Teenage Love Affair

by Ni-Ni Simone

  I placed my car in gear and my cell phone rang. Asha…dang, I should’ve known she was a little too quiet for too long. I hadn’t spoken to her since the night we were together at the Chocolate Bar. I started not to answer the phone, but then again I didn’t feel like her cussin’ my voice mail out. So heck, whatever, she’s not my mother and I can take whatever smart thing she has to say.

  “You rang?” I flipped my phone open and said as if I didn’t have a care in the world.

  “You, shiesty bird, how you gon’ stand us up?” Asha spat as I started to drive toward Ameen’s.

  “I didn’t stand you up, I texted you.”

  “You are soooo pathetic. I’ll be so glad when you stop lettin’ this cat play you. Oh, I can’t stand him.”

  “He is not playin’ me, first of all.” I waved my index finger as if she could actually see me. “See, this is why I hate telling you anything.”

  “Whatever. You’re the one who told us about how bad he treated you and now you’re mad because we’re pissed off about it?”

  “Well, I’m not mad anymore.”

  “No, ’cause you too busy wantin’ to cupcake with this dude to see that he’s doggin’ you. You just met him yesterday, dang. I wish you would just dump him.”

  “Let me shut you down real quick. Ameen and I have been together for six months, that’s a long time. And for real, for real, I don’t have to explain anything to you. Just because you don’t believe in giving your man a second chance and you up and dumped Bryan—”

  “Because he cheated on me. I got the hint!” she screamed.

  “Well, Ameen is not cheating on me.”

  “Okay, Zsa-Zsa,” she said calmly. “I’m not gon’ argue with you. If you like it, I love it. So anyway, Samaad just called and said he and Malachi would be hanging tonight at Club Heated. I borrowed my brother’s car, so me and Courtney about to hit the spot. You rollin’?”

  “No, I’m about to go and see Ameen.”

  She didn’t even respond, she simply hung up. Whatever, trust me, I know how to keep my man, and if I don’t do right by him somebody else will be right there to jock my spot. And believe me, I am not the one.

  I parked in front of Ameen’s building. After I got out of the car I smiled and waved at a few of Ameen’s partners and I headed into the lobby. The hallway was dark, and the only light came from a naked and blinking bulb hung over the mailboxes. I walked up the stairs, taking two at a time, and then suddenly I came to an abrupt halt and felt as if I’d hit a brick wall. “Dang.” I looked up and realized I’d just bumped into Malachi, and said, “You can’t say excuse me?”

  “Not when somebody bumps into me,” he said as he looked down into my face, and it suddenly occurred to me that he was even finer than the last time I saw him.

  Don’t ask me why, but I stumbled back to the step below and he grabbed my hand. “Heels too high?” He laughed, stepping onto the same step as me.

  “No,” I snapped, enjoying our closeness a bit too much for my boyfriend to be two flights up. “What are you doing here?”

  “Samaad lives here. What you doing here?”

  “My boyfriend lives here.”

  “Your boyfriend?” He smirked.

  “Yeah, my boyfriend. The one that I love and trust to never leave me.”

  “Ma.” He gave me a one-sided grin. “You don’t even believe that.” He placed his hands on my waist and pressed his lips against mine. Oh…my…God. I couldn’t believe this. “What are we doing?” I asked as he slid his luscious tongue into my mouth.

  “Exactly what you want me to do,” he said as we started to kiss passionately. It felt like the Fourth of July, Christmas, and my birthday all in one.

  “I’m ready whenever you are.” He gave me one last peck, and afterward he lifted me by my waist, placed me to the side of him, and walked down the stairs. I stood there for a moment and watched him until his presence became a faded blur. I swear I didn’t know what to think…and then I wondered if that had just happened. Nah it didn’t…yes it did, nah…wait a minute…ummm, can anyone tell me, what just happened here?

  After a few unexpectant minutes of standing in the hallway I headed to Ameen’s apartment. I could smell fried chicken cooking, and the music playing inside was so loud that the door shook. The door was unlocked, and after I knocked for a few seconds and no one answered I just walked in. Ameen’s mother was sitting on her boyfriend’s lap watching TV, while Ameen’s sister and her friends were in the kitchen cooking.

  “Hello.” I waved, no matter what my mother taught me to speak.

  “Did Ameen know you were coming over here?” his mother asked me, and I couldn’t believe it. She’d never spoken three words to me.

  “Yes,” I said as I sucked my teeth.

  “You better watch your tone,” she snapped.

  “All I said was yes.”

  “Is she gettin’ smart?” His sister jumped into our conversation.

  “Oh…kay…and all this beef is coming from where? All I wanna know,” I said as calmly as possible, “is if Ameen is here?”

  “Wait a minute.” His mother got off her boyfriend’s lap and went to knock on Ameen’s door. “’Cause I ain’t up for no nonsense in my house tonight. Anybody get to fightin’ up in here goin’ to jail.” She banged on Ameen’s door and he cracked it open. “Did you know this boogzie li’l girl was rollin’ over here?”

  “Who? Zsa-Zsa?” he said from behind the door.

  What does he mean, who, Zsa-Zsa?

  “I guess that’s her name. She can’t have a regular name like Khadejah, Al-Keema, or one of them? A Zsa-Zsa…what kinda bull is that?”

  “Ai’ight, ma,” he said, “just tell her to come in here.”

  She turned around and snapped toward me, “He said bring ya li’l high sadity behind on.”

  I hurried and walked past her. I didn’t wanna be held accountable for smacking his mama.

  “Why was your mother acting like that?” I asked Ameen as he closed the door behind me.

  “She didn’t know I was having company, that all.” He started kissing on me.

  “And what did you mean when you said, ‘Who, Zsa-Zsa’? You got somebody else coming over here?”

  “Don’t start, Zsa.” He stopped kissing me.

  “And what did she mean by, ‘if somebody come over here fighting they’re going to jail’?” I looked him over and noticed scratches on his neck and shoulder. “And what are those scratches on you? Have you been fighting?”

  “Zsa, why are you buggin’?”

  “I’m not buggin’, why can’t you tell me the truth? Was some other chick over here?” My voice trembled.

  “Zsa—”

  A lump filled my throat. “Know what, I’ma go home.” I opened his door and he closed it back.

  “What are you doin’?”

  “I think you been bringing other girls over here.”

  He shook his head.

  “See”—tears filled my eyes—“I’m out.”

  “Ai’ight, man, just listen. It wasn’t nothin’, for real. My son’s mother came over here to get some money.”

  “Your son’s mother?” I twisted my lips in disbelief.

  “You want me to tell the story or you got it from here?”

  “Go ’head.” I leaned from one foot to the next.

  “She found your picture”—he went in his dresser drawer, pulled a framed picture of me out, and sat it on top—“and she caught a serious attitude.”

  “Umm-hmm.” I folded my arms across my breasts. “Did that really happen?”

  “What I’ma lie for, Zsa-Zsa?”

  “You tell me.”

  “I’m not lyin’ man, chill. She started buggin’ because I told her that I loved you and she started fighting me.”

  “I told you,” I said, “that you needed to tell her about us before.”

  “Well, she knows now so the rest is on her.”

  “Ameen, do you really love me, though? Be
cause sometimes I just feel—”

  “Look, how many chicks you think I bring around my family? My family now, not my boys. But my moms, my sister, and my niece. Only you and my son’s mother. That’s it. It’s all about you and you know that.” He kissed me on my shoulder. “So chill.”

  “Alright, Ameen,” I said, melting into the kisses he was placing on taboo parts of my body.

  An hour later after we were done committing our sins and had both showered, I noticed that Ameen was getting fully dressed and had slipped his Tims on. “Where are you going?” I asked him.

  He paused and then said, “Umm, I need to run by the church for my mother. Umm, I promised her I would deliver two dinners to the monks there.”

  “Monks?”

  “You know what I mean. What’s that they call those people that head the church. The ushers.”

  “You mean the pastor?”

  “Yeah, him. I need to deliver two dinners to the pastor.”

  “Okay, well, I’m going with you.” I reached for my shoes.

  “Nah, it won’t take me long, I’ll be right back.”

  “How long?”

  “An hour.”

  I hated that I felt like he was lying, but a part of me wanted to believe what he was saying was true. “An hour?” I twisted my lips. “If you say so,” I said, not wanting to start another argument.

  “An hour, baby, that’s it.” He kissed me on the neck, picked up my car keys, and walked out the door.

  When I knew for certain he was gone I started rummaging through his things. I guess he expected it, because I found nothing. After a while I felt stupid sitting there alone. I thought about leaving, but then again, how would I? Ameen had my ride.

  I decided to forget it. I’d wait it out and then when he came back I’d let him know that I didn’t appreciate him leaving me here like that. But then again, I really shouldn’t have been worried because if he had another chick, how much attention was she really getting when I was in his room alone?

  I picked up the remote to his TV and turned it on. Two hours later, I’d had enough of MTV. I turned to look out his window, and out the corner of my eye I noticed my cell phone, which had been on vibrate, blinking. I picked the phone up and I had three missed calls, all from Asha. As soon as I decided I’d call her back tomorrow, my cell phone was ringing again. “What, Asha?” I answered.

  “Where are you?” she asked. Her voice sounded as if she were in a hurry.

  “With Ameen.”

  “You are physically with Ameen?” she asked as if she didn’t believe me.

  “Yes,” I continued, “we’re sitting here watching a movie.”

  “Well”—I heard her smirk—“this must be what we call ghetto twins because it’s some dude right here in Club Heated hanging on some busted bitch, feeling all over her and kissing her on the neck.”

  I couldn’t believe this. My heart started pounding. “What?”

  “It’s nothin’,” she said. “It’s obvious I have the wrong cat.”

  “Come get me.”

  “Come get you?” she screeched. “Then that means I have to pay twice to get up in here. Hell, no, catch the bus.”

  “Asha, now is not the time to be frontin’.” My heart was beating so fast I swore it would fall out my chest. “I’m at Ameen’s. Call me when you’re in front of the building.”

  “You’re lucky we’re friends,” she said, and then hung up.

  Ten minutes later Asha was waiting outside. I stormed down the stairs and into Asha’s car. “Where’s Courtney?” I asked Asha as she pulled off.

  “I left him at the club to keep an eye on Black Romeo. Plus he doesn’t really have any money so it didn’t make sense for both of us to pay twice.”

  Asha kept talking about something but all I could think about was how the lump in my throat was due to explode. Somewhere inside of me I knew that Ameen was cheating. But then again he was with me practically every day, so when did he have time to cheat?

  “You know what, Asha,” I said as if we were in the midst of a conversation, “if Ameen is cheating on me then why doesn’t he just leave me alone?”

  “He probably really likes you.”

  “So then…why the other girls?”

  “Because he likes them too.”

  “But Ameen can be honest with me. If he wants to see other people then all he has to do is tell me and I’ll leave him alone.”

  “What?” she said, confused. “Why is everything on his terms? I’m telling you he’s doin’ him, can’t you see that? Just bounce. Be out. You always let him use your car, he’s all sleepin’ with you whenever the wind blows, and I hope you’re using condoms.”

  “Yes we are—as if that’s any of your business.”

  “Whatever, I’m just sayin’, you see what your cousin Toi went through after she had her baby. She practically dropped off the earth; don’t let the same thing happen to you.”

  “You’re reachin’.”

  “All I’m saying is that it’s life beyond Ameen. I understand he’s your first but you really don’t have to be this open. Now, I hope you seeing him in here with this chick teaches you a lesson: That your boo ain’t all that.” She parked the car. “Now, let’s go. And I’m telling you, if you take him back after this don’t be in my ear about the mess he’s doing to you, ’cause I don’t wanna hear it.”

  “Didn’t I tell you I was through with him after this?”

  “You said that the other day too.”

  “This is different.”

  “I hope so,” she said as we exited the car and walked into the club. “But it sure seems to me that your heart got your mind trippin’.”

  The GS Boyz’s “Stanky Leg” was blastin’ as we walked into Club Heated. We paid our ten dollars and I could hear the crowd shouting, “Go, Ameen, do the stanky leg!”

  Once we were standing next to Courtney, Asha said while pointing to Ameen, “I thought you said this clown was a thug.”

  “Don’t be judging people, Asha, you don’t know. He could be a thug,” Courtney said and pointed to his chest. “I’ma thug.”

  This whole conversation was ridiculous. “Shut up,” I barked at Courtney, as I attempted to walk up behind Ameen and she pulled me back.

  “Hold up,” Asha said, “let’s see how this plays out for a minute.”

  “You not gon’ tell me to shut up too many more times,” Courtney snapped.

  “Zsa,” Asha said, “if you go over there now, all he gon’ say is he was dancing with the chick. No, let’s see what he does after the stanky leg.”

  I couldn’t believe my eyes. Ameen was straight clowin’. He would’ve never danced with me like that, yet he was all over this chick.

  Hold it…wait… I shook my head…hold it, does that chick have on the Gucci boots he bought for me? Oh, my God, he gave her my boots?

  I swear I wanted to drop a river from my eyes, but I knew if I started crying in here then er’body up in this spot would think my swagger was weak. No way. When I left this place I needed to be known as no joke.

  After a few minutes passed I couldn’t take it anymore. I felt like Ameen had opened my heart, sliced it down the middle, and pissed on the inside. I walked over to Ameen and pushed him on the shoulder. He was so busy kissing the girl that either he didn’t feel my push or he didn’t care to turn around.

  So instead of pushing him again, I mushed him in the head.

  “What the…” He spun around and looked dead in my face. He quickly wiped the lipstick from his lips and spat, “What are you doin’ here? Didn’t I tell you to stay home?” He pointed his fingers like a gun in my face.

  “Who is this bitch, Ameen?” I pointed back into his face. “Huh.” I pushed him. “I thought you were going to church to deliver some dinners? Huh, I knew you was lyin’ from the giddy up!”

  “What are you talking about?!” he spat, and it was clear that he was showing off for this bird who looked at me like I was crazy. “Didn’t I tell you
about stalking me?” he continued. “What are you following me for? How did you get here? You walked over here? Yo, you buggin’.”

  “I’m buggin’?!” I couldn’t believe this. I don’t know what hurt more—that he was playin’ me in public or that he didn’t seem to care how I felt. “You tryna front for this tramp, Ameen? You left me at your house and you driving my whip to come dance like a sissy with this rat.”

  “I thought that was your sister’s cousin’s friend’s car?” the girl said.

  “Sister’s cousin’s friend?” I couldn’t believe this. “That’s the same thing he told me when he took me out in some hot-pink Corolla.”

  “That was my car!” the girl shouted, and pushed Ameen.

  I looked at Ameen. “You’re nothin’! I swear I should spit in your face!” I raised my hand to slap him and he blocked my hit, causing me to stumble.

  I straight blacked on Ameen. I swung on Ameen like crazy, punched him, kicked, and lost control. I heard Courtney and Asha say something about get off of her, get off of me, or something, and then I felt Ameen’s fist slam into the side of my face and knock me over the bar stool.

  Suddenly, as if a swift wind passed by, Ameen was pulled off of me, Courtney and Asha were hovered over me, and I couldn’t see anything but stars.

  I thought I heard Malachi’s voice say, “You lost your damn mind?! Don’t be puttin’ your hands on her!” but I wasn’t sure if that was him or not.

  “You better back up!” I heard Ameen say in return.

  “Or what you gon’ do?!” That sounded like Samaad.

  When I regained my vision and the stars faded away, I saw Malachi right hook Ameen, and it looked as if his fist was going back for more. I ran over and stood between them. “Don’t hit him!” I screamed at Malachi.

  “What?” he said, stunned.

  “You tryna kill him!” I shouted.

  Malachi, who was now being pushed back by security, said, “What you say? I could what? Hurt him?”

  “Chill.” I looked at Malachi. “It’s okay. I don’t need you to get in it and take up for me, I’m okay!”

  “You playin’ me in front of everybody, right?” Ameen spat. “I’m done with you, Zsa!” Ameen tossed my keys at me and just missed my face.