send the rest of the children in herbasement home. She then readied Tracy for bed. It was nearly nine oâclock.
âDid Keith say anything to Ra-Ra when I went inside the kitchen?â Patti asked her daughter while tucking her in.
âUnh hunh. He said that she was âsposed to go home at six-thirty.â
Patti shook her head in disgust. âI knew it. That man ainât no good. Heâs just as evil as he wants to be.â
Tracy chuckled and closed her eyes. Her mother then swept into her own bedroom. Dave was still watching television. He was leaned up against a pillow with his hands behind his head.
âYou know what, Patti, Iâm sick and tired of your sisters coming over here and terrorizing my damn house. Iâve worked hard for mine. Now if they got a problem with that, you best leave them out of our lives. Or at least out of my damn life.â
âLook, Dave, now thatâs my family. Without me, theyâll fall apart,â Patti self-righteously assumed. âSo even if they argue with me, they really do need me.â
âYeah, well, Iâm gonâ tell you what, soon you ainât gonâ need me, because Iâm a little worn out from this dumb stuff.â
Patti started to undress. âDave, it ainât all that bad.â
âYes the hell it is,â Dave snapped. âMatter fact, theyâre not coming over here anymore. Period.â
Patti stopped undressing and stared at him. âWhy, Dave?â
âBecause I said so. Thatâs reason enough.â
âNow you know that ainât even fair,â Patti retorted. She caressed Daveâs chest under the sheets. Dave pulled her hand away and rolled over. âBaby, come on,â Patti pleaded.
âNo, now, get off of me.â
Patti sighed and turned the other way.
âTurn the TV off,â Dave demanded.
âYouâre the one that turned it on.â
âI donât care. You just got in bed. Youâre not all that comfortable yet.â
Patti stayed in the bed, refusing to move.
Dave turned to face her. âWhat do you think, Iâm playing? I told you to turn the shit off,â he snapped, nearly pushing her out of bed.
Patti caught her balance to avoid falling onto the floor. She then went and turned the TV off. I donât know who he think he is, she thought to herself as she strolled back to her side of the bed.
âAre you satisfied now?â
Dave was playing his ugly tough-guy role. He had learned it years ago to keep Patti in check. And Patti enjoyed pissing him off. It was her childish entertainment.
Dave jumped up in an instant and grabbed her arm.
âWhat are you doing?â Patti whined.
âIâm tired of you playing that young-girl shit. You sleep on the damn couch tonight.â
âWhy?â Patti said, holding Dave gently by his waist. She gently squeezed him, hoping to turn him on.
âGet off me, Patti. Youâre a damn kid, girl, I swear,â he told her as he knocked her hands away.
Patti shoved her breasts up against his chest. âPlease, Iâm sorry, baby,â she pleaded. She tried to plant a kiss on her husbandâs lips. Dave turned away to avoid it.
âNo, get off of me,â he persisted, still trying to push her away.
Patti sighed and began walking toward her daughterâs room.
Dave asked, âWhere are you going?â
Patti teased him with a sly grin. âIâm going to sleep with my baby. Sheâs the only one that cares about me,â she told him.
âLook, Iâm gonna give you about two seconds to go downstairs and sleep on that damn couch, like I told you,â Dave warned her.
Patti really knew how to get to her husband. She smirked and said, âOkay already.â
Dave mugged her in the back of her head. âYou think this shit is a damn joke, donât you?â he asked her, pinning her to the hallway wall.
âNow wait a minute, Dave,