Rent Money

by Natavia

  “Father, why does it look like you’re ready to participate in some kind of farm animal porn?”

  “Tinka is the only one who understands my fashion. Anyway, hurry up. I gotta get to work. It’s gonna be a busy day since its hot outside,” he said. I handed him the trash bag filled with clothes and he walked out to put them on his pick-up truck. Ian was standing by his police car when I went outside to my father’s truck. I was wearing a leopard print camisole with black knee-length leggings.

  “You need help?” Ian asked my father.

  “Is the police talkin’ to me?” my father whispered to me.

  “He’s cool. I went to school with him.”

  Deep down I knew Ian was a cool guy, but Mayor had showed me that being independent was the best way to be. The last thing I wanted was to feel like I owed Ian something.

  “I suppose we can use your help,” my father said to Ian.

  Ian went inside my apartment to get my small couch. Four hours later, I had everything I needed on the back of my father’s truck and Ian put some of my good stuff in his car. My cellphone beeped, and it was Mayor sending me a message…

  Yo, shorty. I didn’t mean to come at you like that last night. I’m stressed out but I promise I’m gonna get betta. I’m not a man yet and got a lot of growing up to do. I didn’t knock a broad up neither. I was just bluffin’. Can I pick you up lata?

  Instead of replying, I got my cellphone number changed. Fuck Mayor! He said some really mean things to me and he knew it was a low-blow because he has never apologized to me or offered to pick me up.

  “Thanks for everything, Daddy. I appreciate it.”

  “I’m warnin’ you now, Kitty. I know you think I’m treatin’ you bad, but you need to grow the hell up. You’re a beautiful smart girl but you keep doin’ stupid shit with Tinka,” he said. I rolled my eyes and rested my head against the headrest on the seat and let the cool AC calm me.

  “I’m gonna pay you more than fifty bucks a week,” my father said, and I sat up.

  “How much?”

  “Enough for you to save and get back on your feet. Business is doing very good and I’m openin’ up another car wash,” he said.

  “Maybe I can run the other wash one day.”

  “That’s my girl,” he said.

  The ride to his house wasn’t a long one. Ian was behind us when we pulled up into the driveway. The yard was neat, and the house was freshly painted.

  “I’m still gettin’ my house remodeled so the basement is off-limits,” he said. The house used to be his mother’s until she passed. I was fourteen years old when we moved from our old hood. The money my father got from her will bought his car wash. Tinka and Essa’s fathers received money, too, but they spent theirs differently instead of investing. Ian stepped out of his car and smirked at me. My father elbowed me.

  “I think he likes you. But whateva you do, don’t bring that muthafucka around my house on Friday nights. That’s gamblin’ night, and the last thing I need is to get locked up and leave you my house,” he said.

  “I just got a call so I’m gonna set these out on the porch,” Ian said. He grabbed my bags out the trunk and sat them on the porch. He and my father shook hands before he got into his car. I waved him goodbye and thanked him as he backed out the driveway. My father grabbed the couch off the back of his truck and took it into the house. While I was bending over grabbing a small box, someone smacked me on the ass. When I turned around, it was my ex-boyfriend, Dade.

  Ohhh, my day is gettin’ too crazy for me. I need to smoke a blunt!

  “Who can loveeeee you like meeee? Nobodyyyy! Who can sex you like meeeee? Nobody!” Dade sang while humping my father’s truck. I grabbed him around the throat and slammed him onto the ground. Dade was a dirty guy and I was only seventeen when he gave me an STD. I ran my father’s lawn mower tractor into the shed in his mother’s yard that he used to sleep in after I found out he burned me. Dade’s shed was set up like a small bedroom and I’d never forget losing my virginity on his bed while staring up at his old Batman poster on the ceiling.

  “Nigga, didn’t I fuckin’ tell you not to play wit’ me?” I screamed.

  “Can we please get back together? My hoe-ass baby mama ain’t tryna let me back inside her apartment. That hoe feet stink anyway,” he said, getting off the ground. Dade wasn’t a bad looking dude. He was actually attractive reminding me of Mike Epps. Dade just had issues and when he got older he let himself go. I heard he was on drugs, but you never know with Dade.

  “Nigga, that’s your feet. I can smell them now, and why do you smell like shit?”

  “Don’t you fart, too, bitch?”

  I picked up a rake and he ran down the street while I chased him. I almost forgot about his mother living two houses away from my father.

  “Get your dirty ass back here!” I screamed, out of breath. Dade ran onto his mother’s porch and banged on the door. Roberta opened the door and Dade ran behind his mother.

  “Oh, heyyyy, baby. How have you been? Me and your father was just talkin’ about you last night,” she said.

  Fuck you! You ain’t neva liked me. You called the cops on me six times, but you think I don’t know about it.

  “Fight her ass, Mama. That hoe was tryna kill me!” Dade screamed.

  “Don’t talk to your stepsister like that,” his mother replied.

  “What now?”

  “Oh, you haven’t heard? Me and your father is engaged. I’m movin’ in a few weeks. That’s why we’re expanding the house. I thought he told you,” she said. Suddenly, I felt lightheaded and everything was spinning. The last thing I remembered was my body falling onto the ground…

  ***********

  I was only unconscious for a few minutes, but Dade’s mother called 911 anyway. It pissed me off because they came and took me to the hospital even though I was fine, but my father was worried about me.

  “Daddy, I’m fine,” I said to my father. He sat in the chair with a worried look on his face. I was sitting up on the hospital bed waiting for the doctor to come back with my lab work.

  “It’s my fault. I should’ve been told you about me and Roberta messin’ around,” he said.

  “Please don’t bring her up. I hate them. She doesn’t like me, and I hate her dirty son,” I replied.

  “We will talk about this later, okay?” he asked, but I shrugged my shoulders. My father deserved so much more than dealing with a woman who sat on her ass all day pretending to be handicap so she could collect a check. The thought of them was making me lightheaded again. The doctor slid the curtain back and he asked to speak with me alone.

  “I wasn’t sure if you wanted your father in here while we go over your test results,” Dr. Chance said. I tried to read her facial expression to see if it was something bad, but her face was blank, so I started panicking.

  “That muthafucka gave me an STD? I’m gonna kill him! NOOOOO, Lord why meeeeee?” I cried. She handed me a tissue and told me I didn’t have an STD.

  “Your pregnancy test came back positive but I’m not sure yet if it has anything to do with your fainting. Your father told me you were out in the heat moving around and that can cause a lot of issues. You’ve got to be careful and drink a lot of water when being out in the sun. You could’ve had a heat stroke,” she said.

  It comes from my fat ass chasing dirty Dade.

  “So, I’m free to go now?”

  “I want to do a sonogram to make sure everything is okay. We’re not in the clear yet. Have you been stressed lately?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  The doctor left the room to get a wheelchair, so she could wheel me down the hall for a sonogram. My father came in seconds later.

  “Is everything okay?” he asked.

  “Yes, I’m fine. They think I might have a cyst on my ovaries so they’re gonna check it out. You can’t come back there cause they have to undress me. Can you wait out in the emergency room?”

  “Okay. Send someone out to ge
t me and don’t hesitate,” he said. He kissed my forehead before leaving the room. I felt bad lying to my father but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to have a baby so there wasn’t a need to drop the news. The doctor came back in with a wheelchair a few minutes later to wheel me down the hall.

  This has got to be the worst day of my life…

  Sinna

  A month later…

  I t was the end of summer and Governor was throwing a block party for the community. Me and Chelsie sat on the steps in front of the building with wine coolers while our kids were taking a nap in the crib. Chelsie had a baby monitor in case one of them woke up. Having a roommate was a relief because Chelsie helped out a lot and I hadn’t seen Dade since he stole a ladder to get inside my apartment. With me working and getting a little check, I was able to keep my hair and nails done.

  “Excuse me!” Rochelle said from behind us. I turned around and she was waiting for me and Chelsie to move since were sitting in front of the doors.

  “Walk around us!”

  “Bitch, get up!” Rochelle spat.

  Rochelle had been cursing out the residents since her and Governor had a falling out. I was glad they were done so I could apply for her apartment after she moved. Her apartment had three bedrooms and I needed the space for Chelsie.

  “Why do you have to be such a bitch?” Chelsie asked.

  “Who is talkin’ to your dirty ass? Y’all hoes are always blockin’ the fuckin’ door! Nobody can leave out or come in!” Rochelle fussed.

  “Let’s just move. She won’t be here long anyways,” I told Chelsie. Chelsie rolled her eyes and Rochelle hit Chelsie with her purse on her way down the steps.

  “I’m movin’ into a better place and y’all will still be in the hood sittin’ y’all stankin’ ass pussies on the steps,” she said. I stood up and was ready to slap the hell out of her, but she hurriedly got into the Uber Tahoe that was waiting for her in front the building.

  “Gosh, I hate her!” Chelsie said.

  “I wonder where she’s going. That trick is hardly home now. She might be fuckin’ with someone else.”

  Chelsie’s phone beeped, and she went inside the building to text. I wondered who she was texting, but then again, it could’ve been everyone in the hood. Since she moved in with me, she had sex with six guys that hung out on the basketball court and went through eight Plan B pills all in one month. I fixed my hair as Governor headed in my direction with block party T-shirts. He was wearing a white shirt with a pair of white shorts and high-dollar tennis shoes. He smelled so good and I couldn’t keep my eyes off his big dick print.

  I’m gonna fuck the shit out of you soon, you just don’t know it.

  I was wearing a hot pink bikini top with pink tennis shorts and cute sandals. My natural hair was pinned up into a bun and I managed to buy nice make-up from Target. To sum it all up, I was looking goodt!

  “Yo, you want one of these?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I’ll take one. I’m glad you’re over here because I wanted to talk to you about sumthin.”

  “Aight, what’s up?” he asked, leaning against the rail.

  “Can I get Rochelle’s apartment? She said she’s moving out soon.”

  “Yo, you serious? Your rent is gonna go up and I’m talkin’ like six hunnid,” he replied.

  “I can afford it. Can my friend Chelsie go on the lease, too? She has income comin’ in.”

  “I’ll see what I can do,” he smirked.

  Is he flirtin’ with me?

  “Okay, thanks, baby.”

  “Aight, I’ll see you lata and stop blockin’ the doorway,” he warned. I winked at him and he walked off. Chelsie came back out the building and sat next to me with an attitude.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “Dijon’s daddy is always too busy to get him. I can’t stand that ni—”

  “Bitchhhhhhh, you better not fuckin’ say it! I’on care how cool we are, I’ll beat your ass and put you and your son outside. We don’t mess around like that around here,” I replied. Chelsie shrugged her shoulders and pulled out a blunt. Although she was a big help, she was too comfortable with her mouth.

  “I wasn’t gonna say the word. Can I say nickel?”

  “Do I look stupid to you?” I spat.

  “Well, you told me you dropped out in the tenth grade,” she replied.

  “And you dropped out, too, hoe. At least my baby daddy claims his daughter!”

  “Dang, calm down. You don’t have to get worked up,” she replied, and I rolled my eyes. I wanted to snatch her by the ponytail and drag her. Her mouth was reckless, but she could never back it up. A few minutes later, Chelsie rolled up her blunt and passed it to me. The door opened, and Essa walked out the building. She was wearing ripped Bermuda shorts with one of Governor’s block party shirts. She wasn’t hanging out on the steps much since she started working. I wanted to break off her pink stiletto nails with designs that matched her cute toes. Her hair was brushed into a bush ball with baby hairs framing her face. The nude lip gloss suited her full lips. Essa also had her eyebrows arched and she was wearing eyelashes. The bitch was beautiful, and I wondered if Governor noticed it.

  “Oh, hey, girl. I love those nails. Where did you get them done at?” Chelsie asked.

  “Thanks, I got them done at City Nails. Ask for Kim and tell her I sent you,” Essa replied.

  Kim don’t know you like that. You just started gettin’ those nails done.

  “Did she do your eyelashes, too?” Chelsie asked Essa.

  “Yes, she does everything. Her Brazilian waxes are good,” Essa replied.

  Waxes, nails, toes and eyelashes. This bitch is fuckin’ our landlord while she’s at work with him. Not on my watch. I have sumthin for that ass. I’ve been here longer than her and that trick Rochelle.

  “We have to go there soon, Sinna,” Chelsie said.

  “Naw, I heard they don’t use fresh wax and gave someone herpes.” Essa sucked her teeth and headed down the steps. Governor walked straight over to her as soon as her foot touched the sidewalk. He leaned against his truck and crossed his arms while she talked to him—she had his attention. Chelsie passed me the blunt and I snatched it from her.

  “Ewww, what’s your attitude for?” she asked.

  “Don’t talk to Essa. She’s trouble and tells everyone’s business in this building.”

  “I don’t hear her talkin’ and besides she’s cool wit’ me. We’re always talkin’ when we pass through the hallway. I think you’re mad because Governor likes her,” she laughed.

  “Who said he likes the bitch?”

  “Nobody said it but look at him. He’s definitely checkin’ her out. Let’s see if he still watches her when she walks away,” she replied.

  Me and Chelsie couldn’t go far because of our kids so we relaxed on the steps and got wasted. Governor and Essa talked for an hour straight in front the building before she went to get something off the grill. I wasn’t expecting him to look at her walk away, but he did, and his eyes stayed glued to her ass.

  “You look at all your residents like that?” I called out.

  “Naw, just that one,” Governor replied and walked off.

  Chelsie screamed in laughter and told me to fix my face, but I was furious.

  “I’m goin’ in the house. This shit is whack.”

  “Go ahead. The music makes me want to twerk in the street,” Chelsie replied. I went inside the building and back into my apartment to look out my window. While Essa and Governor were chatting their lives away, I took a few pictures and sent them to Ricardo. Did I feel sorry for her? Not one bit. I was the one who told Ricardo about the guys coming to her apartment. The bitch had a baby father with money and worked around Governor all day. I felt a tinge of jealousy because who did I have? Nobody but a leeching-ass baby father. I heard through the grapevine Ricardo cut ties with Essa and she hadn’t seen her son since she had that get together. One thing about Manor Apartments is that everyone knew your business.