by Brandie
“Brandie, don’t take offense to what my opinion is; I didn’t mean to offend y’all.” Caymin defended herself, sounding like a child.
“Naw, I’m not offended. I got my own house. My own nice ride and can buy whatever the hell I want, which I couldn’t get by working at a damn bank!” Everyone got quiet.
Caymin took my answer like a shot to the gut. She lived at home with her mom and two sisters and their kids, and she didn’t have a car. The only thing she had was some sharp clothes, shoes, and purses. Mesia told me how her family struggled, so I knew she wished she could dance for the cheese I made.
“Y’all trippin’. All you young ladies are doing well, so what’s the problem?”
“There isn’t one. So what time will I see you tonight?” I asked, rolling my eyes at Caymin.
“About twelve a.m. I got some errands to run.”
After we ate, the ride back to school was full of Eric Benet. I wanted that bitch out of my shit! Degrading? That ho musta had a complex problem. Shiddd, don’t hate me, cuz; you ain’t me. I needed to get a drink, for real. She had my nerves jumping.
“I’ll call you tonight, Brandie,” Mesia yelled.
“Yeah, and don’t forget to pick my suit up when you get yours.”
“All right, girl.”
Caymin got out of my truck with an attitude and without saying a word.
Wait, I’m not that childish. I drove around to where she was walking to her car. “Look, no hard feelings. I was just bugging.”
She looked relieved. “Yeah, I’m sorry about what I said. I didn’t know how to apologize; my foot was already in my mouth.”
“Looks like Robert took a liking to you. So if you take the bait I guess we’ll be seeing a lot of each other.”
I could see Mesia looking at us through my rearview mirror. I knew she got a kick out of what happened at IHOP. That was the type of female she was, but she was probably flaming now that we were conversating and laughing without her.
Caymin and I exchanged numbers. Maybe a new friendship was what I needed. She wasn’t a dancer, loose in the streets, and we favored each other in more ways than one.
* * *
Lord, please give me strength and guidance in my time of need. Surround my life with people who are strong and good. People that need appeasement from your hands.
Amen
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chocolate
“Luvly shop is off the chain.”
“Shit, it’s Friday. These freaks got to look hot tonight.”
As we walked through the doors, everything shut down; machines cut off; conversations stopped mid-sentence. All eyes were on us.
Sap layed sound asleep over my shoulder.
One of Luvly’s assistants took Sap. “I’ll lay her down on the cot in the back.”
“Thank you.”
“Hey, Money. Heyyyy, Chocolate!”
“ ’Sup, Precious,” we said in unison.
Precious was capital G-H-E-T-T-O and not all that cute. Her speaking to me was like someone running their nails down a blackboard.
Luvly came from the back. “Hey, y’all. What’s happenin’? Have a seat.”
Both Money and I looked like, “Where?” We just continued to stand in the middle of the floor with eyes glued to us.
“Thank you for picking up Sap.” She walked close up on Money.
“No thanks needed.” He almost kissed her because of their closeness, barely catching himself.
“Can I get your autograph, Mr. Loane? For my son,” the young mother asked, looking hopefully into Money’s eyes for an introduction for herself as well.
“Sure. Whom do I make it out to?”
“And can I get your autograph for my daughter and sister, Chinoe?”
I signed my autograph and let Money play movie star. I needed to talk to Luvly about my little escapade.
I pulled up a chair next to her so I could see why women pay so much money to get their nails done. “I want to ask you a question.”
“Shoot.”
“If you slept with someone and you didn’t know them, but before y’all did it y’all told each other everything about each other, would you feel guilty?”
Bucking her eyes looking at me, she made a mistake and filed the woman’s finger.
“Ouch!”
“Sorry, Mrs. Hines.” In a low hurt tone, she asked, “Chinoe, you slept with somebody?”
I looked at the expression on the older woman’s face. “Babe, everybody got a little freak in ’em. One time is all right.” She was so tickled.
“Chinoe, you finally did it? With who?”
I scratched my head not realizing what she would feel. “Ahm . . . I don’t know.”
“Don’t know what? If you did it, or who you did it with?”
“She came upstairs last night at Money’s.”
“Money’s?”
I ignored her nosy question. “The lights were off and it was comfortable. So we left them off. We started talking about everything from A to Z. I went and got her something to drink. When I got back she was in the Jacuzzi.
“I told you y’all was up to no good. I knew hoes were there, excuse me Mrs. Hines.”
The older woman was still listening, taking it all in.
“We got in the Jacuzzi.”
“Naked?”
“Yeah.” What we did was so long ago—Luvly and me—that I never thought this would affect her.
“Get it, Chinoe,” the older lady put her two cents in again. I smiled at her because she sounded so funny saying it.
“Then we started moving around, and her hand slipped onto my . . . well, you know the rest.”
“She did that on purpose, baby. I bet she pulled back real slow, too didn’t she? She was just trying to size you up.” I shook my head at the freaky old lady that was getting off on my life.
“Well, after that we started bangin’—”
“Where is the condom?”
This was the part I didn’t want to tell her. “No condom.”
She dropped the woman’s hand. “What?” She was so loud that everyone’s attention was diverted from Money. “Sorry, y’all go back to jockin’ my man,” she said, smiling.
“Chinoe, what were you thinking? Boy all these diseases and crabs, I thought you had better sense then that.”
“She made me feel just that special.” Her warnings couldn’t wash away my happiness.
“So how was it?”
I held my head down with my hands on the top of it. “It was tight as hell, literally and figuratively.”
“So she was a virgin, too?”
“No, she just had that fit. She was the platinum I’ve been waiting for.”
“Chinoe, if it felt right to you, then I guess it was right,” Luvly said, calming my nerves about the situation.
“Babe, everyone has to live for the moment, for we don’t know how long we have. You just gotta be safe nowadays. God didn’t leave us with instructions, just brains.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Hines.”
After Money finished playing superstar he sat down next to us.
“So what are y’all doin’ tonight?”
“Goin’ to Platinum Kat,” Money answered in a low voice.
“I wanna go!”
“Why, Luvly? So you can get mad and get into your third fight at that club?” Money asked.
“No, I just want to be with you. We don’t go out very much,” Luvly said with a pout, to see how far she could get with Money.
The whole time they were talking, I noticed an attractive girl with a Halle Berry haircut sitting in the corner of the shop, like she was trying to go unnoticed. She was talking on her cell phone, covering her mouth.
“So can I go with y’all? I use to hang like one of the boys,” Luvly begged like a little girl.
“Until you became a mother,” I added.
“That ain’t got anything to do with it. And anyway, Chinoe, from what you said you did last night yo
u might be somebody daddy.”
“Man, you trippin’.” I went outside to get a breath of fresh air from the chemicals in the shop. As I leaned against the car my two-way went off with a 911 message from Joi. It said that we needed to get to the house ASAP.
A couple of minutes later they came outside hugging and kissing.
“Man, bring yo’ ass!”
Two minutes later, a familiar Suburban pulled up in front of the shop. We all knew who it was. And that nigga Diamond was known for shooting, so I went into to the car and grabbed my pistol.
“Why now?” Luvly asked, with fear all over her face.
“It’s all right, Babe. Just hold tight,” Money said, hugging her before he pushed her behind him.
The driver side of the truck opened and one of Diamond’s baby mamas, Jordan, got out. “Heyyyy, bitch. Hi, Money.” She blew a kiss to him. All the while keeping the door open for a quick getaway. “Yo’ sexy ass still fucking wit’ that stanking pussy ho?”
Luvly had whup-ass all over her face. “I got yo’ ho’, jealous-ass bitch.” Luvly took off for her but Money was holding on to her arm.
“When you ready to fuck a real woman, come see me.”
Out of nowhere, the same cutie pie with the Halle Berry haircut came charging at Luvly. She swung a left blow to Luvly’s back because Luvly had gotten loose from Money and was on her way to beat down Jordan.
I grabbed the girl by the waist to restrain her, but Luvly started beating her in the face. Jordan snuck up on all of us and grabbed a handful of Luvly’s hair, pulling it out by the root.
I threw the girl into Jordan and they fell to the ground. I pointed the gun at them both, “Get ya’ll stupid asses up outta here.”
“Let me go, Money, unh unhhhh, let me go.” Luvly tussled with Money.
“Yeah let that bitch go,” Jordan screamed, waving a hand full of Luvly’s hair around in the air.
“Ho’, take yo’ slum-ass back to that fuckin’ nigga.”
“It’s me and you, bitch, me and you,” Luvly warned Jordan, as Money dragged her back into the shop.
They jumped in the truck and screeched out of the parking lot.
“Them hoe’s crazy,” I said shaking my head. My two-way went off again with Joi 911-ing me.
Money came out of the shop shaking his head, “We moving the fuck away from here.”
“She all right?”
“She cool. She going to my house.”
“We need to take a ride to Tae’s. They been 911-ing me.”
“Let’s ride.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chocolate
As we pulled into Taeko’s yard, Joi was outside with her mother and sister. Her voice met us before our feet hit the concrete. “I knew y’all would be coming around here trying to take up for ’im. I’m through wit’ dis shit, though.”
Both of her eyes were black, lip busted, and cheeks, neck, arms, and chest scratched up, Joi looked bad.
“Where is Taeko, Joi?”
“He probably layed up with some bitch that all y’all was fuckin’ last night.”
“What the hell happened to your face?” I asked, cringing at the sight of her face.
“Taeko going to jail!”
“Hold on, Joi. Take it easy.” Money tried to touch her shoulder, and she went nuts.
Her clothes were torn and hanging off her body, hair standing on top of her head, and face wet like someone threw a bucket of water on it.
“Don’t tell me to calm down,” she screamed. “That nigga jumped on me because he brought me a disease from some nasty slut in the street. I been that sorry-ass nigga’s backbone and bore his goddamn children. Shit, when I got pregnant with Trey, I was headed to the clinic, but no . . . Taeko wanted it. He said he would be a good daddy ’cause his wasn’t shit. I dropped out of school because of all his promises.
“When I was nine months pregnant, I worked so that he could have the latest sneakers and outfits to fit in with y’all clique. Money, I wore tore-up, too-small Puma’s with swollen feet and didn’t complain. And after all that he gives me other women’s babies, all different types of perfumes on his body, panties in my goddamn bed and pussy on his breath . . . and now some kind of disease. That’s the reward I get for all that I have done and been to him. Fuck money and living this basketball lifestyle. I haven’t forgot where I came from.”
She looked tired and worn out. I wanted to hug her and tell her everything would be all right, but right then she saw us as the enemy.
“Boys, I know that y’all aren’t Taeko, but you his friends. Talk to him. Joi ain’t gon’ call da police on ’im. She just want thangs right for ’em.”
“We understand, Mrs. Park, but what we don’t understand is Taeko.”
Money got on his phone, trying to find out where Taeko was.
“He has a beautiful family and home. I don’t understand why he would risk his reputation and career for this type of misbehaving,” Mrs. Park said.
Joi had a lot of rage in her. She was venting from years back. “Don’t talk that intelligent shit to my mama. She know ’bout y’all triflin’ asses!”
“Joi!”
“Naw, Mama. Hell, he was with them screwin’ dem bitches. He always tryin’ to fit in with Chocolate and Money, makin’ babies and buyin’ other women houses!” She fell to the pavement. I reached over to catch her, but she fell fast.
I kneeled down in front of her and looked her dead in the face. “Look at me, Joi.” I lifted her heavy head with my fingers. “Joi, Taeko loves you.” She shook her head slowly from side to side in disbelief. “He does love you; he’s just confused right now. You are right. You did sacrifice a lot for him, your whole damn life. He knows this. But he feels like he has grown up too fast, and this lifestyle has been his anchor. I know that’s no excuse, but this is only going to make you stronger, Joi. You have been our backbone since high school, the loudest cheerleader. We love you, girl.” She reached up and hugged me.
Joi’s sister broke the moment with her loud-ass mouth. “Joi, come on, girl. Get cho ass up. Fuck dese trifling-ass niggas, ’cuz dey ’on’t give a shit about you. Never have. You gon’ get dis house and a nice check every month. Trey and Trinket know dey sorry-ass daddy. Fuck ’em!”
I closed my eyes and exhaled all the bad energy. “Toiya, please don’t get her excited again. Why not try and comfort your sister.”
“Why lie to ’er? Taeko ain’t ’bout shit; all he got is a basketball career. He ain’t shit, just like Money ain’t.”
“Now why you goin’ there, Toiya? We were years ago.”
“You damn right. And I’m glad I got an abortion. I would probably be dealing with dis shit my sister going through. Probably worse.”
“Naw. Like you said, a house and a nice, fat-ass check every month,” Money taunted Toiya.
“Y’all, stop it! Stop it! This here is nonsense. Now find that boy! Send him home. Send him home.” Mrs. Park got Joi off the ground and took her into the house.
Toiya stayed to finish her venting. “Fuck you, Money Loane. I knew your stupid, half-raised ass when you weren’t wearing no Armani and Versace. Tell that low-down-ass nigga I’ma make sho my sister press charges and make him pay. Fuck y’all.” Then she walked away, waiting for no answers or questions.
“Man, that bitch is sick.”
We got in the car to leave, when an unfamiliar black Acura pulled in behind us.
“Ahh, shit! Man, not today,” Money groaned with a look of disgust.
“Who is that?” I asked.
Salone stepped out the car. The expression on her face was nasty.
“Miss Lady, can you move your car please.” Money tried to ask pleasantly.
“Drive around the driveway,” she said in a mean, pissed-off voice.
“Girl, you see those other cars blockin’ the damn driveway.”
“And? Hit ’em and drive away like you do me.”
I could see anger brewing in Money’s eyes. “Salone, c
an you please move your damn car so we can find this boy and solve the problems in this house.”
“Were y’all that worried about me when your baby mama stabbed me? Ha! Nope. Y’all left Joi and Taeko to take me to the hospital.”
“Salone, I stayed with you that night.”
“For pity’s sake.”
“Move ya goddamn car!” Money screamed, ramming the engine, making the car jump.
She quickly got back in her car and moved it, a middle finger hanging out the window.
Money hit the steering wheel. “I’m tired of all this shit! All these hoes in Atlanta on some shit. Man, when I get everything straight I’m moving my family away from here.
“Did you find out where Tae is?” I asked.
“At my shit.”
They lived down the street from each other, so it took just a few minutes to get to Money’s house.
When we got in the house, Tae was sitting at the bar between some young broad’s legs.
“I know this nigga better tell me he on crack or snorting powder.”
He heard us come in but didn’t acknowledge us. “Taeko, what the fuck is goin’ on?” He said nothing. “Taeko, man, you hear me talkin’ to you, Dawg.”
He said nothing, still sitting, facing the bar. Money picked up a glass ashtray and threw it next to his head. The girl jumped down off the bar as the glass splattered over Tae.
“No offense to you, young lady, but get yo’ shit and get the fuck out of my house. And stay the fuck away from this man.” With tears of fear in her eyes, she stood in front of Money. “Understood?”
She nodded and started gathering her things. “How am I supposed to get home?” She wiped her eyes trying not to seem like the vulnerable, young girl that she was.
“Call a cab, and I’ll pay for it. Use the phone in the foyer and sit out there.”
As soon as she walked out the room, Money ran over to Taeko and busted him dead in the jaw. “Get your punk ass up, sorry-ass nigga!”
“Taeko, man, what the fuck is wrong wit’ chu? Say something, nigga. Joi about to call the folks,” I pleaded with him before Money beat him to a pulp.
He stood his lifeless body up.
Money hit his ass again. “You wanna hit somebody, nigga? Hit me! Hit me, nigga!” Money started whaling on Taeko like he was a nigga in the street. Taeko took the first few body blows, and then tried to hold onto Money to stop the hits from coming.