by Shan
"Mama, why does everything always have to be about money with you?" Zaria whined. She was upset that she wasn’t as drunk as she had been when her mama first arrived. It was hard dealing with her mama with a sober mind. Money and taking men for all they had were all her mama ever talked about when she was around. Tammy didn’t care about anything, but the dollar bills and if a man didn’t have fat pockets, she wasn’t fooling with them.
"Because love don’t pay the damn bills. Shit Zaria, I don’t know why your head is so damn thick. Hell, Cherie ass is only nineteen years old, and she acts like she got more sense than you!"
Zaria rolled her eyes and looked over at her little sister as she waited for the coffee to finish brewing. Cherie was young, fresh out of high school, and full of life. She was 5’5, 135 pounds with radiant light brown skin, and small round brown eyes. She always wore a fresh weave and rocked expensive threads, threads that she had various men buying for her. Cherie had a figure to die for, and she definitely used it to her advantage.
On the other hand, Zaria was dark-skinned, only five feet in height, weighed 145 pounds, with a sleek pair of brown eyes, and full lips. Zaria was gorgeous, but the fact that she kept her hair pulled back in a ponytail always took away from her beauty and Tammy was always sure to let her know that.
"I know because you dark-skinned that you feel like you have to marry this boy because you think there is no one else that wants you, but that’s not true. You don’t have to marry him. There are plenty of men with money that love dark skinned women."
"Why do you always have to talk about my skin? I know that I’m dark and that don’t have anything to do with why I’m marrying Quasym."
"Because, I know-"
"Mama it’s final. There’s nothing more to say and I don’t care what anyone says about it, I’m marrying Quasym tomorrow," Zaria said.
"Final my ass. I won’t be there and if I did come, soon as the pastor asks if there is anyone that objects to this couple getting married, I’m a damn sure raise my hand and tell everybody what a broke, cheating bastard he is. Hmmph!"
"Cherie, can you call Yessenia and tell her to come here to do my hair for the wedding?" Zaria asked her sister as she crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head. She hated that her little sister called her mama over of all people. She knew that this was something that her mama wasn’t gonna let her live down for as long as she lived. But she didn’t care; she was gonna walk down that aisle with Quasym tomorrow. As much as she felt betrayed by what he had done to her, she felt that she loved him too much to let this come between them.
Chapter 3: Holy Matrimony
The church was beautifully decorated with white roses at the end of each pew, tall, beautiful white candles in each corner of the room, and pretty white and pastel pink ribbons on the walls, ceilings, and seats.
Dressed in a pearl white tuxedo, with a pastel pink shirt tucked underneath, Quasym stood at the altar with sweat pouring from every pore in his body. His head was pounding, and he felt sick to his stomach. His body movements were minimal in fear that he would fall over from the semi-drunken state that he was in. Zaria texted him at four a.m. this morning to tell him that the wedding was still on and that afterwards they had plenty to talk about.
Before that text, he’d gone through a bottle of straight Crown Royal and smoked blunt after blunt trying to get himself right after the hurtful blow that Zaria delivered in the heat of the moment. To say the least, he had no plans of doing anything, but sleeping the day away. But now as he stood at the altar feeling like shit, he was happy to be exactly where he was at.
One minute he felt like his life line had been completely snatched from under him and in the next; he felt like the luckiest man alive. A warm smile appeared across his face and then quickly disappeared when a bout of nausea crept within his stomach.
"Man, just hold it together. It’ll be over with before you know it," Devon, Quasym’s best friend and best man said as he spoke to Quasym in a low tone. He was standing only two feet away from him in case Quasym had passed out.
"Bruh, see if somebody can get me some Alka-Seltzer. Aye, I’m a fucking vomit up in here," Quasym said with his words slurred.
"Hmm Uhh," the pastor cleared his throat and fixed his tie. He looked at Quasym over the top of his glasses and shot him an unwavering glance.
"Dang, I’m sorry Pastor Thomas. I’m just nervous, and I feel like I’m about to pass out."
Quasym took in a deep breath and let it out just as the organist began to play the instrumental to Here Comes the Bride. He could feel his pulse quickening, and his headache intensified as an uneasy feeling washed over him. Everyone in the church stood to their feet as the doors to the building swung open.
"Show time bruh, no turning back," Devon whispered to Quasym.
"No turning back for me. I’m tryna be like you."
Quasym turned his attention to the end of the aisle as he waited for what he knew was going to be the most beautiful bride ever. Unfortunately for him, what appeared in the doorway was not what he had been expecting. Dressed in a cream-colored silk like gown, with a beautiful bouquet in her hand was not Zaria, but Tianna.
Quasym’s eyes grew big, and he just knew that someone had been playing a joke on him. Maybe Zaria had set him up to believe that the wedding was still on when, in fact, it wasn’t. He started to believe that Zaria wanted to make a mockery of him, make him pay for what he had done and what better way to do it than to embarrass him in front of his family and friends.
Anger built up, and he got ready to storm out of the church when he saw Zaria with her arm draped into her Uncle Wallace’s. He saw a frazzled look on her face and knew that she was just as taken aback as he was.
"What the hell?" Devon mumbled as he watched Tianna slowly walking down the aisle with a smile fixed on her face.
Quasym was frozen and didn’t know what to do. He sobered up quick as hell upon seeing Tianna. Chatter and all kinds of moans and groans were heard throughout the sanctuary as everyone whispered to one another trying to figure out what was taking place.
Quickly Quasym stepped out of his reverie and moved into action. He walked up to Tianna, stopping her before she could make it all the way down the aisle. Her smile quickly turned into a frown as tiny tears cascaded down her face.
"You’re supposed to marry me, Sym! We have a child together. We’re supposed to be a family!" Tianna cried.
"What the fuck is this? Is this some kind of joke? Get the fuck out of here, Tianna! What are you doing?" Quasym asked her trying to keep his voice as low as possible. He couldn’t believe that this was happening to him on the most important day of his life.
"No, I’m not going anywhere! You need to be a damn man and step up and be there for your child. You should be marrying me and not that bitch!" Tianna yelled pointing behind her. "Quita shouldn’t have to grow up without a damn father because you refuse to be a man!"
"Sym, what the hell is going on?" Zaria asked as she stepped beside Quasym. She looked Tianna up and down and instantly became jealous. She was beautiful. She had naturally flawless light skin, green eyes, with long thick hair. And to make it even worse, she didn’t even look as if she had any kids. Her body was banging, her perky chest sat up perfectly, and her flat stomach and wide hips did wonders to the gown she was wearing. Zaria had imagined that Quasym’s baby mama would be some ratchet bitch straight out of the projects, but she was wrong, and it tore her up on the inside.
"I’m Tianna, his baby mama. I’m sure he hasn’t told you anything about me since he’s been doing his best to keep Quita and I a secret."
"Tianna, she knows all about you and Quita. Now is not the time or the place for this, you need to-"
"Oh, this bitch gonna come up here tryna start some shit!" Tammy yelled as she approached them in the middle of the aisle.
Quasym shook his head and knew that things were about to take a turn for the worse, as if it wasn’t bad enough. Tammy was die hard for her daughters
, and she didn’t take any mess from anybody that she felt tried to get over on them. She already hated Quasym and was pissed that Zaria was still going through with this fuckery they called a wedding. She was ready to fuck him and Tianna up for the shit they were doing to Zaria.
"That’s why I told you not to go through with this shit Zaria! This nigga ain’t shit! Fuck him and this mutt dog he chose to make a baby with! This wedding is over! It’s not happening! Wallace get my baby out of here. She is not about to marry this clown!"
A warm smile of satisfaction appeared on Tianna’s face as Zaria began to walk away. She had accomplished what she had set out to do and couldn't have been happier. Quasym brushed past Tianna and grabbed Zaria.
He pulled her outside of the church’s sanctuary and wrapped his arms around her. Her back was to his chest, and he planted his face into her neck. Zaria wanted so badly to fuck Tianna up for the bullshit she was pulling, but she didn't have the energy to do so. She was just emotionally drained.
"Baby, I ain't never wanted anything in my life as much as I want you to be my wife. Please don’t let this come between us man. I need you Z-baby."
Zaria was trembling in Quasym’s arms as she listened to the words that he was telling her. She was hurt and embarrassed. This day was supposed to be perfect. It was the day that every woman dreamed about as a little girl, and it was suddenly being ruined by lies and drama.
As bad as Zaria wanted to walk away, she just couldn’t. The thought of another woman winning and taking what was meant for her outweighed everything that told her she should walk away. She wouldn’t let Tianna have him or any other woman for that matter. No one would understand her, but no one knew Quasym like she did. She wouldn’t have stayed with him for seven years if he were as bad as other people viewed him.
"Get her out of here, Sym! Now!’ was all Zaria said as she broke away from Quasym and rushed to the bathroom to get herself together.
Moments after Zaria entered the restroom, her sister Cherie and her good friend Yessenia came in behind her. They rushed to her, wrapping their arms around her as she cried.
"It’s gonna be okay sis, don’t cry," Cherie told her. She let Zaria go and ran to get a few paper towels. She stepped back over to Zaria and dabbed at the tears hoping to keep her make up untarnished.
"Who is that woman, Zaria? What in the hell is going on up in here?"
Yessenia was confused as she tried to console her friend. When she showed up to do Zaria’s hair for the wedding, she’d never led on to anything being wrong, and when she asked her why she was a no-show for the bachelorette party, she only told Yessenia that she wasn’t feeling well. She had assumed that everything was fine and that Zaria only wanted to be sure she was well rested for the big event.
"It’s Sym’s baby mama that Zaria just found out about last night," Cherie answered. She pulled a few strands of hair from Zaria’s face and ran her fingers through her bangs.
"Oh, my God. His baby mama? Oh damn. I had no idea."
"Well none of us did. We all just finding out and as you can see mama is amped and that just added all the fuel she needed to try to stop this from happening. She does not want this to take place. I wouldn’t be surprised if mama had that girl come up here."
Zaria looked into her sister’s face and wondered if that were somehow true.
"Cherie, don’t tell me mama put that bitch up to this shit. I know you wouldn’t have said anything unless you knew for sure."
Cherie didn’t say anything, but only stared at her older sister knowingly. She had done everything possible to keep her mama from going through with the foolishness, but Tammy was dead set on keeping Zaria from marrying Quasym. She wanted Zaria to be with a baller and Quasym just wasn’t it.
"I can’t believe her, "Zaria shook her head. "Go out there and tell them that the wedding is still on and make sure that bitch is gone."
Chapter 4: Baby Blues
Days later, Yessenia sat on the examination table in the doctor’s office waiting for the doctor to come in and speak with her. Although the weekend had been a crazy one, she was glad that things worked out with Zaria and Quasym. In the end, the ceremony had been a beautiful one despite the lengths Tammy and Tianna had gone through to mess things up.
Yessenia didn’t like the fact that Quasym had been hiding a child from her girl, but she knew that Zaria loved that man, and she wasn’t the type to tell her friends what they should and shouldn’t do. She was the kind of person that would give her opinion and support you in any decision that you decided to make thereafter.
As Yessenia waited for the doctor, she thought about her husband Devon and wondered what she would make for dinner this evening. She loved cooking and taking care of her man. They had been married for three years and loved every minute of it. There were times where things would get hard in their relationship, but it always seemed to work itself out. Yessenia worked in a beauty salon and was months away from attaining her cosmetology license.
Her dream was to own her own shop and have a wealth of customers that she did hair and makeup for. She knew that it would be a struggle since Devon and her were already having a hard time trying to make ends meet, but she wouldn’t give up hope.
"Mrs. Butler, how are you today?" the doctor asked the moment he entered the room.
"I’m great, Dr. Attaway. How have you been?"
"Very, very busy. I see that you are still not pregnant. Have you been doing everything that we talked about at your last visit?"
Yessenia sighed and lowered her shoulders. She had been trying to get pregnant for the past year and a half but to no avail. It seemed like no matter what she tried, nothing seemed to be working. The doctors insisted that it was nothing wrong with her and that she was perfectly healthy with very fertile eggs. She just didn’t understand it and was saddened that it wasn’t happening for her. There was nothing more that she wanted than to give her husband a child and complete their family.
"Yes, I’ve been checking my temperature every morning. I’ve been using all the test you recommended and even started eating better. I just don’t know what else to do, Doc. Please help me out here; it has to be something wrong with me."
"Mrs. Butler there’s nothing wrong with you as far as fertility issues, but I do have some concerns about your weight. It seems you picked up fifteen pounds in the last month, and your sugar levels are increasing. You weigh two hundred and fifty-seven pounds now. You’re almost in diabetic range, and that is not something that you want to take into a pregnancy when it does happen. I need you to be sure you are eating better and to work on losing some weight."
Yessenia looked a little offended when the doctor told her to lose some weight. He’d been her doctor since she’d been a little girl and for as long as she had been coming to him, she’d always been big. She didn't understand what was so differently now that he felt the need to gripe about her weight when he’d never done so before.
"I’ve always been a big girl and you know that, Dr. Attaway."
"I know Mrs. Butler, but before your weight has never been a problem and if you continue to gain more and continue on with those unhealthy habits of yours it will be a problem that you don’t want. I need to see you back here in three months. In the meantime, get in the gym, follow the eating guide the nutritionist gave you, and let’s see some change."
"Are you serious?"
"Yes, I am very serious. Come on now, Mrs. Butler, I’ve cared for your whole family. Your grandmother was one of my very first patients up until the time she died. Died of diabetic shock. Do you remember that?"
"Of course I remember it very well."
"Well I shouldn’t have to tell you how it important it is for you to get your life on the right track, health wise. Don’t give me the same push back that I had to take from your grandmother. You’re still very young and thank God you still have a chance to avoid the same illness that has taken family members from you."
Yessenia exhaled and crossed her arms over her
chest. She rolled her eyes at the doctor, pissed that she was here to find out why she still hadn’t gotten pregnant, and he chose to spend their visit talking about her weight. Yessenia didn’t mind at all being a big girl. She loved every curve on her body and was the definition of confidence. She had never been a skinny chick and didn’t plan on ever being one.
The moment Dr. Attaway left out of the room; Yessenia stood up and walked to the full length mirror that was attached to the back of the door. She smiled as she went over herself from head to toe. Her hair was cut short, inspired by the singer Rhianna. She had a full round brown face with chubby cheeks and full lips.
Her breasts were a full set of Double H's and her waist was rather small for her size. She stood to the side and admired the curve right beneath her back and then shrugged her shoulders. She didn’t see a problem with the two hundred and fifty-seven pounds that Dr. Attaway was complaining about. Yessenia loved the way she looked, and she knew for a fact that Devon loved every part of her too.
She exited out of the doctor’s office without even making a date for her next appointment. In fact, she was thinking that this would be her last visit to Dr. Attaway. She didn’t care if he had taken care of her whole family and her, her whole life. He was old, and she sensed that he no longer knew what he was doing. It had to be a reason she wasn’t getting pregnant and if Dr. Attaway didn’t have the answers she needed, then another doctor would.
***
You can’t keep your hands off me, touch me right there, rock my body. I can’t keep my hands off you; your body is my party. I’m doing this little dance for you. "Aye turn up, turn up Ci Ci!"
Yessenia rocked her shoulders to Ciara’s Body Party as she turned down the block where she shared a small home with her husband Devon. She bobbed her head and snapped her fingers along with the beat up until she spotted Devon’s truck sitting in the driveway. Her forehead wrinkled in confusion as she wondered what he was doing home so early. Pulling into the driveway beside him, she placed her car in park, turned the engine off, and hurriedly jumped out.