by K'wan
Chapter 25
The pool hall wasn’t much to look at but the atmosphere was cool and the drinks were potent. Teddy introduced Malika around to his three best friends June, Smitty, and Sean and their ladies. For the most part everybody was cool, except June’s wife Marsha who Malika kept catching dirty looks from while they were setting up their tables.
“Don’t pay her any mind,” Teddy whispered in Malika’s ear as he brought two pool sticks and two Coronas to the table he had booked for him and her. “Marsha is always like that around new females.”
“Oh, so you bring a lot of chicks around her?” Malika asked, leaning on her pool cue.
“Only the special ones.” Teddy winked and leaned over the table to break, but Malika laid her pool stick across his.
“Whatever happened to ladies first?”
“You’re right, where are my manners?” Teddy gave her a mock bow and stepped out of the way. He watched intently as Malika bent over the pool table, giving him the perfect view of her perky little ass. She must’ve felt his eyes on her because she wiggled it flirtatiously as her pool stick collided with the cue ball.
“Not bad,” he said as he watched several of the balls scurry into holes.
“You could learn a thing or two from me.” Malika sauntered over to the other side of the table and leaned over to take her next shot.
“I could probably teach you a thing or two.” Teddy pressed himself against her taking away Malika’s concentration.
“So now you gonna cheat to win, huh?” Malika pushed her ass into his waist as she tried again to align the stick with the cue ball. Feeling his hardness through his jeans made her smile wickedly.
“I’m down to do whatever it takes to win the prize, ma,” he said seriously. Teddy looked behind him to see June and Smitty watching him. June gave him a wink, which Marsha caught and punched him in the ribs. “You gonna cause a situation in here, baby,” Teddy whispered to her.
Malika looked over her shoulder and saw the girls glaring at her and whispering among themselves. “Some chicks don’t have anything better to do than hate,” she said and sank her next shot.
Teddy flashed June a stern look to check his wife, to which he just shrugged his shoulders. “If I were a chick I’d hate on you,” Teddy told her jokingly.
“For what? I wear jeans and sneakers most of the time and I don’t bother with makeup or a hairdresser so there’s nothing glamorous about me.” She sipped her Corona and looked for her next shot.
“That’s just it, you shine without trying to,” he said. “Malika, I know chicks that take hours getting themselves ready to go out, but you can roll out of bed and still look better than them.”
“Oh, now this is a first.” Malika took her next shot.
“What, someone paying you a compliment?”
“Nah, a dude still talking sweet after he got the pussy.” She laughed and leaned over the table to drop the two ball in the side pocket.
“You stay with the jokes.” He shoved her playfully and made her miss the shot.
“You gotta laugh at something or you’ll cry over everything,” she told him before sinking the next shot. For the next hour or so they sipped and flirted over two games of pool with her winning the first and Teddy barely winning the second.
“You’re a lot better at pool than you let on, shorty,” Teddy said, tapping his pool stick on the floor.
“You got lucky the last game,” Malika boasted.
“So then let’s shoot the tiebreaker, double or nothing.”
Malika sized him up. “I didn’t realize we were gambling.”
Teddy invaded her space and whispered directly onto her lips, “Everything in life is a gamble.”
The scent of liquor mingled with desire on Teddy’s breath made the hair on the back of Malika’s neck stand up. “I gotta use the bathroom,” she said, backing up. “Rack ’em, I’ll be back in a second.”
Malika made hurried steps toward the bathroom trying to put as much distance between her and Teddy’s charismatic ass as possible.
Between the liquor and the magnetic attraction between them her mind was starting to go places it had no business going and voyeurism had never been her thing.
When she got in the cramped ladies’ room Marsha and the other girls were having an intense discussion. When they noticed Malika everyone got quiet. Malika rolled her eyes and cut through the sea of scornful glares into the stall where she slammed the door and squatted over the bowl to relieve herself. Through the stall door she could hear the humming of their voices like worker bees so she focused talking about who she assumed to be her.
“That shit is just so trifling,” she could hear Marsha saying.
“Look, as long as it ain’t ya man, leave it alone,” one of the other girls told her.
“Fuck that, I’d tell. If that creep-ass nigga is doing it and they’re all friends there ain’t no telling what they’re doing in their spare time,” a third girl chimed in. “I know if I ever catch Smitty trying to move like Teddy his ass belongs to me, ya hear?”
Having heard enough Malika wiped herself and came out of the stall with her head held high and a hard switch in her stride on the way to the bathroom sink. She took her time washing her hands and watching the girls through the mirror as they watched her. Malika dispensed a few of the rough brown paper towels and dried her hands calmly before addressing the girls. “Is there something I can help any of y’all with?”
“No, it seems like you’ve helped yourself to enough,” a dark-skinned girl, whose name escaped Malika, said.
“And what is that supposed to mean?” Malika poked her chest out. She had never been a fighter and the thick dark-skinned girl looked like she would mop the floor with Malika, but her dad had always taught her to stick up for herself and she wouldn’t let the girl know she was scared.
“Nothing,” Liz said, trying to avoid what she saw coming. The little yellow girl was as much a brawler as her friends, but she would be damned if they would have her in the streets scrapping in her new shoes.
“Oh, because I was feeling like there was some type of problem.” Malika rolled her eyes, letting the drinks pump courage into her. This was all it took to set Marsha off.
“You know what? There is a problem and that problem is little hot in the pants bitches sticking their pussies where they don’t belong.”
Malika backed up and looked at her. “Excuse you? Look, you don’t know me or nothing about me so you’re way out of line for trying to judge me.”
It was Marsha’s turn to take a step back. “I’m out of line trying to judge you? You’re out of pocket for even being here right now! See chicks like you get the shit beat out of them because they ain’t got no boundaries and no class. I wish I would catch you trying to rub up on June like you’re doing that foul ass nigga Teddy. I’d rock you the fuck to sleep, bitch.”
“Bitch? Ya mama’s a bitch!” Malika shot back and took a step toward Marsha but the other two girls jumped in the middle.
“Marsha, chill, it ain’t ya place to check the situation,” Liz cut in. “We too grown to be fighting in bathrooms over dick y’all.”
“Tell your miserable ass home girl that!” Malika said indignantly.
“Slow up, shorty, because I really don’t know you like that and you’re already starting off on the wrong foot,” Liz checked Malika. “Malika, you seem like you crazy cool but you’re confused about a lot of shit and you need to be easy. You in here trying to defend Teddy like he’s your boo is like trying to fit circles into squares.”
Malika sucked her teeth. “If you’ve got something to say then you need to spit it out.”
Liz raised her hands in surrender. “It ain’t my place or my business. All I’m gonna tell you is, you need to make sure you know who your enemies are before you fire those shots.”
“Whatever, I’m good on the riddles. Since it seems like me being here is causing problems then maybe I need to get up outta here,” Malika said.
>
“Yeah, you should probably do that, before reality sets in and you realize how much of a fool Teddy is making of you,” Marsha said venomously.
Malika sized Marsha up. “Well, a wise bitch would never argue with a fool because you can’t tell one from the other from a distance. Y’all be easy.” Malika flung her hair and stormed out of the bathroom.
Marsha stood there shaking her head with her nostrils flaring. “Bitches can be so stupid.”
“True indeed, but we were all young and stupid at one point. Now let’s get back out there and keep our eyes on our men.”
• • •
When Malika exited the bathroom a small crowd had gathered around the entranceway, undoubtedly having overheard the shouting between the girls. In the center of the pack, wearing a confused expression, was Teddy.
“Everything okay?” Teddy asked, but Malika ignored him and kept walking. He caught up with her near the door. “What’s good with you?”
“I should be asking you the same question, Teddy.” She looked him up and down. “I was having a fucked up enough day already without your home girls making me feel like I’m some kind of skank.”
“Malika, what are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about those cackling ass hens that were in the bathroom making me feel like I’m some kind of home wrecker or something. Teddy, I did that other woman shit when I was a teenager and I’m not trying to go through it again.” She took a step but he stopped her.
“Malika, you could never be the other anything. Chicks like you are one of a kind. I don’t know what Marsha and them bitches said to you in the bathroom, but if it didn’t come outta my mouth it ain’t the gospel.”
“So you don’t have a girl?” she asked.
Teddy’s eye ticked, but he kept his face even.
“Is that what this is all about?” He smirked as if it was nothing. “Malika, I wouldn’t even insult your intelligence by telling you that I’ve been keeping it in my pants since the last time we were together. Yeah, I got a lil situation that ain’t really working out, and Marsh and them know shorty which is why they’re trying to throw shade on you, but don’t feed into that.”
“Teddy, you could’ve just kept it one hundred and told me that you were dealing with someone and let me decide for myself if I still wanted to see you tonight.”
“For what? You said yourself that there was nothing more to this than two old friends hanging out so it never crossed my mind to get that deep into it,” he said swiftly. “Malika, we can go back up in there and I’ll make Marsh and them tell you what it is,” he faked for the door.
“No, you don’t have to do all that. I’ve had all the drama I can stand in a twenty-four hour period. Just take me home.”
“You sure, we could go get some dinner or something?” he suggested.
“Nah, I appreciate it, but I’m good. I just wanna get home to my son.”
Chapter 26
Teddy dropped Malika off in front of her projects and told her he would call and check on her in a few to which she just responded with a grunt. She hadn’t meant to be so snippy with him, but she was still pissed about what had gone down at the bowling alley with the girl Marsha. Malika wasn’t used to excessive amounts of drama and it had her drained. All she wanted to do was get upstairs to her apartment and crawl under the covers.
As usual the knuckleheads were loitering in the courtyard. Lloyd shuffled back and forth in front of the building directing the fiends to the bench at the far end where Jay was sitting, looking around nervously. It was obvious to a duck what he was up to. Malika started to say something to him about it, but decided against it. She could barely deal with her own child, let alone add her two cents in the business of someone else’s. She had always liked Jay but she knew at that moment that would be the end of his and Solomon’s friendship. The last thing she needed was her son getting caught up in their bullshit. Posted up in front of the building were Scar and Prince who were overseeing the operation.
“What up, Malika?” Scar greeted her with his larcenous smile.
“Hey, Scar,” she said in an uninterested tone.
“Damn, you look like somebody kicked your dog,” Prince said jokingly.
“It sure feels like it, Prince,” Malika said with a sigh.
“You wanna talk about it?”
“Not really, I just wanna get upstairs and into my bed.”
“You need some company?” Scar asked.
Malika looked at him crazy. “I don’t think so. Prince, have you seen Solomon? I’ve been calling him for the last hour or so to see if he made it in from school yet but he didn’t answer.”
“Yeah, I saw him go in the building about an hour or so ago.”
“Thanks,” she said, continuing into the building.
“Malika, if you change ya mind you know where to find me,” Scar called after her, but Malika ignored him.
When Malika got into her apartment she tripped over Solomon’s book bag that he had dropped in the middle of the floor, which she had constantly asked him to stop doing. Talking to him was about as effective as talking to a wall and it was getting on her nerves. She snatched the bag off the floor and stormed toward his bedroom. Solomon’s room was a mess with dirty laundry and dishes on the floor. The boy lay across the bed playing a video game as if he didn’t even notice the filth.
“Solomon, how many times do I have to tell you about cleaning up behind yourself?” She threw the book bag on the bed.
“My fault,” he said nonchalantly.
“And where the hell have you been? I’ve been trying to call you for an hour?”
“I got here a while ago. I saw your missed calls on the caller ID,” he told her, never taking his eyes off the video game.
Malika stepped between him and the television. “Then why didn’t you call me back?”
“Because the phone is cut off one-way, and so is the Internet and the cable!” he said with attitude.
Malika cursed silently. She had gotten the notice about the interruption of services from Verizon, but she couldn’t pay them and still have carfare to get back and forth to her appointments. She intended to call them and try to get an extension, but with everything going on it slipped her mind.
“Damn, I’m sorry. I’ll call them in the morning and take care of it,” Malika said.
“With what?” he asked sarcastically.
“You let me worry about that. Did you do your homework yet?”
“I’ll do it later.”
“Solomon, you know the rules; no video games or television until you’ve done your homework.” She turned the game off.
“Damn, you didn’t even give me a chance to save my season!” he barked.
“You’d better watch your mouth, before I bust you in it,” she warned. “I don’t know what this chip is you’ve been carrying around on your shoulder the last few weeks, but you’d better get it together before we have a problem.”
“Wouldn’t want that. We’ve got enough problems as it is,” he said and opened up his book bag to do his homework. Malika started to get in his ass, but someone knocking at the door saved him.
Malika went to the door and looked through the peephole where she saw two men wearing blue coveralls. “Yes?” She opened the door a crack.
“How are you, ma’am? We’re from Rent-A-Center. We’ve come for the television and entertainment system you were renting from us.” He looked at the clipboard to double-check the information. “You’re late on your payments.”
“Oh, yeah . . . Listen, I meant to call you guys about that. I know I’m a little behind, but if you’ll give me another week I’ll mail you a check,” she lied, hoping he would buy it.
He didn’t.
“Sorry, but you haven’t made a payment in three months so we gotta collect the stuff.”
“C’mon, just give me a little more time and I promise, promise, promise that I’ll straighten it out,” she pleaded.
The man looked at her
sympathetically. “I wish I could, lady, but I could lose my job if I don’t collect this stuff. I’m really sorry.”
Malika sighed. “Not as sorry as I am.” She opened the door to let them in. As the repo men were coming in to collect her entertainment system Solomon bumped past them into the hallway. “Solomon, where are you going?”
“To the store, I’ll be back,” he said without stopping.
“Solomon, get your butt back in here and do your homework,” Malika called after him but he kept going. “Boy, do you hear me?” Malika thought about following but the sound of something breaking in the living room distracted her.
Fifteen minutes after they had come, the repo men had left with half of Malika’s living room. Solomon still hadn’t come back from the store and she didn’t have the strength to go out and look for him. Malika’s hollow living room was a reflection of how her soul felt at that moment. She was so distraught that she threw up in the wastebasket. Feeling defeated and broken, Malika sat in the empty space left by her entertainment system and cried.
“Look at this Muthafucka.” Scar motioned to Solomon who was coming out of the building with his face twisted up.
“What up, son? You good?” Jay asked, sensing that something was wrong with his friend.
“Yeah, I’m a’ight,” Solomon lied. Jay knew him well enough to see through it, but he wouldn’t pry in front of Scar. “So what up, where it at?” Solomon leaned on the fence next to Lloyd, who has hitting a blunt.
“Shit, just doing what we do.” Lloyd gave Solomon dap.
“And what we do is illegal, so you need to keep it trucking before ya mother comes out here and call the police on us for trying to corrupt you.” Scar shooed him.
