Marry Me Twice

by Monica Walters

  The rest of the lunch was uncomfortable as hell. It was like, she’d completely shut down on me. When we got outside, I asked if I could have her number and she gave it to me hesitantly. After programming it in my phone, I lifted her hand, kissed the back of it and left. I almost followed her to her place just so I could get her groceries anyway and bring them to her, but I figured I’d leave the shit alone.

  When I got home, I flopped on my couch, planning to watch a movie, but that shit ended up watching me. I didn’t have to go back to work until Monday, because my original plan was to leave Freetown today. So besides working out in the mornings and hanging around the house, I didn’t have shit to do. I woke up to my phone ringing. I noticed Kyley’s number on the screen. Rolling my eyes slightly, I answered, “What’s up?”

  “Hey, Haji. I saw you in the store. You off today?”

  “Yep.”

  I wondered if she saw me with Chinara. That was probably what this call was for. She was tryna feel me out without just coming out and asking. I was a smart dude and felt a lot of shit. These women thought they were being slick about their moves, but that shit was clear as hell to me. “Can I come through on my lunch break?”

  “Why yo’ lunch break and not when you get off?”

  “I don’t get off until seven and I’m going out with my girls. But I could use some dick to get me through the rest of the day.”

  “Come through, then.”

  “Alright. See you in an hour.”

  I ended the call. If the sex wasn’t good, I would have curved the fuck out of her. She was fine as hell and I’d beat that shit out the frame if she wanted me to. It wasn’t like I had any prospects. She wasn’t the one, that was for sure. Since I accepted her request, she had to know my status hadn’t changed, but she was also trying to stay fresh on my mind. I didn’t want her ass, though… well, I wanted her ass but not her heart. For some reason, I believed she was cool with that, too.

  After taking a shower to freshen up, I drank a shot of Patrón to level me out a lil bit, then turned the music on through the speakers of the house. Listening to SiR talk about fucking and leaving fit us perfectly. Kyley was a lil ratchet and I liked that shit. Which was why I was gonna bring her to my private room in the back of the house that I enjoyed entertainment in from time to time. There was a stripper pole in there. I needed to see what she was working with.

  Pretty Black Doll entered my mind again, but I knew I needed to quit pining over her. That wasn’t my style anyway. Something about her said queen status, though. It felt like she was the woman that would show me all the things I was missing out on by being single. But fuck it. I couldn’t make her do some shit she didn’t wanna do. I’d given her my number, too, so hopefully, she would eventually decide to use it. As I tried to push Chinara from my thoughts, my doorbell rang.

  Walking to the door, I brought my glass to the kitchen, then went to the door to let her in. By the time I closed the door and turned around to her, she was already taking off her clothes. “Damn. You ready for this dick, huh?”

  “Hell yeah.”

  “Follow me.”

  Elliott Trent was playing through the speakers, and when she saw the stripper pole, her ass didn’t ask no questions. She went straight to it. That shit had me skeptical. I pulled my shirt off and pulled the condom out of my pocket. She dropped her clothes to the floor, then slowly pulled off her bra and underwear. She left her heels on and twirled around that pole like it was home… all comfortable-looking and shit. I frowned as I took my pants and boxers off and stroked my dick. Yeah, her ass was a pro. “Yo’ ass comfortable up there.”

  “I take pole dancing classes. I’ve been waiting on an opportunity like this.”

  I sat in a chair in front of the small stage area and watched her handle business on that pole. The way she moved on that thing, she was a muthafucking lie. She was a damned stripper. Had to be. She danced her way to me and fell to her knees, taking my dick in her mouth quick as hell like it was melting, sucking my shit with plenty of suction. I grabbed a handful of her hair and jutted my hips forward, my dick at the back of her throat, producing plenty of saliva.

  Releasing it, she licked her way to my balls, gently sucking and licking each one, then went back to the coveted prize. We ain’t have all that time, so I opened the condom and pulled her off it. She wasn’t the best at giving head anyway. Too much teeth involved. But that pussy, though, was another story. After sliding the condom on, I said, “Come sit on this shit.”

  “Can you hit it from the back instead?”

  I rolled my eyes and stood from the chair, then brought her to the back of it, pushing her over it. I allowed my spit to drop down to her pussy, then massaged it in with my dick and pushed inside of her. Just from the initial thrust, she was screaming like I was killing her. I knew I had a big dick, but shit, she was tripping. This wasn’t our first time and she didn’t do all this shit then. I hadn’t even gotten the shit all the way in. She was performing and that shit was a turn-off.

  I could feel my dick getting soft, so I slapped her ass and said, “Man, shut the fuck up.”

  She turned to stare at me as I slammed into her. I pushed her head down, then picked her hips up to me to where she couldn’t move. She had no choice but to take what the fuck I was giving her. Watching all that ass jiggle on my dick was just the motivation I needed to nut. “Ahh, fuck!” I growled.

  Releasing her hips, I allowed my dick to slide out of her. When she turned around, she asked, “Shit, what’s wrong with you?”

  “Nothing, but all that extra shit you was doing was turning me off.”

  She nodded, then went to her phone to look at the time. “Well, thanks for the tune-up. I gotta go so I can get something to eat and get back to work.”

  After she was dressed, I walked her to the door and watched her walk out of it. She turned and said, “Bye, Haji. Until next time.”

  I gave her a head nod, then closed the door. I didn’t even bother to respond to her. She’d probably never be back. I knew she was the one who’d interviewed Chinara at Verizon. If she got the job, they’d be able to discuss their much different adventures with Haji Abimbola. They were both in my past now.

  Going back inside, I took another shower, washing and conditioning my beard this time. I’d been back home for a couple of days and I had yet to hear from anyone in my family. I wasn’t surprised, though. Ever since I’d come to America, it was like I was shunned, but that was cool. I was doing well for myself and couldn’t nobody take that from me. When I got out of the shower, I decided that I would order in for dinner. I didn’t feel like cooking and my body was tired as hell. After putting my new screen protector and case on my phone, I cranked up some rap music and poured me a drink.

  Once I sat on the couch, my phone rang, showing I had a call coming in from Jarius. I answered, “What’s up?”

  “Yo, man. I don’t know what’s going on with yo’ pretty black doll, but I just seen her at the food bank.”

  I rolled my eyes because she was so damned stubborn. Jarius donated to the Southeast Texas Food Bank all the time. It was one of the things he did to give back to the community. “How you seen her?”

  “Well, I ain’t tryna push up on yo’ crush or nothing… but she so fine, she sticks out in a crowd.”

  I exhaled loudly. “Man, don’t be saying no shit like that. Grown men and crushes don’t go in the same damn sentence. She lost her job a month ago and hadn’t been able to find anything else, but her ass too stubborn and proud to accept help.”

  “How you know all that shit?”

  “I took her to lunch today. When I went to Verizon, she was there interviewing for a job. She said yeah when I asked, but once we were there, I knew she used me for a free meal. I could hear her stomach growling the whole damn time.”

  “So, peep this… You oughta proposition her. She obviously in a bad way financially.”

  I frowned, trying to figure out what he was talking about. Then that shi
t hit me like a ton of bricks. “Ask her to marry me?”

  “Hell yeah. You need a wife for six months and she need money. Sound like a win-win to me.”

  “Shiiiid, you ain’t lying. Get my money, house, and jewels and chill the fuck out for a minute. But I already know her ass ain’t gon’ do it. She too proud, man. Plus, she seem like one of those morally sound women. She thanked me for lunch and burnt off. She barely kicked it with me long enough to get my number. I knew she ain’t have nothing to go rush and do, but shit… she left a nigga like she was late for work.”

  “You never know unless you ask. All she can say is no.”

  “I’on know… she just different to me, man.”

  “Damn, you really feeling her. That has to be real shit.”

  “I know, but she ain’t fucking with me. I might bring it up and see what she says the next time I see her. That’s something I’d have to ask in person. I wouldn’t be able to function with her in my house for six months. My dick gon’ be pissed that I have all that beautiful, rich-looking chocolate in my reach and not give him a taste.”

  Jarius laughed loudly and I rolled my eyes. Chinara… shit, just thoughts of her was making my dick stand. It took everything in me not to say what I was thinking while we were out to lunch. I was normally a straight-forward guy, but something about her had me doing things differently. That shit was irritating me, too, because then I was left with all the thoughts of what I wanted to say to her. While I knew it was more than sexual, I wanted to dig up in her walls and make it a home. Those thoughts made me so damn sensitive to her. Everything in me wanted to say, You on the verge of starving and you got the nerve to be proud?

  “Well, whatever, dude. You heard from that other chick you fucked with? I can’t even remember her name.”

  “Kyley just left from here. That’s probably gon’ be my last go ’round with her ass. I think she saw me with Pretty Black today and now she tryna make sure she got a spot. She interviewed Chinara for the position at Verizon.”

  “Aww shit. That sounds messy as hell.”

  “Who you telling? I hope Chinara don’t get the job. Kyley try to make people think she’s more than what she is. She doesn’t have the ability to hire Chinara. She can only recommend a second interview.”

  “Okay. One of two things can happen. One. She could be a hater and choose not to send Pretty Black through—”

  “Naw, nigga. Pretty Black is my name for her. If you gon’ use that name, make sure you say, yo’ pretty black.”

  “Man, what-the-fuck-ever. She ain’t yours. Anyway. Like I was saying. She could choose not to push her through, or she could be a messy bitch and push her through to get to you. You know, pump her for information, then God forbid, get close enough to her to tell her y’all fucking.”

  I had to get to Chinara and get her to accept that proposition. Because if Kyley got her hired, that would ruin all opportunities for me to get next to her. “Yeah, you right. Fuck! I’m gon’ have to get to her and talk to her about it. I don’t know how I’m gonna get her to accept it, though. Plus, that’ll be my way of helping her at the same time and maybe getting close to her.”

  “Now you thinking on my level!” Jarius said, then chuckled.

  “What level is that? Fuckboy status?”

  “Nigga, say what the fuck you want, but that shit gon’ get you what you want. It’s playa shit and you know that. You don’t have to be that way once you get her in your house.”

  “Whatever. I’ll see you tomorrow for my weekly edge up.”

  “A’ight.”

  I sat there thinking, trying to figure out if that was the right move. But what other moves did I have? It wasn’t like she was trying to hear me. I could tell she was feeling me, but she was fighting it because she didn’t trust me. I didn’t know how she was gon’ get to that point if she didn’t wanna kick it with a nigga.

  After ordering my dinner, I chilled out, watching a basketball game. Holding my phone in my hand, I contemplated calling her, but something wouldn’t let me do it. I was only going to offer to take her to dinner one day this weekend. Sitting my phone beside me, I huffed and rested the back of my head against the sofa cushions. Maybe I should just forget about the shit like I said I was gonna do. But that was a million in cash and possibly another couple of million in property and jewels. Did I wanna just let all that shit sit there? Hell naw.

  6

  Chinara

  After getting everything moved into a storage unit, I was tired as hell. I’d been evicted, but I knew that would happen. They gave me a month after the rent was due to get my shit together. I’d slowly been moving shit into a storage unit. Until I could find something else, I would have to live in my car. At least I didn’t have to keep up with the utilities anymore. I’d be able to save a little money. After taking a shower, I turned the key in and quietly made my way to my car with a duffle bag, pillow, and blanket.

  I’d never been this low, but I knew something would have to give. For now, I’d park at a truck stop and get some sleep. My ex-coworker, Donovan, had called a couple of times, but I couldn’t bear to answer the phone. Haji had also called, but I declined his call as well. It seemed he could see right through me. No matter what I said, it was like he wanted to call out, bullshit. His eyes were so intense. He was so damn fine, too. I just couldn’t understand why he was wanting to help me. What was his motive? It didn’t matter, since I wasn’t talking to him right now.

  When I got to the truck stop, I crawled to the back seat and spread my blanket out. Thankfully, it wasn’t hot outside. So, I could turn my engine off and still be comfortable. Just as I laid my head on the pillow, someone knocked on my window, scaring the shit out of me. When I sat up, he said, “I’m sorry, ma’am, but you can’t sleep here unless you’re in a big rig.”

  I nodded and let the couple of tears I had left drop down my cheeks, then climbed back in my front seat. I didn’t know where to go. Glancing at my phone, I wanted to call Haji so badly. He was the only person I knew that would be willing to help me. But at what cost? What would he want in return? I was so desperate at this point, I was willing to go see if I could make money stripping. I hadn’t heard from Verizon and it had been three weeks since my interview. I’d called a couple of times to check and they only said they were still interviewing.

  I’d even called around checking all the other places I’d put in applications and submitted resumes to. No one wanted me. It had been two months since I’d lost my job and I just couldn’t seem to come out on top. I was drowning. Leaving the parking lot, I decided to go back to the apartment complex and park in a different spot. Maybe I would go unnoticed.

  Pulling around to the back side, opposite the dumpster, I quickly crawled to my back seat and got comfortable. This wasn’t what I had in mind when I came to America to pursue my dreams of being in the business… being on TV. I just wanted to be successful. What was wrong with that? It was like this American soil refused to let me be great. If something didn’t happen for me soon, I would be doing my best to get back home.

  When I woke up, I went to the convenience store to brush my teeth and wash my face, then headed to the hair store. I needed more product for my hair to keep it looking healthy. I tried to go early, because both times Haji had seen me there, it had been in the evening. Looking at the mess of clothing in my front seat, I knew I’d have to do something about it. My car looked a mess. Just because I was sleeping in my car, it didn’t have to look like it.

  Once I got to the hair store, I quickly got the ORS product I used in my hair and headed back to my car. My damn heart stopped beating when I saw Haji standing there, waiting for me. He glanced in my backseat, then looked back at me. Quickly dropping my gaze to the ground, I continued walking to my car, knowing that I would have to explain. When I got to him, before I could open my mouth to say a word, he said, “Get in your car and follow me. Now.”

  I didn’t dare say a word back to him. The anger that I saw in his eyes nearly p
aralyzed me where I stood. He walked away to his vehicle and I realized that he was here when I got here. He wasn’t in his Range Rover. He was in a Benz. Getting in my car, my heart was beating rapidly, and I didn’t know what to expect as I followed him out of the parking lot, on to Washington Boulevard. For the next fifteen minutes, I followed him, ending up at a beautiful, two-story home on Fir Lane.

  I had never been on this side of Beaumont. I’d heard of Tram Road, which was the road we took to get here. I parked and just stared at it, wondering why he had me follow him here. When he opened the garage, I realized this was his home. Bringing my hand to my chest, I laid it flat, begging my heart to slow down. As I looked around, he motioned for me to pull in the garage. I shook my head no. I was wanting to back out the driveway altogether. Haji walked to my car and knocked on the window. As I put it down, he said, “Look. I’m tired of fighting with yo’ ass. Pull the damn car in the garage, so I can show you where you will be living.”

  “I cannot stay here. What are you thinking?”

  “That I ain’t comfortable wit’ yo’ address being Toyota Avalon. You don’t wanna stay here? Give me a better option.”

  I was quiet as he stared at me. Weighing my options, I put my window up and drove into the garage. Nara, this is a blessing. Accept it as such. I got out of the car and Haji was standing there with his hands in his pockets. “Why are you sleeping in your car? And don’t lie to me.”

  Swallowing hard, I said, “I still haven’t found a job and I couldn’t afford the rent. I had to leave. My unemployment benefits aren’t enough for me to be able to afford another place, not with my car note. This is so hard. I just wanna go home… to Lagos.”

  A tear slid down my cheek and he walked closer to me. Swiping the tear from my cheek, he said, “It doesn’t have to be. Come on.”