Three months after giving birth and Maria was still disrespecting me.
The last straw for me was when she said my child was a 'bastard that you should have aborted'. She didn't say it directly to me, she was actually talking to another maid that had called her out for cutting one of my dresses. I walked in on them and heard the whole conversation and right after she cursed my baby she turned and looked me right in the eye.
That was a month after I gave birth so I knew-although I so badly wanted to beat her, any fast movement was painful and I could injure myself pretty badly. What use am I to my baby if I'm injured?
But enough was enough. After waiting a whole six months for my body to recover, I was ready to teach Maria a lesson.
I could have told Giovanni everything but I didn't. If he knew he would send her back to Italy-which I think e should but I know my husband. He wouldn't even think of letting me fight because I just gave birth, even if I told him I was fine.
And it made me so angry that he was barely ever home to begin with. I felt like a single parent despite the fact that I was married. I know he has to take care of the business or whatever but he leaves at 6am and returns at 3am. Sometime he went three days before coming home. I didn't want the maids to help me raise my child, I wanted the father of my child to help me raise our child together.
To make it worse, there have been rumors that Giovanni had slept with a Telly Ting.
I haven't asked him whether they were true because I know sleeping with a prostitute was out of Gio's character and I trust him. But my insecurities after having the baby were at an all time high. My body has obviously changed with most of the weight went to my butt, thighs and breast but there was still a pug at my stomach.
For three months after givinging birth, I got postpartum depression. My husband was so into his illegal business to see that his wife was sinking. He was too tired to hold me at nights where he does come home and before I could wake up in the morning his side of the bed was empty. I swear, Rose and Ed have more chemistry than my husband and I who've been married for over a year. It wasn't like I even wanted sex or anything, all I wanted to talk to my husband about how I was feeling.
I give all the glory to God for helping me through those rough three months. If there was something I learned through that period was that everyone is able of failing you but God won't ever fail you.
To keep it short, Maria was my problem, so I wanted to deal with her myself. If Giovanni dealt with her, she would have no reason to respect me. But if I dealt with her and put fear inside her bitter heart, she won't think of messing with me ever again. Everytime she thinks of me she'll remember that she crossed the wrong one.
I lay Luca down in his crib, kiss his sweet head goodnight and pull a baby blanket over him. I reach into my pillowcase and pull the key to the safe out.
Walking into his closet I push around till I reached the back wall then press the button so that hidden compartment would open. But instead of opening it has me put in a code.
I groan before punching in birthday dates of his mom, Luca, Lucia, his cousin and even his own. I was about to give up when I remember that it could also be mine. And sure enough it opens.
Pulling out the safe, I unlock it using the code I always see Giovanni punch in. Taking out the gun, I make sure it's loaded then place it in on my waistband on my right hip. I don't have time to put the holster on.
I can hear the shower running from Maria's room which boils my blood knowing she was using our water but I relax because this was the last time she was ever going to be a nuesens. I switch the TV off, head towards her closet that was filled with clothes paid by Giovanni.
Immediately I get busy clearing out her closet by dropping hangers of clothes into her bed. She wasn't going to spend another night in my home. She could rest her eyes in the cab.
After clearing out her whole closet I sat myself on a chair that was across from the door. Shuffling came from the bathroom so I prepared myself by turning on my phone voice record. No more "that's not what I said! She's making it up!!". This is going to go on the record.
She comes out with booty shorts and a bralette, "Put something warm on it's cold outside".
Her eyes go wide as they land on her bed and empty closet, then they shrink so hard I wonder if she could even see me, "What the f*ck are you doing".
I smile, "I think it's time for you to go home Maria".
She laughs and laughs and laughs. But it's ok because she won't be able to let out the last laugh.
"You stupid b*tch", she snaps a picture of her messy bed and turns back to me, "Wait till Gio sees what you did".
I shake my head, "Maria I think since the first day we've had a misunderstanding. I was nice to you, and I don't regret how respectful I had treated you. It's my nature and I love who I am. But what I do regret is not stepping my foot down sooner to put you in your place. You are in my home serving me so you better respect me. And it was one thing for you to attack me, but my child? That's where I draw the line extra dark. Get out Your fired".
She stares at me in disbelief, "Whose authority! Gio hired me so he'll be the one to fire me. And you know he won't...If Giovanni really loved you, he would have kicked me out a long time ago. But who else would fuck him better?...leave Sophia, you and that bastard don't belong here."
I reach for my gun and fire. The bullet doesn't even hit her but she screams as if I had electrocuted her with 100 of them.
"Mention my son again...go ahead, do it. Your making it hard for me not to kill you Maria. But I promise, the next bullet will shatter your heart. That way we'll both be heartbroken." She turns looks at the bullet hole that barely missed her head then sobs in her hands.
She wasn't the only one that cried in bed that night.
I had thought a million times over how amazing I was going to feel the morning after. But I couldn't even stop crying as I breastfed Luca.
All I could do was hold him tight and wonder if he knew he was the one holding me together. He hasn't even been alive for a year yet and his mother was going crazy while his father found pleasure in tearing her apart.
Do you think Sophia did too much?