by Chunichi
“What’s up, baby?” he asked again as he wiped the sweat from his face. I was so turned on I had forgotten what I wanted to say. As he rose to a sitting position on the weight bench, I walked over to him and straddled my legs over his. Vegas immediately lifted my lavender Coogi dress and ripped off my g-string. I guess all the lifting had him pumped. I untied the string behind my neck so that my now huge breasts flopped out. Vegas lifted them one by one and licked my nipples.
“What . . . did you . . . want to . . . tell me?” He mumbled between licks. He slipped his penis inside me in one swift motion. I was so aroused I could barely speak. Just as I felt an orgasm coming, I yelled it out.
“Baaabyyy! We’re having a baby!”
The room fell silent and Vegas lifted me off his penis.
“What did you say?” Vegas asked.
“We’re having a baby. Vegas, I’m pregnant, with twins.”
“Damn, baby! When did this happen? How many months are you? Are they boys or girls?” Vegas asked question after question. He was ecstatic. He had everything except a family. I guess on our anniversary I ended up giving him something that he didn’t have after all.
I immediately called all my friends and shared the news. Everyone was just as ecstatic as Vegas. Again, everyone with the exception of Mickie. But just as with the engagement, I refused to let her rain on my parade. Vegas and I were the first couple in the circle to have a child, which added even more excitement to the good news. Tionna would have been, but she couldn’t bring herself to adopt the child that her sister and ex-boyfriend had created together. It was just too hurtful. The child would have been a constant reminder of the deceit, her sister’s death, and the HIV attached. The child was diagnosed with HIV after all. Nevertheless, we were all excited to finally have a baby within the group.
As the days passed, I grew bigger. I was pregnant and proud. I couldn’t wait for five months so that I could begin to shop. I had already chosen names: Anaya and Zanaya Serene Jackson. They would share the same middle name. I didn’t bother choosing boy names, because I was sure I would have girls. Vegas didn’t care either way. He was just happy that I was having his child, or should I say children.
I spent each day watching A Baby Story, Maternity Ward, or reading parenting magazines. I often looked at interior design magazines for ideas for the twins’ bedroom. It was a battle between Pooh and sleeping teddies for the theme. Of course, I couldn’t even work on that until after five months. This self-imposed five month rule was really killing me. There was so much that I wanted and needed to do.
I figured since Vegas and I were going to have a baby, there needed to be some changes. I wasn’t sure how he would take it, but I wanted him out of the game. I figured we could start a business to keep the flow of money coming in. We had plenty of money on hand, as well as a whole lot invested. Asia made sure we all invested our money as it came in. She was like the Suze Orman of the group. That’s how she earned the title Ms. Moneybags. I decided it was time for me to discuss my decision with Vegas.
“What’s up, baby?” Vegas said as he answered the phone.
“Vegas, we need to talk. Can you come home right away?”
“Yeah, ma. There’s nothing wrong with the twins, is there?” Vegas asked, his voice full of concern.
“No, everything is fine. We just need to talk.”
“Okay. I’ll be there in about twenty minutes. Catch my heart,” he said before hanging up.
“I love you,” I responded.
When Vegas proposed he said he’d always send his love and it would be up to me to receive it. So each time he said the phrase catch my heart, I was sure to respond. It was just a simple reminder of the commitment we’d made. Vegas would say it after arguments, when leaving, when getting off the phone, or anytime he felt I needed a little reminder.
Vegas had been wonderful from the time I announced I was pregnant. He was very attentive to my needs. He would drop everything if I needed something or if I didn’t feel well.
Within thirty minutes he was home. We sat down and I grabbed Vegas’ hand, looked him in the eyes, and began to explain.
“Vegas, it’s very important that you are here for our twins. I’m afraid that with the life you’re living there’s only two destinations—jail or dead.”
Surprisingly, he agreed with everything I was saying.
“I’ve been thinking the same thing. To be honest, I was actually afraid to mention it to you because I thought you wouldn’t agree. I shaped you to be high maintenance, and if we had to budget and couldn’t do things like the trips, cars, jewelry and designer wear, I was afraid you wouldn’t be happy.”
I couldn’t believe he thought I was so shallow.
“Baby! I am the happiest woman in the world. There is nothing else I want except security. I want to know that my husband will be home every night.”
“Like I’ve said many times before, I got you and you don’t ever have to worry. I always gotcha back. Now catch my heart, girl.” I hugged Vegas and gave him a passionate kiss.
After talking for nearly two hours, we agreed he would get out of the game. We came up with a plan to keep our income pretty much the same. Vegas didn’t hesitate to agree to the changes. The next step was to make the call to his connect.
“Yo, P. This is Vegas, man. There’s gonna be some changes. I’m out the game. I’m passing the baton to my brothers now.”
Of course, the connect did everything he could to talk Vegas out of getting out, but there was no use. Next, he called his clients to tell them the same. If they wanted to keep business going, they would now have to go through his brothers. He was passing on the empire.
Over the next couple of weeks, we purchased a few laundromats in the area and began remodeling them. We made them larger, cleaned them up, equipped them with a variety of machines, added a drop-off service, a few TVs, a nice bathroom, a microwave, a number of snack machines and video games. We also allowed 24-hour access. Within a couple of months the laundromats were fully operational. They blew up very fast. We had all types of promotions to boost business. Things turned out better than we’d ever expected.
Life was better than I ever thought possible. I was now four and a half months and already huge. It had been confirmed that I was having girls. I knew it! Vegas and I joined a church not far from our home. We were active members and had begun to arrange for the wedding as well as the twins’ christening.
I was counting down the months as they passed. I couldn’t wait until that fifth month so that I could start my shopping spree. There was so much to do in so little time. Vegas and I decided I would take leave from work during my pregnancy, so I had a lot of time on my hands to prepare for the twins’ arrival. Even though I was no longer working, I was always doing things at the church, keeping everything up to par at the laundromats and constantly doing things around the house. Eventually, I had to slow down because I started to feel not so well. I figured that maybe I was pushing myself too hard. Vegas quickly noticed.
“Why don’t you take a break and let me handle things for a while?” he suggested. He would get worried when I started to feel bad. That night, he cooked dinner and we ate in bed. Within a matter of minutes, we were both sound asleep.
Arf, arf, arf . . . Bing, bang, boom!
We woke to the sound of a chaotic terror. Prissy was barking nonstop as we heard noise that sounded like the house was caving in. The huge spotlight that flashed through the bay window blinded me. I didn’t know what was going on.
“You trust me, right?” Vegas turned to me and asked.
“Yes,” I responded.
“Well, I want you to listen to me and do exactly what I say. You know I would never let anyone hurt you or do anything to hurt you. I want you to lie down, close your eyes, and go back to sleep. When you wake up, everything will be okay.”
I trusted Vegas. He never let me down before, so I did just that. I had no intentions of going to sleep until I knew Vegas was safe, but I did cl
ose my eyes as he had asked me to do. I began praying to God for our safety as all the commotion went on outside my bedroom doors.
“I love you,” Vegas whispered and kissed me. Then, he walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.
I could hear people coming from every direction, stomping up the stairs, slamming doors, and tossing things everywhere. After a few minutes, the house was silent. I walked in the hall and watched as Vegas walked to the foyer with his hands up. He stood still and spread his legs. The men ran toward him and Vegas laid on the ground slowly. This was it . . . the moment I had been dreading our entire relationship. They were there and taking my husband-to-be away from me. I cried silently as I helplessly watched.
“Keep your hands up! Don’t move!” A dark, heavy man walked up and cuffed Vegas.
“Laymont Jackson, you have the right to remain silent . . .”
The rest of the words were a blur. I felt faint as I watched the men escort Vegas away. Vegas looked back at me.
“Catch my heart, baby. Catch my heart.” His lips motioned as a single tear rolled down his face. The men pulled him and eventually all I could see was the reflection of the letters FBI on the back of the men’s jackets.
The next day, I sat by the phone and waited to hear Vegas’ voice, but he never called. A day later, he called right after breakfast. He sounded worse than I had ever heard.
“What’s up, baby girl?” he said in a low, dismal voice.
I couldn’t respond. I just burst into tears. Vegas felt terrible.
“I’m sorry, C. I know I let you down.”
“You said you would always take care of me, Vegas,” I said forcefully. “You knew this was my worst nightmare and you didn’t prevent it from happening.” His goal in life was to keep me happy and secure, and he failed.
“I never meant to let you down, Ceazia.” I could feel the hurt in Vegas’ voice. “I turned my life around. I did everything you asked of me. This was out of my control, baby. I would never do anything to hurt you.”
I tried to be strong for him, but I just couldn’t.
“What about our twins being without their father and me without a husband? There is no way we can do it on our own.”
Like always, Vegas had a plan.
“Baby, I need you to get it together. I need you to stand behind me. Everything will be okay. I need you to go downtown and speak with my lawyer. He’ll know exactly what to do.”
Vegas was charged with conspiracy to traffic and distribute a controlled substance with Leonardo Figueroa. That was Red’s real name. I knew something was up with Red from the day I met him, but I couldn’t understand what the authorities had against Vegas. He had been out of the game for months, and he hadn’t spoken to Red in even longer.
The next day, I headed for the attorney’s office. Once again, I was in the same elevator, pressing the button for the eighth floor. I never would have imagined I would be taking that trip again. As I walked in, I gave the receptionist my name. It was like deja vu.
“My name is Ceazia Devereaux. I have a two o’clock appointment.” Right away, I was called to the back. Again, I stood at the door nervously as I avoided eye contact with the handsome, pale man before me.
“Have a seat, Ms. Devereaux,” he said invitingly. It seemed like he didn’t even recognize me, or at least he acted as if he didn’t. He already knew why I was there, so he basically told me the game plan and the price.
“It seems like Mr. Jackson has gotten himself in a little bind. I’m sure it won’t be a problem to get a deal for two years in a program. The Feds only have a few photographs of him with another dealer in Mexico and some other places, but no real hard evidence. They didn’t recover any drugs or money from the home, and all the money in his accounts traces back to a legitimate source,” the attorney explained.
“The only reason Laymont is being held is because narcotics had a big drug bust in Park Place and some of the small fish ratted on the big fish to shorten their time. With the help of those guys, they were able to build a tree of all the dealers in the area. Laymont, along with Red, Bear, and a few other guys, were at the top of the list. After they got all the small fish off the street, they forwarded the information to the Feds so they could get the big fish. You shouldn’t worry, though. Laymont will be home in no time,” the attorney assured me.
The attorney sounded confident. There was no doubt in my mind things would be okay. I pulled out my checkbook.
“Sounds great. How much will all this cost me, sir?”
“Because this is a federal case, we’re looking at ten thousand.”
Without any hesitation, I wrote him a check in the amount of ten thousand dollars and left.
As soon as I walked into the house, the phone rang.
“Hello,” I answered.
“Hey, baby. What’s the deal?” Vegas asked after I accepted the collect call.
“Everything sounds good, baby. Your lawyer says there’s no need to worry. At the most, you’re looking at a couple of years in a program.”
“What?” Vegas said angrily.
“Two years, baby. What’s wrong with that?”
“That just won’t do, baby. I can’t settle for that. Who the fuck is going to be there for you and the girls?”
“We can manage, baby. Things could be worse.”
I told Vegas about the bust they had out the way and their intentions to work out deals with the small hustlers so they could get to the big hustlers. Vegas was well aware of the tree. The Feds actually showed him the list when he was in interrogation. He went on to tell me about his experience.
“Yeah, they showed me all that shit during interrogation. They kept asking me about some guy out of Jamaica. They’ve been following this nigga and his family for years. They were on his ass, but that nigga got smart. The Feds are having problems tracing the money. Without an exchange in money and drugs, there’s no way they can pin him. They did seize a ship once, but that led them to a dead end.”
As Vegas told me the details of what the Feds had said, my heart froze with fear. Oh my God! They’re talking about India’s boyfriend, and if they find out about the money, she’ll be on the list as well. I probed to see how much Vegas knew about the Jamaican kingpin.
“So are you going to work with them, baby?”
“Hell nah, ma. I don’t even know this cat. They offered me a deal if I would give him up, but I can’t fuck with that. I have too much on the line to become a snitch. And like I said, I don’t even know him.”
He expressed his worry about the safety of the twins and me. I told him not to worry and that he would be home soon. He felt a little better but was still upset that he would miss the growth of his twins. He would not be at their birth, and he would not witness their first steps, first tooth or first word. I cried as I thought of not having him with me to share in the milestones of our daughters’ first year of life.
Chapter 10
A Lonely Battle
As the months passed, I became depressed and lonely. I turned to the one person who could offer me the support and comfort I needed without being judgmental.
“Hello,” my mother answered with her warm voice.
“Mommy, I miss you. I’m so alone and depressed,” I whined.
“Awww, baby. Why don’t you come and visit me for a couple of weeks?” my mother suggested.
Since I hadn’t seen her or my close friend, Chastity, in at least a year, I agreed. My mom moved to Atlanta shortly after her divorce from my father. She felt the move to a new environment was just what she needed for a new beginning. Atlanta was the place for Chastity’s new beginning as well. She moved there shortly after her father’s death. Hell, if it worked for them, I figured it couldn’t hurt me to visit for a couple of weeks, so I happily took my mom up on her offer.
Once I received my call from Vegas and told him of my plans, I quickly packed four weeks worth of clothes, even though I only planned to stay for two. I loaded the Louis Vuitton luggage in
the truck and headed for the airport. Two hours later I was in Atlanta.
My mother was at work when I arrived, so Chastity was there waiting for my flight. I was so excited to see her. We had been friends since we were tots. I could see her chatting away on her cell. Her petite frame was outfitted in a power blue business suit, stiletto pumps, with a Gucci clutch bag in hand and Gucci frames. Chastity was about business. Ever since we were young, she knew she would be an entrepreneur. She owned two businesses in the metro area: a strip club and a soul food restaurant. Both of her businesses were of the upscale caliber. She ran her strip club with strict rules. Her girls were top of the line and she took no shit. If they didn’t follow her guidelines, they were out the door. Her restaurant served some of the best food in the area. It was a quiet, after work spot with a jazz band.
“Hey, Momma! I can’t believe how big you’ve gotten,” Chastity said, hugging me tight.
“I know. It’s all stomach, girl,” I said as hugged her back.
On the drive to her house, I updated her on all the drama of our friends. In no time, we were pulling up to her house in Buckhead. Her house was beautiful. I was so proud of Chastity’s accomplishments. It was hard and she’d had her challenges, but she’d made it.
A few years prior to Chastity’s move to Atlanta, she was in terrible condition. Her father died, leaving Chastity and her mother to survive on their own. Chastity, like most Virginia Beach girls, grew up with a silver spoon in her mouth. So, when times got hard, she didn’t know how to cope with the change. She became angry with her mother and blamed her for their struggle. There were constant arguments between them. Chastity would rebel and her mother would be so hurt. She did not understand what had happened to her sweet daughter. We all tried to reach out to her, but she was just too far gone. It was like she hated the world, so she closed it off. She didn’t communicate with anyone or visit anyone. Her entire outlook on the world was negative.
