Rozalyn (Includes Tamar Preview)

by Shan

  I grabbed a towel from the cabinet, dampened it with cold water, and dabbed it on my lip. I tried my hardest not to cry over this. Knowing that I didn’t do anything wrong and that he obviously did was hard to swallow. I can’t believe he was going to actually try and put this shit on me.

  "Roz!" I heard Tae yell from the bedroom, "Roz, come here!" I threw the towel into the sink and exited the bathroom. He was laid across the bed flat on his stomach.

  "Yes." I said.

  "Call the clinic you be going to. This shit got my stomach hurting," he whined.

  "For what time?"

  "Damn, as soon as possible!"

  I walked over to the nightstand and grabbed my cell phone scrolling for the clinic’s phone number. They only time they saw people without making an appointment ahead of time is if they were pregnant, or think that they’ve contracted a sexually transmitted disease. I sat up a time for us both to come in. I wasn’t having any symptoms but being that I had sex with Tamar the minute he came home this morning I was most likely to start having them soon.

  Once we got to the clinic, Tamar was seen first and insisted that when I went into the exam room that he was to go with me. Yea, he didn’t want me going with him, but he wanted to make sure he had front row seats to my show.

  He ended up asking the doctor at least a thousand damn questions: Why hasn’t she gotten pregnant yet? Was there something wrong with her body parts? Did the C-section screw her up for life? Can you tell who gave who the disease? Could you tell if she’s been taking birth control? Can you tell if she’s been having sex with somebody else? When is she most fertile?

  Both the doctor and I had to look at him like he was crazy. I’m sure he was wondering why at sixteen years old that I even was thinking about kids and if I was why in the hell did I want to have one with somebody that just burnt me.

  They wasn’t sure what we had been infected with so they treated us for the most common diseases; Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, and Trichomoniasis. They sent us the to the lab in the same building to get the rapid HIV testing done which came back negative for the both us. Thank God. I really hated that I couldn’t see the doctor on my own cause I really wanted to ask for a prescription for some birth control pills. As much as I loved Tamar and wanted to be with him, we were just not on the same page.

  After making it back home, I made homemade hamburgers for Tamar and I and thought maybe we would chill and watch movies or something together. Yea right. After he ate, napped, and showered, he hit the damn streets and didn’t show his face again for four whole days. Four days he was gone and didn’t call me to let me know if he was okay or even see if I was okay. Why would Tamar want to even have a baby if he wasn’t going to be at home?

  The call from the clinic came through a couple days after we were treated saying that we were positive for Chlamydia and that nothing more would need to be done on our part because the antibiotics we were given would have taken care of it. All I could do was cry when I hung that phone up. I knew it wasn’t me that had given Tamar that shit. He could try to put the blame on me all he wanted to, but he and I both knew that I wasn’t the one that had been unfaithful.

  When Tamar finally resurfaced and found his way back home, he didn’t have anything to say to me. For a week he didn’t talk to me, didn’t touch me, and acted as if he was just flat out disgusted with me. I couldn’t understand how things could turn upside down so fast once again.

  "Tae, I’m going to go meet Jazlene and Zae at Red Lobster. Do you want to go?" I asked.

  "Nope and you ain’t going either," Tamar said as he fired up a blunt.

  "Why not? I already told them I was coming."

  "Call them back and tell them you ain’t coming."

  "No, I am going. I’m tired of sitting around this house staring at the damn walls 'cause you don’t wanna talk to me."

  "Like I said I don’t wanna go to no fucking Red Lobster with your bitch ass brother and his girl and you ain’t going either!"

  "Alright fine."

  I walked out of the room and closed the door behind me. This nigga had me fucked up. Before he came back around, I went and came as I pleased. I'd been sitting up in this damn house bored as fuck for the past couple of weeks while he walked around ignoring me. All because he was really pissed that I hadn't gotten pregnant yet.

  I grabbed my keys off the bar and made my way out of the house. Fuck him. He was always out and about doing whatever it is he wanted to do, so best believe I’m about to do the same.

  I jumped in my 2006 Lexus LS 430, cranked it up, and rolled the hell off. I’ll deal with the consequences later. I rolled my eyes when I looked through my rearview mirror and saw Pete and Cuda following right behind me. I swear I couldn’t go nowhere without them being right on my tail; my own little GPS.

  It took a good thirty minutes to get from my side of town and to the Red Lobster to meet Zavier and Jazlene. The hostess took me to the table where they were sitting and to my surprise Brandon were sitting with them. As I approached the table, we all greeted each other before sitting down and looking over our menus. I ordered the shrimp jambalaya and a coke to drink.

  My mouth began to water as I thought about the shrimp I was about to enjoy. Because of Tamar’s obsession with me getting pregnant, I haven’t been allowed to eat any seafood. My heart fluttered at the thought of savoring the shrimp in my mouth.

  "How did everything go with the surgery, Jaz?" I asked.

  "It went good. I have to wait three months before trying to get pregnant again, but the doctor’s said that it should work and I should be able to carry a baby full term this time," Jazlene said before she stuffed her mouth with biscuits.

  "Oh, that’s what’s up? I can’t wait for y'all to give me a niece or nephew too."

  "What’s going on with you? I heard you and that nigga back together. I should have known 'cause you ain’t called nobody," Zavier said.

  "You always at work when I call. I do call so don’t even go there," I said.

  "That means you back with him?" Zavier asked.

  "Yea so what?"

  "I thought you said you weren’t going to get back with him after that shit happened," Zavier said.

  "I was mad, I was hurt, but we talked about it and we’re good now," I said.

  "Well I got some news for you," Zavier bit into a biscuit and took a sip of his drink before continuing, "Vanessa and daddy getting a divorce. Me, pops, and Jaz went and looked for an apartment last week. We got it and we moving in on the first. Daddy wanted me to talk to you about coming to stay with us."

  "What?" I laughed, "Yea right."

  "I told you he was never the one that wanted to kick you out, Rozalyn. It was all Vanessa. I always knew she had her ways, but it’s like ever since I found out she wasn’t my real mom and shit her ways were really starting to show. You know why they getting a divorce right?" Zavier said.

  "No, you act like I talk to them or something," I said and shrugged my shoulders.

  "When she found out I went to see Shantell we got into it and she said something about she wished I had been killed when Von sent them dudes after you that day. She told me that she was the one that called Von and told him that you showed up to the house," Zavier said.

  "What? Are you serious?" a shocked me asked.

  "Yea, I’m serious. I told daddy about it and I thought he was gonna sit on that shit and do nothing with it, but he told me a few weeks ago the divorce would be finalized in a couple of months," Zavier said.

  "Wow, grimy bitch. I can’t believe that bitch. You almost fucking died because of that bullshit!" I yelled.

  "Calm down, girl," Brandon said as he rubbed me on my back.

  "Yea, calm down. Pack your shit and be ready to move on the first," Zavier said.

  "I don’t know about that, Zavier. Tamar and I are actually together this time and I know he’s not about to let me move out," I said.

  "Always about you and Tamar. I told Kevin about that nigga too and he ain’t hap
py," said Zavier. "I didn’t tell him everything, but he’s knows you going stupid behind some nigga."

  I threw my fork down on my plate and leaned back in my seat. The last person I wanted to know about what’s been going on in my life was Kevin. That was the reason I haven’t wrote him in six months. I know he had be disappointed in me and pissed off about the decisions I’d been making lately. I looked down at my phone and saw a text message from Tamar:

  Since you wanna be hardheaded, come get your shit

  and get the fuck out!!!!!! Tell Brandon to take care of your ass!!!!

  I lifted my phone in front of Brandon’s face to allow him to read the text message.

  "You know I ain’t gotta problem with it," Brandon said as he whispered into my ear and gave me a peck on the neck.

  I gave Brandon a nudge with my elbow so he could back up off of me. The nice scent of his cologne and soft feel of his lips had me feeling a way I shouldn’t be with my baby’s daddy best friend. I took out a hundred dollar bill and tossed it on the table and stood up to leave.

  "Lunch on Tae?" Zavier asked.

  "I gotta go. Let me know when y'all move and I’ll come over," I said and gave Zavier and Jazlene a hug.

  "I don’t get one," Brandon said.

  I walked to Brandon and gave him a hug, "I love you," he whispered.

  I looked up at Brandon, and then quickly pulled away from him. I didn’t know why he kept doing shit like that. He admitted to me a while back when he got that apartment for me and Zavier that he’d been having feelings for me for quite some time.

  "You know why Tae don’t wanna talk to me right?" Brandon asked as he opened my car door for me.

  "No, why?" I asked.

  "He said that I saved your life two times when he couldn’t so he mad at me for that."

  "What? That is so childish."

  "That’s what I said. I ain’t worried about that shit though," Brandon said as he sat a yellow envelope on my lap. "Give that to him when you get home. Make sure you go straight home."

  "What is it?"

  "Money."

  "Oh okay. Well it was nice seeing you again."

  "You too," Brandon gave me another peck on the cheek and closed my door. I cranked my car and merged into the oncoming traffic. I only made it five minutes down the road before my gas light came on. I looked down at the package in my lap and sat it on the passenger seat while I pulled into the gas station. I know Brandon told me to go straight home, but if I didn’t get some gas now I wouldn’t make it home.

  I grabbed the package, tossed it under the seat, and got out of the car to go inside the car to pay for the gas. I looked back and saw Pete and Cuda pull into a parking spot close by, so I wasn’t really worried about anyone breaking into my car and stealing the money.

  "What’s up girl? Damn, you look good."

  I looked up and saw Andre standing in the doorway of the gas station.

  "Thank you, Dre. What’s going on?" I asked.

  "Ain’t nothing. Trying to get this paper is all."

  "That’s good. I heard you the man to see now."

  "Eww, look at this bitch. No matter how hard you try you still don’t look black," Tasha said as she came out of the store with a frown on her face.

  "Girl, whatever. Anyways—" I stopped in the middle of my sentence and stared at the piece of jewelry that hung around Tasha’s neck.

  "Even though I don’t like your ass I’m sorry about what happened to your baby," she said while she played with the necklace.

  "I gotta go," I said as I turned around to walk back to my car.

  My hands were trembling and shaking so bad that I dropped my keys onto the ground. Hurrying to retrieve them, I practically ran to my car. Once I got inside, I hurried and slammed the door shut, locked all my doors, and then took out my cell phone. I quickly held down the number one button on my phone to speed dial Tamar’s number. He didn’t answer. I tried again. Still no answer.

  I looked over at Andre and saw that he was pumping his gas and staring at me. Luckily he couldn’t see inside my car due to the dark tint or otherwise he would know how frantic I was.

  A few seconds later, I pulled out of the gas station and merged back into the traffic. I attempted to call Tamar one more time and hoped that he would pick up. Again no answer. I hung up and found myself more than agitated that he was ignoring me at a time when I needed him the most! This time, I dialed Kayla’s number and she picked up on the first ring.

  "Oh my God Kayla! I am so glad you answered!" I yelled into the receiver.

  POW! POW!

  Looking into my rearview mirror, I spotted Andre’s truck on the side of Pete and Cuda’s with a shot gun hanging out of the window! Pete and Cuda’s car swerved onto the other side of the road and crossed into incoming traffic. Their car then slammed into the corner of a brick building.

  "Roz! What was that!?" Kayla asked.

  "Ki-Ki, tell Tamar I know who tried to kill him! It was Andre!" I screamed.

  The sound of screeching tires could be heard from behind me, and then the loud sound of glass breaking; my glass breaking. Andre crashed his truck into the back of my Lexus and caused me to spin out of control before I collided into a light pole.

  "Ki-Ki! Help me! Tae!" I was yelling and crying. I was unable to move out of shock and fear. I felt like my arm was broken and knew for sure that it was when I tried to reach down to retrieve my cell phone that had fallen between the cracks of the seats.

  I looked up when Andre reached through the broken glass and unlocked my door. He snatched me out of the car and carried me back to his vehicle.

  "Andre, put me down! Let me go!" I screamed, but to no avail.

  25: Tamar

  Kayla came running into the bedroom screaming and yelling about something going on with Rozalyn. She said she heard gun shots, sounds of glass breaking, tires screeching and Rozalyn yelling for help. She said that Rozalyn told her that Andre was the muthafucka' that tried to kill me. That's exactly why I didn’t want her to leave the house.

  I knew that Brandon was out eating with Rozalyn and her brother Zavier, so I called him to see if he knew where she was and if he could see anything going on in the area. Pete and Cuda weren’t answering their phones and Rodney and Mike, the other two security guards I hired, I had not heard from them either.

  Once I made it to the hood and rolled by the Red Lobster, traffic was off the fucking chain. Cars were sitting bumper to bumper and no one would be moving anytime soon. I got out the car to see if anyone was aware of what was going on and was told that there was an accident about a mile ahead and a couple of people were shot and killed. They even said they heard that a female was snatched from her car and dragged to a Ford F-150.

  I felt helpless. I couldn’t move my fucking car because there was a mile long of traffic behind me and in front of me. I walked back and jumped into my car just as my phone began to ring.

  "Hello," I said as I answered it.

  "I found his truck, but it ain’t anybody in it. He dumped it on the side of the road near Early Street," Brandon said.

  "I hate to say it, but he probably done already got rid of Roz. Just put the word out that there is a hundred thousand dollars for anybody that bring him to me. Let’s see how long he can hide," I said.

  "You just gonna give up on Roz. You don’t wanna try and look for her?"

  "I’m not giving up. I’m gonna look for her, but I don’t wanna get my hopes up thinking I’m a find her. Y'all should have let me kill that nigga when I had the chance."

  "What did he do? Why would he take, Roz?"

  "She called Ki-Ki and told her that he was the one that tried to kill me."

  "What? How did she know that?"

  "I don’t know, but if he wasn’t guilty then he wouldn’t have any reason to take my fucking girl so as far as I see it, she must be right. I’m quite sure he the other person that was in on killing my son too! Don’t know why I didn’t think since Roderick was involved that his fucki
ng brother probably was too."

  "Man, I really don’t wanna even think like that. I’ll put the word out about the money on his head. Meanwhile, let’s just keep our eyes and ears open you never know; she still could be alive."--

  "You right. I’m a see if I can get Key to get out there too. I’m stuck in this damn traffic right now. Get at me the minute you hear something."

  "Bet."

  Brandon and I hung up and immediately I dialed Keylan’s number and told him the same thing I just told to Brandon. With money on the table muthafuckas would rat a nigga out rather quickly; not giving a fuck about the code of the streets.

  Soon as I was able to get out of this damn traffic, I made my way to the block where plenty of niggas was always hanging around. Looking at the faces and movements of everybody when they saw me pull up told me they were a little antsy and didn’t know what to expect. Word was out that I had put a lot of muthafuckas six feet under when I was trying to find out who killed my son and truthfully no one knew what to expect when they saw me. Getting out of my truck, I walked on the corner where Lug and D-Man were slanging at.

  "What’s up my nigga?" Lug greeted me with a pound as I approached.

  "Trying to see what’s going on around here. What y'all up to? How is business?" I asked knowing it was minimal to nothing.

  "Honestly ever since Von and Dre took over shit has been hectic, we around here starving, yo. For real," D-Man said.

  "You ain’t never lied. We having to do discounts and deals around this bitch like we running a Wal-Mart or something. They say our shit is weak. Can you believe that? We was selling shit so fast around here when you was head that a nigga could barely keep up and now we standing round begging fiends to cop instead of the other way around," said Lug. "You need to get at Von and Dre, those niggas is a trip."

  "I’ll put a word in to Von and see what’s going on, but truthfully things will be changing real soon so be patient. But look I came over here cause I was trying to see if y'all seen my girl, Roz or that nigga Dre," I asked.