Stripping Asjiah I (2 page)

Shocked at his blunt comment Sandra threw a pillow at him as he walked out of the bedroom. “Fuck you.”
“Yeah, well, we already did that so take me home.”

“I don’t know why I continue to put up with this bullshit.” Mumbling to herself Sandra brushed past him as she walked outside into the cool winter night. Opening the doors on her Toyota Celica Sandra plopped down in the driver’s seat.

“Why don’t you just stay the night? You can get a good nights rest and I’ll take you home in the morning.”
“Am I speaking another language or something? What part of take me home don’t you understand? I said take me to see my wife.”

“Oh, now you want to be with her?” Sandra sucked her teeth as the car failed to turn over. “You’ve been over here with me for the past three days and now all of a sudden you wanna go back to that bitch? I thought you loved me Sean, you told me you loved me last night. She won’t even let you see your kids; I would never do that to you.” Playing on his emotions she hoped he would listen to her.

“It was a misunderstanding.” Sean pictured the look on his children’s faces when he showed up at their school. They seemed so afraid of him. What was Jai telling them to scare them like that? He thought he would at least be able to coerce his baby girl to get in the car with him but she wouldn’t budge.

Reaching into the backseat the shiny metal glistened as Sandra offered the weapon to Sean. “We can start our own family, take this. End it, do it for us.”

Sitting up he stared at Sandra and in an instant his hand was around her throat.

“Love you? Bitch I don’t love you. I have a wife, and don’t you ever mention my fuckin’ kids. If I told you I loved you, its cause I was drunk and I thought you were Jai. You were just convenient, someplace for me to rest my head; both of my heads, until this shit with Jai blew over. And now you want me to kill her?” Laughing Sean released his grasp shoving her into the window. “You’re fucking crazy. Start this piece of shit and take me to see my wife.”

*****
“It’s my turn!” Reaching for the remote control Asjiah pleaded for her brother to share the game with her..
“Wait a minute A’ let me get you past this part and then you can play.” Angel’s eyes were glued to the TV as he tried again to make Mario fly. “Do you think Santa Claus is going to bring us a lot of gifts?” Toying with the ornaments on the tree Asjiah looked out the window.
“That depends, have you been a good girl”- Grabbing his sister, Angel began tickling her- “Or a bad girl?”
“I’ve been good!” Trying to talk in between laughter she collapsed on the floor. “I’ve been good!”
Smiling Angel waited for her to calm down and then patted her on the head. “Here, it’s your turn now.”

*****
9:30 p.m.

Pulling up to her condo Jai pushed the button on her garage opener and parked her car. She reached in the backseat and retrieved the pink box filled with cupcakes from Layers Bakery.

“Let me get that for you.”
“Fuck!” Juggling the box of cupcakes Jai stared at Sean.

“You scared the shit out of me! What the hell are you doing here? Have you been in my house? Do the kids know you’re here?”
Stepping further inside the garage Sean kept his eyes on Jai. “Nah, the kids don’t know I’m here. I’ve been waiting for you”.

“It’s almost ten o’clock you could’ve called me and said whatever you had to say over the phone. You don’t pop up in the middle of the night and camp out on the side of my fucking house!” Jai swung her hip using it to shut the door. “What are you stalking me now?”

The sweet scent of lavender and jasmine filled his nose as he walked closer to her. “You been giving my pussy away?”

Sean looked at his wife wishing he could take her in the house and make love to her. Her beauty was effortless. Dressed in a black pencil skirt, and a white short sleeved blouse with puffed sleeves it seemed as if the fabric was made to hug every curve of her body. She was so pretty, with deep brown slanted eyes, skin the color of rich milk chocolate and thick brown hair that hung a little past her shoulders. She was so small, so petite.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Setting her things on top of the car Jai faced her husband with her arms folded across her chest. “You came over here just so you could ask me who I’m fucking. You’ve got to be kidding. NO ONE! I’m not fucking anyone Sean. Unlike you, I know how to be faithful. How bout asking how your kids are doing.” Jai scratched her head, growing irritated by his conversation.

“Babe I’m sorry. I made a mistake and I want to come back home. Being away from you and the kids is making me crazy. I’m bugging out over all kinds of shit. Where you are, who you’re with, if there’s another nigga around my kids.”

“Well that’s your fault now isn’t it? You have no one to blame but yourself.”

Noticing his appearance Jai had never seen him look this beat up before. His eyes weren’t the same shade of blue; they looked darker, cold, menacing. His timberlands were dirty, his jeans looked like they hadn’t been washed in days, he was wearing a beat up UCLA sweatshirt and he looked like he hadn’t slept in weeks.

She felt sorry for him, she wanted to tell him to come in the house so she could make him something to eat, let him shower, see the kids. She wanted things to go back to the way they were but if she forgave him this time what’s to say he wouldn’t do it again. She couldn’t continue to put herself through this let along her kids.

“I gave you everything. I never cheated on you, I was nothing but loyal to you and you go to Oakland and start doing who knows what to who knows who, disregarding the fact that you have a wife, a family. And now you expect me to just act like it never happened?”

“Jai I never meant to hurt you. I was stupid, I know that now.” Sean reached out and gently caressed her cheek.
“Don’t fucking touch me!” Slapping his hand out of the way, Jai tried to keep her emotions in check.

“I got letters from that bitch Sandra claiming that she was pregnant, right around the same time I was carrying Asjiah and you stand here and tell me that you never meant to hurt me? “You can’t be serious. I thought I knew you. I really did but clearly I don’t.”

Taking the box of cupcakes and her briefcase off the roof of the car; Jai walked towards the door. “I’m tired and I don’t have time for this shit.” “I’m not done talking to you yet.” Grabbing her arm, Sean forcefully turned her around.

“I told you not to touch me!” Yanking her arm back, she lost her footing, falling onto the ground. Her reflexes kicked in as she jumped up and punched him in the lip.

“Bitch!” Wiping the blood off his mouth he produced what he had been hiding in his sweatshirt.

“Oh you gone cut me now muthafucka?” Not showing any fear by the butcher knife Jai swung at him again. Connecting with his jaw, she knocked him off balance giving her enough time to run for the door.

Unable to unlock it in time, Sean wrestled Jai to the ground sitting on her arms to avoid her hitting him again.

“Get the fuck off of me Sean! What are you doing? What if the kids hear us? Are you going to kill me knowing your kids are in the house?” Seeing that she had distracted him momentarily Jai kicked him and crawled to the door.

“Agh! Sean! Stop! Stop! Agh!”
*****

“Angel I’m sleepy.” Rubbing her eyes Asjiah yawned as she put her head on her brother’s shoulders. “When is mommy gonna get here?” Angel paused the game and grabbed the phone. “Here, press the number one and it will dial mommy’s job. Ask Ms. Theresa if she left already.” “Hello and thank you for calling “The Links at Spanish Bay”, my name is Theresa; how may I help you?”
“Hi Ms. Theresa, is my mommy still there?”

“No Asjiah, she left already, about an hour ago.” The young Hispanic woman glanced at her watch thinking that her friend should’ve made it home by now.

“Is everything alright?”
“Yes, ma’am we’re okay. She’ll probably be here in a little while. Thank you.” Asjiah hung up the phone and crawled onto the couch.
“Go to sleep lil’ baby, I’ll wake you up when mommy gets here.” He kissed his sister on the forehead and turned his attention back to the game.

*****
One.
Two.
Three.

“Sean!” Jai screamed out in pain as the jagged knife continued to puncture her body.

Four.
Five.
Six.

Blind with rage Sean stabbed Jai over and over again. He could feel her bones break as the knife ripped through her body and into her chest. “Se.Sean...” Coughing, Jai struggled to say her husband’s name. Her shirt was soaked in blood and she could feel her organs begin to shut down.

Seven.
Eight.
Nine.
Ten.
“I’m sorry I took so long coming home from work…”

Her chest heaved up and down as she struggled to fill her lungs with air. “Look, mommy brought cupcakes.”

“I’m so sorry baby. I just wanted to talk to you.” Sean held her as she drifted in and out of consciousness. “I was scared. I thought you were going to leave me, take my kids away from me… I just wanted to come back home. I just wanted to be with you.” Sean began to sob as he wiped blood off her face and kissed her.

Reaching towards him Jai’s eyes pleaded for him to help her. How could he do this to her? She loved him. She thought he loved her. Is this what happens when you’re in love? She managed to turn on her side, slowly pulling her body up the three stairs that led to the door. She didn’t want to die, not like this, not this soon. Who would look after her kids? What if they came downstairs and opened the garage door? She couldn’t let them see her like this. She wasn’t done fighting. Crying with each movement she made, Jai tried to get up the stairs.

“Agh!!!” Gurgling blood she screamed as she reached for the doorknob.

Tears ran down his face as he watched her struggle to survive. He wanted to help her but it was too late. Stumbling backwards out of the garage Sean left his wife’s bloody body slumped against the stairs.

*****

Sandra couldn’t see Jai’s condo from where she was parked. She thought about getting out the car and going to see what was taking him so long. I should drive off and leave this muthafucka here with that bitch since he wants her so bad.

“Agh!” Startled, Sandra screamed as Sean pounded on the window. “Go! Go! Go!” Jumping in the car Sean yelled for Sandra to drive. “Sean, what did you do? Is that blood on your shirt? Where’s Jai?” “Shut the fuck up!”

Frantic, Sean sat back in the seat and thought about what he had just done. He wanted to stop but it was as if something had control over him, had taken over his body.

There was so much blood. She wasn’t breathing anymore. He knew the image of her eyes rolling in the back of her head would stay with him forever.

“Sean! Are you listening to me? What the fuck did you do?” Before Sandra could continue she noticed the flashing red and blue lights of a police car behind her.

“Shit! The police are behind us! Where’s the knife? Say something before they walk up to the car! She began shaking him at an attempt to wake him out of his trance. “Sean what did you do?”

The color disappeared from his face as he looked through the mirror at the approaching officer. In a whisper he revealed what Sandra already knew. “I killed her.”
*****
11:05 p.m.

“Jai Amyr Cappelli pronounced dead on the scene. Victim died of multiple stab wounds to the chest. Crime scene shows signs of a struggle. Suspect was pulled over for speeding while fleeing from the scene. Officer found a bloody butcher knife in the parking lot of the complex. Most likely coroner says this was the murder weapon.

Sean, the victim’s husband, has been named the primary suspect in this brutal crime and has been taken down to Monterey County jail in which he will await trial. Accomplice Sandra Monroe was driving the vehicle and has been taken into custody as well. The couple’s two children, a boy and a girl, ages 11 and 8 years old were in the house at the time of this horrific incident.”

Stripping Asjiah (Nine years later)

ChApTER ONE

Just Thinking
4/14/2000

Life’s been fucking me in the ass since I moved here, Cleveland that is. Without a condom, without roses, candy, sweet pillow talk, or any of that other romantic bullshit. I’m used to the sound of the Pacific Ocean, palm trees, and the beach; I’m a California girl. Well I used to be; now I’m stuck in the “Midwest” with these people I’m supposed to call my family.

Yesterday my grandmother took me and Angel to the psychologist. She said that we were going to go see someone who may be able to help us with our “problems”. I couldn’t believe that she would take her grand kids, her dead daughter’s children, to see a fucking shrink. She took us to someone who don’t even know us and paid her to deal with the situation so she didn’t have to. If I didn’t want to talk to her, what made her think that I would’ve wanted to talk to that bitch?

When our names were finally called Angel and I were taken back to her office where she sat us down at this table and told us to “draw our feelings”. What kind of goofy shit is that? You have our file in front of your face that clearly states in black and white that our father murdered our mother and the best you came up with was for us to “draw our feelings”? Get the fuck outta here with that Mickey Mouse shit. Me and Angel looked at each other and kindly walked out of her office.