The Black Pill: Part One

More than 20 years ago, Monica was in an abusive relationship with a man named Kenneth. He was an alcoholic that would get drunk and angry with Monica, and it was hard and exhausting being with Kenneth. For Monica, it was complicated to leave Kenneth because they had Jeremiah, their son. She didn’t want Jeremiah to grow up without a father, so she accepted the alcoholism, the anger and the deceit that came with Kenneth. Then, everything changed with Monica on a fateful day when she was on a bus presented with a black rose by a little girl in a yellow dress.

The little girl in the yellow dress gave couples and the bus driver red roses, but she chose to give Monica a black rose. Monica was the only black person on a bus filled with white people, and she didn’t understand why she was the only one presented with a black rose. She found it to be offensive and refused to accept it. When Monica got home, Kenneth was sober and spending time with Jeremiah. This made her happy. Later on that day, Kenneth decided to go to the bar with some friends. Monica objected, but Kenneth went anyways. Then, Monica received a call from her childhood friend and cousin Matthew, who wanted to come over and share some news with her. Matthew came over and told Monica that he was proposing to Bella. Monica was happy for her cousin and congratulated him. They talked for a while until Matthew decided it was time for him to leave. Monica would open the door for Matthew and hug him in the doorway. In the shadows, Kenneth was there. He was drunk and thought Monica was cheating on him. When Matthew was out of sight, Kenneth would attack and assault Monica for cheating on him. Luckily, Matthew wasn’t far away, and he was able to put a stop to Kenneth nearly killing Monica.

Monica woke up in the hospital, and she was confused. She couldn’t believe that Kenneth physically hurt her, and all she could do was cry. Monica didn’t know what to do. She didn’t know what was best for her and Jeremiah. She looked to her right and found the black rose next to her. Instead of refusing it like she did on the bus, she accepted it. Monica embraced the black rose and realized its true significance in her life.

Monica had seen the beauty of the black rose, and she created a better life for her and Jeremiah. She ended up meeting a great man named Shane, and she ended up marrying him. They’ve been married for years and ended up having three children together. Shane was a great father figure for Jeremiah and helped shape him into the man that he is today. Life is good for Jeremiah and Monica. However, one must ask about Kenneth? What has become of him in all these years. Did Kenneth’s life get better or worse? Sadly, it only got worse for Kenneth.

Kenneth is currently living with his parents, and he has been unemployed for months. His father pushes him to get a job and start paying rent. Kenneth always claims that he has a few jobs lined up, and he’s just trying to figure out what’s a good fit for him.

Kenneth is still an alcoholic, but he claims that he can quit whenever he wants to. He just believes that it’s not necessary to quit drinking.

However, the one thing that is a problem for him is the relationship he has with his son Jeremiah. He doesn’t have the relationship he wants with his son Jeremiah, and he blames Monica for that. Monica and Shane chose to move three hours away from him making it impossible for him to see his son. Every chance Kenneth gets, he tells Jeremiah that Monica and Shane were just spreading lies about him. He claims that him and Monica would’ve worked things out if Shane didn’t come along. For Kenneth, Jeremiah is better off with him than Monica and Shane. After all, Jeremiah is his son, and he needs Jeremiah close by him to be a father. Every time they talked, Kenneth was always trying to convince Jeremiah to live with him and his parents. He never learned anything about Jeremiah’s life. It was all about selling the idea of living with him. It’s what Kenneth wanted. He wanted the opportunity to be a better father for Jeremiah, but it started with Jeremiah living with him. However, Jeremiah didn’t see it that way. His life was great with his mom and stepdad, and he didn’t see the benefits of living with his biological father. Eventually, Jeremiah was tired of hearing Kenneth’s truth and stopped talking to him. This hurt Kenneth more than anything.

All Kenneth wanted was his son. He wanted Jeremiah to live with him and realize the constant lies Shane and Monica spread about him were false. He was a good man, and he just needed Jeremiah to live with him. That’s all he wanted. He just wanted his son. He could easily be a great provider for Jeremiah, but he just needed the opportunity. Well, the opportunity would present itself to Kenneth.

It’s midnight, and he’s at the bar making a call to his son. He has had at least six drinks in his system. He knows that Jeremiah will not answer him. So, he leaves a voicemail talking about how much he loves him and hopes he’ll give him a call back. Then, he has four more drinks, and he tries to get another drink. However, the bartender refuses to give him more to drink. Kenneth asks why, but he looks at the bartender up and down and realizes that he’s white. Kenneth comes to the conclusion that the bartender is being racist with him. He starts to get angry. The bartender tries to calm Kenneth down and explain that he’s getting too drunk, but Kenneth ends up punching him across the face. The bartender falls down, and security immediately approaches Kenneth and throws him out the bar.

Kenneth hits the ground face first, and he’s in a lot of pain. He struggles to get up and starts to limp towards his car. As he approaches his car, he notices a male figure leaning on his car. This figure is wearing some nice white shoes, and it looks like a nice white suit. He has a red cane with a white handle, and he’s wearing white gloves. He also has a white hat on, but his face is hidden in the shadows. Kenneth squints his eyes to potentially see this figures face, but it’s to no avail. He can’t see his face.

Kenneth is afraid to approach the figure and thinks about calling the cops. He reaches into his pocket to pull out his phone, when the figure in a Southern accent says, “I mean you no harm, Kenneth. I’m actually here to help you. I am the man in the white suit.”

This is the end of “The Black Pill: Part One.” Be sure to like, share and comment your thoughts on this story.

Also, check out the short story “The Black Rose” on the Dark Colors series, if you haven’t already.

I will be sharing part two of “The Black Pill” on Thursday.