"You said go away, but I couldn't. You said you didn't love me, but I refuse to believe that!" "I'm married, I have three children, nothing comes before them." "You don't love her, and I can give you children that you'll love even more." "Woman, are you crazy? You'll never replace my wife and you damn sure will never replace my kids!"
Shots fired in the house as the assailant fled rapidly. Cutting across the grass, back behind the house two blocks away where the car was parked. "I'd like to report a shooting at 1225 Cypress Lane," the voice rang across the wire lines to the 911 operator.
As the cops examined the crime scene, so arrived the occupants of the house. They arrived to yellow caution tape surrounding their yard, the medical team taking away the body, and police franticly examining the crime scene to get any trace of evidence of the assailant.
It's been two and a half years since the shooting, the kids are growing up fast. Tamia is sixteen, Lawrence is fourteen, and Maria is six. Karen and I have been separated ever since then. One hundred forty-five hours of community service for aggravated assault served, and I haven't seen Stacey since that night. Everyone wanted an explanation of what happened that night, but I had not answers for them, they had no proof just my word against hers.
"Daddy, are you moving back home this week?" Maria asked her father. "I'm working on it sweetie," he replied to his youngest daughter. "Well I don't think that you're working that hard. Just ask mommy. We miss you daddy," Maria sang. "Ok sweetie. Mommy and I will talk about it later. Go get your brother so we can get going, so you won't be late for school." Anthony instructed his daughter. "Lawrence, Daddy said let's go!" Maria hollered to her brother. "Hey sweetheart," Anthony greeted his oldest daughter Tamia. "Hi Daddy," she replied giving him a quick peck on the cheek and grabbing her keys and running out the house. "Good morning Karen," Anthony spoke to his wife. "Anthony" Karen replied. "You look beautiful," he told her. Karen looked at him but did not reply. "I'm ready now Dad," Lawrence said grabbing a banana and walked out the door to the car. "Maria, go get in the car with your brother, I'll be out in a second," Anthony instructed. Maria beckoned for her dad to bend down so that she could whisper in his ear. Anthony entertained his daughter and bent down. "Ask her now Daddy," Maria told him. Anthony smiled. "Ok sweetie, go get in the car."
"Karen, can I talk to you a minute?" Anthony asked his wife. "Not really, I'm going to be late for work," She replied. "Baby, two seconds. I miss my kids; I miss my family; but mostly I miss my wife. I'm tired of being away from you. Not waking up to your beautiful eyes every morning is killing me. This has been going on for too long. I don't want to waste any more time away from ya'll." Anthony moved in closer to Karen and cornered her. "Care bear, I love you, I miss you. I think about you all day every day. I want to be with you every night and every morning when I wake up."
Anthony had Karen. He always had. Karen knew that Anthony knew she was the biggest sucker for him but this time she vowed that no matter what, she was going to get rid of every bad bone in his body or else it would really be over for good. The entire time Anthony was talking, she felt herself getting sucked into his pull all over again. The sound of the horn blowing from the garage snapped her back into focus. "I really have to get going. I'm going to be late for work," Karen replied. That wasn't the response Anthony was expecting and it definitely threw him off but not completely, because even though he was thirty-three, married, and had three kids, he was still too smooth for that. "Ok can we please talk over lunch? Please baby? I'm really begging you." Anthony pleaded. "Fine. Twelve o'clock at the Palace," Karen said gathering her things before her husband slithered his way back into her brain.
"Dang girl, you look like you been through it this morning," Yolanda, Karen's partner and best friend, told her as she walked into the office with bloodshot eyes. "It's that damn Anthony. I don't know why she's still putting up with his shit. Eighteen years of bullshit and she still hasn't learned her lesson." Kara, Karen's twin sister, chimed in. "Well that's her husband and if she wants to live that way then you can't do a thing about it." Yolanda told Kara. "What is it this time, sis?" Kara asked. "I hope you finally asked him for a divorce," Kara added. "You know damn well she didn't ask him for a divorce. Karen loves that man's dirty drawers." Yolanda budded in. "Whose side are you on? How can you be on his side when you have watched your best friend go through hell on account of one man?" Kara asked Yolanda. "All I'm saying is after Mi-Mi was born, we told her to leave him alone then, next came Lawrence and even after we drove three hours to find him in his dorm room with another female, no once, not even twice, but on three occasions. I gave up on trying to convince my girl, who I love dearly, to leave that trifling, no good, man of hers alone. You'd think that after nine years of marriage, she'd be done with the bullshit that hasn't changed." Yolanda replied.
