My Other Baby Mama Box Set

by Dani Littlepage

  “Yeah. It’s becoming damn near impossible to find this hoe. Nobody seems to know where she is. It’s like she fell off the face of the earth. She might’ve moved to a different state or something but I know Randall and Nick got people searching all over for her ass.”

  “Well they might need to widen their search a lil’ bit but enough about that. How is everythin’ workin’ out with you and ya sister? Y’all still cool?”

  “Yeah. We’re good but she told me a few weeks ago that we got another sister out here somewhere. So, we decided that we want to reach out and find her. I’m going to visit my grandmother today so I can get some information from her,” Cashmere sighed.

  “Damn! Are you sure you ready to face ya past, Cash? I mean, I know ya dad walked out on you and ya moms up and left you basically leavin’ you by yourself and shit,” he expressed his concern.

  “I guess. I knew when I met Tamia that I was going to have to deal with this sooner or later. So, I’m prepared for whatever is to come.”

  “I hate that I can’t be with you while you’re dealing with all this, bae but I know that you’re a strong woman and that you can handle this.”

  “Thank you, baby.” She smiled.

  They talked for the full fifteen minutes but they didn’t let the call end without expressing how much they love and missed each other. Cashmere felt better after talking to Ramsey and was suddenly looking forward to getting her day started. She woke Cassi up from her sleep so she could bathe her and get her dressed. She placed her baby girl in her pack n play in the living room and put on her favorite TV show as she washed and got dressed.

  Throwing on a gray Jordan sweat suit and a pair of wolf gray and white Jordan’s, Cashmere filled her extra-large Louis Vuitton Neverfull Tote bag with a pack of wipes, a few diapers, zip lock bag full of cheerios and Cassi’s sippy cup. She stuffed her keys and her phone in her pockets before grabbing her purse and leaving the room. She made sure everything was turned off before she bundled Cassi up in her coat, hat, scarf and gloves. Placing her chunky princess on her hip, Cashmere left the apartment locking the door behind her. The brisk fall air harshly wiped across her face as she left out of the apartment building. Power walking to her car, she unlocked the cars doors, strapped Cassi in her car seat and jumped behind the wheel quickly closing the door. Letting her car warm up for a few minutes, Cashmere pulled out of the parking lot making her way to Eagleville, PA where her grandmother lived.

  Cashmere’s grandmother, Charlotte Edwards, was very special to her. Although she enjoyed spending time with her mother and father when she was a child, spending time with her grandmother only added to her happiness. Charlotte would let Cashmere get away with murder and since she was her only grandchild, she had that privilege. Charlotte had three children, one girl and two boys who passed away in their early thirties due to health issues and a car accident that involved a drunk driver. Charlotte and her daughter didn’t always see eye to eye. Especially when it came to Charles Mitchell. Charlotte could never understand why her daughter would settle for being a mistress because she felt that her child was worth so much more. When her daughter took off and left Cashmere behind her first year of college, Charlotte moved to an assisted living facility so her granddaughter wouldn’t have to put her life on hold to care for her. Their bond became stronger over the years and although she checked on her grandmother often, Cashmere didn’t visit her as much as she should, which made her feel bad.

  Cashmere pulled into the parking lot of the assisted living facility almost forty minutes later and parked in the closest spot near the entrance of the building. Popping the trunk, she got out of the car, grabbed the stroller and opened it before unstrapping Cassi from her seat and placing her in the stroller. She grabbed her purse before locking the doors and made their way inside the building. Cashmere signed in at the front desk then proceeded to her grandmother’s apartment, which was on the third floor. After taking the elevator, they got off and walked to the middle of the hallway and knocked the door. Seconds later, the door swung open and Cashmere couldn’t help but smile when she saw her grandmother.

  “Well look who finally decided to come visit,” Charlotte smiled. “Get on in here with my great grand baby.”

  Charlotte moved to the side to let them in and closed the door. They embraced each other tightly for a few moments before releasing each other. Cashmere unstrapped her baby girl from the stroller, carried her over to the couch where she removed all of Cassi’s outerwear. When Charlotte sat down next to her, she sat Cassi on her grandmother’s lap.

  “Oh, my goodness, girl. What are you feeding this child?”

  “Everything she’s supposed to be eating,” she chuckled. “How have you been grandma?”

  “Honey, I’ve been fine. Missing you mostly but other than that, just fine.” She smiled. I’m glad you came to see me. You shouldn’t stay away so long, Cash.”

  “I know grandma and I apologize. I promise I’m going to do better.”

  “I’m going to hold you to that. Now, when you called me, you sounded like something was wrong. Are you okay?” she inquired.

  “Well, I have something to ask you and something to tell you.”

  “Okay. Let’s hear it.”

  “I’m pregnant again,” Cashmere beamed.

  “Chile, I knew that before you walked in,” Charlotte chuckled. “Are still with that Ramsey boy?”

  “Yes ma’am.”

  “Hm and how is he?”

  “At the moment, he’s in jail for something he didn’t do but his family is working hard to get him out,” she explained.

  “How are you holding up with that, baby?” Charlotte grabbed her hand.

  “I’m hanging in there. He’s only been in there for a month and I’m missing him more than ever, grandma.” She fought back tears.

  “Don’t start that crying now. Everything is going to work it’s self out just fine.”

  “Thank you,” Cashmere smiled. “And the reason why I came is to ask you about my sisters.”

  “Your sisters?”

  “Yes. I met one of them about two months ago and we’ve been cool ever since. Her name is Tamia Mitchell. She told me a few weeks ago that we have another sister somewhere and I need to know if you know anything about her.”

  Charlotte placed Cassi on the floor before she got up and began to pace the floor. Cashmere was confused as to why she was pacing because her grandmother didn’t have a problem being honest with her in the past.

  “Honey, you know I don’t have a problem telling you the truth about anything but before I answer your question, I have something I need to tell you as well.” Charlotte turned around to face her.

  “Okay. What is it?”

  Before her grandmother could speak, Cashmere heard keys unlocking the door and she jumped up to see who was coming in. She watched as the person took off their coat hanging it up on the coat rack.

  “Mom, I’m here.”

  Cashmere eyes widened when she heard the word mom. She didn’t know what to do as the woman walked towards the living room. The smile that the woman was sporting quickly faded at the sight of Cashmere causing her eyes to grow wide as well. The two-woman stared at each other for moments without speaking.

  “Cashmere, baby. Say hello to your mother.”

  37

  Since finding out that her baby daddy and her ex were related along with someone blackmailing her, Baylynn’s nerves were all over the place. She didn’t know what to do with herself or how she was going to get out of her current situation. Her plan for vengeance had landed her in a world of trouble that she wasn’t ready for and the fact that her days were numbered didn’t make her feel any better.

  Baylynn constantly thought about the mysterious text messages and who the sender could be. She also wondered if she was being stalked by one of Ramsey’s goons who wanted something from her before giving her up but she wasn’t sure. She received the text message a couple of days ago and she had been living by the
phone so she wouldn’t miss the call or text from the anonymous person. Growing tired of playing the waiting game, Baylynn got high to pass the time.

  As Baylynn watched the sun rise from her living room window, she was slowly coming down from her midnight high. Normally, it would help her sleep at night but it didn’t work that night. For the first time in years, she feared for her life as well as her daughters. The fact that she could die at any second plagued her brain, which caused her to think about her family or lack thereof. Her mother never talked about her father and because Fateema fucked many men on a daily basis when she was younger, Baylynn didn’t think her mother knew who her father was. When she was younger, she recalled asking questions about her family but her mother shut her down by saying “fuck family. They ain’t never did shit for you and they never will.” Over the years, she felt like she was better off without her family. Baylynn was starting to realize that she was wrong.

  When she heard Brandi began to cry from upstairs, Baylynn jogged upstairs to tend to her child. Walking into her room, she saw her daughter standing up in her crib ready to get out. Baylynn kissed her cheek before carrying her to the bathroom to give her a bath and she took one as well. She figured that she would put some action behind her words and began her day care search for Brandi.

  After getting Brandi dressed, she placed her in the pack n play and went to get dressed. As she walked passed the mirror that was attached to her dresser, Baylynn jumped at the sight of her reflection. Flipping the light on to get a better look at herself, she dropped her towel and examined her naked body. Baylynn noticed that she had lost some weight and as she leaned towards the mirror to examine her face, she saw the pupils were dilated as well. Her hair was a mess and she couldn’t even recall the last time she ate or pampered herself. She stared at her reflection for a few more moments before she sat on her bed and began to cry. Baylynn didn’t realize the harm she had caused to her body and how much she had fell off since she started using drugs. She knew she had to kick the habit and fast but since she used the white substance daily, Baylynn didn’t know if she could.

  Jumping at the sound of her ringing phone, Baylynn snatched her phone off the night stand and answered the phone for Manny. The last time she talked to him was when she found that him and Ramsey were cousins and that was three days ago. She knew something was wrong and she prayed that Ramsey didn’t give Manny her name. She didn’t wait for the recording to finish before pressing the button hearing Manny’s voice seconds later.

  “Really, Baylynn? Really?!” he yelled into the phone.

  “Wha…what are you talkin’ about, babe?” she stuttered.

  “You know what I’m talkin’ about bitch! You the bitch that set my cousin up!”

  “Manny, baby. I didn’t know that y’all were related. I didn’t mean for things to go this far, bae. I’m so sorry!” she choked on her tears.

  “Why the fuck would you do that, huh? Then on top of that how the fuck am I supposed to explain to my cousin that you my fuckin’ baby mama? I was smashin’ my cousin bitch behind his back and got her the fuck pregnant and to add insult to injury, I fell for ya ass just like he did! I’ve been dodgin’ my cousin for days because I don’t know how to tell him this shit! You ain’t nothin’ but a hoe, Baylynn! I can’t believe you put me in this fucked up predicament!” Manny vented with anger.

  “I know I took things too far with Ramsey and I apologize for gettin’ you caught up in my bullshit, bae but I didn’t know that y’all were family and you didn’t know I was his girl. We were just fuckin’ with no strings attached. It was a fun thing that went wrong. We can’t fault ourselves for not knowin’,” she expressed with sincerity. “So now that you know what I did, what are you gonna do with me?”

  “To be honest, I don’t fuckin’ know. You’re still the mother of my child at the end of the day and if I let them kill you, my seed will end up in the system and I can’t have that.” He sighed. “We got a lot to talk about Bay and we can’t do it over the phone. So, you’re gonna have to come up here this weekend.”

  “Okay but what are you gonna tell Ramsey? What if someone sees me?” she panicked.

  “Use a disguise or somethin’ but ya ass better be up here. You hear me?”

  “Yes Manny,” Baylynn answered quickly.

  “What are you gonna do today?”

  “Search for daycares and pamper myself.”

  “Cool. Keep ya eyes opened at all time while you out there because you never know who’s watchin’. Who else knows ya location besides me?”

  “My friend, Amelia but she’s cool.”

  “Are you sure you can trust her?”

  “Yes.”

  “Does she know about the set up?”

  “Naw. I didn’t tell nobody but everyone in Philly seems to know from what I was told.”

  “Yeah, I know. Go head and handle ya business. I’ll hit you up later.”

  “Okay.”

  Baylynn tossed her phone on the bed and got dressed in a pair of light denim Seven jeans, a purple Polo shirt with a pair of wheat colored Timberland boots. Once she fixed her hair, she threw on her Gucci sunglasses before walking to Brandi’s room and bundling her up in her snow suit. She grabbed of few racks from her duffel bag and tossed it into her Gucci back pack along with some diapers, wipes, sippy cup and wallet. With her keys in hand and phone in her pocket, they left the house. Making sure Brandi was secured in her car seat, Baylynn jumped behind the wheel. She searched for the closet daycare near her and a list of facilities popped up in her Google search. She tapped the directions for the first location and drove to the facility.

  After touring three child care facilities, Baylynn decided on the fourth establishment she visited. It was very clean, they had enough staff for each age group and they had cameras in each class room. The teachers were very attentive and the manager was on point and well respected throughout the building. Baylynn loved it and she knew Brandi would too. She filled out the paperwork and made a two-month payment. The manager told her that she could bring Cassi by the next day for a couple hours to get used to the facility before staying for a full day, which was cool with Baylynn.

  She felt good as she strolled out of the day care with Brandi on her hip. Baylynn felt like she made the right decision for her baby girl. As she placed her daughter in the car seat, her phone began to ring. Quickly snatching her ear phones from the glove compartment, she plugged them into the phone, placed one in her ear and answered the call without looking to see who was calling.

  “Hello.”

  “Just because you got some shit goin’ on with you don’t mean you gotta cut me off,” her mother’s voice came through the phone.

  “I didn’t think I was one of ya favorite people to be honest.” She finished strapping Brandi in her seat then got in the car.”

  “I know our relationship hasn’t been the best over the years but being as though I got some shit going on with me as well, I figured we could confide in each other since all we have is each other.”

  Baylynn hesitated before responding.

  “Mom, where is all of this coming from?” she started her car and pulled into traffic.

  “I know that it’s strange for me to talk this way but I’m serious Baylynn. My past has caught up with me too and I need someone to talk to. I’ve been receiving death threats for months. I moved out of my house and been staying in a hotel. I’m paranoid and scared,” Fateema’s voice cracked.

  Baylynn was stuck for a moment as she listened to her mother cry. She couldn’t recall a time where her mother was scared or cried. After Fateema kicked her out after finding out she was pregnant, she viewed her mother as a cold-hearted bitch. So, for Baylynn to hear her mother crying made her heart break.

  “Don’t cry, mom. Everythin’ is gonna be okay. Where are you now?”

  “At the Double Tree hotel in Center City.”

  “You know I can’t come to Philly and see you. So, how about you come stay with me in Delaware.�
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  “Are you sure you want me to come live with you, Baylynn?”

  “Despite our differences, you’re still my mother and you’re in need. So, yes I’m sure. I’m gonna text you the address to my crib. Do you have a way to get here?”

  “Yeah. I have a car now.”

  “A car?”

  “I’ll explain when I see you.”

  “Okay. See you soon.”

  Instead of going to the hair salon like she planned, she drove to the market to get food for the house before she went home. After putting the groceries away, Baylynn tidied up the house for her mother’s arrival. She made sure she emptied out the drawers where she hid her coke and placed the last brick of coke she had in the closet in her bedroom. She planned on keeping her new-found addiction a secret for as long as she could. When the place was spotless, she cooked spaghetti and meatballs for lunch and waited for her mother to arrive. Baylynn wasn’t sure what kind of trouble her mother was in but she couldn’t wait to see her mother so she could find out. Baylynn always thought that she was better than her mother but as reality set in, she realized that she was definitely her mother’s daughter.

  38

  Over the two months Ramsey had been in prison, he had adjusted to his surroundings and made even a bigger name for himself. He was known on the streets as the biggest drug dealer in the Philly but in there, he was that and more. There were niggas in prison that heard about the moves he made on the outside and wanted to be on his team but Ramsey didn’t trust no fucking body and he wasn’t going to put just anyone on his team. All the niggas that came his way, he found out why they were in there and if they were in there for snitching, child molestation or any fuck shit like that, he gave them the axe and sent them on their way. Ramsey was far from a lame and none of his workers were lames on the outside. So, he wasn’t going to have any lames on his team on the inside.

  After separating the real niggas from the fuck boys, Ramsey gave his workers assignments to carry out for him and in return, he made sure their families were straight by sending them money every other week. He made shit clear to all of his workers that if they crossed him, he would not only have them killed but their families as well. So far, he didn’t have to make an example out of anyone, which was always a good thing. Ramsey assured his team of the risk that they were taking and if shit was to go sour, they were not to say a word. He didn’t have to explain it more than once but he reminded them often.