Tandy turned her back to Omar and pulled the blanket over her head.
“Oh, it’s like that,” Omar said, before grabbing his belt and striking Tandy on her thigh.
Tandy yelped.
Omar grabbed Tandy’s ankle and dragged her out of bed and into the living room while whipping her with his belt. Tandy’s legs were on fire. She pleaded with Omar to stop but he whipped her mercilessly.
Omar let go of Tandy’s ankle when they reached the front door. Omar opened the front door and pointed outside. “Since you ain’t giving a nigga no ass, get the fuck out.”
Tandy didn’t move. She just lay on the floor, sobbing.
“I know you heard me.” Omar grabbed Tandy’s leg and started to drag her out the door. “Get out.”
“No, please,” Tandy wailed.
Omar looked down at Tandy’s legs and became sickened by the purplish bruises that covered them. He realized he had gone too far, something he always did when he was high on crack.
Omar shut the door, then got down on his knees and leaned over Tandy. “Boo, I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.” Omar bent down to kiss Tandy. “Give me a kiss.”
Tandy didn’t oblige him. She covered her face with her hands and continued to cry.
“Oh, you ain’t gonna give me no kiss?” Omar yelled. “Fuck you, then. I don’t know what I’m sweating ya’ chunky ass for anyway. I got bitches that look like models that would chop off their arms to be with me.” Omar went to the room and got dressed and walked out the door, leaving Tandy there, crying.
• • •
Darryl knocked on the front door, waking Tandy up. Tandy pried herself up from the spot on the floor where she had lain all night after crying herself to sleep, and opened the door.
Darryl walked in the house and looked Tandy over. “Dag, it’s not that I don’t like seeing you naked, but next time put some clothes on before you come to the door. What if I had somebody with me?” Darryl’s focus quickly went to the bruises on Tandy’s legs. “What happened to your legs?”
“Omar,” Tandy answered. “He came home drunk and high again and he beat me.” Tears welled up in Tandy’s eyes. “He even tried to drag me outside naked.”
“I’m sorry,” Darryl said, as he hugged Tandy. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”
Tandy got out of the shower, dried off, and put lotion on. She then grabbed her clothes, ready to get dressed.
“Before you put on your clothes, take this for me,” Darryl said, as he handed Tandy a pregnancy test.
“But I don’t think I’m pregnant.”
“I know a pregnant woman when I see one,” Darryl said. “Take the test.”
Tandy squatted over the toilet and positioned the pregnancy test downward between her legs as she urinated on it. Before Tandy could lay the pregnancy test down on the counter, a blue plus sign appeared. Tandy nervously put on her bra and panties.
Darryl looked down at the test and smiled. “Come on, let’s go in the bedroom. I want to talk to you for a minute.”
Darryl and Tandy sat down on the bed and began to talk about Tandy’s pregnancy.
“So do you know who the father is?”
“It has to be yours,” Tandy said. “I haven’t had sex with Omar for damn near three months.”
This made Darryl more upset about Omar beating Tandy. Not only had Omar beaten the woman he loved, he had beaten the woman carrying his child. Darryl got down on his knees and began kissing the bruises on Tandy’s legs.
• • •
Omar pulled up in front of his house and saw Darryl’s Escalade parked outside. What the fuck is he doing here? Omar got out of the car, leaving the leather jacket he had bought to buy Tandy’s forgiveness inside the trunk.
Omar unlocked the door and slid it open. He quietly made his way back to the bedroom, listening to Darryl and Tandy’s conversation.