Down With the King of the South 3

by Diamond Johnson

  “I got off the phone with you over thirty minutes ago, and you’re just now telling her to leave? You a piece of work, yo,” I snapped and brushed past them so I could get my duffle bag.

  It was no longer in the hallway, so I checked the downstairs bedroom. I saw it, and I also peeped that this room smelled like Mahogany, so this was more than likely where she had slept before she left. I took a seat at the foot of the bed as I pulled my phone out and attempted to call Mahogany one last time. Just like the other times, it went straight to the voicemail.

  In the middle of me doing that, I could feel someone’s eyes on me. I turned, and Kenyatta was standing in the doorway. I dealt with her ass from the time I was seventeen until I was about twenty. We never dated, I never called her my girl, never told her that I loved her, none of that. We fucked! Simple! I probably bought her a burger or two a couple of times. I never brought her over to meet my ole girl.

  The one time she did cross paths with her was when I was like nineteen, and I’d just finished fuckin’ her in the car. We were literally in a plaza, and after that, I had to go home and pick up something. I don’t remember what it was, now that I think about it. The plan was to get what I needed, and then I was going to drop her off at home. The moment we pulled up to my house, she said that she had to pee. As much as I wanted to tell her to hold the shit, I was nice enough to let her come inside.

  I was living with my ole girl at the time, who happened to be home, and that was the only time I ever remember the two of them meeting. I didn’t have to lie to save face because I told my shorty everything. Nothing was off limits when it came to my relationship with Mahogany. If all I did was fuck Kenyatta, then that’s what I was going to tell Mahogany because that was all that happened. I pillow talked with my shorty damn near every night, and she knew that at one time, I was passing my dick around like an offering tray, but since I got with her, I had slowed down. That’s why I didn’t understand why she couldn’t get my side of the story first before she just left without saying shit to me.

  I wasn’t perfect, and I had some fucked-up ways, but so did Mahogany. She ran away from all her problems, never even giving an explanation why. I remembered the last time she blocked my number and everything, and come to find out, she was mad because she overheard a conversation that I had with another bitch when I butt dialed her. How the fuck was I supposed to know that? When I found her and we talked again, I was going to talk to her about that shit because I didn’t like it. I wasn’t the one to point fingers or judge, but I felt like that was the same thing that happened between her and her ole girl.

  “The front door is the other way, shorty. I think you in the wrong room,” I said, not even looking at her when I talked.

  “Really, Jabari? I haven’t seen you in over ten years, and this how you acting? What’s up with that?” she asked me.

  “Shorty, I’m fucked up right now. My adrenaline is high. I’m bound to say some fucked up shit to you, so if you care about your feelings, I would turn around and close the door behind you. Don’t do this shit to yourself.” My words came out rude, lacking interest and any feeling in it.

  “Wow! Your mom was right. She is changing you,” she said, really pushing my patience.

  I laughed to keep myself from standing up and forcing her ass out.

  “That’s it?” I asked.

  “I overheard the conversation that you had with your mom on the phone. I’m not your ex, Jabari? There wasn’t a time when I had you crying in my pussy? You weren’t driving your mama’s car at two and three in the morning for some pussy from me? Don’t forget where you came from, nigga! I was the first bitch whose pussy you ever ate!” she snapped.

  I could tell that she was getting mad. The shit was comical to me, though. Well, at least I was trying to make it seem like it was comical so that I wouldn’t go to jail for assault.

  “When it comes down to it, it’s one common factor, and that’s pussy! All you ever gave me was pussy, and all I ever wanted was pussy! Did I buy you a bag? Did I pay for you to get your hair done? What the fuck else can you say besides the fact that you gave me some pussy? My shorty got a lot to show for. The main thing she can show is that baby that I put in her stomach. Her name about to be on the title of my fuckin’ house. The closet space she got at my house. The thousands that I just put in her account the other day, just for the fuck of it. I can go on and on about the differences between someone who I was just fuckin’ and my actual girlfriend. Quit playing with me, yo! You the same age as me. Fuck is you doing spending time with my mama? That shit is lame, shorty. Go get you some friends that’s in your age bracket,” I advised.

  “If you must know, I do your mom’s hair. I’ve been doing her hair for the past five years. I have my own shop in Atlanta, so that’s how we officially met. Why are you so mad about seeing me? I’m feeling like I struck a nerve,” she said.

  “If my nerve is struck, it’s because my girl left, and I don’t know where the fuck she’s at. Beat it, hoe! Get the fuck out, man!” I snapped because I was honestly getting annoyed.

  “I’ll leave, but only out of respect for Torrance. We’ll talk again.” With that, she was gone.

  I wasn’t giving it too much of my energy, which is why I didn’t respond. I got up then closed and locked the door behind me. I called Miami next because maybe Mahogany had called Jashae. The two of them would sit up on the phone for hours, running their fuckin’ mouths. Plus, Mahogany made sure to call Jashae any and every time that I fucked up.

  “Yo,” he answered the phone on the third ring.

  “Ask your girl if she talked to Mahogany,” was the first thing I said when he answered the phone.

  Miami laughed before he answered.

  “Fuck did you do now, nigga?” he asked me like I was always fuckin’ up or something.

  “I didn’t do shit, which is why I don’t understand why she’s mad at me! You remember Kenyatta, right? The little shorty I used to tell you about that I was running around with back in the day?” I asked.

  “Yeah, I remember her. What ever happened to her? You just all of a sudden stopped talking about her and shit,” he voiced.

  “Shit, I grew up, and I left her ass in the past. Wasn’t nothing really serious between us. I just happened to entertain her a little more than I did any other bitch who I was dealing with at the time. I leave my ole girl house for a few fuckin’ hours, just to handle shit at the store, and in that time, she done invited Kenyatta over here, with Mahogany in the house. I don’t know where her ass at. My mama talking about she got in a fuckin’ Uber. I wasn’t sure if she was still in Georgia, at the airport, or what. Ask Jashae and find out for me,” I voiced, sounding desperate.

  “Hold on, man, let me see,” he said, and then he put me on hold.

  It felt like hours went by, and this nigga still hadn’t come back on the phone. I was losing my patience and about to say fuck it and just hang up, when I finally heard some shuffling, which let me know that he’d found something out.

  “She talked to her. She told Shae that she was able to get the last seat on a flight that was coming back to Miami. At this time, they’re probably boarding. Shae is supposed to pick her up when she lands. You want me to send a jet for you?” Miami asked, always feeling the need to look out.

  If the shoe was on the other foot, without a doubt, I would have done the same thing for him.

  “Yeah. Tell Shae that I got her. I’m begging you not to let Shae pick her up from the airport. Mahogany is running high off emotions right now, and when she lands, there’s no telling where she going to run to next. I know damn well she’s not going to the house, and I know she’s not going back to her crib because those will be the first two places that I look for her. I swear, this woman and her dramatic ass bullshit is going to stress a nigga the fuck out! Why the fuck didn’t anyone give me a disclaimer when it came to being in a relationship? I swear I would have steered in the other fuckin’ direction,” I said, stress all in my voice. />
  I heard Miami laughing on the other end of the phone, like what I said was comical or some shit.

  “If the shit was so easy, ask yourself if it would even be worth it. Relationships are not supposed to be easy. It’s supposed to get a little rocky, tears are supposed to be shed, voices are supposed to raise a little bit, but if you love each other, y’all gotta find a way to work this shit out. This relationship shit is new to both of y’all. Y’all jumped headfirst without any type of protection, and on top of that, y’all have a baby on the way. I know you love shorty. I hear that shit in your voice. I can hear how badly you don’t want to lose her. Go get your girl, man, and Ima tell mine to stay her ass at home while you go handle that. I’ll have a jet out there waiting for you. You should land before she does,” Miami let me know.

  “Thanks, bruh. I owe you,” I said right before I ended the phone call.

  Back in Miami

  I landed in Miami maybe twenty minutes ago. Miami had looked out big time because the moment I got to the airport back in Atlanta, he had a private jet waiting for me, just like he’d promised. Everything was running so smoothly. I’d landed, retrieved my car from the parking garage, and now I was parked out front, in the drop off and pick-up area. Standing outside my car, I waited for Mahogany with her stubborn ass. I was sure she’d look like she’d seen a fuckin’ ghost when she saw me. I knew for a fact that I was the last face that she expected to see.

  If I was a nigga who didn’t give a fuck about her ass, I would have stayed in Atlanta and not come back home until I was scheduled to, which wasn’t for another two days. People were walking in and out of the automatic doors, and I was anxious, jiggling the keys that were in my sweats, and waiting for her to come out. Mahogany had the type of presence that would stand out. Plus, not many people looked like her, so I knew that out of a crowd of hundreds, my eyes would easily fall on hers.

  Damn near thirty minutes later, I saw her walk through the automatic doors with a crowd of other people. One look at her, and I could see the weariness all in her eyes. She hadn’t seen me yet, but I saw her. For about a minute, I watched as she carried her Chanel purse on her shoulder while she pulled her small suitcase. She stood amongst the crowd of people, looking at the long pick-up line. I could tell that she was searching for Jashae’s car.

  I pushed myself off the car and headed in her direction, already knowing that she was going to be on her bullshit. All of those people were just going to get an eye full because I wasn’t leaving until her ass was in the car with me, and that could be willingly or unwillingly.

  “Mahogany!” I called.

  She saw me, gave me a look of disgust, and just like I knew she would, she tried to go in the other direction. I grabbed her arm and squeezed it.

  “Let me go, Jabari! I swear to God I will scream and say that I don’t know you and that you’re kidnapping me! Move!” she voiced, trying to get out of the hold that I had her in.

  “And whoever believes you, I’ll show them the videos that I have of us in my phone of you sucking my dick or me fuckin’ you! That’ll kill that theory right there of you not knowing me. Let’s go, shorty. Shae is not coming to get you,” I said as I snatched the luggage from her with my other hand.

  From the look in her eyes, I knew she was pissed off and sad that her friend wasn’t coming to get her. Something else about her eyes stood out to me too. I could see that she was fed up with me and this fuckin’ relationship. Shit didn’t start getting bad with us until she got pregnant. I knew I was stressing shorty out; I could feel it, but I swear that I wasn’t trying to.

  “I don’t want to go with you, Jabari. Just let me go. I’ll find my own way back home. I left your mama’s house for a reason—”

  “A stupid ass reason, yo! You didn’t even talk to me about the shit first. You just left! You think I would have left you over there had I known that bitch was going to drop by? Mahogany, you know better that anyone that I always steer you in the opposite direction of any bitch that I done ever fucked with. I don’t even let a bitch do your hair, nails, or wax if I know I fucked them, and you know that! Just the other day, you showed me somebody’s Instagram who does braids, and I told you not to go to her because I fucked in the past. Did I or did I not?” I questioned her.

  Of course, her ass ignored me because she saw where I was going with this.

  “A nigga is not perfect, but I’m also not foolish enough to do some stupid ass shit like that and lose you behind it! Let’s go, shorty. We out here with motha fuckas all in our business and shit. Let’s discuss this bullshit in private! I done told you that Jashae is not coming, and I’m not about to let you jump your ass in another Uber. Let’s go!” I barked, ready to drag her if I had to.

  “Your taking me home, though. That’s where I want to go, and I don’t want to be around you,” she had the nerve to say.

  That comment triggered the fuck out of me. I put my mouth to her ear, and my hand on her stomach.

  “You pregnant with my baby, shorty, which means you got to be around me for the rest of your fuckin’ life! Should have thought about that shit before you started bouncing your ass on my dick, and I didn’t have on a glove,” I let her know.

  I saw the hairs on the back of her neck stand up when I said that shit. She didn’t even respond, which was shocking because she always had a comeback for something. I kissed her on her ear and walked with her through the crowd of people. We finally made it to the car, and I put her luggage in the back seat before I helped her get in the front. During the ride home, she sat in the passenger seat with the hood over her head, and her head leaned against the window, not saying shit. I honestly didn’t care if she didn’t say anything, as long as she got her ass in the car with me.

  She said she wanted to go to her house, so that’s where we were going. It was a little bit of traffic getting out of the airport, so it took us a little longer than usual to get to her house. Mahogany lived in a gated community with new townhouses that were just built last year. When I made it to the resident’s side, she handed me her fob, which was on her key ring, and it opened the gates for us. I continued in the direction of her house, and once I found it, I pulled into the two-car driveway. Since her car was at my house, I just pulled my car in the middle, taking up both spaces.

  When I shut the car off, I could feel her eyes on me.

  “Why are you turning the car off? You’re not staying. I was serious when I said that I didn’t want to be around you, Jabari. I want some space. I feel like you and this relationship is consuming me,” her dumb ass said.

  “Aye, watch your mouth, man. I was serious when I said that you don’t have a choice but to be around me. This pregnancy got you losing your fuckin’ brain,” I let her know.

  “I just don’t understand you and your narcissistic ways. You are the fuckin’ epitome of a hypocrite. You just got mad at me yesterday because a guy that I used to date came over and addressed me in public. Now, it’s a brand-new day, and the same shit happened to me, only difference was a bitch that you used to deal with was comfortable enough to bring her ass over to your mama’s house. Do I not have the right to be mad? Do I not have the right to want some time to myself? Nigga, you went and spent damn near three hours at the gym last night, then you brought your ass home and slept in a completely different room from me. You had your space, so let me have mine!” she screamed.

  She was upset, stressing, and in her feelings.

  “You had all of the fuckin’ space you needed on that airplane. Let’s go, shorty,” I said, this time getting out of the car.

  “I’m beginning to hate you, Jabari,” she said, catching me off guard with her words.

  I spun around, turning my head like I was the damn devil. I could tell from the look in her eyes that she was scared of what would spew out of my mouth next.

  “Why you hate me, Mahogany, huh? Prior to this, you loved the fuck out of me, ain’t it? Look, believe what you want to believe, but I done told your dumb ass that I d
idn’t know the bitch was going to come over there. Fuck you want me to do? Draw the shit out and say it in sign language for your ass?

  “I can’t believe that we really here arguing over a bitch that I haven’t fucked in over ten years! In that crazy ass head of yours, do you really think that I purposely left you over there with my ole girl so that you could be around an old bitch that I used to deal with? Answer me that. If that’s what you believe, then I’ll get the fuck from over here right now because that just tells me that you don’t think that I give a fuck about you or our baby,” I said, looking at her with all seriousness in my eyes.

  “No, I don’t believe that, Jabari, but—”

  “Then end this conversation now! You ain’t doing shit but stressing out my child—”

  “Jabari—”

  “Yo, ain’t I say to end it?” I barked.

  Her eyes had gotten watery, but she didn’t say anything else back to me. I slammed the car door and went over to the back, so I could get her luggage out. With her keys still in my hands, I let the two of us in. She went right for the alarm, disarmed it, and I watched as she kicked her shoes off and took the stairs, more than likely up to her bedroom. I badly needed a damn blunt.

  After setting her luggage down in the house, I went right back outside. I sat in the backyard on one of the patio chairs. It didn’t take long for me to have a blunt rolled. For almost ten minutes, I was left to my thoughts as I let what was inside this joint take me away, although I knew that it was only temporary. I thought about the shit that Miami said over the phone about fighting for my relationship. I wasn’t used to fighting for a woman to love me because I’d become so accustomed to women practically throwing themselves at me that I never really had to fight for love.

  With Mahogany, the shit was so fuckin’ different because I loved her, and it meant everything in this fuckin’ world for her to love me back. The selfish part of me wanted to say fuck her and this relationship and leave now, but I couldn’t do that shit. Not when she and that little girl in her stomach needed me. I personally just didn’t feel like I was the one who should have been blamed in this situation, but if it was going to make shit better with me and Mahogany, I would step up.