by Lucinda John
Maneuvering through the busy roads of the hood, I peeped a few young kids running around in the road unsupervised. Crack heads were on the loose, searching for their next hit, while the corner boys posted up, ready to serve them. The hoes were out walking up and down the sidewalk dressed in slutty outfits, looking to bagged by a dope boy. To them, their biggest accomplishment would be getting pregnant by the nigga with the highest status on the block. Despite the time, the hood never slept. The block was always jumping, and some shit was always popping off.
The further I traveled under the direction of the GPS, the more my scenery began to change. Long gone were the bumpy, unkempt roads, littered lawn, corner boys, crack heads, unsupervised children, and hoes. Surrounded by palm trees, foreign cars, couples walking hand in hand, sipping coffee, I indulged in the sound of the ocean crashing against the shore. Making the right turn as directed, I pulled into the driveway of the tallest building on the block with motherfuckers dressed in red vests running up to my car and shit.
“The valet service is complimentary, sir.” The goofy, white kid smiled at me.
“Back away from my whip, my G. I’ll park my own shit.” Waving him off, I drove past him and his other goofy looking co-workers in search of parking.
After parking on the top floor as instructed, I rode the glass elevator down to the main floor. The moment I stepped into the building, I was greeted by security guards who demanded to know who I was there to see. After giving them the information I was told to, I stood off to the side, taking in the high ceilings, marble floors, and weird looking art pieces that were plastered on all the walls.
“You can go up.” The guard motioned for me to follow him.
Swiping his card, he gave us access to the private elevator that we rode to the top floor in.
“There’s the door.” He pointed to the door that was on the far right end of the hallway.
“Alright.” Swaggering my way to the door, I knocked on it.
“I didn’t think you were going to come for real,” Rea greeted me.
“I told you I wasn’t fucking with anybody but you. Shit, you put this motherfucker on, so you gon’ take this shit off,” I spoke, eyeing her.
Huge frames covered Rea’s eyes as she stood in front of me, casually dressed in a pair of colorful, loose, fitting pajama bottoms with the matching tank top. Her natural hair was pulled back from her face into a long ponytail that swung from side to side whenever she moved.
“Come on in.”
Stepping to the side, Rea gave me entrance to her beautiful home that had an amazing view of the ocean. Everything in her crib was so damn white. It had me feeling like I had walked on the set of a Home Magazine photoshoot.
“This your crib?” I asked, amazed.
“Yup, I own it.” She smiled proudly.
“Damn, ma, you doing your thing.”
“I didn’t buy it.” She chuckled. “My stepfather owns a lot of these homes. When I graduated from nursing school, he told me to pick a place from a list of his properties, then he signed it over to me.”
“You got some good folks.”
“They have their days.” She shrugged.
Grabbing me by the hand, she led me over to the little station she had set-up to remove my cast.
“You sure you can do this shit without us being in a hospital?” I was a bit skeptical about this setup.
“Yes, Miami. Sit down and shut up.” Rea playfully rolled her eyes.
“Alright, you got it, but if you fuck my hand up, I’m suing your ass,” I spoke in a serious tone.
“Yeah, okay… I see why you haven’t called me. Your girls scribbled my number out. It’s nice to see that you and Hennessy are still together.” She smirked.
“Yeah, that’s wifey.” Taking a seat on one of the white marble bar stools, I waited for Rea to do her thing.
Picking up a small saw looking type tool, she placed it at a certain angle against my cast and began to cut at it. The loud whirring sound of the blade cutting against the cast filled the air until she was done. Once my hand was free from the cast, Rea walked over to the kitchen and heated up some water in the microwave.
“In a few days, the swelling should go down,” she spoke as she returned with the bowl of water.
Placing the water on the marble countertop, she tested out the temperature before placing my hand inside the bowl.
“You need to soak your hand in warm water for at least twenty minutes for the next two days,” Rea softly spoke.
“Good looking out, ma.”
“It was my pleasure.” She beamed.
“You mind if I fire up my blunt?”
“Nah, do your thing.” Rea removed my hand from the bowl then carefully patted it dry.
“I’m going to put your hand in a removable cast. Try to keep it on for the next two days, only removing it to take a shower.”
“How much I owe you for all of this?” Taking a few tokes of the blunt, I offered her a hit, which she declined.
“You don’t owe me anything. Consider this one on the house.” Rea licked her lips.
“I appreciate it.”
Silence filled the room with us both lost in our thoughts. The high grade burning through my blunt had me in a zone while I bopped to the imaginary music that played in my head.
“Miami,” Rea whispered, standing between my legs. “I want you so bad.”
Lust danced in her eyes as she pleaded with me to take it there with her. When I didn’t respond to her advances, she pressed her soft lips against mine, sucking the smoke from my lips.
Allowing her tongue to enter my mouth, I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her in close. Throaty moans escaped Rea’s throat, causing my dick to grow hard against my jeans, begging to be freed.
“I can’t do this with you, ma.” Breaking our kiss, I gently pushed her away.
“Why?” Rea whined like a toddler who had just been scolded.
“Rea, look at you and look at me. I’m a fucking hood nigga, and you’re a twenty-one-year-old nurse living amongst the rich folks. I can’t offer you what you deserve, ma. You already know I’m rocking hard behind Hennessy. If I fuck you now, it’s only going to cause some confusion. If the pussy is really good, I might come back through to get some more, but then that would make you my side bitch, and a chick like you deserves more than that,” I truthfully explained.
“Since freshmen year, I’ve had this silly little crush on you.” Rea chuckled. “I would do silly shit like scribble our names in my notebook, planning our wedding, and shit. When I finally built up the courage to talk to you, I was persistent with it. In my mind, I just knew you were going to be mine, then here comes Hennessy, and in a matter of weeks, she was your girl. I had to spend the rest of high school watching you be with her and wondering what if…” Rea stopped, allowing her words to trail off.
“Listen, ma, I didn’t fuck with you in high school because I didn’t like you. Even with them wires in your mouth, you were still bad to me. I decided not to take it there with you because I knew we were from two different worlds. No matter how modest you were, I knew you came from money. Hell, you would come to school whipping a fucking i8. There wasn’t shit a nigga like me could do for you. I wasn’t the type of motherfucker you could bring home to daddy. I’m the type of motherfucker your daddy would warn you to stay away from. I didn’t take it there with you and now look at you, ma. You living the fucking life. I peep the medical books and the school ID badge on the counter that let me know you’re in school getting some more education. You smart, ma, you need to be with one of them goofy ass doctors at the hospital, a heart surgeon or some shit. A motherfucker that’s gon’ make an honest woman out of you, marry yo’ ass, and fill you up with a bunch of trust fund babies. That motherfucker ain’t me, ma, real shit.”
The tears that trickled down her face had me feeling all fucked up and shit. I shouldn’t have memorized her number and called her. I should have taken my ass to one of those free cli
nics to get the cast taken off.
“I understand everything you’re saying, Miami, but know this. You’re more than just a street nigga. You’re smart as fuck too. We had some of the same classes together, and we were always the two students who averaged the highest. You would have been salutatorian if you didn’t curse the damn assistant principal out, telling him you ain’t want that shit because you wasn’t giving no fucking speech. You don’t give yourself enough credit, and that’s sad. Yes, we came from two different worlds, mine being a lot easier than yours, but Miami, we have the power to steer our future. You have the ability to make sure you pave the way for your future children, so they won’t have to go through what you went through.”
“You don’t know shit about me and what I went through, so tread lightly. On the real, I appreciate you looking out for a nigga, but it is what it is. I got a girl, and I’m happy with her. There will never be a me and you, alright.” Standing to my feet, I reached in my pocket and pulled out a wad of money. Even though she said I didn’t owe, I didn’t feel right taking any unpaid favors from her.
“Miami…”
“Just vibe, ma.” I cut her off. “Take the money, kid, we good.”
It was as if time stood still the way we looked in each other’s eyes. I’m not going to front. For a split second, I felt some shit until the sound of her phone loudly ringing and vibrating against the countertop brought me back to reality. Simultaneously, we both looked down at her phone. When I realized the number flashing across her screen belonged to Hennessy, I silenced the ringer.
“Don’t answer for that number. That’s wifey right there. Ignore her calls. If she keeps calling, just block her,” I tossed over my shoulder as I made my way to the door before halting my steps.
“You’re going to be a great doctor someday,” I mumbled as I smoothly made my way out of the door.
“Did you fuck her?” Hennessy was on my ass like white on rice the moment I walked through the door.
“Fuck who?” I casually asked, walking past her.
“Nurse Rea Wilson.” She tried to mimic the way Rea sounded on her voicemail.
“All she did was remove my cast.” Holding my hands up, I showed her that the cast was gone.
“That’s all she did?” Henny pressed.
“What the fuck you want me to say? Tell you I fucked her because I didn’t!” I spazzed out.
“You left the house at eight, and your ass walked back in this motherfucker at midnight, smiling like a hoe. You want me to believe that all you did was got your cast removed?” Henny pressed her fingers against the temple of my head. I could feel her anger radiating from her body; she was 38 hot.
“You came home with a hickey on your neck, claiming your homegirl gave it to you. Your ass expected me to believe that shit.” Leaning my body against the wall, I waited for her to finish talking her shit.
“Really, Miami? What’s the purpose of forgiving me if yo’ ass just gon’ keep bringing that shit up!”
“Shit, this my first time bringing it up.” I looked down at her in amusement. Henny didn’t know it, but she was at her sexiest when she was mad. That scowl on her face had a nigga ready to bend her over.
“Wow, Miami, just wow! So, you fucked that bitch. That weird ass, wack ass bitch from high school! That’s what we’re doing now?!” Hennessy’s nose flared as she went off.
“Listen, shorty, and listen to me clearly… I ain’t fuck that bitch.” Pulling my shorts down, I allowed my dick to spring out. “Smell my shit, shorty.” Licking my lips, I nudged for Henny to get on her knees and sniff my dick.
“You could have showered,” she whispered.
“Do I smell like soap to you or another bitch? Make up your mind.”
“Alright, Miami, I believe you.”
“On some real shit, since I been with you, my only priorities have been getting this money and coming home to you. I started loving you that day you sat down next to me at the park, bothering me and shit. I still love you. It’s always been us against the world, and it’s going to remain that way.”
“I love you, bae,” Henny purred.
“I love you too, shorty. Check me out, though. Show daddy how much you love him,” I challenged, looking down at my dick.
“Say less.” Wrapping her lips around my dick, she topped me off with the perfect combination of slob, suction, and gurgling sounds.
W iggling my naked frame from underneath Miami’s, I reached over for his phone and unlocked it. In all the years that I’ve had his phone password, this was the only time I felt the need to go through his phone. The unsettled feeling that brewed in the pit of my stomach had me refusing to trust his word. With my back against Miami, I quickly scrolled through, searching for signs of his infidelity. Snapping screenshots of the message thread between Miami and Rea, I sent the messages to myself before deleting any incriminating evidence.
Miami’s manly snores echoed through the room as he lay on his back with his dick resting against his leg. Tiptoeing through the closet, I quietly selected a pair of sweats, a tank top, and a pair of sneakers before sneaking into the bathroom to get dressed. Quickly giving myself a hoe bath, I brushed my teeth, washed my face, then got dressed. Slipping a bonnet over my hair, I rubbed some Vaseline on my face just in case shit went south. I didn’t need that hoe fucking my shit up.
“Where you going?” Miami walked past me to use the bathroom.
I watched as piss shot through the head of his dick before replying.
“I need some washing powder to wash our clothes.” I half told the truth.
Yeah, I was going to grab some laundry detergent, but I planned to pull up on Rea’s bitch ass first.
“Yeah?” He glanced over at me while he shook the excess piss from his dick.
“Yup.” I pulled my bottom lip into my mouth.
“This ain’t got shit to do with you going through my fucking phone?” Miami casually walked over to the sink to wash his hands.
“Should I be going through your phone?” I didn’t want Miami to catch me in a lie, so I decided to flip the script on his ass.
“Shorty, stop playing with me.” Miami closed in on me with his dick pressing against my stomach. He gazed down at me. “You better not go fuck with that girl. I already told your ass what was up. I mean that shit, Henny,” Miami uttered before walking away.
Following Miami’s trail, I reached for my bag, keys, and phone while he got back in the bed.
“How long you gon’ be here?” I asked Miami.
“Not long. We just got a shipment, so you already know how that shit goes. Shit, I might make it in late tonight.”
“That’s your word?” I asked, feeling my heart skip a beat.
“Wassup, shorty? Ask me whatever the fuck you got to ask me. Don’t beat around the bush with me, man.” Miami looked over at me through hooded eyes. I could tell he was tired.
“Get some rest. We’ll talk about it later.” Our eyes locked for a few seconds before he rolled over, pulling the blankets over his head.
Backing out of the room, I was on a mission. I had to let Rea’s ass know what was up.
Accompanied by nagging thoughts, I followed the GPS to Rea’s house. When I finally pulled into the building where she lived, I immediately began to feel intimidated. Part of me had hoped I would pull up to some Section 8, rundown apartment. I never expected to be on the beach surrounded by the rich folks. Anger filled my veins as I pushed open the crystal doors and walked down the long hallway, glancing at all the expensive decor that completed the glamorous lobby.
“How may I help you?” the guard who sat behind a huge, cherry oak desk asked.
“Yes, I’m here to see Rea Wilson.” I smiled.
“And you are?”
“Hennessey, a friend from high school.”
“One moment, please.” Picking up the phone that was next to him, he dialed what I assumed to be Rea’s number. Once he got the okay to let me up, he motioned for me to follow him.
“Hennessy, to what do I owe this pleasure?” Rea spoke as she stood in the doorway.
My breathing caught in my throat as I inspected her from head to toe. Standing there in a pair of teal blue scrubs with a badge that read her name and RN written in bold letters attached to the collar of her jacket, I didn’t expect Rea’s glow up to be so real. The once dorky chick in high school had grown up to be one bad ass nurse. For the first time in my relationship with Miami, I felt insecure.
“Are you fucking Miami?” I was direct with the reason behind my visit while looking her in the eye, prepared to detect any lies.
“Hennessy, did you seriously come to my house for that?” She chuckled.
“Ain’t shit funny, bitch. Answer my question. Are you fucking my man or not?” Adjusting myself into a fighting stance, I had my mind made up that I was going to drag this bitch if some smart shit came out of her mouth.
“I refuse to stand here and entertain your childish ass antics. If I fucked Miami, when you decided to pull up to my house unannounced, you would have found him in my bed, sleeping.” Rea spoke with a cocky smile. “The fact that he came home to you says a lot. I’m his nurse, nothing more nothing less. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a twelve-hour shift to prepare for.”
Before I could react, Rea slammed her door in my face.
“Stupid ass bitch!” Hoisting my leg up, I crashed the sole of my shoe against the door, trying to break that shit down. “Come out here, so I can fuck you up!”
“Open the fucking door, hoe!” I continued to bang on the door.
“Ma’am, I’m going to have to ask you to leave before I am forced to call the cops.” The guard appeared out of nowhere.
“Scary ass hoe!” I shouted before filling my mouth with spit and launching it all over her front door. “It’s on sight, hoe! On fucking sight!” While the guard dragged me down the hall, I knocked over anything I could get my hands on.
