The Connect Who Took My Heart Away

1

Miani

E aston, I’m going to be late. Can you please get up for me? I begged my six-year old son. He was tucked away in his football covers as if he had no desire to get up for the day. Pulling the comforter back, and literally dragging him out of the bed was our daily routine. Since school had been out, he usually did get his extra sleep in, but this morning it wasn’t happening for him. Mommy had to get a move on.

With his eyes closed, I had to walk him to his adjoining bathroom and get him together. By the time I had him dressed, he was racing down the double staircase full of energy. I was trying to see where it came from after he gave me hell to get him out of bed to begin with.

Good morning. I waved off to the early bird staff that basically kept the custom estate together for us. Lord knows I wouldn’t be able to keep this twenty thousand square foot house up to par without them.

Morning Mrs. Francis. It seems as if you have a new gift awaiting you in the garage. the newly hired maid announced, taking a slight bow to me as I passed. It took some getting used to how my husband lived, and had his staff interact with us, but it was pretty much the norm now.

Easton was taking off as if the gift was for him. Taking a deep sigh, I took the winding hall down to the garage entrance. Before I could make it, I could hear my son yelling in excitement.

Look mommy! Daddy Ralph got you a new car outside! It’s a new car! Him jumping and looking through the crystal-clear windows of a brand new Porsche is what I walked in on. Since Easton was well aware of who his birth father was, he called both of them daddy but just attached their name to the end to not confuse the two.

Easton, it’s not my car. I said knowing my husband Ralph hadn’t went out of his way to purchase this seventy thousand dollar car.

Why isn’t it? he said looking back confused.

Not responding, I did take a look around the vehicle, admiring the white and black colorway with matching rims. The pink bow matched the license plate that read Princess. A smile appeared on my face, and I quickly went back inside with my heart smiling.

Seeing my husband on the phone as he came from his bedroom suite on the first floor, he put his finger up for me to give him a minute. I was filled with so much excitement about the car, I was forgetting that I had filed for divorce and how he no longer slept in the master suite upstairs unless he wanted sex.

Ralph. I said impatiently. He frowned his face up and put his hand up once more. Hearing me suck my teeth, he finally at least put the phone on mute and gave me half of his attention. He was dressed in a white button up that was tucked deep into his navy-blue slacks. His Prada loafers paired the rest of his outfit off with a simple Rolex on his wrist. Ralph was a simple man when it came to fashion, so I would style him majority of the time. Knowing the time of morning, I knew he was heading into the office. The Francis family opened and operated building aircrafts nationwide, and the company made billions each year. Wealth should have been their last name.

I saw the car, so you don’t have to surprise me with the keys. I said with a smile long as a river. His eyebrows formed together at my statement, and he gave me a clueless look with no effort.

What, Miani? he said looking from me, and then to the garage.

The Porsche...I seen it. I said pointing in the direction of the garage.

That’s not yours. he said, and headed towards the front door, with a shake of his head like my question was dumb.

Huh? Ralph...whose car you have delivered hurr? I said not helping my heavy accent from rolling off my tongue. That only annoyed him more because he felt it was improper grammar to have such a heavy accent and I should speak without it. I mean who else car would it be? I said trying to let off a small laugh that was forced.

Not yours. Now I have somewhere to be. You’re holding me up. he said, allowing the doorman to open the entrance door to our home. What I tell you about wearing them piercings? Theyré classless, but I guess you are going to do what you think is best.

Yes, I’m not taking them out. I blankly told him, knowing if he had time, he wouldn’t spare me one bit. He hates my nose and medusa piercing the most. Most couldn’t pull those two off since they were facial tattoos, but I could easily. My other piercings, let’s just say they weren’t a bother to him since I would have to be ass hole naked to see them. I wasn’t a tattoo person, but I loved getting piercings.

Easton came running up to Ralph, and he made sure to stop his exit from the house to greet our son.

Ralph wasn’t his blood father, but that was all he´s known since he was two years old. When I was seventeen years old, I met Easton´s father Weston. With our relationship progressing at a rapid speed, he was more away than anything else once he found out I was having his son. With heavy dealings in the streets, I was left alone most of the time. If it wasn’t for a close associate by the name, Obasi, I wouldn’t have been able to keep fresh diapers on Easton when he was just a baby. I dealt with Obasi stepping up to the plate and picking up the slack for Weston. Their relationship was strictly business and I only knew him through Weston. I would be home for weeks in our home, and Obasi would come to send messages and bring by whatever I needed.

Right before Easton´s first birthday, Weston got cased up, and I was left high and dry. During that time, I had to deal with all his side women coming out and showcasing what all he was doing and still doing for them while my son went without. Obasi stepped in once again, and made it clear that he wasn’t there for anything in return or the fact that he knew Weston. Obasi was there because he wanted to be.

Years of the back and forth with my baby father and him accusing me of a sexual relationship with Obasi, I grew tired. Kinda how I had grown tired of my marriage right now. I left Weston, and in that time, I fell in love with a black billionaire. Ralph was everything a woman would want in a man when we started fresh. He accepted my son and called him his own. Every little desire of mine was met, and he spared no expense.

It was this past year of our four-year marriage that had gotten so bad, I just wanted to pack me and son´s things up to leave. I had no life outside of our home, and even if I tried, Ralph would put a stop to it without a doubt. The only time I was able to get away was appointments I would set as urgent. Even still Ralph would have me escorted just so he could know my whereabouts. He has even went as far as putting the exact amount of gas in my car to match the mileage needed and keep me with a certain dollar amount in my bank if I left without an escort. His possessive and controlling ways had led me into a life of misery. But his involvement with other women had caused me pain I had been growing too familiar with.

Watching my son glue his eyes out the front door as Ralph pulled through our circular driveway, I pulled him away for a quick breakfast on our upstairs balcony. As he ate, I had no appetite, so opted out for a glass of water. With us on the balcony that sat over the front entrance, I could see the acre that laid before us. Easton was talking my ear off the entire time while my attention was to the security post. The guard was talking to a man on a tow truck, and I followed through on seeing them pointing back to the garage. Not rushing Easton, I let him play around with his breakfast, then quickly grabbed my things to head out. Easing into my car, I knew I would be late to my hair appointment, but I wanted to know exactly where this brand-new car was going to that Ralph became so defensive about.

Mom, I’m going to Luke´s house? Easton asked, looking all around.

Yes. Just until I leave my appointment. I said agreeing to the playdate that I had set for him. Since he was out of school, it was always a classmate´s mother calling for Easton to come and play. My son went to private school that tuition was far greater than the common university. I was just fine with him attending public school, but Ralph of course thought that was beneath us.

Half talking to Easton, I was being sure to keep up with the tow truck up ahead. When we drove into a subdivision that wasn’t nothing but a fifteen-minute drive so far, I stayed back not knowing which house the driver would stop at.

Checking into the back seat, Easton was busy in his ipad to ever see his father and a young woman directing the car into a driveway. With sweaty palms, and a racing heart, I watched the young woman jump all over Ralph in happiness. The same excitement I had in my eyes this morning when I took a walk around that car, now she possessed. Ralph was smiling ear to ear with the happiness coming from her that it wasn’t enough for him. He swept her off her feet, and I threw my head down before I witnessed him thrusting his tongue down her throat.

Covering my mouth so the groaning in my cry wouldn’t alert my son. Grabbing my phone, I snapped pictures of my husband with another woman. I quickly backed out the subdivision once I had my proof.

Dropping Easton off, I was in a total disbelief of what I had captured with my own eyes. Ralph has done a lot of things, but I had never seen it like today. When he had believed he fathered a child outside of our marriage, I never even got the woman´s side. He had brought it to me because a DNA test was ordered. When the results came back and it wasn’t his, I felt I could stay in my marriage. His trail of infidelity was growing obviously, and I couldn’t bear it no longer.

Touching down in the Clinton Peabody projects, I was getting all types of looks from the street boys, but I kept it rolling. My old time friend Shira lived in the most crime filled projects there was in St. Louis, and she didn’t have no plans to leave. Her building set right in between the dumpster and playground set. I reversed back into an empty spot and killed the engine on my G-Wagon.

Oui! Thurr go Ma-Ma! Shira´s daughter yelled, rolling down the sidewalk on her bike. Heyyyyy! She said in a ghetto little voice and waved.

Hey Mercedez. I waved back. Before I could knock on Shira´s door, she was sticking her head out of the window from the second floor.

It’s open! she yelled with a rat tail comb in her hand and her hair all over the place.

Going in the house, Shira stood at the top of her stairs waving me up. Dice up hurr, and her lazy ass got me taking these braids down! she mouthed off, turning to go back to her room. With my braiding hair in the bag, I went up the stairs after her.

Hey cousin! Dice waved as she sat getting her braids taken down by Shira. I had introduced the two a few years back, and that was how they met. Shira could do some braids, so everybody went to her.

Hey cuz. I said plopping down on the bed.

Dice wasn’t my blood cousin but her great aunt had married my great uncle wayyyy before we were born, so we were family. I hadn’t seen Dice in a long while, and I felt bad that Ralph had created this wedge with me visiting with my family and friends. We talked on the phone every blue moon, and she always wanted to get our boys together, but Ralph felt I had something else up my sleeve if I was with my old kick it crew. Before I got married, I had an apartment right out here, and my only focus was obtaining my nursing degree to give Easton everything he deserved.

"Ralph letting you get them ghetto braids again?" Shira asked, side eyeing me.

Girl his ass ain’t paid attention to me since I filed for a divorce last month. I revealed. I need my ends clipped...bad! I said taking my hair out the bun. Shira came to see, and she instantly shook her head.

Ma-Ma, you filed before...what’s different this time? You going to go back to that life? I mean you can’t even cut the ends of your hair without his permission. Dice stressed, and I knew she was saddened by my decision to even stay this long in my troubled marriage. What they didn’t know was that I was fed up, and when you have not an ounce to give, you tap out. I was at that point, but I knew I had put them through this once before. Dice had even gotten me a medical director position through her company, and I didn’t even have to interview for it. I just had to show up, but with me still with Ralph, that damn sure wasn’t happening.

Marrying Ralph, I was granted the money to finish my schooling and become licensed. After my graduation I was so excited to work, and he let me know right away that wasn’t what his wife was going to be. I thought I was being a good wife by staying home, but I had started a pattern that would only hurt me in the end. Four years of being under his ruling, and I was over it.

Sitting in a daze, tears crept down my high cheek bones, and I quickly shook my head. I couldn’t respond to Dice right away because the hard feeling in my chest that I wished would go away, just wouldn't. I should have been left. I admitted.

"Look, bitch we ain’t got the answers to your problems. Hell, we ain’t got them to ours. But a bitch can tell you one thing, you gotta do shit for you!