I Can't Let Go

by Chenell Parker

  Kimora was very fluent in the secondary language and she had even become a tutor at her high school. She got interested in learning Spanish when she was in sixth grade and her mother gladly paid to make it happen.

  “Where’s the food auntie? I’m starving,” Bryson said as he rubbed his stomach. Kimora was happy that he asked because she felt the same way.

  “They have sandwiches and fruit out here but most of the hot food is inside in the warmer,” Val said as another woman walked up to where they were. Her mood instantly changed but Kimora didn’t know why.

  “Hey y’all,” the woman spoke and waved.

  “What’s up Venus? Where your man at?” Dirty asked.

  “My son is inside,” Val answered with a nasty attitude. Kimora hadn’t even been there long and she could already see that Val wasn’t too fond of the other woman.

  “Come fuck with me when you get a minute Dirty,” Venus said with a smirk before walking off.

  “Perra irrespetuosa,” Val spat, calling the other woman a disrespectful bitch. Kimora laughed, and she smiled and winked at her. Besides her son, Val wasn’t used to anyone else knowing Spanish, but she was happy to have someone else to talk shit with. She had just met Kimora, but she liked her already.

  “I don’t even know what you said but I know it wasn’t good,” Dirty laughed as he, Miko and Bryson walked off.

  “I’m trying to be nice because it’s my husband’s birthday. He begged me to let her come over but she better stay her ass in the yard. She’s not allowed inside of my home,” Val said as she grabbed Kimora’s hand and walked towards the house behind them.

  Kimora was wowed once again when they walked inside. The outside was nice but the inside was amazing. The furniture looked too expensive to sit on but Val wasted no time offering them a seat. Kimora looked at the television on the wall in amazement because she had never seen one so big. It covered the entire wall and that’s where the music that she heard outside was coming from. When a tall, medium brown skinned man with dreads walked into the room, Val’s eyes lit up when she saw him. He was handsome in a rugged kind of way and he had a nice body for a man of his age. Kimora assumed he was in his early forties but he looked great. He had on some Nike sweats with a t-shirt and Nike duck boots. His dreads were dyed blonde at the tips and they were pulled up into some kind of fancy style that looked good on him.

  “What’s good?” Ced spoke as he gave his nephews dap and hugged Miko. He stopped when he got to Kimora because he had never seen her before.

  “Baby, this is Miko’s sister Kimora. Isn’t she beautiful? And she’s fluent in Spanish too,” Val said excitedly.

  “It’s nice to meet you sweetheart.” Ced smiled as he gave her a friendly hug.

  “Nice to meet you too,” Kimora replied, right before he walked out of the house.

  She was happy when Val escorted them to the kitchen and fixed them something to eat. They had enough food to feed a village and everything was good. Kimora wasn’t shy so when Val offered her seconds, she gladly accepted. Once her second plate was clean, she got up to throw her trash away. She didn’t even see when he walked up but she heard him clearly.

  “Fuck,” a man whispered from behind her.

  Kimora turned around and gasped when she looked up at him. God was always busy, but He obviously took His time and hand crafted the gift that was standing before her. That was the only way to describe his long lashed eyes with bushy brows, perfect nose and full kissable lips. His beard was full and had the same nice grain of hair that was on his head. His cut was low but there was no mistaking the waves that looked like they were strategically placed in his head. He was a dead ringer for the social media celebrity, Clarence White, right on down to the color of his skin. He was perfect and not many men could get that kind of compliment.

  “Hey, my baby,” Val said as her face lit up once again. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that the man was her son. The kisses that she planted all over his face was a dead giveaway.

  “Come on ma. I hate when you do that,” he fussed as he moved away from her.

  “What’s good cousin?” Dirty said as he gave him dap. He spoke to everyone in the room until he got to Kimora. Miko was about to introduce her but Val beat her to it.

  “That’s Miko’s sister, Kimora. She’s my new gossiping buddy since she’s fluent in Spanish. Kimora, this is my baby, Santino, but we all call him Tino. He’s named after my deceased father,” Val said as she made the sign of the cross over her chest. Tino hated when she introduced him that way. She made it a point to tell everybody that he was named after a man that was dead long before he was born.

  “Chill with that baby stuff, ma. What’s up beautiful?” Tino asked as he kissed Kimora’s hand. Dirty and Miko looked at each other, already knowing what was up. Tino wanted Kimora but they weren’t about to let that happen.

  “Stop kissing on my future wife like that nigga,” Bryson spoke up.

  “Shut up Bryson. I would never.” Kimora frowned.

  “Come on lovely. Let me give you a tour of the house. This ain’t nothing. Wait until you see upstairs.” Val smiled as she grabbed Kimora’s hand and pulled her along.

  “Man, the fuck you been hiding her at Kimiko,” Tino said as his eyes followed Kimora until she was out of sight.

  “Don’t even think about it nigga. She’s too young and you got a girl. I like Venus but I’ll fuck over her behind my sister,” Miko warned. Kimora had some hands, so she probably wouldn’t even have to it if it ever came down to it.

  “What do you call too young? How old is she?” Tino asked.

  “Sixteen nigga. Let it go,” Dirty answered.

  “I’m a patient man. I can wait for another year until she’s legal,” Tino smirked.

  “More like two years,” Miko said.

  “Two! The legal age of consent in Louisiana is seventeen,” Tino reminded her.

  “Maybe so but the legal age for my little sister is eighteen. I usually mind my business but not this time boo. There’s no doubt in my mind that she can handle herself but I’m not letting it happen. You’re my age nigga and that’s too old,” Miko noted.

  She wasn’t trying to hate but he was four years older than Kimora. She lost her virginity to a twenty-one year old when she was her sister’s age and AJ did nothing to stop it. He knew his boy wasn’t shit but he never tried to intervene when he saw him going after her. Two abortions later and Miko was over it. When she met Dirty when she was seventeen, he was like a breath of fresh air. She didn’t want that for Kimora, and she would try her best to prevent it. If she wanted to fuck with Tino when she turned eighteen, then she would step back and mind her business. She would be grown then and there was nothing that she could do anyway. Since Tino was a dog, Miko was hoping that it never happened at all.

  “Just let me talk to her fam. I won’t go too far, I promise,” Tino swore.

  “Shoot your shot and let her know that you’re interested if you want to. She tells my girl everything, so it better not go any further than that,” Dirty warned.

  “Bet.” Tino smiled excitedly. He didn’t even give a damn that his girl was outside. Venus wasn’t going nowhere and that he was sure of. She’d caught him cheating more times than he could count, and she never even attempted to walk away.

  “How the fuck you give this nigga the okay to go after my girl? I’m going outside and start some shit with Vee. Y’all got me fucked up,” Bryson said as he got up and walked away. They all laughed but they knew deep down that he was serious. He was always starting shit, but it was always entertaining.

  “Let me go out here before I have to kill this lil nigga,” Dirty said as he got up to walk outside. Miko followed him but Tino stayed put. He wasn’t moving until Kimora came back downstairs. He waited about ten more minutes before he heard his mother’s voice getting closer. Val talked a lot, so he wasn’t surprised that they took so long.

  “Do you want some more to eat or drink baby?” she asked while loo
king at Kimora.

  “No, I’m good. Where is Miko?” she asked when she didn’t see her sister.

  “They went outside,” Tino replied. When he saw that Kimora was about to walk away, he gently grabbed her arm to stop her.

  Val smiled when she saw that her son pulled out a chair for Kimora to sit down. She walked outside and smirked when she looked over at Venus. If ever there was a person who she hated with a passion, Venus was it. She was twenty-eight years old and too damn old for her son. But that wasn’t the only thing that had Val upset though. A few years ago, Venus was in a relationship with her first cousin, Jose. She miscarried a child for him and was trying to get pregnant again. When he got killed, she ended up in a relationship with her nephew, Juan. She was so determined to give him a baby that she had started seeing a fertility specialist, but nothing ever happened. Juan went to the FEDS a little over two years ago and she sunk her claws into Tino soon after. It was like she was determined to have a man in their family, no matter who it was. Venus was best friends with Val’s sister-in-law, Zoe, so that was always her excuse to come around. It was never a problem until she set her sights on Tino.

  Val was hearing the rumors, but she just didn’t want to believe it. By the time she expressed her feeling to Tino, it was too late. He was a naïve eighteen-year-old and Venus had him under her spell. He had a girlfriend at the time but the thrill of being with an older woman was too much for him to resist. When he did try to break it off with her, Venus hit him with a positive pregnancy test. Unfortunately, she had a miscarriage four months in but she and Tino were still together after that. Being that she’d had two miscarriages of her own before she got with Ced, Val did sympathize with her. That’s why Santino was her pride and joy. She almost bled to death after she had him and had to have a hysterectomy. She loved her five step kids but Tino was her only biological child and she loved him beyond words.

  “Tell me a little something about yourself,” Tino said as he looked at Kimora. He had to make sure that Val really went outside because she had a bad habit of eavesdropping.

  “What do you want to know?” Kimora asked.

  “Everything. Last name, favorite food, favorite color, all that shit,” Tino replied, making her laugh. He was mesmerized as he looked into her eyes. Kimora had braces on her teeth but she must have been at the end of her treatment plan. Her teeth were perfectly straight and a bright shade of white. She favored Kimiko a lot but she was prettier to him. She favored a younger version of Bernice Burgos, right down to the complexion of her skin. She and Miko were both shapely but Kimora had her big sister beat. She was dressed down in a crop top and some ripped Bermuda shorts but she was rocking the hell out of such a simple outfit. Her stomach was flatter than he’d ever seen and it was pierced with a small, heart shaped diamond.

  “My last name is Carter. I don’t really have a favorite food but anything with seafood is cool with me. My favorite colors are orange and black and I have a good reason why. What about you?” Kimora asked.

  “My last name is Dixon. I don’t have a favorite food. If the shit taste good, I’m eating it. I just got my associate degree in information technology and I’m back in school for my bachelor’s. I don’t do all that favorite color shit but you can’t go wrong with black.” Tino shrugged.

  “That’s what’s up. I wouldn’t have taken you for the college type but looks are deceiving. I hate school, so college is out for me,” Kimora replied.

  “Nah, you need that education baby girl. I’m trying to make sure that I never have to work for another muthafucker for as long as I live,” Tino swore.

  “What is this whole getting to know each other thing about anyway? You got a girl and please don’t try to lie,” Kimora said, shocking him with her forwardness.

  “There’s nothing to lie about. Yeah, I do have a girl,” Tino replied.

  “Thanks for your honesty. It was nice talking to you Tino,” Kimora said as she stood up.

  “When is your birthday?” Tino asked her.

  “On Halloween. Why?” Kimora countered.

  “Real shit!” he yelled excitedly. Now, it made sense that orange and black were her favorite colors.

  “Yep,” she replied.

  “That’s my birthday too.” He smiled.

  “Stop lying,” Kimora said skeptically.

  “I’m dead ass serious. Look,” he replied as he pulled out his license to show her.

  “Aww, you’re my birthday twin.” Kimora smiled.

  “Damn, that’s crazy as hell. I need your number,” Tino said.

  “For what?” Kimora asked.

  “I need to keep in contact with my future wife,” Tino replied, making her blush.

  “Not you too. I already got Bryson claiming me as his future wife,” Kimora sighed.

  “He be on that bullshit but I’m dead ass serious. Give me your number,” Tino requested again. When Kimora called it out to him, he locked her in and called her phone so that she could have his number too.

  “Don’t try to get me caught up in no bullshit with your girl. I don’t do mess and drama,” Kimora said as they headed outside.

  “There’s no need for all that. We’re just friends. At least for now. I gotta work overtime to make you fall in love with me first. Two years is a long time so I’m confident that it’ll happen,” Tino replied. He laughed when he saw the confused expression on her face.

  “I guess.” She shrugged, not knowing what he was talking about.

  “Be expecting my call tonight,” Tino said once they were in the backyard. He spotted Venus’ eyes on him the moment he stepped out of the house but that was nothing new.

  “I told you! Get him Vee. That nigga is trying to take my girl,” Bryson said, causing everyone to look over at them. Kimora made her way to the opposite end of the yard where Miko and Val were sitting while Tino walked over to his girlfriend.

  “That’s a lil girl. She can’t handle Tino. He’ll probably get his dick wet and keep it moving just like always,” Venus said like it was no big deal.

  Her lil young ass couldn’t handle all that dick that Tino was slangin’ even if she tried. Venus had been with her share of men and Tino’s lil young ass had all of them beat. He knew how to use it too and that was one of the things that had Venus hooked.

  “Keep believing that if you want to,” Zoe said.

  Zoe was Venus’ best friend and her way into the family. She was married to Tino’s uncle, Miguel, and they had four kids. Miguel spoiled Zoe, just like all the men in their family did their wives and girlfriends. He was twelve years older than she was, but he didn’t look it. After having their last child, Miguel paid for Zoe to get some work done and she was built like a brick house now. Venus didn’t need to do any of that though. She was already stacked in all the right places and she never had a problem getting a man. Thing was, she didn’t just want any man. She wanted Tino but anybody else in his family would suffice.

  Zoe was the one who had unintentionally put Venus down on how much money her husband’s family was worth. Venus had two other Lopez men, but things didn’t work out quite like she expected. She lost one to death and the other to jail. She had a feeling that she was going to get her happy ending with Tino. That was if his mother shut the fuck up and stayed out of their business. They would have probably been married by now if it wasn’t for Val.

  Tino was eight years younger than she was, so him cheating was to be expected. He was only eighteen when they got together, and she didn’t expect him to always be faithful. Venus was cool, just as long as he came back home to her every night. The only time she had an issue was when he crept around with his ex. She knew that feelings were involved at one time and that rubbed her the wrong way.

  Although Tino had his father’s last name, he was still a member of the Lopez family. Val was one of ten children and she was the only girl. Her family lived all over the place including the Dominican Republic, Miami and Mexico. Her brothers had her spoiled and she had spoiled Tino. At tw
enty years old, he had businesses and more money than men twice his age. Venus had been trying to get him to buy her a house, but Val wasn’t letting that happen. Their family was known for buying extravagant homes and she wanted one just as big as Zoe’s. Thanks to Val, she was never able to convince Tino to get her one. They could have accomplished so much more in their relationship if she would just stay out of it. Since miscarrying their baby a while ago, she hadn’t had any luck getting pregnant again, but she was trying.

  “Don’t come over here smiling nigga. You lucky you got hands. I would have been whooping your ass for that shit you pulled with my girl,” Bryson fussed. He was really mad but not dumb enough to run up on his cousin. Tino had been boxing since he was eight and he had some lethal hands just like his father.

  “Shut the fuck up bruh,” Tino snapped, fed up with Bryson’s constant whining. He was doing too much over somebody who didn’t even want his ass.