by Shan
He kinda had me rethinking my no dating policy while I was still married. Seeing as how Tamar isn't cooperating and doing what's needed to finalize the divorce; I'll be married forever. I couldn't allow him to continue to control my life over a few counseling sessions that he most likely would never attend. Messiah seemed like an interesting dude and I honestly wanted to know more.
"Lunch was good. I wanna take you to dinner, breakfast, shopping--hell I just wanna be in your presence more," Messiah said as the waiter took our plates away.
"I had a good time as well and yes we should do this again," I smiled.
"That's what's up. We gonna have to get together real soon. You about to go back to work?" Messiah asked.
He tossed a twenty dollar tip on the table and stood up along with me. We walked off the patio dining area and towards my car.
"Yea, I have one more appointment before I can go to pick my boys up."
"Cool, cool. Well hit me up later once you get home and get settled," Messiah leaned over and kissed me on my lips. He wrapped his arms around my waist and slid his tongue into my mouth.
"Damn," I said when we finally pulled away.
Messiah gave me another peck on the lips, then bit down on his bottom as he backed away from me.
"Damn," I said once again then got into my car to leave.
****
Once I made it to the shop, I noticed a tall, slender female standing out front. She was light skinned with freckles wearing a pair of thin glasses. Her hair was pinned up in a bun and her edges were a hot ass mess. I figured she was here waiting on one of my stylist until I got closer and noticed just who she was.
"Kari?" I questioned once I got closer.
I guess I should've known who she was just by looking at her body but then again the bitch wasn't naked. She sent so many naked pictures to Tamar while we were together that I bet I know that hoes body better than I know my own.
"Rozalyn, hi. Do you have a few minutes? I need to speak with you," Kari folded her arms across her chest and shifted her weight to one leg.
She didn't look like she'd just been in an accident or at least recovering from one. I nodded my head at Kari and invited her to follow me inside the shop to my office. Once inside, I signaled for her to sit down. Normally when I had visitors I would offer them juice, water, or coffee but the bitch's visit was unwarranted. The hoe ruined my marriage and honestly I didn't see the need to be courteous.
"What's up?" I asked sitting behind my desk.
"Look congrats to you on getting your kids back and all that. I just wanted to warn you that Tamar and I getting married pretty soon and I would appreciate it if you didn't get in the way of that," Kari flashed a nice sized diamond on her finger and smirked.
I laughed, "Congrats Kari. I honestly don't give a damn what you and Tamar are about to do. You both have my best wishes. Long as he don't try and keep me away from my kids again then we won't have any problems."
"So you say. I will see to it that he doesn't fight the custody battle any further and I would appreciate it if you would go ahead and agree to the terms of the divorce so that we can move forward with our lives. And if you don't care then why are you holding up the process?"
"What are you talking about Kari? I'm not holding up anything. All Tamar needs to do is show up for the counseling sessions and this can be over. I've signed the papers a long time ago," I said not believing the bitch had the nerve to accuse me of holding up the divorce proceedings. "Maybe if you start showing up in court next to your man then you will know that. Or wait, does Tamar make you wait outside for him?"
"All I know is that you're keeping us from moving forward and I don't appreciate it. Tamar is mine now. You had your chance and you messed that up when you fucked his best friend. Sign the papers bitch or else the next time you see me it won't be as pleasurable as this one," Kari threatened.
I stood up from my desk and walked around to where Kari sat. I didn't appreciate her coming up in my shop and shooting slugs. Fuck her and Tamar, I was the one showing up week after week to the therapist’s office only for Tamar to continuously miss each appointment.
Kari stood from her chair towering over me a good few inches. We stared each other down for what seemed like an eternity before a knock at the door broke our eyes apart.
"Come in," I said.
The door swung open and Brian stood on the other side. He looked Kari up and down and then searched my face for answers.
"Everything good mami?" he asked.
"This bitch was just leaving," I said with a roll of my eyes.
"You heard what I said. Sign the papers bitch," Kari spat before moving around Brian to leave.
"Girl, what the hell was that about?" Brian asked.
"She came up in here talking about her and Tamar getting married and how I need to sign the divorce papers and stop holding them up. Got the nerves to threaten me like I'm supposed to be scared," I huffed parking my behind back in my seat.
"Does the trick not know that Tamar is holding up the process obviously because he still wants you?"
"I don't know what the hell Tamar is telling her but whatever it is it can't be the truth. That's why her ass is always sitting in the waiting area at court. He doesn't want her to know what's going on."
Brian shook his head, "She should've known something was up then. Excuse her for her ignorance. Anyway boo-boo your two o'clock is here."
"Cool, tell her to give me five minutes and I'll be out there."
"Okay," Brian left my office closing the door behind him.
I immediately picked up my office phone, dialed information, and had them transfer me over to the hospital. I waited on the line as the hospital staff rang me into Tamar's room. One thing was for certain, he better get this bitch ‘cause she was right. Next time the hoe come at me sideways it won't be pretty.
"Aye, who this?" Tamar answered.
"Look Tamar, you better tell your muthafuckin' fiancé don't come at me with that bullshit again!" I yelled the moment he answered.
"What? Fuck is you talking about?" Tamar asked.
"That bitch Kari came to my damn shop talking about I'm keeping y'all from getting married and if I don't sign the fucking papers it won't be nice the next time she sees me. You better check that hoe and let her know what it really is."
"A'ight Roz," Tamar said and the line went dead.
I hung my office phone up and sat there laughing to myself when suddenly tears fell from my eyes.
Married? That quickly Tamar is getting married. I thought and buried my face into my hands.
****
"Hey Cheryl," I said to Tamar's mother once she opened the door.
"Hey doll, you look tired. Come on in, I just finished dinner and me and the boys were about to sit down and eat. I will fix you a plate," Cheryl ushered me inside, grabbed my hand and led me to the dining area. I wasn't really hungry at all; pretty much still upset from Kari's visit and didn't feel as if I could stomach anything.
Once I made it into the dining area, all three boys looked at me and smiled before going back to sticking their hands in their food. I walked over to them to assist them with eating. I hated to see them grabbing at the food versus using the silverware that was provided to them.
"So, how have you been Rozalyn? I'm kinda upset that you don’t visit with me like you used to. I feel like you shut me out once you and Tamar began having all those problems," Cheryl said and sat a plate in front of me.
"Umm, I probably did shut you out Mrs. Cheryl. I shut everybody out and shut down. It took me a while to get back to my old self again," I answered picking at my food.
"Your old self? Ha, this ain't the old Rozalyn I once knew. You are a woman now doll and I love it on you, looks good."
I laughed, "Thank you. It feels good."
"The boys have been talking about "Mommy" all day. Especially Tamarion, he's been whining for you all day long," Cheryl giggled. "I'm so glad that you and Tamar worked this out and got ove
r that foolishness. I swear that boy is like his father more than he will ever care to admit to."
I nodded my head thinking how Tamar didn't have a choice but to get over his stupidity, the judge forced his hand. It wasn't like he made the decision on his own to allow me to see the boys.
"Aye, mane you do what the fuck you gotta do. Set the test up and let me know when it is," Taron shouted as he walked into the dining area. He walked over and kissed Cheryl on the cheek then took a seat at the table. "Look, I don't care. You not about to have me claiming nothing until I see the proof. Get the fuck off my phone."
Cheryl and I both looked at Taron then at each other. I wondered what that was all about. Taron had been dating a chick for a long while now so hearing him talk about getting a test and claiming something until he had proof baffled me. I know his girlfriend Journey hasn't had a child yet so I wondered what side chick this was.
5: Tamar
"Aaggh!" I groaned as Taron helped me into the house.
"Told you to get a wheel chair hard head," Taron said while he helped me to the family room.
"I don't need no damn wheel chair!"
I pushed his arms off of me and struggled on my own to get to the sofa. My legs felt like they were stuck in cement as I tried to walk the few feet that it took to sit down. After spending a little over a week in the hospital, I'd finally gotten well enough to come home. Regardless of my condition, business was still booming and there were plenty of things that needed to be handled. With me barely trusting anyone, my team was very small and the bulk of the responsibility was mine to take care of.
"Yea, play crazy. You walk like a crippled ass old man," Taron said grabbing the remote, my laptop, and few other gadgets and bringing them to me. "I'm about to go pick up mama, you need anything else?"
I shook my head no and scrolled through my recent call history on my cell phone. "Kari ain't here?"
"I don't know, I wasn't looking for her," Taron shrugged before leaving the room.
I hit the send button when I came across Kari's number. I'd been calling her for a few days trying to talk to her about what Rozalyn told me but hadn't gotten through to her yet.
"Where you at?" I asked the moment she answered.
"Home. How are you?" she asked.
"If you really cared, you would've called me or better yet come to see me. I ain't heard from you since the day this bullshit happened."
"I've just been trying to wrap my head around some things," Kari sighed sounding irritated. "I'm on my way to the hospital, we need to talk."
"Kari, I'm downstairs in the family room. Come holla at me."
I hung up the phone and tossed it to the side. Kari and I were good together but sometimes I often wondered if we jumped in this shit head first. Soon as we started back fooling around and she found out I left Rozalyn for good, she immediately got divorced with the expectations that I would do the same. I had her believing that Rozalyn was the one keeping the divorce from going through and even told her that Rozalyn refused to let me go since I was with her.
Really, the truth was that I wasn't quite ready to close that chapter in my life yet. Although Kari told me what happened in that bathroom at Keylan's wake, I didn't want to believe that Rozalyn would do some foul shit like that to me. Fucking my boy was one thing but to fuck him at the home going celebration of the very nigga he killed was another. The only time I confronted Rozalyn on the issue was when I damn near choked her to death. I haven't brought it to her since then merely because I was too afraid to know the truth.
"How long have you been home?" Kari asked breaking my thoughts.
"I just got here," I replied.
"How are you feeling?" Kari came over to me and kissed me on the lips before sitting down.
"It gets better every day."
I looked over at Kari and couldn't help but notice the tremendous rock sitting on her hand. I immediately frowned being it hadn't been there in all this time we've been together.
"Fuck is this?" I asked grabbing her hand.
"Well seeing as how we always talk about getting married and you have yet to ask I just figured I'd go out and get my own ring," Kari said with a slight smile as she eyed the diamond.
"You the one always talking about getting married, I'm still married Kari. And what's this shit I hear about you going to my wife's--to Rozalyn's shop?"
"I went up there because I'm ready to take that next step Tae! The bitch is--"
I cut her off, "I don't give a fuck what you ready to do! Don't you ever in your life approach her on no bullshit again. Do you understand me?"
"Oh you're defending her now? Before it was this bitch this, or that bitch that. Now you wanna sit here and tell me not to approach her. She is ruining our relationship and you can't even see that."
"Ain't nobody ruining shit for us Kari! I don't give a fuck how you feel about what's going on man; don't do that shit no more! Do not call her; don't go see her, nothing! Stay in your muthafuckin' place!"
"My place? What's my place Tamar? I don't even know what my place is! You tell me that Rozalyn is holding up the process and she tells me otherwise. I'm confused right now."
"If anybody should be confused right now it should be me. Fuck you out shopping for rings and shit while I'm lying up in the hospital for? Forget that other shit, tell me that!"
Kari folded her arms across her chest and looked as if my question caused her to melt away. I've been thinking this whole time she hasn't come to check on me because she was recovering from her damn injuries, but no--she out shopping for rings, and stepping to Rozalyn on some dumb shit.
DING DONG! DING DONG!
"I just wanna get married Tae. I want us to be happy," Kari finally said after moments of silence.
"Man, go get the damn door. Not trying to hear that shit," I said and grabbed my cell phone.
On the screen sat a preview of a picture that was sent from Rozalyn's number. I unlocked my phone and up popped a picture of all three boys smiling from ear to ear. Seeing them so happy made me instantly regret the route I took in keeping them from their moms. I knew what I was doing was wrong but the hurt I felt wouldn't allow me to think reasonably. I just wanted to hurt Rozalyn as much as she hurt me and I didn't care how I went about doing it.
I'm out the hospital but ain't moving around too well. Can you keep them for a couple more weeks?
I hit the send button on the message and sat the phone aside when Dmitri walked in the room followed by a nigga I didn't know. My guards spiked and I raised from my seat barely able to stand. Demitri knew how I felt about muthafuckas I don’t know being in my home.
"Fuck is this nigga?" I questioned.
"Chill, this is Sy. The guy I've been telling you about. He's cool people, I've been knowing him for years," Dmitri said holding up his hands.
"Aye Kari!" I yelled ignoring Dmitri's introduction.
"Yea, baby?" Kari stuck her head in the door.
"Go get my muthafuckin' .22. Real quick like," I said fuming that Dmitri brought this cat up in my personal space. I didn't care who this dude was and how long Dmitri had known him.
Dmitri laughed, "Bro chill the hell out. He's good people like I said and as a matter of fact he's going to be working with us."
"Working with who? Fuck is you talking about?" I asked taking a seat back on the sofa.
Kari came into the room and I quickly took the hammer out her hand, cocked it, and sat it on my lap. If nobody knew, Dmitri knew that I had no problems murkin' dude right where he stood. I side eyed the both of them waiting for Dmitri to further explain himself.
"Maybe we should discuss this at another time," Sy said in a thick accent.
Dmitri clicked his tongue before speaking, "Maybe I was wrong for bringing him here without speaking with you first but I vouch for him. He is the kinda cat that you need on your team Tae. If you prefer we will discuss this at a later time but either way it's gonna get discussed; sooner rather than later."
"Hello," I answ
ered my phone when it began to vibrate.
"You know I don't mind keeping my kids you don't have to ask me that," Rozalyn said.
"Our kids," I said giving Dmitri and Sy a menacing look.
"Are you gonna be at the counseling session tomorrow since you're out the hospital?" Rozalyn asked.
"Rozalyn, can't you reschedule it? Damn, I just came home an hour ago," I sighed.
