Cheaper to Keep Her part 3 (More Money More Problems)

by Unique, Kiki Swinson presents

  Hearing Bishop tell me I had no other choice in the matter or be eliminated was definitely a hard pill to swallow. At that moment, I realized I had just bit off more than I could chew. Bishop was on some mafia type shit and I’d better get down with the program or keep it moving. One part of me wanted to ride or die with him, but the other part of me wanted to tell him to go to hell since I knew he had another bitch he took care of. But hell, I had nowhere to go, so I figured I would just sit still until a better opportunity presented itself.

  After he fed me more reasons why he felt the need to have those niggas rough me up, he kissed me on the forehead and told me he was sorry. And finally after hearing something that made total sense, I felt good inside. Besides the fact that he apologized, and the way he said it, sealed the deal. He looked sincere and that’s all I needed.

  Once the air was clear between us, he instructed me to stay in bed and get some rest while he went into the living room to make a few phone calls. “I’m right in the next room if you need anything,” he told me.

  “Okay,” I replied and then I watched him leave the room and close the door behind himself.

  While I lay there trying to get some rest and hoping my headache would go away, I heard Bishop in the living room making small talk over the phone. It became obvious he was making business arrangements after I heard him give the caller instructions to have his money the following day. Bishop hadn’t mentioned how much the person owed him but his voice was stern, so it was understood that he was serious.

  Immediately after he ended that call, he was making another one. This time his tone was different. He was in a better mood than before. In fact, it sounded like he was pleading for someone’s mercy. Twenty seconds more into the conversation; I realized he was talking to Keisha. “Baby, why we gotta go through this?” I heard him say.

  My whole mood turned for the worse. After being knocked around by Bishop’s henchmen I was really not up for hearing him speak in that fashion. He was literally begging this bitch to cooperate with him and get with the program. In her heart I was sure she knew he was still with me.

  “Whatcha’ mean why it’s so quiet?” he questioned her. Then he said, “Look, I am not going to sit here and let you grill me like this. I am at my boy’s crib trying to handle some business that may keep me out part of the night, so don’t wait up for me.”

  After he lied to her about his whereabouts he told her he loved her and then he told her goodnight. He was cool about the way he handled that situation . . . but I wasn’t. I felt stupid to say the least. I mean this guy really had his Mack game in full force.

  And the more I pondered on it, the more it made me think about how Duke played me. In the last days of my relationship with Duke I felt robbed of my love and betrayed of my trust. If I didn’t learn anything from that relationship with Duke, I did learn that niggas in the street didn’t give a fuck about no one but themselves. I also learned that chicks like me come a dime a dozen and pussy was free. If I wanted to step outside that box from the other birds, then I needed to demand my respect.

  While I continued to think about my position in life, I heard Bishop’s Blackberry ring. In a split second, a blink of the eye, I placed my thoughts on the backburner and zeroed in on his conversation. This time around he kept his conversation to a minimum. Plus, he was speaking so quietly; it was damn near impossible to hear what he was saying. I did hear him tell the caller that right now wasn’t a good time to talk and then he told them that he would call them back in a few minutes. This took me aback and I assumed he was talking to another chick on the phone. I mean he never acted like that before. So, I knew my suspicions had to be right.

  Moments later he walked back into the bedroom. I was lying on my stomach with my face turned towards the wall and pretended to be asleep. I couldn’t see what he was doing, but I felt the heat from his body when he loomed over me to see if I had my eyes open or not. I thought he was going to call my name to see if I would answer but he didn’t. Seconds later, he walked back out of the bedroom and closed the door behind him.

  Immediately after he closed the door, I opened my eyes and wondered what he was about to do. It didn’t take long for me to get my answer after I heard Bishop open the front door of the apartment and then close it. When he left the apartment, my gut told me he was hiding something or someone from me. My mind was running rampant. At that moment I wanted answers. I didn’t want to be left in the dark anymore. I was tired of his fucking secrets and one of these days I was going to bring it to his attention. Right now, I was more interested to find out whom he was talking to and what he was trying to prevent me from hearing.

  I slid off the bed and made my way out of the bedroom. I peeped inside the bathroom and the other bedroom just to make sure Bishop wasn’t playing another trick on me. When I was convinced he had left the apartment, I tiptoed down the hallway and when I got within one foot away from the door, I looked through the peephole. Just as I had expected, that son-of-a-bitch Bishop was standing on the opposite side of the door talking to someone other than Keisha and me.

  I saw him laugh a couple of times, but I was unable to hear his conversation. I was pissed off about that too. I figured whoever it was on the other end of the phone made him happier than the two women he was fucking on his off days. The sight of him smiling from ear to ear like he had a huge crush on some hot new chick made me sick to my stomach. Men don’t make other men smile like that unless they’re gay. And since Bishop hadn’t shown me any signs of him fucking another man I assumed otherwise.

  Something also told me that the person he was talking to probably knew about Keisha but didn’t know about me. Okay, granted, it was bad enough that I had to deal with him fucking Keisha. And yes, I was the one who came in town and rained on her parade. But still I wasn’t about to let him bring another chick into the fold. I mean, come on, how many bitches does one man need?

  I knew deep down in my heart that I needed to make my presence known. So I felt that the best way to do that was by catching him and the bitch on the phone off guard. Without further hesitation, I grabbed the doorknob, turned it quietly and then I pulled the door open. Bishop turned around and looked at me like a deer caught in the headlights. Before he had a chance to say another word to his mystery phone freak, I said, “Oh, I’m sorry, baby, I thought you were gone.”

  Bishop stood there speechless. The fact that I said baby loud enough for the new bitch to hear me made my motherfucking day. It felt as if I had scored a hundred points in a basketball game.

  “What’s wrong, baby? Are you alright?” I continued as I moved closer towards him.

  “Oh, yeah, I’m cool,” he finally replied while he gave me a cheesy ass smile. And then without a moment’s notice, he told the caller he would call them back and rushed to disconnect their call.

  I was about a foot and a half away from Bishop when he hung up with the caller, so I couldn’t hear their response. But I did hear a woman’s voice and I wasn’t too happy about that. One part of me wanted to smack the shit out of him, but the other part of me wanted to act as if I didn’t hear anything. My lack of bitching allowed him to stroke his ego, since that’s what niggas like him do anyway.

  “You didn’t have to hang up the phone just because I came out here,” I said, trying to act calm. When in reality I wanted to curse him the fuck out. I was sure he knew I had busted his ass with his hand in the cookie jar, but deciding not to react to his sneaky behavior threw him for a loop. I had his dumbass by the balls and he couldn’t even see it.

  “I’m kind of glad you came out here, because I’ve been trying to get that nigga off the phone for about five minutes now,” he lied through his teeth.

  “Who was it?” I questioned him. Seeing him squirm his way into a story full of lies was funny to see. I swear that whoever said men couldn’t lie was truly on the money with that one.

  “It was Monty,” the lie flowed smoothly. “I owe him a favor and he called to collect on it. So, I might h
ave to go by his spot if he decides he doesn’t want to come by here.” Then he placed his arm around my shoulder and kissed me on the forehead. “And whatcha’ doing up anyway? I thought you were sleep.”

  “I was but I had to use the bathroom, so I got up,” I lied back to him. I figured since he wasn’t being forthcoming, then why should I? I mean, at this point in our relationship, I felt like why be honest with him when he had more shit than the next nigga? And since he was proving to be just like Duke, I was gonna start looking out for number one. Which was me. Fuck that! I was tired of being the ride or die chick and a fucking punching bag for his friends to knock around when they wanted to prove a point. It was time for me to get what I could from this nigga while I could and then move on to the next best thing. I’d let Keisha and this new bitch battle it out.

  Bishop escorted me back inside the apartment and tried to act like it was all about me by giving me a massage and telling me how he was lucky to have me in his life. I can’t lie, everything he said sounded good but it didn’t mean shit to me. My mind had been made up about the way I looked at Bishop. This motherfucker was literally wasting his time.

  Later that night, Bishop dosed off on the sofa in the living room while he was watching TV. It was a little after midnight, so I started to wake him and insist that he come in the bedroom to get in the bed. But when I heard his Blackberry buzzing around on the floor near the sofa, curiosity struck me hard so I snatched it up to see who it was trying to contact him this time of the night. My first thought was that it had to be Keisha’s dizzy ass trying to find out if Bishop was staying with me or not, so I was ready to add fuel to the fire.

  But when I looked at the caller ID and realized it was some chick named Chrissy, my heart sunk down into the pit of my stomach. Without thinking about it twice, I answered her call. I had to hear her voice if it was the last thing I did. Even though I pressed down on the send button to take her call, I had to tiptoe away from Bishop before I could utter one word. So, when I finally got half way down the hallway, I whispered and said hello as if I had just awakened.

  She hesitated for a second or two; so I assumed she was building up the nerve to open her mouth. Then she asked me if she could speak to Bishop.

  “He’s asleep. May I ask who’s calling?” I replied, trying my best to remain cool. The last thing I wanted to do was to let this chick think that I was the least bit upset or jealous at the fact that she was calling Bishop’s ass this time of the night. When you find out that your man has another bitch on the side, you gotta play the game with those hoes. You can’t let them see you sweat. You’ve got to act as if you aren’t fazed by them calling. If anything, play the role and be cordial, because, remember, bees are attracted to honey.

  “Can you tell him Chrissy called,” she told me.

  “Sure. I can do that,” I assured her.

  “Alright. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome,” I said.

  Then, as soon as I was about to disconnect our call, she interrupted me and said, “Excuse me.”

  “Yeah, what’s up?” I asked.

  “Um . . . never mind. Thank you,” she replied and then she hung up.

  By the time our call ended I was in my bedroom sitting on the edge of my bed. After I pressed the end button, I placed Bishop’s cell phone next to me on the bed and wondered what the hell I got myself into this time around. At that moment, I really couldn’t paint the full picture, but I knew it was a matter of time before I would be removing myself from this situation. And best believe that I would be compensated for my pain and suffering too. It didn’t matter if I took it or he gave it to me freely. So, I guess, time would tell.

  Cheaper to Keep Her part 3 Unique

  In Over My Head – Chapter Four

  The following morning, I was awakened by Bishop’s numerous telephone conversations and instead of getting up to start my day I laid there and eavesdropped. The first call I heard him make had to be Keisha because he sure did a lot of explaining about why he hadn’t answered his phone when she called. The second call he made I assumed was one of his employees because I heard him literally spit fire through the receiver and threaten the person that if they hadn’t taken care of what he instructed them to do, then it was going to be their ass on the chopping block. And during that conversation he also instructed that person to go back and make sure they did a thorough cleaning. “Yo’ I swear, if that spot isn’t squeaky clean, then we’re gonna have some major fucking problems!” Bishop roared through the phone. “And the next time you wanna talk to me don’t call me on this phone, hit me up on the throw away phone.” he continued and then he ended the call.

  Several minutes later, I heard him make another phone call. But that call only lasted sixty seconds. And before I realized it, Bishop had burst into the bedroom and startled the hell out of me. He literally stood over top of me and screamed like his damn mind was going bad. I opened my eyes and saw the anger in his face.

  “Haven’t I told you not to answer my motherfucking phone?” he roared.

  “Yeah, why?” I replied, knowing exactly where he was going with this conversation.

  “Well, then, why the fuck you answered it while I was asleep last night?” he continued.

  “I tried to wake you up,” I lied. I needed a defense and I hoped that the lie I had just told would work. Unfortunately for me, it didn’t. Bishop was not letting the matter go. He felt the need to chastise me because I caught his ass in the wrong. Not only that, it took the spotlight off him from the night before when I caught his ass standing outside the apartment talking and grinning from ear to ear with his new chick. But it was cool. I was a big girl so I knew what to do for his ass.

  “Look, Lynise, I don’t give a fuck if I’m in a coma, don’t touch my cell phone anymore. Do you understand me?” he asked me.

  “Yeah, I understand,” I assured him.

  Without saying another word, he stormed back out of the bedroom. And seconds later, I heard the front door open and then I heard it slam shut. “And fuck you too!” I mumbled.

  Unable to go back to sleep after Bishop’s tirade, I grabbed my Blackberry from the nightstand and dialed Bria’s number. I needed someone to talk to about Bishop’s fucking anger issues. And who better to talk to than his sister Bria. She knew him longer than I did so there was no question in my mind that she could give me some pointers as to how to handle him the next time he goes on a rampage. Unfortunately she didn’t answer her phone. I literally disconnected the call and dialed her number three times back to back but still I got no answer. After the failed attempts to contact her, I sent her a text message and told her to call me when she got a chance. Immediately thereafter I got out of bed and went into the bathroom to take a shower. It didn’t take me long to freshen up. I was in and out of the bathroom in a matter of ten minutes. I had nowhere to go, but Bishop provided me with transportation a week after I had arrived in town.

  To get out of the apartment, I decided to go out and get me a breakfast sandwich at one of the fast food chains in the area. I slipped into a pair of denim booty shorts, a Hello Kitty tank top and Nike flip-flops. After I brushed my hair back into a neat little ponytail, I grabbed my handbag and my car keys and headed outside.

  On my way to my leased two-door, silver Jaguar, my friendly neighbor, Sean, broke his neck to speak to me after he stepped out of his sky blue, big boy Chevy Tahoe. He was dark skin and handsome like I like my men. Plus, he was the right height for me. He put me in the mind of Idris Elba. But he wasn’t as fine as the actor.

  I smiled and waved at him as I made my way towards my vehicle. Normally when we see each other, it’s always in passing and Bishop was with me, so we would speak to each other and keep it moving. But for some reason I guessed he wasn’t trying to let me get out of his sight without saying a few words to me since Bishop was nowhere around.

  I didn’t know much about Sean except that he had just moved into the apartment three doors down from me a couple weeks ago. I had
n’t seen too much foot traffic to his place since he had moved in, so I was forced to believe he was either single or gay.

  He walked towards me with the biggest smile he could muster up. I looked at him from head to toe and believe me, he looked really damn good rocking a pair of khaki cargo shorts, a white Lacoste polo and a pair of brown, signature Louis Vuitton sneakers. On the surface, he looked like he was a hustler. But after he opened his mouth, he gave me the impression that he was educated. He was intriguing to say the least.

  “Leaving without me?” he said jokingly.

  We both stopped and stood within a couple feet from each other. “It looks that way,” I replied and then I smiled.

  “Where’s your man?” he pressed on.

  “Where’s your woman?” I threw the question back at him.

  “If I had one she’d be with me right now,” he smiled. “But it’s not about me, it’s about you. So answer the question.”

  “I’m not sure. But I’m sure that wherever he is, he’s fine.”

  “Well, where are you headed?”

  “Out to get a breakfast sandwich. Why?”

  “Maybe because I would like to tag along.”

  “I don’t think my man would like me driving another man around in a car he’s paying for.”

  “Oh no, I was going to follow you in my truck.”

  I hesitated for a second and thought about Sean’s offer. While the idea of he and I having breakfast together sounded good, the chances of Bishop or someone who knew him seeing us dining out in a restaurant didn’t sit well with me. It would be disastrous.

  Then after it dawned on me how Bishop was playing me with this new bitch named Chrissy, my whole perspective changed. Shit! Why not have breakfast with this handsome gentleman. It wasn’t as if we’re going to check into a hotel. One harmless breakfast date wasn’t going to hurt anyone.