Three Is A Crowd

by Chenell Parker

  “Let’s eat so we can get a game of spades going,” Phil said after a few minutes of silence.

  The tension was thick and he was trying to slice through it. He and his frat brothers had disagreements all the time but it never went further than that. He didn’t know what was up with Max but Memphis clearly wasn’t feeling him. After a while, they all ate and played cards like they usually did. He was happy to see that things were back to normal and everybody was having a good time. Memphis seemed to be in a better mood and he was enjoying himself. When it started to get dark, Phil got up to put the food and drinks away. When his cousin, Monica, walked into the yard carrying daiquiri’s, he knew that the party was gonna last just a little longer. Monica called him earlier to see what he was doing. He knew that when he told her that Memphis was there, she was going to make her way to his house.

  “What’s up with you stranger?” Monica asked as she looked over at Memphis.

  “I can’t call it,” he replied as he looked at her through low, hooded eyes.

  Memphis had been smoking and drinking for hours and he was feeling nice. When Monica came sat next to him, he welcomed her company. Monica was the same chick who Jersi had seen him at the restaurant with a while ago. She was his fuck buddy for a while until he started kicking it with Jersi exclusively.

  “I’m surprised to see you here. You’ve been on lockdown for the past few months,” Monica said.

  “Yeah, well I’m free now,” Memphis replied.

  “Can you come over tonight?” Monica asked him.

  “Just tell me what time,” Memphis replied.

  “Shit, we can leave right now,” she said excitedly.

  Sex with Memphis was not something that she could even describe. The man was gifted in the bedroom with a body that was as close to perfection as God could make it. He knew her body damn near better than she did. She never had to worry about walking away unfulfilled. She loved the feel of his piercing’s in her mouth and inside of her. She was a little down when he told her that he was in a relationship. They had been kicking it for months and he never seemed to want that with her. Monica was cool with it but she was happy to hear that he was a free agent again.

  “Give me a few minutes,” Memphis said as he got up and walked into the house.

  He let Phil know that he was leaving right before rejoining Monica outside. Max smiled as he watched the two of them walk out of the yard together. It was over for Jersi and he couldn’t be happier.

  “What happened with your relationship?” Monica asked as they walked to their cars.

  “Some shit that I really don’t feel like talking about right now,” Memphis replied.

  “Understood and I won’t bring it up again,” Monica said as he opened her door for her to get in.

  “I’ll be right behind you,” Memphis said as he jogged over to his truck.

  Monica was excited about what was to come. Memphis might not have been much in the looks department but he made up for it with his body and sex appeal. Lots of women wanted him but he was selective about who he chose to entertain. After his wife died, he seemed to not want to get serious with anyone else. That’s why Monica was shocked to know that he had settled down with someone else. She didn’t know nor did she care about why they broke up. It was her loss and Monica was happy to be benefitting from it.

  As soon as they parked in front of her house, she hurriedly opened the door. She kept the lamp on in her living room so she was able to see when Memphis walked in. Monica wasn’t in the mood to play games. She knew what she wanted and so did he. As soon as Memphis walked up to her, she dropped to her knees and started undoing his belt and pants. He was hard as a brick when she pulled his erection out and gently stroked him.

  “I missed this so much,” Monica said as she used her tongue to tease the head.

  The taste of his pre-cum had her ready to get nasty with it. Memphis hissed when she spit on his dick before taking him all the way to the back of her throat. His hand gripped her shoulder length wrap and he thrust his hips forward. Something about the feel of his piercings in her mouth turned Monica on. She was trying to suck the life out of him as her head moved faster. Memphis always smelled so good and that made the experience more pleasurable. He moaned in pleasure and Monica was ready to taste his candy when it spilled out of him.

  “Damn Jersi,” Memphis moaned, not realizing his slip up. When Monica pulled him out of her mouth and stood up, he was wondering what was wrong.

  She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and fixed her disheveled hair. It was obvious that she was done, so Memphis pulled up his boxers and jeans.

  “Maybe you should try to reignite the old flame before you jump into a new fire,” Monica said.

  “What?” Memphis asked in confusion.

  “My name is Monica, not Jersi,” she replied angrily.

  “Shit, my bad sweetheart. I didn’t realize I called you that,” Memphis replied.

  Truthfully, Jersi was who he thought about the entire time she was pleasuring him. He didn’t even realize he’d spoken her name but he obviously did.

  “It’s cool Memphis. Your breakup is obviously new, so I understand. I can’t put myself in a position to get my feelings hurt again though,” Monica said.

  “I respect that,” Memphis nodded.

  “You still love her?” Monica asked.

  “Too damn much,” he admitted.

  “Well, put your pride to the side and go get her. Sometimes people have to fall apart to realize how much they need to fall back together,” Monica said.

  “I appreciate that Monica. I have a lot to think about but I’ll be good,” Memphis replied.

  He gave Monica a friendly hug before he walked out of her front door for the last time. He had a lot of respect for her and how she handled the situation. She still had his dick on her breath while encouraging him to be with the woman he loved. It didn’t get any more real than that. As bad as Memphis wanted to take her advice, he just didn’t know where to start. He was never good at apologizing, especially if he hadn’t done anything wrong. Vance had been inviting him to come visit his church again. For the first time in months, Memphis was going to take him up on his offer.

  “Y es! Yes! Yes! They got that bastard!” Dray yelled excitedly as he talked to Sassy on the phone.

  “They got who sweetie?” Sassy asked.

  “Donovan. They arrested his crazy ass in Florida hiding out by one of his relatives. One of the detectives just called me. I’m so excited,” Dray yelled.

  “So am I honey. I’ve been so nervous for you knowing that he was still out there somewhere. We have to go celebrate,” Sassy replied.

  “Yes bitch, we are going out to celebrate. Food and drinks on me. Maybe I can finally get Jersi out of this damn house,” Dray said.

  “Ain’t no maybe about it. She’s getting her ass up today. I’m tired of seeing her looking like death warmed over,” Sassy replied.

  “Me too. I’ll do wardrobe and you’re on hair and makeup. Be here in an hour,” Dray ordered.

  “You got it boo,” Sassy replied before he hung up.

  Dray couldn’t contain his excitement until he rushed into Jersi’s bedroom to deliver the good news. His condo was empty and back on the market. He had been staying with his parents until he found another one. Since Jersi and Memphis broke up a month ago, he had been staying with her so that she wouldn’t be alone. Besides work, Jersi didn’t do anything but cry and sleep. Dray hated to see his baby going through it like that but he didn’t know how to make her feel better. Her only company had been the seven foot teddy bear that Memphis had purchased her for Valentine’s Day. Jersi had aced her senior accounting test and wasn’t even happy about it. Fifteen people took the test and her and another lady were the only ones who passed. Besides Carter, Jersi would be the only African American to hold the position. She was the only black woman and Dray thought that was an amazing accomplishment. They were giving them a promotion dinner in two weeks and Jer
si didn’t want to go. She would be making six figures before she turned thirty and she was acting like it was nothing.

  “This is driving me crazy Jersi. You have to get up baby. I hate seeing you like this,” Dray said as he laid down in the bed next to her.

  “What time is it?” Jersi asked in a whisper.

  “It’s almost four and you need to get up. Sassy is coming over and we’re going to get food and drinks,” Dray replied.

  “I’m not hungry,” Jersi mumbled.

  “Yes you are. All you eat is crackers and fruit. You’re gonna waste away in here. I got good news and I can’t even share it with you,” Dray said as he got up and turned on the light.

  “What good news?” Jersi asked as she shielded her eyes.

  “They caught that bastard Donovan!” Dray yelled excitedly.

  “Oh, that’s good,” Jersi said unenthusiastically.

  “Ugh, I hate the new you. You passed your test and you don’t even care. We both have something to celebrate and we’re doing it. You’re getting your ass up out of here today. I’m about to find you something to wear and Sassy is coming to do your hair and makeup,” Dray fussed.

  “Dray, no. I don’t want to go anywhere. I just wanna stay inside with Memphis and sleep,” Jersi whined.

  “That bear is not a real person. I can’t believe you named the damn thing Memphis. You are really losing your mind girl,” Dray said.

  “Good, maybe that’s what I deserve,” she replied.

  An entire month had passed since Jersi and Memphis had broken up and she was a mess. She called him every day but he never answered or called her back. When she couldn’t sleep at night, she would send him long messages about how she was feeling. Jersi went to work but that was all that she did besides sulk. Everything that happened was her fault and she took full responsibility for it all. Her need for revenge caused more damage than it was worth. Not only did Memphis leave her, but lots of others things happened as a result. Mariah lost her baby and her parents barely talked to the Harding’s anymore. She regretted not listening to her mother and just walking away from it all. She should have let karma take care of Blake and Mariah but she was too impatient to wait. Now, Blake was blowing her phone up and texting her messages of love. He didn’t know that Jersi had no intentions of ever being with him and that was something else that she regretted. More than likely, Mariah found the used condom that she’d purposely left in the car just like she wanted her to. He was talking about getting a divorce and Jersi wanted to die. She made a lot of stupid mistakes that changed everything. It was too late for regrets but she had lots of them.

  “Get up. I’m sick of this shit. You’ve sulked long enough and I’m over it,” Dray argued as he pulled her up from the bed.

  He shoved her into the bathroom and started the shower. Jersi just stood there but he wasn’t playing with her ass. When he started trying to undress her, Jersi finally snapped out of it.

  “I can undress myself,” she fussed as she slapped his hand away.

  “Okay, well do it. Take a shower and get rid of that foul ass breath. I’ll call Ariel to see if she’s free to come with us,” Dray said before walking out of the bathroom.

  He grabbed Jersi a pair of ripped high waisted jeans with a fringed crop top. He found some cute fringed booties to match along with a few accessories. Once Jersi handled her hygiene, she got dressed and tried to get back in the bed.

  “No ma’am. Sassy is on his way and you will not be in the bed when he gets here,” Dray said while pulling her up.

  Jersi sat in the chair while he made the bed up. He tried to take her bear to the spare bedroom but she wasn’t having it.

  “No, leave him here,” Jersi yelled as she snatched the huge keepsake from her brother’s hands.

  “Lord help me,” Dray hissed as he continued to clean up the room.

  A few minutes later, the doorbell rang and he rushed to go see who it was. He smiled when he saw Sassy and he quickly ushered him in.

  “Where’s our patient?” he asked after he and Dray gave each other air kisses. Sassy had his makeup bag in his hand looking like he was really about to perform surgery.

  “She’s in the bedroom about to flatline. Seeing her like this is so depressing. I didn’t have to witness it when her and Blake broke up because she was away at college. I just feel like crying for my baby,” Dray sad solemnly.

  “My poor baby doll. Don’t worry though honey. We’ll get her back to her old self in no time. This too shall pass,” Sassy said, trying to be the voice of reason.

  He and Dray walked into the room and found Jersi slumped down in the chair. The lighting in her room wasn’t the best, so Sassy pulled her into the living room to do her makeup and hair. Jersi’s hair was naturally curly, so he put some mousse in it and gave her a cute, curly mohawk. He put some light makeup on her face to cover the dark circles and bags under her eyes. After putting some nude gloss on her lips, Jersi looked like a chocolate goddess.

  “Aww, you look beautiful sister,” Dray said as he held the mirror up for Jersi to see her reflection.

  “Thanks,” Jersi replied sadly.

  Admittedly, she did look beautiful but her insides didn’t match her outer appearance. She felt like crawling back in her bed and crying herself to sleep again.

  “That must be Ariel,” Dray said when the doorbell rang.

  “Hey y’all,” Ariel smiled as soon as the door was opened.

  They were all dressed and ready to go, so she didn’t even come inside. They all piled into Sassy’s G-Wagon and headed to the restaurant for food and drinks. As soon as they were seated, Dray was ready to abort mission and go back home. Had he known that Memphis and Jersi’s first date was at Drago’s he would have never suggested they go there. She got all sentimental about it and had been crying ever since.

  “Jersi please stop with the tears. People are looking at us like we kidnapped you,” Dray fussed.

  “It’s okay sugar plum. I understand,” Sassy said as he dabbed her eyes with a tissue.

  “We can’t go nowhere or do nothing without something reminding her of Memphis. If I drink a Heineken she’s crying because that’s his favorite beer. You can’t mention the gym because Memphis is a personal trainer. It’s bad enough that I have to watch her damn near molest the bear that she named after his ass,” Dray ranted.

  “Stop being insensitive Draymond. We’ve all been through heartbreak and we know that it’s not easy,” Sassy reasoned.

  “I’m sorry for crying all the time but I can’t help it,” Jersi sniffled.

  “It’s okay baby doll. Take your time and cry as much as you want to,” Sassy smiled while rubbing her hand lovingly.

  When the waitress came over with their drinks, Dray raised his glass like he was making a toast.

  “To Donovan being caught and hopefully getting violated and gang raped in prison,” Dray said, making Jersi laugh.

  “That’s what I like to see. Show us that beautiful smile,” Sassy said as he sipped his mango margarita.

  “You’re gonna get through this sis. I won’t have it any other way,” Dray said as he smiled at her.

  “Well, I have some tea that is probably too hot for us to sip,” Sassy announced.

  “Spill it honey. Tea is always best when served hot,” Dray said as he gave his best friend his undivided attention.

  “Well, according to my siblings, I’m about to be a big brother again,” Sassy announced.

  “I know you better be lying. Eva can’t have any more kids, so I already know what that means,” Dray exclaimed.

  “Yes darling, my dear old daddy is still spilling his seeds all over New Orleans. Supposedly a nurse at the hospital is three months pregnant with his baby,” Sassy noted.

  “Does your mother know?” Ariel asked.

  “She always does. It’s not like she’s gonna leave him anyway. I’m sure they’ll sweep it under the rug and throw some money to his mistress every month. They did the same thing with Brie
lle, but I wasn’t having it,” Sassy said, referring to his fifteen year old sister.

  “Braxton is too damn old for all that. It’s fucked up how he throws money at the women and thinks that’s enough. He don’t even try to have a relationship with the kids,” Dray fussed.

  “Eva ain’t having that honey. Outside kids don’t fit into her perfect little life. In her eyes, those kids don’t even exist. I know the feeling because she feels the exact same way about me. It’s all good though. I’ll be in this baby’s life the same way I’m in Brielle’s. It’s not their fault that our father is the way he is. Blake is on track to be just like him. He’s fucking half the nurses at the hospital where he works too. Poor Mariah is really going through it,” Sassy said making Jersi feel guilty.