Superstar-Chapter 58

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Chapter 58: Blue Monday (How Does It Feel?)

    Dom never knew that silence could speak more eloquently than words ever could.

    For the past week, Terry had been completely silent towards her. He fixed meals for two, but he didn’t share them, if she needed something, he got it for her. He didn’t neglect her, but he didn’t make any kind of move to show her any kind of affection. He even slept on the couch.

    And the music he listened to was as angry as he was: Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Nirvana, Rammstein and some stuff that even she didn’t recognize, but it all sounded like she imagined he felt inside: angry, agitated and betrayed.

    Dom felt anger rise up inside her. Who the hell did he think he was? She was about to start living her dream. Wasn’t that something she and her man should be celebrating? Just because he wanted to be a big fish in a little pond didn’t mean that was what she wanted. If he couldn’t understand that then it was time to drop Terry’s dream sniping ass and move on to bigger and better.

    Dom just shook her head and continued packing. Most of her stuff was in storage and what she was taking with her to California was in front of her. She looked at Terry, who was sitting on the couch listening to “Got Me Wrong”. Yeah, he most certainly did, Dom thought.

    “Why?”

    Dom looked up, startled. The voice she heard was a raspy croak that didn’t sound at all like Terry. His gaze bored into hers as she met his eyes.

    “What?”

    “Why?” He repeated in the same strangled voice. “Why are you leaving me?” Dom felt the despair and pain in his voice and despite herself, felt her heart softening towards Terry.

    “This is my dream, Terry. I’ve always wanted this. You know that.”

    “What about our dreams, huh? The things we said we’d do together?”

    "They’re not dead, baby. They’re just gonna have to wait a little while is all.”

    Terry just stared at Dom, full of surprise and confusion. Slowly, his face started to change to a mask of smoldering anger. “’What happens to a dream deferred?”, He said, quoting Langston Hughes. “’Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore…and then run? Does it stink like rotting meat? Or crust over like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it sags like a heavy load…’” He drilled a dark gaze into Dom’s eyes. “’…or does it explode?” Guilt stole the breath and speech out of Dom. She felt very heavy and couldn’t move or even bring herself to look Terry in the eyes.

    “Look at me!”, Terry shouted as he stalked towards Dom like a prowling beast. “Look at me, Dammit! She reluctantly focused on him. His gray eyes gleamed with the same dangerous mania she saw when he faced Booty-Bass down.

    “What, you can’t look at me now?!”

    “I am looking at you!” He grabbed her by the wrist and began to squeeze.

    “Terry, you’re hurting me!” She started trying to break his grip, but he was too strong, too full of anger. Hers started to flare inside her as she demanded he let her go.

    “I’m hurting you?!” Terry bellowed. “You’re about to leave me behind like you don’t give a fuck about us to be all famous and shit, but I’m hurting you? No! You’re mine and you ain’t goin’ nowhere!” He pushed her against the wall for emphasis.

    Dom had, finally, had enough and slapped Terry. Hard.

    There was a moment of stunned silence. They never hit one another before, and knew that this had just changed everything. Dom was just starting to utter an apology when Terry punched her in the face.  

    Dominique sagged against the wall and Terry grabbed her by the shirt, ready to hit her again. The world was spinning and her jaw felt like it was going to fall off. She didn’t have the strength to defend herself, so         Dominique hunched over and tensed for the coming blow.

    The blow never came. Terry had come back to himself and saw what he did: The blossoming bruise on her jaw, the trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth, and the fear in her face and her body language. Shock, horror and disbelief intermingled violently on his face as guilty tears cascaded from his eyes. Memories of Carl and Belinda fighting and his promise to himself to never, ever do what Carl did to the woman he loved crashed on his consciousness. He let go of Dom and stumbled out of the house, sobbing as he went.

   Dom unclenched and started to cry as she slowly sagged to the floor. Betrayal and disbelief squeezed strangled sobs out of her and she felt utterly small and alone with no one in the world to love her, not even the man who fervently claimed he did.

(c)2015 Courtney & W.L. Sherrod