Three Is A Crowd

by Chenell Parker

  “Yep, fine and ugly,” Jersi countered as her cousin laughed.

  “He was staring you down,” Ariel noted.

  “Nope, I’ll pass,” Jersi replied.

  Since they were done, she and Ariel went to the front of the store and got into one of the long lines. Thankfully, the lines were moving quickly and they made it up to the front in no time. When Jersi looked back and saw that the man who helped her was in line behind them, she looked in his basket to see what he was buying. It was only four cases of water, so she discreetly told the cashier to add it to her total. It was the least that she could do to show him her appreciation. Once they were done, she and Ariel headed outside to the car. They spotted Dray standing in the parking lot talking to an unknown woman. When they started to load the bags into the truck, they were interrupted momentarily.

  “Thanks for the water. You really didn’t have to do that,” the mystery man said as he walked over to them.

  “It was the least I could do to show my gratitude,” Jersi replied.

  “Let me get those for you,” he offered as he grabbed the rest of the bags and put them in the trunk of her car.

  “Thanks again. I’ll always owe you one if you keep doing stuff for me,” Jersi joked.

  “That doesn’t sound like such a bad thing to me,” he flirted with a wink.

  “Well, happy holidays to you,” Jersi said.

  “Thanks beautiful. Same to you,” he replied before walking away.

  Jersi was happy as hell that he didn’t ask for her number or nothing like that. Since he saved her from busting her ass on the hard floors, she would have felt obligated to give it to him. He wasn’t horribly bad to look at but she wasn’t interested. He had thick, full lips that were considered big by most people’s standards. His caramel completion was smooth and tattoos littered both of his muscular arms. His hair was cut low and he had lots of waves. His body was a work of art and that earned him a few extra points. From the neck down he could make any woman fall in love.

  “Bitch! I told you that he was interested,” Ariel yelled.

  “Maybe he is but I’m not,” Jersi replied.

  “I mean, he’s not the cutest but he might be nice,” Ariel said.

  “I’m sure he is,” Jersi replied dismissively as Dray walked back over to them.

  “Who was that Dray?” Ariel asked him.

  “I just met her. Who was that putting the bags in the trunk? That nigga was fine,” Dray noted.

  “He was but Jersi doesn’t think he’s cute,” Ariel said as they got into the car.

  “I agree but he has lots of potential,” Dray replied.

  “Potential for what? You think you’re the teacher, so school us,” Ariel teased.

  “Get it right bitch. I’m not the teacher, I’m the principal. His body gets an A plus but his face should be sent to detention. But still, he does have lots of potential despite his less than flattering looks,” Dray said making them both laugh.

  “Enough about him. What’s up with your new prospect?” Jersi questioned.

  “She won’t be a prospect for long,” Dray smirked with a wink.

  Jersi laughed as Ariel asked her brother a million more questions while she drove to her mother’s house. Once she dropped everything off to her, the three of them went to get food and chilled at Jersi’ house for the duration of the day.

  M ariah smiled as she watched her husband and daughters in their bed playing around. Married to a doctor. She still couldn’t believe it herself. Not many girls from the hood could say some shit like that. She’d gone from living in the projects to the palace with top of the line clothes and cars. The old Mariah who used to sleep with dope boys for money was replaced with a classier version. She no longer hung out in the hood at parties and card games. The long weave and nails were gone and so was the grill. She missed getting high but it was a small price to pay for her new life. Reinventing herself was a must. She was the wife of a doctor and that’s how she had to behave. Of course, people from her old neighborhood started hating on her but that was to be expected. She had moved up in the world and some of them were still in the same place they were in before she left. Hood rats were all that they were destined to be. Marrying Blake was one of the best things that she had ever done and she didn’t regret it. Even better than that were their twin girls, Blair and Bleu, who she had to thank for the huge rock that was sitting on her finger. She loved her husband dearly but she knew that it was because of them that she got it.

  “We need to start getting ready before we’re late. You know Eva will have a fit if we are,” Mariah said as she discreetly rolled her eyes.

  It was no secret that her mother-in-law wasn’t very fond of her as if she gave a damn. Eva was team Jersi all the way and that’s who she wanted her son to be with. When Mariah got pregnant, that derailed her plans and she wasn’t too happy about that.

  After seeing Blake at her father’s house with Jersi all those years ago, Mariah did some research on him. When she found out that Blake came from a wealthy family and was going to school to become a doctor, she was ready to put in some work. Coincidentally, her friend Karma’s husband, Josh, was also a pre-med student at the time. Mariah met Karma and a few other ladies at the nail salon years ago and they all hung out occasionally. It was like an act of God when Josh told her that he and Blake were classmates and unintentionally gave her all the info that she needed. She got Josh to invite him over to their house one day and she took it from there. Damien had gone to jail and she needed another sponsor. Blake was naïve, so a bomb ass blow job was all it took to make him temporarily forget about Jersi. It only took about two weeks before they started having sex. Mariah showed him all her best tricks and had his head gone in no time. He started lying to Jersi just to be with her and things were going good for a while.

  Then, out of nowhere, he tried to break it off with her claiming that he loved Jersi and felt bad for doing her wrong. Mariah was pissed but she quickly got over it. When she missed her cycle, she already knew what was up. She’d stop taking her birth control pills and her plan worked like a charm. Blake was excited to be having a baby and he and Jersi were a done deal once she found out. It was the best day of Mariah’s life when she found out that she was having twins. Blake’s mother hated her from day one but she was the one who suggested marriage. She didn’t want her son ruining their good name by having babies out of wedlock. They had a small service in his parents’ backyard and it had been sunshine and rainbows since then.

  “Okay. Get them ready while I get dressed,” Blake replied, pulling her away from her thoughts.

  “Come on girls. It’s time to get dressed,” Mariah said making her girls jump up from the bed.

  The twins had just turned three two weeks before and they were the best thing to ever happen to her. They looked just like their father and he was crazy about them. They secured Mariah’s future and she loved them even more for that.

  “Can we go by Mimi today?” Bleu asked, referring to Blake’s mother.

  The twins spoke well thanks to the private daycare that they were enrolled in. Blake paid a lot of money for them to attend at his mother’s insistence. The place had been around for decades and all of her children and her husband attended when they were younger. Mariah was home every day, so it didn’t make any sense to her. Now, all she had to do was look pretty all day since they hired somebody to clean for them three times a week. She didn’t cook very often because they always went out to dinner. She was living the life that most women could only imagine.

  “We’ll see Mimi in a little while. We’re going to Thanksgiving dinner and she’ll be there,” Mariah replied.

  She hated when the Bradford’s hosted the dinners because she didn’t feel comfortable at their house. They never made her feel that way but she just didn’t feel right being around her husband’s ex-girlfriend’s family. It didn’t help that Jersi was always around too. Even if the dinner was by her in-laws, she knew that her husband’s ex was go
ing to show her face. The family’s were close and had been that way since forever. Mariah would never voice her opinion to her husband because that would be a losing battle.

  Mariah got her girls dressed before she got herself together. Her closet was full of designer labels and she always made sure to look her absolute best before she went anywhere that Jersi would be. There was no way that she was going to let her husband’s ex catch her slipping.

  “Do you wanna take your car or mine? We’ll have to move their car seats if you want me to drive,” Blake said once he was done getting himself together.

  “I’ll drive,” Mariah replied as she grabbed her purse and ushered her girls out of the house.

  They walked to her silver Lexus SUV that her husband had just purchased for her and strapped both girls in their car seats before driving off. She knew that Blake’s parents were already there because his mother had called asking for the kids. Mariah wanted to go see her father too but she knew that Blake would never agree to go. He despised her father but she never knew why. She didn’t let his feelings discourage her from bringing the girls to see him though. Since her mother had died eight years ago, her father was the only parent that she had left. Although she hated his wife, she loved him unconditionally.

  It was because of Tabby that her father left her mother and that was just unforgivable in her eyes. Mariah’s mother was beautiful and she just didn’t understand her father’s decision. Marvin was discreet when he cheated on his wife but Tabby made it known that they were messing around. She drove her mother crazy until she ended up putting Marvin out of their house. Tabby wasted no time moving him in with her and her daughter though. Mariah knew that it was Tabby who convinced her father to file legal separations papers because he would have never thought of that on his own. Tabby was even controlling the money and Marvin barely gave his wife anything for the bills. Things got so bad that Mariah and her mother had to move into income based project homes. Her father helped every now and then but it was still a struggle.

  By the time Tabby got pregnant with Jersi, Marvin and his wife had been legally separated for two years. He wasted no time divorcing her and marrying the other woman who was carrying his child. As fate would have it, Tabby was an even bigger hoe than they imagined and the baby turned out to be for someone else. Mariah’s mother was still crushed and she never got over Marvin’s hurt and betrayal. Breast cancer claimed her life when Mariah was twenty years old and she died with a broken heart. Her mother went to her grave hating Tabby and her daughters and Mariah felt the exact same way. That’s exactly why she took Damien from Talena and Blake from Jersi. She wanted them to hurt just as she and her mother had done. Mariah looked like a younger version of Vanessa Williams with the same beautiful hued eyes. Her beauty had always been her gift and she knew how to use it. As much as she wanted to hate her father, she just couldn’t do it. He was her only living parent and she didn’t have it in her. Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for his wife and her kids. Her presence annoyed Tabby and that’s why she made sure to always go around. Blake hated going over there so he never accompanied her.

  “How long do we have to be here?” Mariah asked when she pulled up to the Bradford’s huge estate.

  “A few hours, just like always. You know how my parents are Mariah. The Bradford’s have been like an extended part of our family for years. They do everything together and always have,” Blake replied.

  “I know baby but we have our own family now. Why can’t we start our own tradition?” Mariah asked.

  “This is our family tradition. The Harding and Bradford families have been friends for generations. I can’t be the generation to break that up. If you want to do something the day before or after, I’m all for that. We just can’t do it on the actual holiday,” Blake replied.

  “We have to think of something to do for just the four of us around the holidays,” she suggested.

  “We can do whatever you want baby,” Blake replied making her smile.

  They got out of the car and grabbed their daughters before ringing the doorbell to the Bradford home. In spite of how they got together, Mariah could honestly say that she and Blake were in love. He catered to her and their daughters and got them whatever they wanted. They had an amazing sex life and they got along great. They rarely argued because he always let Mariah have her way.

  “Happy Thanksgiving,” Mariah and Blake said when Dr. Bradford opened the door and welcomed them inside.

  “Hi, y’all come on in. Your Mimi and Papa have been waiting for you two,” he said as he smiled at the twins.

  Mariah and Blake followed him into the huge family room and spoke to everyone. Blake’s oldest brother Braxton, Jr. and his wife, Catina were there as well but no one else had arrived yet. Mariah and Cat were cordial to each other but she wouldn’t say that they were friends. It wasn’t that she never tried but Cat didn’t seem to be interested in a friendship. Blake was very close with his brother and she wanted that kind of closeness with his brother’s wife. Cat was more cool with Jersi so Mariah just had to accept that.

  Over the next few minutes, more family from both sides came over and joined in on the festivities. When Jersi walked into the house, Mariah discreetly watched her the entire time. Jersi’s skin always seemed to glow and she was the center of attention everywhere she went. She spoke to everyone before going to sit at the table right next to Cat.

  “Jersi, you look beautiful,” Eva gushed as Mariah rolled her eyes unnoticeably.

  Jersi had dropped a lot of weight over the years but she still had her curves. The coral colored maxi dress that she was rocking showed them off perfectly. Her curly hair was pulled into a ponytail being held up by a printed scarf.

  “Thanks Ms. Eva. I need to get back in the gym before I start gaining all that weight back,” Jersi replied.

  “How did you lose it? I’m still holding on to baby weight from years ago,” Cat laughed.

  Cat was thick just how Jersi used to be but she was beautiful. Jersi used to call her Kelly Price because that’s who she reminded her of. Cat had full kissable lips and she rocked the cutest bob that Jersi had ever seen.

  “Working out and eating right,” Jersi replied, giving her the generic answer.

  She loved Cat and they often talked on a personal level. But she would never tell anyone that she had no appetite for months when she and Blake broke up. She would never give him and Mariah the satisfaction of knowing that.

  “Okay guys, it’s time to eat,” Dena said when she walked into the room.

  Everyone got up and followed her to the dining room where all the food was set up. Dr. Bradford said grace and everybody dug into the food soon after. Hours had passed and everyone was having a good time. When Dena said something about dessert, Jersi got up and started clearing the food from the table. Cat got up to help her and Mariah knew that it was only so that they could talk in private. They made it a point to exclude her from everything, which was childish in her opinion. Cat was still her sister-in-law, no matter how she felt about it.

  “That is one of the best feelings in the world. How long do you have left?” Jersi asked Cat as they put the food into containers.

  “Six more months and I’ll be a certified elementary school teacher,” Cat beamed.

  “Damn girl. That time passed so fast,” Jersi said as she drank from her bottle of water.

  “Yep. Time really flies when you’re fucking one of your professors,” Cat replied making Jersi spit her water out and cough uncontrollably.

  Cat rushed over and slapped her back to offer her a little comfort. She didn’t think that her sudden outburst would garner that kind of reaction.

  “Shit girl, you almost killed me,” Jersi coughed.

  “I’m sorry Jersi. Are you okay boo?” Cat asked her.

  “Yeah, I’m good. I just wasn’t expecting to hear that,” Jersi replied as she continued to clear her throat.

  “I don’t know why. BJ has been cheating since before we got
married. And before you ask, yes, I knew,” Cat noted.

  Jersi wasn’t about to comment on that because it was no secret that BJ was doing him. Blake used to tell her everything but it wasn’t her business to repeat anything to Cat. She would have never expected that she was doing the same thing to her husband though.

  “How long have you been dealing with him?” Jersi asked.

  “It’s been almost a year now. He knows that I’m married and he doesn’t care,” Cat answered.

  “Your professor though Cat. I couldn’t see myself messing with an old ass man like that,” Jersi frowned.

  “He’s only four years older than I am. He’s actually a high school teacher but he teaches part time at the university too,” Cat noted.

  “Girl, BJ would die if he ever found out. You know how that goes. Them niggas can do their thing but they go crazy when the shoe is on the other foot,” Jersi said.

  “As if I give a fuck. He’s really gonna go crazy when I hit his ass with some divorce papers. And I don’t give a fuck about that prenup that I signed,” Cat replied.