Sonia
Derrick and I have been together for fifteen years and married for the past eleven. He was my first and only everything. We have three kids. DJ is 11, Daniel is 10, and Sarita is 8. Derrick and the kids were my life and I did everything in my power to make sure the four of them had everything they needed.
Derrick didn’t want me to work after DJ was born so I closed SH Events and was a stay at home housewife. I thought by complying and doing exactly what he wanted me to do it would make life easier, but I was wrong.
It was six o’clock in the morning when Derrick finally made his way home. I heard the garage door open and close, then the alarm beeped when he opened the door that led into the kitchen from the garage. I could hear him coming up the stairs. When he opened the door to our bedroom I turned on the lamp on my nightstand.
“Where the fuck have you been? You’ve been gone since yesterday!”
“I knew you were still up,” he said, laughing and walking into our walk-in closet. “You act like I’m not going to come home.”
“I’m getting sick of this shit! I am YOUR WIFE AND the MOTHER of YOUR CHILDREN, Derrick! I deserve RESPECT!”
“Yes I know. You remind me every day.”
“Why do you treat me like this? I do everything you ask of me. I let my business go. I stay home, take care of the kids and the house, I cook, I fuck you when you want, but still none of that is enough to keep your ass at home!”
“What do you want me to say? I have needs that not only you can fulfill,” he said, walking into the bathroom.
“Fuck you, Derrick!”
I got out of the bed; I wasn’t staying anywhere near him. This was not the man that I married or fell in love with. I couldn’t believe this shit. I honestly didn’t know why I put up with him sometimes.
“Where are you going?” he asked, walking out of the bathroom.
“Away from you! I can’t do this anymore, all this pretending to be happy when I’m not. I’m sick of this shit!”
Before I could take another step Derrick grabbed me by my wrist and pulled me to him.
“Let me go, Derrick!”
“Where are you going, Sonia?”
“I’m sick of this shit! I’m not staying here.”
“You’re not leaving.”
“Like hell I’m not.”
“You’re not leaving, Sonia. Make that my last time saying it.”
Before I knew what was happening Derrick shoved me into our cherry oak bedpost and I fell to the floor. I couldn’t believe this mothafucka pushed me.
“Baby, I’m sorry! Are you okay?” he asked while trying to help me up.
“Get the fuck away from me, Derrick! Leave me alone,” I said, trying to push him away from me.
“Baby, please let me help you. I’m sorry I didn’t mean to push you.”
“Just go away.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Derrick lifted me up slowly and put me in the bed. He left the room, returning a few moments later and pressed an icepack to my back.
“Baby, please forgive me. I never meant to hurt you.”
“You’ve been hurting me. Why can’t you just stop with affairs? I can’t take this anymore.”
“I promise not to hurt you again.”
“Just leave me alone. I don’t have anything else to say to you.”
“Baby, you gotta know that I’m sorry.”
“I can’t keep feeling like this; it’s stressing me out. I thought that once we got married the cheating would stop and that you would be the man that I fell in love with. Why can’t you be happy with what you have? I love you and I just want my husband to be the man I know he can be.”
I turned away from him and cried myself to sleep.
Sarai
It was almost seven o’clock in the morning and I couldn’t believe Liam and I were still out on our date. I had literally been up twenty-four hours, but I didn’t care because Liam was worth the sleepless night.
We were talking and enjoying one another’s company. I was beginning to let my guard down a little bit. I felt comfortable with Liam. We watched the sunrise while holding hands and talking.
“Do you want kids?” I asked him.