“So, he did it again?"
I sighed deeply and readied myself for her reprimand and interrogation.
“Who did what?” Divine asked, and I cringed. “Did Ross hit you again?”
I probably shouldn't have, but I never kept anything from Divine. She was my younger sister, but we were equals in what we had gone through as kids. She was just as much as my best friend as Treasure was. So, I never kept anything from her. Therefore, when she would ask me why I had a scratch or bruise, I was honest about it. But having gone through hell with me, Divine understood exactly why I stayed.
“Yes, he did,” Esperanza answered for me just as I got a text message. I checked my phone and smiled when I saw that it was Mello replying to the text that I had sent him before leaving out of the house.
Mello: He what?
I laughed as I typed back: He’s throwing you a welcome home party.
“Leave that bastard—”
“No, Esperanza, don’t call him that.” I cut Esperanza off.
“Ross is a great man. Don’t get me wrong, but he should not be putting his hands on you!” she urged as she turned red. “You are a great woman to him…a great woman. It’s unacceptable what he does.”
“I know, Esperanza. He just—”
Her sneering interrupted me. “Don’t take up for him.”
I quieted obediently after saying, “Okay,” just as I got a reply from Mello.
Mello: He don’t even fuck with me, but he wanna throw me a party? Stuntin’ ass nigga.
I laughed to myself. I honestly didn't blame Mello. Ross was my husband, and I did love him, but he honestly did not know how to show love. If he didn't know how to love me right, I understood how his son could feel the same way.
As I approached a red light, I quickly sent a text back: Be nice.
Esperanza’s eyes rolled up to the sky as her arms folded across her large chest. “God, at least fight him back.”
“Exactly,” Divine cut in. “You fought Mama all the time. All of a sudden, you can’t fight back?”
Just as the light turned green, I saw Mello reply back: I will. But only for you.
“I didn’t have anything to lose when I was fighting Mama,” I told Divine. “Now, I got everything to lose. I don’t take the hits for just me. I take it for all of us; you, me, and Sunshine. You two are like fucking princesses. You are a long way from having to babysit our crazy-ass mama and eating fried baloney sandwiches. Even you, Esperanza; I take the fights and the bitches for you too, because if we weren’t with Ross, you wouldn’t have a job.”
Her lips were pressed tightly into a thin line. She wanted to argue with me, but she knew I was right. I knew that when Ross hired her, she was looking for a job in order to obtain her citizenship and take care of her children and grandchildren. The money that Ross gave her was a blessing.
Shaking her head slowly, Esperanza groaned, “Roosevelt doesn’t know what he has in you.”
I didn't agree. I didn't see myself as some angel. I had lived my life sacrificing for myself in order to ensure the safety of my others. But I did laugh at the sound of Ross’ government name. I hadn’t heard it more than a handful of times, and it only came out of Esperanza’s lips.
Luckily, Esperanza didn't have anything else to say.
A few minutes later, we arrived at the restaurant. Treasure was standing in front of the door waiting in a beautiful maxi dress. I recognized it from when we had gone shopping two days before in Akira.
Damn, I knew I should have copped that.
The sun was shining so bright that it looked like it was baking her light skin. It was a very hot, June day, so Treasure looked miserable as she stood there fanning herself as we parked.
"Took you long enough, bitch," she cursed as I climbed out of the car.
After Esperanza got out, she stayed back to take Sunshine out of her car seat, as Divine and I sashayed toward Treasure.
“Good to see you too, best friend," I said.
I could tell that she was about to say something, but something behind me had caught her eye.
“What are you doing here?” she asked. That made me and Divine turn around to see Damo headed our way with a smile on his face. Damo was one of Ross and Vegas’ customers who had become one of their homeboys over the years.
“What up, Damo?” Divine greeted him with a hug.
He kissed her on the cheek and told the rest of us, “What up, y’all? Good afternoon, Esperanza.”
We all spoke as he bent down and playfully pinched Sunshine’s cheek as she held Esperanza’s hand. She giggled and told him, “Stooop,” while Treasure continued to give him this odd look.
“I just came to get me something to eat,” Damo answered her inquisitive expression as he playfully pushed her. “Dang, I can’t eat?”
“You can eat,” she sassed. “Just making sure you ain’t following nobody. I just saw you at the crib and told you that I didn’t know where Vegas was.”
“I know. I’m following you for Vegas, making sure your ass ain’t out here on no hoe shit.”
Treasure sucked her teeth and smacked his arm. “Yeah right. Stop playing.”
As me and Divine laughed, Divine asked him, “You buying us something to eat too?”
“Hell nah. You with the money right here,” he said, looking at me and opening the door for us. “She got it. She got us all.”
Ross
"Everything go all good with those African motherfuckers?"
"Yeah, boss,” one of my workers told me through the phone. “Money came in real smooth. Twenty-thousand a piece for the Benzes.”
I nodded as if he could see me. "Bet."
"You comin’ into the office today?"
“Not today. I got some shit to take care of. I’ll holla." As I hung up, I saw the smile on April’s face as she rode on the passenger’s side of my truck. I knew what I had just said would make her happy. She had been bitching about getting some time all week, so I was giving it to her today to keep her from acting a fool.
I knew I wasn't shit for beating on Heaven for even the possibility of her doing the exact same thing that I was doing, but a woman's place was at home being committed and obedient to her man. I had been juggling women since I broke my virginity at the age of twelve. Having money and women was what defined a man out here in these streets. I had the hoes, the badass wife, and the criminal organization that had a name that was ringing bells. Vegas and I were on our way to being the new Black Mafia Family. We dealt a little with drugs, but mostly with the importing of guns and the resale of stolen foreign cars out of the chop shop that he had eventually gained a partnership in. We sold hot commodity foreign cars to customers all over the United States. My chop shop broke down stolen cars and welded them together to make a brand-new untraceable foreign luxury vehicle. Basically, I had little niggas out there hitting up rich dudes all over the U.S. for their half-a-million-dollar cars, just to disassemble them and sell them to some cheap dudes for half the price. I started as a teenager after the drug game became too intense for me. I don't know about these other motherfuckers, but I made this money to enjoy living a long life. These niggas out here were selling drugs and risking their lives to end up in the grave or in prison just for their wives and baby mamas to live comfortably with the money that they worked their lives and lost them over. Not me. I took my drug money and started a chop shop before I was twenty. At first, we were stealing Chevys, Cavaliers, and other low-end vehicles. Now, I was selling foreign cars and shipping them all over the United States. We used high-tech hacking equipment to steal modern cars, so my employees didn't even need a key to steal them. Then I had tech geeks on lock to make the new keys.
Gun trafficking was just as lucrative as the chop shop. Through the connections I had obtained through Vegas’ uncle, I got the hookup on gun shipments. When guns came into the U.S., I had somebody on lock waiting to steal them at the ports. Then I resold them to anybody from gun dealers to personal buyers. It was quite a
lucrative business, earning me as much as ten grand for three automatic rifles.
It was a lucrative business that had awarded me and Vegas a comfortable life by now. I was able to take care of my family with ease. Heaven’s only job was to be my wife and not be a hoe. Therefore, no matter what I was doing, she needed to know she never had that option.
4
Heaven
♫ My bitch too foreign, need a visa (ooh,) I don't need her (huh?)
Pull up drop top with a eater (skrrt,) two seater (skrrt)
New bitch wanna fuck to my AP (AP, ice,) new freezer (ice)
I woke up thinkin' 'bout bands (bands)
Hop off a jet to a check when I land (yuh)
My bitch too foreign, need a visa (bitch,) I don't need her (huh?)
Pull up drop top with a eater (yeah,) two seater (skrrt, skrrt)
New bitch wanna fuck to my AP (bitch,) new freezer (new freezer)
I woke up thinkin' 'bout bands (new freezer)
Hop off a jet to a check when I land (dat way) ♫
A week later, the backyard was filled with our people dancing to “Freezer” by Rich the Kid, eating soul food, swimming, and playing basketball. With the help of Treasure, the backyard had been transformed into a man cave. During our many conversations, Mello had told me that what he missed most about Chicago was the women. He said the women at school were lame and boujee. So, I had made sure to invite a bunch of girls. Big booty bitches were twerking on the dance floor that I had created by hiring someone to pour cement in the middle of the large yard last summer. Then there were more big booty bitches in swimsuits and bikinis in the pool and lounging on the deck in the beach chairs that surrounded it. Beautiful canopies covered the outside sofa seating arrangements that I had rented. Underneath another canopy, along the privacy fence, was a whiskey bar because that was Mello’s favorite. Then there was another fully stocked bar with free liquor for everyone in attendance. I had hired one of Chicago's hottest deejays, DJ Hi-Speed, to spin for the day party that looked like it was definitely going to go way into the evening and early morning. Mostly all of Ross' family, friends, and business associates were filling up the yard. Most of Mello’s homeboys were in the alley playing basketball with their shirts off and sweating in this hot-ass June sun.
"Damn, Mello know he fine as fuck," Treasure said, swooning as she fanned herself with a paper plate. We were sitting on one of the sofas under a canopy. So, I wasn’t sure if she was fanning herself because the weather was making her hot or watching Mello was. So, I just laughed. It was already bad enough that Dub was at the party. The last thing I needed was for Ross to now be mad because I was looking at his son too hard.
Shifting her weight to lean into me, Treasure peered over her sunglasses. She discreetly watched Mello dribble the basketball. “I ain’t laughing. I am so for real. He is fine as hell with his lil’ chocolate ass.”
“Little? He’s our age,” I corrected her.
“Oh, I said that just to be funny. Ain’t nothing little about him. Look at his body. He’s wide, tall, and built up just like Cam Newton. And do you see that print in them basketball shorts?”
“No,” I quickly denied.
I was lying, though, because I saw it clear as day. Anybody could see that bulge. Hell, Stevie Wonder could see that motherfucker. Teyanna, Mello’s girlfriend, was one lucky bitch.
“Well, I do,” Treasure insisted. I looked over and caught her licking her lips and shaking her head as she pushed her sunglasses back up.
“You better stop looking because his crazy-ass girlfriend is here,” I warned her.
“Fuck that bitch! I can look. I don’t want her man. I got my own.”
“And you don’t want nobody looking at his ass either.” I laughed.
She instantly snarled. “A bitch better not.”
“You better tell Princess that then,” I said as I stared over at the bar.
“What?!”
My head tilted towards the bar. “She’s over there giving Vegas the eye while she makes his drink.”
Treasure groaned, balling up her fists. “Oooh, I hate that bitch. Who asked her to fucking bartend anyway?”
“Ross. He said she would look good behind the bar. You know the bitch don’t ever wear no clothes after she bought that body over in the Dominican.”
She sneered as she stared at Princess show all thirty-two teeth to Vegas. “Stankin’ bitch. I know she wants my man.”
“Shit, I know she wants him too. Everybody knows that.”
“I’ll be back.”
I laughed, but before I could say anything, she was outta there, rushing towards the bar through the grass, trying not to bust her ass because her four-inch heels were sinking into the dirt.
“She so crazy,” I mumbled to myself as I shook my head and watched. I was ensuring that she didn’t go over there and fuck up the party by punching Vegas or Princess in the face. But she had taken the other route by putting her arms around him from behind, standing on her tiptoes and kissing him passionately once he turned to see who it was.
“Pettyyyy…” I laughed to myself at Treasure just as a shadow came over me. I looked up, assuming it was Ross. I hoped that it was, because for that last thirty minutes, he had been having a conversation with April, Mello’s mother. I knew that the conversation was innocent, but I wanted my husband to be next to me.
It wasn’t him, though, and I was even more disappointed because it was Dub.
“What up, Heaven?”
Shit, I thought to myself as he sat beside me.
“Hey, Dub,” I spoke without even looking his way. I was scanning the crowd, looking for Ross. When I found him, I saw that he was still holding that convo with April. Even though I knew he and April had been over for over twenty years, it irked the fuck outta me how they had been in one another’s face all day. If it had been me in the face of a member of the opposite sex, he would be pissed the fuck off.
I was sick of Ross’ one-sided rules and regulations. The day he woke me up eating my pussy, he left and didn’t come back home until three in the morning. There ain’t no business to be taken care of for that fucking long. Then he laid in the bed and didn’t touch me. His dick didn’t even get hard when he pulled the covers back and saw that I was completely naked. That was because he had been fucking all day. I knew it. So, when Dub sat down, I didn’t even budge.
If Ross was gonna wanna fight again, I didn’t care. I had spent my life fighting, so, it didn’t scare me like it should have.
“Fuck, it’s hot out here,” Dub complained.
“I know, right? It’s gotta be like ninety degrees out here.”
In response, Dub continued to fuss. “And it’s only the beginning of the summer. Shit.”
“Exactly. That pool looks like it feels so good. I wanna get in so bad.”
“But you know Ross is gonna flip the fuck out if you let all these dudes see you in a bikini. He like Top Flight Security over yo’ ass, old Barney Fife-lookin’ ass.”
We both laughed. In fact, I laughed so hard that I leaned over a little and slapped Dub’s thigh. I thought it was fucking hilarious that everyone else could see how crazy Ross could be at times, except Ross, himself.
“Heaven, come here,” Treasure called me.
I looked towards the bar and saw her calling me over with her hand. She was still standing next to Vegas with her other hand literally in his back pocket. She was so fucking petty, and I loved it.
“I’ll be back,” I told Dub as I stood up.
In my high-waist jeggings, cropped tank, and flip flops, I walked through the crowd of people towards the bar. The heat was beating down on my brown skin as I danced through the crowd to my jam, “Love” by Kendrick Lamar, that the deejay was now playing.
♫ Just love me
I wanna be with you, ayy, I wanna be with
I wanna be with you, ayy, I wanna be with
I wanna be with you
If I didn't ride blade on curb, would
you still (love me)
If I made up my mind at work would you still (love me)
Keep it a hundred, I’d rather you trust me than to (love me)
Keep it a whole one hund', don't got you I got nothing ♫
Suddenly, I could hear the lyrics being sung behind me as a hand grabbed my elbow. “Ay, I got something (I got something). Hol’ up, we gon' function, no assumptions.”
I turned around with a smile on my face because I recognized the voice. It was Mello, swaying from side to side, stepping and snapping his fingers with his other hand as the one holding my arm brought me closer to him. I started to step with him, but when his sweaty arm brushed against mine, I freaked.
“Eeeeeewe!”
“My bad, my bad,” he chanted as he wiped the salty moisture from my arm.
I frowned as I stared at the pool of sweat rolling from his head, down his face, and onto his chest. “You need a shower.”
“I know, right? I’m sweaty and thirsty as hell.”
“C’mon. I was on my way to the bar anyway.” I continued toward the bar with him beside me. I asked him, “You havin’ fun?”
“Hell yeah. This party is dope as fuck. Thank you.”
I smirked and shook my head. “Don’t thank me. Your father paid for it.”
“You always do that. Always talking yourself down. I already know you did all the work to make this happen.”
I giggled. “Yeah, I did.”
“Then, like I said, thank you. And thank you for being there for me while I was gone. Good looking out.”
“That was your father’s money.”
“But you made sure to send it to me and you talked to me for hours at a time. I needed all that shit. I felt lonely as fuck down there with those nerdy motherfuckers.”
I side eyed him and asked, “Nerdy motherfuckers? I think you’re the nerd with that 4.0 GPA.”
When the Side Nigga Catch Feelings 1 Page 5
