I Can't Let Go

by Chenell Parker

  “That’s fucked up,” Simone’s friend said as her nails dried under the light.

  Koi usually did the other woman’s nails but she didn’t work there anymore. When things went left with her and Johnny, Venus put her out of her nail shop. They had a fight and everything and she regretted telling Koi so much of her business. She was a messy bitch and being petty was a sport. Venus still had two other chicks working with her and she was looking for two more. She hated that her shop was in Tino’s name but she needed to get with him to rectify that issue soon.

  “They put pictures of their house up on Instagram but nobody has ever been there before. Ronald said Tino be acting like he don’t want nobody but Dirty to come over there. I guess he gets a pass because he’s married to Kimora’s sister. They better not be trying to act brand new with my man.” Simone frowned.

  “Girl, I don’t give a fuck about Santino or his bitch. Don’t even mention their names in my shop,” Venus snapped in anger.

  Simone wasn’t telling her nothing that she didn’t already know. Venus saw all that she needed to see on social media and she didn’t need a recap. She already knew that Tino and Kimora were married and expecting a son soon. She saw every picture of the wedding, honeymoon and the house. Tino basically gave Kimora everything that she had been begging him for. Venus could probably understand it better if Tino had known Kimora before her but that wasn’t the case. He let another bitch step in and take him from her. In her eyes, he was never hers to begin with. Thanks to him, she hated that bullshit ass Anthony Hamilton song now. That was obviously sentimental to them since he sung it to her at their wedding reception. Venus remembered that same engraving being inside the ring that she thought was hers.

  “Fuck him. You’re a bad bitch and you can have any man you want,” Simone said, right as the front door of the shop chimed.

  “Can I help you?” the nail tech closest to the door asked.

  “You sure in the fuck can’t,” someone snapped. Venus and every other woman in the shop turned their heads in the woman’s direction to see who it was.

  “What’s up Amari?” Venus asked.

  “That’s what I’m here trying to figure out,” Amari replied.

  “What do you mean?” Venus asked.

  “Step outside and let me holla at you right quick Vee,” Amari demanded, making her heart drop. Venus wasn’t a scary bitch but Amari was sometimes off her rocker. That was the Jamaican side of her and it came out whenever she was upset.

  “I’m busy right now boo but I can hit you up later,” Venus replied.

  She was no fool and she already knew what Amari wanted. She’d obviously found out that she was fucking with Franco but she had nothing to worry about. Just like every other Lopez man, Venus struck out with him too. It wasn’t in the cards for her and she’d learned to accept that. Amari had never come at her sideways before, so she already knew what it was.

  “Nah. I need to see you now. Here love, your full set is on me,” Amari said as she sat three twenties on the table next to Simone.

  “Aww shit, thanks girl. You can go ahead Vee. I’ll wait,” Simone replied excitedly. She loved anything free and she had no complaints.

  “That’s not how I operate. I’m a businesswoman before anything else. You can either wait until I’m done or come back later. The choice is yours,” Venus said, casually dismissing her.

  “I was trying to handle this shit like a mature woman but fuck it. If you want the whole shop to be in your business, so be it. I’m a bad bitch and, usually, I don’t waste my time confronting the bum ass hoes that Franco sticks dick to. But, when a bitch is bold enough to step foot in my house, knowing that she’s fucking my husband, I have a problem with that,” Amari fumed, showing Venus just how crazy everyone always said she could be.

  She was no fool and she knew that her husband strayed sometimes. Amari was no saint and, most times, she didn’t even confront him when she heard shit. Everybody thought that she left Franco once before because he was cheating and she let them think that. She actually left him to do her own thing but she went back home when he begged her to. Nothing and no one had that much power to make her leave her husband. Franco and their kids were her life and she wasn’t breaking up her family.

  “You got the wrong chick boo. I never fucked your husband and I don’t want to,” Venus replied.

  She was pissed but she remained cool. She and Zoe hadn’t been seeing eye to eye lately but she didn’t want to believe that her best friend would do her dirty like that. She’d stopped trying to reach out to Zoe for a while, hoping that she would come around on her own. It killed Venus to see her best friend on pictures, smiling and embracing Kimora. As much as it pained her to admit it, Zoe and Kimora were family now.

  “So, the lil bitch who used to work here is lying on you? Is that what you’re telling me?” Amari asked, pulling Venus away from her thoughts.

  That bitch Koi was a piece of work. Venus should have known better than to confide in her ghetto, ratchet ass. Koi told her own family’s business, so Venus knew that she didn’t stand a chance.

  “That’s exactly what I’m telling you,” Venus replied.

  “Yeah, I hear you, but you already know what it is with me. If I find out that you’re lying, we’re gonna have a problem,” Amari warned.

  “Am I supposed to be scared?” Venus asked.

  “Nah, just be careful hoe,” Amari smirked as she walked away.

  “What the hell was that all about?” Simone asked as soon as Amari left.

  “I don’t know and I don’t give a fuck,” Venus replied in disgust. Koi was going to see her and that was a promise.

  “She needs to be checking her husband instead of coming here to beef with you. Hoes kill me with that shit,” one of the other nail techs said.

  “What happened with you and Koi? I thought y’all were cool,” Simone said, fishing for information.

  “Nothing happened. We just don’t hang as much since she stopped working here,” Venus answered.

  She’d made the mistake of putting the wrong people in her business before and she wasn’t about to do it again. She had to hurry up and make things right with Zoe. Venus felt lost without her and she would do whatever it took to make things right. They had never gone that long without speaking and she had learned her lesson.

  Zoe pulled into her driveway and sighed in contentment. She had just dropped her kids off at her sister’s house and they were staying there for the night. She’d had her sister’s three kids overnight and she was returning the favor. Since Mateo and his wife were in town, they were having a small family gathering at Val and Ced’s house. Zoe needed a drink and she didn’t have to watch how many she had. She was kid free and ready to enjoy her day.

  “Zoe!” someone yelled as soon as she got out of her car.

  “Girl, you scared the hell out of me,” Zoe said as she turned around with her hand on her chest. “What’s up Amari?”

  “You tell me,” Amari scowled.

  “Exactly what am I supposed to tell you?” Zoe asked in confusion.

  “So, you’re really gonna stand here and play dumb?” Amari sneered.

  “I don’t do games Amari. Just say what you have to say,” Zoe said.

  “Did you know that Franco and Venus were fucking? And before you lie to me, just know that I’m not in a good mood right now,” Amari noted.

  “Are you threatening my wife Amari?” Miguel asked as he seemed to have appeared out of thin air.

  He saw when Zoe pulled up on the cameras in their house. When he saw Amari pull up soon after, he decided to listen to what was being said. The system that Tino’s crew had installed was well worth the price that he paid for it. The picture and sound quality was amazing. Miguel had never had any problems with Amari, but she was out of her mind showing up to their house to confront his wife.

  “No, I’m not threatening her,” Amari replied nervously. Franco gave his uncles and auntie the highest respect and he would flip
if she didn’t do the same.

  “That’s not what it sounded like to me,” Miguel said as he walked over and placed his arm around Zoe’s waist.

  “I was just-”

  “Leaving is what you were doing, but after you apologize to my wife,” Miguel said, finishing her sentence for her.

  “I’m sorry Zoe. I didn’t mean any disrespect. I’m just trying to get to the bottom of everything,” Amari said sincerely. She really was sorry and Zoe didn’t deserve the way she talked to her. Zoe had always been nice to her and she steered clear of mess.

  “You need to go home and talk to your husband. I’m about to call him, so he’ll be expecting you. And make this your last time coming to my house uninvited,” Miguel replied.

  It was a problem when he started stepping in Franco’s shit. He didn’t appreciate anybody coming at his wife sideways. It didn’t matter that Amari was a part of the family. Zoe was his other half and he would always have her back.

  “I apologize,” Amari said as she rushed off and prepared to go home and argue with her husband. She was sure that he wouldn’t be too pleased about the little stunt that she’d just pulled. She was letting her emotions get the best of her and making stupid decisions.

  “You okay baby?” Miguel asked while looking at his wife.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. I get that she’s upset but that has nothing to do with me,” Zoe replied.

  “Get dressed while I make a few phone calls. We’ll leave once you’re done,” Miguel said while leading her into their house.

  Zoe went straight upstairs to their bathroom and took a shower. Once she was done, she got dressed and she and Miguel headed to Val’s house. He was still upset about the Amari situation but it wasn’t a big deal to her. Amari had even sent Zoe a text apologizing again and she assured her that all was well.

  “Hello, my beautiful sister,” Miguel said when Val opened the door for them.

  “Hola brother. All of the men are downstairs in the basement. There’s more than enough food and drinks, so help yourself. Come on Zoe. We’re all in the living room putting the finishing touches on Kimora’s baby shower,” Val said as she grabbed her sister-in-law’s hand. Mateo’s wife was a pro at what she did and Val loved her ideas.

  Miguel headed downstairs where a few of his brothers, nephews and cousins sat. The only outsider there was Tino’s cousin, Dirty, but they’d all grown to love him. The only one missing was Ced and that was strange since they were at his house.

  “Where’s Ced?” Miguel asked.

  “He went to get my grandmother but I’m happy he’s not here. We need to discuss a few things. I don’t want to put him in a bad position, so I would prefer if he didn’t know anything about this,” Tino replied.

  “I agree. It’s a bad position to be in and he doesn’t need the added stress of watching his nephew die. Because, make no mistake about it, if he had anything to do with what happened to the two of you, he will,” Mateo assured them.

  “I’ve been keeping an eye on him but I haven’t seen anything out of the ordinary yet. Since you cut him off, he’s been dealing with some dude downtown. Dude is a low level hustler with trash product. Other than that, he’s been laying low,” Tino’s cousin, Luis, said.

  Ramon was the topic of discussion but they still didn’t have a solution to the potential problem. They were doing a lot of speculating but they had no solid proof of Ramon’s involvement.

  “That nigga is guilty. There’s no doubt in my mind about that. I just want to know who the other niggas are that he’s been running with,” Dirty spoke up.

  “I’ve never seen him with anybody.” Luis shrugged.

  “Maybe not but he had to have help,” Tino noted.

  “How do we even know that it’s him?” Miguel questioned.

  “We don’t but, obviously, Tino thinks so,” Mateo spoke up.

  “Y’all don’t see the shit that me and Dirty see. The nigga been a hater from day one but I overlooked a lot of shit that he said because we’re family. Three dudes ran up in my house when I got shot but only two of them talked. Whoever it was knew that I would recognize their voice,” Tino noted.

  “I’m just confused by a few things though. That was years ago. Why didn’t he try to come at you again after that?” Miguel asked.

  “I handed everything over to Dirty, so he didn’t have a reason to,” Tino pointed out.

  “What reason would he have to come after you, Dirty? Did y’all have any issues recently?” Mateo asked.

  “Nah, it was all love as far as I knew. He was in his feelings when Tino cut him off but he knew better than to say anything about it to me,” Dirty replied.

  “This entire situation bothers me. Problems come with the game that we play and I’m well aware of that. The issue I have is not knowing who’s causing the problems so they can be eliminated. I’m not foolish enough to believe that this was an outsider. It’s somebody that’s very close to both of you,” Mateo noted.

  “Ramon’s bitch ass is suspect number one in my book. It’s not like we fucked with a lot of dudes. Family only,” Dirty said.

  “Unfortunately, my friend, those are the ones you have to watch the most. Envy is a dangerous emotion,” Mateo replied.

  “I don’t have room for no squares in my circle. Him being my cousin matters none to me,” Tino fumed.

  “Even the smartest criminals fuck up. Just sit back and wait,” Miguel said.

  “I’ve been waiting for years,” Tino pointed out, right as they heard the basement door open.

  When Ced walked down the stairs, they already knew that their conversation was over. Franco was right behind him and he walked straight up to Miguel.

  “I’m sorry about what Amari did Unc. I told her ass about it and I promise that it won’t happen again,” Franco swore.

  “You damn well better make sure that it doesn’t,” Miguel warned.

  “What am I missing here? Is there another problem that I’m not aware of?” Mateo asked.

  “No, we don’t have any problems. Do we Franco?” Miguel asked while looking at his nephew.

  “No sir,” Franco answered with a lowered head.

  The tension in the room dissipated as quickly as it appeared. They all went back to eating, drinking and playing the game. Ced didn’t even know that they were discussing the potential murder of his dead brother’s son and Tino wanted to keep it that way.

  “D irty better be happy that I love his ass,” Kimora complained, as Tino drove them to their destination.

  “I told you that we didn’t have to stay long if you don’t want to,” Tino replied as he reached over and rubbed her belly.

  It was now June and Kimora was in her sixth month of pregnancy. Her baby shower was the following month and Tino couldn’t wait to meet his son. His son wasn’t even born yet and he was already asking Kimora for another one. A little time had passed and they had been free of drama for a minute. Tino didn’t know how long it was going to last but he was enjoying the peace. He spent all of his free time with his wife and daughter and nothing else mattered.

  “Miko would die if I didn’t stay for the entire party,” Kimora said, bringing him back to the present.

  It was Dirty’s birthday and Miko wanted to do it big. They had missed celebrating each other’s special day for years and she was trying to make up for it. Kimora didn’t mind celebrating with her sister and brother-in-law. She just hated that Miko was giving the party in a hot ass park. She said that Dirty knew too many people to do it anywhere else and she was absolutely right about that.

  “Don’t worry about it baby. I got you a fan and a comfortable chair to sit in,” Tino assured her.

  “Thank you boo. I definitely need it with all this extra weight I’m carrying around,” Kimora replied.

  “Winter needs a fan too,” Tina spoke up from the back seat.

  “Winter can share the fan with me,” Kimora said, making her daughter smile.

  When they pulled up to the park, she calle
d Miko to see where the parking spot was that she saved for them. The party was supposed to start in less than an hour but it was already crowded with their families and some of their friends. Once they parked in front of the shelters that Miko rented, Tino grabbed the small ice chest that he packed for Kimora and their daughter and headed towards the crowd.

  “Sit down baby. I’m going get your fan and your chair,” Tino said as he pointed to the picnic table.

  “Your spoiled ass,” Miko laughed, teasing her sister.

  “I wish I would marry a nigga that don’t spoil me,” Kimora replied.