V.S.O.P.: A Very Special Love Story

by Danielle Marcus

  Diesel,

  I decided to go ahead and give you the deed to the house. I don’t want to be involved in the shit that you and Mel have going on between y’all. Whatever you did to her must be serious because she has it out for you hard. All I can say is watch your back because she’s a bitter vindictive bitch!

  Be safe,

  I read the letter a second time. Damn, I wondered if I did something to Mel other than fucking around on her back in the day. We weren’t even kicking it like that though. I hadn’t been showing her nothing but love now. Maybe Killz was right about her being crazy, I thought as Renee leaned in and asked what I was reading.

  I let her see the letter and showed her the deed to the house. “Yea right! I wish that bitch would try something! I already owe her an ass whooping.” Her lips formed a frown.

  “I ain’t worried. We got the deed now so the bullshit is over. I’m just ready to enjoy us.” I told her ending that conversation. Renee and I had been doing good lately and I wanted to focus on doing better. Maybe we could work on kids and marriage. I eyed her sexy ass as she stood before me. We could start with working on the kids first.

  Renee

  I was about sick of this Mel chick and all of the desperate shit that she was doing to get my man’s attention. She just didn’t know, I’d fuck a bitch up for messing with mines. She’s too lucky that she won’t show her face.

  It’s been a couple of months since she or whoever it was forked over the deed. Maybe she got the picture now. I don’t care. All I know is that me and Diesel are doing better than ever and I’m happier than ever.

  G has been handling everything as far as the label. So really all we’ve really been doing is traveling and enjoying life. A sister can get used to this! I thought, sipping on a Strawberry Passion virgin daiquiri from Starters. I was out with the ladies tonight. It was just me, Diamond, and Kita.

  “Yea, he has this friend named Mo and I swear I just want to cut that bitch!” Diamond grimaced rolling her eyes. She and G were going through it. Both of their ass were crazy. He looked like a sick puppy every time I saw him and so did she.

  Diamond just found out that she was pregnant so I was going to need them to get their stuff together for my grandbaby. Man, I’m going to be a grandma! Since Diesel found out that Diamond was pregnant he mentioned that he wanted a baby of his own, I don’t know how serious he is though.

  I am forty years old! What do I look like popping out a kid that would be younger than my grandchild? I can’t front though, I wouldn’t mind having his baby if that’s what he wanted. I was just a little scared.

  I can admit that I wasn’t the best mother to Diamond, and I hated that I allowed my drinking habit to miss so much of her life. I didn’t want to put another child through that.

  “You and G are a trip. Y’all know that y’all aren’t going anywhere so I don’t know why both of y’all are fronting.” Kita said interrupting my train of thought.

  Diamond rolled her eyes. “That’s him!”

  “That’s both of y’all!” I chimed in. “You need to make up your mind and stop playing with that man.” Diamond had been juggling between G and her ex. She had gotten caught up and now they were separated as a result.

  G had completely won me over so I switched to the other side now. I knew that he loved my daughter with all of his heart. He sort of reminded me of Diesel. That was probably what made Diesel take a liking to him. They had become really close since going into business with each other.

  “Who’s side are you on?” Diamond smiled.

  “The right side.”

  “Whatever, so what’s up with you and Diesel?” Diamond asked changing the subject.

  “We’re good. We got through all the bullshit. The only problem we’re having is that I think he wants me to have another baby.”

  “What?!” Diamond shrieked.

  “Girl bye! I’m not trying to be nobody’s mother. I’m still trying to learn how to be a mother to your grown ass.”

  “Whatever ma, you’d be a great mother. Considering everything that you’ve been through, you did an excellent job raising me!”

  I smiled. I needed to hear that. I came down on myself a little hard for my parenting with her.

  “Yea, you would be a great mother. I know that I love you like my own as well.” Kita added.

  “Awww. Come give me a hug. I love both of y’all heffas too.” I gushed, outstretching my arms. We embraced in a tight hug that meant the world to me. I was finally living my life, burden free.

  Diesel

  Summer faded into fall, fall fell into winter, and by the time I looked up, a whole year had flown by. A lot had transpired within that year’s time frame and it only pushed the bond between Renee and I deeper. I found my soul mate in Renee. I couldn’t ask for much more and that’s why I asked her to marry me.

  I told myself that this time around I was going to do everything right. I had no room to be fucking up. I was blessed with true love twice and I wasn’t going for a third time. Most men wasn’t even lucky enough to find it once.

  I walked into Ziedman’s and searched the displays for the perfect wedding band for our wedding day. I didn’t have Mel to do the simple shit for me anymore so I had to plot everything out myself.

  Fuck Mel. She tried to get a nigga and there was no way that she could convince me otherwise. It seemed like once she found out that me and Renee were serious, she flew off the deep end. I didn’t have time for that.

  I’m glad my baby was a rider, though. Nothing too much scared her away. Trust me, my life came with more drama than a little, but she took it all to the chin.

  I looked through just about every display. Nothing in there screamed worthy enough for my baby. So I decided that I would have to call up my jeweler and have him make her a custom piece.

  I headed towards the door to leave and almost ran straight into this older lady.

  “Excuse me I didn’t even see you.” I smiled, stepping to the side so that she could walk in. Our eyes connected and my smile completely faded, and so did hers.

  It was Tanya’s mother. I hadn’t seen this lady in well over 10 years and the way that she looked at me with such disgust told me that she still hated my guts.

  I tried to ask like I didn’t know who she was and walk off. But, she made sure to make her presence known.

  “I hope your life has been a living hell for what you did to my baby. You scum!” Her voice was harsh and filled with venom.

  I let her have that and kept it moving. Damn, didn’t she know that I was hurting just as much as she was. Tonya’s death probably was killing me more than it was killing her. My heart began to ache all over again as I drove home. I knew that I needed to try to find a way to bring closure to me and Tanya. I needed to bring myself to visit her gravesite.

  Later on that day…

  I sat in the dark, alone, behind my home office desk. I stared out of the gloomy window as the snow frosted the skies and left a light blanket of snow on the ground. I had gone through so much in one lifetime.

  I portrayed a man in control of my actions and emotions, but inside I was an emotional wreck at times. At the moment, this was one of those times. I clutched the picture of my ex, Tanya, her smile was bright, and her belly was huge. The picture was taken only two weeks before she had passed away and she was seven months pregnant with our son. She looked so happy and vibrant.

  I remembered the day as if it was yesterday. We had just come from a doctor’s appointment and were out to eat at Red Lobster. I could still hear her voice as she pretended to complain with a smile.

  She said. “You better take a picture now, because you will never see me pregnant again!”

  I knew that she was bluffing, because Tanya would go to the moon and back for me if I asked her to. She loved me that much. I snapped her picture, then we shared a tender kiss. At the time, I didn’t cherish moments like those and as a tear slid down my face I regretted not cherishing her.

  I knew t
hat my foolishness had cost me my family. More tears escaped from my wounded heart and poured out off my eyes. It had been a minute since I had broken down like this.

  I continued to glare at the picture, rubbing Tonya’s belly. I wanted my baby, I needed that void filled.

  I heard a door open and the clinking of heels, which tore me away from my trance. Renee was home. I quickly put the picture back in the little black book that I kept it in and threw it into the drawer. Then I did my best to erase the evidence of my pain.

  “Baby, where are you?” Renee’s soft voice called out.

  I closed my eyes and savored the sound of her voice. I had gotten a second chance and I was going to cherish her with all that I had. I loved Renee with every fiber in my being.

  “In here baby,” I called out. “Here I come.” I stood up to meet her, self consciously adjusting my clothes before mustering the strength to face Renee.

  “Why you sitting up in the dark?” Renee lightly chuckled flicking the lights on. “Is everything okay, baby?”

  “Yea, I’m good,” I lied, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her in to a hug. I squeezed tight, long and hard. “I love you, girl.” I told her with urgency. I needed her to know that I did and to feel it as well.

  “I love you more, Diesel.” She professed.

  “Oh really?” I raised a brow and smiled. “Well, let’s stop playing and get married.”

  Renee’s forehead wrinkled. “Right now?” She asked, I could tell by the look in her face that she was thrown off by my urgency to be married, but I didn’t want to go another day without her having my last name.

  “Yea, let’s call Diamond and G, and then we can fly to Vegas and get married.”

  “Hell yea, baby! Let’s do it!” She beamed, standing on her tippy toes and pulling my face to hers. She kissed me slow, hard, and passionately, allowing our tongues to do a sacred dance. All I needed was my baby. As down as I was, just seeing her face had erased away the pain.

  Renee

  I’m somebody’s wife! We did it! We got married! It wasn’t anything fancy. We had an intimate ceremony out in Las Vegas. G, Diamond, Diesel and I had a double wedding.

  It was so beautiful and it meant more to me than a big ceremony. Just the people who meant the most to me were in attendance. Diesel went all out with the horse and carriage, the five star hotel, soul touching sex, and the kicker, he knew that I was in love with Musiq Soulchild, so he flew him out and had him sing to me at our private dinner.

  I couldn’t ask for more. I was still smiling as I sat in the doctor’s office waiting for them to call my name. I think Diesel had finally popped one in me with all the lovemaking that we had been doing. I still had mixed emotions, but he was happy as hell about it. I looked over at him and playfully rolled my eyes.

  He began to chuckle. “What you do that for?”

  “Because I know that you’re just wishing for me to be pregnant.”

  “Stop fronting like you don’t want to have my baby.”

  Sometimes I didn’t know if he was joking or serious with the cocky comments that he made. “Whatever, if I am pregnant, your old ass is going to be chasing this little thang around.” I told him as the nurse came and called out my name for me to go to the back.

  We followed her to the back and to a room. She had me pee in a cup, then undress from the waist down before she left out. I was nervous as hell sitting on that examining table.

  “You know I can do your exam myself.” Diesel teased with a sneaky grin, pulling on a blue glove. He reached over and opened up the drawer that held the utensils for the pap smears.

  “If you don’t get your silly ass out of their drawers!” I giggled with a shake of my head.

  “Shhhh, just lay back and spread ya’ legs.” He continued to tease, moving towards me with the speculum that holds your cervix open in his hand.

  “Why you playing so much.” I was cracking up as I tried to swat him away. “Move Diesel.”

  I swear that we were like big kids. But, I loved the smile that he put on my face.

  “For real, just let me see.” He sat the speculum down on the table next to me and began to caress my legs, moving his way us to my inner thigh. The smile had completely left his face and he was giving me that eye.

  I felt his hand slide across my clit. By now, my smile had left too. He had my body hot and he better stop before we ended up getting it in right in this doctor’s office.

  “Dare me to stick it in.” He whispered into the crook of my next while still playing with my clit. He dipped his fingers inside of me then back out. My husband was arrogant, goofy, and a freak all mixed in one.

  A knock on the door, followed by it opening up caused Diesel to jump back, pulling his hand from between my legs. My doctor looked from me to him. She smiled at us, but I knew that she knew Diesel was misbehaving. I had told his ass to stop.

  “Hello Mrs. Jones, so what brings you two here today?” She got straight to the point.

  That was close as hell, I thought. If she had of been just a minute or two later, I think me and Diesel would have been getting it in something serious.

  “I think I might be pregnant. So I just wanted to make sure everything is okay.” I said.

  “Well, let’s see.” She went through her papers on the clipboard. “The results from your urine test confirms that you are indeed pregnant. Congrats guys!”

  I was speechless. I’m going to be a mother again. I looked at Diesel, he had a smile a mile wide spread across his face. I knew that he was ecstatic about it, but, I wondered how Diamond was going to take it. Here I was a grandmother and now I was about to start all over again. Fix it Jesus!

  Diesel

  I finally worked up the nerve to go visit Tanya’s gravesite. I had gotten married, I was about to have my first kid, my business had taken off, and I wanted to finally come to peace with everything that happened between us.

  I knew that it was far too late to say I’m sorry because she was already gone. But, I needed to still say something to save my soul. I asked Renee to come with me for support and I was happy when she agreed.

  I looked over to her as we road to Plymouth, MI where Tanya’s gravesite was located. I was so thankful for my lady. There wasn’t no other woman alive like her and she was all mines.

  We pulled into the site, I followed the path for as long as it allowed me and parked a few feet from Tanya’s grave. I let out a deep breath of air. I wasn’t an emotional man, but, my emotions were running wild!

  “Do you want me to sit in the car baby?” Renee asked, rubbing my back.

  I smiled at her. “No, come with me. I want to introduce y’all.” I knew that Tanya would be looking down on us, and would be listening. I wanted to make a promise to her that I was a changed man and let her know that I was in good hands.

  We hopped out of my car and slowly walked hand in hand until I found the tombstone with Tonya’s name on it. There were fresh flowers in front of it and a little banner that read Missing You. Somebody had been there recently and I assumed it was her mom.

  I remembered that episode with her mother and had to shake my head. They all blamed me for her death and they hated my guts. I decided to make my visit quick. I didn’t need the headache of running into any of her people.

  I kneeled down, Renee stood behind me with her hand on my back. I began to speak,

  “Hey Tanya. I know it’s been a minute, and I’m sorry it took so long to visit you. I blamed myself for all of this. I should have been the man you deserved. I know that you’re looking down on me and I’m sorry, baby.” I felt a tear welling up in my eye. I hadn’t cried in a long time and I did my best to suppress it. I was a man and men wasn’t supposed to cry, right?

  Bullshit. Men hurt just as bad as women, and right now I was in pain. I never realized how much Tonya’s death really affected me until now. I began to cry. I cried for Tonya and I cried for our unborn.

  Renee began to rub my back and she kneeled down with me. “
It’s okay, get it out baby.” She whispered in my ear. I grabbed her hand and held it.

  “Aww hell naw! You got the game fucked up!” I heard the sound of a gun cocking and a familiar voice. My whole body became riddled with shock. I turned just a bit, standing to my feet, and came eye-to-eye with Mel. Words couldn’t explain the way that I felt looking into her deranged eyes.

  “So you bringing this bitch to my baby’s grave! What the fuck is wrong with you?” She boomed, using the gun to sound out every syllable.

  I was completely lost. I was at my ex fiancé’s gravesite. I had to look at the name again to make sure that I wasn’t at the wrong grave. This was the first time that I visited it since the funeral.

  “What are you talking about Mel? And why you got that gun, put that shit down.” I tried talking to her. Renee stood behind me, holding on to my shirt, and Mel stood in front of us with the gun trained hard on my forehead.

  “I’m talking about you bringing this bitch to my motherfuckin’ girlfriend’s grave! It was bad enough that your whorish ways killed her. Now you rub it in her face that you’ve moved on?”

  “Mel, you-”

  “Shut the fuck up!” She roared, cutting me off. “For seven whole years, I sat around wanting to hurt you as much as you hurt us. I could have killed you a thousand times but, I didn’t.”

  She stopped for a second and looked over to Tiana as she walked up next to her with a pistol pointed at my head as well.

  “Tiana?” Now I really felt as if I was bugging. How the fuck did Tiana and Mel know each other?

  “Yes, it’s Tiana bastard.” Mel leaned over and planted a kiss on her lips.

  “What the fuck is going on, man?” I asked, making sure to stay in front of Renee. She had nothing to do with this and I just hoped that these crazy broads didn’t do anything to hurt her.

  Mel let out a Corella DeVille laugh and stepped closer. “Yea, Tonya was my bitch! We were only using you to have our baby, and we were supposed to live happily ever after.” Mel’s face went from anger to sorrow. “When I told her to go home that night, it was to catch yo’ hoe ass in the act. I never expected her to die.” A tear fell down Mel’s cheek. She quickly wiped it away.