Giving Me Life

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Dreeky knew his daddy, Donald Sr. was upset to see he had married a man. Felicia hoped he wouldn't make a scene. She hadn't seen her son in such a long time, she wanted nothing to spoil her day. Cesaire seemed to be such a refined gentleman, and it was obvious he cared about her son. He had him living in the lap of luxury. Hell, she was glad her special son was happy now. He was such a helpful child to her when he was younger.
Donald Sr. looked offended when Cesaire pulled him aside to talk. Dreeky noticed his father's uncomfort and it angered him. Felicia had cooked a mess of food for her party; fried chicken, meatballs, macaroni salad, pork and beans, deviled eggs, rice dressing, and barbecued ribs. She noticed Donald Sr. acting funny, so she called everyone to come eat. She fixed Donald Sr. a plate, as well as Cesaire. She brought them the heavy plates of food. Cesaire graciously accepted the plate, raving about the aromas then diving in. Dreeky sipped a cup of punch, nervously. When he saw his daddy get up and walk out, he followed. It was time to talk things through. Donald Sr. looked at his son, then said, " I knewed you was gay, but why you had to marry a man?", shaking his head. Dreeky took a deep breath and testified to his father as Felicia and Cesaire walked in. "Daddy, you used to hate what I was. Still do. I had never even been with a man until YOUR friend Dan raped me! All these years I have never even been with anyone. You made me feel like something was wrong with me, and I believed it. Until I met Cesaire. He saw me, even though you didn't want to. He is a good man and I love him! If anyone has a problem with us, well then , that's just y'all problem, cuz please believe me, we having fun! I am living my life, and my husband supports me! We in love, and nothing can change the fact! Be happy for me, daddy!", he pleaded. Donald Sr. looked at Cesaire while Dreeky talked. He felt a glimmer of truth there.
They made it through Felicia's party, eating and drinking. When they were getting ready to leave, Cesaire slipped an envelope to Donald Sr. Inside was $5000, cash. " I hope you'll accept this little token of our appreciation, " said Cesaire. Donald Sr.'s eyes got big as he looked at the money. He couldn't believe it. He shook Cesaire's hand and thanked him. Felicia gave him a hug and made them promise to come visit more often.
As they drove away, Dreeky looked back at his family and felt sorry to leave them, but he had an outstanding future ahead with Cesaire. He sat back into the rich leather seats and comfortably closed his eyes as Cesaire drove back to the Marigny.
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Victorine was home alone. After breakfast, Jeraina Faye had Dex drive her into New Orleans to check on their house. They'd be back in the evening, she had said. So, Victorine had the house to herself. She dialed up Hadrien's phone, but he was still out on the boat with TonTon. Victorine figured he was with his new piece. She angrily thought of how he was spending time with her
instead of being here ,with the mother of his child.
Derek watched as Victorine paced the floor. He was gonna make her talk to him. Ever since the reality slap he received from Tim and Tameka, Derek had been fuming. He would get even with them, but first he had to get right with Victorine. He didn't want to stay on her bad side. He needed someone to be with right now. Even Tootie was acting funny, not answering his calls. When he went by her house, she cursed his ass out. Derek thought she was playing, and she called her lil brother, Shotta, to make Derek leave. Derek's luck was running out. He couldn't even hook up with his newest lil dip, Brittany. Her mamma sat on the porch with a shotgun when he went by there. Derek had no one to chill with, and his boys would always be doing their own things. He figured Victorine was his best bet right now; she had money and power. He would come correct with her and she would be cool. All he had to do was woo her and win her over.
Victorine walked into the kitchen and was about to find something to eat when she heard a knock at the door. She opened to see Derek L. standing there. " Derek, what are you doing here?", she asked. Derek smiled at her and said, "I thought I'd see if you'd like to go get something to eat.", he said. Victorine had told him to leave her alone and he still had nerve to show up to her house. "Look, Derek, I don't think that's a good idea. Last time we talked, I was a bitch, remember", she asked. Derek wasn't trying to hear that shit. " Come on, Victorine! You know you miss me! Come on baby, I still got that for you. Let daddy give you what you want.", he said, trying to hold her. Victorine pushed his hands away from her and said, " Derek, you need to leave! Now!", she yelled. Derek's mind went numb as Victorine yelled obscenities at him, furthering his humiliation. "What I look like, being with you? You ain't nothing but a seed dropper, Derek! You thought I didn't know about Tootie, or that other girl? You can't seem to keep it in your pants! Now, get the hell out of here, before you regret it!", she warned. Derek slapped her in her face, hard, then grabbed a handful of her hair and pushed himself into her house. All Victorine could think of was protecting her baby, and herself.
Derek brought her further into the house, still holding her hair. Victorine grabbed a candlestick holder that was on the mantle. As Derek yanked her hair again and felt between her legs, she gave it all she had and hit him in the head with it, hard. The dull thud of the whack echoed around her as Derek's body fell to the floor, blood gushing out of the gash in his head. Victorine looked at what she had did and screamed.
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Hadrien and TonTon docked their boat and began to unload. He noticed another boat that had came in to dock. An old man stood like a victor, holding onto a cable, as a younger man toiled. He saw a long mass of dark hair and figured that must be Teta's new husband and his grandfather. When the men docked, TonTon and Hadrien walked over to them, TonTon shaking both men's hands. Hadrien followed suit. TonTon said, to Hadrien's surprise, " I hear congratulations are in order!" The older man laughed, gravelly voiced, and the younger man stood proud. "Hadrien, meet Mr.Willie and his grandson, Fiyah, Teta's husband!" Hadrien looked at TonTon then congratulated Fiyah. " She's a lovely person", he said. When Fiyah mentioned their baby, Hadrien's eyes hardened, but quickly recovered as he congratulated Fiyah. His cell phone ringing saved him from the uncomfortable situation. He excused himself to answer the call. Victorine's frantic sounding voice worried him as soon as she started talking. " Hadrien! Please! I need you! Something horrible has happened! Please, I need you!", she cried. Hadrien told TonTon he had an emergency, and he left quickly. Fiyah watched as Hadrien sped away. He could tell he wasn't truthful in his congratulations. Maybe he was one of her past suitors. Whoever he was, he had lost his chance with Teta. That alone could make a grown man cry.
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Victorine's heart beat wildly as she waited for Hadrien. Derek lay still on the floor, a red puddle surrounding him. Victorine felt sick. This was all her fault. She went to her mamma's cigarettes and lit one, in spite of her pregnancy. She was so nervous. She didn't want to go to jail, especially while pregnant. No, she wouldn't. She had to think fast. She ran into the bathroom and got a spare shower curtain. She could hear Hadrien's truck pulling up. He ran to the door and knocked as she ran back into the living room. She opened up looking breathless. Hadrien looked past her and noticed someone laying on the floor. He walked in, closing the door. He bent down and checked Derek's pulse. Victorine pulled on the cigarette, mind pulsating with ideas. Hadrien stood then took the cigarette from her hand. "Victorine?", he asked. " He came outta nowhere, Hadrien! I told him to leave, but he was like a crazy person! He slapped me and grabbed my hair! He was pulling me inside! His hands were all over me! I thought of protecting the baby, I swear it! So, I grabbed the first thing I could and hit him with it!", she exclaimed. She walked to the window and looked out. "Where's his truck at? Did you see it out front?", she asked. Hadrien told her no, then tried to think of what to do. They couldn't call the cops. Victorine would go to jail. " Help me wrap him up in the shower curtain ", she said. " Then we'll take him to the bayou, feed the alligators." Hadrien stared at Victorine. She was serious. She started pulling on Derek's body when Hadrien stopped her, then finished the job. They wrapped Derek in the shower curtain. " We have to hurry. My mamma and Dex'll be coming back soon!", said Victorine. She got a pail of water and some sponges and they quickly cleaned up the puddle of blood. Victorine pulled a rug over the spot, then helped Hadrien get the body out of the door and into the back of his truck. They drove down deep into the bayou and Hadrien weighed the body down with some rocks. As the body of Derek floated then got pulled under, Hadrien wrapped his arm around a visibly shaken Victorine. " Don't worry. We will make it through this.", he said, to make himself believe it. Victorine loved being close to him again. If committing a murder was the only way of getting him back, she thought it a fair trade.
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Merlynne dialed Hadrien's phone for the second time. When he didn't answer, she left him a voicemail, telling him to call her back, because Tim and Tameka had asked if they wanted to join them tonight for dinner at Oceana Grill. She sadly hung up the phone and looked at Tameka. " Girl, I think I done fucked up and fell in love with Hadrien! ", she told Tameka. " I love being with him! We have so much fun when we're together, it just feels so right!", she gushed. Tameka touched her hand and said, "Girl, I know how you feel! Tim's so wonderful to me and Precious. I don't wanna think about what life would be like without him. I love him!", Tameka said. Merlynne gave her a hug, then was surprised when her phone rang. " It's Hadrien! ", she squealed, answering. " I'm sorry I missed your calls", he apologized. Victorine tried to hear what he was saying. "I was in the middle of docking the boat." Merlynne felt better knowing he hadn't just blown off her calls. " So tonight, right? About what time?", he asked, to Victorine's chagrin. He could hear Merlynne asking Tameka what time. "At eight. Oh, Tameka says hi!", Merlynne added. " Tell her I said hello! So, I'll see you then! Talk to you later!", he said , hurrying off the phone. Merlynne never noticed his haste, but Victorine seemed annoyed. "Really, Hadrien? You're going on a date tonight? After what just happened?", she went on. " Who is this girl, Hadrien? " "She's the best friend of the baby mamma of the man WE just dumped in the swamp, Victorine!", he said angrily. Victorine swallowed and thought hard. She didn't want to upset him. She acted like his statement hadn't bothered her and went in the house, and Hadrien followed her in. He sat down on the sofa and looked as though he was in deep contemplation. " Let me get you something to drink", she said. She walked into the kitchen and grabbed two bottles of water. As she handed him one, she began to weep. Her tears moved him, and he sat her down next to him on the sofa and held her. Her hair smelled like orange marmalade. Victorine held onto Hadrien's body tightly, missing the feel of him, missing the way he used to ravage her body. It was obvious that he still cared for her. She knew she had a good chance of getting him back, she just had to let things flow. She was about to kiss him when in walked Jeraina Faye and Dex, all primped and primed up. Jeraina Faye's eyes sparkled at the sight of Hadrien. He looked at her, then averted his eyes. " Well, what's going on here? What's happened? ", she asked, resembling a person who cared. Victorine stood and went to her mamma. Hadrien stood to leave, too, but Victorine stopped him. He and Dex stared each other in the face, chastising. Jeraina Faye hollered, " Now, now, boys! Stop all that bullshit and tell me what's happened! " Hadrien sat back down while Dex sat at the table. Jeraina Faye waited while Victorine told her about Derek. "Y'all did good to get rid of the body, yeah. Them gators gonna clean his ass up!, she said. Victorine started to cry, and Jeraina Faye went by her side. " Don't worry about a thing. Mamma got you", she said. Hadrien looked at the time. It was almost 7:00. "I need to be somewhere, but I can come back later", he told Victorine. Hey, it was better than nothing. She was still pissed that he was going meet that girl. She walked him out to his truck. " Thank you, Hadrien. Please, come back?", she asked. He gave her a hug then got in his truck and drove away. Victorine walked back into the house, the awful scene playing back in front of her. She hoped and prayed that Hadrien would keep his word and come back , because she really didn't want to be alone.
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Hadrien sped home to TonTon's and took a quick shower. He dressed then went into the kitchen where TonTon sat. " Good evening", said Hadrien. Mrs. Cecile came into the room, asking if he ate. " I'm on my way to a dinner right now", he said, hastily. He told them goodnight then drove away to meet Merlynne, who was already at Oceana with Tim and Tameka and the baby. Hadrien apologized for almost being late. He couldn't help but notice Tameka's transformation. He gave Merlynne a kiss.
They were seated at their table, and the fellas had beer and talked, while the ladies ordered Lemon Drop Martinis. They had delicious appetizers of crab cakes and fried eggplant strips. Tim and Hadrien knew a lot of people in common. Tim had respect for the Hoodoo drummers, and Hadrien had respect for the Indians. Tameka and Merlynne eyed each other, glad the men were getting along. They had their entrées, and Merlynne noticed Hadrien wasn't enjoying his food like he usually did. She figured Victorine had a lot to do with the stress he was feeling, so she didn't bother him about it. She figured she could take care of him later. Hadrien thought about Victorine, and what she had him to do earlier. He also thought of Jeraina Faye. He couldn't deny the arousal he began to feel. Hadrien was ashamed of himself, lusting over his future child's grandmother, a woman who raped him. His mind swirled throughout dinner. When the ladies excused themselves and went to the restroom, Tim asked if he was alright. "You looking kind of worn out", he noticed. Hadrien laughed it off, saying he was tired from working on the boat all day. In the ladies room, Merlynne worried. " I don't know, girl! Hadrien's worrying about something. I can feel it. He's not himself tonight." Tameka looked at her friend, then said, " Maybe Victorine found out about y'all and he wants to protect you. You know she gonna go all out on him! Stupid bitch! I guess her and Derek through! " Merlynne thought about what Tameka said, and now she got even more worried. "You think she's gonna come for me, now? I mean, I am sleeping with her baby daddy!", she asked. Tameka thought of the pain and shit she went through because of Victorine and Derek. She did not want her friend to have to go through the same. " Let her try! We gonna fuck that bitch up!", she teased. " Come on. Let's get back to our men!"
When they we're leaving the restaurant, they made plans to do this again. Tim and Hadrien shook hands and Merlynne hugged Tameka and Precious. Hadrien drove Merlynne home. During the drive, he was very quiet and distant. When she unlocked her door and invited him in, he seemed hesitant to accept, but he went inside. He held Merlynne to him, apologizing for his behavior during dinner. "I'm just really tired, and stressed, that's all", he said. " Well, let's see if I can take care of that for you", said Merlynne as she began unbuttoning his shirt. He caught her hands and said, "Baby girl, as much as I'd love to, I can't right now. I'm really tired and need to rest, because I'm going out on the boat again in the morning." Merlynne looked like she would cry, but quickly pulled herself together. "Okay baby. Just call me when you get off, okay?" She kissed Hadrien, hoping he wasn't lying to her. When he left, she cried herself to sleep.
Hadrien drove to Victorine's. She was still up, sitting at the kitchen table. She was thrilled that he actually came back. "So, how was your date?", she asked. Hadrien shook his head and told her, " Look, I'm not here for you to badger me about my date. I couldn't even enjoy myself, thinking about what we did." Victorine was pleased to hear he hadn't enjoyed his date, but then she felt sorry for dragging him into HER mess. She looked at him, all big and sexy. "Hadrien, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry for getting you involved! I'm sorry for ever hurting you! I hope you can forgive me!", she cried, tears running down her beautiful face. Hadrien held a soft spot for her, and he didn't like to see her cry. He hugged her, then walked her to the bedroom, where he sat on her bed as she tried to get some sleep. He even fell asleep himself, but woke in the night to a familiar feeling. He walked out of Victorine's room and went into the parlor, where Jeraina Faye sat. His eyes met hers, and she stood, letting her silk kimono fall, revealing her naked body. Hadrien's will was no longer his, and Jeraina Faye walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. No words were spoken as she kissed him, sucking the life out of him, it seemed. He couldn't help but to palm her big ass and pull her to him. Before long, his clothes were gone and he too stood naked. Jeraina Faye stared at his massive erection swinging, and licked her blood red lips. Hadrien kissed her again, passionately. He lift her up and placed her body onto his appendage and worked into her, hard. Jeraina Faye took all of him, delightfully. He hammered into her, then put her down onto the chaise lounge chair and hit her from the back, going deep inside of her. He wanted to show her what HE could do to HER. Heaven preserve him, she felt so good. He knew what he was doing was wrong, but she made it feel so good he didn't stop until he came inside of her, rocking her world. When he could, he pulled himself out of her, realizing what he had done. Jeraina Faye looked at him, her beautiful face and body a dangerous jewel to be stealing. Her round breasts heaved as she breathed hard, her hands all over her body, enjoying what she was feeling. Jeraina Faye was like a drug to him; looking at her made him want more, and she knew it. She put her kimono back on and walked out, in search of some whiskey. She never uttered a word to him, just gave him a knowing look, then disappeared into the kitchen. Hadrien stood dumbfounded. He put his clothes back on and went back into Victorine's room. He sat in a chair and slept there the rest of the night, dreaming of how Jeraina Faye was giving him life.

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