Fictitious Love 2
Charmanie Saquea
Acknowledgements
First I would like to thank God for blessing me with the talent of being an author. Here I am on book number 17; none of this would have been possible without him.
To my mommy Sheree, who has been by my side since day one, you told me I could be anything I wanted to be if I put my mind to it. You have always been my backbone and I would not have made it this far without you. Also my Grammy, you've been there every step of the way and I can't thank you two enough.
S/O to my wonderful publisher Raymond for giving me a chance. Also David for putting people in a position to go after their dreams.
Much love to the whole #TBRS family.
I definitely have to give a big shout out to my first friend I made in the writing game, Treasure. You’ve welcomed me with open arms since the beginning and we've been tight ever since. I appreciate all the help, feedback and even the yelling because it helped me out a lot. No matter how many times I wanted to give up, you pushed me harder. I love you lots!
I definitely can't thank all the loyal fans who have been riding with me since Official Girl enough. You guys have been my motivation to keep going and busting my pen. All the inboxes, comments, and wall posts have never gone unnoticed and I appreciate them and you more than you will ever know.
Last but never least, my Angels in heaven, Cora (Mom), Romney (Riggz) and Marisa, Uncle Tyrone (Big Shep), and Dad. I pray that you continue to watch over me. I can't forget my cousin Tyrein, keep your head up baby, 2034 will be here before you know it.
1: Tahtiana
“Tahti! Tahtiana! Are you alright?”
I heard Jazz yelling but I couldn’t respond. This whole time he…or she, rather, had played me for a fool. The more I heard Jazz’ voice, the sicker I became. I hung up the phone and made it to the bathroom just in time. As soon as I reached the toilet, everything I’d consumed earlier in the day came up.
This was the lowest form of betrayal that I had ever felt. I was sitting here feeling so stupid because I had no idea. Well, I’d always told Jazz that he had girly eyes because his eyelashes were so long and his hair was long, too. He also didn’t have a deep voice but I’ve met plenty of men who didn’t have deep voices.
Other than that, there were no signs. Or was it and I was just ignoring it?
Just knowing that I’d let him…her…dammit, I didn’t even know what to call Jazz, put their mouth on me in a way that no one but DeMoni had made me have to throw up again. After emptying my stomach for a second time, I started dry heaving.
“Okay, baby, mama got it,” I said as I rubbed my stomach.
I got off the bathroom floor and went down to the kitchen to get me something to drink that would settle my stomach. I heard my phone ringing but I ignored it. After finding out what I had, I wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone.
I just wanted to settle my stomach, turn my phone off and go to sleep. After sipping my Vernors and eating some crackers, I headed upstairs and climbed in my bed. I turned my phone off without even bothering to check my missed calls. After throwing the covers over my head, I was on my way to the land of sleep.
It seemed as if I had just dozed off when I heard someone banging on my door. I jumped up on alert, wondering who the hell it was. It better not be, I thought, thinking it was Jazz at my door.
I rushed down the stairs prepared to go off. I calmed down a little when I noticed it was Moni on the other side of the door.
“Moni, what…” I trailed my sentence off when I noticed the look on his face. He looked as if he was about to cry. “W-what’s wrong?” I asked.
“Everybody been trying to call you and your phone keep going to voicemail. We have to get to the hospital,” he said in one breath.
“Hospital? Who’s in the hospital?” I questioned as I stepped to the side and let him.
“I’ll explain everything in the car,” he said.
I knew it had to be serious because you very rarely saw Moni looking sad. The last time I saw that look on his face was when Juanie got shot. Juanie. I was praying that nothing had happened to him. The last time I’d talked to Omega, he’d said he was doing good.
I threw on a pair of Victoria’s Secret PINK yoga pants and my Uggs and was ready to go. I didn’t know what to expect but I was praying for the best while expecting the worst.
___
“I can’t go in there,” I whispered.
Me and Moni were sitting in the parking lot of the hospital and he was trying to convince me to go in. He’d explained to me everything that Omega had told him and I was feeling like shit. I had basically written my little sister off over a petty ass argument we’d had.
“You have to, Tahti. She needs you,” he said to me.
“But look at what I said to her, I told her—”
“Tahtiana, you are human; we all say things we don’t mean when we’re mad. In the whole twenty-three years you’ve had a sister, you two have never got into an argument. At the end of the day, she knows you still love her and she needs you now more than ever.”
I sighed and wiped my tears. He was right, I needed to get myself together and go see about my baby sister, my only sister. Just like he’d said, at the end of the day no matter how mad we got at each other, we still loved each other.
“Okay, let’s go,” I said as I got out of the car.
Moni came over to my side and grabbed my hand as he walked with me into the emergency room. Everyone could say that we have a crazy relationship and it may have been true, but one thing about us was we were always there for each other when it mattered. Yea, I might have been pissed at him about two hours ago but all that didn’t even matter at this moment. Right now, he was being exactly what I needed him to be; my backbone.
I looked around the waiting room and noticed everyone was there except Omega. I looked up at DeMoni and he answered my question without me even having to ask.
“That nigga hurting and out for blood right now. My mama sent my pops to go try to calm him down,” he said.
I nodded my head in understanding as I went to sit between my mama and dad. “You heard anything yet?” I asked.
“No, we’re still playing the damn waiting game,” my mama huffed.
“Did you call Kelvin?” I asked, referring to our birth father.
“Mhm, I waited until Omega left because he is on a warpath and that no good donor of yours is on his hit list,” my mama said.
No sooner than the words left her mouth, he was walking through the doors. Suddenly, the aura in the waiting room changed and the mood went from bad to worse. It was no secret that Kelvin James wasn’t a very liked man.
As soon as he got within reach, Mama Nique jumped up and slapped the shit out of him.
“This shit is your fault! You have the nerve to walk in here like you’re daddy of the year when your daughter was damn near beat to death because of you!” she yelled.
My mouth hit the damn floor as my mama jumped up and rushed to Mama Nique to calm her down. I didn’t know about their history besides the fact that he set her son up but from the looks of it, it went deeper than that.
“Kelvin, go sit your sorry ass over there somewhere,” my mama hissed as she pointed to the other side of the room.
“I’m her father,” he spoke.
That’s when Jerry stepped in. “No, you’re her sperm donor. I’m the one she calls dad. Her and Tahtiana, so if you would do like my wife said and sit down over there, we won’t have any problems,” he said calmly.
That is one smooth white man, I thought as Kelvin did what he was told.
Just then, the doctor came out and asked for the family of Tahani James. I jumped and ran to see what was wrong w
ith my baby sister.
“Miss James suffered some serious trauma to her head and face. She has a fractured skull, broken nose as well as broken a cheek bone. She also suffered some damage to her right eye socket. We’re going to have to do some reconstructive surgery to the left side of her face due to all the damage. I…”
That was all I heard before everything went black.
2: Moni
If it’s not one thing, it’s damn sure another. Never in a million years did I expect all this drama to be going on in this family. I remember when the only thing we had to worry about was sneaking the girls in and out of the house without them being caught. Those were the good days. Now we keep getting hit with some bullshit left and right.
Juanie’s still in the hospital, Tahtiana fainted and her ass in the hospital due to dehydration. But Hani, Hani is bad off. The same time Tahtiana was out in the waiting room fainting, the doctor had to rush back to Tahani’s room because she was having a damn seizure.
“What happened?” Tahtiana asked as she woke up.
“Apparently, you haven’t been taking care of you and my son,” I told her.
“What? Moni I have been taking care of myself and the baby. It’s like every time I eat something, she doesn’t like it and it comes right back up.”
“Sorry, baby, you lost this argument before we can even start it,” I told her as I handed her the ultrasound the doctor performed to make sure the baby was alright.
“Oh no,” she groaned. “Another you?”
“Don’t even try it,” I laughed as I pulled her gown up and kissed her stomach. She was almost four months now and had a little pudge. “You have to cooperate for your mommy, little man. I know she be feeding you that nasty stuff but that’s okay, daddy’s got it from here.”
“Boy, what are you talking about?” she asked as she lightly slapped my head.
“I’m moving in until you have my son. I don’t care about you not liking me and I damn sure don’t care about your new nigga. What’s important to me right now is that baby growing in your stomach,” I told her.
She looked as if she wanted to protest but she knew it wouldn’t work. I had let her get away with this funny acting shit for long enough; it was timeout for all that. Whether she liked it or not, we are bonded together for life so we had no choice but to deal with each other.
“Anyways, what’s up with Hani? I want to go see her,” she said as she rolled over on her side.
I knew it was coming. I could either lie to her or I could keep it real with her and have her stressed out. “She maintaining,” I said.
She sat up in the bed abruptly and looked at me with wide eyes. I thought something was wrong with her so I jumped up and ran to her side. “Is it that bad? I mean, she’s going to make it, right?” she asked.
“I…I—”
“Don’t you dare lie to me, DeMoni. I would rather you tell me the truth than to lie to me just to pacify me,” she said.
“No lie, Tahti, shit not looking too good. While you were passing out, she was suffering from a seizure. They had to hold off on the operation for a few,” I said as I glanced down at my phone to check the time. “She should be getting prepped for surgery now, actually,” I told her.
“Any word on Omega?” she asked.
“Mega is off in a world of his own right now. My pops said he talking real crazy right now so he’s going to stay with him to make sure he don’t do nothing stupid,” I explained.
I couldn’t really blame Omega, though. He and Tahani may not have been on the best of terms but regardless she was still his first love and mother of his first born. He played that voicemail for me and I shed some tears myself. I would be in the same frame of mind if it were Tahtiana in that predicament. Honestly, I probably would have been worse off.
___
A few hours later, Tahti was sleep so I snagged her keys to stop by her house and grab a few things I thought she would need. When I looked in the spare bedroom that I was guessing would be the baby’s room, I noticed that she didn’t have shit set up. The room was empty. Not a diaper, crib, or piece of clothing in sight. She would be four months pregnant in a few weeks and it surprised me that she didn’t have anything yet. I shook my head as I headed back out the door on my way to do some shopping.
I had just finished buying the Pampers, bibs, pacifiers, and bottles when Tahtiana called me from the hospital room phone.
“What’s up, you good?” I asked.
“Where you go?” she asked, sounding as if she’d just woke up.
“I had to make a quick run. I’ll be there in a minute. You want me to bring you something?” I asked.
“Umm…no, I’m fine. I’ll just see you when you get back,” she said.
“Alright, I’ll be there as soon as I’m done,” I told her before hanging up.
I dropped everything off at her house and jumped on her computer to order the crib and stuff. I was grateful that I was able to play a part in Tahani’s life when she was pregnant with Juanie so I knew where to get and order everything from.
I was going to wait to see whatever else Tahtiana wanted but I was just taking care of the basics for now. I would let her choose what car seat, stroller and whatever else she wanted. As long as I had breath in my body, she and my son wouldn’t have to want or need for nothing.
3: Omega
I finally had a chance to break away from my dad. He was trying to talk me out of tracking Tristan’s bitch ass down and emptying my clip in him. I hadn’t had to bust my gun since I was a little nigga and was on some ruthless shit in the streets. Prison had really calmed me down but it didn’t make me soft.
Sitting here watching Juanie play on that damn iPad of his was the only thing keeping murder off my mind. He had been in the hospital for a week now and would be released tomorrow. Even though I was happy about it, I knew he would want to see his mom.
He hadn’t had a chance to see her since the night she dropped him off at my house. Just thinking about Tahani made my mind travel back to that damn voicemail I had on my phone.
She must have been trying to call me before she went into the house because I faintly heard what Tristan was saying in the background. Next thing I knew, I heard him say her name then her yelling in the phone that me and Moni were right and that Tristan was the one who shot Juanie.
After that, all I heard was a loud thud, then her screaming and yelling for me to help her. In all my years of knowing and being with Tahani, I had never heard her scream like that. She was literally screaming for her life.
“What’s wrong, dad?” Juanie asked, taking me from my thoughts.
“Just a lot on my mind, little man,” I told him, followed by a sigh.
“Is it about mom?” he asked.
“What about her?” I asked confused.
“I know that you two have been into it lately. That’s why I’ve been at your house. You’re mad at her for what Trist did to her,” he said.
I shook my head. Juanie may have been young, but my son was far from dumb. He was one of those that just sat back, listened and observed. He was paying attention even when you thought he wasn’t.
“Juanie, I’m not mad at her for what Trist did to her. I’m mad because she allowed it to continue to happen knowing that you were there. No child should have to see or hear their parent, especially their mother, being abused,” I explained to him.
He got quiet for a minute before he looked up at me again with a funny look on his face. “Dad, did you ever love mom?”
I was a little caught off guard by the question, but I recovered quickly. “Of course I did. I was younger then. Things between me and your mom were way different back then.” I chuckled at how our relationship used to be.
We were both young as hell the first time we met. If it wasn’t for Moni and Tahti getting together, there probably never would have been an Omega and Tahani. She used to be so quiet, shy, and soft spoken, unlike her crazy ass sister. I didn’t know what I was thinking when I
stepped to her., I thought I was in love with her back then, but now I’m not too sure.
“Where is she? Why hasn’t she been here to see me?” Juanie asked.
Hearing my son ask that tugged on my heart. I thought I was doing the best thing by keeping Tahani from him but I never thought about how he would feel throughout this whole ordeal. True, he had me, but I’d only been in his life for a few months whereas Tahani had been there since day one.
“Juanie, your mom got into a little accident. She’s at the hospital you were in before we moved you here,” I told him.
I never wanted to be the one to lie to my son. I knew eventually he would find out anyways and I would rather he hear it from me than somebody else.
“Is she okay? So when I leave here, I’m coming back home with you?” he asked me.
“I don’t know, little man. I’m waiting for your granny to call me with an update. To answer your other question, yes, when you leave here you are coming home with me.”
He got quiet and started fumbling with the tissue in his hand while I diverted my attention to my cellphone. I hated that I had to have this conversation with my son. No kid should have to witness the shit that Juanie had probably witnessed between his mother and Tristan.
“Did Tristan do this to mom?” Juanie blurted. This was the dreaded question I didn’t want to answer.
“Juanie, honestl –”
“Knock, knock,” the happy-go-lucky white doctor said and walked in the room. “How’s our little star doing?” he asked while taking all Juanie’s vital signs.
“Good,” Juanie quietly replied.
“Now that doesn’t sound like the voice of a little boy who will be going home tomorrow,” he announced as I moved out his way.
“Doc, is there anything I need to know before we leave out of here tomorrow?”
“Everything is healing fine. Now, we do want him to take it easy when he gets home. No contact sports or any activities that will cause strain. He is very fortunate,” he warned and rustled Juanie’s hair.
Fictitious Love 2 Page 1
