by T. N. Baker
“We think C-God had something to do with it,” Keisha added.
“C-God?”
“Yeah, Corey. Corey Hinderson. Ring any bells?” asked Keisha.
“Ahhhh, yeah, black Corey that used to live around our way, right?”
“Bingo!”
“But why, Keish?” Epiphany was puzzled.
“Because, you was fucking him, that’s why,” Shana replied.
“I was? So Mali is dead ’cause of me?” Epiphany cried.
“Epiphany, don’t start blaming yourself, because we don’t know what Corey’s reason was. He’s been hating on Tucker and Mali for a while. I honestly don’t think it was you that caused of any of this,” Keisha explained.
“Why can’t I remember any of this?” asked Epiphany.
“Epiphany, maybe once you get better you’ll remember. Besides we ain’t a hundred percent sure it was C-God. And, Keisha, you make sure to tell Mrs. Wright that it was you that opened your big mouth. E, I’m glad you’re okay, but just concentrate on getting better, all right?”
“Keisha, I’m about to be out. I got a few things I gotta take care of, but I might be back later, a’ight,” said Shana.
“Okay, I’m gonna stay for the afternoon visit, since I ain’t got the baby or no man to run home to,” Keisha replied.
The afternoon quickly turned into evening, and Keisha ended up staying until visiting hours were over. Playing catch-up, she filled Epiphany in on all the drama that was going on in her life and answered whatever questions Epiphany had for her.
CHAPTER 15
Shana had to drive out to her supplier’s house in Staten Island to re-up, which was something she dreaded. She always traveled alone and made sure her transactions were quick. She let it be known that she was always on the move, so her time was limited. Once she safely made it back around the way, she’d arrange to meet with Raina at various locations, so she could hit her off with work for the week.
This time the meeting was at Applebee’s. Shana waited in a booth, watching the entrance and her surroundings at the same time. Finally, Raina came walking in, looking like Babs from Da Band. She was wearing a Rocawear baby tee, a short jean skirt, and some crispy clean tan Timbs.
Representing BK to the fullest, Shana thought as she watched her approach.
“What up, Cream?” Raina was the only person who still called Shana by her hustlin’ name.
“Chillin’. Excuse me, waitress, we ready for some drinks or something,” Shana said, flagging down one of the uniformed girls as she walked past.
“Okay, your server will be with you in a minute,” the girl replied.
“Hey, there’s five hundred of them things in the backpack under this table, a’ight,” Shana whispered softly to Raina, getting the business part of their meeting out of the way first.
“A’ight, I’ma handle that.” Raina knew the routine.
“So, what’s good, Raina?” Shana was ready for the gossip.
“Ain’t shit, really. You know me. I’m mostly business, but some baller niggas been coming through the spot lately, and they from out here in Queens. One of them niggas be acting like he checking for me too.”
“Yo, word, they be up in Honey’s like that?” Shana asked.
“Like that, kid. For the past couple of nights or so,” answered Raina.
“I hear that! Get that money. Just make sure it don’t interfere with getting mine,” Shana said, flipping it back to business.
“Yo, I got you, kid. I’m handling my shit.”
“What’s up with Silk? Where she been hiding at?”
“Man, that bitch done fucked around and got her ass pregnant again. She was still doing her thing up in Honey’s until she started showing too much. She home chilling now, out of commission for a while,” said Raina.
“So, what’s up with Chasity? You seen her lately?” Shana questioned out of curiosity.
“Nah, I ain’t really seen her that much, but I heard she still be coming through.”
“Oh, that’s cool,” Shana said, relieved.
“Excuse me. Are you ladies ready to order?” asked the waiter.
Knock . . . Knock . . . Knock . . .
Shana woke up out of her sleep when she heard the knocking at her door. She glanced over at the clock. It read 2:00 a.m.
“I hope K.C. ain’t lose his damn key,” she mumbled as she got out of the bed.
“Yo, Sha, it’s Smitty. Open up,” he yelled.
“I’m coming. Stop knocking on my fucking door like you crazy,” Shana yelled back as she cracked open the door.
“Yo, what up, what up, Sha?” said Smitty in a playful tone.
“K.C. ain’t here, Smitty,” Shana snobbishly responded.
“I ain’t here for him.”
“Then what do you want?”
“Yo, Sha, what’s up? ’Cause I’m saying, you been throwing me a lot of shade lately.”
“Ain’t nothing up.” Shana stepped back to let Smitty come inside.
“Oh, so I’m bugging out then, right?”
“Look, Smitty, I don’t know what you talking about.”
“I’m saying, Shana, every time I come through, you start rolling your eyes, huffing and puffing and shit, like a nigga did something to you. All I wanna know is, what the fuck is up with all that?” Smitty carried on.
“Whatever, Smitty. Look, it’s late and I’m tired, so uhh—”
“Nah, ain’t no ‘so ahhh.’ Just let me finish.”
“What do you want, Smitty?” Shana rolled her eyes and let out a hard sigh, making sure he knew how annoyed she was getting.
“Yo, how’s what’s her face doing?” Smitty said, skirting around the real reason for his visit.
Shana was getting defensive and stared Smitty down. She ignored his question for a few moments, assuming he was asking about Chasity to be sarcastic.
“Yo, I don’t know who you’re talking about, and honestly I don’t give a fuck, so why are you wasting my time?”
“Epiphany, that’s her name,” said Smitty.
Shana was relieved that it wasn’t Chasity he was talking about, but she still decided not to give up any information.
“What is it to you?” she questioned.
“Nothing really, but since she’s your friend, I just thought I’d ask. Either way, that’s neither here nor there, ’cause that ain’t why I’m here,” said Smitty.
“Then what is the reason?”
“Business, of course,” Smitty replied.
“What business you got to discuss with me?” Shana asked with a puzzled look on her face.
“Your little business down at Honey’s.”
“And what about it?” Shana snapped.
“I hear you’re doing well for yourself down there.”
“Oh, yeah, that’s what you heard?”
“Yeah, that’s what I’m hearing. I hear you done stepped up your game. You saw a little gold mine and handled your business. Instead of lap dancing for that bullshit-ass money you was making, you charging them bitches thirty dollars a pop for E. I’m really impressed.”
“So what you saying, Smitty?”
“l’m saying, I’m trying to be on your team.”
“What team? I ain’t making team money,” Shana argued.
“Oh, really? ’Cause I fucked this stripper bitch a little while ago from Honey’s who said you be making at least ten to fifteen G’s a week. Now, that’s a nice little piece of change. So, since I know your man hates dikes and you’re into girls, you should be looking out for a brother. Say forty percent and I’ll keep your secret.”
“Forty percent of what? You bugging the fuck out if you think I’m giving you my money,” Shana yelled.
“A’ight then, I guess I’ma have to tell K.C., and you know how that nigga feel about that shit.”
“Yo, I can’t believe you, Smitty. If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t be making the money you making now. I helped you out, and now you trying to play me. It’s al
l good, though, nigga. You do dirt, you gon’ get dirt.”
“Oh, I’m so scared. Just see me with that when you collect from Raina on Sunday, a’ight.”
“You’ll get your forty percent. Just go, a’ight. Get out my house.”
Smitty slowly walked out the door past Shana, who was holding it open. She slammed it right behind him. He was kind of surprised at how easy it was to get Shana to agree to his terms.
“You muthafucka!” She stormed into the bedroom and grabbed her cell phone. Her heart raced with anger as she dialed Raina’s phone.
“What’s up, Cream?” Raina answered.
“Yo, what’s up with you putting my fucking business out there like that, and to a nigga you don’t even fucking know?”
“Yo, Cream, hold up. Pump your brakes for a minute, ’cause I don’t know what you talking about,” said Raina.
“Oh, you don’t know what I’m talking about, huh?”
“Nah, and you shouldn’t even be coming at me like this with bullshit,” Raina replied.
“So, you ain’t fuck this kid named Smitty?” Shana asked.
“Yeah, I fucked him, but I ain’t tell him shit. That’s my word. This what happened: The nigga got a lap dance from me a couple of nights ago, right? Then he starts asking me questions, like, do I sell E and who I work for. So I got a little paranoid, and I backs off from the nigga. Then I start asking some of the girls some questions about him. They told me he hustled and shit was gravy with the nigga, so I’m like, cool.
“Now I’m more relaxed around the nigga the next time I seen him, which was tonight. The vibe was good, so I went to the hotel with him; but I swear I ain’t mention your name. That’s my word on everything I love, my son all that. Did that nigga tell you some bogus shit?”
“Yep, but it’s all good.” Shana was pissed.
“Yo, that’s my word, Cream. I wouldn’t do no sheisty shit like that to you, and if you got that nigga’s number, we can straighten this shit out now.”
How you fuck a nigga and don’t get his number? Shana wondered.
“Nah, don’t even worry about it. I’ll check you on Sunday.”
“A’ight, see you then.” Raina hung up.
Now Shana was furious, and at this point she didn’t know what or who to believe. She knew somebody was ratting her out.
CHAPTER 16
Keisha spotted Tucker’s BMW parked in the driveway as she pulled up to the house. She knew he was probably still pissed off at her, but just seeing his car put a smile on her face. She thought that maybe now she would have a chance to finally get some things off her chest. Keisha quickly unlocked the door, put down her keys, and ran upstairs.
“Tucker,” she called out, but he was nowhere in sight, nor did he answer. She ran back downstairs to the living room and walked toward the kitchen. Still no sign of him.
Keisha heard his voice coming from the basement “Bingo.” She took off toward the basement steps and quietly crept down the dimly lit stairwell. When she reached the bottom step, she was greeted by the barrel of Tucker’s gun. Keisha screamed, and they both jumped.
“Damn, Keisha, you scared the shit out of me,” Tucker yelled. “You lucky I ain’t one of them scared shooters, or your ass would have been a goner.”
“I know. You scared me too,” Keisha said, catching her breath.
“What are you doing here? I thought you was suppose to be going out of town liked I asked.”
“I know, but I got classes that I’m trying to make up, Epiphany’s still in the hospital, and I’ve been waiting to talk to you, so—”
“So what, Keisha? I told you to go for a reason. You must wanna end up in the hospital with Epiphany, or better yet, like Mali. Yo, this ain’t shit to be playing with—and where my son at?” Tucker’s voice was getting louder, and she could tell he was getting annoyed.
“Well, ahhh, I sent him with Loretta so he could see Nana, but it’s only for two weeks,” Keisha answered nervously.
“Oh, so you gon’ be like your mom now, huh? Shipping off your responsibilities for somebody else to take care of, is that it?”
The happiness Keisha had felt when she first got home was now replaced by rage. How could he doubt my parenting skills? He was the one running from his family, trying to ship me off. His words cut her like a knife. She burst into tears.
“Tucker, how could you say that to me? I’m not like Loretta. I would never leave my son like that. I am trying my best to be a good mother, considering the kind of mother I had, but I’m doing it. You come and go as you please. It’s me that’s left with all the responsibility. I have a baby to take care of, and I’m trying to finish school. It’s not easy.”
“Keish, you right, its not easy, and maybe I shouldn’t have said that. Matter of fact, I know I shouldn’t have, but I still wish you would’ve went with them just to make sure my little man is good.”
“I know, T, but they all promised to look after him, and if I had the slightest bit of doubt that Li’l T would not be properly taken care of, I would have never agreed to it.
“Loretta has come a long way from being the mother I knew growing up. She proved it during her visit. I see the joy in her eyes when she’s with our son, and I honestly believe that she won’t disappoint me this time.”
“A’ight, Keish, I hope you’re right.”
At this point, Keisha no longer wanted to discuss him and her. It didn’t seem like she mattered to Tucker anymore. He made it very clear to her every time they talked that his only concern was their son.
She stared at Tucker. His clear caramel skin was so beautiful, and his silky black hair waves looked like the ocean. She thought back to how fine he was when they first met. As the years passed, he had only gotten finer. She loved him deeply, with all her heart, and would do anything for a second chance. Unfortunately, the ball was in Tucker’s court.
Keisha headed back upstairs to the kitchen, loaded the dishwasher, and decided to get dinner started. She figured that maybe a home-cooked meal might soften Tucker’s mood, assuming it might have been a while since he had one. Usually, if it wasn’t Keisha or Mom Dukes cooking, he wouldn’t fuck with it.
Keisha made fried chicken, rice, and steamed broccoli. As soon as the aroma filled the air, Tucker came running.
“Damn, Keish, what’s that you cooking?” he said as he rummaged through the pots.
“Help yourself, T. I’m gonna go take a shower and lay down.”
“What, you not gon’ eat?”
“Nah, I made that for you.”
“Thanks. Good looking out.” Tucker piled his plate with everything and went back to the basement.
After Keisha showered, she threw on a large T-shirt and hopped into bed. All types of thoughts ran through her mind—mainly the sex tape and how foolish it was for her to do what she had, not to mention doing it a second time.
After beating herself up over and over again, she thought about how ironic it was that outside of Epiphany, Shana, and her classmate, Simone, none of the girls at the party had contacted her to see how she was doing. What was even stranger was how Simone called her several times, but her other classmate, Lea, didn’t—especially since she felt much closer to Lea. They had three classes together, and Lea hadn’t even bothered to see why Keisha hadn’t been to school in weeks. It all just seemed a bit suspect to Keisha, and the more she thought about it, the more her fingers started to point at Lea, who put the whole shindig together.
Still, how would she get to the bottom of it all? That question boggled her mind until finally, she fell asleep.
About an hour into Keisha’s sleep, Tucker came into the bedroom. He turned on the night light and watched her.
Damn, Keish, why you had to do me like this? I love you so much. You just don’t know how bad you hurt me, girl, he thought.
Keisha was looking real good to him as she lay on her stomach. The covers were down by her feet, where she had kicked them, and from the way her T-shirt rested on her ass, Tucker
could tell she wasn’t wearing any panties. His dick started to get real hard. He didn’t know if he wanted to get back with her, but he knew he wanted her now.
He took off his jeans and slowly crawled into bed behind her. Placing his fingers between her legs, he began to finger fuck her slowly, just the way she liked it.
Keisha started to moan and move to the rhythm of Tucker’s fingers as her juices flowed heavily. She was so horny it felt like she was going to explode.
Turning over, she whispered, “Please fuck me, T. I want you so bad.”
Tucker wanted to fuck her just as bad, but first he leaned over and grabbed a condom from the pocket of his jeans. When Keisha realized that he was putting on a condom, she got offended, because for one, she was on birth control and two, in the seven years they were together, he had never worn one before. The fact that he felt the need to wear one now made her wonder, which one of them he felt the need to protect. Her mind started telling her no, but her body was still screaming a strong yes that she couldn’t ignore.
Tucker started out with slow, deep strokes as he kissed her neck and breasts. It had been a while since the two made love to each other, and they had both forgotten how good they felt to one another. Tucker then started to pound her pussy once he located Keisha’s spot. He always could tell when he was hitting it by the way her pussy would start to pulsate on the tip of his dick.
Keisha knew that once she threw it back and tightened her vagina muscles, it would be a wrap for Tucker. As they both began to cum, Keisha felt like she had died and gone to paradise. She saw the sun, the moon, the mountains, and the rivers. It was heaven, just like Az Yet once sang, but before she knew it, the lovemaking was over and Tucker had rolled over, turning his back toward her as he drifted off to sleep.
Keisha smiled as she snuggled up close, burying her head into his back. She was happy just to have him next to her again and hoped that maybe, just maybe, tonight was the start of a clean slate and he was ready to forgive her, come home, and put all this mess behind them. She closed her eyes and dozed back off to sleep with high hopes.
CHAPTER 17
