by Coco Shawndé
Crossing paths with Hosea while I was trying to get his sister ready, he pulled me to the side, sticking his tongue down my throat. “You good now?” he implored.
“Yes, baby.” I said, knowing he wanted to know where my attitude was. “I’m good. She just needs to know, I’m not tolerating it. She don’t get passes because she baby momma number one. That blows my mind she even went to the length of quitting to get you around.”
“Well, this my home. You carrying my next blessing. And you not going nowhere.” he said, kissing me directly in my mouth. “She know what’s good for her.”
“Diceeeee! I’m readyyyyyy!” Dutchess sang, letting me know it was time to go.
“She act like the big sister.” I laughed, knowing she wasn’t going to let us be late.
“You know she don’t play. Me and the boys gon’ grab some food for tonight, so don’t worry about cooking.” he let me know.
I was happy he offered because I was tired from the long day I had. I wasn’t showing at all in my pregnancy yet. How often I napped and had to run to the bathroom was sure a sign. I was just glad I wasn’t sick and depressed like I was when I carried C.J. That was the worst, and my son almost didn’t make it here. I was terrified that the depression would come or even after I had my baby. For now, I tried to keep positive thoughts because Hosea was right here. I had no reason to be stressed and depressed about, and I just hoped it stayed that way.
Boy or girl?
With time steadily easing by, I had finally reached the point in my pregnancy where I was able to find out what I was having. With so much going on in me and Hosea´s life, we wanted to do something simple for the gender reveal. We didn’t want an over the top party, and just wanted it small.
I was glad we didn’t plan to do so. Hosea and Obasi had taken a last-minute trip, and they still were not back. Sitting on the bottom of my bed in my towel, I had the worst attitude. I was so livid that these two weren’t here yet, and all the guest we slowly arriving.
“Just stop calling. He better be here. I’m not getting dressed until he in the driveway.” I said, pushing my dress out of my face. Miani and my friends were trying to get me to get dressed. My mother came to the door with my sister, and they knew to leave me be for now.
“They know what time it starts.” Miani said, mad too because Obasi was sending her to voicemail too.
I was so fed up with how this was all going, I kicked everyone out of my room. I climbed my ass right in the bed, refusing to get dressed. Crying and mad, I was going to sleep on they ass not caring what the sex of the baby was now if Hosea didn’t make it. You could say this baby was kicking my ass at this point.
“Get outtttt!” I yelled, not able to see the door, but knowing someone was here to bother me.
“Damn, I thought you were blowing me up to come.” Hosea said, bringing his goofy face in front of mine soon as he came around the bed. For a second, I thought it was Murk and Hyatt again, coming to fuck with me. I was glad they made it, but I needed Hosea. Now that he was here, I was smiling all on the inside.
“Get yo ugly ass out my face because why you not on time!” I yelled at him, mad as hell.
“Baby, I miss you too! C’mon! Everybody eating and they trying to do games.” he rushed.
“Don’t get hurr on that! What took you and Obasi so long? You know I worry and you just be watching me call yo raggedy ass phone!” I said, reaching to pop him, but he backed up.
“Soon as you drop my seed, I’m fucking you up. Get yo ass up.” he said, yanking the covers back. He pulled me up, damn near squeezing to where I was scared about my belly. “Say you miss me, and keep that attitude in check for me! I’on want to have to get you together.” he threatened!
“That’s how you coming?” I asked, kissing his neck, and wrapping my legs around him. He just didn’t know that his fine ass had me horny as hell. Just seeing him with his suit and braids, I was ready to fuck him until I made his dick give out. He gave me this look, and we locked ourselves in the bedroom for what we thought would be a quickie.
My mother and father were pissed that I took so long to come down. I made it up to them by having them sit with me and Hosea. Everyone was beyond anxious to know the sex of the baby, and we held off until nightfall. We decided to do fireworks that would reveal either boy or girl. With the whole family outside and together, I was taking deep breaths. I didn’t even want to look. I was so undecided on what I wanted. One minute I wanted another son, then I wanted a little girl. Hosea kept saying it was a girl, but he just said that because he liked that Yosohn and C.J were so tight.
“Light it Hosea.” I said knowing my shaky ass would blow myself up if I tried.
“A’ight!” he said, smiling big as hell. As soon as a spark started from the flame, I was standing with Hosea looking into the sky.
BOOMMMM! “What it say?” my sister squealed, and I was covering my eyes in Hosea´s chest because I didn’t know what we were going to be raising.
“It’s a girlllll!” Hosea screamed, and I looked up just in time to see the pink sky.
“Congratulations sissss!” Rocco and Aja sang out, hugging me. Miani and Shira was joining in, and I found myself crying like a baby.
“What I tell youuu!” Hosea said, giving me this look of completion in his eyes. Going right into his arms, I thanked him for everything.
“I love you so much...for everything.” I said, gazing into his eyes.
“You my whole world, Shordy. A love you can have forever.” he replied, loving on me.
Going back inside, I was chilling in my man´s lap, just enjoying the company of our loved ones. Hilary and Vernell called on facetime, and we told them what they were being blessed with. I could tell Vernell was hating his position, but Hosea let him know we would be on his side soon enough.
“Mane, I can’t wait to see y’all.” his father spoke.
“Due time, pops.” Hosea said, holding me tight in his lap.
Knowing everything would work out, I enjoyed the ending of the gender reveal. With my girls cleaning up, it wasn’t nothing for me to do but put my feet up. The kids were plotting on staying all night, and I was sending their ass right to Hosea for him to approve. He caught on, and went ahead with letting them stay after he was steady being tapped while talking to the guys.
By the time the house calmed down, the kids were laid up in our bed and the sectional in the sitting area in the room. Hosea was pissed now he couldn’t get no ass since we weren’t alone.
“I should have thought about all this shit.” he mumbled, sitting on the side of the bed, looking pissed.
Laughing lightly, I pulled him by his forearm to bring him back to me. “They not gon’ be hurr forever.” I replied.
“They not going to be hurr once this movie over!” he said, making sure they heard. The kids were so unbothered, and all into the Chuckie movie. I knew it was no putting them out after they picked to watch this scary movie.
“Leave them alone. Just chill bae.” I said, pulling him even more. He finally chilled back with me, and the movie played in our background. We were talking about plans with baby girl instead of tuning in to the movie. We talked until the movie was over. Hosea was quick to try to kick the kids out. They were damn near in tears when Hosea wasn’t giving a fuck.
“Bae! Don’t do them like that.” I giggled, knowing he just wanted some booty.
“Dad, just one more movie! Please. Not a scary one.” Yosohn begged.
“I ain’t going nowhere.” Duchess said, taking her pillow back from Hosea. He legit grabbed them and their belongings to toss out the room door.
“Yes, you is!” he demanded. Their bad ass got tired of Hosea being a bully, and got to tearing his ass up with the pillows. What was supposed to be him kicking them out changed up quick. Now he was getting beat by pillows and I was laughing too hard to get my ass up.
“Hosea! You bet now hit them with that belt!” I yelled, holding my stomach and trying to get up.
&nbs
p; “Mane! You just gon let these little muthfuka’s jump me!?” he said dodging the boys, but getting his ass tore up by the girls.
“Who you calling LITTE??” Duchess said, being the ring leader.
“You better let them stay.” I said, going to the bathroom. By the time I emptied my bladder and cleaned my hands, Hosea was sitting in the recliner looking pissed. The kids were now all in the bed watching a Disney movie.
“Awh bae.” I smiled, sitting in his lap. He looked at me like I was bogus as hell. Not caring that he wasn’t wanting me all on him, I curled up in his lap.
“Y’all asses bet not go to sleep! Y’all just watching this movie then y’all gotta go.” Hosea barked to the kids. They weren't stunting his ass, and he knew it.
By the time the second movie went off, every last one of them kids were snoring. He wasn’t about to carry them to the other floor, so he just carried me.
“You so damn extra.” I laughed.
“I need my pussy.” he said, not giving a fuck that we were going to the guest room just to fuck. “You can act like you don’t want the dick.”
“I never said I didn’t.” I replied, licking my lips hard.
12
Obasi
“When the fuck did these drop?” I asked my inside guy. He was close to William, and always gave us leads when he received information. He was well wrapped up in all kinds of shit. One of his main sources of information was down at the department. When he called me up, I quickly told him to meet up with me out in the projects where I was posted.
When he showed, I had no idea he would be dropping papers on me that explained a case was being built on my brother! Hosea had just left to do another load with Ralph, and I had a feeling this might be the night they have enough on him to for the shit to look real bad on him.
“This was a list that just came by me. Just about everybody on the list been hit, but Hosea and one more name. So, you know it’s coming. When? I can’t say. But it's best to tell Hosea to wash his hands. That nigga Ralph...he on the same list. It’s quite funny his best friend is a lead detective on Hosea. Shit ain’t looking good, and the sooner Hosea know, the faster his lawyer can clean it up.” he informed. “I never liked these two brother detectives...if you can get Hosea out of there fast enough, I can do a call in to another division. That way, Ralph and his so called best friend detective can go down deeper than what they already are. Ralph has a long list of crimes on him, and I’m sure it´s a reason he’s working with your brother. It’s a set up.”
“A’ight. I’m gon take care of it.” I said, finding my crew out here. I had them hold down shit, and I got the fuck up out the hood. Hosea was probably already waiting on the arrival of the load that was in route.
Calling Hosea up, I just needed this nigga to give me two minutes on the phone, so I could stop him from cutting this deal with Ralph. No telling what we would have to face later, but for now, I just knew I had to save him. Hosea had been doing too much business with Ralph, and since he wasn’t in the casino business since Moss´ death, he was full time with this artillery dealing. Not able to get through on his line, I was punching the gas over to Ralph´s private landing strip. Since the planes were provided by his company, he stored the loads there until the guns got sold. Even though I stayed out of this deal, I knew how it worked inside out.
Just when I was nearing my destination, Hosea was returning my call. “This nigga mane! I need you to fucking come right now! I just killed an informant.” he barked over the phone.
“Fuck! I was already coming. Don’t say no more.” I told him right away. Some more sketchy shit had to pop off if he had to kill Ralph. It took me a minute, but I was closer in the area to get my boy.
I didn’t even have to get close to the aircraft landing strip for Hosea to come jumping into the car. “Pull off!”
Hitting the gas, we were out of there. “That man had a wire on me!” Hosea said, mad as hell, punching the dash.
“Mane, that nigga was never solid from the jump. I got a tip from an inside man, and that was why I was coming to get you.” I said, darting my eyes over at him.
“Get me to the fucking border! Fuck this. I guess I’m about to be on the run like my fucking father.” he panicked. I could see how serious he was, but I didn’t want him making no decision like that when he hadn’t heard from his lawyer. I knew the odds were stacked on him hard, but he had his family to think of. Dice was further in her pregnancy and it wasn’t a good time for him to be leaving the country.
“Dice not going to have that and you not about to tell her.” I said, knowing Miani was going to be upside my head if I let my dude go with his move like this.
“FUCKKK!!!!!” he shouted, pissed off. Knowing I had to help my man’s, we got to thinking. Driving with no destination, I didn’t know where we were going to end up. All I knew was I wasn’t stopping.
When I needed gas, I had no other choice. After paying for the gas inside, Hosea was outside the car and finally talking to his lawyer. It had been at least four hours, and it was all over the news that Ralph and some detectives by the names Fedrick and Jerry were in custody on some mighty drug charges. They even had Regina tied into it.
“We gon lay low hurr. Find a room until morning.” He let me know.
Following bro lead. We got a room for the night, not keeping in touch with nobody other than our lawyer. For days we stayed low, and played it safe!
On the third day, everything was unfolding, but Hosea´s name never came out in it. One thing about my brother, he never incriminated himself. The evidence he did have, it all looked like Ralph was partnered up with Moss and the casino’s. Since Hosea wasn’t attached to the casino in no degree since Moss´ death, it didn’t fall on him. It fell on the Juelz family. So, Ralph looked like he was smuggling over artillery with the detectives, leaving Hosea to be in good shape for now. Moss might had played in Hosea favor by not allowing his name to be on the paperwork after all.
“Mane, if you in the clear, you THAT NIGGA!” I said, not believing what the lawyer was saying. Hosea wasn’t even being asked to come down to the station. The lawyer told us to bring our asses back down the highway and go to our families. Taking his advice, we did just that.
Of course, Miani and Dice were calling back to back. Hosea went ahead to answer for her since she was pregnant, and he didn’t want her to think he wasn’t coming to her after it had been a few nights of not hearing from him.
“I ain’t going nowhere. I’m coming to you right now.” he stressed to her. How he was rubbing his head, I knew Dice was giving it to him. I was glad that he didn’t mention me taking his ass all the way to the border because she was probably going to lose it all! Dice was on the phone like we were lying about being on our way.
“I’m not near the police, baby. Calm down for me.” he continued. Miani was cussing me out through text, and I just pushed my phone away. Everything was going fast as fuck and we finally got to ride in silence after Miani called and heard my voice.
“Dice up ahead. You can pull in front on the shoulder.” he said, breaking the silence. Sure enough, Dice was pulled to the side. The way she got out the car and met Hosea halfway, I knew she had told him over the phone that she wasn’t waiting for us to drive all the way back. She met us halfway just for Hosea to drive them to the house. They hugged one another, and when Hosea got to the passenger door, Miani stepped out. He hugged her briefly, then she got in with me.
“Baby, understand that I was trying to get Hosea in the clear.” I said, knowing she was mad.
“If Hosea can call Dice, you could have picked up the damn phone too!” she said, pissed off.
“I’m sorry, but I’m telling you what it was. I was the one driving and just trying to get answers on what we could do in the meantime.” I reasoned.
Miani gave me the silent treatment all the way to my crib. My sister Aci was there with Easton, and I dropped Miani off, so I could take my sister home.
“What you do to Mia
ni?” she asked. “She never that quiet.”
“She´ll be cool. She just a little mad at me right now.” I said, keeping it short. I was still gone off the fact that me and Hosea eased out of that jam that quick. Right now, we could’ve been in a cell trying to see the light of day again.
“Well, fix it!” Aci said, trying to get hard with me.
Dropping her off, Konvict came outside. I knew he had gotten wind of the shit with Ralph. “You good?”
“Yeah, I’m good.” I nodded.
“Ya boy?”
“Right now...yeah.” I answered, hoping shit stay that way.
“A’ight. Stay low out hurr.” he said, giving me a look to take his advice.
Going back to the crib, Miani was in the living room. She smelled like she had just gotten out of the shower and washed her hair. She still wasn’t talking to me, and I was wishing she did. Going upstairs, I checked on Easton while he slept in his bed. He was knocked out. I eased his door halfway shut, and went to shower up myself. The day I had, I was smoking a blunt before I was completely dry from my shower. Going back to the living room with Miani, she tried to act like she didn’t want me by her. Grabbing the remote, I turned the TV off on her ass. The room went dark and only the light from the hallway came in. Miani tried to get up, but I put my arm up.
Not even letting her go to bed all mad, I told her how shit went. Once she saw how serious this shit was, and why I couldn’t spend time on the phone, she talked with me. She had some questions of her own, and I let her know everything I could, without leaving her in the dark. Miani was my woman, and I would never leave her dry. Never having done this in the past, I showed her where everything was at just in case. She didn’t like it one bit, but it was something she was going to have to hold onto.
