When A Hood Legend Claims It All 2

by Belleza

  It was around eight when I was finally able to leave out of my office. I hated having to go home and be bored by myself so I went to Amare’s house knowing CoCo was going to be home.

  Parking my car in his driveway, I got out and let myself inside.

  “Babe!” I heard CoCo call out from the kitchen.

  “I love you and all, hoe but I’m not ya babe.”

  When I got to the kitchen where CoCo was standing over the stove going ham on what I assumed to be dinner, I pecked her cheek and took a seat at the island watching her work. Her and my brother got cozy with each other very fast and I actually admired their bond. Amare mean ass needed someone in his life and Corryn beautiful self was the perfect match.

  “I thought you were, Mar.”

  “It’s me. I don’t have no nigga so I’m ready to get comfy with y’all over here.”

  CoCo eyed me as she sprinkled the pasta in the rapid boiling water. “I see Wesley must’ve kept your behind busy,” she laughed. “You loved your space so you can sneak off and be grown!”

  I giggled from her response. “For one, I am grown, but you are right. That was the only time I had to him. Let anyone see me kissing all over Wesely in public. That’s the fastest way for it to get back to Mar. That’s over now though,” I sighed. “Especially since he have a baby on the way.”

  CoCo whipped around so fast with a shocked expression on her face. She went to open her mouth to say something, but the thought brought tears to my eyes all over again. She came over to hug me.

  “Mar didn’t tell you?”

  “Nope. He always telling me to stay out of people's business, but I am so sorry. I know you liked him. It doesn’t mean y’all still can’t work out,” she tried to assure me.

  Dabbing my eye with the back of my hand I sniffled. I hated feeling so sad without him.

  “I doubt it, CoCo. A baby is a strong chance they can get back together. I just don’t understand why everything always gotta happen to me. I’m trying to stay positive, but it’s like everything I love gets taken away. My dad, my mom–”

  “Don’t do that!” Corryn cut me off. “You had no control over your father passing and your mom was just a poor excuse of a mother. Neither one of those things happened because you weren’t good enough. Don’t put that on yourself. Now for Wesley he gotta figure out how to be a father and a boyfriend if he really wants to be with you. If he doesn’t it’s not the end of the world, Amena. You have your whole life ahead of you to be stuck on stupid for anybody.”

  CoCo got a paper towel and dabbed at my eyes. I swore she had such a motherly side to her which lead me to believe she would be an awesome mother one day.

  “I feel so stupid for crying, but I needed to let that out. I tried to bottle everything up pretending I was ok.”

  “Girl, I get it.” She went back over to the stove and lifted the top off her pot. She was playing the wifey roll to a T.

  “I want to be like you cooking meals for my man,” I teased her.

  “Don’t rush it. When you out making your own money this shit is tiring, but we both gotta eat right?” she replied and I laughed.

  “That guy from the club keeps trying to take me out, but I’ve been making up all these excuses not to go. He had Edible Arrangements delivered at work to me today.”

  “That was sweet. Why don’t you? A date wouldn’t hurt.”

  “I don’t know…” I answered truly unsure. I felt like I was betraying Wesley by being around another man.

  “Look… if you don’t think it’s a good idea don’t go. If you decide to go, make sure you send me all his information and don’t let him come get you from your house. You know how your brother is and some men are real life creeps.”

  I smacked my lips thinking about Amare’s overprotective ass. He really didn’t want me to be with anyone, but I deserved someone and was going to find my Prince Charming one way or another.

  Kenton “Ken” Smith

  A couple days later …

  After shooting the breeze and getting business handled with my boys, I went to fulfil my fatherly duties since my baby mom been blowing up my phone. There wasn’t a day she didn’t get on my damn nerves.

  I was busy clowning Wes about fucking up and getting Kesha knocked but I did the same shit. Tara had a nigga faded one night and got a nigga all hype about a threesome. That shit was damn near every mans’ fantasy. I was a little too excited and ended up sliding in both of them raw dawg and ended up not with only two positive pregnancy test but also burning every time I took a piss.

  I was fucking livid and thought my life was about to end. Luckily, a round of pills got rid of the chlamydia but I also had to convince two women not to give me no kids. Tara was a hood bitch, so I wasn’t shocked by her actions. The other chick was cool with getting an abortion. I had to thank God a million times because one child was better than two. But then it was just my luck Tara was pregnant with twins. I swear it was my punishment for all the bitches I fucked and broke their hearts and that abortion.

  When I made it to Tara’s place, I rang her doorbell and waited. I told her I was coming right after I got a few things in order, so I had no reason to be waiting outside of her damn door when it was burning up outside. She had all the games in the world and that's what irritated me. If I wasn’t shit, I was a damn good father. The situation was fucked up, but I was going to do everything in my power to make sure my children had everything I didn’t.

  My ass was thrown into the system since birth. I hopped from home to home from one fucked up situation to the next only because I was a check. The case workers that were left in charge of me weren’t shit either. They never stepped foot in the house to make sure I was cool. All they did was get a quick glimpse of me at the door, had the foster parent sign and was gone.

  I can count so many times I was hungry, wearing hand me downs that were either too big or too small and sneakers that were talking. That’s why now I lived my life to the fullest and gave my children the world.

  After ringing the doorbell a few more times and then pounding on it, Tara finally came to the door with nothing on, but a smirk on her face and a bra and thong covering her body.

  I was addicted to sex and loved everything about a woman, but I’d turn Tara down in a heartbeat. Wes complained about Kesha being his baby mom, but Tara was one you didn’t want to have. That threesome with her was one of the best nights in my life, but it turned out to be the biggest mistake.

  Tara was every bit of a gold digger. Despite the fact I financed damn near her entire life because she was the mother of my kids she always had her hand out. You would think me taking her out of the projects and putting her in a fully renovated house, buying her a brand new car, paying the insurance and buying everything my children needed down to their underwear and socks would be more than enough. There seem to be always something she needed. I can’t believe I have thirteen years of putting up with her shit.

  “Where the fuck is ya clothes? How you walking around the damn house like this when ya kids here?”

  Smacking her lips she waved her hand as she left me at the door. “They’re sleep and last time I checked they ain’t pay a bill in here.”

  “You ain’t either,” I shot back at her stepping inside and closing the door. “Go put some clothes on and go get my children.”

  “Speaking of a bill, I got this shut off notice in the mail from Peco. It’s five hundred dollars.”

  I looked at her like she was crazy. All she had to do was pay the bills in the bitch and she couldn’t even get that right. I was sure she was on a special program because she had no real income.

  “That sounds personal.”

  “Not when ya children living up in here. It’s hot as hell and I got central air running all day. Do you want your kids cool? If not I can turn this muhfucka off and have this bitch feeling like a sauna.”

  “They can stay with me until you figure the shit out.”

  That wasn’t the response she wanted
to hear so she smacked her teeth. She knew if I took the kids she wouldn’t have shit.

  “Why do you gotta be so mean to me? Is it because you want some pussy?” she asked with a smirk.

  “I’m good. I get enough of it every day.”

  “Baby daddy, don’t act like you don’t want all of this,” she shot back at me with a smirk on her face. “That print tells it all.”

  I eyed her from head to toe. Tara was bad as fuck. She was about 5’3, perky breast, a fat ass and a little bit of stomach which was a result from carrying the twins. My dick swelled thinking about climbing between her legs, but I pushed the thought to the back of my mind remembering the fucked up shit she did and all the pills I had to take to get rid of that infection. I was good on her.

  “I don’t. I think I can smell that infected pussy from here.”

  “You fucked this infected pussy though,” her dumb ass shot back and I laughed.

  “Whatever man, I ain’t about to argue with you over ya shit. Go get my kids. This the second time I had to ask.”

  “It wasn’t me that burned you!” she shot back. Till this day every time I mentioned the STI she got defensive which made me believe it was from her. I was over it at this point, but I enjoyed fucking with her.

  “Daddy!” I heard my baby girl shout making me glare at Tara who was still looking stupid in front of me.

  “I thought they were sleep?”

  She shrugged. “She should’ve been.”

  When my baby girl Kenia came into view, I smiled, but then it dropped seeing that my daughter hair was a linty afro puff on top of her head. I looked back at her mother and Tara’s hair was done. Had that fake Brazilian shit flowing down her back perfectly. I wasn’t sure if it was new or not but my issue was that she looked presentable while my daughter was out here looking like Don King. I was all for the natural look, but I knew this was just the result of laziness and not giving a fuck.

  Kenia was so excited to see me I couldn’t even waste my energy on being upset. As soon as she jumped off the bottom stair she came running my way jumping into my arms. To have a sorry ass miserable mother, my baby girl was full of life. Her and her brother were like night and day though. He was more reserved and to himself, but she was outgoing and sometimes you couldn’t get her to stop talking.

  Kent looked more like his mother while Kenia resembled me with a set of deep dimples on the side of her cheeks.

  “I missed you, daddy!” she exclaimed holding my face and kissing my cheek how I did hers.

  “I missed you more. Where your brother?”

  “He’s sleep, mommy gave us–”

  “Kenia! What I tell you about running ya damn mouth, go upstairs and get your brother before I beat your ass!” Tara yelled at her for no damn reason. Had she yelled at Kent he would’ve burst out crying, but Kenia was her damn match. Although she looked like me she inherited her mother's attitude and I knew it was payback for her fucked up ways.

  “Go get ya brother,” I told her placing her back on the floor. I watched her race up the stairs before I got on her mother.

  “That shit wasn’t necessary.”

  “She’s too damn grown.”

  “Where you think she gets it from?”

  Tara rolled her eyes. “You allow her to act that way. Did you see the way she was looking at me after I yelled at her? She lucky I don’t put my hands on her.”

  “Shit, you lucky you don’t. Don’t put ya hands on my kids.”

  “They’re mine too.”

  “Only when it’s beneficial for you,” I added and that shut her ass right up.

  “Daddy, Kent won’t get up,” Kenia yelled.

  Happy to get away from Tara’s annoying ass, I went up the stairs to Kent’s bedroom and saw him knocked out on his bed; shoes and all. He looked like he was in a good sleep, so I scooped him up in my arms and carried him down the stairs and to my car. Kenia didn’t even bother saying bye to her mother. She all but ran ahead of me and strapped herself in her booster seat when I unlocked my car door. If I had it my way I’d take my kids away from her bum ass, but that would only leave Tara taking me to court and I was trying to stay far away from the system as possible.

  ***

  I couldn’t stand seeing my baby girl’s hair the way it was, so I went straight to the only person that I knew could help me out and that was Sharita since Amena was at work. Kent was still sleep, so I was holding him in my arms as I had Kenia’s hand in mine walking up to the salon.

  As soon as we entered the salon my eyes fell on Sharita who was writing in a book at the front counter. When she noticed me, her eyebrows knit together before a smile spread across her face and she approached us. She knew I had kids and saw their pictures as my screensaver, but that was where that topic ended. With her it was only about sex and blowing it down. So I knew me popping up at her gig with them threw her for a loop.

  “I need you to help me out,” I said nodding down at Kenia who was staring up Sharita.

  “You’re pretty,” Kenia said with the biggest smile on her face. I always complimented my daughter and let her know how beautiful and amazing she was. It rubbed off on her that she handed out compliments like it was candy. That and she was such a suck up.

  Her compliment caused Sharita’s smiled to grow. “Well it takes one pretty girl to know one. Look at all this beautiful hair.”

  When Sharita touched her hair, Kenia jerked her head to the side and frowned. “I don’t like it. My mom said it’s too nappy for her to do anything to it.”

  Anger surged through my body as Sharita to looked up at me. All I could do was shake my head. I never went into detail about my situation with their mother, but now that she met my children I knew it was going to be a discussion we probably were going to have. This is why I always wanted to go up side Tara’s head. It was like everything I built up she tried to find a way to tear it down. I could take her smart ass mouth, but when it came to my kids I didn't play that shit with her.

  “Your hair is beautiful and it’s not nappy,” Sharita told her. “We’re going to have it looking real nice.

  “Your hair is nice too.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Even though it’s short like a boy,” Kenia added with her eyes round and mouth pursed. She wouldn’t be her if she wasn’t popping a little shit.

  Sharita just laughed even though I took what she said offensive. “Kenia, chill out,” I warned her and she dropped her head to her chest not liking the fact I had to check her.

  “She’s fine, Kenton. She’s a kid,” Sharita said standing up and hugging Kenia little dramatic ass who had her face buried in her waist. Seeing her be affectionate to my daughter had me looking at her in a different light. I never seen Tara show them any kind of affection. She made them cry more than anything, so to see Sharita showing compassion towards her had me actually digging her. She was already cool as fuck, but she gained more points now that I felt like she cared about them.

  “How long do you think this is going to take?” I asked her.

  “I’m not sure. The stylist are booked, but I can wash her and give her a cute little style. Do you like beads?” she faced Kenia again

  Kenia nodded her head wildly.

  “Great, I’m going to go get you some beads next door from the hair store.”

  “Daddy can I go?!” she asked right away. She didn’t know Sharita from a can of paint and wanted to go with her.

  “Nah, she probably don’t want to take you.”

  Sharita’s fist went flying into my arm making Kenia giggle. “Don’t say that. I don’t mind if she comes with me. As long as you’re okay with that.”

  Going into my pocket, I handed Sharita my roll of money since I had my other hand holding my big ass sleeping son. She looked at the roll, took it from me, peeled off one bill and passed it back.

  “We’ll be back,” she said holding Kenia’s hand and headed out of the salon.

  Sharita “Rita” Meyers

  Waking
up out of my sleep, I peeled my eyes open and looked around realizing I was passed out with the kids on Kenton’s living room floor. After doing Kenia’s hair, I took an early day to go hang out with Ken and his kids since little Ms. Kenia insisted I come with them.

  She was the cutest and obviously spoiled rotten by her father, so she got her way. We went to the movies, then to the park before we went and got take out to go back to Kenton’s place to eat dinner. After we ate, I had to find a creative way to play with Barbies and race cars so both of the kids can have me before we ended the night watching a movie in the living room. We were all tired because I didn’t remember what happened after ten minutes into Beauty and the Beast.

  “What time is it?” I yawned and stood to my feet after carefully tucking both Kent and Kenia on the heap of blankets we had on the carpeted floor.

  “It’s a little after 12 I think,” Kenton yawned himself.

  “Damn, I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I should get going.”

  “It’s cool. We had a long ass day, but you don’t gotta go.” I eyed him suspiciously and he laughed. “Kenia would have a fit if she wakes up and doesn’t see you.”

  “You sure?”

  “I’m positive. It’s late out anyway. You can crash here, and in the morning go get dressed at ya place.”

  I didn’t know how to respond because all of this was new. As long as I’ve been dealing with Kenton he never brought me to his place. He would always show up to mine, we’d fuck, chill and talk and he’ll leave before the sun came up.

  Even though I knew Kenton was a father, I never envisioned him to be as hands on and as passionate as he was about his children. It could’ve been me being judgmental thinking he cared more about bitches than he did his kids since he was such a hoe, but he proved me wrong.

  What I thought would be a bachelor pad turned out to be a huge five bedroom house in Delaware surrounded by grass and a huge backyard. four bedrooms were upstairs which consisted of his room, Kenia and Kent’s room and down stairs was a guest bedroom. His home was fully furnished and kids friendly.