If I Was Your Woman 2: A BBW Camden Love Story

by Mz. Toni

  “That bitch a dead woman!” Kasan screamed punching the hospital wall.

  “No that's not the woman I fell in love with, she wouldn't do that.”

  “Yo no disrespect pops but if the woman you fell in love with is the same woman who showed up to the fucking hospital talking bout she want all Shante shit then yeah it's the same woman and she ain't shit!” Kasan said. Carlos was really at a loss of words, I think he was truly trying to wrap his head around how the love of his life turned out.

  “Everyone calm down, I don't think it will get that far. The doctor said as long as her father, which is you, disagrees with her decision then she can't do anything.”

  “Ok, so what do I do?”

  “You go to court when the time is right and you fight this.”

  “Man I don't do no fucking courts and cops!” he said livid.

  “I understand but this shit ain't about you and what you normally do, this is about your daughter and my best friend, Kasan’s Tae baby, Shana’s sister, my daughter’s godmother!” I screamed losing my cool.

  “I will talk to her,” Shana said for the first time since she got here.

  “This shit is crazy as shit, how could you put your child through this,” I said with teary eyes.

  “I say we murk the bitch!” Kasan said.

  “No one will be laying hands, bullets or any other fucking thing on her!” Carlos screamed.

  “This some bullshit!” Kasan yelled before storming out of the room. Carlos followed after him and Shana left shortly after. Times like this can really pull a family apart; I just hope we get through this.

  “Imma cancel the dinner,” Mark said kissing my cheek.

  “Naw don't do that, Imma call Shana and Carlos, I want them over also.”

  “You sure about that?”

  “Yeah we falling apart right now, I gotta fix this for Shante.”

  “Alright babe whatever you want,” he replied. After he left, I sent everyone a message letting them know I needed them to come over tonight and I wasn't taking no for an answer. I was surprised when they all agreed. Stopping by Corrine’s before heading home, I picked up all the food. I had fried chicken, roast beef, oxtails, white rice, cabbage, collard greens, baked mac n cheese, cornbread and for dessert, peach cobbler, apple pie and ice cream. When I made it home I rushed to pull everything out and placed it in beautiful serving bowls and plates so no one would know I bought it, don't judge me either. The first people to arrive were Alex and her boyfriend. I was so glad that Mark was on his way because I didn't feel the least bit comfortable around her boyfriend. He always gave me these weird ass winks and smiles, of course I could have told Mark, but that would just give him another reason to not like him.

  “Hey Mama Alex!” I said hugging her. I really did miss her but I could respect the fact that she had a new boo who was taking up her time.

  “Hey baby!”

  “Hello,” I said greeting her boyfriend whose name I just could never remember.

  “Well hello beautiful,” he said with that same weird smile he always gave me.

  “Where’s my grandbaby?” Alex asked.

  “Upstairs in the playroom,” I couldn't even fully reply before she was taking off upstairs to go find her.

  “Your house is the shit!” Alex’s boyfriend said.

  “Thank you.”

  “How much this thing run you?”

  “I don't know, you should ask my husband when he gets here,” I said. I didn't like all the fucking questions.

  “You right,” he said with a smirk.

  “Babe where you at!” Mark screamed through the house. I couldn't jump up fast enough.

  “I'm right here baby!”

  “What’s up, you good?” he asked.

  “Yeah I'm alright.”

  “Nah you not, who the fuck here?” he said getting pissed.

  “Mark calm down, you always taking shit way too seriously,” I said hugging him. Before I could explain, Alex’s boyfriend walked into the hallway.

  “I thought that was you, how's it going son?”

  “Nigga I ain't ya son!” Mark said pissed. That nigga tried it he ain't that much older than Mark so to call him son was straight disrespectful. Instead of saying how I really felt, I wanted this night to be perfect so I rubbed Mark’s back to calm him down.

  “Come help me pick something to wear,” I whispered in his ear.

  “I ain't leaving that nigga alone in my fucking crib,” he said while mean mugging dude.

  “He won't be alone, we gon be right upstairs.”

  “Naw babe I'm good,” he said kissing my lips.

  “Alright but please be on your best behavior I want this night to go good.”

  “I got you.”

  “Ok well if you really got me you would stop looking at that man like that,” I said while shaking my head. Getting up, I headed to the kitchen to grab the dishes to set the dining room table, while setting it the doorbell rang.

  “Hey Shana, thank you for coming!” I greeted.

  “You ain't really give me a choice bitch!” she said jokingly.

  “Hell naw I didn't but thanks for coming none the less.”

  “You don't see me standing here beautiful?”

  “I'm sorry, hey handsome!” I said laughing.

  “You're looking gorgeous tonight,” R.J. said, causing me to bust out laughing.

  “I see you still tryna get what's mine lil nigga,” Mark said from behind me.

  “Man I already told you may the best man win.”

  “The best man already won, don't get touched,” Mark said laughing.

  “Alright cut it out babe, you know I love you,” I said pecking Mark on the lips. When I looked over at R.J., he actually looked hurt.

  “I love you too,” I said pecking R.J. on the cheek, causing him to smile bright as hell. I couldn't do shit but laugh, every time Mark and R.J. were around each other they always went back and forth. Never mind the fact that R.J was only twelve years old, Mark never backed down.

  “We just need to wait for Kasan and Carlos.”

  “Ugh you invited Carlos?”

  “Yes, I wanted everyone here.”

  “Who staying with Shante?” R.J. asked. He loved his aunt and could be very possessive.

  “Aunt Betty is with her.”

  “If Aunt Betty with her then who cooked,” Mark’s mom said laughing.

  “Oh you tried it, I cooked and if you don't want it that's cool,” I said while lifting the lids off.

  “Oh hell naw I want in.”

  “Yeah that's what I thought.”

  “Since when you learn how to cook like this?”

  “I been practicing,” I said with a smile. Yeah I know I was lying but oh fucking well, I did reheat the shit so in a sense I did make it. Five minutes later, Carlos and Kasan were walking in and we were all seated prepared to eat.

  “Who cooked all this?” Kasan asked pissing me off.

  “I did. What the fuck, why everybody acting like it's impossible!”

  “Man I'm just saying, remember that time we had the BBQ and you told Shante you would make the macaroni salad and all day everybody kept asking who made that shit.”

  “Fuck you Kasan wasn't shit wrong with my macaroni salad!”

  “I'm just saying you over did it with mayo, you used chicken instead of tuna, and you ain't season it!” Kasan said while laughing.

  “Oh my God, first of all I was pregnant and tuna has way too much mercury. Second of all, Shante said you gotta put a good amount of mayo and shit I think it was seasoned perfectly.”

  “I guess that's why you the only one that ate it,” Alex said laughing.

  “My man said it was the best he ever had!”

  “Well bitch he lied!” Shana said laughing.

  “You know what, I ain't gotta put up with this shit! Y’all can get out our damn house,” I said while cracking up. I knew my shit was nasty as hell but I piled my plate full of it and so did my man and m
y bestie. Before I knew what was happening, tears were falling from my eyes. Damn I missed her so much.

  “You alright babe?”

  “Yeah I'm good,” I said while wiping my eyes.

  “Can I use your bathroom?” Alex’s boyfriend asked.

  “Sure you can.”

  “Can you show me?”

  “I’ll show you Woody,” Alex said jumping up. Damn that's his name. I thought Mark would have said something but I was glad that he didn't.

  “Alright so what I want to do is have everyone tell one Shante moment that made you happy, nothing sad,” I said with a smile. An hour went by fast as hell, we told stories, laughed and drank and for once since this shit happened, everyone was getting along. Shana didn't think I noticed that she was acting funny towards Kasan but I peeps it all and please believe it was going to be addressed.

  “Where the fuck my mom at?” Mark asked.

  “Last time I saw her she was supposed to be showing her man where the bathroom was,” I said confused. I never even noticed that they never came back downstairs. Mark got up and headed upstairs, I swear if they were fucking in my house Mark was gonna snap. Knocking on the bathroom door, I was shocked to see no one answered. Twisting the knob, I knew why… They weren't even in there. Me and Mark checked every room, I didn't even think to check our room; I mean why would they be in there. Before I knew what was happening, Mark was whooping Woodie’s ass while Alex screamed for him to stop.

  “Babe stop!” I screamed. I knew not to try and touch him when he was zoned out so I just went to get help.

  “Please come upstairs and get Mark!” I screamed to Kasan and Carlos. They wasted no time running upstairs. When we got there, Woodie was a bloody mess; Alex had jumped in and Mark still hadn't let up.

  “Uh huh Mama Alex I love you but Imma need you to get the fuck off my man!” I said pulling her off.

  “Yo what the fuck is wrong with y’all?” Kasan asked.

  “Man go head Ma, tell your nephew what you and your boyfriend were doing.”

  “Baby I'm sorry,” Alex said crying.

  “Man fuck that sorry shit. Tell everybody what the fuck you were doing.”

  “I'm just gonna go.”

  “You can go, but this nigga staying!”

  “Damn it Mark stop it!” Alex screamed.

  “Tell them what y'all were doing!”

  “I found the safe and I was just borrowing some money,” she said embarrassingly.

  “You were robbing your son aunt Alex?” Kasan asked confused.

  “Hell yeah!” Mark said pissed.

  “I was gonna pay you back.”

  “Bullshit Ma, you know if you need something all you have to do is ask, this nigga put you up to this shit.”

  “What the fuck is going on?” I asked her.

  “I'm sorry Camille, you know I love you guys, it was a mistake.”

  “Yeah but why?”

  “Are you on drugs?”

  “I been smoking a little wet but that's like weed.”

  “You a fucking wet head. He got you smoking that shit!” Mark screamed kicking Woodie in the face.

  “It wasn't him, I wanted to do it.”

  “That's bullshit and you know it!” Mark screamed. Grabbing Woodie, Mark carried him downstairs. I was happy to see that Shana had left already because R.J. didn't need to see this shit.

  “Here’s the deal Ma, I will drop this nigga off at the hospital, take you to rehab and when you're clean, welcome you back with open arms.”

  “Rehab, boy you act like this crack or some shit,” Alex said laughing.

  “It might as well be crack if it got you lying and stealing from your own fucking son!” Kasan yelled.

  “Look I can just stop doing the shit it ain't that serious,” Alex said like it wasn't a big deal.

  “Ok but he needs to go, you can't stop with him around.”

  “I'm a grown ass woman you can't tell me who I can be with.”

  “Ma you just showed me y’all can't be trusted. Either you leave this nigga alone and get ya shit together or you can't be around us.”

  “Who’s us nigga!” Alex screamed.

  “Me, my wife and my child, fuck you mean.”

  “Seriously Mark? You gonna stop me from seeing my grandbaby!”

  “I gotta protect my muthafucking family and this nigga the enemy, and if you fucking with him so are you, so make ya choice.”

  “Can somebody please carry Woody to the car?”

  “Seriously Mama Alex?” I asked shocked.

  “You really gonna choose this fuck nigga over ya family?”

  “I didn't wanna have to do this baby, you making me.”

  “I'm making you because this nigga trouble, you ain't do no drugs now he got you smoking one of the worst drugs out right now!”

  “I'm grown and I love him, please take him to the car,” Alex said with teary eyes.

  “So fuck MyMy right?” I asked pissed.

  “Don't you do that shit Camille!”

  “Man I ain't carrying this nigga nowhere, you got five minutes to get him out my crib or Imma put one in his head!” Mark said serious as a heart attack. He pulled out his gun trained it on his head and let the clock count down. Alex wasted no time dragging Woodie out of the house by his legs, he wasn't overweight, but he wasn't no small nigga either. She tried her hardest and didn't stop until she had him in the car. She didn't say bye, she didn't even look at us, she just started her car and pulled off. This night was crazy and I just wanted to soak in my Jacuzzi tub and take my ass to bed.

  “I'm sorry ya night got fucked up,” Mark said kissing my forehead.

  “Babe don't do that, she needs to be apologizing, not you.”

  “I knew something was wrong yo I could feel that shit,” Mark said upset.

  “I know babe, I can't believe she’s smoking wet,” I said shaking my head.

  “How could she choose a man over her own fucking son?”

  “It happens every day and it's sad.”

  “You know my mom though, she wasn't that type.”

  “It's not her, it's the nigga babe.”

  “If anything happens to my mom because of him he a dead man.”

  “Come on let’s just go to sleep,” I said cuddling up on him.

  Chapter Five

  (Shana)

  I really appreciated Cam for inviting me to dinner, but not only was Carlos there, so was Kasan and they are two men I just can't be around right now. I kept finding myself looking at Kasan on the low and it was just awkward. I want to address exactly what happened and just apologize but right now I’m way too embarrassed to even start a conversation with him. As soon as I heard all that noise coming from upstairs I grabbed my shit and my son and hauled ass. I ain't one to be getting involved in domestic disputes so I minded my business just like I would want them to do. Now here I was trying to find my mom so I could talk some sense into her. It's been so hard for me to find her because it's been so long I no longer know where her hang out spots are. I've been riding through Camden for days trying to find her or someone she knows but I'm still coming up short. I pulled up to this apartment complex known for illegal activities, most people would be scared, but my fear was replaced with determination so I was ready for anything. Parking my car, I stepped out looking like a million bucks. Cat calls and whistles could be heard as I walked by, but I was on a mission.

  “Excuse me, do you know someone name Janette?” I asked a crackhead.

  “Janette?”

  “Yeah she’s around your age.”

  “Naw I don't know anyone by that name, and you said she’s in her thirties right?” the woman asked. God damn this woman was my age and the drugs had her looking old enough to be my fucking mama. I guess the saying black don't crack ain't true when it comes to drugs.

  “Ummm no a little older than that.”

  “Oh you talkin bout Nette,” the crackhead said while searching on the ground for something.

 
“Yeah, is she around?”

  “Who you?”

  “I'm her daughter Shana. I have some news about her other daughter.”