Martray. Suitcases were lain out near the closet door. Her hair was pulled up in a messy bun. She dropped her arms in time to turn around and notice me standing there.

    "What's going on in here?" I asked her, curious to find out what that thud was.

    "Tray thinks he's slick!" Cheri yelled as she walked over towards the bed and sat down. "He doesn't think I know, but I know he's staying with that girl!" She yelled.

    "Well, the nigga ain't here. Calm down and take a breather or something, Cheri. You're pregnant." I tell her as I sat down next to her. "What's this you talking about going to Orlando?" I ask her, trying to change the subject. She looked at me as she took a deep breath and shook her head.

    "I need to get away for a while. I mean, maybe this is it. Maybe we're getting a divorce and he's leaving me for Tereny. What if he divorces me to be with her?" Tears start to fall from her eyes, simply catching me off guard because all before, she was just yelling and I guess she was throwing shit. Now, she's sitting here and crying. Pregnancy hormones were no joke.

    Just the thought of Martray being around Tereny alone had brought jealousy. Shaking the thought out of my mind, I look away. I couldn't deny, I was feeling Tereny to the highest level. And the kiss we shared was playing back to back in my mind all morning. But just Cheri mentioning Martray had been staying with her had me feeling some type of way. I almost felt defeated.

    "I just need to get away from here for a little while. I can't stand to be here while he's there with her. It's taking everything in me not to just rush over there and kick down that damn door." Cheri tried to dry her eyes as she looked down. She looked back up at me with the red face and red eyes. "You know this bitch put a restraining order on me?"

    "On your little ass?" I laughed out of disbelief, but Cheri wasn't laughing with me so I cleared my throat and sighed. "You gotta let Martray do his thing, Cheri. I mean, maybe you should consider moving on, too." I try to advise her.

    "Easier said than done..." She said in a really soft tone as tears gently fell from her eyes. "Bruce, Martray may be no good when it comes to our marriage but he takes care of home. And when he ain't whoring around, he's a good husband too. He's the only man besides dad that I tell my secrets to. He knows more about me than anyone."

    I can honestly feel what Cheri was saying because she had a rough childhood. Honestly, I feel for her the most because she tried so hard to keep her family together besides the fact that she was ghetto as hell and nagged a lot. Deep down, she loved Martray with everything. And from what I'm able to see, Cashmere thinks the world of him. And since I've been here, he made it his responsibility to make sure that I knew the ends and outs of manhood. But there's never anything cool when it came to the breaking of my sister's heart. I wish she leave this nigga alone, though.