LOVE THY NEIGHBOR

chapter 5: one + one = twins!

JO

My alarm began to go off at 6:00 a.m the next morning. Groggy, I moaned out loud and blindly felt around for the alarm clock with my face stuffed in my pillow. It took me 4 tries until I finally reached the snooze button.

I lazily lifted my deadweight up to get myself out of bed before plopping back down, realizing that I had the day off today. I smiled wide at this realization, in addition to the fact that Charles had not come back home last night, and I honestly couldn't give two shits about where he was, as long as he wasn't here.

I had a feeling that this was going to be a great day! No, an excellent day.

Yesterday, after talking to our new neighbor, I went in and immediately called my sister to check up on Lily to see how she was doing. My cousin had dropped Lily off at my house when she was suddenly called in for work. She told me that he mumbled how she was going straight to my sister's house. I was so embarrassed when she informed me on what she heard.

"Hey sis! How's everything?" Malay asked me. At 24, she was only 2 years younger than me. She was a homebody, and didn't really like going out which was great for me, because she never minded taking on Lily when I couldn't, due to work and when Charles wouldn't, due to laziness and selfishness.

"You know me and my baby are good! That Man dropped her off this morning and has yet to call to check on her. I swear I don't know how you put up with his ass sis! No job, doesn't pay a single bill, rarely watches his own daughter, just as rude as he wanna be, and is too busy rolling around in your shit, kickin it all night with his friends, to buy his own car. Oh wait, I forgot; you need a job in order to buy a car, right?!" She scoffed in the phone.

I just sighed at her statements, not wanting to even begin to think about what she would think of me if she were to add "and beating the shit out of you every chance he gets" to that list. I couldn't bring myself to tell anyone in my family. I got myself into this mess, so it was up to me to get myself out of it.

"I know girl, but he's going to get his shit together soon, okay! Anyway, you will never guess what happened to me right before I called you?"

"Waiting...." She replied

"Okay, so I came home and there was some stranger standing at my door. Turns out, it was our new neighbor-well, one of our new neighbors, and girl, he is everything! I mean, I know I'm married and all, but I can still look. But yeah, I'm telling you because he is just your type! Tall, lean, and all types of fine! And to top all of that off, he's French and has the sexiest accent my ears have ever heard! His name is.." I thought about it again, realizing that I forgot it that quick, "well, I really can't remember, but I know it starts with an L."

"Is that right?! Well, I'll be over tomorrow night to drop off my baby, so you can introduce me then. Plan?"

"Plan." I said back.

I was just about to say goodbye and hang up when she said, "Oh and Jo, ummm Lily said something weird to me after That Man had dropped her off." I laughed whenever she called Charles That Man, and I knew it was because she despised him, so I let her do it.

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Ummm, she was implying that Charles has been putting his hands on you! She said 'Mommy made Daddy mad again, so she got in trouble and he gave her a whoopin when they were in the room'. Jo, what's this about?"

I had no idea that my daughter was up at 3 in the morning hearing all of this the night that Charles had basically raped me. My face went flush, but I cleared my throat and laughed it off, "Girl, you know that my baby has an imagination. We were just having sex; guess I was being too loud!"