Flash Forward©

No Cast Needed

Cast

Miesha or MiMi Smith (Main Character)
Spectacular (MiMi's Cousin)
Diamond Blue (MiMi's Cousin)
Corey aka Slick (Family Friend)
Kevin aka Kayso
Johnta Howard (MiMi's Boyfriend/Husband)
Krystal or Kris Daniels (MiMi's Bestfriend/Coreys girlfriend)

Intro/Prologue

Running away from the man, I love because I caught him cheating on me. What made the situation worse is that he is my husband of three years? He pulled up beside me and put the car in park. He grabbed me around the neck and said, “I told you that you wouldn’t get far.” I struggled to keep my strength because I could barely breathe with both his hand squeezing my neck. He finally let me go and I didn’t get a chance to catch my breathe before I felt him kicking me in the stomach like he didn’t know I was pregnant with our daughter. I was six months pregnant as well. He beat me where I was unconscious before he realized what he was doing to me.

Pain and torture is what he called love. Our only child buried before she could even live a day on mother earth. Her father and my husband Johnta Howard was the sweetest and most generous guy when we first met in Miami. My older cousin Diamond liked him though he gave him a warning before we left Miami six years ago (this warning was about treating me like a queen and respecting me. Johnta promised Diamond looks like that promise has been broken). I have been seeing a psychiatrist for the last three months because I’ve become suicidal and also have slit my wrists numerous times where I’ve almost died trying to block out the memory of our child’s death.

My name is Miesha Rayna Smith and I am twenty-five years old. I am five foot seven inches, shoulder length brown hair, caramel skin tone, with an athletic build from working out. I miss my family I have not seen anyone since I married Johnta three years. I am unofficially divorced from Johnta now because he still hasn’t signed the divorce papers. A judge here in New Orleans, Louisiana deemed us as divorced even though Johnta has signed the paperwork. He wants to fix the problems he started but he says he wants to change too but that has not happened yet though.

I am sitting here in probably one of my final sessions with this psychiatrist here in New Orleans. Her name is Dr. Phillis Thompson and she is about five foot five inches, short light brown hair, wears reading glasses, and always gives me the right advice of what I should do with my life.

“So when was the last time you spoke to or sent a text to one of your cousins in Miami?” Dr. Thompson asked. I had to really think about it because I know Diamond works all the time and I never really kept in touch with Spec before or after the move to New Orleans.

“I really do not remember the last time I talked or sent a text to Diamond. I remember talking to Corey like three weeks ago but he’s just a good friend of the family but that was to talk to my best friend Krystal or Kris Daniels about what’s been going on with me.” I explained. She looked at me in a way that I was unaware of what she was about to say or what she was thinking about at that very moment. I decided to continue with what I was saying, “My reason and need to talk to her was the fact I had been cutting myself and did not have the strength to call my cousin. She had me call 911 while I had her on the line so an ambulance could come get me to the hospital.” I stopped for a while so she could take some notes.

“What caused you to start cutting yourself again?” I did not expect her to bring up the past.

“I had a nightmare that Johnta broke out of jail and was chasing me like the night I caught him cheating on me.” I stopped again because I was afraid to continue because the nightmare was worse that him just beating me close to death but he took it to another level by killing me. She knew where it was about to go so she did not have me continue with the dream.
“Has Johnta always had this violent behavior to get you away from thinking about those that love you?” I looked down because I felt a tinge of hatred towards him now. He started beating me two weeks after we got to New Orleans.

“No, everyone liked him and he was the all-star athlete at our high school and at City College back in Miami. He got full ride scholarships to almost every school right out of high school. He decided to finish his general education at City College first so he could focus on his major when he started at the university.” I had to take a deep breath because Johnta’s family knew what was going on the whole time but would not say anything to my family. “My family never knew what was going on during the relationship but they were happy when I got accepted to Xavier right out of high school but were disappointed that I did not go right away. Johnta was planning to go to Xavier as well. He wanted me to stay with him. At first, I thought it was because he did not want me to meet someone new but later I found out that he did not want me to go to my dream school by myself. The beating started a few weeks before we left. His family knew but my family did not know anything about it.” I felt the tears starting to form in my eyes and I felt one hit my hand. I looked down hoping that the tears would not fall.

“You need to break free out of his grasp and try to restart your life back in Miami or a place of your choice. I feel Miami would be the best since you have family and friends there. You need to come clean with your family meaning your parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins about what has been going on between Johnta and yourself since high school.” I nodded in agreement because I missed living in Miami where I could watch my younger cousins grow up. Diamond had just graduated from high school when I left. Spec had a few more years (to be exact 3 years) to go.

She got on the phone and I could tell she was planning a flight back home to Miami for me. This trip had better be for the better and not the worse. Johnta gets out soon and he will be looking for me too. “MiMi, please make sure you get in touch with your family back in Miami and tell them that you will be on your way out there in a few hours.” I just nodded as I got up to leave her office.

Chapter One; Home Sweet Home

Miesha caught the five forty-five flight from New Orleans International Airport and knew the flight would not be long but she needed to get some sleep though. Twenty minutes after the flight took off, she was fast asleep hopefully dreaming of something peaceful (in reality she would most likely be awake within thirty to forty-five minutes) about her life back in Miami.

Time lapse two and a half hours later

Miami International Airport Miami, Florida 9:15 PM EST

“Welcome to Miami.” One of the stewardesses said. Miesha got her things out of the overhead bin and got off the plane. She headed towards baggage claim and as she walked, she looked out the windows of the airport. Things have probably changed since I left. She thought to herself as she walked. As she reached the main lobby of the airport she saw someone holding a sign with her name on it. She smiled when she noticed Diamond holding the sign.

“Welcome home.” He said. He grabbed her bag and they walked to baggage claim where they found Spec and Corey looking for her bag. Miesha grabbed her bag as it passed. Spec and Corey looked up and saw her for the first time.

“Where did you two come from?” Corey said. He was scratching his head trying to figure out how they got there so quick.

“I think you forgot that I have been in this airport enough times traveling and picking up friends and family that come to visit us. You must have also forgotten that I’m the oldest one here too.” MiMi said. She laughed as Corey hugged her. He held on to her like he knew something was wrong.

“Let her go. I want a hug too.” Spec said. Corey finally let Miesha go. Spec hugged his cousin and said, “How has life been treating you?” She knew they did not know why she came back home yet. Well Diamond was the only one for sure that knew why she came home.

“Everything is good and…..” she trailed off. She did not want to go into too many details right away. They did not need to know all the details this early anyway. She knew Diamond would need an explanation as soon as they got to the house.

The drive home was quiet besides the soft music that was coming from the radio. Everyone was in deep thought the whole time. Once they pulled up to the house, Miesha got out the car and waited for Diamond to pop the trunk so she could get her bags out. “What’s the rush?” Diamond asked. She ignored him and grabbed her stuff. She walked to the door and had to wait again as Spec took his time to unlock the door. Miesha dashed inside once Spec got the door open.

“What’s her problem?” Corey asked. He flopped down on the couch and turned the television on to BET. They heard the shower come on upstairs and they all let out a sigh. Little did they know that was only a distraction? Miesha was about to cut her wrist with a blade from a razor when someone knocked on the door.

“Who is it?” She asked.

“MiMi, please unlock the door for me.” The other person said. She recognized the voice. It was Kevin (Kayso) and she had not seen him or talked him for a long time. She opened the door still holding the razor in her left hand.

“When did you start cutting yourself?” Kayso asked. Diamond came up behind him and looked at her. He was highly aware she used to cut herself back when she was younger.

“I thought you stopped this before you left Miami.” Diamond commented. They both looked at her for an answer. Spec came up the stairs.

“You know we pay a water bill so get in the shower or turn off the….” He stopped before he finished his sentence because he saw the razor. He knew about Miesha cutting herself but he swore she stopped for good before she graduated from high school.

“We’re still waiting her for an answer.” Diamond said. She closed the door and slit her wrists with them right outside the door. Diamond started banging on the door. She did not realize the door was still unlocked until Diamond opened it. Diamond grabbed the razor from her and tossed it in the sink. Spec turned off the water and noticed MiMi on floor unconscious from the blood loss. “Corey, call an ambulance right now.” Diamond yelled down the stairs.

“Why?” Corey asked finally moving from the couch to find out what was going on upstairs. When he got to the bathroom, he saw Miesha unconscious and the razor in the sink. “Tell me she isn’t cutting again. If she is when did she start again?” He went and called 911 for an ambulance. Miesha came to before the ambulance got there with everyone standing over her. She knew it was time to tell them what was going on.

“What’s up with the cutting? I thought you were done with that shit already.” Diamond said.

“Where’s Kris at?” MiMi asked. Corey called Kris and told her to come over to the house. Kris had a key to the house. Everyone was down in the living room when Kris arrived.

“What’s going on here? Why is there an ambulance outside?” Kris asked. Diamond went outside, had the paramedics come inside to check on Miesha.  They said she was fine then left the house. Kris thought about reasons an ambulance would be at the house. “You need to tell them.”

“Wait, you know what is going on.” Corey said to Kris.

“That’s why she came back home for to start over.” Kris said.

“What is she talking about MiMi?” Corey asked.

“You know that Johnta is in jail right.” Miesha began.

“Yes, we still do not know why he is in there.” Spec said.

“Remember when I was pregnant with our daughter.” Miesha continued. They all nodded. “He nearly beat me to death and I lost her weeks before she was due. He was beating me prior to the time we left for New Orleans for Xavier. I started slitting my wrists a few weeks ago after I had a dream he escaped from jail and beat me the same way he did the night I caught him cheating on me. It was worse because he ended up killing me.” Diamond was mad as hell but noticed it was better to try and help his cousin through this problem.

“Cutting yourself is not a safe coping method. Your psychiatrist’s decision to have you come back home to let everyone know what happen between you and Johnta, plus your parents need to know about it even more now they knew something was going on but did not want to get involved at first. They knew it got worse when you started cutting yourself before leaving for Xavier.” Kris explained. Miesha knew she needed to let her parents know about everything and everyone else in the family. Her family would be her biggest way of overcoming her fear of Johnta coming after her again. Diamond, Spec, Corey, and Kayso all embraced her.

“We will help you get through this cousin.” Spec and Diamond said. She was glad they understood her situation. She had a feeling Corey was going to find a way to get back at Johnta for getting Miesha back on the wrong path slitting her wrists.

Miesha left with Kris to go see her parents and spent the rest of the night with them.  She went back to see her cousins the next morning with Kris. She knew it was time to tell her uncle what was going on. Everyone understood the situation. They were upset that Johnta’s parents did not say anything to them about what was going on.