Chapter one
Berry was sitting on the couch, watching a movie. It was movie night, and he and his wife would watch movies on Thursday nights before bed.
Sitting there, when he was supposed to be watching the movie, he thought about his family, he hadn't talk to for quite some time now. He thought about his mom, and thought about his aunt Cent, whom he used to talk to almost every day. She usually would call, but she didn't like his wife, and what she did, the last time they visited so she cut her calls short.
He thought, “I should give her a call”.
He looked down at his phone that was on the table beside him, he stared at it for a couple seconds, picked it up, turned it on, it had a couple of texts and emails that were not important. so he went to his contacts, scrolled to his Aunt Cent name, pressed call, then phone began to ring.
His wife felt the commotion, she looked up at him, with a, “who you about to call” look on her face, because he was supposed to be watching the movie.
He looked back at her, then gave a swift eye motion to the tv, and for her to mind her damn business.
She laid her head back down on his lap and pretended to watch the movie.
He went back to his phone call.
He started to think, hopefully she’ll pick up. She never picks up. but she always calls him right back, he thought as the phone kept ringing.
“Hello nephew!!”, she said excited to hear from him, then she said, “are you single yet!?” she said jokily.
“Uh!!” “Hey Aunty!” “No! I’m not, and yea I’m ... I mean we’re fine!” he said nervously, and hope his wife did not hear what his aunt said.
“I'm kidding baby”, “Ya'll been alright?” “I've been thinking about you”, she said with concern.
She ain’t heard from her nephew since he brought that stankin ass yella' wife over, and they got into it about her nephews ex.
She didn't like his wife, nobody in the family did, and for the life of them, they couldn't figure out why he married her.
“I've been great”, “just working and staying out the way, you know how it is”, “how have you been?” he asked.
“I’ve been good”, “sitting here watching my stories, and packing for my next trip!” she said with excitement.
“Where ya going? “and when are you leaving”, “I haven't heard from you”, “you usually call me up, telling me you about to take off somewhere”, he said all in one breath.
“Slow down nephew”, “what's wrong baby boy”, “are you ok”, “why all the questions and concerns”, “I'm going to Florida”, “to see my sister!”, “your mother!” “You can come with me if you need some time alone”, “I know she’ll be glad to see her baby boy.” she said. Folding a pair of jeans, and putting them into the suitcase on the floor next to her.
“Nah”, “I plan on going to see her next month”, on her birthday, “and nothing is wrong”, “I was just thinking about you that's all.”
“Well maybe this will cheer you up a lil” she paused to take a sip of her water, “guess who I talked to today?” she said, taking another sip of her water.
“Who!?”, he asked, thinking she was about to talk about a family member, they ain’t heard or seen in a long time.
He didn't care no way, he had time to listen, he was sitting there bored out his mind. It was movie night with his wife, and she picked the most boring movies ever. He always end up falling asleep.
“Teah”, she said softly and with a smile.
His eyebrows raised, and the hairs on his whole entire body stood up, when he heard her name!
He gave her the name, “Sweet Tea” the moment he tasted her sweet lips.
They were the sweetest he had ever tasted. She didn't have to wear any lip balm, lip gloss nor lip stick, her lips were just sweet like sweet tea, so he named her “Sweet Tea.”
His family started calling her that, thinking it was her name, she had to tell them her real name was Teah.
He wanted so badly to ask how she was, where she was, and ask if she said anything about him?
His whole world shifted when his aunt mentioned her.
There was a pause on the phone, about five seconds.
“Hello!”, she said, "Are you there”, she asked
“UH! Yeah”, “I'm here aunty”, he slid up a little, then looked down at his wife, he knew she was being nosey.
“Oh really”, he asked clearing his throat, and trying to control the chill bumps, they looked like chicken pox they were so big.
His wife had been trying to listening the whole time. but pretended to be into the movie. She couldn't hear everything, but enough to be curious, as to why his body language shifted.
She tried her best to listen to what his aunt was saying to him.
He knew what she was up to, so he pressed the volume down on his phone.
“Yeah”, “she called me to do business in my building,” “she's become very successful in the phone business y'all always talked about”, “I’m very proud of her” she said.
“I am supposed to have lunch with her tomorrow before I leave” she said. “We are to discuss what and how we are going to do business together” she said. “I asked her did she want to go to Florida with me”, but she said she'll be too busy”. “I really miss her.” she signed deeply.
“I can't wait to see her” she said.
There was a silent pause.
“Hello!”, she said “boy”, “are you ok!?” “Cough twice, if you need me to come over there!?” she said jokily, then giggled.
“yeah”, “I'm here aunty”, “no I'm ok”, “I was just caught off guard with what you were saying.”
“What part?”, “the I missed Teah part”, “or the part where you tell me you do too” she said with a grin.
“Actually”, “all of it!” he said with a grin on his face.
He thought he ain’t seen his “sweet tea” in a whole year to be exact, but who’s counting the days, months, hours, minutes and even seconds. Since he married Shay, he only seen her around in the city but a couple times. He thought she’d move, because after that she disappeared. It hasn't been that long since he broke it off with her, to be with Shay. It was so bad, he didn't mean to break Teah's heart, but he did, he just thought Shay was different, even though he was in love with Teah, he thought he loved Shay more, and Shay loved him more. Shay gave him what he wanted, and let him do what he wanted. Shay was a drinker, and like to party, she wore all the latest gear, and engage in the drugs he liked. They went to bars and clubs together, Shay was faster, he wanted that kind of woman, at least that's what he thought.
Teah was the opposite, she was quiet, did not drink, she smoked her weed and hustled, by any means necessary to make her money. She didn't hang out, or around a lot of people. She was big on energy, and collecting bad spirits from people, so she kept her distance from people and family. She always had ideas, goals, and dreams ways to make money, not spend it. She was a saver not a spender.
“Oh!”, “anyway it was so nice to hear her voice”, “she still my sweet tea even if she ain’t yours.” she said jokily again.
You can hear her smile over the phone when she talked about Teah, she really loved Teah they got along very well she even told her she will always be her family even if her nephew fucks up.
“Yeah”, “she’s a sweet girl” trying not to respond to the excitement he felt in his gut.
she will always be my sweet tea as well he thought.
“Anyway”, “let me get off this here phone to finish packing”, “I’m headed out to the store early in the morning to get some stuff for this trip”, “I'll call ya later, or before I leave, to see if you changed your mind.” she hung up before he could say bye, she always did that.
One day he asked her, “why she hung up before anyone could say bye”, she said, “because it's not bye”, “it’s see ya later, or talk to ya later”, “bye is forever”.
After they hung up, he couldn't help but to think about Teah, he drifted off thinking about her so much, he didn't even hear his wife ask how his aunt was doing.
She damn near had to raise her head up off his lap, and get in his face for him to hear her.
“Baby?!” “Did you hear what I just said?” she yelled.
“Huh!?”, “what did you say?", "I was day dreaming”, he said still in a daze.
“I see”, “must have been a pretty interesting conversation”, “where did you go for that whole minute”, “I asked what was your aunt talking about, how is she doing?” she asked.
“She wasn't talking about nothing”, “just how she misses me”, “and how she wants to see me soon” He lied.
She looked at him with a suspicious stare
“What?!” he asked with his hands out.
“Never mind”, she said putting her head back on his lap.
A few minutes later, he gave a big yarn and stretched his legs. He rubbed his fingers through her hair placed his hands under the pillow then spoke,
“I’m going to bed” “baby” stretching his arms while yarning.
“It's early”, “and we haven't even finished the movie”, “baby” she looked up at him confused.
“I know”, “but I decided to go see my aunt tomorrow”, “and I want to get an early start”, he said lifting her head gently up off of his lap, removing himself from the couch headed toward the stairs while rubbing his beard neck and bald head.
She was furious, she heard some of the conversation, but not enough to accuse him.
She turned off the tv threw the remote on the couch and headed up the stairs.
He turned on the top step
“You turning in early too, baby?” he asked
she was really close to him.
“Yeah”, “I want to go with you to your aunt house in the morning”, she said passing him on the top step, and walking into the bedroom.
He stood there for a few seconds, and entered the bedroom, and closed the door.
“Baby”, “you know my aunt is not fond of you, from the last time you went over there”, “you had her pouring salt at her doorstep” “She thinks you're the devil” he laughed.
She didn't find that funny, and gave him a serious look.
“That’s not funny”, she said standing on her side of the bed with her arms crossed.
“I'm not going through this with you again, I'm going to see her, and I'll be back early enough, and we’ll spend the rest of the day together, ok?” he said sitting on the side of the bed, pulling his socks off, and then his pants, and shirt.
“Ok”, she said bouncing down on her side of the bed, sliding her slippers off, and then her boy shorts.
She wanted so much to say something, but she didn't want to go to bed angry, nor did she want him to leave the house angry in the morning.
She tossed and turned all night, her mind was all over the place, heart racing, palms sweating. She even tried to cuddle with Berry, but she didn't want him to feel her heart beating out of her chest.
She knew one day things will start to crumble, she just didn't know when, she thought she had it all planned out, at first, but every day she was looking over her shoulder, listening in on all his phone calls, tracking his every move, it was getting to be a lot, but she did it, because she loved him.
Her nerves got really bad, the thought of losing him, it was unbearable. she knew he would leave and she would never see him again, then she thought, “I better hurry up and get pregnant before this man leaves me for good, because once he finds out what I did to get and keep him it is over!
He’ll never come back to me”, and her biggest fear was him going back to Teah!
She started to cry silently; she was good at it. He never knew almost every night since they got married, when he would fall asleep, she would lay there and cry herself to sleep, feeling guilty at what she did, but she did it for them, and because she loved him, she would do again.
He must've been tired he went straight out. The next morning, he was so out of it, he didn't feel Shay get out of bed, because he looked over and she was gone.
He called out.
“Shay Baby!”, then looked at the clock
It was 7:06 a.m.
“Oh”, “shit!” “Let me get up to go see my Aunty”.
He rushed out of bed, and into the master bathroom, where his wife was taking a shower, and getting ready for work.
He walked in the bathroom in a rush to the toilet to piss.
“Morning babe”, she said from the shower.
“I didn't know what time you were going to get up to hit the road, so I let you sleep” she said looking over at him soaping her sponge up and dipping it into the shower water.
“It's okay”, “I want to leave in the next hour anyway” he said as was taking a piss wiping the tip of his penis, taking his draws off, walking over to get into the shower with her. He knew not to flush because the water would get cold in the shower.
Little did he know she had been crying right before he walked in the bathroom. He actually frightened her a little when he came through the door. She hurried to wash her face so if he kissed her, he wouldn't taste the salt from her tears.
Her back was turned when he got in.
He got in and tested the water.
“Got Damm”, “it's hot baby” He reached over and adjusted the water to warm.
She turned around and cuddled to him, he looked down at her and grabbed his sponge but before he grabbed it, he kissed her on her forehead nose and cheek, smiled at her she smiled back.
She loved him, and he loved her, but she knew this love was forced. So many times, she wanted to tell him what she had been up to, just to see if the love was real, but then she thought nope, she just can't risk losing him.
She put her arms around him, and kissed him he kissed her back, they started passionately kissing rubbing soap on each other he grabbed her waist and pulled her legs around him. They passionately kissed each other all over. They both dropped their sponges. He rubbed on her ass cheeks it was one of the favorite assets of hers. He spread her ass cheeks and smacked them, she scraped her nails down his back when he spread her ass cheeks, she loved when he did that, she threw her head back and moaned “Yes”
At this time and every time in her mind every time they had sex; she was going to do her best to get pregnant, she would stand on her head if she had to.
The very thought made her even hornier she straddled her legs around him tighter like they were on a monkey bar.
He smacked her ass again leaned her gently against the shower wall entered her with pleasure.
Six to eight strokes in he started seeing flashes of Teah.
He closed his eyes, and shook his head to try to shake the thought of her from his head, but when he opened his eyes, he actually saw her face.
“What the fuck!?” he thought.
He started pumping faster and harder, and kissing Shay all over he even bit her on her neck, he was slamming Shay up against the shower wall. Moaning and groaning.
“What the fuck baby” Shay looked at him like he was crazy because he was fucking the shit out of her. Her back was rubbing up against the shower wall, and her skin was turning red and raw.
She unlatched her legs and pushed him off of her, grabbed her towel.
“What the fuck is wrong with you, you never acted like that during sex”
He lied and said “it was getting good I guess”
“You felt different this time” he said getting out of the shower grabbing a towel and drying off.
“Yeah”, “well don't do that shit anymore you have my back all messed up” she said checking her back in the stand-up mirror on the back of the bathroom door.
She was furious, now she had to go to work sore from his ass.
“It ain’t that bad” he said checking her back and then smacked her on her ass.
Sometimes she can just kill him because of the stuff she let him get away with. The things people do for love.
