by Nikki Turner
As for me not being able to read, I told Tremaine that as a kid, I was always behind. Things got much better for me over the years, and now everything was good. But for him to mention that to Bree, and for her to call my son a fat ass, there was no doubt that somebody was about to get hurt.
“Bree, all I’m going to say is I betta not see you anytime soon. If I do, that fake, droopy, dented-up ass you got over there is mine!”
“It’s Tremaine’s too. He bought it, so tell him to hit me up when he can. Bye, bitch. I look forward to seeing you.”
Bree hung up, leaving me feeling some kind of way about the things she had said. Whenever Tremaine got up, he was going to catch hell.
Chapter Three
Keysha
I was in the kitchen cooking breakfast with the music turned up loudly. Tremaine was still asleep, but I expected him to wake up shortly, especially with the smell of bacon and maple sausages oozing through the air. I cooked some pancakes, grits, and cheese eggs for him too. Even threw in a bowl of frosted cornflakes and poured him a tall glass of orange juice.
By the time Tremaine got up, everything was set on the kitchen table. A smile was plastered on my face, as he stood next to the table and stretched.
“Dang, girl, you done hooked me up. I knew my dick was good to you, but I didn’t know it was that good.”
“Spectacular,” I said. “So great that I’m on cloud nine right now. Didn’t want you to walk out of here upset about nothing, and I thought this was a good way for you to start the day off right.”
Tremaine looked at the food and licked across his lips. “Thanks. I appreciate that and the food looks really good. Need to go drain the vein, wash my face, and brush my teeth. You still got my toothbrush in there?”
“Yep. Look in the right drawer. You’ll see it.”
Tremaine walked away. I sat at the table and picked up a piece of toast. Before I bit into it, I spread jelly on top and sipped from my orange juice. My orange juice was just fine. Unfortunately, Tremaine’s orange juice had a half cup of my piss in it. His eggs were scrambled with floor wax, and his grits were loaded with salt. I wasn’t trying to kill his ass, but I did want to make a statement.
Tremaine came into the kitchen with a towel wrapped around his waist. His chest was covered with tattoos and his six pack was stacked just right. It was good to see him look so sexy in the morning, but the sight of him did nothing for me. I couldn’t help but to think about what Bree had said, and I realized the reason why she knew so much of my business was because his ass was telling her shit.
“Have you seen my phone?” Tremaine said. “I thought I left it on the nightstand in the bedroom.”
I pointed to the table next to the couch. “I saw it over there. Is that it?”
Tremaine walked over to the table and picked up his phone. It looked like he was trying to turn it on, but he wouldn’t have much luck. I put that sucker in the sink this morning and let it stay in the water for a while.
“Damn,” he said. “I need more juice. My battery must have died.”
All I did was shrug, as if I hadn’t a clue. I was sure he wanted to know if Monica had called, or if Bree was still hoping for him to show up last night too. I thought that he was going to ask if he could use my phone, but then again he knew better.
Tremaine sat at the table with me, as if everything was all good. My blood was boiling inside, but the outer me appeared happy go lucky.
“Smells good, ma,” Tremaine said. “I was back there lying down and when I got a whiff of this shit, I had to get up.”
“You already know I can cook, so don’t act all surprised. And if my cleaning skills were much better, I’d be perfect, wouldn’t I?”
That bastard had the nerve to nod his head. “I won’t say perfect, but it would help. You definitely need to clean up around here. Keith’s room is a mess. Yours is too, by the way.”
“It’s not that bad and you know it. Why you always got something negative to say about me? I rarely ever hear you say anything positive. You say I’m guilty of the same thing, so speak up and let me hear you.”
Tremaine picked up a piece of bacon and put it into his mouth. He chewed and looked at me from across the table. “I always say good shit about you. I just told you that it smelled good in here, didn’t I?”
I didn’t bother to reply. After all, I wanted him to hurry up and eat his food. Right after he bit into the bacon, he washed it down with orange juice. Almost immediately, he cocked his head back and frowned.
“This shit taste spoiled. You got some milk instead?”
Tremaine wiped across his mouth. I figured he would opt for milk, so I had a glass of that with my piss in it ready for him too.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with the orange juice. Mine taste fine. I’ll get you some milk in a minute. Meanwhile, finish up eating and stop complaining.”
“I’m not complaining. Here, you drink this shit and tell me what you think.”
“I already have my own. Like I said, there’s nothing wrong with it.”
Tremaine ignored me. He started to cut into his pancakes. I hoped he got a taste of some of my toenails that were mixed in with the pancake batter.
“Did you call your mother yet?” he said, chewing.
“I tried calling her, but she didn’t answer her phone. I’ll call her again when we get done with breakfast.”
Tremaine was getting ready to respond, but he picked something out of his mouth. He looked at it with a twisted face then flicked it away. After that, he laid his fork on his plate.
“Something ain’t right,” he said. “There’s an odd odor coming from my plate, not to mention the spoiled taste from my orange juice. Did you do something to my food?”
I laid my fork on the table and wiped my mouth. “Now, why would a nasty, slow bitch who didn’t graduate from high school do anything to your food? I’m so fucking stupid that I wouldn’t dare be smart enough to think about getting payback to a fool who has purposely hurt me time and time again. One who doesn’t think I’m good enough to love, and who thinks his son is too fat to be with him. So, no. I didn’t do a damn thing to your food, but I did, however, add a little more flavor to your orange juice.”
Tremaine jumped up from the table. “I don’t have time for your bullshit this morning, Keysha. I knew something was wrong, especially since yo’ ass up in the kitchen cooking for me like you Paula damn Deen or somebody.”
“Nigga, if I was Paula Deen, I’d be calling yo’ black ass out for talking that dumb shit to Bree. She told me how you really feel about me, and since you’re so ashamed of me and Keith, why don’t you get the fuck out of here and never come back. We really don’t need you, Tremaine. So stop being fake and acting like yo’ ass care when you don’t.”
Tremaine walked up to me and stood over me. I didn’t appreciate how close he was, so I stood up to be face to face with him. “If you believe any bullshit that Bree said to you, that’s on you. I’m sick and tired of trying to convince you how much I do care, and like I said before, all you’re doing is pushing me away. I would appreciate it if you would call your mama to tell her to meet me so I can get my son. That way, I can get the fuck out of here and get out of your damn way.”
“You gon’ do that regardless. And I’m not calling my mama to tell her anything. Keith is staying with her for the rest of the week, not with you.”
I could see Tremaine tighten his fist. But before he tried anything stupid, I reached for the knife on the table that I used to cut my pancakes.
“Think before you act, fool. If you want to make it home to Monica in one piece, or over to that bitch’s Bree’s house, who you say you love so much, then you’d better back away from me.”
Tremaine knew that he could wrestle the knife from my hand, and that’s what he did. We tussled and when all was said and done, he had the knife in his hand. My head was being pressed against the table while I was bending over. He stood behind me, holding the knife close to my fac
e.
“I hate you sometimes,” he said. “You always gotta make shit so difficult, and all you fucking do is gripe about shit! When I leave here, Keysha, I’m done. Tell my son that you were the one who fucked up and refused to let me be with him! I’m sick of arguing with you, and this is the last goddamn time that I’m gonna do it!”
Tremaine stabbed the knife into the table, right by my face. He then smacked me with the back of his hand and backed away. When I reached for the knife, that’s when he pushed me. Pushed me so hard that I fell against the wall and hit my back.
“You dirty son of a bitch!” I said, rushing up to charge at him with gritted teeth.
This time, I was met with Tremaine’s fist that went right into my midsection. I doubled over and fell back again. He almost knocked the breath out of me and my stomach was aching so badly.
“If you get up again, my fist will crack your face and split it. Let this shit go, Keysha. I’m warning you.”
Tremaine walked off and came back with his jeans on and his shirt thrown over his shoulder. I was in the kitchen dialing 911.
“Could you please send—”
He snatched the cordless phone from my hand and threw it against the wall. We mean mugged each other with our chests heaving in and out. Without saying another word to me, he walked toward the door, snatched up my shopping bags that were still by the door and slammed it on his way out. No words could express how angry I was right now. I had to make his ass pay for this.
* * *
Later that day, I was at Angel’s house telling her about what happened, when my mama called. She spoke in a panic and sounded as if she was out of breath.
“That nigga Tremaine is crazy,” she said tearfully. “Me and Keith were outside and Tremaine pulled up in a car with two of his friends. He threatened to hurt me, and made Keith leave with him. When I tried to take Keith away from him, Tremaine pulled a gun on me. I ran inside to call the police. I didn’t know what else to do, Keysha, and I’m afraid for Keith.”
I was so mad at my mama for allowing Tremaine to take Keith with him. “Damn, Mama, why couldn’t you just go back into the house? I didn’t want Keith with Tremaine, and I definitely don’t want him at his house.”
“I didn’t have a choice. And what did you want me to do, other than catch a bullet in my back for trying to keep him? I called the police, but if you have legal papers that say Tremaine is allowed to keep him, there ain’t much we can do.”
“There’s plenty that I can do. I’ma go talk to a lawyer to see if I can get sole custody of my son. Tremaine don’t deserve to have any rights to Keith. I’ma make sure that he doesn’t!”
I told my mama that I would call her back. How she let something like this happen I didn’t know. With Tremaine being upset with me, there was no telling how he was going to treat Keith. Monica wasn’t in one of the best moods either, so I suspected that Keith would walk into a house of hell.
“What’s going on?” Angel asked. “Why are you so upset?”
“Because Tremaine found out where my mama lives and he went to go get Keith.”
Angel shrugged. “What’s wrong with that? I mean, just because the two of y’all have differences, it shouldn’t affect his relationship with his son.”
I pursed my lips and had to put Angel in her place. “Who are you to talk to me about differences, especially from the way you and Jay carry on about Lela? If I’m not mistaken, he’s only seen her like three or four times since she’s been born. And every time he calls here to come get her, you make excuses.”
“That’s because Jay is fake and he wants Lela with him on his time. As for Tremaine, you gotta give him credit, Keysha. He is a good father to Keith. He may not be a good man to you, but—”
“I don’t know why y’all keep on saying that he’s a good father when it’s simply not true. I guess y’all think the money he gives us is supposed to make up for him not being there, but it doesn’t. The truth is, Tremaine has never been to Keith’s school, he’s never taught him one single thing, and he’s never been on vacation with him either. I asked Tremaine to help Keith lose weight, take him to run with him or put him on a football team. He hasn’t done anything. So I’m to the point where I believe what Bree said. He’s embarrassed of my son and that shit bothers me.”
“Don’t fall for the foolishness, okay? If he was embarrassed, Keysha, he wouldn’t have just gone over to your mama’s house and threatened her to get his son. You’d better wake up and smell the coffee before it’s too late. Plenty of us would die to have a baby daddy like Tremaine. I gotta give him props on being a father.”
“Well, I’m not going to give him shit but a hard time. And as for the relationship thing goes, you couldn’t be more right. I don’t know why I keep telling myself that he’s the one I want to be with, when in reality we will never be able to get along. There’s been too much damage done, and besides that, I hate his ass for sleeping around so much. I mean, how much pussy does one nigga need?”
Angel shrugged her shoulders. “I guess as much as he can get. With all of these bitches throwing that shit at him, all he gotta do is reach out and catch it. You have to admit, Keysha, the nigga is fine as hell.”
I rolled my eyes, silently admitting to myself that he was. Still, it didn’t matter because he would always be a deadbeat in my book.
Chapter Four
Tremaine
Keysha had me hot. I was on edge and could have hurt somebody this morning. First, the bitch tried to poison my ass. There was no telling what she had put in my food. I was glad I didn’t finish it. If I had, my ass would be laid up somewhere right now with a body bag covering me. Then, she turned around and did something to my phone. I could see moisture through the camera lens, and when I broke my phone apart, there was water inside of it. I took it to Sprint so they could see what was up. The salesperson confirmed that it had been in water. I spent a substantial amount of change on a new phone then I called a good friend of mine to find out where Keysha’s mama lived. She gave me the address, so I rushed out to go get my son.
When I got to Keysha’s mama’s house, I figured she was going to start clowning, just like her fucking daughter. My boys, however, were there to help me handle things, just in case her stupid-ass boyfriend was there. Thankfully he wasn’t so I didn’t have to blow anybody’s brains out. I was so upset that I didn’t care if my boys knocked that bitch off or not. The only thing that saved her was Keith. He was the only one who saved me from not beating the fuck out of Keysha too, and she’d better be thankful that I was looking out for what was in her best interest, not so much mine.
The good thing was Keith was glad to see me. I don’t claim to be the best father to my kids, but I couldn’t accept no title as a deadbeat. I was active in all of my kids’ lives, they knew who daddy was and they all loved to be around me. The only reason that Keith and me didn’t spend as much time together was because of Keysha. Being around her gave me headaches, and the only time we didn’t argue with each other was during sex. During that time, she was all good. I was the best nigga ever and she loved my black ass to death.
Well, I needed more than what Keysha was offering. I needed somebody who appreciated me. Somebody who praised my efforts and who wasn’t all about getting fucked all the time. While I definitely loved me some pussy, I also had business to see about. That occupied an enormous amount of my time, and Papa James wasn’t too keen on niggas slacking. If I didn’t step up, I didn’t get paid. And with four kids, it was imperative that I kept my pockets fat with paper.
Keith and I walked into the house, only to find Monica sitting on the couch with her lips poked out. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at me, and her arms were folded across her chest.
“Nice of you to finally show up,” she said then looked at Keith. “Hi, Keith. Do you mind if I talk to your daddy for a few minutes? I made some cookies and they’re on the kitchen table. Help yourself to them, okay?”
Keith nodded and headed toward the kitc
hen. Monica stood up with our son in her arms.
“What’s going on with you and Keysha? I wasn’t aware that you were still having sex with her, and who do you think you are showing up the next day without calling me?”
“I don’t think, I know. I know that I’m the man of this house who doesn’t have to answer to anyone, unless I want to. I know that I pay every single bill here, and that my woman and children are well taken care of. So much so, that she has no right to bitch about my late hours, especially when she knows I spend way more time doing business than I do so finding pleasure. She also knows that I love no one but her, but if that ever becomes a problem, she knows where the front door is. I promise you that I will never stop you from walking out of here, if you ever come to the conclusion to do so.”
I walked away from Monica, expecting not to hear anymore. She, however, came after me, refusing to let things go.
“Did you have sex with Keysha last night or not? That’s all I want to know.”
“Let me repeat. I don’t have to answer any questions, unless I want to.”
“So, that means you did. She didn’t lie to me when I called then, did she?”
I went into the kitchen to where Keith was. He was sitting on a stool, eating cookies, and watching TV.
“Tremaine, do you hear me talking to you? I asked you a question and I expect for you to answer me, damn it.”
Keith looked at me and I looked at him. I didn’t bother to turn Monica’s way, because she was about to catch hell if she didn’t end this right now. “We’re done, Monica. Quit while you’re ahead. Please.”
She walked away, but before she got too far, I spoke out again. “And if you ever talk to me like that in front of my son again, you won’t have to walk out because I will open the door for you to leave with a foot stuck in your ass.”
“That may not be such a bad idea because I’m sick of this shit. All of it.”
