Nightmares and Revelations

Matheson listened as Val tried to explain her behavior that night at the club. He watched as the tears ran down her face and her voice broke between the sobs of her explanation. Her hand shook slightly as she held his hand in hers. She had cheated- well, not physically, but surely mentally she had betrayed him!

She should never have gone with that cousin of hers. He had felt nothing but dread when she told him that she was going out with Tameka. He'd wanted to command her not to go -knowing that he didn't have a right to do so- and he had immediately felt the apprehension and dread that threatened to overtake him. Now it seemed that his fears had not been unfounded.

When he was in Florida and had hung up his phone and put it in his pocket, he'd found his Aunt Hannah staring at him curiously. He had played it off, but not very well. He didn't want to discuss his sexual insecurities with his Aunt. No one knew his pain in that area. He had not even gone into detail with Val because it was much too painful. Now that his trust in her had been shaken, he wasn't sure if he could. Val was unlike any woman he had ever met. She didn't have anyone else to compare him to, which gave him confidence in the bedroom. He had done everything he knew how to please her and the thought of her turning to someone else hurt more than he thought possible.

When he returned home, he knew immediately from the sound of her voice that something was wrong. Something had happened. He had come over immediately, per her request, and now he sat next to her on the sofa and stared down at her hand trembling in his as he listened to the details of her infidelity.

"Matheson, please say something!" Val whispered, looking at him after she had finished. He sat next to her, unwilling to look at her. She thought that she could have handled it much better if he had just become angry and yelled at her. Instead, he looked so defeated that it broke her heart.

Matheson looked up at her, trying to will the tears that threatened to fall from the corners of his eyes to dissipate. He didn't want her to see how much this hurt, even though he wasn't very good at hiding his emotions. He quickly realized that he'd failed miserably, as the rebellious tears ran from his eyes.

"What is there to say, Val? Obviously, I'm not providing all you need and you had to go out seeking it from someone else!" he whispered, not meeting her eyes.

"That's not true!" she exclaimed, jumping up. "I went out to be with Tameka. I didn't go out looking for a man. It was supposed to be girl's night out."

Matheson shrugged. "What is girl's night out really, Val? It's girls going out looking for men! What was this, a last fling before being tied down to mediocre me? You wanted to see what it was like to be with a black man?"

There! He had let it out! He had always heard that white men couldn't really satisfy black women. He'd thought he had a chance, since she had been a virgin… but now, he wasn't so sure. He had been so sure that he was satisfying her sexually. Now, his confidence was shaken. Maybe she just wanted to make a comparison of some sort.

Val gasped at his comment. "How can you even think that? I didn't go looking for anyone. It just happened, Matheson. How can you say such a thing to me?"

"I say that because you are now following in the footsteps of the other women I've been involved with. I thought things would be different with us. I thought that, just maybe, you would be happy with just me." He pulled away from her and wiped his face with the back of his hand.

Val grabbed his hand again, and he looked at her. "I am happy with you, Matheson. There's no one else for me-you know that. What happened was a freak accident! I don't know; maybe something was in my drink. I felt strange, like I didn't have much self control. You've got to believe me. I'd never do anything to hurt you."

"The drink made me do it," he spat sarcastically. He stood up. "Right! I've heard enough. I need time to think- to clear my head."

Val watched in horror as he headed towards the door. She had to make him understand, somehow.

"Where are you going?" she asked, walking up behind him. He couldn't just leave! They had to talk this thing out.

"Home." He replied, not turning around. He opened the door and she quickly reached around it and slammed it shut.

"Matheson please-" she begged.

He spun around. "I need time to think, Val. I need to decide whether to go on with this marriage or not."

"You want to call it off?" she asked, shocked. Her head began to throb, as the consequences of her actions that loomed before her.

"I don't know what I'm going to do yet." Matheson replied. "I need time to think. For me, marriage is forever. I need to feel that I'm all you'll ever want and need. I need to be able to trust you."

Tears ran down her face, which tore at his heart. He wasn't feeling vindictive. He was hurt and he needed some time to think and lick his wounds -the old ones that had surfaced.

"Matheson, I love you-" she pleaded. "You know that I do."

"Would a woman who loved me allow another man to touch what belongs to me?" he asked, staring at her. "Would a woman who loved me allow herself to be aroused by another man?"

He turned and walked out of the apartment, slamming the door behind him.

Val stared at the door, unable to comprehend what had just happened. She loved Matheson. She was sure of that. She didn't know what she'd expected him to say when she told him what she had done. What would she have done if the roles had been reversed? Most likely, she would have responded much in the same way Matheson had. How could she be so foolish? How could she have allowed herself to end up in such a compromising position?

Could that drink have been spiked with something? How would she know? She picked up the phone and quickly dialed Tameka's cell. If she could prove that she had been taken advantage of, perhaps Matheson would find it in his heart to forgive her. Tameka went to the club a lot; she would know if something like this had happened to anyone else. Perhaps she had even seen Matthew there before with another woman, and maybe even heard that he'd done this before. After a few rings, Tameka picked up, her voice groggy.

"Hello?"

"Meka, it's me Val." Tameka sounded as if she were hung-over.

"Uh…ok…what's up Val?"

"Are you alright?" Val asked, concerned.

"No, I had a bad night."

"What happened?" Val asked, when her cousin failed to elaborate. Tameka sounded strange, her voice, rough and scratchy, causing Val to temporarily forgot her own dilemma.

"That asshole-"

"You mean the football player?"

"Yeah him! It seems he likes it rough and when I didn't want to cooperate, things got ugly."

"What? Did he rape you?" Val snapped. "What are you talking about? What did he do to you, Meka?"

"He wouldn't call it rape."

"Did you say no?" Val insisted. "Did he force you?"

"I mean, I was willing until he wanted to tie me up and choke me!" Tameka replied. "He smacked me around. He was a real freak!"

"Did you say no? Did you tell him to stop, and did you try to leave?" Val pressed.

"Yeah, but he did it anyway. He's much bigger than me, Val."

"Then you were raped, Meka. I'm calling the police!"

"No, Val!" she sobbed into the phone. "Please don't. I don't want anyone to know what a fool I was for dealing with the asshole, in the first place. Everyone at the club saw us together. I knew what time it was. I don't have a leg to stand on! He's famous with a lot of money. He'll drag me through the mud for sure!"

"Tameka, that doesn't give him a right to rape you! I'm coming over there!"

Before Tameka could protest, Val hung up the phone. She would have to use her GPS to locate Meka's apartment, since she had never been there before.

Val now felt that her own problems were minor compared to Tameka's. She would not allow her cousin to let this go. Who cares that this rapist was David Jarrod; a famous football player? He had raped her, and he would pay for it!

Val followed the directions given by the voice on the GPS and pulled into the parking lot of Tameka's apartment. She saw several clusters of young men hanging around, with their pants hanging off their behinds, smoking. One of them was drinking from a beer can openly, laughing with the others. It appeared that Tameka didn't live in the best of neighborhoods.

She walked up the steps of the apartment complex and could hear the loud music playing from several different apartments. Half naked children played in the yard, which was a dust bowl with no grass. The railing was loose as she walked up the steps. This place was a dump! She walked down the walkway overlooking the parking lot. Several of the young men watched her from below as she looked for Tameka's apartment, and she gripped the pepper spray in her pocket.

She stopped when she reached number 1520 and knocked on the door. It was several moments before the door was opened, with the chain still on the door from the inside.

"Tameka?"

"I told you not to come!" Tameka hissed.

"Open this door or I'll kick it down!" Val hissed back.

Tameka shut the door and Val could hear her removing the chain. The room was dark and Val walked in and tried to adjust her vision from being outside. She shut the door behind her and replaced the chain.

Tameka turned around and walked back to the bedroom with Val following her.

Val quickly turned on the light and was shocked at what she saw. Tameka had on a thin gown and she was covered with bruises. There was a larger bruise around her neck that looked as if something had been tied around it. Her eye was black and her lip was swollen. Dried blood was under her nose. Bruises were everywhere and there was no hiding them, with Tameka's fair skin. Val was livid though she tried to keep her voice calm. Tameka didn't need to hear a lecture, she needed emergency care!

"Meka!" Val gasped in a shocked whisper. "Oh my god! Did he do this?"

"It's not that bad." Tameka stammered defensively.

"Not that bad?" Val snapped. "It looks like he beat the crap out of you! I'm calling the police!"

"No, Val. Please don't call the police!" Tameka begged. "I don't want to be in the papers. I don't want people whispering and gossiping about me. They'll say it's about money-"

Val shook her head. "He needs to be in jail and I'm going to be the one to help you put him there!"

She quickly dialed 911. Tameka tried to grab the phone from her, but then groaned, as she was too sore to fight her cousin. Tameka fell back on the bed in defeat and put her arm across her face.

Val walked into the living room as she talked to the police. She walked back into the bedroom after she hung up the phone.

"Have you showered since you came back?" she asked. "The police want to know."

"I hurt too much to get in the shower. I thought I'd just wait until later-" Tameka groaned behind the arm that was across her face.

"Good. They will be doing a rape kit. I have to take you to the emergency room." Val replied.

"I don't want to go." Tameka whined. "I'll be fine, Val. I just need a few days to recover."

Val ignored her. She looked in her closet and tried to find something loose fitting that wouldn't hurt her to try to put on. She didn't see much to choose from, and rummaged around in her drawer before finding a tee shirt and a short jean skirt. Didn't her cousin even own a pair of sweat pants or loose fitting clothes?

"Put these on. I'll help you," Val instructed, walking over to her.

Tameka didn't protest and grimaced as she pulled off the gown. Val gasped at the bite marks on her shoulders, stomach and buttocks. Bite marks were on her breasts as well. On one breast, he had broken the skin and there was dry blood on the mark. What kind of sadistic animal would do this?

She helped Tameka dress, which was a slow process. She handed her a pair of flip flops and led her to the car. They drove in silence to the emergency room and Val talked to the desk clerk as Tameka sat in the waiting room. It wasn't long before the nurse led then to a room and drew the curtain, asking Tameka to undress. She asked Val to wait in the waiting room.

Val used the opportunity to text Matheson and tell him what was going on. Maybe he was angry at her, but no one deserved to be brutalized like Tameka had been. For a moment she realized that the same thing could have happened to her and a chill ran over her. She wished that they had never gone to that club!

Val wasn't about to call her grandmother Chamberlayne. She could just imagine how she would respond. She rested her head back against the seat in the waiting room, which was quite comfortable. She glanced at her watch and realized that she had already been there for over an hour. The waiting room was almost empty. There were just a few people and they were quickly called to the back after a few minutes. She closed her eyes and tried not to think about Matheson.

"Val!"

She looked up and saw Matheson standing in front of her. She realized that she must have dozed off.

"I didn't think you'd come." she confessed. He had changed his clothes from his earlier visit. He was now dressed in his baker's uniform and Val wondered if he had left the store to come to the hospital.

"Matheson, I didn't mean for you to leave the store." she stammered.

"Gary's there" he replied avoiding her stare.

He sat down beside her and took her hand in his, which gave her hope. He rubbed his thumb across her fingers and appeared to be in deep thought. Val didn't know what to say to him. He had come. Despite everything, he'd left the store on a moments notice and came to her.

"How's your cousin?" Matheson murmured, not looking up.

"She's a mess, Matheson!" Val whispered squeezing his hand. "She's covered with bruises and bites."

She stared down at her hand in his. "I realized that it could have been me instead of Meka back there, Matheson. This was supposed to be a girl's night out with the two of us bonding and having fun. It wasn't supposed to turn out this way."

Her voice cracked under the pressure of the realization of all that happened. Tameka was raped and Matheson could very well leave her. Her world was falling apart. She placed her face in her hands, trying to hide the sobs that she couldn't hold back.

Matheson put his arm around her. He had been angry at Tameka for taking Val out; angry that Val had gone along with it. Now it seemed that their night out had cost her cousin far more than she had bargained for. Val was right, it could have been her instead of Tameka.

"Have the police arrived?" he asked, finally looking at her.

"They're back there now, I think." Val sniffed, wiping her eyes. Her eyes locked with his. His large, ocean eyes couldn't hide his feelings. She had hurt him deeply.

"Matheson…I'm so sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen!"

"I know." he replied as he watched the nurse approach them.

"Miss Chamberlayne, you can go back now. Your cousin wants to see you."

"Go on, I'll wait here." Matheson replied as he watched her stand.

Val walked back to the room and saw that Tameka was alone. She looked at her watch and realized that they had been there almost three hours.

"Well, it's done. The wheels have started turning." Tameka stated as she slipped her feet back into her flip flops.

"You're pressing charges, right?" Val insisted.

"I didn't want to…but yes I did." Tameka replied. "I don't know how I'll be able to look him in the face. I don't know how I'll be able to face him in court."

Val put her arm around her. "Matheson is here."

"Why'd you tell him?" Tameka snapped. "I don't want him looking at me all, weirded-out!"

"He's not like that, Meka." Val reassured her. "He's a good, kind hearted man."

Tameka didn't respond as they walked out into the waiting room. Matheson had left the store and come down here, despite what she'd done. This wasn't his problem. Tameka was her cousin, her family. He loved her more than she imagined. She couldn't lose him now. She would do whatever it took to make him trust her again.

Matheson tried to hide his shock when he saw Tameka. The black eye was obvious as well as the bruises on her arms. Who would do this to another human being? At first he had been angry about her taking Val to the club, now he was angry at whoever had done this to Tameka. No one deserved this type of abuse. He watched as she limped slightly as they walked over to him.

"I hope the doctor gave you something for pain." He said, looking from Tameka to Val. "I can pick up your prescription while Val takes you home. It'll save you a trip."

"Thank you." Tameka replied gratefully, handing them to him.

Val decided to take Tameka to her apartment, instead of taking her home. She didn't want that brute to come back for seconds, as she was sure he knew where Tameka lived. She texted Matheson and told him to bring the prescriptions to her apartment.

Tameka was sleepy after taking the pain medication administered at the hospital and Val put her in her bed and cut out the light. She would have to go back to Meka's place and get some of her things. It was beginning to get dark and she didn't want to return to Tameka's apartment alone. She decided to ask Matheson to go with her when he arrived.

Tameka's phone began to vibrate and she quickly answered it.

"Miss Chamberlayne?" the voice on the other end said. "This is Detective Grant."

"This isn't Tameka Chamberlayne. I'm her cousin, Valysia. "Val replied. "She's asleep from the meds the doctor gave her."

"Yes, I remember you from the hospital. I came by the apartment but I didn't get an answer."

"That's because she's with me." Val replied. She quickly gave him her address.

Just then, Matheson knocked on the door. She quickly explained that the detective was coming over, but that she needed to go and pick up some things from Tameka's apartment.

"I'll go with you." he said. "You'd better go wake up Tameka."

He gave her the prescriptions and watched as she walked upstairs. Things were not going as he had planned. He had wanted to get away and try to think about their relationship. Now, this rape had changed everything. Things could have been a whole lot worse.

He knew that he loved Val, but they still had to talk about what had happened. Right now, though, she was preoccupied with Tameka, which he understood.

There was a knock on the door and an older man with salt and pepper hair stood in the doorway. He seemed surprised to see Matheson.

"I'm looking for Miss Chamberlayne. I'm Detective Grant."

"Come in." Matheson replied, opening the door. "They are upstairs."

He showed Detective Grant to the sofa and then ran upstairs and knocked on the bedroom door. Val opened it and he saw Tameka sitting on the side of the bed.

"The detective is downstairs." he said, as he saw a wobbly Tameka trying to stand.

"We'll be down in a minute." Val replied.

He walked back downstairs and it was about ten minutes before the two of them descended the stairs.

"Miss Chamberlayne, I'm sorry to have to disturb you so soon after your discharge." Detective Grant was saying.

Tameka nodded and grimaced as she sat in a nearby chair.

"It seems that there has been some sort of mix-up."

"What are you talking about?" Tameka replied.

"The man that assaulted you was not David Jarrod. We've just left Mr. Jarrod, and he has an airtight alibi. He wasn't the man that attacked you." Detective Grant replied, sympathetically.

"What?" Val snapped. "I don't believe this bull!"

"It was him!" Tameka insisted. "I guess he's using his millions to buy his alibi."

"I don't think so." Detective Grant countered. He handed her a photo. "Is this the man that you were with last night?"

Tameka looked at the picture of the stranger that was dressed in a Blackbird's uniform. He was a handsome and muscular man, but he was not the man that she was with before.

"No, who is this?" she asked, handing the picture back to the detective.

"That's the real David Jarrod. It seems that the man who attacked you is an imposter."

"Isn't there a law against that?" Matheson asked, jumping up.

"Yes there is." Detective Grant replied. "We're trying to locate this perpetrator and we are reviewing the tapes from the club. We have some solid leads." He stood up. "We'll be in touch."

Val showed him to the door and led Tameka back to her bedroom.

Tameka seemed to be exhausted and she cut off the light and headed back downstairs. She had taken the keys to Tameka's apartment from her purse. Matheson was sitting on the sofa.

"I need to go over to her apartment and pick up a few things." She said. Matheson nodded.

"I would appreciate it if you would go with me." she ventured.

"Of course." Matheson replied.

They rode in silence to Tameka's and Val could hardly stand it. She cut off the engine when they pulled into the parking lot.

"Matheson, we've got to talk."

"Not now. " he replied. "This is about Tameka, remember."

"I don't want you to leave me." Val pleaded. "I love you. I want only you."

Matheson sighed. "I wish I could believe you, Val."

"You can Matheson. Some things you can't fake. You know that I love you."

She reached for his face and leaned over and kissed him. He didn't respond, but just stared at her.

"I need time, Val." he said finally.

Val felt as if her heart was going to break. She got out of the car. She knew that the time wasn't right, but she couldn't help it. She didn't know what she would do if she lost Matheson.

"What's this?" Matheson asked, holding up a card as they walked up the steps. "It fell out of your purse when you were getting Tameka's keys."

Val was filled with dread as she realized it was Matthew's phone number. Why didn't she throw it away? She had forgotten all about it.

"It's nothing." she stammered.

"Nothing? It says Mathew and it has a number on it. Is this the man you saw at the club? Why would you keep his number, Val?"

"It was a mistake." Val explained as she opened the door to Tameka's apartment. "I forgot I had it."

"Don't lie to me!" Matheson snapped grabbing her as she opened the door. His fingers dug into her shoulders. "Don't lie to me!"

"I'm not lying, Matheson. He stuck it in my purse and I forgot about it. That's the truth."

His face searched hers and then he let her go. "Go and get what you came for. I want to go home."

"Matheson-"

"Don't push things with me Val. Right now I don't want to talk to you."

Tears stung her eyes. Never had Matheson spoken to her in that tone before. She quickly gathered up some things and put them in a suitcase she found. What a mess! She couldn't blame Matheson if he left her. How could she even explain her actions?

She knew that she should give him some time, but she also knew that if his father or his grandfather knew that their relationship was in trouble, they both would convince him to break it off. She tried not to panic.

He was standing by the door and she dropped the suitcase and ran up to him, throwing her arms around his neck. She kissed him and reached between his legs and began to massage him.

"Matheson, you know you've been the only one. You're the only one I want." She pleaded. "I'll do whatever you want. Please…please don't leave me." She felt him grow hard under her hand, but he pushed her away.

"What do you think you're doing? Sex isn't going to solve our problems!" he snapped. She quickly unzipped his pants, loosing his member, and quickly dropped to her knees.

Matheson's mind was screaming for her to stop, but his body was responding. She knew just what to do, and maybe that was the problem. She had never used sex as a weapon before and mentally he was repulsed. He didn't want her like this.

He pulled away from her and grabbed her by her shoulders pulling her to her feet.

"So now you want to play the whore?" he mocked. "Is this a trade? A blow job for a wedding?"

Val gasped. "I just want to make it up to you."

"You'll never make it up to me this way." he replied adjusting his clothes. "I never would have thought that you of all people would try to buy my love with sex. I never imagined in my wildest dreams that you would use sex to try to manipulate me."

"That's not it-"

"Then what is it then? You tell me!" he snapped.

"I…I just don't want to lose you." She confessed.

"You'll never have me like this. I need a woman I can trust. I don't know if that's you, right now, and this…this that you tried to do, has dirtied my memory of us. Sex was special between us. You tried to turn it into something dirty."

"I'm sorry." Val replied crying. "I was desperate. I didn't know what else to do."

Matheson stared at her a moment. "I thought you knew me Val. Maybe we really don't know each other, at all. Maybe we need to postpone this wedding."

Val stared at him and realized he was deadly serious. She had made things worse. Her shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Alright Matheson. Whatever you want. I can't say that I'd blame you if wanted to break it off. Regardless of what you may think of me, I do love you and I'd do anything to make this up to you."

Matheson stared at her. Leaving her was the last thing he wanted to do, but he needed time to sort out all of his feelings. He wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her senseless. She looked so hopeless…so lost, right now. He knew in his heart that he loved her and he believed that she loved him. Yet he didn't want to go into a marriage where there was mistrust.

He sighed. "Let's just get out of here."

He walked out of the apartment and Val followed him, locking the door behind her.