"I'm so tired of telling you the same shit over and over. You don't appreciate me at all. Maybe if I leave your ass another man will."Damita walked away from Amaru and disappeared into their bedroom.
"What the fuck you say?"Amaru followed her. "Another nigga gone do what?"
She ignored him.
Damita angrily snatched clothes from her side of the closet, throwing them into an open suitcase.
"So you gone leave?"Amaru quickly trailed behind her trying to grab every article of clothing she threw into her suitcase. "You don't hear me talking to you?"He aggressively pulled her by the forearm, dragging her out of the closet.
Damita heels slid across the carpet as she tried to pull her arm out of his grip. Amaru grabbed her other hand and held both her arms upward so they were above her head. "You stupid if you think I'm going to let you fucking leave me."He spoke in a venomous tone.
She was stricken to silence, he had never acted this way with her. Her face went to a blotchy read state as tears of fear formed in her eyes. "Amaru, please let me go. You're hurting me."
Her tone was flat and shaky. Nothing like her usual happy and airy tone with him.
Amaru released her arms, jaws still clenched. His glared burned her like a magnifying glass in the sun.
Damita's body felt plastered into that wall he pushed her into. She was almost afraid to move. She was shaking with great fear.
Amaru went to grab her again, but she flinched at his movement.
"Baby...I'm sorry."Amaru's spirit softened by her actions. "Fuck."Amaru cursed himself. He walked away from her and sat down on their bed.
"If you want to see Amari, talk to your mother."Damita scrubbed her hand across her face to wipe her tears. "We are done."
She picked up her thrown around clothes from their floor, placing them into her suitcase. She grabbed the rest of the things she needed and then grabbed her sleeping daughter out of her bed.
"Can we please talk about this? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you."Amaru followed her out of the door.
"I've been talking. You just haven't listened and you just showed me that. Time and time again we're having the same conversation with no results. Now, the moment I try to do something about it you act like a complete lunatic."Damita laid her daughter in the backseat with her favorite blanket.
"I promise Damita, I'll do whatever it takes. Just please come back inside."Amaru held Her driver's side door open. He was trying to find every reason possible to keep her home. "Can I at least hug you? Where are you even going to go?"
"Get off my door or I'm going to call the police."Damita quickly shut her car door. "Don't worry about where we're going. Just know you won't be able to find us."Damita cracked her window to speak to him. Before he could say anything else, she pulled off. She had made plans to go to Chanel's, that was the only place that Amaru couldn't come find her at. He knew Chanel, but not as well as the other's, so he wouldn't just pop up at her house.
She pulled into Chanel's apartment building and parked next to her car. She then grabbed Amari and both their bags.
As they were walking up Chanel's apartment, Amari woke up. She looked around and noticed the familiar place, she had been here before. She laid back down on her mother's shoulder but stayed awake.
"Hey, girl, "Chanel held the door open for Damita.
"Hey."Damita smiled weakly.
"Girl, I got us some wine and some weed, because this occasion definitely calls for it."Chanel placed her hand on her hip. "You can put your stuff in there."
Damita sat her things in Chanel's second room before sitting on the couch with Amari in her lap. "She just woke up and she's been sick, so she might act a little funny."
Amari sat in her mother's lap, laying on her chest.
"I was just about to ask what was wrong with her."Chanel chuckled. "Was she up when you started arguing?"
"No. She's been asleep for most of the day. I'm glad she didn't."Damita exhaled through her nose. "He's never acted like that with me. I honestly thought he was going to hit me."
"What?"Chanel raised her eyebrows. "What happened?"
"We were arguing about the same thing we always argue about and I told him he didn't appreciate me. I told him that I was going to leave and find a man that will. I know that probably upset him, but he's never handled me like that."Damita spoke with wide eyes. "He bruised my arm."She held her arm out for Chanel to see.
"So what did he do? He pushed you?"
"He basically dragged me out of the closet, because I was getting our clothes. Then he pinned me against the wall and he was holding my arms super tight."Damita explained to her. "I don't know what he would have done if I didn't tell him to let go."
"Oh my God."Chanel extended her arms to hug Damita. "Listen, I'm not taking up for him but maybe he just let his anger get the best of him. Amaru loves you, he would never hurt you on purpose."
"I know he loves me, but what's going to happen the next time he gets angry?"Damita took a deep sigh.
"So you are thinking about divorce? This isn't just your boyfriend or baby daddy. That's your husband and you have a child with him. Did you think about any of that?"
"I don't want to divorce him. I don't think I do, I just need time. I don't know what I want to do right now."Damita fanned her eyes. "Of course I want us to be together forever, but I don't want him to mistreat me either."
"No cry, momma."Amari reached up to wiped her mother's face. "Kisses Mommy?"She sat up in her mother's lap and gave her a kiss.
"Aw. Mommy loves you."Damita's long face turned into a smile and tightly hugged her daughter.
"Awwww that was just the cutest little thing."Chanel squealed. "Take all the time, you need. You can stay here a long as you like."Chanel kissed Damita's cheek. "I can watch Amari while you're in class. Are you still interning with Professor Robinson?"
"Yeah, only on Wednesdays and Fridays, but her granny will get her on those days."Damita laid Amari on her back to change her. "I'm starting to potty train her, so try to make her go to the bathroom. She might not go, but still, try."
"Just in case her daddy comes, what should I do?"Chanel asked.
"He doesn't know I'm here, but hide her. Give her some juice she'll be quiet."Damita closed the new diaper she put on Amari then picked her up. She started to kiss her and throw her up in the air making her laugh. "You hungry, baby? Wanna eat?"
"I wan eat."Amari pat her stomach. "I want cereal."
"Chanel, do you have cereal? If not, I'll take her to the store."Damita asked.
"I have Trix and fruit loops,"Chanel answered.
"Which one you want?"She looked down at her daughter.
"Trix!"Amari got excited.
"I'll make it."Chanel got up and went to the kitchen. She made Amari a bowl of cereal and handed it to Damita so she could feed her.
"Mommy I do it! I wanna do it!"Amari tried do grab the spoon.
"No. You're going to make a mess."Damita popped her hand and grabbed the spoon. "Amari, please do not test me. Not today."
Amari quickly settled down and let Damita feed her. Once she was done, Damita took Amari a bath and put her to sleep.
