by J Peach
“Wait, I thought you knew her because she’s Ms. Rozlyn daughter.” I was confused because I knew Blaze told me that his momma and Roz were cool at one point in time.
“I knew Rozlyn all of a year while living in Delaney before I stopped dealing with her. After I found out she was messing around with Joseph’s nasty ass. From the small time I knew Rozlyn, her daughter didn’t stay with her. ” She shrugged. “I have to check on my meat.” Bianca walked out of the living room.
“That’s a nasty ol bitch. She jumping from father to son.” I mumbled to myself but I guess Blaze’s nasty ass was no different seeing as he hopped from mother to daughter. That was some nasty shit.
“Look at Peach over there thinking. Don’t worry about that girl. He ain’t thinking about her,” Ebony said.
I laughed and waved her off. “I ain’t worried about Blaze’s ass going nowhere or fuckin’ with no bitch. We are so past all that. Plus, if he just so happen decide to revert back to his old self, I’m gone. I’m about to have two kids and I’m grown as hell. I’m not about to play those games with him.”
“Shid, he just might have to because you ain’t giving him no coochie.” Missy laughed, slapping hands with Kim.
I couldn’t help but join in. “And I’m not giving him none until he could walk into this house in the afternoon and break me off something. Y’all, I be so damn horny in the afternoons. My hormones be raging like crazy. I’ll try to call his ass but he won’t answer, just text me that he’ll be home later. I find that so inconsiderate. He don’t even have to come home. He could just meet me somewhere and give me the dick in his truck. Damn. I can’t even get that. But he wanna waltz his ass in here at midnight after I done got sick and shit. Talking about, Peaches, baby you sleep? Hell yeah, nigga, I’m sleep. I’m not about to bounce on yo dick when I’m feeling sick.”
The girls laughed at me, whereas I was being so serious.
“Damn, Peach, that is kinda messed up but shid, if he comes home horny and I ain’t got none all day, I’mma bounce all on the dick. Bitch, split, cowgirl all that good shit.” Kimmy added, making me laugh.
“I do be tempted but my stomach be so queasy. I hate this shit and can’t wait until it’s over.” Even though I hated that part, I was excited about the pregnancy. I don’t think excited could truly explain the feelings I had. I smiled as I ran my hand over my belly.
“What do y’all want? A boy or a girl?” Missy asked, rubbing my stomach. “What are you?” She cooed at it before putting her ear to my stomach. “Oh. Mhm.”
Laughing, I pushed her away from me. “You stupid. Move.” I shook my head at her before looking at the other girls. “I don’t know. I mean, I think I want a girl. Seriously, I don’t think I could handle three of Blaze. Blake is all I need and my poor baby can’t help that he takes after Blaze to a freakin’ T. No, I don’t think I can handle another one.”
“What Blaze want? Why you rolling your eyes at me.” Ebony laughed at my sudden blank expression.
“Girl, that crazy ass man talking about I’m having twins. Gon’ tell me it’s because he’s twice as horny than usual. I could’ve slapped his ass. Don’t jinx me with no twins.” I looked at my stomach. “It’s not two of you in there is it?”
“No, it’s three of us, Mommy,” Missy said in a childlike voice.
We burst out laughing.
“Missy, get yo irritating ass away from me. Ugh, why would you say that? Stupid self!” I pushed her away from me, still laughing.
“Peach, I feel as though I owe you an apology,” Ebony suddenly said.
Confused, my brows rose. “Why?”
“Because of how I tried to make Blaze seem in the beginning of y’all’s relationship. I just didn’t want you to have to deal with half the bullshit I did with King. I can honestly say I misjudged him and I’m sorry for that. You look so happy and I hope he continues to make you feel this way. Otherwise, I still carry my 9 which I have no problem using.” She joked before turning back serious. “I’m glad I was wrong about him, though.”
“Thanks, E, but you wasn’t all that wrong. The shit I went through with that man and his hoe—”
“Peach, that was one girl. Who he never had sex with and he only kept her around because of the feelings you brought out of him. Regardless of that, Blaze has seriously changed to be with you, Peach. It took him a minute but once he realized you wasn’t playing, my nigga got right real quick. I like that he did because he’d rather lose that chick than you permanently. Girl, that man waited on you for five whole years. Bitch, bye. What hood about to do that?” She stared at me waiting on my reply.
My face turned hot. I had to agree, Blaze did change and that said a lot. Even though he had a couple of bedroom rumps with a woman during our split, I couldn’t be mad about that. Especially when he was quickly dropped her once I came to the realization I wanted us to get back together.
“Yeah, that’s my bae. I love him like crazy.” I confessed. My cheeks pushed into my eyes from my hard smile. I couldn’t control it. Blaze had me.
They laughed at me.
“Y’all shut up, fo’real. I misjudged him too, though. I must admit he ended up surprising the hell out of me. What I love most of all is he can talk me now. He couldn’t before, which is why he always did dumb shit and spat out harsher shit. Now it’s so much easier. Don’t get me wrong, he still have his moments when he kinda shuts me out and does him but we work. It’s crazy but I now know we can really overcome anything if it’s what we truly want.” My smile was still intact but my eyes rolled up as I started to feel giddy.
“It’s so crazy to see you like this. To see that you have fallen hard for a hood. Hell, in a relationship, period. Wasn’t she the one always talking about how relationships were meant for disasters? And look at you now. My bitch done snatched herself up a hood. She’s glowing, a mommy and pregnant. What! I’m kinda jealous over here.” Angel laughed as she hi-fived the girls.
“Shut up. Y’all stupid. I’m about to go check on these kids and that meat. My ass starving.” I stood up from seat and stretched.
“Yo ol hungry ass. Not gon’ lie, though. I’m hungry, too. Bianca know she can through down.” Ebony rubbed her stomach following behind me.
We all went into the backyard and my niece ran to me. I picked her up and placed her on my hip.
“What you doing, little girl?” I kissed her cheek then ran my hands over her wet ponytails.
“Nothing,” she looked over at the pool before grabbing my face. She brought hers closer to mine. “Blake put water in my face,” she tried to whisper.
Keema was just too freaking cute, looking just like King. “Rashad, you bet not put no more water in her face. Otherwise, I’mma beat yo butt!” I yelled over at him.
He stopped playing basketball with Marcus in the pool to look over at me. “What? Man, she lying. I was playing basketball.”
I opened my mouth to reply but Keema started yelling at him.
“No I’m not, ugly little boy. That’s why my daddy gon’ knock you out.” She fussed back.
I glanced at Ebony. All she could do was shake her head.
“Man, shut up.” Blake laughed. “Yo daddy not gon’ touch me.”
“Say it in my face, then.” She wiggled her little self out of my arms and walked over to the pool.
I don’t know what he was supposed to be saying in her face but I hope he didn’t. She marched over there with a determine promise in each step to do something.
“Ebony, what the hell have you been teaching my niece?” I grabbed a paper plate and started putting different stuff on there. I got brats, chicken, corn on the cob and a piece of steak. I got some pink lemonade from the cooler then went and sat at the table next to Kim.
“Girl, I don’t know where she gets that mess from. I had Britt watch her the other day while I was at work. Peaches, I came and got my baby the next day and she had a whole new attitude.” She shook her head.
“Oh, Lord. Not Brittany. Gi
rl, she done taught her that mess, then she gon’ start picking at her just so she can snap off. Blake was already bad but that’s how she would do him.” Brittany was just bad with kids. She looked after them and took care of them like she was supposed to but her attitude was a mess. She did too much for my taste and thought the mess was cute. Oddly enough, she loved the kids.
“I wasn’t bad. Gimme a bite.” Blake’s wet hands reached into my plate.
I slapped his hand away and looked at him with my face twisted up. “Boy, all that food you just bypassed and you gon’ come over here asking for mine. No, gon’ now.” I waved him off.
“Ma, I don’t want a plate. Just give me a bite, please.” He pleaded.
My eyes rolled hard. I don’t know why he couldn’t get something, bite off of it then come back to it later on. “Here, boy.” I held up my brat for him to bite.
He bit into it and then pointed to the corn. “That too.”
My eyes cut at him, but I held it up for him. He took a big bite and then grabbed my lemonade and drunk it all.
“Blake, why would you do that? Now go get me some more, black butt and a bottle water out the freezer.”
“I can’t go in the house. I’m wet,” he countered with a smirk, looking just like his daddy.
“Boy, you better take yo butt in that house and get my water.” I returned his grin before I went back to eating my food. I was half way through my streak when I realized Blaze hadn’t text or called me to check in. He knew how I got when I didn’t hear from him after so long. “Ebony, hand me my phone off of the chair.”
“Girl, leave Boon alone. He’s okay. He’ll be home in a minute.” Bianca joked.
I was serious. I needed to check on him; otherwise, I would worry like crazy. “E, pass me my phone.” I repeated, ignoring Bianca.
She picked it up and passed it down to the girls until I got it. I checked my phone for any missed messages or calls. I had none. I called him. He didn’t answer. I then remembered him saying if he did answer for me not to worry because he’d text me. I waited twenty minutes but I didn’t receive a text or a call back.
I text him again and this time I left a voice message, telling him I was starting to worry.
Again, I waited twenty minute to get a reply but nothing came. I called him three more times only to get his voicemail each time. That was the shit I hated. Don’t be out running the streets trying to find a faceless person and then don’t return my phone calls or texts.
He could’ve shot a quick message saying in a minute and I would’ve been satisfied. But Blaze’s ass had to make shit harder.
With a sigh, I called King’s phone. The exact same thing. His damn voicemail picked up. “Oh, my God! They’re starting to piss me the fuck off.” I fussed, dropping my phone on the table. My hand run through my hair before I picked my phone back up and tried calling them again. “E, let me see your phone to call King.” I got up and walked down to her.
“Here,” she handed it to me.
I called King from her line four times and didn’t get an answer. “This the shit that pisses me off right here. Now what if it was an emergency? Then what? We all would’ve been— I don’t know but something. And they asses wouldn’t know shit because they not answering the phone or texting back.” I flopped down on the chair trying to calm myself down. My leg bounced fast and I just felt like crying because I didn’t know if something happened or not and the fact that they weren’t answering had me thinking something had.
“Auntie Peaches, you want me to call him on my phone. Don’t cry, I’mma call him.” Keema pulled out her little princess phone and press numbers, putting it to her ear. “Hello. Uncle Boon, where you at? Auntie Peaches is crying. You need to come get her, okay?” She pulled the phone from her ear and then got into my lap. Her small fingers wiped my face. “Uncle Boon said him on his way so don’t cry, okay?”
Through my tears, I couldn’t help but laugh at her little grown self. “Okay, baby. I’m not gon’ cry.”
“Okay, gimme kiss.” Her small lips puckered up and she kissed the corner of my mouth.
Again, I laughed. She was most differently Ha’Keem’s daughter.
Chapter 21
Blaze
Once I let off my shots, I ducked back behind the wall and dropped to the floor already expecting Mac’s move and knowing he was going to be shooting high. It was only so many bullets that was going to leave the chamber before it was empty. Once I heard the click, then the magazine hit the floor. I stood up.
“Yo young ass ain’t got too many more time to shoot at me. Gotdamn!” I dusted myself down getting all the dry wall off of me. “If I come around this corner and you shoot me, mothafucka, I’mma kill yo ass.” I warned him before I came from around the corner.
“N’all, hell n’all,” he was shocked.
“Yeah and you been causing hell out here. Let’s go before the laws show up.” I turned around and picked up a duffle bag but he didn’t move. “Nigga, bring yo ass on.” I pulled on my hood and hit the back door hard, not waiting on him. Shid, I was supposed to be dead it wasn’t no way in hell I was waiting around for the damn laws to catch up with my ass. I hit the alley and without looking, I felt him behind me.
As expected, King was parked at the end of the alley. I hopped in the front with Mac jumping in the back. “Go!” I told him as we heard sirens. Both our doors were still opened when King pulled off.
“Nigga, what the fuck? It’s like I’m seeing a fuckin’ ghost right now? What the fuck? I saw them bury you,” Mac said.
“N’all you saw them bury a closed casket—”
“Hell n’all! Don’t give me that shit. The way yo girl was crying and shit. You can’t fake no shit like that? My nigga do you know how many mothafuckin’ bodies I done dropped thinking yo ass was dead? Damn! Yo ass ain’t dead?” Mac continued.
I could hear the disbelief in his voice. “I ain’t dead. I got too much to live for. I was supposed to be low but my nigga here rolled up on me one day talkin’ about my youngin’ out here causing problems.” I looked back at him.
“Shid, that’s yo fault. I thought somebody popped yo ass. I was grieving.” Mac told me with a straight face.
I started laughing. “King, you hear this mothafucka. He was grieving so he went on a killing spree.”
King nodded his head. “Yeah, I hear him. You shot my fuckin’ truck last night. You could’ve shot me. So when I stop this truck, get yo ass ready because I’m about to fuck you up.”
“I got you,” Mac replied to King before turning his focus back on me. “Why the fuck would you fake yo death and not tell me?” His sincere expression had me shaking my head.
“Shid, I ain’t know who was who out here. So I had to be cautious of mothafuckas. Money make mothafuckas turn and do some low down shit. Not saying you was one of them but I couldn’t chance it. I got too much to be gambling on a what if, you know?” I explained to him.
Shid, I ain’t even want Peaches’ friends to know what was up but I couldn’t keep her from them and they would’ve eventually found out. It wasn’t until a few days after the funeral that I told her she could tell them.
Mac was my little nigga no doubt but he was a hood nigga as well and if it wasn’t for the fact he was out here dropping niggas left to right to find out what happened, I wouldn’t have come and found his ass. He earned my trust by doing that. Shid, at his rate, my nigga was heading straight to a body bag within a couple of weeks. I couldn’t let that happen.
“I hear you. Man, this shit crazy. What the fuck is going on that you gotda be low?” he asked a good question.
“Shid, all I know is somebody put a hit out a few years back. We killed the pawns but on my birthday, other pieces came out to play. All I know is a bitch is supposedly behind all this bullshit. But shid, I don’t know.” Remembering what Le’Ron let slip, I’m started to think it wasn’t a slip at all. Maybe that nigga knew he was gon’ died and just threw us off on purpose.
Shi
d, I ain’t know and the bullshit was starting to piss me the fuck off.
“The little shit I did find out is it’s over territory but that’s crazy and I don’t believe that bullshit. I mean, why give Joe the spot out in Ivanhoe? That nigga a pussy without his guns and boys. You saw how quick that nigga sung after two shots and a couple of hits knowing he was gon’ die anyways.” He hummed. “Rice? That name sounds so familiar. I don’t know where from, tho’.” Mac’s face contorted into one of thought.
“I knew I heard it from somewhere too but it’s not coming to me either.”
“I’ight. Well, since we’re all here. Real shit, tho’, I was coming to knock on his door next.” He pointed to King. “His ass was just too cool about everything. I mean, this nigga ain’t slow his business down or nothing. I was kinda fuck’d up about it. Real shit, I figured that was yo truck last night and that’s why I started shooting.” Mac told us before shrugging. “My bad, now I know it’s because you knew this mothafucka wasn’t dead. Shid, it’s a good thing I ain’t hit yo ass, huh?” Mac asked him with a straight face.
I burst out laughing but stopped. “Nigga, I was in the fuckin’ truck. Yo ass just started shooting.”
“Shid, that’s y’all fault. That truck wasn’t out there when I went into the house and all of a sudden it appeared. Hell n’all, I felt like I was being followed.” He shrugged.
King stopped at a light and looked at him. “How the fuck you ain’t know the truck wasn’t parked at somebody’s house?”
He had a good point. I looked at Mac waiting on his reply.
“Because that mothafucka wasn’t outside when I got to the crib. Plus, the radio light was on. Now unless somebody drove someone to that house and they was sitting in the truck waiting on them, then aye, it would’ve been an accident. But I wasn’t wrong. You two fucks been following me for weeks. I personally got tired of you watching from afar and was just gon’ holla and see what was up.” Mac shrugged nonchalantly.