“What’s good, mama? How you come home and not hit Block up, Mika?”
Tamika’s mind struggled to match the face to the voice. It sounded so familiar, but she couldn’t place the face.
“Why you staring like you don’t know me no more? I know it ain’t been that long.” He laughed.
When he laughed, it dawned on her that it was her old friend Dee Block from the west side. She let her guard down immediately and a big smile shined on her face. He opened his arms and motioned with his head for her to come and give him a hug.
“Block, you better stop rolling up on people like that. You ’bout gave me a heart attack,” she said as they separated. She punched him on the arm and smirked, thankful that he wasn’t a jump-out boy. They were known for sticking up females as well as guys, especially those driving cars with out-of-town plates.
“Aww, shorty, you know it ain’t like that.”
“What you been up to? I see you still stuntin’ like usual.”
Block had been a career criminal since he was fourteen. He, Shamar, and Kaduwey were a force to be reckoned with when they hit the block. Block stayed behind when Shamar went off to the Army, and he had always seemed to miss the chance to see him when he was home. Block grinned and responded, “You know me, Mika; I stay moving, getting this money and pimping these hoes. Hell, I’m fresh out the DOC. I hate I missed my boy Shamar when he was here. I got jammed up for a second with my parole officer and got stuck out of town when I heard about Kaduwey. I swear I did everything I could to get back here, but they had me sitting for a minute while my paperwork got checked out. That’s why when I heard you were here, I had to come holla at you before you left. Why don’t you let me take you out so we can catch up?”
“When you talking?”
“We can go right now. You know me; I don’t make no plans. Go run your stuff in the crib and we can shoot over to Merrillville real fast.”
Tamika smiled, seductively biting down on her finger, and said, “All right. I’ll be right back.” She popped the trunk, grabbed the last of her bags, and trotted up the sidewalk into the house. A few minutes later, she reappeared from the house.
They got into Block’s car and took off down the road. Block hadn’t lost his touch. He still had it, and he knew Tamika had a thing for him. There was no telling with him; anything was likely to happen tonight. But she was happy to be along for the ride.
* * *
Three hours and a few thousand dollars later, Block had been successful at solidifying his place in Tamika’s heart. It didn’t take long for them to end up at one of Block’s favorite spots back in the city, the Blue Chip Casino. They had dinner and capped off their evening in Block’s favorite part of the riverboat experience: a luxury suite, which was one that he often used as the final destination for special occasions with his select dimes.
When they arrived at their room, Block ordered hors d’oeuvres and drinks to be brought up to the room. The two didn’t do much eating; but, after an hour, they had gone through a bottle of Rémy Martin, and they both were buzzed. As they reclined on the bed, Tamika straddled Block and stared into his eyes, drunk with lust. With her hands on his chest, bracing herself, she slowly ground on him, making him hard as a rock.
“Baby, you gon’ keep teasing me or you gon’ put some work in? You know I’ve been waiting a long time now to break you off. Tell Block what’s good,” Block flirted, cupping her perky breasts with his huge hands.
“Ooh, daddy, I’ve been wanting it too,” Tamika moaned, licking and biting her bottom lip. She slid back, placing herself between his legs and kneeling in front of his swollen member.
Block leaned forward, admiring her seductive eyes staring back at him. He nodded with approval, slightly drunk himself. She unzipped his jeans and went to work.
* * *
An hour and a half later, they both lay drunk and sweaty as they tried to recover from their sexual excursion. They both showered and lay together on the bed, watching TV. Tamika lay naked on top of Block, drawing circles on his chest with her finger.
She gazed into his eyes and Block asked, “Shorty, what’s on your mind? Why you staring at me like that?”
“Nothing, it’s just . . .” She paused, not wanting to ruin the mood.
“What’s good? Just say it; ain’t no need to be all quiet now. What’s on your mind? You know Block got all the answers.” He smiled, reassuring her.
“Okay. You remember how tight you were with Shamar, right?”
Block grinned. “Yeah, no doubt. That’s my guy right there. What’s up? He in trouble or something?”
Tamika shook her head and replied, “Not really. He told me something about this chick Chrissy supposedly having his baby or something, but she not claiming him. I told him I would ask around while I was here to kind of help him out.”
Block nodded again, and his eyes indicated he was searching his mind for any information he might have come across. Block’s eyes lit up like he had just thought of the world’s greatest idea.
“What?” Tamika asked.
“Yeah, I know Chrissy. As a matter of fact, I was thinking about the one time, like a week ago, when we were at this party at O’Reilly’s. Me and shorty ended up at one of my spots drunk as hell.” Block smiled as he played back the events in his mind. “You know the saying, ‘A drunk man tells no tales?’ Well, this was a prime example of that. Shorty was so lit she started pouring out all kinds of secrets, and I’m pretty sure she doesn’t remember any of it. But, anyway, I do remember her saying something about her not ever telling him about the baby because it would ruin everything. Now, I don’t know what she meant by that; but, from what I know about her, that meant she did something shiesty.”
As Tamika processed what Block told her, she became slightly irritated. “That’s jacked up. Here we got all these females who complain about not having their kids’ fathers around, and she pulls something like that. That ain’t right.”
“Aww, don’t worry about that, shorty. It’s all good. Shamar can handle it. I wouldn’t worry too much about it. But, anyway, you ready for round two?” Block said, smacking her on the butt.
She smiled and moaned, climbing back on top of him, ready to put in more work. Their night of passion lasted a couple more hours until they both were left exhausted. The lovers slept in each other’s arms, not waking until check-out time the next morning. As they enjoyed breakfast together, Block caught a glimpse of Tamika staring out the window.
“What’s up, mama? What’s on your mind?”
“I don’t know, Block. I just hate seeing good dudes get played by these no-good females. You know Shamar is like my brother. I can’t let that happen to him. Can you help me with something?”
Block nodded his head, wishing that he wouldn’t have said anything in the first place. But he had love for Tamika so whatever she wanted she only needed to ask. “You know I got you. Shamar’s my brother anyway, and you know how I feel about these deadbeat hoes. What’s the play?”
“I just need to find out where she hangs at. I know she used to live on the east side. I ain’t trying to stalk her or nothing; I just want to get a look at the little girl and see what Chrissy’s been up to.”
Block was amused by Tamika’s sudden passion for justice. “Girl, you about to turn into the feds, huh? You better be careful; you know Chrissy got a thing for chicks too. I got you, though. Just give me until tonight. I’ll have a line on her.”
Tamika nodded and grinned, saying, “Thank you, baby. You always look out for me. Thank you for last night, too. You know how to make a girl feel special.” She got up from her seat and strutted past him seductively in her bra and panties.
Block reached over and pulled her to him, sitting her on his lap. He winked at her and kissed her on the cheek. “You know Block got you. It’s all good.”
After they checked out, Block took Tamika back to her mother’s house. He helped her with her bags, and they hugged and kissed, bidding each other good-bye.
Just as she made it to her front porch, she looked back to wave at Block, only to see Donny driving past slowly. He looked at Block, then at her, and smirked.
Block blew him off and looked back at Tamika, saying, “Hey, shorty, you good? Do I need to take care of him?”
“Naw, I’m good, Block. Thanks, baby. Call me later.”
Tamika went into the house as Block sped off down the road. Neither paid Donny any mind; however, Tamika found it strange that he would come by her house almost as if he was checking on her. Her instincts were kicking in, and she knew she would have to watch her back with him for the rest of the time she was home.
Chapter Fifteen
Shamar had finally begun to readjust to being back in Iraq, and he had been trying to reach Jelisa for days. He knew she was probably busy and still upset with him. It wasn’t out of the ordinary for her to avoid him when she was mad. It left him feeling helpless being so far away with no other option but to wait.
After a late-night workout, Shamar headed to the phone center with high hopes that he would finally get a chance to talk to Jelisa and Mya. He could never get used to not being able to hear his baby girl’s voice. As the phone rang, Shamar rehearsed the conversation, carefully choosing his words.
“Hello?” Jelisa answered. There were voices in the background at the restaurant they were eating at.
“What’s up, sweetheart?”
“Hey, Shamar,” she said, unenthused.
“You don’t sound happy to hear from me. What’s going on? I’ve been trying to reach you for days.” Shamar tried to mask his frustration as he awaited her response.
“Shamar, I’m not trying to go there with you. You know I’m happy to hear from you. I’m in Indianapolis with Shawnie, and the reception is bad at our hotel; that’s why you couldn’t reach me. It’s not like I can just pick up and call you,” she said with an attitude.
“Hmm. Where is Mya, with your mom?”
“Yes, Shamar.”
He fought the urge to pop off, and replied, “Jelisa, what is wrong with you? Why are you being so short with me?”
Jelisa wasn’t interested in talking with Shamar; she was too busy enjoying her time with Shawnie. “Look, Shamar, I’m not trying to be short with you; I just don’t have anything to talk about. I mean, I miss you and all but it’s not like I can just come see you, so there’s no need to get my hopes up. I’ll talk you when I get some free time. Bye.”
Shamar was furious. He couldn’t believe she had the audacity to hang up on him. This broad done lost her mind, boy. I . . . He didn’t even bother to call back. He knew if she hung up again, or didn’t pick up, there was nothing he could do but be mad. He slammed the phone down on the hook and stormed out.
“Man, I can’t deal with this right now. That girl is going to make me hurt somebody. I can’t believe this,” Shamar said to himself as he walked back to camp.
This was a blow to Shamar as it left him questioning if they were going to make it through the rest of his deployment. As many marriages as he had seen fall apart because of deployments, he worried more than he ever had before. At this point, he had to figure out how he could keep his marriage from falling apart from thousands of miles away. The only person he could call on was Pete, and he knew it was a long shot because he never interfered in their business. It was something he had to do, no matter how uncomfortable it would be.
The next evening, after another intense workout and a bout with himself to work up the nerve to call Pete, Shamar caved. His breathing became shallow as the phone began to ring. Shamar had seen and experienced everything the streets had thrown at him, yet here he was nervous at the thought of speaking to Pete.
“Hello? Who is this?” Pete said, clearing his throat.
“Hello, sir, this is Shamar. I need to talk to you.”
“Hey there, young man, how are you? Keeping safe, I hope.”
“Yes, sir, I’m fine for the most part. I just . . .”
“What’s on your mind? I can tell something is off. I can hear it in your voice. You and my daughter hit another rough patch?”
Shamar tried to keep from breaking down, but the more he spoke, the more his voice trembled. “I don’t know what to do with her, sir. I’m stuck over here, and there’s nothing I can do. I feel like I’m losing her, sir; and I’m going crazy over here.” Shamar knees bounced up and down repeatedly under the table in the booth he sat in.
“Calm yourself down, son; it’s going to be okay. Now you know I don’t usually get involved in my daughter’s affairs, but if I had any reason to believe Jelisa was in danger, I would do something. But as far as this is concerned, you need to keep fighting for your marriage. You can only do so much, son. So if my daughter decides being married isn’t something she can handle, you have to decide what you want to do.”
Shamar didn’t want to hear that. The thought of losing her drove him crazy. “Come on, sir, don’t say that. You know I love Jelisa. I’d do anything for her.”
“Would you let her go if that’s what she wanted? I mean, if she really pushed the issue and wanted out. You know these women are finicky creatures, and trust me when I say Jelisa is her mother’s daughter. So don’t underestimate her.”
What Pete was saying was disheartening and unfortunately very true. Shamar knew that Jelisa was a strong-willed person and once her mind was made up to do something that was it. The only problem was, even though Shamar had his fair share of women who came and went, even while they were together, he never really cheated in his opinion. Maybe a blowjob here and there, but nothing that could tie him to anyone. Shamar wasn’t prepared to take a loss like that, but his pride was beginning to harden his heart. If he had to let Jelisa go, the only thing that would make it impossible was not being able to see Mya. He wasn’t about to let her or any woman get the best of him.
Shamar once thought of himself as Jelisa’s best friend, but he was still from the streets. After all they had been through, and the way she was acting, losing her wasn’t the worst thing in the world at this point.
“Look, sir, I feel what you’re saying, and I don’t want to lose her, but I’ve never been one to beg any woman for anything. So if she ain’t feeling this anymore, it is what it is. I’m just tired, sir. Why doesn’t she just tell me she wants out?” Shamar felt himself getting ready to cry. As he swallowed the lump in his throat, he considered the idea of not having Jelisa in his life. “Look, sir, I’m not going to front like I don’t care about her leaving; I obviously do because I called. I just don’t know where I went wrong. I just—”
Pete interrupted Shamar, sensing that he was becoming overwhelmed. “Son, son, listen to me. As men, we all make mistakes. As a husband, you will never do everything right; you just have to do your best to take care of your family. I know it’s hard to accept, but you can’t make a woman do anything she doesn’t want to do without pushing her away. So you just keep doing what you’re doing, pray for your family, and make it home to them in one piece. You hear me?”
Shamar could only take what Pete was saying for what it was: truth. There was nothing he could do but wait and pray, which was something he hadn’t done in a long time. “You’re right, sir; I guess that’s all I can do.” Shamar paused and took in a deep breath. He sighed and continued, “Well, sir, I really appreciate you talking to me. I don’t have anybody else to turn to. But I need to let you go. I have a couple other things to take care of before I lie down. It’s getting pretty late over here.”
“All right, son. Don’t hesitate to give me a call if you need something. I’m here.”
“Yes, sir, talk to you soon. Bye.” After hanging up with Pete, Shamar was left with a lot to think about. Everything he had done seemed to have come full circle. Karma was about to get busy if he didn’t figure something out.
* * *
As the weeks passed, conversations between Shamar and Jelisa became fewer and shorter. Jelisa almost sounded like she had moved on from him. Most of the time, they would talk ju
st long enough for Shamar to talk to Mya. Their conversations were empty and shallow, which pushed them further apart.
He had never gotten a chance to catch up with Tamika when she was home. As far as he knew, Chrissy was now a liability; and that added to the stress of being away. The more Shamar thought about it, he wondered if it was possible that Jelisa knew about Chrissy and her daughter. This could explain why she was suddenly so standoffish with him. It didn’t make sense, though, because knowing Jelisa, that was definitely not something she would keep quiet about. Only time would tell just how damaged their relationship really was.
Chapter Sixteen
Last night was a hell of a night. I think I cleared about five thousand and them thirsty niggas was tricking off their whole paychecks. I know there’s some goofy female at home with a bunch of kids wondering where her baby daddy is, Christina Michaels thought. She stood in front of her dresser, staring at her mirror, examining the bags under her eyes.
Unfortunately for the wives and girlfriends of her primary investors, Chrissy didn’t feel sorry for any of them. She thought they ought to know better than to let their men run the streets that late at night anyway. “I wish my man would let me catch him in one of these trashy clubs and I’m not with him,” she spoke to her reflection.
She never liked that white girl name her mother had given her, so she started going by Chrissy to take the awkwardness away. Hearing her explain her come up from the night before would lead most to believe she was in a strip club popping her thang for a little piece of change. Not at all; Chrissy had a few niggas who owed her favors here and there, but the hoes at the clubs all broke her off a piece of everything they made.
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