Single Ladies

by Blake Karrington

  “I’ve been doing all right. My dad had a heart attack a couple of days ago. He’s good, though,” Fox answered. “So what about you? How have you been?”

  Falisha explained that there was the same old stuff going on, and how she was trying to get back into school. They sat there and talked for a minute, forgetting about their prior engagements. Conversation was something that came naturally for them, and if it weren’t for Falisha’s cab pulling up, they would have been there talking awhile longer.

  “It was nice seeing you, Fox,” Falisha said, walking over to the cab.

  He reached out and grabbed her hand, stopping her before she got into the car. He honestly missed Falisha, and didn’t want to let her go right away. “Let me take you home,” Fox offered.

  Falisha thought about it for a second, but declined the offer after thinking about what Lamar would do if he saw her in the car with him. She knew there would have been drama, the kind of drama Falisha didn’t feel like going through, especially now when she was trying to win over Lamar’s heart.

  “Well, since I can’t take you home, can I at least call you . . . as a friend?” Fox choked up. “I really need to talk to you about something important.”

  Falisha didn’t hate Fox, nor did they break up on bad terms. She didn’t see any reason why he couldn’t call and talk as a friend, of course as long as Lamar wasn’t around. She also knew that Fox followed instructions to a T.

  “Call my phone in the morning, around ten o’clock,” Falisha told him before walking over and getting into the cab.

  Fox nodded his head with a smile as he backed away from the curb. He’d rather take that than nothing. He also knew that when he did call her, he was going to make what he had to say count. He definitely had something on his mind that he’d wanted to get off his chest for a while now, and if Falisha wasn’t careful, she could easily get caught up again.

  * * *

  “You should be good to leave,” Tammy told Darious as she looked out the window.

  Darious sat on the couch, still zoned out about having a gun pointed in his face. He was from the hood, but he was more of the square type, not really getting into too much trouble. That was actually the first time he’d had a pistol pointed at him, ever.

  “If ya brother-in-law would have shot me, what would you have done?” Darious asked out of curiosity.

  “I would have called the cops on his dumb ass,” Tammy answered. “Look, I’m sorry, Darious. My baby father probably sent him around here.”

  “So you didn’t tell him about us yet?” he asked, referring to Chris.

  Tammy took a seat on the couch next to him. “I wanna tell him, but I’m scared,” Tammy began.

  “You shouldn’t be with a man you got to be scared of. That’s no way to live,” Darious spoke.

  Tammy had not been all the way upfront with the uncertainty she was feeling inside. “I’m not scared of Chris, Darious. I’m just afraid that once I leave him to be with you, you may leave me, and then I’ll be alone. I really wanted to make sure I was good enough for you, before I said anything to him,” Tammy confessed.

  “Damn, Tam. You really think I tell you the things I do because I wanna hear myself talk?” Darious said, turning to face her. “Look, I told you that I love you and I meant that. You just gotta believe me, and trust me. If you can’t do that, then what’s the point of us being together? Let me ask you something, Tammy: do you love me?” he asked, reaching over and turning her chin so she could face him.

  “Damn, I almost took a bullet for you tonight. Doesn’t that count for anything?” Tammy said and laughed.

  Darious had to chuckle at her comment as well, and in some crazy way, that was a way to show her love, but Darious wanted to hear the words come out of her mouth. “Nah, seriously,” he said, getting back to the question.

  Love was a big word to be throwing around and, for days, Tammy had contemplated whether her feelings for him were at the stage of love. At times, it got a bit confusing because she also had love for the father of her kids. It was like Tammy’s heart was being torn down the middle, but at the end of the day, she knew she was in love with Darious, and she didn’t want to hide it anymore.

  “Yes, I love you, Darious,” she said, then leaned in and kissed him softly.

  * * *

  Ralphy looked down at Johanne’s head bobbing up and down on his dick. Her long, black, curly hair was pulled back in a ponytail, so nothing was getting in the way of her stuffing his whole dick down her throat. She was pretty as all get-out, and in Ralphy’s eyes, there was nothing like having a bad bitch suck on his dick.

  “Keep going wit’ ya nasty self!” Ralphy said, grabbing the top of her head and pushing his dick deeper within her mouth. “You better not stop!” he told her.

  Johanne was a freak. She liked when Ralphy talked to her like that. It made her pussy so wet to the point where it began to feel orgasmic. Not too many females could have an orgasm just by sucking their man’s dick, but Johanne was one of them, and that was one of the many things Ralphy liked about her.

  After Ralphy’s phone chirped on the nightstand a couple of times, he finally reached over and grabbed it to see who it was. That too was a turn-on for Johanne. She took it as a challenge, which made her want to suck his dick even harder.

  “I miss my family,” Ralphy mumbled to himself, repeating what was written in the caption under the picture that was sent to him.

  He looked at Lisa and Naomi lying in the bed asleep, and for a moment, he too felt like he missed his family. There wasn’t a day that went by when he didn’t think about being back at home, but the reality of the matter was that Ralphy wasn’t going back. He was reliving an era in his life where he was having his way on the street. That, along with the fact that he would never be able to trust Lisa again, was more than enough for him to want to stay exactly where he was.

  * * *

  It was almost seven o’clock in the morning when Lamar pulled up to the block. After he got off work, he drove around all night thinking about what he was going to do. He always knew that it was going to come down to choosing either Kim or Falisha, but what he didn’t expect was for Kim to go hard with the ultimatum she gave him. Even at that very moment, while parked at the top of the block, Lamar still didn’t know what he was going to do.

  It was a sure thing that both of them were waiting up for him, and no matter which house he finally went into, the other person was going to be hurt. He didn’t want to, but today he was about to lose one of the two. Which one? He still didn’t know.

  “Come on, Lamar. What are you gonna do?” he mumbled to himself as he grabbed his gym bag out of the trunk. “Think, dummy, think!”

  Lamar walked down the street with his workout bag over his shoulder. The street seemed shorter today for some odd reason, because after only a couple of steps in, he was already pushing up on both houses. Living directly across the street from each other didn’t make things any easier for Lamar, who was only a few feet away from making one of the most important decisions of his life.

  Standing in the middle of the street, Lamar stopped right in front of their homes. He could feel both sets of eyes looking at him, and as he looked up at Falisha’s house, then back over at Kim’s, Lamar made his choice. He lowered his head and walked up Kim’s steps, praying and hoping he hadn’t made the wrong selection.

  * * *

  Tammy got up bright and early in order to catch the van service that took the families up to the jail. This wasn’t a family visit for Chris, as Tammy had dropped the kids off at Chris’s mom’s house. She wanted to talk to him alone this time, and didn’t want the kids interrupting the conversation.

  When Tammy got into the visiting room, she became even more nervous, not knowing how this was going to turn out. She felt in her heart that Chris had the right to know about Darious, and it was best, and more respectable, that he heard it from her mouth instead of someone else’s. She knew it was just a matter of time before Outlaw or one
of his friends said something.

  Chris walked out onto the visiting room floor with the standard federal-issued khaki set, his freshly groomed haircut, and tan Timberland boots. He looked so good, Tammy almost forgot what she came there to do. Chris, however, quickly reminded her of her mission when he walked over and took his seat without even attempting to give her a hug.

  “Wow, no hug, no kiss?” Tammy asked.

  “Nah, I’m good. Wassup wit’ you, Tammy?” Chris asked in a nonchalant way, sitting back in his chair.

  “You want something to drink or something to eat?”

  “Tammy, why are you here?” he asked, cutting her off.

  This was going to be harder than she’d thought. It was obvious that Outlaw had beat her to it. She didn’t see a way to break the ice and have this conversation, but he was already five steps ahead of her.

  “Are y’all together? I mean, are you in a relationship with this nigga?” Chris asked, getting straight to it.

  Tammy paused before answering. “Something like that,” she said, putting her head down in shame. She could see the disappointment and hurt in Chris’s eyes. “I was tired of being alone,” she spoke softly, trying to hold back her tears.

  She knew that what she was revealing to Chris was killing him, and the last thing she wanted to do was hurt the person she’d been in love with for years. The pain increased almost immediately in Chris’s eyes and, for a second, Tammy thought about getting up and leaving the visiting room. She could barely stand to look at him. In all their time together, she had never seen Chris cry. He was always a rock with his emotions.

  “Do you love him?” Chris asked, wanting to know the whole truth of the matter.

  That’s when it hit Tammy. She couldn’t hold back the tears, and as they fell from her eyes, Chris knew that his worst fears had come true. Tammy couldn’t even speak. All she did was nod her head up and down, as she wiped the tears from her cheek. Chris felt like all the air had been removed from his chest. Even when the judge had given him his sentence, he took it on the chin. But the reality of losing the one woman he really loved and the mother of his children was overwhelming, and his eyes began to fill up with water.

  “I’m sorry,” Tammy managed to get out, looking over at Chris, who wiped his eyes.

  All kinds of thoughts ran through his mind. After the hurt, he felt anger. He wanted to jump up and beat Tammy’s ass until the cops pulled him off of her, but he didn’t. He knew he couldn’t. He even thought about spitting in her face, but he didn’t. Instead, Chris just kept his cool. He wiped his face and cleared his eyes then looked over at Tammy. He searched his mind for the words that he wanted to leave with her, if he never had the chance to say anything else.

  “I wish you the best, Tammy,” Chris said, then bit down on his bottom lip in frustration. “Take care of yourself,” he continued, while getting up from his seat and walking off to the officer’s station.

  He terminated the visit, leaving Tammy sitting there in her sorrow. As he disappeared into the back, the reality of the situation hit Tammy like ton of bricks. It was no longer “Tammy and Chris.” It had been that way as far back as she could remember. Even when they were in their roughest times, never in a million years did she think they would not be together. But, somehow, she had messed around and fallen in love with somebody else. She wasn’t sure if it was fear or regret that was now setting in.

  * * *

  Lamar walked into the house singing “You” by Jesse Powell. He went upstairs and walked straight to Kim’s room, but she wasn’t there. He checked the bathroom and then the guest room in the back, and still there was no sign of her. “Kim!” he yelled out, then paused in the hallway, listening for a response. Still nothing!

  “Come on wit’ da dumb shit,” he said, walking toward his room. “I know I ain’t made this decision and she done spent the night somewhere else,” he continued.

  When he opened the door, Kim was lying in his bed asleep with nothing but one of his T-shirts on. He walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, waking Kim out of her sleep. She opened her eyes to see Lamar looking down at her with a smirk on his face. Seeing her lying there so peaceful brought happiness to his heart, and it was at that point he understood that his heart had made the choice for him and not his dick.

  “Is this what you want?” Kim asked in a soft tone.

  Lamar reached over and removed some hair that was covering part of her face. The more he looked at her, the more his heart was content and at ease. He had never felt this way before, and it felt good.

  “Please don’t hurt me, Kim,” Lamar said with pleading eyes.

  Kim sat up in the bed and placed her chin on Lamar’s shoulder. She could feel his concerns without him even having to say them. In a sense, she felt the same way, and didn’t want to be hurt, but everything was telling her that Lamar was the one for her.

  “I love you, Lamar, and I promise you that I will do everything in my power to protect your heart. I just need your all in return,” she said, wrapping her arms around his waist.

  Lamar turned to face her, kissing her softly and laying her back on the bed. He climbed on top of her, positioning himself between her legs. Looking down at her felt so right. This was surely where he belonged.

  “I love you, Kimberly Levin,” he said before kissing her yet again, this time with more passion.

  To consummate their newfound bond, Lamar made love to Kim for the rest of morning, only stopping for water and bathroom breaks. It was probably the most intense sexual moment either one of them had ever experienced, and for the record, they enjoyed every last second of it.

  * * *

  The ride back from the jail seemed like forever in Tammy’s eyes. She had more than enough on her mind, and really didn’t feel like doing anything but going home and getting in the bed. Breaking up with Chris was by far the hardest thing she’d ever had to do. It seemed like she missed him now more than ever. The one thing Tammy was certain of was that it was over. She knew Chris well enough to know that he was so prideful he would never want to be with her again. That hurt Tammy more than anything, and the more she thought about it, the more she started to question if she had done the right thing.

  Hearing her phone ring, Tammy almost broke her neck trying to get it out of her bag. A part of her was hoping it was Chris calling, so she could talk to him, but it wasn’t. It was Darious, someone she really didn’t feel like talking to right now, but she answered it anyway.

  “Yeah,” Tammy answered, looking out the window at cars passing by the van.

  “Are you okay?” Darious asked, hearing the sadness in her voice.

  “I’m a little stressed out right now, but I’ll be all right,” Tammy responded. “Wassup wit’ you?”

  Darious was aware of her intent to tell Chris about them. They had spoken about it the night before, and even though Darious told her it wasn’t necessary, Tammy had insisted on doing it anyway. Darious kind of figured today wasn’t going to be a good day for her.

  “Look, I got a lot of stuff to take care of today, so if you wanna talk, then just call me after eight o’clock tonight. Also, I know you gotta go to work tomorrow, but I need you to call in sick,” Darious said.

  “Why, what’s going on?”

  “Try not to ask too many questions. I’ll be there in the morning to pick you up. I’ll tell you everything when I get there,” Darious explained. “So let me get out of here. I’ll talk to you later. I love you.”

  “I love you too,” Tammy responded instinctively. She didn’t know what it was, but Darious had her wide open. He always seemed to brighten up the worst days Tammy had. Plus, he was so understanding when it came down to her relationship with Chris. That’s probably the reason it was so easy for Tammy to have fallen in love with him. It was wrong in a sense, but it felt so good to love and be loved back. This was life.

  For the rest of the ride home, Tammy took her mind off Chris and thought about Darious and what in the world he had planne
d. Whatever it was, Tammy knew that it was something special. Darious never fell short when it came to surprises and trying to please her. That was one of the many things she liked about him. Never in her life did anyone ever cater to her the way that Darious did, not even Chris. It was as if he made Tammy the center of his world, and he didn’t just run off at the mouth saying it. Darious really showed how he felt through his actions.

  * * *

  Falisha sat in her bedroom windowsill looking over at Kim and Lamar’s house. She started to call him and curse him out for not coming straight to her apartment when he got home, but she thought against it, even though she felt some type of way. The Victoria’s Secret lingerie set and pair of Christian Louboutin heels she had on all night looked amazing on her. He didn’t know it, but Lamar had really missed out on something epic last night.

  “Don’t call now, nigga,” Falisha said, looking across the room at her cell phone vibrating on the nightstand.

  She walked over to grab it, ready to give Lamar a piece of her mind. The only thing was, it wasn’t Lamar calling. It was Fox. Falisha answered it, interested only to see what he had to talk to her about.

  “Oh, now you wanna follow instructions,” Falisha playfully answered, as she sat on the bed.

  “Well, you know Obama said that change is good,” Fox replied with a laugh. “You know, I was thinking about you the other day.”

  “And what was ya little nasty mind thinking?” Falisha asked, rolling off her fishnets.

  “It didn’t have anything to do with sex. I thought about how much I miss having you around. You wasn’t just my girl. I seen you as good friend, believe it or not.”

  She knew that Fox had game for days and it came in many forms, but this was new. It actually sounded sincere, and it had Falisha thinking. She kind of missed chillin’ with Fox also. Despite all the drama she had to go through with his many, many side pieces, Fox really did know how to make a girl feel wanted.

  “Look, I got a party coming up next weekend, and I was wondering if you could come out and support me, you know, as a friend?” Fox asked.