Unchained. Stacey Chatman

she was not hurt, no bleeding. Lyle and my mother both helped my sister. Scared and frightened, I watched!

      My mother placed the phone back on the receiver and she called my grandparents. My grandparents arrived. There was a heated argument! After the argument, Lyle packed his bags and left.

      My childhood saviors were my grandparents, Margie and Paul. Margie and Paul were an interesting couple. They loved, despised, and hated each other. Monday through Thursday Margie and Paul engaged in their normal routines; however on Friday hell broke loose! The drinking binges occurred. I refer to these binges as getting into the spirits. On the weekends, it was normal, to see my grandmother go into a rage about her life. It was normal to see my grandfather say very little and just drink liquor. On Friday and Saturday, it was normal for the dark and white liquors (the spirits) to take control. It was normal to watch Margie and Paul engage in a marriage mixed with love, resentment and hatred. On the weekends, it was normal for family to have dinner and when the spirits were in control; all of a sudden my grandmother would slap my grandfather so hard that he would fall to the floor; he was drunk. He would stumble back to his chair, place his hat back on his head, look at me and my sister and look away. Sometimes he would stare at us blankly drunk and sometimes he would let a tear flow from his eyes. My grandfather did something to my grandmother to make her so resentful. Equally, I loved Margie and Paul, no judgment, I just observed.

      The Transition

      I stayed at my aunt Mia's house for about a month. I did not own a car and the daily commute from Woodbridge to Arlington became difficult. My cousin, Dawn and I became roommates and rented an apartment in Alexandria, Virginia. I focused on work and rebuilding my life without Marco.

      While at work, David Johnson, The Lenny Kravitz of GMU Law School, would stop by my desk to see how I was doing. He noticed I had difficulty adjusting to the transition. One day he asked me out on a date. I was flattered. We went to dinner near the Boston Mall in Arlington, VA. It was the Christmas Holiday Season. After dinner, we choose to go inside the mall and window shop. As we stopped and glanced at the Christmas decorations, we glanced at each other, his eyes stared into mine and he leaned towards me and his lips touched mine. My heart began to beat so FAST! He was so damn FINE!

      After the date, David and I began seeing each other more frequently. After he would get finished with his classes, he would stop by the apartment. I would de-stress him by giving him a massage. I would ask him if he had dinner. If not, I would make him dinner. Sometimes David was too tired to drive home so he would study at my apartment. David would share with me the pressures of being a Law Student. David was Vice President of the BLSA, Black Law Student Association. In addition to studying, he was responsible for organizing student events. I was addicted to him. I was always marveled by David's eyes. His eyes illuminated determination, persistence, success, and boldness. David had an unstoppable presence and energy about him. I wanted what he had and I did not know how to get it! I was jealous of him. This jealousy caused us to have a love – hate type of relationship that revolved around great sex.

      After he was finished studying, we would go to my room and have the most passionate sex; the all night long type of sex that would have me yearning for more. This type of sex made me late for work and made him late for school. Damn! IT was Good! I was addicted to him!

      David's family dynamics were different than mine. David had a nuclear family in which there was much support emotionally and financially. David's parents supported him financially while he studied Spanish at William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. After he received his Undergraduate degree David enrolled in The George Mason University School of Law. I was also envious that David had a family that supported his educational endeavors. These were moments that I felt like I was at a disadvantage from other people that had a supportive environment.

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