Sen and Neicey- Life After Love

by Briann Danae

“I can’t believe this,” she said with a chuckle of astonishment.

  Dex had really been fucking Bryant’s wife. Though it would more than likely never be revealed, Sen was the reason behind him getting fired. After having kept his cool when he saw Neicey and Dex having lunch, Sen thought for sure he had made himself clear about leaving Neicey alone. When he spotted him at the studio, he would have bodied him on sight, but too much was going on. But, there were three things that Sen never forgot. A disrespectful mufucka, someone who owes him money, and someone who always has his back.

  Apparently, Dex wasn’t the only male Bryant’s wife had been sleeping with. A nigga in Sen’s crew was blabbing off at the mouth one day, telling him how he was fucking a corporate man’s wife, and she let him record it. Sen didn’t give the conversation much or any attention, for that matter, until he mentioned who her husband was. The name Bryant rang a bell and for good reason. Sen had the young cat set up a camera the next time he went over, and the nigga left it on accident.

  Imagine his surprise when he got it back and there Dex was, one of the other men she was freaking. Off GP, Sen promoted the dude to a higher position in rank and gave him two g’s for the tape. Sen could have killed Dex, but he figured this type of revenge would ruin his career and his life at once. His first thought was to go up to the office, but he had to move smart. Anonymously, he rush-delivered the video to Bryant’s crib and was waiting for everything to go down.

  If Neicey didn’t know her man the way she did, she’d surely think someone else was out to get Dex, but she knew better. Walking back into the office with Jenna’s muffin, she handed it to her, just as Mr. Dover was walking in. The evident scowl on his face was not a nice one, and Neicey thought to wait to give him her resignation letter but said to hell with it. Today was the perfect day.

  “Mr. Dover, could I speak with you for a second?”

  Turning from the mailbox, he dropped his scowl and walked over. “Just hit me with whatever it is. Today can’t get any shittier, trust me.

  Handing over the letter, Neicey hit him with a tight-lipped smile you gave people when you didn’t want to speak or smile, for that matter. “This is my two-week notice.”

  “Well, I surely wasn’t expecting that. New job?”

  Neicey nodded her head. “Yes. Not a receptionist though,” she said with a chuckle, making Dover do the same.

  “Well, congratulations. If you need a letter of recommendation, don’t hesitate to call or email me. Good luck with everything.” Giving her a pat on the shoulder, Neicey released a sigh of relief. She was now a free agent!

  “Jenna, I’m out of here sweetie. Hold these phone lines down and don’t call me for anything,” she joked.

  “Oh whatever,” Jenna laughed, standing to her feet. “Give me a hug. I’ll be by your studio in the next week or so. I’ll be damned if my husband cheats on me with a younger woman. I have to stay on my A-game.”

  Retracting from their hug, Neicey laughed a good laugh. If her husband was going to cheat, learning a few pole tricks wasn’t going to keep him from doing so. But, she wasn’t going to say that. In all her years of living, Neicey witnessed plenty of women try and change themselves for a man, when it wasn’t them who needed to change. A man was going to do what he wanted to do, and what a woman allowed him to do. Thankfully, she had learned her lesson with Sen and he had gotten with the program. Had he not, he was going to have to miss her glow-up from afar.

  ***

  Dancing the entire way home, Neicey couldn’t wait to tell Sen that she had finally turned her letter in. He had been telling her to leave ever since she received the call for the new gig, but Neicey didn’t move like that. She’d never want to burn a bridge that she may need to cross one day. Other folks could do that, but it wasn’t how she conducted business.

  Pulling onto their block, confusion etched her face at the tons of cars aligning the street and in her driveway. As much as Sen complained about her having her ratchet friends over, she knew damn well all those cars had to be friends of their neighbors. When she spotted Erica’s truck and her customized plates, she knew then that Sen must have smoked some bad weed. He hated company.

  “I know he better answer this phone, and why the fuck are they in my parking spot,” she hissed, having to parallel park on the sidewalk. Her call went to voicemail, and she told herself to chill. “You were just having a good day. Don’t let these mufuckas ruin it,” she coached herself, before climbing out her ride and walking up the driveway.

  Walking through the front door, Neicey quietly shut the door. With her getting off work early, she knew if Sen was trying to throw a surprise party or whatever the hell it was he was doing, she had ruined it. As she stepped into the living room filled with friends and family, including her mama, she immediately got worried.

  “Um, okay. Can someone tell me what’s going on in here?” she mused, as everyone turned with smiles on their faces. She looked so confused and, in the corner, Erica was holding in her laugh.

  “Aye! Where that nigga Sen at?” Juvie hollered out, just as Sen entered the room from down the hall. Neicey looked him over with suspicious eyes. Nothing was out of the ordinary, but she knew him. The way he was rubbing his hands together let her know he was nervous about something. Walking up on her, he kissed her lips and backed up.

  “What’s up, baby,” he grinned.

  Neicey chuckled nervously. “Hello. What are all these people here for? Is it a holiday and I forgot?”

  Sen laughed and shook his head. “Nah, it ain’t one yet. Aye!” he hollered out. People were still talking and he needed their undivided attention. “Shut ya’ll asses up for one second. Ya’ll been talking since ya’ll got here, damn.”

  Everybody laughed loudly, despite his threatening tone. Neicey looked at Erica with pleading eyes, and then Anika’s when Erica turned her head away from her. Anika just shrugged her shoulder.

  “Bitches,” she hissed, and the twins giggled softly from behind Sen. Neicey frowned when she saw people started pulling their phones out.

  “What you say?

  “Nothing. What’s up? You making me nervous and you know I hate surprises,” she said and gasped when Sen lowered himself to the ground on one knee. Tears sprang to her eyes immediately, and she grabbed her chest.

  “You better not start crying, or I’ma cry and have to fuck everybody up for laughing,” he told her.

  “Oh, my God, I’m about to die,” she told herself and looked up at the ceiling. “Sen,” she hissed, trying to get him to stand up. “What are you doing? Get up.” She didn’t know if he was trying to be cute or if he was really about to do what she thought.

  “Woman, let me do this. A nigga been plotting all month on how I was going to ask you to marry me, and you talking about get up. If I get up, I’ma murk your ass.”

  Neicey laughed through her cry and looked up at the crowd. Inside, she felt like she was about to pass out. The love was too much. The scene was too much.

  “Are you serious?” she asked, still not believing what was happening.

  “You think I got down here to tie your shoe? Hell yeah, I’m serious. Shanice,” he said, getting serious and placing the jokes to the side and grabbing her hand. “Baby. You don’t even know how nervous I was about asking you to marry me, but I was. All last week when you kept asking me what was wrong, I was trying not to think of a way to hide your body, if you told me no. Shit, you better not.”

  Neicey laughed and swiped a tear from her cheek, before he continued. “It’s as simple as this, though. I love your ass, and the shit we been through would have broken a normal couple, but we ain’t normal. Our relationship is as dysfunctional as it’s going to get, but it’s us. I knew I wanted to marry you when you fucked up my Camaro back in the day, but you had a nigga shook. Sleeping with my finger on the trigger and shit when we got back together.”

  Neicey laughed, but it was the truth. She made him put his gun on the nightstand after she rolled over and felt it under
his pillow a month after they started back dating. She knew his ass was crazy, but not that crazy. She’d really lose it if she woke up staring at the barrel of a gun. Those were the type of games she did not play.

  “Because you had me fucked up,” she said, tightening the bun in his head. She loved that damn thing almost as much as he did.

  “I know I did, but we good now and only getting better.” Reaching into his pocket for the ring, Neicey gulped hard as tears blinded her vision. “Shanice, I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it for however long you want me to, until you realize there ain’t shit in this world I wouldn’t do for you. You know my mama be having these weird ass sayings, but she spit one to me that describes us perfectly. A man who refuses to learn from a woman is a fool, and a woman who has nothing to teach him is more of the fool than he is. You’ve taught me so much in the years that I’ve known you, but the main one was how to love, bae. I dogged bitches out, you know that, and that’s because they let me. Not only that, but because they weren’t the ones to tame my ass. When you broke up with me, you broke my heart, and I never want to feel that shit again. I almost lost my mind without you.”

  Neicey leaned forward and wiped his sweating forehead. “You lose your mind with me.”

  Sen smirked. “True, but I’d rather lose it with you, than without. I hope you can fit this mufucka, man. Why am I just now buying you a ring?”

  Everyone laughed, but Sen was dead serious. The custom-made 18 karat halo engagement ring he had Ben Baller design was stunning. After getting a rush order, because money would forever talk, Sen knew he had the perfect one. Though Neicey denied it, she loved anything flashy, and Sen made sure to go all out when deciding to ice her finger out. Price was not an issue, and he was already planning to do the absolute most with the wedding ring.

  “I don’t know. You stingy,” she chuckled.

  “Never that.”

  Her heart beat uncontrollably, as Sen slowly opened the box. Neicey tried swallowing down the excessive saliva that had invaded her mouth, but it was of no use. Having thrown up enough times in her life, she placed a hand over her mouth and searched for the quickest place to dispose her insides. The plant she just bought last week was the closest thing, and she wasted no time relieving herself.

  Sen stood to his feet and walked over to her. With watery eyes, she looked up at him before barfing uncontrollably again.

  “Damn, baby. You good? What you eat?” Sen said sadly, rubbing her back.

  Nakita and Shaliya looked at one another. “Mhm. She ate something bad alright,” Shaliya whispered, and Erica looked over at her with a raised brow.

  Neicey hadn’t even eaten lunch yet, so she knew Sen’s questioning wasn’t the reason she was throwing up. Thinking back to how tingly her breasts had been, Neicey for sure thought it was due to her cycle. But, even that was weird. It was lighter than usual and shorter than it had ever been. She chalked it up as her being stressed out.

  Finally catching her breath, Erica was there with a cool towel and a bottle of water. She was being supportive now but, if she found out Neicey had been hiding a pregnancy from her, she was going to kick her ass. Meechi removed the plant and everyone was on hush mode, waiting for Neicey to explain why she was just vomiting her life up.

  “Why ya’ll staring, damn?” she hissed, taking slow breaths.

  “I mean, you still gone marry me or what? I had the entire backyard already set up for when you said yes,” Sen said, taking the ring out the box.

  “You what? And is that how you’re going to ask for my hand in marriage, with your crazy ass?”

  Sen nodded his head. “Alright, one thing at a time.” He got back down on his knee, and Neicey felt the urge to throw up again, but she held it back… for his sake. “Shanice Butler, will you be my wife and promise to keep one rolled for me, for the rest of my life?”

  Neicey held her hand out and shook her head. “You don’t have it all. Yes, I’ll marry you!”

  Sliding the ring on her finger, he stood to his feet and stuck his tongue down her throat. Now, that right there was real love. He didn’t even care that she had just thrown up.

  “Ya’ll bout’ nasty then a mufucka,” Juvie said, making Solai gripped his arm. Looking down at her round belly, he smiled but frowned when he saw her eyes squeeze tightly.

  “You alright?” Solai shook her head no.

  “I think my water just broke,” she said while trying to whisper, not wanting to ruin the moment. But, Juvie didn’t give a fuck. His baby was in labor, and he was ruining whatever moment it was.

  “Why you throwing up? You got something to tell me?” Sen asked, as Neicey diverted her eyes toward Solai, who was hunched over rubbing her belly.

  “Um… what? No. Something like what?” she asked, about to freak out because Solai was indeed in labor.

  Grabbing her face, Sen made her look at him. “Are you pregnant?”

  “I can’t get pregnant. You know that,” she hissed, wanting to know why he would even suggest that.

  Shaliya walked up on them, not caring one bit about the intimate moment they were having. She could feel it in her soul that Neicey was carrying. She had her suspicions when they went out to eat the week before, but her little episode just confirmed them.

  “And, miracles can happen. Doctor’s aren’t God,” she told them and Neicey started crying, which pissed Sen off.

  “Aye! Party the fuck over!”

  “Nigga, my real baby mama is in labor! Fuck yo party,” Juvie spat, holding Solai’s hand. “Come on bae.”

  “Sen!” Neicey cried out. “This is too much.”

  “We can’t ever have nothing go right! Juvie, what hospital ya’ll going to? We gone be right behind ya’ll.”

  Though he was pissed, he was nervous as hell too. His young bull was about to have a baby, his biological baby this time, and Sen was trying to be supportive. He was also making Neicey’s ass take a test. She had been way to emotional lately and, now he knew why. His baby was gutta, and she had cried almost every day since they got back together. For what? Sen didn’t even know.

  “What about the wedding? This is so messed up. Anika, that’s yo damn friend and she ruined my day,” Neicey cried, and Erica cracked up laughing.

  “Oh, baby! You are too emotional for me.”

  “Girl, shut up with your pregnant ass,” Anika laughed. “I’m staying away from you hoes. I do not have the time for a child.”

  “You gone have time for whatever I say you got time for,” Lano spoke loudly, slapping her on the ass. “Let’s go.”

  While Neicey was wiping her tears, Sen was staring at her like she had grown two heads. If she was indeed pregnant like his mind was telling him she was, he was mentally preparing himself for how he was about to act in this hospital.

  “Why you staring at me like that?”

  “If you pregnant, I’m sending this damn ring back.”

  Snatching her hand away from his, Neicey frowned. “Boy, you better gone somewhere. You ain’t sending shit back unless you trying to upgrade it.”

  Sen laughed and wrapped his arm around her shoulder and winked at his mama. “Calm down, damn. That was the plan. Come on, so we can get you checked out. I’m telling you now; I’m showing my muthafucking ass if you knocked up.”

  “Please don’t. Juvie’s nutty ass already probably doing the most because she’s having a girl,” Neicey laughed, as everyone filed out the door. “Oh shit,” she whispered to herself. Anika had told her what Solai was having, but none of the men knew.

  Sen laughed loudly and clapped his hands. “That’s what that nigga get! He having a damn girl! Solai done ruined his ass for life.”

  Neicey couldn’t do anything but laugh. Juvie was about to be an entire mess up at this hospital, and she hoped she could be a witness. It was only right, since he and Solai ruined her man’s surprise wedding.

  Epilogue

  “Juvie, if you kiss this child’s face one more time,” his mama scolded.

/>   Waving her off, Juvie paid her no mind. When they arrived at the hospital, Solai was further along than they expected. Having only been in labor for a few hours, she delivered a healthy baby girl who, thankfully, looked like both of her parents. Suryha Jhalai Kent was the most adorable baby Juvie had laid eyes upon. He didn’t think he would but, when she let out her first cry, a tear slipped from his eye.

  This experience was much different than when O went into labor. He knew for a fact Suryha was his. She had to be, the way she was only opening her eyes for him and no one else.

  “Ma, don’t get put out. My baby loves her daddy already. Why you ain’t tell me we were having a girl, Sol? Do you know how unprepared I am for this shit? She better not grow up and be thick like you, talk like you, none of that shit. She gone stay in the house and be a good girl.”

  “Shit,” Lano chuckled. “Them the worst ones.”

  “And how would you know that?” Anika questioned, swiveling her neck.

  “Didn’t Aunyae keep you on punishment?” The room laughed and Anika couldn’t even say anything. Punishment or not, Anika found a way to get free.

  “I’m happy for you, bro,” Ra congratulated, peeking over his shoulder. This was his first niece, and he couldn’t wait until she got older so she could ball like her auntie. He was already plotting on making her a star.

  “Preciate’ that. Where sis at?”

  “Right here,” Tesh announced, walking in with RJ on her hip. “Awwww, look at her. Lai, you did good. She is beautiful. Say hi cousin,” she said, waving RJ’s hand.

  “What you mean she did good? Ryha look just like me. I’m the fine one, Solai alright,” Juvie laughed, leaning over and kissing her cheek. “You straight?”

  “Sleepy as hell, is all. Where’s Neicey?”

  Down the hall, Neicey was walking behind Sen and shaking her head. Every person he approached, he was announcing their addition to the family. If there were a word beyond ecstatic that could describe his mood, he was that.

  “Aye yo, my man. My fiancée is having a baby,” he cheesed, talking to the security guard.