Baby Mama From Hell

by Rikenya Hunter

  Afterwards, we had popped in my favorite movie, “About Last Night.” Halfway through the movie, we were making out. One thing led to pieces of clothing being taken off and before I knew it, we were having sex. It was amazing!

  Our relationship had lasted three years before my dad was granted full custody and he moved my brother and me from Jacksonville to Miami. I had to move during my senior year of high school. I was heartbroken to leave Neron and Gabriela behind, start at a new school, and began a somewhat new life. However, I was happy to get away from my mother because things weren’t improving at home.

  Neron and I stayed in touch for the first few months after I moved, but eventually the emails, texts, and phone calls decreased until they stopped altogether. He was my first love, but I had been whisked away to a new city and Neron Lopez became a thing of the past.

  Mom wasn’t happy at all about us moving to Miami because, after all, that meant she was losing the child support she received for my brother and me. She didn’t so much as tell us goodbye the day daddy flew in to take us back to Miami. Every few months, she would text Kennard and me but, as far as her saying she loved and missed us, that never happened. She was too wrapped up in her married man to give a flying fuck how Kennard and I were really doing.

  Chapter 4

  Kimora

  Now, I was eighteen and living lavishly in Miami with my daddy and his wife, Adrienne. Daddy owned a very prestigious realty company that sold expensive compounds to many celebrities and wealthy individuals. We lived in Indian Creek, and our house was amazing!

  Our home was truly timeless in its elegance and craftsmanship. We had a horseshoe driveway, which had a palatial Banyan tree as the centerpiece of the lush grounds along with a koi pond, waterfall, and two-story pool house. Our house also included an extraordinary master suite, dual dining rooms, and a gymnasium. Kennard and I didn’t want for anything, and we were closer than ever to Daddy and Adrienne.

  Adrienne was beautiful. She was the spitting image of the actress Sanaa Lathan. She was a few years younger than Daddy was, but she definitely had maternal instincts. She could cook like a grandmother, clean like a maid, offer advice like a therapist, and chill like a friend. She was the total package, and I saw why Daddy loved her.

  I sat next to Kennard as he surfed Facebook and went on and on about how I should make a profile. I wasn’t really feeling social networks. They were played out to me.

  “C’mon Sis. You don’t know what you’re missing. I found so many of my old classmates online. Look why don’t you just make a profile and give it a week? If you’re not feeling it, you can deactivate and delete it.”

  Kennard was turning into such a young man. He was thirteen now and so mature. He even had a few hairs on his chin that were slowly sprouting out.

  “Eh, I don’t know. I find it dehumanizing to check emails or social sites that have become so fashionable constantly. It’s really not my taste,” I said, leaning over to see what female’s profile my brother was snooping on. Kennard quickly closed the app on his phone and stared at me.

  “May I have some privacy please?” he demanded with a smile.

  “No, you may not! I practically raised you. Stop trying to grow up so fast,” I barked.

  My brother was seriously like my baby. I just couldn’t accept the fact that he was now into girls and starting to grow facial hair. It killed me. It was sad that mama was missing out on everything.

  “Man, I’m going to my room,” he said softly over his shoulder as he walked out of the living room.

  I sat there for a few minutes thinking about making a profile. I instantly thought about Gabriela. She and I were like two peas in a pod. When you saw her, you saw me. She was devastated when we left Jacksonville. Like many friendships, the distance was hard on us, and we eventually lost touch. I wondered if she had a Facebook.

  I got up from the sofa and walked up the spiral, golden staircase to my bedroom. My bedroom was everything. Daddy let me decorate it, and I chose a cute black and white, zebra type of theme. I had a canopy bed with a 55-inch television mounted on the wall in front of the bed. My closet was like the size of a store inside a mall.

  Daddy certainly spoiled us, but material things never went to my head. I was a firm believer that as quickly as you were blessed with something, it could be taken away. I was never conceited or ungrateful. I couldn’t help that my Daddy blessed us with nice, beautiful, material things. Although what was most important was that Daddy never substituted money for love. Daddy was still a great father and made time for Kennard and me outside of work.

  I sat at my desk and typed in Facebook on the web search bar. I quickly made a profile and snapped a picture of myself on my webcam. Of course, it was cute! I typed in some of my personal information for my profile and started searching for friends. I typed in Gabriela Hernandez and I saw her profile. My face instantly lit up seeing her face.

  She had a nice selfie as her profile picture. She had gained a few pounds in her face, but she looked the same. I was excited about finding her profile. Hopefully, we could reconnect. I clicked on her profile and saw that she was pregnant. She was certainly carrying well and was all belly. I scanned her profile and she was also engaged. I looked at her About Me information, and my mouth dropped. She was pregnant and engaged to Neron Lopez!

  I couldn’t believe what I was reading. She was my best friend. He was my high school lover. Why in the world would they get together? How? When? I couldn’t even think straight. I quickly clicked on Send Message. She needed to clarify some things for me. She was supposed to be my friend. What happened to the girlfriend code?

  My fingers swiftly sped across the keyboard as I typed Gabriela a quick message.

  Hey, Gabriela! Hope all is well. I took Kennard’s advice and made a profile. I’m shocked to see you’re engaged and expecting with Neron.

  I quickly hit the send button. I was so mad that I felt like a raging bull seeing the color red.

  I shot over to Neron’s profile and he had a few pictures of him and Gabriela. The pictures stung my eyes seeing them together. I was very jealous. It wasn’t like he and I broke up because of him cheating or some other weird break up. We were in love. We broke up because I moved. Why would they betray me like this?

  I sent him a message, skipping over sending him a friend request. I was a petty Labelle so I only typed “Congrats,” and sent the message. I closed the laptop and collapsed on my bed. I couldn’t believe this shit. Neron looked good. He looked good.

  I walked over to my dresser and opened the top door. I reached under my panties and grabbed my pack of Black and Mild’s. I went to my adjoining bathroom and closed the door. I lit a candle and sat on the edge of the tub. My nerves were rattled. I puffed on my Black and Mild and let it calm my nerves. I flicked the ashes into the toilet and sprayed air freshener. I didn’t want Daddy to catch me smoking. I would never hear the end of it.

  I used to experiment with smoking when my Mom would be gone and Kennard would be asleep. I would sneak into her room and smoke her Black and Mild’s. Until this day, she’d never caught me or noticed. Now that I didn’t live with her, she didn’t even have the chance to.

  After my quick smoke break, I decided to hop back on the laptop to see if Gabriela and Neron responded to my messages. I sat down at my desk and logged in to Facebook.

  “I don’t believe that bitch,” I murmured to nobody, in particular. Gabriela had blocked me from contacting her on Facebook!

  I saw that Neron had responded, so I clicked on the message.

  Hey Kimora, you’re still beautiful as ever. I’m sorry we lost touch and I’m sorry things are the way they are, but yes, Gabriela is expecting my daughter and we’re engaged to get married next year. It was one night at a party. I was drinking, she was drinking and one thing led to another and we fucked. I hit her raw, and now she is pregnant with my child. I gotta do the right thing and marry her. I have to take responsibilities for my actions, and I want my daughter in a
two parent home. I hope you’ve been well.

  I couldn’t even believe this mess. I knew he would always move on after we broke up, but I never guessed with Gabriela. Damn. I guess these hoes ain’t loyal.

  I didn’t even bother to reply to him. I just added my schools from Jacksonville and Miami to find old classmates. I must’ve been on the computer for about thirty minutes until I looked at the clock and realized that it was time for dinner. Adrienne cooked faithfully every day. She was a beast in the kitchen.

  Sitting down at our kitchen table was always the highlight of my day. We got to talk about our day, laugh, gossip, and just spend time with one another. Kennard and I definitely didn’t have that back at Mama’s.

  As I sat at our cream and brown colored rectangular dining room table, I looked at all the food Adrienne had prepared. We had penne alla vodka pasta with homemade garlic bread and a fresh Caesar salad. My mouth was literally watering. As we passed around the containers to load up our plates, my phone vibrated on the hardwood table.

  “Kimora, baby, you know the rules. No phones at the dinner table. It’s family time. Silence it or turn it off,” stated my Daddy as he dumped pasta onto his plate.

  “Sorry, Daddy. I forgot.” I glanced at my notifications and saw that I had a Facebook message from Neron saying that he was still in love with me.

  “Uh hum,” uttered my Dad, clearing his throat.

  I powered off my cell phone and enjoyed dinner time with my family, even though my mind was still on what Neron had just confessed.

  Chapter 5

  Neron

  I sat staring at the computer screen after I hit the word Send to my message. I couldn’t believe that I just confessed to still being in love with Kimora after I told her that I was engaged and having a baby. To be honest, I never stopped loving Kimora. I had no choice but to deal with the breakup. I was a young man, so it wasn’t like I could ask her father to let me come along with them to Miami. I dealt with Kimora moving away the best way I knew how.

  Now, here I am about to be a father. Was I ready for fatherhood? Hell no. Was I going to do my best and be there? Hell yeah. When Gabriela told me that she was pregnant, I was devastated. I tried my hardest to fall in love with her, but my heart just wasn’t in it. Like the stand-up guy that I am, I proposed to her and let her move in with me instead.

  True story – Gabriela is cool as fuck, but I wasn’t in love with her. My heart wasn’t with her. It was still with Kimora. Gabriela worshiped the ground I walked on, though. I wanted to do what was right and that was be there for my daughter, so I guess you could say I was only around for my unborn.

  I heard the shower turn off in the bathroom, and I promptly deleted my computer history from the last hour. I didn’t want to hear Gabriela’s mouth. She checked all of my shit. I wasn’t even cheating, and she stayed down my throat. She was insecure as hell.

  I clicked on the search bar to start searching for rental properties. I was graduating from barber school in a few months, and I was anxious to open up my own shop. I wanted to be my own boss. Gabriela emerged from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her radiant body. She was beautiful. She definitely had that pregnancy glow.

  “What chu over there doing Papi?” asked Gabriela, standing next to me with her hand on her hip, her hair dripping wet. I turned around as her eyes roamed the computer screen. She was just looking for a reason to go off on me.

  “Nothing. Just looking for some buildings for the barbershop,” I said, halfheartedly as I inhaled and exhaled.

  “Uh, why the attitude, Neron? You’ve been looking at locations for weeks. Just pick a place already or wait until you graduate. You’re moving too fast,” she barked as she threw down her towel and walked butt naked in front of me with her ass wiggling. I rubbed my hands over my eyes and exhaled. I knew she was about to go off.

  She was always asking me why I was acting a certain way as if she didn’t know she was the problem. Was it too much for her to show me some support and show me that she believed in me? I was spending my entire savings on a location for my barbershop. I had to take my time to choose a spot.

  “We’re talking about my savings. Savings I’ve saved since I was thirteen years old. I can’t just throw it away on a whim. Damn, Gabriela! You can be so inconsiderate sometimes,” I snarled.

  “Why have you been so short with me lately?” Gabriela questioned as she sat on the edge of the bed and covered her body with lotion.

  The nerve of this chick! “Damn, baby. I’m not. Calm down before you stress out my shorty,” I replied as I got up from the computer desk and left out of the room. I needed to diffuse the volcano that I saw trying to erupt.

  I didn’t even get my feet into the kitchen when I heard her heavy foot ass treading in my direction. I rolled my eyes because I knew she was ready to argue as always.

  “Why are you just going to walk out of the bedroom while we’re having a conversation, Papi? Damn, you’re hard to fucking put up with,” yelled Gabriela as she slipped one of my T-shirts over her head.

  “Man, I haven’t done shit! How in the hell am I hard to put up with? ” I shot back while I tried to direct my energy to cooking. I started rummaging through pots and pans as she went on and on.

  “You’re hard to put up with because you don’t communicate and you’re sneaky, puta!”

  Gabriela was directly in front of my face with her belly touching mine. Her finger was inches from my forehead.

  “Mannnnn, go on somewhere!” I was trying to keep my composure, but I couldn’t let her ass get the best of me. Yet, she still stood her short ass in my face as if she was taller than me. I could yoke her up if I wanted to, but that wasn’t me. I wasn’t that type of guy. I lightly pushed her away as I attempted to step back.

  ”You’re…,” I screeched as I pointed at her, “the reason why we can’t ever get along, gurl. You’re forever accusing me bout something, or feeling like I’m treating you a certain way. Stop feeling for me. I’m not treating you any kind of way,” I yelled, making her jump. I brushed past her and walked towards our small bedroom, forgetting about the dinner I wanted to cook.

  “Whatever, bitch! Su hija y yo no necesito tu culo!” she yelled at me, hot on my tail.

  I hated when she spoke in Spanish! My father was Dominican, but I didn’t speak Spanish well.

  “Oh, so you and my daughter don’t need me huh? Man, you foul. You know you love me. I gave you a ring. I moved you in with me. Your mama put your ass out when she found out that you were pregnant. Don’t act like I need you. You need me,” I screamed as I threw on some gray sweatpants, a black bodega T-shirt, and my black Air Force Ones.

  “Nah, Negro, your ass isn’t going any damn where,” she shouted like she was the law.

  “Man, if you don’t sit your pregnant, short, Oompa Loompa ass down somewhere,” I said as I grabbed my wallet and cell phone and stuffed them into my pocket.

  “Daddy, please don’t go,” she sobbed. I hated her damn pregnancy hormones. One minute she was about that life, and the next she was crying like a three-year-old little girl. I couldn’t deal.

  I looked over my shoulder and instantly felt bad when I saw Gabriela crying and staring at me. She was so damn pretty when she cried. She didn’t look like most chicks when they cried though. Some looked like a damn clown or a seal when they cried, but not her. She was cute. It was my soft spot for her crazy ass.

  Chapter 6

  Gabriela

  I loved the shit out of Neron, so when I saw Kimora sent me a message on Facebook, I had to dead that mess with the quickness. I wasn’t even going to mention it to Neron. She was not going to swoop back into my life and try to corrupt what Neron and I built.

  Yes, I was wrong. I missed our friendship, but I’d moved on. Messing with Neron was the reason I lost contact with Kimora. My conscience was kicking my ass when he and I started fucking around. Yeah, I came onto him when we were drunk one night at a party, but he didn’t back down. Deep down, he wante
d it as much as I did. Now, here we were expecting our first child together. I was twenty-six weeks pregnant with our daughter.

  I hated when Neron tried to leave when we got into it. I knew it was his way of trying to calm down the situation, but he would stay gone for days and I would miss him like crazy. I didn’t want to go through that shit.

  “Please don’t go, Daddy,” I sobbed. “I’m sorry I’ve been so emotional and such a mess. I just can’t wait to have this baby.”

  Neron sat next to me on the bed and rubbed my back as I stared straight ahead. “Gabriela, man, I’m trying to understand you and be there for you. I don’t know what it’s like to be pregnant, and I never will know. I just need you to calm down and stop getting so angry with me.” He stood up and began pacing the floor.

  I stood up, walked over to him, and wrapped my arms around his neck. He was a good man. I didn’t want to run him off. I started kissing his neck and flicking my tongue across his ear, but he immediately shut me down.

  “I ain’t mad, but I’m not in the mood,” he said, pulling my arms down to my side and held my wrists lightly.

  “What chu mean you’re not in the mood? Are you serious right now?” I was livid.

  He hadn’t touched me in about a week. My hormones were raging and I wanted him. I’d been practically throwing myself at him, but he was shutting me down.

  Clearly, he wasn’t interested.

  “Man, fuck you! I’m tired of your disrespectful ass!” I stepped on the bed and stood over him while he stood on the floor.

  “Are you serious right now? Look at you right now. You’re a hothead,” shouted Neron as he shook his head and unplugged his phone charger from the wall. I knew right then and there that he wasn’t going to come home tonight.

  “I don’t give a fuck! I’m tired of you coming home when you want. I’m stuck in the house all day. You don’t show me any affection. You don’t kiss me, touch me, or make love to me like you used to. I don’t ask for much, Neron! What am I doing wrong?” I stood on the bed with my arms folded across my chest.