My Life Without You

Chapter 11: No More Secrets

The knock on the door startles Valerie. Putting the mop back in the hall closet, Val takes a quick scan of the room. The once shattered glass on the living room floor has removed. The vanilla scented wick candles replaces the once thick aroma of liquor with a soft-sweet fragrance. Val grabs her bruised hip. The grueling-dull pain bothered her immensely with every stride. She walks towards the door with a limp and notes Rick's house shoes by the sofa and quickly throws them into the coat closet. A half a cup of lemon tea, cold, left to be emptied—she will pour down the drain later.

"Hey, come on in," Val says, opening the front door. She receives the warm hug from her brother whom she has not seen in over six months. She walks toward the kitchen as her brother comes inside.

"What's up little sis," Mark say, shutting the door behind himself. "I'm so happy you texted me to come over earlier cause I missed my little niece." He scans the room and glances towards the stairs. His oversized shirt hung loosely over his plumped body. His lack of sleep, long hours at work, coupled with the stress of his demanding career never left him much time to do much of anything. Fast food and microwave dinners was his delight. "Where's Nairobi? he finally ask.

It's dusk out and when the children awoke, Valerie had already cleaned up the mess that once showed evidence of an abusive night. Her plans of getting the house cleaned and her kids to friends house a couple of blocks over before Mark came was a laborious task.

Valerie knows she has to start from somewhere but once he takes one look at her, the end is where she'd need to begin. She closes the cabinet door as she places the empty black-coffee mug on the marble counter—turning around to face her brother...

"WHAT THE FUCK!" he shouts. "What happened to you Valerie & you better tell me the truth. Mark was now up close on his sister. With bulging eyes, he reaches for his sister's face—Valerie quickly turns her head to one side.

Mark's body is rigid. He snaps his eyes shut. "I'm g-o-n-n-a KILL HIM! Where is he?" He runs towards the stairs.

"Jr. wait!" Jr was the name that only Val, and their parents called him. "He's not here."

"Then where the hell is he Val?"

"I don't know, Val responds softly.

"Don't lie to me to cover his ass up. Look at your face! Your face is swollen. And your nose— is it broke? Why the hell are you still here instead of the hospital? This time I don't care what you say, I'm gonna get his ass! And fucking kill him!" Mark pounds his fist on the wall behind him.

This wasn't the first time Val had called her brother over. Valerie knows all to well how Rick can get when he drinks. Rick getting angry is one thing. But Rick getting angry coupled with alcohol was another.

~

"Rick baby, I was just getting my hair done, I promise."

"Then why the hell did your girlfriend just text your phone saying did you make it in?" Rick was holding Val's phone in the air. They had just made love and Val went to start dinner. She had left her phone on the nightstand in their bed room.

"Oh." Valerie whispered.

Val was left feeling nervous. She didn't want her husband to know she lied—she was still hanging out with her girlfriends from college. He hated they were all single and said single women were nothing but trouble. So after just four months into their marriage, Val reluctantly promised Rick that she would stop seeing them. Besides, she was a newlywed herself and making her husband happy was all Valerie wanted to do. But she couldn't keep her promise. She was bored, and she began loosing her self-worth. She felt trapped.