by Untamed
The judge laughed. “Okay. Attorney Cheatham, are you ready to begin?”
“Yes, sir. I’d love to get this over with before Jesus returns.” He laughed, as did the judge and I.
My attorney tore Raul to pieces. Raul didn’t know that I had kept a log of all his payments, and the twenty thousand dollars in support that he claimed he had given me amounted only to two thousand over the past five years. After Raul indicated that he worked part-time at an auto parts store, the judge told him he needed to work full-time, since he wasn’t a student and he had no other legitimate reason not to work full-time. He was ordered to pay $350.00 per month in child support going forward and $2,100.00 in back child support for the past six months. To catch up with his arrearage, Raul was ordered to pay $450.00 a month until the entire sum was paid off.
When we addressed the supervised visitation, Raul argued that he kept Nadia often and that she was familiar with him. When Shanaya was called as a witness for Raul, she made it seem as if he was the best father on this side of Atlanta. However, my ace in the hole proved otherwise. When Attorney Cheatham called Raul’s mom as a character witness to testify about the occasion when Raul left Raulina and Nadia outside unsupervised while he and Shanaya had sex, it was a wrap. Shanaya’s and Raul’s mouths dropped when the judge asked Raulina if her grandmother and I were telling the truth. Once she admitted that we were, Ms. Ana acknowledged the fact that after she kicked Raul out, Raul and Shanaya did not marry but were living together. Raul begrudgingly admitted that was also true.
“Okay, I’ve heard just about enough of this foolishness in my courtroom today. Along with the ruling on the child-support payments, it is also so ordered that Mr. Garcia will have supervised visitation rights one weekend a month at his mother’s house, with Ana Ruiz present. After one year, if Mr. Garcia has proven to become a viable part of said minor child’s life, this issue may be brought back before the court for review,” the judge announced. Then he signed the order.
“What?” Shanaya yelled. “This is some—”
“Well, I guess Jesus prevailed, ma’am,” the judge said. “Now sit down, before I have you thrown out of my courtroom. I’m just about ready to do that anyway, with you pretending to be a child of God and acting like a seed of Satan. So you can stop your antics right now. On a personal note, Mr. Garcia, if you miss one payment or violate one visitation, I will hold you in contempt of court and will throw your butt in jail so fast that only God will know where you’re at. I suggest that you go find Jesus and change your life so that He can convince you to pay this support every month, before you get convicted by me. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, Your Honor,” Raul said in a low voice and swallowed hard. “Perfectly.”
“Good. Now, all of you go and have a blessed day. In the name of Jesus, this case is adjourned,” the judge said, then banged his gavel as we stood.
As happy as I was that this was over and that Raul now had to take responsibility for Nadia, it felt like a betrayal to place another man in the system. Regardless of what Raul thought of me, I had a heart. It was the reason I had never put him on child-support enforcement before, but at some point, you had to make a decision to put your child first. If he couldn’t choose Nadia on his own, I had to make him choose her. I should’ve been dancing out of the courtroom, but I accepted my small victory with class and simply attempted to leave without further comment or conversation.
That was until Shanaya opened her mouth.
“This is not over, Lucinda!” Shanaya said just before walking out of the courtroom.
I walked right behind her into the hallway. “Why don’t you go and talk to Jesus about it?” I shot at her.
“You gon’ have a talk with my fist!” she shouted as Raul pulled her back.
“And if you come near me, you gonna wake up walking around Heaven all day!” I shouted right back.
“Don’t feed into her foolishness,” Attorney Cheatham said after he and Ms. Ana caught up to us in the hallway.
“He’s right, Lucinda. She’s not worth it,” Ms. Ana interjected.
As they calmed me down, Raul walked up to his mom, with a mixture of pain and anger in his eyes. “How could you? You’re my mother.”
“And Nadia is my grandchild. She can’t fend for herself, so it is my responsibility to make sure you do whatever you have to, to be there for her,” Ms. Ana retorted.
“You have a responsibility to me too! I’m your son!”
“You are my son, but you are grown, and as a grown man, you need to get your grown self together. Nadia is my main concern, as she should be for you too,” Ms. Ana stated sternly.
“Well, I hope you know you just traded your son for Lucinda. Live with that, because from this point on, you’re not my mother, Ana.”
“Careful what you wish for, Raul. Be careful,” Ms. Ana replied, and then she walked out of the courthouse.
Now, I was all for Raul having to take care of Nadia, but I had never wanted to come between him and his mom. In some way, I felt responsible for their tattered relationship. At the end of the day, Ms. Ana was still his mama, and I knew how I’d feel if my mom were ever to betray my trust. All children, grown or not, needed their parents in their lives, if for nothing else but support. I knew that would be on my conscience, and I didn’t know if I could live with that.
“Ms. Ana, maybe you should go and talk to Raul. I mean, he is your son,” I pleaded when I caught up with her outside the courthouse.
“He’s a man now, Lucinda. Sometimes the best thing you can do for your children is to let them go. That’s what I’m doing to Raul. I’m letting him go. I love him just as much as I did the day he was born. He’ll always be my son. However, I have an obligation to my grandchild, and until my son can see that, I have to let him be to himself. I pray that he’ll find his way,” she said. I only hoped that this was the right thing to do.
Trinity
The secret that I was hiding from Pooch made my life rough, but with Terrence’s help, I had enrolled in art design classes finally. My classes were three hours long and during the day, so I didn’t have to worry about anyone but Princess. Thankfully, Terrence paid his sister, Tomika, to babysit Princess for me at her house. His sister was cool as hell and had always wanted Terrence and me to be together. Since she wasn’t a close friend of mine, Pooch would never suspect a thing.
I’d rush to do my work before Pooch got home and hide my books in the trunk of my car. The good thing about being with the head kingpin was that he moved during the daylight hours, right under the Feds’ noses. He stayed on the grind for much of the day, but he was a family man at night. He had a few front businesses that did well, and he hung out there during the day mostly. I loved his “hours” now more than ever, since they freed up my time to pursue my dream. And this way Pooch didn’t suspect a thing. I also had my own bank account and could move money so that I could pay my tuition without him knowing. He trusted me but would check me when he felt there was a reason, so I had to be careful. Doing something that Pooch didn’t approve of was like testing the will of God, and I wasn’t trying to get caught in that wrath.
“Terrence, I don’t know how I’m going to repay you for helping me,” I said as we walked from the front door of his sister’s house to my car. I’d just picked up Princess, and Terrence had paid Princess’s “day care” bill and given Tomika a big tip.
“You don’t have to repay me. You know what I want.”
I looked down. “You know I can’t.”
“If you could, would you?”
“Dreads, please.”
In his frustration, Terrence threw caution to the wind and let me know how he really felt about me. “Trinity, I love you,” he said, forcing me to look at him. “I love you like my life depends on it to survive. Please don’t close our chapter yet. Just look back and remember how good we were together, and you’ll know that this shit is worth fighting for.”
My teary eyes reflected my sorrowful soul. Terr
ence had put his feelings out there for me, and there were so many reasons to listen to him and restore our relationship. However, there was one reason that prevented any thoughts of that. Pooch. I swear, I had to remind myself that I still loved Pooch. Lord knows I was feeling Terrence, and it was hard having someone in your corner who supported your dreams and wanted to tend to the kids. Especially when I was in love with a man who refused to do the things I needed him to do, because he was so consumed by what he wanted for me. Don’t get me wrong. Pooch was a good man, despite what he did for a living. He had some fucked up ways that he did things, but at the end of the day, I knew he loved me and wanted to give me only the best. The only problem was he wanted to give me what he felt was best, instead of what I actually needed.
“Terrence, I know you care, and I appreciate that you are there for me. I really do—”
“But . . .”
I sighed. “Yes, but there is Pooch. I love him, and he loves me, and I have to be devoted to that relationship. Pooch has given me so much . . .”
He rolled his eyes and fanned off my words. “Pooch has given you only stability. That fool can’t see past his money and drugs to give you shit else! I can give you stability, Trinity. I mean real stability this time. No matter how untouchable Pooch thinks he is, he can be touched. Believe that.”
I looked at him as if he was crazy. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“It means just what I said.”
After raising my index finger, I pointed at him angrily. “That’s some ole informant talk you on right now, and I don’t like it, Dreads.”
He frowned at me for even having the thought. “I’m no damn informant,” he scoffed. “All I’m saying is that life will bring you down someday in some way. Pooch better have an exit plan, because it can end only in jail or death.”
His words made a shiver run through me. “Don’t talk like that please.”
“I’m not trying to scare you up. All I’m saying is I put you through changes before. Don’t let Pooch put you through the same changes now.”
“I hear you, but I gotta go.”
He kissed me on the cheek. “See you later, li’l mama.”
I blushed. “Bye, Dreads.”
“Bye, Princess,” he said, then kissed her forehead as she smiled at him.
Although I agreed with Terrence, Pooch and his family had had the game on lock for as long as I’d known them. Half of the city was on their payroll, and the other half either was family or friends or was scared of them. Then the small percentage of people who hated them weren’t bold or crazy enough to take it to them, except Terrence, but he kept his temper at bay for me.
When I pulled up to the house, Pooch’s truck was in the driveway. I didn’t know what the hell was going on, since he was never home this early. I prayed he hadn’t found out that I let Terrence’s sister keep Princess or that I was taking classes.
“Where the fuck have you been?” he asked as soon as I stepped foot in the living room.
I knew something had gone down, since a couple of his lieutenants were in the house. Pooch rarely had his people over, unless it was a party or something had happened. He said the fewer people that were there and the less traffic there was, the less suspicion that was drawn.
“Princess and I stepped out for a minute. Why?” I said nonchalantly, hoping he didn’t know anything.
“You been gone at least an hour. That’s how long we’ve been here.”
“So what? Was y’all waiting for me or something?”
“No. I just wanted to make sure you were all right, since you haven’t returned any of my fucking phone calls,” he said through clenched teeth.
What the hell was he talking about? I hadn’t heard my cell phone ring, so this was news to me. I put Princess down and dug into my Birkin bag. When I retrieved my iPhone, it was dead.
“See? It’s dead. I didn’t realize it,” I said, throwing it at Pooch.
He caught it and looked at it for verification. “Well, keep your shit charged. Damn. We have car chargers, Trinity,” he said, fussing.
“Um, excuse me.” I looked around the room. “Hey, everybody,” I said, waving to the fellas.
“What’s up, Trinity?” they said in unison.
“Pooch, can I see you in private for a second?” I asked. I walked into the kitchen, with Pooch following behind. “Okay, what the hell is all this about?”
“One of my spots got robbed today,” he said angrily. “I just wanted to make sure nothing happened to you.” He grabbed me and hugged me close. “If one of them muthafuckas had hurt you or, hell, even Princess, I’d be in jail right now, for real yo.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him to reassure him that everything was all right. “Well, nothing is wrong with me, baby. I’m fine, and so is Princess. So how much did they hit you up for?”
“Them muthafuckas got me for at least two hundred,” he said, hitting the countertop.
“I hope you mean two hundred dollars.”
“Hell naw! I mean two hundred large,” he replied angrily. “See, muthafuckas always got to try you. Heads ’bout to roll in this bitch. It’s time to send a message that I ain’t the one to be fucked with. See, the streets been too quiet lately, and so have I, but trust me, these niggas are about to feel Pooch for real. I swear, them muthafuckas don’t want it with me, baby. I’m murking them muthafuckas, for real yo.”
I couldn’t believe someone had got away with hitting Pooch up for that much money. “So what are you going to do, babe? Do you know who it was?”
“Hell naw, I don’t know exactly who it was, or else I wouldn’t be here. But trust me, the streets are live now, so I got people on location. Somebody gon’ get loose lipped for real, and when they do, it’s gon’ be they last conversation,” he said, his anger mounting even more.
At that moment, I thought about Terrence’s comment. I shook my head and dismissed the thought. He wouldn’t. Still, his words rang loudly in my mind, because it seemed like what he had said had come to fruition. And real talk, that shit scared my ass a bit.
I pulled him close to me. “Don’t do nothing crazy. I don’t want you to get locked up or worse.”
Pooch looked down at me and smiled. It was the first time in a very long time that I could remember him being so gentle and attentive to me. “Damn, babe. Ain’t nothing gon’ happen to me. I’m Pooch. Don’t worry about shit. I’m gon’ always be around for you. You hear me?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I hear you.”
“Come on,” he said. After a peck to my lips, he took my hand and led me to his king suite.
“What are you doing, Pooch?”
“All this fucking pent-up frustration has got to come out. Let me hit it right quick, baby. I need to feel my shit all up in you right now.”
“You’ve got company, and the baby is in the playpen in the living room with them niggas.”
“So? Shit. They can’t hear shit in the king suite, and them niggas ain’t gon’ fuck with Princess,” he pleaded. “Don’t make me beg for my own fucking pussy. Damn.”
I didn’t want to argue, so I followed Pooch into the king suite. He locked the door behind us, pulled my pants down, and told me to lie doggy-style on the sofa. Within a few seconds flat, his pants were around his ankles and his dick was ready, set, go. He spat on the tip of his dick, smeared the saliva around, and then stuck it inside me.
“Ooh, shit. I need this,” he moaned, getting into a rhythm.
Angry or frustrated sex with Pooch was so damn good. I didn’t love the timing of this, but I would be lying if I said it didn’t feel great. Hell, in his attempt to fuck his stress away, he also fucked mine away. I moaned deeply as he settled into a groove, and the jiggle of my ass from his deep pounding rocked my core. After only a few solid pumps, there was a knock at the door.
“Yo, Pooch? You in there?” Big Cal asked.
“What, muthafucka? What do you want?” Pooch yelled in frustration. “I’m han
dling some shit right now.”
“Sorry, man, but yo, Princess is crying, and it smells like she dropped a load of shit in her diaper. Plus, um, I got a call from li’l Juice, and he said some niggas over at his location talking grimy about you.”
I looked over my shoulder and saw that Pooch’s expression had turned to rage. “Pull your pants up,” he commanded, disengaging himself, and I hurriedly pulled up my pants.
Pooch opened the door while trying to buckle his pants. Big Cal looked on in amazement as he realized what business Pooch had been tending to. “You just get the call?” Pooch asked.
“Huh?” Big Cal asked, looking back and forth between Pooch and me.
“Nigga, what are you? Deaf and mute? I said, How long ago did you get the call?” Pooch barked.
“Excuse me, baby. I need to get Princess,” I said, walking up behind Pooch.
He pulled me to him and kissed me deeply as he gripped my ass and whispered, “Fuck! Keep that shit wet for me. I’m gon’ finish my business when I get home. You hear me?”
“Yes, baby. I need to get the baby.”
“I love you, Trinity.”
“I love you too, Pooch.”
Pooch smiled at me. “A’ight. Remember that shit,” he said, smacking me on my ass. When I walked past Big Cal, he licked his lips at me.
“Nigga, I suggest if you want your lips and eyes, you keep your focus on me,” Pooch said. “Let’s saddle up, nigga. And be clear, homie, if you even think about stepping to my lady, I will toe tag your ass.”
“A’ight, Pooch. Damn,” Big Cal said as they walked down the hallway. “I’m just saying, she is fine, though. All I was doing was admiring the—”
Suddenly, I heard a loud noise at the other end of the hallway and spun around to see what in the hell had happened. I gasped when I saw that Pooch had chin checked his ace and number one henchman.
He grabbed Big Cal by his collar. “Keep your muthafuckin’ eyes focused. I better not ever catch you looking at Trinity again, and if you speak about my lady’s fineness or anything else, I’ll cut your fucking balls off and feed them to you, muthafucka. Do you hear me?”