Mr. Telephone Man | Woody McClain

3

Nyema....

I had cried myself to sleep all night, my feelings were hurt. When I got home from class yesterday, I saw Damien –in my bed– with another woman.

I tried to wash my sheets and mattresses, only to find all the cleaning materials hidden.

Leaving me having to sleep on a naked bed with a thin cover.

I knew he cheated on me with women so that wasn't the part that hurt me. It should have, I know.

It was the fact that she was beautiful.

The thought of it hurt me to the core. It was my own insecurities, I know.

"Nyema?!" I heard his deep voice call from downstairs.

I quickly threw on a white baggy shirt and ripped shorts before running downstairs.

The sight made my eyes water, but I couldn't let them see it. Not today.

It was that woman that he was with yesterday. She was seated on his lap with her arms wrapped around his neck. Don't I remember those days.

Back then, Damien and I always talked about getting married and having kids. He was what you would call the perfect boyfriend. Until my doctor told me that I couldn't have children.

That's when everything started happening. He begin drinking which led to smoking, which led to me. Being beat.

Now all of those sweet nothings he once told me and whispered in my ear, were now insults that dig into the core.

He told me I was useless. He rejects me simply because I'm not pretty enough, or skinny enough. Because I don't have the skin tone that he wants me to have, and he now hates my freckles.

"Nyema, this is Jessica. My new girlfriend."

New girlfriend? Wait, this means...

"I need you to cook dinner, clean the house, have my room remodeled, and all of her clothes in the closet by the time I get off work."

I looked down at my watch seeing it was already twelve. "Wait you want me to have all of this done by two o'clock? Damien what the hell?!"

He pushed her off his lap and stood close to my face. "Did I stutter Nyema?"

I don't know what took over me, but my pride had gotten a boost of power, "that's bullshit Damien!"

I fell to the floor forcefully seeing the blood drip from my nose, I looked up at him to see no remorse in his eyes.

Jessica on the other hand seemed as if she wanted to cry. Her hands were over her wide open mouth and her eyes bulged. Didn't know he could do such thing, did you?

He kissed her before looking back at me with a disgusted look as I sat on the stairs. Hearing the door close behind him and the engine start, I begin to cry. I couldn't let him see me do so.

"Oh my God are you okay?" She ran to my side with napkins she quickly snatched from her pink designer purse.

She had a light caramel skin tone and her hair was short. Her makeup was done perfectly and I saw that she had many small tattoos.

"I'm fine, he does this everyday." I pushed her hands away from my face and stood, tilting my head back to stop the bleeding.

Waiting for it to stop, I took the napkin she gave me wiping the blood off the wooden floor.

An hour later I was done making the food so I sat in the living room – with Jessica next to me – waiting on the men upstairs to finish with their new room.

"Listen baby I'm so sorry he put you through that. Do you think it's because of me?" She questioned .

"No love, it's been going on for a while. It's my fault anyways."

"Why don't you leave baby?"

"Because I love him."