by Tina Marie
“Man look, y’all got y’all hands full with that one. Shorty got dollar signs as her eye color and a pussy leaving a wet trail behind her. Nikki bet not start acting like her or Tam gonna come up missing.”
Chaos shook his head, giving Nicco a pity look. I silently seconded what he said; I hoped Nikki stayed far away from Tam because she really was a sweetie. She always spent time would Kah and would come have movie night with me when her parents let her out of the house. She was like my little sister too.
“Mommy, why can’t I go with Chaos? And why is Tam going to bust it open?” Looking down at Kah, I damn near choked on my tongue. He had moved closer to Chaos and slid his small hand in his.
“First of all, stop listening when Tam speaks.” I side eyed the hell out of Nicco. She needed her ass beat and he was the biggest cause of this shit, always being a fucking yes man to her spoiled behind. I get how easy it can be when a child been through some shit to keep a real life pity party. But, all that over indulgence didn’t do shit positive.
Taking a deep breath, I decided to let Kah go with Chaos. “Ok, I will see you two later. Kahlan, be on your best behavior.” I leaned over and kissed him a few times until he wiped them off and turned his head.
Walking to the passenger side of the car, I opened the door and glared at Tam. She knew the fuck better. “Tam, get yo’ lil pea head in the fucking back,” Nicco said, checking her before I had to. She smiled at him and rolled her eyes at me. Sliding in, I didn’t have shit to say in front of this spoiled ass child or to her. Once we got to the car shop that Nicco owned, Tam hopped out and waved by to him.
“Cay, I’m sorry sis, especially for what she said about Kah. I don’t know what the fuck has gotten into her lately. She is moving into her own place on Friday, but I have my concerns about that. Look at the shit she is getting into living with us. No telling what she will be doing when there is no authority. Hell, I’m dropping her off now because she got drunk and ran onto a curb and was driving on the sidewalk. I didn’t even tell Ashlee yet; she has been on edge and she doesn’t need the stress.”
Shaking my head, I couldn’t believe how Tam was acting. I didn’t say it but, with them trying to have a baby, Ashlee being stressed definitely wouldn’t work out. He drove in silence for a few moments and, when he stopped at a light, he looked over at me.
“What?” I said.
“You know fucking what Cay,” he blasted.
“No, I’m no mind reader,” I snapped back.
“Didn’t I tell you about my cousin? Why would you go and hook up with him when I specifically told yo’ ass to not go there? I don’t expect him to listen, but I thought you would!”
“First of all Nicco, you are like a brother to me and not my damn father and, honestly, it ain’t none of yo’ damn business. I hadn’t planned on hooking up with him. He and I were just cool and he was coming by every night to check on me and Kah, maybe because he didn’t think that we should be alone out there where we live or maybe because he just like being around me. He started spending time with Kah and, yes, I’m feeling him. I just didn’t hook up with him to go against the grain Nicco and, for the record, this morning was the first morning that, well you know…”
He shook his head, probably at the thought of me and his cousin fucking. “Look, Cay, I know it’s no business of mine who you get with, fuck, or whatever, but you are not cut out for a nigga like Chaos and, if you think Juice did a number on you, fuck with my cousin and your heart gon’ be crushed ten times worse . Chaos ain’t no family man and I just don’t want to stand back and watch you get hurt. Plus, you saw him ready to step to me because he thought I wanted you, and that’s the shit I mean with him, Cay. Chaos is crazy as fuck!”
I nodded because I knew his words were probably true. I hadn’t known Ca’Shon long enough to tell who he truly was but, from what I had known about him, I didn’t feel like he was on a mission to break my heart.
“Listen Nicco, I hear you, but I got this, a’ight. Chaos is just hanging right now and truth is I’m feeling him, but I’m not in love or no shit like that, so please just let me see how it goes. If he and I work, cool, or if we don’t, still cool. I mean, Ashlee and you are definitely not on the same page with it comes to him.”
“Ash fucking knew you was fucking him and didn’t tell me that shit!” he barked.
“Woe, Nicco, I told you this morning was the first time and, yes, she knows that Chaos has been spending nights with me and Kah since the cookout, and if he wasn’t acting like a nigga with some sense around me and my son, you know he wouldn’t be anywhere near us.”
He nodded slowly and then said, “You are a grown ass woman and I know nothing comes before Kah so, if you say you got this, I’ll stay out of it. Just know that I don’t want no shit between you, me, and Ashlee if he breaks your heart. Chaos is like a brother to me, Cay, and he will always be around, so if you two don’t work out, I hope you behave like the woman I know you are.”
“Nicco, don’t worry so much.”
“I can’t help it,” he said and then turned into a community in Avondale about fifteen minutes from Ashlee’s house. Rolling through the neighborhood, I loved the look of the townhouses. This was a blessing and I would find a way to make this shit work.
Parking in front of a unit with a bunch of flowers out front and shit, I smiled. “Aight, come on. I had a good ass tenant here, but she got a good ass job in Cali so she had to leave. I had it repainted and new carpet laid, even though it wasn’t really needed.”
I just nodded, as he opened the front door. It was so fucking beautiful, I was speechless. As soon as you walked in, the downstairs was laid out before me in an open floor plan. I slowly walked through each section, stopping in the kitchen to ooh and ahhh over the marble counter tops; the island and slate grey backsplash looked brand new. I hoped Nicco didn’t do anything special for me in this place. There was a half bathroom downstairs, two bedrooms, a linen closet, and a full bathroom upstairs. The rooms were huge, and I wanted to just stay there from this moment on.
“Nicco, I love it, but how much? I said one of your cheaper properties. Remember, I’m not taking any hand-outs.” I hoped he and Ashlee weren’t on any slick shit, trying to lie about the price of rent.
“Look sis, I will admit I am giving you a lower price. But, before you jump down my back, I’m giving you the price of the fair market value in two thousand sixteen. I don’t raise the rent for current tenants and it’s the same amount the last lady was paying, so I swear I’m not losing out. It would be one thousand, four hundred and fifty dollars a month. The heat and air conditioning is included.”
I ran numbers in my head and, if I cut back on a few luxuries like Netflix, manicures, and eating out for lunches, I could make it work. “Ok I’m down, I really want this place. I can have the security and first month by June first.” I was just going to use the extra money Chaos had given me the other day to help cover the costs.
Feeling my phone buzz, I snatched it from my pocket, not wanting to miss a call from my son. I was nervous letting him go with a man I barely knew. Even though I kept telling myself he was like family because of Nicco and I should trust him.
I smiled when I saw the pictures of Kah in Footlocker holding two pairs of Timbs in his hands. Lord, I was glad I didn’t have no real shit with Chaos; he was already spoiling my son more than I approved of. The other text was one from my store manager Derika, asking could I come in and work an extra shift. Hell yea. Especially now, I needed every penny. If I got a lot of sales, I could buy a new bedroom set and other household décor.
“Nicco, just drop me at work please. I grabbed an extra shift.”
He locked up, and I trailed behind him to the truck. I could tell he was happy because I was moving in. He felt like he had got his way on some shit. Pulling up to the store where I worked, I was happy that I wore jeans and not a dress. I had a couple of AT&T t-shirts in my cubby, so I’d run in and change.
“Thanks big bro, I appreciate you,” I
said, kissing Nicco on the cheek and hopping out once he stopped in front. As soon as I walked in, all employee eyes were on me and I felt some kind of way. Rolling my eyes, I didn’t even pay these cum buckets any attention. Going to clock in, I was just about to spazz on all these looking ass people when Derika popped her head out from the back office.
“Cayane, can I see you in my office please?” she asked; her tone was neutral, so I couldn’t tell what the fuck she wanted. I knew this bitch wasn’t about to fire me when she called me in to work on my day off. Seeing Darcy twist her ugly, cum stained mouth into a smirk, I turned the other way to see what was going on. “Cayane, please sit down, this will only take a moment,” she said, gesturing to the chair in front of her.
“I can stand,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest. She nodded her head as she sat down and shuffled some papers.
“Listen, you have been a model employee but, as of lately, I have been getting a lot of complaints about your behavior at work. Now, whatever you do outside of this store, I don’t care. It’s not my problem. But, when you come here and pick fights with your managers, call off of shifts to hang out with your kid, and then have your goon friends beat another employee, it becomes a huge issue. I was trying to bite my tongue, but yesterday’s negligence was just too much. You gave a customer five new lines of service, Cayane, five brand new Galaxy 9’s and they had bad credit. The phones are a loss now; they will never pay on them. You didn’t for some reason even collect the required deposit. Why?”
I could feel tears burn my eyes when she said I called in to hang out with my son. I wanted to murder Darcy, but I was also frustrated because I knew that no one was going to believe shit I had to say. All I could do was try to explain myself. “I would like to start from the beginning because a lot of these incidents are not anything I know about. First of all, last month, I called in because my son was very sick. I came in here to collect my paycheck, so I could purchase him some medicine. I was not picking a fight with anyone. I was begging Darcy for my paycheck. As for the fight, that was a male customer who beat up Troy because he called my son Scarface. Once I was denied my paycheck, I took my son and left. As for the five line order yesterday, I didn’t have one. Darcy had a customer, Elijah I believe was his name, and processed five lines on a new account for him. So, please investigate how my name became attached to that mess. I’m trying to not get upset, but all of this doesn’t add up. I need my job, you already know this. I’m a single mother who is in school and trying my hardest to do the right thing.”
She looked at me with sympathy in her eyes. “Ok, Cayane, since you have had a flawless track record on the job until all of this has recently come up, I will not fire you. As for the issues with the account, I will look into it but, until I have a result, you cannot open any new contracts. You can help with accessories, billing, and general customer service questions.”
“Ok,” I said lowly, trying not to bawl. Not being able to sell phones meant I could no longer earn any commissions, which meant I could no longer afford the new place. I went back to work with a heavy heart.
Chapter Thirteen
Chaos
“Come on man, let’s go before your mommy changes her mind.” I made sure Kah was buckled in the booster seat his mom threw me before she left. Turning up the music, he was all smiles. I went to the barbershop Nicco owned in Irving Park and I swear if these niggas fucked my shit up, I was shooting everyone in this bitch. Pulling up, I parked in front, even though it said no parking. I didn’t give a fuck about a ticket and I wasn’t about to be walking down this busy ass street.
Looking back, Kah was half asleep with his head crooked. I didn’t have a lot of experience with kids and, normally, they got on my nerves, but this one was different. I didn’t mind hanging out with him. He was smart and funny. “Come on, wake up sleepy head.” He jumped up and hopped out of the truck. Walking in, it seemed like every nigga stopped they conversation to watch what the fuck I was doing.
“Yo, I’m looking for Sam,” I said as I grabbed Kah’s hand. Good thing I never went anywhere without my strap, in case I had to body some of these chumps.
“I’m Sam,” some bald headed short dude said as he came out from behind the chair. Damn, I didn’t even see his little ass; the chair was hiding him. He kept eyeing Kahlan like he had something to say or some shit. “Ok, I have a few customers in front of you or you can see someone else. Hey Kahlan, where your pretty mama at today?” he asked when he finished his little please wait speech.
As he shook off his cape after the person exited the chair, I sat down next. I wasn’t about to wait behind any motherfucking body in my cousin shit. He was lucky I was sitting down and not choking the shit out of his ass for asking about Cay. I was just trying not to traumatize Kah. “How this going to work is I’m next. This my cousin shit so, if you like ya job, get to fucking cuttin. Second of all, don’t speak to my shorty unless I tell ya ass to and any thoughts you had about his mama, erase those shits.” Kah went and sat in one of the chairs and pulled out his iPad from his little book bag. He smiled up at me for a second and finished doing what he was doing.
“Oh yea, Boss man did say he had some family coming into town and shit from OT. Chaos, right? I got you. Sorry about that. I never knew you were Kah’s pops or that Cay had a nigga in her life. Shit, we all thought he was Juice’s shorty and that she was single now.” I gripped the edge of the chair when he said that pussy’s name. I hadn’t forgotten my mission to catch up to him and, when I did, him and anyone else with his ass was getting it.
“So, what the bitches like in NY? I heard y’all got some bad ass bitches!” Sam clearly needed to travel more or something with his talkative ass. He started asking me shit the second I sat down.
“Yea, they aight,” I responded. I wished his ass would just shut the fuck up. I had Cayane on my mind. I couldn’t believe shorty little ass was really gonna take the dick. I wasn’t mad though because hands down, she had the best pussy I ever been up in. I couldn’t wait to fuck her again tonight. I was going to fold her like a fucking pretzel and tear her shit up.
Finally, I was finished, so I got Kah a haircut. Throwing Sam’s thirsty ass a hunnit dollar bill, we headed outside. Before doing any shopping, I realized it was noon already and we ain’t eat shit. “Kahlan, you hungry man?” I asked, and he nodded his head. “Let’s go have some pizza.” That was the one food I loved in Chicago and, when I moved to NY as a kid, I still craved all the time.
Parking at Giordano’s, we went in and ordered a deep dish pepperoni pizza. Kah and I sat and ate our food, and it was nice to see him happy. “Chaos, what is NY like? Will you take me there? I saw it on a TV show and there was a big huge tree and an ice skating rink. I want to go there. You can take me on a big plane, maybe we can bring mommy too.” I laughed; he was wild trying to leave his mom here.
“A’ight, I got you. We gonna hit the city up some day and I will take you to see the tree in Times Square. But, for now, let’s hit up the mall.” We got up to leave, and I noticed some busta ass nigga kept looking my way. Turning around to throw some cash on the table as a tip, I heard Kahlan cry out.
“Chaos, help!”
The same sucka who was watching me had Kah snatched up by his tiny arm. I didn’t even give his ass a second to think; I rushed him, punching him in his throat. Grabbing Kah, I looked him over to make sure he was ok. “You good?” I said, holding him in my arms as he cried.
“Nigga, that’s my son; who the fuck are you and why is he even with yo’ ass? Give me my fucking son,” he said, putting some bass in his voice. Grabbing my nine from my back, I was ready to body this nigga Juice right now. People started screaming and shit, but I didn’t give a fuck.
“You’re not my daddy! I don’t know you!” Kahlan was screaming at him, crying his eyes out. He had snot dripping down my shirt and everything. Going upside his head with my tool one good time, I walked out. I had to make sure Kah was alright. There would always be another day to
body Juice’s old ass. I couldn’t believe he was messing wit my baby girl. He looked like he was twice her fucking age. Getting in my truck, I put Kah in the front wit me until I pulled around the corner. I didn’t want to get caught slipping.
“Hey, look at me,” I demanded, and he lifted his tear stained face. “I want you to know I ain’t gonna never let shit happen to you, ok? If you need me, I’m gonna be there. I know you feel scared right now and upset. It’s some crazy people out there, but don’t worry because I took care of it. You want to go home to your mommy?” I asked, to be fair. Most little kids wanted they moms anytime they got upset.
“No, I’m going to stay with you.” He leaned over and wrapped his thin arms around my neck, and I felt a love like I never felt before.
***
Later that night, I finally pulled up to Cayane’s spot. Grabbing all the bags in one hand and Kah in the other, she had the door opened the second I climbed the stairs. “Here, grab his bags,” I said as I took him to his room and laid him down. We had a busy ass day, so I knew he wasn’t waking up anytime soon. He conned me into taking him to Dave and Busters, and we were playing in there like I was a big ass kid too.
“Why are there so many pairs of Timberland boots?” his mother asked, frowning her face up. “He didn’t need clothes, or even more than one pair of Timbs. Thank you, I appreciate it but, seriously, this is too much.”
Looking at the black, grey, wheat, and olive green boots she had lined up on the table, I guess I went overboard. Oh well, she will get over it. Plus, she was cute when she was mad.
“So, how was the place?” I asked. Her whole demeanor changed when I mentioned the apartment she went to look at and I wondered if something happened. “What’s up ma; it wasn’t that nice? I’m sure Nicco got some other shit you can look at.” Walking up behind her, I dipped my hands into her little shorts and felt her wet pussy. She stepped out of my embrace and started picking stuff up around the room.
