Jashae had told me about Taylor coming over, and that’s pretty much the last that the two of them have been in contact. Jashae told me that she’d texted Taylor a few times, and she never responded. When I asked her if she thought that the shit was kind of strange, she shrugged it off and said that Taylor was probably busy with finals and things like that. The only ultrasound picture that any of us ever saw was the one that Jashae found months back in Vonte’s tux pants.
By this time, Taylor should know the gender, a baby shower should have been in the works, and she wasn’t reaching out to Jashae about shit. This was my best friend, and I just didn’t want her to get excited for nothing. She would go back to the same person she was months ago when she was walking around here looking like a damn zombie.
“Shae, you don’t think you bought enough shit already? We done been inside Kid’s Foot Locker, Gucci, Gap, you not tired of shopping yet?” I asked.
“Mahogany, this is my first grandbaby. This is actually making me happy right now. I didn’t get to splurge like this when I was pregnant with Vonte, let alone maybe the first ten years of his life. I wasn’t able to start buying him good stuff until I got into my career. This is the last store, I promise,” she said, throwing all types of clothes on her shoulders that she was going to buy.
“You don’t even know if she’s having a boy or a girl yet. Look at all these dresses you’re buying,” I said.
I couldn’t even hold back the smile that was on my face as I held onto the little tutu that was in her hands. It was adorable. For half a second, I pictured myself having a daughter. As quick as the thought came into my mind, I dismissed it.
“I just feel it in my gut that it’s going to be a girl. When I got pregnant, and I finally accepted the fact that I was going to be a mom, I wanted a girl. I didn’t want a son because I was afraid that he would be like Trip. I loved Trip to death, but we all know that his ass was bad as hell as a child, and I didn’t want that. I ended up getting a son, and he turned out to be the exact opposite of his damn daddy,” she spoke.
“What’s going on with him? You don’t talk about him much these days. I don’t see you sneaking off to go somewhere when he calls,” I said.
Jashae hadn’t talked to Trip since the day she went down there to see him for visitation. I still didn’t know what happened that day. Hopefully, right now she would tell me. I wasn’t even trying to be nosy, or no shit like that just wanted to make sure that mentally, she was okay because I knew that that nigga had what it took to bring her down.
“We got into it when I went and saw him. Somebody told him that I was hugging Miami after the funeral, and he snapped on me. I’m talking dragging me across the visitation table and slamming me down on my back. The guards got a hold of him, and he’s in solitary confinement. As mad as I am, I still love him, and I care about his well-being, so I ended up calling the prison, and he’s going to be locked down for the next 90 days. We have about a month and some change left to go,” she let me know.
For about ten seconds, I didn’t even say anything because I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t believe that his silly ass would do some shit like that.
“You don’t have to say anything because it’s nothing to say. You probably think that I’m crazy for buying this baby all these clothes, but with everything that’s going on right now in my life, this is honestly the only thing that’s keeping me sane. I know I shouldn’t care, but I don’t like when they lock Trip down like that. He’s in that little ass room for twenty-three hours out of the day, and I can’t help but think about whether he’s eating or if he’s trying to harm himself. We both lost Vonte, and in the midst of that depression, they throw him in there like that. I just don’t want him to harm himself, that’s all,” she said.
It was understandable for her to be concerned about him. I wasn’t questioning that at all.
“You love him, so you have every right to be worried, but Shae, they didn’t throw him in there for nothing. What do you think he would have done to you had it just been the two of y’all together and he found out that you hugged Miami? If he could drag you and slam you like that in a room filled with security guards, what the hell do you think he would have done with just y’all two? I wish you would have never told me this because now I’m going to be so fuckin’ worried about you,” I said, and she laughed.
“You think I’m crazy enough to take my ass back down to that prison once he’s able to come out of solitary confinement? I won’t lie and say I’m not going to pick up the phone when he calls, but I’m not going back down there. Hell no!” she said, and I believed her.
After about thirty more minutes or so, we were finally walking up to the cash register so she could pay for all of the shit that she’d bought. We literally had to have security come and help us take the bags outside to the car. Once everything was in the car, Jashae got in the driver’s seat, I jumped in the passenger seat, and she pulled out.
Five minutes into the drive, my phone started buzzing in my lap. When I saw that it was Jabari calling, I found myself smiling. All signs were telling my ass to leave him the hell alone because he was going to break my heart the same way that I got my heart broken in high school, but that dick was too good to just walk away like that. Every time we had sex, both of my walls would get broken down some more. I could feel myself catching feelings, but I had to keep reminding myself who the hell I was.
The night after I saw him in Five Guys, he texted me to come over, and my foolish ass went, even though I was so hurt behind him seeing him with that bitch. I boldly asked him if he’d had sex with her, and he boldly let me know that he did. I don’t know why I was expecting him to stop fuckin’ bitches because I’d stopped fuckin’ niggas after I fucked Jabari the first time in the bathroom. My body has only been given to him these past few months, and I think that’s why I’ve been so in my feelings when it came to him.
“Hello?” I answered.
I could hear a lot of shuffling going on, and I knew from all the noise that he must have butt dialed me. I was getting ready to hang up, but I all of a sudden heard a bitch’s voice.
“So, you not seeing nobody, then?” I heard someone ask him.
“Shorty, I just told you that I’m single. Fuck is you trying to ask me, yo? If you want to fuck me, it’s a bathroom around the corner,” I heard him say.
I rolled my eyes listening to him say that.
“But that’s not all I would want with you. I would want to eventually be your girlfriend,” she said, and I sucked my teeth.
“I ain’t looking for no girlfriend, shorty. I’m not on that type of time, so if that’s what you looking for, I suggest you look in the other direction,” I heard him say.
Everything was telling me to hang up because I felt like I was going to hear something that I didn’t want to necessarily hear, but I was in too deep now to just stop listening.
“Why? Because you fuckin’ that skinny bitch, Mahogany?” she asked, and I heard him laugh.
Whoever the bitch was had to have known me or known of me.
“Man, get the fuck out of my face with that bullshit! You say that like Mahogany the only one I’m fuckin’. Fuck out of here yo before I hurt your feelings with them dirty ass feet and them too little sandals you got on.”
After that, I hung up. I hadn’t even realized that I was crying until I felt a tear hit my lip.
“What happened?” Jashae asked, and I just shook my head, basically telling her to leave it alone.
I used the bottom of my shirt to wipe my face. This shit was beyond me, so I had no idea why I was sitting in this passenger seat crying like a weak bitch. Jabari had no loyalty to me and vice versa, so technically, he was free to do whatever he wanted and whoever he wanted.
At the same time, it was more than just sex with us. Lately, it had been conversations, weed sessions, we even took our first shower together a couple nights ago. This man would suck the soul out of my pussy, fuck me like he loved me, beg me to coo
k for him, spoon me from behind, and snore loud as hell in my ear, but I was just another bitch that he was fuckin’.
I was so mad that I ended up blocking his number and I deleted it. I let his dumb ass come into my life, and I became weak, vulnerable, and I had even entertained the idea of loving someone other than myself.
Toddrick “Miami” King
It was a little bit after three in the afternoon, and I was leaving the pediatrician with my daughter. It was only her third day with me, and somehow baby girl had managed to get a bad ass cold. I hated that she had gotten sick because a lot of the shit that I wanted to do with her would have to be put on pause until she started feeling better. She had to get a shot at the doctor, and she screamed her way through that entire thing, so right now, I was carrying her in my arms as I left the doctor’s office, and I would bet my last dollar that she had fallen asleep.
I didn’t want to bother Tahira about Taniya’s cold because truthfully, I wanted her to enjoy her trip. Plus, I couldn’t get in contact with her if I wanted to because they were out there on the water with no type of service. The pediatrician office that we were leaving was located at Memorial Hospital, so there plenty of other doctor’s offices on the floor.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone who looked very familiar. Her stomach was poking out big too. Funny how she wasn’t with the nigga who we all thought was her baby daddy. She didn’t see me yet, but I saw her all hugged up with that nigga, smiling from ear to ear as they looked at something together that was in her hands, which was more than likely an ultrasound.
I looked at the office door that they were standing in front of, and it said OBGYN. I probably should have kept the shit pushing and minded my business, but somebody who I cared about deeply was tied in the middle of this shit, so I had to say something.
With my daughter in my arms, I walked over to them. I couldn’t remember shorty’s name, so when I approached them, I cleared my throat. She knew who I was because I could see the way her eyes damn near bulged out of her sockets when she saw me.
“Can I help you, nigga?” was the first thing that came from her dude’s mouth.
Everything about him, from those fake ass chains to those skinny ass jeans screamed how much of a pussy he was, so I wasn’t even offended by his disrespectful ass question.
“You actually can. Walk the fuckin’ floor while I talk to her for a second.”
“Fuck you, nigga! Do you know who I am?” he asked.
This time, I didn’t laugh because the shit he just said to me were fighting words. I did, however, pull down on my beard, and I stepped up, getting all in his personal space. The fact that he didn’t hit me when I walked up on him showed me that he was pussy. As a man, you never let another man get this close to you without knocking his ass out!
“You obviously don’t know who the fuck I am because I’m worth so much more fuckin’ respect than what you showing me. If I put this baby down, I’m guaranteed to put your ass down, and I doubt you’ll be able to walk again. Like I said, go walk the fuckin’ floor while I talk to her!” I said, mugging the fuck out of him while I talked too.
I wasn’t sure if it clicked to him who I was, or if he was just actually scared, but he ended up walking away. I waited until he got down to the end of the hallway and he turned before I chose to say anything to her.
“Who is that?” I finally asked her.
“Reggie. That’s my boyfriend” she said.
“That’s not what I’m asking you, and I think you know that. Who is that, meaning is he the father of the baby that you’re carrying?” I asked.
When I did, she put her head down in shame. That right there told me everything that I needed to know. Instantly, my heart went out to Choc because I knew she was looking forward to having a grandbaby on the way. A tear fell from her eyes, and she quickly wiped it away.
“Listen, it wasn’t supposed to happen like this. I was going to tell her, but—”
“But what? You got caught? Shorty, that’s lame as fuck, yo! That woman just lost her fuckin’ son, man. She was looking forward to meeting her grandchild. You don’t do no shit to nobody like that, especially not to somebody who just took the type of loss that she did. My ole girl used to warn me about broads like you when I was younger. She started preaching to me at a young age about how some women are going to love you for you and how others will love you for what you got! You wanted Vonte to believe that this was his baby because you loved him for what he had. You knew where his talents were going to take him. Now that he’s not here anymore and he isn’t useful to you or the baby, you put the child onto the next man. Just so I’m sure, this isn’t Vonte’s baby?” I asked her, and she shook her head, still crying.
“I’ll tell his mom,” she cried.
“Nah. Stay the fuck away! I got her,” and with that, I walked away.
My heart really went out to Choc. That was fucked up for her to do her like that. If it wasn’t fucked up to put my hands on women, pregnant women at that… Mannnn, Ima just leave it like that.
I finally made it into my car and put my daughter in the backseat. Like clockwork, my phone started ringing the second I pulled out of the parking lot. We talked her up because it was Jashae calling me. She rarely called me for shit, but when she did, I made it a priority to answer the phone for her.
“What’s up, Choc?” I answered.
“Hey, are you busy? I wanted to see your daughter. You’ve been saying for the past few days that you were going to bring her. Plus, I wanted to show you what I did to one of my guest bedrooms,” she said, and I could hear the excitement all in her voice.
Shit was bittersweet for me because she was happy now, but I knew once she found out this information, she would be back sad.
“I was going to bring her, but she ended up catching a cold. We’re leaving the doctor’s office now,” I let her know.
“Aww. My grandma used to make this homemade soup for me when I was younger, and it always helped when I got sick. I used the same recipe and gave it to Vonte, and it always cleared up his colds. Bring her over, and I’ll make it. I have everything here that I’ll need,” she said.
“Alright, shorty. I’ll be there in about fifteen minutes. Do you need anything?” I asked.
“No, just come,” and with that, she ended the phone call.
On the way over, I drove with the radio off. I needed this moment alone with my thoughts. I planned to tell Shae this shit today because I didn’t want to string something like this out. This shit was real, and she needed to know it now. I drove a little slower than usual because I was trying to stall, but it was only so much stalling that I could do before I finally pulled my car into her driveway.
Those shots that they’d given my baby had knocked her ass out because she still hadn’t woken up yet. Even when I took her out of her car seat and carried her in my arms, she didn’t wake up. Holding my daughter up with one hand, I used the other hand to knock on the door. In another minute, Choc came to the door.
Shorty was in this bitch painting. She was in a pair of denim overalls with a white crop top underneath, which exposed her flat stomach on the sides. Low top white Converse were on her feet, and her long hair was pushed back with a denim headband on her head. Specks of paint were on her forehead, her arms, even some on her chest.
When she saw me, I didn’t even exist. She went right behind me to look at Taniya and to coo over her.
“She’s even more beautiful in person. Aww, they gave her a shot?” Choc asked, looking at the bandage that was on my daughter’s thigh.
“Yeah, that’s why her ass is knocked out. Where can I lay her?” I asked.
“You can put her in my room. The soup is going to take about another hour or so to finish,” she let me know.
I felt like she was back to her normal self as she talked to me. I remember the way to her room, so I walked down the long hallway, and once inside, I placed her in the bed and put the throw blanket around her. I kissed her fore
head a couple of times, and then I left the room. Walking down the long hallway, the door was opened to the room that Jashae was painting. I walked inside, and all I could do was shake my head because this shit was going to hurt her. She’d somehow gotten all of the furniture out of there and painted the walls a light pink color with a unicorn theme going on.
“I put the furniture on the Offer Up app, and someone came and bought all of the stuff this morning. This is going to be the nursery at my house. Do you like it?” she asked.
There was a big smile on her face when she asked it too. I’m not going to lie; she did a damn good job. I didn’t even know that she could pain this well, let alone draw. She’d drawn a unicorn on the wall, but it wasn’t done yet. I could already tell how nice it was going to be once it was done.
“Yes, it’s nice. Shorty, I got to tell you something,” I said.
“Okay, let me show you the clothes I got for my grandbaby first. Let me know if I overdid it. Mahogany keeps saying that I’m doing too much, especially since I don’t know if Taylor’s carrying a boy or a girl yet. I can just feel that it’s a girl. She’s going to give me the girl that I used to want,” she said, followed by a laugh.
She opened the closet door, and there was a shit load of clothes that she had hanging up on hangers, and they were all labeled from newborn all the way up to twenty-four months. She had jeans with jeans, dresses with dresses, even sorted the shit out by colors. I could only imagine how long something like this must have taken her.
“Too much?” she asked.
“Nah. When you love, you love hard, so that’s expected. Come here for a second, though. I want to tell you something.”
Down With the King of the South Page 19