“Yeah, of course.”
“Okay, can I get a hint? Bikini or boots?”
“Yeah, I’m not sure yet.”
“But you’re going to let me know.”
“Yeah.”
Everything felt normal. I guess I was overreacting.
Chapter 39
Adrienne
I didn’t know what was up with DeCarious. He had sex voluntarily with me a couple of times and he was making an attempt, but I wouldn’t exactly say I had him wrapped around my finger yet. I don’t know, maybe I couldn’t compete with his girlfriend. Maybe they were already in love. Either way, I wasn’t going to worry about it. I tried. In the meantime I needed to get out and have some fun. Angelique was in town and we were about to go to a Christmas toy and coat drive. It was being held at this restaurant called Swanky Bubbles in Cherry Hill, NJ. I knew it was going to be so nice, and some potential money would be in attendance.
My mom had Asia because ever since I hired Zakiya, she has wanted to keep Asia more, and for free. I still paid Zakiya her salary, because she washes my clothes, folds up everything—even socks—and has my windows and mirrors sparkling. She doesn’t even go anywhere, really. So I was going to let her get dressed up and go out with us. She was cute, could pass for over twenty-one, and had earned a night out with me.
On the way to the party we shared men tidbits with her. I wanted Zakiya to be on her job.
“Listen, Zakiya, any of these dudes want to talk to you, they have to spend money first. Like make a man chase you, make him wait, play games, be evil. Don’t answer the phone every time he calls you,” I said.
“And never, never, ever come home with a wet pussy and dry, empty-ass pockets,” Angelique cackled.
I looked over at Angelique and said, “Don’t corrupt her mind. She is not into any of that. But she is right. Don’t give it up for free.”
“Okay,” she said, confused.
“Guess what? Shavone is writing a book,” Angelique said.
“About what?”
“About all the athletes and rappers she dealt with. She is so serious, she is trying to find an agent or something,” Angelique said.
“Tell her no one wants to read The Hoe Trick Chronicles . I don’t know why every whore with a story, who has slept with a few celebrities, thinks she should write a book now.”
“That’s what I told her. She is the worst, but that’s on her.”
The party was the best, but it was a mistake bringing Zakiya. She kept asking questions and following me around like a little lost puppy. She looked mature and grown-up, but was acting like an excited teenager. She didn’t know how to glide through the room and mingle on her own, and I didn’t have the time to teach her.
Angelique spotted everyone. “That’s a rookie. He is young—only like nineteen or twenty. He was just drafted by Oklahoma.”
“Oklahoma College?”
“No, they have an NBA team. I think they used to be the Seattle Supersonics, something like that.”
“Damn, wow. My radar is off. He is cute, too.” He was cute and he was worth so many millions, and I couldn’t go after him, or let him go to waste. I waved to Zakiya to come here. She was sitting at the bar.
“What’s up?” she said.
“Zakiya, there goes a rookie for you. Go sit over there next to him. Go say something,” I said as I pushed her a little. Her chances were fifty-fifty. She was cute enough, but she didn’t have any game.
Chapter 40
Zakiya
They pushed me over to talk to this tall guy. They said he was a rookie and that I should introduce myself to him. He was tall and had a baby face but a grown man’s body. He had light brown skin with light chestnut brown eyes and a dark fade haircut and he towered over me. He was very tall—at least six-foot-five. Me introducing myself to him went against everything Adrienne schooled me on. She said I should never talk to a man, chase one, or let one disrespect me. She said men love it when you are evil to them and play. Now she wanted me to go up to this guy and introduce myself. I must not have moved fast enough because I felt her push me, and I stumbled into him.
“My bad,” I said, trying to regain my composure. He held his long arm out so I wouldn’t fall.
“You all right?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“I’m Jabril Smith,” he said.
I almost forgot my name, but I managed to get it out and said, “My name is Kiya . . . Zakiya Lee.”
“That’s a pretty name.”
“You want to get a drink?” he asked.
“No, I’m not much of a drinker.”
“I’m about to go downstairs to the lounge. It’s a little loud up here. You want to go down there?”
I told him yeah. We had a seat in the quieter lounge downstairs. He asked me where I was from.
“From across the bridge in Philly. I just moved back from LA.”
“LA. I was a Bruin at UCLA until I got drafted.”
“You did? That’s nice. Did you like college?”
“It was cool.”
“I want to go to college. All my friends went away to school.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“I didn’t really have the money and I didn’t want to leave my sister. Then I moved to LA and lived with my aunt.”
“It’s just you and your sister—no brothers?”
“Yeah, my mom died when I was eleven.”
He looked at me. “You for real.”
“Yeah.”
“My dad died when I was eleven. My uncle Wendell raised me. My mom was working all the time, so Dell had me on the court practicing my game. He went to college, then he got kicked out. He didn’t want me to make the same mistake.”
“That’s nice you had him in your life.”
“Yeah, I was lucky.”
Jabril was interesting and he seemed nice. We talked a little more and then I saw Angelique and Adrienne coming down the steps.
“Those are my friends. They are probably ready to go. It was nice meeting you,” I said as I stood up.
“Oh, y’all leaving?” he asked as he stood up. “Zakiya, you have a number or something?” I gave him my number and he put it in his phone.
As soon as we left the party Adrienne asked if I got his number. I told her I did and she screamed out, “I’m raising her right! Yeah, my rookie then snag the million-dollar rookie.”
“Girl, you are about to be rich. When you get him in bed, turn him out. Suck his toes first, then suck his dick so hard your inside cheeks touch each other. Okay?” Angelique said.
I said okay, but I wasn’t paying her any attention. How did she figure I was going to be rich just because I met someone with money? His money wasn’t mine.
Jabril had already texted me by the time I was taking my clothes off and getting in the bed. He wanted to know if I was still up. I texted back that I was, and a few seconds later my phone rang.
Jabril’s conversation was nice. He played for a team in Oklahoma—the Thunder, or something. They were new, and they were a team trying to build a franchise by drafting him to help this player named Durant. They were supposed to be the next Kobe and Shaq. He had a house in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, for his mom and had a house in Okalahoma City where his team was. We talked on the phone until I saw the sun come up. It had to be like 5 a.m. I told him I was going to sleep and he said he was about to go and get breakfast with his friends, but he said he wanted to take me out later on.
Adrienne made a big breakfast for me and her, and was about to go pick up Malayasia. Angelique had already gone home.
“Did you speak to that rookie yet?” she asked.
“Yeah, we are going out around three.”
“You are?” Adrienne said as she got real excited and said that I needed to start getting ready after I ate. I didn’t think that it was that serious, but Adrienne insisted it was. She curled my hair in big curls and painted my nails for me. She looked in her closet and pulled out cute fitted jeans and
a pink and black shirt.
Around 3:20 p.m. I heard a horn beep twice and looked out the window. I saw Jabril, so I told Adrienne I would see her later. I was on my way out the door.
“Don’t you dare run to the door. Let him get his ass out of that car and ring the doorbell,” Adrienne yelled. I didn’t see what the big deal was, but I said okay. “Also, have him open every door for you. If he doesn’t do it automatically, just wait by the door until he opens it.” I told her okay.
A few minutes later Jabril rang the bell and I answered. The first thing he said was that I looked so pretty. I said thank you and we walked to his car and he was a gentleman and opened my door. His car was nice—it was black with silver rims and detailing all around. I didn’t even know what kind of car it was, but I saw a big B on the hood with wings. I think it was a Bentley.
“So what’s up? What kind of food do you like?” he said as we got in the car.
“I like seafood.”
“Okay. I know this place we can go to on Columbus Boulevard.”
We pulled up in front of a restaurant called the Chart House. It was located on the waterfront. When we went in, a hostess came up to us and sat us at a table right by a window looking out over the water. I looked at the menu and decided what I wanted to eat.
“So when do you have to go back?” I asked him.
“Tomorrow. Enough time to have a little fun and then go back home before I get in trouble.”
“Why would you say you would get in trouble?”
“Because I grew up in the worst part of Camden. I know so many people who were murdered or in jail. I just feel lucky to be alive at nineteen.”
“My sister and aunts told me to stay away from trouble and go to school, but I know people who were getting in trouble, too. I just walked in the other direction.”
“Like I was telling you when I first met you, I just listened to my uncle about things because if it wasn’t for him, I don’t know where I would be. Because of him I’m getting paid millions of dollars to do what I love to do.”
“Yeah, that has to be nice.”
“It is. I think I like you, Zakiya.”
“Why do you say that?”
“ ’Cause like you’re not trying to impress me, and you don’t care about any of this. I like that. That’s what my uncle told me—to find a regular girl.”
“Oh, so I’m regular,” I asked with a playful attitude.
“No, not regular like regular ’cause you’re real pretty—but like a girl who’s not fake or after your money. Hold up, let me answer this,” he said as his phone began ringing. “Where y’all at? . . . I’m near y’all. . . . I’m about to eat. When I’m done I’ll come through there. All right.” He turned his attention back to me and said, “That was my friends. They want me to meet them and get another tattoo. How many tattoos do you have?”
“I don’t have any.”
“Oh, we are going to have to change that.”
After dinner we met up with some of his friends at a tattoo shop on South Street.
“This is my family—LJ, and that’s Chris,” Jabril said. I waved and then he said, “And y’all, this is Zakiya.” They said what’s up and began to show him all the tattoos they were thinking about getting.
“Y’all have any pictures of a phoenix?” Jabril asked. The tattoo artist, who was a stocky guy, brought a tattoo book over. He flipped through the book and then found a big bird with all these colors.
“That thing is huge. Man, a phoenix?” LJ asked. I took one look at that picture that he was about to get on his back and told him it was really big and maybe he should get something else.
“I know, but I like it. It represents a bird that rebuilds itself over and over. That’s me. I had to rebuild so many times.” He got the outline of the bird drawn. Then he looked in the mirror and said, “Yes, I want it just like that.” He asked me if I wanted one, too, but I told him I was good.
Chapter 41
Tanisha
I knew Kevin would eventually stop being mad and let Jarell come over. He brought all his things over. I just stared at my child—I had missed him so much. I didn’t know how I was going to make it up to him for being absent from his life. He was walking and trying to talk. I turned on Nick Jr. for him and just watched it as he played.
By lunchtime I was wiped. Jarell had so much energy. He was pulling everything off the sofa and laughing and running around. But I was enjoying every moment with him. I missed him so much and just hoped he would never remember that I wasn’t there for him.
Kierra and Jarell were looking at me like I was crazy when I was running all around the house and up and down the steps. Kierra was home from school and I was beginning to get antsy. I didn’t want to have an attack in front of them, so I ran.
“Mommy, the phone,” Kierra sang as I grabbed the phone, out of breath.
“Hey, Kevin. Jarell is fine. He is sitting on the sofa talking to Kierra now while I do my running.”
“Running where? You are not supposed to leave the house.”
“I’m not leaving the house.”
I got a little claustrophobic sometimes so I just opened the basement door and ran from the basement up to the second floor a few times, and then I felt okay.
“You need a treadmill,” Kevin said.
“Yeah, I do, but by the time I get one, I will be a free woman.”
“How was your day?” I asked.
“It was good. We won. You didn’t watch?”
“I don’t think it was on here. To be honest, I am so television and movied out. When you get Jarell back he may be spoiled because Kierra has been hugging and kissing him all day.”
“That’s okay. Y’all are just making up for lost time.”
We talked for three hours. It was like our old conversations we used to have, when we first met. We discussed everything. He liked being back in the States, but he missed the slow pace and serenity of Rome.
Chapter 42
Adrienne
I hadn’t come down to Atlanta to visit, and DeCarious was texting me like crazy, asking me where I was and what I was doing up in Philly. He said he missed his daughter and me and that he wanted us to come down. I wasn’t sure if he cared, but I guess he did. I know I had DeCarious right on the edge, and hopefully my next move would push him over. I was on my way to Atlanta and I was going to tell DeCarious I was pregnant. Hopefully me being pregnant would be a reality check to him, that we needed to be a family. If DeCarious got really serious with this woman, she was not going to continue to want me around, and I’d be stuck in scrubs for the rest of my life. I was running out of time and had to get everything into place. I drove over to Walgreens and purchased a few home pregnancy tests. I was looking around the pharmacy to see if maybe I could pay a pregnant woman to pee on the stick. Yes, that sounds disgusting, but whatever. I looked at the box—two pink lines if you’re pregnant, one if your aren’t.
I had four pregnancy tests. Some teenage boys were standing behind me in line and their mother shook her head. If only you knew what was at stake, lady.
The lady at the register counted my money slowly, each time dipping her finger on a wet sponge. Then she said it only takes one test to see if you’re pregnant. I didn’t ask her opinion.
I intended on faking a pregnancy test. Somehow I was going to make the test positive. Once home, I stood in the bathroom and then tried to draw a straight line. The first one was straight and the second one was crooked. So I opened the second box. This time I used the edge of the marker and made two perfect lines. I held it up to the light. They were straight enough. They were perfect. When I got down there I was going to set everything up.
Miss Anne was out and I had a little bit of time to execute my plan. I had everything situated. I had placed the abortion pamphlet and the pregnancy test in the trash can at the top. I propped it up with a bunch of toilet paper. As soon as he went into the bathroom he would have to see it.
“Adrienne!”
“Huh?” I said as I entered the bedroom. I let him show me the test and pamphlet.
I ran to the bathroom and started making vomiting noises. I flushed the toilet, washed my hands, put water in the inner corners of my eyes. I came out of the bathroom like I was flushed.
“Yes, DeCarious.”
“What’s wrong with you? What’s this?” He was holding the stick from the pregnancy test.
“Nothing.”
“Are you pregnant, Adrienne?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You have another relationship, we are not married, and I just don’t want to ruin everything going on in your life.”
“So you are going to get an abortion? When did you take this test?”
“Earlier today. My period didn’t come on and I felt it.”
“You can’t do this, Adrienne. You can’t do that to my child—he could be my son.”
“I know, but I can’t be a single mom with two kids. My appointment is next week. I’m sorry for ruining your evening. I didn’t want to tell you.”
He sat on the bed. “Listen, let’s think about this for a moment and at least let’s try to pray on this to see what else we can come up with. I think I’m going to tell my parents.”
“No, DeCarious. No, your parents would be so disappointed in us. Especially your mom. You know I’ve been going to church with her and everything. And how would she feel if we go through with it? She will be so angry.”
“You’re right,” he said.
DeCarious came back home and he was a little bit intoxicated, but he wanted to talk.
“Listen, I’ve been thinking. I don’t want you to have an abortion.”
“So what does that mean, DeCarious? I’m not doing this on my own anymore. It is too difficult.”
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