Always Gonna Be My Baby: A Hood Love Story

by Charmanie Saquea

  “You done with him, right, Aries?” Choppa asked as he grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled her head back.

  Aries couldn’t answer him even if she wanted to because she was hit with a body rocking orgasm that knocked all that sound out of her. All she could do was shake as if she was having a seizure. Choppa reached under her and rubbed her clit with his finger.

  “Ooh,” she moaned.

  “Answer my fucking question,” he growled as he put pressure on it.

  “Ye…yea,” she said.

  “Oh, I know,” he said as he sped up his strokes and pulled out just in time to cum on her ass.

  Choppa let her body collapse on the bed as he got up to go the bathroom. After cleaning himself up, he came back with a warm rag to wash her up with. Aries jumped at his touch as he cleaned her up. After he was finished, he climbed back in bed and pulled Aries so her head was laying on his chest. No more words were exchanged that morning as they fell into a deep slumber.

  Eighteen

  Treasure rushed through the doors of the emergency room of Jackson Memorial feeling as if her world was about to come crashing down on her. She had gotten woken up to the phone call no mother ever wants to get woken up to and she couldn’t even think straight. If it weren’t for Benji, she wouldn’t have even been able to make it to the hospital because she was shaking so bad.

  As she was making her way to the front desk, she saw a few of Lorenzo’s boys. The dirty looks they were giving Benji didn’t go unnoticed but she didn’t have time for all that right now.

  “Can I help you?” the nurse at the front desk asked her.

  “Yes, my name is Treasure Moss. I was called about my daughter Eternity Harper and her dad Lorenzo Harper being shot,” Treasure said, not believing the words as they came out of her mouth.

  The nurse typed something in the computer before looking back at Treasure. “Okay, her grandmother is back there with her right now but you two can go back,” she said as she gave them Eternity’s room number.

  Treasure damn near took off running after she got the information she needed. When she reached Eternity’s room, she and Sheree looked as if they were about to walk out. Treasure immediately broke into a fit of tears when she realized her baby was okay.

  “Oh my God,” she sighed in relief as she swooped her up in her arms.

  “Hi Mommy,” Eternity said as she hugged Treasure’s neck tightly.

  “She’s okay besides a few cuts from the glass. She’s very shaken up, though. She was just discharged and we were on our way to see her daddy. She been asking for him since I got back here,” Sheree told Treasure.

  “You okay, Chipmunk?” Benji asked Eternity as he playfully pinched her cheeks.

  Eternity let out a little laugh as she nodded her head. “I fine,” she told him.

  “Ma, this is Benji. Benji, this is Eternity’s grandma,” Treasure quickly introduced.

  “Oh, the infamous Benji that Princess loves talking about,” Sheree said as she smiled. “Nice to finally put a face to the name.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Benji said as he shook her hand.

  “I wanna see Daddy, Mommy,” Eternity said.

  “Okay, we’ll go now,” Treasure said as they left the room.

  “He’s down the hall,” Sheree said as she led the way.

  Treasure was so happy that nothing fatal happened to her daughter that she didn’t know what to do. Never in a million years did she ever think that Lorenzo’s lifestyle ever would have put her child in jeopardy like that. It was already bad enough that he had somebody coming after him but the fact that Eternity was with him when they decided to get at him was some shit she just couldn’t accept.

  When they reached his room, Treasure gave Benji a look that asked him to stay out in the hall and he looked at her like she was crazy. He had grown to love Eternity as if she were his daughter so he wanted to know what beef this nigga had out in the streets where they were coming at him while he had his daughter. That was some ruthless shit by niggas who didn’t give a fuck about shit.

  Treasure just sighed as Benji walked into the room. As soon as Lorenzo saw him, he looked as if he wanted to jump out of the bed and beat his ass.

  “Daddy!” Eternity yelled as she reached for her daddy.

  Treasure let her go and let her go with her dad. She noticed Lorenzo winced a little but he wouldn’t dare turn his daughter away.

  “You okay, baby? Where were you hit?” Sheree asked.

  “I’m good, I just got hit in the shoulder. Doc said it went straight through,” he said, never taking his eyes off Benji.

  “What’s going on, Lorenzo? Who do you have beef with that would do some bold shit like this while Eternity is with you? Especially in broad daylight?” Treasure questioned, needing answers.

  “I can only think of two bitch ass niggas who would do some bitch shit like this. They wouldn’t be brave enough to get at me like real men so they would do some sneak attack shit like this,” Lorenzo spat, looking Benji right in his eyes.

  “Don’t beat around the bush, nigga. Say what the fuck you feel you need to say,” Benji told him.

  “Bitch, you know exactly what I’m saying. You and your brother some hoe ass niggas!” Lorenzo raised his voice, scaring Eternity.

  “Hold up, don’t start that! Lorenzo, just because you and Benji don’t get along don’t mean he’s the one who did this. He was with me all last night and this morning. There’s no way he could’ve did this,” Treasure told him.

  She was so over the back and forth between Lorenzo and Benji that she could scream. She never would have thought her child’s father would turn out to be so petty. He could go around sticking his dick in any bitch that he wanted to but the moment she tried to move on with her life, it was a big problem. To make things worse than they could possibly be, she had to go and fall for a nigga that he already had a problem with.

  “Treasure, get the fuck out of here, acting all gullible and shit. This nigga got you so blind that it’s sad. Just because the nigga didn’t pull the trigger don’t mean he ain’t call and put the hit out. Where the fuck was his brother? You was fucking him last night too? Think about the shit, Treasure. I didn’t start having attempts on my life until his ass came into the picture!”

  Treasure didn’t say anything because for once, Lorenzo actually made sense and she hated to admit it. She never looked at it like that. She didn’t want to believe it because she didn’t want to think that Benji would do anything to put Eternity’s life in danger but Lorenzo did just make a valid point.

  “Lorenzo, cut it out. Exactly what reasons does this boy have to come after you?” Sheree asked, not believing it herself.

  “Plenty, Ma. For one, because I won’t lay down for his ass and I’m not scared of him like these other niggas out here on these streets. Two, because I have the family he wants. He’ll never completely have Treasure’s heart as long as I’m still in the picture.”

  Benji couldn’t contain himself any more. He burst into laughter at the bullshit that Lorenzo was letting spill from his mouth. The average nigga probably would have gotten mad but he actually thought this shit was comical.

  “That must be some good ass pain medicine they gave your ass because you talking crazier than a muthafucka. Nigga, you know me so you know that I’m one hundred about mine. If I wanted to get at you, you would’ve known it was me and you damn sure wouldn’t have been alive to tell it. The same goes for Choppa. We don’t shoot for the fun of it, nigga. We damn sure don’t put hits out because we like to get our hands dirty ourselves. As far as Treasure goes, I’m not forcing her to do a damn thing. If she wants to be with you, then she’s free to do that. I’m done with this stupid shit,” Benji said before he walked out of the room.

  Treasure stood there stuck. She didn’t know if she was supposed to follow behind Benji or continue to make sure Lorenzo was good. This was the shit she hated. She hated feeling torn and as if she always had to pick between the two. No matter
how much Lorenzo pissed her off, the two of them still were bonded for life because of Eternity and she would never wish harm on him.

  On the other hand, she had Benji who made her feel a way she hadn’t feel since she was a teenager and in love with Lorenzo. Whenever she was with him, it was as if nothing else mattered but them. She even loved how he treated Eternity like his own child and did things for her when he didn’t have to. He never tried to overstep his bounds and be her dad knowing she already had one who was active in her life but whenever he wanted to do something with her, he always made sure to include Eternity.

  “You’d be a damn fool to stay with a nigga that tries to take your child’s father out. I never pegged you to be desperate for a man,” Lorenzo told her.

  “Renzo,” Sheree chastised him.

  “Whatever, Lorenzo. Don’t worry about what I do.” Treasure rolled her eyes.

  She walked over to him and picked up Eternity who had fallen asleep in his arms. She was over him just that quick. She saw that he was alright and since Eternity was okay to go home, she was ready to go. She went in search of Benji and couldn’t find him so she figured he was already at the car.

  When she got to the car, she strapped Eternity into her car seat and hopped in the front seat. Benji just pulled out of the hospital parking without even glancing in her direction. The ride back to Treasure’s house was a quiet one. Treasure was so lost in her thoughts that she wouldn’t even know what to say to Benji if she had something to say. Lorenzo had really put something on her mind and it was bothering her.

  When Benji pulled up to her house, he tried to get out and help her with Eternity but she stopped him.

  “It's cool, I got it from here,” she told him.

  “Whatever, man. I'm not about to beg you,” he said.

  Treasure didn't bother to respond because she knew if she did, it was going to turn into an argument and that was something she didn't need right now. As soon as she got out of the car, Benji pulled off without waiting to make sure she got in the house safely, which he always did. Treasure just shook her head at him. Benji was always catching attitudes and acting like an asshole. She was going to let him have this one because she had some things to think about anyways.

  Nineteen

  After being gone for two days, Aries walked back into the house she shared with Kevin that didn't feel like a home anymore. She had to talk Choppa into letting her come back to get some things and formally break things off with Kevin because he was not having it. In his logic, Kevin would've caught the hint when she didn't come home ever again. As tempting as that sounded, she knew she had to be a grown woman about this situation.

  “Man, hurry yo ass up. You gonna make me come over there and fuck both of y’all up,” Choppa said into the phone.

  “I just walked through the door, Brandon,” Aries told him.

  “And? What the fuck is that supposed to mean to me?”

  “It means that you gotta give me time to get my stuff and to talk to him,” she told him. “Besides, what am I rushing to get back to the house for when you’re not even there?”

  “Because that's where you supposed to be,” Choppa told her.

  “What the fuck!” Aries yelled when she opened the closet to grab her clothes.

  She was standing there looking at a damn near empty closet. What once used to be a full closet barely had anything in it besides Kevin’s clothes. All her clothes and shoes were gone, nothing that had been there two days prior was there now. She stood there lost as hell wondering what Kevin did with her things.

  “Aries! Act like you fucking hear me talking to you!” Choppa yelled into the phone.

  “My clothes…my clothes are gone,” she mumbled.

  “Well shit, he did you a favor. Take your ass on back to the house then.”

  Aries rolled her eyes at his childishness. “Everything is not that simple. I—”

  Aries jumped in horror as her phone was slapped out of her hand, hitting the wall and shattering instantly. She spun around to find Kevin standing there looking as if he was ready to kill. Before she could open her mouth to say anything, he lunged for her. Kevin grabbed her by her hair, pulling her out of the closet.

  “Where the fuck your slut ass been?” he yelled.

  “KEVIN LET ME GO!” Aries screamed at the top of her lungs.

  WHAP

  “You think you can just go out and be a hoe for two days then bring your nasty as back home to me?” Kevin asked as he delivered a slap to her face.

  WHAP

  “STOOOP!”

  Aries fought with all her might to get Kevin off of her. She made the mistake of reaching up and hitting Kevin in his nose on purpose. Instead of stopping him or slowing him down, it only seemed to add fuel to his already raging fire.

  “Stupid bitch! That's what you want to do, huh? You must like getting your ass beat,” Kevin’s voice boomed throughout the room.

  Aries clawed at his face with her nails as she fought for her life. She hated that she’d let Kevin catch her off guard like this. She had no idea he was even in the house because he was supposed to be at work and she didn't see his car in the garage. It was as if he came out of thin air.

  “Aw, fuck!” Kevin yelled as Aries kicked him in his balls.

  While he went down, Aries used that as her leverage to escape. She could feel her eye swelling up and twitching from one of his vicious blows but she wasn't about to let that deter her from doing what she had to do. Aries had just reached the stairs when she felt a harsh shove in her back.

  “AHHHH!”

  Screaming at the top of her lungs and tumbling down the stairs was the last thing she remembered before everything went black.

  ___

  Treasure sat in the chair by her sister’s bed just staring at her motionless body as she laid there hooked up to machines. She didn't know if she wanted to cry or shoot someone. When Choppa called her asking for Kevin and Aries’ address, she thought he was on some crazy shit until he explained something wasn't right.

  When they got there and kept calling Aries’ phone with no answer, she knew without a doubt that something was wrong with her sister. She called the police and they kicked the door in to find her laying at the bottom of the stairs looking dead. Immediately, Treasure feared the worst until they announced she had a pulse.

  “How is she?” Ariela asked as she and Terrance rushed in the room.

  “She's been out since we found her. She was pretty beat up, a few fractured ribs, some swelling in her brain from when she hit her head,” Treasure explained.

  “Who would do something like this?” Ariela rhetorically asked as she stroked her baby’s hair.

  “Oh, I have a number one suspect,” Treasure mumbled.

  “You know something we don't?” Terrance asked.

  Treasure glanced over to her sister and sighed. She knew now wasn't the time to be protecting Kevin, especially when he damn near killed Aries.

  “Aries was leaving Kevin and he didn't like that. She was on the phone with her…boyfriend, I guess you can call him, just before this happened. That's all too suspect for me,” Treasure told them.

  “Leaving Kevin? Boyfriend? What in the hell y'all been having going on?” Ariela asked. “I'm so confused right now, when did Arie get a new boyfriend?”

  “I wouldn't really say he's new, ma.”

  “Where is this boyfriend now?” Terrance asked.

  “On the prowl looking for Kevin,” Treasure told her dad.

  As soon as Aries was put into the back of that ambulance, Choppa was out of there with the speed of lightning. He told Treasure to call him and keep him updated on her condition but he had some shit to handle. He was so pissed that you could literally see the steam coming from his ears. Treasure was happy but she was scared as hell at the same time. She wanted Kevin’s ass beat but she knew that Choppa would more than likely kill him once he caught up to him.

  “Noo, call him!” Aries said in a low panic as she tried to r
each for her tubes.

  “Whoa, whoa, Arie, calm down,” Ariela told her daughter as she grabbed her hands.

  “Mom, he's going to kill him! Treasure, call Choppa, please!” Aries cried.

  Treasure rushed to pull out her phone just so her sister would calm down. It was just like Aries to wake up tripping. She quickly hit Choppa’s name in her recent calls list and waited for him to answer. On the second ring, his voice boomed through the phone.

  “What's the word, sis?” Choppa asked.

  “The word is get your ass up to this hospital,” Treasure told him.

  “What's wrong?”

  “Aries won't calm down because you're not here. She's hyped up, crying and everything,” Treasure let him know.

  “Tell her I'm on my way,” Choppa said before hanging up.

  “He's coming, Aries. Now please stay calm before you give yourself a headache. While you eavesdropping and everything,” Treasure told her.

  Aries put her hands on her head to stop the room from spinning. She didn’t even know what was going on. All she knew was that her head was hurting something serious and her body was in pain. She woke up to hear Treasure saying that Choppa was out looking for Kevin and that was something that she just couldn’t have.

  Choppa’s temper and street sense mixed with Kevin’s vindictiveness was a disaster just waiting to happen. She didn’t want anyone getting locked up behind her, especially Choppa.

  “Look at you, let me get the nurse,” Ariela said as she pressed the button to call the nurse.

  “Aries, how long as Kevin been putting his hands on you and why haven’t you said anything?” Terrance asked.

  “Honestly, daddy, the first time he did it was when I told him I didn’t want to go through with the wedding anymore. That was just a simple slap and choke. I was already putting my plan in motion to leave him. I should’ve known when I walked in the house after being gone for two days that he was going to flip but I never thought he would’ve went to this extreme,” Aries told him.