Page 16 of Beacon Grove Chronicles 1: Hassan & Sylvia

“Get off me, nigga!”

He swung and hit me in the mouth ignoring what I had to say. More footsteps came up the steps and Royce was pulled off me by his brothers. Sylvia’s father leaned over with his hand outstretched and I watched her grandfather key in a code that they apparently knew but I didn’t.

“Keep my sister’s name out your fucking mouth! Disrespect her again and see what the fuck happens!” Royce’s veins were bulging out of his neck and I could tell he had just been getting started. My body hurt and I was starting to feel the effects of his blows.

All three of his brothers were holding him back but it didn’t look like they really wanted to. Ignoring the hand that was stretched out for me I eased myself up off the porch and started to walk toward the open door.

Vic laughed as Royce tried to get at me again. “This boy must’ve hit his head because I swear he trying to die today.”

Before her brothers made a line in front of the door just as Sylvia walked out of it.

“Sylvia, tell your people to go so we can talk this shit out. You doing too much!” I knew raising my voice at her was going to piss them off but I didn’t care. I could feel my face swelling from the blows I took from Royce and I needed to get inside and lay down.

“I’m not telling them to do anything. You need to leave, Dave. You don’t live here anymore.”

She looked so calm, like she’d been waiting on me to fuck up yet again so that she could be rid of me. It wasn’t fair that she wouldn’t even give me a chance to try and do better. She was selfish as hell to break up our family like she was. Something was different about her. Her hair was pulled back off her face in those fucking twists I hated but she looked younger. Like a weight had been lifted. The cropped hoodie showed off her toned stomach and her leggings had her ass sitting right. My dick decided to remember that it had been a minute since I’d been inside my wife.

The fuck is that about?

I wasn’t about to give up because I had too much time invested and had taken too many L’s in the last few days. Having lost my job I needed Sylvia now more than before. “You doing all this and you not even fighting for our marriage?”

She scoffed and furrowed her nose like my words held a stench. “I did that. By myself for the last five years. And then I realized that if I have to fight for it, it’s not meant for me. Loving you shouldn’t feel like a job I dread going to everyday. It shouldn’t drain me. It shouldn’t make me wish that you finally find the person you actually want to be with so that you can leave me alone.”

No matter how much dirt I’d done Sylvia’s words were fucking with me. She was acting like being married to me was awful.

“Why you talking like this? I don’t put my hands on you and I’m here for the kids.”

“Are you? You spend so much time with your side bitches you can’t even tell me who our daughter’s teachers are and you work AT THE SAME FUCKING SCHOOL! You’re not around to take her to appointments but you get off of work the same time she’s released for the day. Our son has it better because you care about the sports he’s into but even that is few and far between. Be honest with yourself, Dave. You need time to work on who you are and what you want. Now you have as much of it as you need.” She flickered her fingers like she was shooing me away and that shit made me want to lash out.

“So you’d rather be a statistic than stay with a man who can try to work on himself?”

“Those threats don’t work on me any longer. I’ve been carrying the financial, mental and physical load of this family for years. You’re more of a dependent than a partner. At least with you gone I don’t have to worry about my health and what you might bring back home.”

She was embarrassing me again and I felt like every blow was emasculating me more and more. “You can’t talk about shit like that. It’s a violation.”

“When you give her some shit she can talk about it to whoever she wants to, dumb ass. And she never said that you had given her something. Your guilty conscience is just whopping your ass.” Aiken was laughing at me and I was happy his team hadn’t made it to the fucking Super Bowl.

“I don’t want any trouble with you, Dave, but you need to leave. You know everything we’ve done has been by the book and there’s nothing you can do about it. You shouldn’t want to. All these years you’ve had to sneak around with other women. Now you can be the free single man you’ve always been.” Sylvia had the nerve to look gracious like she was truly doing me a favor setting me free when I was at my lowest.

“You’re going to be sorry. All of y’all are. Just like you said you’ve been paying for everything and I got fired yesterday. So it looks like you’re going to be paying me alimony and child support since I’ll be getting joint custody.” I stood up slowly hating how weak I looked in front of them.

“Spoken just like a bitch nigga.” Royce’s voice mirrored the disgust on the faces of my soon to be former in-laws.

“Son, did you read the pre-nup that you signed?” Her father was at the base of the steps and I noticed he’d moved the cars that had once been blocking mine in. It was like as soon as Sylvia confirmed she wanted me gone, they were following her orders.

“Yeah. I know what I’m entitled to.”

“I find that hard to believe. In the case of infidelity on either party’s part, alimony is forfeited, as are all rights to property, funds and investments accrued during the marriage.”

Sylvie’s grandfather stepped out of the house as he recounted a clause in our pre-up I hadn’t bothered to remember like he’d been waiting on the day to recite it to me. I knew they didn’t like me but I never gave a damn. If I were honest I probably treated Sylvia like shit as a way to get back at them. She was the princess of the family but she would do whatever I wanted her to. At least until now.

“We’re about to get your shit packed up. It’ll be at my house whenever you figure out your living situation. Don’t try to roll up without an appointment either. I don’t take too kindly to trespassers.” Marion winked at me like he had the authority to do exactly that. But knowing them they’d already put in a word with the sheriff who would make a move on me if I stepped one foot wrong.

I needed to get the pre-nuptial paperwork but it was clear they weren’t going to let me get my hands on it. Since they knew just about every lawyer within the area I was going to have to go out of my way to find someone to represent me. I wasn’t walking away from this marriage with nothing. Even if I had to perjure myself and say I never cheated, Sylvia was going to pay for this shit.

“Y’all got today but trust and believe I’ll bounce back. Sylvia, you’re going to regret this.”

“Of all the things in the world I regret, setting you free isn’t one of them.” She took a big exhale like saying that truly released whatever emotions she was carrying. She looked at Royce who dropped his arm around her shoulders before she turned to walk back in the house. Royce looked back at me and grinned before disappearing into the front door.