Her Sweetest Revenge 2

by Saundra

  “What?” I was dumbfounded. “What the hell happened, Hood?” I could not believe it. Rob was a good guy. His longtime on-and-off-again girlfriend, Leslie, had just had a baby. I knew she would be devastated.

  “I . . . I don’t know. Shit went wrong. I just don’t know.” Hood seemed in space for a minute. I reached out and hugged him tight and I silently thanked God that he had returned to me. It could have been Rob giving Leslie this same news about Hood or, worse, they could both be dead. Reluctantly I finally let him go as tears ran down my face.

  “Babe, you have to tell Leslie.” I tried to wipe at my tears.

  “I know,” Hood agreed. “She been blowing his phone up all day, but I didn’t answer. I have to tell her in person so I turned his phone off. But not now. I need you to get me to the crib.” Without asking any more questions, I threw the truck in drive. Hood pulled out his cell.

  “Yo, Dontae, I just touched down. Get to my crib. Now,” Hood yelled.

  I drove eighty all the way to the crib. No sooner than Hood and I got inside the house, Dontae was banging on the front door.

  I told Hood I was going to our room, but halfway there I stopped and eavesdropped.

  “Yo, what’s up?” Dontae spoke as soon as Hood let him in.

  “Man, what the fuck y’all gone do!” Hood yelled. I knew he was pissed. “Them motherfuckers killed my dude. Somebody gone pay for this shit.” Hood tried to keep his voice down this time.

  “Look, man, I know. And don’t worry, we got you. Silk and Rico on that shit right now. We don’t know what the fuck happened. Everything was set and ready to go. I knew Silk or I should have gone with you.” Dontae sounded like he was trying to explain. But one thing I knew for certain: Hood did not play when it came down to money or his crew.

  “I don’t give a fuck about that right now. They fucked up. Now, handle this shit ASAP or I will. Ain’t nobody gone play me like this. No fuckin’ body,” he screamed.

  “Yo, you took out some of them niggas, huh?”

  “Hell yeah, I bodied three of them niggas. That shit was on New York news this morning,” Hood confirmed.

  “That’s what’s up.” I heard Dontae chuckle.

  “Naw, man, fuck that. I want all them niggas. Dead!” Hood was clear.

  “A’ight, my nigga, we got you,” Dontae responded. He said something else, but it was muffled so I didn’t hear. The next thing I heard was Hood shutting the front door. I turned and headed back toward the den, where I knew he would be. Instead I found him going into the kitchen.

  I almost felt like giving him the “get out of the game” speech that I was always stressing lately. But somehow I felt this was not the time. His partner and friend was gone. The last thing he needed was me in his ear nagging. Although it’s times like this when my point really brings it all home. The game was a death trap or led to jail. Unfortunately, Rob had succumbed to the death of it. Now his son had no father, and on these mean streets of Detroit his son would need a father. How fucking sad; another tear slid down my face just thinking about it.

  “You all right, babe?” I walked up behind Hood as he grabbed a bottled water out of the fridge.

  Without saying a word and keeping his back turned to me, he shut the fridge. I knew he was hurting. “You know the bad part of this type of shit is it brings back old fucked-up memories. Memories of finding Pig shot to death. I’m a killer, Mya. Done seen many dead bodies and don’t think about that shit twice. But Pig . . . I can’t seem to get that shit off my mind, at least not like I would like to. And watching Rob get his fucking head blown off brings that shit back full blown.”

  I felt so bad for him. I knew the pain of death. I knew how he felt, but still I didn’t know exactly what to do to comfort him. Words would not be enough. But the love for my man made me respond. I gently but tightly wrapped my arms around his waist. Hood was still facing the refrigerator. He reached out, opened the fridge back up, and placed the bottle of water back inside. All the while I still kept hold of his waist. Unexpectedly Hood turned around and cupped my entire face in his hands. He looked me in the eyes and without warning slid his tongue inside my mouth. We had been disagreeing so much lately that our sex life had sort of taken a back seat. I mean we still got busy, but not as much and not as passionately as we used to. So the taste of Hood’s warm tongue in my mouth opened my entire body up. He gripped both of my butt cheeks and my middle went crazy thumping. I was on complete fire. I wanted him and I wanted him now.

  Snatching at Hood’s belt buckle, I kept up with his tongue kiss, meeting each one stroke by stroke. His pants hit the floor and his member was begging my pants to come down. My juices started to flow. I could feel it threatening to trickle outside my panties. I don’t know when or how but Hood had unbuckled my pants and they were halfway down my legs. I stepped out of them and Hood picked me up and placed me on our marble countertop and entered me with so much gentle force I screamed out from complete pleasure. After several intense strokes we became one panting in exhaustion. Damn, I loved him. And in my ear he whispered to me, “I love you.”

  A couple of weeks had gone by since Rob had been buried, but the whole matter still left me shaken. Every time I thought about the fact that it could have been Hood I shuddered. But I tried my best not to think about it so much. I just thanked God that Hood was still with me and I prayed that it stayed that way. Leslie had been doing okay as far as I knew. Hood had met up with her and gave her about a million dollars for her and the baby. At first she would not take the money, saying that Rob had left them straight. Rob had made sure they had a nest egg put away, but Hood would not take no for an answer. Leslie was a good girl; she was in school and really trying to do something positive with her life. I respected her for that. I also still wanted to talk with her to give her my condolences. The funeral had been so packed and emotional, there was just no time. So I called her up to have a latte at Starbucks and she agreed.

  With both of our guys working so close together in the past, she would go out with Rochelle and me, plus I had done her hair a few times. But when her relationship with Rob became rocky, she stopped coming around.

  I made it to Starbucks before she did. I got a good window seat since the sun was shiny and bright. Not long after I sat down, I saw Leslie pull up in her black Audi with dark black tint and all-black rims. The car was on fire. She stepped out with a pair of Gucci shades on with her hair pulled back into a long straight ponytail that swung to the middle portion of her back. Leslie looked flawless. Weighing only about a hundred and twenty pounds and standing about five foot three, Leslie was a li’l bitty thing. She had that dark chocolate skin that glowed. Her attitude matched her also. I had never once seen her act ghetto. She was nice.

  I stood up and gave her a huge hug when she reached the table I had chosen.

  “Hey, Mya.” Leslie spoke while we still embraced.

  “Hey, Leslie.” I had to control the tears. Just seeing her made me emotional. I thought about her and Rob’s baby. “How you been?” I asked as our embrace ended.

  “Good as can be expected.” She smiled as we both sat down in chairs.

  “Well, you look flawless as usual,” I complimented with a smile.

  “I try. You ain’t lookin’ too bad yourself,” she said.

  “Well, you know us top models do what we can,” I joked. We both laughed for a moment.

  “So you wanna get a latte or something?” I asked, then sipped from my cup. I had already ordered.

  “Nah, I’m good.”

  “So how are things going with school and the baby?”

  “Everything cool with school. I graduate next year and I’ll be done.” I could tell she was proud of that because a grin spread across her lips. “The baby doing good. I had to put him in day care, though. All of my classes are morning classes; when you’re in nursing school none of the classes fit your schedule, you have to fit their schedules. It gets complicated. Rob used to keep the baby while I went to school so I never ha
d to worry.” As his name left her lips, a tear slid down her face. Just mentioning his name was hard for her.

  “Look at me messing up my damn makeup.” She picked up one of the napkins I had on the table and dabbed at the center of her eye. That was her attempt to catch the next tear before it fell.

  “It’s okay. Trust me, I understand.” My heart ached for her.

  “You know I don’t mean to sound typical, but I warned him. I gave him such a hard time when it came to hustling. I tried to get him to understand that I knew it was hard for him to just walk away. But once the baby came, it was time for a change. I would not have it any other way. I could not have our son growing up watching his daddy sell drugs. He deserved better. That is why we kept breaking up . . .” She paused and started back dabbing at her eyes trying to control the tears, and the choking in her voice still betrayed her emotions. “It’s really hard to just walk away from someone you love. So I kept breaking up with him, but my heart would bring me back. Hoping that he would finally realize that we were more important than his dope life.” Listening to her was like hearing myself giving Hood this same speech. I mean, we didn’t have any kids, but what about when that time came? Like Leslie, I refused to bring a child into a situation where drugs were involved.

  “I know what you mean, Leslie. I grew up in a household where my father worked the streets. We lived the good life for so long that it is what Ma grew used to. But in the end my father ended up in prison and my mom strung out on drugs. So the outcome was worse than all the gifts we received beforehand. That life is useless. Here lately I have been trying to get Hood to understand this as well. But like your situation, it’s a no-win situation.”

  Leslie shook her head, agreeing with me. It was nice to have someone understand how I felt. “I ain’t gone lie; it’s hard. You know most of these chicks out here are only with these dudes for the money, cars, gifts, or whatever they can get. So these guys are not used to a woman sayin’ walk away. They’re just thinkin’ about getting money.” I nodded my head to agree with her.

  “But Mya, you can’t give up your fight for your husband. You fight for some normalcy ’cause if you give in, he will fall victim to the street. I wish I had fought harder for Rob. Maybe. . . .” Again her tears started and they were coming too fast for her to control. I handed her another napkin. “Thank you . . .” She paused again as if to think about her next sentence. “Maybe if I had fought harder, he would still be here.” I did not like that statement: It made me think that she blamed herself. This was in no way her fault and she needed to understand that. She could no more have stopped Rob being killed than Rob could have. That shit just happened.

  “Wait a minute. What happened to Rob is not your fault, Leslie. I hope you understand that.” Without looking at me, she hung her head. “Leslie, come on now. You could not have controlled that. Not even Rob could have.”

  Finally, she raised her head. “I know, but I just can’t help but think. The day before he left we argued. I told him that I was through with him and I was gone take the baby and move out of town. That hurt him so bad. He called me right before he got on the plane. I was still being a bitch so I would not answer his call. He begged me, Mya, I mean really begged me not to take his baby away. He promised to do whatever he could to make it better. He never said it, but I think he was willing to walk away to keep his son here. But I guess I will never know. That message was the last I ever heard from him.”

  By the time she told that story I was in tears. I felt so sad.

  “You and Hood have a beautiful connection. I have seen you two together many times. And he loves you. Even Rob told me how much Hood adores you. I just came here to tell you to be there for him. I know it won’t be easy, but you make him understand that this dope is a street ending in a dead end. You love him out of this game. And when you have given it all you got and you can’t do no more, try that one last time.”

  After talking with Leslie I felt emotional, but like I had a purpose. She was right. I had to fight for Hood and I would try. I would give it all I had because I loved him beyond words and the last thing I wanted for him was death or prison. Shit, I could not even bear the thought.

  Poor Leslie had a long way to go. After seeing her and sitting down and speaking with her, I knew she was nowhere near being okay. I also knew those Gucci shades were for a lot more than style. Because after she took them off it became very apparent that her eyes were constantly red from crying. But I also knew that in time she would be all right. She was a bright girl with goals and a future ahead of her. With the love of her son and her family she would get through it. They say that time heals all. I’m not so convinced about that, though. I say this because the death of my brother, Li’l Bo, still ached as if it had happened yesterday, and he had been killed two years ago. I’ma just say it. That pain never goes away. And that’s real.

  Chapter 11

  “Hey Mom,” I greeted her as soon as the door swung open. I had stopped by to pick up Imani. She would be spending the day with me and then sleeping over at my house. I loved getting her from time to time; it gave me quality time with my niece and I liked that. I adored her so much and spoiled her as much as I could. I didn’t wanna spoil her with just gifts all of the time. I wanted to spend some time with her and create memories: Now that was precious.

  “Mya, why do you always knock? Just use your key.” Ma stood at the door looking at me with a smile on her face.

  “No, I will knock first. I do not live here anymore. I shouldn’t just bust in.”

  “Girl, you have been difficult all of your life. Come on in here.” She motioned me in. Once inside, I didn’t see Monica or Imani so I knew they had to be in the back. I decided to sit down in the living room.

  “Monica in the back getting Imani ready. She was running behind today. She stayed after school to do a chemistry makeup test ’cause she missed school the other day. Imani wasn’t feeling well.”

  “What’s wrong with Imani?” I asked. No one had called me and told me she was sick.

  “Oh just a little fever and she was having diarrhea. But she better now.”

  “Good.” I was glad to hear that. I guess Monica was still upset with me. Normally she called and told me everything. But since our last conversation, she had not called me once. I had called yesterday to confirm I could still pick up Imani today. After saying yes, she had hung up.

  “So what’s up with Monica and Anthony? How often he come through?” I had to ask. Since Monica was pissed at me, I was in the dark when it came to her so-called relationship with Anthony.

  “They all right, I guess. Monica never mentions him to me. But they go out to eat and to the movies. He just got a new car so he has been picking her up some mornings for school.” She said like it was normal. I on the other hand thought it was stupid. And I’m sure it showed on my face.

  “Why she can’t drive her own car?” That damn car was brand new. The last thing she needed was to catch a ride.

  Mom shrugged her shoulders. “Mya, I told you I don’t know. And she can be moody when it comes to asking questions about that boy. So to keep from smacking her I leave it alone.” Ma smacked her mouth. “You know that all of you are just like your daddy. Hot-tempered and ain’t nobody got time for that.” She waved me off.

  “Ummm,” I replied. I was not trying to hear her compare us to my daddy right now. I wanted to know about Anthony. “What type of whip he pushin’?” I had to know. And Ma could say what she wanted. But I knew that she knew ’cause sometimes she could be nosy, but in a slick way, though.

  Marisa started snapping her fingers like it was on the tip of her tongue but she just couldn’t remember. “One of them umm . . . you know. . . .” She rubbed her forehead. “Audi, that’s what he pushin’, a Audi. A brand new one at that. It’s nice, too.” Just like I thought. Now what unemployed, small-time nineteen-year-old trap boy could afford a whip like that? I knew one thing, though, that nigga better not bring heat to my family or he would
deal with me.

  Finally Monica appeared with Imani. The expression she wore on her face was bare. I could read no emotions. This was not my little sister.

  “Hey, little miss Imani.” I greeted my adorable niece. She was such a little doll. She was dressed in a pink and yellow Enyce shorts outfit. When she got close to me, I realized she had earrings in her ears. Monica had gotten her ears pierced. Without me.

  “Awww, look at you, you got your ears pierced. Monica, why didn’t you tell me? You knew I wanted to be with you when she got them pierced.” I turned my attention on Monica. My feelings were hurt just a little.

  Monica just stared at me like her lips had been glued together. I could not really believe she was still upset with me, especially over some dumb nigga. Pulling her eyes to the floor, she decided to answer me. “Well, we were at the mall and I just decided to do it. It ain’t like it was planned.”

  “Did she cry?”

  This time she looked aggravated, as if she was tired of my questions. “No,” was all she said. I decided to ignore her stank attitude. I was not going to exchange words with her in front of Imani.

  “Well, she looks like a little princess.” I smiled at Imani. Then I turned toward Monica, and without a word she handed me Imani’s overnight bag.

  I reached for the bag. “Monica, I know you ain’t still mad?” I sucked my teeth trying to be cool. Her attitude was slowly getting under my skin.

  She twisted her lips. “Mad? Girl, please, ain’t nobody mad at you.” She all but rolled her eyes and folded her arms, then forced a smile on her face. But she couldn’t fool me: I knew my sister and she was upset.

  Tired of trying to be nice, I became modestly annoyed with her snappish attitude. I simply had had enough. “You know what, Monica, whatever.” I reached down and gently picked up Imani, kissed her on the cheek, and turned to Ma and said bye. When I walked away, Monica also stomped off in the direction of her bedroom. Ma let out a sigh and I knew that she was annoyed with both of us. If we didn’t get it together soon, she would intervene.