In addition, people on the internet are now trying to capitalize off of “Strip Ballet” teaching tutorials and shit online and nutty ass people are actually trying to do the shit, posting it on social media. Somebody owes me a fuckin’ check.
It’s Monday morning and I make my way to the school to address the kids who have possibly seen the video and photos. I fucked up big time and it’s my responsibility to try to turn my fuckup around.
“How many of you saw the video?” I ask, addressing the school in the auditorium.
“Don’t be shy now. I know some of you saw,” I say when no one raises their hand. My 16-year-old student Devon, who is enrolled in the music engineering department, hand shoots up in the air before other students get the courage to slowly raise their hand as well.
“Devon, you saw the tape?”
“Yeah,” he answers with a nervous smile. “Miss Aneesah, yous a freak,” he laughs as the other students join in. I make a stern face and the students immediately stop laughing.
“It’s okay y’all. Laugh it up,” I giggle to lighten the mood. “I did something stupid and now the world knows. I and the teachers in this school stay on you about being careful on what you record and what you post to social media because it can come back to haunt you one day. What do we always preach?” I ask.
“Protect your brand,” they reply.
“Correct. You have to protect your brand.”
“Is it true you are pregnant by a married man though?” A student named Harlan asks.
“Uh,” I respond, totally not prepared for that question. “Mind your business Harlan,” I laugh as the other students join in. “Truth is, me and that man have been in an off and on relationship for over fifteen years.”
“I mean, if he don’t want you, I’ll be eighteen in a few weeks, Miss Aneesah,” my student Erroll says as the auditorium breaks into laughter. I watch some of his friends give him high-fives and fist bumps.
“Anyway,” I chuckle. “Protect your brand because something like this can ruin your career and reputation especially for all you ladies. You do not have to expose yourself or sleep with anyone to make it in this game,” I preach. “And y’all know to just say no to drugs, right?” I clear my throat as the auditorium erupts with laughter.
After talking to the kids all afternoon about protecting their brand and my fuck up in the media, I meet up with Pree and the kids at the park before heading home to relax.
I’m in my bedroom lying in the middle of the floor with my feet propped up on the couch when my phone rings.
“Hey big head,” I answer for Tron.
“Sup?”
“Nothing much. What you doing?”
“In Holland. It’s kind of cool over here.”
“Yeah, I know. It looks like a storybook fairytale.”
“Okay, confession,” he says, changing the subject. “You can’t get mad although, I doubt you will.”
“What did you do?” I ask.
“I’m the bloody friend that told Tori that Nyce was the father,” he chuckles. I let out a breath.
“Why?”
“Because she was talking shit about you, so I bottom line told her. Said some smart shit to her too.”
“Tarron…”
“There’s more,” he says cutting me off. “Ummmm…sooooo…after the little blow up at the wedding, I lingered around before walking down to the beach. She was there alone crying and…”
“You slept with Tori, Tarron?” I snap.
“I mean…come on…she was in distress and I was there to help. I ain’t know shawty was gonna come on to me.”
“TARRON,” I yell.
“Look, I was hurt…she was hurt, it just happened. On the bright side, she ain’t you. Her slurp game is whack and she’s mediocre at best. I recorded it if you want to watch,” he laughs like this is some sort of fuckin’ joke.
“Are you trying to hurt me?” I whimper.
“No. It just happened Aneesah.”
“I don’t fuckin’ care. You slept with her.”
“Why does it matter? We both know that our relationship is a wrap and…” His words are cut off to the sounds of me hanging up on him.
Chapter Twenty-Two
My alarm clock annoyingly goes off, waking me up out of a good slumber.
“Shit. I’m running late,” I curse, hopping out of bed like a ninja and shuffling around the room to hurry and get dressed.
“Hey. Where are you? We have a doctor’s appointment at 11:30,” I say to Dontay over the phone as I rub lotion into my skin.
“I’m running late but don’t worry. I sent a car for you and it should be there by 11:00,” he replies.
“Okay. So, you’re gonna meet me there? I get an ultra sound. I get to see my babies today,” I beam. I should have done this weeks ago, but my appointment had to be rescheduled.
“Uh, I gotta go,” he rushes off the phone. He better be there. He said that we were in this together and he had better meant it.
“I really hate these damn maternity jeans,” I huff hiking them up and throwing on a white wife beater, my short leather jacket and black stiletto sneaker/shoes. I throw my hair in a ponytail, grab my shades and wait for the car. A town car pulls up out front as I’m drinking the rest of my chocolate milk. I grab my bag, kiss Biggie goodbye and walk out the house.
We pull up in front of my doctor’s office and briskly walk inside without being detected. I am quickly ushered in the back to the examination room. As I sit on the table impatiently waiting for Dontay or Dr. Lori to walk in, there is a light tap on the door.
“Finally,” I exhale, expecting to see Dontay but instead, Nyce comes strutting in.
“What are you doing here?” I snap.
“I’m here for our doctor’s appointment.”
“MY doctor’s appointment, so why are you here?”
“Because,” he says taking a seat and opening a Reese’s Peanutbutter Cup.
“I never said that they are yours.”
“Cut the shit Aneesah. I gotta headache and yo’ bitch-ass ex already told Tori some shit and Dontay told me yesterday when I went to Pree’s salon with Knuck,” he says with a shrug while popping the peanut butter cup into his mouth.
“Dontay and Tron don’t know shit,” I huff leaning back. “You really shouldn’t be here. I told you that the babies aren’t yours so when you get your feelings hurt don’t say I lied.”
“Whatever,” he rolls his eyes.
“Hi Aneesah,” Dr. Lori greets, entering the room. “And you are?” She questions Nyce.
“A stalker,” I mumble. They both give me a funny look.
“I’m James,” he replies grabbing her hand. “If you don’t mind me asking, can you tell me when she conceived please?” Dr. Lori looks through her chart.
“Around the week of October 12 if the calculations are correct,” she replies.
“What happened to patient confidentiality?” I ask annoyed.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I assumed that he was with you. How have you been feeling?”
“Okay. I’ve been having a lot of heartburn and my back is still bothering me. The babies move a lot but other than that, I feel fine,” I respond. She asks me a few more questions.
“Do you mind if one of my techs does the ultra sound and monitor the heartbeat?” She queries while looking at her pager.
“No. I don’t mind.”
Dr. Lori walks out the room as Nyce and I sit in silence.
“Hi Miss Bradshaw. I’m Percy. I will be giving you your ultra sound so if you lie back, we can get started,” the tech says, wheeling in the monitor. I am both excited and anxious to see my babies as I lie back and peel down my jeans a little.
“This is a little cold,” he advises, squeezing blue gel onto my stomach. Nyce stands up and walks over to the monitor to get a better look.
Percy places the scanning device on my stomach, smearing the gel around.
“Baby A and baby B both look happy and healthy,�
� he smiles, turning the monitor around. I look at my babies and smile.
“Look. Ones waving,” I laugh as Nyce smiles.
“You still don’t want to know the sex?”
“No,” I answer.
“Yes,” Nyce responds.
“Dude, go away. I don’t even know why you’re here,” I snap.
“Shut-up, Aneesah. Can I know?” He asks. Percy looks at me as I roll my eyes.
“Sure. Come on around here and I’ll show you since Miss Bradshaw wants it to remain confidential.”
“Please don’t be girls…please don’t be girls…please don’t be girls,” Nyce chants.
“If your ass wasn’t such a lying whore, having daughters wouldn’t be an issue. You scared of your own karma, Nyce?” I taunt.
He gets up on the monitor and I watch a cheesy smile spread across his stupid face.
“You asshole. You just told me what I’m having.”
“What we are having,” he corrects. “And no, I didn’t. All I did was smile.”
“So, we’re having two boys?”
Nyce’s face lights up with a cheesy grin.
“Do you really want to know?” He asks.
“No. Just put it in an envelope and I’ll open it when I’m ready.”
We talk some more about my progression with my pregnancy when Dr. Lori returns, and I am cleared with a normal and healthy pregnancy. When the tech and doctor leave the room, I jump off the table and wipe the gel off my stomach.
“You have to talk to me,” Nyce states.
“Do I?” I ask, grabbing my purse.
“Yeah. What are you going to do? Deny me from seeing my kids?”
“I never said that they were yours.”
He stares at me not saying a word.
“Fine. Meet me at Chickie & Petes, the one in Drexel Hill at 6:30,” I tell him. I’ve been craving their cheese fries. I walk out of the office with Nyce following closely behind me and climb inside the car, instructing the driver to take me straight to Trey’s office.
***
Later that evening, Rock and I walk inside Chickie & Petes at 6:45. Nyce is already sitting at a table in the corner. I hear the click clicking of people’s camera phones going off as I walk over to him. He stands and pulls out a chair for me, but I pull out the opposite chair and sit down. He cocks his head to the side and cracks a smile.
“Do you have chocolate milk?” I ask the waiter.
“No,” he replies. “But…but…we can get you some,” he eagerly states.
“No, that won’t be necessary. I’ll just have a glass of water with lemon please,” I order.
“A Heineken and water please,” Nyce orders. I dig inside my bag and slide Nyce the papers I had Trey draw up. He opens them before looking up at me.
“What the fuck is this?” He snaps.
“Custody papers. Look, this doesn’t have to be hard. You know me, and you know that I would never hurt the babies. They will be taken care of. I’ve never asked you for anything in my life, but I am asking you for this. Sign those papers and we can both go and live our lives separately.”
“Are you fuckin’ crazy? Did this pregnancy make you lose your fuckin’ mind?”
“No. I’m sane. Saner than I’ve ever been. You’re married so what do you suggest? There is no way I am trusting my babies with Tori. It ain’t gonna happen, so sign the papers and save everyone the headache,” I tell him, taking a sip of my water that the waiter just placed in front of me.
“We need a few more minutes,” we both snap at the waiter.
“I left Tori,” Nyce states.
“Sign the fuckin’ papers, Nyce,” I hiss. He picks up the papers and shuffles through them.
“You got a pen?” He asks. I dig into my bag and hand him one. He signs and slides the papers back to me. A smile of relief creeps across my face, not believing how easy this was but when I go to sign my name to make it official, instead of Nyce signing James Hennessey on the dotted line, Go Fuck Yourself is neatly written in cursive. Nyce picks up his menu and opens it.
“I think I’m gonna get me some crab legs and a cheesesteak,” he states nonchalantly. “What you gettin’?”
“I’m serious, Nyce,” I bark.
“Me too. Fuck you. Who the fuck do you think you are to even approach me with some bullshit like this?”
“I will take your ass to court and fight for custody then.”
“Go ahead. The court isn’t going to take the kids from me. They may grant you sole custody, but I will get visitation.”
“They will deny you visitation once I tell them that I fear you. You choked me and hit me before. You’re an ex-kingpin who went to jail and had pending murder charges against you that were later dropped all because the cops fucked up reading you your rights.”
“You can try but the charges were dropped, thanks to you,” he mocks. “And you can bring that shit up about me choking and hitting you but once I tell them that you are a drug addicted, work alcoholic who tried to kill herself before, your sanity goes into question,” he threatens.
“There’s no proof that I was on drugs,” I whisper.
“No? My aunt was your rehab nurse. Y’all may have a good relationship but at the end of the day, she is my aunt and I am her nephew. She will side with me,” he says with a cocky, smug look on his face.
“I fuckin’ hate you,” I seethe standing. I bend low to his eye level to whisper in his face.
“You can flex that fuckin’ street talk but the thing is Nyce, I can be very resourceful when I want to be. I have a crooked politician, a Federal Judge, and a get out of jail free card thanks to Fernàn. All I have to do is make a call,” I tell him and for the first time in over 15 years, he looks at me like I am a complete stranger to him.
“Who are you?” He questions, whispering softly.
“A bitch that no longer gives a fuck about you,” I respond, walking out.
I go home, feed Biggie and cook myself a small meal, mad that I didn’t get no damn cheese fries. I haven’t seen Dani since the day she pulled the video and images off the web. I pick up my phone and hit the call button to make sure that she is still alive. She doesn’t answer and when I check the tracking device that I had placed in her phone, she’s off the grid. I worry but I don’t panic because it can simply mean that she is on a plane somewhere.
After leaving her a message, I call Dontay to cuss his ass out. He apologizes for betraying my trust by telling Nyce the truth but he is not sorry for doing what he says is the right thing. After yelling at him some more, he tells me that he isn’t coming home until I calm the fuck down.
I’ve had a long, exhausting day and am feigning for a glass of wine. Instead, I set the alarms in the house, grab the jar of peanut butter, some Twizzlers and chocolate syrup and proceed to my room.
I change into a pair of boy shorts, grab my snacks and walk over to the sitting area of my room to watch TV. My back is really bothering me, so I stretch out and lie on the floor with my feet propped up on the couch. I must have fallen asleep while watching reruns of Martin because the sounds of Biggie barking, and the alarms ringing wakes me. The alarm shuts off and I figure it’s either Dontay or Dani finally coming home. I continue to lie on the floor and wait for one of them to come upstairs to help me up. There is a soft knock on my door.
“Come in,” I yell. Nyce walks in and looks around the bedroom. What the fuck is he doing here?
“Shit. Are you hurt?” He asks rushing over to me.
“No. What do you want?” I snap trying to sit up. He tries to help me, but I ignore his hands.
“I’m moving in,” he smiles.
“The hell if you are. You gave me this house, remember? You have no rights to it.”
“I remember but I’m staying,” he says looking at me.
“I swear if you don’t leave I’m calling the cops for trespassing.”
He hands me his phone.
“Tell them I said hi,” he responds nonchalantly, walk
ing out the door. I hop up to run after him.
“I’m serious. Get out,” I yell, my voice bouncing off the walls.
“Are you going to be a pain in my ass for the rest of my life?”
“No. You never have to see me again if you just sign the damn papers.”
“Let it go Aneesah. I’m never going to sign them.”
“Then I’m just going to drive you the fuck crazy,” I scream. I throw his cellphone over the railing and watch it shatter in the foyer before storming back to my bedroom, slamming the door.
“Yo, I know your ass is pregnant and all, but you need to check your funky ass attitude,” he barks, barging into my room.
“What do you want?” I snap.
“I said that I am moving in,” he says throwing his bags down.
“You’re not staying in here with me. The room at the end of the hall is Dontay’s. The one next to it is Dani’s.”
“Dani?” He questions.
“Yes. She stays here from time to time,” I reply. “I am turning the one next to this one into a nursery, so there isn’t any room for you here.”
“Nice try, this house has five bedrooms.”
“My clothes are in there.”
“Then let me stay in here with you,” he smirks. I’m glad he finds this shit funny.
“I don’t even want you here let alone being in the same room with you. You disgust me.”
“Why you being so mean?” He laughs taking me for a joke. “You love me, girl. Why you frontin’?”
“No, I don’t. Not anymore.”
“Like you have that option.”
I snort out a sadistic laugh.
“You think that you have me so wrapped up that it is impossible for me to not love you? Is that what you really think? What if I told you that I never loved you? I was confused. You know, the drugs had me fucked up and me holding on to you because you were my first and all.”
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