by Heiress
“Hey now, young lady watch the damn language,” she barked.
“Fuck you! You can’t tell me to do shit. I haven’t seen you in over seventeen years, and you have the nerve to be barking orders. Hell no! Take me home and take me home now!” I barked back.
She smirked before turning around to finish cooking as if I said nothing to her. “I see being around, Tee’s ass done made you a little fire cracker. You weren’t like this when you were young,” she threw over her shoulder. I had questions on how she knew Momma Banks, but I didn’t have time to ask. Nor did I care. I just wanted to go home.
“And how would you know how I was when I was young? You left remember?” I mumbled. She may have been the woman who birthed me, but she was also a stranger. A stranger I had no intentions of getting to know. She lost her rights to me a long time ago.
“Okay, listen here you little heffa,” she started, turning around to face me with a spatula in her hand. “You were too young to know what happened, so I advise you to not speak on what I do or do not know. At the end of the day, I’m the parent.”
“No at the end of the day, you left! That doesn’t make you a parent or a mother,” I snarled.
“Girl, you think you hurting somebody feelings by saying these harsh words? Well, you’re not. I had no choice in the matter, so I will shed no tears over your words. Sticks and stones baby. Sticks and mother fucking stones,” she spat. She turned back around and began putting food on a plate.
“If you think I’m eating that, you’re wrong. I don’t know if you poisoned it-,”
“Girl shut the shit up and eat this food. You lost a lot of blood, and you need to eat something. You lucky I know a thing or two about blood transfusions or you would be shit out of luck. Now eat,” she ordered, putting the plate of food in front of me. The smell alone made my mouth water. She had a feast in front of me. She made bammy, Ackee, and saltfish. It was a tradition Jamaican breakfast dish. I wanted to be rebellious, but I was hungry as hell.
“So what are you? Some kind of doctor or something?” I asked as I stuffed my face. On, God, this food was everything and more.
“Let’s just say a dibble dabble in just about anything.” She smiled.
“Is running away from your responsibilities one of them?”
“Girl you got one more time to say some smart shit, and it’s gone be me and you. Yes, I wasn’t there, but I tried to see you, but your daddy wouldn’t let me. So, when his ass finally died, I tried again, and for the past two years, I haven’t stopped trying to find you,” she revealed to me.
“Yea, sure. The only people that’s been looking for me are dangerous Jamaican killers who’s after my daddy’s land.”
“Girl bye, ain’t nobody after you. You ain’t even got no land.” She chuckled.
“What do you mean I don’t have any land? I own all of my daddy’s land,” I told her.
“You own absolutely nothing. I own it all,” she revealed to me.
Folding my arms, I shifted all of my weight on one leg and stared at her. “Somebody must have given you the wrong information because my daddy left everything to me. That’s why I have men out to get me. That’s the reason why I had to marry, Compton and why I’m in here in the first place.”
“Uh, nah boo boo. Your daddy, my late husband left everything to me. See, he never changed his will when he died. All of his land, business and contracts were left to me. The only thing left for you was money and his house. I’m the one they have been after this whole time. Not you,” she informed me.
My mouth dropped and I couldn’t believe what she was saying. I went back and forth in my mind about rather I should believe her or not. She had to be lying. She had to. “Then who been after me this entire time?”
“I just told you. Me. For the past two years I have been trying to find you to get you back here with me. I’m not allowed to leave Jamaica so I hired some men to find you. That’s where, Black came in. When I found out where you were, I did some digging. I found out him and Compton had beef and I knew he would do anything to get back at him. I lied and told him that if he kidnapped you, I would make you marry him and he could have the land. His dumb ass fell for it and here you are. I finally have you back and-,”
“Back my ass. You don’t have me. You have been the one after me this entire time and you put me, my baby and the Banks family lives at risk!” I yelled, standing to my feet.
“Caliana you don’t know half the shit I had to go through to get you here. I’m not losing you again.” She inched closer to me with a crazed look in her eyes.
“Then you never should have left in the first place!” I walked away from her and headed to the front door.
“Cali, you are staying here with me!” she yelled, walking after me.
“No, I’m not! I have love, friends and family back in California. My daughter, your granddaughter is back there. I need to get back to her.”
“She can come here. You both can move back here and you can invite, your boyfriend to stay here. I have room here and-,”
“Lady you are crazy if you think I’m letting my daughter anywhere near you. I could have died because of you,” I barked, turning on my heels to face her. She had tears running down her face but I didn’t care. I needed to get away from her. She had some screws loose.
“Look, I didn’t know, Black was going to make, Compton choose. He wouldn’t have chosen Mo’ anyway and if it wasn’t for me, your narrow ass wouldn’t even be alive right now. All I want to do is make things right and-,”
“You can start by letting me leave so I can go see my new born baby girl,” I interrupted, opening the front door. I was about to walk out until a tale barbarian looking man stood in my way. “Great. Now you got bodyguards guarding the door to make sure I can’t leave. What next? You’re going to take a hammer and a board to break my ankles so I can’t leave, Kathy Bates?” I quizzed.
The man in front of me chuckled before opening up his mouth. “First off, I’m no one’s body guard. My name is, Monty,” he introduced himself, extending his hand out. “I’m Lee’s husband,” he revealed.
“Woooow. I meet my so-called momma and my step daddy all in one day. Lucky me,” I sarcastically spoke. “Now let me leave. Now!”
“Cali just hear me out-,”
“No, Lee. I want to leave now!” I cut her off. Tears flowed down her cheeks even harder as she stood before me hurt. A part of me did care no matter how much I said I didn’t. I wasn’t intentionally trying to hurt her but I had to get back to my daughter. She was my priority. Not my momma issues.
“Monty ju-just take her home,” she finally spoke up. She took one more look at me and then walked away to the stairs. I wanted to apologize for being rude to her but then again, I had every right to feel how I felt and say what I said.
“Now she said take me home so let’s go. After you,” I quipped to Monty.
He shook his head to either me or the situation before walking away. I followed him, barefooted to his truck. He opened the door, let me in and once he was in, we took off. “Do you have a phone. I need to call my mother in law.”
He said nothing to me when handing me his cell phone. I grabbed it and called Compton. When I didn’t get an answer, I then called Momma Banks. “Hello?”
“Momma Banks?”
“Cali? Cali baby is it you? Banks it’s Cali,” I heard her say away from the phone. “Are you alright? Where are you, were on our way.”
“I’m fine, Momma Banks and I’m on my way home now. I’m in Jamaica,” I answered her.
“I know that but who are you with?” she quizzed.
“Apparently, Lee. My momma,” I revealed. The phone went silent so I took it away from my ear to see if she was still on the phone. “Hello? Momma Banks.”
“You’re with, Lee? How did you-,”
“It’s a long and crazy story. I’ll tell you when I get there but where is my baby? Is she okay? Where is, Compton and why isn’t he answering his phone?”
“Recovering? Recovering from what?” I quizzed with much concern in my tone.
“Well, he got shot and-,”
“HE WHAT?”
CHAPTER 2
COMPTON: WAKE UP NIGGA!
POW!
I watched as Black’s head jerked back as a random bullet, that wasn’t mine, pierced his head. Then out of nowhere, shots fired, taking down every nigga surrounding me. My heart broke a little when Monique too got a head shot. No matter what she did, she didn’t deserve to die over this shit. When I turned around, I was staring at some wolf looking nigga and a dread headed bitch.
“What the fuck-who the hell is you?” I quizzed, pointing my gun at her head. The wolf nigga then raised his gun at me. “That’s not a wise idea son. You might want to put the gun down,” he spoke up.
“Nigga fuck you! Y’all the ones shooting and shit. My wife in here and I ain’t about to put shit down,” I spat. I glanced over my shoulder at, Cali and she was slumped over in her chair. To me she looked dead but I knew she had to just pass out. Ain’t no way God was gone do this shit to me.
“Cali! Baby!” the woman yelled out, rushing over to Cali’s aid. She started touching all on her face and neck. “She’s still breathing. We need to get her out of here now!”
“Hell nah! She ain’t going nowhere! Get ya monkey ass hands off my wife. Bitch I don’t know you!” I barked.
“C, calm down, it’s cool,” I heard my cousin’s voice say behind me. I turned around once again to now see a beaten-up Sean. “That’s, Cali’s momma, Lee,” he revealed to me.
I glanced back over to the woman and now that I was really looking at her, she did resemble Cali. A lot. But I still wasn’t putting my gun down.
Turning around, I faced Sean. “I don’t know that! She ain’t taking her anywhere and if she thinks she is, she gone get a bullet-,” I was saying before the sound of a gun going off rang in my ears. Pain shot through my back and I hit the floor. My head crashed into the concrete and then everything went black.
Months Later…
“Compton? Compton baby can you hear me? It’s momma,” I heard my mom’s voice.
My eyes felt like somebody had blocks sitting on them when I tried to open them. It was hard and I struggled but I finally got them open enough to see my momma’s face.
“He’s opening his eyes. Oh, my God. Banks go get the doctor,” she told my pops. “Compton baby can you hear me? Can you talk?” she asked, holding my hand with a tight grip.
“Yea, I can fucking talk. Why you asking me that?” I quizzed, glancing around the room. Snoop, Missy and Sean was off in the corner looking all worried.
“Boy don’t get slapped back to sleep with that foul ass mouth of yours,” my momma warned, raising her hand as if she was about to hit me. “You been in a comma for a few months. Do you remember anything?”
“Hell, yea I remember. That bitch shot me,” I answered.
“What bitch?”
“That bitch, Jet Lee or whatever her name was. The dread headed bitch.”
“Cali’s momma shot you?” My pops quizzed just before the doctor came in.
“Wow! I have never seen someone wake up from a comma talking so good. You have a very strong son here. Mrs. Banks,” the pale doctor told my momma. “Let me just check his vitals.” She checked me out with her stethoscope and then made sure I could feel my legs and shit. Which I couldn’t. “He seems just fine. His head is still a little banged up and his stitches need more healing but other than that, he’s fine. I’ll get with the head doctor and see when you can be released. I’ll be right back.”
After she was gone, I turned my attention towards Sean. “So why you ain’t tell me that Cali’s momma took her nigga?”
“I tried to tell ya’ ass, C when I called but you kept cutting a nigga off. She the one who been behind this whole thing,” he informed me.
“So that’s the bitch, Black was working for,” I mumbled to myself. “You know ya’ snake ass brother was working for Black,” I told my pops.
“I found that out after Cali was taken. He gone now so his betrayal is his demons to deal with.” I could tell he was a little sad about losing his brother. Fuck nigga or not, he was still blood. That made me think about Monique. Despite what Black and Uncle Raz said, I knew for a fact she didn’t snitch. Monique wasn’t cut like that and it’s sad her ass got caught up in my bullshit.
Rest in peace Mo’ I’m gone see you again,” I said in my thoughts. Just then. Cali and my baby popped up in my head.
“Where my lil’ momma and my daughter at? They good?” I quizzed, trying to sit up in the bed.
“They okay. A few days after you were shot, Cali called me and told me what happened. She’s been up here with the baby every day since you been in here. She went home to Tre’ for a little while but I just texted her. She on her way here,” my momma explained.
The fact that she was still with this fruity ass nigga pissed me off. I risked my life for her and she was still fucking around with this nigga. Like really? “So, when y’all plan on going after, Lee?”
“Going after her?” My pops quizzed. “For what?
“What you mean for what? That dread headed bitch shot me. I could’ve died!”
“Well you didn’t die, so stop crying,” I heard a familiar voice say over my momma’s shoulder. It was Lee walking through the door. My nose flared up at the sight of her. “Bitch get ya’ ass out my room!” I barked.
“Compton watch your damn mouth before I slap the taste out of it,” My momma warned.
“What you threatening me for? That bitch shot me!”
“Yes, but did your ass diiiie? No, so shut the hell up,” Lee snapped, walking over to me. “You need to say thank you. I shot you inches away from your spine. I got lucky with that one. Now I apologize about the coma part. I didn’t know you were going to go down so hard. You a solid boy.” She chuckled.
Not one bit of this situation was funny. “Miss me with the bullshit ass apology. You need to use them feet you got to run because when I get better, I’m getting even. And I don’t know how to miss major arteries and shit so you fresh out of fucking luck,” I spat.
“He a stubborn one huh, Tasha?”
“Umhum. Just like his damn daddy,” my momma agreed. “Compton, Lee was just trying to get Cali back.”
“Well her ass had a fucked-up ass plan. Kidnapping her daughter after she gave birth to her grandbaby and then shooting her husband was dumb as fuck. What happen to picking up the phone and calling Cali to tell her you want her back? The normal shit. Must have been the wolf nigga’s plan.” I looked over her shoulder at him.
“This wolf nigga gone beat your ass if you keep talking crazy,” he warned.
“Nigga aint nobody scared of you-,”
“Heeeeyyy! Boy shut up. You are waking up out of a coma trying to kill people and shit. You need to go back to damn sleep,” she said, rolling her big eyes at me. “Now, Lee, Cali is on her way up here, and I don’t think she wants to see you right now. How about we meet up at my house around Easter. You need to go check on you know who anyway.” She gave her the side eye.
“Yea, I guess you’re right,” she agreed, fiddling with her fingers. Cali did that shit too. “Let’s go, Monty. I’ll call you later, Tasha. Bye cry baby,” she said, glancing over at me.
“Man fuck you!” I angrily spat.
“No thanks. Monty takes good care of me.” she winked before walking out. My momma and pops broke out laughing. How they found this situation comical, I do not know.
“C, I’m happy ya’ ass Gucci. Had me worried like a mutha’ fucka’. I can’t lose my best nigga,” Snood said, walking towards me.
“You know they can’t keep a real one down,” I said, dapping him up.
“True. Well, I got to go check on the business. Just because you laid up like a vegetable do
n’t mean the money stop. I’m gone get up with you tomorrow.” He chucked up the deuces and left out. Missy came and hugged me and said a few words before leaving after Snoop.
“I got some shit to handle back home, so I got to dip. I’m sorry you got fucked up, C but on blood, I didn’t have nothing to do with this. I was just as shocked and confused as you were when Black told me he was working with, Lee. You know I wouldn’t keep no shit like this from you,” Sean offered up. I knew he was being one hunnid because Sean wasn’t the type to bullshit.
“Yea, I know cuz. You stay safe out there in Jamaica. Tell Nina’s fine ass I said what up.” I grinned.
“Nigga fuck you.” He chuckled, dapping me up.
I sat there and thought about my life. When you get shot, you see death. It was dark and cold, and the only thing that came to mind was that I died alone. I had no Mo’ or Cali, and I was leaving my baby girl to be raised by some pretty boy. I ain’t want that shit. This time around, I was gone do shit right.
CHAPTER 3
CALI: TENDER LOVE AND CARE
These last few months have been so mentally and physically draining. I was juggling being there for Compton while he was in the hospital and being in a relationship with Tre’. He had officially moved in, and he had been a big help with the baby which was another struggle. Mona was almost three months old, and she was needy as hell. I could barely get my homework done because she cried every five seconds. She was a spoiled brat, but she was my spoiled brat. Even when I got frustrated, my love for that little girl never wavered.
I unbuckled her car seat and picked her up in my arms. I then walked over to the bed and handed her to Compton. Today was his release date, so he was finally able to go home. “Damn. Why my lil’ momma so chunky? You feeding her ass whole milk or something?” Compton quizzed.
“No, Compton I’m not feeding her whole milk. She’s drinking breast milk, and it’s the healthiest nutrition for her. That’s probably why she’s getting so fat. That baby is eating good. Yess you are boo boo,” I sang in a baby voice, pinching her cheeks. If it wasn’t for me being a woman, you had thought Compton pushed her out himself. She looked nothing like me. Down to her natural sandy brown hair and hazel eyes. She was her father’s child.
