Torn

by Tanya Cole

  “Hey, ya’ll. What are ya’ll doing here?” she asks smiling and giving us some menus.

  “We came to see you, sis. I’m sorry about what I said earlier.” Mark says.

  “What did you say?” I ask.

  “I said,” he starts to say, but Tia cuts him off.

  “He said that I need to pay the bills, but I told him I didn’t have the money. And that I’m saving up for my spot.” Tia says giving him the eye.

  Oh, okay. So, now she is lying to me. Now, I’m finna see just how far she’s going to go.

  “So, have you been looking for a spot? We did say that we would stay there for a little minute. Plus, now, I got a job too. Mark just passed his drug test. He starts his new job tomorrow. I made sure his light bill and his rent are paid up so that they can stack up for the next month. Now, we can dip off and get us a spot together.”

  She freezes up.

  “You got a job Free?” she asks.

  “Yeah, I want my wife back.”

  If she says yeah, I’ll do right by her. I promise.

  “Nah, I haven’t been looking yet. But I will soon. Let go and get MJ some bread. It’s really good. I’ll be back. Oh, yeah, what do ya’ll want to drink?”

  “Sprite for me. A coke for Mark and juice for MJ. Right?” I say.

  “Yeah, right.” He says distracted by the pictures of food on the menu.

  I watch Tia walk off. I was praying that she would fess up and keep it real. I mean she is a bad bitch. I also said that when I got out I would find me a diamond worth settling down and making a life with. Tia fits that description for me. Not just because she is beautiful, but she is the only chick that made me wait to get them panties.

  *****

  I met her when I was at my cousin’s house for the summer in the projects. His sister Londa is Tia’s best friend. I chased her for six years until I finally got her. When we first started out, everything was good. I had just got out of the pen and I was going legit. I had a plan to do right and fly straight. I had a relationship with Shayla, but that didn’t stop me from chasing Tia. It was something about the way she said no that made me want to hear her say yes just one time. You know how it is. She always said no anytime I tried to get her number or take her on a date. We were at my cousin’s Guc party when she walked in with Londa. After spending four years doing time, she really grew up. She had a little body and every nigga at the party was jocking her. I came with Shayla, but I followed Tia the whole time. The next time, I paid Londa seventy-five dollars to take me up to her job. She was working as a front desk clerk at Memphis City Schools. I showed up at her job and took her out to lunch. She finally gave me a chance to show her what’s up. She was going to college, had a three bedroom, two bathroom house, and a car. I thought I hit the biggest lick. The county and city schools system merged and Tia lost her main job. Then, she lost her house and her car. Memphis City Schools was paying for her tuition and books because she was an employee. So, since she didn’t have kids, she didn’t qualify for financial aid for school. I quit my job and going to school because I thought I hit the jackpot. I’ll never forget the disappointment in Tia’s eyes when she figured out that I wasn’t going to pay her bills. Sure, I moved in on her without asking, but that’s what comes with being with me. I just see it as it is. I was staying with Shayla and she was taking care of me. Tia became my girl and it became her job. She got up every morning at six. I got up too and pretended to go to school. I stayed at Shayla’s crib until she went to work. Then, I would go back to the crib and chill with Durk all day. By the time she got off at eleven at night, that’s when I would leave and pretend to be just pulling up. When the bills came around, I’ll pretend that I’m broke because I paid all of my momma bills. She popped up at my job to surprise me with lunch and found out that I quit six months ago. I haven’t worked since. Aye, a woman has to take care of her man. As a matter of fact, this is the first time I have ever really gave Tia any money. That just ain’t my style. I don’t give any woman no money. For what? Do I look like a trick? Even though taking care of a man wasn’t her style,but she still held me down. Despite the fact that she was struggling, she still held on to me. I feel shitty now though. No wonder she’s cheating on me. Then, that trick ass nigga that she’s creeping with walks in. Mark sees him and drops his fork. He tries hard to play it off.

  “You know that nigga bruh?” I ask to see if he was going to tell the truth.

  “Nawl, why?” he says scrambling his silverware.

  “That’s the nigga I caught Tia with. You have never seen him before?”

  “Nah, I haven’t,” he says looking around nervously.

  When we are done eating, Tia gives us some food to take home. I tip her a hundred and ten dollars. She says thanks and walks us out to the truck. I pull her close to me for a hug. The side nigga comes outside and watches us. I look at him and grab her booty. She pulls away. I slap her on the ass. She pushes me away again. The nigga looks like he is pissed that I smacked my girl on the ass. I nod at him and smile. Tia pushes me away. Yeah, he better play his role. Side nigga at your service. When tricking goes wrong.

  Mark

  I drop MJ back at home with Moet. Since I found out he is mine, I got to step up and make a better life for him. I ask Free to drop me off at CK’s to check on the status of my second job. I wait until he pulls off and catch the last bus to the Traveler’s Inn. I just texted Jada and told her to meet me there. I’m finna get some head, pussy, food, and money. I like her, but now she’s my new sponsor for my family. MJ and Moet ain’t going to want for nothing. I text Jada the room number and I wait until she pulls up. Of course, she comes in complaining and talking that nonsense about us not being able to do this anymore because of Champ. And how he promised to stop seeing and sleeping with Moet. Good for them, but it has absolutely nothing to do with me. She hesitates to take her clothes off, but I decide to help her out. What she don’t know is that I have a hidden camera recording us. Shit, I had to hide the photos in my phone because Moet is always checking my phone for signs of me cheating and shit. For the next hour, I tax Jada’s pussy. She tried to act like she don’t like it, but her pussy is saying something different. When we finish, she puts on her clothes and gets ready to leave.

  “Em, how you know I was through? I ask.

  “I got to go home Champ is getting ready to get off in an hour.” She says squirming.

  “And I care because?” I ask.

  “Come on. You got what you wanted. This shit is getting ridiculous. How much longer you going to hold this over my head?” she asks.

  She looks at me with a deep sadness in her eyes. For once since I started doing this shit, I feel remorse.

  “Aye, just help me out. I need that money to fix up my crib and pay my light bill. I borrowed the money from the sister and she needs it back for her condo. I was planning on moving in with her, but she don’t like Moet. I was using the money for us to come here and for us to get a place together. Because I really wanted to be with you.” I say as I grab her hands.

  I look at her in the eyes to see if she’s buying it. She smiles. I got her.

  “I saved the money. I was going to use it to leave Champ. I can give you $2,500 of it in the morning. The rest I already used for a few bills, but I’ll pay it back though. You’re really a good dude Mark.” She says.

  “I wish you were mine. You’re a good girl too. You just married a fuckboy.” I say laughing.

  That’s the only honest thing that I said to her this entire time. I kick back and chill until Moet blows up my phone. I tell her that I’m stranded in Whitehaven over my pop’s house. She believes it and I kick back for the rest of the night.

  Jada wakes me up at 10:30 the next morning. She brings me breakfast and an outfit so I can change my clothes. Now, I really feel bad. So, I go to my phone and delete the recording of us having sex. Shit, she just did more for me than Moet has ever done. Besides sex, I can’t get shit from her. I clean up cook, work, and take car
e of a baby that I just found out is mines.

  “Aye, thank you.”

  “You good?”

  “After today, I’m deleting the pictures. You’re a good woman and I’m not going to contribute to her heartache. I let my ego get the best of me and for that, I apologize.”

  “You mean that?” she says smiling.

  “Yeah, I do.”

  “See look,” I say pulling up the photos in my archives.

  I erase them and delete all of the evidence for good.

  “Thank you, “ she says crying.

  “No problem,” I say wiping her tears away.

  “What made you change your mind?” she asks.

  “You,” I say smiling at her.

  “Me?”

  “Yeah, you. You’re everything that I want in a woman. You’re sexy, smart, funny, loyal, you’re the first woman to buy me food and clothes after the bullshit that I pulled. You’re trying to respect your vows even though he’s a true fuckboy.” I say laughing.

  “Aye, that fuckboy is my husband.”

  “Aight.”

  We ride in the car listening to the radio. We go to Jolly Royal warehouse first. I purchase a house full of furniture package for $1999. It comes with a bedroom suite, a living room, a set of matching end tables, a dining room set, and a choice of a mattress set for free or a 32` flat screen T.V. I pick the T.V. Shit, I want to play my game. Jada talks me into getting the mattresses for the bed. Then, she takes me to Walmart to purchase a flat screen. It was cheaper. We opted out of taking it home. Instead, I call Free to see if he could swing by later to get it for me. Now, my whole crib is going to be furnished. Not just Tia’s and Free’s room anymore. Maybe Moet will stop her foolish ass hatred of Tia now that I’ve stepped up my game.

  “Where are we going next Mark?” Jada asks.

  “I’m hungry. Junior needs a bed and some clothes.”

  “He doesn’t have a bed? And you’re a good niccah to be doing this for a child that ain’t yours.” She says smiling.

  “I do aight.”

  “Let’s go to lunch at Applebee’s and we can use my tablet to order his bed. It can be delivered as early as tomorrow. Or you can pick it up. We can go to Mississippi and get his clothes tax free.”

  That’s exactly what we did. We spent the rest of the day shopping and chilling. She even bought me some clothes and pajamas. She made me feel like a real man. I called Trinity to make sure that she was gone so Jada could drop me off. Of course, she was at the casino. So, I got dropped off there. We all have keys to each other cribs, so I let myself in. It’s a car parked in the yard, but I just talked to Trinity. So, I know that she ain’t here. After I put the last bag from the car in the living room, I walk through the house. Maybe it’s Tia. Nah, she supposed to be gone to her little computer class. I peep in every door. When I got to the last bedroom that when shit gets crucial.

  “Da fuck?” I say.

  I can’t believe my eyes.

  “Close the fucking door, Mark!” Tia says.

  Shit, I just called Free to come and pick me up. I walk back to the room and knock on the door.

  “Shit! Mark, what are you doing here?” she asks opening the door.

  “Obviously saving your life. Free is on his way over here to pick me up.”

  “Damn, okay.”

  She rushes the nigga out of the door quick, fast, and in a hurry. He didn’t want to go. She showered and was looking normal and peaceful as fuck. So, I had to ask the question.

  “So, how long have you been fucking your co-worker?” I say breaking the silence.

  “We just did it for the first time last night. We checked out this morning and he didn’t want to leave me.”

  “But Free is doing good now. He wants to do right by you. You’re fucking up sis for real.”

  “My heart isn’t with Free. Some chick that he’s sleeping with keeps sending me pictures of him in his drawers on the floor, dick pics, and screenshots of their convos. I come over there to check his drawers and he has on the same ones from the pictures. “ She says crying.

  “Don’t cry, sis. How do you know they ain’t old pics?” I ask.

  “I bought all of his clothes. You must forget he did four years. All of his shit was old, worn, and outdated. So, he’s broke, lying, and cheating on me. Plus, he is disrespectful as fuck. You should see him around Trinity.”

  “What does he do around her?”

  “Tell her how much he should’ve picked her instead of me.”

  “Damn, that’s fucked up. So, this nigga, who is he? I saw ya’ll one night at the Traveler’s Inn.”

  “When?”

  “A little time ago Tia.”

  “Aye, he treats me like royalty. We just have sex for the first time yesterday, but we’ve been together for months. He’s paying my storage bill, for my computer classes, and he just paid my deposit. We’re making it official once I move into my condo.”

  “Aight, but I need your help.”

  “I don’t have any money, Mark.”

  “Nah, it ain’t like that. And you’re right I do need to man up.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “MJ is mine. I got some furniture. I need you to go with me to get some curtains and other household supplies. Plus, I got Free’s food stamp card to go to the grocery store. The caseworker is coming over in two days to check out everything. I’m not finna lose my baby.”

  “Aight, I got you. Let me go and get dressed. I’ll take my uniform too. That way I can get dressed from over there too. Let me call Jason and let him know wassup.”

  She calls her man and he’s uncomfortable with her being with Free. I don’t blame him. I hate when Jada even speaks Champ’s name.

  “He’s really pissed.”

  You don’t know the half of it.” She says laughing.

  Free pulls up. We make it just in time for the furniture to be delivered. As soon as we put the couch in, Moet sits down. She didn’t even wait for the second couch to be put in the living room. We fix the apartment up. Moet just watches us and lurks on Facebook. We ask her for her food stamp card so that she can put some food in the house. She politely tells us that she traded her stamps for a hairdo and to get her nails done. Free snaps.

  “Bitch, we’re doing all of this shit so that you can keep your baby that you don’t need! While your trifling ass just sit there and look cute? Mark, mane, replace this bitch right now!” Free says.

  She looks at him and keeps on texting on her new phone. He is already pissed that Tia hasn’t said a word to him the whole time. Aye, she did say hey. And Trinity’s number keeps calling. We all know that ain’t Trinity blowing up her phone. And Jada just made Moet look like a peasant to me. Moet can’t even begin to compete with All the stuff Jada just did for me. She just showed me what a real woman can and will be to a real nigga like me. She just proved to me what a real woman is. Something Moet ain’t ready nor willing to be.

  Tia

  The last two days have really been crazy. I picked up a shift at the last minute yesterday when I was supposed to be off. I was planning on spending time with Jason. Of course, Free popped up and brought some chocolate- covered strawberries and roses. Nice gesture, but it’s entirely too late. Too little, a little too late. He asks me to walk him outside to the truck. As we walking him to the truck, he asks me when I’m coming back home to him. I told him that he is full of shit and I’m cool at Trinity’s. Jason pulls up with my lunch. Free is so into convincing me that he doesn’t see Jason pull up. Jason is pissed of course. I tell Free that I have to go and walk off. He pulls off without seeing Jason. This going back and forward between the two of them is exhausting and I can’t wait until Free gets the hint.

  I walk back into the restaurant, check the floor chart, and shake my head. The first thing I do is find the manager in charge of the floor.

  “Matt, “I’m cut?” I ask with my hands on my hip.

  “Yeah, you picked up a shift and the other servers are
pissed. They got to make money too, Tia.”

  “Aight,” I say pissed.

  “Good go home and chill with your fiancé,” Mark says smiling.

  “Fiance?” I ask.

  “Yeah. He told us that he asked you to marry him and you said yes.”

  “ Nawl, it ain’t like that. I don’t have time for this today. Aight, I’m out.”

  I walk out of the door and Jason is sitting in the car.

  “You cut?” he asks.

  “Yeah.”

  “Good, I owe Matt.”

  “Huh? You did this?” I ask.

  “Yeah, you need to spend some time with me.”

  “You could’ve just said that you miss me. “ I say smiling.

  “Nah, where’s the fun in that?” he says laughing. “I got a surprise for you.”

  We drive to our peaceful spot in the cut. He already has a key.

  “Okay. Close your eyes,” he says as we prepare to walk into the room.

  I close my eyes and he places a blindfold on my eyes. He grabs my waist and I feel for his hands so that he can guide me through the door.

  “Baby?” I say ready for him to take this blindfold off.

  “Aight. I got you, baby,” he says taking it off.

  “Wow, this is beautiful. Oh, Jason baby.”

  “I want our first time to be special. You like it?” he says smiling.

  “I do.”

  The bed has rose petals on it. It has chocolate kisses on it too. It has two teddy bears on the dresser with different colored roses in their hands too. He has candles all around the room. Jason takes out his lighter and lite each one of them up. He runs my bath water, adds some lavender Epsom salt, and a little bubble bath too.