A Staten Island Love Letter- The Forgotten Borough

by Jahquel J.

  “Shakira, why the fuck we talking about this shit? What happened to all that shit you were talking over the phone? You got me sitting here with a soft dick when that shit supposed to be rammed down your throat right now.”

  I shoved my dick back into my boxers and got off the bed. “Look at all the fees her assistant sent over, Gyson!” she hollered. I was glad that the girls were at my mom’s crib tonight. All her hollering was giving me a damn headache, so I knew it would have given them one too.

  “When the hell have you ever cared about spending more money?”

  “With this wedding, I know you’re not going to let me keep spending so much,” she felt the need to let me know. Last we spoke about the wedding, I told her to chill on it.

  “Wedding?”

  “I’m getting ahead of myself. We’re actually planning the engagement party. My parents want to throw it as a gift to me, and then we’re gonna dive into the wedding soon after.”

  “I’m not rushing into marriage,” I calmly told her as I pulled on a pair of jogging pants. “We just got engaged, let that shit sink in for a moment.”

  “I’ve been letting it sink in for ten years and two kids. I think I deserve to fucking plan the wedding of my dreams without my future husband telling me to let it sink in!” she screamed.

  “I’m not doing this with you.” I replied and walked out the room.

  She followed me down the circular steps still talking shit and I ignored her. I was tired of hearing her mouth. It was always about Shakira and what she wanted. Never did she ever ask me what I wanted or how I felt. I was the nigga paying all the bills and making sure she stayed in the newest shit, yet she couldn’t take ten minutes out of her day to ask me how the fuck I was doing. I grabbed the keys to my Bentley and walked out the door into the garage.

  “And then you go leaving without talking to me. Gyson! Stay here and talk to me.” I already slid into the driver’s seat and pressed the garage opener to open the doors. She banged on the glass and begged me to talk and I ignored her.

  Where you at? I sent Staten a text message.

  At Priest crib.

  I raced out the garage and headed to Priest’s crib. Hearing Shakira’s mouth wasn’t an option tonight. She was bickering and hollering about shit like the money was coming out of her account. The fact that she didn’t see anything wrong with what she was doing to Free was what shocked the fuck out of me. How the fuck did she think this woman made her money? It wasn’t the fact that it was Free either. If it was anybody else, I would have felt the same way. It didn’t take me long to make it to Priest’s crib. I killed my engine and walked right in.

  “I knew you were about to come through… where my six dollars, Justice?” I heard Staten’s loud mouth.

  “Whatever, I need this money for my eyebrows,” she laughed.

  “Six dollars? That’s why they crooked.”

  “Fuck you. I’m out, I have to get ready for work in the morning.” she yawned and pushed the plate on the empty spot for me. “It’s Chicken Parm.”

  “Let me walk you out,” Priest licked his lips and walked out through the garage door. I sat down and took a bite out the chicken. The shit was on point, so I continued to eat.

  “Justice and Priest?”

  “I said the same thing. He claim they just friends, but shorty was over here cooking dinner for him and the girls when I got here.”

  “Hmm.”

  Justice came in and locked the door behind him. “Good right?”

  “What I want to know is what the hell going on with you and Justice?”

  He smirked. “We chilling. She comes over and helps Kiss with her school work since she doesn’t want to return to school right away.”

  “That’s all?”

  “For now, yeah. She got a man and won’t let me cross the line.”

  “Nigga, she crossed the line when she woke up in your bed, then showered and came and Netflix and chilled with you and the girls,” Staten disclosed.

  “Oh, it’s like that?”

  “According to her, she’s serious about her man so I’m trying to respect that. I’m cool with being friends until I’m ready to be more.”

  “Nigga, you want to be more right now,” I laughed.

  “She’s not, so I gotta move on her pace.”

  “And what’s going on with Marisol?”

  I shrugged my shoulders. “She came over when Justice was over and got all emotional and shit. She didn’t even come back through to pick Kiki up for cheer practice.”

  “You broke fine ass Marisol’s heart. Let me call her and mend her broken heart with some hard dick.” Staten pulled his phone out. I snatched his phone and sat it beside me.

  “I told you that you’re not fucking my housekeeper. She’s heart broken and will take you up on that offer. Let her chill.”

  “Damn, you always cockblocking… why the fuck you over here anyway? Shakira out shaking her no rhythm having ass somewhere?”

  “Fuck you.” I chewed on the last of the food that was on my plate. “She bitching about Freedom and the prices she’s charging for Shakira changing her mind.”

  “Free riding in that big boy G wagon. I know her prices cost a grip.”

  “She charging like four bands for some shit. I don’t care, I told Shakira to pay it.”

  “You sick?”

  “Shut up. It’s only right. She made Free do mad work and then switched her mind. That woman is owed her money.”

  “Yeah, I feel you on that,” Priest agreed.

  “So, Shakira bitching about it and I’m tired of hearing the shit. At least she could bitch over a home cook meal, but she act like she’s allergic to that damn kitchen or something.”

  “Told you when you decided to lock her down. She’s too pampered and knows nothing about doing for others. She’s so used to everyone doing shit for her.”

  “Free comes from the struggle so she knows what it’s like for us. You see she build herself up from nothing to something. With all the money Shakira spends, she should have a fucking business.”

  “Dead ass.” Staten agreed.

  “I’m just saying. You need to stop allowing her to float around and do nothing. All she do is spend money. The girls are with everyone except her.”

  I heard everything they were saying and agreed with all of it. Still, I had got into this routine where I allowed Shakira to do any and everything she wanted because I didn’t want to hear her mouth. It was a bad habit and I should have stopped it years ago, but I always talked myself into choosing my battles when it came to Shakira.

  “I hear y’all.”

  “Yeah, this nigga gonna go home, let her suck him real good and act like we never had this conversation.” Staten waved me off.

  “I heard some new,” Priest spoke up.

  “What?” I pushed the plate away and wiped my mouth.

  “Free is fucking with Zoe.”

  “Zeek’s brother?” Staten beat me to the punch.

  “Uh huh. I heard one of the little niggas talking about some fine ass woman driving a black on black G wagon with lime green trimming pulled up on Zoe on the block.” My jaw tightened hearing the news. It was one thing to live in the same city as Free, but another knowing she was locked down by a nigga I didn’t particularly like.

  “How the fuck they even meet?”

  “Nigga, I didn’t ask all that. I’m just telling you what I heard.” Priest replied.

  “How you feel about that, G?” Staten looked over at me.

  “It’s not going to last long.”

  “How the fuck you know?”

  “Because I’m getting my girl back.”

  “You forgot you have a whole fiancée? Shakira ain’t letting go of your ass that fast. And if she does, that child support about to be crazy,” Staten whistled.

  “She not stupid.”

  “Yeah, we all think women not stupid until our dumb ass in court yelling child supppportttt?” Priest started laughing and placed m
y plate in the sink.

  “Yo, what was your mother on with this nigga? He really be out here wilding.”

  “I’m just saying. If Free happy with Zoe, let her be.”

  “Nah, she can’t be happy with him,” I confirmed.

  They both shrugged. “Anyway… Kiss told you who the baby daddy is?” Staten switched the subject.

  “Nah, she said she don’t know who it is.”

  “You mean to tell me she was out there giving it up like that? She need to take her fast ass to Maury.”

  “Dead ass,” I agreed. “How the fuck she was out there being so reckless with her life?”

  “She lying. I know she knows, she just don’t want me to know. I find out everything and I’ll find out who he is.”

  “Right now, just focus on getting ready for the baby. She look like she about to drop that damn baby.”

  “In two months,” he informed me. “Justice said she had no problem stepping in and helping her with turning the upstairs guest room into the baby’s room.”

  “Nah, make her ass share a room with her baby. The fuck? Teen mothers in the hood don’t get whole nurseries for their babies,” I told him.

  He nodded his head. “You’re right.”

  “I know I am. She already bringing you home a baby at seventeen. Let her ass hear every cry that baby makes while it’s sharing a room with her.”

  “I hear you.”

  “On the real, I agree with G. She gotta learn just because you got money, she can’t get the easy way out.”

  “So, a nanny while she’s in school is a no?” Priest asked.

  “Nigga, you bugged. I’m not saying make it hard on her, but don’t make it so easy that she bring you another baby in here.”

  “Yeah, I hear you.”

  Let Summer or Rain come into the crib talking about they’re pregnant. Just because they had trust funds and a father with money didn’t mean everything would be handed to them. They would be parents to a kid. How they raised that kid would determine what kind of person they raised. Priest wanted to give his nieces everything to overcompensate for them missing their mother, but he had to realize that Sandy was dead and gone. She wasn’t coming back, and he couldn’t keep doing this their entire life. He had to make an example out of Kiss, or else Kiki and Love would come scrolling up in here with swollen bellies too.

  “It’s your crib and nieces. I’m just giving you some advice that mama would give you. Have you told her?”

  “Nah. Kiss scared to go over there. She been calling for them to come over there too.”

  “She minds well rip that Band-Aid off now. Mama gonna tear her a new one,” Staten chuckled. “She shouldn’t have been fucking.”

  “True.” Priest agreed.

  My phone rang and I laughed. “It’s mama,” I held up my phone, then slid my finger across the screen to answer. “Hey mama.”

  “Hey Gyson. What you doing?”

  “Nothing, I’m chilling with Priest and Staten.”

  “Tell Priest he needs to bring his ass over here. I haven’t seen him or the girls in a bit,” she demanded that I tell him.

  “I’ll tell him.”

  “Okay. So, are you charting a jet to Jamaica or are we flying commercial?” We were set to leave to Jamaica next week.”

  “I chartered the jet already. We’re good, mama,” I laughed. She always worried before we were going to travel. Like promised, I kept my word to take my family on a vacation. Staten wasn’t going because he had some shit to handle, but I was looking forward to being on vacation with the girls, mama and Mirror. It was well overdue.

  “Okay, just wanted to make sure. I’m excited, Gyson.”

  “I know you are. Just relax, I took care of everything,” I reminded her.

  “Alright. Night, love you.”

  “Love you too.” We ended the call and I chuckled because I knew she was worried out her ass since I took care of all the arrangements. I hadn’t told Shakira and knew that I needed to tell her before we left.

  “You told Shakira?” Priest was the first to ask. I could tell they both wanted to ask the question, but Priest beat Staten to the punch.

  “Nah. I’ll tell her when I head home.”

  “Yeah, she gonna flip her shit,” Staten confirmed what I already knew. “You know she gets jealous when you spend time with mama and Mirror.”

  “I’m not trying to hear that right now,” I waved them off. “Good looking on the meal, I’ll get up with ya’ll tomorrow.”

  “Bet,” they replied, and I headed back out the door.

  On the way home I stopped by Wendy’s and grabbed some food to make it seem like I went to grab food and went on a drive. Except, my wheels didn’t stop at home, they were in front of the single-family brick home that belonged to Freedom. I grabbed the bag of Wendy’s and climbed out of the car. Walking up the steps, I rang the doorbell and waited for her to answer. The outside light switched on and then the door opened. She looked shocked to see me standing there.

  “You’re not Instacart with my wine and frozen pizza,” she laughed. “What are you doing here, G?” she folded her arms and stared at me.

  “You know why I’m here, Free… Let me in. I brought food.” I held up the bag of fast food in my hands.

  She opened the door wider and allowed me into her home. Being that she was an interior decorator, I was shocked that her crib had boxes and shit half put up. “Don’t judge me. I’ve been too busy getting everyone else’s house together I haven’t got to mine.”

  “I feel you.”

  “You can go into the living room. My kids are with my mother for the night. They decided I’m too busy and don’t want to talk to me.”

  “Word? Why?”

  “I ran into Mirror the other day at Target. She forced me to go over to your mom’s house and we ended up spending the entire night talking about old times and spending time together. The kids had my assistant bring them to my mother’s house and now they’re refusing to come home until I unpack and set better work hours.”

  “Smart kids.”

  “If you only knew,” she sighed. “I’m trying to get them adjusted, run a business and have a love life.”

  “With Zoe?”

  “Why you in my business, Gyson?” she smirked as she handed me a plate and bottle of water. “My glasses are still packed away.”

  “We need glass plates for burgers and fries?”

  “Yep.” She snatched the bag and grabbed some food and then leaned back on the couch. “Where’s your fiancée? She know you over here?”

  “You know she don’t.”

  “Then why are you over here?”

  “I wanna know how this Zoe shit happened?”

  She rolled her eyes and then tried to avoid the stare I was giving her. “It just happened. You’re acting like I’m your property or something. We’ve been over for years.”

  “Over because you made us over. I didn’t have much say in the matter.”

  “That may be true, but we’re over. I’m free to date whoever I want.”

  “Zoe isn’t who you think he is, Free. All I’m saying is be careful.”

  She sighed. “Zoe has been nothing but nice to me since we’ve met. Him in the streets is a different thing.”

  “What you think? A nigga’s personality in the streets don’t cross over to his personal life?”

  “I clearly remember you in the streets and the grimy shit you used to do… so you’re saying…” she allowed her voice to trail off.

  “It’s not the same, Free and you know it.”

  “You’ve heard things and now you’re trying to scare me. He’s my man and that’s final.”

  “Ight.”

  “Ight?”

  “Yeah, what the fuck you want me to do? Beg you not to be with him? Like you keep saying, you’re grown and got this,” I stood up. I wasn’t hungry anymore.

  Zoe had been known to put his hand on more than a few females. He had a bad temper and it didn’t
matter who was around when he lashed out. I didn’t want Free to get caught into that mess. Truthfully, I wanted to avoid blood to be shed all over the city. If Zoe put his hands on Free, I would have to step into the grimmy man that she has known and I didn’t want to have to do that, but for Free, I would.

  “What time did you get in last night? I tried waiting up for you?” Shakira stood over me with her hand on her hip.

  I stirred from my sleep and winced at the bright ass sun that was coming through our bedroom windows. “Why are you up so early? And get from over me… the hell you doing?”

  “Are you cheating on me, Gyson?” she ignored me and still stood there with a worried expression on her face. “I can’t take it if you’re cheating on me,” she continued.

  I moved her out my way and got up out of the bed. “Ain’t nobody cheating on you. I’m bout to cheat with a bitch that allows her man to sleep,” I mumbled as I went to go take a piss.

  Last night I came straight home after leaving Free’s crib. I didn’t feel like hearing anymore that she had to say. I wanted her and Zoe to be over and it was burning me that she was taunting me with it. Maybe she wasn’t taunting me, but it sure as hell felt like she was. The shit burned to see her be with another man. Yeah, there wasn’t much I could do because I was engaged, but if she told me she wanted us to be together I would end shit with Shakira in a heartbeat. Those words hadn’t left her mouth, so I hadn’t made the move.

  “See, when you say stuff like that it makes me wonder. Baby, the stress is too much, I think we need another getaway with the girls.” She touched her forehead like she had a fever or something.

  “Oh, that reminds me… I’m taking my mother and sister to Jamaica next week.”

  “And you’re just now telling me? You’re leaving me with the girls all alone?” she said in almost a panic. What kind of mother got worried about having to care for her children on her own?

  “Nah, the girls are coming with me.”

  “No, the hell they’re not.”

  “Who you talking to?”

  “You. You’re not taking my daughters to another country without me.” She stood firm with her hands on her hips.