by Ashley
Days passed and London still hadn’t gotten the chance to speak with Kalil. She hadn’t been able to contact him since the day she last saw him. Her husband had been extra suspicious of her. Things between her and Jake only worsened. He had told her that he had to keep her trained, and it seemed as though the beatings came more often and without provocation. The blows that he inflicted on her left bruises that were deep red, and it hurt her badly to even touch them. The physical abuse had become too much for her to bear. She was broken mentally, spiritually, and physically. The only thing that kept her sane was the thought of Kalil.
She swore that as soon as she got the chance to call him that she would leave with him.
Jake controlled every aspect of her life. He didn’t allow her to have her own bank account, so she had no money. She didn’t have any family in the States, so Jake was her only family. She felt like a slave in her own skin, and it was breaking her down. The only time Jake let her leave the house was to teach dance, and the only reason he agreed to that was because he beat her unconscious one time and that was his way of apologizing.
She was tired of living her life in fear and she desperately wanted out. She hadn’t been allowed out of the house, and when her husband wasn’t home he locked all of the doors and windows with a key that only he possessed. She felt like a prisoner in her own home. She was like a dog that Jake had trained to fear him.
London searched frantically for the piece of paper with Kalil’s phone number. Her hands shook uncontrollably as she pulled her panty drawer from the dresser and looked underneath, where she had it safely taped. Oh my God, it’s not here. I know I put it here, she thought to herself as she got on her hands and knees to make sure that the paper hadn’t fallen to the floor. Where is it? I have to get out of here, she thought as tears began to surface and flow freely.
She tore her room up looking for Kalil’s telephone number, but she knew that she had only hidden it in one place. He found it. Oh my God, he found it, she thought as tears of trepidation seized her.
She needed Kalil now more than ever. All she wanted to do was be with him. He had shown her a happiness that she had never felt before and she yearned to feel that way again with him. She didn’t know how or when, but the first opportunity she got to run away, she was going to take it.
Kalil was eager to get in contact with June. He had called him a couple days ago to see if he was trying to do business, but he had gotten his voice mail. He was awaiting the return phone call. He knew that business with June was going to put him back on top, where he was supposed to be.
“Yo, you sure you know this nigga?” Quinn looked at his cousin with a serious expression on his face.
Kalil sensed a little bit of jealously from Quinn. He knew that Quinn wouldn’t be too fond of the fact that he was doing business with someone other than him. “Yeah, from what I know, my man is good. Besides, this is a one time flip. One last run and I’m out,” he explained.
I’ve been asking this mu’fucka to get back in the game since he got out, and he been telling me no. Now he jumping at the opportunity to do business with this D.C. cat, Quinn thought silently. There was a bit of jealousy in his heart, but he wasn’t going to stop Kalil’s hustle. That was his family, and he knew that he was doing what he had to do.
“Let me know if you need to put me on.”
“I think I’m gon’ do this one solo, fam, but you know I’m gon’ look out for you afterward. You been holding me down since I got out the joint. You ain’t showed me shade even once, and you welcomed me to your car, crib, clothes, whatever I needed to get by. I appreciate that, and I’m gon’ look out for you. This is about to be both of our paydays, trust me.”
“It’s about time you took your throne back anyway, show these niggas who the king of New York is.”
“Nah, man, it ain’t even like that. I’m doing this so that I can blow this fucking city. As soon as I get off parole, I’m gon’ take Jada and London and get out of here.”
“London? Damn, cuz, you feeling ol’ girl like that? Didn’t you say chick was married?”
“Yeah, man, but I’m feeling shorty, and her situation ain’t what you think it is. She a different type of woman. She with me even though I ain’t got shit to offer her. When I’m with her, she makes me feel like a man . . . her man, like she’s proud to be with me, son.”
Quinn smirked and shook his head from side to side. “Damn, she got you out here caking it,” he joked.
“Nah, fam, it ain’t like that. She just built for me, and Jada love her, so I can’t lose. I just got to get this money so I can take care of my daughter and her.”
“I hear you, yo.”
Kalil knew that the type of money he was about to come into could change his life for the better. He definitely planned on investing in a business so that he could flip his money the legal way, and he wanted to start a family with London and provide Jada with the best of everything that money could buy. All he needed was for June to hit him back so that he could get the ball rolling.
He decided to go and pick up his daughter. He hadn’t discussed his plans of taking Jada away with Destiny, and he knew that he would need her permission before he did. He took the 6 train to 125th and walked the remaining distance to Destiny’s home in Harlem. He told himself to be cool when he saw his baby mama. He still hadn’t forgiven her for what she had allowed to go down with Fatboy.
He got out the car and walked into Destiny’s house. He didn’t bother to knock, since he was the one who had purchased it for her in the first place.
Kalil snuck up on Jada, who was in the kitchen standing on top of one of the dining chairs, trying to reach for something on top of the refrigerator, and scooped her in his arms. “Boo!” he shouted loudly as he picked her up and lifted her above his shoulders.
“Daddy! You scared me,” she said as she held onto the top of his head.
He put her down. “Where’s your moms?”
“She in her bedroom,” Jada responded as she climbed back onto the chair.
Kalil patted her lightly on the bottom. “Get down before you hurt yourself. What you reaching for, anyway?”
“The Fruity Pebbles. I’m hungry.”
Kalil grabbed the box of cereal off the top of the refrigerator and set it on the countertop. He then opened the refrigerator door and pulled out a gallon of milk. He checked the date and noticed that it was expired. He looked to see what else Destiny had to eat, but the refrigerator was bare. “You ain’t eaten all day?” he asked his daughter.
She shook her head no.
I’m gon’ fuck Destiny’s ass up. Fuck is wrong with her? “Go watch cartoons, baby girl. I’ll take you out to eat in a minute.”
He walked down the hallway and found Destiny’s room door slightly cracked, her room trashed. Kalil had to hold his breath just to stop himself from gagging at the funky scent of stank pussy and dirty laundry. He’d never known Destiny to be trifling. She had definitely changed since the days that she was his wifey.
“Des, wake up.” Kalil tapped her shoulder. He pulled back the covers, and what he saw hurt his heart. Destiny’s badly burned lips were still wrapped around the blackened crack pipe that she gripped in her hand.
His heart dropped to his stomach as he sat down on Destiny’s bed. He hadn’t even noticed that she had developed a crack habit. How the fuck did I miss this? Even though they weren’t together, he still didn’t want to see her like this.
“Des, baby, wake up.” Kalil lifted her head and rested it in his lap. He felt as if somehow this was his fault. I should’ve been here for her, he thought as he watched her stir out of her sleep.
She opened her eyes and sat up frantically when she saw Kalil looking down at her. She immediately jumped out of bed and started swinging. “Don’t touch my baby! You sick bastard! Why’d you touch my daughter?”
“Destiny, chill out!” Kalil screamed as he grabbed her and bear-hugged her tightly to prevent her from swinging at him.
“Fatboy, why’d you touch my daughter? I should kill you, you fat, nasty bastard!” she screamed as she cried frantically and her knees went weak. She would have fallen to the floor if it hadn’t been for Kalil standing behind her, holding onto her tightly.
“Ssh, Des, it’s me. It’s Kalil,” he whispered in her ear. A single tear slipped down his cheek for the woman he used to love. He’d watched Destiny grow up from a little hot girl chasing ballers on the corner to his baby mother and he still had love for her. He didn’t want her to end up like this. “Shh! It’s all right. Everything’s cool. Just calm down,” he stated as she cried in his arms.
He picked her up and took her into the bathroom. He ran her a bath and then washed her as continuous tears graced her face.
“I’m sorry, Kalil. I’m sorry for everything. You tried to tell me about Fatboy—”
“Des, look at what you let that nigga do to you. You were so worried about him that you stopped taking care of our daughter. She was supposed to come first. Even in his grave he got a hold on you. You feel so guilty because of what he did to Jada that you smoking crack. What? You a junkie now?”
“I can’t help it.”
“Shut that shit up, Destiny. You can help it. You know I can’t let Jada be around this, right?”
“Kalil, please don’t take her away from me,” Destiny begged.
Kalil shook his head from side to side. “I have to, Destiny. I can’t let my daughter come up in this environment. In your heart you know that it’s the best thing for all of us right now. I’ve been gone for too long. Let me be a father to my daughter. We’ll work on you getting better, and I’ll never stop you from seeing Jada, but I can’t let her live with you. I have to keep her safe. I never told you this, but I feel guilty too. If I had been in Jada’s life, then Fatboy would’ve never had the opportunity to put his hands on her. He wouldn’t have had the opportunity to get his hands on my woman, for that matter. I fucked up when I got sent upstate. Now I’ve got to make this right.”
Kalil lifted her from the bathtub and wrapped a towel around her body. “Now it’s time for you to take responsibility for your actions and be a woman, okay?”
For the first time since he was released, Destiny didn’t argue back. She nodded her head in agreement. “I love you,” she whispered as she held her head down to her chest.
Kalil lifted her head with his finger. “Des, you are the mother of my child. I’ll always have love for you, but it’s not like that anymore.”
Kalil escorted Destiny to the hospital and checked her into a rehabilitation center, and with Destiny’s blessing he left with his daughter.
As he headed back to Quinn’s his cell phone rang. He checked the caller ID and smiled when he saw June’s name flash on the screen. His restless wait was brought to an end. He answered, “What’s good, fam?”
“You, baby! I’ve been trying to get at you, my nigga. I need to discuss something with you. You ready to handle that?”
Kalil knew that June was talking about business and he was more than ready to get his paper right. “Yeah, I’m wit’ it. When can we link up?”
“The sooner the better.”
“How many you need?” Kalil knew that it really didn’t matter. All he had to do was make one phone call and he would be blessed with the bricks.
“We’ll talk. Meet me at Central Park by the pink in two hours.”
Kalil snapped his cell phone shut and scooped Jada into his arms. “Life gon’ be much better for us, I promise,” he stated as he headed back toward Quinn’s.
“I’m telling you. If you supply the bricks, my man is willing to pay thirty-five a joint.” June rubbed his hands together. He and Kalil had met up at the park to discuss business.
Kalil watched as Jada ran anxiously to the play area, where other kids were playing. He reluctantly had to bring her along because he didn’t have time to drop her off before the meeting. As he sat in the passenger side of June’s cocaine-white Lexus, he listened as his old friend told him about his buyer from D.C.
“Thirty-five a brick?” Kalil knew that he could get the bricks from Hova at twelve apiece, which could turn a $22,000-profit off each one sold. Kalil began to get the old itch that he used to have. He knew the feeling too well, the feeling of coming up on some serious cash.
“Yep. It’s a drought going on back home. Niggas can’t get their hands on anything good. Cats are paying top dollar for quality dope right now. I know you have a plug on the bricks and this would be a come up, nah mean?” June looked over at Kalil.
Kalil’s mind began to race. He glanced at Jada playing on the swings as he thought about what he was about to do. He did the math in his head and realized that he could make a lot of money off just one transaction. “How do you know this cat is serious? Have you dealt with him before?” Kalil asked as he began to play mental chess.
“No doubt. He goes by the name Mateo. I hooked up with him about five years ago, during a bid in Sing Sing. He’s a Dominican mu’fucka with long paper. He actually wanted more than thirty, but he wants to see how good the quality is. I told him you had the connect on the best the streets has to offer. When I said you were connected with Hova, he wanted in pronto!” June replied as he was growing more excited by the moment.
“And what do you get out of all of this?” Kalil asked, knowing that June wasn’t going to just plug him in without a finder’s fee.
“Ten percent, my nigga, of what he spends. So that would be . . . one hundred and five thousand,” June said while he smiled at the thought of making some much-needed money.
Kalil respected the rules of the streets and knew that ten percent wasn’t a bad due. He weighed the options in his mind, and his conscience had its own session of tug-of-war. I have to get out of Quinn’s house and provide a place for my daughter by hook or crook. Just this one flip and I’m out . . . I’m out, Kalil thought to himself as he remained silent. “It’s a wrap. Contact yo’ man and tell him I’ll have them on deck,” Kalil said as he slowly nodded his head.
“That’s what I’m talking about. Let’s get this money fam!” June said as he reached out his hand and slapped Kalil’s palms. Kalil could see the urgency in June’s eyes. It was the same look Kalil used to have when in pursuit of money.
“I’ll hit you as soon as I get them,” Kalil said as he exited the car. He was about to get paid so he could take care of his daughter and provide for London. He knew that London was meant to be with him and he wasn’t going to let a financial problem be the reason why he couldn’t be with his soul mate.
“Come on, baby girl, it’s time to go,” he said as he reached out his hand for his daughter.
Jada put her hands on her tiny hips. “Already, Daddy?”
“Yeah, Daddy got to take care of business, but I promise I’ll bring you back soon, okay?”
“Okay.”
Jada joined her father as he hailed a cab to make it back to Quinn’s house. Kalil was about to drop her off with Roxi and prepare to make his final power move. “Let’s get it,” Kalil said to himself as he thought about seeing Hova, the man with the “keys to the city.”
London sat at the one end of the long dinner table, while Jake sat at the other. The large dining room was silent and she picked at her food as her mind raced.
“Jake, when can I go back to the school?” London knew that if she could get to the school then she would be able to contact Kalil.
“You’re not going back to the school. I think that we need to concentrate on our marriage. That school is a distraction to you.” Jake calmly picked up his champagne flute and sipped some Dom Pérignon.
“I need to go back, Jake. I love that school. It’s the only way I can dance,” she pleaded. Out loud she was pleading to dance, but in her heart she was pleading for him to let her out so that she could run to Kalil. She could feel her heart breaking more with each passing day.
“You heard what I said! Why are you so adamant about that damn ghetto-ass school? You’re not going bac
k there,” Jake stated sternly.
London dropped the subject and decided to approach the situation differently. She could no longer afford to reason with her husband. He’d become too brutal and abusive toward her. Living was no longer what she did. She was surviving, because she knew that it wouldn’t be long before Jake lost his temper and killed her. She was going to turn the tables on him. I have to be the wife that he wants me to be. If I don’t, he will never let me out, she thought to herself.
“I’m sorry, Jake. You’re right. I don’t need to go back there. All I need is you,” London stated with a fake smile.
Jake looked up in surprise as the words slipped from London’s tongue. He had gotten so used to her cold and deviant nature toward him.
“I love you.”
She stood up and walked toward him. The bruises that covered the right side of her face and neck didn’t take away from her exotic beauty.
“I’m sorry, baby. You’re my husband and I just want to make you happy.” She stood directly in front of him.
Jake removed the linen napkin that lay across his lap and wiped his hands on it before running his hands up and down London’s defined hips and thighs. She had the body of a voluptuous stripper, but was toned like a prima ballerina. The feel of her soft skin caused a bulge to form in his Armani slacks.
London winced from his touch. Her entire body was sore, but she knew what she needed to do. “I miss you, Jake. I miss how you make love to me,” she whispered as he stood to his feet, running his hands up her body as he arose. He didn’t say a word, but London knew that she had him right where she wanted when she saw the lustful look in his eyes.
“Jake, fuck me,” she whispered as she took his hand and led him up the stairs. She removed a piece of her clothing with each step that she took until she reached her bedroom. She then began to undress him.
“Hmm,” he moaned as he kissed her aggressively while she stroked his penis.
She pushed him down on the bed and straddled him.
