Best Dressed Lie (Keisha Jackson) (2 page)

As I entered the front door, I heard Randy rambling. He
was pacing back and forth in the kitchen, gazing at the digital
clock on the stove. “I’m so sick and tired of this late shit. You
know I have somewhere to be.”

“Tired of what?” I snapped, slamming the keys down on
the glass dining room table.
“I know damn well it don’t take two hours to get home
Keisha!” he yelled. “Where the hell have you been? Did it ever
occur to you that I need my damn car?”
“I’m not even in the door and you’re already complaining,”
I said. “If you got a problem with how long it takes me to get
home, then get your lazy behind up at seven-thirty in the
morning and take me to work, goddamn it!”
“Excuses, excuses,” he said unpersuasively. “I’m getting
tired of the same old, lame ass excuse!”
“Whatever,” I said flinging my hand toward his face palm
up. “If you’re not happy with it then leave! Shit, do me a
favor.”
“Leave?” he said, suspicious. He started stamping his feet
on the hard wooden floor, “This is my house, and I pay the
goddamn mortgage on this right here! Your name is not listed
anywhere on this lease!”
“You sound so ignorant.” I chuckled. “Leases are for renters
not buyers, asshole.”
“Ignorant? Let me guess, you repeating terminology from
your new boyfriend, I don’t recall ever hearing you use that
word in my house.” he said, sarcastically. “You think I didn’t
notice that tight ass skirts you wore to work the other day? In
fact, every other week, you’re wearing something new. Where
are you getting money? Last time we had a conversation about
bread, you claim you were saving up to get out of debt!”
Darn it, I thought, I forgot to leave my shopping bags in
the trunk of the car. Every little penny I earned he felt I should
pay a damn bill just because he was providing a roof over my
head. I decided to hurry and change the subject because the
topic of money was a whole other argument.
“Listen, I’m not sleeping around on you, okay!” I said,
angrily. “Just because I work with men doesn’t mean I’m
screwing them, stop being so paranoid!”
Typical
Randy
always
turned
an
argument
into
accusations of me cheating. We were bickering about every
little thing for the past three weeks. We argued, and then we
make up. We never discussed and solved what the argument
was about in the first place. He thought he had me right
where he wanted me, but I was on to his reverse psychology.
Two weeks ago, one of his coworkers invited him to a
going away party. The festivities expected to end around ten
o’clock. He had the audacity to tumble his ass into the house
at two in the morning. He didn’t ease his way into the sheets
and cuddle with me like he normally would, instead he went
straight to the shower. I raised out of the bed like Jason from
Friday the Thirteenth.
That entire night my intuition was telling me, he was up to
no good. I tried to ignore it, but that gut feeling was getting
the best of me. It was not the first time, but I wanted it to be
the last. I never succeeded in getting the truth out of Randy in
the past,
so I decided to do things
differently. Before
confronting him, I needed proof. I made a decision to hack his
passcode on his cell phone.
Lately, he had it attached to his side, but that night he
slipped. I logged into the phone and found several naked
pictures of some random chic’s body with no face. I was
devastated. I was keeping this evidence from Randy for nearly
three weeks. It was very hard for me to keep my mouth shut.
I was trying to hold out as long as I could; at least until I
gathered enough information to catch his ass. I knew that if I
riled Randy, he would manipulate the evidence and take it to a
whole ‘nother level and I did not feel like dealing with the
aftermath.
“Keisha,” he said, walking towards me aggressively, “I’m
trying my hardest to make this relationship work. Every time I
turn around, you make these accusations; the same stupid shit
that your single-ass friends put in your head. I guess they will
be happy when you are lonely and miserable like they are.
You are too blind to see that though.”
“Ha,” I giggled, folding my arms. “Negro, you should’ve
tried your hardest before you cheated on me! Yes, you’ve been
very paranoid and I know exactly why. I saw the pictures in
your phone, Randy.”
I know I promised myself not to say shit about the damn
pictures, but I was sick and tired of him throwing my friends’
up in my face. I was tired of the bickering. Hell, I was just
tired of his ass altogether. Whether he knew it or not, I had a
mind of my own and I did not need my friends’ opinions to
determine if he was cheating or not.
“Pictures?” he asked. He was clueless. “What pictures?”
“Who is she?” I yelled.
He was so pissed at the fact that I went through his phone,
he flipped the conversation on me. “Every time I call your cell
phone,” he said, trying to hurry and change the subject, “You
never answer it. You call me back three seconds later, as if
you didn’t hear the damn phone ring. On top of that, you’ve
been coming home from work late every damn day.”
“Whatever Randy! Keep doing what you do
best; use
reverse psychology and try to avoiding the subject!” I said
interrupting. He continued to talk and didn’t seem to stop for
air; he talked a mile a second. I thought the vein on his
forehead was going to burst at any second.
“Keisha I do not appreciate you going through my phone! I
don’t touch or go through your personal things. Show some
respect! Shit! You walk around here like this is your crib!
Respect my house. Respect my shit! I am not going to have this
conversation with you no more,” he said, throwing his hands
up and walking towards the den.
I decided I was not putting up with his bullshit anymore. I
got countless calls weekly from my friends, and especially
from my coworkers, who I hated. They fed me bullshit about
this and that concerning Randy. He was the one rumored to
be running around sneaking and cheating. I did not care if he
burst a blood vessel. I was going to find the truth now!
Through rumors and gossip, I even heard Randy was out
buying drinks for random females at the club! But he couldn’t
give me a couple of dollars to help pay an investigator to find
my sister, who I longed for ever since I was released from that
hole-in-the-wall foster home. With all the accusations and
my intuition, I was about to explode.
Randy swore to me that he was faithful. He always said
that my friends were jealous and lived miserable lives. One
thing I knew for sure was that they were indeed unhappy, but
jealous definitely not! They had absolutely no reason to be
jealous of this half-assed relationship.
I followed him yelling, “You really sound so stupid! You
know that?” I pointed my finger in his face and looked at him
angrily. He
flopped onto the couch,
grabbed the remote
control and flipped from channel to channel, ignoring me.
“All of the excuses you just mentioned were the same shit
you took me through over and over for the past few years.
Bitches call my phone and leave anonymous voicemails. Their
desperate asses ride around stalking me,” I said as my eyes
tearing
up. “I put my heart and everything into this
relationship. You promised me we would get married and
start a family. I don’t deserve this shit and you know it! I was
there for you when all you had was a pot to piss in. Now that I
need you, it is your way or the highway. I am tired. I’m getting
fed up with your bullshit Randy.” I cried, turning my back to
him. “I should’ve left you a long time ago!”
In the midst of all the rumors and chaos with Randy, I
chose to ignore and accept it for what it was. I stayed in the
relationship. Now however, I was
embarrassed that our
business was public; it made me look stupid. Here I was
bragging about the love we shared, while all this time he was
out running around and screwing women unprotected.
Some female accused him of fathering her child; I stood by
him through it all. He swore up and down he did not sleep
with this woman and I believed him.
He took a paternity test and it turned out not to be his.
Then he had the nerve to get mad at me for being mad about
the situation. He needed to understand that just because the
child
was
not
his
this
time, it should never
even be a
possibility. The fact that it was, let me know that at some point
he stuck his raw dick in the bitch. After that happened, I was
so ashamed.
I did not want to face my friends. I did not want to face
anyone for that matter. The situation made me very insecure
about myself. Actually, I blamed myself. I thought he was out
cheating because I was not good enough for him or I was not
fulfilling his needs. I stayed because I did not want to see
another
bitch enjoying my man. Instead, I should have
realized I could do better.
He had me so messed up. If he went the gas station, I
assumed he made a stop in between too screw someone. If we
went to the store and a woman gave me a look, I was sure she
was someone he slept with.
“Leave me? You don’t believe that,” he said, not caring
about the fact that I just poured my heart out to him. He was
not listening!
“Before I marry you, at least twenty pounds need to drop. I
don’t want an overweight woman hanging on my arm! How
many
times
did
I
need
to
remind
you
about
your
predicament? I have a house, you don’t.” He walked towards
me with a malicious look on his face. “Keisha, I’m not holding
you here. If you want to leave, there’s the door. Make sure you
leave my car keys on the table.”
I snapped. “I’ll lose the weight when I want to lose it! If it
wasn’t because of your careless mistakes, I’d have my car
right now! So, don’t go there with me.”
I was sick of arguing with him about me not having a
place to live. I hated that I depended on him. He used that to
control my life and me, but I had a trick for him! Monday
morning, I was going to the bank to open an account. I needed
to start stashing money aside immediately.
“What do you mean my mistakes? Your car was
repossessed! You failed to pay the note. I had nothing to do
with why you do not have a car. You better get your mind
right!”
“The first car I had, jackass!” I said, rolling my eyes.
“Everything I got you took. Don’t forget, if it wasn’t for me,
you wouldn’t have this house.”
Randy and I met nearly ten years ago at a club. I had no
intentions of being with him for as long as I had, but shit
happens. I can’t lie; it was lust at first sight. The sex was good
and we had great chemistry. When we got together he did not
have much, I was the one with the car, the house and the job.
After giving him access to my money, like a damn fool, he
charged too much to my credit cards, wrecked my car, and
almost lost me my job. I called out from work every other day
just to be with him.
After a while reality snuck in; the bills started coming and
I could not afford to pay them. He was working at a mechanic
shop making enough to meet his needs, so he offered for me to
live with him so that I could get the bills he accumulated paid
off. He promised me he would help me pay some of the bills
and save up money to find my sister. I did not see a dime.
“Since you want to argue about lies, get your things and
leave. Actually, go live with one of your hating-ass friends.
Let’s see if they let you stay with them.” He was so agitated
walking back and forth, wagging his finger up and down like
a gang banger.
I hesitated then said, “Whatever! You love throwing that
bullshit in my face. I can’t wait until I get on my feet and I
definitely can’t wait for the day you need me again. I was
doing well before I met you and I can do well without you!”
He got scared when I started fronting about leaving his
ass. Randy knew he would not be where he was today if it was
not for me.
“I know what to say to get your ass to shut up,” he said,
bragging. “If it wasn’t for me, you’d be living on the streets.
Just face the truth.” He had a grin on his face as if he was only
joking about me leaving.
“I don’t need you! You are the one working that lowpaying job. Thanks to you, I’m in debt, but guess what? I’m at
a point where most of my bills are paid. I can hold my own,” I
said spitefully, lying.
“Low paying job?” he laughed, slighted. “That low paying
job helps pay the bills; the bills you’ve accumulated since
you’ve been living here. For example, the high light bill, you
stay in the bathroom curling your fake-ass weave way into
the wee hours of the night. The entire house smells like
stinking burnt rubber. I’m jeopardizing my good credit by
letting you stay here; running up the bills in
my
name. Then
you talk crap about it, telling me, ‘
those bills are in your name.
I don’t really care if they never get paid.’
Why would you say
that to say to someone who provided a roof over your head?”
Randy was so angry with me he threw the television
remote down and stormed towards the bedroom. He made less
than I did and I knew how much he hated it when I rubbed
that in his face. “You may want to think twice before you brag
about me needing you for a place to say. You can dish it out,
but you can’t take it!” I yelled from the hallway.
He did not respond so I walked in the doorway to the
bedroom. It was a mess; things scattered all over the floor.
“This is ridiculous,” I mumbled under my breath, bending
to pick up the clutter. I stumbled over sex toys, lube and paper
towels. The room looked like a porn scene.
“Randy!”
He answered with an attitude, “What?!”
“What the hell is this? Why is this all over the floor?” I
asked enraged. “I don’t even want to know why the sex toys
are out of the box.”