by Tina J
****
“Who are you?” Some chick asked when I was collecting things for Zaire.
“I’m Zaire’s sister in law. Who are you?” She was a cute girl. A little thick but cute, nonetheless.
“Mary. I’m the one who helped him get outta town. Do you know where he is?” She looked sad.
“Yes. Thanks for helping him.”
“Can you tell him, I’m pregnant and I need to know, what to do.”
“Did you call him?”
“Yes, and he won’t answer for me. I didn’t do anything to him so I’m not sure, why he’s ignoring me.”
“He’s probably nervous but I’ll tell him for you. Are any of these things yours?” I lifted some women clothing and she shook her head no.
She stayed in the dorm room with me and helped with some bags, down the stairs. The heavier ones, I carried because she’s pregnant. By the time we finished, we had cleared out his drawers, collected school items, pictures and some papers he asked for. There was no laptop, which is unusual for a person who attends college. Maybe, the one he claimed Marco had a hold of, is the one he used. Who knows?
“I’ll have him call you, or let him know what you told me.” She gave me a hug and hopped in her car. After she drove off, I did the same but made a detour and went to the house his mom lived in.
I rode down the street and there was no house. The place was burned to the ground. You could tell, nothing was left to salvage. I got out the car and stood in front of it. This is the place, Dennis had me living in, until he was on his feet. His mom refused to move, when he had enough money. She loved this house, so I guess it made sense for her to die in it. It may sound harsh, but Marco may not have found her, if she moved.
“Who the fuck are you?” Some dude walked up, asking. He was handsome and you can tell he was street.
“No one.”
“No one, huh. Then why you here at this rapist house?”
“Rapist?”
“Exactly! The dude who used to stay here with his mom, raped my Boss’s girl and then kidnapped her. I can’t wait to find him. That million dollars is gonna look perfect in my bank account.”
“There’s a reward for him?”
“Yup.”
“Wow! He must’ve really pissed your boss off.”
“He did. But look shorty, let me get your number.”
“I have a man, thanks. See you later.” I jumped in my car and called Zaire up.
“You raped Rakia?”
“Hell no!” He explained what he did.
I made him, send me the video from his phone and sat there watching. I never watched the entire thing, yesterday at my house, when he stopped by. Looking at it now, made me think differently of him. Even though he didn’t rape her through penetration, he definitely did in another way. Whichever way he’s looking at it, to make himself feel better, is his shit. At the end of the day, he had no business forcing her to do anything. I may not like her but no, means no.
I never called him back and drove to Jersey with a lot on my mind. Do I tell Marco where he is, and get the reward, or do I help them bring him down? I had so many questions in my mind but the motive is money and either way, I’d get some. Decisions! Decisions!
Angela
I was sitting in the nail salon with Rakia, minding my own business, when these two bitches walked in. Shana looked at me and the Mia, bitch stared at Rakia. Of course, she was nervous but I wasn’t and waited for the two ho’s, to come start trouble. She wanted to text Marco and I asked her not to. She started speaking to him a week after he went to her house and apologized. She still won’t let him come around her. Not because she’s scared but more or less, she thinks, she’ll sleep with him and be right back in the same situation, with the women. I told her, whether she was with him or not, they’d still bother her because she had Marco, wrapped around her finger. She tried to debate it but we all knew better. Even his mom said, she’s never seen him as smitten as he is with anyone, as he is with her. Mia, may have been the first woman he loved but Rakia, is the only one he gave a child too; twice. In my eyes, it meant something and I think she was starting to see it.
Anyway, the lady had just finished doing my feet and Rak, was still getting her nails done. The two of them, continued to stare and laugh but neither said a word. I know, they were conspiring to hurt one of us and I was waiting on it. Tech and I, were solid as could come and Marco, wasn’t in a relationship with Rakia, so if he were doing something, it had nothing to do with her.
We were on our way out the door, when it started. I told Rakia, to prepare herself for the bullshit.
“I thought Marco and I, fucked liked rabbits but damn, you and Tech be going in. Didn’t you say he was married?”
“Yea but what she don’t know, won’t hurt her.” They started laughing. Rakia gave me a sad look. I doubt anything she said was true but I entertained her anyway.
“Hey ladies.” They gave me a fake smile. Mia, gave Rakia an evil glare.
“It seems like you’re discussing my husband and it wouldn’t be right, if you didn’t include his wife.” I smirked and Shana stood up.
“Well, since you were being nosy. Me and my friend here, were looking at the photos of me and Tech. The ones, we took recently.” Now I was lost because, to my knowledge, he hadn’t seen her. He even fired her from the club.
“Yea, right.”
“Take a look for yourself.”
I snatched the phone from her and swiped through at least ten photos. Tech was in all of them. They were in a living room, the club and one in the bathroom. You couldn’t see him clearly in one but she was naked. I’m assuming the shadow in the background, was him taking her picture. It was steamy, so the face was blocked out. I sent each picture to my phone and deleted my number out, before she could get it. I handed her the phone back and smiled.
“It looks like he has been spending time with the help, after all.”
“Help? No miss. I’m the mistress, who he won’t leave alone. This pussy will always keep him coming back.” I didn’t want to give her the energy but she asked for it.
“Shana, it’s obvious my husband has you strung out. His sex game is very good but let me tell you this.” I stepped closer.
“I promise to get to the bottom of these photos and if they are indeed real, you can have him, after I whoop your ass for sleeping with a married man. Tootles.” I said and left her standing there with her mouth hanging open.
“RAKIA!” Mia yelled and we kept walking.
“Get in the car Rak.”
“BITCH, I KNOW YOU HEAR ME.”
“I don’t have anything to say to you.” Rakia got in the car and locked the door. Unfortunately, the window was down a little.
“Are you pregnant?” Rak, looked at me.
“Yes, I am.” All of a sudden, Mia pulled her hair and started punching her. I sped off and Mia, fell in the street. I could’ve gotten out and beat her up but she would’ve gotten more hits off, and right now, Rak’s nose was bleeding and she was crying.
“This is the exact reason, we can’t be together. Everywhere I go, some woman is trying to attack me.” I sat there quiet and handed her some napkins out the glove compartment. She was right. Marco had to control his ho’s.
I parked in front of her condo and helped her get out. She was just turning five months and her stomach was showing but not enough where Mia, should’ve noticed. Rakia, had on an oversized shirt, which meant, Mia had to be staring hard as hell. She opened the door and went straight to the bathroom. I took my phone out to call Tech. He was out with Marco, as usual, but he would answer anytime his wife called.
“What’s up sexy?” He made me smile. It turned into a frown when I opened the pictures.
“When’s the last time you saw Shana? Matter of fact, when’s the last time you slept with her?”
“What?”
“You heard me.”
“Ang, the last time we did anything, was the night in the club, when yo
u caught me. We saw her at the bar but I haven’t seen her since. What’s this about?”
“Check your phone.” I hung up and waited for him to call me back.
“Is your memory refreshed?”
“Where are you? I need to talk to you.” I broke down crying and hung up. Him asking to see me, only verified Shana’s story. Why wouldn’t he say no or she’s lying; something? I checked on Rakia and told her, I’d call her later. She locked up behind me and I drove to my parents’ house.
****
“How’s my baby?” I picked lil Antoine up, off the floor. He was starting to crawl and loved being able to move around on his own.
“What’s the matter?” My mom, came in asking. She and I, have been getting closer, ever since Tech, yoked her ass up. She hasn’t laid a hand on me or even disrespected me in anyway.
“He’s cheating.”
“How do you know this?” She listened as I explained everything to her and sucked her teeth, afterwards. She stood up, grabbed a photo album and came to sit by me.
“I’m about to tell you a story and I hope you listen and learn.” I nodded.
“It was about twenty-two years ago, when I met your father.” I smiled. Some of their stories were funny.
“He was a jokester, street hustla and the most handsome man, I ever laid eyes on. Girl, when I tell you, he had me feeling things, no other man could, believe it.” She had a huge smile on her face.
“Really!” I loved my dad but he was corny in my eyes.
“Really! Anyway, I used to see him all the time, and ignored the cat calls and ignorant comments the other guys would make because I only wanted him. He didn’t speak and I never wanted the others, to assume I was interested because I entertained their foolishness.” The doorbell rang and my mom, asked my dad to get it.
“One day, he came over to me and asked for a date. Of course, it took me all of two seconds to agree.”
“Where did he take you?”
“Chile, to the damn arcade.”
“The arcade?”
“Evidently, he was in a contest, with the pool game. He said, I was his lucky charm. Needless to say, he won and we went to celebrate at the pizza parlor. There were tons of people there, so we found a corner table with less distractions. That night, your father wooed himself in my life.” I smelled my husband’s cologne and turned to see him standing there. I rolled my eyes and listened to my mom finish.
“We became the couple everyone envied. We had been together for two years and things were perfect. Well, to me they were but not Gerrie.
“Gerrie, my mother?” I noticed my father tense up, as he leaned on the wall.
“Gerri, came to me one night and said, your father cheated on me.” I covered my mouth. My mom told me many great stories of her and my dad but never this one, she was about to say.
“I didn’t believe her and he said, she was lying.” My father came further in the room and sat on the chair.
“I was pregnant at the time and felt like Gerri was jealous, which is why, she fed me lies about your father. A few months later, I find out; he was indeed cheating on me.”
“How did you find out?” I could see how glassy her eyes were getting.
“I walked in on him, having sex with Gerri; in my bed.”
“DAD!” I yelled out and he put his head down.
“I was devastated and so stressed out, I started hemorrhaging really bad. Instead of telling him about the pain, I left and went straight to the hospital; where I lost my daughter.”
“How far along were you?”
“Seven months.” I shook my head and felt Tech, come sit next to me.
“Because I was already stressing about him cheating; seeing them in bed, made it worse. Your father and Gerri, hurt me so bad, my baby couldn’t take the pain. From that day forward, I left him and it took months for me to take him back. However, had I known he got the bitch pregnant, I never would’ve given him another chance.” I felt some kind of way she called my mom a bitch but I understood.
“Why didn’t you have more kids?”
“After you were born, I vowed to never have kids again. I didn’t want to explain, why they had different parents. Call me selfish but your father was selfish when he stepped out and had a baby by someone else. Why should I give him one, when he’s the reason, I lost the first one?” She was crying and so was my father.
“Why did Gerri do that to you?” She opened the photo album and started showing me pictures of two girls. They were cute and one looked like me as a baby. I assumed she was my mom.
“So, you two were best friends? It looks like the two of you did everything together.” I flipped through the photos. She looked at my father.
“She was my sister.” I stood up and the album fell off my lap.
“No, no, no. You can’t be my aunt because you’re my mother. Dad, tell me it’s a mistake. My mom, wouldn’t do her sister like that.”
“Ang.” My father tried to come to me and I backed away.
“How could you do that to her? She could’ve been my mother.”
“Angela, she is your mother.” My father said, staring at me pace the floor.
“I know but she could’ve been my birth mother. After she had her other daughter, you could’ve gotten her pregnant again and she would’ve been my mother. You gave away your sperm to a woman, who obviously wanted to be her. But her sister dad, how could you?” He didn’t say a word.
“Ang, I didn’t tell you the story to make you upset with your father. I told you because if you keep allowing this woman to cause havoc in your marriage, you’re going to lose him.” I stopped and stared at her.
“What does that have to do with my marriage?”
“Honey, Gerri hated the relationship he and I, had. Every chance she got, she told me things he was doing. True or not, it caused a lot of arguments and time away from each other. I’m not saying he was right for sleeping with my sister but I pushed him in the arms of another woman and didn’t even know it. Ang.” She sat me down on the couch.
“She may not be your sister or even a friend but she is someone, who wants your husband. Stop letting her get you upset. Your husband has done nothing but showed how much he loves you and you keep letting her separate y’all. Honey, always believe your man over a bitch off the street, until he shows you different.”
“Ma, I’m sorry for being disrespectful to you all these years and.-”
“Ang, you were a kid and that’s what they do. I apologize for smacking you, after finding out you were pregnant but I wanted better for you. I’m not saying he wasn’t no good but at the time, I felt you were throwing your life away, your dad and I worked hard for you to have. Ang, whether you came from my womb or not, you’re my daughter. My blood runs through you, regardless.” I nodded my head.
“Why are you still with him?”
“ANG!” Tech yelled.
“No, its ok. Ang, I chose to stay because regardless of his mistake, I was madly in love with him. Not only that, it took me a while to forgive him and to this day, he’s never cheated again, as far as, I know.” My dad shook his head no.
“Or, it could be, he never cheated again because, I stabbed him in the stomach for cheating in the first place, but that’s neither here nor there.” She said it all nonchalant.
“WHAT?” My dad shrugged his shoulders.
“You better not stab me.” Tech said, and I turned around and smirked.
“All I’m saying is, you two love each other and people don’t like to see others happy. Instead of giving her what she wants by making you angry. Show her, how strong the union you two have, really is. One thing a bitter woman hates, is for you to continue being happy, even after she tried to break you.”
“But she-”
“I don’t care what she showed you. Your husband is right there. Let him explain his side first and then make a choice on if you want to be with him, or if you want to keep believing the outsider.” She stood next to my father and
he pulled her down on his lap. She started giggling like a school girl.
“Thanks for the talk mommy.” I hugged her, apologized to my dad and walked out with my husband. We had a lot to discuss and it started with getting rid of Shana.
Tech
Listening to the story about Ang’s parents, had me in shock. Her mom always told me not to judge her off the bad stories, I may have heard. I’m not saying Ang, ever spoke bad about her, but she did say they didn’t get along because she felt, her mom was too hard on her. Who knew, the woman she’s been calling mom, all this time, is really her aunt? I definitely, gave her credit for sticking around after a miscarriage, an outside child and raising another woman’s kid. Most women, would’ve walked away. However, her love for him outweighed all of it and I really hope Ang, learned from it. Not that I’m cheating but Shana is miserable as fuck and trying everything in her power to split us up.
We got home that night and Ang, wanted to discuss the photos and I didn’t. Of course, she said they must be real, if I didn’t. I showered, ate me some take out and laid in the spare room with my son. She can accuse me all she wants but one things for sure and that is, she ain’t leaving me. I let her rant all night and even listened to her cry about me not giving her attention. In my eyes, she was being a spoiled brat and I’ll speak to her, when I’m ready. Like her mother said, never listen to an outsider who wants her man and Shana, has been doing everything to destroy us, since the moment we met. I really thought Ang, was over the other shit but maybe she’s not.
****
“Tech, Marco is here.” She came in the room, damn near naked. Booty shorts and a tank top, is all she had on.
“And you answered the fucking door like that?” I hopped out the bed fast as hell. She had the nerve to smirk.
“He’s not here. I wanted you to talk to me.” I pushed passed her and went to use the bathroom.
“What, Ang?”
“I should be the one mad.” I flushed and started the shower. How the hell should she be mad, when I’m the one, who’s being accused of false shit?”
