Dishonorably Discharged: A Love Story Read online

  ***

  The next day, there was no sign of him before or after I left for work. All of his things were still in the apartment, completely untouched. If Justin moved out, he had left everything behind. Including me. I sat down in the middle of the kitchen floor, tired, angry, and lonely. The cold tile was chilling to the touch as I cried. It couldn’t be over. I couldn’t accept this.

  KNOCK! KNOCK!

  Someone was at the door. I slowly got up to see who it was. I prayed it was Justin, coming back to talk it out and move on. To my disappointment, it was just Tricia and Rashon. I let them in.

  “Are you ok?” Tricia said as she locked on my fuzzy red eyes and tear-stained shirt. She gave me a big hug as she entered my apartment.

  Rashon quietly added an “I’m sorry.”

  “We came over as soon as I heard,” Tricia said. “Are you alright?”

  I shook my head no.

  She continued. “Has he been back?”

  I responded. “No.”

  She looked overly concerned. “You have to get out of here in case he comes back. Pack some stuff up. You’re coming with us.”

  I didn’t even ask where we were going or what we were doing as I obeyed her command.

  Rashon wandered around the apartment. He checked out my bedroom. “That’s a nice bedroom set,” he said.

  “I wish I never thought about it. Stupid furniture ruined my life,” I said as I ransacked my drawers for clothes.

  “I never thought this would happen. I thought everything would be fine. Why me? Why does everything have to keep happening to me!” I cried.

  Rashon sat on the edge of the bed.

  “Sometimes it’s not about you. Sometimes things happen with no rhyme or reason at all and we just have to deal with it,” he added. It made sense but it angered me at the same time. I found my overnight bag and chucked it towards him.

  “Help me pack,” I instructed.

  Tricia joined us as Rashon packed some of my underwear in the bag.

  “You guys are weird,” she said. ‘I’m saying ya’ll should rethink the dating thing.”

  I gave her the look of doom.

  “Too soon. Too soon. My bad,” she remarked. “But think about it.”

  “Tricia I’m still freaking married!” I screamed. Rashon didn’t say a word as he packed the clothes I flung in his direction.

  “Sorry girl,” she replied. “I haven’t thought of you as married since the incident first happened.”

  She grabbed my laptop and sat down on the bed with her big butt covering all of the free space available.

  “What are you doing?” I asked.

  “While you two are picking out clothes, I am going to go on Facebook,” she responded. “Hurry up. He might come back.”

  Rashon broke the hectic silence. “So Kate, how exactly did he find out?”

  “James delivered the bedroom set,” I said softly.

  “Damn,” he said. Tricia had her nose deep in Facebook.

  “Justin updated his status. You might want to read this,” she exclaimed.

  “Read it,” I said with a sniffle.

  “No, you might want to read this,” Tricia said.

  “I told you to read it,” I snapped back. “It doesn’t even matter at this point.”

  “Ok,” she began.

  “It is with great sadness that I must announce that my marriage is over. All of the work that I’ve done in the last six months has been for nothing. It is not my fault. I have done a deep amount of soul searching and I have come to the conclusion that people are not always who we think they are. I put my heart and soul into a relationship that was not what it appeared to be. Please with all due respect do not contact me further regarding this situation. What’s done is done and I cannot live a lie to please others. Thank you for your understanding.

  God bless,

  Justin.”

  “He put all of that on Facebook!” I yelled hysterically. “Why does everyone have to know our business? This is insane!”

  Tricia continued her fixation on the screen.

  “Are there any comments?” I asked.

  “Nah, no comments…” She continued to read.

  “But what?” I said. “What aren’t you telling me?” I sniffled. “Just tell me whatever it is.”

  “There is one like on the post,” she said.

  “Who!” I screamed. Tricia said nothing. She was sparing my feelings. I just wanted it to be over. I screamed again. “Who!”

  “Sandra Young,” she said. “Sorry, Kate.”

  My blood pressure boiled. My stomach exploded. I was beyond pissed. Rashon sat quietly, holding my now packed overnight bag.

  “There is nothing that makes that ok,” I said. “This is all f’d up. How could he post that for everyone to see?” I grabbed my temples. My head was throbbing with angst and anxiety. “His parents are going to see that. They probably all think I’m some no good black bitch now.”

  “I don’t think that,” Rashon interjected. I ignored him.

  “You don’t understand. He’s trying to save face. That’s what makes this so evil. It’s not about him and what he did now, it’s about what that girl did to him. That’s all that post was about.”

  Tricia looked on. “I don’t even know what to tell you girl,” she said.

  I stood tall as my headache subsided. I knew what I had to do. “Rashon, carry that bag for me please. Tricia, close that laptop. Let’s go.”

  She was worried. “Go where?”

  ‘We’re going to find Justin. I want to talk to him face to face,” I said.