Saleanna's Heartbreaking Story

Lilly stood behind the rustic, old yellow, rocking chair that her grandmother Katina sat in, weaving her thinning grey hair into a fishtail braid. The sun's rays lightly warmed Katina's face as the cool breeze blew Lilly's long brown hair. Katina was now 88 years young and she felt her time to go home to the lord would be coming soon. Her strengh had long ago left her, and her eyes were getting cloudy as can be. Still, Katina was a happy old lady, and she loved her granddaugher past the moon and back.

Lilly and Katina had a special bond. Lilly reminded Katina of her self when she was younger. Even though, Lilly never let anyone know if she was going through things, Katina always knew anyways. She could tell lately that things were stressing her granddaughter out. She would always just give Lilly advice when she got the feeling something was wrong and would never ask her any personal questions. She would simply just give advice to whatever she thought Lilly may be going through by telling her old stories from her past and the people she once knew.

Katina never told a soul a lot of things that she went through either. Weakness is something she didn't want people to think she had in her. At 88 years old she still did for her self, never letting anyone but Lilly help her. Lilly wasn't as talkative and playful today, Katina knew it was something wrong. She also knew just what Lilly needed to hear.

"Have I ever told you the story of Saleanna?," her voice cracked as she asked Lilly.

"No Grandma, I can't believe it but I don't think you have. I didn't know you even knew someone named Saleanna. Please tell me about her. Your life, when you was young is like a movie. I love hearing your old stories. Who was she?"

"I'll tell you her story but she is still alive so you must swear dear, not to tell a soul. After all, a 88 year old woman would not make it in jail at that age. Although Saleanna would give them a run for her money, I'd rather not see such a good friend go to jail."

Saleanna swore not to tell a soul, tied the rubber band around the end of her grandmothers braid, and plopped down in the pink rocker that sat about nighty degrees to her grandmothers rocker. Her gaze went from the hunter green paint peeling off the wood floor of the porch and fixed itself on her grandmother faces as she waited for her to begin.

"Saleanna is a real good friend of mine but she moved away a good while back. She was such a sweet girl but when she was young, around late twenties to her mid thirtys, life would not cut her a break. Satan tried her and test her over and over.

Very, beautiful girl, she was. Beauty had been a curse to her back then though. Other women hated her as soon as they laied eyes on her. They never even gave her a chance or got to know her before they would start calling her names and spreading rumors about her. When she did find a friends they would all try to sleep with her boyfriends. Can you believe that? They would have the woman every man wanted and cheat on her before their relationship would even get started. They were all fools I tell ya.

One thing about men that never changes, that you need to always remember Lilly, is that nine times out of ten they aint worth a damn honey. So don't you ever think that another women has won something you have not. Behind their door, when it closes, it aint no tellin' what that man may be putting her through. Women now days ain't worth a shit either, so never let any woman stay with you in your house when you met your prince charming, boy I tell you that would be a very stupid thing to do.

Men gave saleanna a hard time also. If she didn't want to be in a relationship with them or sleep with the nasty bastards, they would go around spreading rumors on her and wouldn't help her with anything.

She had two perfect children a boy and a girl. Eligos, her children's father, the children, and herself, lived with her parents. Her and Eligos had been together for a number of years. Way to many if you ask me. It was about 14 years they had been together before she gave birth to her daughter. She was in love with Eligos. Love is very blind also, she still loved him even though he cheated to many times to count on your hands, even if you had ten of em'. That man, oh he was a nasty one. He would even sleep with people old enough to be his momma.

Never once did Saleanna cheat on him though. Instead she prayed to God every night for him to change Eligos's heart. All Salenna ever wanted since she was a little girl was a husband and a family. Eligos still after 14 years and two children hadn't proposed yet. She felt that it was coming though because her son, who was eight at the time, told her they had been looking for wedding rings.

Eligo's grandmother died around the same time Eligo's began to coach their son's basketball team. His grandmother's house was given to them when she died. It needed a little work because their daughter hadn't even turned one yet, so Eligos had to baby proff it and fix little minor things. He went ahead and moved in to get it fixed while she stayed at her parents and began to pack their things for the move.

They had been fighting a little but no more than usual. Not as bad as usual either. One night at her son's practice, she seen one of the boy's mother staring at her with what we old folks call, the evil eye. Saleanna had a way of know things and something in her gut told her that, that boys mother, Jezebel, was sleeping with her man.''

Lilly bust out laughing, "Grandma, is this one of your tall tales. Now you know that I know demon names because you are the one who taught me about them. Eligos is the name of a demon Grandma. You also made damn sure I know that Jezebel is the whore of the bible. Now you are telling me this friend of yours, Saleanna, had a man who cheated on her with a whore named Jezebel and he happened to have the same name as a demon. Grandma, are you yanking my chain."

The both of them laughed. "Well the shoe fit so I figured I'd make them wear it, thats what their mother's should of named them. The story is real though. Now, back to the "juice" as you young people call it. Saleanna knew in her gut he was sleeping with that floosey. She had, had just about enough of his two timing games, so she called the woman up on the telephone and asked her if she was sleeping with Eligos. You want believe what that woman had the nerve to say when she asked her that. Jezebel told her that she didn't know they were together and that Saleanna needed to leave her old man alone. I was there when she told her that and Saleanna laughed like a mad woman into the phone. I honestly thoughgt she flew over the damn coocoo's nest for a minute.

"How could you not know you homewrecking," excuse my language, "bitch," Saleanna screamed into the phone. The woman then let Seleanna know that she and her kid were living in the home that Saleanna and her children had been so excited and packing to move into. Thats when I wanted to get on that phone and give her a piece of my mind two. I was ready to punch and kick her three ways to sunday and stone her with rocks. Saleanna was talking a million miles a minute though so I didnt get a chance to tell her what a sloppy disgrace she really was. Saleanna was doing a good job telling her though.

My friend's heart was broken and I cried for her. It was when I heard Saleanna threaten to bring a sling blade knife to basketball practice and cut her from ear to ear, when I grabbed the phone from her shaking hands and hugged her tight rubbing her long wavy brown hair. I have been through the same as her and I knew there was nothing I could say to make it better so I just hugged her.

I told her if she was serious about cutting the woman, that if she really felt that is what she wanted to do, I would go over to her house and call her outside. Be friendly with her and whatnot, you know, and then Saleanna could pop up out of a dark corner and if she wanted to still cut her from ear to ear she could. That way none of the kids at the basketball thingy would see. There would also be no witnesses and that we could throw her body into a rushing river far away."

"Grandma," Lilly shouted, laughing so hard that tears was coming out her eyes.

"Well it was wrong what that woman did, I also suggested we take care of him next. She decided not to though, she had a good head on her shoulders and knew if she did that and someone found out that she would be taken from her children. She loved those children they were her whole world. When she questioned Eligos about it, after she got her self together, she figured he would make the woman leave but that ugly good for nothing bastard didn't. Instead that pig, he treated her like the scum on the bottom of his shoe. Even stopped seeing those babies besides at basketball practice.

For two weeks she had a hard time. She had no damn support system. No one besides me asked her if she was ok or anything. Some of the people closest to her would even sit with Jezebel at the basketball games as if they were welcoming her into her family. Saleanna eventually stopped going to her son's games. She couldn't take being around that woman. She wanted to stab her everytime she looked at that woman.

After two weeks she began to pipe up a little bit. She started doing her hair and makeup again and dating. She did start going to her son's games again. When she would walk into the gym she would hear the men whispering, "He left that for that," or "man thats one dumb ass man." One day Eligos came up to her in the gym to ask to get the kids for a little while, which she was not going for. If they thought they was about to play house with her kids in her house they had another thing coming. Of course while he was speaking with her that nasty looking Jezebel was within hearing distance staring all at Saleanna. Mr. Martin, a older black gentlemen who knew Eligos well, walked up to the two of them to introduce his self to Saleana.

"Hi, I'm Mr. Martin," he said to Saleanna, reaching for her hand to shake. "I haven't had the oppurtunity to met Eligos's sweet wife that I've heard so much about. How are you Mrs. Saleanna. I've heard many good things about you."

When he said the word wife to Saleanna, you could see the steam rolling out of Jezebel's ears and the rage in her eyes. I guess Mr. Martin taught Jezebel a little thing or two about ease dropping. Sometimes you will get your feelings stomped on when you ease drop. Saleanna also used the oppurtunity to embarss Eligos and Jezebel, since they have embarassed her so.

"Hi Mr. Martin. Its a pleasure to meet you. Who did you hear such good things about me from. I'm sure if it was from Eligos himself, he wouldn't of just left me, his son, and new born daughter to move that hussy there," she pointed to Jezebel, "and move her and her kid into the Betty's house that me and Mrs. Betty's grand-children were packing and excited to be moving into. After I housed him for 14 years, he thanked me by housing the town, you know what," she whispered, "but it was great to met you but if your looking for his whatever you want to call it she is right over there," Saleanna then turnned and walked off without saying another word.

Even though she was getting over it little by little she wanted to make him hurt the way he had hurt her. No, she wanted him to hurt worse than he hurt her becauswe he hurt her multiple times. She came over to my house one night about three weeks after Mr. Martin introduced her self, in a frenzzy. I was sitting there in the recliner just put the kids to bed and reading my Bible. Not sinning, enjoying my peaceful night, trying to get right with the lord."

"Grandma, I really don't think you was just sitting there reading your Bible not sinning. I do know you you know," Lilly interrupted.

Katina looked into her Lillys beautiful green eyes, "Ok, baby. You got me. I was sinning because I was reading my Bible with a glass of whiskey in my hand because I done somehow or another ran off my own man. So, when I threw my bottle back to take me a smooth gulp of my whiskey, I hearda' bangin' on the door. Lord don't take me now, I thought to my self. Well, I haven't even really got to have fun yet, is what I said to the Lord. There was another bang, then a thrid. I got up out the chair slowly and went to peak out the curtians. I was a tiny little thing even though I did used to have me a nice body like you Lilly, I'm where you get it from.

But, before I could get to peak out the curtians to size the person up so I would know weather to have my knife, bat, or my knife and my bat ready, I hear a woman in rage scream, "Katina you just better open this door right damn now or I will murder them both tonight. He done went and done it now. Katina open this door and you hurry it up or I'll break it right on down."

It was Saleana at my door making all the rucus. I blew out a sigh of relief and hollard for her to calm the heck down. When I unlocked the door that girl marched her behind right on in and started pacing back and forth across the livingroom floor.

"You will never believe this shit Tina," Saleanna said. "That good for nothing, two timing, dead beat, no money having, need a damn life, elephant screwing, dirty, dirty son of a bitch, he done went and proposed to that ugly, long chinned having, pasty white, nasty Jezebel, Katina! After all these damn years I've wasted, all my time, all my praying. I stayed faithful even after he messed around with probably, well over two hundrend women, some old enough to be my grandma! I dreamed and dreamed of us finally getting our own place and out of my moms. You know how fucking excited I was. I done started picking how i was gone do the house you know. He had my son out looking for wedding rings. I thought he was growing up even started to trust the bastard. After 14 years. He never bought me any christmas gift or birthday gift. Never even took me on a damn date in 14 whole years and now he is marrying this nasty whore," Seleanna finally broke down and let out the cry that she needed to let out since she found out.

She was too busy bottling up her feelings then. She didn't like people knowing that her feelings were hurt. She always had to be tough. Deep down she wanted someone to let her know it was ok to cry, that it was ok to feel, so I let her know. I held my best friend for two hours while she cried on my lap in my living-room down on the floor right where she had finally fallen.

After about two hours she was ready to speak.

"He has a brother you know."

"No I didn't know Eligos had a brother doll. Why don't I know he has a brother?"

"I just found out not long ago. I heard him on the telephone arguing with him about their other little brother. Yes, he has two little brothers. I knew of the youngest. They are his half brother's and wasn't Mrs. Betty's to raise so he didn't know them.''

"Is he cute? What's his name? How old is he? Are you thinking what I hope your thinking."

"Maybe."

There was a smille on her beautiful face again. We got her phohene number book out. She had taken his number down once when he called before. We went over all the things she would say to him on the phone to hook him and make him her man. Turns to find out that he had heard what his brother did to her and it really did hurt his heart to know how evil his brother could be. Eligos had what his brother had always wanted but never had. A family of his own. How he could just walk on them he did not understand.

Saleanna and his brother started meeting up and then when she was comfortable she moved him right on into their house. Eligo's brother was a wonderful father. He was everything Saleanna was looking for. She was finally happy and had forgotten about Eligos.

No one let him forget her though. In fact they rubbed in his face how happy she looked around town with this new man on her arm that was good looking to say the least, and that he wasn't any of the no good men from round their way. Eligos still loved Saleanna, he was only with with Jezebel to settle some drug debt is what the people in town werfe saying to one another anyways.

When Eligos caught wind of Saleanna having a new boyfriend he began to stalk her to find out just who was in his house now. Saleanna and Eligos's brother knew Eligos was going to shit a brick when he found out. When they first got together it was only because they both hated him and the way he treated the two of em' already. After they got to know each other they both had forgetten to make sure Eligos knew so he would hurt they way he has hurt them.

They became two peas in pod that was in love. Eligos went into a furry when he seen who Saleanna was with and when he fond out that Saleanna and his brother was engaged he went into a rage. People say when he found out he went home and took it out on Jezebel. Gave her the beating she deserved to get from Saleanna. When he decided to stop hitting Jezebel before he killed her, he was still full of anger.

Eligos drove over to Saleannas house. I heard he was heading to her house so I went on and warned them. I brought my knifes and bats. They said he was raging mad. Sure enough we heard his beat up old car pulling in the driveway. His brother told us to go up to the room so that we didn't get hurt. We wouldn't leave him out there alone though because we knew how Eligos was.

We all had a weapon in our hands. Eligos stomped up the steps screaming at the top of his lungs for Saleanna to get her ass out the house right now or he was coming in to shoot every last one of them. Saleanna had, had just about enough of him ruining everything she was ever happy about. She had always been scared of Eligos, but that night fear left her. She was not going to lose the man she loved with her whole heart.

She grabbed the door knob against Eligos's brother's better judgement and slung the door wide open.

"You got all of ten seconds to get back to your car and leave this house Eligos, before I shoot you dead in the forehead.''

"You don't even know how to shoot a gun, you dumb whore.''

"Whore!" she screamed. "You calling me a whore?"

The rage she had in her eyes the night she came to my house had returned. She began laughing and crying, laughing and crying. She really went mad.

"I gave you 14 years of my fucking life. 14 years! Never cheated on you once and then you just......." She began to laugh very hard.

She looked at Eligos's brother and told him she was sorry for what she was about to do but she just couldn't take it any more. She reached into her bra. The whole time Eligos would not shut his mouth and walked closer and closer to the porch where Saleanna was standing. When she seen Eligos reach to his back where he kept his gun holster, he jerked her hand out her bra and we heard a loud bang.

Eligos was now on the ground with blood spilling out his forehead. I looked over at Saleanna. She was standing there in shock. A smoking gun was in her hand. It dropped and fell on to her green porch."

Lilly looked down at the floor of her grandmother's green porch. She could see the porch was old because the paint had begun to peel.

"Saleanna and Eligos's brother wrapped Eligos's body up and I drove them four states away and we found the biggest rushing river we could find. His brother tied some bricks to his body, alot of bricks to his body, and the two of them tossed him over the edge of the bridge. Some people around here say he was heart broke and just up and left. Other's thought Jezebel did something to her for beating her how he did that night, or that her family did. They never looked at Saleanna though, because Eligos's brother made her so happy, they knew she didn't have a care in this world left for Eligos after all the pain he had put her through. She wasn't ever going to let him take away the person who finally loved her after a life time of waiting and she be damned if he killed her and took her from her childre. She loves her children more than anything in this world and her granddaughter more than them all."

Lilly stared at her grand mother in shock. "Grandma you are Saleanna aint you?," she whispered to Katina. i

"Don't you ever tell anyone Saleanna's story ever."

Lilly got up and hugged her grandmother as tight as she could. I'm so sorry you had to go through that.

"Lilly when I go to the Lord you remember, you need no one but your self and children, and most importantly Yahweh. You are your own bestfriend, just as Saleanna is mine. I love you Lilly, I think Im finally at peace now I can go be with your grandpa, Eligos's brother up in heaven, hopefully soon, but when I do I'll always have a close eye on you."