Murderville Page 0,53
she thought in disbelief as they spoke candidly as if her skin wasn’t black.
“You disagree?” one of the men asked her.
Liberty looked at him and then glanced at Samad nervously before she spoke up. “I do actually. I don’t think that people should speak about things that they have not experienced. You have no idea what it is like to scrape and fight for everything that you have. The people put our president into office . . . they need him. He is their voice. He doesn’t spite the little people in order to please people with opinions like yours,” Liberty said in a low tone.
There was a long silence in the room until Samad’s associate raised his glass at her and nodded his head. “Very well said,” he complimented. “Samad, it’s about time you have a lady with something to say.”
Samad raised his glass and replied, “I told you she’s something special.”
One of the wives waved her hand in dismissal. “Nobody cares about his politics. As long as he keeps looking like that, he will have my vote forever,” she said with a laugh.
Liberty laughed slightly and replied, “I’m with you.”
“Oh is that how he got elected?!” Samad’s associate said slyly.
Liberty’s eyes went to the TV screen as she took in the president’s appearance.
“He definitely has an aura about himself that is attractive,” she whispered to herself. She looked up and noticed Samad watching her closely. There was something cold about his stare, and she turned away quickly as she refocused on his friends.
The dinner lasted well into the night and when the last car finally pulled off the estate Samad turned to her. “Did you enjoy yourself?” he asked.
“It was interesting,” she answered. He removed the Muslim garb from her head, exposing her striking face.
“I will never give you to another, Liberty. You are the only woman I see. I need to be the only man that you see,” he said. He stroked her cheek before walking away leaving her standing in the foyer, wondering what he meant.
The next morning Liberty awoke to her normal breakfast in bed. She performed the same ritual every morning. Samad ensured that her every need was met. She took a few bites of her food and then made her way inside the plush bathroom where she normally watched her judge shows while soaking in the tub. Her water had already been run and she immersed herself as she reached for the remote control that controlled every feature in the room. Dimming the lights and closing the shades with just a click of a button, she set the atmosphere for relaxation. As she hit the button that caused a flat screen to flip out of the wall, she frowned when nothing occurred. She hit the button once more and again, nothing happened.
“Did he take the TV out?” she asked aloud as she quickly washed her body before getting out. She walked back into their bedroom and opened the entertainment center only to find that television was missing too. “What the fuck?” she said in irritation.
She stalked from room to room searching for televisions until she realized that every single one had been removed from the premises.
“Samad!” she called out as she entered the living room where he was sitting calmly, sipping a cup of coffee with his feet kicked up in his leather recliner.
“Good morning,” he responded.
“What’s good about it?” she shot back. “Where are all of the televisions?”
“I told you I need to be the only man that you see,” he responded. “You take too much interest in the men you see on that thing.”
“Is this about last night?” she exclaimed. She couldn’t believe that Samad was being so irrational. She had known that he was possessive but this was crossing the line. He was trying to cut her off from the world.
“I will be the only man that you see,” he repeated, this time more sternly, never looking up at her as he picked up the morning newspaper.
Tears accumulated in her eyes and she felt powerless. He had a way of making her feel cheap despite the excessive amount he had spent on her. He dominated her and controlled her every action.
“Go upstairs. I’ll be up in a moment. You’re ovulating,” he said.
Liberty’s nostrils flared slightly in pure rage. She wanted to tell him to go to hell, but restrained herself knowing that she would only be making things worse. The longer she dwelled beneath his roof, the more she learned