“Great, great. Hey, so is my father in?”
“He is. He actually just got back from lunch. I will tell him it’s—”
“No, can you do me a favor and just put me through? I don’t want him to know it’s me. It’s a surprise.” I lied.
“Aww, how sweet. Sure thing. One moment.”
I waited as the hold music came on, and seconds later it stopped. I took a deep breath, nervousness traveling throughout my body, as I waited for my father’s voice to spill through. My palms were already sweating, so I had to adjust the phone so I wouldn’t drop it.
“Ronald Bailey.”
“Hi… Dad.”
“Rubie.”
“Yeah, so how are you?”
“Need money again? Little boy hasn’t figured it out yet?”
“Dad, he has figured it out actually. He has a job… Wellm he got a modeling job that paid well.”
“Ah, so what’s this call for? I know it’s not to see how your old man is doing, you don’t exactly care about that.”
“I do… I do, Dad. I just… I’ve been really busy with work and trying to stay afloat.”
“So…”
“Yes, I’m calling because I’d like to borrow some money. I just need $1,500, and I swear I will pay you back soon.”
“What’s it for?”
“Groceries, and some other things that need taking care of.” I didn’t feel like going into detail. He was a multi-millionaire; this $1,500 was nothing to him.
“He can’t even afford groceries?”
“Dad!”
“Rubie, either you leave him alone, or I can’t help you. You want to be constantly dragged down by a man, then that’s on you, but you will not use my hard-earned money to take care of a grown ass boy.”
“Daddy, whether I was with him or not, I would still be short on cash!”
“Untrue. You wouldn’t have to buy as much food, and you also wouldn’t be his personal lender. Also, you’d have my support, giving you more time to get your career where you want it.”
My father was right, but I couldn’t just leave Armonn like that. I loved him, and it was more complicated than kicking him to the curb because he was broke.
“Dad, please. What is $1,500 to you?”
“No, Rubie.”
“I hope you know that while I’m starving tonight, you could’ve helped me.”
“No. I hope you know you could’ve helped yourself and in more ways than one.”
Click.
As soon as I closed my eyes to take a deep breath, I heard a ping. Looking at my computer, I saw Mark texted me to go get his Jamba.
Even though I’d rather slit my throat, I got up and headed out to fetch his shit so I could get back to my office and finish up today’s work. He was lucky I didn’t use his card for my own groceries.
“Oh, wow, bye.” I waved to Camarih, who was leaving Jamba Juice. She hadn’t been to this place in a little while.
“I don’t mean to pry, but were you crying? Your mascara is smeared.” She cocked her head.
“Oh shit.” I shielded my eyes out of embarrassment. “I’m sorry!”
“Sorry for what?” She pulled a pack of tissues from her purse.
“I don’t know, I’m so ashamed that I can’t think straight.” I took the tissue and used my phone to clean it up.
“So, you were crying?” She drank some of her smoothie. She got the huge size this time.
“Umm, yeah, I guess.”
“Why? Man problems?”
“Kind of yeah. More like Dad problems.” I chuckled.
“I hate my dad too.”
“Well, I don’t hate him, but he pisses me off. All I asked for was some money for groceries, but no, he couldn’t even do that.”
“What an asshole.”
“I know!” I exclaimed before we both laughed.
“Maybe I can help.” She reached into her purse and pulled out two, one hundred-dollar bills.
“What? No!”
“It’s fine. My boyfriend gave me this money, and I don’t like using his money anyways.” She reached it out to me again.
“Are you sure? He seems crazy, and I don’t wanna get shot at over this.”
“He is, but he’ll think I spent it.”
“Well, okay. Thank you, Camarih. I promise I will get this back to you.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve struggled before too, and I wished someone had helped at times.”
I nodded subtly, taking in her words. I had assumed she grew up with a well-to-do family, but her comment on her father and the one she’d just made now had me realizing I was wrong.
“Again, thank you.”
“No problem.” She sauntered off to her car.
Paying Camarih back was gonna be the first thing on my list. And hopefully getting a real job was on Armonn’s.
Just as I pulled the door to go inside Jamba, a car sped by bumping Eitan’s song, and a smile immediately crossed my face.
Tony Wacko
Later that evening…
I bobbed my head to the latest song Eitan had recorded, as the last sixty seconds played until it faded out. Right when I cut the shit off, I felt the presence of someone in the doorway. When I spotted Brielle’s ass, I shook my head before continuing to shut the equipment down.
“Wouldn’t grant me access to your section the other night, huh?” She sat in the swivel chair at the mixer next to me, placing her purse on top.
“Get yo’ shit off my equipment.”
“My bad.” She moved it. “But let me guess, I couldn’t come up because of your precious girlfriend or whatever the fuck she is.”
“You had it right.” I glanced her way and saw how pissed she was.
“She’s cute, I will give her that, with an okay body, but come on, Tony.”
“Okay body? Cute? Nah, you ain’t talking about mine.” I was speaking facts. Camarih was more than cute, and had a fire ass body, but I was making sure to aggravate Brielle’s hating ass.
“What does she do for you?” Brielle laughed. “Like I don’t get how you could pass up me, and hell even Joy for that. She seems boring.”
“Whatever she is, I like it.”
“You—”
“Aye, but say one more fucking thing about her, trying to be funny, and I’m gon’ cave yo’ big ass forehead in.” I kept my cool, but I was serious.
“What happened to you?” She shook her head. “You used to have fun with different women; took pride in it.”
“Ain’t take pride in shit. It was just I hadn’t found a pussy that could trump all of y’all’s put together, until now.”
“Yeah, I saw.” Brielle showed me the post I put up of Camarih. And nah, it wasn’t my story, it was on my page. Captioned that shit, ‘Hit the Jackpot’. And I did.
Any muthafucka that had the pleasure of laying eyes on Camarih already knew whomever her nigga was, was lucky as shit. “I just want you to give us a fair try before you make any more moves. You flaunting her is a huge slap in the face.”
“Joy said the same shit. I ain’t give a fuck then and surely don’t give a fuck now. Y’all got shit twisted, thinking because you made a nigga nut here and there, that I gave a fuck about y’all asses.”
“Fine. How about a farewell session?” She dropped down to her knees, reaching for my belt buckle.
“Nah, this her dick.” I grabbed my shit and smiled at the fact that Brielle was fuming.
Hopping up, she yelled, “Well I know for sure no bitch can fuck you like I can!”
Just as I was about to reply, I saw Camarih in the doorway, looking mortified.
Fuck.
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She Gave Her All to the Hood’s Finest 4 Page 29
