Charged for His Sins

by Natavia

  “Why are you not answering your phone?” York questioned me when I walked out of the hall bathroom. I rolled my eyes at him and planned on ignoring him, but he grabbed my arm and pulled me back towards him when I tried to walk away. I didn’t want to hear shit he had to say.

  “Look, I heard about what Emani said to you and it wasn’t even like that. Me and a few of my niggas were over her crib shooting dice, drinking, and smoking. I was so high and drunk that I passed out on her couch, and that was it,” York said. He tried to pull me towards his old room, but I was familiar with his routine. He figured I owed him some pussy because he told the truth for once. York was assed backward. He pleaded when he wasn’t guilty, but remained silent when he was.

  “I don’t know why you are explaining yourself to me, we are not in a relationship remember?” I asked as I snatched my arm out of his hand and took a step back.

  “I’m really done with you this time. I can’t do this anymore.” I said as I stepped around him, I almost lost my footing when he snatched me back towards him. He pushed me into the wall and pressed his body against mine. I guess he couldn’t accept how serious I was.

  “You got a new nigga or something?” York asked me.

  “You wouldn’t want to know,” I said to him.

  “You right, I don’t want to know. But I promise you shorty, I’m not that nigga. You did some shit behind my back without talking to me about it. You didn’t tell me you were going to get an abortion. You flat the fuck out told me a week later because you heard I was fucking some broad. I feel like slapping yo’ ass on the real. You fucked me up with that Adisa, I can’t even trust bitches no more because of you. I was even thinking about making it official with you, but you did that childish shit to me,” York spat.

  “My parents would’ve looked down on me,” I said to him.

  “Now do you see the difference between us and where we come from? Everything you do for the rest of your life will be because of them. You act hood, talk hood and fuck with a hood nigga, but that is just how far it’s going to go. I’m starting to think you only want me to fuck you. You like when I pull your hair and slap your ass? Or do you get turned on when I choke your dumbass out from pissing me off? You don’t fuck with me how you think you do,” York said to me. York never spoke to me that way, he sounded like he hated me. I finally figured out why York pushed me away most of the time. It was because he felt restricted from being with me. It wasn’t just about the abortion, he thought I was just a rich girl getting a kick out of the hood life. A lot of people thought that about me, but it wasn’t true. I wasn’t faking the funk for hood brownie points. I was being who I always wanted to be, and that was a free spirit. I just wanted to live whether it was on the dangerous side or not. My parents didn’t raise me, I raised myself. I was pissed off at him for thinking that way about me. I loved his ass. I pushed him away from me and went into Samiah’s room. I grabbed my purse then stormed out of the house. I was going to see Samiah at work the next day anyway. I text her phone telling her that I had to leave and didn’t want to wake her. When I got inside of my car, Zu’s car pulled up on the other side of the street. I put my window down, “She doesn’t want to see your bright ass,” I said putting on my shades.

  “It’s late, why do you have on those dark ass shades?” Zu asked me.

  “Because of your bright-ass! She doesn’t want to see your hoe ass tonight. Besides, York is in the house and he will fuck you up if he finds out y’all two was screwing,” I spat.

  “Mind yo’ damn business and I came over here to holla at him. Samiah’s still mad at me, and I’m not trying to have her on my ass again,” Zu said.

  I took my shades off as I laughed in his face, “Boyyyyyy Sam got your behind looking like Edward Scissorhands with all of those damn scratches. Was your baby mama mad?” I asked him.

  “At least she was woman enough to keep it. Now, are you mad? Get the fuck outta here with that. You stay popping slick with your fake ghetto ass,” Zu’s crazy ass said. While he was walking up the sidewalk to Samiah’s house, I made a U-turn in the middle of the road, and accidentally sideswiped Zu’s car. It was only a few scratches, but he got the point. I put my window down, “Now, your car matches your face bitch!” I shouted then sped off when he pulled his gun out. He was going to shoot at my car. I told Samiah, Zu was into the street life too, but she thought different because he was in college. You can take them out of the hood, but some people you can’t take the hood out of.

  The Next Day…

  “I need to pick out something from here for my date tonight. I’m ready to abuse this thirty percent employee discount,” I said to the girls as we cleaned up.

  “Girl, Zu wasn’t mad that you sideswiped his car, he said he was getting a new one today anyway,” Samiah said as we continued to clean up the store.

  “That bright fucker is lying. Zu was ready to shoot up my ride,” I said as I rolled my eyes. I was pissed I didn’t get underneath his skin the way I wanted to. Zu, probably really didn’t care about the car, he just wanted to scare me because we didn’t get along.

  “Why did you do that to his car?” Faraji asked then Samiah told them what happened between her and Zu.

  “So what did you and Zu talk about because I know he wasn’t just over there to talk to York?” I asked.

  “We just talked about everything and we agreed that I needed my space. I am about to start my freshman year of college and I don’t need the baby momma drama.” Samiah said as she shrugged her shoulders a bit.

  “I’m sorry you had to go through that, I know it’s hard with him being your first and all. But, it sounds like, he does love you. He just made a terrible mistake which is normal for human beings. I hate the phases we have to go through, they said being young and in love is the worse. It’s the learning stage and beginning stage of heartbreak,” Faraji said.

  “Don’t I know it,” I said.

  “You are not lying, I felt like I was near death. I know that I’m young, but I think that I will always love Zu. Matter of fact, I know that I will. I still feel like it’s a nightmare. I want someone to pinch me and tell me, that my boyfriend didn’t get someone pregnant,” Samiah said.

  “Let’s beat her ass,” I said then Emeka laughed.

  “Beating his baby’s mama ass isn’t going to make it go away. It’s Zu’s fault, not hers,” Emeka said pissing me off. The one moment I didn’t want her to talk and she did. Emeka was just too damn perfect if you asked me. She thought smart and always said things that made sense. I felt like because we were young, we were entitled to do dumb shit half of the time.

  “It’s not going away, but I bet it will make her ass feel better. Hell, it will even make me feel better. I want to hit her ass, I’m sick of this bullshit about women not knowing. There is no way in hell she thought that pretty muthafucka’ was single. Matter of fact Zu runs his mouth too much, the nigga prolly told her soon as she came on to his simple-ass,” I fussed.

  “Zu admitted that he told her,” Samiah said.

  “I knew he did, light-skinned niggas can’t cheat right. But, them dark-skinned one’s will have you thinking his baby mama is his damn sister. You call the fake sister up to ask her to go to the club, and she got his dick in her mouth. I’m ready to get me a light-skinned man, save me the heartache. Whatever they do comes to the light because they are bright, is my slogan for them,” I said then they erupted in laughter.

  “This bitch is racist,” Samiah said.

  “I’m light-skinned,” Emeka said.

  “Honey, this doesn’t go for females. It’s a man’s thing, but I think I look at them the way I do because of my father. I can’t stand that yellow bitch,” I said.

  “I don’t know who my father is,” Emeka said.

  “Hell me neither. What if we have bad luck with men when we get older because of daddy issues? I heard it’s something to really look into,” Samiah said.

  “I heard about that too, but that wouldn’t be my case. I have
a father, but I don’t have a mother. She left me and my sisters for a rich man. Just imagine playing mommy to someone else’s kids and not your own. I guess my mother got tired of living in the roach infested building with her husband. My father is a provider, although he doesn’t have much,” Faraji said.

  “A lot of black kids are raised in a one parent home. I did an essay about it in the eleventh grade. I think it’s very effective to some of us. What if us four are a part of that percentage that’s affected?” Samiah said. Samiah was very intelligent and always had good grades. She was accepted to college on a full scholarship. I hated school especially math, but I wanted to be with Samiah every chance I got, so I worked my ass off in my final year of high school. With the grades I had, I doubt if I could’ve gotten into a university. I was far from dumb, I just didn’t give a shit about education because my parents did. I despised everything they loved.

  “So, what’s the cure?” Faraji asked.

  “Knowing your self-worth and not falling into the arms of our troubled society,” Emeka replied.

  “My head is spinning from all of this,” I joked as I held my head. Faraji and Emeka were the two coolest females I’ve met besides, Samiah. I was actually digging how the four of us was so different and bonded a friendship.

  After I dropped Samiah off from work, I headed home to get ready for my date. Someone caught my attention while I was at a red light. Samiah and York’s father was pushing a grocery store cart with three tires in it.

  “Three tires for twenty dollars,” Pete shouted out. I squinted my eyes from the sun, and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. He had York’s tires to his car in his cart. I knew those rims from anywhere, so I hurriedly dialed York’s number.

  “What yo,” York spat into the phone.

  “What’s the matter with you?” I asked him.

  “Somebody stole my goddamn tires off of my car and only left me one. They left a note on my windshield saying that, I can buy them back for one-hundred dollars. They left me a phone number to a fucking pay phone. I need to stop fucking around with these broads from around here,” York fussed with Hoppa and Zu laughing and clowning him in the background.

  “Your father is on West Street with your tires in his cart,” my voice cracked. I could no longer hold it in, I laughed until I screamed. When he hung up on me I tossed my phone next to my purse on my passenger’s seat. I stared at the twenty-dollar bill that was inside of my purse and thought about getting his tires back. Fuck York, I had a date to get ready for. He could get his own tires back.

  My parents were standing at the front door next to their luggage when I walked in. They were waiting for their car service. My father had a white envelope in his hand with my name scribbled on it.

  “Ah, you got here just in time. I was going to leave your money on the side table,” my father said. He handed me the envelope which was filled with money.

  “What are your plans while we’re gone for the next two weeks?” my mother asked as if she really cared.

  “I have a date tonight with Jaz, and I will just be working the rest of the time you two are gone,” I said trying my hardest not to roll my eyes at my mother.

  My mother and father stood there so stiff I swear they would’ve still been standing there if a tornado blew in. I just couldn’t stand either one of them. They were like robots, programmed to be so perfect. I don’t think they acted like that because they were rich, I thought they were crazy. I saw something evil lurking in my father’s eyes. I think he used it to control my mother. She was his puppet, but she pretended to be happy. I could see how miserable she was from letting a man control her. I always wondered how it would’ve been in a one parent home, just me and my mother. My friends wanted the opposite, and I would’ve given anything to switch lives with them.

  “Adisa, honey it looks as though you have gained a little extra weight. You need to lose a few pounds, so I am going to call the cook to tell him to add in a few more vegetables to your entrées, to replace the carbs in your meals,” my mother said a few seconds before their driver knocked on the door.

  George Washington hairdo having ass bitch. I mumbled under my breath as I turned around and headed towards my room.

  I left out of the house five minutes later and headed to the beauty supply for some braiding hair. After I paid for my hair I went to my favorite braider house and got my hair braided in cornrows with designs that fell to the tip of my waist. By the time my braider was finished, it was close to the time that Jaz was picking me up. I rushed home popped two Advil then headed straight for the shower.

  After I showered, I got dressed in a tan summer dress with turquoise stripes. I put on my turquoise sandals and my door-knocker earrings that spelled out my name in diamonds. I picked up my purse just as the doorbell rang. I took my time going down the stairs, my sandals didn’t have no type of traction.

  “Wow,” Jaz said after I closed and lock the door behind me.

  “Look, I can say forget this date and turn around to go back up the stairs. This is the real me either accept me as I am, or we can forget all about this date right now,” I told him.

  “It’s nothing like that. I actually like how you look, I’m tired of all these bougie girls,” he said to me as we walked to his car. He drove a white, two-door drop top, Mercedes. He held open the car door for me and waited until I was all the way in with my seatbelt on before closing the door. I was surprised to hear rap music playing when he started the car. He was bobbing his head to the music slightly offbeat as we headed to the restaurant. Jaz probably had just discovered rap music.

  When we walked into the restaurant, I immediately spotted York sitting at the bar drinking with Zu and Hoppa. Our eyes connected in the mirror above the bar just before the hostess made a gesture for Jaz and me to follow her. York turned his head and smirked at me as we walked past the bar.

  Jaz pulled out my chair for me once we were at the table, and I sat down. I already knew what I wanted, so we placed our orders as soon as our waitress walked up to our table. Jaz and I made small talk, he was quite funny in a way because he managed to make me laugh a few times.

  “Wasup’ baby mama?” York walked up to the table and asked a few minutes after our food arrived.

  “Baby mama? you got the wrong person because she doesn’t have any kids.” Jaz said as he looked at York with a confused look on his face.

  “I wasn’t talking to… man fuck all that. Shorty, let me speak to you for a minute,” York said looking as though he was about to punch Jaz in the face. I got up and followed York to a dark corner in the back of the restaurant.

  “What the fuck is you doing out with that nigga? Is this how we doing it now?” he asked me angrily through clenched teeth.

  “Don’t you go out with other bitches?” I asked him folding my arms in front of my chest.

  “Yeah, I was fucking other bitches, but I don’t take them out in public on the strength of you. They can’t even get a ride from me. If you going to do this shit, then do it where I can’t see it ‘cause that's hell of disrespectful. Hurry up, and get rid of his ass then meet me at the bar,” York said.

  “I thought we agreed to us being over,” I replied. He got closer to me and gritted in my ear, “We ain’t fucking done right now, so kill that shit shorty. Ditch that muthafucka’ before I rob the both of y’all in the parking lot when y’all leave. I might get trigger happy and merk his ass. You got ten seconds, baby mama.” He pulled away from me and headed back to the bar.

  “What was all that about?” Jaz asked when I sat down at the table.

  “Oh, nothing much. That was just my best friend’s brother being a pain in my ass. He wanted to tell me that my friend has been trying to call me, something must be wrong with my phone. He let me use his phone to call her,” I lied to him.

  “I hope everything is alright with your best friend,” he said with sincerity in his voice which almost made me feel bad.

  “She’s just going through a bad breakup an
d needs her friend there as a shoulder to lean on. I hope you don’t mind, but she’s on her way to get me,” I said to him.

  “No not at all, but I do expect our next date to last through desert,” he said to me as he gestured for our waitress to bring the check. I must've been over there with York longer than I thought because Jaz plate was already empty.

  “Do you want me to stay with you until she gets here?” Jaz asked after he paid the check. “No, her brother will wait with me until she gets here since she has his car,” I replied. I could feel York’s eyes burning a hole into me. I had to hurry up and get Jaz out of there unharmed.