Life After Wifey

by Kiki Swinson

  “Damn, I didn’t know Kira was raw dog like that,” Rhonda blurted out without hesitation the second I read the last word from that page.

  “Whatcha mean by that?” I asked, getting real defensive and closing book.

  “I’m just saying, I’ve never knew she had another side, that’s all.”

  “Well, she did. So, let’s keep this between us, okay?”

  “A’ight, let’s get this done so we can bounce,” she agreed and stood up.

  I stood up too and slid the diary into my right front pant pocket. “And please don’t tell anybody we found Kira’s diary.”

  “I won’t.”

  “Not even the police.”

  “I’m not.”

  “You promise?”

  “Come on now, Nikki, who do you take me for?”

  “I’m not taking you for anything. I just want you to promise me that this stays between us. That’s all.”

  “Okay. Then, I promise.”

  “I’m talking about Tony, too.”

  “Whatcha mean?”

  “I’m saying, you can’t tell him either.”

  “I’m not. You’ve got my word.”

  “All right. Well, let’s get back to work, then.”

  “So, when you gon’ read the rest of her diary?”

  “We can get together tomorrow after the shop closes and read it then.”

  “But, I can’t wait that long,” Rhonda protested.

  “Well, you’re gonna have to, girl, because we’ve got to get this stuff packed up in these boxes before the movers get here.”

  Rhonda sucked her teeth. “A’ight, then.”

  Once it was understood that we had to take a rain check on our diary-reading session, we got back on track and completed the mission we initially came here to do. By nightfall we had everything Kira owned packed up, sealed, and ready to be hauled off. The movers were scheduled to move all the big items the very next morning, so me and Rhonda carried the smaller and more valuable things ourselves.

  Kira’s seventeen thousand dollar Russian Sable fur coat came with me. I also confiscated that black, full-length Pelt Mink coat Ricky bought for her to wear on the trip to Amsterdam, that they never went on. Kira told me he paid a little over eight grand for the fur, so I’d be damned if I let anybody walk out of here with that. She had a couple of diamond bangles and earrings by David Yurman and a beautiful, platinum-ten carat-diamond ring she bought from the Diamond District a few years ago while she was in New York on a shopping spree. I made sure I took the three and a half carat, diamond bezel Bvlgari wristwatch with a cream-colored Alligator strap, a vintage Rolex and a gorgeous diamond necklace I only saw her wear when she rocked her fur coats. She also had a few other pieces like a tennis bracelet, a pair of diamond studded earrings and an iced-out ankle bracelet. So, after I took inventory of those things, I immediately slipped the entire jewelry box into my handbag. I saw Rhonda’s jealous facial expression when she peeped the jewelry, but she kept it to herself. And good for her because the way I figured, she wasn’t that damn cool with Kira to walk out of here with this type of stuff.

  So, if she ever attempted to come out of her mouth and question me about it, then I would have to put that bitch in her place. And it wouldn’t be pretty either.

  On the other hand, I did give her Kira’s eight-hundred-dollar Isabella Fiore handbag, a few pairs of sunshades by Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent, a gold and silver Chloe’ clutch handbag with a pair of Chloe’ sling back sandals to match and two beautiful Chanel scarves. She couldn’t fit any of Kira’s clothes, except for a Carolina Herrera cocktail dress. But, do you think I cared? Hell nah! That bad boy cost Kira every bit of two to three grand, so that was going with me too.

  “Why you being so selfish, Nikki? You can’t even fit the damn thing,” she protested.

  “I know I can’t. But, I already promised to give it to my mother” I told her, lying through my teeth.

  “Come on now, your mother hasn’t even seen the damn dress.”

  “Yes, she has.”

  “When Nikki?”

  “A while back when she saw Kira wearing it she told her that as soon as she got tired of it to send it right over to her.And Kira told her okay.”

  “Yeah, whatever, Nikki,” Rhonda responded and stormed off like a big ass baby.

  She went into the kitchen to finish packing up the remaining items of silverware as well as the seasonings and things. I stayed behind and good thing I did, because as soon as I cleared everything out of Kira’s closet, I ran across her secret stash and found a huge sum of cash. It looked like it was about nine or ten grand but I wasn’t really sure. However, I would find out when I got home because as far as I was concerned , Rhonda didn’t need to know about the dough because there was just not enough to go around.

  When I got back to my place I felt a sense of calmness fall over me, knowing that I was home alone. Luckily for me, Syncere was still hiding out with one of his homeboys trying to stay off the radar so he could find out who shot him. I didn’t know how true all this shit was because I ain’t seen him yet. But, you know what they say; you reap what you sow.

  After I brought all of Kira’s boxes into my apartment, I settled down in my bed and pulled out her diary. The sense of urgency to fulfill my curiosity was burning within me. I knew I would be lying to myself if I thought I could wait until tomorrow to get with Rhonda at the salon to sit down and read the contents of this diary. So I did what any other person in my shoes would do and plunged right back into the world of the unknown. I immediately picked up where I had left off. But, when I realized I had already read the contents of this page, I turned to the next dated Monday, January 8, 2006 and it read:

  Dear Diary,

  Here it is, two a.m. and I’m beginning to wonder where the hell my husband could be. He promised me earlier that he was going to be home by eleven, so we could finish our conversation from hours ago. But once again, he has made me out to be the fool that I am. I decided to call him with hopes of finding out his whereabouts. I dialed his cell phone number three times before he finally answered my calls. And when he said, “What’s up, baby?” I hesitated before responding because I wanted a few seconds of silence so I could listen for clues that would indicate his whereabouts. But of course, he caught on to my tactics immediately and asked me why I was so quiet. So, I brought down the barrier with much attitude and asked him where the fuck he was. Of course, he went into his stash of lies and told me he was at one of his spots, taking care of business. So, I told him that I didn’t believe him because it was too quiet. His explanation for the silence was that he was alone. So, I asked him where he was. He told me he was at the spot on B Avenue in Huntersville, but he was about to leave. So, I asked him whey the hell I had to call three times before he answered his phone? His answer was that he was in the middle of counting some dough and that if he would’ve stopped in the middle of the count then he would’ve probably messed the numbers up. Yeah! ‘What the fuck ever,’ is what I yelled through the phone. And then before I hung up, I told him that he’d better have his ass beating down our front door in the next twenty minutes. But, I doubt it if he does. Because he rarely ever listened to me. He does whatever he wanted to do. And not only that, I heard him breathing heavy through the phone. So, I know he’s probably at some chicken head’s crib banging her back out; which is why his punk ass couldn’t answer my first two calls. Yeah, knowing him, he probably either told her to be quiet or went into another room, so I couldn’t hear anything. But, it’s all good. Because my time is coming. And it won’t be long either. Watch and see!

  After reading the last word from that page, I flipped to the next page dated Wednesday, January 10, 2006 and it read:

  Dear Diary,

  I talked to Nikki tonight and she was becoming a nervous wreck. The Feds were putting a lot of pressure on her to tell them whose drugs she was transporting. From the sound of her voice I could tell she wanted to spill the beans, which gave me a bad taste
in my mouth. I warned her that talking was a very bad idea and that she would be putting herself, as well as me, in a compromising position. Shit, I told her, I could go to jail too. So, she was gonna have to come up with another plan to get out of her predicament. Of course, she wasn’t trying to hear me, but if she knows like I do, she’d better.

  Once again I found myself at the end of yet another one of Kira’s well-thought-out passages. I could see that she really poured her feelings out onto these pages and it was a good thing that Ricky never stumbled across it. Instead of reading about Kira in the obituaries, she would’ve been reading about me. Thank God she had enough sense to hide it in an obscure place.

  As I continued to sift through the next twenty-something pages, I realized Kira hadn’t written about anything new and exciting. Every day up until January 22nd consisted of nothing but Ricky being up to his old tricks, the drama she went through at the salon, and the latest news going on with my case. I elected to close the book for the night, since I was becoming restless. I figured it would be better if I got myself a good night’s sleep and picked up from where I left off in the a.m. And even though I knew Rhonda was going to be upset that I read Kira’s diary without her, she’d get over it. I’ll just fill her in on what I’ve read thus far.

  8

  Making Power Moves

  Syncere Speaks

  I’d been hiding out for a little over a week now and I still hadn’t heard a word in the streets about dem’ nigga’s running up in my spot. But, it was cool ‘cause I already know that it was Lloyd and his henchmen. So, they were gonna pay and it was not gonna be very long before it happened because I ordered a hit on dem’ niggas last night.

  Since the robbery, I had a few of my home boys move all my shit out of that place and put it in a storage unit. I also switched hotel rooms. But, I still got Sasha riding my dick. Yeah, she’s cool. Got some good pussy too. I know one thing and that is if she keeps up this ride or die chick image, I’m gon’ let her take Nikki’s place. And I’m talking some real shit too. Because I’m starting to jive like shorty wit’ her freaky ass self. The bitch loves to keep my dick in her mouth and you know I love that. She knows how to control the muscles in her pussy too, that’s why that shit is so good. Not only that, she’s jive pretty as hell. She reminds me of Beyonce’, but with bigger titties. Yeah, she got B’s complexion, long hair and her phat butt. That shit be looking good too when I be running up in it. Ol’ good pussy bitch! ‘Round here got me falling for her ass. But, I’ll tell you one thing, she ain’t gon’ know it. No sir! A man of my status never tells a trick that he’s in love with her, especially if she use to fuck around with your partner.That’ll be really stupid and I’ll definitely get clowned for it. And since I don’t want that to happen, I’m gonna keep reminding myself that shorty ain’t nothing but a temporary thing. Bottom line.

  That shipment of dope I took off Mark’s hands after I had his ass done in is a little on the light side; and the fact that I just got robbed for two hundred grand isn’t making matters any better. But hey, I can’t sit back and cry about because there’s still a lot of money to be made. So, to keep things moving steady, I got my dog Quincy to make a few power moves for me because the cat me and Mark used to cop our shit from back in Jersey, Marocco, somehow vanished off the face of the earth. I don’t know how true it is, but I heard some niggas from around my way robbed and kidnapped him and his wife while their kids were out with their nanny. They said them niggas walked away with over a million dollars in cash and five kilograms of coke. So, if that’s true, then them niggas sure made off lovely. And believe me, a lot of cats with weight took noticed to that shit too, which is why certain rules have changed. See, back in the day when cats like me wanted to buy or sell drugs, all we had to do was set up a time and a place so we could make the hand-to-hand exchange. Nowadays, it is mandatory to drop off your dough to the cat you’re gonna make the trade with first. So, it’s mad important that you know who you’re fucking with because once you put your money in that person’s hands, you are putting yourself in a vulnerable position. In this game, shit can go either way.And the fucked-up part is that you have to leave your dough behind and hope that that same nigga you just hit off call you back with the location to pick your shit up from. I know mad young cats who got jammed up like that.

  And the niggas who stuck them up paid dearly for it too. That’s why I try to stay connected with cats who are true businessmen. All them other counterfeits can suck my dick because I’m trying to come back up from that huge lose and no better way to do than to get my hustle on with some good dope.

  Now once Quincy made the call to his peoples in D.C., he got me back on the horn and told me to be ready because we’re going to be hopping in his whip and heading in that direction later on tonight.

  Happy as hell by the mere thought of me coming up from off this deal Quincy just made I jumped up from the bed and grabbed my cane. Sasha got it from the mall for me two days ago so I could leave them crutches alone. I was kind of hesitant to use it at first, but when she coached me on how to walk with it, shit fell into place. Yeah, she’s still down for a nigga. I think I’m gon’ keep her around for a while. But, for now, we’re gonna have to check out of this room ’cause I’ve got things to do and money to make.

  “Yo Sash’,” I said cutting the ‘A’ off her name. “Something’s come up, so I’m gon’ have to leave for a while.”

  Stepping out of the bathroom, hair pulled back in a ponytail and wearing nothing but a towel, she looked at me and asked, “Is everything alright?”

  “Yeah. Everything’s cool. I just need to make a quick run out of town and I’m gon’ be gone for a couple of days.”

  “So, is there anything you want me to do for you while you’re gone?”

  “Nah. I’m straight,” I assured her as I began to gather up my things.

  “So, are you going to call me when you get back?”

  “Oh yeah. As a matter of fact, I’m gonna let you take the rental car since it’s paid up for a month.”

  “Well, do you want me to go back to my sister’s house and wait for you to call?” She searched my face for any signs that I wanted to get rid of her. So, I sat her down and told her that she could stay here at the room tonight since the day was already paid for. In the morning, though, she was gonna definitely have to go back to her sister’s crib. When she gave me the long face, I told her that I wouldn’t mind chilling with her some more but she was going to have to bring something more to the table besides some good pussy because I could get that from my other chick Nikki.

  “Well, I betcha’ Nikki can’t suck your dick better than I can.”

  “Nah, she can’t. But, I’m not concerned about shit like that. See, I like fucking with chicks that are smart and ambitious. You know, going to college and trying to get a degree in field that’s gonna pay her a lot of dough.”

  She smiled and told me that she was tired of working dead end jobs and given the opportunity, would pay off the student loans she had and go back to school to become an registered nurse.

  Surprised by what she had just told me I asked, “You’ve been to college?”

  “Yeah, I’ve already completed two years.”

  “Oh okay, so that explains how you knew that my ankle wasn’t broke.”

  She smiled and said, “Knowing whether or not the bones in your feet are misaligned with the bones in your ankle was the first thing my professor taught.”

  “What school did you go to?”

  “O.D.U.”

  “When did you stop going?”

  “Last year.”

  “So, how much do you owe in student loans?”

  “Well, I had a couple of federal grants so I probably owe about twelve or thirteen thousand.”

  “No way. Are you serious?”

  “Oh yeah. You can ask anybody how expensive school is.”

  “I’ll tell you what, find out exactly how much money you owe and I’ll help you pay it if you go
back to school.”

  “For real?”

  “Yeah, I’m for real,” I assured her. “Go get yourself together and make them calls because the way my life is going I might need you to take care of me one day.”

  “I’d do it too.” She smiled and stood up from the bed.

  “Well, it’s settled. Now, get dressed,” I instructed and smacked her on her ass as she walked away.

  Before I walked out the hotel room, I handed Sasha a couple hundred dollars to hold her over until I got back. That was enough to get her some food and put some gas in the car . I also left specific instruction for her to go down to O.D.U so she could find out when the next semester started and pick up an apartment guidebook, so she could find herself a one-bedroom apartment. After she assured me that she was going to handle her business, I bounced.

  9

  Chasin’ Dat Paper

  Quincy ripped I-95 up to get to D.C. We got there one hour ahead of schedule so we checked in our hotel and then headed down to the strip club where the drop was suppose to be made. When we got there we still had about thirty minutes to burn so Quincy suggested that we go inside and get a few drinks while we waited for them niggas to show up. So, I said a’ight.