She Gave Her All to the Hood's Finest 5

by Shvonne Latrice

  “Hold on, hold on, ain’t nobody getting an annulment, Rubie. Yeah, I fucked up, but nah, we not doing all that.”

  “Excuse me? What the hell would make you think I’m going to stay with you? In fact, I’m leaving tonight.” I hurried out of the den, and Eitan was right behind me.

  Bursting off into the bedroom, I grabbed a duffel bag from my walk-in closet and began shoving just anything in there, couldn’t even say what it was. I was distraught and felt like I was having an out-of-body body experience at the moment.

  Eitan dropped down onto the floor with me, embracing my body tightly from behind as he apologized, all the while removing everything I’d put into the bag.

  “Rubie, you not about to leave—”

  WHAM!

  I slapped him across the face and then just took off on him. He was able to grip my wrists and then pinned me to the floor of my closet. Feeling exhausted and like my whole life was a lie, all I could do was bawl my eyes out.

  I could not believe he had done this to me. I loved him, and I thought he loved me too. I thought he was different and put him on a pedestal when it came to his peers. For him to cheat on me while I was healing from giving birth to his child, made it hurt even worse. He didn’t love or care about me enough to put his own desires to the side for a measly month and a half, when I’d been fucking him whenever and however for years. I was embarrassed. I’d not only posted my wedding band, but during our entire relationship, I’d publicly praised him for the man he’d been to me, even to my own father. This had to be a nightmare.

  I cried and cried until I fell asleep, and when I did wake up a little in the middle of the night, I realized I was in bed, and Eitan was holding me like he didn’t want to let me go. Barely able to see or think straight, I passed back out.

  As quickly as we got married, we were about to be divorced.

  29

  Rahim

  We ’bout to shake in this bitch… Frosted Flake on the wrist… The gang ain’t playin’ and shit…

  I took a hit of the blunt between my fingertips as I sat in the VIP section of The Pink Cherry. It was thick in our area, with all the homies and just about the whole roster of Make A Killing, with the exception of Eitan and his new wife. The club was vibing to “Shake The Room” by Pop Smoke, drinking, dancing, and just enjoying the night.

  I glanced to my right to see Wacko and Camarih seated in the corner of the VIP with her legs across his lap. They were kissing hard as hell like they were two seconds from fucking right here in front of everybody. Shit was like none of us were here, and it reminded me of how sometimes they’d go MIA together. I’m talking deactivating social media, turning phones off, and everything for days. Shit like that was unheard of in this day and age where social media was people’s lives.

  When I saw his hand go under her skirt, I knew that was my cue to look the other way.

  One thing I knew for sure about that nigga Tony was that he loved the fuck out of his wife. And shit, I loved mine too. I admit I felt a tinge of jealousy when I saw them together, because it only reminded me that I’d fucked up with Amara and wasn’t sure if I’d ever be okay with us never being together, or worse—her moving on.

  “Baby, are you listening?” Dallas’s voice pulled me from my thoughts of Amara.

  “Yeah, I am. It’s just the music is so loud.” I kissed the corner of her mouth, making her smile.

  “I said all the invitations have been sent, I have my dress, you have your tux, and everything is set. We just need to compromise on the reception food. I want something classy, and you want… well, something less classy.” She chuckled.

  I just looked at her, seeing how beautiful she was. I just didn’t get why she was trying to have wedding talk here in the damn strip club.

  “We can discuss it tomorrow, okay?” I touched her leg, and she nodded. “Can you order us some food?”

  “Yeah, sure. Wings and fries?” She got up, and I nodded to say ‘yes’.

  Once she was too far away to see me pull my phone out, I did just that, shooting off a text.

  Me: Just wanted to tell you goodnight and that I love you.

  I locked my phone and picked my head up to see Nala refilling her glass with something to drink. As she sipped it, her eyes cut to Tony and Camarih, who were still all over each other but had taken a short break from sucking face.

  “Aye, you better not let Camarih catch you looking. You know she crazy.” I snapped my fingers at Nala.

  She looked down at me, snickering, before taking a seat beside me.

  “Thank you, because I am not in the mood to fight.” She took another sip. “I don’t know why I can’t get over him, Rahim, but trust me, I want to.” She glanced my way. “I’ve begged God to help me get over him.”

  Damn… deep. Hearing her say that made me feel bad for giving her a hard time in my head.

  “I know. Trust me, I know all about that shit.” I huffed just as my phone buzzed.

  Amara: As long as you’re engaged, do not send me things like that. It seems like you never learn. Goodnight.

  Shaking my head, I pocketed my phone.

  “Oh yeah, wifey,” Nala simpered. Her smile went away before she asked, “Do you know if she’s pregnant again?”

  “My wife?”

  “No, negro, Camarih. I heard about a new baby, and I didn’t know if it was her or someone else.”

  “I don’t know shit about that, but if there is a baby coming, I’m one hundred percent sure it’s with Camarih.”

  My words seemed to bother Nala, and thankfully, Dallas had returned with the food so I could stop talking to her ass.

  Dallas sat back down, so we started eating immediately, and thankfully, Nala got up to go mingle, I guess.

  In the middle of me smashing this food, the deejay played Eitan’s new song, so our whole section plus the club of people got extra hype. Too bad the homie wasn’t here to witness how many people fucked with his music.

  “My favorite part is the beat.” Dallas nudged me, making me smile. Shit like that was why I enjoyed being with her.

  “Thank you.” I pecked her.

  We finished our food, and the hostess we had for the night came to clean it up. Like clockwork, I spotted Trish enter our section, and my heart sank like the damn Titanic.

  “Hey!” She greeted me excitedly after speaking to a few other people in our area. Before I could even say anything, she was in my lap.

  “Aye, aye.” I barely let her ass touch my legs as I lifted her right back up into the standing position. “This is my fiancée, Dallas.” I gestured toward Dallas, putting emphasis on the word fiancée so Trish would catch on.

  “Oh shit, girl, I’m sorry. It’s not even like that. Rahim is just cool.” Trish giggled.

  “You’re fine.” Dallas waved it off coolly, surprising me.

  “Camarih would’ve had her ass in a headlock by now.” Tony spoke to me lowly. I didn’t even know he was by me until he said something.

  I laughed as he fixed up his drink then went back to his little corner with his wife.

  “Let me know if you guys want any drinks from the bar. I’m working the area while Ashley is on break.” Trish cleaned up a couple used glasses. When we made eye contact, she winked at me, so I nodded to say thank you for not putting me on front street.

  We celebrated at the club for a few more hours, but since closing time was 2 a.m. and it was already 1:15, Dallas and I left. Not to mention all my close friends were gone, including Tony, who crept out at midnight with Camarih.

  “That was so much fun. I like partying with you and your friends.” Dallas sighed in a satisfied manner as I drove us home.

  “Yeah, it was fun. I love that you can chill with them.”

  It was true. That was another thing I liked about Dallas; she understood my job and also knew the importance of me having to go out to the club sometimes, even if it was just for fun.

  “Well I love you, so it’s only right for me to love the peopl
e you surround yourself with.” She reached for my free hand, gripping it tightly.

  I didn’t really have anything to say, so it stayed silent for the rest of the ride as we listened to some music. Dallas loved Nala’s songs, so whenever we were in the car together, that was usually what she wanted to hear.

  “Shit, I’m tired.” I huffed as we entered the house.

  Dallas started up the stairs as I put the alarm on, and once it was set, I followed right behind her.

  “You know I love Nala’s music, but her, not so much. I’m a Camarih fan.” She began to change into her bedclothes.

  Chuckling, I replied, “She’s harmless.” I removed my watch.

  “Of course you’d say that.”

  “Nah, she is. And I’m a Camarih fan too.” I smirked.

  “Good.” She switched to the bathroom.

  As soon as the door shut, I pulled my phone from my pocket and sat down on the loveseat in our room. I needed to send a text.

  Me: I know what you mean, Amara, and I have learned. I’ll show you.

  I double-checked to be sure Dallas wasn’t coming out of the bathroom, then I locked my phone up so I could put on my boxers and knock out. Tomorrow would be a long ass day.

  The next day… Breakfast with a side of truth…

  I ordered delivery early this morning so that I could have breakfast ready for Dallas. When I heard her heels in the foyer, I quickly rushed the plates to the table so that it’d be set when she walked into the kitchen.

  “Wait, you can cook?” She frowned, looking around for some kind of evidence that this was takeout, I assume.

  “Nah, I called it in.” I smirked, pulling a chair out and gesturing for her to sit down.

  “Wow, well thank you.” She slid into the seat, opened the fabric napkin, and then prayed.

  I sat down and prayed too; however, I was finished before her. I waited, smelling her perfume and seeing how put together she was.

  Her clothes were flawless, and so was her hair and all that makeup she liked to put on but didn’t need. I just knew once Dallas and I made things official, her appearance would fall off, but I was wrong. Seated adjacent to me was the same woman I’d met at the studio the day I planned to work for Cope.

  “How is it?” I asked as she shoved a forkful of the eggs into her mouth.

  “Good. Where is this from?”

  “Can’t tell you that.” I laughed when she hit my arm.

  “Oh, I almost forgot. Did you call the hotel to see if they’d be able to accommodate my sister and her family? She’s flying in, and I didn’t think her staying here with us would work. She has a lot of kids and—”

  “Dallas, I want to talk with you about something.” I cut her off.

  “Okay. Is something wrong?”

  “I don’t really know how to answer that. But let me just say what I have to say, and we’ll go from there.”

  “I’m listening.” She stopped eating and dabbed her mouth, turning to face me a little more.

  “I love being with you, I really do. And honestly, you’re one of the best women I’ve ever dated. Shit, I wanna say you’re one of the best women out there period.”

  “Rahim, what is this? I definitely foresee a but somewhere in this.”

  “There is no ‘but’. What I just said is a fact. I have nothing to say that would negate that. It’s just something I wanted you to know.” I stared at her, and she frowned a little bit, showing she was puzzled. “I also want you to know that I can’t get married to you.”

  “What? You cannot be serious right now! We’ve paid for everything, sent invites, I—what the fuck? The wedding is in two damn months, Rahim! When the fuck were you going to tell me this? The day of?”

  “No, right now. I will reimburse you for everything you—”

  “Why can’t you marry me? What is the problem? Maybe we can fix it before the day comes.”

  I hated to see her basically begging me like this. It just solidified my decision to not go through with this. I didn’t deserve her emotions because I didn’t have true feelings for her. I liked her, for sure, and enjoyed my relationship with her, but she and I could never be the real deal as long as I loved Amara as deeply as I did.

  “Honestly, Dallas, I wish we could. What I wouldn’t give to be able to tell you I love you and want to marry you, but I don’t.”

  “So now you don’t love me?” She started to cry.

  “I do love you, but I’m not in love, no. I care about you, yes, but you deserve a man that is in love with you.”

  “I cannot believe this. What the fuck am I going to tell my family and friends that have invites in their damn mailboxes?” She sobbed. “Why are you doing this?”

  “I know right now this seems horrible, but I promise you gon’ look back and thank God that you didn’t marry me, Dallas. I’m in love with my ex-wife, and I always have been. No matter what I do or who I try to date and replace her with, the shit won’t go away.”

  If Nala felt even a percentage of what I felt for Amara when it came to Tony, I understood her ass. I’d dealt with a lot of hard shit, but I recently learned nothing was harder than trying to get over a person you were in love with.

  “Because you don’t try! You constantly chase her, so of course the feelings won’t go away!”

  “Dallas, I have tried, baby, I swear.”

  “No, you—”

  “I am miserable!” I hollered. She wasn’t understanding, and it was pissing me off. “Do you get that? I am fucking miserable not being with her ass. I haven’t been happy for years, Dallas… years. No matter how many accolades I acquire, no matter how much money is in my bank account, no matter how beautiful and perfect the woman in my life is, how many cars I get, when I lay down at night, I am miserable as fuck because she ain’t mine. The only time I feel anything is when I see my baby girl, and she’s a portion of Amara, so that makes shit worse.”

  My words seemed to get through to Dallas because she calmed down a little bit.

  “She doesn’t even want you,” she replied, breathing heavily to show her anger. “You’re going to break up with me and run your ass over there, but she won’t even take you back. So then you’ll be single.”

  It was like she was trying to scare me into being with her.

  “That’s very possible, but I’m not breaking shit off with you in hopes of getting Amara back. I’m doing it because you deserve better. I would prefer to have something next to me in bed than to be alone until my wife takes me back, but that would be shady. That’s the old Rahim. The mature Rahim is letting you go, even though he knows how scary the thought of being single is.”

  “You don’t mean any of this. You’re just afraid because the wedding date is approaching.”

  “Dallas, that stripper that sat in my lap last night? I fucked her, and yes, it was after I proposed to you.”

  WHAP!

  Dallas slapped me as soon as the last word leapt from my lips.

  Standing up so quickly that her chair fell back, she bent down into my face and said through clenched teeth, “Fuck you, Rahim. You’re nothing but a bitch ass nigga who uses people until there is nothing left. I hope you die alone and broke.”

  “Dallas, I didn’t mean to—”

  “To what? Break my heart? Cheat on me? Embarrass me in front of my family and friends? String me along? Lie to me about your true feelings for your ex?” When I didn’t say anything, she continued. “Yeah, I thought so. Don’t you ever in life speak to me again, Rahim Cambridge.” She slammed her ring onto the table and left out just like that.

  “Fuck!” I bellowed, banging my fist onto the table.

  I listened as Dallas talked all under my clothes, calling me every disrespectful name she could think of, while packing I guess. I just heard her voice moving around my house a lot. Finally, after what seemed like forever, she came into the kitchen.

  “I got as much of my shit as I could, but seeing as I don’t have a place to stay because I thought this
would be my home, I can’t get everything.”

  “You can stay here until you find a spot, Dallas. I got seven bedrooms.” I looked over my shoulder at her since she was in the doorway.

  She just stared at me and then chuckled, running her tongue over her perfect teeth like she was contemplating hitting my ass again. Without another word, she turned her back to me and bounced.

  For the next twenty minutes or so, I stayed seated, wallowing in my thoughts, but then went to get my key fob so I could leave.

  I drove straight to Amara’s place, and since it was Saturday, I was sure she was home.

  “Rahim. It’s not a good time.” She answered the door.

  “Why? And where is Ahmira?”

  “Ahmira is with my parents. They wanted to take her toy shopping.” She smiled at the thought.

  “Oh, cool. Why can’t I come in?”

  “Everything okay, Amara?” A man’s voice called out just before his face appeared.

  “Yes, everything is fine. Donnie, this is Ahmira’s father, Rahim.” Amara widened the door so we could shake hands. I did it, but I was paralyzed on the inside and had a horrible pain in my chest.

  “Nice to meet you, Rahim.” Donnie smiled. “Baby, I’m going to get back to making the food.” He kissed Amara’s cheek.

  I could tell she was uncomfortable showing affection in front of me, and I was uncomfortable seeing the shit.

  “Rahim, I—”

  “So how serious is it?”

  “We’re just friends right now, but I do like him a lot.” She peered up into my eyes with her pretty brown ones.

  “I see.” I fidgeted a little bit, feeling off. “He called you baby, so it just seemed like it’s serious.”

  “Rahim, what did you come over here for?”

  “Can I at least come in and talk to you? I promise it won’t be any arguments or bullshit.”