A Trillion to One

by Chenell Parker

  “I moved out of the house that I shared with Erica,” Jordon answered.

  “Why?” Trillion asked.

  “You were right bruh, about everything you said to me that day. I can’t say shit about nobody else’s relationship because mine is all fucked up,” Jordon replied.

  “See, that’s your whole problem. You need to stop giving a fuck about what other people say and do what makes you happy. As many times as y’all told me to leave Leah, I didn’t do it until I was tired of her shit myself. You’re a people pleaser and you’re always gonna be miserable trying to make other people happy,” Trillion pointed out.

  “You’re right,” Jordon agreed.

  “See, you’re doing the shit again. I’m a man just like you, bruh. What I say shouldn’t even matter to you but it does. They dragged Amore on social media when we first got together but I didn’t give a fuck. I don’t know ninety-five percent of the people who follow me and I care even less about their opinions,” Trillion said.

  “It’s not just about what people say. It’s about how I feel. Our daughter is four years old now and we got engaged when Erica was pregnant with her. It’s always some bullshit when I ask her about a wedding date though. At first she wanted us to be engaged for a year and I was cool with that. Then, she wanted to wait until she finished nursing school. She’s been a nurse for a year now and nothing has changed. I asked her about it the other day and she said we should wait until we buy a house. It seems like there’s always gonna be something and I’m over it,” Jordon rambled.

  “If that’s how you feel, then cool. Just let it be your decision and nobody else’s,” Trillion replied, right as his phone rang.

  He blew out a breath of frustration when he saw his mother’s number pop up. Tristyn usually spent Sunday’s with Claire but she hadn’t been there in two weeks. Trillion had been busy helping Amore get her paperback book orders out and he didn’t have time to bring her. Now, Amore’s books were going to be stocked in his warehouse and shipped out by his employees with the rest of the merchandise. Chanell even had some in her bakery and they were selling fast. Amore had been invited to her first book event given by a local book club and she was scared to death. The club had over fifty members and they all wanted to meet her. Trillion was going with her and that was the only reason why she agreed.

  “What’s good Ma?” Trillion asked when he answered the phone.

  “What’s good?” Claire repeated sarcastically. “What kind of talk is that?”

  “Did you call to give me another lecture in English?” Trillion countered.

  “Is everything okay Ty? I haven’t seen my granddaughter in two weeks and you haven’t been answering your phone,” Claire said.

  “I’ve been busy but I’m straight,” Trillion noted.

  “You’re straight? Does that mean that everything is okay?” Claire countered.

  She knew exactly what it meant. That was just her way of criticizing the way he talked, just like always. That was the same thing that she used to do with his father.

  “What do you want Ma?” Trillion asked.

  “I would love to see my granddaughter, if that’s not too much to ask. It is Sunday after all. I also need to speak with you,” Claire replied.

  “About what?” Trillion asked.

  “I’ll be home all day, so no need to call when you’re on your way. I’ll see you when you get here,” Claire replied before she hung up.

  “You good cuz?” Jordon asked when he saw the aggravated expression on Trillion’s face.

  “I’m good. Let me get my baby and get going. The sooner I get this visit over with, the better,” he replied.

  “Shit, boy, you’re better than me. I wish my mama was a multimillionaire like yours. She wouldn’t have to beg me to come around. Every time she opened the door, I would be on the other side of it,” Jordon laughed.

  “I don’t give a fuck about her millions when I got my own. It might not be as much but I’m happy with it,” Trillion replied as he got up and went to the backyard.

  “Why didn’t Amore come with you?” Stacy asked when she saw him.

  “Her and her cousins were relaxing in the pool when I left,” Trillion replied.

  “I’m so happy for y’all. I knew that y’all were gonna hit it off. I need to start my own matchmaking business,” Stacy bragged.

  “Yeah, I just had to get her mind right,” Trillion laughed.

  He talked to Stacy for a while before he and Tristyn left and headed to his mother’s house. Trillion didn’t know what she wanted to talk about but he was hoping that she didn’t piss him off. Besides Leah, no one else got under his skin quite like Claire Lattimore did.

  “Aww man,” Tristyn whined from the back seat.

  “What’s wrong baby?” Trillion asked.

  “I didn’t want to come by Nana. I want to go home by Amore,” Tristyn replied.

  “We won’t be here too long. You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to,” Trillion promised as they pulled up to the gate.

  Tristyn would really be mad if she knew that Chanell and Dallas were at the house too. She really thought that she was one of the girls and Amore didn’t make it any better. She took Tristyn everywhere she went and she looked forward to it.

  Once they parked in front of his mother’s house, Trillion got his daughter out of her car seat and walked up the stairs. Before he had a chance to ring the doorbell, Claire opened the door wearing a huge smile.

  “Hello my love. I missed you,” she said as she picked Tristyn up and carried her inside. Trillion followed them and closed the door behind him. When they walked into the dining room, Claire had lemonade and cookies waiting for them.

  “Can I have some cookies daddy?” Tristyn asked.

  “Of course you can,” Claire replied, answering for her son.

  Trillion wanted to tell her to mind her damn business but he remained calm. He sat there and played on his phone while his mother and daughter talked and ate cookies. Amore had posted a picture of her and her cousins in the pool and he was reading the comments.

  “I wanna go feed the ducks,” Tristyn said after a while.

  “Okay but remember what I told you before. Don’t go too far out. Throw the bread on the ground and let them come to you,” Claire ordered.

  “Okay,” Tristyn replied as she grabbed the cheap loaf of bread that her grandmother kept there especially for her. Trillion didn’t mind because he could still see Trillion clearly out of the huge glass back door.

  “What’s up Ma? What did you want to talk about?” Trillion asked.

  “Who is this new girlfriend of yours that I keep hearing about?” Claire questioned.

  “You can’t be serious.” Trillion frowned as he looked at her like she was crazy.

  “I’m very serious. I have another granddaughter on the way and you never even thought to tell me about it,” Claire said.

  “I don’t have to tell you shit! If that’s what you called me over here for, then you’ve wasted your time and mine,” Trillion snapped as he stood to his feet.

  He was being disrespectful and he knew it. In his mind, she didn’t deserve his respect or anything else. She should have been happy that Tristyn even knew who she was. When she sat him out on the porch like he was trash fifteen years ago, whatever bond they had was officially broken. It was sad because he couldn’t even visit her. She took her hatred for his father out on him and he was a child. He was innocent but she didn’t give a fuck.

  “I’m not trying to upset you, Ty, but I’m worried. Leah called me,” Claire said as she frowned at the mention of her name.

  “For what?” Trillion asked. He knew that Leah was being quiet for a reason. Ever since Amore posted that video of her, she hadn’t been bothering them as much. The only time Trillion heard from her was when she was inquiring about Tristyn. He wasn’t heartless and he made sure that their daughter talked to her every day and she saw her as often as time permitted.

  “She needed mon
ey for your daughter Ty. I thought you were taking care of all the bills but I was obviously mistaken. I don’t know about you but I don’t want my granddaughter on food stamps and welfare. That’s the first thing that women like Leah do when they need money. They already have enough of them depending on the system,” Claire said with a disgusted frown.

  “Who is them Ma? Huh? You mean black women?” Trillion questioned angrily.

  “Well, let’s just be honest Trillion. Mostly all of them rely on the government for either housing, food or health care. Some of them depend on the system for everything. I just don’t want my granddaughter to be one of them. I have more than enough money to make sure that she never has to be,” Claire replied.

  “You need to start doing your research before you open your mouth to spit ignorant bullshit. Google the statistics. More whites and Hispanics receive aid from the government than blacks do. And my kids will never be in that number as long as I have breath in my body. Not all black women rely on the system to support their children. My stepmother raised four boys with grown men appetites and she didn’t receive a dime from the government. While you were over here eating steaks and lobsters, another woman was busting her ass to feed your only child,” Trillion snapped.

  “I didn’t call you over here to argue Ty. I just want to make sure that my granddaughter is okay. Now, I got Leah caught up on her bills for a while but what’s going to happen the next time this occurs? Tristyn deserves more than that,” Claire noted.

  “So did I but you never gave a damn. Keep that same energy that you had fifteen years ago. Trust me, Tristyn is and always will be fine,” Trillion assured her.

  “I’m sorry Ty, okay? I was a horrible mother and I made some horrible decisions. I was angry and hurt when your father left me and I didn’t want a constant reminder of him in my presence,” Claire cried.

  “You mean me, your only son?” Trillion asked as he chuckled sarcastically.

  “I’m just a concerned grandmother Trillion,” Claire replied.

  “My daughter is my responsibility, not yours. I don’t pay Leah’s bills anymore because Tristyn no longer lives there,” Trillion noted.

  “Well, I didn’t know that Ty!” Claire yelled.

  “Which is exactly why you need to mind your business and let me handle mine,” Trillion replied.

  “You can’t be handling it too well. Is it true that my newest granddaughter’s mother is a convicted felon? Where do you find these low lives?” Claire questioned in her usual snobbish tone.

  “Don’t try to judge her story by the chapter that you walked in on. You don’t know shit about her and I want it to stay that way,” Trillion said.

  “If what I’ve heard about her is true, I don’t want to know her,” Claire replied.

  “Let me get my daughter and get the fuck up out of here,” Trillion fumed as he opened the back door and yelled for Tristyn. She seemed happy that they were leaving and she came running back to the house.

  “Bye Nana. I’m going home by Amore,” Tristyn said as she gave her grandmother a hug.

  “Amore? Who is Amore?” Claire questioned, although she already knew.

  Leah had given her an earful and she had done a little research of her own. Just like she’d assumed, Amore was a low life with a crack addict for a mother. Still, she would tolerate her just like she’d done with Leah. She would do anything to be in the lives of her grandkids.

  One of Claire’s business associates was a private investigator and he was great at what he did. She’d even hired him to look for Jade and her other granddaughter but he didn’t find out too much. After Jade went to a clinic appointment one day, her trail seemed to go cold. She’d obviously covered her tracks so that she wouldn’t be found and she did a great job.

  “She’s my daddy’s girlfriend. She’s having my baby sister and her stomach is big,” Tristyn said as she held her hand in front of her own little belly to demonstrate.

  “Is she nice to you, baby? Do you like her?” Claire asked, making Trillion frown. If his daughter wasn’t right there, he would have told his own mother to kiss his ass. That’s how pissed he was with her at the moment.

  “I love Amore. We go everywhere together.” Tristyn smiled.

  “Why can’t she stay for a little while? I’ll be happy to bring her home,” Claire offered.

  “I don’t want to stay daddy,” Tristyn whined.

  “You’re not. Let’s go baby,” Trillion replied as he grabbed her hand and headed for the door.

  “I’m sorry Trillion. I wasn’t trying to overstep my boundaries or upset you. I thought I was helping,” Claire said as she followed them out.

  “Tell your grandma bye Tristyn,” Trillion said while ignoring yet another apology from his mother. Besides throwing her money around, apologizing seemed to be another one of her favorite things to do.

  “Bye Nana,” Tristyn said as she waved at her.

  “Bye sweetheart. See you next week,” Claire said as she smiled and waved back.

  Trillion knew that she was throwing hints at him to bring his daughter back next week but he ignored that too. He put Tristyn in the car and drove away without even saying goodbye. As soon as he pulled off, Tristyn was begging him to call Amore. Before he could call her, Amore was calling him.

  “What’s up Love?” Trillion asked when he answered.

  “I’m about to cook but I need you to stop at the store for me,” Amore said.

  “Hey Amore! We’re on our way home!” Tristyn yelled loudly.

  “Hey baby. I missed you,” Amore said.

  “I missed you too,” Tristyn replied.

  “What do you need from the store?” Trillion asked.

  “Cheese and make sure it’s the good kind. The last one you got me didn’t even melt,” Amore said, making him laugh.

  “Velveeta, right?” he asked.

  “Yes and bring some ice cream too,” Amore replied.

  “I got you, Love. I’ll be there in a little while,” Trillion replied before they hung up.

  As usual, Tristyn dominated the entire conversation as they drove to a store that was close to where Chanell and AJ lived. Amore had called again and she needed him to pick up a few more items. Trillion grabbed his daughter’s hand and was walking into the store at the same time that someone else was coming out. It took him a minute but he finally realized where he knew the other man from. Gene was AJ’s friend and the same clown who he punched in the face at the park that day. Gene looked at him and frowned but Trillion kept going about his business. He wasn’t trying to get caught up in no drama while his daughter was with him. He walked around the store and got everything that Amore needed and a few things for Tristyn. Once they were done, they checked out and were on their way soon after.

  “Bitch ass must have thought it was a game,” Gene fumed as he followed behind Trillion. It had been a minute since their little run in at the park but that was a day that he would never forget. Trillion had embarrassed him and he was never able to live it down. Everybody kept saying how he let a white boy do him dirty and he was in his feelings about it.

  “Fuck!” Gene hissed when Trillion pulled up in front of some luxury apartments. The place was heavily secured with cameras and security and he just couldn’t chance it. It was all good though and Gene knew without a doubt that they would see each other again. He’d already memorized Trillion’s car and the license plate number on the back of it. He didn’t give a damn if he was with his daughter or Amore. Trillion was going to get dealt with and that was a promise.

  “M an, that nigga is starting to feel himself too much bruh. I never had this much trouble when I was dealing with you and Abe. I really don’t even want to fuck with him no more,” Gene said as he talked to Skip.

  “You really don’t have a choice unless you plan to get your work from somewhere else. Abe is retired and I don’t touch the shit no more,” Skip replied nonchalantly.

  Skip had become more paranoid over the years since a lot of dude
s that he did business with got locked up. He didn’t trust a lot of people and he refused to handle the day to day operations like he used to. It just so happened that the nigga who he had in charge now was Logan. The nigga was getting a big head and he didn’t know how to talk to people. It was a known fact that Logan didn’t really have shit until Skip put him on. Now, he had a lil change and he didn’t know how to act. He tried to handle Gene bad in front of a crowd of niggas and he didn’t appreciate that shit. Logan had the corner boys backing him up and that was the only reason why he felt so comfortable poppin’ off. Gene didn’t even get what he needed to get from him because they almost got into a fight.

  “His bitch ass better be lucky that I didn’t knock him the fuck out. He be trying to put on for the crowd too much,” Gene fumed.

  “He do the same shit you be doing and that’s why you’re mad. But since you’ve been a loyal customer for a while, I’ll tell the nigga to chill out. Go back to the spot and I’ll make sure that he gets you right,” Skip assured him.

  He needed to remind Logan who was in charge quite often and the shit was draining. Skip hated losing out on money and that had been happening more often than it should have. Logan was on a serious power trip and he wasn’t feeling that. He could and would be replaced if he couldn’t do the job that he was being paid to do. When it came to his money, Skip didn’t play no games.

  “I appreciate that fam. You know it’s always been nothing but love with us Skip. These new niggas need to get their minds right,” Gene replied before he walked away and got into his car. He saw Skip on the phone before he pulled off, so he knew that he was talking to Logan.

  It took Gene about fifteen minutes to get to the house that Logan was posted up at distributing Skip’s work. A few of the corner boys were sitting on the steps and they laughed when Gene got out of the car. He was sure that Skip had laid down the law and he probably looked kind of lame to them now. Gene didn’t give a fuck how they felt about him though. He mean mugged them as he jogged up the stairs and walked inside. Logan was posted up on the sofa with a thick chick sitting on his lap. He ignored Gene for a minute before he tapped the chick on the thigh, signaling her to get up.