BEAUTY & THE DARK PRINCE

Episode 6

I wake up to the sound of my phone ringing early in the morning. “Hey Babe,” I greet with my voice sounding a little bit raspy. “I believe the appropriate words should be good morning,” he corrects me. I roll my eyes before responding, “Right! I’m still half asleep I didn't even know its now morning,” I pause to check the time on my phone and it reads 5:15 am.

“Why are you up so early in the morning?” I question. “Do you have to ask...Isn’t it obvious?…I have to go to work so you people don’t starve to death. You are nothing without me Tyra! I own you….and I hope that old wrinkled woman didn’t make you forget that," he cusses.

“Chad! How dare you talk about my grandma like that!” I yell with my face twisting in anger. “What….is she not old and wrinkled?” “Yes she is but calling her that is just being rude, she does have a name.”

“Yeah whatever! I just wanted to find out if you travelled safely, seeing you didn’t even bother to call me to inform me,” he gripes.

I take a deep breath as I consider his words for a moment.

“I’m sorry about that…It’s just that I arrived late and I didn’t want to wake you up.” I sincerely apologize.

During the week days I usually spend the day home alone since Maria will be at work till late evening and Chad too. I sometimes visit his work place to bring him his favourite home cooked lunch whenever he calls demanding it. He frequently gets to decide when we see each other, where and at what time.

Today he calls me forty five minutes before his lunch break asking me to prepare beetroot salad for him. It takes time to cook beetroot and I don’t even have any in the house and so I have to run to the stores to get some and it will take me some time to peel it and slice it before simmering it. What magic does he expect me to make? I sigh with my forehead in my palm.

Everyone in Chad’s work place knows me as his girlfriend and thence they always welcome me with warm greetings and pleasant smiles. I stroll inside his work premise which looks eye catching and very well maintained. I head straight to Chad’s dressing room and there I find him in front of the mirror half naked after his photoshoot that ended a few minutes before I walked in.

“Oh hey love, take a seat while I put my shirt on," he instructs. Once he is done buttoning up his shirt he sits down next to me on the couch. He grabs my neck with his right hand and follows by pressing his lips on mine. His hand begins to slide down my dress and I curtly hold it to stop him, “the door is not locked anyone can walk in on us,” I remind him as I don't want to be humiliated when one of his co-workers supposedly barges in and finds us naked and busy.

He stares at me with furrowed brows for a moment and then he later loosens up and reluctantly gets his hands off me.

“Okay then…hand me my salad I’m starved as hell.” I'm relieved to hear that as I wasn't in the mood for stripping and having s*x in his small crowded changing room. I hesitantly hand him the salad and I watch anxiously as he takes the food into his mouth and starts chewing. He droops his eyelids as if to focus on trying to understand the taste of the salad.

I'm alarmed when he suddenly spits out the contents in his mouth, “what kind of rubbish is this huh? I asked you nicely to cook my favourite beetroot salad but you bring me this salty and half cooked s**t,” he thunders.

“I’m so sorry…it’s just that you called late so there wasn’t enough time for me to prepare it well,” I cringe while taking a few steps back. “Oh so this is all my fault...is that what you are trying to say Tyra hmm?” He grabs my hair and pulls me by it drawing me nearer to him. He slaps me repeatedly across my face with the back of his hand and I fall onto the couch in tears. “Chad please calm down,” I whimper while using my hands to cover my face.

“Don’t tell me to calm down…how dare you bring me rubbish to eat after everything I have done for you!? I bought you a car Tyra, I pay your bills, I feed and clothe you so how are you going to repay me if you are so useless that you can’t even cook a simple proper meal?” He yells, his eyes burning with fury.

I’m terrified of this version of him, it’s like he is no longer the Chad I share a bed with but some possessed lunatic.

He pounds on my stomach and all over my body and no one can hear my screams of agony owing to the model next door who has his radio’s volume on full blast as if he is a DJ at a fret party, I cuss him silently. I try to duck and run but he grabs me by my long hair making me regret not tying it into a bun but how was I to know he would be using my hair to inflict pain on me.

Eventually he gets tired of making me his punching bag. My whole body is aching in pain it's like being constantly pricked by needles all over. My head is pounding and it feels like It's been hit by a hammer. My face crumbles as I wince in pain. I steal a glance at him and I can tell that he is not moved or regretting what he just did to me. It would make me feel just a little bit better if he got down on his knees and begged me for forgiveness with remorse showing in his eyes but I know better not to expect that from Chad.

He fumbles on the table for a brief moment and then he hands me his tinted sun glasses, “Put these on and get the hell out of here. Make sure no one sees you or else you will get another panel beating,” he threatens.

I pick up the lunch box that was flung on to the floor and I toss it inside my bag. I put on the sun glasses and burst out of the building as fast as I can. When I'm finally alone in the car I look over my shoulder to make sure there is no one around to see what I'm about to reveal. I take off the sun glasses and check my face using the sun visor mirror. I break down in tears at the sight of my swollen black eye. My beautiful pretty face now looks messed up and it's going to take a few days for the ugly dark marks to fade away.

How can someone who claims to love me do something so cruel and unkind to me and not even care to apologize or excuse himself? He showed no remorse at all, does he think I'm a rock or a tree that doesn't have any feelings? I take sometime to cry my eyes out and feel sorry for myself before driving away.