by Ivory B.
Keema moved around the kitchen swiftly packing extra bottles into Jah’s book bag for her princess. She couldn’t help but feel the unsettling feeling of possibly forgetting something as she packed up the all black Gucci monogram book bag Jah used as his baby bag. Keema would rather he use the real baby bag to ensure she didn’t forget anything but Jah refused to carry a baby bag, he always totted around his book bag for the kids. “Jaaaah! Its ready, there’s some pampers for both of them, extra wipes, a snack for lil Jah and three bottles for Jah Jah.” “Keem you put some extra clothes in there right?” Jah called from the living room while putting Lil Jah’s Timbs on his feet. “Of course baby.” “A’ight cool we about to be out. Yo you ready? Ha you ready?” Jah repeated playfully pinching Lil Jah’s legs as he giggled showing his dimples and those little sharp baby teeth. Lucky who was sitting holding Jahzera aka Jah Jah passed her on to her Daddy. Lucky stood back and watched Jah kiss his daughter on her chubby cheek and rub her back gently. Jah was a good father and to see him interact with his kids especially that bond he had with his daughter was everything. “Tell Aunty Lucky bye” Lil Jah waved his hand bye while trotting to the door bursting at the seams to leave the house. “Alright Jah take care of my babies,” Keema said while kissing all three of them goodbye. Before Jah could even make it out the door there was a knock. He opened it to find both Mika and Ty standing there. “Awe look at that lil man we leaving just in time. We can’t be around all these women,” Jah joked. “Jah shut up,” Ty said playfully as she leaned in to take a peek at Jahzera who was sleeping in her car seat Jah was holding. Ty looked down at Lil Jah who was trying to hide in back of his father before she went after him and they went through their usual cat and mouse chase. “C’mere give ya Aunty a kiss boy,” Ty demanded playfully as Lil Jah whined and put up a little fight. Everyone laughed as they watched Lil Jah trying desperately to push Ty’s face away as she kissed him repeatedly on the cheek. After the kids received their usual love downs from their Aunties Jah was free to leave with them.
It was amazing what four women could do in a little over two hours. Keema looked around feeling as if a huge weight was lifted off her shoulders. They had tackled the kitchen only leaving the essential things they needed until they moved while everything else got packed away. Now they were in the nursery making a huge dent in there nearly finishing up everything. Boxes and totes were sitting in the far end of the nursery marked with a black sharpie labeling names and items. Keema was more than grateful and she knew Jah was going to be blown away when he got back home.
Keema turned her head and started chuckling as she watched Ty and Lucky going at it yet again over a clothing item that they both wanted. “No Ty why don’t you just take the sneakers,” Lucky said referring to the large collection of sneakers baby Jah had grown out of. “Girl I wanna know why this boy got so many damn sneakers and he just learned to walk?” Mika asked. Everyone started laughing. “Meek you know damn well that’s all his Daddy, Jah is a sneaker whore and he tryna pass his sneaker fetish on to my baby. Them damn sneakers don’t even have a mark on em and they too small now, a complete waste. I used to get one pair a year growing up.” Keema turned her attention from Mika and focused on Ty and Lucky as they bickered over a frilly big pink dress that Jahzera had grown out of. “Listen y’all bitches gon take some of this stuff cause y’all bought half this mess anyways. Luck you take the girl stuff and Ty you take the boy stuff.” Lucky smiled triumphantly as she snatched the pink dress out of Ty’s hand and placed it with her pile of clothes she was taking home. “Why she get the girl stuff and I have to take the boy stuff? Y’all don’t even know I could be having a girl.” “Well we don’t know cause yo ass on that white people shit talkin about you wanna wait till you give birth to find out, But I can’t stand one more minute of y’all fighting over these clothes. If we find out you having a girl then Lucky can give you some of her stuff she got over there,” Keema said nodding her head towards the pile that Lucky had accumulated. Ty sucked her teeth and took the pile of boy clothing as well as the many boxes of sneakers. It was amazing to Keema that the two of them were fighting over hand me downs when it was clear they could afford to buy their children all new everything. It wasn’t about the money though it was more of them seeing their own kids in things their niece and nephew once wore. And that was one of the reasons Keema had always fucked with Ty and Lucky they were genuine and never acted like they were too good for anything.
“So yeah let me tell y’all about this lil nigga Kwan; now y’all know he been showing his ass as of late right. I been called down to that school at least four times in the past two weeks. Not to mention the constant phone calls and emails I’m gettin from teachers about his behavior in class.” “What?!” Keema shrieked. “Yes! It’s like as soon as his ass got to middle school he done lost his damn mind. So I had a meeting down at the school and the school social worker had the nerve to tell me it must be something going on at home. I’m like really? Enlighten me cause it ain’t a gotdamn thing going on in my house. Y’all already know ain’t no one there but me and Kwan. He don’t even have siblings to argue and fight with and anything I do as far as men I do outside the house. So then he brought his report card home and he got two F’s and a damn D minus. I tried to knock that fool whole block off for bringing them disrespectful ass grades in my house. Ladies he ate them punches like it was breakfast. Then he had the nerve to say ‘Chill go head wit that’ and kinda pushed me off of him. “No he didn’t!” Ty shrieked with shock. “Yes he did! Y’all should’ve seen me trying to jump up and Mayweather that ass. He too big to be gettin whoopings so I was trying to tear his ass up with these hands. Girl I grabbed the broom and started swinging, I was going to lump his shit up I wasn’t playing. He got low and took off to his room locking himself in there. I started beating on his bedroom door with the broom tearing my property all up trying to get to his disrespectful ass.” The entire room was laughing even though this wasn’t a laughing matter, the imagery of Mika jumping up to punch her son who was clearly inheriting his father’s height and good looks then chasing him with a broom was too much. “Did you talk to Kwan about this?” Lucky asked referring to Mika’s baby father knowing he didn’t play that mess with his son. “I sure did, a bitch was all on the prison recorded lines like I’ma kill this little muthafucka you hear me? I will kill his ass if he try me!” The entire room fell out laughing at Mika crazy behind. “Kwan was like Mika yo watch ya mouth, what the hell is going on?! So I told him and he was pissed but Lucky that whole threat of telling his father don’t work no more. He at the age where he understands his father ain’t gettin outta prison no time soon. He knows the most Kwan can do to him is give him a verbal lashing so he don’t fear him as much as he used to.
Ladies listen I went up in his room and started taking everything. I came through like I was the Feds confiscating everything! Iphone gimme that, laptop gimme that, Ipad yup gimme that, bagged up all his gaming systems cause he don’t need to be on no damn Playstation or Xbox when he can’t do his school work, last but not least all his gotdamn sneakers. He wanna go to school every day dressed to the nines but gettin F’s and being disrespectful to teachers and me, no I don’t play that shit. I told him he gon have to earn the right to have his things back. He was like well what I’m supposed to wear on my feet to school? I said oh I thought you’d never ask so I pulled out some big ass white sneakers and they were bright white too, I copped dem bad boys straight from Walmart that OP brand. I said there you go. Giiiirrl his ass started crying, he said I’m not going to school like this. I said yes you are because I don’t send you to school to make fashion statements I send you to school to learn. And the very next day I brought his ass to school and watched him go in that building with them big white orthopedic looking sneaks on his feet. I told him be lucky I ain’t get you the joints wit the velcro straps on em that they get the slow niggaz who can’t tie they own laces.” The entire room fell out in laughter. “Mika oh my god you are awful, I kn
ow that shit had to look crazy,” Ty said through laughter. “It sure did cause he got some long ass feet and had the nerve to be wearing them skinny jeans these young boys be wearing.” The entire room was in stitches imagining how Kwan must’ve looked going to school that day. Lucky stopped laughing when she saw the burdened look on Mika’s face.
“He told me he don’t wanna live with me no more, he wanna stay with his grandmother.” The solemn tone Mika said that in grabbed everyone’s attention causing them to sympathize for her. Lucky wasn’t a mother but she could only imagine how that must’ve felt to a parent when a child said something like that. Especially, when you hustled, sacrificed, and broken your back trying to take care of a child on your own as Mika did. “Y’all know I got nothing but love for Mrs. Janet and I guess she did the best she could with her sons’, obviously it wasn’t good enough cause one in jail doing 25 to life while the other is 6 feet under. I refuse to let my son live with her and end up another statistic. Mrs. Janet will let Kwan run them streets and do as he pleases like she used to let her own sons’ and I will die before I let that happen.” Mika’s voice cracked when she made that last statement. No one in that room could say they ever saw Mika get all choked up before but the love of a child could do that to just about anyone. Mika swallowed hard trying to keep her emotions at bay slightly embarrassed that she’d been nearly brought to tears talking about her son but this was the stress she’d been going through as of late. She chuckled suddenly holding up one of baby Jah’s little jean overalls thinking how she wished Kwan was still this size when he didn’t give her much trouble at all. “It's funny because this the part of the game you don’t read about in books, this is the alternate side of fuckin with a hustla that’s not romanticized, the possibility of that hustla going to jail and you being left to raise a manchild on your own who’s at the age where he needs a man in his life.” Ty swallowed hard and rubbed her belly. Keema looked at Mika and froze for a second, yeah the thought crossed her mind a time or two of Jah going to jail but she tried her hardest not to think on it. Mika looked up and noticed she had caused a serious buzz kill. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean it like that I really didn’t. I’m going through some things that’s all.” “I can have Carlos talk to Kwan if you want,” Lucky offered up softly knowing Kwan looked up to his Uncle Carlos and had a high level of respect for him. She was thinking maybe it would be easier for Kwan to open up to Los about whatever he was going through. “No it’s my problem I’ll deal with it.” “No it’s not, it’s our problem and you know it’s always been that way with all of us Meek. I’ll have Carlos talk to him.” “Yeah we’ll figure it out Meek stop stressin,” Keema added.
“Ooh y’all I’m gettin a little nauseas,” Ty blurted out. “Ty when the last time you ate?” Keema asked realizing they’d been busy packing and talking for hours and Ty hadn’t eaten a thing. “This morning and on the way here I had some crackers,” Ty admitted knowing she was going to catch hell from everyone in the room who was waiting for her answer. “Tyyy now you know better than that shit. You gotta eat that’s why you was about to kill Lucky over that pink dress your blood sugar probably low as hell. C’mon y’all let’s go downstairs so I can order something. In the meantime Ty I’ll whip you up a sandwich or something for right now.” Keema instructed.
Hours later what was left of the pizza and wings were cold as the ladies sat around the nursery trading stories. Ty was feeling much better now so she was more talkative, Keema was absolutely right she felt much better after getting some food in her stomach. “So yeah I saw that bitch on the gram flexin posting pictures of a trip she just took. Girl you don’t know how bad I wanted to put that ass on blast and tell her to take care of her damn daughter,” Keema hissed. “Please believe Keem you ain’t the only one but Nice’s lawyers already warned us about starting war over social media it won’t be a good look in family court. At the same time its hard seeing her out here living the life free with no care while other people taking care of her kid. I’m not sayin I regret doing what I’m doing but you know it’s times I want time to myself and I don’t have that but she does.” “No I know what you sayin,” Keema replied. Everyone knew Ty was doing what she did out of genuine love but they also agreed that it had to be tough. “Ty remember every dog has its day Mia gon get hers, ole disrespectful bitch. Damn I shouldn’t have ate that pizza and them wings,” Keema spat feeling guilty and aggravated. “Why not cause I know you had to be hungry packing and moving all this stuff I know I was,” Lucky said. “Yeah but it’s not like I need to gain one more pound. My ass is already gettin way too big and I can stand to lose some serious weight. I feel so uncomfortable I don’t even wanna make love to my husband half the time and when we do I keep my shirt on. I feel like my stomach is outta control; I won’t even get on these stretch marks.” None of the women said anything at first because they didn’t know how to react to what Keema said. “Keem you literally just had a baby, not to mention you dropped two kids back to back in my opinion you look damn good,” Lucky said eyeing Keema. She’d always envied Keema’s curves and wished she had the hips and ass Keema had on her. Keema gave her the yeah right look before she bravely stood up and lifted her shirt to expose the tiger stripes that had ravaged the bottom of her stomach and sides this time around. “Giiirl please, you have a naturally bangin shape you’ll lose that baby weight,” Mika said flipping her wrist at Keema. Keema was probably 15 to 20 pounds from her original weight and she was complaining. “Keem did you put something on them,” Ty asked referring to Keema’s stretch marks as she squinted to see them. Keema was blessed with beautiful chocolate brown skin that camouflaged her stretch marks; you had to literally be up close to actually see them.” “No.” Keema answered. “Keem you can hardly see them really you have to move a certain way for me to even see them, I know I’m not gon stress cause I had stretch marks way before my ass even got pregnant so I can only imagine how they gon look after I have this baby. Keem you being way too hard on ya’self that weight will come off trust.” “Yeah but what about my damn titties they’re gross, they all saggy and shit like them African chicks on the Discovery channel. I danced around the subject of cosmetic surgery for a breast lift in front of Jah and he shut it down. I’m just so upset and it’s not like I can start a workout regimen when I barely have time for myself as it is.” “And let me guess you haven’t talked to Jah about this have you?” “No Ty, I mean it’s pretty hard to stand in front of ya husband and point out all your flaws,” Keema replied. “Keem you crazy because you look good but if it bothers you that much fuck it why don’t we sign up for some workout classes? I always wanted to do those strip aerobics classes or either hot yoga. Have Jah stay with the kids for a couple of hours at least three times a week,” Lucky suggested. “Ladies I’m down cause I know my lil ass need to shed a few pounds before those dress fittings,” Mika said thinking about that trip to New York to a bridal boutique Lucky had planned. “Oh y’all bitches is mad fraudulent, y’all wait until I’m knocked up and can’t participate to do all the fun stuff,” Ty complained before everyone started laughing.
Unbeknownst to any of them Jah had returned and was downstairs. He’d heard everything Keema said and was surprised that she was feeling this way. He slipped back out of the house and went downstairs wanting to avoid putting Keema on the spot in front of everyone. A part of him felt some type of way that Keema hadn’t confided in him about how she felt. He didn’t think there was anything wrong with Keema’s body; he thought she was just as beautiful as she was before. Yeah she’d gained a little weight but it looked good on her, not to mention she’d just given birth not too long ago.
Once everyone left Keema looked around the house with a smile, her girls really came through for her as always. Suddenly she felt as if something was missing and she realized it had been a while since her family been gone. Right when she was about to hit Jah on the hip she heard his keys jiggling at the front door. “Hey! I was just about to call you,” Keema said rushing over
to Jah feeling the strong urge to kiss and hug her babies. Jah placed Jahzera’s car seat on the kitchen counter to unfasten her while Keema stood close by holding Lil Jah. “Where did you guys go today?” “I took them to visit Grandma Cathy for a minute, you know how it is with her we get over there then she don’t want the kids to leave.” Keema picked up on something in his voice, it sound as if something was bothering him. “Jah what’s wrong with you?” “I heard you earlier Keem.” “You heard what?” Keema asked getting a little unnerved not knowing what Jah was talking about. “You couldn’t come to me and tell me how you felt about ya body?” Jah asked putting Keema on blast. Keema’s eyes bulged for a brief second realizing Jah had indeed heard her earlier conversation. “Damn is that the reason I gotta beg to make love to you sometimes? Or the reason you refuse to get completely naked?” Keema’s breath caught in her throat before she rolled her eyes and attempted to walk off. Yes she should have been able to talk to her husband about this but she was feeling hella embarrassed right now. “Keema wait.” Jah said cutting her off by standing in front of her. “You know you coulda talked to me about how you felt not ya peoples Keem, me.” Keema sighed hard and shook her head. “Look Jah you know how me and the girls are I felt more comfortable telling them. It says nothing about our closeness I jus…I just didn’t feel like sharing that with you it’s embarrassing.” “Keema it’s nothing you should be embarrassed to share with me, besides I think you beautiful and you don’t need surgery.” “Jah I know and that’s what you’re supposed to say but I don’t feel that way.” Jah shook his head from side to side it was obvious it didn’t matter what he said it wouldn’t change the way she felt deep down. “Meema c’mon who you comparing ya’self to? I hope not all these chicks running around here wit the same big inflatable titties and lopsided asses, every nigga ain’t attracted to that me being one of em.” Keema chuckled lightly while shaking her head. Jah was so typical whenever she said anything about surgery he took it to the extreme. Keema only wanted a breast lift but if you asked Jah you would think she was talking about going under the knife to look like the next cat woman. “Look Keem I told you a couple days ago that I’d help you out more and I meant that. I’ll stay with the kids so I can free you up to go to the gym if that’s what you want. I can even workout with you, show you a thing or two.” Keema let her eyes leave his for a second to roam his body, she was sure he could show her a thing or two. Jah had come a long way from that scrawny teenage body he used to have. He was in impeccable shape and made sure he kept it that way. “Yeah Jah I betchu could show me a thing or two.” Keema replied with her eyes somehow transfixed on the bulge in front of his Adidas sweat pants. “Jah chuckled “Ma let me put these kids to sleep so I can put you to sleep.” He said just above a whisper in a seductive tone. “That sounds like a plan baby I’ll be waiting upstairs for you,” Keema said before running her tongue over her top lip like a certified porn star as she switched away trying to entice him even more. Keema was going to give Jah one helluva night for being one helluva husband.