by Jazmyne
“Mommy!” Serenity answered.
“Yes, that is mommy. Are you going to go over and give her a hug and say hi?” Serenity nodded her head up and down as she pried herself from Aaliyah. She slowly walked over to Sunshine and hugged her legs.
Sunshine wanted to cry but held the tears back. She couldn’t believe Serenity remembered her after all this time.
“Savanna!” Aaliyah called out. Within seconds, Savanna was walking into the kitchen. “Look who’s here to see you ladies,” Aaliyah announced as she pointed to Sunshine.
Savanna didn’t take to Sunshine as quickly as Serenity did. Savanna hid behind Aaliyah and held on to her for dear life. “Savanna, you’re not going to say hi to your mother?” Aaliyah inquired.
“It’s okay; don’t push her do something she isn’t ready to do. Is there somewhere we can talk in private?” Sunshine requested.
“Excuse me for just a moment,” Aaliyah said as she grabbed the bowl of popcorn and took the girls into the living room. “I’ll be back in just a little while to watch the movie with you ladies, okay?”
“Aaliyah, please don’t let her take us. I don’t wanna go with her,” Savanna urged as she began to cry.
“Baby, I won’t let that happen,” Aaliyah assured her. Knowing damn well, if Sunshine wanted to take her girls and walk out the front door right now, there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it.
*
Sunshine paced back and forth as she waited for Aaliyah to return. It was surreal seeing her girls. They were gorgeous and had grown so much since the last time she had seen or held them. She had to give it to Ace; he had done an outstanding job in raising them by himself.
“I’m sorry, what did you want to talk to me about?” Aaliyah inquired as she returned to the kitchen. She pointed to the chairs and invited Sunshine to have a seat. Both ladies looked each other over, admiring how beautiful the other was. For Aaliyah, there was no jealously or envy; she knew how pretty Sunshine was from the many photos sitting around Ace’s home. Sunshine had no reason to be jealous either. Nevertheless, she felt vaguely jealous of the woman sitting before her.
Now that Sunshine was sitting in front of Aaliyah, she couldn’t remember the reason for showing up at her doorstep. And wished she hadn’t done so at all.
“I need you to tell Amir to leave me alone. He’s out chasing me when he has you at home,” Sunshine stated. “I love him and always will; I’m just no longer in love with him.”
“I’m not the person you need to be telling this to, Amir is,” Aaliyah declared.
“He won’t listen. Maybe if you tell him, he’ll listen. He needs to move on with you because I’m trying to move on with someone else,” Sunshine let it be known.
“Again, you need to converse with Amir. What you two have going on has nothing to do with me.” Aaliyah informed her. “No disrespect, but you sound ungrateful and selfish right about now. That man had been putting his life on the line to find you and protect his girls. It’s as if you don’t give a fuck about any of that! Why?” She wanted to know. “This isn’t the same Sunshine I’ve heard about.”
“She died three years ago. I don’t want any of it anymore. If you wanna deal with the bullshit, the late nights, the shootouts, and anything dealing with the streets, you can have it all,” Sunshine responded. “I’ve lost so much because of the lifestyle he chose to live; I don’t plan on losing out on anymore.”
“What about your daughters?” Aaliyah questioned.
“What about them? From what I can tell, they’re happy here with you and I respect that. Why ruin their lives anymore?” Sunshine proclaimed.
Aaliyah had the urge to slap the hell out of Sunshine. Therefore, she did.
SLAP!
“What the hell?” Sunshine asked stunned. She couldn’t believe Aaliyah had slapped her.
SLAP!
Aaliyah had slapped her again.
“I hope like hell I just slapped some sense into you,” Aaliyah spat with disgust written all over her face. “The reason that man is back into the streets the way he is, is because of you. Ace will and still is willing to lay his life on the line for you. Not because he has to but because he loves you that much.” She said as she got up to pace the floor. “He took losing you so hard. When I met him, he was finally coming to terms with your death. However, deep down inside, he never believed you were dead. When he started receiving photos and little notes with your name on it, he made a promise that he would do everything in his power to find you dead or alive. And that’s what he’s been doing,” Aaliyah announced as she turned to face Sunshine.
“Did you just slap me? Not once but twice?” Sunshine asked still stunned as she held her burning cheek.
“You damn right; now get out of my fucking house!” Aaliyah screamed. “The next time you knock on my door, it better have something to do with your daughters.” She concluded as she showed her the way out. Sunshine stood on the other side of the door still holding her cheek. She had half the mind to jump on her and fuck her up. Luckily, she would give her a pass this one time, only because she didn’t want her daughters to see her acting a damn fool.
“You have…”
“Save all that bullshit you kicking for someone who gives a fuck about what you gotta say,” Aaliyah stated as she slammed the door in Sunshine’s face.
Aaliyah locked the door and threw her back against it; she couldn’t believe Sunshine had come to her home talking out the side of her neck. Aaliyah was laid back and quiet. However, if anyone viewed it as a sign of weakness, they would be at a disadvantage. She would and could come out of a bag with the quickness. Her tongue could be just as nasty as her physical attack; she was more than certain no one wanted that. She had respect for Sunshine on the strength of Ace and the twins. On the other hand, she would never allow her or anyone else to disrespect her. Aaliyah believed Sunshine should have been busting her ass to make sure all would be well with Ace and the twins. Any other bullshit was minor and should have been the least of her worries. Sunshine had a second chance at love but was throwing it away. It didn’t make any kind of sense to Aaliyah.
*
“Why are you crying?” Aaliyah asked as she walked into the living room to find, Savanna and Serenity hugging each other and crying.
Aaliyah sat in between the girls and wrapped her arms around them. Ever since she had been around them, she had never seen either of them shed a tear over anything.
“I don’t wanna leave you,” Savanna asserted as she buried her face into Aaliyah’s neck.
“Baby, you aren’t leaving me.”
“I don’t wanna go with her. Please don’t make us go with her. We wanna stay here with you and daddy,” she cried even harder.
“Baby listen, no one can take you from me or your father. I promise you that. Everything’s going to be okay.” Aaliyah said as she rocked both girls back and forth. It took Aaliyah a while to get the girls to settle down. After a movie and a bath, they fell asleep. Aaliyah sighed as she stood over the twins and watched them. She had only known them for a short period of time. In spite of that, they would never know how much joy they brought to her life. They filled her days with fun times and good memories. She appreciated them very much.
*
Ace walked into the house to find all the lights out, letting him know Aaliyah and the twins had called it an early night. He chuckled because when he had spoken to the three of them earlier that day, they were excited about having their ladies’ night. Savanna and Serenity told him he wasn’t invited because he wasn’t a girl.
Ace made his way upstairs and into the bedroom to find Aaliyah spread across the bed with her kindle in her hands.
“Did you ladies have fun?” Ace asked as he began to remove his clothes. Aaliyah burst into tears. “What’s wrong?” Ace asked as he walked over to the bed.
“I’m sorry,” Aaliyah said as she got up from the bed to clean her face.
“Babygirl, there is never any need to be sorry. Every
one has their moments and breaking points,” Ace assured her as he pulled her down onto his lap. “Talk to me.”
“That’s coming from a man who doesn’t show his emotions and never breaks down,” Aaliyah replied as she wiped her face.
“Just because you don’t witness me emotionally breakdown doesn’t mean I don’t,” Ace responded. “I have my moments, just like everyone else. Now what happened?”
“Sunshine stopped by…”
“What? Why was she here?” Ace questioned, pissed off.
“She stopped by to tell me that I need to talk to you about leaving her alone, how you should move on with me because she’s trying to move on,” Aaliyah informed him. “But that isn’t what bothered me. What did is she didn’t even attempt to spend time with the twins. I mean how could she not? It’s been three years; and all she’s worried about is moving on with some new nigga?” Aaliyah spat as her leg shook. “Oh, and I slapped her ass twice.”
“You did what?” Ace asked chuckling.
“I tried to slap some sense into her ass,” Aaliyah informed him.
“Don’t stress yourself out over things you can’t change. Sunshine is lying. I haven’t seen or talked to her since the night I found out she was fucking with J’vion. Before then, yes, I was trying to patch things up. We could have remained friends. For whatever reason, she doesn’t want anything to do with me,” Ace confessed.
“You still love her don’t you?” Aaliyah asked. She already knew the answer. Nonetheless; she had to ask because every day she watched him struggle with anything that involved Sunshine.
“Yeah, I do. I will always love her. But I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s time to move on and be happy. I can’t keep trying to please everyone, including Sunshine,” Ace said as he lay back on the bed. Aaliyah lay beside him with her head on his chest. Daily, she wished she could take his pain and struggles away, even if it was for a short period of time. She wanted to suggest to him to take the girls and go on a short vacation–to get away and clear his mind. Sadly, she realized Ace wasn’t going anywhere until the situation with J’vion and Adam was handled.
Chapter 15
Two months later…
Adam paced in front of Aaliyah’s office; he had just come down from an all-time high. Lately, he had been smoking crack, sniffing coke, and popping mollies. Most days, he didn’t know if he was coming or going, nor did he know which way was up or down. He tried to stay high. It was the only way he could get the images of Brenda’s dead body out of his mind. When he wasn’t high and attempted to sleep, all he heard were loud gunshots in his head.
Adam was aware he was a dead man walking; he had come to terms with that a long time ago. But it was also set in his mind that he wasn’t going out alone. Adam often wondered why he couldn’t have been more like his twin brother. Why couldn’t he find happiness; why couldn’t he have been the man everyone looked up to–like Ace. Adam blamed everyone for his tribulations. He wanted to know why his father left them; why his mother didn’t want anything to do with them. He had a whole lot of why questions to which he would never get answers to.
*
“So did you tell him?” Jennifer questioned Sunshine as she paced her office floor. Aaliyah signified no with the shaking of her head. “What? You didn’t tell him? Why not? He has a right to know.”
“I know, but the time isn’t right. Amir has so much stuff going on right now. I don’t want to complicate the situation even more,” Aaliyah sighed.
“You telling him that you’re carrying his baby isn’t going to make anything more complicated,” Jennifer declared taking a seat.
“I know and I will tell him,” Aaliyah responded as she walked around her desk. She glanced up at the security cameras then smiled. But it quickly turned into a frown. At first glance, she thought it was Ace, but when she looked closer she realized it wasn’t. She began to panic. “Jennifer, come here quickly,” she waved her over.
“Is everything alright?” Jennifer questioned, immediately picking up on her mood change.
“Remember when I told you things were complicated?” Jennifer nodded. “Well this is what I was talking about.” Aaliyah said as she walked Jennifer to the bathroom in her office. “No matter what you hear, don’t come out, don’t scream, don’t do anything! When everything is clear, I want you to call Amir and give him that letter I gave you a few days ago as well as this one,” Aaliyah said handing Jennifer another letter.
“What’s going on?” Jennifer asked as her nerves began to get the best of her.
“I don’t have time to explain,” Aaliyah told her as she shut the door and rushed over to her desk. Just as she made it, her office door flew open. The crazed look Adam had in his eyes scared the living hell out of her, but she tried not to show any emotion.
“How can I help you today?” Aaliyah asked nervously.
“Bitch, don’t play stupid. Bring yo ass over here,” Adam demanded as he rushed across the room. Aaliyah ran behind her desk; he chased her for a few minutes.
“Sir…”
Aaliyah stopped what she was saying when he pulled a gun on her. “I thought that would change your mind,” Adam smiled as he kept the gun aimed at her.
“Noooo, stop,” she yelled as he grabbed a fistful of her hair then tossed her to the floor. Aaliyah’s instincts was to protect her unborn child. She would do just that. “Why are you doing this?” She cried as she was being dragged across her office floor.
“Shut up bitch!” Adam growled as he bent down and slapped her across her face. Aaliyah could taste the warm blood in her mouth. She didn’t know if she was kicked or punched in the face, but afterwards everything around her faded to black.
Jennifer sat in the bathroom with her back against the door and hands over her mouth to keep from screaming aloud. She felt helpless sitting there unable to help Aaliyah in her time of need. She listened as Aaliyah took a beating. She wanted so badly to open the door and protect her from her attacker. Unfortunately, the letter she held wouldn’t permit her to listen to her mind and heart.
Jennifer wiped the tears away then cracked the door open. She didn’t hear or see anything. Therefore, she rushed over to the phone to call Ace.
*
Ace was riding around the city with his top down. Serenity and Savanna were riding in the backseat bobbin’ their heads to the music. He was on his way to take them to the park when his phone started ringing. He turned the music down and answered his phone when he saw the call was coming from Aaliyah’s office. His stomach knotted up, telling him something wasn’t right. She never called from her office phone.
“Hello?” He answered.
“Amir, you have to get here fast!” Jennifer yelled into the phone. Ace could tell she’d been crying.
“What’s going on? Is everything okay? Where’s Aaliyah?” Ace fired off question after question.
“That’s why I’m calling. You have to get here fast,” she said urgently as she disconnected the call. Ace made an illegal u-turn in the middle of traffic. He ignored all speed limits as he raced down the busy streets of Hampton. His heart pounded away in his chest.
“FUCK!” He shouted as he banged his fist on the steering wheel, scaring the twins. When they started crying, he looked through the rearview mirror. He wanted to cry himself but there was no room for tears. Once again, mothafuckas had gone after someone he loved instead of bringing whatever problems they had with him to him. Ace pulled up to Shell Road, parked, and snatched the twins from the backseat. He rushed to Boy’s front door.
“I don’t have time to explain. To be honest, I don’t even know what’s going on or what’s waiting for me.” Ace informed him. “I got a call from Aaliyah’s office saying I needed to get there fast,” Ace said on his way out the door. Boy followed.
“Keema, call Boog and Jay and have them meet us over there,” Boy called over his shoulder.
“I’m sick of this shit,” Ace spat. “Something has to fucking give,” he said pulling off.
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“You have to put an end to it. It can’t and won’t end if you don’t end it,” Boy informed him.
Ace knew Boy was telling the truth. He felt like every time he took out one of his so called enemies, there were ten more waiting in the shadows.
*
When Ace pulled up to Aaliyah’s office building, Jay and Boog were waiting for him. He didn’t shut his car off. He left it running because he had a feeling he wouldn’t be there long.
“What’s going on?” Jay asked.
“Word, we got a phone call from Keema saying to get over here ASAP,” Boog reported as they followed Ace inside the building.
“That’s what we’re about to find out,” Ace replied as the four of them stepped onto the elevator. The ride up was quiet as everyone held their breath. Not one of them knew what to expect or what would be waiting when they stepped off the elevator. The doors opened. Ace was the first one to step off. As soon as he did, he found Jennifer pacing back and forth. She was crying. Once again, his stomach knotted up.