The Black Diamond Trilogy

by Brittani Williams

  I fell asleep and hadn’t even looked at the time before I did. I felt my cell phone vibrating and knew it was Diamond before I even picked up. I let out a little sigh before rolling out of bed and pressing talk on the phone.

  “Hello?”

  “Why haven’t you answered any of my calls?”

  “Because I was busy, Diamond, what’s up?”

  “What’s up? Nigga, I’ve been calling you for three fucking hours.”

  “I said I was busy, what’s up?”

  “Somebody’s been calling here, threatening me.”

  “Did you call JB?”

  “Why would I call JB, you’re my man, not him!”

  “I’ll be there in a little bit Diamond all right. I’m sorry, okay.”

  “Not as sorry as that bitch next to you will be if you don’t answer my calls next time”

  Click!

  “Wifey’s pissed, huh?”

  “Yeah, I gotta go but I’ll holla at you later.” I leaned over and kissed her before getting up to get dressed. I didn’t want to argue with Diamond but I knew that it was inevitable. I thought that going over to Trice’s would keep me relaxed but the second I felt the vibration of the phone the relaxation was over. Things were great with Diamond and me up until this shit with Kemp started up. I mean, I could definitely understand her frustration but, shit, I was in it just as deep as she was. Not that I was scared of Kemp, but I’d known Kemp a lot longer than she had, which meant I knew what he was capable of. I always felt that I was stronger than him in many ways because for one, I knew how to keep my anger under control and two, he had more enemies than any nigga I knew. To him, that was power but to me it was foolish. Not that I wanted to be everyone’s friend—that wasn’t it by a long shot—I just knew that when it was time to go to war it was better to have more niggas ready to fight with you then take your ass down.

  I pulled up in front of the house and sat in there staring at the house. Kiki’s car was in the driveway, which was never a good sign. See, Kiki was drama. Though she was Diamond’s best and pretty much only friend she still got on my last nerve. At times she’d been the word of wisdom and I could appreciate that since Diamond normally didn’t think before she made a dumb decision, but then there were times like these when I knew that she would only make things worse between her and me. I was hesitant going in but I had to make sure that things were under control. I knew that she was afraid and deep down I was afraid too. Not of what could potentially happen to me but what could happen to her. Regardless of the ups and downs, I cared about Diamond more than I’d cared about any woman. It just pissed me off when she didn’t believe that I would do whatever I had to, to protect her.

  Entering the house I could hear Kiki’s ranting about me. I could hear Diamond, in a low voice, telling her to hush. I almost turned back around and left but I wanted to look her in the eye with a stare so she’d know I’d heard what she’d said. When I walked into the living room, she rolled her eyes and turned to hug Diamond before getting up and heading toward the door. I stood there silent before shaking my head and going into the kitchen. I opened the refrigerator door and as I bent down to grab a Corona from the shelf I heard the sound of Diamond’s shoes tapping against the marble floor. I stood up, looked at her, and turned to open my beer. I brushed past her and walked toward the living room to sit down.

  “So what are you planning on doing, Black?”

  Damn, I didn’t even get a second to plant my ass in a seat. She had already started. “I don’t know yet, Diamond.” I sighed as I spoke to let her know that I wasn’t in the mood for this conversation.

  “What do you mean, you don’t know? You have to know. Are you just going to allow him to sneak up on you?”

  “On me? Have you forgotten that you are the one that shot him? And you don’t even know that it’s him anyway.”

  “Who the hell else would it be, Black? It’s the only thing that makes sense. When are you going to be a man and stand up to him?”

  “What?” I was pissed. I got up from my seat, slammed the beer down onto the coffee table, and walked in her direction. I knew that she could see the anger on my face because she was backing into the corner of the sofa. “Be a man? Shit, I’m the man keeping your ass afloat. You wouldn’t know what to do without me.”

  “Really? Well, you wouldn’t have shit without me!”

  Slap.

  Before I could think about it my hand had landed clean across the side of her face. She placed her hand over her cheek, which had quickly turned red. For the first time since we’d been together she’d pushed me to the limit. Now she sat across from me crying and I felt like shit.

  “Babe, I’m sorry,” I tried to reach out and grab her.

  “Get the fuck off me!” She pulled her arm away and stood up from the sofa. I was going to try and apologize more but she gave me a stare that said if looks could kill I’d be dead. I never wanted her to see that side of me. In the past I’d snapped a few times and hit a woman, which is something that I wasn’t proud of. I didn’t even know what to say to fix it. Shit, I yelled. I sat there for the next half hour not even looking at TV. My mind was going in circles. I was pissed that I’d let this nigga ruin everything.

  I remembered the first time that I saw her—I couldn’t wait to get closer. I knew that I was going to be with her from that moment. I had come too far to fuck it up. I knew that I couldn’t make it up to her tonight. I was so fucked-up about it that I called JB and told him to take care of the pickups that night. I didn’t want to leave for fear that she wouldn’t be there when I got back. At one point I crept upstairs and stood outside of the door listening to her cry. I was close to turning the knob and going in but it would probably have just made it worse. I had almost drifted off to sleep when the telephone rung. I jumped up, and glanced at the clock that read 4:00 A.M.

  “Yo’,” I spoke in a low tone. I knew whatever it was at this time of morning it couldn’t be good.

  “These niggas are trippin’ out here, B, you need to come through and handle this shit,” JB yelled into the receiver.

  “What niggas?”

  “Down on the block. Kenyon then went and put some shit in they ear and now niggas are tripping talking ’bout they can’t trust you and shit.”

  I was pissed, I wasn’t trying to hear that shit but deep down I knew it was coming. I could actually understand how they could feel the way they did. But shit, I was the boss running things so either they would get down or lay the fuck down, and that was my word. “I can’t deal with this shit right now, JB. I got so much going on man. This shit with Kemp is fucking up my home life and everything. The way I feel now, I’ll fuck around and blow his ass away. I need you to be a soldier and take care of it.”

  “I’m sorry to bother you but I didn’t know how you wanted me to handle it. Is Diamond okay?”

  “Naw man, I fucking snapped and I didn’t mean to. She’s been upstairs crying for hours.”

  “Damn, man, maybe you should go stay with Trice tonight.”

  “I’m not leaving, I just gotta get my head right. Shit is getting out of control.”

  “All right, well, call me when you get up in the A.M. I’m going to do another pick up now.”

  “All right,” I replied before ending the call. I heard Diamond coming out of the bedroom and going into the bathroom. I felt like this was my cue. I walked up the steps and stood outside of the door. She opened it and was startled by my presence.

  “Diamond.”

  She turned off the bathroom light and walked past me toward the bedroom. I followed behind her but didn’t speak. She climbed into bed and pulled the blankets over her body. I had never seen her like this. I knew about the relationship she had with her ex, Davey, and how he treated her. The way that he cheated and how they fought like cats and dogs. I could see by the way she looked at me how disappointed she was. I sat down in the chair opposite the bed and stared in her direction. As she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, I pu
t my head back and closed my eyes too.

  Chapter thirty-two

  Diamond

  Spoiled Rotten

  I opened my eyes and noticed Black asleep in the chair across from me. I was still angry about last night but regardless of his fuck-ups, I still had a soft spot for him. I knew he was sorry since any other night he’d be out running the streets. I sat up on the side of the bed and the sound of the box spring woke him up.

  “Hey babe, you feel any better?” he said as he sat straight up. I was tempted to ignore him but I wanted to just get on with the day and let it go.

  “I’m fine.”

  “Can I get you some breakfast or something?”

  “No, I’m not hungry.”

  “You sure, ’cause I can get JB to drop something off or we can go to IHOP or something.”

  “I said I’m not hungry, Black—damn!” I got up from the bed and walked toward the door.

  “I’m sorry, D, for everything.”

  I didn’t say a word. I walked into the bathroom and closed the door. I had already decided that I would do some shopping today since shopping was the only thing that could help when I was upset. I did the morning ritual of brushing my teeth and washing my face. Black was gone when I came out. I let out a sigh of relief. I walked into the bedroom and saw a blue sheet of paper with writing on it. Next to it was a wad of money. I bent down to grab it. The note read:

  I know I fucked up, but I’m going to make it up to you. I know shopping helps you clear your head when you’re angry so here’s a few dollars for you. Buy something nice on me.

  I smiled. He knew me well. Of course, I had my own money so I wasn’t jumping for joy like I would have a few years back but I was smiling because he really wanted me to forgive him. I sat the note back down and grabbed my cell to text his phone. I LOVE YOU was all I wrote. I got dressed and headed out for my day of shopping. I opened the door and turned to close it and a tall, dark-skinned man was walking up the path. He was older, probably in his late forties. He had on a suit and dress shoes and was carrying a briefcase. I hoped my ass wasn’t about to get subpoenaed to court or some shit.

  “Hi, can I help you?” I asked, nervously.

  “Yes, I’m trying to locate a Mrs. Diamond Brooks.”

  “Well, I’m Diamond, but my last name isn’t Brooks any more. What can I do for you?”

  “Don’t I look familiar to you? Isn’t there anything about me that looks familiar?” he said, as I stood there staring at him. I didn’t really see anything that stuck out to me but there was obviously something he wanted me to see.

  “No, really it doesn’t. Is it supposed to?” I was still clueless.

  “It’s me, Diamond, your dad.”

  My heart dropped at that moment. I mean, with all the shit that I was going through at the moment someone would play a cruel-ass joke like this. I knew this couldn’t be my father, I would have recognized him. Then he smiled, the smile that I couldn’t forget, the same smile that I saw the day he disappeared from my life. Was it really him? What the hell was I supposed to do, hug him or slap him? I never thought that I’d see him again. I could have prepared what I would say but instead I stood in front of him, speechless.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, breaking the silence.

  I stood still, staring at him. I was trying to look deep inside of him, hoping I could get answers without asking. He’d been gone almost twelve years. Why would he come back now?

  “I’m fine—actually no, I’m not. I’m trying to figure out why you’re here.” Is that what I wanted to say?

  “I expected you to say that. You wouldn’t be human if you didn’t. I want to explain everything if you’ll give me a chance to.”

  “How did you find out where I lived?”

  “Through a private investigator,” he replied.

  “What? Why go through all the trouble? I mean, you left with no problem.”

  “I really want to explain and I don’t think this is a good place. Could we go to lunch or something and talk?”

  I wasn’t truly ready to hear why he’d walked away. I had to figure out what to say to at least put the conversation off for another day. He stood there, waiting for my answer. The look on his face was so sincere, I could’ve almost been fooled, fooled into believing that he’d been there all the time or that he’d even been looking for me all of those years.

  “I have an appointment in less than an hour, so could we meet tomorrow?”

  He looked at me as if he were preparing to burst into tears. What was I missing? I mean, how could you miss me so much and stay gone so long? I wasn’t trying to be mean at all but I wasn’t going to be fooled into believing that I would have the void filled that had been empty for so long.

  “There’s no way you can fit me in today?”

  I stood quiet for a few seconds before answering, I almost said yes. “Really, I can’t. I have an important appointment that can’t be missed.”

  “So is there a number I can call you at?”

  “You’ve managed to find me this time, I’m sure it won’t be hard to find me again.” I turned and walked toward my car. I didn’t want to turn around and see his face. Shit, I wanted him to feel the pain that I’d felt all of these years.

  I got in the car, pulled my sunglasses down over my eyes, and drove away. Once I got around the corner, I let go the tears that I had held in the entire time I stood in front of him. I had to tell someone but I wasn’t sure how much of a shoulder Black could be for me to lean on at the time so I drove over to Kiki’s office. Kiki, of course, had always been one of my best friends and was there in my times of need. Once I got all of the money from Kemp’s death I bought Kiki her own bar. I wasn’t about to have my best friend continue to work for tips at someone else’s bar. The bar was a success from the grand opening and Kiki was where she needed to be, in charge. I pulled up in front of her office, which was located directly in back of the bar in Center City. I saw her car in front of the door so I knew that she was inside. She opened it before I even had a chance to get out and knock.

  “I saw your car pull up, what’s up, girl? I was going to call you today too.”

  I took off my sunglasses and displayed the drying tears on my cheeks. She walked over and hugged me.

  “What the hell happened, is that nigga still acting up?”

  “Girl, you won’t believe who showed up on my doorstep today.”

  “Who?”

  “My father,” I said in a low tone. It almost brought tears to my eyes again.

  “What? Girl, come on inside so we can sit down and talk. Your father though? Where the hell has he been?” she asked, while entering the door. I followed behind her and sat down in the first available chair.

  “I don’t know where the hell he’s been. He says he found me through a private investigator. I didn’t even know what to say, girl, I was standing there like a damn statue.”

  “I can’t believe he had the audacity to just show up on your damn doorstep. He could have wrote a letter or some shit to see how you felt about seeing him. I mean, damn, people don’t even think. He didn’t even know if you wanted to see him.”

  “I was so shocked, like it’s been over ten years. I’m not sure what he expected me to say.”

  “Shit, he probably didn’t expect you to say anything. I mean, how could he? I think that’s so inconsiderate what he did. Did you tell Black?”

  “No, I haven’t talked to Black and now that you mentioned it, he didn’t respond to my text. I’m about to call him right now.” I dialed his number, which went straight to voice mail. I was pissed. After the shit that had been going on lately I couldn’t understand how he could turn off his fucking phone. I screamed into the answering machine as soon as I heard the beep. “Just when I thought you were sorry you pull this shit! Why is your fucking phone off, Black? Call me when you get this damn message!”

  Kiki sat at the desk, shaking her head. “What?” I asked with my face in knots.

  �
�I don’t know when you’re gonna learn that niggas ain’t never been shit and ain’t never gonna be shit! You can’t let that nigga get you all upset and shit, it’s not worth it girl. I see I still have to be the mommy around here.”

  “Everything is just so messed up right now, Kiki, I gotta look over my shoulders and hope Kemp doesn’t come blow my head off. I can’t keep worrying about him all the time. I have to worry about me.”

  “That’s the right idea!” She laughed.

  I smiled but inside I felt like shit. I was lying. I was worried about him and of course even more worried about myself.

  “Well, I’m headed to the mall so I’ll get with you later,” I said, before getting up and hugging her.

  “Okay and remember what I said.”

  “I will, girl.”

  As soon as I got inside the car I pulled out my cell to call him again. As I entered the number the phone began to ring. It was Black.

  “Yo’, what’s up?” His voice boomed even over the loud music that played in the background.

  “Why the hell was your phone off?”

  “It wasn’t off, somebody else was calling at the same time. What’s the problem?”

  “The problem is that every time I need you here lately you’re not available!”

  “What the hell are you talking about, Diamond?”

  “I need to talk to you about something—could you just come home?”

  “I can’t right now, you know that.”

  “Just like I thought, ’bye, Black!”

  “Diamond?”

  “What?” I responded angrily.