Chapter One
J oy opened her eyes at the grunt in her ear and the blast of bad breath in her face. She tried to hold hers and roll away, but Isaac’s heavy arm lay across her breasts. While she inched to the edge of the bed, his fingers spasmed, and he pinched her nipple. A gag rose in her throat. She tried to disguise it as she usually did by coughing, but that only served to wake him up.
“Aw, baby, where you going?” Isaac complained as she stood with her back to him.
She made a small noise, one aimed to make him think mornings just weren’t her thing. In reality, bile filled her throat. She needed to get to the toilet fast.
“A few more minutes, Joy,” Isaac begged. “You know I’m hard when I wake up. Come take care of it.”
The door slammed before she could catch it, but she managed to get the water turned on at the sink and the shower going full blast. After that, she sank to her knees and threw up. How in the hell would she make it through another day of this? Another night? The thought of Denita and Nicolette needing a few more years before they could stay home by themselves buried Joy’s head in the toilet a second time.
Her stomach churned, her ribs hurt, and her throat burned. There was nothing left because she hadn’t eaten much the night before. Isaac had wolfed down most of what she had cooked, but she had made sure the girls ate first, and Nicolette had seconds.
Joy flushed the toilet. When she stood up and washed her hands, she turned the water off, prepared to brush her teeth. A ding caught her attention, and she glanced at her cell phone on the back of the sink. She never failed to grab that too when she went into the bathroom.
The text read, “Rise and shine, beautiful.”
Joy let a small smile touch her lips and shook her head. “You’re better than an alarm clock. I don’t even set it anymore.”
“I thought it was Isaac’s breath that did the trick.”
“Haha. You’re not funny.” She had told Russ about the disgusting combo of stale cigarettes and whiskey breath she woke to every day but not about how her boyfriend grossed her out. Russ was a friend from school that she had spent four years fighting through all levels of math with because he was a genius with numbers. Russ had kept in touch over the years even though she had left Georgia and moved to New York.
Joy refused to share her shame with anyone. As far as Russ and her mother knew, she loved Isaac, and they were in it for the long haul. No one, including Isaac, knew she stayed with him because he paid for daycare for her girls. He wasn’t even their dad. That was one thing her mother never let her forget. Denita and Nicolette had two different dads, and the man she was with now wasn’t one of them.
“Be back in a minute. Gotta brush my teeth and wash off the funk.”
“So you’re naked?”
“Don’t be dirty,” she typed back. “If Isaac saw this...”
“Sorry. I respect the guy.”
Joy smirked. She wasn’t stupid. Russ had been so obvious about his crush from eleventh grade, but she had never once considered dating a white guy. Okay, she had thought about it, but no. There were enough issues in her life. Her babies came first, period. She did what she had to and survived for them. Nothing else mattered.
She stepped into the shower and began to wash off. A sound caught her attention, and she stuck her head out of the shower to listen. The doorknob jiggled. Isaac shouted through the door.
“Why do you always lock the door, baby? Come on. I’ve seen what you’ve got, and I have to piss.”
She ducked back into the shower, ignoring him. Another day. Just one more day. The lie didn’t work. All she heard was years, and it seemed like a death knell. No way was he coming into the bathroom with her. She’d made the mistake once of leaving the door unlocked. His dumb behind thought she wanted to get frisky in the shower. Sure, if he didn’t mind puke mixed with water on his chest.
Joy ducked her
J oy opened her eyes at the grunt in her ear and the blast of bad breath in her face. She tried to hold hers and roll away, but Isaac’s heavy arm lay across her breasts. While she inched to the edge of the bed, his fingers spasmed, and he pinched her nipple. A gag rose in her throat. She tried to disguise it as she usually did by coughing, but that only served to wake him up.
“Aw, baby, where you going?” Isaac complained as she stood with her back to him.
She made a small noise, one aimed to make him think mornings just weren’t her thing. In reality, bile filled her throat. She needed to get to the toilet fast.
“A few more minutes, Joy,” Isaac begged. “You know I’m hard when I wake up. Come take care of it.”
The door slammed before she could catch it, but she managed to get the water turned on at the sink and the shower going full blast. After that, she sank to her knees and threw up. How in the hell would she make it through another day of this? Another night? The thought of Denita and Nicolette needing a few more years before they could stay home by themselves buried Joy’s head in the toilet a second time.
Her stomach churned, her ribs hurt, and her throat burned. There was nothing left because she hadn’t eaten much the night before. Isaac had wolfed down most of what she had cooked, but she had made sure the girls ate first, and Nicolette had seconds.
Joy flushed the toilet. When she stood up and washed her hands, she turned the water off, prepared to brush her teeth. A ding caught her attention, and she glanced at her cell phone on the back of the sink. She never failed to grab that too when she went into the bathroom.
The text read, “Rise and shine, beautiful.”
Joy let a small smile touch her lips and shook her head. “You’re better than an alarm clock. I don’t even set it anymore.”
“I thought it was Isaac’s breath that did the trick.”
“Haha. You’re not funny.” She had told Russ about the disgusting combo of stale cigarettes and whiskey breath she woke to every day but not about how her boyfriend grossed her out. Russ was a friend from school that she had spent four years fighting through all levels of math with because he was a genius with numbers. Russ had kept in touch over the years even though she had left Georgia and moved to New York.
Joy refused to share her shame with anyone. As far as Russ and her mother knew, she loved Isaac, and they were in it for the long haul. No one, including Isaac, knew she stayed with him because he paid for daycare for her girls. He wasn’t even their dad. That was one thing her mother never let her forget. Denita and Nicolette had two different dads, and the man she was with now wasn’t one of them.
“Be back in a minute. Gotta brush my teeth and wash off the funk.”
“So you’re naked?”
“Don’t be dirty,” she typed back. “If Isaac saw this...”
“Sorry. I respect the guy.”
Joy smirked. She wasn’t stupid. Russ had been so obvious about his crush from eleventh grade, but she had never once considered dating a white guy. Okay, she had thought about it, but no. There were enough issues in her life. Her babies came first, period. She did what she had to and survived for them. Nothing else mattered.
She stepped into the shower and began to wash off. A sound caught her attention, and she stuck her head out of the shower to listen. The doorknob jiggled. Isaac shouted through the door.
“Why do you always lock the door, baby? Come on. I’ve seen what you’ve got, and I have to piss.”
She ducked back into the shower, ignoring him. Another day. Just one more day. The lie didn’t work. All she heard was years, and it seemed like a death knell. No way was he coming into the bathroom with her. She’d made the mistake once of leaving the door unlocked. His dumb behind thought she wanted to get frisky in the shower. Sure, if he didn’t mind puke mixed with water on his chest.
Joy ducked her
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