I Can't Let Go

by Chenell Parker

  Kimora tried to sit up, but it felt like she was being weighed down to the bed. She heard the loud beeping noises echoing throughout the house and she needed to see what it was.

  “Tino,” Kimora said as she sluggishly nudged him.

  He was snoring and she knew that he was tired. She had gone to bed early while Tino and Dirty sat on the porch talking and drinking all night. Her and Nita’s flight was scheduled to leave at noon, and she couldn’t wait to go. Tino and Dirty were supposed to be leaving early that morning to start driving the truck back, but she could see that they were going to be late.

  “Tino, get up,” Kimora coughed as she was finally able to pull herself up. The house was filled with smoke and the detectors were beeping like crazy.

  “The fuck!” Tino yelled when he jumped up from the bed.

  He pulled Kimora out of the bed and grabbed something for her to put on. The house was filled with smoke, so he took his shirt off and put it over her nose and mouth. He led the way through the cloudy house, holding Kimora’s hand the entire time. Tino opened the front door and tried to push the screen door open.

  “What’s wrong?” Kimora asked when he just stood there.

  “Something is blocking the screen. Fuck!” Tino yelled.

  Flames covered the entire porch so that wouldn’t have done him any good if he did get out. He was more worried about Kimora and his unborn child than anything else. He had to think fast and not panic. Kimora didn’t have a back door and all of her windows had burglar bars. As dangerous as that was, it was not the time for him to scold her. Kimora was on the phone calling the fire department while Tino ran to the kitchen and grabbed a hammer. He lifted the window and used the hammer to remove one of the bars. It wasn’t as hard as he thought it would be, so he hurriedly removed three more. The bars were old and that helped out a lot too. Once he saw that the hole was big enough, he climbed out of the window and pulled Kimora out behind him.

  “Oh, my God!” Kimora gasped when they got to the front of the house.

  Her car as well as the truck with all of her belongings were on fire too. Tino was pissed when he saw the huge slab of concrete that was blocking the front door. Somebody wanted them dead and he already knew who. It enraged him to know that the nigga didn’t know if his daughter was there or not and he obviously didn’t give a fuck.

  “It’s okay baby. All of this shit can be replaced but we can’t,” Tino said as he hugged her. He called Dirty as the blaring of the sirens got closer.

  Dirty and Nita got there a few minutes after the fires had been contained. The truck and car were both total losses, but only the front part of the house was destroyed. Kimora had renters and automotive insurance, so all of her belongings would be covered. Once they found out that she was pregnant, the EMS workers insisted on getting Kimora checked out at the hospital.

  “How you feeling baby?” Tino asked once he was allowed to go to the back to see about her.

  “I’m good. They just want me on this oxygen for a few minutes before I can leave,” Kimora replied.

  “That nigga just started a war,” Tino gritted, speaking of Hassan.

  “Tino, no. Just let that shit go. We’ll be leaving here in a few hours and we don’t ever have to come back here again. We can go straight to the airport when we leave here,” Kimora replied.

  “How? Me and Dirty don’t even have a plane ticket. We were supposed to drive back,” Tino reminded her.

  “Shit. I forgot all about that. Where’s my phone? I can check to see what the airline has available,” Kimora suggested.

  “Don’t worry about that baby. We can rent a car and drive back. I just want to make sure that you and your mama are good,” Tino replied.

  “No Santino. We’re leaving together. I don’t want you to be here without me,” Kimora said.

  Tino didn’t want to upset her, so he just nodded in agreement. There was no way in hell he was getting on a plane without paying Hassan a visit first.

  “Let me go back up front, so your mama can come back here,” Tino said as he kissed her lips before walking away.

  “Is she good cuz?” Dirty asked when Tino walked back into the waiting room.

  “Yeah, they just want her to be on oxygen for a few minutes. You can go back there for a while Nita. Tell Kimora that we’re going to get food. I’ll be right back,” Tino replied as he looked at her.

  “Okay. Dirty has my car keys. I can’t wait to get the hell away from here,” Nita fussed as she walked to the back.

  “Let’s go,” Tino scowled as he looked at Dirty.

  “What did you find out?” Dirty asked.

  “Nothing. I didn’t even look. I was so damn tipsy and that was the last thing on my mind. But, now, I’m pissed the fuck off and ready for war,” he fumed as they walked out of the hospital and to Nita’s car.

  “Take a look and see what you missed,” Dirty noted as he started the car and pulled off.

  Tino pulled out his phone and pressed a few buttons. His face was a mask of anger as he looked and listened. Dirty knew that his cousin was pissed, so he didn’t say anything to him. He had his back and that was all that he needed to know.

  “Bitch ass nigga must not know,” Tino gritted once they pulled up to their destination.

  He didn’t give a damn that he looked like a bum and smelled like smoke. He hopped out of the car and headed into the building with Dirty following right behind him. They bypassed the workers who gave them strange looks and kept going straight to the back.

  “Can I help you gentlemen with something?” Hassan’s male assistant stood up and asked.

  “Nope, so sit the fuck down and shut the fuck up,” Tino barked as he barged into the office.

  Hassan was on the phone when he walked in, but he quickly ended the call when the two angry men entered.

  “What is it that I can do for you this time?” he asked with a stupid looking smirk on his face.

  He was hoping that the next time he saw Tino’s face would be on the news when they identified his body. Luck wasn’t on his side that time, but he was sure that he would get another opportunity. He knew where Kimora’s people lived in New Orleans and it would be nothing for him to send Ben down there to get shit poppin.’ Hassan looked at Tino expecting a snappy answer to his question, but he didn’t come there to talk.

  “The fuck!” Dirty yelled when Tino pulled a street fighter move and kicked Hassan in the face.

  He had seen his cousin fight several times but that was a first. Dirty cringed as he heard his cousin’s licks landing on Hassan’s face. That nigga had all those muscles for nothing because Tino was punishing him.

  “Oh no! I’m calling the police,” the nerdy looking assistant said when he peeped his head into the office after hearing all the commotion. Dirty followed him out and snatched the phone from his hand. He pulled it from the wall, popping the extension cord when he did.

  “Snitchin’ is the quickest way to get dealt with. Send a fax or email some shit. If you were working, you wouldn’t even know what’s going on in there,” Dirty said as he pushed him down in his chair.

  He went back into the room just in time to see Hassan fall to the floor. When Tino started stomping him, Dirty pulled his cousin away and held him back.

  “Pussy ass nigga. You lucky my daughter wasn’t home when your hoe ass pulled that shit,” Tino spat while breathing hard.

  “That nigga can’t hear you cuzzo. He’s knocked the fuck out. Let me make sure he’s still breathing,” Dirty said as he walked over to Hassan to check his pulse.

  “Fuck him,” Tino growled.

  “Damn boy, looks like you broke his jaw. His shit looks lopsided,” Dirty laughed.

  “This shit ain’t over. That nigga tried to kill me and my wife. I want his ass dead too,” Tino fumed.

  “Patience cuz. This is not the time or the place,” Dirty replied as he led him out of the office.

  “I’m pissed the fuck off.” Tino frowned.

  “I can te
ll because you’re not thinking rationally right now. Just relax and be satisfied with that ass whooping that you just delivered.”

  “Nigga better be lucky that was all he got,” Tino gritted.

  “When the fuck did you become a ninja? You flying through the air dropkicking people and shit,” Dirty laughed.

  He was happy to see that his cousin laughed with him. Tino could be irrational sometimes but he knew how to deal with him. They stopped to get food before going back to the hospital. Kimora tried to get them a flight back with her and Nita, but they didn’t have any. The soonest one was two days away, but she wasn’t leaving Carmel without them. Hassan proved that he was capable of anything and so were Tino and Dirty.

  “We’re taking my mama’s car,” Kimora informed them once she was released from the hospital.

  “I told her that I don’t think that’s a great idea, but she insist,” Nita replied.

  Her car was old and that was the reason why she never drove it back to New Orleans herself. She needed a new one and she planned to get one once she was settled back into her house. Unfortunately, the rest of her belongings went up in flames with Kimora’s but that was okay. Her daughter and Tino made it out alive and that was all that she cared about. Anything else could be replaced.

  “We might have to get a room halfway through, but I think we can make it,” Dirty said.

  He took Tino and Kimora to the mall to grab a few things before going back to the hotel. They all showered and got dressed before they left to make the long drive back to New Orleans. Kimora had to make a lot of calls pertaining to the fire and a few people were calling her too. She was praying that everything could be handled over the phone because she wanted to leave Carmel in her rearview. New Orleans was and would always be home and she was happy to be going back to stay.

  “ Girl, stop looking at that damn page so much. You’re gonna drive yourself crazy,” Zoe said as she snatched Venus’ phone and sat it on the coffee table.

  “I’m just trying to figure all this shit out,” Venus replied.

  “There’s nothing to figure out Venus. Tino has been weak for Kimora since the first day they met. Nothing that he does regarding her should surprise you. Stalking them from a fake page ain’t doing nothing but hurting you more,” Zoe said.

  “I’m not stalking nobody. They should have made their pages private if they didn’t want nobody to see it.” Venus shrugged.

  It baffled her how much things had changed in such a short period of time. Zoe was being tightlipped, but Ronald’s girlfriend, Simone, spilled all the tea. She was the one who told her about Tino and Kimora’s engagement and the pregnancy. Venus had a bunch of fake pages, so she started following Kimora from one of them. Kimora must have just gotten on the Gram because she looked for her for months after she disappeared and found nothing. Tino had only reconnected with Kimora in November and so many things had transpired since then. It was only March and she was already three months pregnant and his soon to be wife. Venus wondered how he even knew that the baby was his since she had a man when they hooked up again.

  “I just wish you could see what so many others see. You’re a beautiful woman Venus. You can have any man you want. I know that feelings don’t go away overnight, but you need to at least try to move on,” Zoe advised.

  “Who says that I haven’t?” Venus smirked.

  “You sneaky bitch. Who have you been messing with?” Zoe asked.

  “Nobody worth mentioning,” Venus replied.

  That part was true because Franco would put a bullet in her head if she did. Besides, Venus couldn’t consider what they did messing around. He treated her like a sex toy that he played with when he wanted to try something new. A few weeks ago, she showed up to the room that he rented and he was there with one of his friends. Venus felt disrespected when he told her that he wanted her to do both of them. Being the money hungry bitch that she was had her agreeing to do whatever. Some of the things that happened in that room were going with her to the grave. She didn’t see how prostitutes did it on a daily basis. Venus went home and cried for hours once she was done. She felt lower than ever and she had no one to blame but herself.

  Aside from him, she dealt with another dude named Johnny, but it was nothing serious. He was a dope boy who spent more than he made. He bragged about being a street nigga, but his name didn’t hold no weight on the streets. Venus heard that he used to be a stickup kid when he was younger, but she didn’t know if that was true or not. Johnny was handsome but he didn’t have shit on Tino. Most niggas didn’t have shit on her ex and Venus found herself always comparing. She was used to Tino wining and dining her, but most men didn’t even know where to begin. Johnny thought that Applebee’s was classy, and it didn’t get more basic than that. He was Koi’s first cousin so that explained a lot.

  “I’m starving. Are you hungry Vee?” Zoe asked her.

  “Yes, let’s go get something to eat,” Venus suggested.

  “Miguel will go,” Zoe said as she grabbed her phone and started texting.

  “That man is not about to leave out of his comfortable bed just to go get us some food,” Venus laughed.

  He probably would have if their kids were home, but they were with Zoe’s sister for the weekend. Zoe invited Venus over for drinks and they had been relaxing and talking since she got there. They were on their third bottle of wine and feeling nice.

  “Do you want Chinese, wings or seafood?” Zoe asked as she typed away on her phone.

  “Let’s get some seafood. I got a taste for some crab legs,” Venus replied.

  “Sounds good to me,” Zoe replied. A few minutes later, Miguel walked out of the room and grabbed his car keys.

  “I’ll be right back baby. Do you need anything else while I’m out?” he asked his wife.

  “More wine,” Zoe requested.

  “Okay,” he smiled while kissing her before he left.

  “Did you really just send that man out there to get us some food?” Venus asked, shocked that Miguel even agreed to it.

  “He doesn’t mind. I’ve been drinking and he doesn’t like me driving,” Zoe replied.

  “Must be nice,” Venus replied bitterly as she looked around the beautifully decorated house.

  She loved her best friend dearly, but she was still having a hard time trying to figure out how a basic bitch like Zoe landed a fine ass man like Miguel. Zoe was cute but she was nothing special in her opinion. She didn’t even know how to dress at one time and Venus used to have to put her clothes together for her. Hell, she was wearing one of Venus’ dresses the night she met him. Now, she was living in a mini mansion, driving foreign whips with unlimited funds. Some bitches had all the luck.

  “So, tell me about this mystery man of yours.” Zoe smiled as she looked at her friend expectantly.

  “There’s nothing to tell. His name is Johnny and we’re just friends with occasional benefits.” Venus shrugged.

  “What does he do for a living?” Zoe asked.

  “What does every man that I get do for a living Zoe? You know I’m attracted to bad boys. I mean, he’s no Santino but he does a little something in the streets.”

  “Don’t do that Venus. Stop comparing every man to Santino. He might not have as much but he might be a great guy. Money isn’t everything,” Zoe said.

  “Says the woman sitting in her mini mansion, wearing Gucci and sipping on a two hundred dollar bottle of wine,” Venus pointed out.

  “Yeah, I have a lot now, but I didn’t before Miguel came into my life. And you know me better than that. I’ve never been one to seek out a man for his money. My first boyfriend was just as broke as I was, but we were happy until he cheated,” Zoe noted.

  “How can you be happy and broke? That shit don’t even belong in the same sentence,” Venus replied as she downed the last of her wine.

  “Money doesn’t equal happiness. Some of the richest people in the world are unhappy and depressed,” Zoe said.

  “That shit doesn’t
belong in the same sentence either. If you’re rich, what is there to be unhappy about?” Venus questioned as she stood up.

  “There is just no getting through to you, is there?” Zoe inquired.

  “Nope but that wine got me about to piss on myself,” Venus laughed as she walked down the hall to the bathroom.

  Zoe took that time to open another bottle of wine and refill their glasses. When she sat back down, Venus’ phone rang but she didn’t answer. She did, however, look at the screen as an unsaved but familiar number popped up. Franco called her husband enough for Zoe to recognize his number. Him calling Venus for any reason was a mystery to her though. When a text message came through right after the phone stopped ringing, Zoe picked up the phone and read it.