Rags to Riches: My Thug Angel

by Andrea Sad'e

  We left and headed back to Rayna’s house. When we got back to the house, I sat down and had a talk with Rayna about my plans. “I’m gonna get up in the morning and call the realtor who helped us find our house so she can show me some condos.”

  “Okay, I’ll watch Kenyah if you need me to. Ahleya will get a kick out of slobbing on her face trying to give her kisses and Mrs. Camila will be here as well so she’ll be good.”

  “Okay, thanks, girl.”

  “Don’t even sweat it,” she said, giving me a hug and giving Kenyah a kiss before walking out.

  My alarm clock went off at 9 am, reminding me that I needed to call the realtor to look for my condo.

  “Hello, Mrs. Brown’s office, China speaking. How may I assist you?”

  “Hello China, is Mrs. Brown in? I was trying to get her to show me some condos today.” “No, Mrs. Brown is out of the office this week, but I’m qualified to handle all of her clients and I’m free today.”

  “Oh, well, great! What time is good for you?”

  “I go to lunch around twelve, so maybe one?”

  “Perfect.”

  “Oh, and could I get your name, ma’am?”

  “Ragena Houston.” I heard her start to cough. “Are you okay?”

  “Uhhm, yes, I’m fine. See you at one at Mrs. Brown’s office so we can figure out what might fit you best budget wise before we go looking.”

  “No problem, see you there,” I said before ending the phone call.

  I picked Kenyah up and started to feed her, when I was done, I put her in her bassinet and rolled it in the spacious bathroom while I took a shower. I started to think about Slick and how much I missed him. Why couldn’t I just be enough? I asked myself these questions and got emotional but I refused to cry over this bastard anymore. I miss him like hell but he’d made his bed. I got out of the shower and sent him a text.

  Gena: I wish I never met you 10:33am

  Slick: Make me go upside ya head Gena 10:34am

  Gena: Fuck you, I gotta go find Kenyah’s stepfather. Bye 10:35am

  Slick: I dare you :) 10:35am

  I sat my phone down. “Swear I fuckin hate him.”

  My phone vibrated again and I thought it was another text from Slick but it was an email from China.

  “Hello, Ragena, I was wondering if you could just send me your budget, so we can meet at the first condo instead of wasting time meeting at the office. I want to find you some places while I’m on lunch break.”

  “Okay, my budget is not a factor. If I love it I’ll pay for it. I just want it to have a nice family-oriented neighborhood. Nothing isolated, also with a swimming pool if at all possible”

  “Will do, I will send you the first address after I research some stuff and we can meet there at one”

  “Sure thing” I replied and sat my phone down

  “She’s a very nice girl,” I said to myself. It’s pretty hard to find nice people in the world. “Okay, Kenyah, godmommy Rayna is going to keep you while mommy goes and takes care of some business. Are you gonna be good?” She blew a few bubbles. “I’ll take that as a yes,” I said, laughing. “I swear I don’t know where I would be if I didn’t have your sweet little face.”

  Slick

  How did I let myself fuck up like this? China wasn’t even prettier than Gena and she definitely wasn’t better in the bedroom. “I’m so stupid,” I said to myself, rubbing my face. Let me get up,

  Ace was coming to pick me up so we could go check on the traps and the corners. We didn’t meet with the connect anymore, we handed that job to our two most trusted workers Dro and Eric. we felt like the FEDS were watching us a lil too hard and we needed to switch shit up for a while. Dro and Eric reminded us a lot of us when we were younger; they were hungry, loyal, and all about their money, so since we had families and shit, when we couldn’t do certain things, we let them handle it. I heard my phone vibrating. Looking down, I saw that Ace was calling, meaning he was outside so I got up and headed out the door. I hopped in his all-white Bentley and we rolled out.

  “Wassup, pussy nigga?” he said, focusing on the road.

  “Mannnnnnnnn.”

  “Yea, I know you fucked up.”

  “I don’t know what’s wrong with me, man. I just can’t stop. Losing them is hurting me, but hopefully they’ll come back home.”

  “I’on think that’s happening anytime soon,” he said under his breath.

  “What you mean, man?”

  “I’m just saying, Slick. You shoulda seen how broken down she was when we found her at the hotel. She was a mess. I don’t think she wants anything to do with you right now, but who knows. Hell, you better get yo shit together cause I’m tired of seeing Rayna’s ass moping around cause you hurt her friend.”

  I was about to reply when my phone vibrated. I picked it up and saw it was China.

  China: Guess who I have the pleasure of showing condos to today? 12:44pm

  Slick: What do you want? 12:44pm

  China: I would fix that attitude being that I’m showing Miss Gena some condos today :) 12:45pm

  “What the fuuuuuuck!!” I groaned, running my hands down my face.

  “What?” Ace asked.

  “The bitch China that I was with those two days is showing Gena condos today!”

  “China… China… China…” Ace said, trying to figure out who I was talking about. “OH, CHINAAAAA! Nigga, you fucked up with Gena with that no walls having bitch?”

  I just closed my eyes and laid my head back.

  “Yea, you fucked up.”

  I glared at him because he was right the pussy really wasn’t that great but I just needed a getaway. I was overwhelmed with how fast my life was moving. “So should I tell Gena?”

  “That’s your call, my nigga. But just know if you tell Gena, her and Rayna gone beat that hoe ass, on the house.”

  I sat and rubbed my hands together. “I’ll wait.”

  “You gone get yo ass kicked either way, so...” Ace said, laughing at how distressed I was looking while trying to figure out what to do.

  After Ace and I finished doing our rounds and corrected a few things, I called Gena to see if I could see Kenyah today. I was trying to make an effort to be better. The phone rang and she answered on the fourth ring.

  “Yeah,” she said dryly.

  “What you doing?”

  “Why, Kendrick?”

  “Man, answer the fucking question fo a peel ya shit back, nie. I’m tryna be nice.”

  “I just closed on a condo for Kenyah and I.”

  “Where at?”

  “Nunya business, now what do you want? Or did you call me just to be nosey?”

  “I want to spend some time with Kenyah.”

  “Sure, you can go pick her up from Rayna”

  “Why you can’t just bring her to my house?”

  “Uhhh, maybe because I don’t want to see your dog ass face.”

  “Man, whateva.” I hung up the phone and went to get my baby.

  Chapter 19

  4 months later…

  Rayna

  “Wow, I can’t believe I’m graduating early today.”

  “Well, you’ve worked your butt off to make sure you got done and it paid off.”

  “And I already passed my NCLEX so I can start working as a nurse. I’m so freaking excited, but I’m going online for my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees.”

  “I’m proud of you, baby,” Ace said, grabbing my face and kissing it.

  “Bestieboooooo,” Gena said, walking in the house with her graduation robe on as well.

  “We did it, Gena!”

  “Yes, girl. I’m so happy. We have to apply to the same hospitals!”

  I took Kenyah from her arms and kissed her cheeks. Ace came down the stairs with Ahleya’s big chunky self. I gave Kenyah back to Gena and grabbed my baby.

  “Heyyyy, mama girl,” I said to her as she grabbed my face and screamed out in laughter.

  “Dang, I love hearin
g her do that. It’s so funny,” Ace said, listening to Ahleya’s laughter.

  “Yea that’s cause she loves her mommy more than anyone,” I cooed to her.

  Ace gave me the “nigga, please” face. “Come on now, Rayna. Everybody knows daddy is her favorite person in the whole wide world.”

  I made a face at him. “Well, we better get going,” I said as we all walked to the door but we were stopped when Slick walked through the door.

  I saw how uncomfortable Gena’s face got, she had been avoiding him since the last cheating incident, they communicated about Kenyah through us or his mother, and she would drop her off here or to his mom’s house for him to pick her up.

  “This is gonna be a long fuckin day,” I mumbled.

  “Congrats, Gena,” Slick said, giving her some roses and a square box.

  “Thank you,” she said in the best nice voice she could muster.

  “Are you gonna open it?” he asked. she opened it and it was a beautiful diamond necklace. “I wanted you to be blinging on stage,” he said, taking it out of the box and putting it on her neck.

  “Uhhm, thank you so much, Kendrick,” she said, giving him a slight hug.

  He picked Kenyah up and kissed her chunky cheeks while she slobbered all over his face. “Ace and I will drive the babies, ya’ll get to the ceremony,” Slick suggested.

  Gena and I headed out the door and got in my white 2015 Range Rover Ace had just bought me. On the ride over, Gena was really quiet and fidgeting with her necklace.

  “Gena, what’s wrong, boo?” I asked, concerned.

  “How can you love somebody who hurt you so much? Like when he walked in the house, I had butterflies in my stomach. I need to get out and mingle so I’m not always so stuck on him.”

  “Just do what makes you happy, Gena. Don’t try to move too fast just cause you’re hurting cause in the long run, it may not be in your best interest. But you’re grown. Any decision you make, I’m behind you 100 percent.”

  “My best bitch,” she said before we grabbed pinkies.

  The ceremony went by quickly and our families came to greet us. Gena’s parents even showed up, which surprised us all. Slick walked up to Gena.

  “Congrats, Gena. I’m proud of you,” he said, hugging her with one arm while Kenyah was in the other smiling from seeing her mother’s face.

  Ace walked over to me and gave me a big sloppy kiss. “You did it, baby,” he said in between kisses.

  “Yes this is only the beginning,” I said while Ahleya tried to jump out of his arms to get to me. “Hey, mama juicy mouth.” she was super fat for 8 months and was starting to get a bottom tooth. Kenyah was fat as well for 5 months. “Where did the time go,” I thought, looking at the both of them.

  “Let’s go eat,” Mrs. Camila said, walking up to all of us.

  “Where to?” I asked.

  “I cooked, girl. We already took the food to your house. Now let's go dig in!”

  “Hell yeeea,” we all said walking out of the venue where the ceremony was held.

  Gena and I got in the car and burnt rubber getting to my house.

  “Girl, I’m tryna get fucked up and go out tonight. It’s been a while since I went anywhere and I’ve been working out and when I take this robe off, all ya’ll gone be shocked cause mama done bounced back!” I had to laugh at my friend because she was so turnt. I was glad she was getting back to herself because I hated to see her down like that.

  “I’m down for the club. I’m sure Slick and Ace can have a sleepover with the girls,” I said, laughing.

  We pulled up to the house and walked in the door.

  “Gena, let me holla at cha,” Slick said, pulling Gena on the back patio.

  I wanted to be nosey but I decided against it.

  Gena

  “What do you want, Kendrick?”

  “I’m sorry, Gena, but could you please stop avoiding me? Why can’t I know where you live?”

  “Because I don’t need your crazy ass popping up at my shit. That’s why.”

  “Do you not know who I am? I was trying to give you time to tell me but finding where you live ain’t shit to a nigga like me.”

  “Just leave me alone,” I said, trying to walk off before he grabbed me.

  “You got 3 days to let me know where you live or I’m coming to that muhfucka and tearing some shit up.”

  I snatched away from him and walked off.

  After dinner, Rayna and I started getting ready for the club. We both had wand curls in our long Malaysian hair. I had on an all-black Gucci two piece skirt and top with silver accents with red Louboutin red bottoms. I walked into Rayna’s room and cleared my throat.

  “Ohhhhhhh shit! My bitch is back! look at YOU! What baby!” she said in the most ghetto voice she could muster up.

  I looked at her and she had on a beige Marc Jacobs dress with a low dip in the front all the way to her belly button that hugged every curve that her mother ever gave her, she topped it off with nude red bottoms and gold accents.

  “But look at you, though. You always been thick but I guess Ace been working you cause that ass is out of this wooooorld!”

  “You would be the one to talk with that thang sittin back there.”

  We both fed each other’s egos for a little while longer before we decided to go downstairs to say goodbye to our daughters.

  “Dayyyyummmmmmm,” Ace said, looking at Rayna walk down the stairs.

  “Stop it.”

  “Ya’ll should just party here cause, whew.”

  “Move,” she said to him, laughing and pushing him out of the way. She grabbed Ahleya and gave her a million and one kisses. I gave Kenyah a couple and give her back to Slick. With that, we were out the door.

  “Dayummmm, Rayna it’s packed in here!” I said to Rayna over the loud music.

  We were at Ace’s club that he took over when his brother was going down the drain that he re-named “Rayne’s.” “Hmmm, I wonder where he got that name from,” I thought to myself. Ace whipped bout my girl.

  “Yea, I know, girl! Let’s go get a drink!”

  The bartenders knew who we were so we weren’t carded nor charged for our drinks. After a couple drinks, we went out on the dance floor and started breaking it down. Rayna was just getting into her dance good when she was yoked off the floor by her neck. On instinct, she started swinging until she saw who it was.

  “Ace, what the fuck you grabbing me like that for?” I saw her mouth.

  Slick came and dragged me off the floor as well.

  “What the fuck? Are ya’ll club patrol?” I yelled, out of breath. He looked over at her while dragging her to his office.

  “Girl who the fuck do they think they are?” I said, rolling my neck.

  “You betta calm down before I snap that neck of yours,” Slick said.

  “The fuck eva, nigga. I don’t belong to you anymore. Fuck outta here.”

  Slick wide stepped to me and hemmed me up on the wall. “Keep playing with me.”

  “Okay, okay, cut all this shit. Can ya’ll tell us why ya’ll fucking up our night?!” Rayna said in a drunken tone.

  “First off, calm that ass down. Secondly, we got a call saying ya’ll were drunk and wilding out so we decided to pop the fuck up,” Ace said, lighting a blunt.

  “Why though? I understand that Rayna is your girl but Kendrick ain’t my man to be popping up on nobody.”

  “Girl, if you don’t shut cho drunken ass up,” Slick said from the other side of the room.

  “Now we finna go back out here and party with ya’ll since ya’ll so muhfuckin turnt,” Ace said.

  “Wait, where are our children?” I asked.

  “My mama got them. they both sleep as fuck so she said she could handle it. She an OG,” Ace said, pushing Rayna out the door.

  I was heading behind them when Slick grabbed my arm and spun me around. “Why you keep playing?”

  “Boy, back up off me.”

  “Mmhmm, listen to your breathing. I
got you wet, huh?” he said in my ear.

  I was turned on times ten but I wasn’t about to let him see that. “Nigga, move. You ain’t cute,” I said, brushing past him.

  “One last thing,” he said, grabbing my waist.

  “What, Kendri–”

  He pushed his lips against mine and we shared the most passionate kiss until I snapped back to reality.

  “I-I gotta get back to the party,” I said and walked off, hearing him chuckle behind me.

  “It’s been four months, Gena. Damn,” I heard him say behind me as I twisted out of the office.

  I walked back out and saw Rayna’s drunk ass grinding on Ace, I walked up to her and made a throw up noise which made them both look at me and start laughing. I went to the bar and got a whole bottle of Patron. I was hoping drinking could numb this pain I was feeling. That kiss brought back so many memories that I wasn’t ready to deal with right now. Thirty minutes later I had drunk almost half of the bottle and could barely stand up. That’s when I spotted this guy coming over and he sat right next to me.

  “You alright, mama?” he said, flashing a perfect set of teeth.

  “I’m good,” I said, smiling back at him.

  “I’m Kay,” he said, kissing my hand. I swear he was sexy as hell.

  “I’m Gena,” I said back to him.

  “Well, Gena, would you like to dance?”

  “Uhhhhm, Kay, my baby daddy is in here and he thinks I still belong to him, so I’m just trying to enjoy myself tonight. I don’t want to start a riot.”

  “Well, if you ever have the time, just give me a call so I can take you out,” he said, giving me a piece of paper with his number on it.

  I stuck the number in my clutch. “Sure.” And with that, he disappeared into the club.

  “Who the fuck was that?” I scratched my head and turned around, aggravated that he continued to question me about shit that was none of his business.

  “WHY?”

  “Yeah, whatever. You better be glad I ain’t see the nigga face.”