Three Months Later
“What does she want now?” I sucked my teeth as I covered my naked body with a sheet.
“She wants to meet and talk. She claims it’s important and pertains to the divorce.” Don was scrolling his phone.
Adonis and I had been glued at the hip like I had a right to his ass. He was still married to my sister because she decided she didn’t want things to end. A part of it was my fault because the same night I was supposed to come talk to Don about making sure a divorce was what he wanted, I remember telling her to fight for her man and change her ways. I never expected that he and I would end up in bed together.
Well, all of that was three months ago and now I practically lived at his place. Of course, I had to park streets over, most times in front of stores since my pink damn car was so recognizable. Neither of us was ready for the backlash if Karmen ever found out we were sleeping together. She questioned me almost daily about my whereabouts since I was barely ever at her place. Of course, I always put it on Meesha, but if I were honest, my dealings with Meesha had even ceased since I had been laid up with Don. Along with Meesha being a non-factor, so was school. I had dropped out, or as I like to say, I took a break. It was like he and I were in our own little world and refused to let anyone in.
He explained that it was crucial that no one, not even Meesha, knew about us until the divorce. The divorce Karmen decided she no longer wanted. Her ass was pulling out all the stops too. She was popping up at Don’s job trying to get his attention, his favorite restaurants and hang out places, not to mention the gym he frequented every morning at five a.m. I had never known Karmen to be so persistent over anything, let alone running behind a man. That’s not who she was. Maybe that’s the get my man back Karmen.
My sister claimed only good dick would have me carrying on and going ghost on everybody the way I was, but little did she know, the good dick, as she referred to it, was coming from her husband. As bad as I wanted to be with Don, we could never do normal couple’s stuff, as I often called it. I hated sneaking to other towns to spend time outdoors with my man, but Don always said in due time baby. It was his favorite saying, but when exactly was due time? Would there really ever be a time that Don and I would be normal? Sadly, I wasn’t a fool. No one would ever accept Don and I being together. Even though they had problems way before I ever came into the picture, I wasn’t dumb enough to believe that anyone would believe that. I would forever be the sister who slept with her brother-in-law, but it was so much more to Don and I. He was the yin to my yang; we just fit together so perfectly. He got me. He understood me and I had never witnessed that in my life. Of course my father loved me and he showed it, but outside of him I never felt special, but then came Don. It seemed like fate. I didn’t move in with Karmen and Don with ill intentions.
Things just sort of happened!
So, believe what you want to! The truth was, I did my best to stop whatever I felt was happening with Don and me, but I could only control it for so long until it finally happened.
“What did she say exactly Don?” I questioned as he turned his back to me.
“She wants to meet like I said. She said something about it was time for us to stop playing and let it go.”
My face lit up at his statement, but why wasn’t his ass as happy as I was that Karmen was finally ready to let him go and sign those divorce papers?
“Bae? Why aren’t you happy about this? This is what we’ve wanted for so long.”
Exhaling loudly, he sat up in bed and positioned his body in my direction.
“Because I know your sister. She’s full of it. Karmen doesn’t want me. It’s a mind game to her ass.” He shrugged.
Grabbing the blunt from next to the bed, I positioned it between my lips and Don reached for the lighter next to him to light it for me. Taking a pull, I closed my eyes thinking about what he said.
He was right.
Karmen liked control and Don not talking, responding to her texts, or giving her the time of day during her pop-up visits was eating at her. She hated that he had the upper hand. She had expressed it to me a million times that she was sick of chasing a man who didn’t want her, but went on to say it was for the greater good, whatever that shit meant. She always said it was for the sake of the family that she wanted things to work out with Don, but she never once said she wanted him back because she loved him.
I wasn’t sure what was up with Karmen, but her ass didn’t want Don anymore, but for whatever reason she didn’t want to give him up either.
“I think you should see her this time. She might actually let you go.” I opened my eyes and smoke came out of my nose.
Passing the blunt to Don, he took a pull then dumped his ashes in the ashtray next to the bed.
“I’on know bae. I don’t feel like dealing with her ass.” He hit the blunt again.
“But what if this is the time she actually signs the damn papers? I don’t want you to miss the opportunity for us to finally be together.” He passed the blunt back to me.
“I feel ya, but listen, do you really think that we can be all cool and shit even if she does sign the papers? You know once she gets wind of us it’s going to be hell. My job may be on the line because she knows all the top executives, and what about your parents? I know you THINK you’re ready for this shit, but your sister can be hell Kash, and what about your father?” He lowered his head.
My parents.
I hadn’t given them a second thought. My main concern had been my sister. Over the last few months, they had invited me to visit their home and new church in Tennessee a million times, but I wasn’t ready to face them. Maybe once Karmen and Don divorced I’d have the courage to look them in the eyes, but right now, no. I just couldn’t do it. I wouldn’t make it a second after watching disappointment on my father’s face when he found out I was having an affair with my sister’s husband. My father would probably die an early death when the truth came to the light. He had such high hopes for me, but in just a few months of my parents leaving town, I was a totally different Kashae Howard. My hair was still cut in a bob with a hint of blue added to it now. I also had tats all over the place. I think I had become obsessed, but Don said it was a phase. He said he always heard once you got one you’d keep getting them, and it wasn’t a lie either. My entire body from head to toe was inked. I was in love with tattoos.
I had a belly piercing and a nose piercing with the hook through my nostrils. Whenever I would Facetime my parents, I always had my nose piercing out and my hair wrapped up. I never stayed on the phone long, but just enough to keep them from doing their infamous pop ups that they loved so much. Thank God they were so busy getting the church together from the new transition that they had no time to just show up on us. If they ever popped up, it would be hell. It seemed as if Don knew more about Karmen’s attitude and her vindictive ways than I did, but even if she found out about Don and I, she wouldn’t be able to shake the fact that we were still sisters. We would always be sisters no matter who was with who.
Period.
Of course I knew it would take a minute for her to come to grips with my relationship with Don, but she didn’t want his ass anymore so he was fair game. I only slept with Don once he asked for a divorce, not a second before.
“Meet at the house so I can make sure I’m there to listen in,” I beamed.
“A’ight, what about noon?” He grabbed his phone up to respond to Karmen.
“Noon is good. I can act like I just got out of class.”
“You really should finish school Kash,” he voiced while keeping his eyes on his phone.
“I will,” I whined.
I hated when Don sounded like my father instead of my man.
“Ok, well it’s done. She just said ok.” He tossed his phone next to him before kissing my lips and turning the lamp off.
My insides fluttered at the reality that soon I would no longer be Don’s side piece, but his woman. And though it was wrong in so many ways to be in love with him, it was just too late for that because I was in too deep at this point.