The Gangsta That Stole My Heart

by Nique Luarks

  Taking a sip from my cup, I listened to my baby mama complain. I could tolerate Jaliyah way more than Quindelle. She was ghetto as fuck, but she was cool and wasn’t with all the drama. I could get high with Jaliyah and play the game or stop by her crib to take a quick nap without all the extra. Unlike Quin, I’d never had to put my hands on Jaliyah.

  “His attitude gets worse every day.”

  “He’ll be a’ight.” Leaning back into my chair, I closed my eyes. “Is that why you called me?”

  “No. Rudeness. I called because I need to borrow some money.”

  “I’m broke, baby.”

  She smacked her lips. “I’m for real, True. Let me hold some money until I get paid.”

  “Paid from where?” I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling. “You ain’t got a job.” Jaliyah boosted clothes and shit, but that wasn’t no real money.

  “I tried to come to you for a loan to kick start a business, but you wasn’t fuckin’ with me.”

  Taking another drink, I shook my head.

  “You helped Chance. Why can’t you help me?”

  “I just told you I’m broke.”

  “Why are you playin’?”

  I chuckled. “Jaliyah, man, why every time you call a nigga you need something? I’ma block yo number.”

  “Ha, ha! Funny… Are you at the bar? I can come get it now.”

  “How when Chase is sleep?”

  “My cousin is staying here until she gets on her feet.”

  “Nah, stay there.” I finished off the rest of my lean. “What am I gettin’ outta this?”

  “What you want?” She snickered already knowing.

  Pushing back from my desk, I grabbed my hat. “I’m on my way.”

  Later on that night...

  “True...” Jaliyah’s voice sounded far away. “Hold on, Chance.” My body jolted slightly as Jaliyah tried to wake me up. “Girl, his ass is sleep.”

  Laying my arm over my eyes, I cleared my throat. “Why you answering my phone?”

  “It’s Chance.” She dropped the phone on my chest. “You got some weed for me to roll up?”

  Ignoring her, I put the phone to my ear. “Wassup?” When I heard sniffling, I sucked my teeth. “What’s wrong?”

  “True, I’m pregnant.”

  My eyes shot open and I sat up straight. “What?”

  “I’m pregnant.” She sniffled. “And I don’t want to keep it.”

  I frowned. “The fuck you just say?”

  “I’m not keeping it, True.”

  Balling my hand into a fist, I squeezed tight and then opened it slowly. “You sound stupid.” I massaged my forehead. “You just in your feelings right now.” Chance wasn’t even the type to do no shit like that.

  The line went quiet as I slipped my shoes on. Chance being pregnant wasn’t what I needed right now. That made the count two. Two chicks pregnant by me at the same time… I was officially an unlucky nigga.

  “You took the test?”

  “Yeah. I’ve been waiting on my menstrual all month, so I took one.”

  “Why are you crying, Chance? I thought this was what you wanted.” She begged for my sperm a couple of months ago.

  “This isn’t what I wanted.”

  “Then what do you want? What you want me to do, Jelly?” I sighed. “You crying and shit like I ain’t got you.”

  “No, True. I’m crying because things between us are about to get a whole lot more complicated.”

  Standing up, I grabbed my burner off the dresser. Last year, you couldn’t have paid me to believe I’d be twenty-eight with four kids and four different BM’s or that Chance would be one of them. We had gone from being buddies to her being knocked up quick as fuck. Chance’s pussy was hard to pull out of, though.

  “Where you at?”

  “My parents’ house.”

  “Meet me at the house.” I wanted to see about her before I hit the block up.

  She sighed. “No, I’m staying here since it’s closer to the airport.”

  I frowned.

  “My brother’s girlfriend had my niece yesterday, so we’re flying out to New Orleans for a couple of days,” she explained further.

  Leaving Jaliyah’s room, I checked the time on my Rolex. “Stop worrying, a’ight? Ain’t shit between us gon’ change,” I assured her, making my way through Jaliyah’s spot.

  “Everything between us is about to change,” she snapped in a hushed tone. “It’s not like I was artificially inseminated. True we’ve had sex two times and I’ve already told you my feelings.”

  I found Jaliyah in the living room, rolling up on a DVD case, gossiping. “I’m out.”

  She chucked the deuces up.

  “I’m turning my phone on do not disturb when I get to New Orleans,” Chance spoke. “I told Emmit if he needs anything to contact you. That’s the main reason I called.”

  I stepped outside into the chilly night air. “If you go down there and get an abortion—"

  “I don’t have to sneak and do anything,” she cut me off with an attitude. “I’m grown. But I do think we should talk about it when I get back,” she mumbled.

  “Ain’t shit to talk about.” After hopping in my truck, I sat my piece on my lap and started the ignition.

  “Bye, True.” She banged on me. Her little ass was gon’ get enough of hanging up in my face.

  And just like that, a nigga went from having two shorties, to four.

  Man...

  16

  Baby blues…

  Chance

  As I held my niece for the first time, I couldn’t help but fall in love. She was so tiny with her little light bright self. Jet black hair spiraled in tight curls on her head. They’d named her Cairo, and I wasn’t sure if I liked it just yet. Cairo hadn’t opened her eyes for me, and I was dead set on seeing them before we left the hospital.

  “Chance, girl, it feels like I ain’t talked to you in months.” My sister-in-law, Zora, yawned.

  I chuckled, rocking Cairo slowly. “It’s been awhile. I’ve been getting my shops together.”

  “Your brother keeps sayin’ we gon’ come visit. With his lyin’ ass.” She closed her eyes. “I’ma end up coming by myself this summer.”

  “Now, you know G isn’t going to let that happen.” I swayed. Gino was my parents’ oldest son. He was thirty-eight, still acting like he was in his early twenties, which was probably why his attraction to twenty-four-year old Zora didn’t come as a surprise.

  Zora rested her arms on a pillow. “You right.” Texting on her phone, she shrugged. “We gon’ figure something out. Just watch.” Just as those words left Zora’s mouth, Gino came waltzing into the room.

  “Chance, you still here?” He approached the bed. Kissing Zora on her forehead, he made his way over to Cairo and me. “Mama and ‘nem on the way to the store. I thought you were wit’ ‘em.” His kissed the top of Cairo’s head and then pinched my cheek.

  “I told her I wasn’t leaving until Cairo opened her eyes.” I looked back down at my niece. “Her little butt is lazy.”

  Gino took a seat. “Like her mama.”

  Zora laughed. “Boy, bye. Her ass gets that from you.”

  He leaned back in his chair. “Yeah, okay. You don’t wanna sit down?” he asked me, going into his pocket.

  “Nope.” I stared at Cairo. She was perfect.

  “You still fuckin’ wit’ that nigga, True?” Gino’s tone went flat. Zora shot him a look and he sucked his teeth. “Are you?”

  “You know the answer to that,” I mumbled. Gino hated True. They’d only met maybe five times and each time, they were at each other’s throats like they literally got into a fist fight on two different occasions. True didn’t care about Gino either way. My brother, however, couldn’t stand him.

  Gino shook his head disapprovingly. “That’s your boy.”

  “Baby, don’t start that,” Zora tried to interfere before Gino started on one of his rants about True.

  He waved her of
f. “That lil’ nigga uses you.”

  “No, he doesn’t.” I disagreed. Anything I did for True, I did with free will. I was like that with all of my friends and family too, which was why Gino had no business talking about using someone. He called me more to borrow money then he did to say he loved me.

  “Pops said you been over there crying.”

  Really, Daddy?

  I rolled my eyes. “I wasn’t crying over True.”

  “Mmhmm. That’s the only time you in yo feelin’s.” He looked to me and then smirked. “That lil’ bum is the only person you let get you that worked up. I know my little sister, Chance.”

  “Is the name calling necessary?” I became defensive. True never dissed Gino, so G had no reason to down talk him.

  “You gon’ learn.”

  “Just like I had to learn about you?” Zora chuckled. “Boy, you got some nerve. Sittin’ here talkin’ ‘bout somebody crying. How many nights have I cried myself to sleep over yo ass?”

  Gino glared at her. “Who side you on?”

  “The right side, apparently,” I spoke. “And it’s wrong for you to attack True’s character when you have no room for judgment.” I stared down at him.

  True wasn’t perfect. None of us were. But True also looked out for me and had been there through some of my darkest days. He’d spent more money on me and time with me than my own brothers did. At least I never had to worry about True cutting me off because I didn’t want to loan him money.

  Gino…

  “I’m family.” He scoffed.

  “Okay, G.” I just decided to leave it alone.

  I had bigger concerns than the petty beef Gino had with True. They saw one another maybe once every three years. Gino’s insecurities were starting to shine bright. Like True always told me whenever Quindelle or Nisha got in one of their moods and played on my phone, “They hate you ‘cause they ain’t you”. Gino had a bunch of negative things to say about True, but he didn’t even know him.

  When Cairo stirred and then opened her eyes slowly, I smiled. Mood completely reset to grateful. I was grateful that my niece had been born pretty and healthy. Not even her bitter daddy could ruin this moment “Look at those eyes,” I cooed. “You’re going to be gorgeous just like Mommy.”

  Zora chuckled. “Girl, you know that baby don’t look nothing like me.”

  I giggled, agreeing one hundred percent. I just wanted to mess with Gino since he was being a butthead.

  “She petty.” G stood up. “Give me my baby.” We carefully switched Cairo off.

  I went over to the counter and grabbed my purse. “I was leaving anyway,” I joked, making my way to Zora’s bedside. She looked sleepy.

  “Thank you for coming, Chance. Am I gon’ see you again before you go back to Missouri?” We shared a quick hug.

  Giving her a squeeze, I nodded. “I plan on it. If I don’t, I’ll FaceTime you when you get out of here.”

  “Okay, girl, later.”

  “Later, Zora.” I blew a kiss at Gino. “Bye, brother.”

  “Bye, big head. Remember what I said.”

  “Mmhmm…” I mumbled making my exit. The last person I was going to take advice from was anybody who refused to take their own.

  True

  “I’m glad you could finally make time for me.” Nisha answered the door with an attitude.

  I stalked past her, not giving a fuck. “What you cook?”

  “I didn’t.”

  “You knew I was coming.” We made it to her living room and I sat down on the couch. “Where that demon at?” I asked, referring to her black cat.

  Nisha laughed, taking a seat and then crossing her legs. “Stop callin’ her that. Baby is sweet.”

  “Mmhm…” I tossed my head back. “You go to the doctors.”

  “Yep and I’m almost five months.”

  This bitch…

  “How the fuck you ain’t know you were five months pregnant, Nisha?” Staring up at the ceiling, I shook my head. “You did this shit on purpose, shorty. I thought you were on birth control.” I faced her. “What happened with that?”

  “I guess it didn’t work.”

  “You guess it didn’t work?” I mocked her.

  Nisha shrugged and then folded her hands on her lap. She didn’t look pregnant.

  “Let me see the paper work.”

  She reached over to the end table, she picked up a small pile of papers, and tossed them on my lap. “There are pamphlets in there for you too,” she stated smartly. “My first doctor’s appointment is next Thursday at ten.”

  Reading over the paper, I sucked my teeth when it verified what Nisha was telling me. Her dumb ass was indeed eighteen weeks pregnant.

  “This is happening, True. I’m having this baby and I want you to be as good of a father to my baby as you are to Chasity and Chase. Don’t be acting funny.” She snatched the papers out of my hand, smiling. “I’m still in shock.”

  “Who you tell?”

  Nisha smacked her lips. “Why?”

  “Nisha…”

  “I only told my sister and a couple of the home girls.”

  Man…

  “Everybody gon’ find out anyway.” She chuckled. “Wait. You don’t want Chance to know.”

  “Nah, I don’t want you to be pregnant, shorty.” Nisha was now a permanent part of my life. I guessed this was my karma for all the fucked-up shit I’d done.

  “Well, that’s too damn bad. You stuck with me forever, nigga.” She got up. “I can cook something to eat if you want. But you gotta give me some money to go to the store and get the food.”

  “You sound dumb.” I closed my eyes. “How you ain’t ever got nothin’ to eat in this raggedy muthafucka.”

  “My apartment is not raggedy. You tried it. Do you want me to cook or not?”

  “Not…” Opening my eyes, I ran my hands down my face and sighed. “This shit is fucked up.”

  “How?” Nisha asked with her arms crossed. “You’r acting like we don’t be fuckin’ all the time.”

  “Look…” I leaned forward on my legs. “Keep this shit under the radar for right now.”

  She sighed.

  “That goes for the thotianas you be slummin’ wit’.”

  She sucked her teeth.

  “Don’t be calling Chance fuckin’ wit’ her either.” Nisha had a bad habit of getting mad at me and taking it out on Chance, which was one of the reasons I should’ve been and cancelled her ass.

  “Whatever. Can you at least take me to get something to eat?”

  “Go put some clothes on, man.”

  She took off just as Roman called.

  “Wassup?”

  “Nigga, Nisha pregnant and you lettin’ her keep it?” He laughed. “You hot.”

  I frowned. “Who told you that?”

  “Lil’ Mo did. She down here bragging about how her homie done bagged a baller and shit.”

  “Man…”

  Roman chuckled. “You trippin’. The fuck you go and knock Nisha up for? You know she’s a money-hungry bird. Ava was right next to me when she said it.”

  Fuck…

  “I told her not to go running her mouth. What you and Nisha got goin’ on ain’t none of Channy business.”

  I nodded in agreement. “Good lookin’.”

  “But I’ma get wit’ you later, my guy. I just wanted to let you know what was buzzin’ around the hood.”

  “’Preciate it.”

  “Yep.”

  I ended the call and pushed off the couch. As I made my way to the back of Nisha’s small-ass apartment, her cat ran past me. When I entered her room, she was putting on her shoes. “When my shorty come you gon’ have to get rid of that cat,” I said, leaning against the doorjamb .

  “I am not getting’ rid of Baby. Nigga, you must be high.”

  Tucking my hand into my pants, I looked down at my phone. “Yeah, a’ight.” Nisha could talk all that rah-rah shit now, but I wasn’t playin’.

  “So, does tha
t mean you’re going to upgrade my apartment? I mean this is a one bedroom. The baby is going to need its own space.” She finished tying her shoe laces. “I was thinkin’ out there by your Granny. I like that area.”

  Jelly: Just got back home if you wanna come by and talk

  Chance had stayed true to her word and put her phone on airplane mode the entire time she was in New Orleans. This was the first time I’d heard from her since she’d called me two days ago.

  Me: Won’t be through until later

  I wasn’t sure how I was gon’ juggle four baby mamas, especially with two of them pregnant at the same time. If I hadn’t fucked Nisha as much as I had, then I’d have one and a possible, and wouldn’t entertain her. But I wasn’t no lame or a boosie-ass nigga. There was just as much of a possibility as Chance’s baby was.

  Wasn’t shit I could do about it now, though. Nisha was too far along, and an abortion wasn’t an option for Chance.

  Jelly: If it gets too late and I get sleepy I’ll let you know so you won’t come for nothing.

  “I’m ready.” Nisha walked towards me with her coat in hand. “I want some chili-cheese fries.” She walked past me. “Or some crab legs.”

  Me: Even if it get too late I’m comin

  I followed Nisha back towards the front door as she rambled on about how much weight she refused to gain.

  Jelly: True I’m not sleeping with you again

  Me: OK

  We stepped outside and I headed for the whip while Nisha locked the door.

  Jelly: I’m serious True

  Me: I said ok

  Chance was in her feelings again, tripping. If I had to sum Chance up in one word, it’d be sensitive. Her pregnancy was gon’ only make the shit more extreme. Between Chance’s cry-baby ways, Jaliyah’s wild tendencies, Quindelle’s fucked-up attitude, and Nisha’s smart-ass mouth, I knew my lean habit was about to get worse. Accepting that the next several months of my life were about to be chaotic, I got in the car.

  17

  Yes, I’m a mess, but I’m blessed to be stuck with you

  Chance