Zuria
next morning
8am
"Yo, Zuria!" I heard Mitch yell after the front door alarm went off, quickly making me sit up in the bed.
"Zuria!" He yelled again.
"I'm upstairs." I spoke sadly with tears in my heavy eyes. It'd been a really long night for me and from the kiss at the club in front of Mitch's friends to the bruises on Marley's arm, I couldn't contain myself any longer. I'd been crying all night long.
"Where the fuck you been and where is Marley, bro?" He snapped as he bursted into the room, furrowing his eyebrows once he'd seen the tears in my eyes.
"Whatchu cryin' for?" He quickly came over to me as I looked down at my hands.
"Baby, look at me." He pleaded, getting on his knees and I couldn't even look at him the same after what I'd heard about him.
"Whatchu cryin' for?"
"They only had me in holding, ma." He began to explain but I shook my head, looking at him.
"Tell me it's not true, Mitch." I spoke softly to him and he knitted his eyebrows.
"Whatchu talkin' bout, bae?"
"Porsha.." I trailed off.
"I talked to her last night."
"I took Marley back to her since you were no where to be found." I explained and he huffed deeply, looking down at the ground.
"Is it true?" I asked, needing to know. I couldn't take it anymore. I was done making up scenarios in my head, I needed the truth.
"Baby-"
"Please." I cut him off.
"Please just tell me, Mitch." I practically begged, becoming fed up with the run around. I needed to know, I needed to ease my mind just a little bit.
"Can you listen to me?"
"Just me the fucking truth, Mitchell." I spat, calling him by his whole name.
"Listen to me." He spoke sternly, looking into my eyes.
"I fucked up. Aight?"
"..and I'm sorry, baby."
"No." I shook my head, standing to my feet.
"Don't say that to me." I pointed at him.
"Don't fucking say that to me." I spat, in disbelief that this was all true.
It can't be. I thought to myself.
"Did you or did you not pull your gun on your child's mother and put your hands on Marley?"
"What?" He spat once I'd expressed what was on my heart and tears wouldn't stop falling from my eyes.
"Did you, Mitch?" I asked as he stood to his feet, towering over me before he licked his lips angrily.
"So you gon' let that bitch get in your head again, huh?"
"Don't gaslight me, I just want the truth." I spat, not knowing what to believe anymore.
"You crazy as hell if you think I put my hands on my fuckin' daughter, Zuria."
"You of all people should know that shit." He spat sternly.
"But aight.." He nodded his head slowly.
"I guess you still letting that bitch say what ever bout' me and believing that shit every time." He scoffed harshly, looking across the room at my packed bags.
This was no joke for me, if he'd abused Marley, I was leaving and there was nothing else he could do nor say to me. That's why I needed the truth, I really needed to know the complete story of what was going on.
"Mitch, just tell me exactly what happened." I pleaded, watching as he stood there angrily, looking from me to my bags.
"Just talk to me." I grabbed his face, turning it to me so that he could focus.
Chuckling to himself, he finally looked down at me as I stood there with my hand pinching his face. I was even more confused now, he was trying to say that it wasn't him but why would Porsha lie on her own daughter? And where did the bruises come from?
"So you really just gon' believe that bitch.." He trailed off, snatching away from before walking over to my bags and kicking them as hard as he could.
"Mitch!" I yelled at him as he began to unzip them, emptying all of my stuff onto the floor.
"You really gon' pack your shit on me, bro?" He went on, snapping out as I stood there watching him act a fool.
"Stop, Mitch."
"Stop this right now." I tried to stop him but he looked at me with a death stare and I knew not to touch him.
"Yo, Zuria. I promise you got me fucked up right now." He went on raging as I stood there with wet eyes and a heavy heart.
"You really just gon' believe that bitch over me?" He quickly came back over to me, getting in my face.
"Huh?!" He towered over me as I looked up into his eyes. I could tell he was hurt by my assumptions but I just didn't know what to believe.
"Ten years and you gon' pack your shit on me over a bitch that don't even want us together anyway?"
"A bitch that fucked your nigga!"
"What else was I supposed to believe, Mitch? You got arrested!" I snapped back at him, not about to be the blame for this.
"I have every right to believe what she was telling me."
"I didn't think it was true but you sitting here upset and snapping out on me isn't changing anything."
"That's why I'm asking you what's going on? I don't know what's happening, I'm just on the outside looking in. Fill me in."
"You're basically living two lives!"
"I can't always know what's going on and you barely tell me anything so yes, I believe what she says because that's the only side I ever hear." I expressed to him as he shook his head with a scowl on his face.
"If you would've answered your fuckin' phone maybe you would've knew what the fuck was up, bro." He spat before he tried walking out of the room.
"Where are you going? I'm not finished talking to you." I told him, making him scoff.
"I'm gon' go get my fuckin' daughter. We gon' talk when I get back."
"Bitches got me fucked up, blood." He went on, slamming the door before he left completely.
*
An hour later
Sitting in the room on the floor, I refolded all of my clothes as my mind wandered. I didn't want to blame Mitch but he was the one in jail so I had every right to have assumptions. The only thing I wanted him to do was reassure me, was that so bad?
Rolling my eyes at my thoughts, I heard the front door alarm go off. I sighed deeply, knowing it was him before I heard the pitter patter of small feet, zooming up the staircase.
"Zuria!" Marley spoke excitedly as she bursted into the room.
"Hi, Marley." I smiled, hugging her as she came and sat beside me on the floor.
"What are you doing?" She asked curiously.
"Just folding my clothes." I told her and she smiled wide at me as I looked down at the bruises on her arms since today she had on a short sleeve shirt for the first time.
My heart broke looking down at them while she still held this pretty smile on her face. This strong baby was enduring pain but she definitely didn't show it. Not one bit.
Kind of reminded of me of myself.
"Can I help?" She went onto ask, looking down at all the clothes on the floor.
"Sure." I couldn't help but smile as she started grabbing my stuff and folding them the way she thought was right. Which was wrong but I didn't mind.
Hearing heavier footsteps this time, my smile turned into a frown once Mitch came walking into the room.
"Aye. Go to your room while me and Z talk, babygirl." He interrupted us, sending her out.
"Okay." She smiled, standing to her feet before running off while I still sat there on the floor. I was simply finishing what I'd started but I could feel him looking down at me as I did and still I remained quiet.
I had no words right now.
Squatting down to my level, he stopped me, removing the clothes from my hands and helped me to my feet. Saying nothing, he walked backwards toward the bed and plopped down at the edge of it.
Pulling me toward him, I looked down into his eyes as he looked up into mine, snaking his arms around my waist.
"I'a never hurt you or her.." He started as I stood there, listening intently.
"You hear me?" He spoke sternly.
"I'a never put my hands on you or her."
"Yeah I talk my shit but you already know what it is with me." He went on.
"Y'all are my life. Ain't no life for me without y'all." He continued, removing his hands from my waist and grabbing my hands.
"I fucked up pullin' my gun out on the bitch but I just wanted my daughter. Now she tryn' build a case on a nigga which was expected anyway." He shrugged.
"But them bruises on my baby.." He shook his head, looking down.
"I wasn't in the right head space, ma."
"So she did it?" I asked for confirmation and he nodded slowly.
"Oh my god." I asked in complete disbelief.
That evil bitch. Was all I could think.
"Marley told me in the park yesterday and that's why I was blowing yo' shit up. I needed you, ma."
"I was gon' kill that bitch." He went on, making me shake my head. I was in shock. This entire situation was getting deeper and deeper by the second.
"I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you." I spoke sadly, realizing me turning my phone off was the worst idea ever.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there for her." I went on, realizing I'd taken Marley right back to her abuser, not even noticing in the moment.
"Nah. It's cool, my shawty gon' be good. She ain't gon' back to that house, I don't give a fuck.," He trailed off as I stood there in deep thought.
"But I knew it though, babe. I knew in the back of my mind that something was going on but I never expected this. I really didn't." I expressed to him.
Marley never like going home and practically begged to stay each time she had to leave but I never suspected this. Ever. Not to the baby, she was innocent.
"Yeah.." He trailed off, looking down. I knew this was eating him up. Marley was the peanut butter to his jelly and to know that I wasn't there to comfort him in his time of need was taking a toll on me.
Especially considering what I'd did last night.
"I just need you to stop listenin' to that bitch. She ain't no good, ma." He finally spoke looking up and I nodded slowly, brushing away the thoughts that tried to creep up in my mind.
"She don't want to see us together so she gon' keep causing problems and she know the easiest way to do that is through you."
"That bitch touched my shawty so now it ain't no respect."
"I don't want you talking to her, none of that shit." He spoke sternly and I nodded.
"Of course not." I rolled my eyes. The little respect I have for that woman was completely gone now.
She hurt an innocent child and that would never sit right with me.
"So what are you going to do, babe?" I asked, running my fingers through his beard.
"I don't even know, bro..." He trailed off with a sigh.
"I got court and shit next month so we gon' see how this shit play out." He shrugged, considering Porsha had a long history of not showing up for the court dates that she always arranged.
"I'm hoping that bitch don't show up like usual." He went on and I nodded.
"What about Marley?" I asked and he shook his head.
"Well my mama the only reason she here right now, she handled that bitch for me. So I feel like I ain't gon' have no problems with her for a minute."
"But If I'm being honest, baby.." He looked up at me.
"What she did to my shawty, that shit personal."
"There ain't nothin' the judges can do to make me feel better. Not full custody. Not jail time. None of that. All that shit gon' come regardless." He went on while I looked into his eyes.
"But you know how I get down, I can't just let this shit slide."
"I'm gon' have to handle it. That's the only way a nigga gon' feel better, that's my shawty."
"She mine, bro. She put her hands on my baby." He spat seriously as I rubbed my hands down his cheeks.
"That bitch owe me blood." He spoke sternly, making me swallow the lump in my throat.
I knew no good would come out of those words but I also knew there was no stopping him.
He meant what he said.
*