It Happened to Me Book Tour & Giveaway

**Trigger warning: of sexual assault, alcoholism, domestic violence **

Desmond stops to fill up his car at a nearby gas station on Rockville Road. He can’t believe Denise is so inconsiderate of his feelings. “It is like she is married to that damn clothing business!” Desmond spits out to no one in particular.
Just thinking about it makes him want to scream. He is tired of dealing with
Denise’s workaholic mentality, which has been going on since Delilah was in middle school. A
feeling of abandonment starts to set in, and it hurts him.
Denise acts like she is the only person working in our house. Heck, she hasn’t asked me
one thing about work or how my day is going! It’s not easy running my counseling business,
listening to other people’s problems, and helping them, while I can’t fix my own relationship. She
doesn’t care about it, as long as she is on time for her meetings to look at color swatches and
zippers. If only I could get Denise to understand that both Delilah and I need her more at home.
Her absence is tearing our family apart, and she doesn’t see that it’s really affecting her
relationship with Delilah.
Desmond leaves the gas station and jumps on Highway 465, heading north. He takes
the exit for Keystone, heading for the Broad Ripple area, where Desmond’s favorite bar,
Brothers, is. Desmond maneuvers his car into a small parking space on the left side of the bar.
It has been a few years since he’s visited a bar. The thought of solving his problems with
a drink is not normal for Desmond, but this time, he feels one drink and some good television is
in order. He doesn’t have a history of drinking, but his father did, which led to his death several
years ago. His father’s drinking kept him away from home and kept Desmond’s mother in tears.
She wasn’t shocked when she received the call that her husband had passed on. However,Desmond was hurt.
Not having his father in his life makes him sensitive and emotionally attached to the
females in his life. He knows his arguing probably stemmed from his father’s abandonment,
which makes him fight hard to get his wife to change her ways. He doesn’t want Delilah to feel
the same way he did as a teenager.
This usually gets Desmond to stay away from alcohol, but this situation is different. He
motions for the bartender. “Could I get a White Russian?”
“Coming right up,” the bartender nods, pausing to make sure he is of age. A few minutes
later, the bartender returns with the drink, placing it in front of him with a napkin.
Desmond pays, then hesitates before taking a swig of the drink, letting the mixture of
rum and milk slide down his throat. He scans the place, noticing the positive and uplifting
atmosphere, watching a group of college students celebrating someone’s birthday. He moves
out of the way of a tipsy woman heading towards the bathroom.
“Someone has had too much to drink,” he says, allowing the environment, music, and
alcohol to soothe his pain. He engages in small talk with others, finding enjoyment in the
attention he receives. The sun drops, and darkness is near. After hanging out for a couple of
hours, Desmond decides to head home. He leaves the bar, praying that his wife has not left for
Evansville. He doesn’t want to go home to an empty house for the fifteenth time.
Desmond taps the button to the radio, switching to his favorite radio station, 106.7
WTLC. A Marvin Gaye tune, “You’re All I Need to Get By,” serenades him as he drives. “I used
to think that about you, Denise.”
The music continues to relax Desmond, so he cracks the window and the cool breeze
hits his face. The Rockville Road exit is coming up as Desmond signals to switch lanes. After
taking the exit, he stops at the awaiting red light, while singing along off-key to the song. He
hopes Denise is thinking about their family and how important it is to keep them together. The
light changes and Desmond proceeds into the intersection toward his subdivision. He puts his

turn signal on to let the driver behind him know that he is turning into the Chapel Wood division.
Upon turning the corner, Desmond’s car spins, tires screech, and there is the sound of
crushing metal as shattered glass flies into the air. Desmond struggles to breathe. He hears a
woman’s scream nearby as images of his family flash in front of him. He sees Delilah laughing,
throwing lettuce at him during their food fight after her mother stood her up for their girls’ night
out her freshman year of high school. Desmond hears a voice telling him to stay awake, but his
vision is blurry as he struggles to focus on the calming voice.
He closes his eyes for a second, opening them to a vision of Denise preparing for work
as he sits on the side of their bed, admiring her beautiful bronze skin, full lips, and petite frame.
He tries to stretch his arm out to touch her, but the steering wheel is pressing against his chest,
and the front of the car is crushing his legs. Desmond moans in agony, realizing his body won’t
cooperate.
His eyelids are getting heavy again, his body growing tired. He can still hear the voice
telling him to stay awake. Desmond moans, telling the voice he’s too tired. The emergency
response team arrives, going into action. Desmond’s eyes are barely open when he sees
Delilah and Denise blowing him kisses, mouthing the words: I love you. The heaviness of his
eyelids takes over as everything goes black.

 

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