“You’ll see. I promise it will make you very happy.”
I shrugged, thinking maybe she was about to give me some head or anything to help me kick this current urge.
After driving for about twenty minutes, we pulled up in front of a salon. I didn’t understand, so I turned to ask Catharine why we were here, but she was already getting out of the car.
“Aye, what’s this about?”
“Get out the car so you can see, silly.” She chuckled, holding her big duffel bag looking purse.
Just as I was about to exit the vehicle, I spotted Rhea sweeping the front of the salon. I then remembered that she owned her own spot, and this must have been it. I didn’t know what Catharine had planned, but my girl was smart, so I was sure whatever she was about to do was gonna convince Rhea to abort our child if still possible, or let me live without the burden of being a father to an illegitimate kid.
“Yes?” I heard Rhea ask as she pushed the door open, sizing Catharine up.
I climbed out of the car, grinning from ear to ear. The only thing I was missing was popcorn. Thankfully, Rhea couldn’t see me, because I was sure she’d run and tell my brother.
“I’m going to give you two options; you either get an abortion or regret it.”
“Girl, you better take your fat ass home and on somewhere!” Rhea barked.
“I may be fat, but your skinny ass is the one pregnant and single. At least my fat ass has a ring on her finger.”
“Yeah, from a loser ass nigga.” Rhea cackled, making me want to punch her. I hated how much she belittled me.
Don’t go over there, Jamal, I told myself.
Catharine calmly went into her purse and retrieved a brick. Before Rhea or I could say or do anything, she clocked Rhea over the head hard as hell. Rhea was dazed obviously, as she swung on Catharine and missed.
CLUNK!
Catharine hit her in the head again, and then two more times.
“Aye, aye!” I hollered, rushing over. “What are you doing!” I yanked Catharine backwards as she panted, holding the bloody brick in her hand.
“This was the only way!” she cried.
“No, no, no, no! Aww shit!” I dropped down to see if Rhea had a pulse, and when she didn’t, I began to panic. “What the fuck is wrong with you!” I roared, hopping out of the blood I was now standing in.
“It’s okay. Kaseem can help—”
“Kaseem is not going to help with this you idiot!” I took a deep breath. “This is his ex, okay and um uh, he strictly told me that I needed to—”
“His ex? I thought he was with Everly?”
“He sleeps with both! Damnit!”
I couldn’t believe this shit. The only thing I could think to do was bounce so I took off running.
“Jamal!” Catharine called. “Jamal, come back!”
Fuck this and fuck her. I wasn’t going down for none of this shit.
Kasslyn
Same time… different location…
“Kaseem! Kaseem, let me have a word with you for a minute!” I heard Jane’s voice coming closer to my room.
I’d been looking for a place to stay all day long because she told me I had to be out by tomorrow. She would’ve put me out the night I fucked Allen up, but I was able to get the girls to back me, saying they would leave too if she did. However, she eventually called their bluff and told me to have my ass out in twenty-four hours.
“Open this fucking door ’fore I throw yo’ ass down them damn stairs,” Kaseem threatened.
It got quiet, and then I heard Jane’s keys before my door came open. I spotted Kaseem looking scrumptious as hell in a polo type shirt, some jeans, and Louis Vuitton sneakers. His jewelry was so icy, and his Burberry cologne had already permeated the air of my bedroom. His dark chocolate skin was blemish free per usual.
He was carrying a bouquet of roses, a bag from Tiffany’s, and then another bag from Hermes.
“Kaseem—” Jane attempted.
“Get out and close the fucking door.” He didn’t even turn around as he spoke to Jane. After sighing like a child, she did what he’d told her ass to.
“Well hello.” I sat up on my bed fully, Indian style, closing my laptop.
“Sup, beautiful.” He joined me, setting the bags down and extending the roses.
“Thank you.” I felt all giddy as I sniffed them. “What’s in the bags?”
“Gifts for my girl.”
“Oh.”
“I mean, they could be yours, as well as this offer for dinner on a boat this evening.”
He was so cute.
“Hmm, I don’t know.” I avoided eye contact, toying with one of the roses.
He moved the bouquet from my hands, and then took one of them into his before kissing my palm.
“Baby, you were right in what you said about me and how I was being a fraud. And like I said before, I apologize for the shit that I came at you with. It’s no excuse, but I wasn’t used to how I was feeling at all. I’ve liked females, but not to the extent where the thought of them fucking another nigga bothered me. Then you being pregnant while I’m having those thoughts just fucked with me even more.
What I’m trying to say is that I love you, and I’ve accepted the fact that I love you. So I’m hoping you’ll forgive me and give me a chance to show you that what I’m saying is true. Also, give us a chance to be a family for the baby.” He touched my stomach.
“What about your other baby?”
“Yeah, that’s more like my nephew.”
Blinking slowly, I replied, “Wait, it’s Jamal’s baby? He’s not a virgin?”
“News to you and me both. He’s been smashing her for a while now.”
Wow. Jamal was the king of frauds with his weird ass. Nigga told me to lie, when his ass was lying too. He pretended to be so betrayed by Kaseem, when he’d betrayed him long ago.
“Wow.”
“Back to us though, and our baby. You gon’ give this shit a try?”
“Okay, but only because… I love you too.”
“Oh shit, she said it.” He put his fist to his mouth, making me chuckle.
He leaned over, so we began kissing, hungrily.
“Wait, I want my gifts.”
“Of course.” He grabbed the bags from the floor, and then set them on the bed.
I quickly opened the Tiffany’s one first to see a diamond bracelet and some matching earrings. Kaseem reached over and lifted my jaw up, making us both laugh.
Second, I opened the Hermes bag and saw a beautiful purse. It was a green color, my favorite, and I smiled thinking about how Kaseem remembered such a tiny detail.
“I love you.” I put it to the side to kiss him.
“Damn, again.”
“I love you.” I straddled his lap, pressing my lips to his as I began to unbuckle his jeans. I wanted to suck his dick right now.
We started to suckle one another’s lips just as his phone rang, but he ignored it, taking my shirt off. It ceased but then started up again.
“Fuck!” he groaned, pulling it from his pocket.
I saw it said Warren before he answered. I sat in his lap, kissing his neck as he talked, and when I noticed his voice changed, I stopped.
As soon as he hung up, I asked, “What happened?”
“Somebody murdered Rhea.”
Epilogue
Kasslyn Banks
Bora, bora… Two and a half years later…
“Ready!” my baby girl Kasey yelled out as her daddy brought her into the living room like area of our cabana.
“You are? Wow, you look so pretty!” I beamed at her in the little bathing suit she was wearing. It was the only one Kaseem would allow her to have and wear.
“You look pretty as hell too.” Kaseem leaned down to kiss me after placing Kasey on one of the cushion seats.
“Thanks, baby.” I stood on my tiptoes to kiss him again.
I couldn’t believe he was my husband, especially since when we met, I couldn’t stand hi
s ass and vice versa. But now, we were soulmates.
I guess the saying God works in mysterious ways is very true. Especially because I thought I’d be married to Jamal at this point, but things took a very different turn for us, and ultimately him.
I was surprised to find out Catharine was responsible for killing Rhea, and at the trial, she was remorseful somewhat, saying she’d disappointed God. I knew her ass was off when she pressed me in the grocery store, but Jamal was right up there with her.
He pretended he had nothing to do with the murder, but when Catharine’s phone was confiscated, they found all the texts he’d sent her, urging her to handle Rhea.
Jamal swore he didn’t mean murdering her, and a part of me believed him, but the jury… not so much. I mean what did he expect Catharine to do if he didn’t mean killing her?
While Catharine got a life sentence, Jamal got a cool quarter century. His parents were devastated, of course, and are still right now trying to petition and get the charges reversed. So much for him being the good son.
I didn’t like Rhea, well after our fight, but before that, she was pretty cool. It was sad to see her go out like that, and while being pregnant. It made me feel better when Kaseem offered to pay for her funeral. It was a really nice service with a lot of people in attendance.
“Aight, so we gon’ eat first, chill, and then hit the pool. Is that cool?” Kaseem looked down at my cute, little baby.
“No,” she replied.
She always said no when she didn’t understand, and Kaseem said he liked that. He swore it was preparing her to swat off the bum niggas when she got older.
“Okay, let me just turn my phone off.”
Ever since I’d finished design school and opened my own online company for design, I’d been a busy woman. Making that logo for Opulence had really helped me out, but doing the other jobs while in school only upped my portfolio. So unlike a lot of people, once I finished school, I was already in high demand.
Being a professional graphic designer always seemed like a dream to me, and something I thought I would have to end up doing on the side. So the fact that this was my job, and my only job, really made me feel accomplished. I was sure my mother would be proud.
And speaking of my mother, I ran into Allen only a month ago, and clearly some of the hits I gave him were hard because he had some permanent scarring. When he saw me, he quickly crossed the street and dipped inside of some sewing store, which I found to be funny. Bitch.
It was nice to not have to see or talk to Jane ever, but because Leila and I were still close, I got all the tea. As for friends, I’d gotten to know Warren’s girlfriend Marie a little more, so it was nice to have them accompany us to Bora Bora.
“I thought you said you were leaving this thong shit at home, Kass.” Kaseem followed me out of the cabana, holding Kasey.
“The sarong is covering it.”
“The what?” Kaseem frowned, obviously not feeling it.
Kaseem was out of the drug game, a deal he made with Felipe after finding him someone else to replace him. He said Felipe also appreciated him handling Roderick and getting him his money back with nothing missing.
So now, Opulence liquor was his true main moneymaker, and it was a lot of money too now that it was a global brand. Also, it was still doing well, better actually, without crazy maniac Everly.
“That’s what this skirt thing is called.”
“Be happy ain’t nobody around this bitch like that or else you’d be in a fucking turtle neck dress,” he spat.
“It’s all for you.” I tilted my head back, so he kissed me.
“I already fucking know.”
I smiled, feeling his lips against mine again, while our daughter ran her mouth about nothing.
Jamal and many others may have thought his idea of love was the right way, but there was nothing like a good hood love that was bona fide…
*FIN*
That Bona Fide Hood Love Page 22