Play The Game. Doug Dixon

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      Todd got dressed and I walked him to the door. He gave me one last passionate kiss before leaving, then walked away as I closed the door behind him. Seconds later my phone rang again as I was about to take another shower.

      “Hey, baby. What happened earlier? Are you all right?” It was Burt again, concerned about why I got off the phone so suddenly.

      “No, I’m fine. I had some issues going on but I’m cool.”

      “You in the mood for some Burton Williams tonight?” he asked in a low tone. Man, are you serious? I thought. After what I just got, ain’t nothing an old-ass man like you can do for me tonight.

      “Burt, I’m going to have to pass. I’m really not in the mood right now.”

      “I hear you, baby. Maybe next time.”

      “Yeah,” I replied before hanging up.

      After my shower I sat in bed, reliving the evening. It had been years since I’d been with Todd, and he’d left me with the same feelings I’d had years before.

      CHAPTER 3

      Stephanie

      I was awakened at the crack of dawn by Curtis as he staggered in, having been out all night. Curtis and I have been dating for over three years and living together for a year and a half, starting just after he got out of jail for doing a drug run for one of his cousins.

      We first met at the wedding of mutual friends. I caught the bridal bouquet and he caught the garter and have been together ever since. When we first started dating, Curtis had a job working at an auto body shop repairing cars with the DeKalb County motor pool. Since his arrest he hasn’t been able to keep a job for more than three months at a time. When he gets in his little moods, he escapes reality by hanging out at all hours of the night with his friends, drinking and smoking. The only reason I put up with his shit is because of our two-year-old son, Brandon, who thinks the world of Curtis. I, on the other hand, am losing patience daily with Curtis’s irresponsible behavior.

      Curtis took off his clothes and tossed them on the floor by his side of the bed and got under the covers. The smell of cheap alcohol and weed immediately filled the air. I turned over with my back facing him and pulled the covers over my face to filter the smell. As I drifted off to sleep I suddenly felt Curtis’s manhood stabbing me in my back. I turned over again, this time facing the ceiling. Curtis reached over and rubbed his hand on my stomach, moving it downward and between my legs. I grabbed his hand and pushed it away. Seconds later he tried the same move and again I pushed his hand away.

      “What’s up with that shit?” he said in a drunken slur.

      “You’re kidding, right?” I replied in disbelief.

      “Oh, so I can’t get any attention tonight?”

      “Hell, no. I’m trying to sleep. You should have thought about that before you stayed out all night getting drunk.”

      “Oh, so that’s what this is about? You know what—forget it,” he replied before rolling over and falling asleep.

      I slept for about three more hours before being awakened by Curtis’s annoying snore. I jumped in the shower and went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for Brandon. I walked into Brandon’s bedroom as he lay in bed holding his stuffed teddy bear. When he heard me enter the room, his eyes slowly opened—then he got out of bed and walked toward me with his arms extended.

      “Good morning, sweetie.” I hugged him.

      Brandon kissed me on my cheek as I picked him up, taking him in the hall bathroom to wash his face before giving him his bowl of cream of wheat. I made a cup of coffee and took a seat next to Brandon as I opened the morning paper that Curtis had left on the table. The first thing I did each morning was read my daily horoscope, applying what it said to my everyday life. It was sort of like a guide to help me through my day. My friends and family thought I was crazy for actually believing in it, but they don’t know how much it helped me in getting my job and winning money at lotteries—even when Curtis was fighting his legal battles, I used our horoscope to guide us through the tough times.

      Minutes later, Curtis woke up and walked into the bathroom. When Brandon heard this, he jumped from his chair and ran toward Curtis as he washed his hands.

      “Brandon, come back here and finish your breakfast,” I yelled in a polite tone.

      Brandon ignored me and continued in the direction of Curtis. By the time Brandon got to the door, Curtis was coming out and they met outside the door.

      “Good morning, son,” Curtis said as he picked Brandon up.

      Brandon just giggled as Curtis carried him back into the kitchen and sat him down at the table to finish his breakfast.

      “Good morning,” Curtis said, directing his attention to me.

      I looked up at him as he walked over to the coffeepot with his do-rag tied around his braided hair. “Good morning,” I replied dryly.

      “What’s for breakfast?” he asked.

      “Oh, so you’ve got the munchies now?”

      “What’s that supposed to mean?” he replied.

      “You know what I mean. Did you forget why you went to jail? You, coming in here at odd hours of the night, drinking and smoking with your friends—”

      “I was drinking, yes. But I didn’t touch drugs of any kind…Is that why you have an attitude this morning?”

      “I don’t have an attitude. I just want you to understand that what you do out there in those streets affects us,” I replied.

      “Well, being out in them streets last night landed me a job working on a couple of cars today.”

      I took a sip of my coffee.

      “Can I please get a bacon and egg sandwich before I go to work?” He stared at me.

      I looked up at him as I got up to make him a sandwich. After all, Curtis was doing all he could to keep a steady flow of money coming. I was doing just fine on my teacher’s salary but I wanted more out of life than just getting by. Curtis had dreams of one day owning his own body shop, and I guess this was the way he had to build up his reputation. My horoscope said that I should have more patience with troubled situations, and I could see that if I kept going back and forth with him it could have escalated.

      As I made Curtis a breakfast sandwich, Brandon sat in front of the TV while Curtis showered. By the time he got dressed I had his sandwich and had filled his thermos with coffee.

      He walked over to me and kissed me on the lips. “Baby, I’m sorry for disrespecting you last night, okay?”

      I smiled as the words wiped away the little anger I had inside of me. My horoscope was right again, I thought.

      Curtis СКАЧАТЬ