by T. N. Baker
What if he gave me something I can’t get rid of, like herpes, or maybe even AIDS?
Shana loved K.C., and through all his wrongdoing, she was still trying to hold on, but if he had given her some kind of sexually transmitted disease, she would never be able to forgive him. Sure, he fucked around, but she dealt with it as long as he respected her enough to at least use protection.
She kept her discomfort from K.C. and held out from sex for a couple of days, hoping it would go away, but it didn’t. She didn’t know which was worse: fighting off K.C., or trying to soothe the irritation with every coochie cream Duane Reade, CVS, and Rite Aid carried.
Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore, so she went to the clinic to find out what was wrong. Going to the department of health was embarrassing, especially since it was located on Jamaica Avenue, and everybody hung out on the Ave, so the chances of not being seen were slim.
Shana paced back in forth in front of the building for about ten minutes before she went inside, but that was the easy part. The hard part was not running into a familiar face while inside the waiting room, because more than likely if you were there, it was to treat an STD of some kind.
She quickly scanned the room as she walked over to the front desk to get a number and fill out a questionnaire. She was relieved when she didn’t recognize any of the faces.
The wait was about an hour before her number was called. Inside the office, the doctor handed her a few STD brochures and asked her all types of questions regarding her sexual history before asking her the nature of her visit. After explaining her discomfort, Shana was asked if she’d like to be tested for HIV.
“No, I just want to know what’s causing my irritation,” she quickly responded. Shana would not want to live if she found out she had AIDS, so she declined being tested for the virus.
The doctor didn’t agree with her decision, but she didn’t push the issue. She told Shana to get undressed and lie back on the table.
Shana was so uncomfortable. She was twenty-three, married, and this was her first GYN checkup ever. The doctor told her to relax and talked her through the examination. In minutes it was over, and Shana was told to get dressed and return to the waiting room until the nurse called her for blood and urine samples.
As she walked down the hallway, reading the information the doctor had given her, someone called out her name.
“Shana!”
Shana’s heart dropped when she heard the familiar voice. She looked up and recognized Chasity, dressed in one of those two-piece blue hospital uniforms, as if she worked there.
Fuck, Shana thought. Out of all people and all the places in the world, why did she have to run into her in here?
“Girl, what are you doing in here?” Chasity said as if everything was cool between them.
Shana rolled her eyes and refused to speak at first. Even if they were cool, she thought, That’s the last question I want to be asked right now.
“Listen, Shana, I know you’re probably still mad at me, and I don’t blame you if you are, but I just want to say I’m sorry for the way I acted. I was just a little hurt, you know. Besides, I put dancing and all that other bullshit behind me ever since Scar was killed.”
“Scar is dead? What happened?” Shana asked.
“I don’t really know what happened. I wasn’t at the club that night. Supposedly she left with some guy who, for whatever reason, nobody was able to identify and was later found butt-ass naked in a dumpster not far from the club, with a slit throat,” said Chasity, getting teary-eyed.
“This happened at Honey’s?”
“Yeah, about a month ago.”
“Wow, I’m surprised I didn’t hear about that,” Shana said.
“I’m not. Don’t nobody care. To them she’s just another trick, but to me she was a good friend. You know, I actually have custody of her daughter, Starlavee, now. She’s six.”
“Oh, okay. I’m sure you’ll take good care of her,” Shana said.
“Yeah, me and my boyfriend are raising her together.”
“Boyfriend?” Shana was surprised. She couldn’t believe her ears.
“Yes, I have a man now. He’s much easier to handle than . . . you know.” She laughed.
Before Shana could respond, her number was called again. “Oh, hey, that’s me. I gotta go, but you take care. And Chasity, thanks for apologizing.” Shana walked into the nurse’s office feeling like fifty pounds had just been lifted off her chest.
The nurse took her blood first, then handed her a cup and asked her to go to the bathroom and bring back some urine. Once she brought the urine sample back, the nurse gave her a pregnancy test, and in minutes, a negative result came back. Unfortunately, her discharge sample came back positive for Chlamydia. The nurse told her that it was a sexually transmitted disease, but the good news was it was curable. She gave Shana an antibiotic injection and informed her that it would take up to five days for her blood work to come back from the lab confirming whether she had any other STDs.
It took a lot to break through Shana’s thick skin, but she had just reached her limit with the bullshit. With tears streaming down her face, she wasn’t gonna take it no more. She lost herself a long time ago, fucking with K.C., but loving him was no longer worth her dignity. She put up with his ass whippings, his verbal abuse, and even his cheating. K.C. owed her more than this, because she had always been there for him. Being that down-ass bitch wasn’t cute no more.
CHAPTER 34
Epiphany was enjoying her time with Wild so much that she didn’t want it to end. In twenty-four hours they had already managed to do so much. He had bought her a Burberry bikini to swim in, amongst other things they had picked up during their shopping trip. They also played video games and spent half the night talking. Her stay felt more like a mini-vacation away from the hood, and it made her realize just how much she was ready for some changes in her life. Being with Wild was a different experience for her. He wasn’t the cutest nigga, but he had the means to expose her to a whole new world, not to mention the other qualities she required: money, money, and more money!
Wild grew up on the rough streets of Newark, New Jersey, doing the norm—stealing cars, robbing niggas, and hustling. Even though he was fortunate to make it out of the hood, Epiphany admired the fact that he was still street, unlike some niggas who were quick to switch to that Hollywood shit. He also had other characteristics that she admired, like his confidence, sense of humor, and of course, his big feet and hands (assuming the myth was true).
Wild was feeling Epiphany’s personality, which she worked to the fullest. He felt comfortable around her. She didn’t appear to be fake, like most of the bitches he came across during his success. Plus, she could relate to his struggles, and to top it off, he found her absolutely gorgeous.
Sitting out on the patio, smoking weed, Wild entertained Epiphany with crazy stories about the music industry. Quite often, he found himself staring at Epiphany. To him, her beauty was such a natural one that it made a nigga weak at the knees.
“Epiphany, can you sing?” he asked, thinking that if so, she’d definitely give Beyoncé a run for her money.
Epiphany couldn’t help but blush. “Sing? No!”
“Come with me.” Wild took her by the hand and led her to his studio.
“I can’t sing,” Epiphany repeated.
“So, half of the singers out now can’t sing. Just go in the booth and sing something into the mic when I tell you to, a’ight?”
Epiphany never had a problem with shyness, but she didn’t want to embarrass herself.
“Come on, girl. Fuck around and you could be the next J Lo,” he said, cracking a smile.
“Okay, here goes nothing.” She entered the booth with her all-time favorite song in mind—“Be Happy” by Mary J. Blige.
Wild fumbled with a few buttons on the mixing board before he gave her the okay to sing. Epiphany closed her eyes, tried to catch the tune in her mind, and opened her mouth.
Ho
w can I love somebody else/if I can’t love myself enough to know when it’s time/time to let gooooooooo. Okay, that’s all I’m giving you of my Mary rendition.” She laughed.
“All right then, that’s cool. Let me see what I could do with that,” said Wild.
He tried but was unsuccessful in improving Epiphany’s vocals using every voice enhancement key on his computer.
“Ahhh, don’t go quitting your day job. A’ight?” They both laughed.
Epiphany was having a lot of fun with him, but all this fun was making her horny. She wanted him bad, and felt as though she would die from lack of dick if he didn’t make a move soon.
She wasn’t used to being around a guy for more than ten minutes that didn’t try to fuck her. Wild was in the entertainment business, so Epiphany had already assumed that he wouldn’t be pressed for pussy, since all types of chicks probably came at him. One thing was certain from his hard-on in the bed last night: he was definitely attracted to her. Still and all, Epiphany wanted to maintain a respectable “Take home to Momma” type of image, so she fell back on initiating sex of any kind.
Wild sat in his plush leather chair, staring at Epiphany; then out of nowhere, he pulled her closer to him and started to fondle her body as though he had read her mind. Epiphany straddled her legs across his lap and stuck her tongue in his mouth, for their first real kiss.
Damn, he can kiss, she thought as his tongue motion flowed with hers perfectly.
Wild started to undress her right there in the studio. He went to unbutton her shirt but noticed some resistance every time he made an attempt to remove it.
She didn’t want him to go there, but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she just redirected his focus by getting down on her knees and releasing his manhood.
Thank God the myth does apply. She opened her mouth and took in as much of his thickness as she possibly could. He was so big that she could only fit half of his dick in her mouth. Just like any pro, Epiphany was up for the challenge. She was determined to taste every inch of him, licking down the sides of his stiffness as he moaned and she lubricated his dick with her saliva, stroking her small hands up and down the base.
Wild couldn’t take it any longer. He wanted to feel inside her walls. “Ahhh, man, wait! I want some pussy, ’cause I know it’s good.” Lifting himself up just enough to pull a condom from his back pocket, he passed it to her and smiled.
Epiphany stood up and unfastened her Seven jeans. Stepping out of them, she slowly rolled the magnum down on his horse-sized dick and was ready to ride.
“Wait. Let me see you play with yourself.” Wild prolonged insertion as his way of teasing her.
Epiphany smiled. She knew the game and played it well as she leaned back on the mixing board and started to lick on her fingers until they were shiny from her saliva. Then, cocking her legs up, she slid two of her fingers inside of herself and began to move them in and out of her pussy.
“Ummmmmm,” she moaned as her pussy became drenched with juice. Withdrawing her fingers from inside of her, she inserted them in his mouth. Wild sucked on them like they were Popsicles and then dove in head first between her legs for more.
“Ooooh, I wanna cum.” Epiphany breathed heavily.
“Don’t cum yet. I want you to sit on my dick and cum.”
Without holding back, Epiphany mounted his manhood and slowly stroked him, not quite ready to endure the pain it would’ve cause if she slammed down on it right away. Once her pussy walls adjusted to his fullness, it was on and popping. She worked it, popping her pussy, bouncing up and down on his dick like a wild woman, until they both exploded.
CHAPTER 35
Tucker was having a hard time getting used to being without Keisha, but he knew moving on was the right thing for him to do. Besides, Leanne was a nice girl with a good head on her shoulders, and she somewhat remind him of Keisha.
He had met her two years ealier, when she came down to North Carolina with her cousin, Josae, one of Mali’s jumpoffs. The two hit it off and maintained a platonic relationship for a while, until one day Leanne invited him over to her house because she needed to talk. When he got there, she tried to seduce him. Tucker found the whole situation flattering, but at that time, his heart belonged to Keisha, which he explained from the beginning. Embarrassed and rejected, Leanne felt it was best if they ended the friendship, and he agreed.
News of Malikai’s death had brought her back into his life. Everything was falling apart for Tucker. Leanne saw an opportunity and went for it. She became the shoulder he needed to lean on, gave him moral support, and made him a priority in her life.
Her support kept Tucker sane, and for that he was grateful. So, when she arrived at his front door with her bags, he welcomed her with open arms, although he still felt he needed time to get over Keisha. Leanne moved in and wasted no time “de-Keishanizing” the place, getting rid of everything that had Keisha’s name or face on it. The bedroom was repainted, the bathroom and kitchen redecorated, and every picture of Keisha was boxed up.
Tucker wasn’t really happy with the sudden changes she made or her taste, but he understood her reasons. She wanted to help him take his mind off the past by all means.
There was one thing she couldn’t erase: his son. Tucker missed his little man so much, and without him around, every day was very hard for him. His biggest fear was not being able to be a part of his son’s life, and to keep that from happening, Tucker knew he had to make peace with Keisha. Little man’s first birthday was a week away, and Tucker wanted him home for the celebration.
He picked up the phone and dialed Keisha’s cell phone.
“Hello.” She answered on the second ring.
“Hey, Keish, how’s everything?” he asked.
“How do you think?” she answer snidely.
“Look, Keish, I ain’t call to fight with you, okay? I just wanted to know how you was doing and when was our son coming home?”
“I don’t know when I’m bringing my son home. I’m homeless, remember?”
“Yeah, well, you know his birthday’s next week?”
“I know. I’m the one that had him.”
“Keisha, cut out all the sarcasm, a’ight. Are you gonna bring him home or not?”
“That’s all you care about, huh?”
“Keisha, he’s my son.”
“Well, you know what, Tucker? When you gave up on me, you gave up him. So if you’re not calling me to come back home, then he’s not coming home either.”
“Yo, Keish, what’s wrong with you? It’s been over a month since he’s been gone. He probably don’t even remember us. You think you’re getting back at me with your bullshit, but you’re punishing him too. I never thought you could be such a fucked-up person, Keisha, but I swear to you, if you think you’re gonna use my son against me or even try to keep him from me, I will fucking kill you. Do you hear me?”
“Is that a threat, Tucker? You’re gonna fucking kill me, huh? Well, come on, muthafucka. Kill me, ’cause you ain’t never gon’ see your son again. We’re a package deal, sweetie, so if I ain’t got you, then you ain’t got a son. You got that? Besides, I heard you got a new girl. Tell her to give you a fucking son and leave mines alone!” Keisha screamed right before she slammed down the phone.
Tucker was hot with Keisha. He tried calling her back, but she wouldn’t answer her phone. He buried his head in his hands, thinking how Keisha must have really lost her mind if she thought he was gonna go for her bullshit.
“Baby, are you okay?” asked Leanne after overhearing his conversation with Keisha.
Tucker let out a hard sigh as he lifted his head. “Nah, she’s trying to keep me from my son now.”
“What! Baby, you can’t let her do that to you. You’re his father, and you have just as much rights as she does. What you need to do is just go get him,” Leanne suggested.
“I just don’t know why she had to go and fuck up everything,” said Tucker.
“Well, baby, everything happens
for a reason, and at least you found out her true colors before you two got married. Now, are you gonna sit here and regret what you can’t change, or are we gonna go get your son?” She ran her fingers through Tucker’s hair and secretly hated the fact that he still had feelings for Keisha.
“What would I do without you?” Tucker stood up and gave her a tight hug. “Come on. Let’s go get my little man.”
CHAPTER 36
Epiphany woke up and instantly went into a funk after overhearing Wild booking a flight for L.A. leaving that night. Her little vacation with him was over before she was ready for it to be. She wondered if he would ever call her again and hoped that her time spent with him wasn’t a complete waste, because yes ,she had a great time, but she wasn’t doing it for nothing. Epiphany wanted to be rescued from the hood by a wealthy knight in platinum armor and live glamorously and happily ever after. That was the ghetto fairytale she was hoping for.
“Good morning, beautiful,” Wild said as he plopped down next to her on the bed. Right off the bat, he sensed a bit of attitude by the way she twisted up her lips and cut her eyes at him. “What up? You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’m okay,” she lied.
“You don’t seem okay, so tell me what’s wrong.”
“Nothing. I just overheard you making travel plans, and I guess I wasn’t ready for it to be over with us,” Epiphany said.
“Oh, so it’s over between us?” Wild questioned.
“I don’t know. You tell me,” she answered.
“Nah, as long as you don’t want it to be over, it ain’t.”
“And what do you want?” Epiphany asked.
“Well, first I wanna know why you won’t let me kiss on your tits.”
“Wild, come on. Be serious!”
“I am serious. I wanna know why every time we had sex, you did everything to deter me from seeing them.” He thought that maybe she had gotten a bad boob job or something of that nature.
Epiphany’s eyes started to tear up. He was right. She did stop him from removing her shirt every time they had sex, but it wasn’t because of her tits. It was because of the ugly scar she was hiding. She really didn’t know how she was gonna to explain it. Slowly removing her shirt, she thought of an explanation.
