Page 54 of Burned

“Why should I tell you anything? You disowned me, remember?”

It took every bit of willpower within Sadie to not charge back into the house and forget her no violence policy, but she remembered her baby. If there was no baby she’d slam her cast in Jackie’s face. Jackie simply wasn’t worth it. “I’ll find out with or without your help.”

Jackie sneered at her. “I wish I’d never taken you in. Your own mama didn’t want you. Bet you’re not with that white boy anymore either, cause you’re unlovable. You always were. That’s why men always walk all over you before they dump you. Terrell only wanted to get back with you for the money.”

Sadie knew Jackie was just saying that to get a rise out of her and her temper was hanging on by a very thin piece of thread. “Eat shit.”

Slamming the door behind her before Jackie could say anything else; Sadie grabbed a still partially catatonic Lily’s hand and guided her to the car. Sadie stopped in her tracks upon seeing Terrell still in the driveway, leaning against his car. She ignored him, as she opened the passenger door and guided Lily inside the car.

Sadie would have walked to the driver’s side and kept going, but he jogged over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder, halting her progress.

“If you don’t take your hand off my shoulder, you’re going to be pulling back a nub,” Sadie threatened through clenched teeth.

“Damn, baby girl, when did you get so cold?”

Sadie turned around to glare. “Around the time I realized you were an asshole. Terrell, what the hell do you want?”

“I thought—”

“Thought what? That when I saw you. I’d magically fall into your arms? Is that what you expected after what you did to me? Go home to your wife, Terrell. I’d say you two deserve each other, but personally, I think she could probably do better. Do me a favor and go play in rush hour traffic.”

“I never meant to hurt you. I really didn’t. It’s just…”

“Just what? Terrell?”

He scratched the back of his head looking slightly embarrassed. “Well, the child support payments were killing a brotha. I figured if I married her, I wouldn’t have to hand over a chunk of my paycheck every week. You have no idea what it’s like to work hard for your money only to have to give it away. She didn’t deserve that money, especially when all she was doing was getting her hair and nails done with it.”

Sadie had already come to the realization that Terrell was a piece of shit, but to hear him admit this was even beyond her comprehension. “So what you’re saying is that you didn’t want to give Keisha money to support the daughter you two created together. I thought you loved Malia.”

“I do, but shit, how much is too much? All you gotta do is feed and clothe them. Keisha acted like Malia needed this and that.”

“Kids aren’t toys, Terrell, it takes money to raise them.”

“But I know for a fact that Keisha was using some of that money to pay her bills. It wasn’t going to my daughter as it should have been.”

“Bills that would keep a roof over your daughter’s head and clothes on her back, I’m sure. Terrell, just go away, talking to you is really starting to nauseate me. The best thing you ever could have done was marry Keisha, although I feel sorry for her now. You used to talk so horribly about her as if she was the bad guy and that should have warned me about the type of man you really are. That you’d tear down the mother of your child like that? Tacky. Just plain tacky. I bet you were talkingnegatively about me to her, making me out to be some crazy stalker who you wanted nothing to do with.” The look in his dark eyes said it all. Sadie couldn’t believe she was with this jackass for so long, that she’d fell for his bullshit, bought all his lies. “And now you’re claiming you’re only with her because now you don’t have to pay child support?”

“We-well I me-mean. I-it wasn’t like that,” he stammered.

There was no doubt in Sadie’s mind that it was exactly like that. “How long have you known that I was supposedly going to come into some money if in fact, Jackie was telling the truth?”

He turned his head away, not meeting her gaze.

“I bet it was around the time you started calling me again and wanting to see me, wasn’t it? Did you think maybe you could get back with me and get a free ride, is that it?”

“Fuck this shit. I was only trying to help.” He threw his hands in the air, turned and stalked toward his car, but Sadie wasn’t through with him yet.

“You were in cahoots with my mother to get whatever you could out of me, weren’t you? I wouldn’t be surprised if you really did screw her, although I’d get a tetanus shot if I were you.”

He whirled back around. “Okay, fine! I did know about the money. I thought maybe that was the answer to our problems and we could be together again.”

“And if I was stupid enough to take you back, you’d not only be spending this supposed money, you’d be cheating behind my back. Don’t try to fool me into thinking you loved me because the only person you love is yourself. And now you’re mad because I see right through you. You and Jackie had some kind of scheme to get me to come back to DC so you both could use me. Funny thing is. I’ve never heard anything about this so-called money. Knowing Jackie, she was probably playing you for whatever sadistic reasons she had.”

“Oh, there’s money. I saw the letters from the lawyer’s office myself. They’ve been coming to this house and she’s been keeping them from you. It’s a lawyer right here in D.C. Hayes, Stubbs and Fields is the name of the firm. Sean Hayes is the name of the attorney if I recall. Call him if you want.”

“Well, if it’s true, I guess I should thank you for telling me. And in return I have something for you, Terrell, something I probably should have given you a long time ago.” She inched closer and put her good hand on his shoulder and tilted her head up as if to kiss him.

Terrell dipped his head. “You do still love me, don’t you baby girl?”

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