Good Men Still Exist by Marques Lewis, Jamila Gomez Page A

keeping up with her own bills, she moved out of her apartment into Reggie’s house, her boyfriend and Mila’s father.
    Brandy stood up to carry Mila to her crib. “Okay, Mila bug. Mommy has to get some rest now. I really hope you don’t wake up into the morning.” She placed Mila in the crib, covered her under the sheets, and lay down to wait for Reggie to come home. She pulled her long, black, curly hair into a ponytail with tears coming down her eyes. Brandy had something heavy on her mind that she had to tell Reggie. She couldn’t stand it anymore; the guilt was eating her alive. She lay drifting on and off to sleep. Finally, her eyes opened upon hearing the front door downstairs slam shut. She looked herself in the mirror that sat on the right side of her bed.
    She took deep breaths and wiped tears off of her chocolate face. She listened intently to the heavy footsteps coming upstairs. She watched the doorknob turn as a very hammered Reggie rocked forward with his eyes barely open.
    “Where have you been?” Brandy scowled, frustrated with Reggie as he walked towards her.
    Reggie looked at her while staggering towards the foot of the king-sized bed. “I was out having drinks with my friends! Hell, where the fuck you been?!” he said laughing, taking off his white polo striped shirt.
    “Oh my God ! Reggie! Are you kidding me right now? You said you were going to stop when Mila was born!” Brandy said, fixing her long Essex College shirt sleeves and pulling down her navy blue shorts.
    “What did I just say? Hell yeah, I’ve been drinking! And I will stop -- trust me!” He sat on the end of the bed pulling his light blue jeans off.
    “Did you forget that tonight was movie night? You shot me that dumb text that you weren’t going to be out late!”
    Reggie turned and laughed, throwing his hands up. “Movie night? Our asses renting Red Box movies. To tell you the truth, I don’t even like doing movie night! It’s stupid!”
    “So , you have a problem with it now?”
    “I have always had a problem with it! I did all of that to end the night the way I want!”
    “Listen, you have been drinking; I do not think you understand what you’re saying right now!”
    “Oh , I know what I am saying! I am saying that this relationships sucks!” he shouted as he stood up. “I do not understand what you try to pressure me with all these things for! You know I get paid $17.45 an hour. The economy is bad enough! You should know; you couldn’t keep up with your own shit! Then your broke ass want to spend all of my money. How about we spend some of your money some time! Oh wait, I forgot -- you don’t have a job! You say you’ve been looking for a job, but I know you haven’t!”
    “Are you out your mind talking to me like this?” Brandy yelled before covering her mouth in depression.
    “Yeah . . . yeah, I am talking to you, woman -- with your sorry broke ass! Then you move in with your broke ass, and bring my child, too! I was living good, fucking bad bitches, and selling dope on the side, but now I have to stop all of that just for you!”
    Brandy jumped off of the bed as Reggie turned around and stood up. The 6’4, light-skinned, 300-pounder laughed as he watched tears fall from Brandy’s eyes. She looked up, almost breaking her neck. Brandy was 5’3 and skinny with a cute round ass.
    “Thank you so much , Reggie, for admitting again that you cheated on me! Thank you so much for being a dog ass piece of shit.”
    “You ’re welcome. Hell, I told you I wasn’t faithful! Once you told me you were pregnant last year, I had bitches in and out of this apartment while you took your broke ass to work. Then you lost your job after you had Mila. I needed something to take my stress away. So, I fucked more bad bitches! Bitch, I own a paint shop! I see women every day wanting a new paint job!” Reggie taunted, standing in his wife beater and gray boxers with his belly overlapping.
    “Stop talking to me like that!