The Way We Weren't
an excerpt

As soon as they arrived home, Cadence hopped out of the car, slamming the door and strolled up the walkway to their shabby two bedroom home as Damon sat in the car watching her. They couldn’t even call it their house. They rented in one of worst possible neighborhoods, but this was all they could afford. Damon was a retired janitor, or what he preferred to be called was a maintenance engineer. No matter what the hell you called it, he hadn’t brought in much money then and now since he was retired it was a hell of a lot less. He wished he had done things differently and had gotten them a house, but what could he do about it now? He was too old to try to start that up.

He rested his hands on the steering wheel while he watched Cadence sashay up to the front door as if she was walking down a runway. Look at where we’re at, woman. He thought. You aint rich no more. You haven’t been for a long time. She placed her hand on the identifier box underneath the doorknob, opened the door, and walked in slamming it shut behind her. He was tempted to just sit in the car for the rest of the day in order not to breathe the same dank air as the madam of the house. He was still steaming inside by the way she had been putting on for that Anthony guy. He decided to just sit in the car and watch the sun set.

Finally, Damon decided to get out of the car and go on into the ranch style house. He grabbed the door knob and pushed. Locked. She didn’t even have the decency to leave the door unlocked for him. He placed his hand on the identifier and waited to hear the lock click open. Damon walked into their shabby living room looking over their second hand furnishings. Cadence had bought covers to make it appear nicer, but it only made it look cheap. He walked to kitchen to retrieve a beer from the refrigerator and made his way to his bedroom where his lazy boy and television awaited his return.

Beer secured in his right hand, he made his way down the hall. As he was passing Cadence’s room, he noticed that the door was slightly ajar. Damon didn’t know why, but he glimpse through the crack. Cadence was coming out of the adjoining bathroom with a towel wrapped around her body, humming some made up tune.

He couldn’t remember that last time he had saw this woman naked, so curiosity, not desire, mind you, but curiosity made his feet stay in that same spot and keep on looking. She dropped her towel and Damon’s heart almost stopped. She was about the sorriest sight he’d ever seen. Her breasts were so long and flat, she looked like she was about to feed a monkey. They looked like an extra layer of skin lying on top of the first with a large nipple on the end, and where did she get those gigantic nipples from anyway? It had been many years since they had been intimate, but he was sure that he would have remembered a giant nipple almost the same size of a ping pong ball.

Her flabby stomach was in a similar state, hanging down past her waist line and covering her vagina. Thank God because Damon would hate to see what condition that was in. If he had ever had any thoughts of or could get drunk enough to take his wife to bed, that went out the door with this image that was now permanently burned into his head. He had to give her credit. She camouflaged that mess she called a body, well underneath her clothing. To his dismay, she started dancing around, humming, and drying herself off with her towel. She did some kind of cha cha cha step and turned around giving him a clear shot of her derriere. Damon unintentionally made a gagging noise turning Cadence’s attention to him.

She screeched. “You nasty dog!” Wrapping the towel around her she rushed towards the door and slammed it in his face.

Damon turned away, actually thankful that her naked body was no longer in his line of vision, and went into his room where he kicked off his shoes, took off his shirt leaving on a t-shirt, and settled into his recliner, beer in the left hand and remote control in the right. Just when he settled into his favorite program, the door was thrown open.

“My daddy told me you weren’t shit. I should have never married your sorry ass.” Cadence now fully clothed stood in the door. Damon wondered how he could have been so stupid. He should have locked it.

“Jesus Christ!”

“Don’t you take my savior’s name in vain!”

Your father is dead. He’s been dead for a long time. Would you please stop trying to bring that man back to life and let him rest?”

“My father was the most honorable respectable black man I’ve ever met, and I should have listened to him, but no! You brainwashed me with all your hopes and dreams and promises. You married me for my money.”

“For your money?” Damon scoffed. “Where’s it at because I sure as hell aint seen it.”

“My daddy was a smart man. He knew you would just throw it away like you did your little bit of money on that piece of shit you called your father. That’s why he kept it away from me. My daddy knew.”

“My daddy! My daddy!” Damon mimicked. “Woman, grow up!”

“I should have married Keagan like he told me to in the first place.” She walked further into the room.

“I wish you fucking would have.”

“And how dare you peep at me while I’m naked. You pervert.”

“Oh please, woman. What I saw scared me so bad I couldn’t move.”

Cadence’s face was stricken with horror. “Like you look that good out of your drawers, mister.”

“I look age appropriate, and maybe even better.” Damon replied matter of factly puffing his chest out.

“Uh huh, you think so? Huh, you think?” Cadence walked over to Damon and started snatching at his pants, trying to pull them down. “Let’s see what old saggy balls is working with.” She clawed at his privates. Damon had had enough and rose to his feet pushing Cadence down on his bed. He clutched his fists tightly.

“Go ahead. Go ahead and hit me. You’ve always wanted to. I can see it in your eyes.” Cadence taunted him.

“Why? So you can have me arrested? I’ve never hit a woman, but I should have started beating your ass in the beginning. Maybe you would have learned some respect.”

“Respect you? Please.” Cadence stood to her feet and looked at him as if he was unworthy to walk the same earth as her.

“You know. I’ve never condoned hitting a woman, but I have to say that I understand reasoning now.”

“You disgust me. I’m going next door.” She turned to walk out.

“Cadence, why you want to go bothering that nice girl. She don’t want your old ass drooling over her baby.”

Cadence turned back around to face Damon. “I wouldn’t have to drool over her baby if we would have had some kids of our own. Now that one’s all your fault, buddy. I could be playing with my grandbabies right now, but noooo. Thanks to you, we have no family! I don’t want to look at your face anymore, so I’m going next door.”

“You have a room. Get out of mine and go to yours.”

“Tried that. Remember, pervert?” She pointed a finger at him.

“Let me show you what to do, honey.” Damon grabbed her by the elbow and walked her to his bedroom door. “First you go into your room. You close the door and lock it.” He pushed her out the door, slammed it in her face and locked it.

“You low life bastard. I hate you.” She yelled from the other side. “I hope we get approved for this time travel shit so I won’t ever have to see your black ass again! You’ve ruined my life!”