by Latasha Rose
Envie
Envie sat in the passenger seat of her boyfriend’s
SUV staring into space. He whirled into the parking lot and
stopped in front of the building where she worked. She got out
and slammed the door.
“Thank you. For making me late! I’m so glad I’m getting my
own wheels back today.” She howled.
“Awh, hell I told you not to get your car painted this week
anyway, you knew I had shit to do. Look at you acting all brand
new.” He gave her a smile and licked his lips. It was his signature move. The same
one that reeled her in when they first met.
“Bishop, I have to clock in at eight and it’s already eight-
fifteen.” She snapped, “You can’t never do shit on time when in
comes to me!”
He pointed to the clock in his dash. Envie looked at it a
second time and remembered that it was fifteen minutes fast.
“See look at ya, jumping off on a nigga when he just tryna help
you out. Now, come here and give me those lips so I can be out.”
He slapped her on the ass then squeezed it. “You sure you don’t
need me to pick you up lata cause I-.”
She cut him off, “Yeah Bishop, I’m sure now let me go before
I’m late for real.”
He frowned. “Let you go? You know I’ll never do that without
a fight, Ma.” He kissed her lips again and drove away.
Bishop was always confusing Envie with his expressions
and saying things that made his jealousy evident, he was full of
surprises and so much drama . In the beginning she used to think
the drama was flattering but things had changed since then. She
had grown tired of all the episodes and embarrassing moments
but she wasn’t ready to move on from him just yet. Her sister felt
she could do so much better and so did her mother. She detested
him and it bothered her that Envie didn’t respect herself
enough to get out of the relationship. She feared something
terrible would happen to her daughter eventually and Bishop’ name would be all over it.
She said, “Envie, aint nothing good gonna come out of this
thing ya’ll got going on here!”
Envie just laughed and replied, “Ma, I aint worried about
Bishop and you shouldn’t be either, cause I know how to take
care of myself.”
“Yeah, but you been saying that same shit for two years and
for two years that nigga been smacking you upside yo’ head!”
A year after she and Bishop met her and a few friends were
at a night club. Bishop tracked her down and created a scene.
She made it her business not to tell him where she would be that
night but he had friends; more like spies that knew and told
everything. He came up behind her and put his arms around her
waist. “So you sneaking out on a Nigga now? Who you come up
here to see?” She didn’t get word in before he grabbed her by the
hair, bit her in the face and called her a sneaky Bitch. When he let
go, she slapped him and ran out of the nightclub screaming. He
chased her down and manhandled her while onlookers watched
but everyone knew Bishop and what he was capable of so they
just continued to watch as he pummeled her to the ground. It
was that way all of the time because of that he had become
impossible to love.
She walked into the building looking at the time on her cell.
She still had a few minutes to kill in the break room. She thought
about Bishop and the look on his face when he said he would
never let her go. Even though she was use to that behavior in him
it was something about the look in his eyes that made her feel
uncomfortable today; she shivered at the thought of it. She loved
him but she wasn’t in love with him and being with him now was
only routine. She couldn’t bring herself to leave him though,
because she didn’t have the strength nor the courage, besides
she knew she could never pull it off without the shed of her own
blood. There were days when everything was good, the days she
used to get full body massages where he would start from her
head work his way to her feet then finish with a little oral
pleasure with her on the receiving end. He would prepare
candle lit baths for her after a stressful day or just because. He
would even have take out waiting on the table, he couldn’t cook
so it was always the thought that counted but those days were
long gone. Somehow their sexual connection remained the
same, whatever it was she was holding on to solely depending
up on that bond. Although, his oral skills were mind blowing,
she was always the giver when it came to pleasing. After
things went sour between them it became obvious to her that
they weren’t going to last and she decided that remaining
faithful would be in vain. Then she met Steebo, the man who
knew how to please her and made her feel brand new again. He
could make her cum just by looking at her just the thought of him
made her vagina muscles contract and she would become weak
at the knees. They met six months ago while she and her sister
were visiting their mother on her birthday. He wasn’t the
handsomest man she ever went out with but he was fine as hell
and willing to please her and any chance she’d get to be with him
she would take it. Even though there was an art in creating a
good lie to break away from Bishop it was worth every one. On
most occasions she used going to visit her mother as an alibi
which for the most part would be the truth, but by night she’d be
with Steebo and sometimes it was the other way around; she
always made sure her tracks were completely invisible.
After work she caught a ride with a co-worker to pick up her
car. She jumped in her BMW, stopped to treat herself to a fruit
smoothie then called her best friend Sekima.
“What you doing, girl?” Envie asked.
“Not a damn thing. You get your wheels back?”
“Yeah, I’m back rolling again.”
“For sho’! Cause I know your ass was gonna go crazy if you had
to ride with that nigga another day.”
“Hell yeah, you know me.” They both laughed.
“I saw him and his boys today, shooting the shit as always.”
“Yep, but shit…I aint worried about him right now, I got
other plans tonight.”
“Mmm, uh, Steebo.”Kima teased.
“You know i-i-i-t!” Envie sang.
“Ooh, girl let me shut up cause Bishop jealous detective ass
can probably here me from six blocks away.” Kima said
laughing. “We still kicking it tonight right, cause I know later on
you gonna be creeping. Where ya’ll going anyway?”
“Kima, don’t start, you know I aint telling you shit! That’s the
one thing I keep from you for your protection and especially
mine so don’t be acting all brand new with the questions.
Everybody know you keeping it hot for Solo. All Bishop got to
do is send the nigga over there to dick you down and you’ll be
singing like a canary.”
“You still tripping off of that Solo shit? Bitch, please I
already tapped that. As a matter of fact I’m still tapping that!”
“Oooh, I knew you was a hoe. You been dick’d down and
now you really can’t be trusted!”
Envie said with a smile in her voice.
Kima sucked her teeth, “Bitch, fuck you. That’s Ms. Hoe to
you stank you very much.”
“Hoe.” Envie emphasized. “Just get ready cause you need
to be at my house by eight on the dot, so you think you can keep
your legs closed long enough to get dressed?” Envie laughed.
And hung up the phone.
Envie and Kima had been close friends since the ninth
grade. Envie was never good at making female friends but it
was something about Kima that made that an exception.
Envie loved to sing in school and in her eight grade year she’d
enter school talent shows all by herself. It changed the year she
met Kima she had experience singing in front a few large crowds
with her church choir. Envie heard her singing in the halls and
thought she had a nice voice. From that point on they were
entering school talent shows together in fact they did everything
together after that, until their senior year rolled around. Sekima
started skipping school and failing all her classes. It seemed that
whenever the bell rang there was a girl fight in the halls and
she was always the cause. She began getting Envie caught up in
her drama and Envie couldn’t really trust her anymore but she
still remained friends with her because she knew Kima needed her.
Kima’s mother was a drug addict and couldn’t be there for her, so
Envie just decided to watch Kima very closely. On graduation
day Envie walked across the stage and received her diploma
with honors while Kima was returning home after being on lock
down for all of eight months in result of hanging with the wrong
crowd. Envie never really understood why Kima fell into that
kind of life style back then because she was so grounded when
they met but just so the past could remained the past, she never
asked.
Envie stood about five-seven; she had a big apple bottom
ass, a small waist line, medium sized breast and thick thighs.
Her complexion was brown her eyes were big to match her
naturally long hair and natural lashes and had lips that made
Angelina’s look less appealing. Kima had a rocking body too,
although she was shorter, darker and had short hair, her eyes
were arranged into a hypnotizing slant that complimented her
oval-shaped lips and exceptionally small breast. Although she
didn’t have the apple ass her toned six-pack made that
decreasingly unnoticeable. They possessed the same tastes in
men and clothing, except for days where Kima stepped outside
of their circle into something that covered very little skin.
Envie never bothered to question her behavior, because she
would only act like someone else when she hung out with
Trije’ana, the girl she remained friends with from High school. It
was something about Trije’ana that Envie didn’t like but she
knew it wasn’t her business to pick and choose who Kima hung
out with. She figured one day when push came to shove,
anything that needed to be seen would come to the light
anyway, so she held her peace.
She dropped her keys on the counter and checked her
machine messages. Beep: “What up baby, just tryna see if you
made it home yet. I’ma holla at you lata.” It was Bishop. Beep:
“Hey Hoochie, this your sista, I wanted to know if we were still
going out tonight, call me, bye.” Envie laughed at her sister’s
humor. Her ass always ready to party. She thought. When she heard
the voice on the next message she became anxious. Beep:
“What’s up Shorty, we still on for tonight or what? I haven’t
heard from you since yesterday. Hit me up when you… Envie
stopped the message she didn’t wait to hear the rest. She picked
up the phone and dialed Steebo’s number. He answers,
“What’s good?”
“Hey baby, I just got your message.”
“So what’s up? We still chillin tonight?”
“Yeah, but I’ma kick it with my girls first, you know, set the
even off right.” She chuckled.
“A’ight, that’s what’s up.”Meet me at the Chindelle Suites
room 345. Look, I got to take care of something so I’ll see you
when I get there.”
“I miss you babe and I can’t wait to see you!” A smiled spread
across her face.
“Yeah me too shorty. Keep it wet for me, aight?” He hung up.
She called her sister to tell her what time she wanted to meet
up then called Bishop.
“You called me earlier?” She asked.
“Yeah what time you leaving cause a nigga wanna spend
some time with you before you leave?” He sounded a bit
disturbed.
She thought about it for a second then said “I aint doing
nothing right now so come on.”
“A’ight, I’m on my way.”
She hung up and went to the bedroom to slip into her pink PJ
short set she got from Bishop for Valentine’s Day, then went into
the kitchen to fix herself a sandwich, she sat on the sofa watching
a movie waiting for Bishop. Fifteen minutes later there was a
knock at the door. When she opened it her sister Ephie was
standing there looking nervous. She pushed her way in.
Envie says, “Tramp, what’s wrong with you?”
“You talk to Bishop today?”
“Yeah, he on his way over here now. Why, what’s up?”
“He know about Steebo. I mean, I think he knows.”
“Hoe, quit lying!” Envie grew paralyzed with fear. Her
stomach was in knots and she needed to sit down.
Ephie replies, “I aint lying! I heard Lo-down and Poboy
talking and Lo-down said he was out in the Oaks last weekend
and thought he saw you getting into a purple Escalade with
some Nigga but he couldn’t tell if it was you.”
“What the fuck was he doing out there anyway. Something is
up, Ephie,” she assured her sister.
“I know,” Ephie agreed.
“Shit, and I was in the Oaks with Raz last weekend too.” She
sighed then became angry.”Well, what the fuck was that nigga
doing in Oak Town anyway and why you didn’t mention this
when you called? Did you just find this out?” She didn’t wait for
an answer. “Damn! I bet Bishop got that nigga following me and
shit.” She took a deep breath and blew it out. “Like you said he
wasn’t for sure it was me, right? So maybe his nosy ass will just
kept it to himself.”
Ephie speaks up,”Yeah but that’s if he aint already opened
his big ass mouth because you know Lo-down lives just for the
purpose of kissing Bishop’ ass and then some.”
“What about Poboy, did he say anything to you?”
“Nawh, but you know him, anything that aint got shit to do
with his money he
don’t pay it no mind. But he think he slick
though, talkin about, why I aint going to see my momma too. I
told that nigga I was staying so I can watch his ass. Then I accused
him of tryna get rid of me just to change the subject.” She
chuckled but noticed Envie wasn’t laughing. She sucked her
teeth, “Look Envie, if you that damn stressed about it, then just
tell Steebo you can’t see him no more and you can save all the
other bullshit.”
Envie looked at Ephie as if she were crazy. “Bitch, you
must be high, I mean that sounds easy enough but I aint about to
leave Raz and I’m not ready to leave Bishop either, so squash
that.”
“Alright, it’s your life and your choice but you playing with
fire and whether you know it or not, juggling two niggas at the
same time is suicide, Envie. And one of these days you will have