by Shan
The hostess tried to take me to a booth that was too far away and I told her that I would take the one directly behind Rozalyn and her friend. I sat with my back against Rozalyn's. I had brought a fashion magazine with me so that I could pretend like I was reading and not being nosey.
I asked for a coffee and water, and told the waitress I would be ready to order within a few minutes. I was ready for her to go so that I could give Rozalyn and her friend my full on attention. Soon as she walked away, I sat straight up and pretended to go through the magazine.
"Bitch, you're gonna have to face that nigga one day. Do you think he know that you had something to do with the judge putting that order against him?" Rozalyn's friend asked.
"Girl the hell if I know and I really do not care. Me and Tamar don't have shit to talk about. Well, let me take that back. You're right, I do need to talk to him sooner rather than later. I need a house and I need it here in Miami."
"Yessss bitch yesssss!"
This bitch is super ghetto; I thought to myself as I shook my head and flipped through the pages of the magazine.
"So, you decided to stay? You know I'm happy as hell and I'm geeked! Yesss bitch! But wait, didn't you say before that Tamar didn't want you out here and that he pretty much put a gun to your head and told you you had to stay in Dallas?"
"He didn't put a gun to my head hoe, but yea he didn't want me down here because of all the drama with Dmitri's them people, but hell I've been here six months and the kids and I have been fine. I don't see why we can't continue to stay here. If he don't help me get the house, then I will get it on my own. I got money saved up, but I swear it will take everything I have to get the house I want."
"Well rent then, Rozalyn. People still do that shit you know."
"I know that, but I got too many damn kids to be renting a place and the kids are used to having a lot of space. Tamarion is driving me crazy and I just need to get in a better place for them as soon as possible."
"Well, you definitely should have been talking to your husband instead of running from him."
"I know, but I rather do it on my terms than his. And I know he was gonna be all up in my face about the dude I was talking to."
"Yea, I saw that fine ass nigga. Bitch did you get his number?"
"He got mine and his ass text me too to see why I had ran up outta there so fast. I haven't responded yet and part of me don't know if want to."
"Well give me that nigga's number, I'll call him. I can tell he got deep pockets and I'm fucking with it!"
"Starr, shut the hell up! You're a married damn woman too you know? And by the way, I got a bone to pick with you."
I rolled my eyes listening to these two bitches speak. I wanted them to get to some real information I could use. Although hearing Rozalyn speak about some guy that she had met, she didn't say a name so there wasn't much I could do with that.
"What bone do you have to pick with me?" Starr asked Rozalyn.
The waitress came over and to take my order and I almost bit her damn head off for interrupting my conversation—well their conversation. I ordered an omelette, not really caring what kind she brought back and told her to throw a piece of sausage on the side and get the hell out my face. Soon as she was gone, I had my ears glued to Rozalyn and Starr again.
“You mentioned you haven’t talked to Neek in a week and I saw the way you looked when you said that. My problem is you ain’t told me shit and I feel like I tell you everything. I don’t like the fact that you feel like you can’t talk to me.”
"Well, it's not that Rozalyn. I just…I mean I remember giving you such a hard time for…" Starr suddenly stopped and I had forgot that I was spying and had damn near turned around. I could hear her sniffling from where I was sitting and wondered what I had missed when I was ordering my food.
"When Keylan died, I had blamed you for sleeping with Brandon and being the cause of all that drama. I felt like if you hadn't jumped in bed with Brandon that none of that would've happened and Keylan would still be here."
"I know and I do feel at fault for what happened. It's been something I've carried with me all these years later."
"But it's just that Rozalyn, it's not your fault for what happened. Brandon was a snake that turned on Keylan and Tamar for his own personal reasons and if it had not been you that brought the bitch out of him, then someone else would have. I can't blame you for that. And sometimes that prevent me from talking to you because I was so hard on your ass and judged you that I feel like why wouldn’t you do the same to me.”
“Girl I would never judge you. Tell you the truth yea, give you my opinion yes, but judge you nah.”
“Well I haven’t talked to Neek in a week because he feels like I’m cheating on him or that I’m hiding something. Not only that, he found out that I was moving a little weight and he got pissed saying that I was breaking the promises I made to stay out the streets.”
“Starr, you did say you were gonna stay out the streets since you had Dominique. But I know how you are. But what up on him thinking you cheating? Are you?”
“Hell nah, I wouldn’t do that to him. I guess cause we barely have sex anymore and it seems like whenever he is at home, I’m never there. Shit just ain’t been the same. I know he got back in the game because of me. Trying to keep me at bay.”
“Do you want him to hustle or no?”
“I’m not gonna lie. I’m used to that big paper. The shop bring in good money of course, but after paying bills, and trying to keep up with Dominique’s high ass tuition. I need more. I wanna take trips. I wanna be able to cash out on shoes and clothes that I love. And I love riding foreign. I played a good girl role for years when he enlisted, but I’m over that now. I need my old life back even I gotta live through him to get it.”
I heard Rozalyn laugh behind me and shook my head at how crazy and childish her friend sounded. Typical ghetto rat more worried about labels than having a fulfilling, quality relationship.
"So, what are you gonna do? Is it over between y'all? Are you gonna try and work it out or what? I mean, I love y'all together. He is such a cutie."
"Hmm, well I'm pissed because he walked out on us like that. I came home and his shit was gone one day. He didn’t even say anything. I feel like that was the coward thing to do and I honestly don't know what I want to do. I told him I wasn’t cheating and he so damn insecure and mad about that dope that he acting like a child. Fuck him.”
"Damn, Starr, I…" Rozalyn suddenly stopped speaking. "Girl look who the hell just walked in the door."
"Who?" Starr asked.
"Tamar."
Hearing Tamar's name caused me to choke on my drink. The only thing I could think to do was drop a twenty-dollar bill on the table to cover my meal and get up and leave. There was no way I could chance Tamar finding out that I was out of prison and not only that, spying on his wife too. I had to get out of here and that was exactly what I did.
7: Tamar
“I swear this girl gonna make me snap her fuckin’ neck!” I slammed down on my brakes as I pulled up in front of Rozalyn’s house. Placing my car in park, I jumped out and ran after her. She was quick as fuck. She opened her front door, and was inside with the door closed and locked before I could even reach her. I bit down on my bottom lip in anger before taking my hand and banging on the door. “Rozalyn, stop playing with me and open the damn door!”
“No, leave me the fuck alone, Tamar! Go take care of your bitch and our kids!” she spit from the other side.
“Man, open up the door and say that shit to my face.”
“No, I was trying to enjoy my night and celebrate, but it’s just like you to come and ruin it! Tamar, leave now before I call the police on you.”
“I know you ain’t that stupid so don’t even make threats like that! Open up the door before I kick this bitch down!” I said slamming my fist into the door.
“No, we don’t have shit to talk about! Why can’t you just sign those papers and leave me alone,
Tae! I am so done with you, and I am so serious this time.”
I stepped back away from the door after hearing her say that. I was tired of this shit and tired of hearing that come out of her mouth. It had been six months since I’d seen my wife, and I had been missing her something serious. I couldn’t believe that she’d gotten the judge to drop an order in my lap talking about it was in Rozalyn’s best interest that I stayed away to keep the DA from using her connections to me to convict her. It was bullshit and I knew it.
I had no choice but to respect it though because I wasn’t going to do anything to hurt her chances and send her to jail. The feds had backed off of her, but I handled Agent Stone for what he had done to my baby. There was no way I could let him get away with beating Rozalyn the way he did and trying to use her to get to me. He had to pay and I wanted to show him just how far my reach was and how he wasn’t as untouchable as he had thought because he was on the side of the law.
I had tried to get at Rozalyn and let her know how sorry I was for everything that happened, but she had done everything in her power to push me out of her life, that I never even got a chance to. I wasn't gonna even lie, that shit hurt like hell. I never thought I would see the day that my wife would no longer want me. I was so used to her always wanting to be with a nigga. I knew that even when her mouth said she didn’t want me, her heart was saying another thing. I knew that no matter what I did, I would always have her to turn to. Now, seeing that she was serious and finally fed up with my bullshit had me scared as fuck. I didn’t want to lose her, and I hoped that I already hadn’t. I prayed like hell the time away from each other wasn’t enough for her to flush me out of her system.
I hadn’t gone a day without thinking about Rozalyn over these past six months. When I got word from Kim that she’d beaten the case and that Rozalyn wouldn’t have to do time, I was happy and relieved all at the same time. I told Kim to make sure she got that order dropped immediately. She tried to say some bullshit about having to talk to Rozalyn first, but once I reminded her that I was the one that would be paying her final bill; she didn’t protest any longer.
I couldn’t wait to finally see Rozalyn. Hearing the kids constantly talking about her wasn’t enough for me. I had to see her in the flesh. I had waited for the better part of the day and into the next day before Kim finally hit me letting me know that the order had been lifted. I was going to wait another day before making my way into Rozalyn’s presence, but when I found out she and her girls would be hitting the Mansion tonight, I couldn’t let her party without me and my niggas falling through.
Seeing her for the first time in all this time reminded me of why I had to have her when I first met her. She was everything a nigga could ever want and I didn’t know why it took all of this for me to see that.
After watching her turn up for a little while, I decided to send her and her girls a bottle with a message letting her know that I was happy for her and that I missed her. And I still wanted to get that apology to her. But all that took a turn when I saw some bitch ass nigga in her face smiling at her and her smiling back at him. That shit ran me hot and had it not been for Black in my ear about keeping my cool, I would’ve murked that nigga for disrespecting me. I didn’t have to tell too many people that Rozalyn was mine. Everybody that knew of me, knew of her, and they knew to keep their distance. This nigga had big balls.
I hadn’t been working on the UNC but a few months being it took time to get the Mexicans, Italians, and the Blacks all on the same page, but it worked out and we were already strong as a muthafucka now. I was moving so much dope out them fields that in all that time I thought I was doing big shit; it took this to realize I hadn’t been doing a damn thing. I was only getting a small bite of the pie.
I was really getting it now and niggas had to either get down or lay down. Or either just not eat at all. Every dollar that was made off this dope shit, I got something off it.
This nigga that I saw Rozalyn talking to, Neek had just told me that he had met with him and Kevin a couple of times this past week and that his name was Jaheim. He was from Dallas and was in the market for a new connect. I had never really got around to doing what I needed to do in Dallas due to all the drama I ran into and being that Imran was out the way, and his uncles were going through some shit with the government, this new nigga here supposedly had been putting in work for a good minute now, but had ran into a few problems.
Neek was in my ear putting in a good word for him and I knew that it would be good business to give the okay to put him on, but the fact that I saw him talking to my wife made all the good sense go out the window. That bitch ass nigga could find him another way to get money because I wasn’t about to give him shit. Good luck to him. Fuck he thought.
Thinking about the way he and Rozalyn disrespected suddenly had me heated. I went from being calm to pissed in a matter of seconds. I took my foot and pounded it into Rozalyn’s door repeatedly trying to break that bitch down. I could hear her on the other side whimpering. She knew what was up when I got this way. There was no telling where my anger would take me once I got to her. I was liable to put my hands on her. I didn’t want to, but if she kept this shit up for too long, there wasn’t going to be anything that could stop me from doing so.
“Open the door! Open—” I said and gave it one final kick before it finally popped open. I looked around and didn’t see Rozalyn anywhere. I began searching around the small condo going from room to room. I checked the closets and the bathroom, and she wasn’t anywhere.
When I left out of Tamarion’s room, I could hear a car cranking in the distance. I took off running towards the front of the house and spotted Rozalyn pulling out of her parking spot. I ran after her, but it was no use because she was already flying down the street.
“Bitch!”
I headed towards my car ready to chase after yet again when I noticed a gray Nissan Altima parked across the street with the window half-way down. I squinted my eyes a little and then frowned when the bitch looked me dead in my eyes, rolled the window up, and cranked up her ride.
“Kari! Kari!” I yelled running towards the car. I made it over to her, grabbed on the handle, and tried to pull the door open, but it was locked. I balled up my fist and punched through the glass. As I pulled my hand back and then tried to reach inside with my other hand, she pulled away from the curb.
I quickly took off running towards my car, hopped in, and placed my key in the ignition. That couldn't have been Kari. I had to be tripping. That bitch still had two years to go on her sentence. I knew because I monitored her time faithfully. The last thing I wanted was for her to get out of prison and I didn't know anything about it.
I knew she was still on that dumb shit even after all the time she had spent locked up. She still wanted to be with me, still sent me love letters, and always talked about our future together. That bitch definitely had a few screws missing, and I couldn't chance her getting out and coming around to cause more drama in my life.
I sent her money every month to make sure she was good on the inside, and sent her a picture of Trina once a year. I only read her letters every now and then to see if she had changed and if I wanted to introduce her into Trina's life, but that Helter Skelter ass broad was sick in the head for real. She had to be like that before she met me. Wasn’t no way my dick turned her that crazy.
“Hey bruh,” I said into the phone when Black answered. I placed him on speaker and dropped the phone in my lap so I could concentrate on going after Kari. “Tell me why I just seen this bitch Kari.”
“Your baby mama Kari?” Black asked.
“Yes, that bitch.”
“I thought she still had two to go.”
“Man, I don't know, but I know for a fact that I just seen her sitting outside of Rozalyn's crib and that lets me know the bitch is up to something. I'm following her right now since she wanna be on that dumb shit. But aye, that's not why I called you though. I need you to do me a favor.”
“I'm lis
tening.”
***
I walked into my house the next morning mad as a muthafucka’. I pulled my jacket off and tossed it over the couch as I past through my living room and headed to my office. I had been leasing out a temporary house here in Miami while Rozalyn had been going through her trial. Not wanting to have to fly the kids back and forward convinced me that copping a spot was for the best. Now that I had been here all this time I didn't want to leave. I didn’t realize how much I missed Miami. My mom and sister were here, and it was where my niggas had taken their last breaths. No matter if I had been born and raised in the A, I felt like I was more at home here. I was thinking about filling out the paperwork to go ahead and make the purchase on the home.
“Daddy, that bitch been in your office all day.”
I stopped dead in my tracks and a frown covered my face when I turned around to see my oldest Tamarion standing behind me with a scowl on his face. I shook my head cause this little nigga was me all over again. I never thought that there would ever be another nigga like me to ever grace the face of this earth until Tamarion started growing up on me.
No matter how much I tried to teach him to do everything the opposite of what I had done, he was determined to be just like me. From his attitude, from the way he walked and talked, down to the way he dressed, it was like I had been reincarnated.
“What the fuck did I tell you about your mouth?” I asked as I walked up to him. I watched as his face turned up, and he opened his mouth to say something, but instead chose to take a deep breath before he spoke. I had to laugh inside because I knew he wanted to say some fly shit, but he knew I would get in his ass if he did.
“Well, that's what she acting like daddy. I asked her what she was doing in your office, and she got an attitude with me. When I told her I was gonna call you, she took my phone. That's why I don't be wanting to come over here no more.”