Death Becomes Her

"Rani, get yo ass in here and clean this kitchen!" My mom's voice brought me out of a daydream about my new boyfriend, Brandon. We'd been together for a good three months since my last shaky relationship with an abusive boyfriend two months before.

"Yes Ma'am!" I shouted from the hall as I grabbed the broom out of the closet, and headed towards the kitchen, where my mom was waiting with a hand perched on her hip.

"Rani, didn't I tell you to clean this kitchen four hours ago?"

"Yes, mama. But, it's a Friday. I shouldn't have to clean up on a weekend." I tried to plead with her, knowing it wasn't going to work.

"It's a Friday, your weekend doesn't start till Saturday. Now get to cleanin'. I'm goin' to go get ready to go out. I won't be home tonight till late." She was hinting that she probably wouldn't make it in till the next morning. She was good for leaving me at home alone for days at a time. But I didn't care; I'd grown used to it. I wasn't going to stop her or tell her that what she was doing was wrong, she was grown, and what she did with those men was her business. It was her life, her decision. 

Sometimes I felt as though I was the mother, and she was the child. But you had to love her. She did all that she could to give me the life that I had. I knew it wasn't easy for her since my dad was killed out on the streets when she was pregnant with me. She was only 16 years old back then, she didn?t know what to do, now she was 32, but she still ran around like a teenager.

"Rani, do you hear me?"

"Yeah mama, I hear you. Don't worry, I'll be okay. I might just call Gina, or go over her house. Whatever." She didn't know about Brandon , and I wasn't going to tell her about him either. She had a problem with me dating ever since my last boyfriend. 

"Okay." She walked to her room as I was busy sweeping.

            I swept the dirt up into the dustpan and deposited it into the trashcan then went upstairs to get cleaned up. I picked up my cell phone and decided to call Brandon . He picked up as I was looking through my closet for what I was going to wear that evening. 

"Hey ma, what's up?"

"Hey baby. What you up to?"

"Nothin' really, just thinkin' bout what I'm gon' do to you tonight."

"Boy, quit playin'. So, what time you comin' to pick me up?"

"Whatever time you ready. I know you waiting till ya mom leave,  I know how ya mom is." He had dealt with her before when he called the house and she went off on him.

"Yeah, well, I'm gonna call you when I'm ready. Okay?"

"Yeah, no problem. Hit me up before 10 though, aight?" 

"Okay. Fine, my mom should be gone by then, and it gives me a good hour to get ready." I pulled out a pair of designer jeans, a cute top, and a jean jacket from my closet and laid it out on my bed. 

"Aight."

"Okay, see you in a little bit."

"Yeah. Bye." I set my phone down on my dresser and headed towards the bathroom, towel in hand.

            I hopped in the shower and let the warm beads of water massage my body and put me in a trance. I drifted into a daydream about Brandon and what would happen tonight. I suddenly was brought out of my daydream by my mom. As usual, she always interrupted me at the best parts.

"Baby, I'm leaving now!" I could hear her yelling from inside my room.

"Okay mom! Have fun!"

"You too, baby!" A few seconds later I heard a car door slam closed, and a car pull out the driveway. She was finally gone, and I was free to do what I wanted. 

            I cut the shower off and hopped out. As I was drying off, I heard a thump from in my room. I shook it off with the thoughts that it was just one of those noises that old houses made. Just as I was about to open my bathroom door I heard another noise from in my room. "Okay, calm down. Nobody is in the house. It's all in my head." I grabbed a pair of scissors from out of the drawer, "...and if they are, I'll just slice and dice." I whispered words of encouragement to myself. I turned the doorknob slowly, and quietly. I didn't want to make any noise and let whoever was in the house know that I was coming out. I couldn?t be like one of those white girls in a movie, I was going to be smart. 

            I cracked the door open slightly and looked out into my room. My eyes fell upon someone at my dresser. They were going through my drawer and sniffing my panties. 

"Okay, this nigga is sick. The fuck wrong with him?" I wasn't going to sit there and watch him fondle my panties. His back was turned so he must not of noticed me. I pulled the door a little more out of its frame so that I could get out. I put a foot out on the plush carpet and then another. Softy, and carefully, I walked closer to him. My grip on the scissors tightened the closer I got to him. 

            Just as I reached him, he turned around and a shriek escaped my body. I suddenly noticed who it was, and relief came over me.

"Brandon , the fuck wrong with you?!" I punched him in his chest and he just laughed.

"My bad girl, I was worried. You didn't call me, and it's after 10." I looked at the alarm clock and it was a good 15 minutes after 10. 

"I'm sorry, I lost track of time. But why'd you come through my window?" I had noticed that my window was now open. 

"I don't know. I kind of wanted to scare you. And I see it worked." He grabbed the scissors out of my hand and placed them on the dresser. He suddenly took notice of my attire.

"Baby, you lookin' sexy in that towel." He licked his lips and I felt like just letting him take me where I was. But I suddenly remembered that he was sniffing my panties.

"Nigga, fuck that. What were you doin' with my panties?" I gave him a weird look and he started laughing.

"Girl, calm down. I was just smellin' em 'cause you always have this sweet smell. Stop looking at me like that. I ain't a pervert." He looked at me and grinned. "Unless you want me to be." He put his hands on my waist and moved in for a kiss. 

"Boy, stop. Let me get ready. Go check on your car, you know you can't trust niggas out here." I wanted so bad to let him take advantage of my body, but I didn't want to let him feel like he could get me so early in our relationship.

"You right. Ay, I'm gonna be down in my car. Call me on my cell when you ready to come out." He kissed me exited through my window.

            Just as I was putting on my last earring, I heard my cell ring. I looked at the caller ID and it was a blocked number. I hate blocked calls. What the hell do these lil triflin' kids want? I thought to myself as I picked the phone up and answered, only to get a silent response on the other side.

"If you're not going to speak, then I'm going to hang up. Don't call my phone anymore unless you have something important." Just as I was about to hang up a raspy voice spoke into my ear.

"I miss you." 

"What the hell? Who is this? Brandon , is this you?" I didn't get an answer. I figured it was Brandon trying to scare me. I hung the phone up and headed downstairs.

I had reached the front door and was about to open it when I felt an arm come across my neck. 

'Brandon , can you just give it up? You're not scaring me. C'mon, let me go." I broke free of his grip and turned around to see that it was somebody in a ski mask. I couldn't see his face, but I knew for sure it wasn't Brandon . I scooted back into the door and grabbed the knob to make an escape. 

"No, don't leave me again Rani. I've missed you these past two months. I see you every day in school walking through the halls with that boy, Brandon. I hate how you've fallen for him. I can tell, because you have that look in your eyes when you see him. That same look you had for me. I want that look again, Rani." He pulled his mask off, and I saw his pleading eyes. 

"No, I have Brandon , I don't want to be put through all the pain anymore Derek." Derek's facial expression changed at my comment. He forcefully grabbed me and started to threaten me.

"Rani, either you get with me again, or I'll make your life a living hell." His eyes showed no mercy. Whenever Derek said something, he meant it.

"No Derek!" I broke free of his grip and ran out of the door. I suddenly stopped dead in my tracks as I saw Brandon in his car. He was drenched in blood, and I could tell that he wasn't alive. I ran towards him but I was suddenly pulled back by a strong grip on my arm.

"I love you Rani. I did this for us." 

"What the hell do you want with me, Derek?!" I began to start crying as I noticed how fucked up my life was. I wasn?t going to get out of this situation. No matter what I did. 

"I want your love. I want you in my life. Don't you understand Rani? I can't get you out of my head. Just come away with me. We can take a bus somewhere. We can be happy together." He let me go and I backed up into the car. 

"Derek, I don't want you. I don't want to go anywhere with you. I wish I never met you. You're ruining my life! Don't you understand?! You've just taken away the only person I loved, the only person that ever meant anything to me. I can't ever love you. I wish you'd just burn in hell!"

He seemed angry at my words. He suddenly pulled something out of his back pocket. The moonlight hit it and I could tell it was a knife. I knew he was capable of anything, but I didn?t care anymore. 

"Fine Rani. If you don't want to be with me, then I won't even bother you anymore. Just know that you'll always remember this day. I won't let you forget it. You'll live with this day forever."

"What are you talking about Derek?" I didn't know what he was about to do, but I could tell from his sudden calmness that it was going to be drastic.

"Don't worry Rani. I won't be bugging you anymore." He raised the knife up and suddenly jabbed it into his chest.

"DEREK!" I dropped to my knees as I saw him fall to the floor, and the blood rushed out. 

            I couldn't take this anymore. I wasn't going to be able to take this. I crawled over Derek with tears making my vision blurry. I grabbed the knife and pulled it out. If I was going to live in misery, there was no point in living at all. Why not just live in a better place with the one person I loved, Brandon. I could just join him wherever he was. 

         I walked over to the car, and got into the passenger's seat. I kissed Brandon one last time and wiped the knife on my blouse. 

"I'm coming baby."

            I was suddenly pulled into darkness. The last thing I remembered was landing on Brandon. I could feel him breathing, and his heart beating. I tried my hardest to come back into the light, with the one I loved, but the hands of death cared for no one. I was swept into an eternity of sorrow, once more to live in misery.